The lion lunged, baring his fangs with a mighty roar that came from the very pit of his stomach and preparing to strike. He cocked back his fist, only for it to be swatted away by the revenant, forcing Jim to duck as he nearly had his head lopped off by the other man's sword. Jim managed to get in a quick jab to the revenant's kidney before retreating, creating some distance while he considered his next move. After a moment of hesitation, he moved back in, cocking back his fist again while Abhartach raised his sword high above his head. The loud rush of wind coming from both of their respective strikes drowned out the ambiance of the battle going on outside of the sanctuary of that room. It was completely still, save for the light fluttering of curtains as the fight carried on.
The resulting impact was enough to make the windows shake as they both allowed for the momentary stalemate. Jim's armoured fist pressed against Abhartach's sword, and Abhartach's sword pressed against Jim's fist, both of them holding the other in place as neither of them wanted to back down. At their opposite sides, both of them clenched their free hands into tight fists and struck one another in the cheek. Once again, the windows rattled in protest to the violence.
That knocked them loose of one another and they were able to both take a step back again. Abhartach glared at Jim and Jim glared at Abhartach. The blonde wrinkled his knows and pressed his lips together in a thin line before turning to the side and spitting a small mouthful of blood on the ground. Abhartach just allowed it to flow freely from his mouth and nose, all the way down the front of his armour. The side of his face was soaked as well. It seemed dented, somehow, which was probably likely. Still, after regaining his breath, he regenerated right back and smiled.
"That's quite the arm you've got on you." he noted, reaching up to rub his cheek. "Why do I think that that is not the extent of your power?"
"Because you keep moving around. Stand still and I'll give you a nice, direct hit!"
"I could spare the shot, but where is the fun in that? If you want to have a fighting chance against me, you must work for it!"
Before he could blink, the lion had closed the gap between them and slugged him in the face so hard, that it somehow didn't manage to crush Abhartach's cheekbone, but cause the revenant's head to twist around backwards, tearing the muscles in his neck and breaking his spine. Immediately, Jim followed it up with a punch to Abhartach's solar plexus. Then, he reached up and grabbed Abhartach's head on both sides, digging his fingers into the revenant's eyes as Abhartach still looked the other way and pulled him down. Jim brought up his knee and slammed the back of Abhartach's head into it. The revenant did not go lightly, however.
As much damage as he took, Abhartach was still dangerous and was able to grab hold of the blonde's leg, making Jim unable to have both feet on the ground. Twisting his body, he made the demon lose balance and start to fall, but Jim maintained enough of a grip on Abhartach's skull to keep him upright. The lion had his claws into his prey and was not going to let go any time soon. His enemy realised this and let go. Instead, Jim was forced to let out a guttural sound of pain as his foe jabbed him in the sides with his freshly freed hands, trying to aim for the demon's kidneys. He stuck Jim again and again until the menace had no option but to try and throw the revenant, forcing him away.
Abhartack stumbled for a few steps, as it was a weak throw, due to the awkward angle. Upon standing up straight, he reached up and held onto the side of his head. From there, he turned it until it was back in it's proper location. His eyes had not yet regenerated, so he kept his sword raised. He could hear the other man panting and knew where about he was in the room.
"Vicious." Abhartach noted. "I understand why they call you 'The Lion...' Your strength and ferocity are quite something."
"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, I'm afraid." the Phantomhive noted, grunting as he stood upright again. "In my experience, the flattery of nobles isn't always a good thing."
"Very true, nor should it be trusted." Blinking, Abhartach's eyes focused. They were still the same two colours, with black where the white should be and reddened irises. "I take it that you don't take kindly to the aristocracy?"
"There's a few exceptions, but you can't be too careful. You never know what they're hiding just out of sight, and their entitlement tends to give them the impression that they should be allowed to keep it that way."
"Absolutely dreadful. I simply cannot stand them. Too weak to have their appitites out in the open, but too strong in a heiarchal sense to dethrone without violence. Yet one isn't allowed to overthrow them in proper bloody fashion like they rightfully deserve. Why is that, do you think?"
"Because they made the rules?"
"Precisely." the revenant stated. "Cowards fight without swords or fists, but with fear. Fear is fragile, however, and requires perhaps even more diligence than fighting. If one's subjects garner even a glimmer of hope, it's over. It is better to be respected for one's ability to conquer and protect, as one is far less likely to be betrayed."
"Personal experience?"
"Indeed."
"I'd argue that fear is a lot more effective, actually." Jim informed, countering the other's claim. "Inflict a little bit of violence here and there, and you've got people who are weaker than you wrapped around your finger. I have to give you the 'hope' bit, though, but hope's a lot easier to crush than you'd think."
"Personal experience?" Abhartach questioned.
"Something like that."
"You have my sympathies." the revenant stated with a slight bow.
"Don't need 'em. I can carry my baggage myself."
To that, Abhartach laughed. "You know, it really is a shame that we had to meet this way." he said. "I'm starting to enjoy your company more and more."
"What can I say? I'm a delightful person."
"Truly." Thus is was Abhartach's turn to advance, raising his blade as he charged forward. He swung it wildly at the demon, forcing him back. The older man somehow managed to be overwhelming to the demon as he unleashed his flurry of attacks. Why? It wasn't as though the revenant was some terribly imposing figure- he wasn't tall, being only around Jim's height, if not slightly under, although he was more than sufficiently muscular. He could easily have given Kristopherson a run for his money. Moreover, Abhartach was legendary for the borderline supernatural strength that he possessed as a regular, mortal man. It still didn't add up, however. Alois was still a stronger entity. So why?
The menace continued to dodge and deflect, staying as focused as possible as he moved back. The floorboards beneath them creaked with their rigorous steps. There was a lapse, however, where Jim missed one of Abhartach's movements. It was subtle, but it could have warned him that the revenant was going to pretend to strike from above before actually hitting the blonde from below. Thrusting his blade between Jim's legs, he sliced through the blonde's inner thigh. The red hot, searing pain of the gash was bad enough, but more pressingly, it was as though the world went dark for just a moment before he dropped to one knee, still instinctively defending himself as best as he could.
