thenearshore | justice delayed [closed]

[Ross was waiting in position as well. It would't have been difficult to stay out of this entirely; it was probably a better idea too, considering Schuldig could still call his vessel name, but here he was with his Mana Maker-kun at the ready. Truth be told, while he did know that well enough, he didn't even begin to consider staying out of it. For many reasons, but some were more important than most.

After all, as much as he hated the idea, Schuldig was his god. Shouldn't he be the one to stop him, even if it meant he would be known as a god-murderer? Well, it might make gods reluctant to give or make him keep a name... Or the heavens just might take him out entirely.

The Mana Maker-kun on his forehead flickered as he waited. The sooner this was over, the better.]

[ Meanwhile, D2 was not visibly in the are. But his job wasn't close-range combat, and thus he was located further away with firearms at the ready. He didn't tell the others his exact position, but he knew several good vantage points where he could hide and still be able to tell what was going on.

He made sure he could hear things clearly through the ear-piece, and watched through the scope. At the moment, waiting for Schuldig to return was all any of them could do. ]

[A lot of Schuldig's schedule lately revolved around the fact that his last... 'familiar face' Farfarello had knocked his mind for a loop before his departure from the Heavens. It would be insane to call Farfarello - Jay - a friend even before arriving in The Far Shore, but after all of his many deeds here, it was downright impossible. He'd killed Crawford, and his much more useful shinki Jennifer. That was how he got stuck with a shinki that couldn't be pushed around nearly so easily.

And he was far from naive of Ross's opinion on the matter.

But as he tried to rest the parts of himself scarred from Jay's lashing out, it meant he slept later. Then, out he'd go to listen amongst the minds of the gods' attendants for useful stray thoughts. It had got him a bit of intel before, and it didn't require a shinki around. Plus, it was basically exercise for sore muscles, in the telepathic way.

The way he returns to his temple, however, is as subtle as the exterior led Hakkai to believe. He teleports right into it - not in front of the cave mouth, nor the long winding cavern that opens into the shrine. He goes right inside the place that has no windows and that 1 clandestine door at the table.

It's no surprise that Ross isn't in the temple when he arrives. The guy does what he wants, at least that much hasn't changed between him and Jennifer. Instinct tells him to figure out where Ross is as soon as he thinks about the guy, though. Which is how he notices Ross outside. Scanning that immediate area finds Hakkai's presence and that of the Soulless shinki as well.

But that's only a superficial brush. It could be nothing at all. He'd been quite clear he didn't want visitors, but that didn't mean Ross listened to him. It's after this that Schuldig starts to probe deeper for motive of the two loiterers, with no idea that D2 was a part of the trap.]

[Gods' teleportation doesn't raise the least flicker in Hakkai's ki senses, but gods' presence does; still, at a distance, it takes him almost half a minute to notice the subtle variation between an empty temple and a temple containing a single person.

His head comes up as though to scent the air, and his grip on the saber's hilt tightens as he glances to Ross. Experience has taught him not to teleport inside an unknown area, and sheer good sense is enough to teach him not to go inside an unfamiliar temple with a hostile and powerful enemy who does know the terrain. No-- there's only one solution to this. They might still have escaped notice; he moves with near-silent footsteps closer to Ross, and lowers his voice to a barely audible murmur.]

He's inside. Can you bring him out?

[If not, Hakkai might have to go after all-- or perhaps try an attack against the door, to see if he's willing to emerge to meet hostilities. It would sacrifice surprise, but that's an acceptable sacrifice, if the alternative is failure.]

[He didn't flinch, but he did tense up a lot more than expected when Hakkai snuck up on him. Of course, being a shinki meant he had to shrug it off instead of thinking about why that was.]

I'll go.

[He removed the Mana Maker-kun from his forehead; there was no sense in drawing more suspicion than he had to. That also meant he couldn't just drag the guy outside. This would require more finesse, and that just wasn't his usual way of doing things. Sneaking around in general wasn't his way of doing things, for that matter.

Given that he didn't particularly care who saw how to get into the temple, he just strolled on in. Once inside, he began to wander about, as if he didn't already know that Schuldig was already inside. At the very least, he was good at pretending to be--or just flat out being--lazy, and his outward demeanour showed that as he walked thought the temple.

Now where was he hiding...?]

