[Brother Grimm]

 

The specter known as Brother Grimm spat on the floor as he threw the journal to the dirt floor of the old hut and started to pace.

"Insane ramblings from a desecrated mortal who placed himself on a pedestal he and his family all fell from." He growled. "Nothing more."

"You think?" She said from the shadows. As was her preferred custom, she sat in her favored rocking chair and knitted while this dark being spoke in front of her. "It was that very family line that was on this pedestal that placed you in that void. A place with no doors or windows. You did not think so little of it at the time."

Grimm turned to face her and cracked his neck before he smiled.

"Even the tiniest of insects can become an annoyance." he said with a dark satisfaction. "I believe two children taught you that lesson when you wound up burned to ashes in your own oven."

The rocking of the chair ceased immediately and Grimm came to a stoic position, not moving. He simply watched Her as She watched him until the rocking commenced once again, as did Her knitting.

"You forget yourself." She whispered with a dangerous, acidic tone in her voice. "But I suppose it can't be helped. You are what you are, after all. Darkness is heart and soul... and apparently mouth."

"I do try." Grimm said with smug satisfaction. He then tilted his head forward in acknowledgment of Her power and added, "But you will forgive me, I trust."

"Perhaps." She mused as she continued with her hobby. "But only if you bring me something special back from your journey to Brazil. I understand they have more orphans there than they know what to do with."

"Well then I will bring you a specially selected one." Grimm bowed his head again. "With my gratitude."</color>



"It had been so many ages since I had discovered such kindred spirits in this day and age. First it was the goddess known as Necra, and now I find myself at the side of a soul as bleak and void as any I have ever been gifted enough to bear witness to in Goth. I find it a wonder, looking at this darkness that inhabits such a soul and wonder what drives him forward to such depths that he targets on such a personal level. His hatred for the one that has plagued him, despite they have something akin to an alliance in war. Intriguing. But such queries will come to light at another time. For now I have but one purpose, and one only; pairing with this entity for the single purpose to feed off the despair of the fur other souls in this encounter and walk away as one."

"The championships of this profession mean little, if truth be told. The gold is perhaps the most worthless of metals, despite the shine it casts and the manner in which it attracts. For all its worth, it has so very little practical use so the desire for it is relatively lost to me. Mortals are like magpies where shiny objects are concerned. They see it. It sparkles, and they desire to claim it for their own. Simple minds, simple pleasures."

"Perhaps this could be the reason best explained for why She asked this of me, to team with another despite my very nature, to attempt to become a champion and own this gold for my own. Taking what belongs to another is second nature. I've done it with families and children over the course of eons. Yet this goal of a championship belt to have and to hold would serve as a beacon for other souls to come to me. Other souls that would wish to take it from my own grasp."

"Bait."

"Never before has a trap been so delicately set and mesmerizing to the eye. The champions, two young souls in Ace Baldwin and Kevin Carter. Brave young men, the likes of which I have seen and done battle with over a lifetime multiplied many times over. They see themselves as brave and immune to what I gift the heart and soul with, but as I have stated time and again; these are merely empty words."

"A man that claims to know no fear is but a liar to others and a deceiver toward himself."

"Fear is what makes life worth living for such pathetic creatures such as yourselves. Fear is what makes you understand just what a threat you are truly facing when you face me inside of that ring, ready to lay your lives down for the sake of pride. Fear is what will make you soil yourselves when you look me in the eyes and it dawns on you the true nature of what you face when you face me."

"Kain, who claims himself a god of mortal man, intrigues me as most of his ilk do not. While his partner shields himself behind a mask, and our opposing team are but boys in a world of men, this Kain reminds me of the hunters long since past. Men who braved the darkness and fought, true with courage, but foolishness in the beliefs that they might prevail."

"It is with great disgust that I admit these things to you Kain; that my beliefs that such mortal men were no longer a part of this world. And yet, there you stand, prepared to go to war as they once did against me in times of old. Oh how long has it been since I have feasted on the type of mortal that you yourself are! How long has it been since I have stared into the eyes of a man who stood brave against adversity and believed, truly believed, that he would prevail against the bleakest whims of fate?"

"It is just a shame that you have found yourself saddled with such a comrade as you have, in a man that hides behind crimson lace so none might know of his identity should he fall, and he will fall. I believe I myself might find yet another gift for She who asked for something special from this encounter. A mask represents so much more than fear. It could represent the nature of the soul itself."

"A championship beacon is all well and good, but I have never stolen a soul before."</color>