Post by Donzig on Oct 8, 2023 22:02:15 GMT -5
‘The strongest and the fiercest spirit
That fought in heaven, now fiercer by despair….’
The voice purred from the darkness, cold and pitiless. Donzig looked up, his eyes haggard as he flicked ashes from the cigar in his fingers. He raked fingers through his beard, and he tilted his head to look into the shadows.
‘Milton. It’s always fucking Milton with you.’
The shadows stirred, and the Scourge stepped forward. Was this a dream? A waking Nightmare? He couldn’t say. The masked face turned, and the empty eyes as black as the pit drifted over him before he absently flipped over a card from the stack that sat at Donzig’s hand.
Donzig swept them aside, and he reached for the bottle which drew a hiss.
‘You have become soft, old friend. Weak.Spike is going to tear you apart if there is anything left of you after End of Days. Death Trap hates you!’
Donzig’s hand slammed down, and his eyes narrowed.
‘He hates you! They both hate you! In fact, they all hate you.’
The Scourge sniffed, picking up one of the cards to stare at it before he flicked it onto the table. Donzig stared at the giant black spade, and he grunted as he looked up again. The Scourge leaned forward on the table, hissing as he tilted his head.
‘They hate me because I am them. The same reason they hate you. I am ambition unbound, I am desire unchecked, I am the black beating heart of the Sport of Kings! I have rejected all constraints, all boundaries, and all of the lies! I am the very soul of the XHF! It’s shadow, and they hunger for me because I give them meaning!’
The Scourge flicked his fingers, and he started to pace as Donzig watched him with a frown.
‘You were once like me! But you became soft, weak, fucking infected!’
Donzig took another drink, and he wondered if everyone had a thing like the Scourge inside of them. That was what he claimed, and he looked away.
‘Because all I ever did was ruin everything I cared about! My legacy is blood and ashes! And even that is more than what you want to leave behind! Nothing will ever be enough for you! Nothing! You’re a demon!’
The voice cackled, a horrid mocking sound that sounded like something trying to remember a laugh. It wheezed and hissed, sputtering from under that mask before it whirled to lean across the table. A finger stabbing down on the card, and those empty eyes met Donzig’s.
‘So what if I am? I am the black mirror, and you’re just another failure like them! I am as a God! And when one of our enemies, and make no mistake, they are OUR enemies. Because they don’t give two fucks about you anymore than I do! You see there is another hard truth for you! They would all, all of them, let you fucking die so I will return to them! They will risk everything, sacrifice everything, for one more chance to face me!’
Donzig stared at him, a hand wiping across his mouth as he rose to his own feet. He started to pace, soon walking to the window as he pulled out a worn looking white chess piece. He turned the white king in his fingers, turning it slowly around before he folded his fingers around it.
‘You’re insane. This is going to end.’
The Scourge drew close, and he leaned forward so his reflection slid across Donzig’s in the glass.
‘Oh, everything ends. Everything does. It all goes down in the dark, Donzig. Into the pit.’
He screamed then, howling as he flailed around in tangled blankets. He dropped from the bed, smacking against the floor before he crawled to his knees. He cursed, shoving away from the floor as he tried to find the lamp. His fingers knocked something from the table, and he grabbed for it. His fingers wrapped around it, and he knew what it was.
A chess piece. A king.
He frowned, and then he heard a knock at the door. And Saito’s voice.
‘You okay? Donzig?’
‘We are–’
He froze, and he tossed the chess piece away as he fell back to sit against the bed.
‘I’m fine.’
But was he? He took a deep breath, and Saito was still at the door. He could hear him.
‘Are you sure? I heard yelling, you were talking to someone.’
Bet.
‘I’m sure.’
Saito stepped back, and he heard him start down the hall before he paused. Donzig looked towards the door with a frown. He tugged at his beard, shaking his head before he spat. He could taste blood.
‘Okay, I am going back to bed.’
Donzig grunted.
‘Saito?’
‘Yeah?’
