Post by Donzig on Jul 23, 2023 16:02:53 GMT -5
Inside the small rather ramshackle looking gym, Hardcore City Shinjuku minus Viper we’re gathered around a ring that had clearly seen better days. Makeshift weapons were scattered about, and Ace Albany was leaning against the side of the ring holding ice on his shoulder.
The Young Lion sprawled on the mat inside the ring, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. And the man known as Captain Anarchy was bleeding as he sat in the corner with a dazed look. Shinkorin stared at them from behind his mask, lifting an arm in question.
Donzig cracked open a beer, shrugging as he looked around impassively. He was also bleeding and the bandages covering his burned arm had seen better days. But he didn’t seem to notice.
‘Eh, there’s room for improvement.’
The masked man spoke again, and Donzig grunted.
‘I was going easy on them.’
‘Aren’t you tired?’ Groaned Albany.
‘Ace, I have gone for over 45 minutes in the Rumble. I don’t get tired.’
‘Well, does your arm hurt?’ asked the Young Lion.
Donzig stared at him blankly, frowning as he lowered the bottle before he looked questioningly at the small masked man. Shinkorin pointed, and Donzig glanced down at the ragged and bloodstained bandage with a faint look of surprised annoyance.
‘I can’t believe Dar stole my belt! Wait until I get my fucking hands on Spike!’
At the mention of that name, his whole world seemed to shudder. An angry red pulsed across his eyes, and he tasted blood. His hand tightened on the bottle, and he wanted nothing so much as to beat his friends bloody. He took a deep breath, looking away as he closed his eyes.
The Scourge. Any mention of Spike or Armand brought him surging back up, and he could feel the impotent rage of his dark half as it howled.
‘You okay?’
‘My arm doesn’t bother me. I don’t feel it, just a sort of itch.’
The three looked at each other, and Shinkorin snorted before speaking rapidly, drawing a nod from the Young Lion.
‘That is why he told me diving into barbed wire wouldn’t hurt.’
‘It doesn’t, you’re a crybaby.’
‘It fucking does! I don’t think you get it, you don’t feel pain like the rest of us do!’ snapped Ace.
Donzig sipped at his beer, that would explain a lot. He shook his head, tugging at his beard before he glared at Captain Anarchy.
‘You have anything to add, sunshine?’
‘We should own the proceeds of this match and show!’
Donzig glanced at the others, and then waved the bottle.
‘Why?’
‘Workers should own the profits of their labor.’
The group all groaned, and Donzig waved a hand as he snorted.
‘I am not sharing profits with Sky Force.’
The Young Lion sat up.
‘Aren’t we doing that? Technically?’
‘Could you just stop!’ Snapped Donzig tossing the empty beer bottle aside, and he grabbed another. He took a long drink, and then waved the bottle as he glared at each of them in turn before he pointed with the bottle.
‘SKY Force isn’t playing games, they don’t care about how much heart you all have, or how bad ass you think you are. They want to prove just how dangerous they are in JROK and beyond, and they plan on walking through us to do it. The King of All Failures has drawn them into a war with me, and now they have to stop the bleeding. This is as real as it gets.’
They all stared at him, and Donzig shook his head.
‘Okay, how do we stop them?’
Donzig grunted, part of him missed Sinclair. She was good at this part, he thought it over while taking another drink.
‘They know each other well, they work together as a team. They like to cause chaos, they know they can’t outbrawl us. They are going to have to divide and conquer, they need to take us apart one by one. They are going to make it their match and not our match, the longer it goes the more it favors us. We can all take a lot of punishment, they saw that in the exploding house death match. They got me there, I showed my hand.’
He tugged at his beard, and continued.
‘But here’s the thing, we are going to hit harder than them. They are going to need to make this is a wrestling match, and we need to make it a fucking fight. We need to keep hitting them until they can’t think to do their best offense, and that is going to keep them off balance. They are going to need to take us out one by one, and the rest of us need to make sure that doesn’t happen.’
Shinkorin spoke suddenly, gesturing at Donzig.
‘Yeah, they want me. And those fuckers are going to get me. SKY Force isn’t ready for me.’
He felt that cold presence shift in his mind, stirring once more. It muttered and hissed, purring to itself as he lifted a hand to tug at his beard. He scowled, and took another drink from his beard. He knew that every instant in a match he had to watch for the Scourge, it wanted out. Violence called to it.
