Nightshift 40: M11-M20 Hallway

[rocksthecourt]

[M12]

There was this 'Avatar' again, the thing that supposedly linked one's consciousness within this video game. Klavier couldn't quite understand how such a thing could help anyone fight, but he was certain that this connection had something to do with how and why Endrance was taken. If this really wasn't something every player experienced, then there was little doubt others might find such a thing interesting, yes? He still wasn't sure how this all worked, but preserving this connection had to be the point of it all. At least in this particular case.

Any further discussion on this or the strange 'Kira' murders was cut short with the intercom announcement. If one could call it that. Herr Doktor's voice and demeanor changed come nightfall, true, but this was stranger than usual. In fact, he couldn't even be sure if it was the doctor. It was far too raspy to identify either way.

This was getting more bizarre with every evening. First taunting then what may or may not have been snoring... and now this strange dilapidated voice?

"Open the box?" he repeated. What could he possibly mean by that? ...Wait. Was this voice even addressing the patient population? It seemed too specific a thing to say to everyone. Could this be a message for Herr Doktor? Or was this a message for a specific party? Maybe someone had managed to do something recently...

Comments

[31st-of-china.livejournal.com]

The son of a bitch was just standing back. He wasn't even trying to stop it this time, so secure in his powers.

Even as the last words of the mantra came tumbling out, Sanzo knew something was wrong. Something that didn't have to do with Homura's powers. There wasn't any building power flowing from his body and the sutra jointly. Even when he finished the chant, there wasn't any explosion of light.

Nothing happened. The scripture remained where it was, cold and unresponsive. Despite himself, a chill went down his spine.

The sutra wasn't responding. The gun was, but was doing jackshit against the god. There weren't many options left, but there wasn't any way in hell he was just going to leave, give up on this. Homura had done too much shit to let him live.

Sanzo lunged forward, pushing down the sudden stab of pain from his ribs, swinging at Homura.

[screwthegods]

So something had gone wrong with the sutra, and the burst of power that had once accompanied the chant had somehow been stolen away. Homura was curious, but not surprised. He'd told the monk his battle was futile, and this only further illustrated the point.

Yet even so, Sanzo still lashed out. Homura couldn't deny his delight as the man tried to land a strike, and he was almost tempted to let him land the hit. But Sanzo wasn't one to appreciate pity, so Homura reached up, catching the monk's wrist in a firm grip.

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to strike me." Maybe if Son Goku were there, then they would stand a chance. As it was, however, with his power gone, his sutra sealed, and his gun ineffective, it was only a matter of time before this battle ended, and the length was entirely left to Homura's discretion.

"So what will you do now, Konzen?" Homura kept hold of the monk's arm, meeting his eyes with an arrogant gaze. "What can you possibly hope to do as you are?"

[31st-of-china.livejournal.com]

Sanzo tried to jerk his wrist out of Homura's grasp, but he might as well have tried pulling steel apart. He let out an angry breath. Homura was giving him that look, the one that grated his nerves raw; it was almost as if the god was fucking indulging him. Sanzo's jaw clenched as he spoke.

It was a good question, because as his options went, they were growing fewer by the second. This wasn't only getting worse. The priest was becoming more and more aware of just how outmatched he was right now, and it only made him more frustrated. He might be stronger than most humans - enough that youkai usually didn't take him lightly - but he was still mortal. There wasn't any way he could match this speed or strength.

The question was could he do right now. He couldn't afford to let Homura keep playing his games. He had to try something else; anything to throw him off balance.

"What would that Rinrei bitch think about this?" Sanzo sneered. "Or do you feed her the same shit you feed everyone else here, and she actually believes it."

It was a shot in the dark; he didn't know if the name really meant that much to him or not. Sanzo had only seen Homura asking for that name on the bulletin board once, and then there was that patient file of his with the name 'Lilly' being connected with him; the name had been pretty damn prominent, even if the cover story was fake.

Homura was always one arrogant, even tempered asshole; he always seemed so secure in his power. If the monk could make him lose his cool, he might have more of a chance. People did stupid shit when their control slipped. It wouldn't be the first time he provoked someone.

The monk jerked a knee towards Homura, trying to catch him by surprise.

[screwthegods]

Few things could rile Homura enough that he would actually give eagerly in to his temper. Out of control emotions created risks on the battlefield, and Homura had long since learned to show no sign of his doubt or his rage. Doing so only provided an opening to the enemy, a way for them to worm inside of his mind and disrupt his focus. But even as good as he was, Homura still had those triggers, just like any fighter, be they god or mortal.

And with three words, Sanzo struck one of his.

That Rinrei bitch. The words all but echoed through Homura's mind, and before Sanzo's knee had a chance to connect, Homura shoved the monk back hard against the wall by pushing with his free hand against his chest. Though he released Sanzo's wrist in the process, there was no chance for recovery; Homura immediately came at the monk, slamming his knee with full force into the man's stomach.

