Post by Mongo the Destroyer on Oct 29, 2020 20:43:48 GMT -6
If you want to see if real prettylike go to this link drive.google.com/file/d/0B-8YUmKSXvLBRWVfVkE5aTZRMU0/view?usp=sharing
That's the PDF version of the show and is downloadable. Shows even come with mp3 files built into the pdf for a more immersive viewing.
Onslaught #5
Dead Tides
As the IWA comes to Portsmouth, England, the thing that we all had hopes would never happen has begun. Ships have been sighted on the south side of the English Channel. Lots of lot of all ships of all shapes and sizes have begun a trek from France. Surrounding these ships like a vile oil slick is the floating dead. Flying, swimming, floating, and riding forgotten vessels, the Dead have come for England. The British Navy is enroute as fast as they can to intercept, but can they crush the countless dead before they make landfall and begin the destruction of the British homelands?
Standing Before the Dark Warlock
Thamptis stands on his balcony off of his throne room. He has a distant view of Normandy, watching as the ships sail across the English Channel. He breathes in deeply with a smile.
He can smell the sweet stench of death from even a hundred miles away, so powerful the stench is.
He senses movement behind him in the throne room, one of his warlocks. He doesn't spare the man a glance.
Thamptis: "What is it?"
Warlock: "A man is here to see you, my lord."
Thamptis: "I thought I saw a plane coming in for a landing. You didn't kill the man and break the plane apart?"
Thamptis can feel the man's nervousness. Apparently, it wasn't a simple thing as killing a pilot.
Warlock: "He has proven to be...troublesome...to kill. He said that he would stop fighting if he was given leave to meet with you in person."
Thamptis: "Fine. Who is this man who wants to meet me so badly?"
"They call me Iro Waters."
Thamptis turns around to see his warlock drop to his knees, eyes rolling up into the back of his head, before falling to the floor. Iro Waters stands with a grim smile, his left arm transforming back into the shape of an arm from a large mallot.
Thamptis: "Ah, the boy from the wrestling company. You had shown some great fighting skills there. Though this is not why you are here. Is it?"
Iro shakes his head.
Waters: "I need to know why the Stone Rain? I need to know. My family was forever destroyed because of you..."
Thamptis: "You are you because of the Stone Rain? Then Fate has made you strong, but I can see that this will not satisfy. Let me continue..."
Thamptis turns around, placing his hands on the balcony railing to look once against to beyond the beaches of Normandy to the English Channel. Iro Water walks over to stand by him. Thamptis smiles as he feels the impatience of the young man.
Thamptis: "Tell me something, young Waters. I destroyed your town, I killed your mother, and I have separated you from your young love. You have come seeking answers and revenge. Did you harm anyone else on the way to see me?"
Iro Waters frowns. It's an odd question to be sure, but why?
Waters: "Servants of yours. Does it matter? Since striking them down is like steps in getting in at you."
Thamptis: "I would direct your attention to Burgas, Bulgaria. At least what used to be Burgas."
The view from the balcony blurs and shifts until it seems as if the castle were hovering above a blasted landscape. Nothing of Burgas remains...
Waters: "You did this?"
Thamptis: "Humanity did this. My brothers and I were driven to strike our own revenge against Egypt and Rome for what they had done to us and our extended family. Everyone thought that they needed to stand in our way. We lived in Carthage, which Rome decided to destroy. They salted the fields and sold the people into slavery. The chance came to strike back at them."
Waters: "So you blew up Burgas? You mons-"
Thamptis: "I did not do this. This land is poisoned forever. Nothing can live here without dying a slow death. I do not possess this power, young Waters. What do you think can do this?"
Iro Waters looks around at the damage with wide eyes.
Waters: "Nuclear missiles? Burgas was nuked?"
Thamptis: "When it became clear that Burgas was going to be lost, the United Nations were prodded by the United States and Russia into using these weapons to destroy me and my castle. You know how many thousands...millions...of my people died on that day? I pulled from the very bones of my castle, transformed them into weapons, and cast them back at the Earth. If the nations of the Earth would try to stop my vengeance and exterminate my people, they would share the doom that Rome would face. Tell me, young Waters. What would you have done?"
Iro gives pause to take in the information, but he shakes his head and grits his teeth.
Waters: "If you're so worthy of the power you wield, you would have found a way to stop the strikes without the wanton destruction. All the people you killed were no different than the ones you lost, and if you're justifying death for death..."
Iro turns, his arm changing into a cannon as he beings it up to being level with the chest of Thamptis. He opens fire with everything he has, destroying part of the castle wall behind Thamptis with the overblast.
Once he's finished, he sees that Thamptis is standing there...whole and healthy.
Waters: "...then you should die too?"
Thamptis shakes his head, turning back to the balcony with a sigh.
Thamptis: "You are far too young to understand the wheels turning here and the depths of old grudges. The woman I face now, the current Ruler of Britain, is the very same woman who had Carthage destroyed so long ago. She favors the people she now rules and so to see her suffer as I did when Carthage was destroyed and when I was cursed into a form of stone...I will see that she feels the same. That she feels the same loss. That she knows the same suffering. That she spends an eternity in torpor, waiting for someone to pull the stake that will have been thrust into her heart to keep her imprisoned within her own body as I once have been."
Iro looks at Thamptis with wide eyes.
Waters: "That's insane! Do you know how much of the world that you would be destroying just because you have beef with a single woman?"
Thamptis looks at Iro with cold, soulless eyes.
Thamptis: "Then the world will die. Goodbye, young Waters. Our conversation is at an end..."
Thamptis makes a motion, sending Iro Waters over the side of the balcony and into the air.
Thamptis: "We will converse again someday when you have grown wiser in these things."
The castle shakes as Iro's craft quickly exits and a blur of motion is seen as it plucks him from the sky. Thamptis watches the craft as it flies away.
Thamptis: "Curious."
Battle in the Channel
In the control room of the HMS Victoria, a Bathory class battleship, Captain Algernon Kilgour looks out through the window to the south across the English Channel.
The horizon is filled with a noxious green mist. Ships can been seen hiding in the mists from one side of the horizon to the other. Long camera views show flickering spirits and other dark things in the air and eerie almost human shapes thick with an oily sheen atop the water bed.
Kilgour: "Maclellen. How far away is the Ghost Admiral with his fleet? This seems like something he would be an expert in fighting."
First Officer Edmund Maclellen looks to the camera views with a chuckle.
Maclellen: "Dead fighting the dead, sir? He's been in the Indian Ocean and dealing with the situation in Pakistan for months. He's on his way now, but he won't make it in time for the fighting. No, we're on our own here. We have orders from Admiral Lowther?"
Captain Kilgour points out several of the larger ships that can be seen through the mists.
Kilgour: "In about an hour, we're going to pull port and all ships are going to lay in a broadside worthy of the Queen into these ships. We have birds launching now to hit what they can. We have the strongest navy in the world. An undead Carthage navy still stands no chance against us."
Edmund let's out a whistle.
Maclellen: "That ought to stop them in their tracks, sir. Nothing in the world can stop the British Navy!"
*********
An hour later as more ships join the British Fleet in the sea and they narrow the distance to the enemy down to within a couple of miles.
Everyone in the control room has been waiting and watching the Comm officer as the last of the British ships glide into position. Eventually...
Officer: "The command is given to open fire!"
Kilgour: "Open fire!"
Explosions blossom across the gathering of ships as airplanes drop their payloads and a massed broadside strike home. Cemetery gases ignite to send fire streaking across the horizon.
A cheer goes up as uncounted numbers of the dead vaporize in explosions and fire.
That's when the noxious mists redouble in thickness and things fly from the mists through the gathered British ships.
A ghostly man comes through the Communication equipment. It's eyes glow an eerie color and its mouth is distorted into being open extra wide. It babbles incoherently as it reaches for the Comm officer.
Kilgour: "It's an Allip! Don't listen to it! Summon the Priest!"
The Comm officer tries to back away quickly, but stops when he hears the babbling of the Allip. The creature reaches into the man's head.
His eyes bug out as he also begins babbling incomprehensively, grabbing his service revolver, and shooting himself in the head.
A Catholic Priest rushes into the room, holding out his cross to the undead specter.
Priest: "Back foul creature! Back to the Abyss with you!"
The Allip glares at the Priest, babbling all the louder. A few of the other crewmen in the control room go slack jawed as if under hypnosis and the Priest carries on even louder, switching to Latin.
Eventually, the Allip gives a curse before vanishing from sight.
Maclellen: "Sir? What the hell is an Allip?"
Kilgour: "The spirit of a person who was driven to madness and killed themself. It's a tragic undead, but there are quite a few of these spirits in the dead lands of Spain and France will the dead overtaking everything."
Another humanoid shaped fog slips into the control room. Its torso, head, and arms seemingly made of knots of fog with glowing eyes. Below the waist trails off into a vaporous trail of nothingness. It touches the nearest officer in the room, blood ripping from the man's veins to stream into the creature's mouth to line the fog with streaks of red.
Kilgour: "Priest! A Crimson Death! Can you turn it?"
The Catholic Priest stands in front of the creature with his cross out. He reaches into a pocket to bring out a small vial of holy water, unstoppering it with his thumb.
Priest: "By God's Will, I can try!"
The Priest splashes the Holy Water on the Crimson Death, which causes the blood it has just stolen to bubble and boil away. As he screams at it in Latin, it begins to retreat.
This is when a shadowy figure in a tattered dark cloak comes up through the floor, pointing skeletal fingers at those in the room. It grabs Edmund Maclellen on both sides of the face.
Edmund's face begins shriveling as does the rest of his body as his life force is ripped from his body.
Kilgour: "Spectre!"
Captain Kilgour steps between the spirit and the Priest as the Priest is still trying to banish the Crimson Death.
Kilgour: "A little more haste, Priest!"
The Crimson Death starts to dissolve, but that's when two Ghosts, an Allip, a Wight, and a Wraith enter the control room.
Ten minutes later, a voice is heard over the communication counter.
"We're being overrun! Is anyone there? Hello? Is anyone there?"
A quick look across the control room reveals only the dead. Spirits fly around the ship as corporeal dead climb onto the sides of the ship to seize control.
"Hello? We need help! Please!"
The feed cuts off half-way through a pained scream.
Opening
As people are coming in to take their seats, the JumboTron lights up to begin playing "I, Zombie" by White Zombie.
Once it finishes playing, a woman's emotionless voice comes over the PA system.
"Hello and welcome to IWA Onslaught. An inescapable danger is coming this way in the form of numberless undead. Once you are inside of the arena, please do not leave for any reason unless instructed to do so by management. For your safety. Thank you and have a pleasant show..."
We go down to the commentary table where sit Jane Coughlin and Neil Dizon.
Dizon: "I hated them when they were not all trying to kill us..."
Coughlin: "Well, I'm sure it'll all work out. It has in the past."
Dizon: "Tell that to Matthew Empson, Erica Kelly, and Rose Johnston..."
Coughlin: "Well, let's get down to the ring before the mood darkens and we cause the people listening in to cut their wrists."
Dizon: "You have a knife?"
Coughlin: "NO!"
Triple Threat
Theobald: "This next match is a three way dance scheduled for one fall! Featuring first, weighing in at two hundred and fifteen pounds..."Deathstryke" Cyan Komar!"
"War Ensemble" by Slayer begins as Cyan Komar walks down to the ring in a black ninja outfit, his sword at his waist, and his cybernetic hand glinting in the light. The crowd ignores him about as much as he ignores them. He leaps over the top rope into his own corner, placing his sword on the ring apron before turning around to lean in the corner.
Coughlin: "I had heard that Cyan has been spending a lot of time in Japan of late, dealing with personal issues."
Dizon: "I also heard that he was in London not long ago, busting out KD Bacchus. No one seems to care about the Old Royal Family anymore, so no one cared that Bacchus went free."
Theobald: "And his opponent, weighing in at one hundred and ninety pounds...Jessica Tendonin!"
Imaginary fills the arena as the lights go dim. After a few seconds, Jessica steps out onto the stage, nodding to the crowd and smiling. She taps both shoulders and looks down at the ring. She then shakes her wrists, loosening up. The lights brighten and the crowd begins cheering louder as Jessica begins walking down the ramp. Looking at the fans on either side of the walkway, Jessica waves to them, her smile delighting them, her waves enchanting them. Stopping in front of the ring, she looks at it, her smile fading ever so slightly.
Jessica walks to the corner and goes up the steps before bending over and into the ring over the second rope. She runs to the farthest corner and climbs the turnbuckle, folding her arms across her chest and looking at the surrounding faces of the fans. She steps off the turnbuckle and looks at the referee, waiting for the action to get going.
Coughlin: "It was a heck of a match she put on in the defense of her Bloodstain title at the Apex Aquadome. I wonder how she feels from going to main evening to opening?"
Dizon: "I'd be pissed if I were her."
Theobald: "And the final opponent, weighing in at one hundred pounds...Janella Carter!"
There's silence as Janella Carter walks out from the back to make her way to the ring. A few fans make the effort to boo this unknown, but otherwise no one seems to care.
Coughlin: "I'm not sure who this person is."
Dizon: "Someone to feed the beasts in this match?"
As the bell rings to start the match, Cyan quickly grabs at Janella Carter. He grabs at her shoulders and hips in lightning procession, dropping her to the mat. She begins screaming in pain once she lands.
Dizon: "What? What the heck did he just do?"
Coughlin: "If I'm reading the notes here right. It is the Kansetsu Waza or Grasping Hand Atemi. Cyan just dislocated Janella's shoulders and hips. It's a technique outlawed in many places."
Dizon: "Daaammmn."
Jessica comes at Cyan, but he turns and claps his hands...and the sound knocks Jessica into the corner!
Coughlin: "A variation of the Open Hand Atemi. Cyan is going for the quick kill tonight!"
Dizon: "Seems like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me..."
Cyan goes for the pinfall on the screaming Janella.
One...Two...Three!
Theobald: "Winner of the match via pinfall...Cyan Komar!"
Jessica Tendonin stands up, glaring at Cyan as he bows briefly to her. She leaps from the ring, taking to the air to fly to the back. Cyan turns his attentions back to Janella, using his skills to put her dislocated limbs back into place.
Coughlin: "At least he helped her after breaking her."
Dizon: "So noble...not."
Last Chance
Burn the Channel!
Queen Druscilla stands in a control room, looking over several monitors at satellite streams of the English Channel.
It's not a good sight.
Nearly the entire North Atlantic Fleet absorbed by the undead.
Admiral Graeme Woodhouse stands nearby, also looking at the screens with a grim expression.
Woodhouse: "This is...this is...unacceptable! These filthy creatures have no respect for the power that we represent, your Majesty! Do they not understand that Britain is King of the Seven Seas?"
Druscilla chuckles.
Druscilla: "The dead do not respect anything, but raw power. It's a trait that we share..."
Druscilla's eyes glint violet for a second before going back to normal. Admiral Woodhouse uncomfortably clears his throat.
Woodhouse: "Well, that is. We have a plan."
Druscilla: "Oh good. I wondered if I was paying you for nothing."
Admiral Woodhouse sniffs, but otherwise doesn't respond to the remark. He clicks on one of the screens to reveal a missile blueprint.
Woodhouse: "This is the Holy Starfire missile. The missile has a fuel-air bomb within of blessed jellied fuel. It will explode over the target, spreading the blessed fire over many miles. We have enough to burn the entire undead fleet."
Druscilla watches the screen for a time before responding.
Druscilla: "We will destroy the ships we lost, but do it. We can rebuild ships. Once the dead overtake all of Britain...it will be just like Spain and France. Dead."
Admiral Woodhouse nods, pressing a button on a console.
Woodhouse: "You may proceed. Fire the Holy Starfire salvo."
"Yes, sir."
Druscilla and Admiral Woodhouse watch as the missiles streak from silos in South England to strike their targets in the English Channel. The explosions are impressive as the fiery fuel spreads out to engulf the entire fleet, but no damage is done.
Far from it. The fiery fuel seems to implode into a single point. A stream of flame is sent back at England, splitting off into smaller tributaries until they strike each hidden silo from which the missiles were launched from.
The ground shakes as a silo a few miles away explodes in fury. Admiral Woodhouse looks at Druscilla with a pale face.
Woodhouse: "How? How did they-"
Druscilla: "Eteokles! I feel his power at play here."
Woodhouse: "I'm sorry, but who? I mean your Majesty, who is this?"
Druscilla: "A powerful lich from Greece. Athens to be exact. I thought I had slain him long ago when he had tried to discover the powers that Nebiryau had locked away within himself when I had transformed him into a Vampire. He must have had support of the Necromancers that follow Thamptis, but it is clear that at least Eteokles is with them. This battle has become a lot more dangerous."
Admiral Woodhouse wipes sweat from his brow with a sigh.
Woodhouse: "What will we do to stop them?"
Druscilla: "They will make landfall. That much is certain, but my last resurrection has given me new powers. It's time I tried to use them to their fullest extent to help save us all."
Rojas vs j0ker
Theobald: "Ladies and gentlemen, no one has heard from either the j0ker or Rodrigo Ramon Rojas. So, if either of you are indeed in the back, if you make it to the ring...you win."
Coughlin: "I wonder what could be going on here?"
Dizon: "People not coming here because they don't want killed by millions of undead?"
Coughlin: "Seems reasonable when you put it that way."
"Personal Jesus" by Johnny Cash begins as Rodrigo Ramon Rojas makes his way down to the ring to the cheering of the crowd.
Coughlin: "I doubt the fans know who this is, but they would love him more than that psychotic j0ker girl."
Dizon: "Well? This is true."
Theobald: "The winner by default...Rod-"
Rodrigo places a hand on Stephan's shoulder, shaking his head. He pulls off a lifelike mask to reveal j0ker!
Coughlin: "You know...this doesn't even shock me anymore."
Dizon: "I know, right?"
Theobald: "Your winner...j0ker!"
Pinfalls Count Anywhere, No DQ
Theobald: "This next match is a pinfalls count anywhere, no disqualification match scheduled for one fall! Featuring first, hailing from Killswitch Island...Zolothach!"
"Cthulhu, high priest of madness" by Nox Arcana starts. "Zolothach" Tabitha Osborne comes out from the back, kneeling in prayer as the words of the song echo throughout the arena. When the music starts, she opens her eyes with a smile. She vanishes from the spot, appearing in the ring.
