Post by serranopoblano on Apr 13, 2022 15:13:02 GMT -5
The Sultan of Spice is hard at work in The Hotter Than Hell Test Kitchen, preparing a new concoction to use against his future opponents…
SERRANO POBLANO: I can’t believe someone beat me to the Tabasco Asian Mist…I’ll show them…
Serrano leans over a steaming pot as he adds ingredients to the mix…
SERRANO POBLANO: …a dash of cod liver oil…some ghost chili extract…some industrial grade antifreeze for color…
But before he can continue to add ingredients or sample his work, there is a knock at the door…
SERRANO POBLANO: Weird…I’m not expecting company. Who is it?
??: Hired goons.
Serrano has a confused look on his face as he begins to make his way toward the door.
SERRANO POBLANO: Who?
??: Hired goons.
Still confused, Serrano reaches for the doorknob to greet his guests.
SERRANO POBLANO: It almost sounded like you said…
But as soon as he opens the door, a canvas bag is stuffed over his head, and he’s forcefully pulled outside.
A SHORT TIME LATER…
After being shoved in a trunk and taken for a short drive, Serrano is pulled to his feet by the pair of hired goons, who then remove the canvas bag from his head. Lightning crashes in the sky to illuminate the grand cliffside castle that stands before them. Not offering any resistance, Serrano is pulled toward the structure with a look of complete awe on his face. After crossing over a drawbridge and making their way through a courtyard, the pair of hired goons deliver Serrano to a grand dining room where an elaborate meal for two has been set up upon a large table. Not far from the dining table is a massive pipe organ set up against the far wall, where a man sits with his back toward Serrano. The unidentified man plays a dramatic tune, seemingly a cover of Danny Elfman’s Spider-Man theme.
Serrano is forced into a seat at the table and then the pair of hired goons take a step back. At the organ, Serrano’s mysterious host finishes his piece of music and spins around from organ in dramatic fashion.
SERRANO POBLANO: Willem Dafoe?!
WILLEM DAFOE: Welcome to my humble abode, Mr. Poblano. I’m so glad you could join me for dinner.
SERRANO POBLANO: My pleasure, I guess. Although you could have just called…
WILLEM DAFOE: Nonsense. A guest of your caliber deserves only the best treatment.
With that, Dafoe rises to a standing position on the organ bench, then leaps into the air with a forward somersault, landing in his own seat at the dining table with incredible grace and agility.
WILLEM DAFOE: Now then…let’s eat.
Willem picks up a pair of carving knives and starts to sharpen them against each other, but Serrano interrupts him.
SERRANO POBLANO: This is nice and all, but we barely know each other. I get the feeling that there’s more to this meeting than just a friendly dinner.
From across the table, Willem looks up at his guest and smiles.
WILLEM DAFOE: You’re quite right. I should have known you’d be too clever to fall for my simple ruse. Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? You see, Mr. Poblano, I am a very talented man. I am also incredibly wealthy and thoroughly eccentric. Lastly, I am very, very bored. These make for a dangerous combination and are also why you and your friends in The KaVengers have piqued my interest.
SERRANO POBLANO: The KaVengers? What do they have to do with this?
Willem sets the pair of knives back on the table and rises from his seat. He then performs a running cartwheel into a series of backflips until he’s traveled the full length of the table and comes to rest at Serrano’s side.
WILLEM DAFOE: Follow me and everything will be made clear…
With his own curiosity getting the better of him, Serrano stands up and begins to follow Dafoe through the many twisting corridors of the modest castle. It isn’t long before the two men reach a large pair of wooden doors, which are opened for them by the pair of hired goons. Beyond the doors is a long staircase leading into the bowels of the castle, the path illuminated by lit torches along the winding stairway. Serrano continues to follow his host as they travel downwards, eventually reaching the castle's medieval dungeon. Upon reaching the end of their journey, Serrano is taken aback as an audible gasp escapes him.
There, behind a barred cage, are El Puma, Guy, and Rapture, each of them blindfolded and chained to the dungeon wall.
SERRANO POBLANO: What the hell…
GUY: Serrano? Is that you? WHAZZUP?!
RAPTURE: WHAZZUP?!
EL PUMA: QUE PASA?!
SERRANO POBLANO: Mr. Dafoe, what’s this all about? Why do you have my friends locked up in your dungeon?
Rubbing his hands together, Willem gives Serrano a sinister grin.
WILLEM DAFOE: As I said, I am talented, wealthy, eccentric, and bored. That is how you and your friends grabbed my attention. You may be unaware of this, but I was in attendance for The Crowning and I witnessed your team’s gallant fight against The True Society and Big Drip Worldwide. It was during that match that I realized an assemblage of heroes like yourselves deserved a team of rivals that could truly challenge you. The True Society were formidable, but they barely paid you any attention. Big Drip were formidable as well, but they were far too nice to serve as your archenemies. That is when I discovered my true purpose in life. I scoured the world in search of athletes who could join me in The Dark KaVengers…or as we have been called lately…The DaVengers!
