Post by Skyler Striker on Mar 12, 2007 2:51:24 GMT -5
There have been many famous empires through history. An empire comprises a set of regions locally ruled by governors, viceroys or client kings in the name of an emperor.
The Roman Empire: 44 B.C. to 476 A.D, comprising such rulers as Augustus and Nero.
The Byzantine Empire: 330 A.D. to 1453 A.D, including the famous emperor Constantine.
The Holy Roman Empire: 800 A.D. to 1806 A.D, the most prominent ruler being Charlemagne.
The British Empire: 1583 A.D. to the 1990’s, containing the longest list of kings and queens in recent history.
At WCF’s War VII, a new empire will begin. One man will be elevated into the upper echelon of the WCF roster and will eventually take on Jack of Blades or Logan for the World Championship. Either the WCF will decide it needs a new emperor… or that its current one will suffice.
The scene begins today with Skyler Striker, who is walking through a snow-covered street in the middle of New York City. Taxis are everywhere, as it is the beginning of the workday, and people in suits are bustling everywhere. The snow is no longer falling, but the sky is grey, and almost everyone carries an umbrella with them. Skyler stops at one traffic light and watches it change, over and over, and eventually crosses the road, continuing down the path. He passes various businesses and shops that are just opening, he smells the scent of McDonalds pancakes wafting out from the big yellow giant, he breathes in the dry, freezing air that surrounds NYC this morning. Eventually, Skyler stops in front of a skyscraper – the Empire State Building. He looks up at the top of the giant structure and heads inside, sliding through the revolving doors and taking the elevator up to floor 47. He exits the elevator and enters the empty floor, heading to the window, where he looks out over NYC with a confused expression on his face. Skyler is dressed in his usual, torn maroon pants and has a black turtleneck jumper on over whatever shirt it is that he is wearing. He has a pair of sunglasses on, despite the fact that there is no light that would require him to wear them, and has his hands in his pockets, a black and red scarf around his neck reading ‘Vagrant’. Skyler looks around and pulls a roller chair out from one of the office desks. The clock on the wall reads at 5:51 am and the silence in the room certainly reflects this, as well as the fact that no lights are turned on and the only light entering the room is dull and grey, coming through the giant windows that surround floor 47. Skyler sits down in the black leather chair and stares out into the horizon, but the silence is interrupted by a rustling of papers from one of the desks. Skyler turns his neck over to see who is here but can see no-one, so he chooses to use a more vocal measure instead.
Skyler: Who’s there?
The voice that returns is a mix of three – one deep and masculine, another lighter and feminine, and the third is impossible to describe – neither male nor female, possibly not even human.
??: Surely you know that, Skyler. How is it possible that you came here looking for me and that you don’t even recognize my voice although I know yours?
SS: Why would I have come here looking for you? I came here to observe why New York City, host of the Empire State Building, is worthy of calling itself the Empire State. It’s not my fault you keep interrupting me lately.
??: I know you’re avoiding the question as usual, Skyler. You want to know who I am. But I suppose I can play your game with you for a while. New York has no right to call itself the empire state. If America truly claims that all men are equal, then that principle must be able to be applied to everything – men, states, countries. But everyone likes to have an illusion of power. Just like you, right, Hardcore Champion?
SS: I won the belt fair and square from the current World Champion. Don’t tell me I cheated. I put my whole life into gaining it and I won’t let anyone else have it anytime soon.
Skyler turns his neck back to looking at the city. Peeks of sunlight are creeping through and the clouds are slowly dissipating. Skyler adjusts his sunglasses and presses a hand against the giant glass window.
??: Possessive, aren’t we. You want to know what an empire is because you hope to have a true definition so your motives for fighting at War VII are set out. Correct?
SS: Correct.
??: Now that we have established that, I can tell you. If you want to lead the new Empire, Skyler, you have to be ready, trained, and fully equipped to fight for more than you did against Jack. You can no longer ignore your past as you do currently. The Fatebringer and the Fury Crusader may not be as much a part of you as the you sitting in that chair right now is, but they still comprise your past. You have changed and developed, even though you’ve had to be saved more than once. But you’ve found the right direction. Danny Vice was your turning point… now you’ve moved beyond him, you have to earn your way in the world. You use the Fatebringer whenever you use the Final Revelation. You use the Fury Crusader whenever you fight your hardcore matches. You use Danny Vice whenever you need motivation.
