Post by Donzig on Oct 16, 2022 22:16:10 GMT -5
‘He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.’
Donzig leaned back against the wall, rust and water stained the old cracked cement. Pipes ran across the wall, every so often drips would fall from them as the Scourge sat on one of them. His long coat hanging around him as he had a knee drawn up, and he turned a white chess piece in his fingers. A chain ran from it, and he tilted his head in thought before he shrugged.
‘Once upon a time, when I first got into this business? I was not the man that I am now, I was just a simple mortal. Just a man, and I would go down to that ring and I would fight monsters. I would stand there inside that ring, and I would fight them. Tooth and nail, day after day! And every day, every fight, I stared unflinching into the Abyss.’
Donzig sniffed, and he lifted his hand. The white king dangled from the chain, spinning slowly as he watched it before he grunted.
‘It starts slow, you can’t even feel it, you don’t even notice it. One day, you just decide that enough is enough. That you can do what they do, that it is nothing! Nothing! To cut a corner, to take an easy way out, to do something they would do to you! And after that? After that first little step? Oh, it’s easy, so very easy.’
Donzig looked up.
‘The ends you see, justify the means. And no one, no one and nothing could justify the means quite like I could. I could excuse any thing, any excess, any cruelty, any betrayal! ANYTHING! And I would stand there in that ring covered in blood and stolen gold, and tell myself that this monstrous act was the last!’
Donzig laughed, that odd rasping laugh of his that sounded like a machine trying to sound human. And his hand snapped closed on the chess piece, and he stared at his hand.
‘But that act would just lead to the next act, and the one after that. Because as I used to say when I was sitting in the back with a beer in my hand soaked in the blood of my enemies? Doing right has no end. Ask Jordan, ask him, he remembers all of this.’
He fell silent, and he shrugged.
‘What was it that drove me? Anger? Pride? Greed? I can’t even remember. But you see I chose this, I chose this all. Every decision I made led me deeper into the Abyss, deeper into the bowels of Oblivion, down into the heart of darkness. One day I looked up, and I could not see the sun.’
Donzig’s masked face turned, and he lifted his free hand to tap against the metal.
‘On that day? I knew what I was, I was the monster. I was no longer a man, I was the thing I had always feared the most. The thing I most hated. I was a monster. The monster, eh? A monster worse then the Role Model, worse then Sheldon Reese, worse then Draven, even worse then the Ringmaster. And what was more? I didn’t care, I didn’t care at all, I felt nothing.’
Donzig hissed, and he stared at the chess piece.
‘Oh, I have always ran hot and cold. I used to rage, and burn, and would light the very heavens with my self-righteous fury. But then on the other hand? I could be cold, ruthless, without pity or remorse. But this was different, this was emptiness. A void, eh?’
The chess piece dangled from his hand, spinning on it’s chain as he stared at it.
‘On that day I became the Scourge, I became punishment to the wicked, I became terror to the righteous. I became as a God, unburdened with the concerns of mortals. And so that is why I say to you.’
Donzig rose slowly, the white king was hidden inside that long coat. Donzig’s hand lifted to pull off his mask, his fingers tightening on it as he dragged it aside. He looked at it, gazing into the empty eyes before he shrugged.
‘Wentzel. Armand. Goth. I am coming for you. You three monsters will all turn your hands against me, you will try to deny me from my vengeance! You will try to deny me my destiny! But all three of you? You stand against the very Abyss itself, because as I said? I have fought monsters, I have hunted monsters, and now? I am the thing that even monsters must fear! I will do whatever I have to do, whatever it amuses me to do! But Armand?’
A hiss.
‘The Usurper will suffer as I make her watch me break you.’
A hand lifted, waving absently.
‘Goth, you seek to be king of what is mine? You want to rule over the W:UK as a god? It already has a god, Goth. It already has a king.’
A frown.
‘Wentzel. You seek glory? You seek redemption? You want to prove you are worthy? No, no, no. You will have none of these things when you face me, you will only find pain and death here.’
Donzig shrugged, his hand lifted as he tugged at his beard.
‘Gus Arnold. I know you are watching, old man. I know you are planning your next move with your legion of faded legends, of would be kings, of gilded champions! I am waiting, Gus. Death in High Places is waiting for you all, the Scourge waits for you. I am nothing if not patient.’
Donzig turned, staring at the wall as his hand lifted to gesture at his side.
‘Blood. You wish to make them all see you are the one who brought low the Conqueror. But Blood? The Conqueror does not bow down to mortals.
