Post by EmbodimentOfFear on May 25, 2012 13:16:09 GMT -5
Donovan Hastings walked into his office in the Dungeon of Pain to find a miniature tape recorder sitting atop his desk. Hastings picked it up and studied the device for a moment before pushing play.
“Hello, Donovan. It pleases me to see you received my message. I hope that you enjoy it.”
*Click*
“OWEN!”
The faithful friend and companion to the Lord of Pain appeared in the doorway.
“Yes, Lord?”
“How did this get in here?”
“Um, I put it there.”
“You?”
“Yeah. When you sent me to see him last week, Fear made me wait while he recorded it. I told him that I was supposed to rearrange your sock drawer, but he insisted. I left it on your desk because I really didn’t want to have to hand it to you.”
“It’s fine. Go finish showing Thrash how to properly protect the cookie jar, thank you.”
As Owen pulled the door close behind himself, Donovan again studied the recorder before during it back on.
“Don’t be angry with your manservant. His loyalty to you is unwavering. Pity that yours never was. As much as you have accomplished in your career, think about what could have been accomplished if you hadn’t betrayed my vision all those years ago? Look at you now. Arrogant and callous, ever with a witty retort or stabbing observation, leading all that surround you to think you’re something that you’re not. I know you to be just as cold and calculating as you really are, a dark truth that you hide behind smoke and mirrors, with your skits and public displays of silliness. You’ve become quite the puppeteer, moving pieces at your will, shielding yourself behind an armor built with the bodies of your comrades. Twisting the truth and reality to suit your purpose. You’ve become the Invincible. You’ve never been able to fully see the big picture. You’re seen as an icon of the industry, despite it being well over a year since you’ve truly been relevant. You seek your destiny. My friend, it is to continue to simply fade into the past.”
*Click*
May 23
The duplicity employed by those that are meant to be our “heroes” never fails to impress me.
In a just world, Alex Kiseragi would not even be allowed on the grounds of the New Orleans City Park on the third day of WrestleStock, not even to sign an autograph or eat a cotton candy. Given the opportunity to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship in his native land, Kiseragi refused to show his face. He disrespected the championship in a way that makes him insurmountably unworthy. Perhaps most relevantly, he lost a match that stipulated that the loser would be ineligible for my day. Yet there he is, being promoted as a featured participant.
I understand how this came to pass. I recognize the loophole that the Dragon has taken advantage of, using his purse winnings to acquire an opportunity he doesn’t deserve. It doesn’t help it to disgust me any less.
This man is little more than a black widow, a venomous individual who poisons and debilitates those around him. Whereas the students of the Dungeon of Pain are coming into their fifteen minutes, the pupils of the Dragon’s Cave languish in obscurity. Look at what he has done in his personal relationships, the pain he has caused. The indifference he has shown in causing it.
Alex Kiseragi has disrespected the World Heavyweight Championship.
And I will punish him for it.
The video finishes buffering and loads on your screen, springing to life with the flickering image of a dark candle-lit room, and the image of Phrixus Deimos, seated backwards on a chair, his body facing the camera, but his head tilted down to the floor.
“We are surrounded by false idols.”
Phrixus raises his head to look directly at the camera.
“I have seen many people over the years led astray by their own self-delusions. Take the tale of the Red-Eyed Warrior, Ezekiel Pax. This man believed himself to be a fallen angel, a demi-god descended from the sky. He sought to be the Mighty, and defend those he felt were worthy or needing of his protection. What end did it bring him? Where he is now? His weak mind has been enslaved, he is reduced to the role of a puppet, his strings tugged ever so gently by a master he likely doesn’t even realize he is serving. He denies himself the freedoms and opportunities that he needs to blossom on his own. Where does all this leave him?”
Phrixus lowers his head.
“Ripe with fear…”
Fade to black.
May 25
A year ago, UGWC was stalked by a monstrous brute, who terrorized, raped, and pillaged his way to a championship, not to mention a confounding flurry of support from a corrupted fanbase. The bastard is gone.
His legacy endures.
Witness the sudden rise of the One-Man Wrecking Crew, Alex Stein, who has destroyed everyone and everything that has had the misfortune to cross his path. Unlike the mindless neanderthal of a year ago who could be outwitted by rocks and paper, this beast has a mind to match his might. He embodies the Incredible.
But I have seen monsters slain before. I have seen the impossible not only come to pass, but repeat itself.
A sequel is never as good as the original.
