The Opening Act

Prologue
The clouds are churlish and kraken-cruel. They cough out great gouts of water and thunking balloons of sopping moisture. In the small village hidden within the rain, terror and crime is a daily occurrence. Ninja gangs have overcome the land, promoting violence and abolishing all forms of law and protection. Some of the world's most frightening criminals base in this small yet troublesome land. Even those who border with this nation have refused to aid it, claiming it is a lost cause. No wonder it continues to rain, even the gods weep at this failed state.

Within the darkness, there is always a glimmer of light, no matter how faint. Sometimes, in order to reach peace there must be a little chaos. Two products of darkness, unique in their own ways, have begun a revolution. Vigilantes would be the actual term, but due to the lack of any law officials, the Village's Dark Horses would be a little more accurate. Starting with the pawns, the two continue to work their way up the board until the execute every king on the field. The first gang they set their eyes upon are the black cats of the village. A sinister bunch that don't take opposition lightly. Upset with the most recent slaughtering of their own men, the Gang Head hosts a meeting in order to prevent such a thing from happening again.

But another piece has entered the game now, one that does not belong. The Jester, The Fool, The Joker, the most troublesome piece of all. Ally to no one. Interested in neither winning nor losing, The Jester only wishes to deceive...

The Dark Magician Appears
The smell of nicotine engulfed the room, as all of the second-in-commands or lieutenants were present for the unpremeditated Wandering Panthers meeting. They all sat around a rectangular table with the head currently vacant. Each had a single guard behind them, their right hand man. A total fourteen present at the moment. Some waited patiently as other grew bored and anxious. Finally one snapped:

"DAMN IT! Who does he think he is making us wait like this. Most of us are stronger than this old geezer, why don't we just kill the old man and start a new age an era of the Wandering Panthers." one yelled, definitely the most robust of the group but not a lot in the noggin.

"Silence, you ignorant swine. How dare you speak about Lord Saizen that way. You should be executed on the spot." another quickly retorted. Sitting opposite to the vacant seat, it was obvious who spat those words. None other than entitled son of the current leader, heir to throne.

"Oh, Daddy's boy actually got some lip eh. Maybe I should beat the crap out of you just to put you in your place." the robust one stated, standing tall as instigating a brawl. His guard lowered his hand to his waist discretely, preparing for battle.

"Oh dear lord, its not everyday where I could put a low-life mongrel like yourself back in its place. BRING IT!" the son responded, withdrawing his signature blade taking on his unique stance. His own guard prepared for battle as well.

The others watched in amusement as if this were a common event that took place every meeting. At that exact moment, Lord Saizen emerged from the shadows not amused by his own lieutenants childish games. "Sit down, both of you, now is it the time for foolish disputes." he spat like a true veteran. His son quickly sat down, while the other took his time.

"It seems we have a problem. Two and I quote, "Demonic Ninja" have slaughtered our men. From my understanding they are not of any gang but two newcomer who can prove to be a nuisance if we don't exterminate them ASAP. Now does anyone have any information they'd like to share with me in order to better assess the threat. " Lord Saized stated, taking a seat with two masked guards trailing behind him.

"I hear one is skilled in genjutsu." his son responded nonchalantly, though determined to make his father proud by contributing. "He left half our men brain dead due to some horrific genjutsu.

"Interesting, genjutsu...."the old man thought.

"At the scene, there was a lot of blood, more that there should have been..." one stated, rarely ever contributing to these discussions.

"Is that really all we have on our opponents, Genjutsu and an excessive amount of blood. Other gangs will hear about our struggles and push harder to take our turf. Now I am not a fan of fighting two battles at once. Are you?" not expecting a response.

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