The ensuing cuts that he gathered on his biceps and shoulders were nothing, but the injury to his thigh? It managed to disable him for a while. It wasn't so much the physical pain that he garnered from the injury, however, but rather the way his skin crawled due to the location.
"What is it?" questioned the revenant, looking down at him. "Surely that isn't it… Why are you freezing up? Did I hit a weak spot?"
Narrowing his eyes, he studied the blonde closely. The demon's coat was soaked with blood and his skin peeked out through the tears as it rapidly regenerated as quickly as it could in spite of the blessed blade. Blood matted his hair, mixing with his sweat and causing it to stick to his forehead as he glared up at the man. His icy blue eyes pierced through the crimson blood and tried to pierce through Abhartach as well.
"No. You haven't given up..." Abhartach noted. "Those eyes of yours are rather scary… Like a wild animal running on nothing but spite..."
Jim's face was brutal. Animosity radiated off of his entire body as the answer dawned on him: Abhartach was a significantly older man. It was only a moment amounting to hardly half a second, but something about him slashing his thigh cut even deeper into his psyche. Rather, "something" implied some sort of vagueness, when in reality, Jim knew damn well why that worked and it made him angry.
"Seems 'bout right..." growled the menace through grit teeth. Yet still, he smiled. "For some reason, a lot of nobles seem to have a problem with my eyes… Y'know, just how I look at 'em? It's 'cause they really make me wanna puke, sometimes."
"That is because weaklings hate it when their power is threatened- especially by someone who they have decided should be weaker than them. It is because they are unable to defend themselves. They cannot stand threats to their authority. That is why your defiant look irks them."
"Figured as much, but I gotta ask: What exactly is your plan, here?" Jim questioned, forcing himself to stand once more with a grunt. "You talk an awful lot about how nobles are shitty, for somebody who wants to be a king. What gives? You think you're the perfect brand of 'can fight for one's own' aristocracy?" He frowned, tilting his chin upwards so that he was looking down on the other man again.
"What's the point in fighting like that? You're talkin' all this good shit about protecting others, but I'm not seeing it." he continued. "It looks like you're just fighting to climb as high as possible, and I just don't get that. Never have, never will."
"You don't?" Abhartach questioned, his expression falling slightly, but not in an angry way. If anything, he actually seemed curious. "Haven't you climbed, too?"
"Sure, but not on purpose, really. I'm not into that shit. Hell, I'm not even really into fighting in general. It's just something I do to survive and to make sure the people I like stay alive, too. I don't really have the… what does Ciel call it? 'Cultural capital?' Something like that… I don't have the right kind of that to really get the whole 'honour' in it or whatever."
"I see… That's a shame… You hold such promise..." Now, the revenant frowned, unsure of how how to receive the blonde from here. "If anything, you should be a perfect example of what I'm hoping to achieve. A world where ability is the deciding factor in who gets to rule, rather than blood alone. It is the rightful way that things should be. The natural way. Like Darwin said: 'Survival of the fittest.' The strong will rule and the weak will follow. That is the rightful order of the world."
"Oh… Well… Since you put it like that, I'm gonna have to change my approach. Here's the thing about that:" Jim paused for dramatic effect, clearing his throat and attempting to wipe some of the blood off of his face, only for it to smear. "It's fucking bullshit."
"Oh-ho… I'm afraid that I don't follow."
"Well, your first mistake was bringing up Darwin. Social Darwinism… Is bullshit. It's a scam. Listen: I know that I'm this shining example of someone pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and clawing their way out of the lowest of low social castes, but the thing about that whole situation is: It's a total fluke." Unbuttoning his coat, the demon continued. "In order to wage war, you have to have money, but if you don't have money, you can't go to war. Now, you might think that the poor should just get a job to get war funds, but that's kind of hard to do when you're the working poor. And they would be up against billionaires. It's like the town idiot putting a pot on is head and waving a stick at a tank. It's impossible to win and the system is designed that way. Are you telling me that you're going to completely level the playing field to see who is most adept at winning? Because I don't think you considered that when concocting this little 'plan' of yours..."
"Perhaps." Abhartach seemed to concede, but then, he immediately undid it. "Perhaps not. Perhaps that hardship is precisely what made you so strong. That is why you are able to stand even above those same billionaires and their tanks. Suffering is precisely what makes great leaders and revolutionaries, as suffering forces one to look within oneself and desire a change for their circumstance. 'Man becomes oneself when forced into making a choice...' In choosing to push onward, and in choosing to cast away one's former, wretched form, one is reborn as a more righteous version of the self that is fit to rule. Conflict within itself is suffering. The more pressure one is put under, the greater the likelihood that one day, they will become a diamond. Perhaps it is a necessary cost."
"'A necessary cost?!'" incredulously gawked the demon before furrowing his brow. "Why should people be born to be casualties in your war?! Why should anyone have to suffer?! I was a kid! The people who suffered with me were kids!"
"You were forged in fire."
"I was brutalised, yet also somehow extremely 'lucky.'" Jim snarled. "I wasn't the only one to do something to free myself. I was just… lucky-- And at a price, too. Not as steep of a price as some of the others, but it wasn't cheap and I'm still paying for my 'freedom.'
"Kind sir," he continued, this time, speaking in a tone of faux-civility. "We were slaves. I absolutely was not the best of any of them. In fact, better, smarter boys might have turned up after I has already taken the chance that I found, but I found it because of luck. If I hadn't heard the right conversations, I wouldn't have gotten the idea. Maybe somebody else would, but maybe not.
"And do you really think that I was the only one to fight back? I, out of what could have been hundreds of boys over the span of years, was the only one who thought: 'This sucks, I'm gonna do something about it?' Because I wasn't. There were newcommers who fought back. They fought back with what they had, which was next to nothing, but then they took that next to nothing away. They yanked out their teeth and fingernails, and then what? They couldn't fight anybody. They couldn't even fight for their food like the others could, so they usually starved. Is that 'fair?' Is that right? They chose to fight, but there was no way a bunch of starving, tortured kids could beat a bunch of grown-ass adults with pliers. Did they 'become themselves?' Did it make them a better version of themselves? No. It made them dead. It also taught everyone else that that is what happens when you fight back. The choice was simple: take it and live another few months in hell, or fight it and live maybe another week.
