Post by alyadmirer on Feb 16, 2016 2:50:13 GMT
Simultaneously intrigued and terrified by the pair of names he read in his notes, the Announcer stayed well clear of the ring as he carried out his duties. “Ladies and gentlemen the following contest is scheduled for one fall with a twenty minute time limit. Introducing first, representing the Church of Eternal Midnight, hailing from Raven’s Fair, Virginia, she stands at five feet four inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and nineteen pounds, she is the Straight-Edge Siren, the Prophet of Pain, the Beacon of Dark in this sad, lonely light… MIRANDA WAINRIGHT!”
MIRANDA WAINRIGHT:
Gloom descended upon the FAWN Arena even as the jeers rose to meet it. An angry, judgmental voice from deep back in the speakers promised, ‘And we will see how godless a nation we have become.’ From that bitter fruit blossomed Green Day’s ‘East Jesus Nowhere’, a simple riff that was repeated four times. Following every cycle a spotlight lit up to reveal a scarecrow-ish effigy mounted to a tall wooden stave that had grown up seemingly in an instant. The effigies, done up in a style best described as ‘Early American Psychopath’, were simple but easily recognizable. First came Lily Burlingame, then Rose Evans and Gabby Mendoza. When the light illuminated a eerily accurate Mercy-figure on the last stake the drums started to pound and a fifth spotlight revealed the Septa of Sorrow.
For tonight‘s dose of faith and violence, Miranda wore the pitch black version of her usual vinyl one-piece. Scooped low in the back and high over the hips, it was accompanied by clunky knee-high gray boots and black elbow-length mesh gloves. As for her hair, it was still a lustrous, gleaming gold, its radiance seemingly in defiance of all the vile filth surrounding her. Immune to the ranting and raving of that astounding number of heathens, Miranda started down the aisle and kept her eyes on the squared circle until she reached the foot of the steel steps. Taking them slowly, she reached the apron, dipped her head and carefully removed her hat, which she set atop the ring post.
Once in the ring, she turned to the stage and extended both arms out at shoulder level in a rough ‘T’. After a moment she brought her palms together as if in prayer and that was enough to make the quartet of effigies burst into flame. Smiling into the dancing fire, Wainright held her position until they were reduced to cinder and ash. Then she backed into a corner on the opposite side of the ring and allowed Craig Long to peruse her boots and pads.
Finding nothing, the referee stepped back and said, “Kept the deacons at home tonight, huh Miranda?” She replied with a knowing smile. “My sisters are always close, Mr. Long. Be it in spirit… or a more tangible form.” With that, she turned her back on him and strode to the far corner to await the arrival of the woman she’d so recently burned in effigy.
Industrious FAWN techs had just finished removing Miranda’s macabre display when the lights went out. A cheer rose in their place, as did a the speakers, which provided a wailing chant and a simple two-part palm-powered percussion. Two parts soon became three, which became who knows how many when the FAWNatics lent their hands and feet to the effort. The clap-along was about twenty seconds old when the lyrics joined in.
Be careful making wishes in the dark, dark
Can't be sure when they've hit their mark
And besides in the mean, mean time
I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart
Spotlights zeroed in on the stage and several points throughout the arena but the woman in question remained stubbornly out sight, save for a half dozen identically lissome shadows closing in on the ring.
I'm in the de-details with the devil
So now the world can never get me on my level
I just gotta get you off the cage
I'm a young lover's rage
Gonna need a spark to ignite
Most of the FAWNatics were already singing along by that point and even those too drunk to carry a tune in a bucket lent their voices to the last part of this modern day incantation.
‘MY SONGS KNOW WHAT YOU DID IN THE DAAAAAAAAAAARK…’
‘SO LIGHT ‘EM UP!’
MERCY ELLIS:
The lights exploded, illuminating Mercy Ellis perched confidently at the top of the ramp. For her long overdue showdown with the bytch who’d cost her a chance at Lightweight gold, the Blonde with the Iron Fists wore midnight black bikini bottoms and a matching sports bra, black boots with white shin-guards and a battered pair of MMA-style striker’s gloves. In a slight departure from her usual ponytail, the blonde’s hair was pulled back in a sleek, swishy braid that fell halfway to the small of her back.
Finally able to start once Ellis headed toward the ring, the Announcer called, "And introducing her opponent, now coming down the aisle, hailing from Cedar Hill Ohio, standing at five feet four inches tall and weighing in at one hundred and twenty-five pounds, she is the Heartless Wonder, the Assassin… MERCY ELLIS!”
Marching to the squared circle with a lack of theatrics that was almost ostentatious in its simplicity, Mercy made good time and was atop the steel steps in time for the second chorus. Ellis wiped her boots on the apron, then slipped through the ropes and mounted the ropes to properly salute all those who screamed her name. Raising both hands to chest level, she made a show of craaaaaaaacking her knuckles, then slammed her left fist into her right palm a few times for good measure. When the music started to fade she hopped down and locked eyes with the zealot across the ring. She knew the bell would ring in seconds and yet she still had a hard time not charging Wainright in a flat out sprint.
The opening bell might as well have been a starter’s pistol, considering how quickly Mercy Ellis raced out of her corner. The sight of the Heartless Wonder closing in fast with murder on her mind would’ve unnerved most women, but Miranda Wainright simply dipped her torso between the top and middle ropes and said, “Hold her back, please.”
Easier said than done, though Craig Long didn’t hesitate to step directly into the blonde’s path. “That’s horseshyt, Long.” Ellis spat. “Are you going to let her get away with that all night?”
“He’s merely doing his job, Mercy Ellis.” Miranda spoke up from her corner. She’d pulled herself out of the ropes but made no effort to come forward. “Which means he’s the sort who will extend you the same protections when you’re crawling to these ropes on your hands and knees.”
“Smarmy bytch.” Mercy darted around the official like he wasn’t there and got all up in Wainright’s business a half second after she snaked through the strands again. Content to land her shots while she could, Ellis snuggled in next to her blonde, grabbed a handful of hair and jerked her head into a quartet of Hammer Punches that ‘PWAAAKED!’ against Miranda’s cheek and jaw. The Malevolent Moralizer didn’t cry out, but she looked far from pleased when Craig herded her attacker away.
