Another One (Nio RP for World Cup)
Dec 5, 2020 15:17:01 GMT -5
Lissie Hope, Stuart Slane, and 2 more like this
Post by Max f'n Daemon on Dec 5, 2020 15:17:01 GMT -5
The cigarette smoke that emits from his mouth flows through the air, mixing with the cold of his breath.
He sighs, scratching his forehead with his thumb.
He hasn’t smoked in a while.
Unknown, why did he even agree to this…?
A quick pay day? He’s got plenty of money between him and his wife.
Some sense of pride? He hasn’t given a shit about The Game for ages, why care now?
Nah. He knows the truth.
He’s jealous.
He places the cigarette back into his mouth and walks down the snowy Montreal neighborhood. As he approaches one of the houses with three cars parked out front, he can’t help but notice the scarred woman sitting outside on the porch, indulging herself in her own cigarette.
He approaches, letting smoke billow between his lips. The crunch of the white on the sidewalk catches her eyes. She turns towards him, letting a smirk grace her scarred face.
He never really apologized for that.
She never expected him to.
“Hello Nio. Nice to see you’re late, as usual,” she says.
Nio sighs. The air catches more white haze emitting from his mouth.
“Hello Lili,” he says.
“I haven’t seen you pop a smoke in a while. What’s the occasion?” she asks.
The two stand across from each other on the front stoop. They both lean back against their adjacent railings.
Nio savors the cigarette taste before responding.
“Stress, I guess,” he says.
“What? Is that redhead not giving you enough attention?” Lili asks rhetorically.
Nio’s eyes narrow.
“My wife provides me with enough attention, yes. How’s that witch going for you? Managed to hit it yet or are you still too shy to ask her?” he asks with a smirk.
He gets a middle finger and a scowl in response.
The chuckle that emits from Nio doesn’t do much to salvage the tension.
Despite the air becoming thicker in the cold, Lili still attempts a peace.
“Are the rumors true?” she asks.
Nio sighs. Figures shit like that would spread. It always does. Can’t stop a bunch of assholes who live off rumors from having fireside chats.
“Yes,” is all he says.
No smirk. No sigh. No witty, sarcastic, bitchy retort. At least not immediately.
“I know green was your thing, but I never figured jealousy to be in the cards,” she says.
They’ve been trained since they were children to be as observant as possible. To always see people’s true intentions with what they say.
Nio catches the intention quite easily.
It doesn’t make it any less surprising given who it’s coming from.
“I’m fine. It’s just a phase. One time and I’m out,” he says.
“It has been six years. I don’t blame you for craving it…but you can certainly do better than those children playing as soldiers,” Lili says.
Neither of them respond for a few moments. The sound of their breathing fills the silence and their breath mixed with smoke fills their sights.
A brush of wind blows past them.
As Nio opens his mouth, the door opens. They find the body of David Hunter standing in the silhouette.
The body is a rental. Not ideal, but unfortunately that’s The Game they signed up for.
Lili throws her cigarette into the snow. She stomps it out before stepping past David. He watches her enter for a few moments before turning back towards Nio with a raised eyebrow.
Nio tosses the cigarette into the front lawn before joining them.
---------------------------------------------------------
“We never were ones for celebrating,” Lili says.
They’ve gathered around a small wooden dining table. A gaggle of food sits around them. Some candles are lit despite the pendants above them illuminating the entire ceremony.
“Fitting then that it’s a funeral,” David says.
David’s voice. David’s body.
“Technically more of a reception if we’re being honest,” Lili says. “Though you were never one for technicalities, huh Leo?”
Not David.
“This is…what, our fifth one since we’ve come here? You get used to them after a while,” Leo says.
“Where’s Diego?” Nio asks.
Speak of the devil…
Diego enters the room carrying the jewel-speckled chalice and the ceremonial dagger.
He sets them into the center of the table. Out of the four of them, he’s the only one who looks at all melancholic.
He takes his place at the head of the table. All four of them stand behind their chairs, but none of them begin eating.
The five empty chairs that lie around them have first claim, after all.
