There’s a temple. Of course there’s a temple, there was one in Nie Huaisang’s motive picture. But this time they go beyond the gates, into the middleofthe temple. Inside are several people, some of them injured,some not. Either way, her vision is writhed in flickering wisps of resentful energy. The inside of the temple feels saturated in it, rolling out from a space behind the large statue in the middle of the room.
There’s a flicker, and suddenly Nie Huaisang has a garrote wire against his throat, bleeding from it cutting into his skin. He’s held back against Jin Guagyao, who is staring at the figure wreathed in black resentful energy and dragging a large saber across the ground towards him. Nie Huaisang looks terrified for a long moment, staring at that figure that stops in the doorway–and it brings that saber up with a cry and swings it down…only to stop inches from Nie Huaisang’s face.
Jin Guangyao smirks, but then, he can’t see the way Nie Huaisang’s expression has changed. Instead of that terrified look, his eyes have narrowed, sharpened, and he looks absolutely furious. As quickly and deftly as anyone has see him move, he pulls out a dagger from the inside of his robe, and, without looking, stabs it behind himself, right into Jin Guangyao’s side. Jin Guangyao’s smirk immediately dops away and into shock as red blooms on his cream yellow robes]
"You–"
[Nie Huaisang has just enough time to twist the knife before Jin Guangyao tightens that thin sharp wire against his throat and yank it to the side, slicing is trachea wide open. Nie Huaisang makes a wheezing, gurgling noise as blood pours out from the wound, through his fingers as his hand grasp at his throat and stumbles away from Jin Guangyao, falling to his knees. There are cries of his name, and a roar of rage from the man holding the saber. Bria will be able to see Nie Huaisan collapse to the floor in a growing puddle of his own blood as the saber comes down, slicing Jin Guangyao open diagonally from shoulder to waist.]
[Another flicker. There’s Nie Huaisang, whole again, standing hunched and small and peering cautiously after most of the others left in the temple, who have gone to follow that same saber as it’s drawn back towards a coffin containing a very familiar once-severe head, now reattached to a body with some stitches.
While they’re busy with that, though, and their backs are turned, Nie Huaisang turns to look at the other two who have not moved from their position on the floor. A one-armed Jin Guangyao, and another man who is supporting him. Nie Huaisang’s eyes narrow slightly, and he’s bending down silently to scoop up a discarded sword from one of the of disciples, hiding it behind his back. He moves, expression going timid again as he steps closer, away from the rest of the group, but leaving some space, too, between him and the men on the floor.
Nie Huaisang leans forward, voice a whisper meant to carry just far enough]
Su-zongzhu!
[Su She looks up, questioningly, confused, at Nie Huaisang, who has a very earnest, worried look on his face]
I have some medicine for San-ge that will help him, but I can’t get too close, lest the others suspect me! Come here, quickly!
[Su She’s eyes widen, and he’s glancing back at the rest of the group behind the statue, before he’s scrambling to his feet and moving to meet Nie Huaisang, who is fumbling around in his robes. As soon as he stands close, enough, Nie Huaisang takes the sword and pulls it across his own thigh, splitting fabric and skin to make himself bleed.
Su She’s eyes widen, but before he can blink, Nie Huaisang is shoving the sword into his hands–which Su She takes, automatically–before falling to the ground with a wail]
Help! Help! Su She is trying to kill me!
[this brings the crowd running back but, more importantly, Baxia lifts into the air just from where it was about to lie in the coffin, and points itself down towards Su She. Su She looks at Baxia, eyes widening, before his expression turns into a snarl. With a cry of: “You–!” he’s lunging at Nie Huaisang before anyone can stop him, driving that short sword into his chest with as much force as he can muster, slicing through skin and bone. Nie Huaisang’s eyes go wide as he makes a strangled, pained noise–right before Baxia slams into Su She, impaling him through his body and pinning him to the wall.
Nie Huaisang scrabbles at the sword as he falls, gasping for breath as he collapses to the floor, blood starting to pool around him on the stone.]
[again, a flicker. This time, things seemed to have calmed down. Nie Huaisang is once again whole. Well, mostly, save for a cut on his thigh. Su She’s corpse lays in the doorway, face down and in a pool of his own blood. Nie Huaisang sits against the altar, being patched up by a tall man in blue and white robes, while Jin Guangyao, still armless, leans against a pillar. The others are gathered closer to the front of the temple, tending to their own wounds.