Working very hard not to take her frustrations out on the zebra, Ellis shrugged him off and pointed a commanding finger at her adversary. “Get your sneaking punk ass out of those ropes and FIGHT me. Isn’t that what you wanted, Wainright? Or do I have to turn my back before you’ll make a move?” Rather than give the bloviating weirdo a chance to waste more breath, Mercy took a few steps back, then did an about face. Arms spread wide, she called, “I’m offering you my back, bytch. Lets see if you can take it.”
Mildly offended by the blatant show of disregard, Wainright eased off the buckles and slowly approached the other blonde. Knowing full well the weight this heathen carried in her hands, Miranda crooked her right arm up and back like she was going for a Forearm Smash, only she didn’t clout her foe across the head, shoulders or back. Instead she did something entirely unexpected. She flicked a hand out and pinched Mercy’s ass.
Yelping in surprise far more than pain, Ellis whipped around in a half circle, her right arm already fully extended for the Uraken that’d swivel Wainright’s ja--” Miranda dipped the potentially match-ending strike, spun around behind the other blonde and slipped an arm around her neck. No Sleeper this, she grabbed hold of Mercy’s ponytail and pulled it from left to right, transforming it into a flaxen garrote of sorts. A Half Nelson on Ellis’s left arm made sure she couldn’t wrench loose immediately, though lord knows it didn’t stop her from trying.
“A word to the wise, sister.” Miranda murmured in Mercy’s ear while effectively choking her with her own hair. “Don’t EVER turn your back on NNNGGGHH!”
Ellis jammed the point of her right elbow into Wainright’s ribs, then crooked that arm back and snatched a handful of hair. The Snapmare that followed wasn’t entirely legal, but Mercy wasn’t above bending the rules when her opponent was willing to do the same. Miranda landed on her butt and *almost* succeeded in making it to one knee before the Blonde with the Iron Fists THWHACKED a Soccer Kick against her spine.
Baring her teeth as the prone woman cringed, Mercy cupped Miranda’s ears and hauled her upright just to THWHUMP a Kneelift into her belly. The Churchgoer’s head dipped forward and Ellis took control of it again, lacing both hands across the base of Waintright’s neck in a Muy Thai style clench. After that the Kneelifts came hard and fast, left-right-left-right, perhaps half a dozen in all before the set was ended by Miranda catching her attacker’s left leg around the thigh. Straightening up with a grimace, Wainright slammed the point of her elbow into Mercy’s thigh, then earned herself a universal ‘oh no she din’t!’ sort of ‘OOOOOOHHHH!’ when she reached out and CRAAAACKED Ellis across the face.
Mercy reared back but couldn’t create much distance because the Prophet of Pain still claimed ownership of her leg. Shifting her grasp from thigh to ankle (all in the hopes of staying clear of the heathen’s fists) Miranda took this golden opportunity to deliver her first sermon of the evening. “You are a proud fighter, Mercy Ellis. While pride itself is not inherently evil, yours is unchecked by the yoke of humility. That is the gift I mean to bestow upon you before welcoming you into my Chur--” Miranda had to pull her head back fast to make sure Ellis didn’t take off the tip of her nose with another ‘swicking’ backhand.
“You’re gonna talk to me about humility?” she snarled. “Bytch, I’ve been in the ring with Emily West and you could give her a run for her money in the ego department. I’ve got all the humility I need, all I want right now is a clear shot at your NNNGGGHH!”
Miranda Bytch Slapped her again and earned a glare that could’ve boiled steel in return. “Were you going to say ‘jaw’ heathen?” she chided. “It’s right here. All you have to do is reach out and take--”
Ellis sprang off her plant foot and whipped it at the side of Miranda’s head in an Enzugiri that would’ve crossed her eyes if the Septa of Sorrow hadn’t dropped into a low crouch with a half-second to spare. Cursing the miss, Mercy landed on her hands and knee, started to rise and “EEERRRRHHHHHH!” Wainright tucked the captured ankle under her left arm, then spun under the exposed limb and dropped onto her back to wrench the other blonde’s knee with a cleverly applied variation of the Dragon Screw. The torque of it rolled Mercy onto her back, leaving the stunned battler groaning and clutching her knee to her chest.
GROUNDED DRAGON SCREW:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFB2Z2D68Bg
Always composed and methodical, even against the most dangerous of adversaries, Miranda got to her feet, strolled over to the grounded grappler and clamped down on her left ankle. Mercy wasn’t about to take that lying down (spiritually, that was) and she fired off a quick kick that PWAAAKED into the other blonde’s thigh. Miranda grunted, but maintained her control and put herself out of range of future kicks by YANKING on Ellis’s ankle.
Delivered so soon after the Dragon Screw, it got quite a bit of reaction from the Heartless Wonder, who sat up to better clutch at the wounded joint. Wainright paid her no mind, she simply forced Mercy’s boot against the mat, then stepped on her ankle to keep her from going anywhere. “Your body is already beginning to fail you, sister.” she told the squirming woman. “Better for you to accept Midnight into your heart now rather than suffer unnecessarily, don’t you agree?”
Far from a passive bystander, Ellis worked to pull her ankle free, but Wainright adjusted her boot accordingly and the MMA standout was kept pinned to the mat like a bug on a card. “The only unnecessary suffering I’m dealing with right now is the bullshyt coming out of your UUNNNNGGGGHHHH!”
Miranda hopped up and STOMPED on the inside of Mercy’s left thigh, just above the knee. “Do not for one second believe that your skepticism unnerves me, sister.” Miranda said as she walked a circle around her prey. “In truth I find it quite refreshing. If past experience has taught me anything it’s that former skeptics make for the strongest believers, once they’ve been shown there is something to believe IN.”
Positioned above Ellis’s head now, Wainright pulled the other blonde to a seat and stepped over her right shoulder with her right leg. Foot planted in the ‘V’ of her foe’s splayed legs, Miranda reached down and laced her hands under the heathen’s left knee. Then she rolled onto her back and pulled Mercy into her lap, a shift that stacked her square on the back of her head and one shoulder (the other was wedged against Wainright’s midriff) and streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetched her tweaked left leg at a near perfect forty-five degree angle.
Ellis let loose with a whistling groan that would’ve come out a full throated scream from ninety five percent of the roster. That’s why the ref was so quick to check on the otherwise stoic blonde. “What do you say, Mercy? Need me to call for the bell? Ya gotta say something if it gets to be too mu--”
“Save your breath for the street corner prophet.” the Heartless Wonder snarled. “She’ll be the one needing attention sooner rather than GGGGGRRRRRRRHHHHH… that all you got, bytch?”
