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Shawn Warstein · (04-29-2020)

“Get him to his feet.”

As my eyes adjusted to the blaring sunlight. I open them and see that I’m in a courtyard of some sort. White marble surrounding the area with bright splashes of color everywhere the eye can see. I didn’t get to take it all in as I can feel the cold steel pressed against my neck from the blade with Achilles on the other end. I’m lifted up from the ground from under my arms. With a smirk and a blown kiss my head hangs as my feet dangle inches above the ground.

“Tell me traveler..” Achilles pulled his blade away from my jugular and placed it under my chin. Slowly lifting my head to meet his gaze. “Why shouldn’t I kill you where you stand?” I couldn’t help but stand as he increased the pressure on the blade.

“Simply put… If you were going to do it…” A look of defiance washes over my face as I shrug the arms of the guards off of myself and take a step forward. “You would’ve done it by now.”

My eyes catch a quick glimpse of the red orb sitting on the hilt of the blade. The glow is still pulsating in a rhythmic cadence much like a heartbeat. Achilles sees my eyes wandering towards the orb and sheaths the blade on his hip.

“How right you are, if I wanted you dead you’d be dead.” Achilles snaps his fingers and turns his back towards me as a few guards circle around, each one with their blades drawn. They all take one single step towards me in unison. The clattering of their armor echoes around the courtyard. Achilles quickly turns around and smiles confidently. “But you… aren’t worthy of my blade.”

Much like Thanos another snap and the guards took another step towards me.

Clink, Clank.

And then another.

Clink, Clank.

I can feel their blades inching closer to my body.

Clink, Clank.

The first blade pushes in on my kidney area. Followed by the rest in a circle around my body. One in the spine, the other kidney, and three across the front of my stomach.

“I know where the other orb is!” In a panic I shouted loudly. No sooner than the words left my mouth, another snap. The guards all back away, as Achilles approaches in a calm and intimidating manner.

“You really think lying right now is your best course of action? You don’t have a single clue as to what you’re talking about.” Achilles grabs me by the throat and holds my head up and tears back cocking his arm. “The punishment for that is death.”

“Okay, but I noticed the red orb on your blade, and well…” I struggle to breathe but continue. “The orb attached itself to the blade and not you.” Achilles releases his grasp from my throat and looks down to his blade.

“You don’t even know what the orbs are. Yet here you are speaking out of turn. Do you even know what they do? Why does someone like myself search all the land for them?” I shake my head and shrug. “The long prevailing rumor is there are three orbs. The Gods placed them under the protection of three divine beasts. If any one singular being procures all three they will be unstoppable, they would truly be WORTHY of the Gods favor. You’ve noticed that I have one but you on the other hand don’t so tell me what do you mean…” He tilts his head while furrowing his brow. “Not attached to me?” I feverishly reached into my pocket and grabbed the blue orb as hard as I could.

“Well you’re guys here didn’t ask me anything. They shot first. I would’ve told them it was pointless to search the Skull guy.” My grip on the orb somehow gets tighter, as I pull my hand out of my pocket still not revealing the orb in my possession. “The blue orb was in a serpent deep inside of a cave, and well judging by the sword it seems as if that’s what killed whatever had that red one. Myself on the other hand…” I raise my hand and slowly open it revealing the orb. Firmly stuck in the middle of my hand, and seemingly becoming one with my body. Little did they know it’s all trickery and slight of hand. “Killed my beast with my bare hands and MY orb attached itself to my person. So tell me is it you that is the tough guy, or is it the tool you use?”

“HOW DARE YOU!!” Achilles rushes at me and once again grabs me by the throat. Jesus is that like his only move? “You insolent bug. What’s stopping me from killing you and taking that orb for myself right now?”

“Well….” I cough and struggle to catch my breath. “I… know where the third one is…” Lies but anything to keep myself alive, Achilles releases his grip and I once again fall to the ground. I pull myself up to my feet.

“Liar.”

“I found you didn’t I?” I don’t think these people know what a coincidence is.“I knew where you were going to be before you did. So it might just be wise to keep me alive for a bit and try to get some info out of me huh?” Achilles thinks to himself for a moment and then smiles.

“Maybe I do have something in mind for you. Grab him and follow me.” A few of the guards grab me and begin to follow Achilles down a long corridor. Torches line the walls, and it becomes harder to see, and it feels as if the walls are closing in around us. A door at the end of the hall, a torch on either side, a small window covered with a few bars, and a few groans can be heard from the other side.

