Post by Mongo the Destroyer on Oct 29, 2020 20:47:24 GMT -6
If you want to see if real prettylike go to this link drive.google.com/file/d/0B-8YUmKSXvLBNDAwYm9hLTFaTmM/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.
Legendary #5
Blood Runs Cold
The ASA has gone off the deep end and has booked this show in the heart of Moscow. There is no arena, so a wrestling ring with a steel cage will be airlifted into place between several buildings so wrestlers can try to find "dressing rooms". The city is in a state of destruction, rebuilding, chaos, and war so enemies and allies will be everywhere. Do Walker and Anderson have a plan to defeat the Mad Tsar, or did they book this show in an attempt at collective suicide?
Set Up and a View of Moscow
In the skies of Moscow, seven helicopters can be seen. A rather large one with several long chains on it leading down to a large dome not unlike a dome covering a dinner platter with a platform on the top of it. Alongside are two transports with a gunship to the sides, front, and rear of the small air fleet.
We go across the blasted landscape of Moscow. It's at once in the process of being rebuilt and destroyed. Smoke rises from different fires as pockets of humanity hold out against the strange monsters created by Tsar Ionis Miranov the First.
Several large churches are seen in ruins. A legacy of the Russian Orthodox Church given free reign at the start of the Tsar's reign with the Zhudac terrorizing the Empire before being discarded with the Tsar's transformation.
The gunships sweep the ground with gunfire, ensuring that there won't be any creatures on the ground.
The dome is slowly lowered onto the ground where it lands with a ground shaking boom despite the care.
Five people leap out of the helicopter on ziplines. One landing on the platform, and the others landing around it. They access panels to unlock rather large bolts, and the helicopter flies away with the top of the dome to take it a distance away.
Inside of the dome is a wrestling ring, though one intended to be without a live audience. A ring with a railing around it, a commentary table, cameras stationed all around, a JumboTron, and heavy duty defensive posts all around the circle with turrets and places for troops to be able to open fire.
There's one way to get into the ring area (that can easily be seen), and it is the most heavily defended.
The two transports land, discorging crews to man the equipment to record and do the show, and teams to deal with security. Shocktroopers begin searching nearby buildings to be used for dressing rooms...and are ready to take down any enemies they find.
Last to leave one of the transports is Terel Walker and Allen Anderson. They walk into the make shift arena, looking around.
Anderson: "You know, the people at Tendonin X Industries do some impressive work."
Walker: "They can do more than ScramTech, you know. It's just Jason's pet tech."
Anderson: "When's this guy going to be here? The guy that can help us defeat the Tsar?"
Terel just shrugs, running his hand across the ring apron.
Walker: "He should be here soon. He's travelling from Norway. He's a Priest of Odin that has a spell to help."
Anderson: "Norse Priest? We have access to a Norse God though?"
Walker: "No idea. He says he can help. If he can't? I would suggest leaving right away."
Anderson: "...noted. And for the record? You're insane!"
Walker: "Thanks?"
An Angry Tsar
Tsar Ionis Miranov the First paces back and forth in his throne room. Rotting corpses and old bloodstains litter the room from when he had gone on a murderous tirade after his advisers had told him to just surrender because the Resistance was about to destroy the leader of the Orthodox Church.
He had such fools of advisers anyway, most knew that the woman who had led the church was really Baba Yaga in disguise. That's why the Zduhac worked hand in hand with the church.
He slew them in his anger and left to try to convince Dasha to join him so that his Empire could be unified at last.
It failed of course.
Everything that he had done to make Russia great once again, was undone by these...rebels. His allies either turned against him or abandoned him to his fate. He was killed...murdered by the woman that he had mentored.
Dasha.
He was reborn of course. Reborn into a new and twisted form by the power of the Crown of Thorns. He was given the power to remake all of Russia and beyond into his own image!
Though the rebels have begun to turn the tide yet again! Some old knights treated his children like playthings and the rebels found weaknesses to fight back and defeat them.
They even made special armor piercing pesticide filled rounds to weaken his children before slaying them.
And now he hears the Apex Wrestling company is coming here?
Unacceptable!
Ionis motions and vines grow out of the ground through the floor to grow into a square shape with an empty space inside. A clear film grows across the empty space, the view changing to reveal the ring placed in his city. Thus, confirming his fears.
They mean to kill him.
Ionis rips the organic screen apart, not caring that the thorns tear across his flesh, piercing even through his scaled hide. It isn't like the thorns growing out of his own body rip him open daily...
He reaches out with his mind to his children across the entire empire.
"Our enemy have come to try to end Our Empire by murdering your Tsar! Come home and defend your ruler and creator! Everything depends on their final defeat! Come! Come with all due haste! Let us end this rebellion once and for all then transform the remainder of Russia into the new glorious evolution!"
The Spell is Cast
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
North of the Ring Placement, between the burnt out husks of two newly built and destroyed apartment buildings, an old woman dressed in wolf furs finishes carving runes into the stones of the nearby buildings.
She walks back to where Terel Walker and Allen Anderson wait with a dozen heavily armed Shocktroopers.
Anderson: "Sigrid Ingvar, Priestess of Odin? I wasn't aware that the old Gods were still worshiped."
Sigrid smiles, but the smile is cold and unfriendly.
Ingvar: "We have always been, even after the Christians overcame. The return of the Gods years ago caused a rebirth in our faith. We have been rewarded for our diligence with great power. I can cast a spell to bring about an early Winter that will weaken the reptilian and plant aspects of the monsters you face."
Anderson smiles.
Anderson: "Good. We have our people ready for the cold. I won't bother you further so you may proceed."
Sigrid Ingvar nods, turning back to her work. She begins chanting in an ancient language unknown to Anderson or Walker. The Runes along the walls begin to glow, the space between the walls in front of the gathered party growing cold as the power is gathered.
The grinding and tearing of a great old tree is heard as a hole is torn in the sky. The Rune carved stones fly into the hole, widening the hole until it's hundreds of feet wide and tall.
On the other side, a pristine Winterly landscape is seen. A chill wind carrying snow howls through the opening, the snow quickly spreading far and wide as it starts collecting on the ground.
Sigrid Ingvar drops to her knees while holding her chest, tears of joy freezing on her face as they are released. Anderson and Walker run to her side as she laughs.
Ingvar: "The spell was too much for my old heart, but I never thought I would actually see it! Thank you for this chance! The ley lines here were perfect for the spell. More perfect than anywhere else on the world and we have searched for so long..."
Walker frowns, looking at the landscape beyond the portal.
Walker: "Where is this? Is Asgard this cold?"
Ingvar: "Oh it is during the Winter, but this is not Asgard. I do not worship the foolish Asgardians."
Anderson: "Where does this lead to?"
Sigrid falls to the snow covered ground, her breath becoming ragged.
Ingvar: "It leads to the people my sect and I have always worshiped since the dawn of time."
Walker: "Where?! Answer us, you old witch!"
Ingvar: "What has been done...can never be undone..."
Anderson pulls Sigrid up, shaking her roughly, but she only laughs with blood spittle coming out.
Ingvar: "Jotunheim. There will always be Winter in the Russian Empire...."
Sigrid's body goes slack as she dies from the effort of casting the spell. Anderson looks up to Walker.
Anderson: "The cold will sap the Tsar and his children, but have we doomed Russia to another fate?"
Terel Walker looks through the portal to the icy cold of Jotunheim with a shiver.
Walker: "I wish I knew. I wish I knew. Let's get back. The show's getting ready to open."
Fight for Survival
Bang Bang London
Bang Bang London wraps up in an old blanket he found in the husk of an apartment he found to use as his dressing room. He sits in a chair, looking over the gun he was issued upon arrival.
London: "The Tsar of Russia has become a monster. He gave birth to monsters who kill and make more monsters. If one attacks me, I shoot it in the eyes, mouth, or jam this up its ass to shoot its insides because its scaly hide will deflect all rounds otherwise."
Did they not understand that the "Bang Bang" part of his name was NOT because he was an expert with a gun. It was more of a metaphor for the way he defeats his opponents. His NORMAL opponents.
London: "Right. What the *beep* is this cold? This snow and cold just came out of nowhere just like...magic."
Bang Bang London shakes his head, setting down the gun, and pulling the blanket tighter around himself. They had issued winter coats and suits to keep out the cold, but he didn't think it was going to be THIS cold!
London: "I should have stayed home and just flipped burgers. Hopefully one of those things won't come barging in here. I have a debut match-"
About this time is when one of "those creatures" barrels through the wall to the apartment.
London: "to win. Crap!"
London looks up at the monster that stands nine feet tall with reptillian scales and is covered in thorned vines that grow out of its body even as the thorns draw a green ichor that serves as blood from its body.
London: "I gave at the office?"
Bang Bang London rolls out of the way as the creature lunges and smashes the chair he was sitting in.
London grabs the gun, aiming at the creature's face, and shooting a few rounds. The shots either miss the creature's head or bounce off it's scaly hide. It knocks the gun away, picking London up with both hands around his torso to bring him up to its face to roar loudly.
Between his chest being squeezed and the assault of the roar, the thorns from the vines ripping into his flesh doesn't feel as bad. Though he does feel everything start to go dark...dying still hurts.
London: "*beep!*"
Opening
Ordinarily, we would see an arena full of fans and dim the lights as we go to the JumboTron to reveal the song that will set the pace for the night. Tonight though, there are no fans or places for them to sit. There's also no overhead lighting, but a wide array of spotlights.
With this special televised event, the cameras do a quick look around at the camera set up and defensive positions of the ring emplacement before going to the JumboTron for the music of the night.
Once the song fades away, we go to the commentary desk where sit Kenneth Kemp and Selena Sanchez. They are dressed for the weather in layers of furs and winter gear.
Kemp: "Tonight's song was so right! How the hell do they expect people to compete in this? Couldn't they have at least left the dome on or something to cut back on the wind?"
Sanchez: "I think it'd be harder to defend and your ear drums would pop like grapes from the gunfire reports bouncing inside of the dome."
Kemp: "No. Instead we freeze to death..."
Sanchez: "Anderson is coming down to the ring."
Allen Anderson walks down to the ring in an expensive Warhammer business suit. It's expensive because it is a thermal suit that can even keep exposed hands, face, and neck warm through the blistering cold wind.
Anderson: "Hello and welcome to the fifth episode of Legendary! We have an exciting show for you all watching at home tonight. You're all watching at home because we are in the lovely city of Moscow and inviting a lot of fans here would just invite them to death and destruction!"
Kemp: "What about us? Doesn't he care about-"
Sanchez: "Quiet and grow a pair."
Anderson: "What you will see tonight is the Ascension title going up for grabs as Father Nathan does his one defense that he needs to do before he can challenge Dasha to try get that World title from around her waist. You will also see plenty of out of the ring action as efforts are coordinated to defeat the Tsar of Russia once and for all. If we fail...there won't be a sixth episode of Legendary. Wish us luck!"
Allen Anderson walks away from the ring while Kenneth Kemp stares at him with an open mouth.
Kemp: "If we fail, we all die? This is so much *beep*ing rubbish!"
Sanchez: "I'm sure this weather is all a part of the plan to help defeat the Tsar."
Kemp: "I don't care. I think this is my last show. I ain't dealing with life or death situations. I'm a wrestling commentator, not a *beep*ing soldier!"
Sanchez: "Suit yourself. We're going to head to the ring where MaLisha Wilson is ready with the first match of the night!"
Dawson vs London
Wilson: "This match has been scheduled for one fall! Featuring first, hailing from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina...David Dawson!"
"Bad Company" by Five Finger Death Punch begins playing as David Dawson, Nick Savage, and Sarah Savage walk down to the ring in parkas. They tread very carefully on metallic flooring that has a light coating of snow and ice.
Kemp: "What the hell? Dawson going to wrestle like that?"
Sanchez: "I guess? It is cold as heck out there. It's good this place can be modified so that we're inside a heated glass dome. You would think they would have done the ring the same way."
A ring attendant runs down to the ring to speak to MaLisha Wilson for a moment before running back to his station.
Wilson: "This opening match of the night has been CANCELED! It seems that Bang Bang London was seen fighting one of the Tsar's monsters and has died. We are not 'that other company' where dying means you lose the match."
Despite looking pissed, the members of Bad Company take their leave of the ring.
Kemp: "Hey, at least when they go back to the dressing room that they found, there was a fireplace so they can work on warming back up."
Sanchez: "Always a bright side to things."
The Palace Burns
Tsar Ionis Miranov sits in his throne.
It's cold.
It isn't like the normal Russian Winter. He had dealt with these in his mortal days. They were harsh, but not like this.
Never like this.
It's as if everything slowed down. He was so cold and his blood flow was so sluggish. His energy level was low, almost as if he could slip off into a slumber until Spring arrived.
It was unnatural. Those rebels did something! But how could they bring about Winter?
The rebels did this. They had to have!
The reptillian and plant nature to his current states of his being must be adversely affected by this cold weather. He needs heat to revitalize him and his forces.
And if heat he needs...
The Tsar's creatures work their way through the palace, pouring fuel all over the palace with the exception of the throne room itself.
Once his scores of children have gathered with him inside of the throne room, he lights a single torch and throws it.
The fire quickly spreads through the palace, the heat of the fire radiating into the throne room, and invigorating the Tsar and his gathered soldiers.
Miranov: "A path exists to the outside! Go! Kill the rebels and undo what they have done to the land!"
The Tsar laughs with renewed life as his children rush to do his bidding.
Miranov: "Burn everything so that the heat keeps you energized! Everything!"
Fight for Survival
Savage Times
David Dawson, Nick Savage, and Sarah Savage walk across the street to get to the building where the apartment they found for a dressing room is.
They pull their parkas extra tight as they walk. The weather had become Winterlike just before the show and has only gotten colder and colder since.
They hurry across the way and get up the stairs and into their found apartment. Nick Savage starts a fire going while the others gather blankets.
Once they are warming by the fire, the conversation starts.
Nick Savage: "What did we get ourselves into, Sarah? You said that they told you that most of the wrestlers in this company are normal!"
Sarah shrugs, holding her hands before the flame.
Sarah Savage: "That's what they said! They said that most of the ASA talent were normal humans and were not like much of the IWA talent were."
Dawson: "Normal people don't schedule shows in war torn cities and expect the talent to participate in battles against monsters that have been slaughtering people across an entire nation! They also don't hold outdoor events in subzero temperatures!"
Nick Savage: "So Bang Bang London really died? Those things killed him? He was given a gun too! They said to aim at eyes, mouth, or shove it up a creature's ass. What the fuck you got us into, Saha? They know we're wrestlers and not action heroes?"
