Mediocre (The Cure EOD RP #1)
Oct 26, 2019 18:55:51 GMT -5
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Mongo the Destroyer likes this
Post by MYŌJIN on Oct 26, 2019 18:55:51 GMT -5
During Lay Rest To The Wicked…
Draven hadn't been in so much pain, not like this in a while.
His mind racing as he couldn't think straight. Vision doubled from the beating he had brutally received throughout the long match, the final match of AXW, where it was all on the line. Where it was one and only opportunity to win the Undisputed Championship. As he tried to reach out and find the strength to get back up- A sharp, unbearable pain of a boot slamming back down on his already fairly damaged ankle. Caffrey's boot, crashing down on his leg- The one that had already been put in a vicious ankle lock that same night. It was a repetitive moment of agony that he could almost predict in a pattern, sending a shock of a horrible, vicious ache throughout his right leg. He knew there was nothing he could do for the next, dangerous move that was about to be applied to his ankle once more.
He felt Caffrey's hands wrap around Draven's ankle and twist it violently in a way that would surely break his ankle at how tight it was held. The vampire clawed around at the mat, kicked and screamed, but there was no use. Caffrey had it on tight and there was nothing he could do about it. The torture was unbearable yet Draven refused to tap out. Not to him. Not to Rob Arnold. Not a chance in Hell. Given how his leg, while captured into a brutal submission, was given a bit of freedom as it was not completely trapped. Focusing through the fatigue, the suffering, he held onto one thing.. his endurance. His unrelenting pain tolerance. Through gritted teeth, the gothic prince's hands gripped onto the ropes and pulled himself up much as the tightening pain from Caffrey tearing his ankle apart tried to stop him from doing so. Draven then sprung back to action to the best of his ability.
He refused to lose. Not here. Not with something as important as the Undisputed Championship on the line.
Draven pulled himself under Caffrey, freeing himself from the ankle lock much to The Philadelphia Phighter's surprise. He pulled Caffrey's own arm under him and locked his head into a half nelson, pulling him into the pumphandle position- This was his last shot. His best shot. Despite the beating, Draven had taken- The vampire had a second win and raised Caffrey up! Running towards the ring with a yell, Draven drove Caffrey neck first into the mat with CARPE NOCTEM! Gritting his teeth through the pain, he quickly hooked the Champion's legs and held onto them.tightly.
Through the corner of his crimson eyes, he could see Rob Arnold coming.
ONE!
Draven watched get back into the ring. Still holding onto the Caffrey. At that moment, the ear-deafening roars of the audience had gone silent in Draven's ears. His heart thumped louder and louder to the point where Draven could hear it. Time seemed to slow down.
TWO!
Rob Arnold dived into the air, Draven watched him jump desperately to break up the pin. Though the vampire knew it was too late for Arnold to do so... By the time he would reach them, that one second would have passed- He had jumped far too early to make it. With this knowledge, the vampire simply smirked.
THREE!
Draven finally let go of the unconscious Caffrey, rolling onto the mat- Completely sprawled out as he panted. Each sharp, deep breath burned the inside of his chest terribly as if he had a fire lit inside of his body. Barely finding the effort and power in his worn-out body to look up and realize that Arnold had landed just as he expected- Too late.
..And just like that, Vincent Draven was the new and last AXW Undisputed Champion.
"Do you know what I find funny?"
It was dark. Dark as in a void or space would be, nearly pitch black as even the floor could not be properly seen. An eeriness to the darkness of the room as the silhouette of a person sitting in a chair could be made out dimly. Sitting there would be, of course, the vampire himself. Now holding two titles draped around his arms, the AXW Undisputed Championship and the one he was going to defend soon.. the XHF Tag Team Championship. The dark-haired man looked between both golden belts he held, then slowly back up with a sinister grin, showing his dimples.
"The same people on those AXW crowds cheering and holding up signs for me were the same ones booing me not too long ago. The same people that had been routing for me to fail at Lay Rest To The Wicked had changed their minds rather fast once I had won. They have all gone on social media, saying things like 'You deserve it', '#TheMainEventVampire', '#CountChampion' and this other nonsense that they've kept mentioning me in with their texts. Telling me how they are so happy for me and congratulations."
"It's interesting how one's views will change that fast, isn't it?" Draven crossed his legs, laughing softly. He took a deep breath, a light barely making his body visible in the shadows of where he sat. "I don't need to have validation from these people. I know I deserve it. I know that I gave my blood, sweat, and tears to reach where I am."
"Ever since I decided to stop hiding in the shadows, I've made the most of my freedom. Most of the opportunities that I have earned through my time in the XHF Network. I've hidden for far too long, scared of being hunted down and killed. I've spent too much time suppressing my identity and being forced to feel ashamed about what I am. I refuse to do that any longer. I'm not bound by the chains of my past... And then you have the exact opposite of me, the Convicted.."
