The Ripper

Van

Not many people realize this but there’s actually an art form to taking a beating. It’s something you have to practice at. See, you have to start off small at first like getting your butt handed to your by an older brother or by pissing off some punks at school. Then eventually, you move to bigger things like two ugly thugs who just had a bad day and could really use a way to blow off some steam…

Most idiots with a talent such as mine, can suddenly find themselves on a one way train to groundville. Or a cemented decent to the bottom of an ocean but I’ve found a more lucrative use for my talents. The world’s changed a lot and that's mostly because we’re not on the same world any more. It's been twenty-seven years since we came to DeusTerra. The old planet’s a distant memory. Some of us don’t even remember it. My brother got to experience it but that was at the age of four so even he’s kinda fuzzy on the details.

Back when I was a young lad I used to question him constantly about what the old world was like. It usually got me know where so I had to find other ways. I was lucky enough to find some old books written on the old planet. It was mostly fantasy stories by J.K. Rowling or Tolkein, but I also found some old DVDs of star trek (live long and prosper trekies) and Star wars.

My problem was items from the old planet were really rare and sometimes cost a good buck. I had no job and going to my Aunt Patricia or my brother were not options. I needed another way. That’s when I got lucky.

I discovered my talent.

This planet is very different from earth in one major way: Manu Dei, which means hand of God. It’s a particle unlike anything anyone’s ever seen. Some scientists describe it as radiation or pressure. It’s like water but in the air, it has no viscosity or anything. Don’t get me wrong. It’s just not something that can be described in words. It can be measured but it doesn’t behave like any known particle. It’s Arcanum. The secret of life energy, almost like"dare I say"magic. And it can be controlled.

I squared off against my opponent in the cage. I’m a small guy. Not small in height, but scrawny. I never quite shook off my tall lanky stage from back when I was in grade school. I wouldn’t say I’m the best looking guy. I have dark hair, and a distinct jawline. People tend to look up to me because I’m so tall, and I wouldn’t be surprised if my blue eyes attract a lot of attention. But, I’m nothing like my brother: big shot military Lieutenant. So, it didn’t bother me too much when the crowd started laughing…

OK.

Maybe it did a little.

Truth is before I saw the guy I was fighting part of me thought I had a chance. I mean, no one pictures themselves losing a fight. But this guy was just unbelievable. He looked like; the incredible Hulk had a baby with Juggernaut. His arms were bigger than my body. I’m surprised his feet didn’t leave cracks in the ground every time he took a step. Manu Dei or no Manu Dei, I didn’t stand a chance. That being said, I did have one thing working for me. The cage.

The cage looked like some kind of twisted medieval jungle gym. It had barb wires that crisscrossed what looked like mesh chain link wrapped fence that was horizontally wrapped around a metal skeleton. And the cherry on the top was a cute little ceiling that resembled monkey bars except with spikes on the outer edges. I know, all of that doesn’t sound like good news for me but I was depending on something else the cage provided.

“Hey, you ready for this?”

“Are you ready for this?”

“Come on Van,” Manny said and I guess he saw the look on my face because his eyes were filled with worry. “I’m starting to regret letting you do this.”

“Hey shorty,” I said. “Don’t start planning my funeral yet. What’s his story?”

“He calls himself The Ripper. Bet you can’t guess why.” Just when he said that, The Ripper was handed a live chicken from someone in the crowd and proceeded to"well I’m sure you can guess.

“Ooooh,”

“Listen, Van, You don’t have to do this.”

“Are you kidding me?” I smiled mischievously. “Bet double on me.”

I stepped into the Cage and immediately felt the density. Good. I had one thing going for me. Manu Dei has density. In some areas it’s denser than others and can become extremely dangerous for people who can’t handle it. I’ve seen people step into extremely dense spots of Manu and get crushed like a soda can. Fortunately, Manu is also a controlled substance. With the use of Filters we can thin out the Manu’s density and release it back into the air. However the owner of this little Mortal Kombat meets Fight club shindig made sure to allow no such filtering of Manu. The conditions were perfect for someone like me.

