Torn 😢

[Noble Savage]

Noble Savage Roleplay
SLAM 1/21/19
Noble Savage/Odin Balfore vs. Bonnie Blue/John Rabid
"Torn"
Word Count: 3,586
----------------------------------------

The scene cuts in without transition, and it is chaotic. A raging fire runs rampant through an unfinished building in the middle of a construction site. We see construction workers fleeing in panic, and civilians running away from the area horrified.

Out from the burning building, comes stumbling, a man whose clothes are burning into his skin, but he is speaking with a discomforting mixture of calmness and anguish.

BURNING MAN:
"We need witnesses... Reporters... Cameras... We shall not be censored..."

The Burning Man continues to stagger forth, but seems to notice our cameras and begins to limp faster toward us.

BURNING MAN:
"The sacrifices of one shall outweigh the sins of many! Let the world see that we've done this for them!"

The Burning Man now rips off what's left of his charred sweatshirt, to reveal a belt of dynamite around his stomach, which instantly detonates. The last thing we see is the dissolving flesh surrounded by splatters of thick blood, followed by a wave of blinding white fire that forces our scene to fade into a white screen.

We now hear Noble Savage's voice over the white screen, speaking against the calming silence.

SAVAGE:
"Another stupid believer takes his own life in the name of what he believes is the truth. Big whoop."

Fade in from white and we see Noble Savage sitting in front of a bubbling in ground jacuzzi, just looking down at it. She is fully clothed, with leather boots, faded jeans, and leather jacket the t seems to have far more zippers than it should. She speaks while looking at the splashing waters.

SAVAGE:
"But the good thing is we've come a long way and the ignorance is not as prevalent as it once was. See, this man's name is Chadwick, and he was convinced that he was sent to cleanse the world. He's also one of the many who believed in Odin's Word. Upon realizing that Odin had let him down, he took it upon himself to decide that he would be a suitable sacrifice to right the wrongs that brought about my reign... He was wrong... Just as Krishna... Just as Horus... Romulus, Heracles, Glycon!! Even Jesus Christ - none of these were special, they were all fooled by the same false claims of the Gods that Chadwick was. The difference is that back in those times, people were more gullible, so they believed. That's why the names of those so called chosen ones will always be remembered. But now... No one will remember Chadwick... Not just because he bet his life based on a simple championship encounter. Not because he decided to set fire to a nearly desolate construction site when he could have taken a few people with him... But because people are not so stupid these days. These days people know better than to Bank on a God, and even more so they know better than to believe a crazed fanatic who would blindly follow a lost deity... I wonder... How long before Bonnie Blue sacrifices her own life just as well, in the name of that vamp she blindly follows."

The camera zooms out slowly, to reveal that she is in the back of a luxurious home, complete with an in ground pool, while she has chosen to sit in front of the hot tub. We see Lady Abernathy come out from the house through sliding doors and approach Noble Savage.

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Careful, Savage... You wouldn't want to fall in."

Noble Savage chuckles and sticks her hand in the water, twirling her fingers. We now see that the water is like a screen playing a projected image of the fiery scene where the burning man was.

SAVAGE:
"This envisagement you concocted is quite mesmerizing, I admit. But I don't see myself falling into it."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"I wasn't speaking of the cauldron. I meant you do not want to fall in to Bonnie Blue's trap... The time witch is far more cunning than her demeanor leads one to believe. It might not be her who is under John's spell, but the other way around. It's a tactic I, myself, have used to lure others in in the past. I wouldn't be surprised if this is her way of playing possum."

Noble Savage stops playing with the water, and a look of intrigue becomes her.

NOBLE:
"You speak as if you know something I don't know... Has she invoked her rematch clause? Am I finally facing the time witch one on one again?"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"No. She has not. But you have a tag team match this week."

NOBLE:
"A Tag Match..."

Noble Savage stands up and slowly walks away from the bubbling hot tub. Lady Abernathy is now facing away from Noble Savage, looking out into the distance. Noble Savage walks over to a round glass table, where a cup of wine sits on a coaster next to the WCF World Championship Belt.

NOBLE:
"The WCF World Champion... In a tag team match... Surely teaming with the Time Witch, no doubt."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"No. She is not your partner. But that matters not. What does matter is that it's two on two... And--

NOBLE:
"And you're finally going to get in the ring to drain some souls by my side...?"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Don't be so foolish, child. I honor your mother, but this one was out of my hands. I am not your tag team partner for this."

