It was over.
Akeno’s breathing was steady, the opposite of how she was feeling right now. These kinds of things always felt intense in the moment and she always expected to find herself drained afterwards, but in reality the entire sequence of events from when she had fired to when she stabbed Verity had probably taken twelve, maybe fifteen seconds at most.
Real fights were short and brutal affairs; completely different from what you experience in a ring or a videogame, or saw in movies. That had been the biggest shock for her when she first started watching SOTF; how quick it all ended once the fighting started. One shot, one stab, one lucky punch; when both people were trying to kill each other and had the means to do so it could all end in an instant. She turned her head and looked towards the doors with her jacket tied through the handles and wondered how many people had died while they were doing this.
She sighed.
Akeno reached for her pocket again and drew out another harpoon, the last one, and turned back to Verity. “It’s over.”
Thunderdome
Two enter... ((content warning: eye gore))
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Wham Yubeesling
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You ever hear how pure anger was supposed to make you surprisingly calm? How at some point, when you're consumed by rage, the integer overflows, loops down to zero. Your brain creates a zone inside itself, and locks all coherency and rational thought in. You can feel the waves bash against the walls, try to break them down, but you’re still there. You can still think. You can choose your path. You can choose which direction to send your anger in.
It was like that with pain, as well.
Because, by all accounts, Verity shouldn’t have been able to do anything. Her body was sprawled by the pool. There was a harpoon implanted in her eye. Tendrils of pain screamed through her body, dominated all her senses, locked her brain inside itself, and yet somehow she could feel herself moving. Her legs lifted, pushing themselves against the ground, moving her body away from the pool and towards the railing. Towards the edge of the ship. She didn’t know why. Her brain wasn’t telling it to do that. It was just moving on its own. Maybe the adrenaline was still in there somehow. Maybe it hadn’t gotten the message yet. Maybe some part of her, deep down, was still trying. As if she could still fight. As if she could still somehow get out of this.
As if anything she could do could change the way this was going to end. Akeno was right. This was over. This was how Verity’s story ended.
So there was no point trying to fight this. No point trying to think about what could’ve come after this. Whatever she had left from before this. Whatever she could’ve done to make this end differently. No point in asking herself why she’d gone for the gun when she knew it wasn’t loaded. No point in realizing that she could’ve just run around the other end of the pool, playing to waste as much time as possible. This was it. The final pages. Nothing more she could do other than make sure whatever her story was closed strong. Try and get her foot into death’s door as it closed behind her. Try and get a little bit of control back, in the end. No producers, no Akeno...
Just her. Verity would be the author of her own demise.
“Why…”
It was so hard to stop from giving a laugh. It fit so well with all the shit going through her head, yet… god, what was she even going to say? Would laughing even be an appropriate accompaniment? She didn’t know. Thoughts were going through her head and she was regurgitating them as soon as they found their way into her throat. She didn’t know. She didn’t-
“Why are we even doing this? Why are we- trying to kill each other?”
Her body was now sat up against a railing — the ultimate result of her legs trying to run, trying to delay the inevitable. Her head tilted, pointed past Akeno, up above the banquet hall door. The harpoon moved up with her. Stayed parallel to the gaze of her eye. Stayed lodged directly inside the other. It probably looked so doofy, if somebody were looking at this from the outside.
“Is there- was there- even a reason? Did I do something to you? Did you do something to me? Did we… even know each other, in this game?”
Her breath caught on something. She didn’t know what. She didn’t feel anything in her throat, on her body that would’ve caused it to jut like that
“I don’t- I don’t- I don’t even care that you killed Sofia. I don’t… I can’t even remember who else you were credited for. All though… all though this, I’ve been wondering if there was a reason on my end to actually kill you and… I can’t. Even now. It’s just…”
She tried to breathe.
“Did I kill someone you know? Am I… a step forward to you getting revenge against Fisk? Is there a reason for you to kill me personally or am I just- are we just-”
She tried to breathe.
“Is there even a reason?”
And she tried to stop herself from crying. Tried to stop her eyes from swelling. Tears couldn’t do anything for her. All they did was make the harpoon eye feel worse.
“Did we even have a story with each other? Were we… were we even anything more to each other than all the times we met each other?”
