Post by The Nihilists on May 2, 2019 14:30:36 GMT -5
~The video transmission clicks on … it is nothing but static. The kind of deep static you get on an old fashioned TV when you try to watch a channel you don’t have. It’s just snow. Suddenly the screen garbles and we get runs of images like when you watch HBO and you don’t have it. Greyscale images can be made out in 10% of the screen at a time and move around. Occasionally sound will trickle through. We hear a rustling noise. It sounds like someone walking through brush. Must be a horror movie. Suddenly the XHF Network logo clicks on in the lower right corner and the image begins to clear. Color returns … kind of … it’s clearly night time and we are indeed in a wooded area. Tree shadows can be made out in the inky darkness and there is clearly motion. Someone’s shadow is in front of the camera walking at a slow clip through the undergrowth as the camera keeps pace. The image clears up and the AWF logo now pops in the lower left.
The camera zooms out to show more of the forest as it scans the canopy. The man in front of it keeps walking and we see he is a good distance from the camera now. He stops as he comes to a dense set of forestation. The camera continues moving and approaches the distance that it was zoomed to before. It keeps moving in. The man reaches his hand out … and stops. He looks around at the vegetation and seems to be deep in thought.~
”How did we get here?”
~The man says to nobody in particular. He pulls his hand back and then reaches out with both arms and spreads out the hanging branches. He pushes into the woods and vanishes. We wait a few seconds before we hear the rustling coming back towards the camera and a hand extends out of the brush. It simply beckons with one finger for the camera to follow. The path is new, not worn. It is a trail being blazed by this man in the dark outfit. Like a shadow he nearly vanishes into the darkness cast by the lack of light and the cover of the canopy. Natural beauty … and a primal fear. The camera hesitates and then dives into the brush. Gebin is allowing the camera man to be paid for this promo time so he really doesn’t have a choice but to follow. An illusion of choice. There are surely two options for our intrepid camera man but only one is actually selectable. SO often life gives us these scenarios. Luckily we are still in Ohio … we think … so the danger is surely minor. At least that is what Bobby tells himself as he trudges through the mud and detritus on the forest … woods … floor. The walking of the two men has disturbed the local insect life and buzzing can be heard from the trees. Fireflies light up the woods just enough to keep the shadowy Gebin focused in the center of the camera lens.
Bobby the camera man catches up to Gebin who has been moving at the same slow and deliberate clip as before. He seems unfazed by the need to dodge, duck, dip, and weave through the trees now. He adeptly climbs over logs, hops through the brush, and ducks around trees. He seems almost at peace. Like he has done this a million times before.~
”What actions have we taken that have brought us to this point, this moment? And what are we to do next. Life is an unending stream of consciousness. One action leading to another in a snowball’s race down a mountain. And we simply stand at the bottom of the ridge hoping to be spared the crushing blow of being rolled up in its path. What defines a person is how they navigate this minefield of a path we weave through this thing we call life. On a ball of dirt hurdling through the vacuum and frigidity of space. Insignificant specks on the face of a lonely rock being whipped around an atom bomb and that whipped around the darkest void. And yet to us insignificant specks, the most insignificant actions can hold such great meaning. For when faced with the sheer vastness of it all … the little things which we control, which we can tangibly touch and feel, which we can carefully examine and experience … become the greatest comfort and the saddest moments. It is how something as trivial as pinning a man’s shoulders to a canvas for a three count can bring such joy, and can drive the desire … no … need … to see it happen again … on repeat … ad infinitum. When faced with the knowledge of the uselessness of the struggle … you begin to notice and appreciate things. You begin to see the world for what it really is …”
~Gebin begins to scale a tree and slowly makes his way up to the upper branches. He sits on a perch at the top of the tree and takes stock of the situation. He is in the middle of a great patch of woods. He is alone save for the camera and the creatures of the night. And he is unburdened by fear for his lack of belief has freed his mind from the trivial mundanities of this whole scenario. He touches his ear through the mask and a dull blue glow can be seen in the ear of the mask. He has a wireless microphone. This pleases Bobby who stays planted firmly on terra firma.~
