Post by The Brothers Holland on Oct 6, 2007 19:24:25 GMT -6
*The room glows a dull red. Gregorian chanting can be heard from far below. Daemonic runes and figures are emblazoned across the ceiling and the walls. This place is almost certainly evil... probably at least unholy. A man approaches. He wears a cassock that completely covers him from head to foot. He bears a flaming torch and the camera follows him as he steps down the stairs into the gloom. The glow becomes brighter as the chants become louder*
"There are entities in this world that belong. There are many that do not. Humans... animals... these are they that belong. Daemons... Angels and the dead... these are they that do not. Often many will come to rid the world of another before returning themselves. Sometimes however the border between the two blurs but a little. Just enough that one who might belong might accept one that does not. With this power he can become as a god... with this knowledge he can become as the wisest of sages... but sometimes... he can just find himself in a world of pain... and that's exactly how he likes it."
*The figure is suddenly assaulted by a shadow. The torch falls to the floor and illuminates the boots of the man who assaulted him. The camera scans up to show Milo Holland. He's wearing his wide-brimmed hat and his trenchcoat for this escapade. He looks to the camera and smiles. This smile is disturbing to all but the most heinous in thought. He turns and wanders the halls of this place, the entirety of which is covered in the same daemonic decoration as above and illuminated with the same deep red glow. Milo searches along the walls and looks to every corner of the corridors.*
"Sometimes there are outlying factors. Emotion... inhibition... attatchment to another... Sometimes even love. Despite the potentially unholy source of this power love can still thrive. This can cause turbulence in the path of the one. Upsets where there would be dominance... doubt where there would be certainty... arrogance where there would be confidence. To become all that he can be, the one must release his all... release all that may confine him.. turn from those that would control and restrain him... even those whom he would love. He has done it before... he can do it again. The voice has returned... his words go unspoken but power still lies within them. This much, the one knows. That is why he has come."
*Milo finds that which he was looking for. A hole in the floor overlooking a chamber, the source of the chanting that fills the air. Large bonfires surroumnd the chamber illuminating it and the surrounding corridors. The chanting suddenly stops and one among them comes to the center of the circle. His robes are different to the others, marking him as the leader.*
"This was once the home of the one. The source of his power. These people below were the minions of him. The followers. They have turned, however, from his path. Abandoned he whom they called lord. I guess it's all the same as every other cult really isn't it. Their leader shows weakness and they move on. However this weakness.. is Death really such a call for abandonment?"
*Milo drops from the ceiling, jumping through the hole. He lands right in front of the cult leader, kneeling before him as he does so, his head bowed to temporarily hide his visage.*
Leader: What is the meaning of this?! How dare you burst into our holy sanctum!
Milo: Your holy sanctum? Came a time this was my holy sanctum.
*Milo raises his head, revealing himself. He stands to his full height and the leader backs off scared for his life*
Leader: No.. it can't be! You're dead! I saw it! You died!
Milo: Didn't stop me the first time.... why should it the second?
Leader: But the voice.. the fire within.. if you survived then it must surely have perished for you! You do not belong here any longer!
Milo: Oh but it did. But guess what. You forgot the number one rule of my teachings. The first and only commandment that I bade you all remember. The flame... the eternal flame.. never dies. It may seem extinguished but in fact it will lie quietly waiting for it's time to burn brightly again. That time has come. And for your crimes of forgetfulness, you have all sinned. Prepare to recieve your pennance!
: Step back... Firestorm.
Milo: Who the hell are you?
Kharle: I am called Kharle. I took over from you in this place. They required a focus.. a messiah if you will... and I stepped up.
*Milo looks at Kharle. He stands a little shorter but a lot more muscular than himself. He's dressed in nothing but a pair of dark trousers.*
Kharle: I'm aware of your combat prowess. I suggest a wager for the souls of these.. my people. If you defeat me.. you may take them. If I defeat you... the punishment is mine to divulge.. for a crime they most assuredly have committed.
*Milo smiles again with that disturbing look*
Milo: A fight it is.