Sarah Savage shakes her head, almost to tears.
Sarah Savage: "How am I supposed to know that? For all I know, management thinks we all just potential freedom fighters!"
Nick shrugs, taking a sip from a bottle of vodka found in the kitchen of the apartment. He passes the bottle to David Dawson, who takes a drink before passing it to Sarah.
Dawson: "It'll help you stay warm."
Sarah Savage nods, taking a sip of the vodka before passing it to Nick.
Sarah Savage: "So, you think we'll be safe here?"
Nick Savage walks to the window once they hear gunfire. He sees several of the creatures being gunned down by the heavy turrets around the ring.
Nick Savage: "Let's hope this show ends soon so we can get the fuck out of here. I'm allergic to dying and shit."
Dawson: "Amen!"
About this time is when two of the creatures burst in through the door to the apartment.
Nick Savage: "Aaah fuck!"
The three grab guns and begin opening fire on the creatures. A lucky shot catches on of them in the left eye, the round bouncing around the inside of the creature's skull.
As it falls to the ground, the other creature lunges past it to slash David Johnson across the chest to send innards all over the place.
Nick Savage: "FUCK YOU!"
Nick grabs David's gun, firing both of them at the creature to try to bring it down.
The creature grabs one of Nick's arms, ripping it off at the shoulder.
The creature knocks Nick down and lifts Sarah Savage up by the throat and left, ripping her in half before letting out a victorious roar.
It almost turns to find Nick, but he uses his one good arm to jam a gun barrel up its ass.
Nick Savage: "Take this, you fucking bastard!"
Nick Savage unloads the gun into the innards of the creature. He laughs as the monster falls dead to the floor.
Nick lays on the floor, losing blood fast from his shoulder. He looks around the room and chuckles.
Nick Savage: "I hope you people are happy. We brought down...we...two..."
Nick goes slack as the last of his life leaves him.
The Warhawks vs
Tarrasque and Hoskuld Lokison
Wilson: "This next match is a handicap match scheduled for one fall! On this side of the ring...Tarrasque and Hoskuld Lokison!"
Tarrasque roars and poses like he's looking to the fans for support. It doesn't even faze him that there is no fans, or seats for the fans to sit at.
Kemp: "You'd think that even an idiot like Tarrasque could see that this is a special televised event with no fans present to cut down on civilian casualties."
Sanchez: "You did notice he was more posing for the camera than imagined fans?"
Kemp: "Oh."
Hoskuld Lokison leans back in his corner with a large frosty flagon in his hand. He chuckles, tipping back the drink as he watches his opponents planning their attack.
Kemp: "Troy, erm Hoskuld, looks pretty confident going into this."
Sanchez: "And why not? He's an Asgardian God who is tagged with a monster who has claimed the power of two Olympian Gods if the rumors are true. They face a group of hardcore posers in the ring. Simple math."
Kemp: "That's a bit harsh."
Sanchez: "But true."
Kemp: "Well? Alright."
Wilson: "And their opponents...Elliot Lytle, Will York, Terrence Jenning, and Devin Ross. They are known as the Warhawks!"
The four pose and trash talk at Tarrasque and Hoskuld Lokison while laughing. Since they do have two to one odds...and Devin Ross alone outweighs them both.
When the bell rings to start the match, the four Warhawks rumble across the ring to take on their opponents. Elliot and Devin rush at Tarrasque while Terrence and Will go after Hoskuld.
Tarrasque roars at Elliot and Devin, stopping them in their tracks. They look upon Tarrasque and seem suddenly very afraid. Tarrasque laughs as he easily hefts Devin Ross up over his head in a press slam position, hurling him from the ring and into the security railing that keeps the wrestlers apart from the recording and defensive equipment.
Hoskuld backhands Terrence with the flagon, knocking him over the ropes to the steel flooring. He throws the flagon at Terrence when he tries to pop back up, leveling him.
Kemp: "Well? I never thought I would see Ross moved like that. He's what eight hundred pounds?"
Sanchez: "I think he's six hundred, but it is a good point."
Will York throws a punch, but Hoskuld catches the fist. The wide eyed Will throws another punch, but it too is caught. Hoskuld squeezes the captured hands, until Will kicks a low blow...
A kick that resounds with a metallic impact. Will's eyes go wider if possible, but this time with pain. Hoskuld lets him drop to the mat while holding his foot.
York: "I think I broke my toes! What the fuck you wearing?"
Hoskuld knocks on his crotch to a metallic ping.
Lokison: "You sure got a perty mouth...my daughter mentioned having a special metal underpants made with a lock so I wouldn't be tempted to mouth ravish you..."
Kemp: "La la la! I didn't hear that! La la la!"
Sanchez: "You didn't know that Hoskuld was Bisexual?"
Kemp: "La la la! I can't hear you! Being Bi is for WOMEN!"
Sanchez: "You are an idiot."
Tarrasque grabs Elliot Lytle with a brain claw, bringing him down flat on the mat, bashing the back of his head into the mat over and over again. Blood splatter starting to show after about the dozenth time he does it.
Will York rolls out of the ring to land on top of Terrence in his haste to get away from Hoskuld, who leans in the corner and summons a fresh flagon of Asgardian mead.
The ref talks to Tarrasque, who stops bashing Elliot's head into the mat and pins him.
One...Two...Three!
Wilson: "Winners of this match...as if there was ever any doubt...Tarrasque and Hoskuld Lokison!"
Sanchez: "See? I told you so."
Kemp: "This is true. You were right...for once."
Desperate Battle
Moscow was burning.
Everywhere Dasha and Boris Drago looked, more buildings were catching on fire.
More of the Tsar's children came, faster than before.
Dasha jumps back as one of these monsters come lunging at her, picking it off with a single shot to the eye.
Boris spears another one with a pike down the throat, keeping sure to not contact it with his body as it dies.
Dasha takes a moment to look around her. Where the Tsar's creatures were drawn away from the sources of heat, their vines turned brown and shriveled, they moved so much slower, and their scaled armor quickly ablated away to expose vulnerable flesh for easier kills.
There was a wide open area around the ring area where the creatures were trying to converge on. Sallying out to meet them head on, meant dying.
Dasha: "Fall back! Get them away from the fires and closer to the guns!"
The defenders follow her command right away, performing a fighting retreat back by the defensive guns to allow the cold to better effect the monsters.
Dasha turns again as Boris rips through a cold monster with his pike before it could attack her blind side. She nods at him in thanks before they both fall back.
They are taking the monsters down faster than before, but it might still be a war of attrition that they cannot win as more and more keep coming.
Dasha: "We need to break through this siege to get to the Tsar and finish this once and for all!"
Elimination Battle through the City for a shot at the Ascension Championship
Kemp: "So this next match is an elimination match. The people in the match are placed on top of a rooftop about a mile from here and get to fight their way back here like in Ethiopia?"
Sanchez: "No. Well, you're right except for the last part. They don't have to come to the ring. They just have to eliminate everyone else. They start outside of the ring and can go where ever they feel like going."
Kemp: "And why can't it be an elimination match inside the ring where it's going to be reasonably safe?"
Sanchez: "Ratings."
Kemp: "And this...this is why I will be finding a different job. Maybe I'll do play by play for some pro sport."
The JumboTron lights up to reveal the rooftop of a nearby government building. Marty Sandal, Harry "Handcuffs" Houdini, Dixie Clement, Frietag, Candice Kingston, and Mr. Clowny stand in a circle around a small black box.
The sound of a bell being run to start the match sounds and we are off!
Candice locks up with Clowny while Frietag and Dixie begin trading punches while Marty stares down Harry with an evil smile.
Kemp: "I wonder if-"
The rooftop explodes, tossing the little black box to the side as one of the Tsar's monsters bursts through.
Sanchez: "Should have kept that thought to yourself, eh?"
Kemp: "This is EXACTLY why the match should have been held in the ring!"
The creature lunges at a wide eyed Marty Sandal while everyone else stops fighting to determine what to do. The creature rakes Marty from groin to throat with long claws that shear through flesh and bone like tissue paper. Marty looks down in horror as his insides spill out onto the roof before he falls down on top of the pile of organs and fat.
Selena Sanchez looks away from the JumboTron while Kenneth Kemp turns three shades of green.
Kemp: "So then...I guess that'd be one elimination?"
Selena Sanchez would respond, but she's busy vomiting into a bucket.
Candice blasts the creature with a stream of energy, knocking the creature backwards. It turns, elbowing Dixie in the ribcage hard enough to knock her from the building!
Frietag levels Harry, sitting on him. The little black box sounds off a count.
"One...Two...Three! Harry Houdini is eliminated."
Frietag reaches into his boot as Candice hits another energy blast that knocks some scales off of the cold creature. He produces a pistol, shooting the creature several times in the unarmored section. The creature staggers before taking a few steps and falling on top of Candice Kingston. Frietag is quick to place a foot on her fallen form.
"One...Two...Three! Candice Kingston is eliminated."
Frietag turns to Mr. Clowny with an odd smile. He points the gun at him.
Frietag: "Just you and me, Clown."
Mr. Clowny just laughs, producing a giant cupcake that floats over his head.
Clowny: "Hoo hoo! You gonna shoot me, pahtnah? I gotta cupcake that can crush a bull. You just gotta ask yourself one question. Are you hungry, punk?"
Frietag drops the gun, rushing at Mr. Clowny as he starts sending the cupcake at him. He catches Clowny with a spear, sending them both over the side of the building. They both land on a fire escape platform next to Dixie Clement, who is sitting up against the railing while holding her ribs.
Clement: "Good of you to drop in..."
Frietag is on top of Clown, raining punches onto him, but Clowny still manages to speak to her.
Clowny: "I know, right? Listen...you got any rum on you?"
Dixie winces as she shakes her head.
Everyone looks startled as the bolts holding the fire escape to the building start to give way. Frietag looks to Dixie.
Frietag: "Do you yield?"
Clement: "I can still fight! No!"
Frietag: "Once I win the title, I'll give you a shot at it so you can fight at your best. Yield and we'll leave this so it stays up."
Dixie doesn't look very happy, but she does know truth when she hears it.
Clement: "I yield."
"Dixie Clement has been eliminated."
Clowny: "How you planning on-"
Frietag lifts Clowny up and they both go off the side of the fire escape so that it will not fall from the building. This despite the fact that they are ten floors up.
Kemp: "If Frietag insane?"
Sanchez: "I'm just getting word that if Father Nathan keeps his title that he'll be giving it up to go after Dasha. So then Frietag and Clowny both would get the shot. If Father Nathan loses, then only Frietag gets it."
Frietag: "Big cupcake."
Clowny: "What?"
Frietag: "NOW!"
Frietag lands on top of Mr. Clowny on top of a giant cupcake on the street. It is still counted as a cover.
One...Two...Three!!!
"Winner of the match...Frietag!"
Kemp: "That was insane! Frietag could have killed both himself and Clowny with that move!"
Sanchez: "I hear troops are moving in to help those left alive get to a more secure area. Well, more secure than where they're at now."
Kemp: "Jeeze. What people will do for a championship belt. I hear you can buy one online for several hundred bucks."
Sanchez: "It won't mean the same."
Kemp: "I guess not."
To the Portal
Dasha looks up at the sound of an inhuman roar that fills the air.
Tsar Ionis Miranov is standing on top of one of the apartment buildings that had been overtaken by the ASA for use as dressing rooms.
Miranov: "To the portal, you fools! Seal the portal and we can end this rebellion!"
The Tsar's children break off battle all at once and head north of the "venue" where the portal was torn open.
Dasha picks off a couple of them with a rifle before pointing at them.
Dasha: "At their backs! Don't let them reach the portal!"
Boris lunges past Dasha, leaping onto the back of one of the cold children to break its neck. He turns around it as they fall to land on his feet to hurl the creature at the others.
Dasha begins running at them with Resistance soldiers, former Imperial soldiers, allied Zduhac, and Shocktroopers around her as they open fire on the retreating monsters.
"Fine day for a run, isn't it?"
Dasha frowns, there are few who can keep up with her as she runs. But yet, there he was.
Hoskuld Lokison.
Dasha: "What do you want?"
Lokison: "To kill a few of these things and I wouldn't mind looking at this portal that's bringing the cold weather!"
Dasha: "Suit yourself. Just stay out of my way!"
Hoskuld nods, leaping past several of the Tsar's children, and slashing at several of them with swords that seem to come from thin air. Dasha picks off several of the children that Hoskuld wounds, but doesn't kill.
Lokison: "Are we having fun yet?"
Dasha: "Duck, fool!"
Hoskuld ducks as a compact car sails through the spot his head once was to crush several of the monsters. Hoskuld looks to see Boris to the side of the road.
Boris: "Oops!"
Hoskuld laughs, stabbing a still moving monster in the head with his sword as it tries to get up.
Lokison: "My friend, your strength is excessive!"
Boris starts running to catch up with Dasha, shouldering into Hoskuld as he goes.
Boris: "We not friends..."
Hoskuld shrugs, following behind.
At the portal, the monsters of the Tsar look around while trying to find something to destroy on it so that it can be sealed.
All the while, Dasha and Boris lead the charge in killing the creatures.
Hoskuld Lokison stands back, watching the battle continue on. He stares at the other side of the portal as if deep in thought.
Lokison: "I think I know this place. Have I been there? There's no anchors to keep this portal open. No visible way to close it."
That's when two Frost Giants come through the portal with equally giant sized axes that they use to strike out at both sides of the conflict.
Lokison: "Jotunheim? They ripped open a way into Jotunheim? They shouldn't be allowed this kind of access! I must see father!"
Hoskuld steps to the side, looking as if he were passing into a solid brick wall.
He reappears outside of Loki's home, entering in a rush to see Loki at a writing desk.
Loki: "What is it?"
Lokison: "The war in Russia continues. A way has been found to weaken the monsters created by the Tsar, but the way is-"
Loki: "The way is what? Some kind of freezing spell would work I should think."
Lokison: "They opened a portal to a cold world. A permanent portal from the looks of it. It leads to Jotunheim!"
Loki drops his quill, standing up.
Loki: "You can't be joking about this. Have the Frost Giants discovered this? Have they come through?"
Lokison: "Two of them have. What should-"
Loki heads for the front door, casting a look back.
Loki: "I'm going to tell Thor and Odin. I'm sure we'll be there soon enough. Go! Make sure those that came through do not return to tell others. We don't need a full scale invasion. It will not better things on Midgard in the least!"
