Post by Rated R on May 6, 2013 15:11:06 GMT -5
“A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures – and that is the basis of all human morality.”
- Winston Churchill
< *** >
Long ago in a land that has since lost its name there was a powerful King who ruled over all he saw. He ruled with an iron fist, offering little time for those who failed and even less for those who did not try to succeed at all. He was known far and wide for ruling with an iron fist, for crushing all who stood in his way. But despite that he was righteous, he gave opportunities to his people and he offered respect to those who deserved it, though those were few and far between. He wore a calm and cold exterior, some even went so far as to call him a sociopath, but part of him believed himself to be happy. He had a queen, his had beautiful daughters, he had land and he had power, it was everything that he could wish for, everything he could dream of. Was he happy? He could not say, but the illusion of happiness was most certainly there and that, as far as the world outside his castle walls were concerned, was enough.
The King had many subjects, but few were as tortured as the Bishop. Once upon a time he had been a man of faith. Faith in God, faith in his King but more importantly faith in himself. It was this faith, that which lies within, that was most important to him, but slowly as the years went on that faith faded. He lost friends, fellow men of the cloth, even family. His faith vanished and left him a hollow husk of a man, a hollow husk of a Bishop. He had nothing. No faith, no light, no love and when all three of those things have vanished from within a man’s soul what reason is there for him to continue on? The Bishop could not see any, so he decided that he would not allow himself to live a hollow existence. He climbed to the top of the highest mountain with the intent of taKing one final look down upon the Kingdom of his King and then throwing himself off.
The King had a daughter, a Princess, and she was glorious and beautiful, the envy of all who came to see her. Warriors from every corner of the Earth visited in an attempt to win her heart, but each of them fell short of the Kings expectations. He offered them the opportunity to face him in battle and if they won he would allow them to take his daughter as their wife, but none of them were successful and they were either sent back from whence they came or they were sent to the grave. The Princess did not understand why her father was so protective and even when he explained that only the very best deserved to call her his wife she was angry. As the rage boiled up inside of her she fled the castle one fine morning, in need of a single day of living life for herself, rather than at the whim of the controlling and all powerful King. She decided to climb to the tip of the highest mountain and see the entirety of what her father ruled over. It was a harsh climb, especially for one who was so used to being waited upon by those in servitude to the royal family, but climb she did, fighting the harsh winds and the falling rocks and maKing it to the top. Once there she found a man about to throw himself off of the sheer cliff face. She found the Bishop.
The Bishop was surprised to see the Princess, he had not expected anybody else to climb to the peak of the mountain that day, and he could not bring himself to take his life in front of a girl so innocent. The Princess asked him why he was so sad and he explained, told her of his lost family and his lost faith and how there was nothing left for him upon this mortal realm any longer. The Princess told him that he was foolish to consider life worthless simply because he had nothing because it did not mean that he would never have anything ever again, that life is about that which is still to come, not that which has already happened. The Bishop took her words to heart and found something that he had long thought lost – his faith. But this wasn’t just any ordinary faith; it was faith in her and faith in her words. And having faith in someone else is always more important than having faith in yourself.
< *** >
Faith’s Coffee Shop
April 28th 2013; 10:32am
Jason Anders: Can I ask why the kid is here?
They sit at the back of a coffee shop. It’s ordinary, nothing special about it or the patrons inside. That is if you exclude the two men sitting at the back, talking about business, and the eighteen month old girl who sits in a booster seat at the same table, completely engrossed in scribbling with the crayons in front of her. She pays little attention to the sharply suited lawyer or his client, who also just so happens to be her less sharply dressed father. That man of course is Trace Demon, the co-owner of the WFWF and the current International Champion. He sits in his usual casual gear, looking over an assortment of papers with various business jargon on it. Most people would look at Trace and wouldn’t for a second think that he had any idea what he was looking at, but that’s the thing about Trace Demon – he’s scarily smart. Also, he’s got a huge dong and is mega rich, so all around he’s a winner.
Trace Demon: Alexa’s going shopping with her mother.
Jason Anders: And she didn’t want to take the kid?
Trace Demon: Are you kidding me? I didn’t want her to take her, couldn’t take the risk her mother would poison my daughter against me.
Eliza Demon: Cow!
Trace Demon: That’s right El, your grandmother is a cow.
Jason Anders: I think she’s talking about what she’s drawn.
Trace Demon: Probably, but I’m gonna keep thinking otherwise for my own amusement.
It wasn’t that Jason Anders didn’t like kids, they just creeped him out. The way they seemed to be in their own little world all the time, completely oblivious to everything going on around them. Always running off and doing their own thing without worrying about how other people are going to react. Wait, are we describing his feelings about kids or just talking about Trace?
Trace Demon: You’re sure this’ll clear on time? I don’t want to get a call at closing saying that it hasn’t gone through and I’ve spent all day in a coffee shop for nothing.
Jason Anders: It’ll go through. I still don’t get why you’re doing this, it makes no sense. You own a wrestling company, a wrestling school, a stake in the Toronto Maple Leafs and now you want to buy this?
Trace Demon: Your job isn’t to wonder why; it’s just to make sure that my business is carried out properly. You’re a smart man Anders, you know not to question what I’m doing.
Actually, his job was just to antagonise Xavier Pierce. The fact that he was actually a very good lawyer turned out to just be an added bonus.
Jason Anders: Fine, it’s not like it’s going to make a big dent in your finances anyway. Not like that flying monkey circus would have.
Trace Demon: I thought it had some serious potential to make a profit in the first year.
Jason Anders: Flying monkeys Trace, how in the world do you think that is ever going to make a profit since they don’t exist.
Trace Demon: Have you never heard of a jetpack? This is why you’re just a lawyer Anders, you’ve got no vision, no flair for the dramatic. Also, you’ve got a really nasally voice at times, you should work on that.
Eliza Demon: Weasel!
Trace Demon: That too, you look like a weasel.
If you’ve ever been put down by a father and daughter double act then you’ll know how Jason Anders is feeling right now. Of course, if you’ve ever been put down by a father and daughter double act then you should seriously reassess how you’re living your life.
Jason Anders: I’ll push through this paperwork and get the deal sorted out. I’ll call you when it goes through. What the hell are you even going to do in here for what, six hours?
Trace Demon: The same thing I’ve been doing for the past four days. Take all of my meetings right here in this seat and see whether I can’t avoid devouring a few donuts while I’m at it. Those things are devilish, and I should know, it’s in my name.
Jason Anders: Look, I’ve got to ask again, what is it about this place that’s so fascinating you’ve spent an entire week sitting here?
Eliza Demon: A woman!
Trace Demon: The girl speaks the truth.
She also is unusually talented at colouring within the lines. Probably has more hand eye coordination skills than Yukio Blaze does right now after Trace Demon gave him some pretty severe brain damage. Or did before actually, dude was a hobo, hobo’s aren’t known for their coordination. Or their hygiene, god Yukio stank.
Jason Anders: You’re in a relationship Trace, your daughter is right there.
Trace Demon: Not like that you oaf, you see the girl just walking through the door now? The blonde?
The blonde in question wore the usual outfit of an employee at this particular coffee shop, and it wasn’t the least bit flattering. Regardless she had some beauty about her and the air of kindness and compassion. There was also something very familiar about her, Anders noticed that pretty quickly, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what it wasn’t. It wasn’t that he knew her or even that he’d seen her before, it was one of those moments where you wonder if you know her brother, or her mother or her…
Jason Anders: Oh…
Guess he isn’t as stupid as he looks. Good for him.
Jason Anders: Is that seriously who I think it is?
Trace Demon: Maybe. Or maybe it’s just a girl who I pointed out because I’m bored of waiting for you to leave and I wanted to make a point of directing your eyes near the door, so I could then tell you to walk in the opposite direction of said girl right out of the door.
Jason Anders: You could have just asked me to leave.
Trace Demon: I could, but then where’s the fun in that?
