Domicile: Basement (Conviction)

[gabrielhorse]

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Ralph sat upright in the chair as he heard foosteps ascending the nearby stairs from below. Charles appeared in the light.

Their eyes met.

Ralph bolted out of the chair with such force, he literally leapt forward, clearing the gap between them as he screamed.

"DIE!"

He thrust is left fist out blindly, a move Charles easily avoided by leaping backwards, causing Ralph to merely strike the floor. Charles cleared the stairs and landed in the basement. Ralph glared in frustration.

"The last Balmont." Charles quipped.

Ralph charged down the stairs and, spotting the sledgehammer nearby, grabbed it and set his sights on Charles, who had moved a bit to keep enough distance between himself and the angered Ralph.

Ralph charged again, swinging the weapon a bit wildly- allowing Charles to dodge with relative ease. Charles preformed a knifehand strike that stabbed into the leftside of Ralph's unprotected ribs. Ralph crumpled, leaning forward on Charles extended arm as pain coarsed through his midsection.

"Your anger makes you sloppy."

Ralph raised his head and grimaced. "You hit like a girl."

Something in Ralph's response threw Charles off a little, and Ralph managed to throw his weight into the handle of the sledghammer, pushing Charles through the broken opening that led to the catacombs as he charged forward. But the tilt in Ralph's favor was breif, as Charles easily spun away, causing Ralph's off-balanced momentum to cause him to fall forward.

"You realize this is a fight for your life, and yet you act as though we were playing touch football. You're a disgrace to your family name."

Letting go of the sledgehammer, Ralph rose to a standing position and regarded Charles with an air of irritation. He was searching for an opening.

Charles pulled a small device from his pocket and, putting it to his mouth, spoke into it.

"Mouse, teleport. Kendo."

A flash of light that filled the room stunned Ralph as a kendo sword materialised next to Charles, who grasped the handle and raised in like an accusing finger at Ralph.

"Your family line ends here. You're a failure and your life is forfeit."

Ralph's eyes narrowed. "What do you know about what I've been through? Being used as a pet or a sex toy or a punching bag or a substitute for someone else -what insight have you gained for yourself?"

Charles look at him, unmoved.

"People like you despise me because you don't want to end up in my position, which means you're afraid."

Behind the glasses, Charles' eyes widened ever so slightly, and his grip on his kendo stick loosened. "What?"

"You're scared of being looked down upon, cast out and being seen as worthless. But you don't even know what that is. You have no adequate reference. Nobody does." Ralph's left hand clenched into a tight fist as he continued, "That's right, even someone like me who's been targeted for such a part in other people's play probably doesn't know either. How can anyone? There's just words and our perceptions based upon what we're shown. It's all up to us to decide what we are."

Charles' stance stiffened and he took a step backwards, stunned as though hit by a blow. Ralph glared and pushed his advantage.

"You're just playing with your value set and using me as the thing you wish to avoid becoming. You're playing games, nothing more. YOU'RE DISTRACTING YOURSELF FROM YOUR FEAR, AND THAT MAKES YOU WEAKER THAN I CAN EVER LET MYSELF BE!"

Charles suddenly lunged forward and thrust the kendo stick into Ralph's chest, causing him to crumple in pain from the force of the blow.

"Don't be so presumptuous."

Staggering, Ralph clutched at the point of impact with his right hand, and grasped the sword with his left. Slowly, his raised his head and grinned as he glared right into Charles eyes.

"Don't avoid the point, you chickenshit poser."

"ENOUGH!"

For a moment, Charles lost his composure, and in drawing back the weapon for a killing stroke, sacrificed his defense. Ralph saw an opening and struck with all his might, smashing the left lense of the sunglasses, cutting both Charles' face and his own hand as he pushed forward. The blow, the unstable footing, the momentum of the two bodies, caused the two to topple off the edge into darkness. They fell into the darkness.