Post by Gavin Drake on Nov 8, 2024 22:36:45 GMT -5
The man known as the Empty Hand walked down the hallway frowning at the old paintings staring down at him from the polished wooden walls. They were not his ancestors, but he knew well those proud faces and stern looks. He had grown up in a house like this, though it had not been as well cared or loved as Godfrey Hall.
He frowned, pausing before the heavy wooden doors before he pushed them open. Inside in the candle lit gloom were gathered the First Family of Donzig-gun, the Court of the Scourge. Mormo and Moloch looked up as one, their eyes narrowed as they saw him.
His brothers would be slow to forgive, he knew that. Sinclair stood behind Donzig who sat in his ornately carved chair before the mysterious bond figure. The man was secured in place, a Hannibal Lector style mask covering his face. Donzig was reading, his empty voice echoing in the antique filled room.
‘Achilles glared at him and answered, "Fool, prate not to me about covenants. There can be no covenants between men and lions, wolves and lambs can never be of one mind, but hate each other out and out an through. Therefore there can be no understanding between you and me, nor may there be any covenants between us, till one or other shall fall and glut grim Ares with his life's blood. Be mindful of all your excellence [aretê]; you have need now to prove yourself indeed a bold warrior and fighter. You have no more chance, and Pallas Athena will forthwith vanquish you by my spear: you shall now pay me in full for the grief you have caused me on account of my comrades whom you have killed in battle."
He poised his spear as he spoke and hurled it. Hektor saw it coming and avoided it; he watched it and crouched down so that it flew over his head and stuck in the ground beyond; Athena then snatched it up and gave it back to Achilles without Hektor's seeing her; Hektor thereon said to the son of Peleus, "You have missed your aim, Achilles, peer of the gods, and Zeus has not yet revealed to you the hour of my doom, though you made sure that he had done so. You were a false-tongued liar when you deemed that I should forget my valor and quail before you. You shall not drive spear into the back of a runaway - drive it, should heaven so grant you power, drive it into me as I make straight towards you; and now for your own part avoid my spear if you can - would that you might receive the whole of it into your body; if you were once dead the Trojans would find the war an easier matter, for it is you who have harmed them most."....’
Donzig knew he was there. Donzig didn’t miss anything. People assumed that was part of the powers being the Scourge gave him, but facts were? Drake knew that Donzig had always been paranoid, that he had not missed anything even before he had changed. Donzig closed the book, a finger between the pages as he turned to stare at Drake.
Drake knelt slowly, bowing his head. Donzig waved a hand, fingers flicking.
Drake wasn’t fooled. Donzig could forgive, but he would never forget. Drake’s eyes flicked to the X-Crown, then to the figure before he licked his lips.
‘Why? You have the X-Crown.’
Sinclair arched a brow, Drake knew he Baroness would never question Donzig. The Scourge hissed, his arm dragging across his mask as he leaned forward.
‘He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him! I'll chase him 'round the moons of Nibia and 'round the Antares Maelstrom and 'round perdition's flames before I give him up!’
Drake blinked. That was what that was about. Donzig was obsessed with defeating HIM. This all of this was about HIM. No one defied Donzig, no one escaped his wrath. This would end badly. That was why his X-Crown reign had become an orgy of violence, and wild defenses. Donzig was boiling.
Drake nodded, and rose.
‘I see.’
Donzig spat, finger jabbing.
‘See that you do! I want Eron Hunter to understand the fucking way of things! He has a way of causing problems, I don’t want him to get ideas! I don’t want him in my fucking business! In our business!
Grind him into the earth! I want him to know he is not dealing with Watts, or Crane’s boys, or the Void help us all the Slams! He needs to have the fear of Donzig-gun in his mouth! I don’t want him to get ideas about taking what is mine!’
His eyes flicked to the X-crown, and his hand moved to drag across the golden and platinum surface of the title. Then his eyes narrowed on the masked man, and he leaned back with a shrug.
‘After all I worked very hard to take this prize from the best in the XHF didn’t I, friend?’
The Masked Man hissed, straining against the straps as Donzig cackled. Drake flinched, he would never get used to that terrible rasping laugh. It hissed and gurgled, rasping before Donzig stopped laughing as he turned back to the Butcher of Donzig-gun.
‘It’s a long hard road out of Hell, Gavin.’
Drake nodded, and he balled his hand into a fist as he rose.
‘You don’t need to bloody worry, I am going to take Eron Hunter apart. I am going to show the entire company they are taking the piss if they think they can keep the WUK Heavyweight Championship away from me! And it starts with him, I am going to teach him new words for pain.
Blood of Kings, yeah? Win or lose, Hunter is leaving in pieces!’