“How’s it going, boss?”

The ripper growled back at me in response.

“Not much of a talker? Did mommy not give you enough attention when you were younger?” The Ripper squared his shoulders to look down at me his ugly mug twisted into hate. God even his face was muscular. I could barely see his facial features. This guy was juiced. I really hoped I knew what I was doing.

“Both fighters get to your corners,” The referee entered the ring. He wasn’t short but I still stood taller than him, which was normal. I had that effect on a lot of people. The guy looked the part. He wore a black top hat, a red jacket with coat tails and gold buttons, and black dress pants. He looked everything like I imagined he would look with a long handle bar mustache to boot.

Part of the benefits to possessing Talent is the Sight. We can actually sense the amount of Manu particles being used in the air. Don’t be mistaken. It’s not something we actually see, it’s just something we feel. The referee pulled a small black device out of his pocket and pressed a button on it. The Manu .particles buzzed with excitement as the small device took in the energy they possessed. He held the device to his mouth and spoke into it and his magnified voice projected across the club.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE YOUR HOST FOR THE EVENING. ELI VANDERBELL!” My jaw dropped. The crowd immediately erupted into a cheer. I looked into the crowd and saw Manny mouthing in mock excitement: Eli Vanderbell? The Eli Vanderbell? Then stuck his tongue out flipped his middle finger. Eli Vanderbell is a crook. The Vanderbell family is the riches family in the settlement. They funded everything. They bought out the family businesses.They controlled the water and any supplies shipped in or out of the settlement. I wasn’t surprised that his family bought this place too. Vanderbell stood and waved to the crowd careful to wipe the invisible dust off his expensive looking suit before he did. On his arm a beautiful dark haired women stood next to him. The guy had seedy eyes and a smarmy smile. I rolled my eyes. Some guys get all the luck.

“AND NOW…FOR THE MOMENT YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR, IN THE LEFT CORNER WEIGHING EXACTLY 545 POUNDS OF PURE HATE! BENEFACTORED BY THE ONE AND ONLY VANDERBELL,THE RIIIIPPPPPPPPEERRR!”

The ripper roared smacked his chest and prostrated to the crowd feeding on their excitement. I saw Manny’s face turn white.

“AND IN THE RIGHT CORNER, WEIGHING NO MORE THAN THE RIPPER’S PINKY, AND SON OF THE FAMOUS ALLEN WOLFE SAVIOR OF THE PILGRIMAGE, VAN WOLFE!”

I know the crowd responded purely to my father’s name drop but I didn’t care. I loved it! And I too postured in front of the crowd making sure to mock some of The Ripper’s poses. The Ripper growled. Gulp.

“THERE IS ONLY ONE RULE…” The Referee paused for dramatic effect with perfect timing so that we could hear the crowd’s gasp of anticipation. Oh yeah, this guy knew how to work a room. “THE FIGHT WILL NOT END UNTIL ONLY ONE MAN STANDS!”

Everyone in the crowd except Manny hooted and hollered.

“FIGHTERS….ARE YOU READY??” The Ripper squared up to me and his muscles tensed. I silently began to prepare my will. “FIGH"“The announcer had barely got the word out before The Ripper charged at me. Thank God for the Manu density that slowed him down, otherwise I wouldn’t have had enough time to will the Manu into the shape I wanted, an invisible wall a couple of feet in front of me. That one saving grace, is all that kept me from becoming pancake. This is a benefit of being one of the Talented. We can control Manu with our will and sometimes even transmute it into other forms like water or fire. I wasn’t yet strong enough with those kind of things as of yet, since they require a lot of juice. However, The Ripper’s a big meet head. I couldn’t out power him but I knew I could outsmart him. The shield absorbed some of the blow but it was nowhere near strong enough to stop all of The Ripper’s mass, but that’s what I was hoping for.