< *** >
The Princess and the Bishop found themselves enamoured with each other’s company on that day on the cliff side. It was rare that the Princess had someone to talk to who acted like themselves rather than trying to act like the gallant knight out of fear and respect for her father. They continued to meet for some time after that but it was not easy as the Princess knew that her father would disapprove of her spending her time with such a man. Not only was he not a warrior but he was not even a formidable man in his own right but rather more of a scholar, and that would not suit the King at all. He was of the belief that a man must be capable of going to war for his family, and that was not something he took metaphorically. The King may have lived in his glorious castle and sat on his extravagant throne but when war called he would stand on the front line and lead gallantly, butchering enemies and bathing in their blood in a mockery of their failure. He was known far and wide as the King of the Demons and the Princess could not take the risk of him turning his ire to her new friend.
She was thankfully very adept at sneaking out of the castle, being light of foot and deep of thought, and would often leave its walls in order to visit her new friend. Around each other they felt different, whole and content with life, and when apart they felt hollow, like something was missing. It did not take long for the two of them to understand that the only thing missing was each other. They fell in love, the beautiful Princess and the humble Bishop, and he vowed to make her his wife so that they could be happy together. The Princess knew that this was not possible, the King would never allow the Bishop to take her and the Bishop did not seem capable of besting the King in battle. She begged the Bishop to forget talk of winning her hand from the King and told him that she would not meet with him again in the hope that he would move on with his life. She resigned herself to marrying whoever the King chose.
But the Bishop could not move on without her, he loved her and he wanted to make her his even if that meant taking her away from the King. One day he travelled to the castle and bid an audience with the King, declaring that he wanted to ask for the Princess’s hand in marriage. He was met by laughter for the King’s men who thought him to be some kind of jester but he was not joking and would not leave without seeing him. Word was sent to the King of the strange Bishop who claimed to love his daughter and he was at first intrigued, agreeing to meet with him. The King held court with the Bishop and the Princess was shocked to see him, begging him to turn away and leave at once. The King realized that the Bishop had already held secret meetings with his daughter and was enraged. He gave the Bishop two choices – to leave and be well or to face him on the field of battle for his daughters hand and risk certain death. The Bishop, hoping to prove his worth, agreed.
It was a cold night when the two men met, surrounded by people who had heard of the foolish Bishop and had come to see a slaughter. The two men met and they fought and while the Bishop was valiant he was no match for the mighty King of the Demons who bested him with ease. The King stood over the Bishop and lifted up his sword to strike the final blow when the Princess stepped between them, begging her father to let the Bishop live. The King looked upon her eyes and saw the love for which he had never seen before and he agreed to let the Bishop go, but he could not give him his daughter for he was a weak man who did not deserve a woman of royal blood. The Princess respected his wishes out of a will to keep her beloved alive and the Bishop was left cold and alone with nothing.
Just the way it should be.
< *** >
Faith’s Coffee Shop
April 28th 2013; 1:19am
Thunder: Your kid is staring at me.
Indeed, ever since Thunder had taken the sit opposite Trace at the back of the coffee shop Trace’s little hell spawn had been staring him down with her crazy eyes. That was one of the things she got from him, he’d never lost a staring contest.
Trace Demon: She’s probably never seen somebody as ugly as you, must be a surprise when you live with somebody as spectacular as me.
Thunder: You’re a lot more arrogant now than you used to be. You used to just be crazy.
Trace Demon: Just being crazy got really old really quickly. And hey, I was never just crazy, I was also very charming.
Thunder: You were never charming.
Trace Demon: Charming enough to screw your sister.
Eliza Demon: Screw! Screw!
Trace Demon: I’m gonna pay for that one later.
The blonde waitress, the same one Trace pointed out to Anders earlier, places two cups of coffee down on the table. She flashes Trace a small smile, he’s been there every day this week and she’s gotten used to seeing him no matter how strange he is. He nods in response and heads off to deal with other customers, Thunder watching the interaction with mild interest.
Thunder: Thought you were with Alexa, you messed that one up already? Nah, that can’t be it, there’s no way that you’d get any visitation rights if you and her broke up. She’s staring again Trace!
Trace Demon: She’s eighteen months old, do not let her psych you out.
There’s totally a game show in there somewhere with Thunder facing off with random things in challenges. Thunder vs. the baby! Thunder vs. the dog! Thunder vs. Joe Bishop! Well, that one could be difficult considering there won’t be a Joe Bishop after this week. Sad, that would have been a good episode.
Thunder: I hope you live long enough for her to grow up because that is going to be funny to watch, you know that right?
Trace Demon: The state of my body, I’m not going to live long enough to see the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup.
Thunder: None of us are going to live that long.
Trace Demon: This is the year man, this is the year.
Gunnarsson is going to take them all the way baby, just you wait.
Thunder: We didn’t come here to talk about how the Bruins are going to humiliate the Maple Leafs, did we? We’re here to talk about how I’m going to kill your girl right?
Trace Demon: Okay one, it’s going to be a miracle if you even show up at the arena and make it down to the ring without putting out a hip. Two, see number one because that’s how hilarious what you just said is. Three, the Bruins suck. Four, no, we’re not here to talk about that.
Five, the Bruins still suck.
Trace Demon: I want to make you an offer.
Thunder: I am not investing in the flying monkey business; I’ve told you enough times.
Trace Demon: It’s nothing to do with the flying monkeys, though you will be receiving a very convincing video any day now. I’m sure you saw the challenge I laid down to Xavier last week?
Thunder: Not really, I kinda skip through anything that doesn’t involve watching Yukio Blaze get beaten on.
That’s the first think Thunder has said in years that actually makes Trace think that he’s still the smart man he used to be. Who needs to watch people fight over useless pieces of golden metal when they could be watching an old smelly homeless man like Yukio Blaze get beaten up every week?
Trace Demon: Short story, if he says yes, and he will, then I need to find three people to be on my team. I’ve already got a handle on the first two but I need a third guy. Someone strong, fast, technically sound, intelligent, can kick some ass. I figure you might know somebody.
You’ve got to love that moment when someone completely loses their smug expression. It’s like slapping someone across the face with a shoe… you know, like you do.
Eliza Demon: You!
Trace Demon: I can’t believe you just ruined that moment for me.
Eliza sticks her tongue out at Trace, signalling exactly how little she cares. Yeah, she’s definitely his kid alright.
Thunder: You’re an ass.
Trace Demon: Thank you. So, you in?
Thunder: You want me to team with you and two people I don’t know to fight four of Xavier Pierce’s men? And what exactly do I get out of this?
Trace Demon: Well you know, if I’m the sole owner of the WFWF and I just so happen to owe a certain someone a favour then they could probably ask for a title shot or maybe a late entry into a certain Scars & Stripes battle royal that just so happens to be around the corner.
Moment of truth time Thunder, do you make a deal with the devil you know or do you do the smart thing and remain a washed up has been with no prospects and even less chance of ever regaining your glory days? There’s only two options and you have to pick one of them.
Thunder: I’m going to need some time to think about it.
Or you know, you could just sit on the fence and not do anything. That’s cool too.
Trace Demon: Don’t think too long Thunder, it doesn’t suit you and I’ve got a cue a mile long of people wanting to be part of the strongest team in wrestling history.
Thunder: You don’t have any other friends out there.
That signature smirk creeps across Trace’s face, it’s a smirk that Thunder remembers all too well.
Trace Demon: Don’t need friends Thunder, I just need soldiers.
< *** >
Many months passed and things returned to normal within the castle walls. The King continued to wage war on his enemies and strike down many who came to try and win his daughters hand. The Princess paid little heed to any of this, locking herself away in sadness for the separation from her beloved. One day, after the King had returned from battling the army of Blaze, a particularly poorly groomed assortment of fools and vagabonds, he visited his daughter. She begged him to let her find and be with the Bishop as it is love that bonds two people together, not their ability to protect each other. The King told her that one was not more important than the other and that he would not allow her to be with someone who could not honour her safety as he had done since she had been born. The King did not fight for victory but to vanquish those that were not worthy and that if he one day met a man he considered to be worthy then he would spare them their life and allow him to marry the Princess, because only a worthy man could ever truly make a woman happy. The Princess said that the Bishop was different but the King pointed out that he had not returned to win her hand and that if he truly loved her then he would have ignored the King’s warning. He was a coward, and a coward could not honour a woman.