Ah, there you are.

[Two can play that game, of pretending to not know where the other person was. His tone is that ever-present condescension, like when he asks questions he already knows the answer to.]

Here I thought you were able to teleport in and out of this place.

[That one, for example. It could have been a question, except it's not; it's a statement because Schuldig knows better, knows that Ross can move magically in a similar way that gods can. That and he does believe that Ross is the sort of lazy that he is too, lazy in the 'get something done efficiently' way.]

[As always, he bristled at that condescension. He was a very easy target in that sense, not to mention that this was one of those times where it very much didn't work in his favour. However, despite everything, his tone was even.]

Yeah, about that. I had to save my mana because there was something I wanted to show you.

[That was a lie in one way, but not another.

He didn't make any quick movements despite the main intent behind his words. Before, he usually made some sort of gesture before using his magic, but he didn't actually need to do so. The thing about his own teleportation magic was that he could not only teleport himself, but other people.

In other words, if Schuldig didn't do something really fast, Ross was about to drop the guy right into Hakkai and D2's attacking range. It wasn't an ideal plan to surprise them like that, but acting quickly and decisively was his main concern here.]

[Outside, Hakkai waits in the shadow of the stone where Ross had stood. He'll be the first attack; if his attack distracts Loki, it is a success regardless of whether it's fatal.

He doesn't expect it not to be fatal unless it fails to land, but even then, stopping him should occupy the other man's attention for at least a few seconds.

Something tickles at the edge of his senses: not youkai magic, but magic nonetheless, building swiftly. Ross? He doesn't move, but his gaze sharpens, ready.]

[ D2, hidden in his spot, waits to see if he'll actually be needed; he knows Hakkai can handle himself, but he doesn't know much about what Ross can do. Or what Schuldig is capable of.

There is always a use in researching more on a target. On the other hand, you can't always drag things out for too long, or said target might find out their plans before they actually get a chance to execute their plans. At least they took the precaution of getting someone as long-range backup instead of simply charging ahead. ]

Oh?

[At this point, Schuldig catches enough of Ross's surface thoughts to realize he's being asked to walk into a trap. However, he has a counter-plan, which he knows may ultimately wreck his tenuous bond with his shinki, but he's lost that before. All he cares about is surviving this encounter.

So he makes sure to get closer to Ross, within range to take one step and then have him be within arm's reach.]

Then go ahead.

[He makes sure to keep his voice even - neither dismissive nor excited, like he's just busy and got other things on his mind that he'd like to get back to. Which is kind of true.]

[Ross didn't react much to that step closer. While he most definitely valued his personal space, for the time being he had no reason to think that he was in any more danger than before, or that Schuldig had realized what was going on.

That aside, it wasn't like he was particularly interested in protecting that tenuous bond either.]

Let's go outside, then.

[He disappeared. Ross had at least teleported himself, if not both of them, outside the temple. He could have just walked out normally, but that may have required him to turn his back on Schuldig, and that was not happening.]

[The air breaks apart on two figures, one slight and dark-haired, one tall and redheaded, and Hakkai moves smoothly, blade coming up and across. Loki is smiling, smug and careless.

He doesn't carry the blow through; it's aimed to rest against Loki's throat, not to cut, and as the blade comes to a stop he speaks.]

Release your shinki.

[Perhaps he should've tried for a fatal blow at first, but he's trusting his own reflexes. He's sure he can cut before any mind control sets in.

And he's not entirely willing to commit cold-blooded murder on Ross's word alone... although with what Loki's done, he is almost willing. He'll still offer a chance.]

[He was prepared to move out of the way, waiting until the last possible second to make sure the attack was designed as a threat and not a killing strike. He can see inside of Hakkai's thoughts though, so for now he assumes that all information is open to him. Except the focus on the immediate fight prevents him from noticing their contingency plans.

So instead, his eyes simply white out.]

No.

[This guy is someone Ross led to the very doorstep of his temple. This guy isn't leaving. Schuldig steps just far enough out of the blade's reach that he can also reach for Ross, touching him skin to skin. He's never done that before, so he's pretty sure that Ross doesn't know what's coming.]

Senki!

[And this time Ross doesn't get a choice. He doesn't get freedom. He gave up that right in his betrayal. The pauldron appears on his left shoulder, the accoutrements, and the shielding down his left arm. This he moves upwards to block any secondary attacks from Hakkai.]