Noble Savage's eyes light up and a gleeful smile wraps around the front of her face.

NOBLE:
"You are not telling me who my tag partner is, and your also not telling me who my opponents are. You're really getting a kick out of this, aren't you?"

Noble Savage looks over but sees no one where Lady Abernathy was just standing. Noble Savage looks around a bit but sees no signs of the Lady. Noble Savage shrugs and grabs her championship belt off the table, then walks in to the house with it.

NOBLE:
"Is she seriously not telling me who I'm fighting against? I wonder where she ran off to."

SAVAGE:
"It doesn't matter. What matters is she wouldn't tell us who our tag PARTNER will be. I'm sure she dropped a few clues before she left though."

NOBLE:
"The only clue I can think of is... When she said she honors my Mother, but couldn't this time."

SAVAGE:
"And what is it my mother asked of Lady Abernathy?"

NOBLE:
"To keep me from falling into the All Father's influences."

SAVAGE:
"Oh,God. I hope she's not where I think she is..."

The scene cuts away to a different location. We see Lady Abernathy sitting on a bed in a fancy and spacious master bedroom. She had a fiendish smirk on her face, which is quickly snapped away into annoyed by the Godly voice of Odin Balfore.

ODIN BALFORE:
"It is my house. If you don't like what you see, you can get the fuck out."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Have you no respect for a Lady?"

Odin Balfore laughs and we now see him walk past her fully naked and enter a walk in closet.

ODIN BALFORE:
"Oh, I’m sorry. You must not be familiar with my work. Also, I didn't know that child murderers were so-called ladies; wasn't aware that I had to respect them..."

Lady Abernathy raises an eyebrow and offers a sideways smirk.

Cut back to Noble Savage's apartment, where a steaming hot shower has caused the bathroom mirror to become foggy with condensation. The hand of Noble Savage wipes the mirror, getting a clear view of her reflection. Her short damp hair molded around the back of her head slowly drips water on to her neck and she uses a small towel to dry it off.

SAVAGE:
"Bonnie Blue always has tricks up her sleeve. And it is truly a shame that she never learned how to stand on her own two feet. I should have known better from the beginning. First she leeched off that Sanchez guy, ruined his career. Then she went ahead and teamed up with Alex Richards of all people, nearly ruining HIS career if I hadn't rescued the Guardians from Oblivion. And now she's been following John Rabid around wagging her little tail like a lost puppy... The girl has serious dependency issues, and I wonder if they stem from childhood trauma. Her daddy the time traveler must have been a horrible parent, no doubt. She has no idea what it's like to hold her ground without help. I accomplished everything I have accomplished without help from ANYONE. But I'll tell ya what, if Bonnie changed her underwear as frequent as she changes partners there'd be an entirely different smell surrounding her aura if you know what I mean."

NOBLE:
"I don't blame Bonnie. John Rabid has sold her a dream, and infected her brain with the baseless hope of a more prosperous destiny. It's not Bonnie's fault that her heart is farting with her brain. That soiled sock of a man that calls himself the Serpent has tainted the mind of Bonnie Blue and now she is just a victim. Instead of trying to destroy her as Abernathy would have me do, I should just try to reposition her and help her find her true nature again. Get her to stop holding herself back with the idea that she needs a man by her side just to get somewhere. I have the gold now, the circle is complete, so that means the time witch can be one of us... One with the circle."

SAVAGE:
"Bonnie Blue has no place in The Circle. All members of The Circle have one thing clear and that is, walk your own path, and only help others when it benefits the greater good. She is the opposite. She feels empty when she's alone and she cannot handle her own. She seeks validation through partnerships and forged alliances, instead of seeing the bigger picture. The circle does not need someone who would leech off of it the way she would."

At that point, the bathroom door swings open and it is Lady Abernathy, now standing at the door, holding Noble Savage's clothes in her hand. Noble Savage is startled, and tries to cover her naked body unsuccessfully.

NOBLE:
"Jesus H. CHRIST, Lady! Just because you can pop up out of nowhere doesn't mean you should!"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Put these on. Your next lesson starts now."

Noble Savage hesitates to take her hands off her lady parts to grab the clothes, so Lady Abernathy just drops the clothes on the floor and walks away. Noble Savage picks them up and begins to put them on while talking to Lady Abernathy in the other room.

