A fallen hero seeking redemption and opposites attract? An interesting dynamic indeed. Hope you all like it.
I do not own Skullgirls. All rights go to the amazing team of Hidden Variable, The Composers and Cast: Alex Ahad, Michiru Yamane, Vincent Diamante, Cristina Vee, Kaiji Tang, Sarah Williams, Rich Brown, Laura Post, Kai Kennedy and all the other amazing people who make this game awesome! (I could say the other names but that would take too long)
Enjoy Chapter One The Wulf Begins Again...
Setting The Stage Chapter One
Canopy Kingdom, New Meridian, NMO Arena, Spring 5/5/1995
"Ladies and Gentleman. Here's your winner of this No Holds Barred Match. A man who has rallied a nation at war, the hero that has just done the impossible and stilllll undefeated Wulfamania Champion… Beowulf!" The crowd cheered, as Beowulf rolled off his opponent and sat up from the mat, panting heavily. He had blood running down his face, from a cut on his forehead mixed in with sweat, also across his body, with many cuts in his clothes.
"Got him… But he felt a bit off towards the end." Beowulf collapsed to one knee. He was too blown out to celebrate, as he thought about his long hard fought match. He put his fist up in the air as a sign of dominance, while standing upright; needing to balance himself on his chair as he did so. He looked towards his opponent…
Beside him, lay his defeated Gigan opponent Grendel, who had destroyed half of the ring. His body lay across the ring and the ramp that connects the stage and ring, his eyes were closed and had some missing teeth, also he had a missing arm, that was torn off by his opponent during their legendary match. The ropes of the ring were not connected to the turnbuckle, the mat was ripped in several places and the barricades were destroyed on the left.
On top of that, another Gigan lay dead on the left side of the barricade, next to the announce table. This was the mother of Grendel, who in a fit of rage tried to avenge her son. Beowulf however, did not want his match interrupted and did not flinch as he took the old hag straight on. After several minutes, Beowulf defeated her by smashing her head into one of the many Titantrons. Grendel, who was knocked out as the two fought, awoke to see his mother dead. Before he could do anything, Beowulf attacked the Gigan and killed him quickly, by tearing off his arm. The shock and pain Grendel felt killed him instantly, while Beowulf collapsed from exhaustion.
With all of his strength, Beowulf got up and placed his chair, hurting just under the turnbuckle. He then dragged himself over to the torn Gigan's arm and took it with him to the turnbuckle. The crowd all the while, gasping and cheering at the resiliency and power of their new Hero. Beowulf balanced himself on his chair, grabbed Grendel's arm and slung it over his shoulder, all the while putting his fist in the air smirking.
The crowd erupted in praise, as woos and chants of "Beowulf!" warmed the man's ears. He welcomed them. "(Thanks everyone.)"
The Wulf then pointed at the crowd, which made them cheer even more. However, as soon as that happened, Beowulf looked down at himself, then back up grinning like an idiot. In slow motion in his eyes, he fell from hurting. His body finally giving into the pain it had received during the hard fought match. The crowd screamed and gasped in horror, as they watched their hero fall.
Almost immediately, paramedics filled the ring, rushing to check on the new hero, cleaning the blood off his face and helping him up. "Beowulf can you hear me?" One of them said, as they slung the bloody man's arm around his shoulder.
"Soo... I wo...?" Beowulf spat. He couldn't speak properly, since the blood from the cut was going into his mouth.
"He's awake. Get him to the medic room fast and patch him up. Someone go get Zane." Another one quickly said.
As the paramedics helped Beowulf out of the ring and up the ramp. Above the cheering crowd in a private viewing platform, five men watched the whole thing unfold. Two sat down while the other three stood.
"It seems you were right." One said.
"I always knew it was better this way. I must admit, he exceeded our expectations and I assume I speak for the both of us?"
"Indeed."
"Very well."
The man on the left turned to announce another. "Zane, your money will be delivered shortly. Thank you for your cooperation."
The manager gave a hesitant grin as he stepped forward carefully. Like a servant that had been acknowledged. "My pleasure sir. Um, may I ask, that you won't be shutting down my business?"