The crowd doesn't seem to care, booing her for all their worth.
Dizon: "Zolothach is a crazy bitch."
Coughlin: "This is certainly true."
Theobald: "And her opponent, hailing from Valhalla, Asgard...Lenneth!"
A golden light bathes the arena as ‘Die with Honor’ by Manowar plays over the PA and, after a few moments, the Bifrost opens and Lenneth appears, with another Valkyrie, looking around at the crowd as she raises her spear and cries out “ODIN!” She makes her way to the ring, slowly removing her helmet, cloak, spear and shield and entrusting them to the other Valkyrie to guard as she steps into the ring, awaiting her opponent and taking in the crowd again.
Coughlin: "The crowd loving the Valkyrie now that Britain isn't with Carthage."
Dizon: "I thought they were always with her?"
Coughlin: "Yes, but now the crowd isn't being told to boo her or else..."
Dizon: "Oh, right!"
The bell rings to start the match, Lenneth slams into Tabitha with a shoulder, driving her into the corner.
Lenneth continues her assault in the corner with a combination of punches and knees until the ref commands that she back away. Lenneth does so begrudgingly, gritting her teeth as Tabitha giggles with blood dripping from a busted lip.
Coughlin: "Why is she just so crazy?"
Dizon: "That is something that several Doctors have written entire books on in the many years that she's been in the asylum on Killswitch Island."
Lenneth moves to attack Tabitha again, but the ref steps in the way to halt her. While the two argue, Tabitha holds onto the ropes, lifts her feet to the second turnbuckle, and launches herself at Lenneth when the ref moves. She takes Lenneth down with a massive clothesline. She grabs Lenneth by the hair, slamming the back of her head into the mat a few times before rolling away.
Tabitha remains crouched as Lenneth stands up, leaping at her to catch Lenneth with a spear to go up into the air. Lenneth holds onto Tabitha, twisting around, and dropping to land Tabitha on her head in a monstrous ddt!
Dizon: "I felt that one!"
Coughlin: "A mighty reversal!"
Lenneth pulls Tabitha up, dropping her back to the mat with a gutwrench suplex back to the mat. She rises quickly, but dives back at Tabitha, striking her in the jaw with a diving uppercut.
Before Lenneth can get back up, Tabitha curls her arm around the back of her beck to bring Lenneth's face down to her.
Osborne: "I bet you still think we're trying to capture you..."
A bright flash of light and the sound of an explosion fills the arena as Lenneth is sent nearly a hundred feet straight up into the air.
Dizon: "What the blutz?"
Coughlin: "Blutz?"
Dizon: "Don't mock my shock!"
Tabitha stands up, giggling as she watches Lenneth sail through the air. Her giggle ceases when Lenneth grabs her on the way down, lifting her up into the air as her feet hit the ground, and hurling her as if for a power bomb from the ring.
Tabitha hits the concrete floor, smashing into the security railing, sending it through the first row of fans.
Dizon: "Holy crap! Lenneth just killed Tabitha!"
Coughlin: "I heard that Tabitha had been ejected from the Dark Warlock's flying castle like a missile. I'm pretty sure that she's still alive."
Lenneth leaps over the top rope to land next to Tabitha on the floor. She grabs Tabitha by the throat, ripping her up into the air with a snarl.
Lenneth: "Speak not riddles to me! What are you speaking of?"
Lenneth drops Tabitha to the floor once a fireball strikes her in the face. Tabitha hits the floor, gathered Lenneth up into a fireman's carry, dropping Lenneth's throat across the security railing.
Osborne: "Would I speak in riddles? I only say that you are obsolete..."
Tabitha pulls Lenneth to her feet, kneeing her in the gut, and sending her straight into the ringpost.
Dizon: "Then Ta-Zolothach just killed Lenneth?"
Coughlin: "Doubtful."
Dizon: "Did you see rhe front row get splattered by blood?"
Couglin: "Still, Valkyries are tougher than that."
Tabitha starts running and is halfway down the aisle before Lenneth stands up. Tabitha turns around with a giggle and a sing-song voice.
Osborne: "Come and get me, honey!"
Lenneth stands up, wiping blood from her face. She looks down the aisle in a fury, giving chase.
Coughlin: "I don't know if chasing Zolothach is a good idea."
Dizon: "She has back up nearby."
Lenneth rushes into the back, but is met by a steel chair upside the head.
Tabitha throws the broken chair down beside Lenneth with a foul laugh.
Osborne: "Oh you Asgardians think the world just revolves around you. Did it not occur to you that Lord Thamptis can get what he wants without you?"
Tabitha kicks Lenneth in the side of the head, sending her though a wall and into a storage room full of wrestling props.
Tabitha jumps in through the hole with a laugh.
Osborne: "What will your little whore chicks do without you? When they don't have the Norse Pimp Queen to send them to the battlefields to pick up dead men?"
Tabitha leans down to pick Lenneth up, but she swings up a bamboo switch, catching Tabitha across the belly. She jumps back with a yelp.
Osborne: "Think you can stop me with a hardcore match toy?"
Lenneth: "No, but it will give me the space to do this!"
Lenneth hurls a sledgehammer, slamming Tabitha in the midsection to double her over.
Coughlin: "Zolothach running her mouth is going to cost her this match!"
Dizon: "It wouldn't be the first time, but I wonder if she's even trying hard to win?"
Tabitha gets back to all fours, coughing blood onto the floor. She kneels up with a curse.
Osborne: "I'll see you-"
Lenneth spingboards off of the wall, spearing Tabitha back through the wall and into the hallway. She pulls Tabitha back up, flinging her back out onto the entranceway.
Lenneth strides out, nailing a drop kick that sends Tabitha off of the stage and down to the concrete floor. She waits for Tabitha to slowly get to her feet and dives for a cross body, but Tabitha turns, grabbing a mounted camera, ripping it from the mount, and slamming it into Lenneth with enough force to send her into the side of the stage.
Dizon: "Are they planning on tearing this whole arena apart?"
Coughlin: "Maybe."
Lenneth gets up, knocking wreckage aside as she stands up. Her armor, shield, and spear manifest as she sneers.
Lenneth: "Does this look obsolete to you?"
Tabitha drops to her knees in fright with her hands in the air.
Osborne: "Oh no, the great Queen of the Valkyries wishes me irreparable harm! I give! I give!"
Lenneth points the spear at Tabitha even as the bell rings to end the match.
Lenneth: "Tell me why Thamptis no longer requires the bifrost?"
Osborne: "My Lord has been promised a way. Not that you will live to see the war end..."
Tabitha opens her mouth wider than thought possible, sending a gout of flame at Lenneth, blinding her. Tabitha steals Lenneth's spear and runs her through the belly, pinning her to the wall.
Osborne: "You win this match, and you'll survive this wound, but you won't be in fighting condition for what goes on outside of these walls at this very moment."
Dizon: "She just tried to kill Lenneth?"
Coughlin: "Sure looks like it."
Theobald: "The winner of this match via pinfall...Lenneth!"
Landfall of the Dead
Field Marshal Percy Landseer watches as his Imperial soldiers get into position alongside Shocktroopers from Warhammer Europe and indeed, anyone willing to pick up weapons and fight.
They've had heavy assault weapons sending out shells into the fleet as best as they could for awhile now to see if they could do any damage to little effect.
The dark waters, poisoned by the filth of the undead has reached the shores. The stench alone has taken the fight out of many of his soldiers.
"The gaze alone of some of these creatures can kill. What hope do we have?"
Percy shakes his head with a grim laugh at the complaints of a nearby soldier.
Landseer: "It will be a true test of our courage, of our will to live. Would you simply run and let all of the lives North of us pay for your cowardice? Or would you steel your will and fight to the bitter end?"
The soldier looks down, shamed.
"No, sir. I will die before Britain is allowed to become like Spain and France."
Landseer: "Good. The first wave of the mindless zombie are crawling onto the beaches. Let us welcome them to Britain, shall we?"
The soldier nods, readying his rifle, and making the sign of the cross.
Field Marshall Percy Landseer runs to the beach where zombies, sheletons, ghouls, and other unholy mindless undead of begun crawling up onto the shore after spilling from ships.
Ships manned by intellient undead that have opened fire on Percy's ranks at short range...
Percy raises his sabre over his head.
Landseer: "See that these creatures die a final death! FOR THE QUEEN!"
A rousing war cry joins Percy's as they begin opening fire on the advancing undead.
"FOR THE QUEEN!!"
The mindless undead are simple to gun down with enough ammo being expended. It's when faster intelligent undead and spirits hit the shore alongside shelling from the former ships of British, Spanish, and French Navies that the Imperial army begin to lose ground.
Landseer: "Hold up the line! Make room for the Spectral Division!"
More Imperial soldiers rush into the area with weapons that look a lot like what you would find in the Ghostbuster movies...except they destroy instead of capture.
This helps rally the troops into pushing the tide of undead back.
That is until the ground begins to shake. Field Marshall Percy Landseer looks up to see a gigantic creature of earth and stone. Tombstones and bones peeking out of different places on the nearly twenty-five foot tall monster. It grabs people up, stuffing them inside of it to be crushed to death by the stones within, growing in mass with each death. Percy swallows hard as the creature is quickly upon him and he looks up to see it staring down at him.
At this point, he could run, but he'd never make it away. He points his sabre at the monster with a shout on his lips.
"FOR THE QUEEN!"
Myth of King Goldenfire
On an island in the Atlantic Ocean, Terel Walker, Allen Anderson, and a young man in a priceless Warhammer designed business suit walk around the perimeter of what appears to be an old monastery.
The young man is Jeremiah Vastrix, son to Warhammer CEO, Micheal Vastrix. The suit he wears is a state of the art hidden armor, but it also has a wide range of electronic systems in it as well. A business class combat suit if you will.
Walker: "We could have gone here in the first place, Anderson? This doesn't make up for being imprisoned-"
Anderson: "Oh we've both spent our time being imprisoned when suicide missions could have freed us. It was all for the greater good as well. Get over it! Besides, if I had known about this place beforehand, we would not have gone near Desolation!"
Vastrix: "That's sort of on me, but I didn't know you were doing this sooo not really? Besides, I was busy learning how to take command of the company when Dad retires."
They get to the front doors of the building to see that they've been blown off of their hinges. Anderson begins laughing.
Anderson: "You were busy having an affair with your instructor, Jay!"
Jeremiah smiles sheepishly.
Vastrix: "Well, maybe..."
Terel Walker shakes his head at the two while examining the blast marks on the door.
Walker: "These marks were done by magic. You think the inside is?"
All thoughts of joking cast aside, the three enter inside. They find shredded robes and the bones of human skeletons. Jeremiah kneels by one of the skeletons with concern.
Vastrix: "This has been done not long ago. You see this? These bones are pockmarked from being scravished by teeth. I've seen this before. When Dad and I visited Sikarin Tsooth. His servants, I forget their names, were cannibalistic spellcasters. Super creepy."
They look around at the battle damage done to the area and the eaten bodies everywhere.
Anderson: "So, Sikarin Tsooth attacked with his servants and killed everyone here?"
Walker: "Looks like it. Let's just get to the library to see if the knowledge about King Goldenfire is here."
Nearly six hours later of searching, they find a book that contains the tale of King Goldenfire.
****************
Long ago, long buried back in the mists of myth and legend...an all powerful being known as Skalar the Chaos Mage ruled the world. He sat up on high in a mountain fortress that changed locations at the start of every dawn. His followers were his Right and Lefts Hands and Five Overlords who each commanded near limitless armies.
Being under the heel of dread tyrants for so long gave birth to nations of humanity who gathered together for protection. One such nation was in what we now know as Africa.
The Kingdom of Neerick.
They have scored victory after victory against the Overlord who held the region, helping the rise of several allied nations. His name was Barack Goldenfire. He was a national hero that was celebrated by all. His feats of strength and ability where legend.
Though not all was right with the world as before each major battle, Barack was visited by Sikarin Tsooth. He gave Barack a white power that was taken through the nose. It was what gave Barack the power he needed to strike down evil, but at a price.
Barack Goldenfire was manipulated into murdering the King in secret. He was so beloved by the people that he was made the new King of Neerick. It was then that Sikarin demanded that King Goldenfire surrender the nation that nearly all others looked to as an example. Barack refused, and Sikarin refused to give him more of the powder.
With the new King going through drug withdrawal, the Overlord began marching with his full force to crush Neerick once and for all.
That's when Barack discovered that he possessed the power within him all along to battle evil. He rode out with a small host of warriors to meet the Overlord head on.
Though the battle was long and hard, King Goldenfire rodes back home at the head of a victorious host with the head of the Overlord under his arm.
This victory provided inspiration for many other far flung nations and organizations to begin a long and bitter war against the Chaos Mage.
When it came to the final battles when the Tentarians (a group of powerful wizards and warriors) led the final charge, King Barack Goldenfire went along with Mortamir Black as they traveled into the mountain fortress to battle Skalar himself.
They did battle with Sikarin Tsooth and defeated him in battle. Mortamir Black used the Staff of the Seven Elders to confine Sikarin into a single form and bind him, but not before the damage had been done. Sikarin transformed King Goldenfire into a form of stone before the final blow was struck.
Once the Chaos Mage was defeated, Mortamir Black and even the Tentarian leaders, the Seven Elders, tried to undo the Curse of Stone, but to no avail.
And thus King Goldenfire stood at the entrance to the Royal Palace of Neerick while spellcasters from around the world researched different spells on how to break the curse.
At the fall of Neerick during a tragic war known as the War of the Witch Hunt when a mad King began a war against all supernaturally powered beings, the statue was lost.
It was discovered many years later by Neerickian mercenaries, who kept the statue at their camp. The statue was stolen by the Sinister Peace, a Circle of Fire member who was a Merchant Prince in Ethiopia. He wanted control of the strange powers exhibited by the Neerickian Warlords and so used the statue to blackmail them.
The statue was buried after the Neerickian rebellion, which helped bring the Urizar family into power.
********
Jeremiah points at a map that is inside of the book that they are looking at. It is a hand written map of Africa.
Vastrix: "There! Goldenfire is buried there! If I remember right, that's where Ignado Urizar was hiding out from his father."
When Anderson and Walker look at him, Jeremiah smiles.
Vastrix: "What? Just because I do more playing than I do keeping up with things, doesn't mean I don't know some secrets."
Walker: "Is there anything special about the area that we should know about?"
Vastrix: "I don't think so? It's a pit of hidden evil and terror. Is that something special?"
Walker: "Do we know how to bring him from this curse?"
Anderson: "No idea, but we can consider capturing Sikarin Tsooth and getting the info out of him."
Walker: "So...brave a pit of evil and despair from the Satanist Son of the Evil Cardinal and then capture an all powerful evil wizard to interrogate him. Why don't I work on details ASA's next move while the two of you go out and die? You doing this before or after Moscow?"
Allen looks to Jeremiah, who shrugs with a crooked smile.
Vastrix: "I haven't almost died a horrible death in nearly two weeks. Why the heck not?"
Anderson: "Sounds fine to me. You sure about this, Terel? I would say after Moscow. That way we have enough support."
Walker: "Oh good. Yeah, I spent enough time in the Depths of Faith. Thanks."
They start packing up their findings when Jeremiah let's out a yelp of surprise.
Vastrix: "The next ASA show is in Moscow? Where that Tsar is also some giant lizard guy and that his creepy kids are killing everyone to turn them into lizard kids?"
Anderson: "Yeah. We're going to help our World champion kill him."
Vastrix: "How you going to do that? Wait, don't tell me. Can I come?"
Terel cocks his head, looking at the smiling Jeremiah Vastrix as if he were quite insane.
Walker: "Do you have some kind of death wish? I mean, yes, but really? Death wish?"
Jeremiah reaches into an inside pocket on his suit jacket, pulling out a diamond encrusted flask. He takes a pull off of it before returning it back.
Vastrix: "Let's look at it like this. I am in the process of learning everything I need to know about the Warhammer Corporation to take control when my Dad retires or should something happen to him. My elder brothers also prepared for this, and they died. I'm pretty sure Father had them killed in thinking that they might also try their hand at Patricide like he did. Now, he insists I learn this. Do I know that he isn't going to lapse back into paranoid delusions and have me killed? No. So should I seek out danger, or let it seek out me? I will either be dead one day or in charge of the largest corporation in the entire world with a target on my back. What difference does it make? If I made a difference or not. I choose to make a difference! Even if only like I have so far in making a Rock Star number of bastard children..."
Walker: "You had me until the bastard children. Shall we go?"
Vastrix: "Let's go! I hadn't been in Moscow since I was doing some training in that Russian wrestling martial art thing. I was there for three whole months before they found out that three of my female students were with baby. Oops."
Walker: "Moving on. Anderson, you think that this King Goldenfire can really help us out?"
Anderson: "I have no idea, but any hope is some hope at this point."
Great Escape Championship
Theobald: "This next match is scheduled to be in a steel cage and is for the IWA Great Escape championship! Featuring first the challenger, weighing in at two hundred and thirty-four pounds...Tony Manzell!"
"Cigaro" by System of a Down begins playing as Brice St Vient walks out from the back. He looks at the sinister looking cage with a bit of a smile, walking up to it as the crowd cheers him on.
Dizon: "Vient has been struggling here since a lot of his opponents are supernaturally powered. A mortal man amongst Gods."
Coughlin: "It's worked so far for Tony Man-wait just a minute! Why is Brice St Vient coming down to the ring when it's clearly Tony Manzell's match?"
Brice St Vient gets into the ring with a smile and wave to the fans.
St Vient: "Manzell couldn't be here tonight, allergic to undead hordes and all that. So, I have been approved to take his place!"
Theobald: "And his opponent, weighing in at two hundred and seventy-five pounds...Zareth Korbin!"
"Hall of The Mountain King" by Apocalpytica begins as Zareth Korbin storms out like a man possessed. He growls at booing fans as he passes them down to the ring, getting inside with his hammer still on his wrist. The ref asks for it, but when Zareth looks at him...the ref backs away quickly.
Dizon: "Something has Zareth pissed off..."
Coughlin: "Sure seems that way. I wonder where Manzell is?"