Hoskuld chuckles to himself as he starts making his way back.
Lokison: "The complication of this has become excessive."
Ascension Championship
Wilson: "This next match is the main event of the evening and is for the ASA Ascension championship! Featuring our challenger, from Addis Adaba, Ethiopia...Khloe Kapla!"
“Steampunk Revolution” By Abney Park begins playing as Khloe Kapla makes her way to the ring. She looks determined as she walks.
Kemp: "I thought that she was claiming some weird place called Steampunk City as her home? And, where are her friends?"
Sanchez: "I heard that she told her friends to remain behind after Dasha had them shot. As far as the home, maybe she's accepted this place as her home."
Kemp: "I reckon."
Wilson: "And her opponent...from Dublin, Ireland...he is the ASA Ascension champion...Father Nathan!"
The lights in the arena dim as ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’ by Johnny Cash plays over the PA and Father Nathan makes his way out from the back, carrying his cross. He looks over the cold camera and defensive installations with the few soldiers and such looking his way before shaking his head and making his way down to the ring, setting up his cross to stand on its own as he climbs into the ring and prepares for the fight.
Kemp: "Father Nathan looks ready for this match. Think he's ready to take on someone like Dasha?"
Sanchez: "She is a bloodthirsty menace. I think she's outside of the installation with Boris and an alliance of a lot of different forces where they've been fighting the Tsar's monsters off and on throughout the show."
Kemp: "I wondered why the big guns kept firing."
As the bell rings to start the match, Khloe brings it to Father Nathan with several European uppercuts before slinging him to the mat with a hip toss. She tries to drop a knee on his chest, but Father Nathan rolls out of the way.
He springs up, catching Khloe as she pops up, and brings her over with a bell to belly suplex. Before she can move again, he applies an armbar.
Sanchez: "Khloe comes in with a bang, but Father Nathan quickly takes control of the match."
Kemp: "Khloe might do something crazy. She is steampunk you know. They like changing up the moves to add gears and shit to them."
Sanchez: "What?"
Kemp: "You never seen Wild Wild West?"
Sanchez: "No, I like good movies."
Khloe reaches out, catching her foot in the ropes so that Father Nathan has to break the hold.
Before Father Nathan can get up, Khloe turns, and slams her elbow into the side of his head. She gets to her feet while he's in a seated position, diving down to clothesline Father Nathan to the mat. She follows this with a brain claw, holding him down enough that the ref comes to count a pinfall.
One...Two...Father Nathan gets a shoulder up.
Kemp: "See? She is determined to get back at Dasha!"
Sanchez: "Then she's looking past Father Nathan. It's a mistake."
Father Nathan twists, sinking a fist into Khloe's midsection to break the hold. He rolls away from her to get to his feet as she gets to hers.
Kapla: "You won't deny me what's mine!"
Father Nathan: "This isn't the path you're destined to take!"
Khloe comes at Father Nathan, but he sidesteps her, and grabs her to bring her down with a reverse ddt.
Father Nathan gets up, bringing Khloe up with him. He starts for a suplex, but Khloe blocks it, and bring Father Nathan down into a small package!
One...Two...Thr-Father Nathan kicks out!
Kemp: "Khloe almost had him there!"
Sanchez: "True. Father Nathan had better not overestimate her either."
Khloe and Father Nathan work their way up, Khloe stopping Father Nathan as if for a gutwrench suplex, but flips him backwards over her shoulders to send him to the steel floor.
Khloe pulls back on the top rope as far as she can before slingshotting herself over the ropes. Father Nathan brings up his knees at the last moment, catching Khloe in the gut, and tossing her to the side.
Kemp: "What the *beep*? He broke her in half on that one!"
Sanchez: "He had enough in him to catch her. She spent too much time trying to bow and arrow herself."
Inside the ring, the ref begins the count on both wrestlers.
One...Two...Father Nathan drags himself to his feet with the use of the ring apron...Three...Four...Father Nathan tries to roll into the ring, but Khloe grabs him by the foot to keep him out...Five...Khloe pulls herself up using Father Nathan...Six...Father Nathan breaks away from Khloe...Seven...both roll into the ring.
Kemp: "Both are bleeding from the scalp. Minor cuts sustained from hitting that steel floor."
Sanchez: "Couldn't we have padded that a little before the show?"
Kemp: "The *beep* should I know? I'm getting off this cast of idiots as soon as we hit American soil!"
Both Father Nathan and Khloe use the ropes to get to their feet. Khloe socks Father Nathan in the jaw with a left hook.
Father Nathan rubs his jaw with a grin.
Father Nathan: "This is my game!"
Khloe nods, going on the assault with lefts and rights. Father Nathan blocks and dodges what he can, taking a couple of punches before he can slip in an uppercut. He rebounds with a series of lefts and rights that all strike home. He aims at the jaw, but then also strikes nerve clusters in the shoulders until Khloe's arms drop to her sides from being numb. That's when he strikes with the-
Sanchez: "The Left Hand of God! Otherwise known as the Heart Punch, Khloe is down!"
Kemp: "I think in this case, we can call it what it is...a Left Boobie Punch. Doesn't he know? Boobies are for groping, not punching! I mean, just like this. Honk, honk!"
Selena Sanchez looks at Kenneth Kemp in shock as his hand leaves her. She quickly regains her senses and decks him off his chair.
Sanchez: "You dirty little son of a bitch!"
Kemp would respond, but he's out cold...
Father Nathan goes for the cover.
One...Two...Three!
Wilson: "Winner of the match by way of pinfall, and NEW ASA Ascension champion...Father Nathan!"
Duel of Generation
In the Heart of Moscow
In a basement in a derelict building, Jade walks into the room with a grim smile.
Jade: "I can feel you in here. Come out and let's finish this once and for all."
Anxiu: "It is fitting that you should be the last of the Celestial Dragons that I would face. After all of the generations of champions that you have allowed to die at the hands of my family going back to when the Compact was formed back at the dawn of the Sinister Peace. You would know it as the organization that was before being remade into the Warhammer Corporation by the Vastrix family. Once you are gone, I will exterminate the last of the Celestial Dragons and be done with it."
Jade shakes her head, sliding into a fighting stance.
Jade: "I will free my dragons and send you and yours into exile like the Red Palm were before Alexander the Great moved into the Indian subcontinent."
Anxiu: "I think the Infernal Dragon might have something to say about that..."
The corpse of Xan Xing walks out of the shadows. Though truth be told, he looks more like a shadow himself. His head rests at an odd angle and a black ichor constantly drools from the corner of his mouth.
Infernal: "The corruption of your spirit will transform the rest of the Celestials into Infernals. The Mistress will not have to fight this fight at all..."
Jade shifts her stance, slipping a hand inside of her outfit with a smile.
Jade: "This is a wonderful gift you have given me, Anxiu."
Jade moves in a blur of motion. The Infernal Dragon tries to react, but dead nerves don't move quite so fast as they once did. Jade plunges a Celestial Dragon carved from Jade into the chest of Xan Xing's corpse from underneath the ribcage. She pulls back her hand, a green fire obliterating the black ichor covering her hand and wrist.
Anxiu: "What have you done?"
The Inferal Dragon throws its head back, green light pouring from its mouth and eyes. The light begins spreading from its chest until the entire corpse of Xan Xing is glowing from the jade stone buried within. When the glow ends, Xan Xing smiles.
Xing: "Thank you..."
Xan Xing sighs as his body falls to the floor, disintegrating into dust. The jade statue remains behind, having turned black and soft from absorbing the corruption. Jade smiles at the angry Tehuai Anxiu.
Jade: "My Celestial Dragons have returned. The House of the Infernal Dragon is dead."
Tehuai Anxiu gets into an aggressive fighting stance, the palm with the circle of black on her palm facing Jade. She can see that in the emotional distress of the Grandmistress of Red Palm...the black circle has started to grow, sending out tendrils of inky darkness to her fingers and down her wrist. Her control of the corruption within slipping away.
Anxiu: "You! You are ruining everything! I will see you and your entire House dead!"
Tehuai Anxiu launches a furious assault, one which Jade deflects all except one strike that clips her left shoulder. She counterstrikes to chop Anxiu on the hip to send her backpedaling.
Jade clutches at her shoulder, her hand glowing to work chi into the spreading corruption to heal it.
Tehuai Anxiu smiles as she readies for another attack.
Anxiu: "I will enjoy watching you and yours die."
Jade: "That will never happen."
Jade rolls past a renewed assault, grabbing the corruption filled statue, and tossing it to Anxiu. She catches it on instinct, crushing the softened jade in her hand like clay.
Jade: "You remember what happened to your daughter? You remember what happened to your father a thousand years ago? To three out of every four of your students?"
Anxiu: "I am the most powerful master of Red Palm Kung Fu that has ever lived! I control more corrupt chi than what entire Houses could handle! I-"
Jade: "Have lost control."
Tehuai Anxiu looks down at her hand to see the darkness spreading from her hand down to her elbow. The speed of the spreading darkness had only increased since she absorbed the chi in the statue.
Anxiu: "Nooo! You will go down with me!"
She begins a renewed assault on Jade, her strikes wild and powerful, but they lack the finesse of before. Still, all Jade can do at this point is guard her heart from the fatal injection of corrupt chi as Anxiu strikes her over and over again.
In seconds, it's over. Jade drops to her knees, using her power to keep the corruption at bay it seems while Tehuai Anxiu stands over her in triumph...though half her ancient face has turned black.
Anxiu: "I wil empty my corruption into you until I am under control and the Infernal Dragon is reborn again!"
Jade: "No...if it's one thing I have learned. Chi is chi. Ying or Yang, Corruption or Pure...the Celestial Dragons can manipulate it all. Take your corruption back."
Jade points both palms at Anxiu's chest, the inky black corruption leaving Jade's body in a stream of dark power to slam into Anxiu to send her into the stone wall.
Anxiu: "You have not killed me! You have not..."
As the rest of Tehuai Anxiu's body becomes black as night, her eyes go wide. Holes are torn in the floor of the basement as great hands of the Yama Kings grasp at her to tear her apart in a sick game of tug of war. As the hands draw back into the floor, the holes seal themselves up.
Jade: "It is done. Now, China can begin healing from the infection that has plagued it for so long."
Forceful Invitation
Mary sits by Dixie Clement by the fireplace in the apartment they're using to keep them both warm.
The three of them chose a higher apartment near the ring set up. It meant more stairs to climb, but it also meant less of a chance of the unholy creations of the Tsar of coming up this high.
Mary changes the bandages on Dixie's wound, silently cursing ASA management for scheduling a match through a city that was at war.
Mary: "I don't know what they were thinking...you could have been killed like that Marty Sandal was."
Dixie grins, but that quickly turns into a wince.
Clement: "Been through worse, but yeah I do know what ya mean. It would have been worth more it if I actually won the match.”
There's a rap at the door in a complex pattern.
Ok...it's "Shave and a Haircut".
Dixie chuckles as Mary goes to answer the door.
Clement: "Speak of the Priest..."
Father Nathan walks in with a wide smile, and the ASA Ascension championship belt.
Nathan: "I just thought I would leave this here and check on Dixie. Dasha and Boris are leading the final charge on the palace to take out the Tsar. I'm going to go join them."
Mary: "Are you sure? That sounds dangerous! I'll come with you!"
Father Nathan puts a hand on Mary's shoulder, shaking his head.
Father Nathan: "I need you to stay with Dixie to keep her safe."
Clement: "The Hell with that!"
Dixie Clement stands up with a fierce look, but then clutches at her side before starting to topple. Father Nathan catches her before she hits the floor, lowering her back down.
Father Nathan: "There will be other battles, Dixie. You'll need to sit this one out."
Clement: "But I-"
Father Nathan: "No. You're too hurt for this one. I'll be back whe-"
The wall of the apartment explodes inward with two figures coming through. Though far from being the reptillian monsters that the Tsar had created, they are human.
Father Nathan: "What is this?"
As the cloud of dry wall dust clears, the two Chinese men can be seen. One large muscle bound man in a kung fu outfit with a symbol of a Tiger Claw. The other is an older man with a similar outfit with a symbol of a Serpent Fang.
The men bow to Father Nathan before the older man speaks.
"I am Tu Sha and my comrade here is Taag Sha. Sikarin Tsooth has requested your company."
Father Nathan smiles, returning the bow.
Father Nathan: "What a gracious invitation, but I must decline. I have creatures to kill."
Mary: "Look out!"
Father Nathan deflects a quick strike from Tu Sha, returning with a solid punch to the jaw that staggers him back.
Taag Sha hits Mary with a roundhouse kick that knocks her down by Dixie.
Father Nathan: "Mary!"
Taag Sha attacks Father Nathan with a flurry of attacks that the Priest has a hard time blocking. Tu Sha comes in from the side to attack, but is blocked by a lunging Dixie. She strikes him in the temple with an elbow strike to drive him into the wall.
The effort sends her to her knees in pain, distracting Father Nathan long enough for Taag Sha to hit a palm strike to the center of his chest hard enough to send him into the wall by the window hard enough to strike the brick outer wall.
Taag Sha covers the distance in a leap, holding a palm up while he breathes in deep with the palm starting to glow bright.
Tu Sha: "Enough! We are to bring him alive!"
Taag Sha sneers, but backs away with the glow in his hand fading away. Father Nathan falls out of the wall onto his feet. He holds his chest for a moment. If he didn't have broken ribs, they were bruised real well.
Tu Sha stands over the still form of Dixie Clement. She's awake and alive, but isn't moving.
Clement: "He hit me with something. Get away, Nate!"
Tu Sha: "A simple chi poisoning that's keeping her paralyzed. You can run, but the poison will continue to infect her until she dies. I can cure her, but you must come with us."
Father Nathan: "I'm a man of God. I don't need you to heal anyone."
Father Nathan's fists begin glowing white. He punches Taag Sha in the chest. The impact sends Taag Sha through the wall into the next room.
Tu Sha laughs, getting into a defensive fighting stance.
Tu Sha: "I see. The Christian God has invested much in you. Let's see how much."
Father Nathan lashes out with a series of punches that Tu Sha deflects. He attempts a fingertip strike on the return, but Father Nathan swerves, and strikes the outside of Tu Sha's elbow to break the arm.
Tu Sha tries to back away, but Father Nathan takes advantage of the opening to hits a heart punch.
Tu Sha drops to his knees while clutching at his heart with his good arm.
Father Nathan: "Heal her and I can stop your heart from exploding."
Tu Sha laughs, coughing up blood.
Tu Sha: "Heal her yourself, Priest."