Miranda, who’d drew her opponent’s trapped knee that much closer to her forehead, only smirked. “You have not yet BEGUN to reap the bounty of what I have to offer, Mercy Ellis.” Another pause as she put more pressure on her rival’s leg. “And if you don’t take some of the brass from your tone, the first thing I’ll provide is a much closer parking spot.”
Ellis growled, balled her hands into fists and smacked them both against the mat. “Talk all you want, Wainright. It’s gonna take more than your glorified yoga to take my leg.”
The Malevolent Moralizer rolled her eyes. “If it’s another demonstration you require, I’ll gladly--” Wainright grit her teeth and sucked in a hissing breath as Mercy affixed a gouging claw to the dense meat on the back of her right thigh. Practically a Hammy Clamp, it sent a deep, steely ache up into the true believer’s hip and all the way down into her knee.
“There’s a demonstration for you.” Ellis spat. “Go on and deliver a sermon now. Something along the lines of, Oh dear lord, let this chick let me go before she rips my leg EEERRGGHHH!” While she was more than willing to trade blows with a heathen in service of spreading her blessed Midnight, Miranda felt no particular urge to grant this poor soul any false hope, which was why she halved her grip and raaaaaaaaaked her nails across Ellis’s eyes.
Blinded by the cheap shot, Mercy didn’t realize she was free from the Stump Puller until she rolled over on her injured knee. Wincing, she braced her hands against the mat, rose up and caught a Running Kneelift flush across the jaw. Miranda stopped just behind her stunned adversary, reached over one shoulder with both hands and laced her hands across the Assassin’s chin. Then she kicked both legs forward and laid out on her back to THWHONK Mercy’s skull with a huge Reverse Neckbreaker. Ellis sat up on impact and would’ve curled her arms around the back of her head if Wainright hadn’t shoved her down flat and hooked that sore leg for…
RUNNING KNEELIFT TO REVERSE NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T01YUIBXpo
ONE…
Mercy kicked out with authority and earned a delighted cheer by stuffing one hand into Miranda’s startled face. “Get your punk ass away from AAAAAUUGGGGGGGGH!”
Miranda grabbed her foe’s left thigh just above the knee and PWAAAKED a trio of hard Hammer Punches onto the vulnerable joint. Composing herself after the initial burst of anger subsided, the Prophet of Pain grabbed her opponent’s lower face in one hand and drew her in so they were nose to nose. “Listen to me you guileless savage.” she cooed. “We are only having this discussion because I see some potential in your otherwise worthless existence. If you’re intent on proving me wrong I would be more than happy to end you at a moment’s notNNNGGGGHH!”
Mercy jabbed her head forward, striking Wainright square on the bridge of the nose. Miranda reeled, went to pull away and got cupped around the ears for her troubles. Two more Headbutts followed in rapid succession, Ellis striking the same spot each time out. The zealot finally created some distance but her departure contained none of her usual elegance, in fact she looked more like a groveling sinner instead of her usual confident self. She’d just reached the ropes when Mercy grabbed a double handful of hair and forced her throat against the rubber-coated.
“You wanna see my potential?” Ellis gripped the top rope in both hands and braced her right shin across the back of the other blonde’s neck. Then she pushed up and leaaaaaaaaaned down, forcing every bit of her nearly hundred and thirty pounds onto Miranda’s suddenly flailing frame. “You won’t find it in my fists or my feet. You’re not gonna find in any of the thousands of holds I could use to tear you into tiny, screaming pieces.” By now Craig was in her ear barking for a release, but the Blonde with the Iron Fists wasn’t done with her parable just yet. “You want to see my potential, Miranda? Ask your doctor to show it to you. It’s written in the contusions, fractures and scars I leave behind.”
The ref reached ‘THREE!’ on his count so Ellis hung in there until ‘FOUR!’ before finally dismounting. Doing so didn’t feel too great on her left knee, but the pain seemed to have diminished a bit now that Miranda was gagging and fighting for breath. “Get up, asshole.” she flicked a boot into Wainright’s undefended rump. “How can you expect to see what I have to offer if you’re down there sucking wind?”
Hand at her neck, Miranda croaked, “You would be wise not to test me at moments like this, sisNNNNNNNGGGHH!”
Mercy grabbed a handful of waistband, reared back and jerked the other blonde forward while simultaneously lunging in to THWHAP her across the small of the back with a huge Forearm Smash. Barely on her feet after the brutal tugging, Miranda froze with her hands raised to shoulder-level. She only started moving again when Ellis dipped low and snatched on a tight Waistlock. Feet planted flat she popped her hips and DUMPED Wainright on the back of her head with a brutal Backdrop Suplex. Miranda rolled through to a seat and slumped forward, one hand pressed gingerly to the base of her aching neck.
BACKDROP SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3aKG5P7q1k
Behind her, Mercy rolled to one knee and smacked her across the back of the head. “No drifting off in church, sweetheart. I’ve still got a lot to NNNNGGGGH!”
The Septa of Sorrow whirled around and swiveled Mercy’s head with a Bytch Slap that echoed deep into the cheap seats. Ellis shook it off, scrambled to her feet. and went nose to nose with Miranda, who’d made it upright a heartbeat prior. “You may speak whatever lies and delusions help you sleep at night, Mercy Ellis.” Miranda said in a venomous whisper. “But if you EVER blaspheme against my Church again you will suffer like no other before you.”
The Heartless Wonder stepped in even closer, forcing the other woman back a half step. “I could give a rat’s ass about that traveling circus you call a Church.” she spat. “All I want is a clean shot at the bytch who cost me the Lightweight Championship.”
At this Miranda Wainright smiled and cleared off by a few steps. “Here she is, warrior. The woman who stole one opportunity to offer you a lifetime more. If you would strike her down for such an offense…take your best f*cking shot.”
Mercy snorted, raised her hands and drew a bead. “You don’t really want that, preacher. Not rea--” Wainright lashed out with a kick aimed at Mercy’s bad knee but the Heartless Wonder shifted positions and caught the zealot’s foot under her arm. No taunt from Ellis though her satisfaction was palpable. Instead she spun around and under Miranda’s leg to dump her to the mat with a vengeful Dragon Screw. More than a little eager to payback the punishment she’d endured earlier in the bout, Mercy got to her feet with Wainright’s foot still in her possession and stepped through her splayed stems. Then she dropped to her back, locked her legs around Miranda’s left thigh and set about crushing it with a vicious Grapevine.