Donzig nodded, fingers steepling before him as he lifted the X-crown.
‘Good. Because unlike say Long or Dominicus? Hunter is exactly what he says he is.’
He frowned, pausing before the heavy wooden doors before he pushed them open. Inside in the candle lit gloom were gathered the First Family of Donzig-gun, the Court of the Scourge. Mormo and Moloch looked up as one, their eyes narrowed as they saw him.
His brothers would be slow to forgive, he knew that. Sinclair stood behind Donzig who sat in his ornately carved chair before the mysterious bond figure. The man was secured in place, a Hannibal Lector style mask covering his face. Donzig was reading, his empty voice echoing in the antique filled room.
‘Achilles glared at him and answered, "Fool, prate not to me about covenants. There can be no covenants between men and lions, wolves and lambs can never be of one mind, but hate each other out and out an through. Therefore there can be no understanding between you and me, nor may there be any covenants between us, till one or other shall fall and glut grim Ares with his life's blood. Be mindful of all your excellence [aretê]; you have need now to prove yourself indeed a bold warrior and fighter. You have no more chance, and Pallas Athena will forthwith vanquish you by my spear: you shall now pay me in full for the grief you have caused me on account of my comrades whom you have killed in battle."
He poised his spear as he spoke and hurled it. Hektor saw it coming and avoided it; he watched it and crouched down so that it flew over his head and stuck in the ground beyond; Athena then snatched it up and gave it back to Achilles without Hektor's seeing her; Hektor thereon said to the son of Peleus, "You have missed your aim, Achilles, peer of the gods, and Zeus has not yet revealed to you the hour of my doom, though you made sure that he had done so. You were a false-tongued liar when you deemed that I should forget my valor and quail before you. You shall not drive spear into the back of a runaway - drive it, should heaven so grant you power, drive it into me as I make straight towards you; and now for your own part avoid my spear if you can - would that you might receive the whole of it into your body; if you were once dead the Trojans would find the war an easier matter, for it is you who have harmed them most."....’
Donzig knew he was there. Donzig didn’t miss anything. People assumed that was part of the powers being the Scourge gave him, but facts were? Drake knew that Donzig had always been paranoid, that he had not missed anything even before he had changed. Donzig closed the book, a finger between the pages as he turned to stare at Drake.
Drake knelt slowly, bowing his head. Donzig waved a hand, fingers flicking.
Drake wasn’t fooled. Donzig could forgive, but he would never forget. Drake’s eyes flicked to the X-Crown, then to the figure before he licked his lips.
‘Why? You have the X-Crown.’
Sinclair arched a brow, Drake knew he Baroness would never question Donzig. The Scourge hissed, his arm dragging across his mask as he leaned forward.
‘He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him! I'll chase him 'round the moons of Nibia and 'round the Antares Maelstrom and 'round perdition's flames before I give him up!’
Drake blinked. That was what that was about. Donzig was obsessed with defeating HIM. This all of this was about HIM. No one defied Donzig, no one escaped his wrath. This would end badly. That was why his X-Crown reign had become an orgy of violence, and wild defenses. Donzig was boiling.
Drake nodded, and rose.
‘I see.’
Donzig spat, finger jabbing.
‘See that you do! I want Eron Hunter to understand the fucking way of things! He has a way of causing problems, I don’t want him to get ideas! I don’t want him in my fucking business! In our business!
Grind him into the earth! I want him to know he is not dealing with Watts, or Crane’s boys, or the Void help us all the Slams! He needs to have the fear of Donzig-gun in his mouth! I don’t want him to get ideas about taking what is mine!’
His eyes flicked to the X-crown, and his hand moved to drag across the golden and platinum surface of the title. Then his eyes narrowed on the masked man, and he leaned back with a shrug.
‘After all I worked very hard to take this prize from the best in the XHF didn’t I, friend?’
The Masked Man hissed, straining against the straps as Donzig cackled. Drake flinched, he would never get used to that terrible rasping laugh. It hissed and gurgled, rasping before Donzig stopped laughing as he turned back to the Butcher of Donzig-gun.
‘It’s a long hard road out of Hell, Gavin.’
Drake nodded, and he balled his hand into a fist as he rose.
‘You don’t need to bloody worry, I am going to take Eron Hunter apart. I am going to show the entire company they are taking the piss if they think they can keep the WUK Heavyweight Championship away from me! And it starts with him, I am going to teach him new words for pain.
Blood of Kings, yeah? Win or lose, Hunter is leaving in pieces!’
Donzig nodded, fingers steepling before him as he lifted the X-crown.
‘Good. Because unlike say Long or Dominicus? Hunter is exactly what he says he is.’