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X-treme Wrestling Federation »   » Archives » High Stakes Battle Royale RP Board
Chapter 5: Birds and Fish
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Witness Offline
Registered but either hasn't added self to a roster yet or doesn't RP



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Mixed

(loved by some; hated by some; dips between clean/dirty)


#1
11-21-2020, 10:22 PM




Chapter 5: Birds and Fish


A chill fills your room, as a slight breeze knocks out the candle perched on your nightstand. Suddenly a loud boom is heard outside, followed by a bright light that fills the night sky. You rush towards the window and all you can see are faint lights off in the distance.

On the ground you can see what looks to be a large trebuchet. You can hear the wailing of men outside. You watch as one man brings his blade down upon a rope attached to the bucket. As a large Boulder goes flying into the air. The battle seems to have started earlier than the Man had anticipated.

A knock on your door quickly diverts your attention, as you open the door. A stocky man with thinning hair. He is short of breath as he leans against the door jam.

“He needs you.” He struggles between breaths. “He said to come down to the library.” You quickly nod. Grabbing your notebook and quickly slinging your coat over your shoulder you make your way towards the library.

People are lining the walls looking out the windows at the chaos that is ensuing outside. Mothers hold their children, shielding their eyes, while some watch with a look of dread on their faces.

You reach the large door to the library, and open it slowly. Once inside the windows have been blackened, and a large table in the middle of the room is lit by candlelight. The Man stands at the head of the table. He is flagged by four other men, each with a hood over their faces.

“It seems that our preparation will be put to the test tonight.” As you walk closer to the table you see a map of the Sanctuary. There are littler figurines littered about the map. A few bunches to the south, a couple on either side flanking the Sanctuary, and just three to the north.

“Now ideally we would’ve had more time to prepare, but I believe that we are ready.” He points to the man immediately to his left. “You’re in charge of getting everyone out to safety. Take the tunnels that lead out to the south. There are rations, clothing and weaponry down there. You shouldn’t need the weapons but it’s better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them.” The hooded figure nods. Then all eyes fall on the hooded man. “NOW! This isn’t time for lollygagging!”

The man quickly jumps up and rushes out of the room. Almost immediately we can hear him calling to get everyone into the tunnels. The Man clears his throat and points to the next man.

“You take the south entrance. I don’t want to see a single one of those people on our grounds. From the scouting tower it seems as if they are sending the pawns there. It should be quick work. They will quickly bicker amongst themselves.” The second man nods and runs off.

“You two command the east and west sides. Keep an eye on them and funnel them to the north. That’s where he and I will be.” You quickly turn your head towards the Man and he notices your puzzled expression. “Yes you will go with me. We will head up the north side. That’s where most the of the battle will take place.”

The other two men run off and disappear behind the large doors. The Man begins to move the figures on the map before him.

“The best offense is a great defense. We’ve been planning for this assault for such a long time that we knew we would be prepared.” He quickly points to the large mass near the south.

“While their numbers are many, they will quickly cannibalize each other. The Marfs, the Thenis, the Graves, and the others like them. They didn’t quite know what they were getting into, and that’s going to be their downfall. Each of them will attempt to take out the big bad at the end, but not a single one of them will be left standing in the end.” The man knocks over the marble pieces. “I could’ve sent a child to deal with them and we still wouldn’t have to worry about the south. All of them are here for one reason only, to build their own name without any of the effort.”
[color=lime]
“Well couldn’t the same be said about you?”
You stated as you picked up a piece with a man holding up just his left hand. The man slowly turns his head towards you and nods.

“Now you’re getting it. It’s finally starting to sink in. We are all greedy. We all want the top prize with minimal effort. It’s just that this bunch decided that they were going to throw their names in…. with no effort at all.” The Man grabs the figurine from your hand and gently places it back down on the map. “Then to the east and west we have to force them north. We need them to get involved in the scrum. They don’t realize it yet but they are quickly encroaching on our land. Each of them are blind to it, but that’s what they are…. blind.”