Father Nathan turns to Dixie, laying his glowing hands by the wound on her neck that oozes with a green ichor. Mary starts to stir next to them, holding her head and groaning.
Father Nathan: "Come on..."
The wall bursts open with Taag Sha leaping in with his palm glowing bright.
Taag Sha: "Sikarin can have you in pieces!"
He lunges at Father Nathan, but misses when the Priest ducks. Taag Sha strikes the outside wall with his palm and the discharge of power sends the entire section of wall exploding outward.
He spins around to face Father Nathan, who stands at the ready, with a grin.
Taag Sha: "It will be my pleasure to deliver your broken, but alive form to my master!"
Father Nathan: "I won't be going anywhere. Take your dying friend and-"
Mary: "Nathan!"
Father Nathan feels a pinch just under his left shoulder blade and suddenly the glow in his hands fade away. He turns around to see Tu Sha staggering backwards with several weeping wounds around his heart on his bared chest.
Tu Sha: "Your channels of chi is blocked by my chi poisoning. We deal with biologies that you Westerners don't bother learning on a daily basis. And now, your proper invitation!"
Father Nathan frowns and turns just in time to see Taag Sha's glowing palm just before it connects.
Father Nathan slams against the wall next to the fire place before dropping to the ground. Taag Sha stands over Mary, who huddles by Dixie protectively.
Taag Sha: "Shall we kill the spares?"
Tu Sha stands up shakily, waving him off.
Tu Sha: "No. The blonde girl is going to die soon. Leave the other to mourn over the body."
Taag Sha nods, throwing Father Nathan over his shoulder. Tu Sha watches them walks by, plucking Father Nathan's cell phone from his pocket, and tossing it to Mary.
Tu Sha: "Your friend was brave. I will not heal her because I said I would not. Though it is my understanding that there is one that might be able help and she is probably in his phone."
Taag Sha chuckles exiting the room. Tu Sha shortly behind him.
Mary: "Wait! Who am I calling?"
Tu Sha: "Ask the Cowgirl."
Mary looks down at Dixie Clement, who smiles.
Clement: "Jade. Call Jade."
Bring Down the Tsar!
The Tsar's creatures had begun a full retreat. Their master had already fled, falling back to his inferno of a palace.
Dasha steps past the already freezing corpses of scores of the creatures and the couple of frost giants that came.
She doesn't know how the portal was made or how the frost giants knew to come through, but it is a move that's helping them win back their country from madness. She raises a pestilence round filled rifle over her head.
Dasha: "To the palace! Let's end this once and for all!"
Dasha begins running with Boris right beside her. She sees the beast Tarrasque roar as he runs.
She smiles to herself at that. The creature that people call Tarrasque had torn many of the monsters apart with his bare hands. Only Boris could boast of such a feat. Major Hizir Sengun and Glaknar the Green ran alongside Tarrasque. It was an odd trio, but one that did well fighting alongside each other.
She did raise an eyebrow at Frietag and Mr. Clowny in the mix as they rushed to the palace. Frietag limped as he struggled to run, but he looked at home with a Warhammer rifle in his hands.
Mr. Clowny was the one who looked out of place, but he was ridiculously energetic with distractions that sprang from cake based magic powers and clownish stunts that helped bring down more than one monster.
The others in the elimination match were missing because of injury or death. It was no easy match that they had while fighting through the city in Winter with monsters also hunting them.
This was probably why Father Nathan was missing. He probably stayed to ensure that the injured Dixie remained safe.
With the show finished, even Captain Trevor Maathai, Allen Anderson, and Terel Walker were close behind. Only one of the three had real combat training, but the other two did fairly well.
Hoskuld Lokison was missing, but it was hard to tell where he was one moment to the next. His strangeness was...excessive.
Khloe Kapla was also missing, but it was really hard to guage what she was going to do one minute to the next. Stories abound of her being from another world who came and befriended a vampire and a werewolf. She was strange. This much was certain.
They get to the front doors of the palace where Tsar Ionis Miranov stands with the burning palace at his back. His monsters have been scattered with none returning all the way back to the palace with the cold freezing all fires, but this one...they couldn't manage the strength.
Ionis stands before the fire, the vines twisting through his body wet with his own blood and that of others. Despite the fire being at his back, the blaze is reflected in his eyes...a dark tainted insanity that reveals that the Crown of Thorns has claimed the last of the man that Dasha once knew.
It stands before
It's time that this long drama finally ended.
Dasha: "Take him down! Fill him with the poisons!"
The gathered forces begin opening fire, none of the rounds getting through the thick armored hide of the Tsar.
The Tsar points a hand out, thorns flying at the speed of bullets to bring down targets.
Dasha pauses as Boris catches a thorn through the right side. The strike only slows him down a moment before he starts striding again.
Dasha gets within a medium range, taking aim, and firing a single shot that takes the Tsar in the mouth.
The shot doesn't kill him, but it does make the vines wilt, and fall away. He staggers backwards a bit, shaking his head. He looks at Dasha, though it seems as if it takes a long time for him to recognize her.
Miranov: "Dasha?"
Dasha: "I'm here, Ionis."
The vines start growing back and Ionis looks sad.
Miranov: "Finish it, Dasha! Finish it and free our country."
Dasha turns to Boris, who nods while hefting up an RPG Launcher.
Dasha: "Goodbye, Ionis."
The rocket catches the Tsar in the chest, sending him backwards into the palace where it explodes. It seems to set off a chain reaction of explosions that brings the entire palace down.
Nearby where some of the Tsar's creatures were just starting to join their leader, drop to their knees as if they were puppets with their strings cut. The vines and scales fall away as they shrink down their normal size. The humans shiver, naked in the cold.
Dasha finds Anderson quickly.
Dasha: "The Tsar's monsters are returning to normal. They won't last long in this cold!"
Anderson nods, sending out a message to Warhammer assets even as Dasha notifies Resistance forces.
The New War
As everyone begin heading back to the ring, a cold blast of wind sweeps through the area. Back in the distance where the ruins of the Russian Imperial Palace sit, the flames instantly freeze.
With most of the forces having scattered, all remaining eyes look to the portal to the north of the ring.
Allen Anderson stands next to Terel Walker as they look to the snow blowing through the rift.
Anderson: "What now?"
Walker: "Frost Giants. A whole lot of them!"
Dasha and Boris begin opening fire, an action mirrored by those who remain as more and more Frost Giants pour out of the portal.
Mr. Clowny sends a stream of neon pink frosting out to blind a frost giant coming for Anderson and Walker with a giant club. A second stream makes the giant fall onto his face long enough for Anderson to put two bullets into the back of his head.
Mr. Clowny: "Hoo hoo! You invite these guys to the party?"
Walker: "Sort of?"
Anderson: "We did kind of leave the door open."
Mr. Clowny's smile falters a minute, since he was just trying to be funny.
Mr. Clowny: "For reals? Hokey Smokes!"
Anderson: "Who knew that some Priest of Odin would turn out to really be a Priest of the Frost Giants?"
Tarrasque is seen in a test of strength with a frost giant, seemingly unaffected by the freezing touch of his enemy. Glaknar the Green laughs as he fights frost giants with his large axe, hewing through limbs. Major Hizir Sengun uses his rifle, picking his shots with careful ease to target eyes and other weak spots.
Still, as the tired defenders struggled to hold back the new threat, they were being pushed back to the ring emplacement.
That is until the bifrost opened to spill out Asgardians. A lot of Asgardians.
Lenneth, Kronin, Lilly, Lady Sif, Thor, Loki, Hoskuld Lokison, Celes, and many more rushed out onto the battlefield to meet the frost giants, even as one that towered over them all entered through the portal to look upon the gathering of mortals and gods with dark malice in his eyes and a crown upon his brow.
"I am Sigvard the Ice King! Bow down to your real masters!"
Dasha gets the giant of a frost giant in her sights.
Dasha: "We do not bow to Gods in Russia!"
Before she can take the shot, a blur of motion off to the side catches her as she sees Boris knocked down to the ground with a splatter of blood. She turns to look, but the rifle is knocked from her as Khloe Kapla steps in front of her view with a smile.
Kapla: "You and I have business to attend to, bitch!"
Dasha: "Now?"
Her answer is a crack across the jaw with her own rifle plucked from her hands. Dasha staggers back from the blow, falling into the front of a frost giant.
Kapla: "Is this where I leave you to die?"
The frost giant reaches down to grab Dasha by the head when Khloe smacks him on the back of the hand. He howls, starting to draw back when Khloe opens fire with the weapon to empty the magazine into the frost giant's head.
Kapla: "She's mine."
Thunder claps in the distance as Thor uses his hammer to strike down giant after giant, crushing their skulls with ease.
Sigvard plucks Frietag off of the ground, bringing him up to look at the man eye to eye.
Sigvard: "You are a little fellow."
Frietag says nothing, but responds with a side arm. He shoots the Ice King in the arm a few times, but the rounds just bounce off. Sigvard squeezes, bringing out a cry of pain from Frietag.
"Release that mortal, Sigvard!"
Sigvard looks down, grimacing in pain as Lady Sif slashes him across the leg with her sword. Sigvard tosses Frietag into the distance (where Hoskuld catches him). He laughs as the blood freezes over the wound to seal it.
Sigvard: "The Consort to Thunder and Whore to Excess. What can you do to stop the Ice King?"
Lady Sif: "I can bring down any frost giant!"
She slashes at Sigvard a few more times before Sigvard brings his own sword to bear, blocking her blows with an ever increasing speed.
Lady Sif blocks an exceptionally strong blow that knocks to the ground. Sigvard raises his sword with a harsh laugh, but a lightning blast from Kronin holds the blade in place while Thor's hammer shatters it to send the metal shard swirling around him in a tornado with lightning arcing between them. Sigvard howls in pain as the shards tear into his flesh and the lightning burns him.
Mr. Clowny is upside down. His leg has never been so cold in his life as a frost giant holds him upside down. Does the giant try to hurt him in any way?
No. The giant is demanding...
Giant: "More cake!"
So Mr. Clowny refills the giant's mouth over and over again with cupcakes, covered with frosting. That is, until he tries to be sly.
Clowny: "Oops! All out of cake!"
The giant brings Clowny close to his face so that they are inches apart.
Giant: "More cake!"
Clowny: "You sure?"
Giant: "MORE!"
And so, Mr. Clowny fills the giant's mouth with fruitcake. Since it is well known that most everyone HATES fruitcake with a passion. The frost giant tosses Mr. Clowny into a distant snow bank before starting to vomit.
Khloe Kapla watches the giant fall with a smile. It doesn't last long as she takes an uppercut from Dasha that nearly sends her to the ground. She responds by pressing the barrel of the rifle to Dasha's belly.
Dasha: "There's no rounds left in that rifle."
Kapla: "You sure about that? So, you not even concerned about your friend being drained of blood and torn apart by my friends you tried to have taken out?"
Dasha narrows her eyes, but Khloe remains smiling. She turns to look at Boris, who lays unconscious while bleeding into the snow.
Khloe takes this time to knock her down with the butt of the rifle and beat her down.
Kapla: "We'll continue this in the ring sometime."
Khloe slips from the battle unnoticed. Though Dasha and Boris's fallen forms are quickly protected by the Warriors Three until they can be taken from the scene.
Sigvard slashes at Kronin and Thor with his broken hilt that has just a bit of blade left on him as ice scabs form and break open from his movements. He roars in anger until he sees Hoskuld Lokison and Loki trying to get the downed Lady Sif away.
Sigvard: "ENOUGH!"
The wind from through the portal to Jotunheim picks up, bringing snow with it, and seemingly strengthening the Ice King. He swats Hoskuld and Loki away like flies. He kicks Thor hundreds of feet away leaving his hammer on the ground, and smashes Kronin down with the hilt of his sword.
Sigvard glares down at Kronin, flipping over the sword turned dagger in his hand so that what remains of the blade points downward.
Sigvard: "Now you will frolic with Hela!"
The blow is turned when Lady Sif slashes at his arm, bringing another yelp of pain from Sigvard. He turns back at her, glancing her across the head with the guard on his hilt to bring her back down.
Sigvard: "You think you can stop the Ice King!"
Sif: "You...can never...defeat...Asgard!"
Sigvard: "We will see. Goodbye, Lady Sif!"
Sigvard brings the blade down, but Celes appears sitting on top of her with her arms up as if to stop the attack. Sif manages to grab her and toss her away to the side as the giant broken blade shears through her flesh.
Celes jumps up from the snow with her eyes wide.
Celes: "NNNNOOOOO!"
Sigvard rips the blade out of Lady Sif's nearly bisected form, spraying blood across Celes.
Sigvard: "Don't worry, little girl. You will soon join her!"
Celes: "You go first!"
Beyond belief, Celes rips the hammer of Thor up from the ground and hurls it at Sigvard. It doesn't directly connect with the Ice King's head, but as the thunder resounds from the impact, Sigvard falls backwards through the portal to fall upon the ground.
Celes watches with wide frightened eyes as the hammer begins its return flight to her, but it is plucked from the air by Thor before it hits her.
Their King lying on the ground defeated, the other frost giants begin retreating back to Jotunheim where they drag Sigvard away.
Thor smiles at her until he realizes that she's covered in blood. Then he sees Lady Sif laying dead on the ground.
Thor: "I will avenge your death!"
He starts for the portal to Jotunheim when Hoskuld and Loki grab his arms to try to hold him back.
Loki: "No, brother!"
Lokison: "It's suicide!"
Thor: "I swear to slay Sigvard with my own hands!"
Thor throws the two Gods away, rushing through the portal to start smashing retreating frost giants with his hammer until he and the frost giants vanish from sight in the swirling snow.
Loki and Hoskuld stand up, Hoskuld stopping Loki before he rushes through the portal as well.
Loki: "We have to get him!"
Lokison: "He has to calm himself! We can't just go get him right now! He will find his way back to Asgard! He always does, right? If he fails to return in a decent amount of time...you and Celes can go get him."
Loki calms his breathing and nods.
Loki: "I'm surprised you didn't go too."
Hoskuld smiles, though the action is strained.
Lokison: "I would be in my Uncle's way. I did send with him, much of my own power once I knew we couldn't stop him. Right now...his Rage and Thirst for Vengeance is...Excessive."
Off to the side of the portal, Tyr stands with Allen Anderson and Terel Walker.
Tyr: "I will remain here with a guard to ensure no more frost giants come through. We will ensure Midgard remains safe from Jotunheim."
Anderson: "What about the portal? Will it always be Winter here?"
Tyr: "Until a way is found to seal this rift, this manner of cold is how Summer will feel. For the actual Winter..."