He stared at the door, and his eyes narrowed.
‘See you soon.’
That fought in heaven, now fiercer by despair….’
The voice purred from the darkness, cold and pitiless. Donzig looked up, his eyes haggard as he flicked ashes from the cigar in his fingers. He raked fingers through his beard, and he tilted his head to look into the shadows.
‘Milton. It’s always fucking Milton with you.’
The shadows stirred, and the Scourge stepped forward. Was this a dream? A waking Nightmare? He couldn’t say. The masked face turned, and the empty eyes as black as the pit drifted over him before he absently flipped over a card from the stack that sat at Donzig’s hand.
Donzig swept them aside, and he reached for the bottle which drew a hiss.
‘You have become soft, old friend. Weak.Spike is going to tear you apart if there is anything left of you after End of Days. Death Trap hates you!’
Donzig’s hand slammed down, and his eyes narrowed.
‘He hates you! They both hate you! In fact, they all hate you.’
The Scourge sniffed, picking up one of the cards to stare at it before he flicked it onto the table. Donzig stared at the giant black spade, and he grunted as he looked up again. The Scourge leaned forward on the table, hissing as he tilted his head.
‘They hate me because I am them. The same reason they hate you. I am ambition unbound, I am desire unchecked, I am the black beating heart of the Sport of Kings! I have rejected all constraints, all boundaries, and all of the lies! I am the very soul of the XHF! It’s shadow, and they hunger for me because I give them meaning!’
The Scourge flicked his fingers, and he started to pace as Donzig watched him with a frown.
‘You were once like me! But you became soft, weak, fucking infected!’
Donzig took another drink, and he wondered if everyone had a thing like the Scourge inside of them. That was what he claimed, and he looked away.
‘Because all I ever did was ruin everything I cared about! My legacy is blood and ashes! And even that is more than what you want to leave behind! Nothing will ever be enough for you! Nothing! You’re a demon!’
The voice cackled, a horrid mocking sound that sounded like something trying to remember a laugh. It wheezed and hissed, sputtering from under that mask before it whirled to lean across the table. A finger stabbing down on the card, and those empty eyes met Donzig’s.
‘So what if I am? I am the black mirror, and you’re just another failure like them! I am as a God! And when one of our enemies, and make no mistake, they are OUR enemies. Because they don’t give two fucks about you anymore than I do! You see there is another hard truth for you! They would all, all of them, let you fucking die so I will return to them! They will risk everything, sacrifice everything, for one more chance to face me!’
Donzig stared at him, a hand wiping across his mouth as he rose to his own feet. He started to pace, soon walking to the window as he pulled out a worn looking white chess piece. He turned the white king in his fingers, turning it slowly around before he folded his fingers around it.
‘You’re insane. This is going to end.’
The Scourge drew close, and he leaned forward so his reflection slid across Donzig’s in the glass.
‘Oh, everything ends. Everything does. It all goes down in the dark, Donzig. Into the pit.’
He screamed then, howling as he flailed around in tangled blankets. He dropped from the bed, smacking against the floor before he crawled to his knees. He cursed, shoving away from the floor as he tried to find the lamp. His fingers knocked something from the table, and he grabbed for it. His fingers wrapped around it, and he knew what it was.
A chess piece. A king.
He frowned, and then he heard a knock at the door. And Saito’s voice.
‘You okay? Donzig?’
‘We are–’
He froze, and he tossed the chess piece away as he fell back to sit against the bed.
‘I’m fine.’
But was he? He took a deep breath, and Saito was still at the door. He could hear him.
‘Are you sure? I heard yelling, you were talking to someone.’
Bet.
‘I’m sure.’
Saito stepped back, and he heard him start down the hall before he paused. Donzig looked towards the door with a frown. He tugged at his beard, shaking his head before he spat. He could taste blood.
‘Okay, I am going back to bed.’
Donzig grunted.
‘Saito?’
‘Yeah?’
He stared at the door, and his eyes narrowed.
‘See you soon.’