Dizon: "He's allergic to undead hordes. I should have called in for the same reason!"
Brice St Vient and Zareth Korbin stand on opposite sides of the ring as the bell rings to start the match. Zareth growls, swinging his hammer around in tight circles.
Korbin: "I thought I was avenging my defeat by some extraordinarily lucky mortal. I thought I was going to get a challenge here. I get you instead...Valora's leftovers."
Brice St Vient smiles, cocking his head and putting on an expression of fake sympathy.
St Vient: "Is the big bad consort going to cry? In a Kingdom where the Women where the pants...where's your skirt?"
Brice doesn't get to speak anymore as the hammer slams into the side of his face, knocking him down. The hammer carries through to strike the cage with a solid blow, a metallic ringing echoing through the crowd. The wall of the cage comes down on top of the crowd and Zareth simply walks out of the cage. He strolls past the bleeding Brice, picks up his hammer, and jumps down to the floor.
Dizon: "What the-"
Coughlin: "Language this time!"
Crews work rapidly to get the cage off of the crowd, though they seem to not be too badly effected with danger being a normal part of IWA wrestling shows.
Dizon: "Well, Zareth won the title, but not against the person he wanted to face."
Coughlin: "Gold is still gold. I bet he'll still be a little happy."
Theobald: "Winner of the match and NEW IWA Great Escape champion...Zareth Korbin!"
Paris Underground
Deep underneath the dire remains of Paris, France...
A group of Solar Guard elite Shocktroopers walk down bone lined walls. At the lead is Solar Guard Commander, Silverus Faust. In the center of the twelve man party is a motorized wheel chair with a life support system that contains the form of Warhammer North America Director, Sebastian Jalabert, and the white elf known as Shaiaya.
Sebastian doesn't pay too much mind to the death all around him, neither do his Solar Guard. Shaiaya looks around at her with some disgust, absently scratching at her collar.
Shaiaya: "The entrance to the subtunnel where the sword was hidden by the Catholic Church should be around here someplace. Though, we need to be careful. Humans are sometimes released down here and are hunted for sport before devoured."
Jalabert: "Sounds like a fun time. That is why I have armed my Solar Guard with weapons from Warhammer Australia. Hakim Firath is a paranoid fool, but he does have people who can destroy undead monsters."
Commander Faust raises a hand for the group to stop.
Faust: "I have movement up ahead."
At a t-junction up ahead, a pair of zombie start to shuffle through. They would have kept going, but one of them stop to sniff at the air. He elbows the other to get his attention.
When they look at the Solar Guard, a Solar Guard steps in front of Commander Faust to open up a flamethrower to turn the two into ashes almost instantly.
Commander Faust looks at a device built into his forearm for a moment before signaling an all clear.
They continue on, following Commander Faust until they get to a large chamber with a large square engraved slab of stone in the middle of the chamber that sets it off from the shelves of ancient dead around them. Shaiaya looks around nervously.
Shaiaya: "I don't have any powers, but something still feels wrong here."
Commander Faust walks back to stand by Jalabert and chuckles.
Faust: "Of course it's wrong. You think that there is a Necromancer that might sense the destruction of his or her creatures?"
Shaiaya: "There could be, but it's really hard to predict. So many undead were created spontaneously at the end of the Fourth Punic War just by the amount of Necromancy being cast in the region."
Just then, all of the heads of the skeletons in the room turn to look at the gathered party with red glowing eyes. They open their mouths to let out a chorus of inhuman screeches.
Sebastian Jalabert nods as he lights up a cigarette, causing his life support systems to cry out in alarm as well.
Jalabert: "Do be a good chap and break these once people apart, will you?"
Commander Faust looks at Sebastian for a minute, but his expression is unreadable through the helmet. He turns to see the skeletons getting down to slowly surround them. He grabs a warhammer from his waist.
Faust: "Blunt weapons, gentlemen! Break 'em down!"
The Solar Guard break out maces, clubs, warhammers, and other blunt weapons as the skeletons near. The warhammer of Commander Faust takes on a silvery glow, humming as he thumbs a switch to reveal his higher class of weapon than the others beneath his station.
They form a circle around Director Jalabert and Shaiaya, attacking the leering skeletons as they come near with blows that shatter the brittle bones of the long dead into dust.
Despite possessing supernatural strength, the skeletons cannot pierce the carapace armor of the Shocktroopers, and fall quickly to them.
They all clear away the stone slab after the last skeleton crumbles to dust.
Jalabert: "So the sword is in a chamber under here?"
Shaiaya: "Yes."
As they look upon the engraving that bears the image of Jesus Christ upon the cross, there is an indentation in his side. A better description would be hole.
Sebastian points to one of the Solar Guard with a grin.
Jalabert: "Back onto the slab, gentlemen. You place your spear into the wound."
Everyone gets back onto the slab and the man shoves his spear into the wound.
The slab rumbles for a few minutes before slowly gliding down a hundred feet. It opens to a small hallway to a sword that simply sits on a display rack.
Commander Faust starts to walk down the hallway while looking at the device on his forearm, when Sebastian lays a hand on his elbow.
Jalabert: "This is my quest. Unhook me from this infernal machine and let me finish it."
Faust: "Sir? You'll die if you're unhooked!"
Jalabert: "If this is the Eden Sword, then I will be fine. If not, then I will be dead, and you'll be in the service of the new Director. Nothing will blow up if I die at least."
Sebastian chuckles as Silverus unlocks the safety measures to be able to release Sebastian from the life support system. Shaiaya and another Solar Guardsman help Sebastian out of the chair. He winces as the parts of the life support system come out of the implants along his back, but he remains silent. He shakes them off straighten his expensive custom suit before taking his first few shaky steps towards the sword.
Once he gets far enough away, Silverus takes his helmet off, leaning by Shaiaya.
Faust: "If this is some kind of trick or deception that kills my Director, I will put a bullet through your head. The collar will remain on your body to make sure you stay dead. You hear me, bitch?"
Shaiaya narrows her eyes, coming almost nose to nose with Silverus.
Shaiaya: "There is no trick, dog. He will become Immortal with great power. Once the Dark Warlock is dead and I am free to have the collar removed, we will speak again."
Shaiaya and Silverus break apart to look down the hallway as their is a collective gasp. Sebastian Jalabert has stopped halfway down and is leaning against the wall, coughing up blood onto the floor.
Faust: "This is stupid. He can't live without the life support systems! I'm going down there!"
Shaiaya: "No! Do not dishonor your master by coddling him at this late hour. He has survived longer than any human without supernatural blood. Let him finish this!"
Sebastian Jalabert begins walking again, placing one foot in front of the other as he walks down the hallway. Blood and other unknown fluids leak from his back. He nearly falls to the floor before he gets to the sword, but manages to stay up.
He grabs the sword hilt, dropping to his knees.
Jalabert: "You...are...mine..."
Though he cannot breathe, a stream of words escapes his lips. Words that he does not understand, even as they leave his lips. Once completed, he breathes in deep on his own for the first time in years. He let's out a primal scream as the cybernetic implants in his body are ejected with the force of a bullet. They shatter against the walls, blood splattering everywhere before the wounds quickly seal themselves.
The grey thinning hair thickens into a nutty brown. The gaunt flesh becomes full with a healthy glow. He rises fully to his feet with a confident smile, the sword in his hand.
Jalabert: "I am the Master of the Eden Sword!"
Bloodstain Championship
Theobald: "It has come to my attention that this match has been delayed and will be rescheduled to the next Onslaught. Both Roux Delacroix and Iro Waters have been spotted outside of the arena, fighting the monsters that are out there at this moment. Interns have been sent outside to inform the two of their match, but these interns are now presumed dead. Thank you."
Dizon: "Roux and Iro are fighting the undead? Well, at least someone is doing something."
Coughlin: "Yes, but it sucks that it cost the fans here tonight a great match."
Dizon: "True enough, but it can't be helped. Maybe they'll even survive the night so that they can have that next match."
Coughlin: "We can only wish them luck."
World Non-Title, 2 out of 3 Falls
If Valora wins the first fall then the match is over.
If Kronin wins the first fall, then it becomes a TITLE MATCH
Theobald: "This next match is scheduled for a specialty two out of three falls and is the main event of the evening! Should the challenger win the first fall, then this becomes a match for the IWA World championship! Featuring first the challenger, weighing in at two hundred and sixty-five pounds...Kronin!"
A couple quick spots of white noise is heard over the PA before ‘Ich Will' by Rammstein plays. The titan showing highlights of Kronin’s matches and Kronin marches out from the back, looking around the crowd and nodding, making his way to the ring every so often pausing to shake hands with fans and the like before climbing into the ring.
Once in the ring, Kronin warms up and begins to prepare for the coming match...
Coughlin: "Kronin looks ready for this match up."
Dizon: "I would hope so. These two have fought each other over and over throughout the years. This time, they are both on another level."
Theobald: "And his opponent, weighing in at one hundred and forty-five pounds, she is the IWA World Champion...Valora Salinas!"
"Death Triumphant" by My Dying Bride begins playing as Valora Salinas walks out from the back with a wide grin, the IWA World Championship belt around her waist. She takes in the boos from the fans with a laugh before heading down to the ring. She stops as a rather vocal man at the security railing speaks about her rule in Mexico. She stops and kisses the man.
Dizon: "If you insult Valora, she kisses you?"
Coughlin: "You don't want that kiss..."
When Valora is finished, a dry husk of a corpse is left to fall to the floor. The crowd near the man quickly go silent in order to not raise her ire.
Once in the ring, Valora mockingly bows to Kronin with a smirk.
Salinas: "I heard Lilly is tending to Lenneth's wound. No support for you tonight."
Kronin shakes his head with a grin.
Kronin: "I heard Tabitha went outside to play. No support for you either."
Salinas: "I need no support to crush you under my heel!"
Kronin: "So you say..."
As the bell rings, Valora and Kronin close in on each other. Valora reaches out with a smile, grabbing onto Kronin's arm.
Salinas: "You are a fool to stand so close to-what?"
Kronin: "I am protected from your powers."
Kronin begins the attack, laying in a series of punches to drive Valora back before dropping her to the mat with a belly to belly suplex. He quickly rolls to his feet with Valora hot on his heels. He turns, dropping backwards to slam an elbow into the side of Valora's head to send her crashing back to the mat.
They both get back up quickly with Kronin grabbing Valora to whip her into the ropes, catching her on the rebound for a spinebuster. Before standing back up, Kronin drills a fist into Valora's midsection.
Dizon: "Kronin is all offense tonight."
Coughlin: "Makes sense. If he wants this to become a World title shot, then he needs to score the first fall. If Valora scores the first fall, then this match is over!"
Kronin stands up, but Valora lays on the mat as if stunned. Kronin frowns.
Kronin: "Get up, Valora. This small amount of punishment won't defeat you."
The ref leans down to check on Valora, she reaches around the ref so he can't see her, sending a stream of dark power at Kronin that catches him in the chest, sending him back to slam into the corner. He bounces into a seated position. She then stands up with a smirk, rushing at Kronin to nail him in the head with a drop kick.
Dizon: "That was low!"
Coughlin: "And Valora wouldn't stoop low to win?"
Valora drags Kronin to his feet, but he grabs her and spins her around to slam her back into the corner. He slams into her with alternating elbow strikes, knocking Valora's head side to side like a rag doll before picking her up and dropping her face across the top turnbuckle.
Coughlin: "The Metal followed by Snake Eyes! This is heating up quick!"
Kronin picks Valora up while still near the corner, lifting her up for a power bomb, but Valora brings her knees together to smash Kronin's head, and turns to bring him down with a Hurrancanrana! She reaches back to hook both of Kronin's legs for the pinfall!
One...Two...Kronin kicks out!
Coughlin: "Valora almost ended the match right there!"
Dizon: "That would be a great victory for her if she did."
Both wrestlers are quickly up, Valora aiming a kick at Kronin's head, but he ducks it with ease. She continues to spin around before bringing her foot down on the back of Kronin's head to knock him flat on his face. She pulls him up into a suplex, walking to the middle of the ring, and then drops Kronin soundly on his head! She applies a Cripple Crossface with a grin, keeping the pressure on as Kronin flails about.
Dizon: "They're in the middle of the ring! Kronin might be finished right here!"
Coughlin: "Kronin isn't going to just submit and lose his chance for the World title."
Kronin tries to reach for the ropes, but he's too far away. He eventually places his hands on Valora's arm and they are separated with a sound like an explosion that tosses them both to opposite sides of the ring with electricity arcing between the two.
Dizon: "What the Hell?"
Coughlin: "Valora used her powers and so it's only natural that Kronin use his at some point during the match."
The ref doesn't look very pleased at the concept though and sternly warns Kronin against doing that again. It doesn't help the fact that the ref no longer has eyebrows...
Dizon: "Any other match is a power fest, but this one the ref is trying to keep clean? What gives?"
Coughlin: "Maybe it's so that the World title can gain some respect? This is Valora's first defense and her method of winning the title in the first place...was less than respectful."
Valora gets up with the aid of the corner, leaning back into it while coughing up smoke. She doesn't get much rest as Kronin is across the ring and on her in an instant, striking hard at different vital points with his fists nearly at a blurr. When he's done, he brings Valora out of the corner with a powerslam that he hooks the leg for.
Coughlin: "Soldier's Strike into a Powerslam! Does this become a World title match?"
One...Two...Thre-Valora kicks out!
Dizon: "I'm going to say no."
Kronin starts to kneel up, but Valora catches him in the throat with a punch that sends him rolling off to the side. Valora rises to her feet, wincing a bit, but that quickly changes to a smile. She waits for Kronin to stand and-
Coughlin: "Azteca Elbow Slash! And then-"
Dizon: "Gringa Killa! This one is all over for Kronin as Valora goes for the cover!"
One...Two...Thre-Kronin kicks out!
Dizon: "I'm not even going to wonder how Kronin kicks out of a move that would have put anyone down for the count."
Coughlin: "Good. Because I would hate to have to explain the properties of Godly endurance."
Valora jumps up, leaping to the top rope. She watches Kronin for a second to make sure he isn't going to get right up, and leaps through the air to land a Falling Angel! She goes for the cover again.
One...Two...Kronin kicks out!
Valora rolls away and to her feet, waiting for Kronin to get up to his hands and knees before punt kicking him in the side of the head!
Dizon: "Hey now! No blood splatter onto the commentary desk Kick that stuff another direction!"
Coughlin: "Gross..."
Valora pulls Kronin up, dropping him down in a vertical suplex. She holds onto him, bringing him up for another, and then another! She grabs both of his legs, planting herself directly on his face to smother him while going for the pinfall yet again.
Dizon: "Someone's going to anger Lilly if Valora's going to try to get a mustache ride while going for the pinfall!"
Coughlin: "Umm..."
One...Two...Three!
NO! Kronin has a foot up on the ropes!
Valora stands up, looking angry, but she keeps it in check as she drags Kronin to his feet, slipping behind him for a full nelson that she turns into a face slam. She climbs to the top rope, perching as she waits for Kronin to stand again.
She leaps off the top rope for a missile drop kick, but Kronin catches her around the middle, swings her around, and-
Coughlin: "Beautiful Disaster! Kronin goes for the pinfall!"
One...Two...Three!
Theobald: "Now that Kronin has scored the first fall...this has become a match for the IWA World Championship!"
The crowd cheers as Kronin gets up, backing to his corner to wait for the bell to be rung to start the match again. Valora slowly stands up to get to her own corner, glaring death at Kronin all the while.
Dizon: "She is not very happy at all!"
The two rush at each other as the bell rings, but Kronin ducks under a missed punch to slip behind Valora, bringing her down with a German suplex!
Dizon: "Uh oh! Is the German Suplex Machine getting warmed up?"
And then another German suplex! And another! And another!
Kronin rises to his knees, grabbing Valora again, and applying a Pankration Shoulder Lock. Valora reaches for the ropes, but they're a few feet out of reach. That's when both Valora and Kronin slide across the ring as if being dragged so that Valora can grab the ropes. The ref frowns, but makes Kronin break the move.
Dizon: "The ref isn't going to warn Valora?"
Coughlin: "That's what it looks like."
Kronin and Valora stand up, but Kronin gets to her first, bringing Valora to the center of the ring with a Northern Lights Suplex. He hooks the leg for the pinfall.
One...Two...Thre-Valora kicks out!
Dizon: "Kronin almost became the World champion right there!"
Coughlin: "Close, but not quite."
Kronin starts to get up, but Valora rolls to the side to hit a low blow. She hooks Kronin's head, rolling him into a cradle for the pinfall!
One...Two...Thre-Kronin kicks out!
Kronin is up quickly, grabbing Valora as she starts to rise for a gutwrench suplex, but he turns and changes it into a power bomb that sends Valora straight to the concrete floor!
Valora is up quickly, but she falls/staggers to the ring railing.
Coughlin: "She's reaching for the fans, Kronin!"
Dizon: "Better move it!"
Kronin rushes across the ring, diving through the ropes to slams his shoulder into the small of Valora's back before she can grab onto a fan to drain his life. They both smash into the ring railing before hitting the floor.
Dizon: "I think after the match between Tabitha and Lenneth, they anchored the security railing better so that it doesn't get pushed into the fans."
Coughlin: "Probably a good idea."
Kronin rips Valora up off of the floor, whipping her into the ring steps, demolishing them. He walks over to her, pulling her up into a Gorilla Press Slam position, dropping her onto the pieces of the ring steps! He then rolls her into the ring, following close behind.
Dizon: "Did the ref not count at all?"
Couglin: "It would be a poor ending to this match if it became a double count out."
Dizon: "Well? I can give it that."
Kronin drags Valora into the center ot the ring where he applies a sharpshooter.
Coughlin: "Valora has nowhere to go and she's looking drained. She can't gather energy from Kronin and he stopped her from harvesting from the fans. This could be all she wrote!"
Dizon: "Not quite. Look!"
The ref leans down to check to see if Valora will submit and she grabs him by the shirt to bring him down close enough to lay both hands on his face!
Dizon: "No!"
It only takes a few seconds for the ref to pass out, filling Valora with new vitality. She straightenes out, sending Kronin face first into the corner with the violence of her motion. She's up and on him in a second, slamming home a Pele Kick as Kronin turns around. She flips Kronin over into the Tree of Woe position, laughing as she kicks him in the midsection and face to cause a pool of blood to form by Kronin's head.
