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"Venom" Xavier Lux · (01-28-2022)

The Vulture

The vulture takes flight and quickly wraps his talons around Xavier’s shoulders, taking him far from the beach of this unknown island and towards the top of a nearby mountain. Once they reach the flat, barren surface, we notice there a large nest where baby vultures are crying for their momma, hoping she is bringing them food. In the nest, you see human bones, empty armors, the only thing remaining from previous meals. Xavier watches in horror as he now realizes he is what is next in the menu, the vulture, hovers right above them as they in return snap upwards, hoping to be the one to get first dibs. The vulture doesn’t drop him just yet, instead, speaks to him in a raspy female voice.

This begins your challenge stranger.

What challenge?!

In order to go to the next phase, you need to show me you can be vicious.

Next? How many are there?!

In order to be victorious against the lion, you need to be more vicious than him, willing to do whatever it takes. Show me or perish.

The vulture lets him go, and Xavier plumets some 25 feet into the nest, two baby vultures just missing him as their beaks clash. Xavier rolls around, the nest indeed breaking the fall, but quickly gets to his feet as he now has 4 very angry vultures who are 3 times his size looking at him, hungry as can be. He looks around, seeing if he can manage to escape but the walls of the nest are too high so instead, he tries to find something to defend himself and the choices are plenty, as there are all kinds of medieval weapons at his disposal though you must wonder how effective they are going to be when all that remains from its previous owners are bones. Still, he puts that thought out of his mind and dives for a sword and spear just as one of the baby birds launches at him, nearly catching his leg. Xavier quickly spins around while on the floor and throws the spear at the bird that just missed him, catching it dead on its eye. As that one stumbles out of the way another aims for his head, but Xavier lifts his sword up, stabbing it right on the roof of its beak, the sword piercing through its head. The two remaining birds fight for position to get him, so he uses that distraction to run right at them, getting in between and then climbing on top of one. Once the other bird sees him, she dives right at him and Xavier waits until the last possible second to get out of the way. Because of this, the bird bites its sibling, right on the neck, wounding it mortally. Xavier lands superhero style and watches as the third baby bird drops and the fourth one, realizing it is the last one left, surprisingly doesn’t go after Xavier and instead just bows, admitting defeat.

You want mercy? No, your momma wanted viciousness, so that’s what she will get!

Xavier launches at the baby bird, jumping up and then slicing through its neck. Blood gets sent every which way, and Xavier is drenched in it. The mother vulture reappears, looking down at her massacred children.

You can, indeed, be a monster when you need to be. Go, your next challenge awaits you.

Um, and how exactly do I do that?

A purple portal opens to his side and then he nods, understanding. He walks through the portal, taking the sword with him.

My dear Raion Kido, looks like fate has finally found you as your papa suggested all those years ago, or rather, brought you to XWF to face me. Is XWF your fate though? Are you destined for great things here? Will a loss at our match derail you from such fate or will it just make you stronger and help you focus on finding what it is you seek? Or are you simply misguided, and this is not the place for you? Afterall, you are simply a replacement remember? This was not your spot; this was not your destiny… Are you stealing perhaps, someone else’s fate? Are you here just momentarily to fill a need? Or is your fate indeed to beat me and use me as a steppingstone?

That is the thing about fate, isn’t it?

It comes at you with so many questions before it finally gives you the answer you are looking for. I guess you just got to be patient. As for me, like I told you last time, I keep my feet planted on the ground and focused on the now and whatever will be on Sunday, will be.

Fate be damned.

The Bull

On the other side of the portal, Xavier finds himself in a cave of sorts, with the only light being provided by radiant crystals of different colors breaking through the walls. He walks forward, gripping the sword tightly, ready for anything. He sees some of said crystals on the floor, some large enough to be wielded like torches and so he grabs one to light his path. The cave seems to get smaller and narrower the deeper he goes into it until he reaches an intersection. Every tunne looks exactly the same, he is unsure of what to do until he hears a rumbling coming from his right, he turns just in time to see a bull coming right at him.

Show me your strength!

The bull says in a deep voice that echoes throughout the cave. Xavier is not able to react in time, and the bull runs him right over, flipping him high in the air with its long horns. Xavier lands hard, sending red dust all over the place and losing grip on both his sword and crystal. He grimaces as he sits up, looking for the bull but it’s nowhere in sight. He gets to his feet, dusts himself off and then goes to grab his sword but he hears the bull coming again, he turns towards the tunnel he disappeared into, thinking he was coming back but he’s not there.