But the Bishop was not a coward and he had not run following his defeat at the King’s hand. That defeat had ignited a new fire within the Bishop, a new fury, and he had decided that if the King would not allow him to marry the Princess then he would kill the King and take his kingdom from him. To do this he travelled across the oceans to each of the King’s enemies, convincing them that if they worked together they could kill the King of the Demons and split his kingdom up between them. He united the King’s enemies against them and he now marched upon the kingdom with an army the likes the kingdom had never seen before. Word reached the King of this incredible army and that they had given him a choice – surrender or die. The King refused to surrender and lead his own army out to meet the Bishop’s united legion. While the King and his men were outnumbered they brought with them an unending confidence, a confidence that intimidated the united legion of the enemy. The two sides clashed.
The battle that followed was great, far greater than any that had been seen before or any that would follow. Despite the King’s army being outnumbered they were far more skilled than those that they faced. Men fell on both sides of the war and for a time it would appear like they would rip each other apart. The King himself led the charge, tearing through men with a fury that could not belong to any ordinary human. He worked his way through the army, covering himself in the blood of the enemy as he went, until he found himself face to face with the Bishop who had been waiting for him all along. As the war raged around them the King and the Bishop stood face to face, the King admitting that he had been wrong about the Bishop and that he was worthy of the Princess but that there had been one thing that he had always kept from those who challenged for her hand. However the King could not let something like this go, the Bishop had tried to tear the kingdom apart and for that he could not escape this war alive. For the second time the two men clashed.
The Princess had gotten word of the great battle and she raced out to the battlefield in the hope that she could stop her father and her love from leading each other to their death but by the time she reached it the war had come to a stop. The King’s army was victorious, slaughtering every single one of their enemies. The Princess found the King, very much alive, and begged him to tell her what had happened to her love, the Bishop. The King told her that the Bishop had fought valiantly and that he had proven himself worthy of her before pulling out the Bishop’s severed head. The Bishop may have been worthy but he was still defeated, and the defeated did not deserve anything. The Princess was heartbroken, her love was dead. She reminded her father of his own words…
The Princess: You told me that if you ever met a man who was worthy of me, who could keep me safe, then you would spare them.
The King: I lied.
< *** >
Faith’s Coffee Shop
April 28th 2013; 3:52pm
Penny Shannon: Dude, what’re you doing?
Trace looked up at Penny who was watching him with a look of amusement. She had just stumbled upon the great King of Demons telling his young daughter some fairy tale about a King, a Bishop and a Princess and… well, it certainly isn’t the kind of thing you expect to hear coming from the mouth of a man who usually just spouts a lot of vitriol about hobos and bald headed idiots.
Trace Demon: Eliza wanted a story, you got a problem with that?
And that tone right there is why a man like Trace can get away with telling his daughter a fairytale.
Penny Shannon: Not at all man, you just don’t strike me as the fairy tale type.
Trace Demon: It’s not a fairy tale, it’s a morality tale, what do they teach you kids nowadays?
Penny Shannon: You’re like a year older than me.
Trace Demon: Still counts.
Penny was used to Trace’s slightly sociopathic way of thinking by now and she’d stopped expecting common sense from him a while back, ever since he brought her on as Scarlett’s travelling partner and attempted to pay him with some kind of partnership in a business specialising in flying monkeys.
Penny Shannon: Can I sit or do you want to finish your little morality tale?
Eliza Demon: Sit!
Trace Demon: You’re lucky, I was gonna tell you to piss off until I could at least get to the actual moral of the tale.
Penny pulls out the seat opposite Trace and sits down. She’s barely got her ass on the seat before some blonde chick walks over to her and asks her whether she wants anything. She glances at the nametag – Sarah. Yes, that Sarah.
Penny Shannon: Just a coffee, black thanks.
Sarah: Coming right up.
As the waitress walks away Penny can’t help but watch her leave.
Trace Demon: Don’t get any ideas; you’re here because I told you to meet me, not to check out the waitress.
Penny Shannon: Just admiring the scenery man, chill.
It wasn’t often that Trace got told to chill, because usually people would be to intimidated to even think about saying it. That was what he liked about Penny, she didn’t give a crap, she’d just say it to his face and worry about getting a shard of glass to the eye later on. In Trace Demon’s world, that is an admirable quality.
Penny Shannon: So, what was the moral?
Trace Demon: What?
Penny Shannon: Of your tale, you said you didn’t get to the moral, I’m sure the girl wants you to tell her.
Eliza Demon: Tell me, tell me!
Trace Demon: The moral of the story was that no matter how worthy you are, no matter how much you think you deserve something or how much you’ve proven you deserve something, none of it matters because there’s always someone out there who can and will cut you down.
Penny Shannon: That’s a dark moral man, aren’t they meant to be like life lessons?
Trace Demon: That is a life lesson. Never directly go up against the man who can and will cut you down just to get what you think you deserve. I can’t make the message any more obvious than that without picking up a frying pan, writing it on the back and then smacking someone in the face with it.
Audience, meet the frying pan.
Penny Shannon: Whatever boss man, why’re we down here? I’m not getting sacked, am I? I swear, Calvin’s lying; I didn’t sleep with his mother.
Trace Demon: You’re not getting sacked.
Penny Shannon: Thank god for that, because I totally slept with his mom.
And Wayne said that Penny was irresponsible and would probably end up getting them in some kind of trouble. What could ever have given him an idea like that?
Penny Shannon: So what’re we here for? Did you finally decide that I deserve a pay rise? Am I getting a title shot? You’re not going to suggest we have a threesome again are you, because I told you things got really awkward after the last time.
Trace Demon: I wanted to give you a fair warning; things are going to get messy soon. There’s something I want and we both know that I always get what I want.
Penny Shannon: What are you talking about?
Trace Demon: The World Heavyweight Championship.
The atmosphere shifts in an instant. It’s dramatic, dark, suddenly very serious. It’s like a mob movie where anything could happen at any moment and absolutely nothing can break through the tension…
Sarah: You’re coffee.
Penny Shannon: Um… thanks…
Yeah, absolutely nothing.
Penny Shannon: Scarlett is the World Champion.
Trace Demon: Yes.
Penny Shannon: And you want the title.
Trace Demon: Yes.
Penny Shannon: So you’re going to try and take the title from Scarlett.
Eliza Demon: Yes!
When an eighteen month old child can blurt out the perfect line, you know you should really be upping the intelligence quota on the conversation.
Trace Demon: I’m telling you this because I like you, and I like Scarlett. She’s Wayne’s kid and I told him that I was going to make sure that she was safe, but I want the World Championship and when I decide I want something I take it. So I’m going to do exactly that, I’m going to take it and if she still has it after this match with Malakai then I’m going to take it from her. And she doesn’t exactly strike me as the sort to just give it up.
Penny Shannon: She’s probably going to want to fight for it.
Trace Demon: And that’s why I’m here. Because I’ve got this thing. It doesn’t matter who they are, it doesn’t matter if I like them or respect them, it doesn’t even matter if they’re family, if they’ve got something I really want then I will do absolutely anything to get it. And if you’ve been paying attention recently when I mean anything I’m genuinely stretching the socially acceptable terms of the word.
Penny Shannon: So why are you telling me this, shouldn’t you be talking with Scarlett? Or hell, even Wayne?
Trace quickly darts his head back, avoiding a well-aimed crayon thrown by his daughter. She does this every now and then, testing his reflexes. It’s one of the perks of having to look after an eighteen month old child for the entire day. That and she weighs just enough to use as a weight for on the spot workouts.
Trace Demon: I’m telling you because if Scarlett tries to fight back then I’m going to hurt her, and I don’t tend to stop there, it’s very likely I’ll go after the people around her. Vanessa, Wayne, her grandmother if I’m feeling particularly evil… you.
Penny doesn’t know what to say. It’s not often your boss tells you that he’s going to launch a campaign of terror on the eighteen year old girl you’ve been partnering with and now consider to be your closest friend. It’s also not every day you get hit in the head by a crayon thrown by a giggling child and don’t even bat an eye, but that just happened as well.