The man stood up from his chair and was handed his coat by one of his two bodyguards. "Since you have made a massive contribution to the Canopy Kingdom, no. We shall leave you be. In fact, you have free reigns to do what you want with your business. We will not interfere." The man softly spoke while fixing the collar of his overcoat.
The other person on the right shot up in anger. "Pardon me but shouldn't you be thanking me more than this pathetic waste of space!" The graying haired individual spat.
Zane cringed from the comment and looked down at the floor. "Thanks, I guess..." He sulked.
The other continued on his rant. "Without my resources and the delivery of the drugs, this wouldn't have been possible!"
The other man who was conversing with his bodyguards turned to face him. "While we are also thankful for your cooperation and help from the Medici Lorenzo, we came to you and remember the deal we made. We have done everything you need to disappear and we can take it away, all the same. The Government doesn't tolerate threats."
The mob boss went silent.
The government official turned to announce the room and happily smiled. "Excellent. Gentleman again, thank you. You won't see us ever again. You may now go back to your respective chores and unceremonious lifestyles."
Before leaving, the man eyed the certain Wulf who was being carried up the ramp to the back and then walked through the doors, opened with help from two other bodyguards who were standing outside in the hall. "And Zane?" He stopped midway through the door-frame to address the manager. "You may have just found a breakout star. Use him wisely however, nothing lasts forever after all." Saying that, the doors closed leaving Lorenzo and Zane by themselves.
The room had gotten surprisingly tense.
"Hmph. Fool. We'll see about that." Lorenzo muttered.
Zane clapped his hands joyfully while walking over and opening the door for the Medici. "Well, that was something! But I need to go see my student now, so um, is alright if I leave you to go. You know the way right?"
Lorenzo brushed past him with a scowl. "Of course. Oh and Zane. Better pray he doesn't lose his popularity. He won't last long after the war ends. Stars like that usually end up abandoned after their "Stardom" diminishes. Hope he can survive that." Lorenzo laughed as he left the room.
He was now alone.
For a few seconds he stood motionless before walking over to a small table and pouring a glass of left over red wine. Turning his attention to the crowd he watched them enthusiastically chant for Beowulf. "How long will he last I wonder?" The manager thought. He then spat out the wine. "Pooey! Urgh. I could make better wine than this terrible substance." The door to the room then burst open, which made Zane spill the wine.
"Mr. MacDougal sir! Beowulf has been taken to the medical room and um, sir, your trousers."
"Huh?" Zane looked down. "Ah, crap. Alright, I'll be down in a minute bud." The man took his leave. Zane got a towel from the table and cleaned himself. "And they don't even have the nerve to knock. No civility whatsoever. Thank Aeon for this- Wait why is there a towel here? Nevermind, let's see what I can do with this so called "Champ"." Zane, said to himself as he walked out.
Down in the Medical Bay, the winner of the brutal match lay and stared at the ceiling on his bed, while the doctors fixed him up. "(I can't believe I won! I'm awesome! He seemed really strange in the ring, kept muttering and gurgling. I didn't really want to kill him… But I guess it was for the best... Still...)" Beowulf thought.
Twenty Five minutes earlier...
Beowulf dodged more claws, as the giant Gigan tried to hit him. However, the Gigan kept blinking and almost tripping over. "Urrgghhh Can't... Stop... Damn... it..." Grendel muttered.
Beowulf took notice and raised an eyebrow. "You doin' cool up there? Thought this was supposed to be a fight! (Must be just faking to get my guard down)" Beowulf shouted. The crowd kept cheering for Beowulf and gasping every time he almost got it. Again, Grendel tried to hit Beowulf with his giant claws but this time, it was a slow attack. Beowulf easily dodged. "This all you got big bro ha! (Seriously, he seems way out of it. Nah, I bet he's still trying to get my guard down)" The Wulf kept his guard up.
Above in the viewing platform, the men watched. "Even with the handicap he's still finding hard to fight back." Lorenzo laughed. "Zane, it seems you've sent this poor fool to his death!" Lorenzo continued laughing.