DRAGON SCREW TO SINGLE-LEG GRAPEVINE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2TtZMcMlAw
“GGGGGRAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!” Wainright pushed up straight, tugged at her own hair, then clawed at her attacker’s thigh, all to no avail. Seeing the question on the official’s face, Mercy smirked, “Go ahead and ask her, Craig. She’ll say no, but I want to hear the panic in her voice.”
The pressure on her knee was a bit too uncomfortable for Wainright to out and out scoff, yet she didn’t sound anywhere close to panic when she dismissed the referee’s question of surrender. Shifting the full force of her attention back to Ellis, the Malevolent Moralizer sat up and asked, “You really think highly of yourself, don’t you, sister?”
Mercy kept the pressure steady on her foe’s leg, she wasn’t about to let the other blonde’s silver tongue distract her from the task at hand. “Yeah, I do. As do a lot of other people.” She paused and cranked back on Wainright’s shin while simultaneously forcing another long constriction through the Scissors. “By the time that bell rings, you will too.”
Miranda grimaced, worked her hands along the edges of the Grapevine in search of some weak point, found none. “That’s where you’re wrong, sister. I already think highly of you. But you won’t achieve your full potential until you EEERRRGGGGGGGHH!”
Ellis bore down that much harder and stretched out so that she was looking up at the lights. “Don’t even think about it!” she barked to the wriggling zealot. “I am not about to sign away my life to stand shoulder to shoulder with you and the rest of those brain-dead idiots!”
Wainright wasn’t one to let slanders against her faith go unanswered, but this one had to hang in the air for the moment because she was too busy clawing at the mat for leverage. Hips twisted as far to the right as she could manage, Miranda dug her fingers into the mat and started to drag their combined weight toward the ropes. Mercy probably would’ve done the same thing in her position (she had the Grapevine locked in perfectly after all) but that didn’t mean she was going to let Miranda retreat without comment. “Scurrying away from a heathen like me, cutie? What would your big, bad Midnight monsters say about NNNNGGGHH!”
The trapped battler snapped / skidded her right leg back to jam the ball of her heel into Mercy’s left thigh. “Monsters are the least of your concerns at the moment, sister.” she growled after resuming her progress. “Better to prepare yourself for what happens when I reach the ropes.” That happened not five seconds later and Wainright didn’t waste a second demanding release. Mercy gave it to her, but only after she wrenched and yanked on the Grapevine until ‘FOUR!’ on the ref’s count. Free of the Assassin’s clutches, Miranda drew in close to the strands and pulled her knee up against her chest to work out the worst of the twinge.
“Wait, aren’t you a faith healer?” Ellis snorted from a short distance away. “Or do you go to services at Our Lady of Perpetual Ice Baths, just like the rest of us heathens?”
Wainright turned dark, cold eyes on her adversary. “Watch your tone, sister. My admiration for your skills only goes so far.”
“Probably goes a lot further than my admiration for yours.” Mercy shot back. “Get up, tramp. You picked this fight, you better be ready to deal with everything that comes with it.”
The Prophet of Pain reached for the ropes, thought better of it and got to her feet unassisted. “I am more than ready for everything in your arsenal, Mercy Ellis. I wonder if you can say the saMMNNNGGGHH!”
The Heartless Wonder pounced and THWHAPPED her opponent across the jaw with a lightning-quick Superman Punch! If not for the ropes Miranda would’ve hit the floor in an instant, as it was she slopped around in a woozy half circle to land with her arms hanging over the top rope. Craig made some noise about Ellis attacking a girl stacked in the ropes, but Mercy paid him no mind, she only grabbed a handful of the other blonde’s waistband and pulled her out a short distance. Visiting a well that’d paid dividends earlier in the bout, she hooked her head under Miranda’s left arm, wrapped her right arm around opposing waist and muscled her up onto her shoulder. Rather than hold her all the way down, Ellis let loose at the apex and rolled aside, leaving Wainright to freefall straight down into a THWHUMPING back-first landing!
RELEASE BACK SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjtp4Oc3e3M
Miranda started to sit up, then found herself forced right back down when Ellis slung a leg over to straddle her waist. One hand in the prone wrestler’s hair, Mercy yanked her head off the canvas and pwak-pwak-pwak-pwak-pwak-PWAAAKED her defenseless forehead with no less than a dozen straight right hands. “Hey Mercy, watch it with the closed fists now!” the ref demanded of his charge. “Knock it off or I’ll--”
Ellis stopped throwing hands to look him dead in the face. “Either count or keep your mouth shut, Long. You and I both know the entire locker room is cheering right about now.”
She was almost assuredly right, but that didn’t mean Craig could let her sit there and pound away at Wainright’s face. So he started his count, which Mercy worked ‘til ‘FOUR!’ before pushing up and walking away with a noticeable swagger in her step. “TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT HER!” Mercy had those dangerous gloves raised high, looking for all the world like a boxer who’d just smote a particularly obnoxious foe. “LOOK AT HER AND REMEMBER THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS TO CHICKS WHO STICK THEIR NOSE IN MY MATCHES!”
Miranda heard and noted the vile lies coming from Ellis’s mouth, but she didn’t pay them any real attention until the throbbing in her head started to subside. That happened around the time Long reached ‘FIVE!’ on his standing ten count, however she didn’t push to one knee until after ‘EIGHT’. Aware that the savage striker would return to inspect her handiwork, Miranda started to rise, but just slow enough to present an irresistible target. Sure enough, Ellis closed in, grabbed a double handful of hair and jerked her to verticalit--”UUUUUUNNNNGGGGGHHH!”
With her hands otherwise occupied, Mercy couldn’t protect herself from the thumb Miranda jabbed into her right eye. “HEY!” Wainright delivered the blow when Craig’s attention was slightly diverted, but the way Ellis’s head whipped away was unmistakable. “Keep off her eyes, Miranda! You know better than that!”
“I know the tenets of my faith trump the tenets of yours, zebra. Now still your tongue while I do the work of Midnight.”