"God, you keep sayin' all that good shit about how you're gonna make it so that the strongest and best people get a shot at being on top, but you can't even see that? Jesus Christ… You're so fake..."
The curiosity on Abhartach's face has faded as he stood there on the receiving end of the demon's rant. He was only half-listening, as he had gotten tired of this line of conversation shortly after it began. He wanted no part of it. This boy was a fool for not understanding the basic concepts that Abhartach proposed.
"What do you propose, then?" he asked of the demon, arching an eyebrow. "If my system is so horrible, then what do you suggest?"
"Fuck if I know… I don't know how to fix the system… Bloody uprising, however, doesn't seem like the way to go. It isn't fair. It's just a powerful asshole usurping a different powerful asshole. Look at you. It's easy for you to think that your way benefits everybody, since you're literally the only one without anything to lose. You're immortal. If somebody comes after you, you just whack them and regenerate if they try to whack you, back."
"So I'm a powerful asshole?"
"Yeah. Yeah, you are." Jim said definitely with a sure nod, but his opponent only rolled his eyes.
"If that is the case, then you are a fool." Abhartach answered. "By your own logic, you are going up against an unkillable savage. Explain to me the sense behind this."
"Now there's the rub, Abby… There isn't any. It's completely idiotic, but it's something that I gotta do. Morally speaking, I find your actions to be rather vile and I cannot simply allow you to do as you please. It's not just that, though. I also know that you're not going to let me out of here alive. Either way, it's better for me to fight in case my luck continues instead of just rolling over and dying. While you're wrong about my skill, you're right about me not giving up. If I die, it's gonna be on my feet. That's just the kind of man I am."
"I see..." The revenant smiled. "You are free to have your own thoughts, but I believe that I'm right about one last thing about you. You are a warrior. It is a shame that you will not see reason and it is a waste that you must die. Perhaps if I am ever to taste defeat, we will one day meet again in Valhalla."
"Doubt it. But I'm tired of trying to explain how the world works to you."
With that, Alois tore off his coat and threw it to the side. From there, he removed his suit jacket, too, tearing the sleeves so that he wouldn't have to remove his gauntlets. Abhartach could see his skin through the cut fabric of his blood-soaked shirt as only scars remained of his every wound. He grinned as the menace widened his stance and held up his fists. Steam escaped from from the blonde's mouth as he exhaled and Abhartach reached for his belt again. Grabbing another vial, he flicked open the cap with his thumb and raised it up before pouring the contents of his blood tribute into his awaiting mouth. It dribbled from his lips and into his beard, matting it and causing it to reek of iron.
Two men- one covered in the blood of a servant and the other covered in his own- stood in defiance of one another. Abhartach raised his sword and Jim clenched his raised fists a bit tighter. Moments passed and the world seemed silent. Both of them had completely shut out the thunder of gunfire happening elsewhere both inside of the building and outside of it. Everything that mattered in that moment was right there, in that room. The sound of their feet shifting as they grounded themselves was deafening, but then, their rapid footsteps pounded as rapidly as Jim's frantic, beating heart, before the sound of the thunderous clash of weaponry.
Jim had cocked back his arm and Abhartach had raised his blade. The lion roared and their weapons shot forward, catching each other and causing sparks to fly. They both pulled back and regrouped, only to strike again to the same effect. Jim took a few steps back and so did Abhatach. When they came back again, they hit with three times the force, causing the already frightened windows to finally shatter and so too did Abhartach's blade.
Shards of metal exploded out from between them and Jim raised his hands, protecting his eyes and face. Abhartach made no such gesture and instead allowed metal to embed itself into his skin. With what little remained of his weapon as it weakly protruded from its handle, he swung it at the demon, carving out a large gash in his stomach.
But Jim took only one step back, pounding his right boot into the ground hard enough to force up a small cloud of dust. It expelled once he twisted his ankle and repositioned his foot. He brought his fist back into his armpit so that his bicep and forearm were tightly pressed together before his right leg propelled him forward. His left foot harshly stomped against the floor, kicking up more dust, before his arm shot outward and upward, striking the revenent in a brutal uppercut that lifted him from the ground. He went flying backwards and landed on his back, but continued rolling until he caught himself on his feet again.
His smile was gone, yet he still bared his teeth. Throwing his sword to the side, he charged forward, attacking the menace head-on with his own fist at the ready. When he struck, he was matched by the menace. Both men's fists collided with the other's cheek and let off an ungodly sound. Blood was expelled from their mouths and noses before finally spattering the ground at their sides.
Jim followed up by switching hands and punching Abhartach's other cheek, but Abhartach thought differently and ducked. The gust of wind caused by the menace missing caused his long black hair to flutter behind him as he too, switched hands and launched a counter-attack. He struck Jim in the kidney, causing him to tense up and let out a shout, but the position of his feet now that he had missed his shot made him off-balance and he started to fall.
He was caught, however, but not by himself or some third-party come to save him. Abhartach caught him and held onto him tight, digging his fingernails into his flesh before using the blonde's own falling momentum to throw him. Instead of landing somewhere else in the room, he was met only by more air. He remained weightless for a moment and looked up, seeing the windowsill and Abhartach on the opposite side of it. Abhartach was inside the building and Jim was outside of it. However, this wasn't the ground floor.
Jim's hands shot out and grabbed onto the windowsill. His body continued to fall, but with that leverage, he was able to bring his legs in and press his feet against the outside wall of the building while he tried to get enough grip to hoist himself back up. In that moment, it was like the sound of the outside world mattered again. Instead of hearing gunfire, he heard groaning. Looking over his shoulder, he saw why.
A thin strip of orange light graced pierced through the darkened horizon. Dawn. The werewolves were transforming back and the vampires panicking as they sought shelter from the daylight. While typically a beacon of hope, it only filled the menace with dread. He realised that there was no end to this. There was no end to Abhartach. He would just keep regenerating and he would just keep coming back until Jim was so exhausted that he couldn't fight anymore.
Just then, a new sound graced his ears. Jim struggled to turn his head back far enough to see it, but he saw a large, HELLSING truck driving up to the building at absurd speeds. A few of Abhartach's soldiers ran up to the front gate to meet it, guns at the ready, but it did not stop. In fact, it sped up and drove right through the impromptu defensive line.