Zane kept an unemotional exterior and simply sighed. "Keep looking Mr. Medici, he'll surprise you and you sir." He eyed the man to his left.
"We'll see Zane." The observers kept their eyes glued on the match.
The Wulf dodged a stomp from Grendel and rolled forward under him, he then jumped up to the turnbuckle and leaped into the Gigan's back, forearming him. Grendel fell from the impact flat on his face, almost into the crowd. Beowulf then jumped down from the turnbuckle smirking. "This all you got big guy? Shit, I could beat you in my sleep!" Beowulf taunted as he hyped the crowd who responded in kind.
Even with that, they were all astonished that the man hadn't met his end yet. Meanwhile, Grendel tired to rise but kept falling over.
Shaking his head like he didn't know what he was doing, the Gigan sighed. "(Damn it... I wanted this to be a proud fight... I'm...)" At the same time, his mother watched in horror. She was surprised her son hadn't killed the disgusting male but even more, she could see that he was not well.
Grendel eventually after two minutes, got back to his feet. Looking directly into Beowulf's eyes. "You... Don't... Understand... I.."
Beowulf only laughed. "You don't understand bro. I'm the world's champ and this is no place for a big bro like you. No hard feelings but cut the chitchat. Let's get back down to business! (Damn, I'm good)" Beowulf thought.
Grendel only growled. Beowulf thought he heard him say something but he was too focused on his opponent's arm to hear what it was, that, and it was too loud. Grendel's arm came down hard but the Wulf just stood as it came down.
"Time to finish this! (Oh, boy)" He shouted and caught the Gigan's arm in his hand. The crowd went dead silent. Beowulf had just stopped a Gigans' attack. He then pulled with all his might...
Above in the viewing platform, a dirty blonde haired mans mouth slowly curved into a slight pleased smirk as he listened to the agonizing scream echoing around the arena. His eyes glowing red with satisfaction and the carnage reflecting off his golden shades.
Now...
As he came to terms with his actions, his mentor came striding through the double doors with another medic. Zane grinned as he walked over to where Beowulf was. "Well, well, well. Look at you babe. Defeated two Gigan warriors, well a hag and you look like you could wrestle again 100-times. The feat you accomplished was mind blowing, Unbelievable, Impossible! Heh but you bud, you silenced the doubts of everyone. Hell, everyone bet on the Gigan to win." Zane Laughed.
"That's reassuring." Beowulf frowned.
Zane slapped his student's arm. "Hey, don't sweat it babe. You beat 'em, pure and simple."
"Yeah, I guess…"
"Something wrong bud?"
"Did anything seem weird when you were watching the match. You were watching the match right?" Beowulf inquired.
"Yeah and everything seemed cooilo to me babe. Maybe you got a concussion or something like that halfway through the match? Surprising though you ain't that banged up." Zane looked at Beowulf's bandaged arms and stomach.
The doctors finished treating the Wulf and left the room, leaving only a couple of nurses and doctors in the room on standby.
Beowulf sat up in his bed as he cringed at some of the pain. Zane swiftly held his arm as the man almost fell back. "Whoa there. Don't want you falling to pieces already now do we?" The manager joked.
"Nah. Guess not." Beowulf lay his head on his sat up pillow. "So, now what?" The Champ asked his mentor.
Zane tapped his chin. "Good question bud, good question. Well for starters, I'm thinking about changing around the program we got going on here. Like making wrestling safer. Still real though, don't worry. Just a few tweaks here and there. You don't have to worry about that." He reassured.
"Oh, cool. What about me bro?" Beowulf asked.
The manager gave a light laugh. "You. Well you are the star attraction Beowulf, buddy! After what you pulled off, everyone in the whole of new Meridian will be flocking to see your incredible matches! Thanks to you, you've made wrestling awesome again. No thanks to my help, fool." Zane muttered at the end.
"Uh, did you say something there?"
"Huh? Nothing bud. Nothing."
Beowulf thought what had been said for a second. "Wait. so does that mean I'll be famous?"
