[Closed]

[chalicejoker]

Hajime decided it was time to do something about Malin. He didn't know her name, but he knew she knew far too much about him. She'd found where he lived. He couldn't think of anyone else who would have left those ridiculous books for him to find.

He looked long and hard for a suitable grounds on which to do battle. He found some Infrastructure, decided it was abandoned, and prepared to summon her there. Time to end this quickly and with no witnesses...

...only the summoning failed. The bits of reality he was tugging at wouldn't cooperate, and no enemy came. There would be no fight--not one that he was expecting, anyway.

He didn't realize the Infrastructure wasn't abandoned.

Comments

[modmachine]

Malin does not appear. But something does, reality unfolding itself just a little, an angel unfolding itself out of the space between the Infrastructure and a nearby building. It's one of the more traditional looking ones, a humanoid form with wings shaped out of golden grass engraved with circles of symbols and circuit conduits. Its face is a round porcelain mask, with white, cherubic cheeks and closed eyes, though that doesn't seem to make a difference in how it looks at Hajime.

Because it is definitely looking at him. Its voice comes from somewhere behind the mask, a little rattle-grating. "Hello, black sheep."

[chalicejoker]

Shit. Shit. This is not what Hajime had wanted to happen, this is the last thing he wanted to happen. Things hadn't just gone wrong, they'd gone spectacularly wrong.

He'd run, but he doesn't want to take his eyes off of it. Not yet.

...and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to at least try to fight it. He was a destroyer, he can do some damage. He's taken a guard position, and he's painfully aware he should probably transform into something a little sturdier right now. "...Hello."

[modmachine]

"And just what do you think you're doing?" The 'what' has a scraping to it, high pitched like a grass whistle.

[chalicejoker]

He should keep talking, try to keep it distracted while he finds some way to escape. But the sight of the angel angers him, makes him want to fight, touches on the impulses that brought him here in the first place. He doesn't want to stand there cowering in the human form of his Cover, and so he casts it off, revealing his demonic bug form...

...and then he charges at the angel because he completely bombed the roll to keep his composure, intending to surprise it with an attack. He might not be able to score a clear win, but perhaps he can mess it up enough to injure it and escape that way.

[modmachine]

Unfortunately for Hajime, wild charges are generally pretty easy to dodge, and indeed, the angel isn't anywhere near where he passes by the time he gets there. It doesn't so much sidestep as bend, like tall grass blown by the wind - and then its feet are elsewhere.

"Pitiful." With that observation, it unfolds something from its hands - they're not so much blades as sharp pieces of wire, like jigsaws between the base of its palms and the tips of its fingers. They'll still probably hurt like hell, though, if the slash at Hajime's back as he passes should land.

[chalicejoker]

Hajime's lucky--his carapace is very hard, and his reflexes are pretty good. They just barely graze him--it hurts, but it's not enough to stop him. He rolls out of the way, changing directions, and flings green hellfire at the angel.

[modmachine]

Its wings spread and it goes up, leaping over the spurt of fire and hovering in the air over Hajime. "Consider this your last warning. My mission is one of protection. If you leave, I will not follow."

[chalicejoker]

If Hajime had a better sense of self-preservation, he'd go ahead and take the angel up on that. But he loves fighting too much, relishes a challenge, and thinks that maybe, just maybe, he can hurt the angel. He throws more hellfire up at the angel.

[modmachine]

Well, he's not completely ineffective - in fact, this time he scores a direct hit, perhaps because the angel is assuming that he'll actually be sensible (as most demons are when given that ultimatum). It shrieks in a voice like an unholy batch of grass whistles all sounding at once and drops a few feet in the air as it attempts to beat the flames out with its wings.

Watch out now, Hajime, it's going to be pissed as soon as it gets that fire out.

[chalicejoker]

Hajime is emboldened by this success, and he leaps at it, intending to stab it with his spikes.

[modmachine]

It doesn't seem to expect that, and busy as it with the fire, Hajime is not only able to reach it and semi-stab it, the combined weight knocks them both to the ground, Hajime on top.

[chalicejoker]

He's close, he's so close, maybe he can kill it. He summons more fire to his hands, to his blades, and tries to bring them down on whatever the angel has for a skull.

[modmachine]

That, at least, isn't happening - the angel sees what he's planning, and twists its hands to shove upwards. It's not enough to fully remove Hajime, but it's at least enough to throw off his blow and give the angel some putting-out-fire space. The burning seems to have mostly stopped anyway - metal mesh that was beneath the straw is visible now, but it's clearly not normal woven grass, either.

[chalicejoker]

He's been somewhat thrown off, but maybe...he's going to try to get to his feet again solely for the express purpose of kicking the angel, because he's got a nice little exploit that lets him kick something hard enough that it explodes.

[modmachine]

The angel seems to be concentrating on getting him off anyway - once he is off it starts to get itself off the ground, but if he's quick he can maybe get that kick in.

[chalicejoker]

He tries to be quick. Tries so hard.

It still isn't enough. The kick misses, and he's vulnerable to a counterattack.