”Every choice we make, every fight we take on, each person who enters our life … is a part of the journey. Nothing is preordained … nothing is predecided. We are in control of our own destinies. A fact that many people find harrowing and that many people find to be a falsehood for some reason. They use this choice to decide to give in, sacrifice their own agency, or at least hide behind a veil of blamelessness. I cannot walk that path anymore. My eyes have been opened. And they see glory. They see success. They see an end to the journey far in the distance. They see … emptiness. They see … darkness. They … see … null. And it is amazing. Freedom absolute. No weight of some unwanted “destiny” hoisted on the shoulders of men by the voices that would control us. No forced goal. No predictability. No boredom. That is where the passion comes from. And that is why I can be so stoic in the face of a scenario some might fear. That is why winning and losing are not things that stir my soul. Winning is the ideal, sure … but the goal … is the journey. The path we take to get to the “promised land” to steal a phrase from the small minded folk I have emerged out of. Each time in the ring is a step to the greatness that is our CHOSEN goal. The journey is where we show who we truly are. And you cannot grow without overcoming adversity. Whether that be tough matches we end up winning, or suffering a sporadic defeat, a misstep … it is still a step. And the key is to keep … moving … forward. Paying little attention to the people you pass, who pass you, or who you have to step over … to get to the endgame. And make no mistake, the end game, dropping all metaphor and allegory, is in so uncertain terms … the XHF Tag Team Championships. But to skip the journey to that goal would be depriving us, and many others, of something worthwhile. A chance to learn, a chance to grow, a chance to see our perspective and understand how it is we can be so happy with this outlook that many would find so dark. For until you have walked our path, seen the roads we’ve traveled, and felt the pain of the burdens we have carried, fallen prey to, and been buried under previously, you cannot hope to understand what it is we speak, how it is we go on, or who we can be at the end of the day.”
~Gebin stands up on the branch and we see his face illuminated from a distant light source. He nods and then looks down and points out at the light to the camera. He then begins to scale down the tree quickly, as if a monkey. He lands with a pounce and springs to his feet. He begins walking again. Ever closer to the light. The air now carries a growing din of some distant noise. A city must be nearby.~
”Prestige was the first step on this new branch of the path. Hopefully Kira and Frank learned a little something about themselves. And a little something about taking every opportunity presented and using everything at your disposal to make your vision a reality. There was no relying on an outside presence, no calling for a deity or the fans, no need for any wasting time. There was only glorious purpose. And it certainly seems like we put someone on notice. For once again we find ourselves standing in the ring on a bigger stage than before with two men who are no strangers to gold. Prestige Class Champions in their own right. The only multiple time Prestige Champ … and the first to claim it off a previous titleholder. It really is no surprise that the higher ups wish to test us. After all it is obvious there are no other clear tag team title contenders readily available from AWF. And they want to be sure we are up to the challenge the GUNS … or whoever … will present. After all it is in THEIR interest to get the tag team titles onto Prestige is it not? And with Night of Champions approaching in one month’s time surely they will want to try and find a way to get an AWF team into the title match. Though precious little has been spoken of it. And so this is an audition. Put us against a man who has a knack for pulling victory out of nowhere, a great reputation with the fans and the higher ups, a good heart and a savage soul crying to be freed of the chains he has placed on himself. A soul I can relate to … for the mask he sometimes dons … frees him from the shackles of the cage he has locked himself into. Bring to bear the full might of one of AWF’s premiere fighters. A man with a talent and potential that has been shown but not fully tapped. And then throw in the feel good story of a man out for redemption. A man who was the servant to a mask of his own. Someone who had to free themselves in the exact opposite way. A man who credits his … turnaround … salvation … to the other man in the ring. A pair of friends, with a bond through psychosis and violence … and faith and friendship.”