Show me your strength!

He turns the other way, nope, and then the bull comes right at him from the path he was originally coming from. Xavier is able to put his arms up in time to literally ‘grab the bull by its horns’ but isn’t strong enough to contain it and again the bull sends him flying, tossing him hard against the wall.

Alright, enough of this shit!

Xavier gets up, not bothering to dust himself off this time and then goes to stand at the intersection again; he hears the rumbling getting closer.

Show me -

But the bull doesn’t get to finish his sentence this time as Xavier turns just in time, hooking the bull by its horns, drops back, pressing his legs into the bull’s belly with all his might, using the bulls own momentum, flipping the bull over! The bull lands with a thud that shakes the cave and Xavier quickly jumps on him to finish the job, but the bull is already out.

Strong enough for you?

Another portal opens, Xavier looks at it and then back at the bull.

I guess so, see you, Bennie.

I am indeed the poison themed wrestler you so cutely put together with my name, music and my moves like a little child puts together a 5-piece puzzle. I guess in some ways, you are not only a young lion, but still a baby cub… Did you just say ew? You did, didn’t you? Wow.

Mr. Raion, we don’t have the time to go into why I call myself The Venom, or why I chose The Infection as my music though if you listen to the lyrics, most of it is a dead giveaway.

Now, I call you mister because I am still trying to show you the respect I’ve had for you from the moment I saw your name across mine. But it’s becoming very difficult, as the more I listen to you talk, the more disappointed I become; the more you say the more you reveal yourself to be just like everyone else out there.

You’re a dude, not a man, who just wants to talk and not for his audience to hear him, not for his bosses to listen, not even to truly engage his opponent, but just so you can hear yourself talk and you do love listening to yourself go on and on to the point that you not only become redundant, but contradictory and repetitive despite your fancy word play.

I won’t break down every single thing wrong you have said so for “my audience” because they are smart enough to figure it out all on their own.

They can see right through you, just like I can.

The Dragon

Xavier walks out from the cave into the fluffiest of clouds and must do a double take to confirm he was just underground. Just go with it he thinks to himself as everywhere he looks, there is nothing but skies. He begins walking slowly at first, to make sure he won’t fall through, but once he feels sure, he walks normally though still feeling a little uneasy as he lost the only weapon he had.

There is nothing but fluff, the hell am I gonna use if up next is the old titan, or worst, the dragon?

How about your heart?!

Xavier quickly turns around and finds himself looking up at the massive gray dragon. His dragon scales look hard but shiny, his underbelly and inner part of the wings are a majestic blue color. Smoke emits from his nostrils and inside his partially open mouth blue fire glows. Xavier takes a few steps back and the dragon sniffs a few times.

Is that fear I smell?

Um, no.

What is it then?

Just being cautious? If a vulture momma and her babies tried to tear me up and eat me, while a bull tried to impale me, I can only imagine what you are about to try to do.

You are afraid then…

I, no…

Are you sure? We know you can be vicious; we know you are strong… But are you brave? Are you willing to go into a fight, barehanded, knowing all odds are against you and the possibilities of you winning are non-existent?

Xavier ponders this, and realizes at this point what does he have to lose? He doesn’t know how he got here or if he’s even going to get out. Might as well go balls deep.

I am.

Is that so?

I AM.

The dragon roars, sending Xavier flying and disappearing some 50 yards away as he lands on the clouds, which he sends flying every which way. The dragon takes flight as Xavier gets to his feet and looks up at the dragon.

Show me have brave you really are!

The dragon dives at Xavier, opening its mouth, ready to spit the blue fire building inside its lungs. Xavier takes a running start, screaming “fuuuuuck it!” as he jumps up into air, right into the blue fire blast from the dragon. It engulfs him and everything else in a matter of seconds.

You started off so well too Simba, you had this aura around you, this mystique about you. You tell us about your childhood, and you take us back to Osaka and these experiences, build what we all expect to be this amazing character but then you become just this blend, boring character who just wants to stand there, looking off in the distance in a mountain going on and on about me and what you think you know about me while pretending not to be cold.

Then you want to flip it and turn the heat, but you are still just standing there…

BANG!

While you build a useless piece of equipment…

BANG!

That sure, is nice and shiny…

BANG!

That makes you look like a manga superhero…

BANG!

But will do you no good in a wrestling match!

BANG-BANG!