Trace Demon: Now the reason I made sure to hold this meeting today rather than say, in a couple of weeks when we actually know if she’ll have the title or not is because it gives me the chance to give you an example of what I mean. It’s not going to be as severe as what could happen with Scarlett because I’ve got my daughter here and I don’t particularly want her to see me as the guy who busts open heads in the middle of a coffee shop, but you can use your imagination I guess.
He rises, picks up Eliza in his arms and his bag in the other. He’s quietly confident, Penny knowing full well that whatever he is about to do right now he has had planned for some time and all he’s doing is using it to drive his point home.
Trace Demon: Sarah.
He calls over the blonde waitress, Sarah, the one who looks vaguely familiar. She’s been there all day, a long shift dealing with strange people like Trace, but she remains pleasant. She’s a good kid, paying her way through college by working in this dull little coffee shop.
Sarah: What can I do for you?
Trace Demon: You’re father, what’s his name?
She’s confused, rightly so, Trace is a weird dude at the best of times. This is not the best of times.
Sarah: Xavier.
Penny Shannon: Aw crap.
Trace Demon: Wait for it Penny, this is where it gets good. Xavier Pierce, right?
Sarah Pierce: Yeah, look what’s all this about?
Trace Demon: As of twenty minutes ago I bought this shop. You can check with your manager but she’s just going to tell you that she just got the call through today and that this is now part of the great Trace Demon Empire. Hey, I like that, my empire, kind of like a king. Anyway, like I was saying, I own the place now, and I know you’re just trying to make your way through college and that you really need this job because you’re kind of distant from your father and it’s the only job that fits in with your hours.
Penny Shannon: Don’t do this.
She’s clicked, good for her, doesn’t stop anything though. He did warn her, when he decides something he’s going to make sure that he follows through on it.
Trace Demon: You’re fired.
Sarah Pierce: What, you can’t do this.
Trace Demon: Just did, you’ll get the official word through tomorrow but I’m just giving you some advance warning. It’s not going to do you any good because I’m going to do the same with any job you work until dear old daddy gets the message.
Sarah Pierce: Why? Why would you do this, I don’t even know you.
Trace Demon: No, but your father does, and he’s the one who I’ve got a problem with. You’re just… collateral damage, once he sees sense and gets the hell out of my company then I’ll make sure you get your job back. Just give him this message – accept the match offer or next time it’s not just your job that I’m taking, it’s everything.
He doesn’t wait around to see the tears that will inevitably come; he’s got no time for that. He just leaves, straight out onto the street with his daughter in his arms like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t just ruined some innocent girls life just because of whom her father is. Penny rushes out after him, runs in front of him.
Penny Shannon: You didn’t need to do that.
Trace Demon: Yes I did, Xavier needs to know what I’ll do if he doesn’t accept my offer and you need to know as well. If Scarlett is still the champion when Battleground is over then I’ll be coming after her and anybody that stands with her. I’ve got a lot of stock tied up in you, your job at the school, your contract, it’s all because of me… and I can make it vanish in an instant. I hope you’re ready for when that happens Penny, because I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be painful all round.
He pulls out a screwed up ten dollar bill from his pocket and shoves it into her hand.
Trace Demon: Forgot to pay for the coffee. Oh, and tell Sarah she can keep the change, she’s probably going to need it.
And the moral of the story is there’s always that one guy who can cut you down.
Trace Demon is that guy.
< *** >
Round and round in circles we go, where we’ll end up only I know. Joe Bishop, here we are again. I thought I’d put you in your place last time we faced but apparently I was wrong. And I don’t like being wrong Joe, I don’t like it at all. In fact it really pisses me off when it turns out that I was wrong. Which means technically, I’m pissed off with you because you’re the one who decided to come back for round two. And I know what you’re going to say, “but Trace, I want the International Championship and you’ve got it. But Trace, I deserve a second shot because I earned it. But Trace… but Trace… but Trace, yadda yadda yadda, so on and so forth.” But here’s the thing Bishop, I don’t care what you think you’ve earned, I don’t care what you think you deserve, I don’t care about anything other than the fact that you’ve made me look like a damn fool. That’s right Joe, a fool, and I’m not a damn jester, I’m a king, I’m the King of Demons damn it and you’re a nobody and I’m going to treat you to a nobodies funeral.
The way I see it Joe is that you’ve got it in your head that just because you can beat two other nobodies in a triple threat match you deserve to step into the ring with me again. And fine, you’re welcome to that belief, everybody is welcome to believe what they want, but that doesn’t mean that I like it, that doesn’t mean I have to respect it. Because I don’t respect it and I don’t respect you. You couldn’t get the job done before and you haven’t improved since so I don’t know what makes you think that this time is going to be different. Tell me Joe, tell me what’s so different this time? Have you got a new training regime you’re going to try out? Have you got some new ring gear that’ll give you some crazy new aerodynamics? Have you maybe grown a set of balls and decided to back up this new talk of a ruthless streak? Please tell me Joe because I want to know, I want to understand what you’re thinking, I want to know what makes you think you can beat me!
Joe, there’s a saying in my world – it doesn’t matter what you deserve or what you’ve earned, because there will always be somebody who can cut you down. And I am that somebody. You enter the United Kingdom thinking that you can take away my WFWF International Championship, thinking that you can take something from me, but you can’t Joe, you can’t do it, I won’t let you. Last time we faced Bishop I told you that a bishop is always less than a king and that point still stands but it’s more than that, I am a warrior, I am a vicious son of a b***h who will drop you no matter who you are and you are just a man who thinks he can be brutal. And that’s the difference between me and you Joe, I’ve proven my role as a victor of battles, I haven’t lost a match in fourteen months. That’s right, it’s over one year since I last lost a match in the WFWF and that is because when I go to war I go do it knowing that I am better than everybody else. Be it Drakz, be it Phillip Schneider, be it Yukio Blaze or be it you… I am better.
But you, you’re an unproven rookie Joe, you’ve done nothing to prove yourself, you’ve done nothing to prove that when you step into that ring at Revolution in the United Kingdom that you will be able to defeat me. In fact you’ve already proven that you can’t do it. You’ve already proven that you can’t beat me. And sure, you’re a former National Champion but I’ve been there, I’ve done that, it’s nothing special, it’s just another title to me. You look at my history and you damn well see that I’ve done everything there is to do. WFWF National Champion, WFWF Tag Team Champion, WFWF International Champion, WFWF World Heavyweight Champion, 2009 Survival of the Fittest winner, triple crown holder, grand slam holder, XWA World Heavyweight Champion, in two different XWA’s might I add, the longest reigning XWA Hardcore Champion in history, the XWA 2012 King of Xtreme winner… I have done it all and that is a fact. You have done nothing, that is also a fact. And you can say that I’m spouting off all these accomplishments because I live in the past and that the past doesn’t matter but let’s be honest for a second here Joe… I’m better now than I’ve ever been.
Seriously, fourteen months undefeated and there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m making it at least another few months yet. Since I won this title I’ve not once ever even considered the idea that I might lose it. Every time I’ve stepped in that ring I knew that I would walk out victorious because there is nobody better than me anymore. And it’s a big claim to make I know but it’s one thing I can damn well backup no matter who the opponent, no matter what type of match and no matter what is on the line. So you step into my ring in the United Kingdom and you tell yourself that this time will be different but we both know that it won’t. We both know that when we step into that ring it will end the same way as it ended the last time, with me standing over your motionless body as I hold up the International Championship stained with the blood of Yukio Blaze. You can keep your pipe dreams because that is all they are. Dreams and stories. But I’ve got a story for you, and it goes a little like this.
Once upon a time there was a King, a Bishop and a Princess. The Bishop wanted to marry the Princess because they were in love but the King knew the Bishop wasn’t worthy so he cut him down and bathed in his blood because he damn well could. Now the full story is a little bit longer and maybe one day I’ll tell it to you but right now I’m keeping it short and sweet because the only thing that matters is that I am the King, you are the Bishop and this title is mine to protect from grubby unworthy hands such as yours and I’ll do it by cutting you down and bathing in your blood because I damn well can. And when I’m done with you, when I’ve ripped your tattered body apart and pissed on the embers of your burgeoning career I will turn my attention to bigger things. Because I don’t care who I’m facing… I’m always thinking about who else I can hurt.