He also knew that the Scourge was a better fighter than he was, faster and stronger. He frowned, and sat down the bottle.
‘I have to go outside. Keep working on your plan of attacks.’
The Young Lion sprawled on the mat inside the ring, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. And the man known as Captain Anarchy was bleeding as he sat in the corner with a dazed look. Shinkorin stared at them from behind his mask, lifting an arm in question.
Donzig cracked open a beer, shrugging as he looked around impassively. He was also bleeding and the bandages covering his burned arm had seen better days. But he didn’t seem to notice.
‘Eh, there’s room for improvement.’
The masked man spoke again, and Donzig grunted.
‘I was going easy on them.’
‘Aren’t you tired?’ Groaned Albany.
‘Ace, I have gone for over 45 minutes in the Rumble. I don’t get tired.’
‘Well, does your arm hurt?’ asked the Young Lion.
Donzig stared at him blankly, frowning as he lowered the bottle before he looked questioningly at the small masked man. Shinkorin pointed, and Donzig glanced down at the ragged and bloodstained bandage with a faint look of surprised annoyance.
‘I can’t believe Dar stole my belt! Wait until I get my fucking hands on Spike!’
At the mention of that name, his whole world seemed to shudder. An angry red pulsed across his eyes, and he tasted blood. His hand tightened on the bottle, and he wanted nothing so much as to beat his friends bloody. He took a deep breath, looking away as he closed his eyes.
The Scourge. Any mention of Spike or Armand brought him surging back up, and he could feel the impotent rage of his dark half as it howled.
‘You okay?’
‘My arm doesn’t bother me. I don’t feel it, just a sort of itch.’
The three looked at each other, and Shinkorin snorted before speaking rapidly, drawing a nod from the Young Lion.
‘That is why he told me diving into barbed wire wouldn’t hurt.’
‘It doesn’t, you’re a crybaby.’
‘It fucking does! I don’t think you get it, you don’t feel pain like the rest of us do!’ snapped Ace.
Donzig sipped at his beer, that would explain a lot. He shook his head, tugging at his beard before he glared at Captain Anarchy.
‘You have anything to add, sunshine?’
‘We should own the proceeds of this match and show!’
Donzig glanced at the others, and then waved the bottle.
‘Why?’
‘Workers should own the profits of their labor.’
The group all groaned, and Donzig waved a hand as he snorted.
‘I am not sharing profits with Sky Force.’
The Young Lion sat up.
‘Aren’t we doing that? Technically?’
‘Could you just stop!’ Snapped Donzig tossing the empty beer bottle aside, and he grabbed another. He took a long drink, and then waved the bottle as he glared at each of them in turn before he pointed with the bottle.
‘SKY Force isn’t playing games, they don’t care about how much heart you all have, or how bad ass you think you are. They want to prove just how dangerous they are in JROK and beyond, and they plan on walking through us to do it. The King of All Failures has drawn them into a war with me, and now they have to stop the bleeding. This is as real as it gets.’
They all stared at him, and Donzig shook his head.
‘Okay, how do we stop them?’
Donzig grunted, part of him missed Sinclair. She was good at this part, he thought it over while taking another drink.
‘They know each other well, they work together as a team. They like to cause chaos, they know they can’t outbrawl us. They are going to have to divide and conquer, they need to take us apart one by one. They are going to make it their match and not our match, the longer it goes the more it favors us. We can all take a lot of punishment, they saw that in the exploding house death match. They got me there, I showed my hand.’
He tugged at his beard, and continued.
‘But here’s the thing, we are going to hit harder than them. They are going to need to make this is a wrestling match, and we need to make it a fucking fight. We need to keep hitting them until they can’t think to do their best offense, and that is going to keep them off balance. They are going to need to take us out one by one, and the rest of us need to make sure that doesn’t happen.’
Shinkorin spoke suddenly, gesturing at Donzig.
‘Yeah, they want me. And those fuckers are going to get me. SKY Force isn’t ready for me.’
He felt that cold presence shift in his mind, stirring once more. It muttered and hissed, purring to itself as he lifted a hand to tug at his beard. He scowled, and took another drink from his beard. He knew that every instant in a match he had to watch for the Scourge, it wanted out. Violence called to it.
He also knew that the Scourge was a better fighter than he was, faster and stronger. He frowned, and sat down the bottle.
‘I have to go outside. Keep working on your plan of attacks.’