A Hard Truth

by Austin Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:31 pm

The shot opens up on a darkened, wooded beach. The sense of solitude is a strong one as the camera pans around, allowing the beautiful, yet chilling, view to be taken in. Rocks cut up through the ground, stacked in jagged angles like knives cast from tables of gods and giants. Trees twist in abnormal ways, intertwining their limbs among each other's A steady rhythm of thuds ring out, echoing through trees and resonating over the sound of water lapping against the shore. This continues as the camera pans over to Ringo Maxx, dressed in thick woolen flannel and dark pants, a large woodcutter's axe grasped between his swollen fists. Before him sits an old tree stump: on it rests a handful of logs. On either side of the stump is two piles of wood, one split, the whole whole. Ringo raises the axe above his head and drives it down, the wood splintering almost easily as he readies the blade for the next. He repeats this process for what seems like forever, a mindnumbing pattern and rhythm to his motion. The camera draws closer.

Beads of sweat collect on his brow, glistening drops falling into the dirt below with every grunt. With the axe steadied in his right hand, he drags his left flannel sleeve across his forehead, leaving a trail of grime streaked across it. With a long sigh, Ringo tosses his tool onto the pile of logs, craning his neck both ways to produce two loud cracks. Speaking in his gruff, Austrian accented voice, he calls out lowly to the camera.

Ringo Maxx
"It's been such a long time since I've seen another face here. I know why you're here. Come."

Ringo turns and walks towards a small hunter's cabin about a dozen yards away. Through the simple curtained window, a flickering light casts long shadows across the patchy ground. Smoke curls from a stone chimney, swirling in what little breeze there is. Reaching the stoop, he turns to look back at the camera, as if checking to see if the person had not been scared of. Reaffirmed, he swings open the heavy door, a slight creek signifying the arrival.

As his huge frame steps inside and out of the doorway, the heart of the cabin is revealed. Surprisingly well-furnished and lit by billowing flames in the fireplace, the sight is one of almost comfort. A thick leather chair sits next to the fire, it's wooden legs weathered, but not too much so, from years of use. Large bookshelves line the walls, filled to the top with indistinguishable titles of all sorts and colors. From outside of view, Ringo mumbles, "Not as lavish as one would expect, I know. I find it comfortable."

Stepping back into the shot, he carries a dark, label-less bottle and a single glass. Setting them on a small end table beside the old chair, he sits down slowly, his eyes falling upon the fire, his fingers reaching up to stroke his thick wet beard. After a few moments, he glances back at the camera, muttering his condolences.

Ringo Maxx
"Pardon me, I'm not used to having company. Do you mind?"

Without hesitation, Ringo fills his glass with the liquid from the dark bottle, taking a long, pleasurable sip. A hint of a smile crosses his face, but as quickly as it arrived, it disappears.

Ringo Maxx
"To matters at hand, then. Ricky Spanish, I'm going to make this as concise as I can, but I need you to understand. Listen to me. I have no interest in showmanship, Ricky. You make such a display of yourself. The lights, the music, the..."

Ringo pauses and shuts his eyes, taking another sip as he shakes his head.

Ringo Maxx
"...pageantry. You make this persona the show. And I must say, Ricky, I must say... I find that to be a wise and crafted choice. To create a black hole around your true soul, that will swallow any failures or shortcomings and hide them away deep, deep down. It's a facade, Ricky, and nothing more than that. I can see that. So desperate to hide your true self from the world, so desperate to run away from what you truly are. I was once the same way, long ago. Perhaps it's worked better for you thus far, perhaps it has.

Or maybe, maybe you're not the creature that I was. Perhaps you're not capable of such introspection; perhaps you are what you seem to portray. A simple man. And wouldn't that be such a sad story. Pitiful, almost. Almost. Me? I know what I am. I'm the cold soul that executioners dream of. I'm bound together with flesh, yes, but filled with inhuman desires. I'm walking sin. That is why your insults, your attempts to get a rise out of me... they're in vain. You won't make me angry. No, I'm entirely passed that emotion. I will not bubble up into a fury because I am fury, Ricky. You're trying to prod a bear without realizing you're already between it's teeth."

Ringo tips the amber bottle once more, the golden fluid filling the glass to it's brim. He stares into the fire as he raises his drink to his mouth, taking a mouthful and swishing it behind his pursed lips. Swallowing with another sigh, he sets the glass back down with a light klink.

Ringo Maxx
"I've resolved to accept the path that I was driven down long ago, but that doesn't mean that I do not dwell upon it. I'm far removed from the blissful ignorance I once felt, but the desire lingers in my troubled thoughts. Small pieces of me envy you, Ricky. While I won't apologize for what I must do to you at Redemption Road, I must express my sorrow for taking that from you. You will not be the same man after this encounter, if you remain at all. Your Ringo Maxx Halloween costume, while so endearing, will not protect you from my arms wrapping around your neck and emptying the air from your lungs. As you writhe there in agony, struggling to take another breath, your threats will be drowned out by the tearing of tendons in your legs. And as you stare up at me from the mat, you will know I did not only take your championship, but indeed, your will itself."

Ringo's eyes flick back to the camera, his hard gaze piercing through the lens and into the eyes of all who view. Peeling his lips back, he slides his tongue across his now exposed teeth, the shot fading to black with the chilling song descending further into madness until it cuts off completely.

by Childish Meltzer Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:54 pm

by Miztacular Tue Sep 05, 2017 1:23 am

Love this promo austin

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