Salinas: "You thought you were so smart, having Lilly protect you against my power. Didn't you? Forget that the ref was vulnerable?"
A new ref hits the ring wi EMTs, helping the first ref out of the ring to be taken to the back. As Valora kicks and stomps at Kronin, a smal stone falls out of his pocket and to the concrete floor. Valora smiles even wider as she places her hands on Kronin's bare chest.
Salinas: "You protection is gone. Maybe you should have swallowed the stone instead. HA!"
Kronin struggles as Valora drains his essense. That is until the new ref comes over, screaming at Valora to back away or he'll strip her title away. Valora grumbles, but backs away so that the ref can help Kronin down from the corner.
Kronin looks across the ring with a weary smile.
Kronin: "So, it's war you want? I have that in spades..."
Dizon: "What's he talking about?"
Coughlin: "No idea..."
Valora and Kronin rush at each other, but Kronin gets a kick to the gut in, grabbing Valora as if for a power bomb. He doesn't seem to be able to get Valora picked up as she tries to block the move. That's when Kronin jumps instead, into a flip that sends both wrestlers high into the air. When they impact the mat, the shockwave knocks the ref down and sends both of them through the mat to the concrete floor.
Coughlin"...Death by Metal."
Dizon: "What the Hell?"
Valora flies out of the hole to land on the mat like a rag roll. Kronin climbs out afterwards, going for the cover while hooking the leg.
One...Two...Three!!!
Dizon: "Kronin had to use his powers to get extra high into the air to be able to have such an impact!"
Coughlin: "Still...it worked to allow him to win the match!"
Theobald: "Winner of the match and NEW IWA World Champion...Kronin!"
Coughlin: "Another defeat to Carthage and her allies. We're on a roll!"
Dizon: "Hopefully this doesn't mean Thamptis destroys another part of the world..."
Coughlin: "We can only hope."
Face the Dead!
(Note: This takes place during the main event, which is why you won't see Kronin or Valora outside...)
Outside of the arena...
Gunfire beats a constant refrain as Imperial soldiers struggle to hold back the undead forces sweeping through the area.
Roux Delacroix, Lady Casidhe, and Zareth Korbin stand to the Southwest corner of the arena.
Delacroix: "If there was ever a time for you to exercise out your thirst for violence, this is it."
Zareth smiles as he sees the numberless undead coming toward the arena.
Korbin: "I do live to serve."
Zareth throws his hammer, relishing as the hammer breaks through the bodies of four zombies before flying back to his hand.
Lady Casidhe pats Zareth on the shoulder with a smile.
Casidhe: "It's ok. I have this."
Lady Casidhe waves her hands while shouting words of power, sending out a white wave of force that knocks back the undead. The power sends the undead flying backwards nearly a hundred feet with the power forming a bubble.
Zombies, skeletons, ghouls, and ghasts strike at the bubble with fists, claws, and weapons to no avail.
Delacroix: "Are you learning, Zareth?"
Roux Delacroix motions with her hands, a wall of thorned vines bursting up from the ground behind the white bubble of energy.
Delacroix: "See? We're safe."
Korbin: "We can't destroy them behind walls."
A man in a dark cloak walks to the barrier. He has two men on either side of him that appear to be blackened from fire with blazing robes while holding bright glowing crystals.
A blaze comes from them, burning the flesh from hundreds of undead around them, dropping the bones into a large pile.
Roux Delacroix steps back with Lady Casidhe following while pulling back on Zareth's shoulder.
Korbin: "What?"
Delacroix: "You might be right for once, Zareth. Be ready."
Korbin: "What are they?"
Casidhe: "An Animus with four Red Arcadians. They're casting something big..."
The scorched bones begin to move with a loud clatter, shifting and moving together until they launch up high in the shape of a giant serpent made up of bones with a monstrous head.
Casidhe: "A Boneyard."
The hands of the Animus glow brightly along with the crystals that the Red Arcadians are holding. The Boneyard is set ablaze as it rears back.
Korbin: "Ah hell!"
The head of the Fiery Boneyard bursts through the white shield, shattering it into nothing. It blazes through the wall of vines, turning them into ash.
It lashes out at Lady Casidhe with an inhuman scream with its maw open wide enough to swallow her whole.
Zareth strikes it in the side of the head with his warhammer at the last moment, sending it slamming into the ground.
The Fiery Boneyard tries to gore Zareth, but he grabs the horns and holds on with his warhammer hanging on his wrist by the strap.
Roux Delacroix shakes her head as the Animus and the Red Arcadians start walking to them.
Delacroix: "Not today!"
A great wind threatens to blow everyone away as a Great White Dragon swoops down to land behind Roux.
She points at the gathered undead spellcasters with a shout in ancient gaelic.
The White Dragon let's loose a blast of snow and ice that freezes the Red Arcadians solid, knocking them down so that they shatter into pieces.
The Animus stands in place unaffected by the breath weapon.
Animus: "You bring such a young dragon to this fight. He should have known to stay away from his betters."
Delacroix: "What?"
The animus points a single at the dragon, utters a word, and the white dragon falls dead to the ground.
Animus: "Now to deal with you."
That's when the head of the Boneyard crashes into him, casting him back into the vile fog a hundred feet back.
Roux Delacroix and Lady Casidhe look to see Zareth Korbin rising from a pile of broken, charred bones with a grin.
Korbin: "He didn't see that one coming."
Elsewhere...
Iro Waters slashes through several zombies, his left arm in the shape of an axe. The few Shocktroopers with him cheer as he brings down a dozen of the undead in seconds. He notes with a raised eyebrow that the Shocktroopers cheer despite each of them also doing rather well.
Waters: "It's not that big of a deal. Honest!"
That's when they hear the crying.
Iro Waters and the Shocktroopers see the back of a woman in a black, tattered dress through the mist. They approach, Iro reaching out to her.
Waters: "Are you alright? Miss, you shouldn't be out here."
Lady: "So much death all around. It's just so sad..."
Iro places a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to be comforting.
Waters: "It'll be alright. The good guys will win the day in the end."
Lady: "...that there isn't enough living targets to go around."
The lady turns around to reveal a skeletal body with empty sockets from where pours a black ichor that covers her face, body, arms, and clawed hands. She lashes out, missing Iro's chest by inches. She screams, catching one of the Shocktroopers in the helmet. The blow shears through the armor like tissue paper, tearing into the flesh of the man's cheek.
The Shocktrooper falls to the ground, holding his face and screaming in pain. He thrashes about for a few seconds before he's still.
Water: "She's poisonous! Back away!"
The lady smiles, but then starts crying again. A move that stops any counterattack as Iro and the others stop in their tracks, mesmerized by the crying. The lady is joined by two creatures that are half-skeletal, skinless humanoids with sharp claws.
One of them strikes out at a shocktrooper, its claws growing to several feet long as it spears the trooper through the heart and midsection.
This breaks the spell of the crying lady and thus moves the men into action. The remaining Shocktroopers open fire on the skeletal men with claws while Iro seizes the lady by the face with his left hand.
Water: "This is no way for a lady to act!"
An electrical surge flows through the lady, starting the black ichor on fire. The lady backs away, screaming in pain as she burns to ashes before Iro and the gathered Shocktroopers.
Southeast of the Arena...
"Deathstryke" Cyan Komar clashes swords with an undead humanoid in ancient plate mail and a bastard sword that trails a black mist.
He slashes at the knight in a few places past its guard, the armor leaking blood and a dark ichor blend. It doesn't make any sounds of pain, but returns the attacks until Cyan is barely holding the enemy sword back from slicing him in half.
Knight: "You cannot win."
Komar: "Not with that attitude. I have a gift from a friend."
Cyan rolls away, dodging several strikes before presenting his cybernetic palm before the knight's face. A compartment opens to reveal a white marble.
Komar: "Let me heal your pain!"
A white energy flows into the knight, causing it to howl in pain as positive energies conflict with the negative energies within him explosively.
A clapping is heard, Cyan frowns looking to the source of the sound to see Nebiryau walking through the mist.
Nebiryau: "I thought that I would find you here. You have no allies with you, only enemies."
Komar: "You've been defeated before."
Nebiryau: "Not today I won't."
The Stones of Power glow bright as Nebiryau goes on the attack, fire trailing his sword as he moves faster than thought possible and striking with strength that would have shattered normal blades.
Cyan fights desperately to stay alive, deflecting the incoming blows so that the full strength of each strike doesn't break his bones. He slips in a slash alongside Nebiryau's rib cage, drawing blood.
Nebiryau draws back with a frown, but Cyan smiles.
Komar: "I do not have the blade that Bacchus used, but mine is still a blade enchanted to bring down the darkest of foes."
Cyan goes on the attack, his strikes coming faster and faster, his blade glowing bright and sending tendrils of energy to Cyan's form.
Komar: "My blade absorbs magic to empower me. You are full of magic."
Nebiryau shouts as Cyan slips past his defenses again, slicing away his red gemstone eye, knocking it into the air, and catching it.
Komar: "Depth perception might become an issue, eh?"
Nebiryau roars a war cry, stomping the ground to cause an earthquake. This causes Cyan to drop his weapon, falling to the ground.
Nebiryau is on him in a flash, cleaving through both arms at the elbow, then both legs at the knees. He holds a palm over Cyan's head with a harsh laugh, the hand glowing with fiery promise.
Nebiryau: "Your quest for revenge has failed!"
Nebiryau stops, his eyes go wide.
Nebiryau: "Druscilla!"
He looks down at Cyan with a cruel laugh.
Nebiryau: "I'll let you bleed out here, or become a meal for one of my monsters. I was never here..."
Nebiryau vanishes as Druscilla walks through the area, her presence alone keeping the other lesser undead at bay. She looks down at Cyan with a smile.
Druscilla: "Any other day, I would let you die..."
She motions and two Imperial soldiers grab him to take him to medical.
Druscilla: "Keep this up, Idasu, and you'll soon be more machine than man."
(Somewhere, someplace the machine rasp of Darth Vader is heard)
Back to Delacroix, Casidhe, and Korbin...
Zareth Korbin exchanges blows with a ten foot tall undead humanoid who seems over muscled with one arm much larger than the other.
The creature blocks with his over-sized arm as Zareth hits it over and over again with his warhammer.
Roux Delacroix and Lady Casidhe exchange spells with the animus. A fierce exchange of attack spells, counter-spells, and blocking spells with no side finding the advantage over the other.
That is at least until a stream of black energy strikes Lady Casidhe in the shoulder, bringing her down with a shriek.
Lord Nevan steps from the mists with a cruel grin.
Nevan: "Hello, my Queen."
Lord Nevan shoves a hand into the back of the animus, his hand coming out through the chest of the sorcerous undead with a shriveled black heart.
He smiles as the energies of the animus fill his being, the animus transforming into ashes.
Zareth Korbin let's out a war cry, striking his opponent in the center of the chest with a powerful blow that shatters the body like glass. He rushes over to Casidhe's side, getting between her and Lord Nevan. She murmurs a spell while holding her hand over her shoulder, but the lines of corruption still spread.
Delacroix: "How did you get a body?"
"That would be my doing!"
"Zolothach" Tabitha Osborne walks out of the mist off to the side.
Delacroix: "You filthy little-"
Osborne: "And for the record, I apologize. I intended to destroy him before he gained this."
Nevan: "Foolish little cow. You can die here too if you will not aid me."
Osborne: "I didn't say I wouldn't help you, fool! I'll kill the Lady in White while you get your former boss."
Nevan: "Good."
Roux Delacroix and Lord Nevan begin their battle as Zareth Korbin lunges at Tabitha with his warhammer.
Tabitha dodges the first warhammer blow, grabbing Zareth by the wrist to bring him close.
Osborne: "Be a good puppet for once, idiot!"
She throws Zareth at Lord Nevan, distracting him enough for Roux to wrap him up with a rapid growth of thorned vines. Tabitha kneels by Lady Casidhe, holding her hand over the corrupted shoulder.
Lady Casidhe screams out in pain as the corruption is ripped from her body and absorbed into Tabitha's own where the darkness spiderwebs across her arms before being absorbed. Casidhe passes out from the process. Roux looks down at Tabitha in shock.
Delacroix: "You're still on the same side? Why?"
Osborne: "Because he is filth...I will still murder you all soon enough, but it won't be because of him."
Nevan: "All well and good. I will just kill you all and be done with it."
All eyes turn to Lord Nevan, who is holding Zareth by the throat on his knees.
Osborne: "Don't be a fool. There's no way you could-
A quick motion from Nevan stops Tabitha in her tracks as her father and brother appear by her.
Tabitha's Father: "Is this how I raised you, young lady? Did you think for one second that you were really worthy of carrying the power of the Dread Dragon within you?"
Tabitha's Brother: "You were only holding the power until someone worthy came along. You know what you were really worthy of carrying. Remember?"
Tabitha shakes her head, her exposed skin having gone all white.
Osborne: "No! I'm worthy! I-"
Tabitha's Father backhands her, knocking her to the ground.
Tabitha's Father: "You will answer the question, you little whore! What were you really worthy of carrying?"
The trio vanish into the mists as Lord Nevan walks towards Roux Delacroix with the weakened Zareth in his hand.
Nevan: "Enough of Tabby and her ghosts. How about you and I finish what we started. Yes?"
Nevan casts Zareth aside to the ground, where his demonic blood has already begun fighting the corruption poured into his system.
Nevan: "You will regret ever killing me, bitch."
Delacroix: "I regret letting you live for as long as I did, Nevan. I will rectify that now."
The mists roll back as Roux's eyes change to a glowing red draconic. Too late, Lord Nevan realizes his mistake.
Not even the distant dragon roar can bring Tabitha Osborne back to reality as ghosts of her father and brother take turns slapping, punching, and kicking her.
Brother: "What are you worthy of carrying?"
Father: "Answer the question, bitch!"
Tabitha's answer is faint, garbled by sobbing.
Osborne: "Bruises and cum..."
Tabitha's father grabs her by the hair, pulling her head back and holding her chin with his other hand.
Father: "Exactly. You tried to be a wrestler like me, your brother, your grandfather, and further back down the line to the dawn of wrestling. It didn't work, did it?"
Osborne: "But, father! I have done-"
Her brother kicks her in the ribs, the blow forcing her to cough up blood despite his ghostly nature.
Brother: "You lose big matches. You shame us!"
Osborne: "Maybe if you trained me instead-"
Tabitha gags as her father shoves three fingers into her mouth.
Father: "Blame us? If you would have gotten the fucking point of the training your brother and I gave you, then you would have known that it for you to stay in your fucking room and not try to break into a man's fucking sport, you little cum dumpster of a whore!"
Osborne: "No..."
Father: "No, what?"
Tabitha stands up, her father's hands passing through her. Her eyes blacken out and begin to glow black.
Osborne: "I murdered you both in the past! I am a strong woman! I am FREE!"
A wave of dark fire comes off of Tabitha, ripping the ghosts apart, and tearing through the mists. She sees Lord Nevan's smoking head bounce by her feet away from the dragon form of Roux Delacroix.
Nevan: "You! Cast me back into the mix so I can get another body! You owe me for all the help I've given you!"
Tabitha looks down with a look of revulsion as she remembers the price she paid for her help. She raises a foot.
Osborne: "Goodbye, Nevan."
Nevan: "Wait! I can help you-"
Tabitha stomps the head of Lord Nevan into jelly. She looks over to see that Roux Delacroix has turned back into her human form.
A long silence goes on between the two as if the battle raging around them has suddenly stopped.
Then slowly, Tabitha nods to Roux as if to say "Next time". Roux returns the nod before seeing to her people.
Tabitha looks around at the battlefield as if in thought.
Osborne: "I don't...I don't know if this is right anymore. I must see Liz!"
As the evil mists return, Tabitha vanishes without a trace.
Near the harbor...
Druscilla walks to the docks, any undead that try to attack her are either destroyed or seized control of to attack their former allies. At the end of the dock, she sees a cruise ship just a few hundred feet away where a Lich stands upon the bow. She smiles when she sees him.
Druscilla: "Eteokles! Call this off and you can leave with your dignity intact! I'm sure Thamptis's Necromancers and their Knights will understand that you could not defeat Queen Druscilla!"
The Lich looks at Druscilla with a laugh.
Eteokles: "You do not have your little consort with you now. You alone cannot defeat me!"
Druscilla: "I do not need Nebiryau at my side to defeat you. And back then, he was much reduced in power. Now? I have a portion of his power in my blood. Now? I can do this!"
Druscilla motions with a look of concentration at the sea.
Druscilla: "Rise, beast of Biblical Myth! Rise, Leviathan!"
A titanic fish leaps from the sea, swallowing several dozen ships (some as large as aircraft carriers) in a single gulp before crashing back into the sea with enough force to send a massive splash of water in the air that seems to send all ships flying south.
All ships except for the one that the Lich is standing on.
Druscilla: "My soldiers are winning! We have Priests out in the field, technology mined from a man who lives to destroy spirits and the undead, and determined heroes. You cannot win!"
Eteokles: "That will not do it! My forces are under my control! They will return and join the ones on land! Britain will join the Dead Lands of Carthage!"
Druscilla: "I too can control the undead and monsters. I only need to control a few to defeat you, lich!"
Eteokles: "Liar!"
That's when Eteokles notices that nearly a dozen creatures surrounding him on the deck.
They are spiritual beings that appear to be several ghastly heads inside of a cloud with wispy tendrils coming from it.
Druscilla laughs at the lich's sudden fear.
Druscilla: "Your control slip over some undead creatures that even the undead fear? Dream Vestiges. Nightmares of the French and Spanish people given unnatural life."
Eteokles tries to fight the spirits off, destroying one or two of them. They lash at him with wispy tendrils that seem to draw more and more of the lich's intelligence with each strike until his body dissolves.
Druscilla slowly pulls out a simple umbrella as the lich is defeated. The mist dissolves almost instantly with the hordes of undead either fleeing back into the ether or are destroyed outright.
Druscilla smiles as her forces and allies quickly gain the advantage they need to shatter the enemy until only pockets of the enemy remain hidden in secret places to be hunted down at the leisure of the Imperial army.