Anderson: "Great. Well, we are going to get out of here before we freeze to death."
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.
Legendary #5
Blood Runs Cold
The ASA has gone off the deep end and has booked this show in the heart of Moscow. There is no arena, so a wrestling ring with a steel cage will be airlifted into place between several buildings so wrestlers can try to find "dressing rooms". The city is in a state of destruction, rebuilding, chaos, and war so enemies and allies will be everywhere. Do Walker and Anderson have a plan to defeat the Mad Tsar, or did they book this show in an attempt at collective suicide?
Set Up and a View of Moscow
In the skies of Moscow, seven helicopters can be seen. A rather large one with several long chains on it leading down to a large dome not unlike a dome covering a dinner platter with a platform on the top of it. Alongside are two transports with a gunship to the sides, front, and rear of the small air fleet.
We go across the blasted landscape of Moscow. It's at once in the process of being rebuilt and destroyed. Smoke rises from different fires as pockets of humanity hold out against the strange monsters created by Tsar Ionis Miranov the First.
Several large churches are seen in ruins. A legacy of the Russian Orthodox Church given free reign at the start of the Tsar's reign with the Zhudac terrorizing the Empire before being discarded with the Tsar's transformation.
The gunships sweep the ground with gunfire, ensuring that there won't be any creatures on the ground.
The dome is slowly lowered onto the ground where it lands with a ground shaking boom despite the care.
Five people leap out of the helicopter on ziplines. One landing on the platform, and the others landing around it. They access panels to unlock rather large bolts, and the helicopter flies away with the top of the dome to take it a distance away.
Inside of the dome is a wrestling ring, though one intended to be without a live audience. A ring with a railing around it, a commentary table, cameras stationed all around, a JumboTron, and heavy duty defensive posts all around the circle with turrets and places for troops to be able to open fire.
There's one way to get into the ring area (that can easily be seen), and it is the most heavily defended.
The two transports land, discorging crews to man the equipment to record and do the show, and teams to deal with security. Shocktroopers begin searching nearby buildings to be used for dressing rooms...and are ready to take down any enemies they find.
Last to leave one of the transports is Terel Walker and Allen Anderson. They walk into the make shift arena, looking around.
Anderson: "You know, the people at Tendonin X Industries do some impressive work."
Walker: "They can do more than ScramTech, you know. It's just Jason's pet tech."
Anderson: "When's this guy going to be here? The guy that can help us defeat the Tsar?"
Terel just shrugs, running his hand across the ring apron.
Walker: "He should be here soon. He's travelling from Norway. He's a Priest of Odin that has a spell to help."
Anderson: "Norse Priest? We have access to a Norse God though?"
Walker: "No idea. He says he can help. If he can't? I would suggest leaving right away."
Anderson: "...noted. And for the record? You're insane!"
Walker: "Thanks?"
An Angry Tsar
Tsar Ionis Miranov the First paces back and forth in his throne room. Rotting corpses and old bloodstains litter the room from when he had gone on a murderous tirade after his advisers had told him to just surrender because the Resistance was about to destroy the leader of the Orthodox Church.
He had such fools of advisers anyway, most knew that the woman who had led the church was really Baba Yaga in disguise. That's why the Zduhac worked hand in hand with the church.
He slew them in his anger and left to try to convince Dasha to join him so that his Empire could be unified at last.
It failed of course.
Everything that he had done to make Russia great once again, was undone by these...rebels. His allies either turned against him or abandoned him to his fate. He was killed...murdered by the woman that he had mentored.
Dasha.
He was reborn of course. Reborn into a new and twisted form by the power of the Crown of Thorns. He was given the power to remake all of Russia and beyond into his own image!
Though the rebels have begun to turn the tide yet again! Some old knights treated his children like playthings and the rebels found weaknesses to fight back and defeat them.
They even made special armor piercing pesticide filled rounds to weaken his children before slaying them.
And now he hears the Apex Wrestling company is coming here?
Unacceptable!
Ionis motions and vines grow out of the ground through the floor to grow into a square shape with an empty space inside. A clear film grows across the empty space, the view changing to reveal the ring placed in his city. Thus, confirming his fears.
They mean to kill him.
Ionis rips the organic screen apart, not caring that the thorns tear across his flesh, piercing even through his scaled hide. It isn't like the thorns growing out of his own body rip him open daily...
He reaches out with his mind to his children across the entire empire.
"Our enemy have come to try to end Our Empire by murdering your Tsar! Come home and defend your ruler and creator! Everything depends on their final defeat! Come! Come with all due haste! Let us end this rebellion once and for all then transform the remainder of Russia into the new glorious evolution!"
The Spell is Cast
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
North of the Ring Placement, between the burnt out husks of two newly built and destroyed apartment buildings, an old woman dressed in wolf furs finishes carving runes into the stones of the nearby buildings.
She walks back to where Terel Walker and Allen Anderson wait with a dozen heavily armed Shocktroopers.
Anderson: "Sigrid Ingvar, Priestess of Odin? I wasn't aware that the old Gods were still worshiped."
Sigrid smiles, but the smile is cold and unfriendly.
Ingvar: "We have always been, even after the Christians overcame. The return of the Gods years ago caused a rebirth in our faith. We have been rewarded for our diligence with great power. I can cast a spell to bring about an early Winter that will weaken the reptilian and plant aspects of the monsters you face."
Anderson smiles.
Anderson: "Good. We have our people ready for the cold. I won't bother you further so you may proceed."
Sigrid Ingvar nods, turning back to her work. She begins chanting in an ancient language unknown to Anderson or Walker. The Runes along the walls begin to glow, the space between the walls in front of the gathered party growing cold as the power is gathered.
The grinding and tearing of a great old tree is heard as a hole is torn in the sky. The Rune carved stones fly into the hole, widening the hole until it's hundreds of feet wide and tall.
On the other side, a pristine Winterly landscape is seen. A chill wind carrying snow howls through the opening, the snow quickly spreading far and wide as it starts collecting on the ground.
Sigrid Ingvar drops to her knees while holding her chest, tears of joy freezing on her face as they are released. Anderson and Walker run to her side as she laughs.
Ingvar: "The spell was too much for my old heart, but I never thought I would actually see it! Thank you for this chance! The ley lines here were perfect for the spell. More perfect than anywhere else on the world and we have searched for so long..."
Walker frowns, looking at the landscape beyond the portal.
Walker: "Where is this? Is Asgard this cold?"
Ingvar: "Oh it is during the Winter, but this is not Asgard. I do not worship the foolish Asgardians."
Anderson: "Where does this lead to?"
Sigrid falls to the snow covered ground, her breath becoming ragged.
Ingvar: "It leads to the people my sect and I have always worshiped since the dawn of time."
Walker: "Where?! Answer us, you old witch!"
Ingvar: "What has been done...can never be undone..."
Anderson pulls Sigrid up, shaking her roughly, but she only laughs with blood spittle coming out.
Ingvar: "Jotunheim. There will always be Winter in the Russian Empire...."
Sigrid's body goes slack as she dies from the effort of casting the spell. Anderson looks up to Walker.
Anderson: "The cold will sap the Tsar and his children, but have we doomed Russia to another fate?"
Terel Walker looks through the portal to the icy cold of Jotunheim with a shiver.
Walker: "I wish I knew. I wish I knew. Let's get back. The show's getting ready to open."
Fight for Survival
Bang Bang London
Bang Bang London wraps up in an old blanket he found in the husk of an apartment he found to use as his dressing room. He sits in a chair, looking over the gun he was issued upon arrival.
London: "The Tsar of Russia has become a monster. He gave birth to monsters who kill and make more monsters. If one attacks me, I shoot it in the eyes, mouth, or jam this up its ass to shoot its insides because its scaly hide will deflect all rounds otherwise."
Did they not understand that the "Bang Bang" part of his name was NOT because he was an expert with a gun. It was more of a metaphor for the way he defeats his opponents. His NORMAL opponents.
London: "Right. What the *beep* is this cold? This snow and cold just came out of nowhere just like...magic."
Bang Bang London shakes his head, setting down the gun, and pulling the blanket tighter around himself. They had issued winter coats and suits to keep out the cold, but he didn't think it was going to be THIS cold!
London: "I should have stayed home and just flipped burgers. Hopefully one of those things won't come barging in here. I have a debut match-"
About this time is when one of "those creatures" barrels through the wall to the apartment.
London: "to win. Crap!"
London looks up at the monster that stands nine feet tall with reptillian scales and is covered in thorned vines that grow out of its body even as the thorns draw a green ichor that serves as blood from its body.
London: "I gave at the office?"
Bang Bang London rolls out of the way as the creature lunges and smashes the chair he was sitting in.
London grabs the gun, aiming at the creature's face, and shooting a few rounds. The shots either miss the creature's head or bounce off it's scaly hide. It knocks the gun away, picking London up with both hands around his torso to bring him up to its face to roar loudly.
Between his chest being squeezed and the assault of the roar, the thorns from the vines ripping into his flesh doesn't feel as bad. Though he does feel everything start to go dark...dying still hurts.
London: "*beep!*"
Opening
Ordinarily, we would see an arena full of fans and dim the lights as we go to the JumboTron to reveal the song that will set the pace for the night. Tonight though, there are no fans or places for them to sit. There's also no overhead lighting, but a wide array of spotlights.
With this special televised event, the cameras do a quick look around at the camera set up and defensive positions of the ring emplacement before going to the JumboTron for the music of the night.
Once the song fades away, we go to the commentary desk where sit Kenneth Kemp and Selena Sanchez. They are dressed for the weather in layers of furs and winter gear.
Kemp: "Tonight's song was so right! How the hell do they expect people to compete in this? Couldn't they have at least left the dome on or something to cut back on the wind?"
Sanchez: "I think it'd be harder to defend and your ear drums would pop like grapes from the gunfire reports bouncing inside of the dome."
Kemp: "No. Instead we freeze to death..."
Sanchez: "Anderson is coming down to the ring."
Allen Anderson walks down to the ring in an expensive Warhammer business suit. It's expensive because it is a thermal suit that can even keep exposed hands, face, and neck warm through the blistering cold wind.
Anderson: "Hello and welcome to the fifth episode of Legendary! We have an exciting show for you all watching at home tonight. You're all watching at home because we are in the lovely city of Moscow and inviting a lot of fans here would just invite them to death and destruction!"
Kemp: "What about us? Doesn't he care about-"
Sanchez: "Quiet and grow a pair."
Anderson: "What you will see tonight is the Ascension title going up for grabs as Father Nathan does his one defense that he needs to do before he can challenge Dasha to try get that World title from around her waist. You will also see plenty of out of the ring action as efforts are coordinated to defeat the Tsar of Russia once and for all. If we fail...there won't be a sixth episode of Legendary. Wish us luck!"
Allen Anderson walks away from the ring while Kenneth Kemp stares at him with an open mouth.
Kemp: "If we fail, we all die? This is so much *beep*ing rubbish!"
Sanchez: "I'm sure this weather is all a part of the plan to help defeat the Tsar."
Kemp: "I don't care. I think this is my last show. I ain't dealing with life or death situations. I'm a wrestling commentator, not a *beep*ing soldier!"
Sanchez: "Suit yourself. We're going to head to the ring where MaLisha Wilson is ready with the first match of the night!"
Dawson vs London
Wilson: "This match has been scheduled for one fall! Featuring first, hailing from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina...David Dawson!"
"Bad Company" by Five Finger Death Punch begins playing as David Dawson, Nick Savage, and Sarah Savage walk down to the ring in parkas. They tread very carefully on metallic flooring that has a light coating of snow and ice.
Kemp: "What the hell? Dawson going to wrestle like that?"
Sanchez: "I guess? It is cold as heck out there. It's good this place can be modified so that we're inside a heated glass dome. You would think they would have done the ring the same way."
A ring attendant runs down to the ring to speak to MaLisha Wilson for a moment before running back to his station.
Wilson: "This opening match of the night has been CANCELED! It seems that Bang Bang London was seen fighting one of the Tsar's monsters and has died. We are not 'that other company' where dying means you lose the match."
Despite looking pissed, the members of Bad Company take their leave of the ring.
Kemp: "Hey, at least when they go back to the dressing room that they found, there was a fireplace so they can work on warming back up."
Sanchez: "Always a bright side to things."
The Palace Burns
Tsar Ionis Miranov sits in his throne.
It's cold.
It isn't like the normal Russian Winter. He had dealt with these in his mortal days. They were harsh, but not like this.
Never like this.
It's as if everything slowed down. He was so cold and his blood flow was so sluggish. His energy level was low, almost as if he could slip off into a slumber until Spring arrived.
It was unnatural. Those rebels did something! But how could they bring about Winter?
The rebels did this. They had to have!
The reptillian and plant nature to his current states of his being must be adversely affected by this cold weather. He needs heat to revitalize him and his forces.
And if heat he needs...
The Tsar's creatures work their way through the palace, pouring fuel all over the palace with the exception of the throne room itself.
Once his scores of children have gathered with him inside of the throne room, he lights a single torch and throws it.
The fire quickly spreads through the palace, the heat of the fire radiating into the throne room, and invigorating the Tsar and his gathered soldiers.
Miranov: "A path exists to the outside! Go! Kill the rebels and undo what they have done to the land!"
The Tsar laughs with renewed life as his children rush to do his bidding.
Miranov: "Burn everything so that the heat keeps you energized! Everything!"
Fight for Survival
Savage Times
David Dawson, Nick Savage, and Sarah Savage walk across the street to get to the building where the apartment they found for a dressing room is.
They pull their parkas extra tight as they walk. The weather had become Winterlike just before the show and has only gotten colder and colder since.
They hurry across the way and get up the stairs and into their found apartment. Nick Savage starts a fire going while the others gather blankets.
Once they are warming by the fire, the conversation starts.
Nick Savage: "What did we get ourselves into, Sarah? You said that they told you that most of the wrestlers in this company are normal!"
Sarah shrugs, holding her hands before the flame.
Sarah Savage: "That's what they said! They said that most of the ASA talent were normal humans and were not like much of the IWA talent were."
Dawson: "Normal people don't schedule shows in war torn cities and expect the talent to participate in battles against monsters that have been slaughtering people across an entire nation! They also don't hold outdoor events in subzero temperatures!"
Nick Savage: "So Bang Bang London really died? Those things killed him? He was given a gun too! They said to aim at eyes, mouth, or shove it up a creature's ass. What the fuck you got us into, Saha? They know we're wrestlers and not action heroes?"