Skyler is showing a frustrated look on his face, now sick and tired of listening to this voice tell him everything he needs and wants to hear so perfectly. He stands to his feet, looks around for the source of the voice, and yells out.
SS: Get to the point!
??: The point is this: Use every aspect of yourself that you have been given or taught. Go to War, and become World Champion.
SS: One more question then, if I may.
??: Go ahead.
Skyler sits and turns back to NYC.
SS: Why me? Why do I deserve this more than J.J. Biggs, Lawnmower Jones, Bobby Cairo, Danny Vice, Thunder, Creeping Death, or anyone? Why did you pick me to walk this road, and what makes you so confident I can do it?
There is a pause for a few seconds, where only the light blow of the heater can be heard. The papers rustle again and a few fall to the floor in front of Skyler’s feet. He leans over and picks them up, sifting through them. None are important or in any way relevant to Skyler. He leans back in the chair and finally the voice answers back.
??: That, Skyler, is the right question.
The voice does not say anything else after this, and Skyler sits back in the chair, staring at the window pane as the sun rises slowly. The snow is melting on the ground outside and more and more New Yorkers are walking the streets, more taxis driving along the road. The noise is becoming louder and the clock beeps to let anyone present in the office know that it is 6:00 am. Skyler Striker, professional wrestler, stands and walks back towards the elevator. He stops before pressing the button and hesitantly turns back to the window, but nothing special has happened for any reason besides the window fogging up. Skyler sighs and throws his scarf around his neck again, pressing the button and tapping his feet waiting for the elevator to arrive. The door opens and one big, muscled man and a rather small female with blonde hair walk out into the office and flick on the lights. Skyler, who has walked into the elevator, turns around, but the doors are already closing and he barely gets a look at the two before the doors are completely closed. The elevator music plays and Skyler can no longer hear himself think, even though it is almost deadly quiet. Half a minute later, the elevator doors open and Skyler walks out through the revolving doors as the scene ends.
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
-Sun Tzu
The Roman Empire: 44 B.C. to 476 A.D, comprising such rulers as Augustus and Nero.
The Byzantine Empire: 330 A.D. to 1453 A.D, including the famous emperor Constantine.
The Holy Roman Empire: 800 A.D. to 1806 A.D, the most prominent ruler being Charlemagne.
The British Empire: 1583 A.D. to the 1990’s, containing the longest list of kings and queens in recent history.
At WCF’s War VII, a new empire will begin. One man will be elevated into the upper echelon of the WCF roster and will eventually take on Jack of Blades or Logan for the World Championship. Either the WCF will decide it needs a new emperor… or that its current one will suffice.
The scene begins today with Skyler Striker, who is walking through a snow-covered street in the middle of New York City. Taxis are everywhere, as it is the beginning of the workday, and people in suits are bustling everywhere. The snow is no longer falling, but the sky is grey, and almost everyone carries an umbrella with them. Skyler stops at one traffic light and watches it change, over and over, and eventually crosses the road, continuing down the path. He passes various businesses and shops that are just opening, he smells the scent of McDonalds pancakes wafting out from the big yellow giant, he breathes in the dry, freezing air that surrounds NYC this morning. Eventually, Skyler stops in front of a skyscraper – the Empire State Building. He looks up at the top of the giant structure and heads inside, sliding through the revolving doors and taking the elevator up to floor 47. He exits the elevator and enters the empty floor, heading to the window, where he looks out over NYC with a confused expression on his face. Skyler is dressed in his usual, torn maroon pants and has a black turtleneck jumper on over whatever shirt it is that he is wearing. He has a pair of sunglasses on, despite the fact that there is no light that would require him to wear them, and has his hands in his pockets, a black and red scarf around his neck reading ‘Vagrant’. Skyler looks around and pulls a roller chair out from one of the office desks. The clock on the wall reads at 5:51 am and the silence in the room certainly reflects this, as well as the fact that no lights are turned on and the only light entering the room is dull and grey, coming through the giant windows that surround floor 47. Skyler sits down in the black leather chair and stares out into the horizon, but the silence is interrupted by a rustling of papers from one of the desks. Skyler turns his neck over to see who is here but can see no-one, so he chooses to use a more vocal measure instead.