[It wasn't Schuldig's answer that was surprising. Being grabbed was, however. While he didn't know what was coming next, he could certainly guess that it wasn't going to be good for him or Hakkai.

What could he do about it, though? There was no time to use that magic he'd been practising once that name came out. There wasn't time to do much of anything.]

Get out of--!

[Those words were the best he could manage before he was in that weapon form he'd grown to hate. He could only hope that Hakkai would listen and bail out. Fighting ayakashi was one thing, but he'd never been used to fight a god armed with their own shinki, and he would rather keep it that way.]

[That's enough of an answer. Hakkai's second attack is whip-fast, as Loki calls Ross's name, but Shiki's blade skims along Senki's surface, striking sparks with the shriek of metal on metal.

He can't risk hurting Ross. He can't risk hurting Asshole, either: Hakkai doesn't know what a soulless shinki might be able to withstand, and even if it's Banri, Hakkai doesn't plan to use him to destruction.

So, he'll have to avoid the pauldron and armor. He spins, going low with a slash aimed at Loki's knees, meant to cripple and leave him open for a kill. Hesitation, too, could be fatal. He doesn't know how much time it will take Loki to use his mind-controlling power.]

[Schuldig's reflexes aren't as fast as he'd like, being weighed down by Ross's pauldron, but he can still anticipate Hakkai's moves since he hasn't been shielded out of his mind. Some godly opponents had been able to do that. Not this guy, apparently, for which Schuldig is excited and grateful. He hasn't killed anything but ayakashi in a good while. They don't give nearly so much satisfaction of succeeding.

Still, he leaps out of the way of getting his knees slashed and tries to slam the pauldron and all of its weight against the side of Hakkai's head, fully concentrated on keeping Ross from being able to affect the fight.]

[Loki isn't fast; he isn't nearly fast enough to be able to dodge Hakkai's blows, and yet he is, as though he's anticipating them before they even begin. Hakkai's eyes narrow, and he brings up Asshole's hilt to block the blow to his head, taking the force of the swing with a brutal crack of metal on metal.

It's the hilt he takes the blow on, and it leaves the blade free to flick up and towards the underside of Loki's arm, where the pauldron doesn't shield flesh. He lashes out simultaneously with a foot, kicking for the side of Loki's knee.

It overextends him, but it's a test: how many blows can the other man see coming at the same time?

He's confident, at the speed Loki's moving, that the overextension won't be too much of a problem.]

[The double attack does give Schuldig pause. Even he knows that he can't dodge two attacks at once like that. So, he just teleports instead - closer to the edge of the cavernous entrance to his temple complex, before moving a second time - this time much closer to Hakkai with the goal of using Ross's shinki power first--]

'Senki - Power Negation.'

[He says the words in Ross's mind to trigger the power, then aims a punch hard enough with that kind of metal backing his strength to break Hakkai's spine, or maybe just rattle him long enough for Schuldig to pull his pistol out.]

[It was too much to hope that Schuldig had forgotten about that power. And while there could have been other reasons why those words were only in his head rather than out loud, he was long past the point of giving the benefit of the doubt. Not only that, it had given rise to something else.

Guilt.

It wasn't much at that very moment. It was about the equivalent of a pinprick in the grand scheme of things...for now. Depending on how that punch went, it could easily get much worse.]

[Hakkai is overextended. The sudden pulse of weakness staggers him, and although Loki is still human-slow, he can't pull his leg back fast enough to twist fully out of the way of the blow. He does turn enough to take it on a shoulder instead of directly in the center of his back, where it could have stunned him or even broken a vertebra. The wet crack of impact, and the black stars of pain bursting across his vision, argue that it might have cracked his shoulderblade as well.

His arm spasms, Shiki falling to the ground with a clatter, and he twists again, catching himself on his good arm and rolling to his feet-- but he's slower, now, too. Shiki lies inert on the ground, not shifting or coming back to his hand the way a shinki with his own mind might have done, and Hakkai dives for the weapon, desperation taking the place of coordination as he grabs the hilt in his off hand.]

