Post by hawkeye on Jul 11, 2019 23:51:31 GMT
“Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight’s penultimate contest is scheduled for one fall with a thirty minute time limit and is for the FAWN Intercontinental Title!”
Around the arena the buzz of noise picked up, the apparent demise of the open challenge having done little to diminish the interest in seeing what happened with the title. The announcer allowed a few seconds for the noise to die down before continuing. “Introducing first, the challenger. She stands at five feet and seven inches of height and weighed in tonight at one hundred and thirty seven pounds… please welcome…the Irresistible Force…VALERIA GEORGE!”
The noise now rippling through the crowd was somewhat conflicted, most excited to see a crowd-friendly up-and-comer tinged with slight disappointment that they weren’t seeing a bigger name. but any lack of enthusiasm was made up for by the woman herself, ‘Ria No Fear’ charging through the curtains and fairly throwing herself into the crowd even before the opening bars of her theme had begun! When Arcane Roots finally blasted out of the speakers Valeria had already given an enthusiastic greeting to most of the fans down the ramp, zigzagging headlong from side to side to slap as many hands as possible.
OVER AND OVER www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzobxYbKhyE
VALERIA GEORGE
For her second tilt at this title Ria was clad in a dusky purple halter and matching briefs. She had temporarily covered the halter with a belly top bearing the word ‘Unstoppable’, but this was swiftly yanked off and tossed into the crowd. George’s hair had been left in a loose afro, while purple boots and pads completed her outfit. And the exotic beauty was clearly feeling herself tonight, giving a few extra shimmies and a crowd-pleasing wiggle of her buns as she slipped into the ring and offered referee Craig Long the opportunity to check her.
Meanwhile the arena lights all went down into a slightly uncomfortable twilight, an air of expectancy spreading across the FAWNatics. Sure enough a bass heartbeat detonated from the speakers, followed by another, and another and another. And all of a sudden the FAWNtron was ablaze, a pair of hyperrealistic eyes opening and glancing around at the audience. Summer Swelter was about to experience an arctic chill.
BRENNISTEINN www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc6zXSdYXm8
Sure enough the figure of the champion emerged from the curtain, looking impossible tall and slender in the low lighting. Astrid White had her usual dark leather jacket and hood up, left open to reveal a flash of sheer white top and a glimpse at arguably the best abs in FAWN. What was definitely on display were those legs, long and porcelain skinned, clad in midnight blue shorts and white muay thai boots. The Stranger kept her head slightly bowed, hiding her face in the shadow of the hood as she strode down the ramp and around to the back of the ring. She ran one hand delicately along the bottom rope and then used it as a lever, lifting one leg to take a big stride up and directly on to the apron.
ASTRID WHITE
Ducking low, the Intercontinental Champion threaded herself throught he ropes and into the ring, heading straight past her challenger to the far corner. She ascended the second buckle just as another set of bass heartbeats rang out, the fourth one this time acting as the cue for all the lights to flare back on again. With immaculate timing Astrid swung her head back, the hood dropping off to expose those sharp cheekbones and piercing eyes, framed artfully with a white-blonde bob. After taking a few seconds to flash her ‘A’ sigil at the small but surprisingly dedicated group of her fans in the audience she dropped down, back resting on the top turnbuckle, eyes staring a hole through her challenger.
Waiting on the opening bell, the mindset of the two fighters could not be more different. George was clearly still buzzing with nervous and excited energy, bouncing on her toes and keeping her arms in motion while still flashing that grin around to the audience. Across the ring her opponent might have been turned to stone, White standing straight backed, chin tilted upwards and showing not the slightest movement, those grey-green eyes burning into the challenger. She still didn’t move as Ria eventually gave up trying to contain her movements and scampered over, one hand held out in front of her.
“Respect?” she said lightly, the word intoned like a question. Astrid still didn’t move a muscle, but after an increasingly awkward few seconds she reached one long arm out and brushed her hand into the smaller woman’s, earning an even bigger grin from George as she returned to her corner and a spattering of appreciation in the audience. The latter sound was lost immediately however, the crowd roaring encouragement for violence as the timekeeper rang his bell to declare that the match was live.
Still there was little reaction from the Stranger, although her knees bent slightly. And it was just as well, the challenger leaving her corner at a dead sprint and crossing the canvas in double-quick time. She looked set to launch herself headlong at White, only to stop on a dime as the Icelander shifted hastily sideways to avoid any such impact. One long Icelandic leg flicked out, her muay thai boot thumping into well-honed calf once and twice. But an attempt to sweep Valeria’s standing leg left her hitting nothing but air, the Unstoppable Girl throwing herself into an overly energetic but undeniably impressive hands-free cartwheel to leave her back on her feet as the surprised Stranger rotated by.
Finding herself on the champion’s six, George took advantage straight away, striding forwards and giving a big shove between those pale shoulderblades. White lurched forwards, straight into the ropes in front of her, and was thrown back by the springy strands before those long legs had a chance to coordinate. She staggered back and straight into the now crouching Londoner, Ria pulling off a perfect playground trick to send the towering blonde into an ungainly tumble onto her back. And again Valeria was quick to capitalise, grabbing both Icelandic stems and rolling her up for a surprising early attempt at…
ONE…
Tnooo…
The instant Astrid had recovered her equilibrium she crunched up through her core and powered outwards, shoving the Londoner off and rolling to a seat. Nobody in the audience seemed to seriously have thought that the title might change hands that easily, but they still let out a slightly mocking ‘ooooh’ at the not-so-close call. Any mocking quickly changed to Awe however as Valeria somehow managed to lean into the momentum of White’s shove, tucking herself up into a ball and then springing out to somehow end up on her feet in perfect position to rebound of the ropes. She returned at speed, swinging one leg out aimed squarely at the champion.
Still seemed in slightly dazed by the sheer speed of Ria’s assault, White took the strike in her breastbone and dropped back to the canvas, letting out a hiss of pain. The impact should really have sent her opponent stumbling too, but the Unstoppable Girl lived up to her nickname by somehow keeping her feet with a healthy slice of luck and a swift spin into the ropes. She sped past once more, hurdling the Stranger as she tried to clamber to her feet.
Adrenaline now flowing freely, George threw herself forwards again, this time bending as she did to plant her hands. Her body flipped over perfectly, that perfectly toned bottom twanging into the top rope and hurling her back to her feet again. By now the momentum was too great to sustain, but it didn’t matter, Ria spinning through the air and transferring all of that kinetic energy through the point of her bicep and right into the stunned Stranger’s jaw!
Slew Ting www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNve8q5x5fY
Astrid was slammed back to the mat again, coming to rest on her back with one hand up rubbing at the point of impact. Scrabbling her way back across the canvas, George once again hooked up those extended stems, this time swinging her body around. She pushed herself down with all her weight, shoulders pressed into the back of the Champion’s knees, and continued surging forwards until White’s upper back was pressed down deep, Craig long again dropping to count…
ONE
TWO
The blistering pace set by the challenger was clearly giving Astrid some concern, but she still had far too much class to be caught out this early, shovelling her whole body sideways to gain some greater leverage. As soon as she’d achieved that the Stranger’s leg strength was too much for Ria to contain, the taller woman popping loose of the press and over onto her front. But if George was even slightly disheartened she didn’t show it, scrambling up to her feet and haring off again at top speed, this time in the direction of the corner.
Already most of the FAWNatics were up on their feet, the sheer pace and athleticism displayed by the challenger enough to send a thrill down their collective spines. As she placed one foot on the bottom turnbuckle and somehow ascended the ropes with gravity-defying effort, ending up in an unbalanced crouch on the top of the ringpost. Still there was no let-up in pace, Valeria launching herself backwards into space and arcing through a flip which collapsed nastily and messily on the point of the Arctic Assassin’s knee!