With one hand pressed to her watering eye, Mercy didn’t see the next attack coming until Wainright’s hands were practically cupping her ears and by then it was far too late. There was a loud ‘THWHAP!’ followed by a stunned groan from the blonde as the Ear Ringer put a nasty shiver in her knees. Said shiver became full on failure when Wainright reared back and drilled the fingertips of her left hand into the hollow of her foe’s throat. Stumbling like a drunk, Ellis wheeled away and clambered into the ropes chest-first. Even in her discombobulated state she turned around almost at once, the instinct to keep her back away from the other blonde was strong as it’d ever THUNK!
Miranda charged, hopped onto the bottom rope and slammed her right knee into Mercy’s forehead! Already staggered, the Heartless Wonder threw both arms over the rubber-coated steel to keep from dropping flat on her ass. Wainright dropped down and backed off a few steps to better survey the damage. Apparently not satisfied with her original effort, she charged in to administer a second High Knee, then twisted around and caught Mercy’s noggin in a Side Headlock. Boos, then groans from the crowd as Miranda raced out of the ropes and PLANTED her rival facedown in the center of the squared circle with a huge Running Bulldog.
ROPE SLUMPED HIGH KNEE & RUNNING BULLDOG:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG8L3nre3_8
While she was in perfect position to go for a pin, Wainright stretched out flat and rolled under the bottom rope on the far side of the ring, where she got to her feet and quickly made a trip to the nearest corner. Safely perched on the top turnbuckle a few seconds before Ellis began to rise, the Malevolent Moralizer stood tall and raised her hands high overhead. “Gloried be they that heed the warrior’s call… but Midnight comes for one and all!”
Back to the mounted zealot, Mercy remained ignorant of the danger until Miranda took wing and by then it was far too late. Knees raised to chest level, Wainright stuffed them between the other blonde’s shoulders and laced both hands across her chin to pull Ellis down into a THWHUMPING Lungblower. Mercy’s legs kicked up over her head as she landed hard on her tailbone, just another dash of unpleasantness to go along with her other aches and pains. She’d only started to reach for her jolted spine when the Prophet of Pain shoved her down flat and stretched out atop her in a snug Crossbody. Looking eerily serene as she hooked the far leg, Miranda mouthed the count along with the arbiter and the heathens.
DIVING LUNGBLOWER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVcCJydZuhE
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Ellis pulled her leg free and sat up with a good half-second to spare. Nonplussed, Wainright snuggled in close on her foe’s left side and promptly wrapped a hand around Mercy’s throat. Driving her to the mat with a single violent shove, Miranda leaned all her weight into the stranglehold while Ellis thrashed and the ref tried to scold her off. That proved useless, so he resorted to the count, which she only heeded at ‘FOUR!’
“Watch it with the chokes, Wainright!” Craig demanded. “Don’t think I won’t disqualify you!”
Miranda fixed him with a baleful look. “Is that any way to speak to someone doing such noble work?” she slid a little closer, presumably to plead her case. “I was simply trying to exorcise the foul presence that has corrupted my sister’s senses.”
“Be that as it may, you can’t just strangle her--HEY! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THAT!?”
Wainright had indeed moved closer to the official, he just didn’t understand why until Mercy’s legs started kicking again. Then he saw the Pious Punisher’s shin wedged across Ellis’s neck and he could’ve kicked himself for being so foolish. No warning this time, Long fired off a brisk count and surely would’ve ended the contest in a DQ if Wainright hadn’t pushed to her feet at ‘FOUR!’ “You go to her neck one more time and I will call for the bell immediately.” the zebra threatened. “Don’t doubt me for a second.”
Miranda observed him for a moment. “I don’t. Your convictions are admirable, albeit misplaced.” He offered nothing to that, not that Miranda minded, her attention was already honed in on Mercy Ellis. Coiling the Assassin’s braid around one fist, Wainright dragged her to her knees and pounded a single, spiteful Kneelift between the penitent blonde’s eyes. “You are not the first fierce warrior I have brought to heel, sister. Nor will you be the last.” Mercy grunted and tried to shove at her attacker’s hips, but a few sharp tugs on that seized braid was enough to put a stop to that.
One more tug set Ellis on her feet, though she was very much a stooped and gasping version of her usual self. Miranda claimed the other blonde’s proffered noggin in a Front Facelock, then tossed the near arm over her shoulders and bent down to hook Ellis’s left leg at the knee. Often accused of wasting precious time sermonizing, Miranda Wainright nonetheless possessed a remarkable economy of movement, as evidenced in the way she immediately twisted her hips and laid out on her back, thus THWHUNKING Mercy on the back of her head and shoulders with a flawless Fisherman’s Neckbreaker. Ellis hit hard and rolled onto her belly, both arms flying to the back of her abused melon.
FISHERMAN'S NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=15pIXfXLKvI
Close enough to shoot the Half Nelson for a cover if she were of the mind, Mercy instead got to her feet and sprinted into the ropes to her opponent’s left. Taking to the skies upon her return, Wainright kicked both legs forward and brought the right one down flush across the back of Mercy’s neck. The Heartless Wonder grunted her disapproval and tried to squirm loose, alas Miranda helped herself to a big handful of hair and cranked her head back at an unpleasant angle. From there she angled her left leg across the front of Ellis’s throat and locked her ankles to secure an awkwardly applied Figure Four Headscissors. Painful as it was (and it was painful, the immediate pink flush in Mercy’s cheeks was proof enough of that) things got that much worse when the Malevolent Moralizer twisted onto her tummy and pushed up on her hands, thus hoisting Ellis’s head and upper body off the canvas.
HANGMAN'S HEADSCISSORS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxd1Pp3hk6U
Gritting her teeth as the Hangman’s Headscissors did their worst, Mercy huffed a ‘no’ to the referee, then sent one hand to inspect the knot of her rival’s ankles. Wainright felt the scrabbling digits but paid them no mind, better for the heathen to discover the hopelessness of the situation on her own. Far more willing to voice his concerns, Craig Long knelt beside the warring blondes and tapped Mercy’s shoulder. “How ya doing, Mercy? Need me to call for the bell?”
“Nuuuhhhhh….. no.” she rasped. “I’ll be out of this in a secUUNGGHH!”
Miranda began to rising up and down, a series of righteous push ups that did no favors for Ellis’s already straining neck. Stopping after half a dozen, the churchgoer smirked, “Your optimism is refreshing as it is baseless, sister. Your only chance of salvation lies in the sound of your hand tapping the canvAAASSSSEERRGGGHHH!”
