WEEK ONE EXECUTION

[grigori]

week one: execution dead men tell no tales

Hopefully you got a long night of sleep? Barring that, you got whatever answers, or closure, you might have needed. Because it's strangely quiet, the following Sunday morning. Moreso than Krankaz typically is. There's something almost oppressive hanging over the city, contained within the confines of the Bubble.

Breaking the silence, somewhere, much like the song of Friday, there is the echoing, cruel laughter of voices you should faintly recognize throughout the city. It's followed by humming of that newly familiar song. It's strongest, interestingly, close to the plaza.

As time turns to 1 PM, though, there is a change as the voices fade. While there's no compulsion to investigate it, there's a small gathering in the plaza. Your three Watchers are here with their daemons, and so are... Bertolt, and his daemon, front and center. All damages and evidence, anything amiss from the weekend, is all gone, and replaced with the state of the plaza from the week prior.

Nearby, the Watchers oversee everything. Satariel is standing close to Bertolt and Idi, keeping their head up, but the visible portion of their face is lined in misery and tension. Their daemon is in its raven form, barely seen from within their hood and pressed as close to their neck and head as it can be. Rameel stands next to Satariel, with their daemon in the form of a puma, also close to them. There's barely a smile that crosses Rameel's face as their gaze is between Satariel and the sight before them. On Satariel's other side is the last Watcher, pressed close enough to nudge with an elbow. Their daemon paces before them as an ocelot, ears pulled back in displeasure as both it and Yomiel await the executioner.

And then, another party will be compelled to join them. Kotetsu will find that his feet are carrying him to his destination, Finley keeping pace with him as they make their way down the ruined paths that make up the city of Krankaz. Once he passes through the centermost area of the plaza, opposite where Bertolt stand, he'll find that he can't go back, and neither can his daemon.

Likewise, no one can enter the plaza further than where the three Watchers stand are forced to step back, though luckily not expelled like last week. There will be no interfering from outside parties, no matter what it is that's about to happen. Any attempts to do so will result in them meeting an invisible barrier, one that rebuffs them with the same amount of force used against it—so take care.

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[ The punch lands, in the midst of his fighting. It seems to be a calculated risk. While it does cause him to stumble back, he quickly regains his footing. Better to take a fist versus a trident. ]

I already told you none of that mattered here! We could have made it through this place together. Every last one of us!

[ His voice picks up, more heated now. With his words, Finley lets out a pained roar. ]

Sacrificing others for your cause does nothing in the end.

[perspire]

And then I go back home, where things are worse.

[ He stops at that as he says it. ]

But... for them, I'll do it.

[ The words settle over Bertolt again and he grows calm once more. No matter what happens, all he can do is move forward down the path he set himself on. He knows what he's done is wrong to everyone around him, but for him-- it was right. That's all there is to this. It's all a matter of how you want to look at things. Even now, no matter the outcome, he doesn't think he'll be upset with the end. ]

I'm not just a soldier, Kotetsu. I'm a Warrior.

[ He takes a deep breath as he settles into a stance for one final attack. ]

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[ With that shift, he knows. He knows there is no turning back. This would be where everything was decided. One misstep and it would be over for either of them. His hands shift on the spread, holding it more aggressively than before versus that of the defensive.

His head shakes a bit. ]

Then, let's see how this ends.

[ He doesn't take the first step to move. Waiting for the attack to respond accordingly. Finley is prepared to help with Idi. ]

[perspire]

Let's see.

[ He doesn't hesitate as he moves forward, trident raised. He has spent years training to aim for the perfect spot, the spot that would kill. Sure, Kotetsu is a lot smaller than a titan, but he knows where to aim.

The teeth of his trident aim straight for the middle of Kotetus' chest. ]

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[ The one thing that Bertolt couldn't account for in all of his training: daemons. Or, more specifically in the case, Finley. She has something important to protect. Herself. Kotetsu. At that decisive moment, she lunches to sink her claws into Idi, biting at her throat.

The two of them have learned to work together. It's the trust in himself and the trust he has from others that helps bring her into action. Confident, despite the odds and despite the horrible and grotesque situation.

When the trident makes contact, his spear connects with Bertolt's chest and he grabs onto the tri-headed weapon, holding it secure in his stomach. He leans forward to whisper so only Bertolt can hear. ]

I'm sorry. I promise I'll make this right.