Druscilla: "I know you are not really gone Eteokles, but it will take you a long time to recover from this. Let this also be a lesson for Thamptis. He has never beaten me in war and never will."
That's the PDF version of the show and is downloadable. Shows even come with mp3 files built into the pdf for a more immersive viewing.
Onslaught #5
Dead Tides
As the IWA comes to Portsmouth, England, the thing that we all had hopes would never happen has begun. Ships have been sighted on the south side of the English Channel. Lots of lot of all ships of all shapes and sizes have begun a trek from France. Surrounding these ships like a vile oil slick is the floating dead. Flying, swimming, floating, and riding forgotten vessels, the Dead have come for England. The British Navy is enroute as fast as they can to intercept, but can they crush the countless dead before they make landfall and begin the destruction of the British homelands?
Standing Before the Dark Warlock
Thamptis stands on his balcony off of his throne room. He has a distant view of Normandy, watching as the ships sail across the English Channel. He breathes in deeply with a smile.
He can smell the sweet stench of death from even a hundred miles away, so powerful the stench is.
He senses movement behind him in the throne room, one of his warlocks. He doesn't spare the man a glance.
Thamptis: "What is it?"
Warlock: "A man is here to see you, my lord."
Thamptis: "I thought I saw a plane coming in for a landing. You didn't kill the man and break the plane apart?"
Thamptis can feel the man's nervousness. Apparently, it wasn't a simple thing as killing a pilot.
Warlock: "He has proven to be...troublesome...to kill. He said that he would stop fighting if he was given leave to meet with you in person."
Thamptis: "Fine. Who is this man who wants to meet me so badly?"
"They call me Iro Waters."
Thamptis turns around to see his warlock drop to his knees, eyes rolling up into the back of his head, before falling to the floor. Iro Waters stands with a grim smile, his left arm transforming back into the shape of an arm from a large mallot.
Thamptis: "Ah, the boy from the wrestling company. You had shown some great fighting skills there. Though this is not why you are here. Is it?"
Iro shakes his head.
Waters: "I need to know why the Stone Rain? I need to know. My family was forever destroyed because of you..."
Thamptis: "You are you because of the Stone Rain? Then Fate has made you strong, but I can see that this will not satisfy. Let me continue..."
Thamptis turns around, placing his hands on the balcony railing to look once against to beyond the beaches of Normandy to the English Channel. Iro Water walks over to stand by him. Thamptis smiles as he feels the impatience of the young man.
Thamptis: "Tell me something, young Waters. I destroyed your town, I killed your mother, and I have separated you from your young love. You have come seeking answers and revenge. Did you harm anyone else on the way to see me?"
Iro Waters frowns. It's an odd question to be sure, but why?
Waters: "Servants of yours. Does it matter? Since striking them down is like steps in getting in at you."
Thamptis: "I would direct your attention to Burgas, Bulgaria. At least what used to be Burgas."
The view from the balcony blurs and shifts until it seems as if the castle were hovering above a blasted landscape. Nothing of Burgas remains...
Waters: "You did this?"
Thamptis: "Humanity did this. My brothers and I were driven to strike our own revenge against Egypt and Rome for what they had done to us and our extended family. Everyone thought that they needed to stand in our way. We lived in Carthage, which Rome decided to destroy. They salted the fields and sold the people into slavery. The chance came to strike back at them."
Waters: "So you blew up Burgas? You mons-"
Thamptis: "I did not do this. This land is poisoned forever. Nothing can live here without dying a slow death. I do not possess this power, young Waters. What do you think can do this?"
Iro Waters looks around at the damage with wide eyes.
Waters: "Nuclear missiles? Burgas was nuked?"
Thamptis: "When it became clear that Burgas was going to be lost, the United Nations were prodded by the United States and Russia into using these weapons to destroy me and my castle. You know how many thousands...millions...of my people died on that day? I pulled from the very bones of my castle, transformed them into weapons, and cast them back at the Earth. If the nations of the Earth would try to stop my vengeance and exterminate my people, they would share the doom that Rome would face. Tell me, young Waters. What would you have done?"
Iro gives pause to take in the information, but he shakes his head and grits his teeth.
Waters: "If you're so worthy of the power you wield, you would have found a way to stop the strikes without the wanton destruction. All the people you killed were no different than the ones you lost, and if you're justifying death for death..."
Iro turns, his arm changing into a cannon as he beings it up to being level with the chest of Thamptis. He opens fire with everything he has, destroying part of the castle wall behind Thamptis with the overblast.
Once he's finished, he sees that Thamptis is standing there...whole and healthy.
Waters: "...then you should die too?"
Thamptis shakes his head, turning back to the balcony with a sigh.
Thamptis: "You are far too young to understand the wheels turning here and the depths of old grudges. The woman I face now, the current Ruler of Britain, is the very same woman who had Carthage destroyed so long ago. She favors the people she now rules and so to see her suffer as I did when Carthage was destroyed and when I was cursed into a form of stone...I will see that she feels the same. That she feels the same loss. That she knows the same suffering. That she spends an eternity in torpor, waiting for someone to pull the stake that will have been thrust into her heart to keep her imprisoned within her own body as I once have been."
Iro looks at Thamptis with wide eyes.
Waters: "That's insane! Do you know how much of the world that you would be destroying just because you have beef with a single woman?"
Thamptis looks at Iro with cold, soulless eyes.
Thamptis: "Then the world will die. Goodbye, young Waters. Our conversation is at an end..."
Thamptis makes a motion, sending Iro Waters over the side of the balcony and into the air.
Thamptis: "We will converse again someday when you have grown wiser in these things."
The castle shakes as Iro's craft quickly exits and a blur of motion is seen as it plucks him from the sky. Thamptis watches the craft as it flies away.
Thamptis: "Curious."
Battle in the Channel
In the control room of the HMS Victoria, a Bathory class battleship, Captain Algernon Kilgour looks out through the window to the south across the English Channel.
The horizon is filled with a noxious green mist. Ships can been seen hiding in the mists from one side of the horizon to the other. Long camera views show flickering spirits and other dark things in the air and eerie almost human shapes thick with an oily sheen atop the water bed.
Kilgour: "Maclellen. How far away is the Ghost Admiral with his fleet? This seems like something he would be an expert in fighting."
First Officer Edmund Maclellen looks to the camera views with a chuckle.
Maclellen: "Dead fighting the dead, sir? He's been in the Indian Ocean and dealing with the situation in Pakistan for months. He's on his way now, but he won't make it in time for the fighting. No, we're on our own here. We have orders from Admiral Lowther?"
Captain Kilgour points out several of the larger ships that can be seen through the mists.
Kilgour: "In about an hour, we're going to pull port and all ships are going to lay in a broadside worthy of the Queen into these ships. We have birds launching now to hit what they can. We have the strongest navy in the world. An undead Carthage navy still stands no chance against us."
Edmund let's out a whistle.
Maclellen: "That ought to stop them in their tracks, sir. Nothing in the world can stop the British Navy!"
*********
An hour later as more ships join the British Fleet in the sea and they narrow the distance to the enemy down to within a couple of miles.
Everyone in the control room has been waiting and watching the Comm officer as the last of the British ships glide into position. Eventually...
Officer: "The command is given to open fire!"
Kilgour: "Open fire!"
Explosions blossom across the gathering of ships as airplanes drop their payloads and a massed broadside strike home. Cemetery gases ignite to send fire streaking across the horizon.
A cheer goes up as uncounted numbers of the dead vaporize in explosions and fire.
That's when the noxious mists redouble in thickness and things fly from the mists through the gathered British ships.
A ghostly man comes through the Communication equipment. It's eyes glow an eerie color and its mouth is distorted into being open extra wide. It babbles incoherently as it reaches for the Comm officer.
Kilgour: "It's an Allip! Don't listen to it! Summon the Priest!"
The Comm officer tries to back away quickly, but stops when he hears the babbling of the Allip. The creature reaches into the man's head.
His eyes bug out as he also begins babbling incomprehensively, grabbing his service revolver, and shooting himself in the head.
A Catholic Priest rushes into the room, holding out his cross to the undead specter.
Priest: "Back foul creature! Back to the Abyss with you!"
The Allip glares at the Priest, babbling all the louder. A few of the other crewmen in the control room go slack jawed as if under hypnosis and the Priest carries on even louder, switching to Latin.
Eventually, the Allip gives a curse before vanishing from sight.
Maclellen: "Sir? What the hell is an Allip?"
Kilgour: "The spirit of a person who was driven to madness and killed themself. It's a tragic undead, but there are quite a few of these spirits in the dead lands of Spain and France will the dead overtaking everything."
Another humanoid shaped fog slips into the control room. Its torso, head, and arms seemingly made of knots of fog with glowing eyes. Below the waist trails off into a vaporous trail of nothingness. It touches the nearest officer in the room, blood ripping from the man's veins to stream into the creature's mouth to line the fog with streaks of red.
Kilgour: "Priest! A Crimson Death! Can you turn it?"
The Catholic Priest stands in front of the creature with his cross out. He reaches into a pocket to bring out a small vial of holy water, unstoppering it with his thumb.
Priest: "By God's Will, I can try!"
The Priest splashes the Holy Water on the Crimson Death, which causes the blood it has just stolen to bubble and boil away. As he screams at it in Latin, it begins to retreat.
This is when a shadowy figure in a tattered dark cloak comes up through the floor, pointing skeletal fingers at those in the room. It grabs Edmund Maclellen on both sides of the face.
Edmund's face begins shriveling as does the rest of his body as his life force is ripped from his body.
Kilgour: "Spectre!"
Captain Kilgour steps between the spirit and the Priest as the Priest is still trying to banish the Crimson Death.
Kilgour: "A little more haste, Priest!"
The Crimson Death starts to dissolve, but that's when two Ghosts, an Allip, a Wight, and a Wraith enter the control room.
Ten minutes later, a voice is heard over the communication counter.
"We're being overrun! Is anyone there? Hello? Is anyone there?"
A quick look across the control room reveals only the dead. Spirits fly around the ship as corporeal dead climb onto the sides of the ship to seize control.
"Hello? We need help! Please!"
The feed cuts off half-way through a pained scream.
Opening
As people are coming in to take their seats, the JumboTron lights up to begin playing "I, Zombie" by White Zombie.
Once it finishes playing, a woman's emotionless voice comes over the PA system.
"Hello and welcome to IWA Onslaught. An inescapable danger is coming this way in the form of numberless undead. Once you are inside of the arena, please do not leave for any reason unless instructed to do so by management. For your safety. Thank you and have a pleasant show..."
We go down to the commentary table where sit Jane Coughlin and Neil Dizon.
Dizon: "I hated them when they were not all trying to kill us..."
Coughlin: "Well, I'm sure it'll all work out. It has in the past."
Dizon: "Tell that to Matthew Empson, Erica Kelly, and Rose Johnston..."
Coughlin: "Well, let's get down to the ring before the mood darkens and we cause the people listening in to cut their wrists."
Dizon: "You have a knife?"
Coughlin: "NO!"
Triple Threat
Theobald: "This next match is a three way dance scheduled for one fall! Featuring first, weighing in at two hundred and fifteen pounds..."Deathstryke" Cyan Komar!"
"War Ensemble" by Slayer begins as Cyan Komar walks down to the ring in a black ninja outfit, his sword at his waist, and his cybernetic hand glinting in the light. The crowd ignores him about as much as he ignores them. He leaps over the top rope into his own corner, placing his sword on the ring apron before turning around to lean in the corner.
Coughlin: "I had heard that Cyan has been spending a lot of time in Japan of late, dealing with personal issues."
Dizon: "I also heard that he was in London not long ago, busting out KD Bacchus. No one seems to care about the Old Royal Family anymore, so no one cared that Bacchus went free."
Theobald: "And his opponent, weighing in at one hundred and ninety pounds...Jessica Tendonin!"
Imaginary fills the arena as the lights go dim. After a few seconds, Jessica steps out onto the stage, nodding to the crowd and smiling. She taps both shoulders and looks down at the ring. She then shakes her wrists, loosening up. The lights brighten and the crowd begins cheering louder as Jessica begins walking down the ramp. Looking at the fans on either side of the walkway, Jessica waves to them, her smile delighting them, her waves enchanting them. Stopping in front of the ring, she looks at it, her smile fading ever so slightly.
Jessica walks to the corner and goes up the steps before bending over and into the ring over the second rope. She runs to the farthest corner and climbs the turnbuckle, folding her arms across her chest and looking at the surrounding faces of the fans. She steps off the turnbuckle and looks at the referee, waiting for the action to get going.
Coughlin: "It was a heck of a match she put on in the defense of her Bloodstain title at the Apex Aquadome. I wonder how she feels from going to main evening to opening?"
Dizon: "I'd be pissed if I were her."
Theobald: "And the final opponent, weighing in at one hundred pounds...Janella Carter!"
There's silence as Janella Carter walks out from the back to make her way to the ring. A few fans make the effort to boo this unknown, but otherwise no one seems to care.
Coughlin: "I'm not sure who this person is."
Dizon: "Someone to feed the beasts in this match?"
As the bell rings to start the match, Cyan quickly grabs at Janella Carter. He grabs at her shoulders and hips in lightning procession, dropping her to the mat. She begins screaming in pain once she lands.
Dizon: "What? What the heck did he just do?"
Coughlin: "If I'm reading the notes here right. It is the Kansetsu Waza or Grasping Hand Atemi. Cyan just dislocated Janella's shoulders and hips. It's a technique outlawed in many places."
Dizon: "Daaammmn."
Jessica comes at Cyan, but he turns and claps his hands...and the sound knocks Jessica into the corner!
Coughlin: "A variation of the Open Hand Atemi. Cyan is going for the quick kill tonight!"
Dizon: "Seems like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me..."
Cyan goes for the pinfall on the screaming Janella.
One...Two...Three!
Theobald: "Winner of the match via pinfall...Cyan Komar!"
Jessica Tendonin stands up, glaring at Cyan as he bows briefly to her. She leaps from the ring, taking to the air to fly to the back. Cyan turns his attentions back to Janella, using his skills to put her dislocated limbs back into place.
Coughlin: "At least he helped her after breaking her."
Dizon: "So noble...not."
Last Chance
Burn the Channel!
Queen Druscilla stands in a control room, looking over several monitors at satellite streams of the English Channel.
It's not a good sight.
Nearly the entire North Atlantic Fleet absorbed by the undead.
Admiral Graeme Woodhouse stands nearby, also looking at the screens with a grim expression.
Woodhouse: "This is...this is...unacceptable! These filthy creatures have no respect for the power that we represent, your Majesty! Do they not understand that Britain is King of the Seven Seas?"
Druscilla chuckles.
Druscilla: "The dead do not respect anything, but raw power. It's a trait that we share..."
Druscilla's eyes glint violet for a second before going back to normal. Admiral Woodhouse uncomfortably clears his throat.
Woodhouse: "Well, that is. We have a plan."
Druscilla: "Oh good. I wondered if I was paying you for nothing."
Admiral Woodhouse sniffs, but otherwise doesn't respond to the remark. He clicks on one of the screens to reveal a missile blueprint.
Woodhouse: "This is the Holy Starfire missile. The missile has a fuel-air bomb within of blessed jellied fuel. It will explode over the target, spreading the blessed fire over many miles. We have enough to burn the entire undead fleet."
Druscilla watches the screen for a time before responding.
Druscilla: "We will destroy the ships we lost, but do it. We can rebuild ships. Once the dead overtake all of Britain...it will be just like Spain and France. Dead."
Admiral Woodhouse nods, pressing a button on a console.
Woodhouse: "You may proceed. Fire the Holy Starfire salvo."
"Yes, sir."
Druscilla and Admiral Woodhouse watch as the missiles streak from silos in South England to strike their targets in the English Channel. The explosions are impressive as the fiery fuel spreads out to engulf the entire fleet, but no damage is done.
Far from it. The fiery fuel seems to implode into a single point. A stream of flame is sent back at England, splitting off into smaller tributaries until they strike each hidden silo from which the missiles were launched from.
The ground shakes as a silo a few miles away explodes in fury. Admiral Woodhouse looks at Druscilla with a pale face.
Woodhouse: "How? How did they-"
Druscilla: "Eteokles! I feel his power at play here."
Woodhouse: "I'm sorry, but who? I mean your Majesty, who is this?"
Druscilla: "A powerful lich from Greece. Athens to be exact. I thought I had slain him long ago when he had tried to discover the powers that Nebiryau had locked away within himself when I had transformed him into a Vampire. He must have had support of the Necromancers that follow Thamptis, but it is clear that at least Eteokles is with them. This battle has become a lot more dangerous."
Admiral Woodhouse wipes sweat from his brow with a sigh.
Woodhouse: "What will we do to stop them?"
Druscilla: "They will make landfall. That much is certain, but my last resurrection has given me new powers. It's time I tried to use them to their fullest extent to help save us all."
Rojas vs j0ker
Theobald: "Ladies and gentlemen, no one has heard from either the j0ker or Rodrigo Ramon Rojas. So, if either of you are indeed in the back, if you make it to the ring...you win."
Coughlin: "I wonder what could be going on here?"
Dizon: "People not coming here because they don't want killed by millions of undead?"
Coughlin: "Seems reasonable when you put it that way."
"Personal Jesus" by Johnny Cash begins as Rodrigo Ramon Rojas makes his way down to the ring to the cheering of the crowd.
Coughlin: "I doubt the fans know who this is, but they would love him more than that psychotic j0ker girl."
Dizon: "Well? This is true."
Theobald: "The winner by default...Rod-"
Rodrigo places a hand on Stephan's shoulder, shaking his head. He pulls off a lifelike mask to reveal j0ker!
Coughlin: "You know...this doesn't even shock me anymore."
Dizon: "I know, right?"
Theobald: "Your winner...j0ker!"
Pinfalls Count Anywhere, No DQ
Theobald: "This next match is a pinfalls count anywhere, no disqualification match scheduled for one fall! Featuring first, hailing from Killswitch Island...Zolothach!"
"Cthulhu, high priest of madness" by Nox Arcana starts. "Zolothach" Tabitha Osborne comes out from the back, kneeling in prayer as the words of the song echo throughout the arena. When the music starts, she opens her eyes with a smile. She vanishes from the spot, appearing in the ring.