She tried to breathe.
“Why did we have to do this? Why did we have to… try and kill each other?”
Was she even going anywhere with this?
“Was it because this was how it was always going to end?”
What even was this, in the first place? Was she begging for her life? Just trying to get a straight answer, for once? How did this even come off?
“Was it always going to be either me or you?”
And who was Verity?
“Was there even any other purpose to our story?”
Had she even figured out what type of story this was, now that it was at its last pages?
“Are we… are we just trying to kill each other because we have to kill each other?”
She tried to tilt her head down. Look at Akeno, one last time. Cap this off. Look her death straight in the eyes. Get… some sort of recognition. Some idea. Of Akeno. Of her. Of this game. Of any of this.
“That’s…”
Couldn’t, in the end.
“That’s so... stupid.”
It was like that with pain, as well.
Because, by all accounts, Verity shouldn’t have been able to do anything. Her body was sprawled by the pool. There was a harpoon implanted in her eye. Tendrils of pain screamed through her body, dominated all her senses, locked her brain inside itself, and yet somehow she could feel herself moving. Her legs lifted, pushing themselves against the ground, moving her body away from the pool and towards the railing. Towards the edge of the ship. She didn’t know why. Her brain wasn’t telling it to do that. It was just moving on its own. Maybe the adrenaline was still in there somehow. Maybe it hadn’t gotten the message yet. Maybe some part of her, deep down, was still trying. As if she could still fight. As if she could still somehow get out of this.
As if anything she could do could change the way this was going to end. Akeno was right. This was over. This was how Verity’s story ended.
So there was no point trying to fight this. No point trying to think about what could’ve come after this. Whatever she had left from before this. Whatever she could’ve done to make this end differently. No point in asking herself why she’d gone for the gun when she knew it wasn’t loaded. No point in realizing that she could’ve just run around the other end of the pool, playing to waste as much time as possible. This was it. The final pages. Nothing more she could do other than make sure whatever her story was closed strong. Try and get her foot into death’s door as it closed behind her. Try and get a little bit of control back, in the end. No producers, no Akeno...
Just her. Verity would be the author of her own demise.
“Why…”
It was so hard to stop from giving a laugh. It fit so well with all the shit going through her head, yet… god, what was she even going to say? Would laughing even be an appropriate accompaniment? She didn’t know. Thoughts were going through her head and she was regurgitating them as soon as they found their way into her throat. She didn’t know. She didn’t-
“Why are we even doing this? Why are we- trying to kill each other?”
Her body was now sat up against a railing — the ultimate result of her legs trying to run, trying to delay the inevitable. Her head tilted, pointed past Akeno, up above the banquet hall door. The harpoon moved up with her. Stayed parallel to the gaze of her eye. Stayed lodged directly inside the other. It probably looked so doofy, if somebody were looking at this from the outside.
“Is there- was there- even a reason? Did I do something to you? Did you do something to me? Did we… even know each other, in this game?”
Her breath caught on something. She didn’t know what. She didn’t feel anything in her throat, on her body that would’ve caused it to jut like that
“I don’t- I don’t- I don’t even care that you killed Sofia. I don’t… I can’t even remember who else you were credited for. All though… all though this, I’ve been wondering if there was a reason on my end to actually kill you and… I can’t. Even now. It’s just…”
She tried to breathe.
“Did I kill someone you know? Am I… a step forward to you getting revenge against Fisk? Is there a reason for you to kill me personally or am I just- are we just-”
She tried to breathe.
“Is there even a reason?”
And she tried to stop herself from crying. Tried to stop her eyes from swelling. Tears couldn’t do anything for her. All they did was make the harpoon eye feel worse.
“Did we even have a story with each other? Were we… were we even anything more to each other than all the times we met each other?”
She tried to breathe.
“Why did we have to do this? Why did we have to… try and kill each other?”
Was she even going anywhere with this?
“Was it because this was how it was always going to end?”
What even was this, in the first place? Was she begging for her life? Just trying to get a straight answer, for once? How did this even come off?
“Was it always going to be either me or you?”
And who was Verity?
“Was there even any other purpose to our story?”
Had she even figured out what type of story this was, now that it was at its last pages?