NOBLE:
"So, where were you just now? Did you go make sure Odin was on the same page as me against whoever this mystery team is?"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"What makes you so sure that it is Odin I went to see? Could have been Teo Del Sol... Could have been Samuel McPhers--

SAVAGE:
"Do NOT even joke about that one. I would absolutely smack the ever living daylights out of you if you ever agreed to let me team with tha--

Suddenly, Lady Abernathy is standing behind Noble Savage, to which Noble Savage turns around in shock.

LADY ABERNATHY:
"DON'T YOU DARE!"

Lady Abernathy now swings a vicious slap the knocks Noble Savage down flat on her face. Noble Savage gets to her feet again and resumes putting her clothes on.

NOBLE:
"What, Lady? You know better than to even insinuate that sped is in my league."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Not about him. About your sudden surge in confidence. Granted there isn't anyone in WCF that can match you, that still does not give you the right to threaten me with physical violence. Know your place, child. Now finish buckling those boots, and put this blindfold on. You are going to follow me."

Lady Abernathy hands Noble Savage a black cloth and once again exits the bathroom. Noble Savage, now fully dressed, willingly puts the blindfold around her face to cover her eyes and ties the back. She slowly exits the bathroom, feeling for surroundings.

NOBLE:
"What is this lesson anyway, Lady? The stupid Bird Box challenge? That film wasn't even all that great."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Your attempt at humor is noted. But not appropriate. This is a serious lesson that will test your connection with nature. We will see how much you can trust the sounds of the trees, and the scents of your surroundings to find your way back... And nature will also see how much you respect her."

SAVAGE:
"And, let me guess... This is going to make me better understand who my opponents will be and help me know how to defeat them?"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"It won't. You do not need help. This is to help you cope when you find out the identity of your partner, rather than your opponent."

NOBLE:
"And my partner is...?"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Silence, child. Now, walk."

Moments later, we see Lady Abernathy walking on wet muddy grass through mossy woods. While Lady Abernathy's steps seem to be as if she was walking on solid water, Noble Savage's steps behind her are splashing and sinking into the soft surfaces.

NOBLE:
"Sat through that entire movie hoping to get a glimpse of The Horror and all they do is give him a cameo in a stupid drawing."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Brandi, might I bring to your attention the fact that you have not shut up about that film since we left the house? I wonder how you're even following the sounds and scents if you're so concentrated on talking."

SAVAGE:
"Unlike you, Lady, speaking doesn't take away from my other senses."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Focus, my violent violet. We are almost there."

NOBLE:
"Lady, what is the point of this?"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"You often fail to see the point in anything, and THAT, my child, is precisely the point. It is not much longer now, so keep up the pace or I just might leave you in this mire to rot."

SAVAGE:
"Nature is guiding me, Lady. Not you."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"And whom, do you think, is guiding Nature?"

Noble Savage lets her silence show concession. Not long after that, they reach a clearing, where a circle of hooded figures hums a low monotonous tune while holding flaming torches. Noble Savage hears the hums and smiles.

NOBLE:
"I hear them, Lady... The circle lives. But I smell sandalwood... Why are they burning sandalwood?"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Do not worry, Cleric of Balance. You mustn't be frightened."

SAVAGE:
"Oh, I'm not frightened, Lady. I just know what Sandalwood is burned for, and that spells sacrifice. I don't mind mind being burned at the stake, but if any witch deserves it, it's Bonnie Blue, not me."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Relax. The sandalwood isn't for you."

Lady Abernathy now removes the blindfold from Noble Savage's face. Noble Savage looks at the circle of cloaks in front of her, but her smile drops to unamused when she notices a rabid dog chained to a nearby tree stump.

SAVAGE:
"What is the need for all this? I already won the WCF World Championship. I defeated the entire WCF roster at War, and I defeated Odin Balfore and the Guardians in a single night at One."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"If you think that everything will be easier now, then you have retained none of what I have taught you. If anything, things will become MORE difficult. I would advise against underestimating this lot of challengers and would be heroes."

NOBLE:
"Lady, even John Rabid, the scarecrow that he is, nothing more, played no factor in my victory at ONE. Alex Richards paid the price. The only reason is that he was the only person in that match whom I had not defeated before, and I had to prove a point to him. Although, Savage would have preferred that it was the Time Witch that I could have Tomb Seekered for the pin; that would have been the sweetest gift of all, for Savage to send him Bonnie's head in a box."