Mercy slipped her right hand under Miranda’s left knee-pad and gouged four fingers into the soft flesh that was the pit of her foe’s knee. More than a little startled by the near electric bolt of pain that ran from knee to ankle and back again, Wainright sent another pulse through the Headscissors in hopes of dissuading Ellis’s talon. Mercy snarled, then doubled down on her counterattack. The numbness in her lower leg started creeping north into her thigh and after a second or two the zealot was forced to disengage. Rolling a short distance away, Miranda pulled her knee close and flexed it several times before deciding she was good to stand.
Elsewhere, Mercy pushed to her knees and rubbed the back of her neck. “Penance is a good look on you, sister.” Wainright opined. “Steady on and accept my blessing so that a whole new world may open to--”
Mercy didn’t just get to her feet, she got to her feet and spat on the toes of Miranda’s right boot. “Let’s make a deal.” the Assassin sneered. “I’ll accept your blessing right after you accept mine.”
Miranda’s nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed, the only visible signs of her rage. “You will accept my blessing… or have it forced upon you.”
“Not gonna beat me, Wainright. You’re all out of mirac--” the Septa of Sorrow charged and lashed out her right arm in a Shotei aimed at the heathen’s NO! Mercy dipped under the strike, hooked her right arm across Miranda’s chest and snatched hold of opposing waistband with her other hand. Wainright barely had time to register her predicament before Ellis hauled her up and dropped her down into a Kneelift that THWONKED the stunned blonde between the eyes.
PAINKILLER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCbZgV7iDYg
Miranda stumbled hard but didn’t go down, a bit of resistance that earned her the tiniest bit of respect in the other woman’s eyes. But it wasn’t NEARLY enough to stop the Heartless Wonder from snatching hold of Wainright’s hair and stuffing her into a Standing Headscissors. Sparing the briefest of moments for a wink at the hard camera, Ellis cinched her arms around Miranda’s waist and hoisted her up so that she was sitting slumped on her attacker’s right shoulder. No time for penance, reflection or absolution now, Mercy rose up onto her toes and hurled Wainright down into the thinly-padded plywood with a resounding THAWHAM! Starfished, save for her right leg which was pointed up at a rather boneless angle, Miranda offered no protest when pressed across the upturned limb to wedge it against the zealot’s chest for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Wainright got a shoulder up, keeping her in the battle for at least another three seconds. The Heartless Wonder leaned back on her haunches, mopped for a forearm across her brow and considered the options. The preacher certainly wasn’t the glass-jawed priss she’d assumed, but Ellis was far from frustrated with the situation. In fact Wainright’s stubborn resistance only spurred Mercy to take her down harder the next time around. Speaking of which… she filled a hand with Miranda’s hair, got up and forced the other blonde to do the same. Switching to a Wristlock only because it was more strategically viable than leading the bytch around by her hair (the ref’s nagging didn’t play into her decision in the slightest) Ellis pointed Wainright toward the strands, slung her away, then dug in and yanked her back the way she’d came. Ready to strike the instant Miranda started her return trip, Mercy buried a shoulder in her opponent’s belly while simultaneously wrapping her arms around the zealot’s upper thighs. In the next instant she pushed up onto her tiptoes, lifting the other blonde off her feet for what would’ve been a helluva Double Leg Takedown if she’d just dumped her onto the mat. Instead Mercy dropped forward and down, putting every bit of her weight into the Spinebuster that THWHAMMED Wainright into the thinly-sheathed plywood.
SPINEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=alyAPTkG7u8
Ellis didn’t even bother to go for a cover. Instead she slid forward into the mount, curled both hands into fists and pwak-pwak-pwak-pwak-PWAAAKED a barrage of murderous lefts and rights into Miranda’s head. These were closed fists and very, very illegal, as Miranda would’ve pointed out if she hadn’t been hiding behind the guard of her forearms. Luckily for her Craig Long was paying close attention and he jumped on the infraction at once. “Hey, open up those hands, Mercy! C’mon now, you know better than that!”
Mercy topped throwing hands, but only so she could snatch Wainright’s wrists and press down hard. “All I know is that someone’s needed to beat some sense into this bytch for a long time. And it’s going to take a lot more than polite coaxing to change my mind.”
The punches started to fall again, short, hammering blows that pounded the crown of Miranda’s skull before she was able to get the guard up a little higher. Craig started to count in spite of the boos it earned him and was quietly pleased when Ellis ended her siege at ‘FOUR!’ Or perhaps it was more accurate to say she changed to a tactic less objectionable in the eyes of the rules. Spinning out of the mount into a crouch directly above her rival’s head, Mercy hauled Miranda to a seat and slowly hooked her right arm in Half Nelson. That got some cheers from the FAWNatics and some grew to quite a lot when Ellis took her left elbowpad in her teeth and pulled it down to her forearm. With Miranda’s cheek resting against the side of her left knee Mercy raised her left arm high overhead, then DROVE the point of her elbow into Wainright’s jaw.
Miranda groaned, tried to move her head away and soaked up three more elbow smashes for the trouble. Always quick to find her rhythm, Mercy delivered a baker’s dozen before she paused to palm the top of Miranda’s skull. “You finished, cupcake? Or are you willing to suck Sunday brunch through a straw?”
MERCILESS ELBOWS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpdNc1jbuk4
Wainright sucked in a few shuddering breaths, then snarled, “You have no idea what my faith has already asked of me, Mercy Ellis. Enduring your sloppy, amateurish Elbow Strikes is hardly a difficult bur--”
The Blonde with the Iron Fists curled her left hand under Miranda’s chin and tipped her head back so they could lock eyes. “Mind your tongue, choir girl. My elbows are the only divinity you’ll ever know.”
“Shut you blaspheming mouth, you heathen slutTRRMMMHH!” Ellis smashed her mouth shut, a fish-face that might’ve been funny if not for the utter lack of humor on Mercy’s face. “Don’t you dare spit, Wainright. I want to see all of those teeth in the collection plate.” She let loose, raised her left hand high overhead and… let out a piercing shriek when the Prophet of Pain twisted her head and chomped down on the other blonde’s posted gam.