The Ripper slammed into me and sent me flying across the cage and into the mesh fencing. Pain flared all across my abdomen and despite the shield I suspected I still gained a bruised rib from the blow. Nice.

“Is that all you got,” I said between pained breaths. It wasn’t. Ripper was on me in an instant. He picked me up over his head and through me across the ring. I landed on the other side with some of the same results. This time the crowd hollered with blood lust and the Ripper roared with triumph.

“Hey, Ripper!” I yelled and he turned. “Your Mom hits better than that.” That ticked him off. The Ripper charged in headfirst like last time. This time I crouched, waited, and focused my will. I sensed the Manu harden around my boot then kicked upward. The Ripper wasn’t smart but he was a natural fighter. He must’ve sensed my strategy because he snapped back with the kick and I only clipped him. Then he tried using the force of his momentum to squash me against the fence again but I was ready for it.

I willed all of the Manu I could and imagined it condensing into a small ball in my fist. This time the Manu density worked against me because it moved a lot slower. But his forward momentum made up for it. The Ripper had no chance. I thrust my hand forward and released the Manu Ball. The resulting blast was instant. The Ripper flew of his feet his entire body bent like a horizontal V and shot back into the fence at the other end of the cage. He didn’t get up. The Crowd loved it. Manny’s jaw dropped.

“OH MY GOD!” I heard the announcer say. “VAN WOLFE’S USE OF MANU DEI HAS CHANGED THE OUTCOME OF WHAT LOOKED TO BE A DECIDED BATTLE!”

I prostrated to the crowd, waving my arms in the air to fuel their screams of excitement. Manny actually relaxed and smiled a bit. My first mistake, I got cocky. Call it intuition. Call it dumb luck. When the blow aimed for my head came, I ducked in time to see that The Ripper had gotten to his feet. And He looked more pissed than ever.

“OOOOH!!! LOOKS LIKE THE RIPPER ISN’T DONE!” The referee said. No s**t Sherlock.

I turned to face The Ripper and a cold chill ran down my back. I opened up my sight and saw the Manu particles collecting around him. That was new.

I knew there were more Talents in the world. The problem is we’re a rare breed. A Talent isn’t someone you can detect using a device. Truth is, most people are never even aware they have one. It’s not a trade that can be learned, it’s always natural. When I use mine, it’s as natural as breathing. Right now, I opened my sight and could see the Manu particles gather around Ripper and coalescing into a focus point around his wrists, then something I didn’t expect happened. The Manu particles took form on the visible realm and encased his hands in two boulder sized gauntlets with spikes protruding from his fists. I heard Manny gasp from somewhere in the crowd.

This was bad. For two reasons, one: I’ve been practicing my Manu Dei for years and still haven’t gotten to the point where I could give the particles form on a physical level, and two: I was exhausted.

Fighting is the most physically draining activity a person can do. Boxers trained extensively in order to last ten minutes in a ring, let alone ten rounds. Considering, my use of Manu Dei which exhausted you twice as much on a physical and mental level, my body already felt like I just ran a marathon.

The Ripper cocked back his right fist, my Sight sensed the Manu particles buzz excitedly around his fist, then punched the floor of the cage. The resulting shock wave would’ve crushed me, but I was ready. I crouched low, waited for the crest of the wave then jumped into it and let the upward force it created lift me up to the top of the cage wall where I caught hold. I wasn’t dead yet. Even with The Ripper’s Talent I still had an important advantage: Brains.

“Come Down here and fight me worm!” The Ripper roared. It’s the first time I heard him talk and his voice didn’t even sound human. It was something like hearing a dog growl. What was this guy?

“No.” I shot back. The Ripper growled ferociously and shook the fence.

“Fight me!”

I had a better idea. “How about this, you stay down there and I’ll stay away from you.”

Ripper let out a frustrated growl. “Temper, Temper.” I taunted. It sounds strange and it argues against all common sense, but I knew the only chance I had was to keep poking the beast.