“We get bored out here. So from time to time I like to hold my own little tournaments for our enjoyment.” Achilles opens the door as I am shoved to the threshold, and before I knew it was kicked in the small of the back into the room. I scramble to my feet and rush towards the door, Achilles is peering through the bars in the tiny window. “Survive the tournament, and I’ll let you walk free. Die, and the orb becomes mine. I’ll let you get acquainted with those you’re about to battle against.” A cocky smile comes across his face, as he quickly turns around and they all begin walking down the corridor. I let out a quick snort, and glance over my shoulder. There are five men all chained up against the walls. Each separated by a few feet, most of their eyes peering towards me, except for the two on the end. They are not paying attention to me whatsoever and seem to be focused on their task at hand.

I slowly walk across the dirt floor and approach the first person. A relatively small person, with a mask covering their face, emblazoned with the letter ‘X’ in a crimson hue. As I take a step towards him the man pulls from the wall but is quickly stopped by the chains. He quickly tires himself out and slumps against the wall.

“Well look at you? Aren’t you the little fighter? It’s just too bad that unlike March Madness, there is actual competition in War Games. I literally laughed to myself when I found out that you were going to be a captain in this fucking thing. Like seriously? We’re there no others available? There had to be someone else, anyone else. I know that people bring it up constantly, but a fucking car bro!?” I just shake my head. “This is the adult’s table. We will let you sit here for now, but if you make a mess of this table we will all collectively usher you back to the children’s table where you properly belong.”

I shuffle my steps towards the next man. A small amount of light catches his eye. Clearly a Spaniard if ever there was one. For a prisoner he was daily near and clean, otherwise there was nothing remarkable about him.

“Well then with you I guess we'll just have to pick up where we left off huh? He said a lot and I wasn’t quite finished with him last time, so I’ll just pick up right where I left off last time. It seems as if Hanari doesn’t have a fucking clue about how or when to shut the fuck up, so I guess I’ll just you know take the piss out of him. Cuntfest Presnted by the Sick Cunts, what you’re failing to understand is I WON the right to that show. It wouldn’t have been right to call it Cuntfest without my own flesh and blood next to me. Also the only reason Engy, who you apparently have a hard on for faced Robbie was because I said so. Congratulations, your reading comprehension skills aren’t nearly as bad as I thought. You’re missing something though m, what could it be? Go back and see who was in the Main Event. I’ll wait.” I stand there tapping my foot on the ground and glance down at my wrist. “All done there? Good. Now that you know that, please explain to me why the Universal title wasn’t the main event? I went on record stating that I didn’t want to be in the main event of MY own show. So please tell me… okay I’ll tell you. It’s because Engy didn’t draw. I do. You don’t, but I do. So go ahead and call everything I’ve done a resume builder, better to have a resume than not….”

“Speaking of resumes…”

“How many times have you fought twice on the same night within the last six months.” I hold up my hand and fake count on my fingers. “Better yet, where were you on the show I booked? You know the one where we decided that a Subaru was a better opponent for someone, Hey X Is here you can make it right. So keep putting your own foot in your mouth.”

“Maybe it’ll help you to shut the fuck up. You’ve had so much to say, but so little substance. So I did what I did. I beat you.The EXACT way I said I was. You’ll call me a coward. Blah blah blah, It’s over. I did what I had to do to preserve my title around my waist. I will however give you credit for one thing tho..” A slight shrug and smile. “At least you decided to show up. Sure it was in vain, but kudos to you. With all the lights shining on you these past few weeks, it’s no wonder you’ve fallen flat on your face. You said that I couldn’t perform under the bright lights? Bro you couldn’t get the job done on a random Savage, what makes you think a random Warfare is going to be any different?”

I curl my nose as a putrid scent crosses it, as I turn around a potato is hurled in my direction. I quickly sidestep it and see who threw it. A disbelief man covered in feces and what is surely gangrene. He laughs to himself as he rocks back and forth.

“Then there’s you. If I thought the other two were odd placements, then I don’t know what to think of you. The two of us go way back, not nearly as far as you and Cent, but way back. Standing there in the ring with You under the banner of the Black Order. Nothing felt so good.” I clench my fist and give it a slight pump. “It wasn’t long before the allure of Shane

wore off. Just like everyone else you’ve ever gotten your claws into I saw you for what you really were. You wanted to be the best, you just weren’t good enough. You wanted the spotlight firmly on yourself, you just couldn’t get enough of it. You were lost in it’s bright glow, and you would do anything to get in its warmth.”