*Milo removes his coat and hat in one movement, revealing his usual attire beneath. A t-shirt and black jeans.*
Milo: You know what? I could use the workout.
Kharle: How so?
Milo: Usually I'd spar with Dave... but he has other stuff to deal with. I guess you'll have to do.
Kharle: I'll more than do... I can easily handle you.
Milo: Heh.. sounds familiar.
*Kharle lunges at Milo, striking a blow across the face. Milo staggers back marginally as Kharle charges at him, lifting him in the air and spearing him into the stone wall behind. Milo laughs as Kharle keeps him pinned to the wall.*
Milo: My turn.
*Milo drops both elbows into the back of Kharle. He then catches him and double knee strikes him in the face before grappling Kharle and nailing a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Kharle rolls from Milo's knee to the floor as a random cultist charges Milo. He's only small so Milo clotheslines him hard, sending his feet into the air. Milo catches these and hits his head on the floor to complete the X-Fire. In this time Kharle is back up and breathing incredibly heavily, almost in a berserker rage.*
Milo: Kharle?
Kharle: .....
Milo: Berserker state... excellent. Maybe now I'll have a little fun.
*Words cannot fully convey what happens next. It's a ruthless brawl with grappling and throwing and various grabs and holds but primarily focussing on the punches. Both men beat each other within an inch of each other's lives until suddenly Kharle gets the upper edge. He nails Milo in the gut before throwing him into the wall. Milo slumps in the corner as Kharle leaps to land a flying two foot stomp on Milo's head.
Kharle is cut off in mid air though by a figure glowing white. This figure enters into a similar combat with Kharle but there's nothing Kharle can do to stop the relentless thrashing of this figure. Milo stands and faces the two men before Kharle is thrown at Milo. Milo snaps into action, catching Kharle by the throat and holding him high.*
Milo: Good fight.
*Milo drops Kharle hard, nailing his High Impact Chokeslam. Milo then looks around at the crowd... they've all gone. Even Kharle has disappeared at his feet. Only one figure is left in the room with Milo.. the glowing one.*
Milo: Nice costume.
: It seemed to work.
Milo: Gotta ask.. who the hell are you?
: Who the hell... an interesting phrase that. Also strangely appropriate. Call for those sent forth from hell and surely they shall be upon you. Do you not recognise me Milo?
Milo: Should I?
: Come come... does this form not seem familiar?I believe you held it for a while.
Milo: ... An angel form? Only once but... the only person who knew that is...
: Dead? Far from it. You said it yourself Milo, the eternal flame cannot die, merely wait for it's time of succession.
Milo: .... father?
*Somehow something changes. The man in white turns into the figure of Castor Holland while Milo transforms into the form of his child self, father and son talking to each other. Milo runs and embraces his father as his father returns the gesture.*
Milo: Then I'm...
Castor: Sleeping, yes. I've come back to you Milo. I tried to come to Dave but he rejected me. I think it would be best you make sure he doesn't know I'm back with you. He might take it the wrong way. What I'm here to do.. is help you maintain the course you've set upon. To help my only remaining son in all of his endeavours. If that means returning to the beast I became when flowing through you.. that's perfectly satisfactory by me.
*Castor clicks his fingers and the scene suddenly changes to a coffee shop. Milo is back to his adult form but Castor remains unchanged. Both are sat at a table and both have a cup of coffee in front of them.*
Castor: So tell me... this Punisher and Knite guy... they tough competitors?
Milo: Pretty tough. I think we've got their number though. I mean you see one arrogant *** damn team from the past convinced they're the be all and end all.. and you see them all right?
Castor: Not necessarily but I'm sure Dave'll correct you on that one.
Milo: You see... Punisher... great name.. shame about it being already a comic book... he's taken a major hit from this Davey Boone dying thing...
Castor: Who?
Milo: You wouldn't know him. Great guy... unfortunate end. That's about all I can say. Anyway.. Punisher's taken the death pretty hard. Knite's taken it hard but not half as hard as Punisher.
Castor: I'm assuming they've said they'll not be distracted by it and it'll make them fight ten times harder.