Tires screeched and it stopped just short of the wall of the building where Jim was. He couldn't see the vehicle anymore, but he heard the sound of doors opening and closing. Then, a voice.
"Jim!" it called out, causing the blonde to freeze. He felt so relieved at the sound that even though he was dangling from the side of a building, he still wanted to cry.
"Ciel!" he shouted right back.
"I'm here, Jim! I'll come get you!" Ciel reassured. "Do you have the sword?!"
"No!" the menace lamented. "I tried it! It didn't work! He broke it!"
"Shit!" the other Phantomhive swore under his breath, unsure of what to do. Still, his husband needed his help and he was determined to give it. He would come up with how he was going to go about doing that as he went. "I'm coming, Jim!"
The bluenette stopped talking after that, so Jim assumed that he had started making his way to him. Jim wouldn't wait, however. He quickly began to try and hoist himself back up. His arms were tired and his feet slid against the side of the building, but he was determined.
"Come on! Get up!" Abhartach called out to him as he approached the windowsill. "You're not giving up just because backup has arrived, have you? You had better keep your word, boy, and give me a fight I won't forget!"
Grunting, the menace dug his fingers into the windowsill. "I told you, my name's not 'boy'." he sternly reminded, placing his feet flat against the building's surface. "It's Jim!"
He pushed away from the building with his feet, but kept his grip. His arms suddenly pulled and the generated momentum of both sent him upwards. His palms were flat against the windowsill as he stopped just short of tumbling in. Instead, when he lunged his head forward, he was sure to bring his forehead down hard on top of Abhartach's nose. It crunched loudly and Abhartach tried to step back from the shock, but Jim wouldn't let him. He grabbed hold of the other man's armour and pulled him closer, pushing against the building with his powerful legs and sending them both through the window and out into the open air.
Jim held onto Abhartach like a wild animal that had just gotten a hold of its prey and was determined not to let go. He twisted his body mid-air, changing their positions so that Abhartach would land first. The revenant actually wound up breaking Jim's fall for him as they hurdled down on top of the concrete below, with Abhartach's body landing with a hollow thud. Jim was quick to separate from his foe and was back on his feet, ready to fight, but a crowd had gathered and none of them looked particularly friendly.
Philosophers surrounded him while someone inside of the HELLSING truck began to frantically honk the horn, probably to get Ciel's attention. The enemy looked like they were about to close in and Jim was already squared up, but then Abhartach stood.
"Get back!" he boomed, waving his arms at his underlings. "Get back, you fools! This one is mine! Get your own!"
Just like that, they took a few steps back and advanced no further, much to Jim's surprise. He wore an incredulous look on his face as he looked around at the group and then back at Abhartach, prompting the older man to laugh.
"These are all my loyal subjects." explained the revenant. "They will do whatever I command. That includes when not to fight. No questions asked."
"Power-hungry old fart..." grumbled the menace, raising his hands again. This time, he was done bashing the other man's brains in. Jim was wild, but he wasn't directionless. Widening his stance, he extended two fingers on each hand and had them ready to face Abhartach, but instead of mirroring his will to fight right away, the revenant laughed.
"What is that?" Abhartach questioned, looking to his followers, thus inspiring them to laugh as well. "Finger guns? If regular guns didn't work on me, I don't think that regular guns will..."
"We'll see." Jim replied. "Have you ever been fought by a guy with finger guns before?"
With one last chuckle, Abhartach advanced, baring his teeth with a mighty roar, but Jim remained firm. His feet remained planted on the ground and he made no move to avoid the other man right away. He waited for Abhartach to attack him. Then, when the mighty swing of Abhartachs' fist finally came, Jim ducked, drawing his arms in close before shooting them outwards again in succession of each other. Feeling the sting of his skin being punctured, Abhartach's eyebrows raised as he took a step backwards and looked down.
His armour did not cover his abdomen completely, yet he was still surprised to find blood there. There were two puncture holes in his tunic and blood seeped into the fabic. Then, Abhartach felt the burning. It burned, but then he felt sharp pain. It was like his skin was being separated from his flesh and worse still, it was spreading- moving. Clutching his stomach, he wrinkled his nose and winced from the pain.
"What is that?!" Abhartach demanded. "What did you do?!"
He didn't receive an answer, however. All Jim did was get back into his fighting stance while the revenant clutched at his stomach. Sweat began to gather on Abhartach's brow and finally, he began tearing at his own armour. Hastily, he began tearing it off of his body and throwing it haphazardly to the side. He paid no mind as his subjects had to dodge them, as he was too busy tearing off his tunic as well. Once he was fully exposed, he looked down again and his eyes widened.
Serpent-like growths were spreading underneath his skin from his wounds and they just kept growing. They spread all the way up to his chest, now, and although he didn't know what was happening to him, he knew that he needed to stop it and how to find out.
He clawed at his wounds, digging them out with his fingernails until he hit something. Then he tried his best to pry it out, only to find it stuck. As he pulled, it shifted the growths beneath his skin, too. They were connected. Abhartach grit his teeth as he knew what needed be done. Slowly, steadily, he pulled, only to find seeds between his fingers with vines growing from them. He kept pulling, and pulling. Only a few vines snapped, causing him to swear, but he kept on, knowing he could dig them out, later as they didn't seem to keep growing once they broke away from the source.
He was panting and sweating by the time he had removed most of it, swearing under his breath as he stopped to recover. His skin was flushed and angry as he began regenerating and he seemed at a loss for words. All this while, however, Jim was thinking.
This wasn't the first time Jim had used this attack, having used it before on Araneus Trancy in order to torture him. While it wouldn't kill a demon, it would make them suffer. The same went for revenants, as Jim found, as vines crawled beneath the skin, separating it from muscle, before finally digging into tissue and organs.
"Out of my way!" Jim could hear Ciel's voice from behind the wall that the crowd had formed around them. When the menace heard gunshots, he knew that the crowd was going to focus away from his fight between himself and Abhartach and turn against Ciel
"Stop!" the menace roared. "Abhartach! Stop your soldiers! This fight is between you and me!"
