Post by Vladimir T. Strife on Jul 4, 2010 3:28:45 GMT -5
Inside of the brightly lit and well equipped GHW gymnasium, we find the so-called Czar of Scars pacing a practice ring, rushing from side to side and throwing his weight into the cables that stretch across the sides. Slowing his pace, the GodKing brings the exercise to a stop, finally bringing himself to a halt in the middle of the squared circle. Vlad walks over toward the camera, popping his upper body through the ropes and bending down to grab a sports bottle filled with Gatorade. Sweat glistens in small beads across his face, showing that he's been training inside the facility for a while now. He squirts the drink into his gullet and gulps it down, letting out a sigh of satisfaction afterwards and turning his focus to the camera. He steps out through the ropes and takes a seat on the side of the ring, preparing his response to the words that have been ringing through his head ever since they left the mouth of the Psycho King.
"Jaggy, Jaggy, Jaggy.... You know what? You made a few good points and hell, I was actually a bit touched by what you said to me. I thought about them all day and I considered just staying quiet and letting what happens happen. Something just didn't feel right about this... felt sleazy and wrong. Jaggeroth.. I can't let you walk into Red, White and Bruised with such misconceptions without clarifying some of them."
The King takes another long drink from the bottle, still a little dehydrated from the workout. He caps the bottle and sets it aside for a moment before pointing to it with a smile.
"Lemon-lime. It's almost worth the workout to have an excuse to drink this stuff. But I digress. You talked about a warrior's code... About honor and all of that.. And honestly, I can understand that... hell, I kind of respect that. Every person in the world, I like to believe, has a code of conduct. Some, like ours, is looser than others, but we ALL have them."
"You want me to step into the ring with you and put aside my anger.. to fight with my soul. You say this anger of mine will blow up like a 'karma bomb' of sorts and destroy me. And maybe you're right.."
Strife reaches into his pocket and fiddles around a moment, eventually producing a black leather wallet. He flips it open and turns it toward the camera, cuing the cameraman to zoom in on what he's displaying. Inside is a picture of his former wife, her hand splayed out on her large stomach, a smile upon her face.
"Do you see that, Jaggeroth? That was my Daphne... and her hand, there, right there is my only child.."
"I won't deny that life has been kinder to me than it has been to you. I won't deny that, in the end, Daphne leaving me is a result of my own actions. I won't deny that it is exactly what I deserve."
The King turns it around and looks at the photo before wiping his cheek, clearing the tiny beads of sweat and a larger bead that had begun to run down through the middle of them.
"It was simply her who made Daphne aware of these transgressions.. and that is why I hold this grudge. In time, when I felt she could handle the truth, I was prepared to tell her... but only once I knew it wouldn't destroy the relationship I had with her. The true victim in this isn't me though... it's that little girl who lost the most. Thanks to Wolverina, my little girl will grow up not knowing her father.. something I can relate to. Despite who I am in the ring, I wasn't that man at home and I have never laid a finger in violence towards my wife. I am not my father, Jaggeroth, I am neither him nor your father."
The Legendary Behemoth puts his wallet away and stares back into the black abyss behind the glass lens.
"I was quitting this business. Not because I felt like I couldn't hack it or anything like that... but simply because I wanted to keep my precious child just as far away from this overcomplicated shit... from this land of wolves and beasts. From bastards like you and Wolverina and Nicholas Carson and those who would pursue them just for the chance to dethrone a King. And now... after what has transpired... thanks to the actions of that little whore you call a Princess... my daughter is sucked right into the middle of this shit."
"And to top it off... that cunt had the nerve to put her hands on my daughter... to threaten taking her life!"
Vladimir hops off of the apron and steps forward toward the camera, his words ringing through the otherwise empty gym.
"Mark my words, Jaggeroth.. I could give a shit less about your existential garbage. Not everything in life is that deep, sometimes we aren't humans just looking for acceptance and someone to care about us. Sometimes... we're just animals, no better or worse than the snake that strikes out of fear or the tiger that rips a man to shreds in the name of territory."
"I don't give a shit if my sins are forgiving or where my place in the universe is. Words can not express the amount of fuck that is not given about winning or losing, the Warrior's code, or my inner turmoil. My soul will not find peace in the wake of what you have done. I have lost my marriage, my company, I'm on the verge of losing everything I have of value and my very sanity, and I have lost my wife and my daughter. You don't want anger? You don't want my wrath? You don't want a Vladimir Strife fueled by the need for revenge?"
"THAT'S JUST TOO FUCKING BAD!! Because at this point... this eternal rage, this burning hatred, this revenge... is what you've left me with. So that is what I will bring to Red, White and Bruised. And don't let that lull you into a sense of security for a damned moment... because even if that's all I have left, I'm bringing every last ounce of it with me Sunday."