The crowd doesn't seem to care, booing her for all their worth.
Dizon: "Zolothach is a crazy bitch."
Coughlin: "This is certainly true."
Theobald: "And her opponent, hailing from Valhalla, Asgard...Lenneth!"
A golden light bathes the arena as ‘Die with Honor’ by Manowar plays over the PA and, after a few moments, the Bifrost opens and Lenneth appears, with another Valkyrie, looking around at the crowd as she raises her spear and cries out “ODIN!” She makes her way to the ring, slowly removing her helmet, cloak, spear and shield and entrusting them to the other Valkyrie to guard as she steps into the ring, awaiting her opponent and taking in the crowd again.
Coughlin: "The crowd loving the Valkyrie now that Britain isn't with Carthage."
Dizon: "I thought they were always with her?"
Coughlin: "Yes, but now the crowd isn't being told to boo her or else..."
Dizon: "Oh, right!"
The bell rings to start the match, Lenneth slams into Tabitha with a shoulder, driving her into the corner.
Lenneth continues her assault in the corner with a combination of punches and knees until the ref commands that she back away. Lenneth does so begrudgingly, gritting her teeth as Tabitha giggles with blood dripping from a busted lip.
Coughlin: "Why is she just so crazy?"
Dizon: "That is something that several Doctors have written entire books on in the many years that she's been in the asylum on Killswitch Island."
Lenneth moves to attack Tabitha again, but the ref steps in the way to halt her. While the two argue, Tabitha holds onto the ropes, lifts her feet to the second turnbuckle, and launches herself at Lenneth when the ref moves. She takes Lenneth down with a massive clothesline. She grabs Lenneth by the hair, slamming the back of her head into the mat a few times before rolling away.
Tabitha remains crouched as Lenneth stands up, leaping at her to catch Lenneth with a spear to go up into the air. Lenneth holds onto Tabitha, twisting around, and dropping to land Tabitha on her head in a monstrous ddt!
Dizon: "I felt that one!"
Coughlin: "A mighty reversal!"
Lenneth pulls Tabitha up, dropping her back to the mat with a gutwrench suplex back to the mat. She rises quickly, but dives back at Tabitha, striking her in the jaw with a diving uppercut.
Before Lenneth can get back up, Tabitha curls her arm around the back of her beck to bring Lenneth's face down to her.
Osborne: "I bet you still think we're trying to capture you..."
A bright flash of light and the sound of an explosion fills the arena as Lenneth is sent nearly a hundred feet straight up into the air.
Dizon: "What the blutz?"
Coughlin: "Blutz?"
Dizon: "Don't mock my shock!"
Tabitha stands up, giggling as she watches Lenneth sail through the air. Her giggle ceases when Lenneth grabs her on the way down, lifting her up into the air as her feet hit the ground, and hurling her as if for a power bomb from the ring.
Tabitha hits the concrete floor, smashing into the security railing, sending it through the first row of fans.
Dizon: "Holy crap! Lenneth just killed Tabitha!"
Coughlin: "I heard that Tabitha had been ejected from the Dark Warlock's flying castle like a missile. I'm pretty sure that she's still alive."
Lenneth leaps over the top rope to land next to Tabitha on the floor. She grabs Tabitha by the throat, ripping her up into the air with a snarl.
Lenneth: "Speak not riddles to me! What are you speaking of?"
Lenneth drops Tabitha to the floor once a fireball strikes her in the face. Tabitha hits the floor, gathered Lenneth up into a fireman's carry, dropping Lenneth's throat across the security railing.
Osborne: "Would I speak in riddles? I only say that you are obsolete..."
Tabitha pulls Lenneth to her feet, kneeing her in the gut, and sending her straight into the ringpost.
Dizon: "Then Ta-Zolothach just killed Lenneth?"
Coughlin: "Doubtful."
Dizon: "Did you see rhe front row get splattered by blood?"
Couglin: "Still, Valkyries are tougher than that."
Tabitha starts running and is halfway down the aisle before Lenneth stands up. Tabitha turns around with a giggle and a sing-song voice.
Osborne: "Come and get me, honey!"
Lenneth stands up, wiping blood from her face. She looks down the aisle in a fury, giving chase.
Coughlin: "I don't know if chasing Zolothach is a good idea."
Dizon: "She has back up nearby."
Lenneth rushes into the back, but is met by a steel chair upside the head.
Tabitha throws the broken chair down beside Lenneth with a foul laugh.
Osborne: "Oh you Asgardians think the world just revolves around you. Did it not occur to you that Lord Thamptis can get what he wants without you?"
Tabitha kicks Lenneth in the side of the head, sending her though a wall and into a storage room full of wrestling props.
Tabitha jumps in through the hole with a laugh.
Osborne: "What will your little whore chicks do without you? When they don't have the Norse Pimp Queen to send them to the battlefields to pick up dead men?"
Tabitha leans down to pick Lenneth up, but she swings up a bamboo switch, catching Tabitha across the belly. She jumps back with a yelp.
Osborne: "Think you can stop me with a hardcore match toy?"
Lenneth: "No, but it will give me the space to do this!"
Lenneth hurls a sledgehammer, slamming Tabitha in the midsection to double her over.
Coughlin: "Zolothach running her mouth is going to cost her this match!"
Dizon: "It wouldn't be the first time, but I wonder if she's even trying hard to win?"
Tabitha gets back to all fours, coughing blood onto the floor. She kneels up with a curse.
Osborne: "I'll see you-"
Lenneth spingboards off of the wall, spearing Tabitha back through the wall and into the hallway. She pulls Tabitha back up, flinging her back out onto the entranceway.
Lenneth strides out, nailing a drop kick that sends Tabitha off of the stage and down to the concrete floor. She waits for Tabitha to slowly get to her feet and dives for a cross body, but Tabitha turns, grabbing a mounted camera, ripping it from the mount, and slamming it into Lenneth with enough force to send her into the side of the stage.
Dizon: "Are they planning on tearing this whole arena apart?"
Coughlin: "Maybe."
Lenneth gets up, knocking wreckage aside as she stands up. Her armor, shield, and spear manifest as she sneers.
Lenneth: "Does this look obsolete to you?"
Tabitha drops to her knees in fright with her hands in the air.
Osborne: "Oh no, the great Queen of the Valkyries wishes me irreparable harm! I give! I give!"
Lenneth points the spear at Tabitha even as the bell rings to end the match.
Lenneth: "Tell me why Thamptis no longer requires the bifrost?"
Osborne: "My Lord has been promised a way. Not that you will live to see the war end..."
Tabitha opens her mouth wider than thought possible, sending a gout of flame at Lenneth, blinding her. Tabitha steals Lenneth's spear and runs her through the belly, pinning her to the wall.
Osborne: "You win this match, and you'll survive this wound, but you won't be in fighting condition for what goes on outside of these walls at this very moment."
Dizon: "She just tried to kill Lenneth?"
Coughlin: "Sure looks like it."
Theobald: "The winner of this match via pinfall...Lenneth!"
Landfall of the Dead
Field Marshal Percy Landseer watches as his Imperial soldiers get into position alongside Shocktroopers from Warhammer Europe and indeed, anyone willing to pick up weapons and fight.
They've had heavy assault weapons sending out shells into the fleet as best as they could for awhile now to see if they could do any damage to little effect.
The dark waters, poisoned by the filth of the undead has reached the shores. The stench alone has taken the fight out of many of his soldiers.
"The gaze alone of some of these creatures can kill. What hope do we have?"
Percy shakes his head with a grim laugh at the complaints of a nearby soldier.
Landseer: "It will be a true test of our courage, of our will to live. Would you simply run and let all of the lives North of us pay for your cowardice? Or would you steel your will and fight to the bitter end?"
The soldier looks down, shamed.
"No, sir. I will die before Britain is allowed to become like Spain and France."
Landseer: "Good. The first wave of the mindless zombie are crawling onto the beaches. Let us welcome them to Britain, shall we?"
The soldier nods, readying his rifle, and making the sign of the cross.
Field Marshall Percy Landseer runs to the beach where zombies, sheletons, ghouls, and other unholy mindless undead of begun crawling up onto the shore after spilling from ships.
Ships manned by intellient undead that have opened fire on Percy's ranks at short range...
Percy raises his sabre over his head.
Landseer: "See that these creatures die a final death! FOR THE QUEEN!"
A rousing war cry joins Percy's as they begin opening fire on the advancing undead.
"FOR THE QUEEN!!"
The mindless undead are simple to gun down with enough ammo being expended. It's when faster intelligent undead and spirits hit the shore alongside shelling from the former ships of British, Spanish, and French Navies that the Imperial army begin to lose ground.
Landseer: "Hold up the line! Make room for the Spectral Division!"
More Imperial soldiers rush into the area with weapons that look a lot like what you would find in the Ghostbuster movies...except they destroy instead of capture.
This helps rally the troops into pushing the tide of undead back.
That is until the ground begins to shake. Field Marshall Percy Landseer looks up to see a gigantic creature of earth and stone. Tombstones and bones peeking out of different places on the nearly twenty-five foot tall monster. It grabs people up, stuffing them inside of it to be crushed to death by the stones within, growing in mass with each death. Percy swallows hard as the creature is quickly upon him and he looks up to see it staring down at him.
At this point, he could run, but he'd never make it away. He points his sabre at the monster with a shout on his lips.
"FOR THE QUEEN!"
Myth of King Goldenfire
On an island in the Atlantic Ocean, Terel Walker, Allen Anderson, and a young man in a priceless Warhammer designed business suit walk around the perimeter of what appears to be an old monastery.
The young man is Jeremiah Vastrix, son to Warhammer CEO, Micheal Vastrix. The suit he wears is a state of the art hidden armor, but it also has a wide range of electronic systems in it as well. A business class combat suit if you will.
Walker: "We could have gone here in the first place, Anderson? This doesn't make up for being imprisoned-"
Anderson: "Oh we've both spent our time being imprisoned when suicide missions could have freed us. It was all for the greater good as well. Get over it! Besides, if I had known about this place beforehand, we would not have gone near Desolation!"
Vastrix: "That's sort of on me, but I didn't know you were doing this sooo not really? Besides, I was busy learning how to take command of the company when Dad retires."
They get to the front doors of the building to see that they've been blown off of their hinges. Anderson begins laughing.
Anderson: "You were busy having an affair with your instructor, Jay!"
Jeremiah smiles sheepishly.
Vastrix: "Well, maybe..."
Terel Walker shakes his head at the two while examining the blast marks on the door.
Walker: "These marks were done by magic. You think the inside is?"
All thoughts of joking cast aside, the three enter inside. They find shredded robes and the bones of human skeletons. Jeremiah kneels by one of the skeletons with concern.
Vastrix: "This has been done not long ago. You see this? These bones are pockmarked from being scravished by teeth. I've seen this before. When Dad and I visited Sikarin Tsooth. His servants, I forget their names, were cannibalistic spellcasters. Super creepy."
They look around at the battle damage done to the area and the eaten bodies everywhere.
Anderson: "So, Sikarin Tsooth attacked with his servants and killed everyone here?"
Walker: "Looks like it. Let's just get to the library to see if the knowledge about King Goldenfire is here."
Nearly six hours later of searching, they find a book that contains the tale of King Goldenfire.
****************
Long ago, long buried back in the mists of myth and legend...an all powerful being known as Skalar the Chaos Mage ruled the world. He sat up on high in a mountain fortress that changed locations at the start of every dawn. His followers were his Right and Lefts Hands and Five Overlords who each commanded near limitless armies.
Being under the heel of dread tyrants for so long gave birth to nations of humanity who gathered together for protection. One such nation was in what we now know as Africa.
The Kingdom of Neerick.
They have scored victory after victory against the Overlord who held the region, helping the rise of several allied nations. His name was Barack Goldenfire. He was a national hero that was celebrated by all. His feats of strength and ability where legend.
Though not all was right with the world as before each major battle, Barack was visited by Sikarin Tsooth. He gave Barack a white power that was taken through the nose. It was what gave Barack the power he needed to strike down evil, but at a price.
Barack Goldenfire was manipulated into murdering the King in secret. He was so beloved by the people that he was made the new King of Neerick. It was then that Sikarin demanded that King Goldenfire surrender the nation that nearly all others looked to as an example. Barack refused, and Sikarin refused to give him more of the powder.
With the new King going through drug withdrawal, the Overlord began marching with his full force to crush Neerick once and for all.
That's when Barack discovered that he possessed the power within him all along to battle evil. He rode out with a small host of warriors to meet the Overlord head on.
Though the battle was long and hard, King Goldenfire rodes back home at the head of a victorious host with the head of the Overlord under his arm.
This victory provided inspiration for many other far flung nations and organizations to begin a long and bitter war against the Chaos Mage.
When it came to the final battles when the Tentarians (a group of powerful wizards and warriors) led the final charge, King Barack Goldenfire went along with Mortamir Black as they traveled into the mountain fortress to battle Skalar himself.
They did battle with Sikarin Tsooth and defeated him in battle. Mortamir Black used the Staff of the Seven Elders to confine Sikarin into a single form and bind him, but not before the damage had been done. Sikarin transformed King Goldenfire into a form of stone before the final blow was struck.
Once the Chaos Mage was defeated, Mortamir Black and even the Tentarian leaders, the Seven Elders, tried to undo the Curse of Stone, but to no avail.
And thus King Goldenfire stood at the entrance to the Royal Palace of Neerick while spellcasters from around the world researched different spells on how to break the curse.
At the fall of Neerick during a tragic war known as the War of the Witch Hunt when a mad King began a war against all supernaturally powered beings, the statue was lost.
It was discovered many years later by Neerickian mercenaries, who kept the statue at their camp. The statue was stolen by the Sinister Peace, a Circle of Fire member who was a Merchant Prince in Ethiopia. He wanted control of the strange powers exhibited by the Neerickian Warlords and so used the statue to blackmail them.
The statue was buried after the Neerickian rebellion, which helped bring the Urizar family into power.
********
Jeremiah points at a map that is inside of the book that they are looking at. It is a hand written map of Africa.
Vastrix: "There! Goldenfire is buried there! If I remember right, that's where Ignado Urizar was hiding out from his father."
When Anderson and Walker look at him, Jeremiah smiles.
Vastrix: "What? Just because I do more playing than I do keeping up with things, doesn't mean I don't know some secrets."
Walker: "Is there anything special about the area that we should know about?"
Vastrix: "I don't think so? It's a pit of hidden evil and terror. Is that something special?"
Walker: "Do we know how to bring him from this curse?"
Anderson: "No idea, but we can consider capturing Sikarin Tsooth and getting the info out of him."
Walker: "So...brave a pit of evil and despair from the Satanist Son of the Evil Cardinal and then capture an all powerful evil wizard to interrogate him. Why don't I work on details ASA's next move while the two of you go out and die? You doing this before or after Moscow?"
Allen looks to Jeremiah, who shrugs with a crooked smile.
Vastrix: "I haven't almost died a horrible death in nearly two weeks. Why the heck not?"
Anderson: "Sounds fine to me. You sure about this, Terel? I would say after Moscow. That way we have enough support."
Walker: "Oh good. Yeah, I spent enough time in the Depths of Faith. Thanks."
They start packing up their findings when Jeremiah let's out a yelp of surprise.
Vastrix: "The next ASA show is in Moscow? Where that Tsar is also some giant lizard guy and that his creepy kids are killing everyone to turn them into lizard kids?"
Anderson: "Yeah. We're going to help our World champion kill him."
Vastrix: "How you going to do that? Wait, don't tell me. Can I come?"
Terel cocks his head, looking at the smiling Jeremiah Vastrix as if he were quite insane.
Walker: "Do you have some kind of death wish? I mean, yes, but really? Death wish?"
Jeremiah reaches into an inside pocket on his suit jacket, pulling out a diamond encrusted flask. He takes a pull off of it before returning it back.
Vastrix: "Let's look at it like this. I am in the process of learning everything I need to know about the Warhammer Corporation to take control when my Dad retires or should something happen to him. My elder brothers also prepared for this, and they died. I'm pretty sure Father had them killed in thinking that they might also try their hand at Patricide like he did. Now, he insists I learn this. Do I know that he isn't going to lapse back into paranoid delusions and have me killed? No. So should I seek out danger, or let it seek out me? I will either be dead one day or in charge of the largest corporation in the entire world with a target on my back. What difference does it make? If I made a difference or not. I choose to make a difference! Even if only like I have so far in making a Rock Star number of bastard children..."
Walker: "You had me until the bastard children. Shall we go?"
Vastrix: "Let's go! I hadn't been in Moscow since I was doing some training in that Russian wrestling martial art thing. I was there for three whole months before they found out that three of my female students were with baby. Oops."
Walker: "Moving on. Anderson, you think that this King Goldenfire can really help us out?"
Anderson: "I have no idea, but any hope is some hope at this point."
Great Escape Championship
Theobald: "This next match is scheduled to be in a steel cage and is for the IWA Great Escape championship! Featuring first the challenger, weighing in at two hundred and thirty-four pounds...Tony Manzell!"
"Cigaro" by System of a Down begins playing as Brice St Vient walks out from the back. He looks at the sinister looking cage with a bit of a smile, walking up to it as the crowd cheers him on.
Dizon: "Vient has been struggling here since a lot of his opponents are supernaturally powered. A mortal man amongst Gods."
Coughlin: "It's worked so far for Tony Man-wait just a minute! Why is Brice St Vient coming down to the ring when it's clearly Tony Manzell's match?"
Brice St Vient gets into the ring with a smile and wave to the fans.
St Vient: "Manzell couldn't be here tonight, allergic to undead hordes and all that. So, I have been approved to take his place!"
Theobald: "And his opponent, weighing in at two hundred and seventy-five pounds...Zareth Korbin!"
"Hall of The Mountain King" by Apocalpytica begins as Zareth Korbin storms out like a man possessed. He growls at booing fans as he passes them down to the ring, getting inside with his hammer still on his wrist. The ref asks for it, but when Zareth looks at him...the ref backs away quickly.
Dizon: "Something has Zareth pissed off..."
Coughlin: "Sure seems that way. I wonder where Manzell is?"
Dizon: "He's allergic to undead hordes. I should have called in for the same reason!"