Flying Kneestrike www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI5oCjr6yi8
All at once the FAWNatic;s clamour died in their throats, replaced by a sympathetic ‘Oooooo’ at the gristly thump of bone on skull. George crashed down into the canvas like a marionette whose strings had been cut, ending up face down, hands clutching at her crown. A few feet away Astrid ended up on one knee, reaching down and idly rubbing at the point of her knee before refocusing on her challenger.
A quick kneeshuffle was enough to bring White up alongside the downed high-flyer, reaching one long arm down and looping it backwards underneath her chin. Despite the sudden fog in her vision Ria clearly knew she was in trouble, jerking back to life and trying to scrabble away. But it wasn’t enough to prevent the Stranger’s trap from being sprung, Astrid throwing her torso backwards and pulling the challenger along with her.
Finding herself essentially sitting in the champion’s lap, Ria still wriggled, clawed and tugged at the arm constricting her windpipe. There was no noticeable effect of her efforts, and the supportive calls from the audience quickly turned to groans when the Arctic Assassin shuffled back a little to give herself some room and then scythed the longest legs in FAWN up to loop around that trim dusky waist. The constricting power of those gams cutting into her core were enough to earn a gurgle of pain from George, which probably would have been considerably louder if the champion hadn’t clamped down even harder on her windpipe, reefing back as she did so to bring as much pressure to bear as she could.
Fear of the dark www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0nO8GVbj7k
Craig Long knew just how quickly a well-applied Dragon Sleeper could send an opponent into dreamland in seconds, so he was quick to crouch down and check on his charge. “Can you continue Ria?” he asked over the crowd’s concerned chuntering, “do you need me to end this?” The trapped battler’s lips moved soundlessly, but she had enough presence of mind to raise one hand up, finger waggling frantically to rebuff him. Astrid watched the gesture dispassionately before ducking her head a little to speak into her captive’s ear.
“You have made a misjudgement, Ms George. Your intention cannot be faulted, but you are simply not a serious contender for the position you find yourself in. Attempt to accept thiOWNGH!” Ria certainly didn’t seem to be in agreement with the champion’s assessment, flailing both arms up at the blonde’s head and managing to clunk a lucky elbow into her cheek. It might have been presumed that Astrid would be unhappy about this, but in fact she only smiled slightly as she crunched her hips a little more, stretching both ends of her clutch out until black spots were hovering in the trapped Unstoppable Girl’s vision.
Splitting her efforts between clawing at the arm across her windpipe and the thighs constricting her core didn’t seem to be working well for Ria, bogged down in no-man’s land. And after a few more futile tugs at that steely grip she focused all her efforts on unlocking the scissors, first digging her fingers into the back of Astrid’s knees and then, when the champ shifted slightly to reassert her grip, grabbing hold of both interlocked boots and yanking in opposite directions.
The first few tugs didn’t quite manage to pull the knot loose, but the third time was the charm, George finally getting enough leverage to pull those lethal stems apart. And she wasted not a second of that new-found freedom, planting both her own feet and bridging up and back. The bridge swiftly became a flip, that dusky body swirling over the Stranger. Her head didn’t immediately follow, pulled to an increasingly nasty angle, but eventually the torque became too much for White, the brunette popping free and scrabbling her way to the nearest ropes while taking in raspy, lung-refilling breaths.
Behind her Astrid had swiftly regained her feet, looming over the gasping Londoner. But she was prevented from acting further by the bravery of Craig Long, sliding his body between the two women in order to check on his charge. “Are you ok miss?” he asked, his voice taking on a little concern after seeing just how red Ria’s face had gotten. But he was met with a nod and, unbelievably, a grin, George using the ropes to clamber back to full vertical.
“Girl done barked before she’s bit!” she exclaimed, shaking a few strands of hair loose and smoothing her top into a more comfortable position. The move was enough to draw a few wolf whistles from the ever eager FAWNatics, but George only had eyes for the stranger, raising her hands up for a classic collar-and-elbow and storming forward into OWWwww! White showed no interest in tying up the dusky grappler, instead flicking out another low, sharp kick to one posted knee. Another leg kick followed, the sound ringing out like meat dropped on concrete, Ria lifting her leg to prevent any further blows.
Even the audience could see what was about to happen next, their favourite with noly one leg and White suddenly up on her toes and circling rapidly around. The next kick was at stomach height, one impossibly long leg flashing out and thumping into Ria’s abs with a noise like cement dropped on concrete. The Irresistable Girl couldn’t help but pitch forwards, her leg coming down to the canvas again. Astrid’s educated feet were moving in the other direction, first spinning to deliver a stiff Side Kick into George’s floating rip, continuing to spin in a single flowing movement which brought the heel of her boot up, out, and thumping with brutal precision into the brunette’s temple. Valeria’s legs suddenly sagged, dropping backwards until her body folded up and fell through the narrow gap between the middle and bottom ropes.
Having now spent several years in FAWN showing off those striking skills there could be no surprise at Astrid’s flawless technique. There were even a few grudging claps amidst the sympathetic groans from the audience, but the champion didn’t seem to be resting on her laurels, stepping quickly over to the ropes and threading her body through to drop down to ringside next to the collapsed Irresistable Girl. “Dangerous territory, Ms George,” she said archly, “but if you choose to go out of your depth then I shall have to drown you.”
No response from Ria, but Craig Long seemed to have a strong objection. “Get her back in the ring Astrid!” he yelled. The champion didn’t even look round, focusing instead in delivering one, two, three nasty little kicks into Ria’s jaw as she rose. But she seemed to have takent he Unstoppable Girl’s powers of recovery too lightly, the brunette roaring to her feet much faster than anticipated and absolutely caroming an Elbow Smash into the icelander’s jaw.
“Keep on yapping!” she advised, “I’ll keep on cutting ya down!” She swug again, THUMPing her other forearm into White’s collarbone. The willowy battler swayed backwards but Valeria just stormed after her, denying any space for those silky strike skills and instead clubbing the champion along the side of the ring. It was only when Astrid managed to get herself coordinated for a big two-handed shove that she finally earned the space she was seeking.
Perhaps too much space. While the discombobulated champion took a few breaths, Ria stepped back a few paces and hurtled forwards again. She took to the skies like a lightweight, angling her body in midair so that she crashed right into Astrid at the perfect angle! The Arctic Assasin went down like a felled tree, Ria crunching into her chest with all of her bodyweight. Still the challenger wasn’t done, grabbing a big handful of blonde locks and using them to keep her grounded while the other hand rained down hammerfists!
Running Crossbody www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRJ6iIG-Lak
Ringside was suddenly filled with cheers, the FAWNatics loudly encouraging their favourite to exact some revenge. Long didn’t’ seem so pleased though, Managing to raise his voice over the crowds to shout “Hey Ria, no closed fists!” He seemed surprised when the challenger complied with his instruction immediately, releasing White’s hair and kneeling up while looking sheepish. “Sorry!” she called, “galdem get lit when people chatting shiiEIIIOW BYTCH!”
Proving that no act of mercy could go unpunished in FAWN, the Stranger rolled over and swung one knee up, the unorthodox strike clunking right into the unsuspecting challenger’s nose! George was knocked backwards from her high kneel, coming to rest with her back on the crowd barrier, but she wasn’t left there for long, Astrid scrambling up and powering her up into a fireman’s carry. The Irresistable Girl had a second to feel herself being spun around and then she was lifted up and dropped, falling from Astrid’s not inconsiderable height until her head made a sickening contact with the crowd barrier halfway down!