Once the silent minute has passed, Diego makes the first move by pulling his chair out.
The other three follow suit. Always follow the example of the strongest.
Some habits are harder to break.
The table is filled with ham, steak, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and peas. It’s not a very hardy dinner but they’ve never been a very hardy bunch.
The dinner goes about with the silence permeating the room.
Let those speak who cannot. This is their time. They are only here for respect.
It’s the soldiers who are gone who are the lucky ones.
---------------------------------------------------------
After they have finished eating, they tap off their drinks (water for Diego, beer for Leo, wine for Nio and Lili) before getting down to the proverbial business.
“Would anybody like to begin?” Diego asks.
Lili clears her throat. She’s confident every day out of the year with the exception of years that contain a day like this.
She takes a few moments to collect herself before beginning.
“Ember and I were often the closest comrades on the battlefield. I suppose us being the only girls had something to do with it, but even despite of that, I always thought she had something to her. She fought with every level of passion she could afford. In everything she did, she always did it with poise and satisfaction. Just…don’t make her mad. She always got so pissed when we treated her differently for being a girl. Unknown knows she was called the Spitfire for a reason.
“I always respected her, you know? I never considered her more than an ally, but she was always able to control herself more than I ever could. She always found the good in people, and I…I guess I was so used to manipulating them that I always wished I could be her, just to see what it was like. Even when we were enemies, she never stopped being her.
“Thank you Ember. May you reside by us with the strength and cunning you retained.”
Lili grabs the dagger off the table. She slices open her palm without a wince. What’s one more scar anyway?
She lets a few droplets from the cut fall into the chalice before cleaning the knife with her napkin. She returns it to its place before sitting down.
Leo sighs before starting.
“Ember was a dreamer. She always dreamed of more than this life we were born into. She always wanted to come here and learn more about our enemies. She was intelligent like that. She never rested until she knew what she could about somebody, ally or enemy. We had our differences, but I was always an ear for her when she needed to vent.”
He cracks a smile.
“I remember one time after a grueling day of training she came to me and told me ‘why do you always give people shit when you’re the last one to finish’? I laughed, obviously. Couldn’t let people know what I was thinking. I told her ‘if people knew my secrets they’d never stop hounding me’. She told me to fuck off and do better. Pretty sure she never beat me again after that.”
He loses the smile.
“Ember was my best friend…or somebody I considered as one at one point. We shared crushes. We admired the same people. We always knew what the other was thinking. Of course, I never told her that….but I think she knew. She wouldn’t have stayed as long as she did if she didn’t.
“Thank you Ember. May you reside by us with the strength and cunning you retained.”
Leo sighs before standing. He grabs the dagger and creates a slice in his hand. The blood drops into the same chalice. He cleans it off before returning to his seat.
Diego nods his head once. He sniffs.
“Ember was a tactical genius. You would not have known it though. I knew I could always go to her when I needed to figure out a problem or find the right solution to a particularly taxing battle. She always came up with a silly result…but somehow, her results always led me down the right path. She had a way with things like that…of knowing more than she let on or she should, but never playing her cards outright.
“I was always jealous of her. I knew she could be more, but she never needed to be. When compared to my situation, I oftentimes wondered what it would be like if I was more like her. Carefree. Careful. Caring.
“Thank you Ember. May you reside by us with the strength and cunning you retained.”
Grab the dagger. Slice the palm. Blood in the chalice. Clean the dagger. Sit back down.
Nio lets an exhale from his nose.
“I always thought she was the best of us…that she deserved more than this life we led. She could’ve been anything she put her mind to, but she was stuck in our company. She made the most of it, sure, but…I knew she wanted more. She certainly acted like she did. I can’t blame her though. She was certainly the nicest of us.
“I loved her. Back at Home…back after I lost…”
Nio takes a few moments to pause and collect his thoughts.
“…I always found myself admiring her and the way she lived. I couldn’t stop loving her. I knew it would never be though, so I never entertained the notion…but I think she knew. Maybe that’s why she was always so friendly, even after I left.”
Nio sighs, shaking his head.