"And? Why should that matter? Your fight and his fight are unrelated." the revenant calmly replied, having finally composed himself. Standing upright again, he added: "I am far more interested in what you have to offer. That was an impressive technique you had. I have no doubts that it was some form of demon magic. I want to see more!"
"Then stop your men so that I won't be so distracted!" Jim ordered. It was partly a lie, as while he would be distracted by his husband's fight, he knew that he could do what he was about to without it. "Stop them and I'll be able to give you everything I have! After all, I have something very important to tell you: I've changed my mind?"
"Really?" Abhartach questioned, arching an eyebrow with a tilt of his head. "You agree with me, then?"
"Fuck, no, I don't!" the Phantomhive harshly answered. "But I've changed my mind about something you'll like even better! Now, I'm not fighting you with the intention of fighting until I die. Now, I'm intending to kill you! If you don't stop, then I might be too distracted to be able to, properly!"
That piqued Abhartach's interest, just like he had hoped. While Jim was not partial to the rhetoric of those who were obsessed with battle, given that he was not too fond of it, himself, Jim Phantomhive was a man who knew how to cater to who he was talking to in order to achieve the results he desired. As he had hoped, Abhartach asked him: "And how do you intend to do that?"
Lowering his fists, he held out a hand so Abhartach could see. A small, black flame burned in the middle of his palm, growing larger as hardly-visible threads wafted off of it. From this flame came a piece of wood, springing up from the menace's hand. With his other, he grabbed a hold of it, pulling it out and causing the fire to die. Then, he held it up to Abhartach's view. For a few moments, the revenant simply stared at it, baffled as to what he was looking at, but soon his smile returned to him and he threw his head back with laughter.
"You expect to kill me with a sheath?!" he howled, his laughter still bubbling up from within the very pit of his stomach. "Your sword didn't work, but now the sheath?! Good Lord! My apologies, but you must see how foolish you seem!"
"Did you really think that the sword was the only trick I had?" the blonde inquired futher, still holding up the sheath to the Kendrick blade. "You've seen it yourself: I'm full of surprises. Do you really think it stops there? Stop your men, Abhartach, or I will leave this fight and go join my comrade!"
The older man stopped to ponder this, but then nodded. Taking in a deep breath, he bellowed: "Stop! Let the other one go! Let him see this so-called 'surprise' his comrade has in store! It must be nothing short of a miracle!"
"You stop, too, Ciel!" Jim ordered in turn, keeping true to his word. "Let me handle this!"
Of course, he wasn't going to just allow Ciel to sit on the sidelines and twiddle his thumbs if he needed him. Ciel made his way through the crowd and was allowed a spot front and center so that he could see his husband's fight, although he was clearly not happy about it. The Watchdog roughly pushed past the Philosophers, all while wearing a particularly sour expression on his face. This was the first time that Jim had seen the other since before nightfall and he was surprised to see the state Ciel was in. The bluenette wore a stolen military jacket with no shirt and was missing his eyepatch. Jim was determined to ask him what on earth happened later, but instead nodded at his beau. Ciel, although his brow was furrowed and his mouth formed a deep frown, he nodded back, knowing that the blonde had no intention of forcing him to stand idle, either. Both knew that if Jim's hunch was wrong, Ciel would leap into action and would be perfectly capable of doing so, now that he was at such a close range.
But things had not escalated to that point, yet. Jim still had a magic trick to pull off. He held out the sheath and took a fighting stance, but raised his brow when Abhartach held out a hand as well. The revenant raised it high above his head and very calmly issued a single word.
"Knife." he said and lo and behold, a knife was thrown from the crowd toward him. He very quickly and expertly caught it by the handle and brandished at the menace.
"If I'm going to put my life on the line, so should you." he told the menace and Jim furrowed his brow. He couldn't mess up, now.
They were rejoined by silence as a hush fell over the crowd. The Philosophers were all waiting. They were waiting to see who would win- who would reign supreme over them. The sun continued to rise and was visible from over the blonde's shoulder as it illuminated his back. He took one deep breath to come his nerves. He took another just to get ready. The third, he inhaled as deeply as possible and let it out in a mighty roar. It came all the way from his gut as he lunged at the revenant while brandishing his fangs. His foe returned the favour and charged in return. The manes of the two flowed with the wind as they went.
Abhartach raised his blade and Jim lowered his. Jim was struck from below while Abhartach struck from above. Their weapons clashed and, predictably, the wooden sheath could not stand up to the dagger and was promptly cut in half. Abhartach's weapon kept going, however, and now he had an oppurtunity to strike from below. The transition was so smooth that Jim didn't have the chance to block him with his gauntlets. The dagger pierced Jim's flesh with ease.
"Hrrk!" the Lion grunted. The air escaped his lungs as the knife was buried into his abdomen. In cruel fashion, Abhartach twisted it before drawing it out and stabbing Jim all over again. Abhartach threw his head back in haughty laughter.
"That was it?!" he bawked, although he was more than "a bit" disappointed. "That was your grand attempt to kill me?! You ran at me with a stick and got stabbed! It's so pathetic, it's funny! What a waste!" When his head returned to it's original position, however, he saw that the Lion was not embarrassed in the slightest. In fact, he smiled with all of the confidence in the world.
"That wasn't it." Jim stated. "This is."
He looked up, pointing with his eyes. When his foe confusedly followed them, he saw that Jim still had his hand raised and still gripping onto the sheath. The formerly blunt instrument had been cut into a wedge by Abhartach's own blade and was now facing downward. Jim brought it down again harshly, slamming it into the revenant's chest and piercing his heard with it. Blood spurted from the wound in large quantities, but although Abhartach was clearly in pain, he was not distressed.
"If a sword couldn't kill me, how can a sheath?" The revenant's voice was strained as he asked this, still finding the situation laughable. "You said you had a surprise."
"Patience, asshole. I'm getting to it." The demon's body tensed as she kept shoving the sheath progressively deeper into Abhartach's body, pressing on the back of the freshly-made weapon with one hand while gripping it with the other.
Abhartach still didn't understand, but then felt a shift. It didn't feel like the weapon being driven deeper, however. It felt like it was expanding outwards. Horror crossed his face as he realised what the Lion had done, but it was too late. He was already coughing up blood.