And trust my word, I’m a king after all, you will get hurt.
- Winston Churchill
< *** >
Long ago in a land that has since lost its name there was a powerful King who ruled over all he saw. He ruled with an iron fist, offering little time for those who failed and even less for those who did not try to succeed at all. He was known far and wide for ruling with an iron fist, for crushing all who stood in his way. But despite that he was righteous, he gave opportunities to his people and he offered respect to those who deserved it, though those were few and far between. He wore a calm and cold exterior, some even went so far as to call him a sociopath, but part of him believed himself to be happy. He had a queen, his had beautiful daughters, he had land and he had power, it was everything that he could wish for, everything he could dream of. Was he happy? He could not say, but the illusion of happiness was most certainly there and that, as far as the world outside his castle walls were concerned, was enough.
The King had many subjects, but few were as tortured as the Bishop. Once upon a time he had been a man of faith. Faith in God, faith in his King but more importantly faith in himself. It was this faith, that which lies within, that was most important to him, but slowly as the years went on that faith faded. He lost friends, fellow men of the cloth, even family. His faith vanished and left him a hollow husk of a man, a hollow husk of a Bishop. He had nothing. No faith, no light, no love and when all three of those things have vanished from within a man’s soul what reason is there for him to continue on? The Bishop could not see any, so he decided that he would not allow himself to live a hollow existence. He climbed to the top of the highest mountain with the intent of taKing one final look down upon the Kingdom of his King and then throwing himself off.
The King had a daughter, a Princess, and she was glorious and beautiful, the envy of all who came to see her. Warriors from every corner of the Earth visited in an attempt to win her heart, but each of them fell short of the Kings expectations. He offered them the opportunity to face him in battle and if they won he would allow them to take his daughter as their wife, but none of them were successful and they were either sent back from whence they came or they were sent to the grave. The Princess did not understand why her father was so protective and even when he explained that only the very best deserved to call her his wife she was angry. As the rage boiled up inside of her she fled the castle one fine morning, in need of a single day of living life for herself, rather than at the whim of the controlling and all powerful King. She decided to climb to the tip of the highest mountain and see the entirety of what her father ruled over. It was a harsh climb, especially for one who was so used to being waited upon by those in servitude to the royal family, but climb she did, fighting the harsh winds and the falling rocks and maKing it to the top. Once there she found a man about to throw himself off of the sheer cliff face. She found the Bishop.
The Bishop was surprised to see the Princess, he had not expected anybody else to climb to the peak of the mountain that day, and he could not bring himself to take his life in front of a girl so innocent. The Princess asked him why he was so sad and he explained, told her of his lost family and his lost faith and how there was nothing left for him upon this mortal realm any longer. The Princess told him that he was foolish to consider life worthless simply because he had nothing because it did not mean that he would never have anything ever again, that life is about that which is still to come, not that which has already happened. The Bishop took her words to heart and found something that he had long thought lost – his faith. But this wasn’t just any ordinary faith; it was faith in her and faith in her words. And having faith in someone else is always more important than having faith in yourself.
< *** >
Faith’s Coffee Shop
April 28th 2013; 10:32am
Jason Anders: Can I ask why the kid is here?
They sit at the back of a coffee shop. It’s ordinary, nothing special about it or the patrons inside. That is if you exclude the two men sitting at the back, talking about business, and the eighteen month old girl who sits in a booster seat at the same table, completely engrossed in scribbling with the crayons in front of her. She pays little attention to the sharply suited lawyer or his client, who also just so happens to be her less sharply dressed father. That man of course is Trace Demon, the co-owner of the WFWF and the current International Champion. He sits in his usual casual gear, looking over an assortment of papers with various business jargon on it. Most people would look at Trace and wouldn’t for a second think that he had any idea what he was looking at, but that’s the thing about Trace Demon – he’s scarily smart. Also, he’s got a huge dong and is mega rich, so all around he’s a winner.
Trace Demon: Alexa’s going shopping with her mother.
Jason Anders: And she didn’t want to take the kid?
Trace Demon: Are you kidding me? I didn’t want her to take her, couldn’t take the risk her mother would poison my daughter against me.
Eliza Demon: Cow!
Trace Demon: That’s right El, your grandmother is a cow.
Jason Anders: I think she’s talking about what she’s drawn.
Trace Demon: Probably, but I’m gonna keep thinking otherwise for my own amusement.
It wasn’t that Jason Anders didn’t like kids, they just creeped him out. The way they seemed to be in their own little world all the time, completely oblivious to everything going on around them. Always running off and doing their own thing without worrying about how other people are going to react. Wait, are we describing his feelings about kids or just talking about Trace?
Trace Demon: You’re sure this’ll clear on time? I don’t want to get a call at closing saying that it hasn’t gone through and I’ve spent all day in a coffee shop for nothing.
Jason Anders: It’ll go through. I still don’t get why you’re doing this, it makes no sense. You own a wrestling company, a wrestling school, a stake in the Toronto Maple Leafs and now you want to buy this?
Trace Demon: Your job isn’t to wonder why; it’s just to make sure that my business is carried out properly. You’re a smart man Anders, you know not to question what I’m doing.
Actually, his job was just to antagonise Xavier Pierce. The fact that he was actually a very good lawyer turned out to just be an added bonus.
Jason Anders: Fine, it’s not like it’s going to make a big dent in your finances anyway. Not like that flying monkey circus would have.
Trace Demon: I thought it had some serious potential to make a profit in the first year.
Jason Anders: Flying monkeys Trace, how in the world do you think that is ever going to make a profit since they don’t exist.
Trace Demon: Have you never heard of a jetpack? This is why you’re just a lawyer Anders, you’ve got no vision, no flair for the dramatic. Also, you’ve got a really nasally voice at times, you should work on that.
Eliza Demon: Weasel!
Trace Demon: That too, you look like a weasel.
If you’ve ever been put down by a father and daughter double act then you’ll know how Jason Anders is feeling right now. Of course, if you’ve ever been put down by a father and daughter double act then you should seriously reassess how you’re living your life.
Jason Anders: I’ll push through this paperwork and get the deal sorted out. I’ll call you when it goes through. What the hell are you even going to do in here for what, six hours?
Trace Demon: The same thing I’ve been doing for the past four days. Take all of my meetings right here in this seat and see whether I can’t avoid devouring a few donuts while I’m at it. Those things are devilish, and I should know, it’s in my name.
Jason Anders: Look, I’ve got to ask again, what is it about this place that’s so fascinating you’ve spent an entire week sitting here?
Eliza Demon: A woman!
Trace Demon: The girl speaks the truth.
She also is unusually talented at colouring within the lines. Probably has more hand eye coordination skills than Yukio Blaze does right now after Trace Demon gave him some pretty severe brain damage. Or did before actually, dude was a hobo, hobo’s aren’t known for their coordination. Or their hygiene, god Yukio stank.
Jason Anders: You’re in a relationship Trace, your daughter is right there.
Trace Demon: Not like that you oaf, you see the girl just walking through the door now? The blonde?
The blonde in question wore the usual outfit of an employee at this particular coffee shop, and it wasn’t the least bit flattering. Regardless she had some beauty about her and the air of kindness and compassion. There was also something very familiar about her, Anders noticed that pretty quickly, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what it wasn’t. It wasn’t that he knew her or even that he’d seen her before, it was one of those moments where you wonder if you know her brother, or her mother or her…
Jason Anders: Oh…
Guess he isn’t as stupid as he looks. Good for him.
Jason Anders: Is that seriously who I think it is?
Trace Demon: Maybe. Or maybe it’s just a girl who I pointed out because I’m bored of waiting for you to leave and I wanted to make a point of directing your eyes near the door, so I could then tell you to walk in the opposite direction of said girl right out of the door.
Jason Anders: You could have just asked me to leave.
Trace Demon: I could, but then where’s the fun in that?