The mid-flight impact left Valeria face-down and unmoving on the ringside matting. The lack of movement was enough to raise Long’s levels of concern still further, quickly deciding that he had given more than enough leeway and beginning a hasty count. But the champion still didn’t seem quite satisfied, grapping a facelock and using it to bodily lift the hurting Londoner up until her head was tucked under one arm. Whit seemed to be taking her cues from her challenger, demonstrating an unusual and seemingly unnecessary urgency as she swung one leg back and then forwards to drop with all her momentum and DRIVE the top of Valeria’s head into the lightly padded concrete.
Ice Floe DDT www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwVZQDAG_sM
Suddenly the mood at ringside was one of concern, George having just taken her second hellacious head-drop within half a minute. Perhaps unsurprisingly the only person showing any sense of coolness in the situation was the Stranger, calmly making her feet and slipping back up to the apron and into the ring. “Continue your count,” she instructed the stunned referee, Long complying after a second of thought. But the champion had already strode past, stopping in the centre of the ring and turning to sit there, crosslegged, apparently intending to watch her opponent be counted out.
Boos rained down from all sides, driven partly by disapproval of the champion’s tactics and partly by frustration that they seemed to be about to work. Certainly Ria showed nothing but the faintest movement as Long worriedly reached ‘TEN’ in his count, the crowd showing relief as they remembered the double leeway allowed under championship rules. By “THIRTEEN” George had made it up to all fours, head still drooping down between her arms. By the time Long had reached ‘SIXTEEN’ despair seemed to have replaced hope in the crowd. But then a sudden surge of noise as their favourite made it to her feet, taking three big lurching steps over to the ring and rolling messily onto the prin shortly after the referee had called “NINETEEN!”
Astrid had watched all this unfold, her face giving a rare emotive glimpse of the surprise and incredulity she was clearly feeling. She gave one quick glance to check that the referee had stopped his count, her eyes blaxing palpable fury in his direction, but then she was quickly on her feet and storming over to the miraculously recovered challenger. Ria could only reach one arm out weakly, grabbing at that long pale leg as she pushed up to her knees. But this display still earned no sign of mercy from the Icelander, Astrid grabbing two big handfuls of afro and hauling her opponent up to loose standing.
Reaching down, the Stranger looped an arm around one dusky thigh while the other tugged her head in tight. Shifting her feet for maximum leverage White powere up and backwards, that long body bending back towards the floor. But the beauty of her form was contrasted with the brutality of it’s outcome, George tossed up, out and DOWN onto her head once more. She rolled to a stop on her back, eyes open but linking loosely at the lights, while Astrid reached around and hooked up one leg. Craig Long gave a quick check of Ria’s shoulders before slapping the mat to count…
ONE
TWO
THRNOOOOO!
At least half of the crowd thought the contest had ended, but they joined their colleagues in a roar of approval when Long shook his head and held two fingers up. White looked bemused, only showing understanding when the referee directed her attention to the one shoulder which the Unstoppable Girl had managed to roll off the canvas at the last second.
Astrid’s eyes narrowed, clearly unsatisfied at the continuation of the contest. And yet somehow she continued to maintain that preternatural air of focus, reaching out to once more cradle her challenger’s head, this time sliding over into a seat next to her. One long leg was placed carefully across the Londoner’s throat, the other sliding behind, the Stranger apparently intending to White Out her challenger once and for all. But she was brought to a shuddering halt once again by Craig Long, tapping urgently on her shoulder and pointing to one of Ria’s legs. Somehow, despite the head trauma, the Unstoppable Girl had managed to shift around to drape one foot on the ropes. “B…brk..” she murmured weakly, The referee responding to her request and starting a quick five count in the direction of the stunned champion.
Finally it seemed like the Stranger’s legendary patience was exhausted, rising to her feet and looming above the official with murder in her eyes. “Step back!” Long demanded, pausing in his attention to the slowly rising Irresistable Girl and instead focusing on the champion. Astrid clearly didn’t want to go anywhere, now becoming desperate to finally end her stubborn challenger’s night. But the referee was dogged, insisting on moving her back to give the necessary space before turning back to the wobbly but upright figure of Valeria George.
“Sure you can continue miss?” he asked, unable to hide the undertone of incredulity. Ria’s voice was cracked and croaky but her words were certain. “She ain’t done stopped me, blud. And now girl’s gonna get gat.” Astrid must have heard the challenger’s words, giving a surprisingly teenage sigh as she was finally allowed to close in on her prey. “Your logic is misplaced, Ms George,” she said quietly, “You haven’t proven you can win, only that you cannot be allowed to survive. And I GRAGH!”
All of a sudden the brunette threw herself backwards, landing with her upper back across the top rope. Both feet flew up, Valeria arcing her body and pushing out with the momentum of the springy strands to deliver an unorthodox but remarkably effective dropkick. Whether it was the unexpected angle or the sheer velocity involved Astrid seemed to completely miss the strike, taking one foot in the sternum and the other square in her face to send her reeling back with Ria gleefully following.
With both of the champions hands high to ward off another unorthodox blow, the Unstoppable girl chose to follow her opponent’s example and go low. But her version was unsurprisingly more hyperactive, barrelling forwards to wrap both hands around that pale waist and then lifting the bigger woman up with consummate ease. White realised what was happening, reaching down to brace herself, but she couldn’t mount any further escape as she was spun around and down into a spine-first collusion with the unforgiving mat!
Lifting Spinning Spinebusterwww.youtube.com/watch?v=S-HYBGfdn60
Back arcing up like the canvas was electrified, Astrid rolled sharply to her front, both hands reaching awkwardly around to massage at her hurting spine. She was up on her knees within a second or two but clearly wasn’t moving fast enough for Ria, who stormed around to snatch a Front Facelock and drag her back to standing. She spun her grip 180, leaving the pair back-to-back with the champion’s jaw still tight in her clutches, and then dropped sharply to her back, delivering a textbook Spinning Neckbreaker which dumped the Stranger once again onto the canvas with her upper back throbbing.
White ended up in a set on the canvas, her hands up cradling her neck. Which meant she was easy prey as Ria took a few steps back and stormed forwards, hopping off both feet to deliver ANOTHER perfectly-angled dropkick into the champion’s face. The Stranger was dumped on her back, George shoving her forwards a little more until her body was propped up in the corner. Buzzing like an overactive bluebottle, Valeria charged off in a truncated circuit when ended with her steaming back towards the champion at top speed, leaving her feet and tucking into a somersault aimed right at the Icelander!
Unstoppabomb www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5X2Zwhjjlo
Torso sandwiched between the barrelling brunette and the lightly padded steel cornerpost, Astrid found herself crushed between the proverbial rock and hard place. Her body bounced out of the impact, limbs and blonde locks flying everywhere, coming to rest face down on the canvas. But she wasn’t there for long, Ria desperate to capitalise on her signature and doing so by once again gathering those long stems up. Her shoulders tucked into the pits of Scandinavian knees, pouring all her remaining power forwards and downwards until the champions’ ass was lifted high in the air and her shoulders pressed firmly down into the canvas. The entire arena counted raucously along with the referee for
ONE
TWO
THRENOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Denied almost any leverage, Astrid’s only choice was to wriggle like a hooked fish until she could flop messily out of the press. She just about had the wherewithal to turn to her stomach, avoiding a repeat pinfall, while George and her fans were still roaring in disbelief at just how close they had come. Ria gave a hopeful glance in Craig Long’s direction, holding up three fingers and receiving two in return, before turning back to the champion.
“Big girl, big talk,” she told Astrid. The Stranger was still too preoccupied with shaking away the fog in her head to respond but Ria didn’t seem to care, grabbing a handful of hair and using it to pull the Icelander upwards. The Unstoppable Girl clearly had something big planned for her finale, but sadly for her fans this was interrupted, White lifting one leg and stomping her boot down right into the knee which had already been tenderised by all those earlier kicks.
