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X-treme Wrestling Federation » Warfare Boards » Warfare RP Board
First Win
Author Message
Eobard Stone Offline
Registered but either hasn't added self to a roster yet or doesn't RP



XWF FanBase:
The 'cool' kliq fans

(booed by casual fans; opportunistic; often plays dirty while setting the trends)


#1
05-18-2021, 09:16 PM

Eobard Stone had spent the last week trying to teach his partner, Steven Cooper, how to play Magic: the Gathering. The emphasis was on the word trying, as Cooper didn't seem to be making any sort of progress.

"How am I supposed to spend a tree?" The Trooper asked, revealing a Forest from his hand to Stone.

"It's called a forest," Eobard informed him, face palming as he did so. "And you have to tap it."

"Tap it?!" Cooper questioned, setting it down and delivering a light slap to it. "Like that?"

Eobard buries his face further into his hands. "No," he responded, his palms muffling his voice a bit. "It's a piece of cardboard, not a booty!"

"Oh please!" Steven shot back. "I'm a gentleman, son. I don't slap asses, I ea-"

"ANYWAY!" Stone interrupted, uninterested in the things his mentor does in the privacy of his own bedroom. "Tapping in Magic means to turn the card sideways."

"Well then, why the hell don't they just call it 'turning your card sideways'?!" Cooper burst out, annoyed by all the little things this game entailed.

"Because saying 'tap' is easier," Eobard explained, trying his best not to get frustrated. Cooper was starting to remind him of an annoying little kid constantly questioning everything, NOT a 50 year old man.

"Obviously it's not," Steven retorted. "'Cause I don't know what the FUCK is going on!"

He certainly did not, but that wasn't gonna stop Eobard from trying. Cooper never gave up on him when HE was first starting out, and neither was Stone. The Game Master knew that, in order for Steven to learn the game, he was going to have to play the game. Much like HE had to inside the ring, Eobard knew Cooper's best chance of survival was to experience the battle, first hand, in the trenches.......................... at Friday Night Magic.

Luckily, the Dungeon hosted an FNM every single week. Most of the time, Eobard would assign Damien to be the judge so that he could compete in the tournament himself(and usually win). On this particular night, however, Stone was playing the role of judge in order to watch his partner's games. This was a relief for Damien, who could FINALLY compete in his first FNM since being hired!

Things didn't start too well for Cooper when he got paired up against one of the top players in, not only the city, but the entire state. Eobard thought about warning The Trooper, but decided it was best he learned how to swim on his own. Unfortunately for Steven, he sank like a rock.

It was a good thing Stone had been watching the entire time, because Andy Huang had to call the judge at least a dozen times. Illegally tapping cards. Forgetting to draw. Drawing too many. Trying to light up a cigar. The list of infractions was nearly a mile long, and Huang was given the Round without having to do a single point of damage. What else could Eobard DO after the fifteenth warning? He could lose his status as an official DCI Judge if he didn't enforce the rules, he had no choice but to disqualify Cooper.

To Steven's disgust, Andy offered him a handshake and the typical "Good Game" in a douchey voice.

"Go fuck yourself," The Trooper spit out, grabbing his deck and getting up from the table.

"You'll get 'em next time!" Eobard spoke with enthusiasm as Cooper walked past him.

"Benedict Asshole," he mumbled, stepping outside to finish his cigar.

"God, what an asshole!" Huang complained, causing Stone to turn towards him and throw his hands up.

"You told him 'good game' after demanding I disqualify him loud enough for the entire store to hear!" The Game Master barked, causing Andy to jump. "You're lucky he didn't kick your ass.................. or mine for that matter!"

The next Round wasn't much better for poor, old Steven Cooper. It started off well enough, with The Trooper actually figuring out how to attack for 1 damage on Turn 2 without any assistance. That's not to say he didn't TRY to get Stone to help him, at least at first.

"What do I do now?" he asked, turning away from his opponent to look at his partner.

"I'm not allowed to help," Eobard informed him, receiving an annoyed sigh for his trouble. "Unless you'd like another DQ?"

Cooper rolled his eyes and turned back towards his opponent. "I guess I'll turn this guy sideways!" he announced, throwing his arm up afterwards in frustration.

"You're attacking for one?" the man sitting across from Cooper questioned.

"Yes," Steven declared, the hype growing in his voice upon realizing he was doing something good. "Yes I am!"