“Are we… are we just trying to kill each other because we have to kill each other?”
She tried to tilt her head down. Look at Akeno, one last time. Cap this off. Look her death straight in the eyes. Get… some sort of recognition. Some idea. Of Akeno. Of her. Of this game. Of any of this.
“That’s…”
Couldn’t, in the end.
“That’s so... stupid.”
This was a waste of time. There was no reason for her to answer, no reason for her to stand here and listen to any of this. People were fighting and dying in the banquet hall, her teammates and friend, so the only reasonable thing to do was kill Verity immediately so she could go help them. Akeno glanced at the doors again; no one had tried to force their way through yet and she chose to interpret that as the fight still going on inside. There was still time for her to go back and maybe make a difference there.
She stayed and listened.
Leaving things as they were was an option too. There was no need to go as far as killing Verity; her goal had just been to remove her from the situation so they could escape the ambush and she’d already achieved that and more. The harpoon tapped against Akeno’s leg as she considered that. Verity was done whether Akeno killed her or not.
No reason to kill her. No reason to spare her.
“You killed one of my teammates.”
No reason to answer, or to entertain these questions.
“If we have any story together it’s because the first time I spoke to my mentor she mentioned you by name as someone I should watch out for; because you killed someone on my team. It was just before I ran into you in the corridors, but I didn’t realise it was you at first; not until you said your name.”
She’d been scared of Verity then; her first encounter with a confirmed murderer, back when she’d had no weapons of her own and no idea of how this girl in front of her had killed someone. Verity was scarier to her than the two people who had ambushed and tried to kill her earlier that same day. That seemed like a stupid fear now.
“Emmy also warned me about Fisk and the others at the time; probably because they’d already attacked Ivan by then. When I saw you with them at the ferry it seemed… fitting, I guess? Like all the people who were a problem for me were gathering together. Of course you were with them.” Everyone except Sergio, thankfully. She wasn’t sure she could handle it if literally every one of her enemies teamed up against her.
Akeno let out a sigh and began to readjust her gloves; pulling them tighter over her hands and squeezing them into fists a few times experimentally. Cheap things; maybe it was better just to take them off. “But… I don’t care about any of that. You shot at me, you got in my way, you teamed up with the people that killed two of my best friends. I don’t care. I don’t want revenge on you. I don’t want revenge on Fisk. I just want to survive this.”
She stepped forward.
“So, yeah; I’m killing you because I have to kill you. Stupid as that is.”
She gripped the harpoon and brought it up to point it at Verity.
“No hard feelings?”
She stayed and listened.
Leaving things as they were was an option too. There was no need to go as far as killing Verity; her goal had just been to remove her from the situation so they could escape the ambush and she’d already achieved that and more. The harpoon tapped against Akeno’s leg as she considered that. Verity was done whether Akeno killed her or not.
No reason to kill her. No reason to spare her.
“You killed one of my teammates.”
No reason to answer, or to entertain these questions.
“If we have any story together it’s because the first time I spoke to my mentor she mentioned you by name as someone I should watch out for; because you killed someone on my team. It was just before I ran into you in the corridors, but I didn’t realise it was you at first; not until you said your name.”
She’d been scared of Verity then; her first encounter with a confirmed murderer, back when she’d had no weapons of her own and no idea of how this girl in front of her had killed someone. Verity was scarier to her than the two people who had ambushed and tried to kill her earlier that same day. That seemed like a stupid fear now.
“Emmy also warned me about Fisk and the others at the time; probably because they’d already attacked Ivan by then. When I saw you with them at the ferry it seemed… fitting, I guess? Like all the people who were a problem for me were gathering together. Of course you were with them.” Everyone except Sergio, thankfully. She wasn’t sure she could handle it if literally every one of her enemies teamed up against her.
Akeno let out a sigh and began to readjust her gloves; pulling them tighter over her hands and squeezing them into fists a few times experimentally. Cheap things; maybe it was better just to take them off. “But… I don’t care about any of that. You shot at me, you got in my way, you teamed up with the people that killed two of my best friends. I don’t care. I don’t want revenge on you. I don’t want revenge on Fisk. I just want to survive this.”
She stepped forward.