Valeria felt a sudden stab of pain which overrode all her other attacking incidents, dropping her grip and hurriedly lifting her knee up to rub at it. And however discombobulated the champion might have been she was far too classy to pass up such an opening, stepping back neatly and whirling around in a tight circle, one foot spinning out to slam into the challenger’s head.
Icebreaker www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4zJwRi4NYk
The thump of boot on face was loud enough to be heard over the crowd, Ria spinning away from he strike and coming to rest on her knees, only held at that semblance of verticality by the middle rope. The accumulated blows looked to have finally taken their toll, the challenger’s eyes flickering and unfocused. But Astrid seemed to finally taking the Unstoppable Girl nickname as a challenger, taking a few steps back and then sprinting forward to deliver a HUGE flying knee right into the suspended brunette’s abused noggin.
Execution knee www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb0q4lWPfVk
Now those eyes were shut fast, the George finally looking like she had been sent into semi-consciousness. She folled limply to her back, limbs spread out starfish style, Craig Long kneeling concernedly over her. It seemed like she’d probably have stayed there for the rest of the night, but the Stranger clearly wasn’t taking any chances, taking a seat again just by George’s addled head. This time there was no interruption, Astrid lacing knee leg behind that noggin while the other was placed across her throat. It was the work of a moment to lean down and snatch an s-grip around the back of the challenger’s head, White rolling to her back and crunching down with all her might on her vaunted finishing hold.
Whiteout www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiwsoCtAeZQ
George’s eyes opened again the instant she felt her windpipe being constricted, but all she could do to protest was let out a gurgle. One arm waggled, reaching out to try to begin an escape and swiftly realising it was trapped by White’s looped legs. The other came up though, swinging down to ‘pak’ a wild clubbing punch into the Stranger’s flank.
Astrid’s only response was to constrict a little harder, squeezing her hands and crunching up her core to put maximum pressure on the brunette’s airways. She held on and held for ten, twelve fifteen seconds more, Craig Long’s shouts to the challenger becoming increasingly urgent. And then finally, mercifully, that free hand started fluttering, Ria tapping her fingers and then her palm on the Stranger’s glutes. The official gestured immediately, the bell ringing out to end the match, Astrid holding for just a few painful seconds more before kicking those long legs out and releasing her prey.
“Ladies and Gentlemen…your winner, by way of submission…AND STILL THE FAWN INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION…ASTRID WHITE!”
The successful champion stayed on her back for a few moments, taking some deep breaths after her exertions before rolling slowly to a set. She shuffled herself back out to center ring, legs crossed once more, holding a pose of calm as boos and jeers rained around her. She was still in this position when Long returned with her title belt, the official holding it out awkwardly for a second without getting any response. “I’ll…uh…I’ll jkust leave it here for you, “ he said, spreading the strap out in front of the victorious champion who didn’t move a muscle in response.
Those grey-green eyes still moved though, watching closely as her erstwhile opponent was helped, slowly and painfully, under the bottom rope and out of the ring. Which meant she was still watching when a shimmering shape appeared as if from nowhere and rocketed right into the losing challenger’s stomach.
A friend in need’s a friend indeed
PURE MORNING www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHQngnnHE_0
Sure enough the careening glitterball skidded to a halt and resolved itself into Lyra Faulk, looking back with interest at the woman she had just speared into. Despite the punishments already heaped on her there were clearly still some neurones firing in the downed battler’s head, managing to roll to all fours and start sitting confusedly up. But her lights were turned out for good as soon as she did so, Harriet Larkin following her partner’s lightning attack with some thunder courtesy of a murderous Single Leg Dropkick which left George in a boneless sprawl on the ringside matting.
Wasteland www.youtube.com/watch?v=esK7IRjkp_A
LYRA FAULK
HARRIET LARKIN
The suddenness of the attack seemed to have caught everyone at ringside completely by surprise, although the crowd noise was growing exponentially as more of them figured out what had happened. Craig Long seemed equally stunned, taking several long seconds to recognise that he needed to step in to protect his charge. “HEY!” he shouted, “GET AWAY FROM MPPPPPPHHH!”
“Hush.” A hand reached around from behind him and clamped over his mouth. Instinctively the referee reached up, trying to unobstruct his airway, only for that intervening hand to be snatched halfway through it’s journey and instead twisted up behind his back. The hammerlock wasn’t pulled tight enough to be painful but was enough to keep him immobilised as a quiet British voice spoke quietly into his ear.
“You have no one to help you here, and my friends have a reputation of not being very nice to men wearing stripes. You really should scurry off up that ramp to get some help.” The official found himself spun around to face the entranceway and then shoved hard, freeing his arm. He turned back sharply and spent a few seconds studying this third woman, her orange shorts and white crop top, and a face he was sure he recognised but couldn’t place. “Who are you?” he barked.
“Nobody.” The woman smiled, or at least her mouth did, it never reached her eyes. She gestured vaguely at the entranceway and in tones of command said “Run along.” Long took a second more to decide that she might have a point, by which time the ‘nobody’ was already striding over to her ‘friends’ fallen victim. She drove a nasty stomp into that brown stomach, but with little reaction since the woman was clearly unconscious.
’Nobody’
Perhaps this lack of reaction was the reason for Lyra suddenly growing tired of her plaything. Scrambling up into the ring she flashed a big grin in the direction of Astrid White, standing in a defensive pose in the centre of the ring. The pair formed a tableaux for a few heartbeats, both stock still as they regarded each other. And unusually it was the IC champion who broke the silence. “Why are you here?” she asked quietly.
“Because I want to be.” Faulk’s grin went a few notches wider, stepping forwards until she was juuuust outside the Stranger’s extra-long reach. “Why’re you trying to make more rules, darl?” she asked curiously. “You’re a woman of science, you should already know the ending. Entropy always wins.” White seemed to consider this for an instant and then suddenly became a whirl of motion, powering off one foot with her knee pistoning forwards and upwards at decapitation height!
Smooth as the Stranger was, there was no way she could match the Chaos Emerald’s sheer acceleration, Faulk throwing herself into a somersault under the attempted Kneestrike. She even had the presence of mind to reach one hand out as she did so, snatching up the Intercontinental title belt from where it had remained laying on the matt since the end of the match. She popped neatly back to her feet, holding the faceplate up and examining it curiously before looking back up just as Astrid managed to wheel back around to face her.
“Catch!” the Aussie yelled. Sure enough the title went flying, but Astrid didn’t move a muscle. Nor did she need to, the belt thrown past her and into the waiting hands of the woman known as nobody. And it was quickly brought to good use, the dark-haired woman slamming that heavy gold and leather down into the abused midriff of Valeria George. Faulk didn’t seem interested in that though, instead giving a knowing nod in the direction of the Stranger and then glancing round to note the flood of referees and security emerging from the entranceway. “Aged eagle!” she called loudly.
The phrase might not have had any meaning to most in earshot but it clearly did for Harriet and her ‘friend’, both women abandoning their beatdown and hotfooting over to the nearest crowd barrier, slipping over one after the other. Lyra clearly seemed set to join them, but paused briefly just as she’d slipped out of the ring, bending down and grabbing the title belt where her ‘friend’ had left it. This time her throw was in Astrid’s direction, the champion dodging sideways as her prize flashed past. Watching on, Faulk nodded in satisfaction. “See ya round!” she chirped, turning and following her friends over the barrier only a few seconds before Craig Long and his reinforcements arrived.
The swarm of officials and EMTs were quick to tend to George, strapped to a stretcher and hurried back up the ramp. Long stared in annoyance at where the chaotic trio had made their exit but clearly decided against any further action, instead circling around the ring and regathering the title belt. Astrid seemed to have all but forgotten it, already striding up the entrance ramp, any sense of triumph at her first title defence quashed y the confusion of what had just happened. She turned only briefly when Long caught up with her, reaching one long arm out to grab her property and then turning back up the ramp without a word. And within a few more seconds she was gone, swishing through the curtain and leaving an air of confusion behind her.