Startled and hurt by this unexpectedly savage counter, Ellis drilled a final Elbow Smash into the crown of her prey’s skull, then shoved her away and scrambled to verticality to inspect the damage. Sharp as the pain was, Mercy expected nothing more than a welt, so you can imagine her surprise (and rage) when she discovered a rill of blood pooling atop, then spilling over the side of her kneepad. “First blood to you, Miranda.” she murmured. “Guess I’ll have to settle for most blood.”
Gory plan in place, she stomped over to the other blonde, who’d barely made it to all fours following the merciless bludgeoning. No theatrics or threats, Ellis simply filled a hand with Wainright’s hair and hoisted her up on shivering knees. An arm threaded between the churchgoer’s legs led to a Fireman’s Carry and even more cheers as the FAWNatics rose as one to witness the glory of Mercy’s knee staving in Miranda’s poisonous head. The Mercy Killing was mere heartbeats away when the clock struck Midnight and the lights went out. It tolled again and the lights came back with a guest in tow. Perched on the apron directly in front of Ellis, Tiffany Mayes climbed onto the second rope and pointed a commanding finger at the non-believer. “PUT HER DOWN, TRAMP!” Mayes bellowed. “CAN’T YOU SEE SHE’S TRYING TO SAVE YOU?!”
TIFFANY MAYES:
Though far from pleased by Tiff’s appearance, Ellis wasn’t about to abandon a match killer to swing on Wainright’s follower, especially not when Craig had already hurried over to the apron to restore some order. Knees bent slightly, Mercy dipped that much deeper, then pushed up and whirled in a wobbly circle when someone clamped down on her shoulder. Her hands full of zealot, Ellis only got a glimpse of Adelaide Brewster before her whole world went red. A weaker woman might’ve crumpled to her knees and ultimately taken less punishment for it. But Mercy Ellis was anything but weak and she stayed upright, a perfect target for the Super Kick Ashley Conda THWHACKED off the point of her chin.
ADELAIDE BREWSTER:
ASHLEY CONDA:
Bat and Serpent disengaged at once, the pair of wicked brunettes down and barrel rolling under the bottom rope while the first outraged roars reached the ref’s ears. Blinded and blindsided, Ellis lurched hard to the right and only caught her balance because Miranda wriggled clear of her shoulders. Any comfort taken from retaining her footing vanished when Wainright closed in and spiked a vicious Kneelift between the vulnerable fighter’s thighs. The low blow finally put the Heartless Wonder on her knees, not that she got much time to acknowledge the penance. Mercy’s knees had only *just* touched down when Miranda reeled her into a Standing Headscissors.
Aware that Tiffany’s diversion wouldn’t last much longer, Wainright slapped a Waistlock around her opponent’s midsection and muscled her up n’ over so that the small of Ellis’s back was wedged against the point of her right shoulder. Sliding her hands up to the heathen’s chin, Wainright pulled Mercy’s head down as far as anatomically possible, then kicked her legs forward and dropped to a seat to damned near wrench Mercy’s head from her shoulders. Dropped to her knees by the force of Thou Shalt Not! Mercy wavered for a second or two, then slopped out on her face and chest. Seeing the deed was done, Mayes waited until her leader snuggled into a Crossbody and hooked the far leg. Then and only then did she throw up her hands and drop to the floor, as per Craig’s strenuous commands.
THOU SHALT NOT!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Czt7H-flQo
Breathing a sigh of relief, Long turned around to check on the action and was stunned to find Mercy shoulders down and ass to the rafters. Miranda allowed him a moment to gather his wits before she cleared her throat. “Do you mind? Or are you waiting for something more tawdry?” Nagged by the suspicion that he missed something important, the zebra swooped down beside the cover and counted off…
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
Utterly displeased by the result, the FAWNatics rained jeers on the squared circle even as the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via pin-fall… MIRANDA WAINRIGHT!”
Miranda smirked, dropped Mercy’s leg and leaned back on her haunches. She didn’t stand, however. Rather she slung a leg over the other blonde’s torso and slid up to sit squarely on Ellis’s chest. Behind her, Adelaide, Ashley and Tiffany slithered under the bottom rope and took up a position on their leader’s six. Craig made no attempt to stop them but he didn’t leave the ring either, choosing instead to take up residence in one corner in case the cruel quartet decided to continue hostilities against the prone Assassin. Following a few seconds of quiet contemplation, Wainright grabbed a handful of blonde braid, curled it around her fist and lifted Mercy’s head off the mat. “Humble yourself before me, warrior. Offer your weapons to my cause and I will offer you every gift at my disposal.”
“Fuuuhhhh…. f*ck your gifts. And f*ck you too.” she moaned. “I’m not finished with you.” Miranda frowned, then nodded sadly.
“On that topic, we are in agreement. Your suffering has hardly begun.” Spinning clear of her perch, Wainright looked to her acolytes and gave a simple order. “Teach her a lesson.”
Brewster and Conda moved in at once, the former rolling Ellis onto her tummy while the later took up a position directly above her head. Cinching her arms around the blonde’s waist, Adelaide hoisted Mercy up in a wheelbarrow that brought her eye to eye with the Constrictor. Ashley licked her lips and filled her hands with the blonde’s hair and smiled. “You look good enough to eat, little mouse.” With that she hopped up, stuffed her knees against Ellis’s chest and dropped onto her back to THWHUMP Mercy’s tits courtesy an Inverted Lungblower. Give him credit, Craig Long tried to halt the mugging, unfortunately Miranda ran perfect interference, thus neutralizing the zebra while Tiffany ran the ropes. Trapped facedown and helpless atop Ashley’s knees, Mercy never knew what hit her when Mayes flipped off the second rope and THWHAPPED down across her exposed back!
SINISTER SERMON @ 1:20
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDTYI1Q0l8c
The Moonsault bounced Ellis off Conda’s knees and gave Brewster enough clearance to wheel around and drop to her butt, thus completing the beatdown with a Wheelbarrow Facebuster.
WHEELBARROW FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5OAq8tTD5U
Shoving the wreckage aside, the vicious trio got to their feet and arranged themselves behind Miranda. Arms spread wide, the Malevolent Moralizer cooed, “Heathens cheer when warriors brawl…”
“But Midnight comes for one and all.” answered her choir.
Miranda nodded, clearly satisfied with the night’s work. “And Midnight is not done with Mercy Ellis. Or any of you heathens, for that matter. Peace be with you.”
The lights winked out and when they returned the Church of Eternal Midnight was gone, leaving only a grimacing referee and a demolished Assassin in their wake.