"More than famous a legend." Quicker than a cheetah, Beowulf sprang off his bed and punched his fits to the air.
Zane was taken aback and jumped a bit from the burst of excitement. "(Impressive even sustaining injuries such as these, he still has energy)" Zane thought, as he looked Beowulf up and down. Meanwhile, the Wulf just kept celebrating.
"Yeah, baby! Woooooooo! That's what I'm talking about! Finally, my big break! All my hard work paying off! I can be the hero even if it is on stage! - Errrr… Zane, you spacing out or something?" It looked like his manger was checking him out. Not that he had anything with bud swinging the other way, he'd just be surprised if he was.
Zane broke out of his trance. "Eh? Oh! Sorry babe. I was just thinking about something. But yeah! We're talking promos, luxury, five star restaurants, fancy cars, hotels! Ladies galore! Ahhh... whoops... but basically, everything you can ever want!" Zane encouraged.
"Um, Zane that's cool and all but I'm not really interested in that. I just want to know if I can always be on stage and see my Wulfpack."
"Wulfpack!? (He seems to not care about the spoils of fame…) What you going on about now?" Zane chuckled.
"Yeah! It's the name I've come up with for my fans. Since there's so many of them." Beowulf punched his chest with pride.
"You sure that match ain't loosened a few screws up there man?" His manager grinned at him.
"What you talkin' about? A feel like a 150% bones!" Beowulf bellowed but then clutched his side in angst when he felt a bit of pain and laid back.
Zane merely rolled his eyes humorously while beginning to walk over to the door. "Whatever you say Beowulf. I'll be back in just jiffy, so, you just sit back, relax, kick those feet up and take a breather. I'll sort everything out."
"Really?"
"Yeah! Just leave it my hands my little Wulf." Zane gave a earnest smile.
Before he could make his way out the door however, someone came rushing in. "Sir. I'm sorry about this but the fans want to see Beowulf. They're out in the corridor."
"Huh, how did they get past security bud?"
"Trust me sir, there is a lot. They'll only go if they see "The man that defeated Grendel" so they say. I can always-"
The manager held up his hand to say it was fine.
"Huh? Fans, here to see me!?" Beowulf's eyes gleamed with interest while sitting up.
Zane tapped his chin. He then looked over at Beowulf. "Babe, you good to make a public appearance?"
"Yeah! So long as they don't overwhelm me or anythin'. Think I can handle a walk." Beowulf nodded and got off the bed.
"Righty, let's go see your fans. Make it quick though, I'm sure the doctors need to still work their magic."
"Sounds good." The Wulf agreed and they both walked out into the corridor.
After turning a few corners, they found a gigantic mass of people and security, trying to keep them back in the liner hall.
"Beowulf! We want Beowulf!" They shouted as well as,
"Let me see him!"
"He's so awesome!" "
I need him to sign my forehead!"
"Not a chance! He'll sign my nose!"
"You're on babe." Zane put his arm forward humorously.
Beowulf gulped. The injuries seemed almost nonexistent with the nerves he was getting. "Cool... be cool... (It's no different to any promo or segment man...) " He took a breath. "HEY GUYS! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Silence filled the corridor.
"Noice bud."
"Cheers bro. ALRIGHT! I'M HERE WULFPACK! YOU HAPPY TO SEE ME?!" The corridor erupted in cheers, as Beowulf walked towards the crowd along with Zane. "Okay then! I know you little Wulfs probably want to get autographs, ask me about the match and how I am feeling. I'd love to do all those things but I can't right now." Beowulf quietened his voice though everyone could still hear.
He surprisingly could still be loud even when not shouting. "Don't worry though. I'm not going anywhere! A few cuts in bruises ain't gonna keep this guy down!"
A few more cheers.
"Trust me. I'll be in that ring next week and the week after that and the week after that! This is the beginning of something amazing and I want you all to be apart of it! I promise you will get everything from me. With help from my best friend and mentor Zane, I'm sure we'll make that happen." Beowulf turned to address and smiled at Zane.