< *** >
The Princess and the Bishop found themselves enamoured with each other’s company on that day on the cliff side. It was rare that the Princess had someone to talk to who acted like themselves rather than trying to act like the gallant knight out of fear and respect for her father. They continued to meet for some time after that but it was not easy as the Princess knew that her father would disapprove of her spending her time with such a man. Not only was he not a warrior but he was not even a formidable man in his own right but rather more of a scholar, and that would not suit the King at all. He was of the belief that a man must be capable of going to war for his family, and that was not something he took metaphorically. The King may have lived in his glorious castle and sat on his extravagant throne but when war called he would stand on the front line and lead gallantly, butchering enemies and bathing in their blood in a mockery of their failure. He was known far and wide as the King of the Demons and the Princess could not take the risk of him turning his ire to her new friend.
She was thankfully very adept at sneaking out of the castle, being light of foot and deep of thought, and would often leave its walls in order to visit her new friend. Around each other they felt different, whole and content with life, and when apart they felt hollow, like something was missing. It did not take long for the two of them to understand that the only thing missing was each other. They fell in love, the beautiful Princess and the humble Bishop, and he vowed to make her his wife so that they could be happy together. The Princess knew that this was not possible, the King would never allow the Bishop to take her and the Bishop did not seem capable of besting the King in battle. She begged the Bishop to forget talk of winning her hand from the King and told him that she would not meet with him again in the hope that he would move on with his life. She resigned herself to marrying whoever the King chose.
But the Bishop could not move on without her, he loved her and he wanted to make her his even if that meant taking her away from the King. One day he travelled to the castle and bid an audience with the King, declaring that he wanted to ask for the Princess’s hand in marriage. He was met by laughter for the King’s men who thought him to be some kind of jester but he was not joking and would not leave without seeing him. Word was sent to the King of the strange Bishop who claimed to love his daughter and he was at first intrigued, agreeing to meet with him. The King held court with the Bishop and the Princess was shocked to see him, begging him to turn away and leave at once. The King realized that the Bishop had already held secret meetings with his daughter and was enraged. He gave the Bishop two choices – to leave and be well or to face him on the field of battle for his daughters hand and risk certain death. The Bishop, hoping to prove his worth, agreed.
It was a cold night when the two men met, surrounded by people who had heard of the foolish Bishop and had come to see a slaughter. The two men met and they fought and while the Bishop was valiant he was no match for the mighty King of the Demons who bested him with ease. The King stood over the Bishop and lifted up his sword to strike the final blow when the Princess stepped between them, begging her father to let the Bishop live. The King looked upon her eyes and saw the love for which he had never seen before and he agreed to let the Bishop go, but he could not give him his daughter for he was a weak man who did not deserve a woman of royal blood. The Princess respected his wishes out of a will to keep her beloved alive and the Bishop was left cold and alone with nothing.
Just the way it should be.
< *** >
Faith’s Coffee Shop
April 28th 2013; 1:19am
Thunder: Your kid is staring at me.
Indeed, ever since Thunder had taken the sit opposite Trace at the back of the coffee shop Trace’s little hell spawn had been staring him down with her crazy eyes. That was one of the things she got from him, he’d never lost a staring contest.
Trace Demon: She’s probably never seen somebody as ugly as you, must be a surprise when you live with somebody as spectacular as me.
Thunder: You’re a lot more arrogant now than you used to be. You used to just be crazy.
Trace Demon: Just being crazy got really old really quickly. And hey, I was never just crazy, I was also very charming.
Thunder: You were never charming.
Trace Demon: Charming enough to screw your sister.
Eliza Demon: Screw! Screw!
Trace Demon: I’m gonna pay for that one later.
The blonde waitress, the same one Trace pointed out to Anders earlier, places two cups of coffee down on the table. She flashes Trace a small smile, he’s been there every day this week and she’s gotten used to seeing him no matter how strange he is. He nods in response and heads off to deal with other customers, Thunder watching the interaction with mild interest.
Thunder: Thought you were with Alexa, you messed that one up already? Nah, that can’t be it, there’s no way that you’d get any visitation rights if you and her broke up. She’s staring again Trace!
Trace Demon: She’s eighteen months old, do not let her psych you out.
There’s totally a game show in there somewhere with Thunder facing off with random things in challenges. Thunder vs. the baby! Thunder vs. the dog! Thunder vs. Joe Bishop! Well, that one could be difficult considering there won’t be a Joe Bishop after this week. Sad, that would have been a good episode.
Thunder: I hope you live long enough for her to grow up because that is going to be funny to watch, you know that right?
Trace Demon: The state of my body, I’m not going to live long enough to see the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup.
Thunder: None of us are going to live that long.
Trace Demon: This is the year man, this is the year.
Gunnarsson is going to take them all the way baby, just you wait.
Thunder: We didn’t come here to talk about how the Bruins are going to humiliate the Maple Leafs, did we? We’re here to talk about how I’m going to kill your girl right?
Trace Demon: Okay one, it’s going to be a miracle if you even show up at the arena and make it down to the ring without putting out a hip. Two, see number one because that’s how hilarious what you just said is. Three, the Bruins suck. Four, no, we’re not here to talk about that.
Five, the Bruins still suck.
Trace Demon: I want to make you an offer.
Thunder: I am not investing in the flying monkey business; I’ve told you enough times.
Trace Demon: It’s nothing to do with the flying monkeys, though you will be receiving a very convincing video any day now. I’m sure you saw the challenge I laid down to Xavier last week?
Thunder: Not really, I kinda skip through anything that doesn’t involve watching Yukio Blaze get beaten on.
That’s the first think Thunder has said in years that actually makes Trace think that he’s still the smart man he used to be. Who needs to watch people fight over useless pieces of golden metal when they could be watching an old smelly homeless man like Yukio Blaze get beaten up every week?
Trace Demon: Short story, if he says yes, and he will, then I need to find three people to be on my team. I’ve already got a handle on the first two but I need a third guy. Someone strong, fast, technically sound, intelligent, can kick some ass. I figure you might know somebody.
You’ve got to love that moment when someone completely loses their smug expression. It’s like slapping someone across the face with a shoe… you know, like you do.
Eliza Demon: You!
Trace Demon: I can’t believe you just ruined that moment for me.
Eliza sticks her tongue out at Trace, signalling exactly how little she cares. Yeah, she’s definitely his kid alright.
Thunder: You’re an ass.
Trace Demon: Thank you. So, you in?
Thunder: You want me to team with you and two people I don’t know to fight four of Xavier Pierce’s men? And what exactly do I get out of this?
Trace Demon: Well you know, if I’m the sole owner of the WFWF and I just so happen to owe a certain someone a favour then they could probably ask for a title shot or maybe a late entry into a certain Scars & Stripes battle royal that just so happens to be around the corner.
Moment of truth time Thunder, do you make a deal with the devil you know or do you do the smart thing and remain a washed up has been with no prospects and even less chance of ever regaining your glory days? There’s only two options and you have to pick one of them.
Thunder: I’m going to need some time to think about it.
Or you know, you could just sit on the fence and not do anything. That’s cool too.
Trace Demon: Don’t think too long Thunder, it doesn’t suit you and I’ve got a cue a mile long of people wanting to be part of the strongest team in wrestling history.
Thunder: You don’t have any other friends out there.
That signature smirk creeps across Trace’s face, it’s a smirk that Thunder remembers all too well.
Trace Demon: Don’t need friends Thunder, I just need soldiers.
< *** >
Many months passed and things returned to normal within the castle walls. The King continued to wage war on his enemies and strike down many who came to try and win his daughters hand. The Princess paid little heed to any of this, locking herself away in sadness for the separation from her beloved. One day, after the King had returned from battling the army of Blaze, a particularly poorly groomed assortment of fools and vagabonds, he visited his daughter. She begged him to let her find and be with the Bishop as it is love that bonds two people together, not their ability to protect each other. The King told her that one was not more important than the other and that he would not allow her to be with someone who could not honour her safety as he had done since she had been born. The King did not fight for victory but to vanquish those that were not worthy and that if he one day met a man he considered to be worthy then he would spare them their life and allow him to marry the Princess, because only a worthy man could ever truly make a woman happy. The Princess said that the Bishop was different but the King pointed out that he had not returned to win her hand and that if he truly loved her then he would have ignored the King’s warning. He was a coward, and a coward could not honour a woman.