Sarah Savage shakes her head, almost to tears.
Sarah Savage: "How am I supposed to know that? For all I know, management thinks we all just potential freedom fighters!"
Nick shrugs, taking a sip from a bottle of vodka found in the kitchen of the apartment. He passes the bottle to David Dawson, who takes a drink before passing it to Sarah.
Dawson: "It'll help you stay warm."
Sarah Savage nods, taking a sip of the vodka before passing it to Nick.
Sarah Savage: "So, you think we'll be safe here?"
Nick Savage walks to the window once they hear gunfire. He sees several of the creatures being gunned down by the heavy turrets around the ring.
Nick Savage: "Let's hope this show ends soon so we can get the fuck out of here. I'm allergic to dying and shit."
Dawson: "Amen!"
About this time is when two of the creatures burst in through the door to the apartment.
Nick Savage: "Aaah fuck!"
The three grab guns and begin opening fire on the creatures. A lucky shot catches on of them in the left eye, the round bouncing around the inside of the creature's skull.
As it falls to the ground, the other creature lunges past it to slash David Johnson across the chest to send innards all over the place.
Nick Savage: "FUCK YOU!"
Nick grabs David's gun, firing both of them at the creature to try to bring it down.
The creature grabs one of Nick's arms, ripping it off at the shoulder.
The creature knocks Nick down and lifts Sarah Savage up by the throat and left, ripping her in half before letting out a victorious roar.
It almost turns to find Nick, but he uses his one good arm to jam a gun barrel up its ass.
Nick Savage: "Take this, you fucking bastard!"
Nick Savage unloads the gun into the innards of the creature. He laughs as the monster falls dead to the floor.
Nick lays on the floor, losing blood fast from his shoulder. He looks around the room and chuckles.
Nick Savage: "I hope you people are happy. We brought down...we...two..."
Nick goes slack as the last of his life leaves him.
The Warhawks vs
Tarrasque and Hoskuld Lokison
Wilson: "This next match is a handicap match scheduled for one fall! On this side of the ring...Tarrasque and Hoskuld Lokison!"
Tarrasque roars and poses like he's looking to the fans for support. It doesn't even faze him that there is no fans, or seats for the fans to sit at.
Kemp: "You'd think that even an idiot like Tarrasque could see that this is a special televised event with no fans present to cut down on civilian casualties."
Sanchez: "You did notice he was more posing for the camera than imagined fans?"
Kemp: "Oh."
Hoskuld Lokison leans back in his corner with a large frosty flagon in his hand. He chuckles, tipping back the drink as he watches his opponents planning their attack.
Kemp: "Troy, erm Hoskuld, looks pretty confident going into this."
Sanchez: "And why not? He's an Asgardian God who is tagged with a monster who has claimed the power of two Olympian Gods if the rumors are true. They face a group of hardcore posers in the ring. Simple math."
Kemp: "That's a bit harsh."
Sanchez: "But true."
Kemp: "Well? Alright."
Wilson: "And their opponents...Elliot Lytle, Will York, Terrence Jenning, and Devin Ross. They are known as the Warhawks!"
The four pose and trash talk at Tarrasque and Hoskuld Lokison while laughing. Since they do have two to one odds...and Devin Ross alone outweighs them both.
When the bell rings to start the match, the four Warhawks rumble across the ring to take on their opponents. Elliot and Devin rush at Tarrasque while Terrence and Will go after Hoskuld.
Tarrasque roars at Elliot and Devin, stopping them in their tracks. They look upon Tarrasque and seem suddenly very afraid. Tarrasque laughs as he easily hefts Devin Ross up over his head in a press slam position, hurling him from the ring and into the security railing that keeps the wrestlers apart from the recording and defensive equipment.
Hoskuld backhands Terrence with the flagon, knocking him over the ropes to the steel flooring. He throws the flagon at Terrence when he tries to pop back up, leveling him.
Kemp: "Well? I never thought I would see Ross moved like that. He's what eight hundred pounds?"
Sanchez: "I think he's six hundred, but it is a good point."
Will York throws a punch, but Hoskuld catches the fist. The wide eyed Will throws another punch, but it too is caught. Hoskuld squeezes the captured hands, until Will kicks a low blow...
A kick that resounds with a metallic impact. Will's eyes go wider if possible, but this time with pain. Hoskuld lets him drop to the mat while holding his foot.
York: "I think I broke my toes! What the fuck you wearing?"
Hoskuld knocks on his crotch to a metallic ping.
Lokison: "You sure got a perty mouth...my daughter mentioned having a special metal underpants made with a lock so I wouldn't be tempted to mouth ravish you..."
Kemp: "La la la! I didn't hear that! La la la!"
Sanchez: "You didn't know that Hoskuld was Bisexual?"
Kemp: "La la la! I can't hear you! Being Bi is for WOMEN!"
Sanchez: "You are an idiot."
Tarrasque grabs Elliot Lytle with a brain claw, bringing him down flat on the mat, bashing the back of his head into the mat over and over again. Blood splatter starting to show after about the dozenth time he does it.
Will York rolls out of the ring to land on top of Terrence in his haste to get away from Hoskuld, who leans in the corner and summons a fresh flagon of Asgardian mead.
The ref talks to Tarrasque, who stops bashing Elliot's head into the mat and pins him.
One...Two...Three!
Wilson: "Winners of this match...as if there was ever any doubt...Tarrasque and Hoskuld Lokison!"
Sanchez: "See? I told you so."
Kemp: "This is true. You were right...for once."
Desperate Battle
Moscow was burning.
Everywhere Dasha and Boris Drago looked, more buildings were catching on fire.
More of the Tsar's children came, faster than before.
Dasha jumps back as one of these monsters come lunging at her, picking it off with a single shot to the eye.
Boris spears another one with a pike down the throat, keeping sure to not contact it with his body as it dies.
Dasha takes a moment to look around her. Where the Tsar's creatures were drawn away from the sources of heat, their vines turned brown and shriveled, they moved so much slower, and their scaled armor quickly ablated away to expose vulnerable flesh for easier kills.
There was a wide open area around the ring area where the creatures were trying to converge on. Sallying out to meet them head on, meant dying.
Dasha: "Fall back! Get them away from the fires and closer to the guns!"
The defenders follow her command right away, performing a fighting retreat back by the defensive guns to allow the cold to better effect the monsters.
Dasha turns again as Boris rips through a cold monster with his pike before it could attack her blind side. She nods at him in thanks before they both fall back.
They are taking the monsters down faster than before, but it might still be a war of attrition that they cannot win as more and more keep coming.
Dasha: "We need to break through this siege to get to the Tsar and finish this once and for all!"
Elimination Battle through the City for a shot at the Ascension Championship
Kemp: "So this next match is an elimination match. The people in the match are placed on top of a rooftop about a mile from here and get to fight their way back here like in Ethiopia?"
Sanchez: "No. Well, you're right except for the last part. They don't have to come to the ring. They just have to eliminate everyone else. They start outside of the ring and can go where ever they feel like going."
Kemp: "And why can't it be an elimination match inside the ring where it's going to be reasonably safe?"
Sanchez: "Ratings."
Kemp: "And this...this is why I will be finding a different job. Maybe I'll do play by play for some pro sport."
The JumboTron lights up to reveal the rooftop of a nearby government building. Marty Sandal, Harry "Handcuffs" Houdini, Dixie Clement, Frietag, Candice Kingston, and Mr. Clowny stand in a circle around a small black box.
The sound of a bell being run to start the match sounds and we are off!
Candice locks up with Clowny while Frietag and Dixie begin trading punches while Marty stares down Harry with an evil smile.
Kemp: "I wonder if-"
The rooftop explodes, tossing the little black box to the side as one of the Tsar's monsters bursts through.
Sanchez: "Should have kept that thought to yourself, eh?"
Kemp: "This is EXACTLY why the match should have been held in the ring!"
The creature lunges at a wide eyed Marty Sandal while everyone else stops fighting to determine what to do. The creature rakes Marty from groin to throat with long claws that shear through flesh and bone like tissue paper. Marty looks down in horror as his insides spill out onto the roof before he falls down on top of the pile of organs and fat.
Selena Sanchez looks away from the JumboTron while Kenneth Kemp turns three shades of green.
Kemp: "So then...I guess that'd be one elimination?"
Selena Sanchez would respond, but she's busy vomiting into a bucket.
Candice blasts the creature with a stream of energy, knocking the creature backwards. It turns, elbowing Dixie in the ribcage hard enough to knock her from the building!
Frietag levels Harry, sitting on him. The little black box sounds off a count.
"One...Two...Three! Harry Houdini is eliminated."
Frietag reaches into his boot as Candice hits another energy blast that knocks some scales off of the cold creature. He produces a pistol, shooting the creature several times in the unarmored section. The creature staggers before taking a few steps and falling on top of Candice Kingston. Frietag is quick to place a foot on her fallen form.
"One...Two...Three! Candice Kingston is eliminated."
Frietag turns to Mr. Clowny with an odd smile. He points the gun at him.
Frietag: "Just you and me, Clown."
Mr. Clowny just laughs, producing a giant cupcake that floats over his head.
Clowny: "Hoo hoo! You gonna shoot me, pahtnah? I gotta cupcake that can crush a bull. You just gotta ask yourself one question. Are you hungry, punk?"
Frietag drops the gun, rushing at Mr. Clowny as he starts sending the cupcake at him. He catches Clowny with a spear, sending them both over the side of the building. They both land on a fire escape platform next to Dixie Clement, who is sitting up against the railing while holding her ribs.
Clement: "Good of you to drop in..."
Frietag is on top of Clown, raining punches onto him, but Clowny still manages to speak to her.
Clowny: "I know, right? Listen...you got any rum on you?"
Dixie winces as she shakes her head.
Everyone looks startled as the bolts holding the fire escape to the building start to give way. Frietag looks to Dixie.
Frietag: "Do you yield?"
Clement: "I can still fight! No!"
Frietag: "Once I win the title, I'll give you a shot at it so you can fight at your best. Yield and we'll leave this so it stays up."
Dixie doesn't look very happy, but she does know truth when she hears it.
Clement: "I yield."
"Dixie Clement has been eliminated."
Clowny: "How you planning on-"
Frietag lifts Clowny up and they both go off the side of the fire escape so that it will not fall from the building. This despite the fact that they are ten floors up.
Kemp: "If Frietag insane?"
Sanchez: "I'm just getting word that if Father Nathan keeps his title that he'll be giving it up to go after Dasha. So then Frietag and Clowny both would get the shot. If Father Nathan loses, then only Frietag gets it."
Frietag: "Big cupcake."
Clowny: "What?"
Frietag: "NOW!"
Frietag lands on top of Mr. Clowny on top of a giant cupcake on the street. It is still counted as a cover.
One...Two...Three!!!
"Winner of the match...Frietag!"
Kemp: "That was insane! Frietag could have killed both himself and Clowny with that move!"
Sanchez: "I hear troops are moving in to help those left alive get to a more secure area. Well, more secure than where they're at now."
Kemp: "Jeeze. What people will do for a championship belt. I hear you can buy one online for several hundred bucks."
Sanchez: "It won't mean the same."
Kemp: "I guess not."
To the Portal
Dasha looks up at the sound of an inhuman roar that fills the air.
Tsar Ionis Miranov is standing on top of one of the apartment buildings that had been overtaken by the ASA for use as dressing rooms.
Miranov: "To the portal, you fools! Seal the portal and we can end this rebellion!"
The Tsar's children break off battle all at once and head north of the "venue" where the portal was torn open.
Dasha picks off a couple of them with a rifle before pointing at them.
Dasha: "At their backs! Don't let them reach the portal!"
Boris lunges past Dasha, leaping onto the back of one of the cold children to break its neck. He turns around it as they fall to land on his feet to hurl the creature at the others.
Dasha begins running at them with Resistance soldiers, former Imperial soldiers, allied Zduhac, and Shocktroopers around her as they open fire on the retreating monsters.
"Fine day for a run, isn't it?"
Dasha frowns, there are few who can keep up with her as she runs. But yet, there he was.
Hoskuld Lokison.
Dasha: "What do you want?"
Lokison: "To kill a few of these things and I wouldn't mind looking at this portal that's bringing the cold weather!"
Dasha: "Suit yourself. Just stay out of my way!"
Hoskuld nods, leaping past several of the Tsar's children, and slashing at several of them with swords that seem to come from thin air. Dasha picks off several of the children that Hoskuld wounds, but doesn't kill.
Lokison: "Are we having fun yet?"
Dasha: "Duck, fool!"
Hoskuld ducks as a compact car sails through the spot his head once was to crush several of the monsters. Hoskuld looks to see Boris to the side of the road.
Boris: "Oops!"
Hoskuld laughs, stabbing a still moving monster in the head with his sword as it tries to get up.
Lokison: "My friend, your strength is excessive!"
Boris starts running to catch up with Dasha, shouldering into Hoskuld as he goes.
Boris: "We not friends..."
Hoskuld shrugs, following behind.
At the portal, the monsters of the Tsar look around while trying to find something to destroy on it so that it can be sealed.
All the while, Dasha and Boris lead the charge in killing the creatures.
Hoskuld Lokison stands back, watching the battle continue on. He stares at the other side of the portal as if deep in thought.
Lokison: "I think I know this place. Have I been there? There's no anchors to keep this portal open. No visible way to close it."
That's when two Frost Giants come through the portal with equally giant sized axes that they use to strike out at both sides of the conflict.
Lokison: "Jotunheim? They ripped open a way into Jotunheim? They shouldn't be allowed this kind of access! I must see father!"
Hoskuld steps to the side, looking as if he were passing into a solid brick wall.
He reappears outside of Loki's home, entering in a rush to see Loki at a writing desk.
Loki: "What is it?"
Lokison: "The war in Russia continues. A way has been found to weaken the monsters created by the Tsar, but the way is-"
Loki: "The way is what? Some kind of freezing spell would work I should think."
Lokison: "They opened a portal to a cold world. A permanent portal from the looks of it. It leads to Jotunheim!"
Loki drops his quill, standing up.
Loki: "You can't be joking about this. Have the Frost Giants discovered this? Have they come through?"
Lokison: "Two of them have. What should-"
Loki heads for the front door, casting a look back.
Loki: "I'm going to tell Thor and Odin. I'm sure we'll be there soon enough. Go! Make sure those that came through do not return to tell others. We don't need a full scale invasion. It will not better things on Midgard in the least!"
Hoskuld chuckles to himself as he starts making his way back.
Lokison: "The complication of this has become excessive."