Brice St Vient and Zareth Korbin stand on opposite sides of the ring as the bell rings to start the match. Zareth growls, swinging his hammer around in tight circles.
Korbin: "I thought I was avenging my defeat by some extraordinarily lucky mortal. I thought I was going to get a challenge here. I get you instead...Valora's leftovers."
Brice St Vient smiles, cocking his head and putting on an expression of fake sympathy.
St Vient: "Is the big bad consort going to cry? In a Kingdom where the Women where the pants...where's your skirt?"
Brice doesn't get to speak anymore as the hammer slams into the side of his face, knocking him down. The hammer carries through to strike the cage with a solid blow, a metallic ringing echoing through the crowd. The wall of the cage comes down on top of the crowd and Zareth simply walks out of the cage. He strolls past the bleeding Brice, picks up his hammer, and jumps down to the floor.
Dizon: "What the-"
Coughlin: "Language this time!"
Crews work rapidly to get the cage off of the crowd, though they seem to not be too badly effected with danger being a normal part of IWA wrestling shows.
Dizon: "Well, Zareth won the title, but not against the person he wanted to face."
Coughlin: "Gold is still gold. I bet he'll still be a little happy."
Theobald: "Winner of the match and NEW IWA Great Escape champion...Zareth Korbin!"
Paris Underground
Deep underneath the dire remains of Paris, France...
A group of Solar Guard elite Shocktroopers walk down bone lined walls. At the lead is Solar Guard Commander, Silverus Faust. In the center of the twelve man party is a motorized wheel chair with a life support system that contains the form of Warhammer North America Director, Sebastian Jalabert, and the white elf known as Shaiaya.
Sebastian doesn't pay too much mind to the death all around him, neither do his Solar Guard. Shaiaya looks around at her with some disgust, absently scratching at her collar.
Shaiaya: "The entrance to the subtunnel where the sword was hidden by the Catholic Church should be around here someplace. Though, we need to be careful. Humans are sometimes released down here and are hunted for sport before devoured."
Jalabert: "Sounds like a fun time. That is why I have armed my Solar Guard with weapons from Warhammer Australia. Hakim Firath is a paranoid fool, but he does have people who can destroy undead monsters."
Commander Faust raises a hand for the group to stop.
Faust: "I have movement up ahead."
At a t-junction up ahead, a pair of zombie start to shuffle through. They would have kept going, but one of them stop to sniff at the air. He elbows the other to get his attention.
When they look at the Solar Guard, a Solar Guard steps in front of Commander Faust to open up a flamethrower to turn the two into ashes almost instantly.
Commander Faust looks at a device built into his forearm for a moment before signaling an all clear.
They continue on, following Commander Faust until they get to a large chamber with a large square engraved slab of stone in the middle of the chamber that sets it off from the shelves of ancient dead around them. Shaiaya looks around nervously.
Shaiaya: "I don't have any powers, but something still feels wrong here."
Commander Faust walks back to stand by Jalabert and chuckles.
Faust: "Of course it's wrong. You think that there is a Necromancer that might sense the destruction of his or her creatures?"
Shaiaya: "There could be, but it's really hard to predict. So many undead were created spontaneously at the end of the Fourth Punic War just by the amount of Necromancy being cast in the region."
Just then, all of the heads of the skeletons in the room turn to look at the gathered party with red glowing eyes. They open their mouths to let out a chorus of inhuman screeches.
Sebastian Jalabert nods as he lights up a cigarette, causing his life support systems to cry out in alarm as well.
Jalabert: "Do be a good chap and break these once people apart, will you?"
Commander Faust looks at Sebastian for a minute, but his expression is unreadable through the helmet. He turns to see the skeletons getting down to slowly surround them. He grabs a warhammer from his waist.
Faust: "Blunt weapons, gentlemen! Break 'em down!"
The Solar Guard break out maces, clubs, warhammers, and other blunt weapons as the skeletons near. The warhammer of Commander Faust takes on a silvery glow, humming as he thumbs a switch to reveal his higher class of weapon than the others beneath his station.
They form a circle around Director Jalabert and Shaiaya, attacking the leering skeletons as they come near with blows that shatter the brittle bones of the long dead into dust.
Despite possessing supernatural strength, the skeletons cannot pierce the carapace armor of the Shocktroopers, and fall quickly to them.
They all clear away the stone slab after the last skeleton crumbles to dust.
Jalabert: "So the sword is in a chamber under here?"
Shaiaya: "Yes."
As they look upon the engraving that bears the image of Jesus Christ upon the cross, there is an indentation in his side. A better description would be hole.
Sebastian points to one of the Solar Guard with a grin.
Jalabert: "Back onto the slab, gentlemen. You place your spear into the wound."
Everyone gets back onto the slab and the man shoves his spear into the wound.
The slab rumbles for a few minutes before slowly gliding down a hundred feet. It opens to a small hallway to a sword that simply sits on a display rack.
Commander Faust starts to walk down the hallway while looking at the device on his forearm, when Sebastian lays a hand on his elbow.
Jalabert: "This is my quest. Unhook me from this infernal machine and let me finish it."
Faust: "Sir? You'll die if you're unhooked!"
Jalabert: "If this is the Eden Sword, then I will be fine. If not, then I will be dead, and you'll be in the service of the new Director. Nothing will blow up if I die at least."
Sebastian chuckles as Silverus unlocks the safety measures to be able to release Sebastian from the life support system. Shaiaya and another Solar Guardsman help Sebastian out of the chair. He winces as the parts of the life support system come out of the implants along his back, but he remains silent. He shakes them off straighten his expensive custom suit before taking his first few shaky steps towards the sword.
Once he gets far enough away, Silverus takes his helmet off, leaning by Shaiaya.
Faust: "If this is some kind of trick or deception that kills my Director, I will put a bullet through your head. The collar will remain on your body to make sure you stay dead. You hear me, bitch?"
Shaiaya narrows her eyes, coming almost nose to nose with Silverus.
Shaiaya: "There is no trick, dog. He will become Immortal with great power. Once the Dark Warlock is dead and I am free to have the collar removed, we will speak again."
Shaiaya and Silverus break apart to look down the hallway as their is a collective gasp. Sebastian Jalabert has stopped halfway down and is leaning against the wall, coughing up blood onto the floor.
Faust: "This is stupid. He can't live without the life support systems! I'm going down there!"
Shaiaya: "No! Do not dishonor your master by coddling him at this late hour. He has survived longer than any human without supernatural blood. Let him finish this!"
Sebastian Jalabert begins walking again, placing one foot in front of the other as he walks down the hallway. Blood and other unknown fluids leak from his back. He nearly falls to the floor before he gets to the sword, but manages to stay up.
He grabs the sword hilt, dropping to his knees.
Jalabert: "You...are...mine..."
Though he cannot breathe, a stream of words escapes his lips. Words that he does not understand, even as they leave his lips. Once completed, he breathes in deep on his own for the first time in years. He let's out a primal scream as the cybernetic implants in his body are ejected with the force of a bullet. They shatter against the walls, blood splattering everywhere before the wounds quickly seal themselves.
The grey thinning hair thickens into a nutty brown. The gaunt flesh becomes full with a healthy glow. He rises fully to his feet with a confident smile, the sword in his hand.
Jalabert: "I am the Master of the Eden Sword!"
Bloodstain Championship
Theobald: "It has come to my attention that this match has been delayed and will be rescheduled to the next Onslaught. Both Roux Delacroix and Iro Waters have been spotted outside of the arena, fighting the monsters that are out there at this moment. Interns have been sent outside to inform the two of their match, but these interns are now presumed dead. Thank you."
Dizon: "Roux and Iro are fighting the undead? Well, at least someone is doing something."
Coughlin: "Yes, but it sucks that it cost the fans here tonight a great match."
Dizon: "True enough, but it can't be helped. Maybe they'll even survive the night so that they can have that next match."
Coughlin: "We can only wish them luck."
World Non-Title, 2 out of 3 Falls
If Valora wins the first fall then the match is over.
If Kronin wins the first fall, then it becomes a TITLE MATCH
Theobald: "This next match is scheduled for a specialty two out of three falls and is the main event of the evening! Should the challenger win the first fall, then this becomes a match for the IWA World championship! Featuring first the challenger, weighing in at two hundred and sixty-five pounds...Kronin!"
A couple quick spots of white noise is heard over the PA before ‘Ich Will' by Rammstein plays. The titan showing highlights of Kronin’s matches and Kronin marches out from the back, looking around the crowd and nodding, making his way to the ring every so often pausing to shake hands with fans and the like before climbing into the ring.
Once in the ring, Kronin warms up and begins to prepare for the coming match...
Coughlin: "Kronin looks ready for this match up."
Dizon: "I would hope so. These two have fought each other over and over throughout the years. This time, they are both on another level."
Theobald: "And his opponent, weighing in at one hundred and forty-five pounds, she is the IWA World Champion...Valora Salinas!"
"Death Triumphant" by My Dying Bride begins playing as Valora Salinas walks out from the back with a wide grin, the IWA World Championship belt around her waist. She takes in the boos from the fans with a laugh before heading down to the ring. She stops as a rather vocal man at the security railing speaks about her rule in Mexico. She stops and kisses the man.
Dizon: "If you insult Valora, she kisses you?"
Coughlin: "You don't want that kiss..."
When Valora is finished, a dry husk of a corpse is left to fall to the floor. The crowd near the man quickly go silent in order to not raise her ire.
Once in the ring, Valora mockingly bows to Kronin with a smirk.
Salinas: "I heard Lilly is tending to Lenneth's wound. No support for you tonight."
Kronin shakes his head with a grin.
Kronin: "I heard Tabitha went outside to play. No support for you either."
Salinas: "I need no support to crush you under my heel!"
Kronin: "So you say..."
As the bell rings, Valora and Kronin close in on each other. Valora reaches out with a smile, grabbing onto Kronin's arm.
Salinas: "You are a fool to stand so close to-what?"
Kronin: "I am protected from your powers."
Kronin begins the attack, laying in a series of punches to drive Valora back before dropping her to the mat with a belly to belly suplex. He quickly rolls to his feet with Valora hot on his heels. He turns, dropping backwards to slam an elbow into the side of Valora's head to send her crashing back to the mat.
They both get back up quickly with Kronin grabbing Valora to whip her into the ropes, catching her on the rebound for a spinebuster. Before standing back up, Kronin drills a fist into Valora's midsection.
Dizon: "Kronin is all offense tonight."
Coughlin: "Makes sense. If he wants this to become a World title shot, then he needs to score the first fall. If Valora scores the first fall, then this match is over!"
Kronin stands up, but Valora lays on the mat as if stunned. Kronin frowns.
Kronin: "Get up, Valora. This small amount of punishment won't defeat you."
The ref leans down to check on Valora, she reaches around the ref so he can't see her, sending a stream of dark power at Kronin that catches him in the chest, sending him back to slam into the corner. He bounces into a seated position. She then stands up with a smirk, rushing at Kronin to nail him in the head with a drop kick.
Dizon: "That was low!"
Coughlin: "And Valora wouldn't stoop low to win?"
Valora drags Kronin to his feet, but he grabs her and spins her around to slam her back into the corner. He slams into her with alternating elbow strikes, knocking Valora's head side to side like a rag doll before picking her up and dropping her face across the top turnbuckle.
Coughlin: "The Metal followed by Snake Eyes! This is heating up quick!"
Kronin picks Valora up while still near the corner, lifting her up for a power bomb, but Valora brings her knees together to smash Kronin's head, and turns to bring him down with a Hurrancanrana! She reaches back to hook both of Kronin's legs for the pinfall!
One...Two...Kronin kicks out!
Coughlin: "Valora almost ended the match right there!"
Dizon: "That would be a great victory for her if she did."
Both wrestlers are quickly up, Valora aiming a kick at Kronin's head, but he ducks it with ease. She continues to spin around before bringing her foot down on the back of Kronin's head to knock him flat on his face. She pulls him up into a suplex, walking to the middle of the ring, and then drops Kronin soundly on his head! She applies a Cripple Crossface with a grin, keeping the pressure on as Kronin flails about.
Dizon: "They're in the middle of the ring! Kronin might be finished right here!"
Coughlin: "Kronin isn't going to just submit and lose his chance for the World title."
Kronin tries to reach for the ropes, but he's too far away. He eventually places his hands on Valora's arm and they are separated with a sound like an explosion that tosses them both to opposite sides of the ring with electricity arcing between the two.
Dizon: "What the Hell?"
Coughlin: "Valora used her powers and so it's only natural that Kronin use his at some point during the match."
The ref doesn't look very pleased at the concept though and sternly warns Kronin against doing that again. It doesn't help the fact that the ref no longer has eyebrows...
Dizon: "Any other match is a power fest, but this one the ref is trying to keep clean? What gives?"
Coughlin: "Maybe it's so that the World title can gain some respect? This is Valora's first defense and her method of winning the title in the first place...was less than respectful."
Valora gets up with the aid of the corner, leaning back into it while coughing up smoke. She doesn't get much rest as Kronin is across the ring and on her in an instant, striking hard at different vital points with his fists nearly at a blurr. When he's done, he brings Valora out of the corner with a powerslam that he hooks the leg for.
Coughlin: "Soldier's Strike into a Powerslam! Does this become a World title match?"
One...Two...Thre-Valora kicks out!
Dizon: "I'm going to say no."
Kronin starts to kneel up, but Valora catches him in the throat with a punch that sends him rolling off to the side. Valora rises to her feet, wincing a bit, but that quickly changes to a smile. She waits for Kronin to stand and-
Coughlin: "Azteca Elbow Slash! And then-"
Dizon: "Gringa Killa! This one is all over for Kronin as Valora goes for the cover!"
One...Two...Thre-Kronin kicks out!
Dizon: "I'm not even going to wonder how Kronin kicks out of a move that would have put anyone down for the count."
Coughlin: "Good. Because I would hate to have to explain the properties of Godly endurance."
Valora jumps up, leaping to the top rope. She watches Kronin for a second to make sure he isn't going to get right up, and leaps through the air to land a Falling Angel! She goes for the cover again.
One...Two...Kronin kicks out!
Valora rolls away and to her feet, waiting for Kronin to get up to his hands and knees before punt kicking him in the side of the head!
Dizon: "Hey now! No blood splatter onto the commentary desk Kick that stuff another direction!"
Coughlin: "Gross..."
Valora pulls Kronin up, dropping him down in a vertical suplex. She holds onto him, bringing him up for another, and then another! She grabs both of his legs, planting herself directly on his face to smother him while going for the pinfall yet again.
Dizon: "Someone's going to anger Lilly if Valora's going to try to get a mustache ride while going for the pinfall!"
Coughlin: "Umm..."
One...Two...Three!
NO! Kronin has a foot up on the ropes!
Valora stands up, looking angry, but she keeps it in check as she drags Kronin to his feet, slipping behind him for a full nelson that she turns into a face slam. She climbs to the top rope, perching as she waits for Kronin to stand again.
She leaps off the top rope for a missile drop kick, but Kronin catches her around the middle, swings her around, and-
Coughlin: "Beautiful Disaster! Kronin goes for the pinfall!"
One...Two...Three!
Theobald: "Now that Kronin has scored the first fall...this has become a match for the IWA World Championship!"
The crowd cheers as Kronin gets up, backing to his corner to wait for the bell to be rung to start the match again. Valora slowly stands up to get to her own corner, glaring death at Kronin all the while.
Dizon: "She is not very happy at all!"
The two rush at each other as the bell rings, but Kronin ducks under a missed punch to slip behind Valora, bringing her down with a German suplex!
Dizon: "Uh oh! Is the German Suplex Machine getting warmed up?"
And then another German suplex! And another! And another!
Kronin rises to his knees, grabbing Valora again, and applying a Pankration Shoulder Lock. Valora reaches for the ropes, but they're a few feet out of reach. That's when both Valora and Kronin slide across the ring as if being dragged so that Valora can grab the ropes. The ref frowns, but makes Kronin break the move.
Dizon: "The ref isn't going to warn Valora?"
Coughlin: "That's what it looks like."
Kronin and Valora stand up, but Kronin gets to her first, bringing Valora to the center of the ring with a Northern Lights Suplex. He hooks the leg for the pinfall.
One...Two...Thre-Valora kicks out!
Dizon: "Kronin almost became the World champion right there!"
Coughlin: "Close, but not quite."
Kronin starts to get up, but Valora rolls to the side to hit a low blow. She hooks Kronin's head, rolling him into a cradle for the pinfall!
One...Two...Thre-Kronin kicks out!
Kronin is up quickly, grabbing Valora as she starts to rise for a gutwrench suplex, but he turns and changes it into a power bomb that sends Valora straight to the concrete floor!
Valora is up quickly, but she falls/staggers to the ring railing.
Coughlin: "She's reaching for the fans, Kronin!"
Dizon: "Better move it!"
Kronin rushes across the ring, diving through the ropes to slams his shoulder into the small of Valora's back before she can grab onto a fan to drain his life. They both smash into the ring railing before hitting the floor.
Dizon: "I think after the match between Tabitha and Lenneth, they anchored the security railing better so that it doesn't get pushed into the fans."
Coughlin: "Probably a good idea."
Kronin rips Valora up off of the floor, whipping her into the ring steps, demolishing them. He walks over to her, pulling her up into a Gorilla Press Slam position, dropping her onto the pieces of the ring steps! He then rolls her into the ring, following close behind.
Dizon: "Did the ref not count at all?"
Couglin: "It would be a poor ending to this match if it became a double count out."
Dizon: "Well? I can give it that."
Kronin drags Valora into the center ot the ring where he applies a sharpshooter.
Coughlin: "Valora has nowhere to go and she's looking drained. She can't gather energy from Kronin and he stopped her from harvesting from the fans. This could be all she wrote!"
Dizon: "Not quite. Look!"
The ref leans down to check to see if Valora will submit and she grabs him by the shirt to bring him down close enough to lay both hands on his face!
Dizon: "No!"
It only takes a few seconds for the ref to pass out, filling Valora with new vitality. She straightenes out, sending Kronin face first into the corner with the violence of her motion. She's up and on him in a second, slamming home a Pele Kick as Kronin turns around. She flips Kronin over into the Tree of Woe position, laughing as she kicks him in the midsection and face to cause a pool of blood to form by Kronin's head.