“Thank you Ember. May you reside by us with the strength and cunning you retained.”
Dagger. Palm. Blood. Chalice. Clean. Sit.
Diego reaches into his suit jacket and pulls out a crimson vial. He twists off the cap and pours the remainder into the chalice. He sets the vial down before grabbing the cup.
“For Ember,” he says.
He drinks from the blood-filled chalice and hands it to Leo.
“For Ember,” he says.
He drinks, handing it to Lili.
“For Ember,” she says.
Drink. Hands to Nio.
“For Ember.”
Drink.
Nio hands the chalice back over to Diego. He grabs the vial and pours the blood back into it. When it empties, the vial is only half full.
A sign of a fading species.
Diego seals it, placing it back into his suit jacket.
The four of them stand up, placing their hands on the empty chairs next to them. They close their eyes and start the incantation.
“Through darkness. Through light. Through the dawn of creation and the dusk of revelation. May you remain with us through all times until we ourselves are allowed to join you. For all that you have done and all that you will do, we thank you. Our hearts are strong. Our bodies are stronger. Our minds are strongest. We created to survive and survive we shall. Survive we must. Survive we will.”
With that, they open their eyes and place their hands on the table.
They allow another minute of silence to allow those gone to say their own incantation.
Once the ceremony is complete, Leo is the first to break the silence.
“Until next time comrades,” he says.
He puts his coat on before leaving the house. Lili doesn’t stay much longer.
“This has been fun, but…I think I have something to do,” she says.
Nio smiles.
“Tell her everything. I know she’ll say yes,” he says.
Lili cracks a smile of her own before nodding and exiting.
That leaves Nio and Diego.
The two share a few moments of glances.
Diego sighs.
“I hope you know what you are doing,” he says.
Nio shakes his head but doesn’t say any words.
“Just…don’t regret it Nio. You’ve earned your retirement,” Diego says.
Nio lights up another cigarette.
“Are you sure you want to do this alone?” he asks through the stick in his mouth.
Diego nods.
“It is my burden to bear,” he says.
Nio nods before leaving. It was only polite to ask.
Diego was the worst of them all, but even he deserves the loneliness of absolution.
---------------------------------------------------------
A camera turns on. We see Nio sitting in a computer chair. He rolls back before sighing.
“This whole thing is a fucking joke.
Marcel think he’s so damn tough but can’t even use his own words to speak for himself. Good luck hyping anybody up when you can’t defend yourself. But you’re good at MMA right? Yeah, that’s nice. I’m good at fighting too. Battling, actually. Spend enough on a battlefield and you’ll get good at it too.
But you’re better than us because you suck at MMA so much that you have to resort to wrestling to get by? Yeah, I’m really scared of you. Fucking amateur. At least people look at Canada and see it as a country worth knowing. Who looks at Suriname and thinks ‘oh I’m sure they have great wrestlers coming out of it’? Idiots, if you’re any indication.
Nostroza at least has the benefit of being interesting, though anybody who calls himself a ‘forgotten’ beast isn’t doing themselves any favors. Maybe there’s a reason people forgot you. At least you had the gall to be somewhat respectful even if you have literally no idea who I am. I can’t blame you. Nobody looks at me and expects much. Makes me beating them that much better.
Keynan at least provides something of an interesting case given he seems to remember me from XWF. It’s fine. A lot of people in XWF sucked. Any place that allows Hardcore Smitty to be a main eventer is a place worth criticizing. Though I also find it interesting he seems to think I care about this country. Am I fighting for Canada? Yeah, but I’m not Canadian. This is just a place that I called home and who gave back in return.
Can’t say the same for you though. At least I’m generous enough to give people something. You took a page out of Marcel’s book as both needing somebody to speak for you and for being a failure at MMA. Though you have the added benefit of failing at wrestling too, so hey, guess you are innovative. I thank you for paying attention to my history though. Too bad yours’ isn’t worth looking into.
You were about right about one thing though: this isn’t a game.