Stone was proud of his mentor, the same way HE had been when Eobard would figure something out inside the ring. Cooper had gone from thinking he had been wasting his time playing a stupid kid's game, to actually caring about the outcome and trying to win. It was a historic moment for EXP, but moreso The Trooper himself. He proudly finished his turn and sat back in his chair, confident be could deal another measly 19 life points as his opponent started their's.

"JUDGE!!!!!!"

Eobard rolled his eyes at the familiar sound of Andy Huang's voice. He made a gun gesture with his fingers and held it up to his head, pretending to blow his brains out. "COMIIIIIIIIING!!!!!!!" Stone shouted with a sarcastic sense of enthusiasm, before addressing Cooper. "I'll be right back. You got this!"

Eobard ended up being gone alot longer than he expected, as Andy had a million different complaints to make about his opponent, from the condition of their deck sleeves to their frequent phone use. By the time he got back to Cooper's match, The Trooper looked like he wanted to die.

"Who's turn is it?"

"It's HIS turn," Steven grumbled, looking at his watch impatiently. "It was his turn when you left, it's his turn now, it's ALWAYS been his turn!"

Eobard looked at Cooper's opponent, who explained the situation. "I'm comboing off," he informed the store owner who, unlike his partner, knew immediately what he was saying. "I tried to tell him I'm gonna draw my entire deck and kill him eventually, but he kept going on about how he's not dead until his life reaches zero!"

Stone looked over the game status and could blatantly see that this man was telling the truth. It would take him a while, but eventually he would draw his entire deck, leaving him with all the pieces needed to finish The Trooper off. Most people would concede and move on to the next game, but not Cooper! He insisted the man play out his turn completely, repeating the same steps over and over again to draw all of his cards and slowly dwindle The Trooper's life down until he did, indeed, reach zero.

"NOW I'm dead," Cooper conceded, receiving an eye roll from his veteran opponent.

Rather than shuffle up and prepare for Game 2, Steven grabbed his deck and stood up. "Aren't you going to finish the Round?" the man sitting across from him inquired.

Cooper let out an annoyed chuckle, a vein throbbing in his forehead as he spoke. "No," he cracked, trying to hold himself back. "I'm not. If I have to sit through another 25 minutes of your com-bull-shit, I'm gonna leap across this table and strangle you!" His opponent's eyes shot wide open in fear. "Which is why I'm gonna get up and walk away before I make it so that you CAN'T...................."

Eobard's jaw dropped to the floor as Steven walked away from his opponent, who was shaking uncontrollably. To Stone's horror, Cooper wasn't done as he stopped in his tracks and turned back around.

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed, stepping towards his frightened foe. "Good game, or somethin'." He put his hand out, causing the man to flinch so hard he nearly fell out of his chair. Upon seeing the "friendly" gesture, he reached out and grasped it with his own. Cooper gave him a gentle shake, not wanting to break the guy's fragile little arm. The Trooper then turned and walked away, making eye contact with Stone on his way past. They nodded to one another, with the mutual understanding that Cooper was slowly beginning to catch on to things. Much like their last few losses had been, it was a learning experience. The next one would be better.

Little did Steven know, his next opponent, Tyler Foster, was a former Regional Champion who'd gotten rather unlucky the last couple of Rounds, ending up in the loser's bracket on misfortune and misfortune alone. Eobard knew this going in, but figured he'd let Cooper find out what the man was capable of on his own. Much like The Game Master had been dealing with heading into his match with Andre Dixon, Stone knew how much an opponent's hype could affect one's strategy going in; and he didn't want his mentor overthinking things before the battle had even begun.

Cooper was quickly led to believe he was in better shape than the previous two games, but Eobard knew better. Foster was playing a control deck, which usually started off slow, but would typically have the game well within hand by Turn 5 or 6. Despite The Trooper dealing almost half his opponent's life in a matter of three turns, showing some MUCH needed improvement in the process, Tyler was able to play a card that destroyed ALL of Cooper's Elves before proceeding to counter everything else he tried to play after.

"I'll play La-la-lanowar Elves," the wrestler announced, pronouncing the card's name incorrectly before setting it on the table.

"Not so fast!" Foster responded, tapping two of his lands and placing a card of his own down. "Mana Leak."

"What's that do?" Cooper questioned, grabbing for the card and reading it to himself. "Counter target spell unless it's controller pays 3.............. what the hell does THAT mean?"

"It means if you don't pay three mana, your card goes to the graveyard," his opponent informed him, a bit put off by the fact Steven didn't know what a Mana Leak was.

Steven looked at his lands, only having two available for said mana. "Well THAT'S fuckin' gay," he boomed while placing his card in the graveyard, unaware he had just offended his homosexual opponent. "How 'bout Talara's Batallion?" The Trooper asked, turning his last two Forests sideways and playing the final card in his hand.