“Hey meat head! I heard your mom’s so fat that she fell in love"and broke it.” I laughed absurdly. Hell, even to myself I sounded insane. I hoped I wasn’t.

I could see the wheels turning in Ripper’s head. Ripper didn’t like me. Ripper didn’t like what I said. Ripper wanted to crush me. And there was only one solution the big meat head could think of.

“I’ll Crush YOU!” The Ripper cocked back his right arm. Manu particles swirled around it and BOOM. He smashed the wire mesh with another one of his Amplified punches. The cage wall wasn’t made to withstand force, instead it reflected the force upward in a wave that, once it reached me, sling shot me across The Cage.

I brought my knees to my chest, rolled up into a ball, and used the extra force to launch me into a flip over The Ripper’s head and land behind him. I crouched on the other end as he squared up to me.

“Hey meat head, didn’t your mommy tell you not to play with your food?” I cupped my hand in his direction and folded my fingers back twice in the universal gesture that said ‘COME AT ME BIG GUY’.

Ripper probably didn’t understand Basic English, but he understood that. In seconds he was on me and punched at me with a right cross. Thank you Manu density. He was slow. I was fast. I ducked under his fist and rolled behind him. Ripper spun around with his other fist and came down on the spot I was at moments before with another one of his ‘Hulk Smash punches’. The Cage shook with another explosive wave of force he generated. Perfect.

I knew I couldn’t beat him in terms of straight force. He was stronger than me. He had more juice, more density than me. But I also, knew that his strengths came with a price. Manu Dei isn’t about physical power. In fact, physical power is just a byproduct. The only thing that matters on the level of Manu is sheer will power. It’s a battle of wills. That’s what it comes down to. I didn’t need to beat him with muscle, I needed to out Will him.

I put my back to the part of The Cage that was closest to the audience. The Crowd jeered and taunted at me. Someone even through a cup at me, and I felt something cool and vaguely smelling of alcohol run down my back.

“Hey a*s hole, how ‘bout you learn how to hold a cup!” I heard Manny yell. That made me smirk, good ole’ Manny.

The Ripper’s focal points for Manu were the gauntlets. The truth is, all the while he rampaged on attempting to smash me to pieces he had to focus (what little brain power he had) on holding the gauntlets together. That meant all I had to do next was…

“Hey, Meat head!” The Ripper turned on me, his face purple and twisted up in rage and exhaustion. “Stop trying to hit me, and hit me.”

The Ripper roared and charged at me in an instant. My body lagged with exhaustion, and my hair felt sticky with sweat. Somehow though, I managed to put myself in a crouch. I used what last amount of Will I had pouring everything into the Manu, and focusing on what I had in mind. I clapped my hands together. The Ripper cocked his fist back, the Manu buzzed in excitement and he punched. That’s when I lashed out spreading my hands just like the Mugen street fighter pose and released the condensed Manu I had saved up. A burst of energy shot out at The Ripper. It wasn’t meant to overcome the force of his punch, but instead disperse it"just like the chain link mesh of The Cage had down earlier. The resulting explosion knocked The Ripper high into the air, his gauntlets completely disintegrated as he shot through the chain link mesh and out into the stadium.

Many people from the audience scrambled out of the way as the big guy crashed outside the ring. Everyone went silent. And then…

The Crowd exploded in to applause. Everybody was on their feet clapping and hollering excitedly (except Vanderbull). Manny especially, was on his feet roaring with laughter, and excitement. He reached over and kissed the cheek of the guy next to him.

“I’m Freakin’ Rich!” he yelled.

The Ripper didn’t get up this time. I hoped he wasn’t too hurt.

Ok.

Maybe not. But I still didn’t want him dead. I let the applause wash over me. The fight was over, and I just wanted to go to bed,but little did I know that this was the start of a chain of events that would lead to my eventual death.

Reviews

[Husun]

It's so interesting...........awesome dude