“Those forces are the ones that we need in order to take the prize aren’t they?”
You said while pointing to the western front.

“Indeed.” The Man holds his hands out and points to both of them simultaneously. “What we need is for them to realize that this isn’t your typical war. Your typical battle. Someone from this grouping needs to take a stand and make it known that they won’t follow. That they will buck the trend. And when they do that, we will be standing there waiting to end their miserable pathetic existence.” With a quick swipe of his hand he wipes the eastern front off of the map. “What’s there is nothing but garbage, people who won’t be able to keep up in the all out sprint to the finish, and those whose name value alone will keep them in the hunt.” Then just as he finishes he wipes the western front off. “They are the ones who were there from the jump, but decided it was better for themselves to keep quiet in hopes that they will be overlooked. That their silence will allow their guerilla warfare to take hold and come out as the final person breathing.”

“So what are we going to do as we head towards the north?”
The Man shakes his head and then sighs.

“We are merely the distraction.” The Man grabs the pieces towards the north and holds them firmly in his hands. “You see when all the eyes are upon us, is when they lose sight of what really needs to be in focus. See when everyone looks at one singular point…. they miss what’s really happening.”

With that The Man places the figures back, but all of the other pieces are now surrounding them. Each one placed in a circle, and tightly next to one another.

“When the blind can’t see, they get a stick. When the men with vision are blind, they get beat from the least likely sources.” With one finger the man knocks down the three figures in succession. “Whether they are friends trying to protect one another, or just a man trying to get out of the shadow of a greater man, they are blind. There are no friends here. Those two have decided to show everyone a weakness. Love. Well that’s all well and good in the everyday, her and now it will be their downfall. If one of them gets taken out by a lesser opponent, all the hatred, rage and loss will boil to the surface. It will fill them with regret. With vengeance and then they will have one task in mind… to avenge their fallen loved one.” The Man pantomimes wiping a tear and holds a hand over his heart. “The first and only mistake they needed they handed to everyone on a silver platter. To them it isn’t a weak spot to be exploited, but instead a driving force. That’s where we will strike.”

The man then slams his hand down on the table as all the figures fall to their side.

“But there is still one. The man constantly in the shadow of another.” The Man points to the top of the map, sitting there is a ghastly figure. “The shadow himself. One battle away from gaining every opportunity we all want, and all he did was bide his time. We all knew what he was doing, and that’s only because he wasn’t capable under the two previous reigns. Now he sees the soft underbelly of his prey and is ready to claim what is his. So long as his puppy doesn’t finally get the validation he so craves. One way or another the kingdom will belong to one of them. It’s just a matter if it’s divine intervention that pauses one man’s quest over another.”

“We need to get to our post.”
You begin to walk away but quickly turn around to see The Man standing there motionless. He coughs and a small smattering of blood leaks from under his mask. With the back of his hand he wipes it away and turns his attention towards you.

“We can wait. We don’t need to make our presence on the battlefield just yet.”
The Man slowly walks over to a chair and sits down. His breath is labored, as each breath becomes deeper and deeper. His head slumps forward. His chest rising slowly with each breath. You walk over and sit down next to him. You place your notebook in your lap.

“I thought we had more time.” The normally full voice was raspy and broken. “I needed more time.”

“Then we will wait here until you’re ready.”
You place a single hand on his shoulder. Under normal circumstances he would brush your hand away, but this time he allows it to stay.

“There isn’t going to be a ready.”

“What do you mean?”
You ask as you open the notebook with your free hand. “There’s still plenty of pages left to go.”

“I know, but filling the book was never the goal.” He slowly turns his head towards you. “It was merely a distraction…” The Man coughs deeply and roughly. “Did I tell you about the fifth day yet?”

“You don’t need to. I know it. I went to a Catholic school.”