“So, yeah; I’m killing you because I have to kill you. Stupid as that is.”
She gripped the harpoon and brought it up to point it at Verity.
“No hard feelings?”
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Wham Yubeesling
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But as Akeno pointed the harpoon, Verity moved. Brought her left hand up from her side and grabbed Akeno’s wrist. Pushed it — and the harpoon — so that it was now pointed above Verity’s head.
It couldn’t be that easy.
Akeno leaned forward and placed a hand on the railing above Verity’s head, bracing herself against it as she loomed over the other girl and tried to force her arm and the harpoon down towards her.
She brought her foot up and kicked Verity in the ribs.
Akeno leaned forward and placed a hand on the railing above Verity’s head, bracing herself against it as she loomed over the other girl and tried to force her arm and the harpoon down towards her.
She brought her foot up and kicked Verity in the ribs.
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Wham Yubeesling
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The kick connected. Blood and phlegm and spit burst out of Verity’s mouth as her body hit the railing behind it. The bars creaked. For a moment, they rattled in a way they hadn’t before, but then all inertia ceased. The railing stopped moving. It leant back, towards the sea, no longer parallel to the sections of railing beside it.
And yet Verity still held on. The harpoon didn't move.
And yet Verity still held on. The harpoon didn't move.
Akeno kicked her again, stomping a foot into her stomach and pressing down. She pushed with her foot, pushed with her arm, bearing down with both to try and move the harpoon the last few inches needed to finish this.
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Wham Yubeesling
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The kick connected again. More blood, more spit jerked out of Verity’s throat as she coughed and as the railing behind her shuddered. Squeaked. Bent even further back. Verity held on. Matched Akeno’s strength with her own. Pushed back into the railing with as much force as her body could muster.
And slowly, inch by inch, Verity’s body lifted itself off the floor.
And slowly, inch by inch, Verity’s body lifted itself off the floor.
No.
Verity wasn’t getting back up. This was over. It was supposed to be over and Akeno wasn’t going to let this drag on any longer. Her hand shook as she tried to overcome the last of Verity’s resistance, watched it creep another few millimetres closer, heard it tap against the one already in the other girl’s eye as it shifted and swung from side to side.
Akeno lifted her foot from Verity’s stomach and placed it back on the ground. If she couldn’t overpower her opponent then she’d try something else; take advantage of the damage she’d already inflicted. She’d wait for the right moment, wait until the harpoon in Verity’s eye was pointing the right way, then slam her knee into it; force it deeper in and right out the back of the other girl’s head.
Something gave out before she could try, before either she or Verity did. A familiar screech of metal, followed by a snap, and Akeno topple forward.
Verity wasn’t getting back up. This was over. It was supposed to be over and Akeno wasn’t going to let this drag on any longer. Her hand shook as she tried to overcome the last of Verity’s resistance, watched it creep another few millimetres closer, heard it tap against the one already in the other girl’s eye as it shifted and swung from side to side.
Akeno lifted her foot from Verity’s stomach and placed it back on the ground. If she couldn’t overpower her opponent then she’d try something else; take advantage of the damage she’d already inflicted. She’d wait for the right moment, wait until the harpoon in Verity’s eye was pointing the right way, then slam her knee into it; force it deeper in and right out the back of the other girl’s head.
Something gave out before she could try, before either she or Verity did. A familiar screech of metal, followed by a snap, and Akeno topple forward.
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Wham Yubeesling
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It happened.
The final push was enough. The railing buckled, bent, broke behind her back. All the weight, all the energy that had gone up against the barrier now had nothing in its way, and just like a boy holding a bag all the way back before this game had started, Verity flew. Sailed right off the edge of the cruise ship, falling, spinning, spiraling into the ocean below.
She made sure to take Akeno down with her.
((Verity Stewart and Akeno Kudo, continued elsewhere...))
The final push was enough. The railing buckled, bent, broke behind her back. All the weight, all the energy that had gone up against the barrier now had nothing in its way, and just like a boy holding a bag all the way back before this game had started, Verity flew. Sailed right off the edge of the cruise ship, falling, spinning, spiraling into the ocean below.
She made sure to take Akeno down with her.
((Verity Stewart and Akeno Kudo, continued elsewhere...))