[Schuldig is lucky that his attack hit and that Hakkai was momentarily stunned by the aftereffects. Dropping his weapon and all of that would have been a perfect opportunity for Schuldig to get a final blow in, but - much to his frustration - he paused even as that pinprick hit him. He was used to being untouchable. It's all he can do to keep that hold on Ross steady. He considered reaching out to Hakkai too, but he doesn't trust Ross at all right now, so all of his telepathic power is going to controlling his shinki and almost none to his predictive powers. Almost.

But that also tells him he doesn't have much time. He needs to make this quick because prolonging a fight isn't his style normally anyway, but also - he thinks - a single kill in a short timespan rather than several minutes of forcing Ross to fight his ally, if not a friend. He doesn't believe in friends of course, but he absolutely respects the power that bond has on other people. He's just mad that he doesn't have enough leeway right now to dig into Ross's mind and figure out what Hakkai is to him. For all he knows they're lovers and right now he just can't be bothered.

One last peek into Hakkai's mind helps him predict one more strike, spinning around Hakkai's attack until he's behind the man. As he moves, he pulls the handle out of the armor and that trails some cord behind it. Now, in reality, that cord is meant to be pulled with a snap like a lawnmower to jumpstart the engine on his back. Sure enough, it does kick off some smoke and a small noise, but that's not what he wants. He wants the cord itself.

He leaves the hand with the handle closer to Hakkai's damaged shoulder and lifts the rest of the cord-wire over the man's head, then crosses his hands and twists so he and Hakkai are back to back and Schuldig's hands are at his own shoulderblades. That way, he can be strangling Hakkai while also using his full strength to pull both ends of the cord as tight as possible.]

[No.

This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out. This couldn't end with Hakkai being strangled and him being pinned down with that telepathic power that he still didn't understand. But no matter how he felt, that didn't change his situation, and his blood was already boiling by the time he consciously realized that. Even so, the futility of it all wasn't enough for him to quietly concede in despair.

Something deep inside of him was resonating in equal parts guilt and frustration. Thinking about why would have only endangered him, but he still felt it as if it was separate from himself and sweeping him up in its current. Ross was only stinging Schuldig and doing the equivalent of screaming into his ears, true. He didn't know what else to do though, so he couldn't--wouldn't--hold back.

So, just how many negative emotions could a god take at once? Especially when a hint of killing intent was now mixed in with it? One way or another, Ross was about to find out.]

[The wire catches Hakkai's throat. It bites deep as Schuldig turns and throws his weight into it before Hakkai's hand can make it between metal and skin to clutch for inches of air, of blood.

He clutches for it anyway, with the hand that's working properly, as his ears fill with meaningless sound and black stars burst across his vision. No. No, it's too easy: no, how could he be so slow?

His fingernails, clawing for the metal, leave bleeding gouges across his neck, but it's too deep, it, too, is drawing blood. He can't feel it spilling down his shirt, but he can feel that his hands are slipping over his skin, too easily.

He'd brought backup. He'd known he was bait. Still, as his vision narrows to a point, and washes out on black, he wonders: did he let this happen? Could he have fought more effectively, could--

-- the bruises are still there on his throat, laid open by the wire but still there beneath the blood. This is the easier way to die. This is the way that's a mistake, and not a choice.

He hadn't consciously wondered, until his last glimmer of consciousness, if this were also a choice.

He thinks it might be.

As his hand slackens and falls from his neck, his lips tilt into a bloodstained smile.]

[Schuldig is grunting hard under his breath, straining under the blight that Ross inflicts on him, until he can finally feel the desperate attempts stop.

Only then, at last, does he release the tension on the wire. He rolls his back just enough for the dead body to fall on the ground and Schuldig to exhale loudly in relief, still smirking through the pain. He lets Ross's vessel form fall to the ground, not dropping the wire's handle. He lets all of that mental effort that he'd been exerting go, no longer controlling Ross and instead simply not calling his name to change him back.

Still, the blight is certainly eating away at the both of them.]

Was that the backup plan then? Huh?

[His voice is rough, but he still thinks he's won.]

Blight your way into becoming an ayakashi? You didn't strike me as a martyr, kid.

[ While they were moving, it was of course hard to get a shot in without the risk of hitting Hakkai instead, and now that they're not in movement..

Fuck.

With the way that Schuldig is standing, with Hakkai shielding his body, even though it's likely unintentional, D2 can't get a shot in.