Around the arena the buzz of noise picked up, the apparent demise of the open challenge having done little to diminish the interest in seeing what happened with the title. The announcer allowed a few seconds for the noise to die down before continuing. “Introducing first, the challenger. She stands at five feet and seven inches of height and weighed in tonight at one hundred and thirty seven pounds… please welcome…the Irresistible Force…VALERIA GEORGE!”
The noise now rippling through the crowd was somewhat conflicted, most excited to see a crowd-friendly up-and-comer tinged with slight disappointment that they weren’t seeing a bigger name. but any lack of enthusiasm was made up for by the woman herself, ‘Ria No Fear’ charging through the curtains and fairly throwing herself into the crowd even before the opening bars of her theme had begun! When Arcane Roots finally blasted out of the speakers Valeria had already given an enthusiastic greeting to most of the fans down the ramp, zigzagging headlong from side to side to slap as many hands as possible.
OVER AND OVER www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzobxYbKhyE
VALERIA GEORGE
For her second tilt at this title Ria was clad in a dusky purple halter and matching briefs. She had temporarily covered the halter with a belly top bearing the word ‘Unstoppable’, but this was swiftly yanked off and tossed into the crowd. George’s hair had been left in a loose afro, while purple boots and pads completed her outfit. And the exotic beauty was clearly feeling herself tonight, giving a few extra shimmies and a crowd-pleasing wiggle of her buns as she slipped into the ring and offered referee Craig Long the opportunity to check her.
Meanwhile the arena lights all went down into a slightly uncomfortable twilight, an air of expectancy spreading across the FAWNatics. Sure enough a bass heartbeat detonated from the speakers, followed by another, and another and another. And all of a sudden the FAWNtron was ablaze, a pair of hyperrealistic eyes opening and glancing around at the audience. Summer Swelter was about to experience an arctic chill.
BRENNISTEINN www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc6zXSdYXm8
Sure enough the figure of the champion emerged from the curtain, looking impossible tall and slender in the low lighting. Astrid White had her usual dark leather jacket and hood up, left open to reveal a flash of sheer white top and a glimpse at arguably the best abs in FAWN. What was definitely on display were those legs, long and porcelain skinned, clad in midnight blue shorts and white muay thai boots. The Stranger kept her head slightly bowed, hiding her face in the shadow of the hood as she strode down the ramp and around to the back of the ring. She ran one hand delicately along the bottom rope and then used it as a lever, lifting one leg to take a big stride up and directly on to the apron.
ASTRID WHITE
Ducking low, the Intercontinental Champion threaded herself throught he ropes and into the ring, heading straight past her challenger to the far corner. She ascended the second buckle just as another set of bass heartbeats rang out, the fourth one this time acting as the cue for all the lights to flare back on again. With immaculate timing Astrid swung her head back, the hood dropping off to expose those sharp cheekbones and piercing eyes, framed artfully with a white-blonde bob. After taking a few seconds to flash her ‘A’ sigil at the small but surprisingly dedicated group of her fans in the audience she dropped down, back resting on the top turnbuckle, eyes staring a hole through her challenger.
Waiting on the opening bell, the mindset of the two fighters could not be more different. George was clearly still buzzing with nervous and excited energy, bouncing on her toes and keeping her arms in motion while still flashing that grin around to the audience. Across the ring her opponent might have been turned to stone, White standing straight backed, chin tilted upwards and showing not the slightest movement, those grey-green eyes burning into the challenger. She still didn’t move as Ria eventually gave up trying to contain her movements and scampered over, one hand held out in front of her.
“Respect?” she said lightly, the word intoned like a question. Astrid still didn’t move a muscle, but after an increasingly awkward few seconds she reached one long arm out and brushed her hand into the smaller woman’s, earning an even bigger grin from George as she returned to her corner and a spattering of appreciation in the audience. The latter sound was lost immediately however, the crowd roaring encouragement for violence as the timekeeper rang his bell to declare that the match was live.
Still there was little reaction from the Stranger, although her knees bent slightly. And it was just as well, the challenger leaving her corner at a dead sprint and crossing the canvas in double-quick time. She looked set to launch herself headlong at White, only to stop on a dime as the Icelander shifted hastily sideways to avoid any such impact. One long Icelandic leg flicked out, her muay thai boot thumping into well-honed calf once and twice. But an attempt to sweep Valeria’s standing leg left her hitting nothing but air, the Unstoppable Girl throwing herself into an overly energetic but undeniably impressive hands-free cartwheel to leave her back on her feet as the surprised Stranger rotated by.
Finding herself on the champion’s six, George took advantage straight away, striding forwards and giving a big shove between those pale shoulderblades. White lurched forwards, straight into the ropes in front of her, and was thrown back by the springy strands before those long legs had a chance to coordinate. She staggered back and straight into the now crouching Londoner, Ria pulling off a perfect playground trick to send the towering blonde into an ungainly tumble onto her back. And again Valeria was quick to capitalise, grabbing both Icelandic stems and rolling her up for a surprising early attempt at…
ONE…
Tnooo…
The instant Astrid had recovered her equilibrium she crunched up through her core and powered outwards, shoving the Londoner off and rolling to a seat. Nobody in the audience seemed to seriously have thought that the title might change hands that easily, but they still let out a slightly mocking ‘ooooh’ at the not-so-close call. Any mocking quickly changed to Awe however as Valeria somehow managed to lean into the momentum of White’s shove, tucking herself up into a ball and then springing out to somehow end up on her feet in perfect position to rebound of the ropes. She returned at speed, swinging one leg out aimed squarely at the champion.
Still seemed in slightly dazed by the sheer speed of Ria’s assault, White took the strike in her breastbone and dropped back to the canvas, letting out a hiss of pain. The impact should really have sent her opponent stumbling too, but the Unstoppable Girl lived up to her nickname by somehow keeping her feet with a healthy slice of luck and a swift spin into the ropes. She sped past once more, hurdling the Stranger as she tried to clamber to her feet.
Adrenaline now flowing freely, George threw herself forwards again, this time bending as she did to plant her hands. Her body flipped over perfectly, that perfectly toned bottom twanging into the top rope and hurling her back to her feet again. By now the momentum was too great to sustain, but it didn’t matter, Ria spinning through the air and transferring all of that kinetic energy through the point of her bicep and right into the stunned Stranger’s jaw!
Slew Ting www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNve8q5x5fY
Astrid was slammed back to the mat again, coming to rest on her back with one hand up rubbing at the point of impact. Scrabbling her way back across the canvas, George once again hooked up those extended stems, this time swinging her body around. She pushed herself down with all her weight, shoulders pressed into the back of the Champion’s knees, and continued surging forwards until White’s upper back was pressed down deep, Craig long again dropping to count…
ONE
TWO
The blistering pace set by the challenger was clearly giving Astrid some concern, but she still had far too much class to be caught out this early, shovelling her whole body sideways to gain some greater leverage. As soon as she’d achieved that the Stranger’s leg strength was too much for Ria to contain, the taller woman popping loose of the press and over onto her front. But if George was even slightly disheartened she didn’t show it, scrambling up to her feet and haring off again at top speed, this time in the direction of the corner.
Already most of the FAWNatics were up on their feet, the sheer pace and athleticism displayed by the challenger enough to send a thrill down their collective spines. As she placed one foot on the bottom turnbuckle and somehow ascended the ropes with gravity-defying effort, ending up in an unbalanced crouch on the top of the ringpost. Still there was no let-up in pace, Valeria launching herself backwards into space and arcing through a flip which collapsed nastily and messily on the point of the Arctic Assassin’s knee!