Ascension Championship
Wilson: "This next match is the main event of the evening and is for the ASA Ascension championship! Featuring our challenger, from Addis Adaba, Ethiopia...Khloe Kapla!"
“Steampunk Revolution” By Abney Park begins playing as Khloe Kapla makes her way to the ring. She looks determined as she walks.
Kemp: "I thought that she was claiming some weird place called Steampunk City as her home? And, where are her friends?"
Sanchez: "I heard that she told her friends to remain behind after Dasha had them shot. As far as the home, maybe she's accepted this place as her home."
Kemp: "I reckon."
Wilson: "And her opponent...from Dublin, Ireland...he is the ASA Ascension champion...Father Nathan!"
The lights in the arena dim as ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’ by Johnny Cash plays over the PA and Father Nathan makes his way out from the back, carrying his cross. He looks over the cold camera and defensive installations with the few soldiers and such looking his way before shaking his head and making his way down to the ring, setting up his cross to stand on its own as he climbs into the ring and prepares for the fight.
Kemp: "Father Nathan looks ready for this match. Think he's ready to take on someone like Dasha?"
Sanchez: "She is a bloodthirsty menace. I think she's outside of the installation with Boris and an alliance of a lot of different forces where they've been fighting the Tsar's monsters off and on throughout the show."
Kemp: "I wondered why the big guns kept firing."
As the bell rings to start the match, Khloe brings it to Father Nathan with several European uppercuts before slinging him to the mat with a hip toss. She tries to drop a knee on his chest, but Father Nathan rolls out of the way.
He springs up, catching Khloe as she pops up, and brings her over with a bell to belly suplex. Before she can move again, he applies an armbar.
Sanchez: "Khloe comes in with a bang, but Father Nathan quickly takes control of the match."
Kemp: "Khloe might do something crazy. She is steampunk you know. They like changing up the moves to add gears and shit to them."
Sanchez: "What?"
Kemp: "You never seen Wild Wild West?"
Sanchez: "No, I like good movies."
Khloe reaches out, catching her foot in the ropes so that Father Nathan has to break the hold.
Before Father Nathan can get up, Khloe turns, and slams her elbow into the side of his head. She gets to her feet while he's in a seated position, diving down to clothesline Father Nathan to the mat. She follows this with a brain claw, holding him down enough that the ref comes to count a pinfall.
One...Two...Father Nathan gets a shoulder up.
Kemp: "See? She is determined to get back at Dasha!"
Sanchez: "Then she's looking past Father Nathan. It's a mistake."
Father Nathan twists, sinking a fist into Khloe's midsection to break the hold. He rolls away from her to get to his feet as she gets to hers.
Kapla: "You won't deny me what's mine!"
Father Nathan: "This isn't the path you're destined to take!"
Khloe comes at Father Nathan, but he sidesteps her, and grabs her to bring her down with a reverse ddt.
Father Nathan gets up, bringing Khloe up with him. He starts for a suplex, but Khloe blocks it, and bring Father Nathan down into a small package!
One...Two...Thr-Father Nathan kicks out!
Kemp: "Khloe almost had him there!"
Sanchez: "True. Father Nathan had better not overestimate her either."
Khloe and Father Nathan work their way up, Khloe stopping Father Nathan as if for a gutwrench suplex, but flips him backwards over her shoulders to send him to the steel floor.
Khloe pulls back on the top rope as far as she can before slingshotting herself over the ropes. Father Nathan brings up his knees at the last moment, catching Khloe in the gut, and tossing her to the side.
Kemp: "What the *beep*? He broke her in half on that one!"
Sanchez: "He had enough in him to catch her. She spent too much time trying to bow and arrow herself."
Inside the ring, the ref begins the count on both wrestlers.
One...Two...Father Nathan drags himself to his feet with the use of the ring apron...Three...Four...Father Nathan tries to roll into the ring, but Khloe grabs him by the foot to keep him out...Five...Khloe pulls herself up using Father Nathan...Six...Father Nathan breaks away from Khloe...Seven...both roll into the ring.
Kemp: "Both are bleeding from the scalp. Minor cuts sustained from hitting that steel floor."
Sanchez: "Couldn't we have padded that a little before the show?"
Kemp: "The *beep* should I know? I'm getting off this cast of idiots as soon as we hit American soil!"
Both Father Nathan and Khloe use the ropes to get to their feet. Khloe socks Father Nathan in the jaw with a left hook.
Father Nathan rubs his jaw with a grin.
Father Nathan: "This is my game!"
Khloe nods, going on the assault with lefts and rights. Father Nathan blocks and dodges what he can, taking a couple of punches before he can slip in an uppercut. He rebounds with a series of lefts and rights that all strike home. He aims at the jaw, but then also strikes nerve clusters in the shoulders until Khloe's arms drop to her sides from being numb. That's when he strikes with the-
Sanchez: "The Left Hand of God! Otherwise known as the Heart Punch, Khloe is down!"
Kemp: "I think in this case, we can call it what it is...a Left Boobie Punch. Doesn't he know? Boobies are for groping, not punching! I mean, just like this. Honk, honk!"
Selena Sanchez looks at Kenneth Kemp in shock as his hand leaves her. She quickly regains her senses and decks him off his chair.
Sanchez: "You dirty little son of a bitch!"
Kemp would respond, but he's out cold...
Father Nathan goes for the cover.
One...Two...Three!
Wilson: "Winner of the match by way of pinfall, and NEW ASA Ascension champion...Father Nathan!"
Duel of Generation
In the Heart of Moscow
In a basement in a derelict building, Jade walks into the room with a grim smile.
Jade: "I can feel you in here. Come out and let's finish this once and for all."
Anxiu: "It is fitting that you should be the last of the Celestial Dragons that I would face. After all of the generations of champions that you have allowed to die at the hands of my family going back to when the Compact was formed back at the dawn of the Sinister Peace. You would know it as the organization that was before being remade into the Warhammer Corporation by the Vastrix family. Once you are gone, I will exterminate the last of the Celestial Dragons and be done with it."
Jade shakes her head, sliding into a fighting stance.
Jade: "I will free my dragons and send you and yours into exile like the Red Palm were before Alexander the Great moved into the Indian subcontinent."
Anxiu: "I think the Infernal Dragon might have something to say about that..."
The corpse of Xan Xing walks out of the shadows. Though truth be told, he looks more like a shadow himself. His head rests at an odd angle and a black ichor constantly drools from the corner of his mouth.
Infernal: "The corruption of your spirit will transform the rest of the Celestials into Infernals. The Mistress will not have to fight this fight at all..."
Jade shifts her stance, slipping a hand inside of her outfit with a smile.
Jade: "This is a wonderful gift you have given me, Anxiu."
Jade moves in a blur of motion. The Infernal Dragon tries to react, but dead nerves don't move quite so fast as they once did. Jade plunges a Celestial Dragon carved from Jade into the chest of Xan Xing's corpse from underneath the ribcage. She pulls back her hand, a green fire obliterating the black ichor covering her hand and wrist.
Anxiu: "What have you done?"
The Inferal Dragon throws its head back, green light pouring from its mouth and eyes. The light begins spreading from its chest until the entire corpse of Xan Xing is glowing from the jade stone buried within. When the glow ends, Xan Xing smiles.
Xing: "Thank you..."
Xan Xing sighs as his body falls to the floor, disintegrating into dust. The jade statue remains behind, having turned black and soft from absorbing the corruption. Jade smiles at the angry Tehuai Anxiu.
Jade: "My Celestial Dragons have returned. The House of the Infernal Dragon is dead."
Tehuai Anxiu gets into an aggressive fighting stance, the palm with the circle of black on her palm facing Jade. She can see that in the emotional distress of the Grandmistress of Red Palm...the black circle has started to grow, sending out tendrils of inky darkness to her fingers and down her wrist. Her control of the corruption within slipping away.
Anxiu: "You! You are ruining everything! I will see you and your entire House dead!"
Tehuai Anxiu launches a furious assault, one which Jade deflects all except one strike that clips her left shoulder. She counterstrikes to chop Anxiu on the hip to send her backpedaling.
Jade clutches at her shoulder, her hand glowing to work chi into the spreading corruption to heal it.
Tehuai Anxiu smiles as she readies for another attack.
Anxiu: "I will enjoy watching you and yours die."
Jade: "That will never happen."
Jade rolls past a renewed assault, grabbing the corruption filled statue, and tossing it to Anxiu. She catches it on instinct, crushing the softened jade in her hand like clay.
Jade: "You remember what happened to your daughter? You remember what happened to your father a thousand years ago? To three out of every four of your students?"
Anxiu: "I am the most powerful master of Red Palm Kung Fu that has ever lived! I control more corrupt chi than what entire Houses could handle! I-"
Jade: "Have lost control."
Tehuai Anxiu looks down at her hand to see the darkness spreading from her hand down to her elbow. The speed of the spreading darkness had only increased since she absorbed the chi in the statue.
Anxiu: "Nooo! You will go down with me!"
She begins a renewed assault on Jade, her strikes wild and powerful, but they lack the finesse of before. Still, all Jade can do at this point is guard her heart from the fatal injection of corrupt chi as Anxiu strikes her over and over again.
In seconds, it's over. Jade drops to her knees, using her power to keep the corruption at bay it seems while Tehuai Anxiu stands over her in triumph...though half her ancient face has turned black.
Anxiu: "I wil empty my corruption into you until I am under control and the Infernal Dragon is reborn again!"
Jade: "No...if it's one thing I have learned. Chi is chi. Ying or Yang, Corruption or Pure...the Celestial Dragons can manipulate it all. Take your corruption back."
Jade points both palms at Anxiu's chest, the inky black corruption leaving Jade's body in a stream of dark power to slam into Anxiu to send her into the stone wall.
Anxiu: "You have not killed me! You have not..."
As the rest of Tehuai Anxiu's body becomes black as night, her eyes go wide. Holes are torn in the floor of the basement as great hands of the Yama Kings grasp at her to tear her apart in a sick game of tug of war. As the hands draw back into the floor, the holes seal themselves up.
Jade: "It is done. Now, China can begin healing from the infection that has plagued it for so long."
Forceful Invitation
Mary sits by Dixie Clement by the fireplace in the apartment they're using to keep them both warm.
The three of them chose a higher apartment near the ring set up. It meant more stairs to climb, but it also meant less of a chance of the unholy creations of the Tsar of coming up this high.
Mary changes the bandages on Dixie's wound, silently cursing ASA management for scheduling a match through a city that was at war.
Mary: "I don't know what they were thinking...you could have been killed like that Marty Sandal was."
Dixie grins, but that quickly turns into a wince.
Clement: "Been through worse, but yeah I do know what ya mean. It would have been worth more it if I actually won the match.”
There's a rap at the door in a complex pattern.
Ok...it's "Shave and a Haircut".
Dixie chuckles as Mary goes to answer the door.
Clement: "Speak of the Priest..."
Father Nathan walks in with a wide smile, and the ASA Ascension championship belt.
Nathan: "I just thought I would leave this here and check on Dixie. Dasha and Boris are leading the final charge on the palace to take out the Tsar. I'm going to go join them."
Mary: "Are you sure? That sounds dangerous! I'll come with you!"
Father Nathan puts a hand on Mary's shoulder, shaking his head.
Father Nathan: "I need you to stay with Dixie to keep her safe."
Clement: "The Hell with that!"
Dixie Clement stands up with a fierce look, but then clutches at her side before starting to topple. Father Nathan catches her before she hits the floor, lowering her back down.
Father Nathan: "There will be other battles, Dixie. You'll need to sit this one out."
Clement: "But I-"
Father Nathan: "No. You're too hurt for this one. I'll be back whe-"
The wall of the apartment explodes inward with two figures coming through. Though far from being the reptillian monsters that the Tsar had created, they are human.
Father Nathan: "What is this?"
As the cloud of dry wall dust clears, the two Chinese men can be seen. One large muscle bound man in a kung fu outfit with a symbol of a Tiger Claw. The other is an older man with a similar outfit with a symbol of a Serpent Fang.
The men bow to Father Nathan before the older man speaks.
"I am Tu Sha and my comrade here is Taag Sha. Sikarin Tsooth has requested your company."
Father Nathan smiles, returning the bow.
Father Nathan: "What a gracious invitation, but I must decline. I have creatures to kill."
Mary: "Look out!"
Father Nathan deflects a quick strike from Tu Sha, returning with a solid punch to the jaw that staggers him back.
Taag Sha hits Mary with a roundhouse kick that knocks her down by Dixie.
Father Nathan: "Mary!"
Taag Sha attacks Father Nathan with a flurry of attacks that the Priest has a hard time blocking. Tu Sha comes in from the side to attack, but is blocked by a lunging Dixie. She strikes him in the temple with an elbow strike to drive him into the wall.
The effort sends her to her knees in pain, distracting Father Nathan long enough for Taag Sha to hit a palm strike to the center of his chest hard enough to send him into the wall by the window hard enough to strike the brick outer wall.
Taag Sha covers the distance in a leap, holding a palm up while he breathes in deep with the palm starting to glow bright.
Tu Sha: "Enough! We are to bring him alive!"
Taag Sha sneers, but backs away with the glow in his hand fading away. Father Nathan falls out of the wall onto his feet. He holds his chest for a moment. If he didn't have broken ribs, they were bruised real well.
Tu Sha stands over the still form of Dixie Clement. She's awake and alive, but isn't moving.
Clement: "He hit me with something. Get away, Nate!"
Tu Sha: "A simple chi poisoning that's keeping her paralyzed. You can run, but the poison will continue to infect her until she dies. I can cure her, but you must come with us."
Father Nathan: "I'm a man of God. I don't need you to heal anyone."
Father Nathan's fists begin glowing white. He punches Taag Sha in the chest. The impact sends Taag Sha through the wall into the next room.
Tu Sha laughs, getting into a defensive fighting stance.
Tu Sha: "I see. The Christian God has invested much in you. Let's see how much."
Father Nathan lashes out with a series of punches that Tu Sha deflects. He attempts a fingertip strike on the return, but Father Nathan swerves, and strikes the outside of Tu Sha's elbow to break the arm.
Tu Sha tries to back away, but Father Nathan takes advantage of the opening to hits a heart punch.
Tu Sha drops to his knees while clutching at his heart with his good arm.
Father Nathan: "Heal her and I can stop your heart from exploding."
Tu Sha laughs, coughing up blood.
Tu Sha: "Heal her yourself, Priest."
Father Nathan turns to Dixie, laying his glowing hands by the wound on her neck that oozes with a green ichor. Mary starts to stir next to them, holding her head and groaning.