Fortune will find out real quickly that every match for me is just another fight on the battlefield. I didn’t get where I am in life without surviving against the baddest of the bad and the best of the best. You all can hype yourselves up as people worth knowing or remembering, but unless you consider each and every match like a fight for your life, than your chances of walking away with that trophy just became smaller.
Fortune at least seems interesting. A man who hides behind a mask and is virtually anonymous. He has the benefit and curse of being an unknown.
I’ve faced plenty of unknown threats in my time. I don’t consider you anything less than another fight to win. You might be a pretty good amateur wrestler, but being an amateur at anything isn’t something to brag about. I do hope you provide a good fight though. I’ll certainly find my victory much sweeter if you do. I mean, nobody likes a pushover, especially one afraid to reveal any secrets.
We could talk about the whale in the room, but if any luck comes our way, Keynan should wipe the floor with him without any problems. He’s big. Unfortunately, there isn’t much else going for him beyond the gimmick of being a whale man with a helmet. I’m sure they’re not…bad but if he doesn’t take himself seriously than don’t expect me to.
I do like his tie though. Should make a pretty good noose.
Miguel and Denir are the two guys I’m going to be facing in round two.
Miguel is the kind of guy I love to fight. They take this seriously unlike other clowns and failures in this tournament. They know what a wrestling match is, what it can be. He’s the kind of guy I could see winning if I wasn’t in it. Hell, I have no doubt he’ll be my toughest opponent. Personally, I’d love to fight him, if anything to see which one of us makes it out of the ring with all of our limbs attached.
Than there’s Denir. Another guy who takes this seriously, but is more focused on making sure his opponent doesn’t walk away afterwards. A part of me respects that. The old part of me would love that. Unfortunately, there’s no sport in trying to kill your opponent. That can lead to too many mistakes, and eventually, your downfall. No, the fun comes out of surviving.
And really, that’s where the fun of the tournament comes in. One night, one man, seven matches…only one will survive.
I’ve been surviving for so long it’s a natural instinct for me. And I think, boys, you’ll find that no matter how skillful in the ring or in an octagon you are, the most important facet of being a wrestler is quite simple.
If you can win to survive, you can survive to win.
I don't call myself The Best for shits and giggles.
Good luck boys.
Let the war begin.”
He leans forward and clicks off the camera.
He sighs, scratching his forehead with his thumb.
He hasn’t smoked in a while.
Unknown, why did he even agree to this…?
A quick pay day? He’s got plenty of money between him and his wife.
Some sense of pride? He hasn’t given a shit about The Game for ages, why care now?
Nah. He knows the truth.
He’s jealous.
He places the cigarette back into his mouth and walks down the snowy Montreal neighborhood. As he approaches one of the houses with three cars parked out front, he can’t help but notice the scarred woman sitting outside on the porch, indulging herself in her own cigarette.
He approaches, letting smoke billow between his lips. The crunch of the white on the sidewalk catches her eyes. She turns towards him, letting a smirk grace her scarred face.
He never really apologized for that.
She never expected him to.
“Hello Nio. Nice to see you’re late, as usual,” she says.
Nio sighs. The air catches more white haze emitting from his mouth.
“Hello Lili,” he says.
“I haven’t seen you pop a smoke in a while. What’s the occasion?” she asks.
The two stand across from each other on the front stoop. They both lean back against their adjacent railings.
Nio savors the cigarette taste before responding.
“Stress, I guess,” he says.
“What? Is that redhead not giving you enough attention?” Lili asks rhetorically.
Nio’s eyes narrow.
“My wife provides me with enough attention, yes. How’s that witch going for you? Managed to hit it yet or are you still too shy to ask her?” he asks with a smirk.
He gets a middle finger and a scowl in response.
The chuckle that emits from Nio doesn’t do much to salvage the tension.
Despite the air becoming thicker in the cold, Lili still attempts a peace.
“Are the rumors true?” she asks.
Nio sighs. Figures shit like that would spread. It always does. Can’t stop a bunch of assholes who live off rumors from having fireside chats.
“Yes,” is all he says.
No smirk. No sigh. No witty, sarcastic, bitchy retort. At least not immediately.