Flying Kneestrike www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI5oCjr6yi8
All at once the FAWNatic;s clamour died in their throats, replaced by a sympathetic ‘Oooooo’ at the gristly thump of bone on skull. George crashed down into the canvas like a marionette whose strings had been cut, ending up face down, hands clutching at her crown. A few feet away Astrid ended up on one knee, reaching down and idly rubbing at the point of her knee before refocusing on her challenger.
A quick kneeshuffle was enough to bring White up alongside the downed high-flyer, reaching one long arm down and looping it backwards underneath her chin. Despite the sudden fog in her vision Ria clearly knew she was in trouble, jerking back to life and trying to scrabble away. But it wasn’t enough to prevent the Stranger’s trap from being sprung, Astrid throwing her torso backwards and pulling the challenger along with her.
Finding herself essentially sitting in the champion’s lap, Ria still wriggled, clawed and tugged at the arm constricting her windpipe. There was no noticeable effect of her efforts, and the supportive calls from the audience quickly turned to groans when the Arctic Assassin shuffled back a little to give herself some room and then scythed the longest legs in FAWN up to loop around that trim dusky waist. The constricting power of those gams cutting into her core were enough to earn a gurgle of pain from George, which probably would have been considerably louder if the champion hadn’t clamped down even harder on her windpipe, reefing back as she did so to bring as much pressure to bear as she could.
Fear of the dark www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0nO8GVbj7k
Craig Long knew just how quickly a well-applied Dragon Sleeper could send an opponent into dreamland in seconds, so he was quick to crouch down and check on his charge. “Can you continue Ria?” he asked over the crowd’s concerned chuntering, “do you need me to end this?” The trapped battler’s lips moved soundlessly, but she had enough presence of mind to raise one hand up, finger waggling frantically to rebuff him. Astrid watched the gesture dispassionately before ducking her head a little to speak into her captive’s ear.
“You have made a misjudgement, Ms George. Your intention cannot be faulted, but you are simply not a serious contender for the position you find yourself in. Attempt to accept thiOWNGH!” Ria certainly didn’t seem to be in agreement with the champion’s assessment, flailing both arms up at the blonde’s head and managing to clunk a lucky elbow into her cheek. It might have been presumed that Astrid would be unhappy about this, but in fact she only smiled slightly as she crunched her hips a little more, stretching both ends of her clutch out until black spots were hovering in the trapped Unstoppable Girl’s vision.
Splitting her efforts between clawing at the arm across her windpipe and the thighs constricting her core didn’t seem to be working well for Ria, bogged down in no-man’s land. And after a few more futile tugs at that steely grip she focused all her efforts on unlocking the scissors, first digging her fingers into the back of Astrid’s knees and then, when the champ shifted slightly to reassert her grip, grabbing hold of both interlocked boots and yanking in opposite directions.
The first few tugs didn’t quite manage to pull the knot loose, but the third time was the charm, George finally getting enough leverage to pull those lethal stems apart. And she wasted not a second of that new-found freedom, planting both her own feet and bridging up and back. The bridge swiftly became a flip, that dusky body swirling over the Stranger. Her head didn’t immediately follow, pulled to an increasingly nasty angle, but eventually the torque became too much for White, the brunette popping free and scrabbling her way to the nearest ropes while taking in raspy, lung-refilling breaths.
Behind her Astrid had swiftly regained her feet, looming over the gasping Londoner. But she was prevented from acting further by the bravery of Craig Long, sliding his body between the two women in order to check on his charge. “Are you ok miss?” he asked, his voice taking on a little concern after seeing just how red Ria’s face had gotten. But he was met with a nod and, unbelievably, a grin, George using the ropes to clamber back to full vertical.
“Girl done barked before she’s bit!” she exclaimed, shaking a few strands of hair loose and smoothing her top into a more comfortable position. The move was enough to draw a few wolf whistles from the ever eager FAWNatics, but George only had eyes for the stranger, raising her hands up for a classic collar-and-elbow and storming forward into OWWwww! White showed no interest in tying up the dusky grappler, instead flicking out another low, sharp kick to one posted knee. Another leg kick followed, the sound ringing out like meat dropped on concrete, Ria lifting her leg to prevent any further blows.
Even the audience could see what was about to happen next, their favourite with noly one leg and White suddenly up on her toes and circling rapidly around. The next kick was at stomach height, one impossibly long leg flashing out and thumping into Ria’s abs with a noise like cement dropped on concrete. The Irresistable Girl couldn’t help but pitch forwards, her leg coming down to the canvas again. Astrid’s educated feet were moving in the other direction, first spinning to deliver a stiff Side Kick into George’s floating rip, continuing to spin in a single flowing movement which brought the heel of her boot up, out, and thumping with brutal precision into the brunette’s temple. Valeria’s legs suddenly sagged, dropping backwards until her body folded up and fell through the narrow gap between the middle and bottom ropes.
Having now spent several years in FAWN showing off those striking skills there could be no surprise at Astrid’s flawless technique. There were even a few grudging claps amidst the sympathetic groans from the audience, but the champion didn’t seem to be resting on her laurels, stepping quickly over to the ropes and threading her body through to drop down to ringside next to the collapsed Irresistable Girl. “Dangerous territory, Ms George,” she said archly, “but if you choose to go out of your depth then I shall have to drown you.”
No response from Ria, but Craig Long seemed to have a strong objection. “Get her back in the ring Astrid!” he yelled. The champion didn’t even look round, focusing instead in delivering one, two, three nasty little kicks into Ria’s jaw as she rose. But she seemed to have takent he Unstoppable Girl’s powers of recovery too lightly, the brunette roaring to her feet much faster than anticipated and absolutely caroming an Elbow Smash into the icelander’s jaw.
“Keep on yapping!” she advised, “I’ll keep on cutting ya down!” She swug again, THUMPing her other forearm into White’s collarbone. The willowy battler swayed backwards but Valeria just stormed after her, denying any space for those silky strike skills and instead clubbing the champion along the side of the ring. It was only when Astrid managed to get herself coordinated for a big two-handed shove that she finally earned the space she was seeking.
Perhaps too much space. While the discombobulated champion took a few breaths, Ria stepped back a few paces and hurtled forwards again. She took to the skies like a lightweight, angling her body in midair so that she crashed right into Astrid at the perfect angle! The Arctic Assasin went down like a felled tree, Ria crunching into her chest with all of her bodyweight. Still the challenger wasn’t done, grabbing a big handful of blonde locks and using them to keep her grounded while the other hand rained down hammerfists!
Running Crossbody www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRJ6iIG-Lak
Ringside was suddenly filled with cheers, the FAWNatics loudly encouraging their favourite to exact some revenge. Long didn’t’ seem so pleased though, Managing to raise his voice over the crowds to shout “Hey Ria, no closed fists!” He seemed surprised when the challenger complied with his instruction immediately, releasing White’s hair and kneeling up while looking sheepish. “Sorry!” she called, “galdem get lit when people chatting shiiEIIIOW BYTCH!”
Proving that no act of mercy could go unpunished in FAWN, the Stranger rolled over and swung one knee up, the unorthodox strike clunking right into the unsuspecting challenger’s nose! George was knocked backwards from her high kneel, coming to rest with her back on the crowd barrier, but she wasn’t left there for long, Astrid scrambling up and powering her up into a fireman’s carry. The Irresistable Girl had a second to feel herself being spun around and then she was lifted up and dropped, falling from Astrid’s not inconsiderable height until her head made a sickening contact with the crowd barrier halfway down!
The mid-flight impact left Valeria face-down and unmoving on the ringside matting. The lack of movement was enough to raise Long’s levels of concern still further, quickly deciding that he had given more than enough leeway and beginning a hasty count. But the champion still didn’t seem quite satisfied, grapping a facelock and using it to bodily lift the hurting Londoner up until her head was tucked under one arm. Whit seemed to be taking her cues from her challenger, demonstrating an unusual and seemingly unnecessary urgency as she swung one leg back and then forwards to drop with all her momentum and DRIVE the top of Valeria’s head into the lightly padded concrete.