The second Cooper began saying the name of his next card, Tyler wasted little time tapping two more lands and dropping another counter. "Remove Soul."

"What does THAT do???" Cooper burst out, prepared for the worst.

"It counters a creature spell," his opponent shot back with a sigh, becoming more annoyed by this obvious noob.

"God dammit!" Cooper yelled, moving his card to the graveyard and throwing his arms up. "Your turn, I guess!"

As Cooper pouted in his seat, Tyler took his turn, which only consisted of playing a single creature before passing back to The Trooper. A surprised Steven untapped his lands and drew for the turn, a promising card that could potentially help him make a comeback. He turned all three of his Forests sideways and laid out his one last hope for the game.

"Imperious Perfect."

Tyler looked at the card for a moment, going over the pros and cons of letting Steven's Elf see the field. Realizing there was alot more cons than there were pros, Foster grabbed another card from his hand and placed it down in front of Cooper.

"Mana Leak."

The Trooper didn't have to ask what THAT card did, as he remembered it well from the first time. Having no extra mana to counteract it's ability, Cooper was left with no choice but to throw his card in the graveyard and motion for his opponent to go.

It was all downhill from there.

Eobard could only watch as his partner struggled with having every card he attempted to play being countered, while slowly having his life drained by his opponent's single creature. Cooper couldn't believe the BS he'd been dealing with, finally being able to take his turns only to have everything he did countered like a wrestling hold.

"I'll play a Forest and pass turn," Cooper grunted, eyeing his opponent suspiciously. "Unless you're gonna counter my land............."

Tyler drew his card for turn and played a land of his own, responding coldly to Steven's remark. "Can't counter lands."

"But you CAN destroy them," Eobard chimed in, wanting to make sure his mentor knew his lands weren't necessarily safe.

To Stone's surprise, this new information actually seemed to revitalize The Trooper, who eagerly turned towards the judge and made sure he was hearing things correctly. "Realllllllllllly?"

"Yep," The Game Master responded. Before he could list off some of the cards that can destroy lands, though, Cooper had already reached for his opponent's and began ripping them in half.

"What the fuck are you doing?!??!?!" Foster shrieked, watching his $30 dual lands being destroyed before his very eyes.

"What?" The Trooper asked, nonchalantly. "I'm destroying your lands. Good luck countering shit NOW!................"

Needless to say, Eobard was left with no choice but to disqualify his mentor............. AGAIN. In addition to handing out a loss, Stone was forced to replace all the lands Cooper ripped up(costing him a pretty penny), as well as let Foster have dibs on pretty much ANY card in The Game Master's collection. By the time Tyler had taken what he wanted, Eobard was easily out a couple thousand dollars; but he wasn't gonna tell Steven that.

"You should've told me you meant there were cards that destroy lands," Cooper commented, as if it was STONE'S fault he ruined someone else's cards.

"I THOUGHT that was obvious," Eobard replied, typing the results into the computer in order to prepare for the next round.

"Well, obviously it WASN'T," Steven fired back as Stone printed out the pairings.

"You got a bye," Eobard informed Cooper, before taping the Round info to the wall and shouting out. "PAIRINGS, ROUND FOUR!!!!!"

The entire store rushed over to the paper as Eobard walked through the crowd back over to Cooper, who was a bit confused. "What do you mean I have a bye?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. "I thought those were winners?"

"Maybe in the NFL," The Game Master said, sitting down across from The Trooper. "But in Magic, if there's an uneven number of people in a Tournament, the person with the worst record gets a bye. It's kind of like a win, but not really."

"So it's like winning by count out?" Cooper asked, feeling as if he was onto something.

"More like DQ," Stone corrected before explaining his logic. "'Cause you didn't really EARN it."

Steven sank in his chair, feeling almost worse about the bye than his previous losses. "Great, a Thad Duke win............."

Eobard chuckled, getting a kick out of Cooper's comparison. "Pretty much."

The Trooper let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair, trying to relax for the first time since this Tournament started. "Well, since we got some time, I was thinking we could talk strategy for Warfare."

Stone was a little taken aback by the suggestion, but more than willing to discuss it. "Sure," he agreed, sitting back in his own chair. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking you could distract Andre," Cooper began, rubbing his hands together like some sort of evil genius. "While I come up from behind and knock him out with a lead pipe!"

"No, no, NO!" Eobard objected, shaking his head with every no. "If I win, I want it to be on MY terms. I didn't put in all that time and effort training just to cheat my way to a victory."