And speaking of wrestling, I call my finisher The Cure because the wrestling world is infected with guys who like you, are only worried about how smart they make themselves sound or how mysterious. How tanned they are and how their hair looks. Who want to cosplay and build themselves suits of armor that are again, completely useless in the wrestling ring.

I am here to win not a COMICON pageant, but a wrestling contest.

The Stone Giant

From inside the blue flames a shadow appears at first, then the figure of a man as it gets closers and closer. The blue flames then dissolved, and the man is revealed to be obviously Xavier who is looking at his arms and chest, not understanding just how he just survived that.

The magical power of the dragon’s fire is that only those who show it fear, will perish from it.

Xavier looks around, wondering where the voice came from, but all he sees are white mountains.

If you showed bravery, it would only make you stronger.

Xavier runs forward, then stops, looking around, trying to find the owner of the voice.

Show yourself damn it!

Up here, I can’t be any more obvious than I already am.

Xavier looks up, towards the tall mountain in front of him but as expected it is not a mountain but the old giant he saw at the beginning, except, on a much larger scale. He sits on a throne that is carved out of the very mountain he is a part of.

You grew!

I am whatever size it is needed of me to be.

Would you mind shrinking down about 100 times then? I don’t know I can literally kick a mountain’s ass.

Ah, don’t worry young warrior. You have already proven you have the physical requirements to win your battle…. You’re vicious, you’re strong and you are very brave. Now it’s time to test your wit.

Oh Thank God! I don’t know how much more I could take after taking on a damn dragon. So I’m guessing a riddle?

Indeed.

Alright, get it right and I go home?

The giant nods.

and if I get it wrong?

I crush you.

Let’s get it right then. Ready!

I speak without a mouth and hear without ears.

I have no body, but I come alive with wind.

What am I?

Xavier looks at him completely flabbergasted.

Can I skip?

NOOOOO! Answer, or parish!

The giant begins to stand, as Xavier starts to back up, but the other side of the mountain starts closing in on him and quickly he realizes he has no place to go. The giant lift one of his arms, rocks fly everywhere, he makes a fist and starts to bring it down, ready to crush Xavier.

NO! Wait! Alright, give a second! Damn it! Wait-Wait!

The giant’s fist is coming at Xavier fast, the rocks keep falling, and the rumble echoes throughout this place. Just then it hits Xavier, the answer, not the fist.

Got it! An echo!

The fist doesn’t stop coming and Xavier braces for the worst, but then it turns into water that engulfs Xavier upon impact. Just like before, Xavier is once again underwater, but this time he is aware and swimming upwards. When he comes up to the surface, he is back at the small pool.

How was that drink?

Xavier composes himself, wiping the hot water from his face and then quickly gets out of the pool. The staff hands him a towel which he uses to dry his face and head and then puts it around his neck.

What did you put in that drink?!

I told you-

Wait, what is that?

Xavier points at an old shield hanging on the wall.

Ah, that’s Iceland’s coat of arms.

And those figures?

They are our guardian spirits, they protect Iceland and promote flourishing of each part of the compass they protect.

She leans in and whispers.

It’s Norse mythology but a lot people who visit us claim to dream about them.

I think I did more than dream.

Is that so? Want to tell me all about it over a drink?

NOPE! One drink was enough, thank you.

Xavier thanks her and walks out as she smiles having satisfied her guardians once again.

I am brave.

I am strong.

I am vicious.

I am an enforcer.

What I am not is a parasite or a leech; I’m not a flea riding in the back of a horse nor am I fly hovering over a cow’s asshole.

I am indeed a member of Exiles my young lion, a member, not a lackey. I am not riding their coattails hoping to get the rub or hoping to become someone.

I am already someone outside of XWF and that is why Vaughn asked me to come and be a part of a group that is full of great talent.

That is why Chris Page asked me to join his mighty CCP enterprises.

Because of who I am, great wrestlers like Betsy Granger, Crash Rodriguez and Bam Mill embrace me as a fellow because they know what I bring.

These are names to be reckon with, names that I am happy to enforce, not feed from.

Just four months ago I was a World Heavyweight Champion, and you want to question me?

How about you? I’m going into the ring against a last-minute import… Win? and it is expected, just another name to add to the list.

But if you beat me, imagine what that will do for you?

So, who really is the one getting the reputation by facing the other?

But I am willing to share in the glory for the greater good, so, bring me your fire and ice. Bring everything.

See you Sunday… Kido.

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Word count: 3000 via wordcounter.net

[Image: iceland-coat-of-arms-movie-poster-prints.jpg]

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode The Icelandic Spirits - Part II
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