LADY ABERNATHY:
"This week you have your opportunity to prove that to him, both him and the Time Witch."

Noble Savage's eyes light up with childlike glee, as if she just received a Christmas gift she's been wanting for years.

NOBLE:
"You mean... "

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Indeed. Vengeance comes in many forms, Soul Witch."

NOBLE:
"Wait, so who am I teaming with? Teo Del Sol, Samuel McFearson, Odin Balfore?"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"Focus on the task at hand. Do not concern yourself with that. You may be the World Champion but you are also at your most vulnerable. We are here to harden that vulnerability."

NOBLE:
"What is that vulnerability, Lady? I am impervious!"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"You show pity toward the Time Witch. You have even gone as far as to say you love her."

SAVAGE:
"Can't an artist love her creations?"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"You might have saved her, but you did not create her... Behold... Johnny Rabid, he is her maker. He is a virus, a sickness, a dog, to be frank. The internal fire that consumes him shall consume all those around him. It is too late for the Time Witch but it is not too late for you. I shall not have you sullen yourself and fall to such mediocrity of humanity."

SAVAGE:
"So, this rabid dog represents the verminous John Rabid, but what of Bonnie Blue?"

LADY ABERNATHY:
"I know you pity animals as much as you pity Bonnie, destroy your love for her, and you will grow."

Noble takes a steps forward and stares deeply into the dog's eyes with heartfelt sorrow.

SAVAGE:
"This dog has Rabies... That is the very definition of biting the hands that feed you. Reminds me of how Bonnie thanked me for resurrecting her career. I still have not forgiven the Time Witch for her betrayal. Us Guardians - nay, Noble is a Guardian, I am not; that much is clear. They used Noble and I allowed them to. I allowed them to take hold and manipulate my weak side in the same way that Johnny Rabid did to the Time Witch. I SHOULD have pity for her as Noble does, but I do not. She made her tactical transgressions in using me, as if that's all I am. She will continue to pay for it. She will continue to pay for until I decide that her debt is paid. Lady, if what you say is true then I relish the opportunity to get my hands on Johnny Rabid and the Time Witch at the same time. I am going to twist and wring them both until they, too, call their gods. They can gaze upon me, I am the Champion now. This week, I shall give Johnny Rabid the pain that he deserves. He can only imagine the kind of fighter I am in that ring. However, by the time he realizes that, it shall be too late for him and the Time Witch. No matter who my tag team partner is this week, vengeance shall be mine alone and they will all call their Gods, their Champions... They will all call... ME."

Noble Savage's facial expression turns from angered to nurturing as she hunches over and whistles for the dog, who responds with viciousness. Noble Savage kneels down just out of the dogs reach and turns back to Lady Abernathy.

NOBLE:
"This is a sickness and his anger is misplaced. He is deranged and demented. However, my anger is not misplaced. Lady, tell me what I must do to become a stronger champion. Imbue me with the skills necessary to elevate myself over the likes of Johnny Rabid and the Time Witch. I am ready."

One of the hooded figures breaks away from The Circle, unchains the dog and guides him to the center of the circle. Lady Abernathy approaches Noble Savage and hands her a glowing green dagger. Noble Savage follows the dog into the center of the circle.

LADY ABERNATHY:
"You know what you must do."

Noble Savage reaches her gentle hand over the mad dog's head. The dog's foaming mouth seizes to growl and he whimpers slightly. The dog lets Noble Savage pet his head and snuggles up into her inner elbow. Noble Savage closes her eyes and thrusts the ceremonial dagger behind the dog's ear. With a simple whimper, the dog drops lifelessly onto Noble Savage's lap.

LADY ABERNATHY:
"You've done well, Soul Witch... Now find your way back."

Noble Savage looks up and all the robed people are gone. Lady Abernathy is gone. She looks down at her lap, and the dog, too, is gone. But the blood remains in her hand and lap.

NOBLE:
"I still don't know who my tag team partner is supposed to be, but I do know this... The road to perdition is paved with good intentions, and that is exactly what I am doing away with as of this very moment. No more love for the Time witch, no more pity for the pathetic puppeteer that is her current flavor of the month, and no more mercy. From this point forward, it is all for The Circle.”

Noble Savage stands up straight and begins walking through the woods in the same direction from where she originally came.


FADE TO BLACK.