Ice Floe DDT www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwVZQDAG_sM
Suddenly the mood at ringside was one of concern, George having just taken her second hellacious head-drop within half a minute. Perhaps unsurprisingly the only person showing any sense of coolness in the situation was the Stranger, calmly making her feet and slipping back up to the apron and into the ring. “Continue your count,” she instructed the stunned referee, Long complying after a second of thought. But the champion had already strode past, stopping in the centre of the ring and turning to sit there, crosslegged, apparently intending to watch her opponent be counted out.
Boos rained down from all sides, driven partly by disapproval of the champion’s tactics and partly by frustration that they seemed to be about to work. Certainly Ria showed nothing but the faintest movement as Long worriedly reached ‘TEN’ in his count, the crowd showing relief as they remembered the double leeway allowed under championship rules. By “THIRTEEN” George had made it up to all fours, head still drooping down between her arms. By the time Long had reached ‘SIXTEEN’ despair seemed to have replaced hope in the crowd. But then a sudden surge of noise as their favourite made it to her feet, taking three big lurching steps over to the ring and rolling messily onto the prin shortly after the referee had called “NINETEEN!”
Astrid had watched all this unfold, her face giving a rare emotive glimpse of the surprise and incredulity she was clearly feeling. She gave one quick glance to check that the referee had stopped his count, her eyes blaxing palpable fury in his direction, but then she was quickly on her feet and storming over to the miraculously recovered challenger. Ria could only reach one arm out weakly, grabbing at that long pale leg as she pushed up to her knees. But this display still earned no sign of mercy from the Icelander, Astrid grabbing two big handfuls of afro and hauling her opponent up to loose standing.
Reaching down, the Stranger looped an arm around one dusky thigh while the other tugged her head in tight. Shifting her feet for maximum leverage White powere up and backwards, that long body bending back towards the floor. But the beauty of her form was contrasted with the brutality of it’s outcome, George tossed up, out and DOWN onto her head once more. She rolled to a stop on her back, eyes open but linking loosely at the lights, while Astrid reached around and hooked up one leg. Craig Long gave a quick check of Ria’s shoulders before slapping the mat to count…
ONE
TWO
THRNOOOOO!
At least half of the crowd thought the contest had ended, but they joined their colleagues in a roar of approval when Long shook his head and held two fingers up. White looked bemused, only showing understanding when the referee directed her attention to the one shoulder which the Unstoppable Girl had managed to roll off the canvas at the last second.
Astrid’s eyes narrowed, clearly unsatisfied at the continuation of the contest. And yet somehow she continued to maintain that preternatural air of focus, reaching out to once more cradle her challenger’s head, this time sliding over into a seat next to her. One long leg was placed carefully across the Londoner’s throat, the other sliding behind, the Stranger apparently intending to White Out her challenger once and for all. But she was brought to a shuddering halt once again by Craig Long, tapping urgently on her shoulder and pointing to one of Ria’s legs. Somehow, despite the head trauma, the Unstoppable Girl had managed to shift around to drape one foot on the ropes. “B…brk..” she murmured weakly, The referee responding to her request and starting a quick five count in the direction of the stunned champion.
Finally it seemed like the Stranger’s legendary patience was exhausted, rising to her feet and looming above the official with murder in her eyes. “Step back!” Long demanded, pausing in his attention to the slowly rising Irresistable Girl and instead focusing on the champion. Astrid clearly didn’t want to go anywhere, now becoming desperate to finally end her stubborn challenger’s night. But the referee was dogged, insisting on moving her back to give the necessary space before turning back to the wobbly but upright figure of Valeria George.
“Sure you can continue miss?” he asked, unable to hide the undertone of incredulity. Ria’s voice was cracked and croaky but her words were certain. “She ain’t done stopped me, blud. And now girl’s gonna get gat.” Astrid must have heard the challenger’s words, giving a surprisingly teenage sigh as she was finally allowed to close in on her prey. “Your logic is misplaced, Ms George,” she said quietly, “You haven’t proven you can win, only that you cannot be allowed to survive. And I GRAGH!”
All of a sudden the brunette threw herself backwards, landing with her upper back across the top rope. Both feet flew up, Valeria arcing her body and pushing out with the momentum of the springy strands to deliver an unorthodox but remarkably effective dropkick. Whether it was the unexpected angle or the sheer velocity involved Astrid seemed to completely miss the strike, taking one foot in the sternum and the other square in her face to send her reeling back with Ria gleefully following.
With both of the champions hands high to ward off another unorthodox blow, the Unstoppable girl chose to follow her opponent’s example and go low. But her version was unsurprisingly more hyperactive, barrelling forwards to wrap both hands around that pale waist and then lifting the bigger woman up with consummate ease. White realised what was happening, reaching down to brace herself, but she couldn’t mount any further escape as she was spun around and down into a spine-first collusion with the unforgiving mat!
Lifting Spinning Spinebusterwww.youtube.com/watch?v=S-HYBGfdn60
Back arcing up like the canvas was electrified, Astrid rolled sharply to her front, both hands reaching awkwardly around to massage at her hurting spine. She was up on her knees within a second or two but clearly wasn’t moving fast enough for Ria, who stormed around to snatch a Front Facelock and drag her back to standing. She spun her grip 180, leaving the pair back-to-back with the champion’s jaw still tight in her clutches, and then dropped sharply to her back, delivering a textbook Spinning Neckbreaker which dumped the Stranger once again onto the canvas with her upper back throbbing.
White ended up in a set on the canvas, her hands up cradling her neck. Which meant she was easy prey as Ria took a few steps back and stormed forwards, hopping off both feet to deliver ANOTHER perfectly-angled dropkick into the champion’s face. The Stranger was dumped on her back, George shoving her forwards a little more until her body was propped up in the corner. Buzzing like an overactive bluebottle, Valeria charged off in a truncated circuit when ended with her steaming back towards the champion at top speed, leaving her feet and tucking into a somersault aimed right at the Icelander!
Unstoppabomb www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5X2Zwhjjlo
Torso sandwiched between the barrelling brunette and the lightly padded steel cornerpost, Astrid found herself crushed between the proverbial rock and hard place. Her body bounced out of the impact, limbs and blonde locks flying everywhere, coming to rest face down on the canvas. But she wasn’t there for long, Ria desperate to capitalise on her signature and doing so by once again gathering those long stems up. Her shoulders tucked into the pits of Scandinavian knees, pouring all her remaining power forwards and downwards until the champions’ ass was lifted high in the air and her shoulders pressed firmly down into the canvas. The entire arena counted raucously along with the referee for
ONE
TWO
THRENOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Denied almost any leverage, Astrid’s only choice was to wriggle like a hooked fish until she could flop messily out of the press. She just about had the wherewithal to turn to her stomach, avoiding a repeat pinfall, while George and her fans were still roaring in disbelief at just how close they had come. Ria gave a hopeful glance in Craig Long’s direction, holding up three fingers and receiving two in return, before turning back to the champion.
“Big girl, big talk,” she told Astrid. The Stranger was still too preoccupied with shaking away the fog in her head to respond but Ria didn’t seem to care, grabbing a handful of hair and using it to pull the Icelander upwards. The Unstoppable Girl clearly had something big planned for her finale, but sadly for her fans this was interrupted, White lifting one leg and stomping her boot down right into the knee which had already been tenderised by all those earlier kicks.
Valeria felt a sudden stab of pain which overrode all her other attacking incidents, dropping her grip and hurriedly lifting her knee up to rub at it. And however discombobulated the champion might have been she was far too classy to pass up such an opening, stepping back neatly and whirling around in a tight circle, one foot spinning out to slam into the challenger’s head.