Steven didn't seem to understand Stone's logic. "You DO realize this is the same guy we jumped on Savage a few weeks back, right?"

"THAT was sending a message," Eobard explained, feeling differently about the situation than his partner. "THIS is a competition. If I want to be taken seriously as a future Title contender, I'm gonna have to do things on my own every once in a while."

"So, what you're saying is, you don't need my help?" Steven questioned, feeling like a parent who's child just told them they didn't need them anymore.

"That's NOT what I said," The Game Master clarified. "I just don't need you winning the match FOR me. If you want to give advice, or hand me a weapon, I'm not gonna stop you; but what I DON'T want is you laying your hands on Dixon when it's MY responsibility to beat him................ on my own."

Cooper had gone from being offended by the kid's request to feeling proud. In all the time he'd known Stone, Steven had never really seen him take charge of his own destiny. It was a glorious moment, similar to a bird watching it's babies take flight for the very first time. However, despite this, The Trooper still had his reservations about letting young Eobard spread his wings.

"I gotta admit, I'd feel alot better about it if it wasn't the Television Champion you were facing," Steven confessed, randomly looking over one of the cards in his deck, thoroughly.

"What IS a Champion?" Eobard posed, making Cooper wonder what the hell he'd been smokin'. "I've watched enough sports to know that, sometimes, the one who wins the Title ISN'T the better man. My high school football team lost the State Championship because I decided to step out of bounds. Me. One man! Deciding the fate of an entire team in an instant. Had it been anyone else with the ball, we would've won State and I wouldn't be the pariah my fellow alumni like to make me out to be."

"My point is," Stone continued. "There's always multiple variables in a competition. Take board games, for example."

"Jesus Christ, you and your board games!"

Eobard ignored his mentor and went on. "Your opponent may be skilled and know every strategic aspect of the game, but if they fail their die rolls, they're no better than someone who's never played before. The same can be said for a noob who rolls hot. Point is, Andre Dixon may be the TV Champion, but that doesn't mean there isn't someone out there who can't dethrone him. They don't even HAVE to be better, just hit a 6 every now and again."[/color]

"It's just a shame this isn't for the belt, 'cause I expect you to be a high roller, Wednesday night."

[yellow]"You can thank Demos for that,"
Stone stated with a crooked smile. "He set the proverbial 'bar' with his record Title reign................ or, in this case, knocked it to the floor. For a belt that's supposedly defended every Savage, Nickles sure didn't have too many challengers before Marf transitioned it onto Dixon. And now 'dre's following in Charlie's footsteps and defending it as little as possible. He couldn't be bothered to put it up for grabs Saturday Night, let alone show up, and he can't be bothered to put it on the line Wednesday night, either. How could he ever top Demos' reign if The Game Master ends his before it even begins?"

"He can't."

"Exactly." Eobard paused for a moment as a few players in the Tournament brought up their results sheet and handed them to him. Once they were gone, he continued. "Andre Dixon has been all hype since Day 1. He lost to Corey and everyone praised him as if he'd actually won. Lost the 2nd Chance Battle Royal, yet got cheered like some kind of hero! Now that he's Champion, everyone wants to act like that means something?!? Do you know the kind of people who've been Champion in XWF??? A guy in a wheelchair. A shit fucker. Kid Kool. Thaddeus Duke. You can't paint a turd gold and expect it to be any less shitty than it was before you painted the damn thing!"[/color]

"You don't like Dixon, do you?"

The Game Master looked up at the ceiling, remembering the pleasure he felt beating up the man who'd been casting a shadow over him since his arrival. [yellow]"Actually, I do,"
Eobard admitted. "He's a terrific athlete, has a decent head on his shoulders, and something I want. We're not that different. He started off with a couple tough losses, and so did I. He eventually rebounded with a big statement win, and I'm hoping to do the same................ at HIS expense! My problem with Andre Dixon is that he's been hyped up like the next big thing, despite not really doing much. The fact that everyone looks at HIM like he's already a star, while WE fly under the radar so low, people have already forgotten we're next in line for the Tag Titles after Leap of Faith, doesn't sit well with me. The only difference between him and us is that piece of gold strapped around his waist. Eventually, not even THAT will separate us."

"I like the way you think, kid," Steven said with a smile. "You're right, you DON'T need me! But I'll be there to cheer you on, all the same."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Stone looked over and noticed a stack of results had formed a small pile next to him, enough for them to move on to the final round. He grabbed the papers and began typing the information into the computer. Once he finished, Eobard printed off a sheet for the last round's matches, walked over, and hung it on the wall like he had for all the previous ones.