~The light grow brighter and the tree density begins to drop again as we approach what must be the exit to this little wildlife excursion.~
”I know… both men have begun to talk about us … and each other. They are preparing. But that is not what I am here to speak about today. This is the journey to Clash of the Icons … and each prepares in his own way. Esmur is more the strategy type and I will allow him to look into what he sees in the men we are set to face. I prefer to take the broader view and use a different brush to paint the picture of the match. When you get right down to it; it is a matter of who we are in this match. We have different outlooks and philosophies. Danny Ray … the family man. A man who wants the best for the people he cares for. A noble goal if ever there was one. A man who is virtuous and faithful, meticulous and bold in the ring. And a man who hides a savage, bloodthirsty side. A man who cannot come to grips with the demon he has been trained to see in the mirror. A man who has transferred his darkest thoughts and things he thinks … or has been proselytized to and made to believe … are impure and ugly. I will not speak ill of the man’s talents or his accomplishments for to do so would be folly. I am bold, but I am not foolish or stupid. I cannot look past the title pedigree this man holds or the sheer might he seems to gain when letting loose this dark side. And yet … I wonder what could be if he could simply do as Esmur and I have done … and unify his thoughts. Eliminate these needless standards and these pointless phobias and join together the masked monster within and the devout shell he contains it within. To what unspeakable heights could that man of sound mind and solid disposition climb? For a man of God, he should be thinking about how high he can ascend. But that unity is not realized. And there is the chink in the armor. There is where Esmur will develop the plan to take apart this man of faith and family and return him to them a sadder, defeated man. This inner turmoil, this predictability of his personas … it is all the same as we have seen so many times before and it is frankly rote at this point. It will not be an easy mountain to summit … but the Nihilists can and will stand tall over the former champion. It is a matter of ruthless efficiency. And a task we are more than up to.”
~The trees fade into saplings and shrubbery again. The sounds of a nearby road, possibly a highway are now loud enough to be distracting. Gebin is now using his knees to kick aside obstacles instead of his arms.~
”And El Cazador … or rather the man who would be the former champion. A self-styled “icon” in his own right. I can only imagine Sebastian how it felt to be left like a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter. When Bobby abandoned you and left you to be broken … did it cause this new outlook? Or was there some other trigger than caused you to cage the animal? Because that is what you could be described as under that mask. An animal. A monster. A savage. A beast. Ruthless and effective, an apex predator at the top of the food chain. And with a name that struck fear in the hearts of opponents. Or a Mexican restaurant if google is to be believed. But it is the other name I found when looking into that, for you’ll have to excuse me my Spanish is woefully lacking, that I find intriguing. El Cazador … a shipwreck. A ship containing untold riches that sank never to be seen until centuries later. I find the link here too appropriate to just be coincidence. You were nothing short of shipwrecked. The title taken from you and your friends and comrades left you to the … well for lack of a less ironic term … wolves. And Danny Ray here brought you out of that funk, out of the doldrums … and out of the mask that defined you and your persona until that point. The question remains … is this the real Sebastian Villalobos? Or is there something else hiding deep inside you that even you couldn’t fathom? I am no psychic and I am no psychiatrist so you’ll have to forgive me for not playing psycho analyst here. The point is your reputation precedes you but I do not know if that is the man we will see in the ring. And when the time comes, it will be the wolf who gets tamed.”
~We crest a hill and stand on the roadside. The gold highlights aglow in the street lights and head lights. We see a car in the distance approaching.~
”The respect is there gentlemen. We will not take you lightly or underestimate the damage you can cause. Trust me when I say I have no reason to lie to you about this. Outside the ring there is respect and adoration for the stuff you have gone through and the perseverance you have shown. But make no mistakes and listen closely to what I say next. In the ring … the respect will be there … but you will receive no quarter. There will be no letting up, no dancing around the point, no mercy, and no mistakes. We are a well oiled machine and we are locked in on you. And in the ring there will be no salvation … no freedom from the void. At Clash of the Icons we will take the next step on our journey … and if you don’t get out of the way you will be run over and run through.”