“I know green was your thing, but I never figured jealousy to be in the cards,” she says.
They’ve been trained since they were children to be as observant as possible. To always see people’s true intentions with what they say.
Nio catches the intention quite easily.
It doesn’t make it any less surprising given who it’s coming from.
“I’m fine. It’s just a phase. One time and I’m out,” he says.
“It has been six years. I don’t blame you for craving it…but you can certainly do better than those children playing as soldiers,” Lili says.
Neither of them respond for a few moments. The sound of their breathing fills the silence and their breath mixed with smoke fills their sights.
A brush of wind blows past them.
As Nio opens his mouth, the door opens. They find the body of David Hunter standing in the silhouette.
The body is a rental. Not ideal, but unfortunately that’s The Game they signed up for.
Lili throws her cigarette into the snow. She stomps it out before stepping past David. He watches her enter for a few moments before turning back towards Nio with a raised eyebrow.
Nio tosses the cigarette into the front lawn before joining them.
---------------------------------------------------------
“We never were ones for celebrating,” Lili says.
They’ve gathered around a small wooden dining table. A gaggle of food sits around them. Some candles are lit despite the pendants above them illuminating the entire ceremony.
“Fitting then that it’s a funeral,” David says.
David’s voice. David’s body.
“Technically more of a reception if we’re being honest,” Lili says. “Though you were never one for technicalities, huh Leo?”
Not David.
“This is…what, our fifth one since we’ve come here? You get used to them after a while,” Leo says.
“Where’s Diego?” Nio asks.
Speak of the devil…
Diego enters the room carrying the jewel-speckled chalice and the ceremonial dagger.
He sets them into the center of the table. Out of the four of them, he’s the only one who looks at all melancholic.
He takes his place at the head of the table. All four of them stand behind their chairs, but none of them begin eating.
The five empty chairs that lie around them have first claim, after all.
Once the silent minute has passed, Diego makes the first move by pulling his chair out.
The other three follow suit. Always follow the example of the strongest.
Some habits are harder to break.
The table is filled with ham, steak, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and peas. It’s not a very hardy dinner but they’ve never been a very hardy bunch.
The dinner goes about with the silence permeating the room.
Let those speak who cannot. This is their time. They are only here for respect.
It’s the soldiers who are gone who are the lucky ones.
---------------------------------------------------------
After they have finished eating, they tap off their drinks (water for Diego, beer for Leo, wine for Nio and Lili) before getting down to the proverbial business.
“Would anybody like to begin?” Diego asks.
Lili clears her throat. She’s confident every day out of the year with the exception of years that contain a day like this.
She takes a few moments to collect herself before beginning.
“Ember and I were often the closest comrades on the battlefield. I suppose us being the only girls had something to do with it, but even despite of that, I always thought she had something to her. She fought with every level of passion she could afford. In everything she did, she always did it with poise and satisfaction. Just…don’t make her mad. She always got so pissed when we treated her differently for being a girl. Unknown knows she was called the Spitfire for a reason.
“I always respected her, you know? I never considered her more than an ally, but she was always able to control herself more than I ever could. She always found the good in people, and I…I guess I was so used to manipulating them that I always wished I could be her, just to see what it was like. Even when we were enemies, she never stopped being her.
“Thank you Ember. May you reside by us with the strength and cunning you retained.”
Lili grabs the dagger off the table. She slices open her palm without a wince. What’s one more scar anyway?
She lets a few droplets from the cut fall into the chalice before cleaning the knife with her napkin. She returns it to its place before sitting down.
Leo sighs before starting.
“Ember was a dreamer. She always dreamed of more than this life we were born into. She always wanted to come here and learn more about our enemies. She was intelligent like that. She never rested until she knew what she could about somebody, ally or enemy. We had our differences, but I was always an ear for her when she needed to vent.”
He cracks a smile.
“I remember one time after a grueling day of training she came to me and told me ‘why do you always give people shit when you’re the last one to finish’? I laughed, obviously. Couldn’t let people know what I was thinking. I told her ‘if people knew my secrets they’d never stop hounding me’. She told me to fuck off and do better. Pretty sure she never beat me again after that.”