But the Bishop was not a coward and he had not run following his defeat at the King’s hand. That defeat had ignited a new fire within the Bishop, a new fury, and he had decided that if the King would not allow him to marry the Princess then he would kill the King and take his kingdom from him. To do this he travelled across the oceans to each of the King’s enemies, convincing them that if they worked together they could kill the King of the Demons and split his kingdom up between them. He united the King’s enemies against them and he now marched upon the kingdom with an army the likes the kingdom had never seen before. Word reached the King of this incredible army and that they had given him a choice – surrender or die. The King refused to surrender and lead his own army out to meet the Bishop’s united legion. While the King and his men were outnumbered they brought with them an unending confidence, a confidence that intimidated the united legion of the enemy. The two sides clashed.
The battle that followed was great, far greater than any that had been seen before or any that would follow. Despite the King’s army being outnumbered they were far more skilled than those that they faced. Men fell on both sides of the war and for a time it would appear like they would rip each other apart. The King himself led the charge, tearing through men with a fury that could not belong to any ordinary human. He worked his way through the army, covering himself in the blood of the enemy as he went, until he found himself face to face with the Bishop who had been waiting for him all along. As the war raged around them the King and the Bishop stood face to face, the King admitting that he had been wrong about the Bishop and that he was worthy of the Princess but that there had been one thing that he had always kept from those who challenged for her hand. However the King could not let something like this go, the Bishop had tried to tear the kingdom apart and for that he could not escape this war alive. For the second time the two men clashed.
The Princess had gotten word of the great battle and she raced out to the battlefield in the hope that she could stop her father and her love from leading each other to their death but by the time she reached it the war had come to a stop. The King’s army was victorious, slaughtering every single one of their enemies. The Princess found the King, very much alive, and begged him to tell her what had happened to her love, the Bishop. The King told her that the Bishop had fought valiantly and that he had proven himself worthy of her before pulling out the Bishop’s severed head. The Bishop may have been worthy but he was still defeated, and the defeated did not deserve anything. The Princess was heartbroken, her love was dead. She reminded her father of his own words…
The Princess: You told me that if you ever met a man who was worthy of me, who could keep me safe, then you would spare them.
The King: I lied.
< *** >
Faith’s Coffee Shop
April 28th 2013; 3:52pm
Penny Shannon: Dude, what’re you doing?
Trace looked up at Penny who was watching him with a look of amusement. She had just stumbled upon the great King of Demons telling his young daughter some fairy tale about a King, a Bishop and a Princess and… well, it certainly isn’t the kind of thing you expect to hear coming from the mouth of a man who usually just spouts a lot of vitriol about hobos and bald headed idiots.
Trace Demon: Eliza wanted a story, you got a problem with that?
And that tone right there is why a man like Trace can get away with telling his daughter a fairytale.
Penny Shannon: Not at all man, you just don’t strike me as the fairy tale type.
Trace Demon: It’s not a fairy tale, it’s a morality tale, what do they teach you kids nowadays?
Penny Shannon: You’re like a year older than me.
Trace Demon: Still counts.
Penny was used to Trace’s slightly sociopathic way of thinking by now and she’d stopped expecting common sense from him a while back, ever since he brought her on as Scarlett’s travelling partner and attempted to pay him with some kind of partnership in a business specialising in flying monkeys.
Penny Shannon: Can I sit or do you want to finish your little morality tale?
Eliza Demon: Sit!
Trace Demon: You’re lucky, I was gonna tell you to piss off until I could at least get to the actual moral of the tale.
Penny pulls out the seat opposite Trace and sits down. She’s barely got her ass on the seat before some blonde chick walks over to her and asks her whether she wants anything. She glances at the nametag – Sarah. Yes, that Sarah.
Penny Shannon: Just a coffee, black thanks.
Sarah: Coming right up.
As the waitress walks away Penny can’t help but watch her leave.
Trace Demon: Don’t get any ideas; you’re here because I told you to meet me, not to check out the waitress.
Penny Shannon: Just admiring the scenery man, chill.
It wasn’t often that Trace got told to chill, because usually people would be to intimidated to even think about saying it. That was what he liked about Penny, she didn’t give a crap, she’d just say it to his face and worry about getting a shard of glass to the eye later on. In Trace Demon’s world, that is an admirable quality.
Penny Shannon: So, what was the moral?
Trace Demon: What?
Penny Shannon: Of your tale, you said you didn’t get to the moral, I’m sure the girl wants you to tell her.
Eliza Demon: Tell me, tell me!
Trace Demon: The moral of the story was that no matter how worthy you are, no matter how much you think you deserve something or how much you’ve proven you deserve something, none of it matters because there’s always someone out there who can and will cut you down.
Penny Shannon: That’s a dark moral man, aren’t they meant to be like life lessons?
Trace Demon: That is a life lesson. Never directly go up against the man who can and will cut you down just to get what you think you deserve. I can’t make the message any more obvious than that without picking up a frying pan, writing it on the back and then smacking someone in the face with it.
Audience, meet the frying pan.
Penny Shannon: Whatever boss man, why’re we down here? I’m not getting sacked, am I? I swear, Calvin’s lying; I didn’t sleep with his mother.
Trace Demon: You’re not getting sacked.
Penny Shannon: Thank god for that, because I totally slept with his mom.
And Wayne said that Penny was irresponsible and would probably end up getting them in some kind of trouble. What could ever have given him an idea like that?
Penny Shannon: So what’re we here for? Did you finally decide that I deserve a pay rise? Am I getting a title shot? You’re not going to suggest we have a threesome again are you, because I told you things got really awkward after the last time.
Trace Demon: I wanted to give you a fair warning; things are going to get messy soon. There’s something I want and we both know that I always get what I want.
Penny Shannon: What are you talking about?
Trace Demon: The World Heavyweight Championship.
The atmosphere shifts in an instant. It’s dramatic, dark, suddenly very serious. It’s like a mob movie where anything could happen at any moment and absolutely nothing can break through the tension…
Sarah: You’re coffee.
Penny Shannon: Um… thanks…
Yeah, absolutely nothing.
Penny Shannon: Scarlett is the World Champion.
Trace Demon: Yes.
Penny Shannon: And you want the title.
Trace Demon: Yes.
Penny Shannon: So you’re going to try and take the title from Scarlett.
Eliza Demon: Yes!
When an eighteen month old child can blurt out the perfect line, you know you should really be upping the intelligence quota on the conversation.
Trace Demon: I’m telling you this because I like you, and I like Scarlett. She’s Wayne’s kid and I told him that I was going to make sure that she was safe, but I want the World Championship and when I decide I want something I take it. So I’m going to do exactly that, I’m going to take it and if she still has it after this match with Malakai then I’m going to take it from her. And she doesn’t exactly strike me as the sort to just give it up.
Penny Shannon: She’s probably going to want to fight for it.
Trace Demon: And that’s why I’m here. Because I’ve got this thing. It doesn’t matter who they are, it doesn’t matter if I like them or respect them, it doesn’t even matter if they’re family, if they’ve got something I really want then I will do absolutely anything to get it. And if you’ve been paying attention recently when I mean anything I’m genuinely stretching the socially acceptable terms of the word.
Penny Shannon: So why are you telling me this, shouldn’t you be talking with Scarlett? Or hell, even Wayne?
Trace quickly darts his head back, avoiding a well-aimed crayon thrown by his daughter. She does this every now and then, testing his reflexes. It’s one of the perks of having to look after an eighteen month old child for the entire day. That and she weighs just enough to use as a weight for on the spot workouts.
Trace Demon: I’m telling you because if Scarlett tries to fight back then I’m going to hurt her, and I don’t tend to stop there, it’s very likely I’ll go after the people around her. Vanessa, Wayne, her grandmother if I’m feeling particularly evil… you.
Penny doesn’t know what to say. It’s not often your boss tells you that he’s going to launch a campaign of terror on the eighteen year old girl you’ve been partnering with and now consider to be your closest friend. It’s also not every day you get hit in the head by a crayon thrown by a giggling child and don’t even bat an eye, but that just happened as well.
Trace Demon: Now the reason I made sure to hold this meeting today rather than say, in a couple of weeks when we actually know if she’ll have the title or not is because it gives me the chance to give you an example of what I mean. It’s not going to be as severe as what could happen with Scarlett because I’ve got my daughter here and I don’t particularly want her to see me as the guy who busts open heads in the middle of a coffee shop, but you can use your imagination I guess.