The taller man finishes wrapping up Nie Huaisang’s thigh and hands him a vial of herbal medicine, before turning to Jin Guangyao and starting to patch him up. Nie Huaisang seems busy with being fussy and worrying over his own wounds, but once the tall man’s back is turned, his expression sharpens. It’s an expression he’s worn before, back during Cosme’s trial, insisting that nothing was wrong.The taller man asks him for the medicine, focus still on Jin Guangyao–and Nie Huaisang instead of handing it over, tucks it into the front of his robes, instead pretending to search for it.
The taller man turns back, frowning, moving to help Nie Huaisang fumble it out of his robes. As he does, Nie Huaisang looks up over the man’s shoulder towards Jin Guangyao, surprise and fear in his face]
Shi-da-ge, watch out!
[The taller man’s eyes go wide as well, and he’s spinning around, drawing his sword at the same time and plunging it into Jin Guangyao’s chest. Jin Guangyao jolts in shock, eyes going wide, making a pained sound. This gets the sound of everyone else in the temple, who are pushing to their feet in surprise, Nie Huaisang included.
Jin Guangyao realizes, then, what Nie Huaisang has done, openly congratulating him as he pushes to his feet, the taller man’s sword still inside him. Nie Huaisang babbles, insisting he really did see Jin Guangyao reaching behind him–and Jin Guangyao laughs. His hand flicks out, a final garrote wire hidden in his remaining arm moving quick as a whip to wrap around Nie Huaisang’s throat.
Before anyone can react, with a jerk and a push of Qi, Jin Guangyao pulls himself off the taller man’s sword and back into the temple towards the now-sealed coffin, dragging Nie Huaisang with him. Jin Guangyao’s back slams into the coffin, spattering blood from the sword wound onto it as he yanks Nie Huaisang in, hands fisting in his robes. The coffin rattles and the seal fails and breaks under the blood smeared over it. There’s an outpouring of black resentful energy; a tidal wave that shakes the very walls and foundation of the temple. Pillars start to crack and lanterns in the ceiling sway: the temple is going to come down. Nie Huaisang flails, fingers scrabbling at his neck, trying to free himself, panic clear in his face as sweat drips from his temples.]
"Now, A-Sang, don’t you want to see Da-ge with me?"
[Jin Guangyao’s face is stretched into a wide, manic grin, as two hands shoot out of the coffin and grab Jin Guangyao by the shoulders, dragging him and, subsequently, Nie Huaisang, down into it, just as the statue crashes down on top of it, the rest of the temple following suit, leaving nothing but darkness and rubble behind.
Then there’s a light shake of her shoulders, and, distantly:]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2024-12-24 11:08 am (UTC)There’s a temple. Of course there’s a temple, there was one in Nie Huaisang’s motive picture. But this time they go beyond the gates, into the middle of the temple. Inside are several people, some of them injured,some not. Either way, her vision is writhed in flickering wisps of resentful energy. The inside of the temple feels saturated in it, rolling out from a space behind the large statue in the middle of the room.
There’s a flicker, and suddenly Nie Huaisang has a garrote wire against his throat, bleeding from it cutting into his skin. He’s held back against Jin Guagyao, who is staring at the figure wreathed in black resentful energy and dragging a large saber across the ground towards him. Nie Huaisang looks terrified for a long moment, staring at that figure that stops in the doorway–and it brings that saber up with a cry and swings it down…only to stop inches from Nie Huaisang’s face.
Jin Guangyao smirks, but then, he can’t see the way Nie Huaisang’s expression has changed. Instead of that terrified look, his eyes have narrowed, sharpened, and he looks absolutely furious. As quickly and deftly as anyone has see him move, he pulls out a dagger from the inside of his robe, and, without looking, stabs it behind himself, right into Jin Guangyao’s side. Jin Guangyao’s smirk immediately dops away and into shock as red blooms on his cream yellow robes]
[Nie Huaisang has just enough time to twist the knife before Jin Guangyao tightens that thin sharp wire against his throat and yank it to the side, slicing is trachea wide open. Nie Huaisang makes a wheezing, gurgling noise as blood pours out from the wound, through his fingers as his hand grasp at his throat and stumbles away from Jin Guangyao, falling to his knees. There are cries of his name, and a roar of rage from the man holding the saber. Bria will be able to see Nie Huaisan collapse to the floor in a growing puddle of his own blood as the saber comes down, slicing Jin Guangyao open diagonally from shoulder to waist.]
no subject
Date: 2024-12-24 11:10 am (UTC)While they’re busy with that, though, and their backs are turned, Nie Huaisang turns to look at the other two who have not moved from their position on the floor. A one-armed Jin Guangyao, and another man who is supporting him. Nie Huaisang’s eyes narrow slightly, and he’s bending down silently to scoop up a discarded sword from one of the of disciples, hiding it behind his back. He moves, expression going timid again as he steps closer, away from the rest of the group, but leaving some space, too, between him and the men on the floor.