Milo: More or less yeah. I doubt that's the way it works though. Needless to say it's probably better to be fighting without grieving than to be fighting whilst grieving. Then Punisher said something about retiring more men than social security.... I don't get what that's about but if he reckons he's going to retire The Hollands he's going to be badly mistaken when it comes to sunday night and he finds himself eating canvas, because he was right... any man can be beaten on any given day. Trouble is I don't give days out... nor does Dave. As a team we're one of the finest the world has ever seen. Now we've got you back we're almost set. Once Dave gets his head straight we'll be rockin' and rolling just like the old days ourselves.
Castor: What else did he say?
Milo: Oh yeah.. his catchphrase. Something about feeling the bite and reaping the whirlwind... I don't know what that means but it sounds stupid. Firstly, last I checked biting wasn't allowed...
Castor: The Bite's probably the name of one of their finishers.
Milo: Oh... well secondly.. reap the whirlwind? What the hell does that mean? Take a scythe and cut down some twister plants? How do you cut air? I mean the whole concept is foreign to me.
Castor: It should do... it's an american saying meaning to be punished for a prior mistake.
Milo: Really?
Castor: Yeah.
Milo: That's just stupid.
Castor: I know.
: What is?
Milo: What?
: What's stupid?
Milo: Huh?
*Milo suddenly realises that the coffee shop has melted away and he's being shaken awake by his brother Dave Holland. Milo groans as he stretches out before realising fully what's going on.*
"Wake up."
Milo: Oh... you're back.
Dave: Yeah.. what's stupid?
Milo: Hmm? Oh nothing.
"Remember.. don't mention me."
Dave: Who were you talking to?
Milo: No one... it was just a dream. Hey.. how're you feeling with the whole dad situation now?
Dave: I sorted it. My head's in the right place now. While he's my father biologically.. I'm my own man. What he did in the past can't affect me now.
"But what I do through you... through you I may still help him unknown."
Milo: Great. So we're back to business as usual.
Dave: Business as usual. Come on, get up. Don't you know we've got a title defense on sunday?
"Great times on the horizon. Can you smell the blood Milo? There's carnage in the air."
Milo: Yeah... and I can't wait to deal out some pain.
*Fade to black*
~fin: Too tired to do the conclusion~
"There are entities in this world that belong. There are many that do not. Humans... animals... these are they that belong. Daemons... Angels and the dead... these are they that do not. Often many will come to rid the world of another before returning themselves. Sometimes however the border between the two blurs but a little. Just enough that one who might belong might accept one that does not. With this power he can become as a god... with this knowledge he can become as the wisest of sages... but sometimes... he can just find himself in a world of pain... and that's exactly how he likes it."
*The figure is suddenly assaulted by a shadow. The torch falls to the floor and illuminates the boots of the man who assaulted him. The camera scans up to show Milo Holland. He's wearing his wide-brimmed hat and his trenchcoat for this escapade. He looks to the camera and smiles. This smile is disturbing to all but the most heinous in thought. He turns and wanders the halls of this place, the entirety of which is covered in the same daemonic decoration as above and illuminated with the same deep red glow. Milo searches along the walls and looks to every corner of the corridors.*
"Sometimes there are outlying factors. Emotion... inhibition... attatchment to another... Sometimes even love. Despite the potentially unholy source of this power love can still thrive. This can cause turbulence in the path of the one. Upsets where there would be dominance... doubt where there would be certainty... arrogance where there would be confidence. To become all that he can be, the one must release his all... release all that may confine him.. turn from those that would control and restrain him... even those whom he would love. He has done it before... he can do it again. The voice has returned... his words go unspoken but power still lies within them. This much, the one knows. That is why he has come."
*Milo finds that which he was looking for. A hole in the floor overlooking a chamber, the source of the chanting that fills the air. Large bonfires surroumnd the chamber illuminating it and the surrounding corridors. The chanting suddenly stops and one among them comes to the center of the circle. His robes are different to the others, marking him as the leader.*
"This was once the home of the one. The source of his power. These people below were the minions of him. The followers. They have turned, however, from his path. Abandoned he whom they called lord. I guess it's all the same as every other cult really isn't it. Their leader shows weakness and they move on. However this weakness.. is Death really such a call for abandonment?"