"If you lose this one, you're never playing Magic again," Eobard quipped in a tone that sounded alot more serious than it did joking.

"Joke's on you!" Cooper responded, grabbing his deck and making his way towards the pairings. "I wasn't gonna play again, anyway!"

The Trooper marched over and looked for his name on the sheet, followed by the person across from it.

"Matt Webster."

Steven turned around and looked all over, but most of the players had already found their opponents and were in the process of setting up for their games.

"Excuse me," a childish voice screeched from behind Cooper. "Are you Steven?"

The Trooper turned around and was greeted by a, literal, snot-nosed kid who couldn't have been any older than 5. "Yes," he answered, his heart sinking at the prospect of losing to someone that much younger than him. "And you must be Matt............"

"Yep," the kid replied, skipping over to a table and climbing onto a chair. "I haven't won a single game today, how 'bout you?"

"I got a bye," Cooper boasted, taking pride in the fact he was technically doing better than his opponent. Not by much but, hey, it still counted!

"Coooooooool!" Matt exclaimed, poorly shuffling his deck at the same time. Cooper followed suit, only in a more professional manner, before presenting his deck for his opponent to cut. The kid refused, immediately drawing cards from his own deck without ever giving The Trooper a chance to cut it.

"Uuuuuum," Steven began, before realizing it wasn't worth making a scene over. "I guess I'll draw my cards, too."

Matt appeared to be entranced by his cards, shaking his head from side to side while humming an annoying tune. Cooper went to grab some dice to roll in order to see who'd go first, but the kid had already played a land as if it was his turn. The Trooper wanted to call him out for this blatant cheating, as Andy Huang had done to him earlier in the Tournament, but Eobard looked him in the eyes and shook his head. As an FNM veteran, Stone knew that there would always be cheating little kids who didn't know any better. Luckily for everyone involved, they usually weren't good enough to win, even WITH the cheating. Unfortunately, the same couldn't necessarily be said about Cooper.

"Goooooooo," the kid droned, blatantly picking up the top card of his deck and looking at it.

"You've gotta be fucking joking," Steven mumbled, drawing for the turn and playing a land. "Pass."

Matt drew the card he illegally peeked at, while also grabbing the one UNDERNEATH IT, as well. The Trooper didn't catch it, though, as he was too busy intently looking over his hand in preparation for his next turn. To Steven's shock, his opponent passed the turn without playing a single card, land or otherwise.

"No land, huh?" Cooper asked, drawing a card and playing a second Forest.

"Nope, land screwed."

"Ah," The Trooper grunted, tapping both lands and attempting to play an Elf. "You don't play counters, do you?"

"Nope!" the kid spit out. "My dad said they're too complicated for me."

"Excellent."

To put it in wrestling terms, the match was a squash. Matt never drew anymore lands, meaning he couldn't play any of his high cost cards. For Steven, it was as easy as playing an Elf every turn and attacking for a little bit more each time. It may have been a mindless strategy, but that was the way Eobard designed it for him. Just like this kid's dad.

"Wow!" Matt said, repeatedly blinking in astonishment. "That was a good game!"

Cooper couldn't tell if the kid was joking, but he wasn't gonna chance it. "It sure was!" he cracked, sounding EXTREMELY fake in the process. "Hopefully the next one's just as close!"

Things went more or less the same, aside from the fact Matt drew NO lands this time as opposed to one. Unfortunately for him, The Trooper got the ultimate hand. Within two turns, he was able to play his ENTIRE hand, leaving his opponent looking at 10 damage a turn without any line of defense. Within two more turns, Cooper had dealt enough damage to defeat his opponent and earn his first ACTUAL win.

"Yeeeeeeeessssssss!!!!!!!" Cooper shouted, jumping out of his chair and celebrating. He reached forward and grabbed his deck before punting it across the store, sending cards flying everywhere.

"Dude, that's a thousand dollar deck!!!!!" Eobard scolded, trying to catch as many as he could on their way down.

"And a thousand dollars well spent!" The Trooper turned towards his opponent and put out his hand. "Good game............." Matt reached for his hand, only for Cooper to pull I away and shout, "Psyche!"

Eobard had never seen him so alive. He watched as The Trooper danced around the store as if he'd just become Champion, once more. Stone was proud of him, having figured out how to play his whole hand on his own was no easy feat. He wondered if Cooper felt this same way the first time Eobard executed his first Suplex? Or if it was how he would feel once he finally got his first win?
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