Nie Huaisang leans forward, voice a whisper meant to carry just far enough]
Su-zongzhu!
[Su She looks up, questioningly, confused, at Nie Huaisang, who has a very earnest, worried look on his face]
I have some medicine for San-ge that will help him, but I can’t get too close, lest the others suspect me! Come here, quickly!
[Su She’s eyes widen, and he’s glancing back at the rest of the group behind the statue, before he’s scrambling to his feet and moving to meet Nie Huaisang, who is fumbling around in his robes. As soon as he stands close, enough, Nie Huaisang takes the sword and pulls it across his own thigh, splitting fabric and skin to make himself bleed.
Su She’s eyes widen, but before he can blink, Nie Huaisang is shoving the sword into his hands–which Su She takes, automatically–before falling to the ground with a wail]
Help! Help! Su She is trying to kill me!
[this brings the crowd running back but, more importantly, Baxia lifts into the air just from where it was about to lie in the coffin, and points itself down towards Su She. Su She looks at Baxia, eyes widening, before his expression turns into a snarl. With a cry of: “You–!” he’s lunging at Nie Huaisang before anyone can stop him, driving that short sword into his chest with as much force as he can muster, slicing through skin and bone. Nie Huaisang’s eyes go wide as he makes a strangled, pained noise–right before Baxia slams into Su She, impaling him through his body and pinning him to the wall.
Nie Huaisang scrabbles at the sword as he falls, gasping for breath as he collapses to the floor, blood starting to pool around him on the stone.]
no subject
Date: 2024-12-24 11:13 am (UTC)The taller man finishes wrapping up Nie Huaisang’s thigh and hands him a vial of herbal medicine, before turning to Jin Guangyao and starting to patch him up. Nie Huaisang seems busy with being fussy and worrying over his own wounds, but once the tall man’s back is turned, his expression sharpens. It’s an expression he’s worn before, back during Cosme’s trial, insisting that nothing was wrong.The taller man asks him for the medicine, focus still on Jin Guangyao–and Nie Huaisang instead of handing it over, tucks it into the front of his robes, instead pretending to search for it.
The taller man turns back, frowning, moving to help Nie Huaisang fumble it out of his robes. As he does, Nie Huaisang looks up over the man’s shoulder towards Jin Guangyao, surprise and fear in his face]
Shi-da-ge, watch out!
[The taller man’s eyes go wide as well, and he’s spinning around, drawing his sword at the same time and plunging it into Jin Guangyao’s chest. Jin Guangyao jolts in shock, eyes going wide, making a pained sound. This gets the sound of everyone else in the temple, who are pushing to their feet in surprise, Nie Huaisang included.
Jin Guangyao realizes, then, what Nie Huaisang has done, openly congratulating him as he pushes to his feet, the taller man’s sword still inside him. Nie Huaisang babbles, insisting he really did see Jin Guangyao reaching behind him–and Jin Guangyao laughs. His hand flicks out, a final garrote wire hidden in his remaining arm moving quick as a whip to wrap around Nie Huaisang’s throat.
Before anyone can react, with a jerk and a push of Qi, Jin Guangyao pulls himself off the taller man’s sword and back into the temple towards the now-sealed coffin, dragging Nie Huaisang with him. Jin Guangyao’s back slams into the coffin, spattering blood from the sword wound onto it as he yanks Nie Huaisang in, hands fisting in his robes. The coffin rattles and the seal fails and breaks under the blood smeared over it. There’s an outpouring of black resentful energy; a tidal wave that shakes the very walls and foundation of the temple. Pillars start to crack and lanterns in the ceiling sway: the temple is going to come down. Nie Huaisang flails, fingers scrabbling at his neck, trying to free himself, panic clear in his face as sweat drips from his temples.]
[Jin Guangyao’s face is stretched into a wide, manic grin, as two hands shoot out of the coffin and grab Jin Guangyao by the shoulders, dragging him and, subsequently, Nie Huaisang, down into it, just as the statue crashes down on top of it, the rest of the temple following suit, leaving nothing but darkness and rubble behind.
Then there’s a light shake of her shoulders, and, distantly:]