Serrano still seems very confused.
SERRANO POBLANO: Okay…I guess that makes sense and it explains why my friends have been missing lately. But what about Noah?
Now it is Willem who seems confused.
WILLEM DAFOE: Who?
SERRANO POBLANO: Noah Hope. The Squirt. The man who defeated Jason Long…former Triple A Champion…founding member of the KaVengers…
None of this seems to register with Dafoe.
WILLEM DAFOE: Sorry. I really don’t know who you’re talking about. The point is, I have already eliminated three members of your team so that only you and Percival Burque remain…
SERRANO POBLANO: And Noah Hope.
WILLEM DAFOE: Whatever. This is where I explain my villainous plot and present you with a predicament for which there is no way out. I am willing to release your three friends unharmed in exchange for a favor from you. All you have to do to save El Puma, Guy, and Rapture is deliver Percival Burque to me. I will gladly trade these three for the leader of The KaVengers and your best friend…
SERRANO POBLANO: What? Betray Percy and leave him to your mercies? I could never…
WILLEM DAFOE: Don’t be so rash, Mr. Poblano. Your rodent friend will come to no harm. I will simply use him like a puppet as I become the true power behind Project: Honor. On the other hand, if you refuse my offer, I will cook and devour your other friends one at a time. Not only that, but I will share the leftovers with Project: Honor catering so that you’ll never know if you’re eating Peking Duck or Peking Puma…
SERRANO POBLANO: My god! You’re mad!
WILLEM DAFOE: No, Mr. Poblano. I am a God. And unlike you, Gods don’t have to choose. We take.
With that statement, the two goons step forward and grab Serrano by his arms. Willem then produces a canvas bag and steps toward The Sultan of Spice.
WILLEM DAFOE: At Public Execution, you will kidnap Percival Burque and deliver him to me, or the next time you come to dinner, you’ll be dining on medium-well Rapture…
SERRANO POBLANO: No! You monster! Steak should only be served medium-rare!
With that, Willem Dafoe pulls the bag over Serrano’s head and the hired goons begin to drag him out of the dungeon.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER…
Serrano has been returned to his Test Kitchen, but the Sultan of Spice is no longer in the mood to cook. He sits alone in his kitchen, hugging himself in a fetal position as tears stream down his cheeks…
SERRANO POBLANO: Oh Percy…my dearest friend…I’m so sorry. The only execution that will happen at Public Execution…is yours…
SERRANO POBLANO: I can’t believe someone beat me to the Tabasco Asian Mist…I’ll show them…
Serrano leans over a steaming pot as he adds ingredients to the mix…
SERRANO POBLANO: …a dash of cod liver oil…some ghost chili extract…some industrial grade antifreeze for color…
But before he can continue to add ingredients or sample his work, there is a knock at the door…
SERRANO POBLANO: Weird…I’m not expecting company. Who is it?
??: Hired goons.
Serrano has a confused look on his face as he begins to make his way toward the door.
SERRANO POBLANO: Who?
??: Hired goons.
Still confused, Serrano reaches for the doorknob to greet his guests.
SERRANO POBLANO: It almost sounded like you said…
But as soon as he opens the door, a canvas bag is stuffed over his head, and he’s forcefully pulled outside.
A SHORT TIME LATER…
After being shoved in a trunk and taken for a short drive, Serrano is pulled to his feet by the pair of hired goons, who then remove the canvas bag from his head. Lightning crashes in the sky to illuminate the grand cliffside castle that stands before them. Not offering any resistance, Serrano is pulled toward the structure with a look of complete awe on his face. After crossing over a drawbridge and making their way through a courtyard, the pair of hired goons deliver Serrano to a grand dining room where an elaborate meal for two has been set up upon a large table. Not far from the dining table is a massive pipe organ set up against the far wall, where a man sits with his back toward Serrano. The unidentified man plays a dramatic tune, seemingly a cover of Danny Elfman’s Spider-Man theme.
Serrano is forced into a seat at the table and then the pair of hired goons take a step back. At the organ, Serrano’s mysterious host finishes his piece of music and spins around from organ in dramatic fashion.
SERRANO POBLANO: Willem Dafoe?!
WILLEM DAFOE: Welcome to my humble abode, Mr. Poblano. I’m so glad you could join me for dinner.
SERRANO POBLANO: My pleasure, I guess. Although you could have just called…
WILLEM DAFOE: Nonsense. A guest of your caliber deserves only the best treatment.
With that, Dafoe rises to a standing position on the organ bench, then leaps into the air with a forward somersault, landing in his own seat at the dining table with incredible grace and agility.
WILLEM DAFOE: Now then…let’s eat.
Willem picks up a pair of carving knives and starts to sharpen them against each other, but Serrano interrupts him.