*Milo drops from the ceiling, jumping through the hole. He lands right in front of the cult leader, kneeling before him as he does so, his head bowed to temporarily hide his visage.*
Leader: What is the meaning of this?! How dare you burst into our holy sanctum!
Milo: Your holy sanctum? Came a time this was my holy sanctum.
*Milo raises his head, revealing himself. He stands to his full height and the leader backs off scared for his life*
Leader: No.. it can't be! You're dead! I saw it! You died!
Milo: Didn't stop me the first time.... why should it the second?
Leader: But the voice.. the fire within.. if you survived then it must surely have perished for you! You do not belong here any longer!
Milo: Oh but it did. But guess what. You forgot the number one rule of my teachings. The first and only commandment that I bade you all remember. The flame... the eternal flame.. never dies. It may seem extinguished but in fact it will lie quietly waiting for it's time to burn brightly again. That time has come. And for your crimes of forgetfulness, you have all sinned. Prepare to recieve your pennance!
: Step back... Firestorm.
Milo: Who the hell are you?
Kharle: I am called Kharle. I took over from you in this place. They required a focus.. a messiah if you will... and I stepped up.
*Milo looks at Kharle. He stands a little shorter but a lot more muscular than himself. He's dressed in nothing but a pair of dark trousers.*
Kharle: I'm aware of your combat prowess. I suggest a wager for the souls of these.. my people. If you defeat me.. you may take them. If I defeat you... the punishment is mine to divulge.. for a crime they most assuredly have committed.
*Milo smiles again with that disturbing look*
Milo: A fight it is.
*Milo removes his coat and hat in one movement, revealing his usual attire beneath. A t-shirt and black jeans.*
Milo: You know what? I could use the workout.
Kharle: How so?
Milo: Usually I'd spar with Dave... but he has other stuff to deal with. I guess you'll have to do.
Kharle: I'll more than do... I can easily handle you.
Milo: Heh.. sounds familiar.
*Kharle lunges at Milo, striking a blow across the face. Milo staggers back marginally as Kharle charges at him, lifting him in the air and spearing him into the stone wall behind. Milo laughs as Kharle keeps him pinned to the wall.*
Milo: My turn.
*Milo drops both elbows into the back of Kharle. He then catches him and double knee strikes him in the face before grappling Kharle and nailing a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Kharle rolls from Milo's knee to the floor as a random cultist charges Milo. He's only small so Milo clotheslines him hard, sending his feet into the air. Milo catches these and hits his head on the floor to complete the X-Fire. In this time Kharle is back up and breathing incredibly heavily, almost in a berserker rage.*
Milo: Kharle?
Kharle: .....
Milo: Berserker state... excellent. Maybe now I'll have a little fun.
*Words cannot fully convey what happens next. It's a ruthless brawl with grappling and throwing and various grabs and holds but primarily focussing on the punches. Both men beat each other within an inch of each other's lives until suddenly Kharle gets the upper edge. He nails Milo in the gut before throwing him into the wall. Milo slumps in the corner as Kharle leaps to land a flying two foot stomp on Milo's head.
Kharle is cut off in mid air though by a figure glowing white. This figure enters into a similar combat with Kharle but there's nothing Kharle can do to stop the relentless thrashing of this figure. Milo stands and faces the two men before Kharle is thrown at Milo. Milo snaps into action, catching Kharle by the throat and holding him high.*
Milo: Good fight.
*Milo drops Kharle hard, nailing his High Impact Chokeslam. Milo then looks around at the crowd... they've all gone. Even Kharle has disappeared at his feet. Only one figure is left in the room with Milo.. the glowing one.*
Milo: Nice costume.
: It seemed to work.
Milo: Gotta ask.. who the hell are you?
: Who the hell... an interesting phrase that. Also strangely appropriate. Call for those sent forth from hell and surely they shall be upon you. Do you not recognise me Milo?