~The car pulls up and it is Esmur driving a simple gray rented Ford. Gebin climbs into the passenger seat and the cameraman sits in the back with another camera man who seems to already be present. They drive off into the glowing lights of the city and the transmission fades back to static.~
The camera zooms out to show more of the forest as it scans the canopy. The man in front of it keeps walking and we see he is a good distance from the camera now. He stops as he comes to a dense set of forestation. The camera continues moving and approaches the distance that it was zoomed to before. It keeps moving in. The man reaches his hand out … and stops. He looks around at the vegetation and seems to be deep in thought.~
”How did we get here?”
~The man says to nobody in particular. He pulls his hand back and then reaches out with both arms and spreads out the hanging branches. He pushes into the woods and vanishes. We wait a few seconds before we hear the rustling coming back towards the camera and a hand extends out of the brush. It simply beckons with one finger for the camera to follow. The path is new, not worn. It is a trail being blazed by this man in the dark outfit. Like a shadow he nearly vanishes into the darkness cast by the lack of light and the cover of the canopy. Natural beauty … and a primal fear. The camera hesitates and then dives into the brush. Gebin is allowing the camera man to be paid for this promo time so he really doesn’t have a choice but to follow. An illusion of choice. There are surely two options for our intrepid camera man but only one is actually selectable. SO often life gives us these scenarios. Luckily we are still in Ohio … we think … so the danger is surely minor. At least that is what Bobby tells himself as he trudges through the mud and detritus on the forest … woods … floor. The walking of the two men has disturbed the local insect life and buzzing can be heard from the trees. Fireflies light up the woods just enough to keep the shadowy Gebin focused in the center of the camera lens.
Bobby the camera man catches up to Gebin who has been moving at the same slow and deliberate clip as before. He seems unfazed by the need to dodge, duck, dip, and weave through the trees now. He adeptly climbs over logs, hops through the brush, and ducks around trees. He seems almost at peace. Like he has done this a million times before.~
”What actions have we taken that have brought us to this point, this moment? And what are we to do next. Life is an unending stream of consciousness. One action leading to another in a snowball’s race down a mountain. And we simply stand at the bottom of the ridge hoping to be spared the crushing blow of being rolled up in its path. What defines a person is how they navigate this minefield of a path we weave through this thing we call life. On a ball of dirt hurdling through the vacuum and frigidity of space. Insignificant specks on the face of a lonely rock being whipped around an atom bomb and that whipped around the darkest void. And yet to us insignificant specks, the most insignificant actions can hold such great meaning. For when faced with the sheer vastness of it all … the little things which we control, which we can tangibly touch and feel, which we can carefully examine and experience … become the greatest comfort and the saddest moments. It is how something as trivial as pinning a man’s shoulders to a canvas for a three count can bring such joy, and can drive the desire … no … need … to see it happen again … on repeat … ad infinitum. When faced with the knowledge of the uselessness of the struggle … you begin to notice and appreciate things. You begin to see the world for what it really is …”
~Gebin begins to scale a tree and slowly makes his way up to the upper branches. He sits on a perch at the top of the tree and takes stock of the situation. He is in the middle of a great patch of woods. He is alone save for the camera and the creatures of the night. And he is unburdened by fear for his lack of belief has freed his mind from the trivial mundanities of this whole scenario. He touches his ear through the mask and a dull blue glow can be seen in the ear of the mask. He has a wireless microphone. This pleases Bobby who stays planted firmly on terra firma.~