"Can you still hear me, Konzen?" Gripping the monk by the neck, Homura stepped closer, his voice low enough for only the two of them to hear. The anger in his words was thinly veiled, perhaps tempered only because he spoke through nearly clenched teeth. "That woman is the one I was willing to destroy the world for. Don't think I won't destroy you as well."

[31st-of-china.livejournal.com]

Homura'd definitely had a chink in that armor. He wasn't as invulnerable as he wanted people to believe.

Except he'd acted far faster than he'd expected. There wasn't even any time to exploit that weakness.

Homura had managed to beat that hit as if it was nothing. The god slammed him backwards. Sanzo hit the wall again, harder than before, the wind knocked out of him for the second time, ribs flaring in pain. There wasn't even a chance to try and block. The monk didn't even see the next blow coming until it hit him.

Nothing prepared him for the burst of agony that followed as Homura's knee came crashing into the lightsaber wound. It was like someone had flipped a switch, the sudden shock of pain too much. His vision greyed out, blackening, even as his limbs seemed to lose feeling. The monk's legs suddenly gave out. Sanzo started to sag. The only thing keeping him up was Homura's hand around his neck.

Homura was talking, saying something low in his ear. Sanzo could barely understand it through the pain, consciousness weaving in and out.

'You-you did a piss poor job of it," Sanzo gasped out raggedly.

[rocksthecourt]

[peeking in from here]

One of the nearby doors opened just a portion. Klavier carefully stuck his head and one shoulder out the doorway, just enough to look around. If the fight had stopped, someone might be lying nearby, hurt.

Instead, he could see two men standing right there, one beaten and looking like he was about to collapse in the grip of the obvious instigator. This didn't even look like a fight. It just looked like assault.

He'd told his brother he was only going t look. That was all. But seeing this scene was enough to make his blood boil. "What are you doing?! Let him go!"

[screwthegods]

In spite of himself, Homura grinned as Sanzo managed to spit out his insult, if only just barely before he fell completely limp. The man was still breathing, and he only had Homura to thank for it; the man chose to obey his orders, and to show the monk mercy. Not that it would be seen that way.

"That part of you will never change." Homura spoke softly to the unconscious man just as a door opened, and someone he didn't recognize peered out. A moment later the stranger was in the hall, yelling at Homura to release Sanzo.

"As you wish." Chuckling lightly, Homura dropped Sanzo to the ground before he turned to this newcomer. "Since you seem determined to play the hero, I'll leave him to you. He'll need treatment for his ribs. No doubt they're broken."

Homura glanced back into M13 then, but after a moment, decided to leave his sword. He wouldn't need it tonight against any of the opponents he'd be facing.

He turned then to head down the hall, but after a step, tlanced back at the man over his shoulder. "If he wakes up again this night, tell him I'll be close by. I doubt I'll move beyond the Western Hall. If he looks for fire, he should be able to find me, if he wishes."

Though Homura had no doubt that Sanzo would.

[rocksthecourt]

Klavier looked the antagonistic man over, but couldn't find a gun on him. He didn't seem to be holding anything other than the other man. That quickly changed as he let the poor guy fall to ground, limp. Obviously, he wasn't conscious anymore.

He planned to keep his promise and not throw himself into anything, but he wasn't going to leave the victim outside in the hallway. With everything that was supposedly crawling around, he'd be dead for certain. Klavier never moved his eyes from the assailant, watching to see if he'd suddenly pull something out. Instead, he seemed to be ready to leave entirely.

Quickly leaving his spot, he moved toward the injured man. Dammit... Broken ribs. He knew nothing outside basic medicine. He couldn't fix an internal injury. As soon as the assailant stopped in his tracks, Klavier did the same.

He glanced down at the injured man. He was close enough to grab hi-- The gun! There it was, lying on the ground right next to the victim. Klavier grabbed it quickly so no one else would get the chance to shoot it again (though he was obviously not holding it for use). The other hand grabbed the back of the man's collar.

"...I think you've done enough. You shouldn't be wasting your time fighting with other patients. Use your energy to find a way out of here!" It wasn't very smart to heckle with someone like this, especially if they were the violent type, but if the guy was just going to stand there, it was better to occupy his mind with conversation than let him stew long enough to get ideas.

Still keeping his eyes on the assailant in case of any sudden movement, Klavier grabbed the injured man under each armpit and proceeded to drag him into room M12.

[Rawr! And back into here]

[screwthegods]

Klavier was safer than he realized; Homura had little interest in fighting with a patient who couldn't (or wouldn't) even hold a gun properly in the face of a threat. Besides, there were other groups gathering that had to be halted that night. It was Homura's fault for calling them together, and now the task fell on him to take them apart.

He only let out a quiet laugh in reply to the man's harsh words, and resumed his walk down the hall. He walked without fear in his stride, without the typical caution most took in these darkened hallways. For Homura on this night, there was a mission, and anything that hindered his goals amounted to little more than an annoyance to be removed.

[And going to here]