Vladimir calms himself down, his volume dropping as he takes a deep breath and collects himself.
"One last thing, Jag... You want my soul? You can have it.. but I'm warning you now... I don't think you're prepared to cover the cost."
Vlad rolls back into the ring and begins running again, hitting the ropes harder than before as his rage pushes him on.
~End Of Thread~
"Jaggy, Jaggy, Jaggy.... You know what? You made a few good points and hell, I was actually a bit touched by what you said to me. I thought about them all day and I considered just staying quiet and letting what happens happen. Something just didn't feel right about this... felt sleazy and wrong. Jaggeroth.. I can't let you walk into Red, White and Bruised with such misconceptions without clarifying some of them."
The King takes another long drink from the bottle, still a little dehydrated from the workout. He caps the bottle and sets it aside for a moment before pointing to it with a smile.
"Lemon-lime. It's almost worth the workout to have an excuse to drink this stuff. But I digress. You talked about a warrior's code... About honor and all of that.. And honestly, I can understand that... hell, I kind of respect that. Every person in the world, I like to believe, has a code of conduct. Some, like ours, is looser than others, but we ALL have them."
"You want me to step into the ring with you and put aside my anger.. to fight with my soul. You say this anger of mine will blow up like a 'karma bomb' of sorts and destroy me. And maybe you're right.."
Strife reaches into his pocket and fiddles around a moment, eventually producing a black leather wallet. He flips it open and turns it toward the camera, cuing the cameraman to zoom in on what he's displaying. Inside is a picture of his former wife, her hand splayed out on her large stomach, a smile upon her face.
"Do you see that, Jaggeroth? That was my Daphne... and her hand, there, right there is my only child.."
"I won't deny that life has been kinder to me than it has been to you. I won't deny that, in the end, Daphne leaving me is a result of my own actions. I won't deny that it is exactly what I deserve."
The King turns it around and looks at the photo before wiping his cheek, clearing the tiny beads of sweat and a larger bead that had begun to run down through the middle of them.
"It was simply her who made Daphne aware of these transgressions.. and that is why I hold this grudge. In time, when I felt she could handle the truth, I was prepared to tell her... but only once I knew it wouldn't destroy the relationship I had with her. The true victim in this isn't me though... it's that little girl who lost the most. Thanks to Wolverina, my little girl will grow up not knowing her father.. something I can relate to. Despite who I am in the ring, I wasn't that man at home and I have never laid a finger in violence towards my wife. I am not my father, Jaggeroth, I am neither him nor your father."
The Legendary Behemoth puts his wallet away and stares back into the black abyss behind the glass lens.
"I was quitting this business. Not because I felt like I couldn't hack it or anything like that... but simply because I wanted to keep my precious child just as far away from this overcomplicated shit... from this land of wolves and beasts. From bastards like you and Wolverina and Nicholas Carson and those who would pursue them just for the chance to dethrone a King. And now... after what has transpired... thanks to the actions of that little whore you call a Princess... my daughter is sucked right into the middle of this shit."
"And to top it off... that cunt had the nerve to put her hands on my daughter... to threaten taking her life!"
Vladimir hops off of the apron and steps forward toward the camera, his words ringing through the otherwise empty gym.
"Mark my words, Jaggeroth.. I could give a shit less about your existential garbage. Not everything in life is that deep, sometimes we aren't humans just looking for acceptance and someone to care about us. Sometimes... we're just animals, no better or worse than the snake that strikes out of fear or the tiger that rips a man to shreds in the name of territory."
"I don't give a shit if my sins are forgiving or where my place in the universe is. Words can not express the amount of fuck that is not given about winning or losing, the Warrior's code, or my inner turmoil. My soul will not find peace in the wake of what you have done. I have lost my marriage, my company, I'm on the verge of losing everything I have of value and my very sanity, and I have lost my wife and my daughter. You don't want anger? You don't want my wrath? You don't want a Vladimir Strife fueled by the need for revenge?"
"THAT'S JUST TOO FUCKING BAD!! Because at this point... this eternal rage, this burning hatred, this revenge... is what you've left me with. So that is what I will bring to Red, White and Bruised. And don't let that lull you into a sense of security for a damned moment... because even if that's all I have left, I'm bringing every last ounce of it with me Sunday."
Vladimir calms himself down, his volume dropping as he takes a deep breath and collects himself.
"One last thing, Jag... You want my soul? You can have it.. but I'm warning you now... I don't think you're prepared to cover the cost."
Vlad rolls back into the ring and begins running again, hitting the ropes harder than before as his rage pushes him on.
~End Of Thread~