Skyler: Who’s there?
The voice that returns is a mix of three – one deep and masculine, another lighter and feminine, and the third is impossible to describe – neither male nor female, possibly not even human.
??: Surely you know that, Skyler. How is it possible that you came here looking for me and that you don’t even recognize my voice although I know yours?
SS: Why would I have come here looking for you? I came here to observe why New York City, host of the Empire State Building, is worthy of calling itself the Empire State. It’s not my fault you keep interrupting me lately.
??: I know you’re avoiding the question as usual, Skyler. You want to know who I am. But I suppose I can play your game with you for a while. New York has no right to call itself the empire state. If America truly claims that all men are equal, then that principle must be able to be applied to everything – men, states, countries. But everyone likes to have an illusion of power. Just like you, right, Hardcore Champion?
SS: I won the belt fair and square from the current World Champion. Don’t tell me I cheated. I put my whole life into gaining it and I won’t let anyone else have it anytime soon.
Skyler turns his neck back to looking at the city. Peeks of sunlight are creeping through and the clouds are slowly dissipating. Skyler adjusts his sunglasses and presses a hand against the giant glass window.
??: Possessive, aren’t we. You want to know what an empire is because you hope to have a true definition so your motives for fighting at War VII are set out. Correct?
SS: Correct.
??: Now that we have established that, I can tell you. If you want to lead the new Empire, Skyler, you have to be ready, trained, and fully equipped to fight for more than you did against Jack. You can no longer ignore your past as you do currently. The Fatebringer and the Fury Crusader may not be as much a part of you as the you sitting in that chair right now is, but they still comprise your past. You have changed and developed, even though you’ve had to be saved more than once. But you’ve found the right direction. Danny Vice was your turning point… now you’ve moved beyond him, you have to earn your way in the world. You use the Fatebringer whenever you use the Final Revelation. You use the Fury Crusader whenever you fight your hardcore matches. You use Danny Vice whenever you need motivation.
Skyler is showing a frustrated look on his face, now sick and tired of listening to this voice tell him everything he needs and wants to hear so perfectly. He stands to his feet, looks around for the source of the voice, and yells out.
SS: Get to the point!
??: The point is this: Use every aspect of yourself that you have been given or taught. Go to War, and become World Champion.
SS: One more question then, if I may.
??: Go ahead.
Skyler sits and turns back to NYC.
SS: Why me? Why do I deserve this more than J.J. Biggs, Lawnmower Jones, Bobby Cairo, Danny Vice, Thunder, Creeping Death, or anyone? Why did you pick me to walk this road, and what makes you so confident I can do it?
There is a pause for a few seconds, where only the light blow of the heater can be heard. The papers rustle again and a few fall to the floor in front of Skyler’s feet. He leans over and picks them up, sifting through them. None are important or in any way relevant to Skyler. He leans back in the chair and finally the voice answers back.
??: That, Skyler, is the right question.
The voice does not say anything else after this, and Skyler sits back in the chair, staring at the window pane as the sun rises slowly. The snow is melting on the ground outside and more and more New Yorkers are walking the streets, more taxis driving along the road. The noise is becoming louder and the clock beeps to let anyone present in the office know that it is 6:00 am. Skyler Striker, professional wrestler, stands and walks back towards the elevator. He stops before pressing the button and hesitantly turns back to the window, but nothing special has happened for any reason besides the window fogging up. Skyler sighs and throws his scarf around his neck again, pressing the button and tapping his feet waiting for the elevator to arrive. The door opens and one big, muscled man and a rather small female with blonde hair walk out into the office and flick on the lights. Skyler, who has walked into the elevator, turns around, but the doors are already closing and he barely gets a look at the two before the doors are completely closed. The elevator music plays and Skyler can no longer hear himself think, even though it is almost deadly quiet. Half a minute later, the elevator doors open and Skyler walks out through the revolving doors as the scene ends.
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
-Sun Tzu
