Post by Lachlan Kane on Jul 23, 2023 22:58:06 GMT -5
NIght One of the Bravery Trials had come and gone, and while I hadn’t done as well as I had wanted to, I was happy to at least put a point up on the board for team PIC. As it turned out, at the end of the night our team was sitting pretty with the most points, so all in all it was a pretty good night.
And now, it was time to turn my attention to the next stage of the Trials. Night Two was taking place in Puerto Rico, and I had a tall order in front of me. Stephen Stratford, while I haven’t had any personal dealings with him, I knew to be a beast of a competitor. He may not have picked up a pin in his match, but he avoided a pinfall himself, much like I had. And after studying that match closely in anticipation of our upcoming encounter in Puerto Rico, I knew that I was going to have to push myself harder than I had in the first round if I wanted to walk out of that match with two points.
And then there was the enigma known as Merica. A brand-new competitor to the scene, something of a dark horse in this competition. Anyone could be under that mask, in reality. Could be someone new to wrestling, could be some veteran looking to make a surprise comeback. I had to be ready for just about anything. I made a point to study his match closely as well, and after seeing him take the fall to my fellow Team PIC member Catalina Cortes, I had the feeling he was going to have the biggest fire lit under his ass to pick up a victory in Night Two.
It was going to be one hell of a match, that much I was certain of. Three men, looking to advance the point standings of their respective teams. Two of them avoiding pinfall losses, and one looking to avenge his own pinfall loss. I had to be ready for anything and everything this match was going to throw at me.
But first, there was some personal business to attend to. I had received an…interesting invitation. I had heard about my teammate Penelope and her affiliation with a place known as the Hotel California. Of course, like anyone else I simply thought it was nothing more than a tribute to a classic rock song.
That is, until I actually went there.
She had invited me out before we were all to depart for Puerto Rico, as a way to solidify our team dynamic now that we were the frontrunners in the Trials. Of course, being the team player I am, I jumped at the opportunity. I made the flight from Orlando to Los Angeles, and rented a car for the drive out to the location that she had specified in the handwritten invitation she had slipped into my bag at the end of Night One.
As I drove past the L.A. city limits and into the surrounding desert, I checked the address again on the card, but I still had no idea where I was headed. This part of the desert seemed absolutely devoid of any kind of life. The only living things out here were the cacti and whatever creatures were scurrying around in the dark. I’ve never been someone that spooks easily, but even I had to admit that this whole scenario was something straight out of a Hitchcock film.
As I continued the drive up the winding highway, I found my mind wandering. I thought back to the opening night of the Trials, going over all the mistakes I had made. I tried to steer away from those thoughts to try and focus on how I was going to do better on Night Two. Stratford, from the research I had compiled, I knew to be a dangerous and unpredictable opponent. Merica was the wild card in all of this, but after seeing the ending to his match, I knew that he was going to be out for blood, both metaphorically and possibly literally as well. I wasn’t afraid to shed a little crimson if it would help to push Team PIC up the standings, but based on everything that had happened in Night One, I knew that I was going to have my work cut out for me.
Good thing I’ve never been afraid of a little hard work before.
As I kept driving, I couldn’t help but feel a strange chilling sensation creep down my spine as I drew closer to the GPS coordinates flashing on the screen of my onboard computer. My eyes darted from left to right, but there was no sign of any kind of building, let alone anything resembling a hotel. The chill increased and I visibly shivered, wondering if maybe this had been a mistake. But what reason would my own teammate have to lure me into a trap? I thought to myself. It doesn’t make a lick of sense.
And at that precise moment, a voice echoed in my head that had been dormant for over a year now.
Aaah, so good to feel the presence of some fellow dark beings.
My foot slammed on the brake as the rental car skidded to a stop in the middle of the road. A cold sweat broke out along my forehead as I panted for breath. No, there’s no way…
And yet, here I am, young Lachlan.
I scrambled to unclip my seatbelt and almost fell out of the car as I pushed the door open. The oppressive heat almost felt like a slap in the face as I backed away into the dusty open plain of the California desert. Why? I never called for you, I don’t need you for this.