Donzig leaned back against the wall, rust and water stained the old cracked cement. Pipes ran across the wall, every so often drips would fall from them as the Scourge sat on one of them. His long coat hanging around him as he had a knee drawn up, and he turned a white chess piece in his fingers. A chain ran from it, and he tilted his head in thought before he shrugged.
‘Once upon a time, when I first got into this business? I was not the man that I am now, I was just a simple mortal. Just a man, and I would go down to that ring and I would fight monsters. I would stand there inside that ring, and I would fight them. Tooth and nail, day after day! And every day, every fight, I stared unflinching into the Abyss.’
Donzig sniffed, and he lifted his hand. The white king dangled from the chain, spinning slowly as he watched it before he grunted.
‘It starts slow, you can’t even feel it, you don’t even notice it. One day, you just decide that enough is enough. That you can do what they do, that it is nothing! Nothing! To cut a corner, to take an easy way out, to do something they would do to you! And after that? After that first little step? Oh, it’s easy, so very easy.’
Donzig looked up.
‘The ends you see, justify the means. And no one, no one and nothing could justify the means quite like I could. I could excuse any thing, any excess, any cruelty, any betrayal! ANYTHING! And I would stand there in that ring covered in blood and stolen gold, and tell myself that this monstrous act was the last!’
Donzig laughed, that odd rasping laugh of his that sounded like a machine trying to sound human. And his hand snapped closed on the chess piece, and he stared at his hand.
‘But that act would just lead to the next act, and the one after that. Because as I used to say when I was sitting in the back with a beer in my hand soaked in the blood of my enemies? Doing right has no end. Ask Jordan, ask him, he remembers all of this.’
He fell silent, and he shrugged.
‘What was it that drove me? Anger? Pride? Greed? I can’t even remember. But you see I chose this, I chose this all. Every decision I made led me deeper into the Abyss, deeper into the bowels of Oblivion, down into the heart of darkness. One day I looked up, and I could not see the sun.’
Donzig’s masked face turned, and he lifted his free hand to tap against the metal.
‘On that day? I knew what I was, I was the monster. I was no longer a man, I was the thing I had always feared the most. The thing I most hated. I was a monster. The monster, eh? A monster worse then the Role Model, worse then Sheldon Reese, worse then Draven, even worse then the Ringmaster. And what was more? I didn’t care, I didn’t care at all, I felt nothing.’
Donzig hissed, and he stared at the chess piece.
‘Oh, I have always ran hot and cold. I used to rage, and burn, and would light the very heavens with my self-righteous fury. But then on the other hand? I could be cold, ruthless, without pity or remorse. But this was different, this was emptiness. A void, eh?’
The chess piece dangled from his hand, spinning on it’s chain as he stared at it.
‘On that day I became the Scourge, I became punishment to the wicked, I became terror to the righteous. I became as a God, unburdened with the concerns of mortals. And so that is why I say to you.’
Donzig rose slowly, the white king was hidden inside that long coat. Donzig’s hand lifted to pull off his mask, his fingers tightening on it as he dragged it aside. He looked at it, gazing into the empty eyes before he shrugged.
‘Wentzel. Armand. Goth. I am coming for you. You three monsters will all turn your hands against me, you will try to deny me from my vengeance! You will try to deny me my destiny! But all three of you? You stand against the very Abyss itself, because as I said? I have fought monsters, I have hunted monsters, and now? I am the thing that even monsters must fear! I will do whatever I have to do, whatever it amuses me to do! But Armand?’
A hiss.
‘The Usurper will suffer as I make her watch me break you.’
A hand lifted, waving absently.
‘Goth, you seek to be king of what is mine? You want to rule over the W:UK as a god? It already has a god, Goth. It already has a king.’
A frown.
‘Wentzel. You seek glory? You seek redemption? You want to prove you are worthy? No, no, no. You will have none of these things when you face me, you will only find pain and death here.’
Donzig shrugged, his hand lifted as he tugged at his beard.
‘Gus Arnold. I know you are watching, old man. I know you are planning your next move with your legion of faded legends, of would be kings, of gilded champions! I am waiting, Gus. Death in High Places is waiting for you all, the Scourge waits for you. I am nothing if not patient.’
Donzig turned, staring at the wall as his hand lifted to gesture at his side.
‘Blood. You wish to make them all see you are the one who brought low the Conqueror. But Blood? The Conqueror does not bow down to mortals.
