“To truly understand someone, you must first be willing to see the world through their eyes.To glimpse the most noble truths. dukkha ("not being at ease", "suffering" unsatisfactory unstableness; from dush-stha, "standing unstable,") is an innate characteristic of samsara, (lit. 'wandering'), existence: nothing is forever, this hurts; samudaya (origin, arising, combination; "cause"): together with dukkha (unease, disbalance) there is taṇhā (lit. 'thirst'), "craving," "desire" for or "attachment" to (upādāna) this transient, unsatisfactory existence nirodha (cessation, ending, confinement): the attachment to dukkha can be severed or contained by the confinement or letting go of this taṇhā; marga (path, Noble Eightfold Path) is the path leading to the confinement of tanha and the release (vimutti) from dukkha”-Words spoken by The Sphinx in a post match interview two days after fighting Chulunn Bold.
The air itself had taken on an eerie stillness, a calm in the wake of a storm that had made landfall only a day or so prior. The Sphinx had begun to heal, his ribs had borne the brunt of the impact. His secondary wound laced his forehead, the scent of blood still lingered even now that he had begun to heal.
Dollia groaned at his side, her pretty features marred by bruises and wounds of her own. There was a softness to her eyes, a light in her eyes despite the savage beatdown she had been subjected to. This was something The Sphinx attributed to her innate Empathic abilities, her innate goodness.
A half moon smile whispered out into the air, the light in her eyes grew as if she had considered a strategy that might result in an alliance that could bring about a ferocious combination of individuals who may share a common goal.
Dollia Trypp: “As strong as you are, as crafty and lethal as you are. No man is an island. You cannot fight off an entire roster on your own. You should seek out allies, start with one and build a unit to fight back those who challenge our aims.”
Her words were cryptic, spoken in riddles, a mysterious quality present in her tone.
//Dockyard, downtown.//
The scent of salty and fresh sea water drifted lazily through the air, the aroma evocative of a mundane routine, tiny insignificant humans going about their lives, unaware of the ancient entity walking amongst them. The idea was almost humorous, a thin smile appearing on the facial features of The Sphinx.
Dollia stood at his side, her eyes wide, a bright gleam lurking in their depths. The information she had to hand had hinted that for whatever reason this dockyard had at one point been visited by Chulunn Bold. Why though was something beyond her purview at the present moment, thus the decision had been made to move through the area, seeking and collecting what information they could.
The rusty taint of blood lingered in the air, the aroma of which was at the very least a few weeks old by this point. How curious this situation was fast becoming.
Tall and imperious, an untamed strength lived in his veins. Today it seemed The Sphinx had abandoned the need to blend in, to traverse the shadows. No it would be far better to dress in such a way as to utilise his clothing to further enforce the intensity, the strength of his character.
Ergo a dark robe bearing golden symbols representing both life and death would become his outfit for this hunt. Dollia had dressed similarly in a white robe, the light to his dark, the single entity who could direct his darkness, direct his hunger for violence.
Footsteps echoed along the mostly even ground, his heavy and thunderous. Hers were light and airy, together they walked in unison, a stranger pair unseen by the eyes of mortals.
Dollia Trypp: “Such darkness lives in your veins. Such wild anger. I am curious what has upped the intensity of your aggression. Was it the injury? Yours? Mine? The interruption of your fight with Chulunn? All of the above? What has triggered a deeper rage, this need to ally with someone against those pretenders…. Those usurpers.”
A beat passed, a rumble erupting from The Sphinx, his eyes narrowed to pinpricks, taking on a coldly predatory look, the look of an entity riven by rage. This rage was akin to an icy blade, formed in the frozen tundra.
The Sphinx: “All of the above. An injury I could forgive, injuries happen. I know this. I’ve handed out more than one of my own. The greatest insult is in the fact that they harmed you, that they inserted themselves into our business. Had they stayed out of it, I would have no issue with them, but instead they targeted us…. Our new home…. You. This is a declaration of war.”
Golden sunlight shimmered as a lull in the conversation presented itself. A silence seized control for the next two and a half minutes.
Dollia knew the weight The Sphinx placed on having a home, a place to reside, she knew that a ferocious need to protect, to survive surged through his veins. This instinct, this need was a dominant part of what made him such a lethal entity. More so she could feel his determination to ensure her safety,by hook or crook.
Dollia Trypp: “You’ve survived this long by taking out those who threaten you, those who threaten what you consider important. You weren’t able to this time and that makes you angry, so very angry. Beneath that anger I can feel an intent to make their punishment flashy, to finish this in exacting and very specific terms.”
The Sphinx turned to face her, an impassive look so at war with his deeply ingrained emotional state could be seen.
The Sphinx: “You understand me. You understand us. Never forget that I always pay my debts, this insult caused by those wretched cowards will not be forgotten. The Sphinx always punishes the wicked, the cowardly. Why do humans think they can rectify one evil with another?”. His voice was little more than a raspy annoyed growl, a frustration building in his veins.
Dollia was quiet for a few seconds, her introspection letting her consider what had been said, the scorn, the hatred, the loathing she heard in those words spoke to just how otherworldly The Sphinx truly was.
Dollia Trypp: Humans like everyone with a heart is flawed, often chasing meaning, a home, love, something to make all the pain, all the heartache mean something. In your case you chase a home, chase a meaning to your long existence. A chase that has now had conflict placed in its path. This is just another step along the path you walk.” Her voice was thoughtful, empathy bleeding through in her words.
The Sphinx would yet remain quiet, giving thought to her words, the razor sharp intellect of his eyes catching a spattering of blood no less than fifty paces from his present location. Blood that he could guess had some connection to the quarry he sought.
It was half a minute later that The Sphinx caught sight of a young nameless male who appeared to be watching them.
???: “You are the first set of strangers I’ve seen here in some time. You are looking for someone, yes? Someone important… yes?” questioned the younger male.
Dollia stepped forward, a gentle smile on her lips.
Dollia Trypp: “Yes we are looking for someone, Chulunn Bold? Do you know anything about him? His whereabouts?”
???: “Sorry Ma’am…. I don’t, I haven’t seen him…. Other than his appearances for UOW I have no clue where you might find him”
Dollia nodded, placing a comforting hand on the younger male’s arm, an empathic gesture she knew would be soothing.
Dollia: “It’s quite alright, we’ll find him. When the gods will it to be so”
The nameless male nodded as if he understood, turning on his heel to leave.
//The Sphinxes home//
Deep in thought The Sphinx sat before a plate glass window, his hand grasping an ornate looking goblet complete with blood red wine. Strains of empathy rolled over his form, Dollia’s presence a soft and warm weight as it always had been. Even being attacked had not diminished her light it would seem.
Dark eyes laden with a feral aggression flashed outwards, a silent warning to those would be usurpers.
In lieu of his normal unemotional speech, The Sphinx began to speak, his words filled with a deep seated anger.
“It's feeding time in the jungle, jungle. Ain't a time to be humble, humble, 'Cause only the strong survive Never-ever satisfied A time to feed, a relentless hunger for violence. You see you’ve made an error in judgement, you’ve provoked my wrath and that was a calamitous mistake. I have made a home for myself here and I won’t ALLOW anyone to take it from me. From my perspective you are all just primitives, ants waiting to be crushed under foot…. I’ve decided to grant you this wish.”
The Sphinxes' words lingered in the air, his fury a beautiful and deadly thing. His search for allies would continue another day.
Fade to black…..