”Every choice we make, every fight we take on, each person who enters our life … is a part of the journey. Nothing is preordained … nothing is predecided. We are in control of our own destinies. A fact that many people find harrowing and that many people find to be a falsehood for some reason. They use this choice to decide to give in, sacrifice their own agency, or at least hide behind a veil of blamelessness. I cannot walk that path anymore. My eyes have been opened. And they see glory. They see success. They see an end to the journey far in the distance. They see … emptiness. They see … darkness. They … see … null. And it is amazing. Freedom absolute. No weight of some unwanted “destiny” hoisted on the shoulders of men by the voices that would control us. No forced goal. No predictability. No boredom. That is where the passion comes from. And that is why I can be so stoic in the face of a scenario some might fear. That is why winning and losing are not things that stir my soul. Winning is the ideal, sure … but the goal … is the journey. The path we take to get to the “promised land” to steal a phrase from the small minded folk I have emerged out of. Each time in the ring is a step to the greatness that is our CHOSEN goal. The journey is where we show who we truly are. And you cannot grow without overcoming adversity. Whether that be tough matches we end up winning, or suffering a sporadic defeat, a misstep … it is still a step. And the key is to keep … moving … forward. Paying little attention to the people you pass, who pass you, or who you have to step over … to get to the endgame. And make no mistake, the end game, dropping all metaphor and allegory, is in so uncertain terms … the XHF Tag Team Championships. But to skip the journey to that goal would be depriving us, and many others, of something worthwhile. A chance to learn, a chance to grow, a chance to see our perspective and understand how it is we can be so happy with this outlook that many would find so dark. For until you have walked our path, seen the roads we’ve traveled, and felt the pain of the burdens we have carried, fallen prey to, and been buried under previously, you cannot hope to understand what it is we speak, how it is we go on, or who we can be at the end of the day.”
~Gebin stands up on the branch and we see his face illuminated from a distant light source. He nods and then looks down and points out at the light to the camera. He then begins to scale down the tree quickly, as if a monkey. He lands with a pounce and springs to his feet. He begins walking again. Ever closer to the light. The air now carries a growing din of some distant noise. A city must be nearby.~
”Prestige was the first step on this new branch of the path. Hopefully Kira and Frank learned a little something about themselves. And a little something about taking every opportunity presented and using everything at your disposal to make your vision a reality. There was no relying on an outside presence, no calling for a deity or the fans, no need for any wasting time. There was only glorious purpose. And it certainly seems like we put someone on notice. For once again we find ourselves standing in the ring on a bigger stage than before with two men who are no strangers to gold. Prestige Class Champions in their own right. The only multiple time Prestige Champ … and the first to claim it off a previous titleholder. It really is no surprise that the higher ups wish to test us. After all it is obvious there are no other clear tag team title contenders readily available from AWF. And they want to be sure we are up to the challenge the GUNS … or whoever … will present. After all it is in THEIR interest to get the tag team titles onto Prestige is it not? And with Night of Champions approaching in one month’s time surely they will want to try and find a way to get an AWF team into the title match. Though precious little has been spoken of it. And so this is an audition. Put us against a man who has a knack for pulling victory out of nowhere, a great reputation with the fans and the higher ups, a good heart and a savage soul crying to be freed of the chains he has placed on himself. A soul I can relate to … for the mask he sometimes dons … frees him from the shackles of the cage he has locked himself into. Bring to bear the full might of one of AWF’s premiere fighters. A man with a talent and potential that has been shown but not fully tapped. And then throw in the feel good story of a man out for redemption. A man who was the servant to a mask of his own. Someone who had to free themselves in the exact opposite way. A man who credits his … turnaround … salvation … to the other man in the ring. A pair of friends, with a bond through psychosis and violence … and faith and friendship.”
