Human Nature

But in later years terror reigned in the land,

For the deadly blight of the flower had fallen on men...

A lone figure stood upon a high rock protruding from the cliff ledge, tall trees covered her from any unwanted observers. Shoulder length brown hair fluttered around her slender form. Deep sea-green eyes observed the scene in front of her with contempt.

The signs of war, death and destruction showed everywhere. Piles of dead and rotting corpses littered the battlefield, injured men lay dying, screaming for help. Gunfire could be heard in the air, the battle still raged on. The metallic smell of blood loss clotted the nostrils of the fighting soldiers.

"Pitiful fools", Iris mumbled to herself. She lowered herself into a sitting position and continued to monitor the men fighting below her.

The soldiers were fighting for revenge; both their generals had been murdered, seemingly by the second in command of their opposition. Little did they know that another party was involved, that party had hired an expert assassin to kill both leaders, causing the great 'war' that was presently being fought. The person in charge of that party wanted to eliminate his competition so that they could control all the land that was there and be dubbed sovereign. Rather than waste his soldiers in war he decided to pit his opponents against each other, a quick and effortless plan.

Iris was that assassin, killing the generals had been fun. Something about controlling life and death and watching blood splatter was amusing to her. But there was one more person she had to annihilate, and when she completed her 'mission', she would get more money than she could ever imagine.

Artemis Nightshade, her current target, was a powerful man with many servants groveling at his feet. Being the arrogant and pompous jerk that he was, he did not realize how many enemies he truly had.

"Ah, there he is now", she said, smiling slightly. She had her eyes on a tall man clad in an ivory white uniform, 'how inconspicuous', Iris thought sardonically. His pallid attire stood out profoundly against his dark surroundings. Artemis had a sadistic smirk plastered on his face as he watched the scene with morbid amusement.

She crept down the edge of the precipice silently; years of experience had taught her very important lessons on subtlety. She approached him slowly and cautiously, her footsteps unheard. Noiselessly she removed her katana from

...