Post by Dave D-Flipz on Dec 8, 2022 17:12:36 GMT -5
*The scene opens up in the personal gym of the hunter extraordinaire, Aiden Merric. The walls of his gym are lined with “trophies” from other fights. Broken bottles from bar fights, bloody bandages, and of course the XHF Phoenix Championship replica he was awarded for holding the title, the longest reign until Redmond Fury took it to GUNS and fought inside a bear … seems suspect if you ask Aiden. In the corner of the gym dangles the heaviest of heavy bags. I mean this thing is industrial packaging wrapped for its own protection. And it is dented all over and shakes dust from the internal packing with each heavy strike. The beam it is dangled from, and the chain attached, are heavy duty as all fuck.*
Merric: What a goddamn bloody pleasure it is … Spike Kane.
*THUMP THUMP THUD THUD THWACK! Dust explodes from the bag as it shakes on the chain. Heavy blows rattle out as Aiden Merric slowly maneuvers around the bag and into view as he peppers it with heavy handed haymakers. His torso is unadorned, his legs are wrapped in sweatpants with a knee brace on both knees for impact protection from the intense workout. His feet and ankles are wrapped in tape, kinesio tape adorns each shoulder, and around his deadly weapons is the heaviest tape wrap you have ever seen to cushion his own hands from their own power.*
Merric: I’m sure you are just aching to know what I have to say about your prestigious career. See I haven’t been around these parts for most of it. But I am a studious individual when it comes to survival or a contract. And I don’t take chances like this lightly. You won’t ever hear me talk down to an opponent I KNOW is on the upper levels. And you are just that. A former X*Crown champion, a world champion, a legend in this business to which I am just an upstart. And I understand the normal gripes you get from your opponents … enemies … friends.
*Aiden breathes heavily as he shakes out his mullet of the sweat it has gathered. He sits down and towels off as he looks at the camera phone he has set up.*
Merric: But I am not everyone else. I am Aiden Merric. I am the bloody wonder, the treasure of Tapout, the hidden gem. And they don’t make them like me now, before, or ever again. See would be pretty naff of me to call you over the hill or old like your friend Steve or your friend Curtis do. I may be new in the business but in the game of life and survival I’m a bit long in the tooth. Pretty sure I got a few years on ya. Rough and tumble years in the Aussie Outback surviving and thriving. And let’s face it, those places and people take a toll on you, age you prematurely. My early life is quite the story. A ripsnorter of a tale about how I came to be the man you see in front of you. One I’ve already told you...
*Aiden glowers at the camera. He softens his gaze. He smirks*
Merric: SO let me try something you are unfamiliar with hearing you’re your opponents. Praise for the work you put in. See you may be a bit of a figjam, but damn if it isn’t earned. See the way I look at it, you don’t have your contract bound to a company after death unless you are a hot commodity.
*Aiden stands up and throws the towel to the floor before going back to his crazy heavy bag. He slows his pace so he can continue to talk as he works out. Still the sound from the thuds of the fists of fury hitting the bag are something else entirely.*
Merric: Here’s the thing *huff* though, Spike. I may respect you, I may enjoy your body of work, and I may be happy as a dingo in a nursery to get the chance to fight ya fer real. *pant pant* But … I am not one who is happy taking second place. And my cup of second is pretty full up at this moment. So *pant* I plan to show you my respect in a way you are probably INTIMATELY familiar with. Punching you square in the teeth. What better way for two titans to gain a better understanding of each other than to beat the everloving piss out of each other? I can think of no better *huff cough* way.
*Aiden picks up the pace for a quick flurry of massive hits. He stops to breathe and hugs the bag as he looks into the camera again.*
Merric: Here’s the thing though, you and I have a bit in common. Kindred souls. People tend to see me and think I’m not really in this for the sport. Or that I’m too old to be any good. Or that I’m some one-note stereotype to be laughed at. My second match in the AWF I called out Tony Caffrey and I took the smug bitch to the limit. Nearly ended his undefeated year in JANUARY. I fought off the entirety of the ReVenants to keep my title. And I am something you aren’t … undefeated against XHF Legend Rat Bastard. Oh the fights we had. Epic. I took his best shot and I outlasted him. But he keeps showing up to try and spoil my fun, hence why when he was taking advantage of our locker room after the main event, I had to set him straight. Pent up rage from Capone getting his ass pinned in the tag match earlier surely helped fuel that rage.
*Merric begins to flurry at the heavy bag, the sounds echoing through the hunter lodge. His tape job on his hands begins to look haggard and frayed. His bare knuckles starting to show through as he relentlessly pounds away.*
Merric: See, Spike. I expect this to be a real hoss fight. And I expect we steal the show. Match of the night. But … it won’t be a work of art. No crazy flips, no insane spot monkey tricks to win that half a point for move of the night … maybe … *he thinks about it for a second, then shakes his head* No sir. We are brawlers through and through. And I aim to put my name on the map as one of the limited few to go face to face, toe to toe with the blood God … and play his style of game … and come out on top. I don’t think you understand how much I need this. You best be ready to end me to stop me. I will not relent. I will hunt this victory until I can’t move any more. This is about pride, and about the job needing to be completed.