“This is Grey Coppi, reporting to you with WrestleStock almost upon us, and I’m here with the World Heavyweight Champion, Phrixus Deimos. Thank you for joining us.”
“Grey.”
“You have been the World Heavyweight Champion for nearly four months now, having won it in the Global Challenge, and defended the title globally, taking challenges in both Japan and Australia over the past few months. Is WrestleStock your biggest defense yet?”
“Obvious, based upon sheer numbers alone, it must be. But I do not find myself the least bit intimidated by such odds. As a matter of fact, I’ve found that I thrive in them. When I first won the LWF World Title in 2005, it was not only by defeating nineteen others in the Massive Melee, but I was only the third of the twenty people to enter the match. I defended the Cross-Hemisphere Title in an Iron Man Match. Eight years ago I won the Lord of the Ring Tournament, and this year the Global Challenge. I have made a career of overcoming odds.”
“What about the 2010 Outlast Tournament, in which you lost the World Heavyweight Title the last time you held it?”
“I have never claimed perfection, Grey. Only experience.”
“You are, of course, an eleven year veteran, and one of the contenders for your championship at WrestleStock is the still-young JK, who many say took you to the very limit last month at No Holds Barred: Down Under.”
“He is young, isn’t he? Young and pretentious. It is true that JK put forth a great effort at No Holds Barred. Probably the best day of his career. On that day he became an icon of an entire nation. He became the Courageous, a person who would never say die. But he did, didn’t he? In front of an entire country, his home country, he bled. He swallowed his pride. His dream died, and a nation mourned. At No Holds Barred: Down Under, ‘The Cyclone’ JK had the best day of his life…and still lost.”
May 27
This week at WrestleStock, we six shall be assembled.
The Invincible. The Venomous. The Incredible. The Mighty. The Courageous.
And myself, ultimately navigating the waters of the sharks. Threats come from all sides, in all shapes and sizes, but I am blessed with the eyes of a hawk. I see their actions before they take them. I know what these people are going to do before they do.
The plan is too complicated.
He’s going to choke.
Rage is blinding.
He’s playing second fiddle.
His best isn’t good enough.
WrestleStock shall come, and WrestleStock will go, and we Six will all play our roles, to nothing less than perfection.
The Invincible. The Venomous. The Incredible. The Mighty. The Courageous.
And the Champion.
“Hello, Donovan. It pleases me to see you received my message. I hope that you enjoy it.”
*Click*
“OWEN!”
The faithful friend and companion to the Lord of Pain appeared in the doorway.
“Yes, Lord?”
“How did this get in here?”
“Um, I put it there.”
“You?”
“Yeah. When you sent me to see him last week, Fear made me wait while he recorded it. I told him that I was supposed to rearrange your sock drawer, but he insisted. I left it on your desk because I really didn’t want to have to hand it to you.”
“It’s fine. Go finish showing Thrash how to properly protect the cookie jar, thank you.”
As Owen pulled the door close behind himself, Donovan again studied the recorder before during it back on.
“Don’t be angry with your manservant. His loyalty to you is unwavering. Pity that yours never was. As much as you have accomplished in your career, think about what could have been accomplished if you hadn’t betrayed my vision all those years ago? Look at you now. Arrogant and callous, ever with a witty retort or stabbing observation, leading all that surround you to think you’re something that you’re not. I know you to be just as cold and calculating as you really are, a dark truth that you hide behind smoke and mirrors, with your skits and public displays of silliness. You’ve become quite the puppeteer, moving pieces at your will, shielding yourself behind an armor built with the bodies of your comrades. Twisting the truth and reality to suit your purpose. You’ve become the Invincible. You’ve never been able to fully see the big picture. You’re seen as an icon of the industry, despite it being well over a year since you’ve truly been relevant. You seek your destiny. My friend, it is to continue to simply fade into the past.”
*Click*
* * *
May 23
The duplicity employed by those that are meant to be our “heroes” never fails to impress me.
In a just world, Alex Kiseragi would not even be allowed on the grounds of the New Orleans City Park on the third day of WrestleStock, not even to sign an autograph or eat a cotton candy. Given the opportunity to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship in his native land, Kiseragi refused to show his face. He disrespected the championship in a way that makes him insurmountably unworthy. Perhaps most relevantly, he lost a match that stipulated that the loser would be ineligible for my day. Yet there he is, being promoted as a featured participant.