Milo: Should I?
: Come come... does this form not seem familiar?I believe you held it for a while.
Milo: ... An angel form? Only once but... the only person who knew that is...
: Dead? Far from it. You said it yourself Milo, the eternal flame cannot die, merely wait for it's time of succession.
Milo: .... father?
*Somehow something changes. The man in white turns into the figure of Castor Holland while Milo transforms into the form of his child self, father and son talking to each other. Milo runs and embraces his father as his father returns the gesture.*
Milo: Then I'm...
Castor: Sleeping, yes. I've come back to you Milo. I tried to come to Dave but he rejected me. I think it would be best you make sure he doesn't know I'm back with you. He might take it the wrong way. What I'm here to do.. is help you maintain the course you've set upon. To help my only remaining son in all of his endeavours. If that means returning to the beast I became when flowing through you.. that's perfectly satisfactory by me.
*Castor clicks his fingers and the scene suddenly changes to a coffee shop. Milo is back to his adult form but Castor remains unchanged. Both are sat at a table and both have a cup of coffee in front of them.*
Castor: So tell me... this Punisher and Knite guy... they tough competitors?
Milo: Pretty tough. I think we've got their number though. I mean you see one arrogant *** damn team from the past convinced they're the be all and end all.. and you see them all right?
Castor: Not necessarily but I'm sure Dave'll correct you on that one.
Milo: You see... Punisher... great name.. shame about it being already a comic book... he's taken a major hit from this Davey Boone dying thing...
Castor: Who?
Milo: You wouldn't know him. Great guy... unfortunate end. That's about all I can say. Anyway.. Punisher's taken the death pretty hard. Knite's taken it hard but not half as hard as Punisher.
Castor: I'm assuming they've said they'll not be distracted by it and it'll make them fight ten times harder.
Milo: More or less yeah. I doubt that's the way it works though. Needless to say it's probably better to be fighting without grieving than to be fighting whilst grieving. Then Punisher said something about retiring more men than social security.... I don't get what that's about but if he reckons he's going to retire The Hollands he's going to be badly mistaken when it comes to sunday night and he finds himself eating canvas, because he was right... any man can be beaten on any given day. Trouble is I don't give days out... nor does Dave. As a team we're one of the finest the world has ever seen. Now we've got you back we're almost set. Once Dave gets his head straight we'll be rockin' and rolling just like the old days ourselves.
Castor: What else did he say?
Milo: Oh yeah.. his catchphrase. Something about feeling the bite and reaping the whirlwind... I don't know what that means but it sounds stupid. Firstly, last I checked biting wasn't allowed...
Castor: The Bite's probably the name of one of their finishers.
Milo: Oh... well secondly.. reap the whirlwind? What the hell does that mean? Take a scythe and cut down some twister plants? How do you cut air? I mean the whole concept is foreign to me.
Castor: It should do... it's an american saying meaning to be punished for a prior mistake.
Milo: Really?
Castor: Yeah.
Milo: That's just stupid.
Castor: I know.
: What is?
Milo: What?
: What's stupid?
Milo: Huh?
*Milo suddenly realises that the coffee shop has melted away and he's being shaken awake by his brother Dave Holland. Milo groans as he stretches out before realising fully what's going on.*
"Wake up."
Milo: Oh... you're back.
Dave: Yeah.. what's stupid?
Milo: Hmm? Oh nothing.
"Remember.. don't mention me."
Dave: Who were you talking to?
Milo: No one... it was just a dream. Hey.. how're you feeling with the whole dad situation now?
Dave: I sorted it. My head's in the right place now. While he's my father biologically.. I'm my own man. What he did in the past can't affect me now.
"But what I do through you... through you I may still help him unknown."
Milo: Great. So we're back to business as usual.
Dave: Business as usual. Come on, get up. Don't you know we've got a title defense on sunday?
"Great times on the horizon. Can you smell the blood Milo? There's carnage in the air."
Milo: Yeah... and I can't wait to deal out some pain.
*Fade to black*
~fin: Too tired to do the conclusion~