Jim channeled his power into the yew wood sheath, even going so far to neglect healing his wounds in favour of causing the yew to grow. It grew, and grew, and grew, taking root within Abhartach's body and taking it over. Even worse, he refused to let go, even as Abhartach tried to push him away.
"What is this?!" the revenant demanded. "Let go! Let go of me!"
Alas, the Lion had already bored his fangs and claws into his prey and would not be letting go. He held on, even as Abhartach struggled, and even as the wood began to grow up to Abhartach's skin, piercing it as it grew outward and sprouting leaves. His arms began to grow into branches and roots began to dig into the ground from the soles of his feet, yet the Phantomhive revenant's hair began to fall out as yet more branches began to grow from his head. His skin began to turn into bark, but the wood kept growing, and growing, and growing. Jim would not let him go until his body was completely overtaken by yew.
"You..." Abhartach wheezed. His voice was weak and he had stopped fighting. It wasn't as though he could, even if he wanted to, however. He couldn't even move. "You… Defeated me?"
His face appeared to be made of bark, now, as it protruded from what was now a mighty tree. Yet, Jim Phantomhive still persisted. More shockingly than this, however, was the fact that Abhartach's expression no longer seemed pained. He did not appear angry or afraid of what was happening anymore. In fact, he looked practically serene.
"I… am dying?" He looked down at the menace, who was now panting, but still just as determined. Jim was using every last ounce of power that he had in order to defeat the revenant. "No… I'm… Alive… but also dying?"
"I told you I'd beat you..." Jim grunted. Sweat dripped from his chin and collected on his brow. His body was sore and the wounds in his abdomen hurt. He was soaked and he was freezing. His breath came out in the form of steam as he continued to push himself until the job was finished. "I win."
"So you have..." Abhartach observed. His tone was calm, although he did sound surprised. "So you have..." he echoed as the situation fully sunk in.
Abhartach had lived for thousands of years. He had been beaten, cut, slashed, shot, run over, run through, decapitated, dismembered, and more and more and more, yet this was completely new. This was how he became no more. The man of legend who had fought countless battles in wars far bloodier than this, and who had built up his army and regained his power from absolutely nothing in order to prove once and for all that he was the greatest warrior who ever lived, was defeated by this young man. This deceptively pretty man amoung mere men had defeated him. Everything Abhartach had done, everything that he had fought for, and everything that he was had ever been was rendered naught by this one fair-haired demon.
And Abhartach could not argue against that.
He had praised warriors who had fought their way from obscurity into power. He had preached that divine right would protect one from death if one was truly meant to rule. It didn't protect him here, however. Perhaps it was not protecting him from the very start. Maybe this demon- this man- this force of nature was simply the better warrior. With this defeat, Abhartach knew that he had no choice but to concede.
"I see..." he said, smiling warmly. "So that's how it is… You are simply the better man..." Slowly, he shut his eyes. "Jim Phantomhive of Phantomhive house… Most honourable Lion of Hellsing… Champion of Gehenna… Member of the Macken Clan… Spouse of the Queen's Guard Dog… May no one ever forget your name- your legacy- your legend as the man who always did that which was not possible..."
His face faded slightly as the tree continued to grow, although it did not completely dissappear. Jim held onto him for a few more moments before finally letting go, panting and struggling to catch his breath. He took a few steps back, stumbling a bit in the process, but remained standing. The Lion's face was rather pale and he was significantly weakened. He knew that he didn't have much strength left, but he still faced the crowd, keeping his head raised high, regardless.
"You hear?" he demanded. "I'm Jim Phantomhive! I just defeated your leader! You better fuckin' surrender now, or else I'll kill all of you!"
There was murmuring amoung the mob, but they backed down. Their leader was gone and dawn had come. They were all weak from the night leaving them and were in no position to fight, as far as they could see. One by one, they began to drop their weapons and some of them were forced to step out of the way as the truck from before backed up. Slowly, the demon's husband stepped forward before finally reaching the blonde.
"Jim!" he called out, opening his arms to embrace his beloved, but the menace held up a hand, stopping him.
"Not yet." the blonde Phantomhive stated. "Hear that?"
Ciel paused and listened before looking past the menace at the front gate. More trucks were on the horizon. HELLSING trucks. All of them full to the brim with soldiers.
"Get me to your truck and we'll talk." the menace instructed and, knowing Jim had something in mind, Ciel wordlessly grabbed onto the blonde's arm and raised it before setting it down over his own shoulders. Holding Jim upright, Ciel guided him with a hand on the fair-haired demon's back to the vehicle as more trucks rolled onto the scene.
Jim didn't fight it. He just let his beau help him into the back of the truck and focused on keeping himself standing. He stayed standing just long enough for Ciel to shut the doors to the back of the vehicle, before finally allowing himself to collapse. He fell harshly to his knees before slumping over, alarming the other Phantomhive with the suddenness.
"Jim!" Ciel called out, rushing to his own knees in order to roll his spouse onto his back and pull him close.
"Relax… I'm just… I'm just so tired..." The casual way in which the blonde said this set the Watchdog at ease. There was no need to protest or argue. From that alone, Ciel was certain that everything would be alright.
He did shift, however, and pulled his legs out from under him so that he could sit down. Ciel crossed his legs and pulled the menace into his lap, cradling him gently as he was content that their job was done.
"You are truly a ridiculous man…" the bluenette chuckled, smiling warmly at his beloved even though the other man was resting. "You know that?"
"I had a hunch." the blonde jested back. He spoke in monotone, but Ciel could tell. "How's Johnathan?"
"Dead. Sorry it took me so long to get here, darling. I had to run."
"You ran?" Jim questioned, turning his brows upwards with concern. "Like, with your legs?"
"Yes, yes with my legs." Ciel chuckled before his smile faded slightly. "I'm sorry I didn't get here, sooner. I didn't think that fight with Johnathan would take so long."
"It's alright… You get your dad's bones back?"
"Yes. I sent Finny to bring them back to the house."
"That's good." weakly nodded the Lion. "I'm glad it turned out okay."
"It did." The silence that ensued between them was awkward as neither of them knew how to pursue the conversation from there. "I'm really impressed by your fight. I know you're tired, but I'm probably going to be bragging about it for a while, and I want you to know that."