Icebreaker www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4zJwRi4NYk
The thump of boot on face was loud enough to be heard over the crowd, Ria spinning away from he strike and coming to rest on her knees, only held at that semblance of verticality by the middle rope. The accumulated blows looked to have finally taken their toll, the challenger’s eyes flickering and unfocused. But Astrid seemed to finally taking the Unstoppable Girl nickname as a challenger, taking a few steps back and then sprinting forward to deliver a HUGE flying knee right into the suspended brunette’s abused noggin.
Execution knee www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb0q4lWPfVk
Now those eyes were shut fast, the George finally looking like she had been sent into semi-consciousness. She folled limply to her back, limbs spread out starfish style, Craig Long kneeling concernedly over her. It seemed like she’d probably have stayed there for the rest of the night, but the Stranger clearly wasn’t taking any chances, taking a seat again just by George’s addled head. This time there was no interruption, Astrid lacing knee leg behind that noggin while the other was placed across her throat. It was the work of a moment to lean down and snatch an s-grip around the back of the challenger’s head, White rolling to her back and crunching down with all her might on her vaunted finishing hold.
Whiteout www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiwsoCtAeZQ
George’s eyes opened again the instant she felt her windpipe being constricted, but all she could do to protest was let out a gurgle. One arm waggled, reaching out to try to begin an escape and swiftly realising it was trapped by White’s looped legs. The other came up though, swinging down to ‘pak’ a wild clubbing punch into the Stranger’s flank.
Astrid’s only response was to constrict a little harder, squeezing her hands and crunching up her core to put maximum pressure on the brunette’s airways. She held on and held for ten, twelve fifteen seconds more, Craig Long’s shouts to the challenger becoming increasingly urgent. And then finally, mercifully, that free hand started fluttering, Ria tapping her fingers and then her palm on the Stranger’s glutes. The official gestured immediately, the bell ringing out to end the match, Astrid holding for just a few painful seconds more before kicking those long legs out and releasing her prey.
“Ladies and Gentlemen…your winner, by way of submission…AND STILL THE FAWN INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION…ASTRID WHITE!”
The successful champion stayed on her back for a few moments, taking some deep breaths after her exertions before rolling slowly to a set. She shuffled herself back out to center ring, legs crossed once more, holding a pose of calm as boos and jeers rained around her. She was still in this position when Long returned with her title belt, the official holding it out awkwardly for a second without getting any response. “I’ll…uh…I’ll jkust leave it here for you, “ he said, spreading the strap out in front of the victorious champion who didn’t move a muscle in response.
Those grey-green eyes still moved though, watching closely as her erstwhile opponent was helped, slowly and painfully, under the bottom rope and out of the ring. Which meant she was still watching when a shimmering shape appeared as if from nowhere and rocketed right into the losing challenger’s stomach.
A friend in need’s a friend indeed
PURE MORNING www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHQngnnHE_0
Sure enough the careening glitterball skidded to a halt and resolved itself into Lyra Faulk, looking back with interest at the woman she had just speared into. Despite the punishments already heaped on her there were clearly still some neurones firing in the downed battler’s head, managing to roll to all fours and start sitting confusedly up. But her lights were turned out for good as soon as she did so, Harriet Larkin following her partner’s lightning attack with some thunder courtesy of a murderous Single Leg Dropkick which left George in a boneless sprawl on the ringside matting.
Wasteland www.youtube.com/watch?v=esK7IRjkp_A
LYRA FAULK
HARRIET LARKIN
The suddenness of the attack seemed to have caught everyone at ringside completely by surprise, although the crowd noise was growing exponentially as more of them figured out what had happened. Craig Long seemed equally stunned, taking several long seconds to recognise that he needed to step in to protect his charge. “HEY!” he shouted, “GET AWAY FROM MPPPPPPHHH!”
“Hush.” A hand reached around from behind him and clamped over his mouth. Instinctively the referee reached up, trying to unobstruct his airway, only for that intervening hand to be snatched halfway through it’s journey and instead twisted up behind his back. The hammerlock wasn’t pulled tight enough to be painful but was enough to keep him immobilised as a quiet British voice spoke quietly into his ear.
“You have no one to help you here, and my friends have a reputation of not being very nice to men wearing stripes. You really should scurry off up that ramp to get some help.” The official found himself spun around to face the entranceway and then shoved hard, freeing his arm. He turned back sharply and spent a few seconds studying this third woman, her orange shorts and white crop top, and a face he was sure he recognised but couldn’t place. “Who are you?” he barked.
“Nobody.” The woman smiled, or at least her mouth did, it never reached her eyes. She gestured vaguely at the entranceway and in tones of command said “Run along.” Long took a second more to decide that she might have a point, by which time the ‘nobody’ was already striding over to her ‘friends’ fallen victim. She drove a nasty stomp into that brown stomach, but with little reaction since the woman was clearly unconscious.
’Nobody’
Perhaps this lack of reaction was the reason for Lyra suddenly growing tired of her plaything. Scrambling up into the ring she flashed a big grin in the direction of Astrid White, standing in a defensive pose in the centre of the ring. The pair formed a tableaux for a few heartbeats, both stock still as they regarded each other. And unusually it was the IC champion who broke the silence. “Why are you here?” she asked quietly.
“Because I want to be.” Faulk’s grin went a few notches wider, stepping forwards until she was juuuust outside the Stranger’s extra-long reach. “Why’re you trying to make more rules, darl?” she asked curiously. “You’re a woman of science, you should already know the ending. Entropy always wins.” White seemed to consider this for an instant and then suddenly became a whirl of motion, powering off one foot with her knee pistoning forwards and upwards at decapitation height!
Smooth as the Stranger was, there was no way she could match the Chaos Emerald’s sheer acceleration, Faulk throwing herself into a somersault under the attempted Kneestrike. She even had the presence of mind to reach one hand out as she did so, snatching up the Intercontinental title belt from where it had remained laying on the matt since the end of the match. She popped neatly back to her feet, holding the faceplate up and examining it curiously before looking back up just as Astrid managed to wheel back around to face her.
“Catch!” the Aussie yelled. Sure enough the title went flying, but Astrid didn’t move a muscle. Nor did she need to, the belt thrown past her and into the waiting hands of the woman known as nobody. And it was quickly brought to good use, the dark-haired woman slamming that heavy gold and leather down into the abused midriff of Valeria George. Faulk didn’t seem interested in that though, instead giving a knowing nod in the direction of the Stranger and then glancing round to note the flood of referees and security emerging from the entranceway. “Aged eagle!” she called loudly.
The phrase might not have had any meaning to most in earshot but it clearly did for Harriet and her ‘friend’, both women abandoning their beatdown and hotfooting over to the nearest crowd barrier, slipping over one after the other. Lyra clearly seemed set to join them, but paused briefly just as she’d slipped out of the ring, bending down and grabbing the title belt where her ‘friend’ had left it. This time her throw was in Astrid’s direction, the champion dodging sideways as her prize flashed past. Watching on, Faulk nodded in satisfaction. “See ya round!” she chirped, turning and following her friends over the barrier only a few seconds before Craig Long and his reinforcements arrived.
The swarm of officials and EMTs were quick to tend to George, strapped to a stretcher and hurried back up the ramp. Long stared in annoyance at where the chaotic trio had made their exit but clearly decided against any further action, instead circling around the ring and regathering the title belt. Astrid seemed to have all but forgotten it, already striding up the entrance ramp, any sense of triumph at her first title defence quashed y the confusion of what had just happened. She turned only briefly when Long caught up with her, reaching one long arm out to grab her property and then turning back up the ramp without a word. And within a few more seconds she was gone, swishing through the curtain and leaving an air of confusion behind her.