40 Painting

"Go into the Skyleaves with Kren and gather us some purploberries, it's time we get to painting."

A mischievous glint danced in Cole's eyes as Kaia tilted her head, emerald feathers shimmering in the fading light.

"Kren, you be alongside her, and off you go!"

With a powerful beat of her emerald wings, Kaia launched herself into the night sky, 

Kren's form dissolved into a shadow beside her as they plunged into the swirling Haare. 

Cole watched them go, a satisfied smirk stretching across his face. 

The stage was being set smoothly and without any complications so far.

'Now, I just have to watch out for my own ass until they return here."

Turning his back on the city walls, he melted into the shadows, his black coat blending seamlessly with the misted darkness of Mistveil. 

The guards, albeit on the lookout for any bandits or illegal actions occurring, were easily distracted by the Haare, and so, Cole was sure they wouldn't be able to spare him a second glance. 

Like a phantom, he weaved through the trees near the gate, adrenaline pulsing through his veins.

'Calm yourself, Cole, this is only the beginning.'

The plan was audacious, it was the first time Cole would begin to try and turn a city upside down all by himself.

'I knew what I had to do the moment I came here, and for tonight, these walls will be my canvas.'

Thinking so, he reached the designated section of the wall the moment he heard the flapping of Kren's wings, not Kaia's. 

"Great, I knew I could count on the two of you." With a whisper, he took what Kaia and Kren had brought and offered.

Kren brought six and Kaia brought four purploberries.

A berry as big as the human palm, which one could feast upon it like eating an apple, albeit, this one was full of juices. Dark-blue ones, just like the blood of some sorts of monsters.

"Please return and bring me more, as for me, I'll get back to– hmph!"

Kren didn't let Cole finish his sentence as he took hold of him instantly with his talons and broke into a flight.

"Kgh!" Kren's nails dug into Cole's skin, but he couldn't retort, after all– 

"Fuck, we were almost caught." Thought Cole as he saw the ground burning right where they were.

'Who the hell throws an insta-kill fire spell the moment they suspect someone might be near them!?' Shaking his head and dismissing his inner complaints, Cole instead focused on another part near the wall.

"It seems they're constantly searching right and left, keeping it secure. We'll just have to draw higher up."

"Kren, I'm sorry to ask of you again, but…"

With an understanding nod, Kren changed his grip on Cole and held him by the shoulders of his cloak.

'Tch, my underarms are killing me, but fuck it anyways, we get to painting."

Under the veil of darkness and fog, Cole took hold of two purploberries, one held as a reserve for when he used up the one on his right hand.

And so, he smashed the fruit against the cobblestone walls.

Splatch–sp-sprlll.

He held his hand firm against the wall and worked with precision and speed, his motions somehow seeming practiced. 

The purploberry juice, viscous and cold, flowed from the vials, its scent like crushed and sweet berries.

'We move it up… side… now we go down and splotch juice so it seems like a ripping wound gushed its blood here.'

His touch danced across the rough stone as his tongue kept licking his upper lip, leaving behind disturbing glyphs.

'The dark color will definitely be noticeable by the bare eye in the morning, especially the contrast it shows compared to the white fog." 

Shpllaa~

He smashed numerous of them one after another and then continued to use his hands as painting brushes that had grown dark, whether from color or the vile motives he had towards this city so he could gain control of it. 

***

Hours ticked by, and Cole had returned to the Mistfallen Inn. Clean, undisturbed, as if he was out on a casual stroll.

"Ah, Mister Kalor, could I get one hot chocolate before I go to bed? It seems that the haare tonight really bites one's skin." Cole voiced as he shivered from the cold.

"Exactly why you see the majority of people locked up here, being the traveler that you are, I understand how you can't sit still all day."

"Sigh, you get it pretty damned well…"

Thus, after a small chit-chat during his drink, Cole headed towards his room after paying the second night, Eliran waiting for him in the hall.

"Oh, you're still awake?"

"Yes, I just got here earlier, whereas you seem to have finished quite the job– So, what did you do?"

"Just you wait," Cole said, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. "Dawn's kiss will reveal the masterpiece that'll leave Mistveil gasping for air."

"You seem confident, tomorrow we depart and see it in person then." Eliran nodded once before moving back to his own room and the night ended for the both of them.

***

"Did you hear?"

"What?"

"The walls, something ominous happened on the southern gate."

"Ehh?"

"Some are saying that it could be a Darkstitch that has evolved because of the Eclipse."

"Darkstitch? Weren't they practically harmless before? Although, what you said could make sense."

Hearing the chit-chat of the late morning, Cole asked the people talking about the topic in question, "Excuse me, but did something happen? I happened to overhear and now I'm kinda intrigued, I'm an adventurer after all…"

"Ah, yes, of course. Nothing of much importance has happened, just that… something weird was painted on the gate walls of the city."

As he took information from them to create and spread the idea that he was innocent, he quickly went and called Eliran after, leaving the inn to see that the city had cleared up quite a lot from the haare.

'It isn't stable it seems. Albeit, this proves useful.'

Step, step, step.

As they reached the area, Cole and Eliran were met with a crowd of people seeing, some even panicking and gasping.

Eliran frowned as he took sight of what Cole had done, "You're a really disturbing person, you know that, right?"

"I'll take that as a compliment." Cole huffed as he admired his own work, his eyes tracing across different expressions.

"Ah, it's finally here– THE TRUE END IS COMING!"

"We'll be killed?"

"Who dared do this…"

"Please calm down, everyone–"

"Our lives count on this! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO!?"

"Hehe…" Then there was Cole, who could only try to contain his smirk.

On the wall, tall and wide, stretched, blood was etched everywhere you could see.

~The Day is Almost hereeeeeee!!!!!!!!~

~I'll kill allllll!~

~EVERYONE WILL BE DEAD~

Prolonged words of cursive writing, horror, and terror of dried black ink conveyed the fate of the city of Mistveil.