Oh, but you do. See, this whole Trials nonsense is nothing more than a front for something much bigger. I know your team leader has given you some cock and bull story about an expedition for glory, power, immortality…but the truth is far, far darker than any of them are willing to admit. These wrestling events and so-called ‘Trials’ are nothing more than smoke and mirrors to hide the truth from you all. The first twelve and all the rest to follow are nothing more than sacrificial lambs being led to slaughter. But if you want to survive…you need me, Lachlan.
I pressed my hands against my ears, a futile attempt to block out the sound of the voice. Why now? The last time, I specifically called on you. I didn’t this time. How did you manage to slither out of the back of my mind? We had an agreement.
That’s true…but this place is practically screaming my name. As I said…this Hotel California is a hub for fellow dark creatures like myself. It was just too tempting a proposition to pass up…
A sudden piercing pain shot through my head from temple to temple. I cried out and fell down to my knees, pressing my fists against my temples to try and subdue the pain. Why? I asked again. [/color]Why are you doing this to me? I’ve never denied you your fun. But this wasn’t agreed on.
The silence echoed in my mind, and I slowly opened my eyes…but I wasn’t where I once was.
As the pain in my head began to subside, I slowly rose to my feet shaking my head and staring all around me. The last thing I had remembered was driving just outside of L.A., but now for some reason found myself standing just inside a pair of wrought iron gates, at the foot of a winding gravel path that led to an opulent, old-fashioned building. It was six stories high, with lush landscaping surrounding the front doors. Without consciously thinking about it, I found my feet moving towards the building, almost as if I was being led by an invisible string.
Just as I arrived at the massive front doors, they opened inward to reveal a petite figure grasping a white candle in an ornate metal holder. Their dark hair fell in waves down their back and across their shoulders, and a delicate porcelain mask obscured their face from my view. Their head tilted to the side, almost as if they were appraising me and for the second time that night, I felt a chill creep down my spine despite the overwhelming heat of the California desert air.
“Welcome to the Hotel California, Mister Kane. So glad you could make it…as well as your esteemed guest.”
And now, it was time to turn my attention to the next stage of the Trials. Night Two was taking place in Puerto Rico, and I had a tall order in front of me. Stephen Stratford, while I haven’t had any personal dealings with him, I knew to be a beast of a competitor. He may not have picked up a pin in his match, but he avoided a pinfall himself, much like I had. And after studying that match closely in anticipation of our upcoming encounter in Puerto Rico, I knew that I was going to have to push myself harder than I had in the first round if I wanted to walk out of that match with two points.
And then there was the enigma known as Merica. A brand-new competitor to the scene, something of a dark horse in this competition. Anyone could be under that mask, in reality. Could be someone new to wrestling, could be some veteran looking to make a surprise comeback. I had to be ready for just about anything. I made a point to study his match closely as well, and after seeing him take the fall to my fellow Team PIC member Catalina Cortes, I had the feeling he was going to have the biggest fire lit under his ass to pick up a victory in Night Two.
It was going to be one hell of a match, that much I was certain of. Three men, looking to advance the point standings of their respective teams. Two of them avoiding pinfall losses, and one looking to avenge his own pinfall loss. I had to be ready for anything and everything this match was going to throw at me.
But first, there was some personal business to attend to. I had received an…interesting invitation. I had heard about my teammate Penelope and her affiliation with a place known as the Hotel California. Of course, like anyone else I simply thought it was nothing more than a tribute to a classic rock song.
That is, until I actually went there.
She had invited me out before we were all to depart for Puerto Rico, as a way to solidify our team dynamic now that we were the frontrunners in the Trials. Of course, being the team player I am, I jumped at the opportunity. I made the flight from Orlando to Los Angeles, and rented a car for the drive out to the location that she had specified in the handwritten invitation she had slipped into my bag at the end of Night One.