*He amps up and decimates the bag with a rough and unpolished boxing series, seeing the roos of Australia in the bag. Or maybe just the face of Donzig… regardless … Aiden’s hands are now leaking blood as he notices the stains on his equipment and slows his role. He looks at his hands and smirks. Ignoring the pain he gives one big clothesline to the bag and it rocks on the industrial chain and comes back to rest against his chest with a powerful THUMP! A quick laugh as Aiden looks at the knuckles, now sore and bloody.*
Merric: To that end? Yeah I’m ready to spill my blood for the blood God. *He nods his head to his hands* I’m prepared to pay the price. Anything worth having is worth working for, and anything worth working for is worth going all out for. Big mobs of blood and pain, a beaut of a strike fest. I see it in the headlines, both of us being slotted right into that main event draw. Yeah. And if I can get me a tooth or a nail for my trophy wall? Well, that’d be ace.
*Merric towels off and goes out of the room to take care of his injuries. As he leaves, we see Tucker Bernard peek in and see the phone. He sighs and runs in to grab the phone and follows Aiden into the bathroom where we see the Aussie disinfecting his hands and then wrapping them up.*
Tucker: Maybe ya should wait fer the fight to spill blood, eh?
*Aiden laughs*
Merric: Nah, mate. If I wait, I’m not gonna get the workout I need to take this bloke. Spike and I speak the same language. Action. Violence. If we both have designs on topping the card, it’s gonna be through a show of force and blood.
Tucker: Right. Well, violence is not a language.
Merric: Oh but it is. It’s an artform Tuck. The way you go about hurting someone tells the story. Do you go slow and torturous? Do you go full force and in the face? Do you drag it out? Involve loved ones? Mental pain in with the physical? It’s all about knowing the target and having a plan. And I have a plan. I’m gonna stand face to face, and I’m gonna deck him in the schnoz. It’s violent respect.
Tucker: You fighter types astound me, Merric.
Merric: Watch the match and learn, you might pick up some useful techniques. I plan to bring the Irishman the fight he’s been asking for. And when all is said an’ done, whoever walks out with the win, i.e. me, will have earned it with blood and pain. Spike, if yer listening, and I hope you are … no hard feelings. It’s just business. I’m being paid to win matches and put on a show. Just so happens I’m gonna get to have some fun in this one. I appreciate your style and your status as a similar brawler to myself. You UNDERSTAND the language of the fight. But this match? I need to make sure you understand the language of defeat. Ya don’t HAVE to be gracious about it, but you will need to accept it. Because me? I ain’t going to lose again. I spill blood for the blood God … you best be ready to lose teeth for the trophy case.
*Fade out*
Merric: What a goddamn bloody pleasure it is … Spike Kane.
*THUMP THUMP THUD THUD THWACK! Dust explodes from the bag as it shakes on the chain. Heavy blows rattle out as Aiden Merric slowly maneuvers around the bag and into view as he peppers it with heavy handed haymakers. His torso is unadorned, his legs are wrapped in sweatpants with a knee brace on both knees for impact protection from the intense workout. His feet and ankles are wrapped in tape, kinesio tape adorns each shoulder, and around his deadly weapons is the heaviest tape wrap you have ever seen to cushion his own hands from their own power.*
Merric: I’m sure you are just aching to know what I have to say about your prestigious career. See I haven’t been around these parts for most of it. But I am a studious individual when it comes to survival or a contract. And I don’t take chances like this lightly. You won’t ever hear me talk down to an opponent I KNOW is on the upper levels. And you are just that. A former X*Crown champion, a world champion, a legend in this business to which I am just an upstart. And I understand the normal gripes you get from your opponents … enemies … friends.
*Aiden breathes heavily as he shakes out his mullet of the sweat it has gathered. He sits down and towels off as he looks at the camera phone he has set up.*
Merric: But I am not everyone else. I am Aiden Merric. I am the bloody wonder, the treasure of Tapout, the hidden gem. And they don’t make them like me now, before, or ever again. See would be pretty naff of me to call you over the hill or old like your friend Steve or your friend Curtis do. I may be new in the business but in the game of life and survival I’m a bit long in the tooth. Pretty sure I got a few years on ya. Rough and tumble years in the Aussie Outback surviving and thriving. And let’s face it, those places and people take a toll on you, age you prematurely. My early life is quite the story. A ripsnorter of a tale about how I came to be the man you see in front of you. One I’ve already told you...
*Aiden glowers at the camera. He softens his gaze. He smirks*
Merric: SO let me try something you are unfamiliar with hearing you’re your opponents. Praise for the work you put in. See you may be a bit of a figjam, but damn if it isn’t earned. See the way I look at it, you don’t have your contract bound to a company after death unless you are a hot commodity.