In that moment, the dirty blonde haired manager felt something strange... "(He inspires them all... Even after all these years... They never told me... humans... could be so... fascinating... Despite the set up, he truly believes he's a hero and they all follow him. A shame that it's false "advertising". Still, I can make use of him yet)" Zane thought. But replied with "Thanks" and "Yes, I will!" The hall cheered.
"This is the start of a long journey for all of us. But trust in me and I will never let you down! I'll always be there to entertain you all and make you feel happy! So until then, I hope you keep the spirit of the Wulf alive! Thank you all and I'll see you all next week for CWW!" Beowulf turned to leave, as the entire crowd erupted in a cheer, that tore the building down.
"BEOWULF, BEOWULF BEOWULF!" They chanted in honest admiration and love.
Zane followed and walked in sync with his student. Despite the fact he wasn't supposed to feel anything, he could feel a reaction to that speech Beowulf just made but he didn't know what it was.
"Great speech... A bit long though." Zane teased.
"Shut up or I'll suplex you." Beowulf threatened jokingly.
Before they turned the corridor, Beowulf felt something crash into him. He turned and looked down to see a young man. A security manager following suite. "Sorry sir he got past-"
"It's cool bro." Beowulf nodded the all clear and helped the young lad up.
The boy had black long hair, that went to his shoulders, black jeans, white t-shirt and black brooks, he also wore a cap on his head. Beowulf patted the guy on the shoulder. "Pretty brave kid, running up to me like that."
"Sorry Mr. Beowulf. I know you said you would give autographs later but could you just sign my cap?"
Beowulf laughed. "Well since you got through this guy and you're a bold little champ, you deserve it! Zane you got a pen?"
"Sure." He reached into his pocket and gave it to him.
"What's your name little Wulf?" Beowulf asked.
"Christopher Drain but some of my friends call me Chris."
"Awesome name bro. Catchy" He finished signing the hat and then crouched to his level. "You know; people like you Chris. You keep the world spinning and keep people like me going. May not seem like it but you're a big reason I keep doing the stuff I do."
"Really?" The kid looked hopeful.
"Yeah! I'm not really good with this stuff but just remember to not give up alright? This Kingdom may be bad at times but it's worth doing the good stuff for it!"
"Yeah! Thanks Sir!" He beamed.
"That's the spirit little buddy!" Beowulf patted the boy on his head and laughed, lifting the young man onto his shoulder, as he turned to see the masses and everyone chanting his name. He couldn't be happier.
The best day of his life.
New Meridian, Beowulf's Apartment, Summer 31/8/2008
"Beowulf, Beowulf, Beowulf!" A certain black haired Wulf muttered to himself who then heard a crash, that woke him up and got him to stare up at the ceiling.
He looked around, dirty, everything a mess, alcohol, cans and furniture all over the place. He'd fallen out of bed. "Just great." He muttered. He got up and threw the pillow on his bed. He then shook his head a couple of times. "Had... too much last night... Damn and that stupid dream again. This is just all not going my way ain't it Hurting?" His chair which lay on the other side of the bed, said nothing. "Yeah, I know right? I need to get a life. I would, if everything just didn't suck." He threw himself back onto his bed. "Urgh... why am I even still alive?" He muttered. In the next room meanwhile, the TV had just finished commercials. Beowulf, leaving it on last night after enjoying his drink.
He didn't care about what it had to say. It was all rubbish anyway. Until he heard something that made his head pop up.
"And now we take you to the life of celebrities, whose lives have been destroyed by the excess of fame. Welcome to Celebrity Crash Out. Today's episode will be about the rise and fall of the forgotten legend: Beowulf."
As the TV continued to speak, Beowulf rose and walked into the living room all the while smacking his head a few times. "What do they know? Guess I'll give it a watch." He muttered, as he crashed onto his couch, with Hurting behind him. "No way I can make a comeback after this plays."
Good to type again, give these hands a chance to stretch! Please leave your thoughts in your reviews and let me know how you found the story. Always helps! Anywho, hope you all enjoyed. Review at your leisure and have a good one!