[ And his grip tightens as he pushes just a bit more. ]

[perspire]

[ The attack on Idi catches him off guard. He hears her cry-- feels her pain. His steps, once sure, now stumble as his head starts to turn towards her, wanting to check on the partner he's had since he's arrived. He doesn't get that chance as his trident lowers from it's intended target-- the heart-- and pierces Kotetsu in the gut as the point of Kotetsu's spear strikes true.

He coughs up blood, his eyes widening at Kotetsu's final words to him. ]

Reiner... Annie...

[ He lets out a dying gasp as more blood spills from his mouth as the point sinks deeper into his chest, into his heart before he eventually slumps over, arms falling off the trident's shaft as it clatters to the ground.

The only things holding him up now being Kotetsu and the spear. ]

REMEMBER -

[grigori]

remember
and dust you shall become in the end

 

 

The Watchers step forward in unison as the barrier falls, the same as they had with the verdict against Bertolt. Their reactions vary - Yomiel's uneasiness, Satariel's misery as they lower their head, Rameel's solemness, but it's clear to them that this is the end.

The strike is true, from daemon and man alike. Even with the trident hitting him, Kotetsu doesn't miss his mark, and Idi bleeds gold from Finley's jaws, then the rest of her shimmers into that golden Dust, fading on the wind. The trident and spear both disappear much like the screwdriver had after they were chosen, allowing Bertolt to sink to his knees, and it seems like nothing will be left behind.

And that includes the executed, Bertolt's body turning to Dust like much his daemon - and then there's nothing left.

Bertolt Hoover is dead.

The laughter from before returns, echoing, before the unknown but newly familiar voices turn to song again:

true dedication for those he holds dear,
precious friends, a love sincere,
a worthy cause to become the guilty,
and he'd do it again, willfully.
so here he falls, the price to atone
when all the boy wanted was to go home.

After the Dust clears, and the song ends with more of that laughter, the Watchers will disappear in a shift of time around them. Kotetsu and Finley are left alone in the heart of the plaza.

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[ When everything shifts to dust, that mutual support from Bertolt gone, Kotetsu's body sinks down to the ground. He makes no sound, other than his body hitting the plaza floor. His stomach is wet with blood and he just lays there looking up, unfocused.

He's in emotional shock as well as the physical damage. ]

[greatdeduction]

[Yeah, he's rushing over right away, bending down to pick Kotetsu up, bloody hands be damned.]

Kotetsu... [And just yelling back.] Can we get medical assistance, please-?

[voltadomar]

[The lieutenant appears beside them.]

We need to stop the bleeding. Cover the wound and apply pressure. Then we can move him.

[greatdeduction]

Right, yes.

[slapping a hand on that stomach wound why do people have BLOOD]

[voltadomar]

Good. Like that. I think we've got enough help to move him... [Looking at Van Zieks.]

I'll examine the wound after we get there. Just keep the pressure going for now.

[cranelike]

(Hello, guess who's here with one (1) first aid kit, barely used. Only a little bit of bandage has been used.)

[voltadomar]

[He gets a grateful look.]

We're going through these much too quickly.

[cranelike]

We can worry about it later.

(Kotetsu is now.)

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[ He's not going to protest the fussing and will probably pass out at some point from the pain. ]

[winebar]

[Weirdly, van Zieks is here.]

I can assist if you need help moving him.
[He has big strong prosecutor arms.]

[voltadomar]

I think we'll need that. Thank you.

[Why DO you have big strong prosecutor arms.]

[winebar]

[Idk sword training I guess?]

Just direct me as you will, Lieutenant.

[sponsoredby]

[ He feels Sholmes pick him up, lifting his head a bit to smile. ]

I couldn't let it end there.

[ He's in pain, but at least he's able to talk still?? ]

[greatdeduction]

Oh, be quiet.

[There's no bite in it, he's just !!!! like this.]

[sponsoredby]

[ Yessir, he'll behave for now. ]

[bloodread]

[ After Kotestu has been taken care of and everyone else has left, Akira steps into the center of the plaza. He lingers there for a few seconds then brings his hands together and claps once. There's a mumble of something after, but no one's around to hear it, and with that he leaves. ]