Father Nathan: "Come on..."
The wall bursts open with Taag Sha leaping in with his palm glowing bright.
Taag Sha: "Sikarin can have you in pieces!"
He lunges at Father Nathan, but misses when the Priest ducks. Taag Sha strikes the outside wall with his palm and the discharge of power sends the entire section of wall exploding outward.
He spins around to face Father Nathan, who stands at the ready, with a grin.
Taag Sha: "It will be my pleasure to deliver your broken, but alive form to my master!"
Father Nathan: "I won't be going anywhere. Take your dying friend and-"
Mary: "Nathan!"
Father Nathan feels a pinch just under his left shoulder blade and suddenly the glow in his hands fade away. He turns around to see Tu Sha staggering backwards with several weeping wounds around his heart on his bared chest.
Tu Sha: "Your channels of chi is blocked by my chi poisoning. We deal with biologies that you Westerners don't bother learning on a daily basis. And now, your proper invitation!"
Father Nathan frowns and turns just in time to see Taag Sha's glowing palm just before it connects.
Father Nathan slams against the wall next to the fire place before dropping to the ground. Taag Sha stands over Mary, who huddles by Dixie protectively.
Taag Sha: "Shall we kill the spares?"
Tu Sha stands up shakily, waving him off.
Tu Sha: "No. The blonde girl is going to die soon. Leave the other to mourn over the body."
Taag Sha nods, throwing Father Nathan over his shoulder. Tu Sha watches them walks by, plucking Father Nathan's cell phone from his pocket, and tossing it to Mary.
Tu Sha: "Your friend was brave. I will not heal her because I said I would not. Though it is my understanding that there is one that might be able help and she is probably in his phone."
Taag Sha chuckles exiting the room. Tu Sha shortly behind him.
Mary: "Wait! Who am I calling?"
Tu Sha: "Ask the Cowgirl."
Mary looks down at Dixie Clement, who smiles.
Clement: "Jade. Call Jade."
Bring Down the Tsar!
The Tsar's creatures had begun a full retreat. Their master had already fled, falling back to his inferno of a palace.
Dasha steps past the already freezing corpses of scores of the creatures and the couple of frost giants that came.
She doesn't know how the portal was made or how the frost giants knew to come through, but it is a move that's helping them win back their country from madness. She raises a pestilence round filled rifle over her head.
Dasha: "To the palace! Let's end this once and for all!"
Dasha begins running with Boris right beside her. She sees the beast Tarrasque roar as he runs.
She smiles to herself at that. The creature that people call Tarrasque had torn many of the monsters apart with his bare hands. Only Boris could boast of such a feat. Major Hizir Sengun and Glaknar the Green ran alongside Tarrasque. It was an odd trio, but one that did well fighting alongside each other.
She did raise an eyebrow at Frietag and Mr. Clowny in the mix as they rushed to the palace. Frietag limped as he struggled to run, but he looked at home with a Warhammer rifle in his hands.
Mr. Clowny was the one who looked out of place, but he was ridiculously energetic with distractions that sprang from cake based magic powers and clownish stunts that helped bring down more than one monster.
The others in the elimination match were missing because of injury or death. It was no easy match that they had while fighting through the city in Winter with monsters also hunting them.
This was probably why Father Nathan was missing. He probably stayed to ensure that the injured Dixie remained safe.
With the show finished, even Captain Trevor Maathai, Allen Anderson, and Terel Walker were close behind. Only one of the three had real combat training, but the other two did fairly well.
Hoskuld Lokison was missing, but it was hard to tell where he was one moment to the next. His strangeness was...excessive.
Khloe Kapla was also missing, but it was really hard to guage what she was going to do one minute to the next. Stories abound of her being from another world who came and befriended a vampire and a werewolf. She was strange. This much was certain.
They get to the front doors of the palace where Tsar Ionis Miranov stands with the burning palace at his back. His monsters have been scattered with none returning all the way back to the palace with the cold freezing all fires, but this one...they couldn't manage the strength.
Ionis stands before the fire, the vines twisting through his body wet with his own blood and that of others. Despite the fire being at his back, the blaze is reflected in his eyes...a dark tainted insanity that reveals that the Crown of Thorns has claimed the last of the man that Dasha once knew.
It stands before
It's time that this long drama finally ended.
Dasha: "Take him down! Fill him with the poisons!"
The gathered forces begin opening fire, none of the rounds getting through the thick armored hide of the Tsar.
The Tsar points a hand out, thorns flying at the speed of bullets to bring down targets.
Dasha pauses as Boris catches a thorn through the right side. The strike only slows him down a moment before he starts striding again.
Dasha gets within a medium range, taking aim, and firing a single shot that takes the Tsar in the mouth.
The shot doesn't kill him, but it does make the vines wilt, and fall away. He staggers backwards a bit, shaking his head. He looks at Dasha, though it seems as if it takes a long time for him to recognize her.
Miranov: "Dasha?"
Dasha: "I'm here, Ionis."
The vines start growing back and Ionis looks sad.
Miranov: "Finish it, Dasha! Finish it and free our country."
Dasha turns to Boris, who nods while hefting up an RPG Launcher.
Dasha: "Goodbye, Ionis."
The rocket catches the Tsar in the chest, sending him backwards into the palace where it explodes. It seems to set off a chain reaction of explosions that brings the entire palace down.
Nearby where some of the Tsar's creatures were just starting to join their leader, drop to their knees as if they were puppets with their strings cut. The vines and scales fall away as they shrink down their normal size. The humans shiver, naked in the cold.
Dasha finds Anderson quickly.
Dasha: "The Tsar's monsters are returning to normal. They won't last long in this cold!"
Anderson nods, sending out a message to Warhammer assets even as Dasha notifies Resistance forces.
The New War
As everyone begin heading back to the ring, a cold blast of wind sweeps through the area. Back in the distance where the ruins of the Russian Imperial Palace sit, the flames instantly freeze.
With most of the forces having scattered, all remaining eyes look to the portal to the north of the ring.
Allen Anderson stands next to Terel Walker as they look to the snow blowing through the rift.
Anderson: "What now?"
Walker: "Frost Giants. A whole lot of them!"
Dasha and Boris begin opening fire, an action mirrored by those who remain as more and more Frost Giants pour out of the portal.
Mr. Clowny sends a stream of neon pink frosting out to blind a frost giant coming for Anderson and Walker with a giant club. A second stream makes the giant fall onto his face long enough for Anderson to put two bullets into the back of his head.
Mr. Clowny: "Hoo hoo! You invite these guys to the party?"
Walker: "Sort of?"
Anderson: "We did kind of leave the door open."
Mr. Clowny's smile falters a minute, since he was just trying to be funny.
Mr. Clowny: "For reals? Hokey Smokes!"
Anderson: "Who knew that some Priest of Odin would turn out to really be a Priest of the Frost Giants?"
Tarrasque is seen in a test of strength with a frost giant, seemingly unaffected by the freezing touch of his enemy. Glaknar the Green laughs as he fights frost giants with his large axe, hewing through limbs. Major Hizir Sengun uses his rifle, picking his shots with careful ease to target eyes and other weak spots.
Still, as the tired defenders struggled to hold back the new threat, they were being pushed back to the ring emplacement.
That is until the bifrost opened to spill out Asgardians. A lot of Asgardians.
Lenneth, Kronin, Lilly, Lady Sif, Thor, Loki, Hoskuld Lokison, Celes, and many more rushed out onto the battlefield to meet the frost giants, even as one that towered over them all entered through the portal to look upon the gathering of mortals and gods with dark malice in his eyes and a crown upon his brow.
"I am Sigvard the Ice King! Bow down to your real masters!"
Dasha gets the giant of a frost giant in her sights.
Dasha: "We do not bow to Gods in Russia!"
Before she can take the shot, a blur of motion off to the side catches her as she sees Boris knocked down to the ground with a splatter of blood. She turns to look, but the rifle is knocked from her as Khloe Kapla steps in front of her view with a smile.
Kapla: "You and I have business to attend to, bitch!"
Dasha: "Now?"
Her answer is a crack across the jaw with her own rifle plucked from her hands. Dasha staggers back from the blow, falling into the front of a frost giant.
Kapla: "Is this where I leave you to die?"
The frost giant reaches down to grab Dasha by the head when Khloe smacks him on the back of the hand. He howls, starting to draw back when Khloe opens fire with the weapon to empty the magazine into the frost giant's head.
Kapla: "She's mine."
Thunder claps in the distance as Thor uses his hammer to strike down giant after giant, crushing their skulls with ease.
Sigvard plucks Frietag off of the ground, bringing him up to look at the man eye to eye.
Sigvard: "You are a little fellow."
Frietag says nothing, but responds with a side arm. He shoots the Ice King in the arm a few times, but the rounds just bounce off. Sigvard squeezes, bringing out a cry of pain from Frietag.
"Release that mortal, Sigvard!"
Sigvard looks down, grimacing in pain as Lady Sif slashes him across the leg with her sword. Sigvard tosses Frietag into the distance (where Hoskuld catches him). He laughs as the blood freezes over the wound to seal it.
Sigvard: "The Consort to Thunder and Whore to Excess. What can you do to stop the Ice King?"
Lady Sif: "I can bring down any frost giant!"
She slashes at Sigvard a few more times before Sigvard brings his own sword to bear, blocking her blows with an ever increasing speed.
Lady Sif blocks an exceptionally strong blow that knocks to the ground. Sigvard raises his sword with a harsh laugh, but a lightning blast from Kronin holds the blade in place while Thor's hammer shatters it to send the metal shard swirling around him in a tornado with lightning arcing between them. Sigvard howls in pain as the shards tear into his flesh and the lightning burns him.
Mr. Clowny is upside down. His leg has never been so cold in his life as a frost giant holds him upside down. Does the giant try to hurt him in any way?
No. The giant is demanding...
Giant: "More cake!"
So Mr. Clowny refills the giant's mouth over and over again with cupcakes, covered with frosting. That is, until he tries to be sly.
Clowny: "Oops! All out of cake!"
The giant brings Clowny close to his face so that they are inches apart.
Giant: "More cake!"
Clowny: "You sure?"
Giant: "MORE!"
And so, Mr. Clowny fills the giant's mouth with fruitcake. Since it is well known that most everyone HATES fruitcake with a passion. The frost giant tosses Mr. Clowny into a distant snow bank before starting to vomit.
Khloe Kapla watches the giant fall with a smile. It doesn't last long as she takes an uppercut from Dasha that nearly sends her to the ground. She responds by pressing the barrel of the rifle to Dasha's belly.
Dasha: "There's no rounds left in that rifle."
Kapla: "You sure about that? So, you not even concerned about your friend being drained of blood and torn apart by my friends you tried to have taken out?"
Dasha narrows her eyes, but Khloe remains smiling. She turns to look at Boris, who lays unconscious while bleeding into the snow.
Khloe takes this time to knock her down with the butt of the rifle and beat her down.
Kapla: "We'll continue this in the ring sometime."
Khloe slips from the battle unnoticed. Though Dasha and Boris's fallen forms are quickly protected by the Warriors Three until they can be taken from the scene.
Sigvard slashes at Kronin and Thor with his broken hilt that has just a bit of blade left on him as ice scabs form and break open from his movements. He roars in anger until he sees Hoskuld Lokison and Loki trying to get the downed Lady Sif away.
Sigvard: "ENOUGH!"
The wind from through the portal to Jotunheim picks up, bringing snow with it, and seemingly strengthening the Ice King. He swats Hoskuld and Loki away like flies. He kicks Thor hundreds of feet away leaving his hammer on the ground, and smashes Kronin down with the hilt of his sword.
Sigvard glares down at Kronin, flipping over the sword turned dagger in his hand so that what remains of the blade points downward.
Sigvard: "Now you will frolic with Hela!"
The blow is turned when Lady Sif slashes at his arm, bringing another yelp of pain from Sigvard. He turns back at her, glancing her across the head with the guard on his hilt to bring her back down.
Sigvard: "You think you can stop the Ice King!"
Sif: "You...can never...defeat...Asgard!"
Sigvard: "We will see. Goodbye, Lady Sif!"
Sigvard brings the blade down, but Celes appears sitting on top of her with her arms up as if to stop the attack. Sif manages to grab her and toss her away to the side as the giant broken blade shears through her flesh.
Celes jumps up from the snow with her eyes wide.
Celes: "NNNNOOOOO!"
Sigvard rips the blade out of Lady Sif's nearly bisected form, spraying blood across Celes.
Sigvard: "Don't worry, little girl. You will soon join her!"
Celes: "You go first!"
Beyond belief, Celes rips the hammer of Thor up from the ground and hurls it at Sigvard. It doesn't directly connect with the Ice King's head, but as the thunder resounds from the impact, Sigvard falls backwards through the portal to fall upon the ground.
Celes watches with wide frightened eyes as the hammer begins its return flight to her, but it is plucked from the air by Thor before it hits her.
Their King lying on the ground defeated, the other frost giants begin retreating back to Jotunheim where they drag Sigvard away.
Thor smiles at her until he realizes that she's covered in blood. Then he sees Lady Sif laying dead on the ground.
Thor: "I will avenge your death!"
He starts for the portal to Jotunheim when Hoskuld and Loki grab his arms to try to hold him back.
Loki: "No, brother!"
Lokison: "It's suicide!"
Thor: "I swear to slay Sigvard with my own hands!"
Thor throws the two Gods away, rushing through the portal to start smashing retreating frost giants with his hammer until he and the frost giants vanish from sight in the swirling snow.
Loki and Hoskuld stand up, Hoskuld stopping Loki before he rushes through the portal as well.
Loki: "We have to get him!"
Lokison: "He has to calm himself! We can't just go get him right now! He will find his way back to Asgard! He always does, right? If he fails to return in a decent amount of time...you and Celes can go get him."
Loki calms his breathing and nods.
Loki: "I'm surprised you didn't go too."
Hoskuld smiles, though the action is strained.
Lokison: "I would be in my Uncle's way. I did send with him, much of my own power once I knew we couldn't stop him. Right now...his Rage and Thirst for Vengeance is...Excessive."
Off to the side of the portal, Tyr stands with Allen Anderson and Terel Walker.
Tyr: "I will remain here with a guard to ensure no more frost giants come through. We will ensure Midgard remains safe from Jotunheim."
Anderson: "What about the portal? Will it always be Winter here?"
Tyr: "Until a way is found to seal this rift, this manner of cold is how Summer will feel. For the actual Winter..."
Anderson: "Great. Well, we are going to get out of here before we freeze to death."