“That’s why you took a shine to Lux right? That’s why you are currently floundering without him. I took away your golden goose and without it you’re lost. You have nowhere else to turn to, and it’s scary. There are two full time wrestlers here now, telling everyone the same damn thing…”

“Don’t Listen To

.”

“Hell I wouldn’t put it past you, to be making a call right now to your ultimate golden goose. The mythical Cy. In one night not only did I take the Universal title from Lux, I ended your time in the spotlight here. Shane you think I don’t know what you’re going to say about me? Just know everyone knows what you’re going to say when you address me. You’ll bring up all my failures. You’ll bring up Atty. You’ll bring up all the BS with the cash in and how without Vin, Gunn and Theo it wouldn’t have happened. Guess what tho?” I squat down as close as I’m comfortable being to him. “Your opinion doesn’t mean shit. It hasn’t meant shit for a long time and now I’ll prove it. Now fuck off and okay with the kiddie toys.”

Finally I reach the last two prisoners left. Neither of them paid any attention to me when I walked in, but as I approach them they both look at me. One older gentleman, worn but a fight still inside of him, the other a mammoth of a man wearing a mask covering his face. I sit down right between them.

“Hello boys. The only other two in this match worth a god damn, am I right? Well settle in fellas I’ve a lot to say, and I enjoy hearing myself talk.” I turn first towards the older man. “Centurion. The other elder statesmen on the roster. The yin to my yang. The Milli to my Vanilli. Every time you pop up… there I am like a bad case of herpes. Always showing up just to take a little bit of that shine off of you. Everyone gets all hyped up for you coming back, and then BOOM you’re just second fiddle in an instant. I believe your first words about me when I can back were ‘Do Not Like’ And why would you? I mean the only things you can hold above me are that you beat me to get into the Hall, and you’ve had like a million reigns with a defunct title. That’s really it right? Well that and the stolen victory you have over me. Yet right now that doesn’t bother me. Have your victory over the top dog.”

“And that’s all good. Take pride in those victories that you hold over me. I can still claim one thing you can’t…. and I can claim it twice. I know, it’s beating a dead horse.” I pat the older man on the shoulder. “Sometimes you have to do that when you put them out to pasture. I know that you have your eyes set on the Az’s record, go get it man. Carpe Diem. Be the best Midcarder this place has ever seen.”

I hear a low growl from the other man, and I get up and squat right in front of him.

“Don’t worry big fella, I didn’t forget about you. How could I ever forget about you. In just 365 days how much things have changed. You were the Top Dog. You were riding high with this asshat over here. And there I was, to you an unknown. Just another name that Chris Page seemingly unburied from the past to prove a point. Honestly I still don’t know what that point was, but we all know he failed. But that day at the last War Games, I made my point. You were the target. I made you believe in me. Now where are we?” I hold a hand to my chin and tap it with my index finger. “Well let’s see I’m the Universal Champion, you’re fighting over my scraps, and Chris Page got into your ear as well.”

“For someone that once had it all, how quickly you have fallen. I’m going to let you in on a little secret.”I lean in close to the monster's face. “You’re right where I want you, toiling away in a floundering division that only became popular because of me. You holding that title, isn’t a mistake. Centurion holding his title isn’t a mistake. You two are right where I need you. The entire federation is playing connect four, and I’m playing battleship. The biggest pieces on the board are preoccupied, and I cashed in.” The monster’s eyes go wide and then narrow and focus solely on me.

“There you are... Robert...just because you wear a fucking mask now doesn’t mean you are unstoppable. Doesn’t mean you are greater than you once were.” I tug on the mask a bit but leave it on his face. “You can hide. If that’s what makes you feel better. If that’s what allows you to sleep. It’s okay to know that you’ve been played. You thought you were chasing the Cunts, you were playing right into my hand. You thought you did something special. Tisk Tisk. In your attempt to be something you’re not. In your attempt to become edgy you overlooked all the signs. For your troubles you got played. Like the rest of these fools. Enjoy the Midcard.”

I stand up and walk to the opposite side of the room and stand there looking over the rest of them. Still chained to the walls, while I stand tall with a sly grin on my face as the camera fades to black.

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