As I drove past the L.A. city limits and into the surrounding desert, I checked the address again on the card, but I still had no idea where I was headed. This part of the desert seemed absolutely devoid of any kind of life. The only living things out here were the cacti and whatever creatures were scurrying around in the dark. I’ve never been someone that spooks easily, but even I had to admit that this whole scenario was something straight out of a Hitchcock film.
As I continued the drive up the winding highway, I found my mind wandering. I thought back to the opening night of the Trials, going over all the mistakes I had made. I tried to steer away from those thoughts to try and focus on how I was going to do better on Night Two. Stratford, from the research I had compiled, I knew to be a dangerous and unpredictable opponent. Merica was the wild card in all of this, but after seeing the ending to his match, I knew that he was going to be out for blood, both metaphorically and possibly literally as well. I wasn’t afraid to shed a little crimson if it would help to push Team PIC up the standings, but based on everything that had happened in Night One, I knew that I was going to have my work cut out for me.
Good thing I’ve never been afraid of a little hard work before.
As I kept driving, I couldn’t help but feel a strange chilling sensation creep down my spine as I drew closer to the GPS coordinates flashing on the screen of my onboard computer. My eyes darted from left to right, but there was no sign of any kind of building, let alone anything resembling a hotel. The chill increased and I visibly shivered, wondering if maybe this had been a mistake. But what reason would my own teammate have to lure me into a trap? I thought to myself. It doesn’t make a lick of sense.
And at that precise moment, a voice echoed in my head that had been dormant for over a year now.
Aaah, so good to feel the presence of some fellow dark beings.
My foot slammed on the brake as the rental car skidded to a stop in the middle of the road. A cold sweat broke out along my forehead as I panted for breath. No, there’s no way…
And yet, here I am, young Lachlan.
I scrambled to unclip my seatbelt and almost fell out of the car as I pushed the door open. The oppressive heat almost felt like a slap in the face as I backed away into the dusty open plain of the California desert. Why? I never called for you, I don’t need you for this.
Oh, but you do. See, this whole Trials nonsense is nothing more than a front for something much bigger. I know your team leader has given you some cock and bull story about an expedition for glory, power, immortality…but the truth is far, far darker than any of them are willing to admit. These wrestling events and so-called ‘Trials’ are nothing more than smoke and mirrors to hide the truth from you all. The first twelve and all the rest to follow are nothing more than sacrificial lambs being led to slaughter. But if you want to survive…you need me, Lachlan.
I pressed my hands against my ears, a futile attempt to block out the sound of the voice. Why now? The last time, I specifically called on you. I didn’t this time. How did you manage to slither out of the back of my mind? We had an agreement.
That’s true…but this place is practically screaming my name. As I said…this Hotel California is a hub for fellow dark creatures like myself. It was just too tempting a proposition to pass up…
A sudden piercing pain shot through my head from temple to temple. I cried out and fell down to my knees, pressing my fists against my temples to try and subdue the pain. Why? I asked again. [/color]Why are you doing this to me? I’ve never denied you your fun. But this wasn’t agreed on.
The silence echoed in my mind, and I slowly opened my eyes…but I wasn’t where I once was.
As the pain in my head began to subside, I slowly rose to my feet shaking my head and staring all around me. The last thing I had remembered was driving just outside of L.A., but now for some reason found myself standing just inside a pair of wrought iron gates, at the foot of a winding gravel path that led to an opulent, old-fashioned building. It was six stories high, with lush landscaping surrounding the front doors. Without consciously thinking about it, I found my feet moving towards the building, almost as if I was being led by an invisible string.
Just as I arrived at the massive front doors, they opened inward to reveal a petite figure grasping a white candle in an ornate metal holder. Their dark hair fell in waves down their back and across their shoulders, and a delicate porcelain mask obscured their face from my view. Their head tilted to the side, almost as if they were appraising me and for the second time that night, I felt a chill creep down my spine despite the overwhelming heat of the California desert air.
“Welcome to the Hotel California, Mister Kane. So glad you could make it…as well as your esteemed guest.”