*Aiden stands up and throws the towel to the floor before going back to his crazy heavy bag. He slows his pace so he can continue to talk as he works out. Still the sound from the thuds of the fists of fury hitting the bag are something else entirely.*
Merric: Here’s the thing *huff* though, Spike. I may respect you, I may enjoy your body of work, and I may be happy as a dingo in a nursery to get the chance to fight ya fer real. *pant pant* But … I am not one who is happy taking second place. And my cup of second is pretty full up at this moment. So *pant* I plan to show you my respect in a way you are probably INTIMATELY familiar with. Punching you square in the teeth. What better way for two titans to gain a better understanding of each other than to beat the everloving piss out of each other? I can think of no better *huff cough* way.
*Aiden picks up the pace for a quick flurry of massive hits. He stops to breathe and hugs the bag as he looks into the camera again.*
Merric: Here’s the thing though, you and I have a bit in common. Kindred souls. People tend to see me and think I’m not really in this for the sport. Or that I’m too old to be any good. Or that I’m some one-note stereotype to be laughed at. My second match in the AWF I called out Tony Caffrey and I took the smug bitch to the limit. Nearly ended his undefeated year in JANUARY. I fought off the entirety of the ReVenants to keep my title. And I am something you aren’t … undefeated against XHF Legend Rat Bastard. Oh the fights we had. Epic. I took his best shot and I outlasted him. But he keeps showing up to try and spoil my fun, hence why when he was taking advantage of our locker room after the main event, I had to set him straight. Pent up rage from Capone getting his ass pinned in the tag match earlier surely helped fuel that rage.
*Merric begins to flurry at the heavy bag, the sounds echoing through the hunter lodge. His tape job on his hands begins to look haggard and frayed. His bare knuckles starting to show through as he relentlessly pounds away.*
Merric: See, Spike. I expect this to be a real hoss fight. And I expect we steal the show. Match of the night. But … it won’t be a work of art. No crazy flips, no insane spot monkey tricks to win that half a point for move of the night … maybe … *he thinks about it for a second, then shakes his head* No sir. We are brawlers through and through. And I aim to put my name on the map as one of the limited few to go face to face, toe to toe with the blood God … and play his style of game … and come out on top. I don’t think you understand how much I need this. You best be ready to end me to stop me. I will not relent. I will hunt this victory until I can’t move any more. This is about pride, and about the job needing to be completed.
*He amps up and decimates the bag with a rough and unpolished boxing series, seeing the roos of Australia in the bag. Or maybe just the face of Donzig… regardless … Aiden’s hands are now leaking blood as he notices the stains on his equipment and slows his role. He looks at his hands and smirks. Ignoring the pain he gives one big clothesline to the bag and it rocks on the industrial chain and comes back to rest against his chest with a powerful THUMP! A quick laugh as Aiden looks at the knuckles, now sore and bloody.*
Merric: To that end? Yeah I’m ready to spill my blood for the blood God. *He nods his head to his hands* I’m prepared to pay the price. Anything worth having is worth working for, and anything worth working for is worth going all out for. Big mobs of blood and pain, a beaut of a strike fest. I see it in the headlines, both of us being slotted right into that main event draw. Yeah. And if I can get me a tooth or a nail for my trophy wall? Well, that’d be ace.
*Merric towels off and goes out of the room to take care of his injuries. As he leaves, we see Tucker Bernard peek in and see the phone. He sighs and runs in to grab the phone and follows Aiden into the bathroom where we see the Aussie disinfecting his hands and then wrapping them up.*
Tucker: Maybe ya should wait fer the fight to spill blood, eh?
*Aiden laughs*
Merric: Nah, mate. If I wait, I’m not gonna get the workout I need to take this bloke. Spike and I speak the same language. Action. Violence. If we both have designs on topping the card, it’s gonna be through a show of force and blood.
Tucker: Right. Well, violence is not a language.
Merric: Oh but it is. It’s an artform Tuck. The way you go about hurting someone tells the story. Do you go slow and torturous? Do you go full force and in the face? Do you drag it out? Involve loved ones? Mental pain in with the physical? It’s all about knowing the target and having a plan. And I have a plan. I’m gonna stand face to face, and I’m gonna deck him in the schnoz. It’s violent respect.
Tucker: You fighter types astound me, Merric.
Merric: Watch the match and learn, you might pick up some useful techniques. I plan to bring the Irishman the fight he’s been asking for. And when all is said an’ done, whoever walks out with the win, i.e. me, will have earned it with blood and pain. Spike, if yer listening, and I hope you are … no hard feelings. It’s just business. I’m being paid to win matches and put on a show. Just so happens I’m gonna get to have some fun in this one. I appreciate your style and your status as a similar brawler to myself. You UNDERSTAND the language of the fight. But this match? I need to make sure you understand the language of defeat. Ya don’t HAVE to be gracious about it, but you will need to accept it. Because me? I ain’t going to lose again. I spill blood for the blood God … you best be ready to lose teeth for the trophy case.
*Fade out*