Salinas: "You thought you were so smart, having Lilly protect you against my power. Didn't you? Forget that the ref was vulnerable?"
A new ref hits the ring wi EMTs, helping the first ref out of the ring to be taken to the back. As Valora kicks and stomps at Kronin, a smal stone falls out of his pocket and to the concrete floor. Valora smiles even wider as she places her hands on Kronin's bare chest.
Salinas: "You protection is gone. Maybe you should have swallowed the stone instead. HA!"
Kronin struggles as Valora drains his essense. That is until the new ref comes over, screaming at Valora to back away or he'll strip her title away. Valora grumbles, but backs away so that the ref can help Kronin down from the corner.
Kronin looks across the ring with a weary smile.
Kronin: "So, it's war you want? I have that in spades..."
Dizon: "What's he talking about?"
Coughlin: "No idea..."
Valora and Kronin rush at each other, but Kronin gets a kick to the gut in, grabbing Valora as if for a power bomb. He doesn't seem to be able to get Valora picked up as she tries to block the move. That's when Kronin jumps instead, into a flip that sends both wrestlers high into the air. When they impact the mat, the shockwave knocks the ref down and sends both of them through the mat to the concrete floor.
Coughlin"...Death by Metal."
Dizon: "What the Hell?"
Valora flies out of the hole to land on the mat like a rag roll. Kronin climbs out afterwards, going for the cover while hooking the leg.
One...Two...Three!!!
Dizon: "Kronin had to use his powers to get extra high into the air to be able to have such an impact!"
Coughlin: "Still...it worked to allow him to win the match!"
Theobald: "Winner of the match and NEW IWA World Champion...Kronin!"
Coughlin: "Another defeat to Carthage and her allies. We're on a roll!"
Dizon: "Hopefully this doesn't mean Thamptis destroys another part of the world..."
Coughlin: "We can only hope."
Face the Dead!
(Note: This takes place during the main event, which is why you won't see Kronin or Valora outside...)
Outside of the arena...
Gunfire beats a constant refrain as Imperial soldiers struggle to hold back the undead forces sweeping through the area.
Roux Delacroix, Lady Casidhe, and Zareth Korbin stand to the Southwest corner of the arena.
Delacroix: "If there was ever a time for you to exercise out your thirst for violence, this is it."
Zareth smiles as he sees the numberless undead coming toward the arena.
Korbin: "I do live to serve."
Zareth throws his hammer, relishing as the hammer breaks through the bodies of four zombies before flying back to his hand.
Lady Casidhe pats Zareth on the shoulder with a smile.
Casidhe: "It's ok. I have this."
Lady Casidhe waves her hands while shouting words of power, sending out a white wave of force that knocks back the undead. The power sends the undead flying backwards nearly a hundred feet with the power forming a bubble.
Zombies, skeletons, ghouls, and ghasts strike at the bubble with fists, claws, and weapons to no avail.
Delacroix: "Are you learning, Zareth?"
Roux Delacroix motions with her hands, a wall of thorned vines bursting up from the ground behind the white bubble of energy.
Delacroix: "See? We're safe."
Korbin: "We can't destroy them behind walls."
A man in a dark cloak walks to the barrier. He has two men on either side of him that appear to be blackened from fire with blazing robes while holding bright glowing crystals.
A blaze comes from them, burning the flesh from hundreds of undead around them, dropping the bones into a large pile.
Roux Delacroix steps back with Lady Casidhe following while pulling back on Zareth's shoulder.
Korbin: "What?"
Delacroix: "You might be right for once, Zareth. Be ready."
Korbin: "What are they?"
Casidhe: "An Animus with four Red Arcadians. They're casting something big..."
The scorched bones begin to move with a loud clatter, shifting and moving together until they launch up high in the shape of a giant serpent made up of bones with a monstrous head.
Casidhe: "A Boneyard."
The hands of the Animus glow brightly along with the crystals that the Red Arcadians are holding. The Boneyard is set ablaze as it rears back.
Korbin: "Ah hell!"
The head of the Fiery Boneyard bursts through the white shield, shattering it into nothing. It blazes through the wall of vines, turning them into ash.
It lashes out at Lady Casidhe with an inhuman scream with its maw open wide enough to swallow her whole.
Zareth strikes it in the side of the head with his warhammer at the last moment, sending it slamming into the ground.
The Fiery Boneyard tries to gore Zareth, but he grabs the horns and holds on with his warhammer hanging on his wrist by the strap.
Roux Delacroix shakes her head as the Animus and the Red Arcadians start walking to them.
Delacroix: "Not today!"
A great wind threatens to blow everyone away as a Great White Dragon swoops down to land behind Roux.
She points at the gathered undead spellcasters with a shout in ancient gaelic.
The White Dragon let's loose a blast of snow and ice that freezes the Red Arcadians solid, knocking them down so that they shatter into pieces.
The Animus stands in place unaffected by the breath weapon.
Animus: "You bring such a young dragon to this fight. He should have known to stay away from his betters."
Delacroix: "What?"
The animus points a single at the dragon, utters a word, and the white dragon falls dead to the ground.
Animus: "Now to deal with you."
That's when the head of the Boneyard crashes into him, casting him back into the vile fog a hundred feet back.
Roux Delacroix and Lady Casidhe look to see Zareth Korbin rising from a pile of broken, charred bones with a grin.
Korbin: "He didn't see that one coming."
Elsewhere...
Iro Waters slashes through several zombies, his left arm in the shape of an axe. The few Shocktroopers with him cheer as he brings down a dozen of the undead in seconds. He notes with a raised eyebrow that the Shocktroopers cheer despite each of them also doing rather well.
Waters: "It's not that big of a deal. Honest!"
That's when they hear the crying.
Iro Waters and the Shocktroopers see the back of a woman in a black, tattered dress through the mist. They approach, Iro reaching out to her.
Waters: "Are you alright? Miss, you shouldn't be out here."
Lady: "So much death all around. It's just so sad..."
Iro places a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to be comforting.
Waters: "It'll be alright. The good guys will win the day in the end."
Lady: "...that there isn't enough living targets to go around."
The lady turns around to reveal a skeletal body with empty sockets from where pours a black ichor that covers her face, body, arms, and clawed hands. She lashes out, missing Iro's chest by inches. She screams, catching one of the Shocktroopers in the helmet. The blow shears through the armor like tissue paper, tearing into the flesh of the man's cheek.
The Shocktrooper falls to the ground, holding his face and screaming in pain. He thrashes about for a few seconds before he's still.
Water: "She's poisonous! Back away!"
The lady smiles, but then starts crying again. A move that stops any counterattack as Iro and the others stop in their tracks, mesmerized by the crying. The lady is joined by two creatures that are half-skeletal, skinless humanoids with sharp claws.
One of them strikes out at a shocktrooper, its claws growing to several feet long as it spears the trooper through the heart and midsection.
This breaks the spell of the crying lady and thus moves the men into action. The remaining Shocktroopers open fire on the skeletal men with claws while Iro seizes the lady by the face with his left hand.
Water: "This is no way for a lady to act!"
An electrical surge flows through the lady, starting the black ichor on fire. The lady backs away, screaming in pain as she burns to ashes before Iro and the gathered Shocktroopers.
Southeast of the Arena...
"Deathstryke" Cyan Komar clashes swords with an undead humanoid in ancient plate mail and a bastard sword that trails a black mist.
He slashes at the knight in a few places past its guard, the armor leaking blood and a dark ichor blend. It doesn't make any sounds of pain, but returns the attacks until Cyan is barely holding the enemy sword back from slicing him in half.
Knight: "You cannot win."
Komar: "Not with that attitude. I have a gift from a friend."
Cyan rolls away, dodging several strikes before presenting his cybernetic palm before the knight's face. A compartment opens to reveal a white marble.
Komar: "Let me heal your pain!"
A white energy flows into the knight, causing it to howl in pain as positive energies conflict with the negative energies within him explosively.
A clapping is heard, Cyan frowns looking to the source of the sound to see Nebiryau walking through the mist.
Nebiryau: "I thought that I would find you here. You have no allies with you, only enemies."
Komar: "You've been defeated before."
Nebiryau: "Not today I won't."
The Stones of Power glow bright as Nebiryau goes on the attack, fire trailing his sword as he moves faster than thought possible and striking with strength that would have shattered normal blades.
Cyan fights desperately to stay alive, deflecting the incoming blows so that the full strength of each strike doesn't break his bones. He slips in a slash alongside Nebiryau's rib cage, drawing blood.
Nebiryau draws back with a frown, but Cyan smiles.
Komar: "I do not have the blade that Bacchus used, but mine is still a blade enchanted to bring down the darkest of foes."
Cyan goes on the attack, his strikes coming faster and faster, his blade glowing bright and sending tendrils of energy to Cyan's form.
Komar: "My blade absorbs magic to empower me. You are full of magic."
Nebiryau shouts as Cyan slips past his defenses again, slicing away his red gemstone eye, knocking it into the air, and catching it.
Komar: "Depth perception might become an issue, eh?"
Nebiryau roars a war cry, stomping the ground to cause an earthquake. This causes Cyan to drop his weapon, falling to the ground.
Nebiryau is on him in a flash, cleaving through both arms at the elbow, then both legs at the knees. He holds a palm over Cyan's head with a harsh laugh, the hand glowing with fiery promise.
Nebiryau: "Your quest for revenge has failed!"
Nebiryau stops, his eyes go wide.
Nebiryau: "Druscilla!"
He looks down at Cyan with a cruel laugh.
Nebiryau: "I'll let you bleed out here, or become a meal for one of my monsters. I was never here..."
Nebiryau vanishes as Druscilla walks through the area, her presence alone keeping the other lesser undead at bay. She looks down at Cyan with a smile.
Druscilla: "Any other day, I would let you die..."
She motions and two Imperial soldiers grab him to take him to medical.
Druscilla: "Keep this up, Idasu, and you'll soon be more machine than man."
(Somewhere, someplace the machine rasp of Darth Vader is heard)
Back to Delacroix, Casidhe, and Korbin...
Zareth Korbin exchanges blows with a ten foot tall undead humanoid who seems over muscled with one arm much larger than the other.
The creature blocks with his over-sized arm as Zareth hits it over and over again with his warhammer.
Roux Delacroix and Lady Casidhe exchange spells with the animus. A fierce exchange of attack spells, counter-spells, and blocking spells with no side finding the advantage over the other.
That is at least until a stream of black energy strikes Lady Casidhe in the shoulder, bringing her down with a shriek.
Lord Nevan steps from the mists with a cruel grin.
Nevan: "Hello, my Queen."
Lord Nevan shoves a hand into the back of the animus, his hand coming out through the chest of the sorcerous undead with a shriveled black heart.
He smiles as the energies of the animus fill his being, the animus transforming into ashes.
Zareth Korbin let's out a war cry, striking his opponent in the center of the chest with a powerful blow that shatters the body like glass. He rushes over to Casidhe's side, getting between her and Lord Nevan. She murmurs a spell while holding her hand over her shoulder, but the lines of corruption still spread.
Delacroix: "How did you get a body?"
"That would be my doing!"
"Zolothach" Tabitha Osborne walks out of the mist off to the side.
Delacroix: "You filthy little-"
Osborne: "And for the record, I apologize. I intended to destroy him before he gained this."
Nevan: "Foolish little cow. You can die here too if you will not aid me."
Osborne: "I didn't say I wouldn't help you, fool! I'll kill the Lady in White while you get your former boss."
Nevan: "Good."
Roux Delacroix and Lord Nevan begin their battle as Zareth Korbin lunges at Tabitha with his warhammer.
Tabitha dodges the first warhammer blow, grabbing Zareth by the wrist to bring him close.
Osborne: "Be a good puppet for once, idiot!"
She throws Zareth at Lord Nevan, distracting him enough for Roux to wrap him up with a rapid growth of thorned vines. Tabitha kneels by Lady Casidhe, holding her hand over the corrupted shoulder.
Lady Casidhe screams out in pain as the corruption is ripped from her body and absorbed into Tabitha's own where the darkness spiderwebs across her arms before being absorbed. Casidhe passes out from the process. Roux looks down at Tabitha in shock.
Delacroix: "You're still on the same side? Why?"
Osborne: "Because he is filth...I will still murder you all soon enough, but it won't be because of him."
Nevan: "All well and good. I will just kill you all and be done with it."
All eyes turn to Lord Nevan, who is holding Zareth by the throat on his knees.
Osborne: "Don't be a fool. There's no way you could-
A quick motion from Nevan stops Tabitha in her tracks as her father and brother appear by her.
Tabitha's Father: "Is this how I raised you, young lady? Did you think for one second that you were really worthy of carrying the power of the Dread Dragon within you?"
Tabitha's Brother: "You were only holding the power until someone worthy came along. You know what you were really worthy of carrying. Remember?"
Tabitha shakes her head, her exposed skin having gone all white.
Osborne: "No! I'm worthy! I-"
Tabitha's Father backhands her, knocking her to the ground.
Tabitha's Father: "You will answer the question, you little whore! What were you really worthy of carrying?"
The trio vanish into the mists as Lord Nevan walks towards Roux Delacroix with the weakened Zareth in his hand.
Nevan: "Enough of Tabby and her ghosts. How about you and I finish what we started. Yes?"
Nevan casts Zareth aside to the ground, where his demonic blood has already begun fighting the corruption poured into his system.
Nevan: "You will regret ever killing me, bitch."
Delacroix: "I regret letting you live for as long as I did, Nevan. I will rectify that now."
The mists roll back as Roux's eyes change to a glowing red draconic. Too late, Lord Nevan realizes his mistake.
Not even the distant dragon roar can bring Tabitha Osborne back to reality as ghosts of her father and brother take turns slapping, punching, and kicking her.
Brother: "What are you worthy of carrying?"
Father: "Answer the question, bitch!"
Tabitha's answer is faint, garbled by sobbing.
Osborne: "Bruises and cum..."
Tabitha's father grabs her by the hair, pulling her head back and holding her chin with his other hand.
Father: "Exactly. You tried to be a wrestler like me, your brother, your grandfather, and further back down the line to the dawn of wrestling. It didn't work, did it?"
Osborne: "But, father! I have done-"
Her brother kicks her in the ribs, the blow forcing her to cough up blood despite his ghostly nature.
Brother: "You lose big matches. You shame us!"
Osborne: "Maybe if you trained me instead-"
Tabitha gags as her father shoves three fingers into her mouth.
Father: "Blame us? If you would have gotten the fucking point of the training your brother and I gave you, then you would have known that it for you to stay in your fucking room and not try to break into a man's fucking sport, you little cum dumpster of a whore!"
Osborne: "No..."
Father: "No, what?"
Tabitha stands up, her father's hands passing through her. Her eyes blacken out and begin to glow black.
Osborne: "I murdered you both in the past! I am a strong woman! I am FREE!"
A wave of dark fire comes off of Tabitha, ripping the ghosts apart, and tearing through the mists. She sees Lord Nevan's smoking head bounce by her feet away from the dragon form of Roux Delacroix.
Nevan: "You! Cast me back into the mix so I can get another body! You owe me for all the help I've given you!"
Tabitha looks down with a look of revulsion as she remembers the price she paid for her help. She raises a foot.
Osborne: "Goodbye, Nevan."
Nevan: "Wait! I can help you-"
Tabitha stomps the head of Lord Nevan into jelly. She looks over to see that Roux Delacroix has turned back into her human form.
A long silence goes on between the two as if the battle raging around them has suddenly stopped.
Then slowly, Tabitha nods to Roux as if to say "Next time". Roux returns the nod before seeing to her people.
Tabitha looks around at the battlefield as if in thought.
Osborne: "I don't...I don't know if this is right anymore. I must see Liz!"
As the evil mists return, Tabitha vanishes without a trace.
Near the harbor...
Druscilla walks to the docks, any undead that try to attack her are either destroyed or seized control of to attack their former allies. At the end of the dock, she sees a cruise ship just a few hundred feet away where a Lich stands upon the bow. She smiles when she sees him.
Druscilla: "Eteokles! Call this off and you can leave with your dignity intact! I'm sure Thamptis's Necromancers and their Knights will understand that you could not defeat Queen Druscilla!"
The Lich looks at Druscilla with a laugh.
Eteokles: "You do not have your little consort with you now. You alone cannot defeat me!"
Druscilla: "I do not need Nebiryau at my side to defeat you. And back then, he was much reduced in power. Now? I have a portion of his power in my blood. Now? I can do this!"
Druscilla motions with a look of concentration at the sea.
Druscilla: "Rise, beast of Biblical Myth! Rise, Leviathan!"
A titanic fish leaps from the sea, swallowing several dozen ships (some as large as aircraft carriers) in a single gulp before crashing back into the sea with enough force to send a massive splash of water in the air that seems to send all ships flying south.
All ships except for the one that the Lich is standing on.
Druscilla: "My soldiers are winning! We have Priests out in the field, technology mined from a man who lives to destroy spirits and the undead, and determined heroes. You cannot win!"
Eteokles: "That will not do it! My forces are under my control! They will return and join the ones on land! Britain will join the Dead Lands of Carthage!"
Druscilla: "I too can control the undead and monsters. I only need to control a few to defeat you, lich!"
Eteokles: "Liar!"
That's when Eteokles notices that nearly a dozen creatures surrounding him on the deck.
They are spiritual beings that appear to be several ghastly heads inside of a cloud with wispy tendrils coming from it.
Druscilla laughs at the lich's sudden fear.
Druscilla: "Your control slip over some undead creatures that even the undead fear? Dream Vestiges. Nightmares of the French and Spanish people given unnatural life."
Eteokles tries to fight the spirits off, destroying one or two of them. They lash at him with wispy tendrils that seem to draw more and more of the lich's intelligence with each strike until his body dissolves.
Druscilla slowly pulls out a simple umbrella as the lich is defeated. The mist dissolves almost instantly with the hordes of undead either fleeing back into the ether or are destroyed outright.
Druscilla smiles as her forces and allies quickly gain the advantage they need to shatter the enemy until only pockets of the enemy remain hidden in secret places to be hunted down at the leisure of the Imperial army.
Druscilla: "I know you are not really gone Eteokles, but it will take you a long time to recover from this. Let this also be a lesson for Thamptis. He has never beaten me in war and never will."