~The light grow brighter and the tree density begins to drop again as we approach what must be the exit to this little wildlife excursion.~
”I know… both men have begun to talk about us … and each other. They are preparing. But that is not what I am here to speak about today. This is the journey to Clash of the Icons … and each prepares in his own way. Esmur is more the strategy type and I will allow him to look into what he sees in the men we are set to face. I prefer to take the broader view and use a different brush to paint the picture of the match. When you get right down to it; it is a matter of who we are in this match. We have different outlooks and philosophies. Danny Ray … the family man. A man who wants the best for the people he cares for. A noble goal if ever there was one. A man who is virtuous and faithful, meticulous and bold in the ring. And a man who hides a savage, bloodthirsty side. A man who cannot come to grips with the demon he has been trained to see in the mirror. A man who has transferred his darkest thoughts and things he thinks … or has been proselytized to and made to believe … are impure and ugly. I will not speak ill of the man’s talents or his accomplishments for to do so would be folly. I am bold, but I am not foolish or stupid. I cannot look past the title pedigree this man holds or the sheer might he seems to gain when letting loose this dark side. And yet … I wonder what could be if he could simply do as Esmur and I have done … and unify his thoughts. Eliminate these needless standards and these pointless phobias and join together the masked monster within and the devout shell he contains it within. To what unspeakable heights could that man of sound mind and solid disposition climb? For a man of God, he should be thinking about how high he can ascend. But that unity is not realized. And there is the chink in the armor. There is where Esmur will develop the plan to take apart this man of faith and family and return him to them a sadder, defeated man. This inner turmoil, this predictability of his personas … it is all the same as we have seen so many times before and it is frankly rote at this point. It will not be an easy mountain to summit … but the Nihilists can and will stand tall over the former champion. It is a matter of ruthless efficiency. And a task we are more than up to.”
~The trees fade into saplings and shrubbery again. The sounds of a nearby road, possibly a highway are now loud enough to be distracting. Gebin is now using his knees to kick aside obstacles instead of his arms.~
”And El Cazador … or rather the man who would be the former champion. A self-styled “icon” in his own right. I can only imagine Sebastian how it felt to be left like a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter. When Bobby abandoned you and left you to be broken … did it cause this new outlook? Or was there some other trigger than caused you to cage the animal? Because that is what you could be described as under that mask. An animal. A monster. A savage. A beast. Ruthless and effective, an apex predator at the top of the food chain. And with a name that struck fear in the hearts of opponents. Or a Mexican restaurant if google is to be believed. But it is the other name I found when looking into that, for you’ll have to excuse me my Spanish is woefully lacking, that I find intriguing. El Cazador … a shipwreck. A ship containing untold riches that sank never to be seen until centuries later. I find the link here too appropriate to just be coincidence. You were nothing short of shipwrecked. The title taken from you and your friends and comrades left you to the … well for lack of a less ironic term … wolves. And Danny Ray here brought you out of that funk, out of the doldrums … and out of the mask that defined you and your persona until that point. The question remains … is this the real Sebastian Villalobos? Or is there something else hiding deep inside you that even you couldn’t fathom? I am no psychic and I am no psychiatrist so you’ll have to forgive me for not playing psycho analyst here. The point is your reputation precedes you but I do not know if that is the man we will see in the ring. And when the time comes, it will be the wolf who gets tamed.”
~We crest a hill and stand on the roadside. The gold highlights aglow in the street lights and head lights. We see a car in the distance approaching.~
”The respect is there gentlemen. We will not take you lightly or underestimate the damage you can cause. Trust me when I say I have no reason to lie to you about this. Outside the ring there is respect and adoration for the stuff you have gone through and the perseverance you have shown. But make no mistakes and listen closely to what I say next. In the ring … the respect will be there … but you will receive no quarter. There will be no letting up, no dancing around the point, no mercy, and no mistakes. We are a well oiled machine and we are locked in on you. And in the ring there will be no salvation … no freedom from the void. At Clash of the Icons we will take the next step on our journey … and if you don’t get out of the way you will be run over and run through.”
~The car pulls up and it is Esmur driving a simple gray rented Ford. Gebin climbs into the passenger seat and the cameraman sits in the back with another camera man who seems to already be present. They drive off into the glowing lights of the city and the transmission fades back to static.~