[h1]Nidhogg[/h1]

"[i]*sigh*[/i]. . . Didn't I tell you to keep quiet? If you say another word, then I will let them go and turn my attention to you. Do you understand? My patience is growing extremely thin." Nidhogg only gave Shiro a small gaze from the corner of his eyes, but his cold tone and the completely lack of . . . anything within his eyes gave the words a menacing edge. All of the excitement, the manic delight, the sadistic pleasure, all of it vanished in a second in order, revealing the cold monster deep beneath it. After he made sure the girl had gotten the point, he turned his attention to Amaya, who suddenly appeared with a rather interesting proposition. Nidhogg rolled his head a bit, taking note of the position and stances of each of his opponents, the smile coming back to his face as he considered what she said.

"You don't quite know what I'm capable of, my darling little slayer, so don't speak as if you do lest I show you all the destruction I could reap upon this city if I truly tried." Again, Nidhogg spoke with an emptiness as his smile stopped reaching his eyes. The blood red orbs would seem to stare through all of them at once, impressing on them that deep within the man they saw before them was something older than they could comprehend, something dark, primal, and cold. "What you are offering is a tantalizing proposal, and if I could do so with the promise that none of your compatriots would interfere, then I would be more than happy to oblige. Like I said earlier, I've no real stake in this . . . but then again, I truly wonder how many people I'd be able to kill before you all managed to actually take me down. It's a thought every bit as tantalizing as the flesh that hangs from your bones. The boy at your side seems eager to start, if nothing else."

Suddenly, Cody would find all of Nidhogg's attention focused on him, as the gaze of a hungry hawk upon a small mouse in an open field. "What is your story with the guild, I wonder? Did we kill your family? Murder a brother or sister that you held dear? Or perhaps you hate us due to some strict and boring code of honor? Whatever the case, I can't help but feel amused that you think that, just because you managed to arm yourself, that you could make even a paltry difference in the coming battle. In fact, if you do choose to break my rules, I might simply kill you first, simply because the hubris you must have to think such a thing is laughable at best. You're weak, and you will always be weak. Your guildmates may try to tell you otherwise, but I've seen plenty like you before, and they all were equally unimpressive. I mean, look at yourself. Your enemies stand before you, and you just stand there shaking in your boots, cursing at your ineptitude. If you have any true conviction in your hatred, then come and strike me, boy."

Nidhogg simply held out his hands as he spoke, leaving himself wide open.

"No need to worry about others, though, as I give you my word that no harm will come to anyone as a result of your actions. All you need do is try your best to cut me down with that blade of yours, to show me the depths of your conviciton. Isn't that why you joined this band of rejects, to actually make something of your worthless life?" Nidhogg was enjoying himself immensely with how this situation was developing, and if Cody did take the bait, that would lead to a very interesting situation indeed. Nidhogg didn't quite know himself why he was acting the way he acting, only that he felt a desire to break the boy in some shape or form. It was a hunger within him that was deeply primal and base, something he could no longer really understand. For a moment, he was Jackson again, feeling something taking him over and worm it's way into his very core. For the first time, in a long time, he was afraid. He was afraid of what lay beneath him, the source of his power, of his urges, of his desires. But as soon as the moment came, it was gone and the mania was once again present in his eyes, though to Shiro, she'd notice a slight unsteadiness in it.

[i]That was . . . odd.[/i] He pondered internally, spacing out as he waited for Cody to do whatever it was he wanted to do. [i]What just happened? All I remember is feeling annoyed by Shiro's questioning, and suddenly, I couldn't control myself. I remember everything that happened, but it's almost as if I was watching from afar. Again . . . how odd[/i] Nidhogg gave no outside indication of his current disturbed mental state, but as it was, his focus on the situation was currently very much broken as he tried to make sense of his suddenly hostile actions . . . and the presence that accompanied them.

[@Zarkun][@Lunarlors34][@Roseletta][@Joshua Tamashii]