"Alright..." Ciel could feel Jim's body heating up. It was only a matter of time before the menace fell asleep, now.
"That's all. We'll talk some more later. Just focus on regaining your strength. I'm going to radio Headquarters, so we'll be there, soon."
"That's good. Who's driving?"
"I ran into one of the Devildogs on my way here. It's Danlaw. Also he was bitten by a werewolf, but we'll deal with that later."
"Alright..." With that, Jim breathed a little easier and was able to drift off a bit. He could hear his husband talking and the muffled sound of a voice over a radio, but stirred again when he felt the engine of the truck roar to life.
He scrunched his eyes shut, but couldn't force himself to remain at ease. Upon opening them, he could see his spouse resting as well, having finished talking to the base. The truck was quiet as it steadily rolled down the road, with all three people inside exhausted from the long night behind them. Everything was peaceful, but Jim couldn't feel it. He was still rather uneasy.
He found himself not plagued by the sense of danger any longer, but by thoughts and ideas. Things that were said. Things that weren't said. Things that he should say. They were fresh in his mind, so he could not escape them, so he was compelled to break the silence.
"Ciel?"
"Hm?" hummed the Watchdog, acknowledging Jim's desire to talk.
"Do you think I'm a good man?"
"I think you're a great man." Ciel replied surely with a nod of his head. "You're amazing."
"But am I good?"
The emphasis on "goodness" and Jim's unusual fixation on it made the other Phantomhive pause. "You are." the bluenette reassured once more, but then followed up with the question: "Why do you ask?"
"I…" Jim hesitated. Instead of answering Ciel's inquiry, he made one of his own. "Am I strong?"
"Very strong." the bluenette said. "You're the strongest person I know."
"Clever?"
"The cleverest." Once again, Ciel questioned: "Why do you ask?"
"I… Abhartach..." And Once again, Jim struggled for words. "He talked about me like that the whole time we fought…"
"Did he?"
"He said he was acknowledging me as a warrior or something..."
"That's good, isn't it?" pondered the bluenette. "Isn't it good to be so good at what you do, that even your enemies praise you?"
"I don't feel like it..."
There was a pause. "I don't really think anyone does." Ciel said. "You know?"
"You're a good guy..."
"So are you."
"Not always."
Silence. There was complete silence between them for a few moments while neither of them seemed to know what to say. Or rather, Ciel didn't, but Jim didn't know how to say it. He knew that he needed too, though. Maybe his tired, fatigued state could help him just a bit.
"Ciel?"
"Yes?"
"Lean down a bit." Jim instructed and, taking the hint that Jim wanted to speak with him quietly so the driver wouldn't hear, Ciel obliged.
"Yes?" the Watchdog whispered, indicating that he understood.
"I know I don't talk about stuff that happened." the menace began in a hushed tone. "I dunno if that bothers you, but it bothers me..."
"It doesn't bother me." Ciel replied in earnest. "I know what you're like. I know what it's like to have stuff that you don't want to talk about. That's your business. I also know, however, that you'll share it with me when you're ready to. There's no need to push yourself. You're tired..."
"I'm sorry..." The menace wasn't really sure why he apologised, but it felt like the thing to do. "I wanna tell you… But..."
"It's scary." nodded the Watchdog. "I know." With the hand that wasn't cradling the menace's head, Ciel reached up and moved a lock of hair out of his husband's face. It didn't do much, as the man was covered in blood, but it felt like the thing to do.
"I did a lot of bad stuff… Not just- you know… But bad stuff. Bad stuff to other people… I did it to live, but… I know some of 'em would've, too, but..."
"Jim… You don't have to say anything if you don't want to..."
"I want to! It- It hurts not to say it, but… It's scary to actually say it! I-! Ugh!" Reaching up, Jim covered his eyes. It was too late, though. Ciel already saw that they were wet. "…I hate it."
At first, the bluenette didn't say anything. How could he? It wasn't as though a simple "It's alright" or "everything is going to be alright" would fix this, or even make Jim feel better. Instead, he just held the blonde close, lifting him slightly so that Jim was able to lean against him. Hugging didn't always work with Jim, but it comforted him sometimes. At least having a little bit of contact did. It was enough to ground him and make him feel a bit more secure.
"I won't push you away." Ciel said. "You'll stay right here like this and I'll keep holding you. Even when we get to headquarters, I'll hold your hand and make sure you're not alone. There's nothing that you need to prove to me. You knew when you married me that I had done some terrible things in my life. I knew when I married you that you felt some guilt, too. I love you and I accept you- even the painful bits."
There was hesitation, but eventually, in a quiet, almost inaudible voice, Jim spoke again. "Promise?" he asked. "I can stay here?"
"I promise." the bluenette replied, kissing the blonde's sweaty, matted hair. "You're allowed to be here."
Ciel waited for him. He waited a long time, but he dutifully waited until Jim was ready. He didn't know exactly what all Abhartach had said to him, but Ciel knew that this was important to his spouse and that he needed to not only listen, but be patient. The Watchdog had known for a long time that this conversation was something that would need to happen one day.
He knew that his husband did a lot of things that he would rather not have in order to survive. That was apparent. It was given. He also knew that he felt a lot of guilt. Jim was the one that was left behind in all of this. He was the one who had to carry on, knowing that despite the fact that he was a victim in all of this, he was also the one who came out on top in the end. He also had to carry the weight of how he got there. After a long while, Jim slowly, tentatively, opened his mouth to speak.
"I laughed." he said quietly enough that only Ciel could hear. "That's the worst thing I did. I laughed at them… I laughed..."
The Watchdog waited a moment to see if the other would continue. He didn't change the pressure that his arms applied around the blonde's body, as he didn't want to think that any change was a sign of apprehension. Ciel could already connect the dots as to what that meant, but he waited, as Jim needed to say it, himself. As painful as waiting was, he knew that talking hurt worse, so he endured. Sure enough, Jim continued.
"They were being hurt and I looked down on them… I said horrible things… They were- they were at the lowest… they couldn't take anymore… I couldn't- I didn't- I didn't want it to get it worse, so I- I la- I laughed at them… I laughed with the men…"
He was breathing heavily and he brought his arms in close, snaking his hands in between his eyes and Ciel's shoulder. "It would've been worse if I didn't, so I did… I didn't want to be them, so I- I said those things and I- I laughed… How could I? How could I do that to another person? They were crying… Hysteric- I… Sometimes, they'd pass out… It was good when they passed out because they'd stopped hurting, but I don't know what happened after… I don't know what happened, I-! I don't- Something bad probably happened… They- Oh, God, Ciel..."