SERRANO POBLANO: This is nice and all, but we barely know each other. I get the feeling that there’s more to this meeting than just a friendly dinner.
From across the table, Willem looks up at his guest and smiles.
WILLEM DAFOE: You’re quite right. I should have known you’d be too clever to fall for my simple ruse. Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? You see, Mr. Poblano, I am a very talented man. I am also incredibly wealthy and thoroughly eccentric. Lastly, I am very, very bored. These make for a dangerous combination and are also why you and your friends in The KaVengers have piqued my interest.
SERRANO POBLANO: The KaVengers? What do they have to do with this?
Willem sets the pair of knives back on the table and rises from his seat. He then performs a running cartwheel into a series of backflips until he’s traveled the full length of the table and comes to rest at Serrano’s side.
WILLEM DAFOE: Follow me and everything will be made clear…
With his own curiosity getting the better of him, Serrano stands up and begins to follow Dafoe through the many twisting corridors of the modest castle. It isn’t long before the two men reach a large pair of wooden doors, which are opened for them by the pair of hired goons. Beyond the doors is a long staircase leading into the bowels of the castle, the path illuminated by lit torches along the winding stairway. Serrano continues to follow his host as they travel downwards, eventually reaching the castle's medieval dungeon. Upon reaching the end of their journey, Serrano is taken aback as an audible gasp escapes him.
There, behind a barred cage, are El Puma, Guy, and Rapture, each of them blindfolded and chained to the dungeon wall.
SERRANO POBLANO: What the hell…
GUY: Serrano? Is that you? WHAZZUP?!
RAPTURE: WHAZZUP?!
EL PUMA: QUE PASA?!
SERRANO POBLANO: Mr. Dafoe, what’s this all about? Why do you have my friends locked up in your dungeon?
Rubbing his hands together, Willem gives Serrano a sinister grin.
WILLEM DAFOE: As I said, I am talented, wealthy, eccentric, and bored. That is how you and your friends grabbed my attention. You may be unaware of this, but I was in attendance for The Crowning and I witnessed your team’s gallant fight against The True Society and Big Drip Worldwide. It was during that match that I realized an assemblage of heroes like yourselves deserved a team of rivals that could truly challenge you. The True Society were formidable, but they barely paid you any attention. Big Drip were formidable as well, but they were far too nice to serve as your archenemies. That is when I discovered my true purpose in life. I scoured the world in search of athletes who could join me in The Dark KaVengers…or as we have been called lately…The DaVengers!
Serrano still seems very confused.
SERRANO POBLANO: Okay…I guess that makes sense and it explains why my friends have been missing lately. But what about Noah?
Now it is Willem who seems confused.
WILLEM DAFOE: Who?
SERRANO POBLANO: Noah Hope. The Squirt. The man who defeated Jason Long…former Triple A Champion…founding member of the KaVengers…
None of this seems to register with Dafoe.
WILLEM DAFOE: Sorry. I really don’t know who you’re talking about. The point is, I have already eliminated three members of your team so that only you and Percival Burque remain…
SERRANO POBLANO: And Noah Hope.
WILLEM DAFOE: Whatever. This is where I explain my villainous plot and present you with a predicament for which there is no way out. I am willing to release your three friends unharmed in exchange for a favor from you. All you have to do to save El Puma, Guy, and Rapture is deliver Percival Burque to me. I will gladly trade these three for the leader of The KaVengers and your best friend…
SERRANO POBLANO: What? Betray Percy and leave him to your mercies? I could never…
WILLEM DAFOE: Don’t be so rash, Mr. Poblano. Your rodent friend will come to no harm. I will simply use him like a puppet as I become the true power behind Project: Honor. On the other hand, if you refuse my offer, I will cook and devour your other friends one at a time. Not only that, but I will share the leftovers with Project: Honor catering so that you’ll never know if you’re eating Peking Duck or Peking Puma…
SERRANO POBLANO: My god! You’re mad!
WILLEM DAFOE: No, Mr. Poblano. I am a God. And unlike you, Gods don’t have to choose. We take.
With that statement, the two goons step forward and grab Serrano by his arms. Willem then produces a canvas bag and steps toward The Sultan of Spice.
WILLEM DAFOE: At Public Execution, you will kidnap Percival Burque and deliver him to me, or the next time you come to dinner, you’ll be dining on medium-well Rapture…
SERRANO POBLANO: No! You monster! Steak should only be served medium-rare!
With that, Willem Dafoe pulls the bag over Serrano’s head and the hired goons begin to drag him out of the dungeon.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER…
Serrano has been returned to his Test Kitchen, but the Sultan of Spice is no longer in the mood to cook. He sits alone in his kitchen, hugging himself in a fetal position as tears stream down his cheeks…
SERRANO POBLANO: Oh Percy…my dearest friend…I’m so sorry. The only execution that will happen at Public Execution…is yours…