I understand how this came to pass. I recognize the loophole that the Dragon has taken advantage of, using his purse winnings to acquire an opportunity he doesn’t deserve. It doesn’t help it to disgust me any less.
This man is little more than a black widow, a venomous individual who poisons and debilitates those around him. Whereas the students of the Dungeon of Pain are coming into their fifteen minutes, the pupils of the Dragon’s Cave languish in obscurity. Look at what he has done in his personal relationships, the pain he has caused. The indifference he has shown in causing it.
Alex Kiseragi has disrespected the World Heavyweight Championship.
And I will punish him for it.
* * *
The video finishes buffering and loads on your screen, springing to life with the flickering image of a dark candle-lit room, and the image of Phrixus Deimos, seated backwards on a chair, his body facing the camera, but his head tilted down to the floor.
“We are surrounded by false idols.”
Phrixus raises his head to look directly at the camera.
“I have seen many people over the years led astray by their own self-delusions. Take the tale of the Red-Eyed Warrior, Ezekiel Pax. This man believed himself to be a fallen angel, a demi-god descended from the sky. He sought to be the Mighty, and defend those he felt were worthy or needing of his protection. What end did it bring him? Where he is now? His weak mind has been enslaved, he is reduced to the role of a puppet, his strings tugged ever so gently by a master he likely doesn’t even realize he is serving. He denies himself the freedoms and opportunities that he needs to blossom on his own. Where does all this leave him?”
Phrixus lowers his head.
“Ripe with fear…”
Fade to black.
* * *
May 25
A year ago, UGWC was stalked by a monstrous brute, who terrorized, raped, and pillaged his way to a championship, not to mention a confounding flurry of support from a corrupted fanbase. The bastard is gone.
His legacy endures.
Witness the sudden rise of the One-Man Wrecking Crew, Alex Stein, who has destroyed everyone and everything that has had the misfortune to cross his path. Unlike the mindless neanderthal of a year ago who could be outwitted by rocks and paper, this beast has a mind to match his might. He embodies the Incredible.
But I have seen monsters slain before. I have seen the impossible not only come to pass, but repeat itself.
A sequel is never as good as the original.
* * *
“This is Grey Coppi, reporting to you with WrestleStock almost upon us, and I’m here with the World Heavyweight Champion, Phrixus Deimos. Thank you for joining us.”
“Grey.”
“You have been the World Heavyweight Champion for nearly four months now, having won it in the Global Challenge, and defended the title globally, taking challenges in both Japan and Australia over the past few months. Is WrestleStock your biggest defense yet?”
“Obvious, based upon sheer numbers alone, it must be. But I do not find myself the least bit intimidated by such odds. As a matter of fact, I’ve found that I thrive in them. When I first won the LWF World Title in 2005, it was not only by defeating nineteen others in the Massive Melee, but I was only the third of the twenty people to enter the match. I defended the Cross-Hemisphere Title in an Iron Man Match. Eight years ago I won the Lord of the Ring Tournament, and this year the Global Challenge. I have made a career of overcoming odds.”
“What about the 2010 Outlast Tournament, in which you lost the World Heavyweight Title the last time you held it?”
“I have never claimed perfection, Grey. Only experience.”
“You are, of course, an eleven year veteran, and one of the contenders for your championship at WrestleStock is the still-young JK, who many say took you to the very limit last month at No Holds Barred: Down Under.”
“He is young, isn’t he? Young and pretentious. It is true that JK put forth a great effort at No Holds Barred. Probably the best day of his career. On that day he became an icon of an entire nation. He became the Courageous, a person who would never say die. But he did, didn’t he? In front of an entire country, his home country, he bled. He swallowed his pride. His dream died, and a nation mourned. At No Holds Barred: Down Under, ‘The Cyclone’ JK had the best day of his life…and still lost.”
* * *
May 27
This week at WrestleStock, we six shall be assembled.
The Invincible. The Venomous. The Incredible. The Mighty. The Courageous.
And myself, ultimately navigating the waters of the sharks. Threats come from all sides, in all shapes and sizes, but I am blessed with the eyes of a hawk. I see their actions before they take them. I know what these people are going to do before they do.
The plan is too complicated.
He’s going to choke.
Rage is blinding.
He’s playing second fiddle.
His best isn’t good enough.
WrestleStock shall come, and WrestleStock will go, and we Six will all play our roles, to nothing less than perfection.
The Invincible. The Venomous. The Incredible. The Mighty. The Courageous.
And the Champion.