Jim was shaking. He tried to hold himself together, even though tears were already in his palms, but his voice finally broke. When it did, it was like everything came loose and he started to sob.
"He died..." he said to the Watchdog. "I was there and he… they were too rough and… He stopped moving and his eyes were open and- and… and… It was like… watching through a screen… Everything was so automatic, I- I just fucking-! Fuck… why… how? How could I-? We were both slaves, but I… I didn't feel anything… As long as it wasn't me… it was okay?"
His husband stayed silent, but remained attentive. It hurt to see Jim like this. It hurt to hear Jim talking like this. The imagery spread to Ciel's mind, disgusting him, but not because of Jim. Just the situation in general made Ciel's blood boil.
"That's not funny!" Jim declared. "How could they think that was funny?! They're sick! They're all fucking sick! I-! I don't wanna be sick, too..."
That was it. That was the problem. Jim had worked within the system he was trapped in order to better his own position, but had the knowledge that things were wrong. Both of them knew that he did all of that to survive- that there was no alternative and that if Jim didn't maintain the favour that he had "earned," he could very well have been next. He did it to lessen his own treatment. He did it to protect himself. It was impossible for Ciel to hold that against him. It wasn't his fault. None of it was his fault. "Tenacious" is one way to go about it. "Resourceful" is another. But Jim didn't deserve any praise for what he did. Not to him, at least. He didn't want it. Not everyone understood why, however. Not even the Watchdog, sometimes. Now he did. Jim knew that what he did hurt those boys. Jim knew because he was there and he didn't want it to be him. He didn't hurt them physically, but he knew that it aided in the humiliation. That was something that he could never take back. He put on a show in order to prove his "loyalty" to his oppressor, siding with them for the moment and putting his own interests above those of his fellow slaves. What else could he have done? Nothing. There was nothing else he could have done but suffer and die. It didn't put him on the same level of the Earl Trancy and his friends, of course. It didn't by a longshot. It didn't even pretend to. But he couldn't take it back. Jim had a lot more empathy than he was allowed to feel back then and there was nothing he could ever do to make it right again.
Ciel understood the feeling of never being able to make something right again. He knew that all he could do was accept it and be a better person. Jim didn't, though. Jim hadn't even begun that journey, but he had reached the starting line.
Just as expected, however, Ciel still felt the same about him. He still loved Jim. He loved him just as much as he did before he was told this. Perhaps he even loved him more.
"Thank you for telling me." Ciel finally said, finally squeezing the menace a bit tighter. With one hand, he reached up and gently began to stroke the back of his husband's head. "I know that it's hard to talk about and I'm glad you trust me. I still love you. You're still my favourite person. I also still know that you're a good person. You can cry all you need to. I'll still be here."
Jim cried harder at that. It wasn't because he was in any further pain, but it was because of relief. Even though those memories had been brought back to the forefront, they were no longer twisting around inside of him and festering. He was hurt, but he felt lighter. It didn't matter that he had successfully defeated an ancient being that tried to overthrow the government. No amazing feat that he could pull off did. He couldn't feel victorious about any of it until he knew that he wasn't a monster. Now, he could start feeling like a man.
His husband kept his promise and stayed there, not letting go of the Lion, even as Jim succumbed to his exhaustion. He meant it. He meant all of it. Finally, this case was over and his spouse his spouse had overcome a major ordeal. Both were great victories, in his mind.
When they arrived at headquarters, Jim stirred again and they separated for just a moment, but it was only so that they could leave the truck. They joined hands immediately after and refused to let go. The mission was complete, so surely, it couldn't be too much to ask to let them have this.
A/N: LOTS of things going on, here... First of all, this thing was a little over 18 pages, so there's that.
God, there's so much that I want to talk about, but I don't know if it's too much to pack into your brains after all of this... I'll just put it on Tumblr later or something. Probably will. This is the chapter where I cram as much deep symbolism and callbacks to previously used deep symbolism as humanly possible. So there's a cool, fun, scavenger hunt for you.
There's also NEW symbolism and shit that kind of ties other shit together. It's not necessary to know for the plot, though. It's just really really cool, so I put that in there for people who are into that shit.
I was really debating on that last scene for a long time... I thought about not including it, but I felt like stuff that's coming up would have more weight to it if I included it. It also touches on stuff from earlier in the chapter, so... I dunno. I thought about just saving it for the next book entirely.
A few of you thought that it was cool that Abhartach praised Alois instead of like, putting him down like a lot of other villains would. Honestly, I STILL don't know how to explain Abhartach. I wrote so many notes on him and he just KEPT changing! I guess that makes sense, since he honestly didn't show up a lot? I wonder how that works? How did I do that? Why is he a likable villain?
I'm also really glad that y'all picked up on how he's supposed to be a foil for Jim. I really wanted a character who agrees with Jim on a lot of things, but they have differences in how they want to go about that. I wanted to experiement with fights, because a lot of really good fight scenes aren't so much about the fight itself, but about the contrasting ideas that both characters contrast can be even more interesting when they actually agree for the most part, so that's the general idea. As for whether or not I pulled it off or not? Eeeeeeeeeh, we'll see...
Jim made more sense than Ciel, because Jim has a lot stronger opinions about how society should be and also? I really wanted him to fight the big bad this time.
The praising thing is still weird because he wasn't originally going to do that. It just happened alskdhgaoihgoaih Why is Abhartach charming?
Last thing! In the last chapter, Audrey was able to survive because reapers have the ability to extend people's lives if they think that they will somehow benefit society in some way if they are allowed to live. Will he? I dunno. It's probably just nepotism. The true hero of the day! That ability is from the "The Tale of Will The Reaper" OVA. I feel like I remember some confusion on this front, is why I'm talking about it. I don't know if I was very clear in the chapter itself...
I think that will do it for now? Thank you all for your comments and feed back. We're not quite done yet, so it's appreciated!
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