He rises, picks up Eliza in his arms and his bag in the other. He’s quietly confident, Penny knowing full well that whatever he is about to do right now he has had planned for some time and all he’s doing is using it to drive his point home.
Trace Demon: Sarah.
He calls over the blonde waitress, Sarah, the one who looks vaguely familiar. She’s been there all day, a long shift dealing with strange people like Trace, but she remains pleasant. She’s a good kid, paying her way through college by working in this dull little coffee shop.
Sarah: What can I do for you?
Trace Demon: You’re father, what’s his name?
She’s confused, rightly so, Trace is a weird dude at the best of times. This is not the best of times.
Sarah: Xavier.
Penny Shannon: Aw crap.
Trace Demon: Wait for it Penny, this is where it gets good. Xavier Pierce, right?
Sarah Pierce: Yeah, look what’s all this about?
Trace Demon: As of twenty minutes ago I bought this shop. You can check with your manager but she’s just going to tell you that she just got the call through today and that this is now part of the great Trace Demon Empire. Hey, I like that, my empire, kind of like a king. Anyway, like I was saying, I own the place now, and I know you’re just trying to make your way through college and that you really need this job because you’re kind of distant from your father and it’s the only job that fits in with your hours.
Penny Shannon: Don’t do this.
She’s clicked, good for her, doesn’t stop anything though. He did warn her, when he decides something he’s going to make sure that he follows through on it.
Trace Demon: You’re fired.
Sarah Pierce: What, you can’t do this.
Trace Demon: Just did, you’ll get the official word through tomorrow but I’m just giving you some advance warning. It’s not going to do you any good because I’m going to do the same with any job you work until dear old daddy gets the message.
Sarah Pierce: Why? Why would you do this, I don’t even know you.
Trace Demon: No, but your father does, and he’s the one who I’ve got a problem with. You’re just… collateral damage, once he sees sense and gets the hell out of my company then I’ll make sure you get your job back. Just give him this message – accept the match offer or next time it’s not just your job that I’m taking, it’s everything.
He doesn’t wait around to see the tears that will inevitably come; he’s got no time for that. He just leaves, straight out onto the street with his daughter in his arms like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t just ruined some innocent girls life just because of whom her father is. Penny rushes out after him, runs in front of him.
Penny Shannon: You didn’t need to do that.
Trace Demon: Yes I did, Xavier needs to know what I’ll do if he doesn’t accept my offer and you need to know as well. If Scarlett is still the champion when Battleground is over then I’ll be coming after her and anybody that stands with her. I’ve got a lot of stock tied up in you, your job at the school, your contract, it’s all because of me… and I can make it vanish in an instant. I hope you’re ready for when that happens Penny, because I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be painful all round.
He pulls out a screwed up ten dollar bill from his pocket and shoves it into her hand.
Trace Demon: Forgot to pay for the coffee. Oh, and tell Sarah she can keep the change, she’s probably going to need it.
And the moral of the story is there’s always that one guy who can cut you down.
Trace Demon is that guy.
< *** >
Round and round in circles we go, where we’ll end up only I know. Joe Bishop, here we are again. I thought I’d put you in your place last time we faced but apparently I was wrong. And I don’t like being wrong Joe, I don’t like it at all. In fact it really pisses me off when it turns out that I was wrong. Which means technically, I’m pissed off with you because you’re the one who decided to come back for round two. And I know what you’re going to say, “but Trace, I want the International Championship and you’ve got it. But Trace, I deserve a second shot because I earned it. But Trace… but Trace… but Trace, yadda yadda yadda, so on and so forth.” But here’s the thing Bishop, I don’t care what you think you’ve earned, I don’t care what you think you deserve, I don’t care about anything other than the fact that you’ve made me look like a damn fool. That’s right Joe, a fool, and I’m not a damn jester, I’m a king, I’m the King of Demons damn it and you’re a nobody and I’m going to treat you to a nobodies funeral.
The way I see it Joe is that you’ve got it in your head that just because you can beat two other nobodies in a triple threat match you deserve to step into the ring with me again. And fine, you’re welcome to that belief, everybody is welcome to believe what they want, but that doesn’t mean that I like it, that doesn’t mean I have to respect it. Because I don’t respect it and I don’t respect you. You couldn’t get the job done before and you haven’t improved since so I don’t know what makes you think that this time is going to be different. Tell me Joe, tell me what’s so different this time? Have you got a new training regime you’re going to try out? Have you got some new ring gear that’ll give you some crazy new aerodynamics? Have you maybe grown a set of balls and decided to back up this new talk of a ruthless streak? Please tell me Joe because I want to know, I want to understand what you’re thinking, I want to know what makes you think you can beat me!
Joe, there’s a saying in my world – it doesn’t matter what you deserve or what you’ve earned, because there will always be somebody who can cut you down. And I am that somebody. You enter the United Kingdom thinking that you can take away my WFWF International Championship, thinking that you can take something from me, but you can’t Joe, you can’t do it, I won’t let you. Last time we faced Bishop I told you that a bishop is always less than a king and that point still stands but it’s more than that, I am a warrior, I am a vicious son of a b***h who will drop you no matter who you are and you are just a man who thinks he can be brutal. And that’s the difference between me and you Joe, I’ve proven my role as a victor of battles, I haven’t lost a match in fourteen months. That’s right, it’s over one year since I last lost a match in the WFWF and that is because when I go to war I go do it knowing that I am better than everybody else. Be it Drakz, be it Phillip Schneider, be it Yukio Blaze or be it you… I am better.
But you, you’re an unproven rookie Joe, you’ve done nothing to prove yourself, you’ve done nothing to prove that when you step into that ring at Revolution in the United Kingdom that you will be able to defeat me. In fact you’ve already proven that you can’t do it. You’ve already proven that you can’t beat me. And sure, you’re a former National Champion but I’ve been there, I’ve done that, it’s nothing special, it’s just another title to me. You look at my history and you damn well see that I’ve done everything there is to do. WFWF National Champion, WFWF Tag Team Champion, WFWF International Champion, WFWF World Heavyweight Champion, 2009 Survival of the Fittest winner, triple crown holder, grand slam holder, XWA World Heavyweight Champion, in two different XWA’s might I add, the longest reigning XWA Hardcore Champion in history, the XWA 2012 King of Xtreme winner… I have done it all and that is a fact. You have done nothing, that is also a fact. And you can say that I’m spouting off all these accomplishments because I live in the past and that the past doesn’t matter but let’s be honest for a second here Joe… I’m better now than I’ve ever been.
Seriously, fourteen months undefeated and there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m making it at least another few months yet. Since I won this title I’ve not once ever even considered the idea that I might lose it. Every time I’ve stepped in that ring I knew that I would walk out victorious because there is nobody better than me anymore. And it’s a big claim to make I know but it’s one thing I can damn well backup no matter who the opponent, no matter what type of match and no matter what is on the line. So you step into my ring in the United Kingdom and you tell yourself that this time will be different but we both know that it won’t. We both know that when we step into that ring it will end the same way as it ended the last time, with me standing over your motionless body as I hold up the International Championship stained with the blood of Yukio Blaze. You can keep your pipe dreams because that is all they are. Dreams and stories. But I’ve got a story for you, and it goes a little like this.
Once upon a time there was a King, a Bishop and a Princess. The Bishop wanted to marry the Princess because they were in love but the King knew the Bishop wasn’t worthy so he cut him down and bathed in his blood because he damn well could. Now the full story is a little bit longer and maybe one day I’ll tell it to you but right now I’m keeping it short and sweet because the only thing that matters is that I am the King, you are the Bishop and this title is mine to protect from grubby unworthy hands such as yours and I’ll do it by cutting you down and bathing in your blood because I damn well can. And when I’m done with you, when I’ve ripped your tattered body apart and pissed on the embers of your burgeoning career I will turn my attention to bigger things. Because I don’t care who I’m facing… I’m always thinking about who else I can hurt.
And trust my word, I’m a king after all, you will get hurt.