He could shoot him through Hakkai...probably. But it's a gamble to do something like that, the bullet might not reach Schuldig at all, and then Schuldig would know that D2 was there before he was able to even lightly injure him. If he had just been angled a little bit differently, or if there had been anything that he could aim at that could ricochet a bullet into Schuldig without anything obstructing the bullet's path, this would have been easier.

Except then Hakkai stops struggling and it's not hard to guess why; D2 knew that this had been a possibility, trying to kill someone could get you killed, and this is a battle field, however small.

D2 is surprised that he manages to keep his cool (for the most part), and that his hands remain steady. Once Schuldig lets go of Hakkai, D2 finally has a clear view and that's what he focuses on. He can't allow himself to focus on anything else right now.

The first bullet hits right as Schuldig finishes talking, it goes into his throat, intentionally missing his larynx (but only barely), tearing muscles and veins. The second bullet brushes a rib and makes a hole in his right lung, the third is aimed at his stomach, which is easier to hit than the lungs; after all, there are fewer ribs in the way. The fourth bullet is aimed at his left kneecap, with the intentions of shattering the bones.

The bullets come in rapid succession; now that his vision is unobstructed, aiming takes less then a second. ]

Edited 2018-02-01 17:42 (UTC)

[It took a second for him to realize he wasn't in his vessel form. He'd been used with the intent of killing someone. Not only that, he'd been used against someone who was trying to help him, and he couldn't prevent it. If anything, he'd been an obstacle. It took the blight burning into his skin for him to snap out of that train of thought.

There was still a chance. Or so he wanted to believe. He went to Hakkai with his hands already glowing, but no matter how much mana he poured into his healing magic, there was no change. None of the wounds were closing. That was when he knew it was much too late. His magic was bound by natural laws, and natural laws couldn't bring someone back from this state. He stood up with his hands balled into fists and his fingernails digging into his palms.

He would have to take Hakkai's body back to his temple, but the thought wasn't occurring to him right then.]

[ If Ross is back out of vessel form, then Schuldig should be properly dead. Probably. He doesn't know for sure. But he secures and packs up the firearm, slips the bag over his shoulder and leaves his perch. He has no teleportation ability, so he has to move by foot to reach the scene of the battle.

He doesn't know if Ross will leave before he gets there, but he still has to go there. It'll take a little while, but he hurries, and he's cursing all the way, while he listens to what he can hear through the listening device, trying to catch any sound. ]

[ There'd been no hint in Ross's mind that the fallback plan was a sniper, let alone where the sniper was coming from. Ross's blight had been clouding the forefront of his thoughts enough that it was consuming him and Schuldig himself was so affected by his own blight that he could only concentrate on superficial thoughts.

But that was the only way they were able to succeed in killing him - he didn't see it coming. He had a split second for the first bullet to shatter his facade of confidence and superiority over handling the situation before the second bullet came and really wracked him with pain. Instead of a gut instinct to teleport away - a new power that he didn't have nearly enough practice using for it to be second nature - he turns to face his attacker like maybe he'll be able to stop them from this distance. Of course that's not what happens, and soon enough he crumples to the ground under the impact, spray, and sound of his own imminent death. He can't muster the mental strength to scream at his deceptive shinki, nor can he speak well enough to do the same out loud. He's been thoroughly silenced, which is as much a punishment as any death that - hypothetically - a god can recover from.

As the light from Schuldig's eyes fades, the first thing to happen is indeed Ross changing back out of his vessel form. When he breathes his last, a more drastic change takes place. The snowy cavern behind them starts to melt, the rocks underneath them crumbling. This was all his temple, after all - his hideaway starting at the very entrance. They'll not be able to see the inner sanctum likewise distorting into naught but dust, but that's why the mountain heaves and groans like Schuldig couldn't, threatening an avalanche that won't come. Instead, the whole thing collapses in on itself like a sinkhole pulling the place into a vortex of grainy sand that less resembles a beautiful beach and more a shore at the base of a European cliff.

Finally, there's silence. The temple of Loki is no more and, in the chaos of it all, Schuldig's body disappears too.]

justice delayed [closed]

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cw: garrot/strangulation

cw: garrot/strangulation

cw: strangulation/injury, death, self-destructive thinking

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cw: gunshots

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