“I’m going to miss the sounds of the birds early in the morning. My father waking me up before the sunrise and heading out to our favorite fishing spot.” You begin writing in the notebook when he reaches over and stops your pen. “No more. Let me have this memory. The birds flying high, the fish biting on the line, and all of the chaos brought on by man an afterthought. I didn’t have a care in the world. It was just serene.”

“We will wait. You can get through this.”

“I can’t.”

“You must.”

“The world is a scary and intimidating place. Men like us were out here to protect it. Not from any other worldly forces, but from the ignorance of man.” The Man leans his head back and it stays there for a moment before falling forward again. “Special men like us are the ones who try to fix other people’s problems.”

“But…”

“I know. The battle. It was my own hubris and ignorance that brought that here. I thought l, if just for a moment that I could win that everything would be better. Then I saw the slander thrown my way.”

“You knew that was going to happen.”

“Yes, but I thought for just one moment people would see the difference. We are not a cult. We are simply a community trying our best to live and thrive in this world.” The Man coughs again, this time harder than all the other times. “The world just needed someone to stand up and fight back. I tried that and I failed.”

“You haven’t failed. You can’t talk like that. We need you now more than ever.”

“No you don’t. The world passed me by long ago. It was foolish to attempt this again. The last time I was in a battle of this magnitude I fell short, and was quickly forgotten. I feel that this will be the same. I’m not stupid. I know when I’m beat, just let me stay right here.”

“You have to fight….”

“I’m always fighting.” The Man finally removes your hand from his shoulder. He places both his hand on top of yours. “It’s just this fight isn’t mine anymore. It was never me who you were witnessing.” The Man takes a quick sharp breath. “It’s you we were witnessing. This is your battle. Your war. It was always about you. Let me go. I did all that I could to prepare you for what’s next….”

“What are you talking about?....”

“I just want to rest. I just want to watch the sunrise one last time and listen to the birds…….”

The Man’s hand loosens its grip.

It slowly becomes cold to the touch.

As his hand slowly falls limp and lifelessly to the side.

His head slumps down, as does the rest of his body in the chair.

Slowly you reach for the notebook and flip to the last page. There is a small message written.

~When the Battle is won, and you stand victorious, remember…. they are witnessing greatness. Remember where you came from and where you want to be, it will never lead you astray.~

You close the book and look over to the lifeless body of The Man. You toss the book on the table. Slowly you reach your hand and begin to unstrap the mask. You hesitate for a moment before fully removing it.

The Man was no one famous. He wasn’t a well known commodity. He was just a man. An older man, with graying hair, some stubble to match and a small trickle of blood in the corner of his mouth. You reach into your coat and pull out the hood you’ve been given. Gently you place the hood on him and stand up.

With both hands you take the mask and place it over your face. It’s a perfect fit. It’s as if it was molded from your own body.

The doors to the library burst open and catches you off guard.

“Sir…. we need to get moving.”

“Very well.”

You follow the man down the long winding hall. Everyone seems to have been evacuated as the usually lively halls are barren.

“Update me on the South entrance…”

“All clear.”

“The East and West?” You ask as you slowly approach the front entrance.

“All clear and everyone is funneling towards the North.”

“Good.”

“What shall I do about your witness?”

“Nothing, leave him there. He needs to rest.”

You reach for the door but stop yourself.

“Is everyone out and to safety?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Good. The second I walk out this door, I want you to torch the Sanctuary….”

“But sir…”

“Get yourself to safety and torch it. If I’m to lose this battle, I don’t want any of those cretinous leaches to have an inch of this land.”

“Bu—-bu—-but sir…”

“Just do as I say. Trust me it will all work out.”

You reach for the door and open it. Your eyes are greeted with the sounds of battle cries. Flames are to the east and west, as the approaching men from the north slowly make their way towards the front gate.

“Sir I must ask why? Why are you doing this?”

You stop and turn towards the man.

“I’m sending a message….”

You shut the door behind you as the camera fades to black.

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