The elf burned rubber down the highway playing soft bumper tag with possed cars constantly checking his speed gage waiting for it to strike the correct number, a clean 100mph
Arriving at an overpass, Alvis swerved to the left like he was going to ram the neighboring car, only to pull the keys out of the ignition before impact, dematerializing the vehicle into the keys
Using the momentum, Alvis slid across the hood of the car off the overpass, launching him like a speeding bullet towards the ground
His armor barely had time to activate when he splashed down on the road below, creating a cloud of dust engulfing all around him
The dust settled slowly, revealing him standing tall. His armor had already retreated into the pin. Looking around, he was alone in front of an electronic store with a wall of TVs in the display window
Confident that he was alone or more at his wit's end, not caring for a moment, he bit hard into his thumb, drawing blood, hardly dropping drops of blood into his eyes, activating his blood magic before Duckworth could call back
The phone rang loud, but his magic negated the pain with a smirk. He pulled his phone out, raising high into the air triumph
" That's two for me. You have to do better!" Alvis celebrated by skipping around
" you can't run from fate woah woah" a display TV came to life playing a pop diner song about… fate
The elf turned to face the wall of TVs, with one lone TV playing the song
A soft chuckle escaped him. His blue eyes darkened by the blood fixated on the stack of TVs, sizing them up like one would size up an opponent
"Well, are you the curse, the deity, a random god? Who are you!" anger escaped his lips
"I can be anything you want me to be, baby," another TV popped on playing a commercial for a shapeshifter sex phone line
" Gods be damned, let's talk slowly, ok what do you want from me? Not that bull of wanting me to follow my destiny. Why is a god-level spell cast by some old elf working so well?!"
" Why am I here, Lawrence? Because you need to step in and be a man, i am handling your job, your kids, and your wife! You need to be a father, a husband, and a man! Now get up and go be what you are supposed to be!"
A third TV popped alive with a Howard Hunter old school black and white human movie where he plays an older brother sick of covering for his younger brother in life and work a favorite of alvis's
"I do my job, i have done my job, i have stepped up, or does your ilk forget how i babied you, all of you protecting you from the old gods! What job have i not stepped to?"
The movie started to fast forward to a pivotal scene, causing Alvis to grit a damn it realizing he walked into a perfect use of it
The scene starts with the rough and tough handsome actor Howard throwing a crystal decanter on the floor before laying into the drunk Lawrence on the couch
" you can put in time and get time off at work! Not family, not life. You can't half raise your kids, half love your wife, then disappear on some sort of life vacation! Being a man worth a damn is a full-time job with no vacation days! "
The spit flew from Howard's mouth onto Lawrence before angrily snatching a table lighter and lighting a cigar
"Powerful stuff, powerful. OK, I'll hop on the next flight to Greece, kill Chronos and the Titans, break the neutral peace agreement, tuck Zeus into bed, problem solved! right?! Jobbed stepped up, " he mocked at the tv
The hum of multiple TVs starting pierced the elf's ears; one played a commercial for magical prosthetics given to asylum seekers, another a news update of tensions of the Cimmerian empire border with other governments and battles sparking at some
Alvis whispered no; in fact, no way he could say it at different tones and pitches as a sea of no's spilled from him while he turnt on his heel, walking away only for the tvs to turn on in a chain of new about crimes committed by the empire and its empress
Ignoring the news, he pushed forward only to stop in place when the TVs in sync turned to something of a baby crying
" you want me to become an emperor of a dying empire, a life that was worth it three hundred or more years ago, not now! All for what kindness is out of my heart? Does it seem like a punishment? Will you guide my direction after i take the throne?"
All the TVs cut out to pitch blackness. Whatever controlled the television was holding its tongue to the elf's question, but they both knew the answer, the answer that Elvis would be left to drown in the sea of royal duty
" ok, if i am destined for an eternity of failure, let's cut a deal?"
The center TV started back up to another old black and white with a dark elf judge at a desk peering into the camera
" Well, let's hear your plea deal."
"i know it wasn't all Duckworth talking to me, maybe not at all, but these pivotal moments were mentioned. How many are there?"
The TV volume bar appeared, lowering the volume to four
" four moments till the final showdown? Or four moments, then the end of the story?"
An advertisement appeared at the bottom of the TV: 'Up next, say yes to the sword.' the elf visibly sneered with anger that his second question was left vaguely answered
"O-ok then, here's the deal: you go back to working in somewhat mysterious ways and let me organically face my destiny, and I'll give you the first pivotal moment i won't fight it. "
No movement from the TVs made the silence feel like hours, only to be broken by the sound of the movie fast forwarding "All Right Buster, I'll accept your plea deal."
The TV faded out to black, and a wave of relief washed over Alvis, along with an undercurrent of exhaustion. He slinked away from the TVs
Only for the click of a TV turn on, stopping him in his tracks; it was a goblin dressed in police chief clothing at a desk staring into what felt like the elf's soul
"You're on thin ice, sergeant! Remember that! Now get out."
Alvis chuckled, walking down the alley thinking to himself rude, arrogant, all-powerful its true what they say fate, destiny, or karma, its a bitch