He loses the smile.
“Ember was my best friend…or somebody I considered as one at one point. We shared crushes. We admired the same people. We always knew what the other was thinking. Of course, I never told her that….but I think she knew. She wouldn’t have stayed as long as she did if she didn’t.
“Thank you Ember. May you reside by us with the strength and cunning you retained.”
Leo sighs before standing. He grabs the dagger and creates a slice in his hand. The blood drops into the same chalice. He cleans it off before returning to his seat.
Diego nods his head once. He sniffs.
“Ember was a tactical genius. You would not have known it though. I knew I could always go to her when I needed to figure out a problem or find the right solution to a particularly taxing battle. She always came up with a silly result…but somehow, her results always led me down the right path. She had a way with things like that…of knowing more than she let on or she should, but never playing her cards outright.
“I was always jealous of her. I knew she could be more, but she never needed to be. When compared to my situation, I oftentimes wondered what it would be like if I was more like her. Carefree. Careful. Caring.
“Thank you Ember. May you reside by us with the strength and cunning you retained.”
Grab the dagger. Slice the palm. Blood in the chalice. Clean the dagger. Sit back down.
Nio lets an exhale from his nose.
“I always thought she was the best of us…that she deserved more than this life we led. She could’ve been anything she put her mind to, but she was stuck in our company. She made the most of it, sure, but…I knew she wanted more. She certainly acted like she did. I can’t blame her though. She was certainly the nicest of us.
“I loved her. Back at Home…back after I lost…”
Nio takes a few moments to pause and collect his thoughts.
“…I always found myself admiring her and the way she lived. I couldn’t stop loving her. I knew it would never be though, so I never entertained the notion…but I think she knew. Maybe that’s why she was always so friendly, even after I left.”
Nio sighs, shaking his head.
“Thank you Ember. May you reside by us with the strength and cunning you retained.”
Dagger. Palm. Blood. Chalice. Clean. Sit.
Diego reaches into his suit jacket and pulls out a crimson vial. He twists off the cap and pours the remainder into the chalice. He sets the vial down before grabbing the cup.
“For Ember,” he says.
He drinks from the blood-filled chalice and hands it to Leo.
“For Ember,” he says.
He drinks, handing it to Lili.
“For Ember,” she says.
Drink. Hands to Nio.
“For Ember.”
Drink.
Nio hands the chalice back over to Diego. He grabs the vial and pours the blood back into it. When it empties, the vial is only half full.
A sign of a fading species.
Diego seals it, placing it back into his suit jacket.
The four of them stand up, placing their hands on the empty chairs next to them. They close their eyes and start the incantation.
“Through darkness. Through light. Through the dawn of creation and the dusk of revelation. May you remain with us through all times until we ourselves are allowed to join you. For all that you have done and all that you will do, we thank you. Our hearts are strong. Our bodies are stronger. Our minds are strongest. We created to survive and survive we shall. Survive we must. Survive we will.”
With that, they open their eyes and place their hands on the table.
They allow another minute of silence to allow those gone to say their own incantation.
Once the ceremony is complete, Leo is the first to break the silence.
“Until next time comrades,” he says.
He puts his coat on before leaving the house. Lili doesn’t stay much longer.
“This has been fun, but…I think I have something to do,” she says.
Nio smiles.
“Tell her everything. I know she’ll say yes,” he says.
Lili cracks a smile of her own before nodding and exiting.
That leaves Nio and Diego.
The two share a few moments of glances.
Diego sighs.
“I hope you know what you are doing,” he says.
Nio shakes his head but doesn’t say any words.
“Just…don’t regret it Nio. You’ve earned your retirement,” Diego says.
Nio lights up another cigarette.
“Are you sure you want to do this alone?” he asks through the stick in his mouth.
Diego nods.
“It is my burden to bear,” he says.
Nio nods before leaving. It was only polite to ask.
Diego was the worst of them all, but even he deserves the loneliness of absolution.