"The Convicted keep mentioning the words freedom, trust, and heart. As if it's the only thing they know in their vocabulary it seems… Though they seemed to be confused. As much as they talk about freedom, as much as they claim to be free and have heart... But they keep contradicting themselves. Dare I say even more than Anthony Caffrey managed to."
"For a duo that constantly talks about what it means to be free- What have they really… done with their freedom? Eric Chronister, for example, has been here much longer than... Drago and I's time combined. Though... He had not done anything memorable on his own. When he was given his freedom, what exactly had he done with it? Not really anything. He was never actually using that freedom, taking the chances he was given. Why do you deserve to be free if you don't use it to your advantage? Then again, your skills and your moves are the equivalent of someone who had just left a wrestling school. Not only that, but your history shows that you just can't stay out of prison, can you?" Draven asked, tilting his head slowly. He raised an eyebrow, sighing - He appeared bored. Unimpressed. Though at the same time there was a sight of… frustration underneath his nonchalant exterior. Anger. Disappointment. He had been hoping for an actual challenge for his first Tag Team title defense. Though it seemed that wouldn't be the case.
"You speak about freedom when all I see from you is recidivism. It's almost like you prefer that to being out of prison. You have had multiple chances to stay a free man and yet you have thrown it away so many times. What makes you deserve it if you keep letting it go?"
"Then there's the fact that as much as you both again still mention freedom - The Convicted seem to be doing their best to relieve their prison experience. Wearing their jumpsuits, constantly only going over their experiences while being incarcerated- They even filmed in a prison cell when they originally challenged us."
It seemed like a genuine question, the way Draven spoke it. Clearly, his frustration was growing as his jaw tightened ever so subtly.
"You say this isn't for money- Though if I recall, in KSW, and please do correct me as I may be wrong- The reason you both wrestle in the first place is for a stable income. There is no heart to that. It's a job for you both to take which you did. Something to avoid going back to prison. I'm rather tired of seeing people attempt to mask their motivations so they seem morally righteous. All of this? This is nothing more than something that pays and it shows. It shows how neither of you strive to improve. How both of you have become complacent to mediocrity because it's just enough."
"Oh, I just remembered-" He sneered with animosity. "You two have had a chance to come for these titles before, haven't you? When the Icons, well former Icons- Drago and Maverick demanded a chance to win the Tag Team Championships, you both claimed you both deserved a shot and not them. Yet when the Icons competed against three other teams for them, you were nowhere to be found. Suddenly that bravado had gone quiet because there was more than you were wanting to deal with. Suddenly you got scared, and that drive for the gold vanished as you both tucked your tail between your legs and backed off. You had a chance, but didn't take it."
"Then you ignored them and their offer to fight anyone. What was the Convicted doing at that point in time? Competing in SSS or any other XHF show that actually had mattered? Well, no… No, you didn't. You both were losing the ANZAC Cup to nobodies or having an insignificant, joke of a tag title reign in some promotion- But you even lost to nobodies as well. I remember when you challenged us, saying we could either go against you at End of Days or be cowards and fight some irrelevant team. I'd say that's exactly what you are. Irrelevant.."
"And so, you scavenged points from other irrelevant teams so you could weasel your way into this match." The vampire gritted his sharp teeth, hatred burning throughout his body. "After all, it was the only way you were going to get to End of Days."
"They seem to have this idea that Dreadvan is a hired gun, that freebirding is a cheap tactic. No, it's only smart. It would have been a fool's move to have Drago in two matches in the same night, especially when we have another option. You're both right, I didn't originally earn these with Drago, but why do you deserve it? This gold to you two would only be a way to having a better paycheck. Plus, after Dreadvan and I successfully retain against you- I'll have earned it officially."
"We are here to Cure the tag team division. Starting with the likes of you both. A prime example of what's wrong with this division: A bunch of mediocre teams that believe they can get a title shot while still not bettering themselves, seeing it only as a way to earn more money for their benefit." Draven's anger had reached the surface. His face a scowl, yet appearing still. However, what gave it away was his violently shaking fist wrapped around the Tag Team Championship. He despised the Convicted as they were weak. Pathetic. He hated them for how they contradicted their own message and the way they simply stagnated.
"And we're going to fix that."
"You're about to face the 'creature of the night' that brought Anthony Caffrey's reign to an end. You're about to face a demon that has held the XHF European Championship for three hundred and eight days. If you thought there was an actual chance of you two beating us, I'm sorry to inform you- But you couldn't be any more wrong." Draven took a deep breath, the vampire closing his eyes for a few moments. Until he opened them once more, a cool and collected smile reappearing on his face.
"However, look on the bright side, you'll still be getting that End of Days paycheck that you're looking for. It'll just be associated with Dreadvan and I standing over your unconscious bodies. Holding up the gold just like this-"
Draven raised both the AXW Undisputed Championship and the XHF Tag Team Championship high with a loud hiss. Just like he would do at End of Days.