---------------------------------------------------------
A camera turns on. We see Nio sitting in a computer chair. He rolls back before sighing.
“This whole thing is a fucking joke.
Marcel think he’s so damn tough but can’t even use his own words to speak for himself. Good luck hyping anybody up when you can’t defend yourself. But you’re good at MMA right? Yeah, that’s nice. I’m good at fighting too. Battling, actually. Spend enough on a battlefield and you’ll get good at it too.
But you’re better than us because you suck at MMA so much that you have to resort to wrestling to get by? Yeah, I’m really scared of you. Fucking amateur. At least people look at Canada and see it as a country worth knowing. Who looks at Suriname and thinks ‘oh I’m sure they have great wrestlers coming out of it’? Idiots, if you’re any indication.
Nostroza at least has the benefit of being interesting, though anybody who calls himself a ‘forgotten’ beast isn’t doing themselves any favors. Maybe there’s a reason people forgot you. At least you had the gall to be somewhat respectful even if you have literally no idea who I am. I can’t blame you. Nobody looks at me and expects much. Makes me beating them that much better.
Keynan at least provides something of an interesting case given he seems to remember me from XWF. It’s fine. A lot of people in XWF sucked. Any place that allows Hardcore Smitty to be a main eventer is a place worth criticizing. Though I also find it interesting he seems to think I care about this country. Am I fighting for Canada? Yeah, but I’m not Canadian. This is just a place that I called home and who gave back in return.
Can’t say the same for you though. At least I’m generous enough to give people something. You took a page out of Marcel’s book as both needing somebody to speak for you and for being a failure at MMA. Though you have the added benefit of failing at wrestling too, so hey, guess you are innovative. I thank you for paying attention to my history though. Too bad yours’ isn’t worth looking into.
You were about right about one thing though: this isn’t a game.
Fortune will find out real quickly that every match for me is just another fight on the battlefield. I didn’t get where I am in life without surviving against the baddest of the bad and the best of the best. You all can hype yourselves up as people worth knowing or remembering, but unless you consider each and every match like a fight for your life, than your chances of walking away with that trophy just became smaller.
Fortune at least seems interesting. A man who hides behind a mask and is virtually anonymous. He has the benefit and curse of being an unknown.
I’ve faced plenty of unknown threats in my time. I don’t consider you anything less than another fight to win. You might be a pretty good amateur wrestler, but being an amateur at anything isn’t something to brag about. I do hope you provide a good fight though. I’ll certainly find my victory much sweeter if you do. I mean, nobody likes a pushover, especially one afraid to reveal any secrets.
We could talk about the whale in the room, but if any luck comes our way, Keynan should wipe the floor with him without any problems. He’s big. Unfortunately, there isn’t much else going for him beyond the gimmick of being a whale man with a helmet. I’m sure they’re not…bad but if he doesn’t take himself seriously than don’t expect me to.
I do like his tie though. Should make a pretty good noose.
Miguel and Denir are the two guys I’m going to be facing in round two.
Miguel is the kind of guy I love to fight. They take this seriously unlike other clowns and failures in this tournament. They know what a wrestling match is, what it can be. He’s the kind of guy I could see winning if I wasn’t in it. Hell, I have no doubt he’ll be my toughest opponent. Personally, I’d love to fight him, if anything to see which one of us makes it out of the ring with all of our limbs attached.
Than there’s Denir. Another guy who takes this seriously, but is more focused on making sure his opponent doesn’t walk away afterwards. A part of me respects that. The old part of me would love that. Unfortunately, there’s no sport in trying to kill your opponent. That can lead to too many mistakes, and eventually, your downfall. No, the fun comes out of surviving.
And really, that’s where the fun of the tournament comes in. One night, one man, seven matches…only one will survive.
I’ve been surviving for so long it’s a natural instinct for me. And I think, boys, you’ll find that no matter how skillful in the ring or in an octagon you are, the most important facet of being a wrestler is quite simple.
If you can win to survive, you can survive to win.
I don't call myself The Best for shits and giggles.
Good luck boys.
Let the war begin.”
He leans forward and clicks off the camera.