MIRANDA WAINRIGHT:
Gloom descended upon the FAWN Arena even as the jeers rose to meet it. An angry, judgmental voice from deep back in the speakers promised, ‘And we will see how godless a nation we have become.’ From that bitter fruit blossomed Green Day’s ‘East Jesus Nowhere’, a simple riff that was repeated four times. Following every cycle a spotlight lit up to reveal a scarecrow-ish effigy mounted to a tall wooden stave that had grown up seemingly in an instant. The effigies, done up in a style best described as ‘Early American Psychopath’, were simple but easily recognizable. First came Lily Burlingame, then Rose Evans and Gabby Mendoza. When the light illuminated a eerily accurate Mercy-figure on the last stake the drums started to pound and a fifth spotlight revealed the Septa of Sorrow.
For tonight‘s dose of faith and violence, Miranda wore the pitch black version of her usual vinyl one-piece. Scooped low in the back and high over the hips, it was accompanied by clunky knee-high gray boots and black elbow-length mesh gloves. As for her hair, it was still a lustrous, gleaming gold, its radiance seemingly in defiance of all the vile filth surrounding her. Immune to the ranting and raving of that astounding number of heathens, Miranda started down the aisle and kept her eyes on the squared circle until she reached the foot of the steel steps. Taking them slowly, she reached the apron, dipped her head and carefully removed her hat, which she set atop the ring post.
Once in the ring, she turned to the stage and extended both arms out at shoulder level in a rough ‘T’. After a moment she brought her palms together as if in prayer and that was enough to make the quartet of effigies burst into flame. Smiling into the dancing fire, Wainright held her position until they were reduced to cinder and ash. Then she backed into a corner on the opposite side of the ring and allowed Craig Long to peruse her boots and pads.
Finding nothing, the referee stepped back and said, “Kept the deacons at home tonight, huh Miranda?” She replied with a knowing smile. “My sisters are always close, Mr. Long. Be it in spirit… or a more tangible form.” With that, she turned her back on him and strode to the far corner to await the arrival of the woman she’d so recently burned in effigy.
Industrious FAWN techs had just finished removing Miranda’s macabre display when the lights went out. A cheer rose in their place, as did a the speakers, which provided a wailing chant and a simple two-part palm-powered percussion. Two parts soon became three, which became who knows how many when the FAWNatics lent their hands and feet to the effort. The clap-along was about twenty seconds old when the lyrics joined in.
Be careful making wishes in the dark, dark
Can't be sure when they've hit their mark
And besides in the mean, mean time
I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart
Spotlights zeroed in on the stage and several points throughout the arena but the woman in question remained stubbornly out sight, save for a half dozen identically lissome shadows closing in on the ring.
I'm in the de-details with the devil
So now the world can never get me on my level
I just gotta get you off the cage
I'm a young lover's rage
Gonna need a spark to ignite
Most of the FAWNatics were already singing along by that point and even those too drunk to carry a tune in a bucket lent their voices to the last part of this modern day incantation.
‘MY SONGS KNOW WHAT YOU DID IN THE DAAAAAAAAAAARK…’
‘SO LIGHT ‘EM UP!’
MERCY ELLIS:
The lights exploded, illuminating Mercy Ellis perched confidently at the top of the ramp. For her long overdue showdown with the bytch who’d cost her a chance at Lightweight gold, the Blonde with the Iron Fists wore midnight black bikini bottoms and a matching sports bra, black boots with white shin-guards and a battered pair of MMA-style striker’s gloves. In a slight departure from her usual ponytail, the blonde’s hair was pulled back in a sleek, swishy braid that fell halfway to the small of her back.
Finally able to start once Ellis headed toward the ring, the Announcer called, "And introducing her opponent, now coming down the aisle, hailing from Cedar Hill Ohio, standing at five feet four inches tall and weighing in at one hundred and twenty-five pounds, she is the Heartless Wonder, the Assassin… MERCY ELLIS!”
Marching to the squared circle with a lack of theatrics that was almost ostentatious in its simplicity, Mercy made good time and was atop the steel steps in time for the second chorus. Ellis wiped her boots on the apron, then slipped through the ropes and mounted the ropes to properly salute all those who screamed her name. Raising both hands to chest level, she made a show of craaaaaaaacking her knuckles, then slammed her left fist into her right palm a few times for good measure. When the music started to fade she hopped down and locked eyes with the zealot across the ring. She knew the bell would ring in seconds and yet she still had a hard time not charging Wainright in a flat out sprint.
The opening bell might as well have been a starter’s pistol, considering how quickly Mercy Ellis raced out of her corner. The sight of the Heartless Wonder closing in fast with murder on her mind would’ve unnerved most women, but Miranda Wainright simply dipped her torso between the top and middle ropes and said, “Hold her back, please.”
Easier said than done, though Craig Long didn’t hesitate to step directly into the blonde’s path. “That’s horseshyt, Long.” Ellis spat. “Are you going to let her get away with that all night?”
“He’s merely doing his job, Mercy Ellis.” Miranda spoke up from her corner. She’d pulled herself out of the ropes but made no effort to come forward. “Which means he’s the sort who will extend you the same protections when you’re crawling to these ropes on your hands and knees.”
“Smarmy bytch.” Mercy darted around the official like he wasn’t there and got all up in Wainright’s business a half second after she snaked through the strands again. Content to land her shots while she could, Ellis snuggled in next to her blonde, grabbed a handful of hair and jerked her head into a quartet of Hammer Punches that ‘PWAAAKED!’ against Miranda’s cheek and jaw. The Malevolent Moralizer didn’t cry out, but she looked far from pleased when Craig herded her attacker away.
Working very hard not to take her frustrations out on the zebra, Ellis shrugged him off and pointed a commanding finger at her adversary. “Get your sneaking punk ass out of those ropes and FIGHT me. Isn’t that what you wanted, Wainright? Or do I have to turn my back before you’ll make a move?” Rather than give the bloviating weirdo a chance to waste more breath, Mercy took a few steps back, then did an about face. Arms spread wide, she called, “I’m offering you my back, bytch. Lets see if you can take it.”
Mildly offended by the blatant show of disregard, Wainright eased off the buckles and slowly approached the other blonde. Knowing full well the weight this heathen carried in her hands, Miranda crooked her right arm up and back like she was going for a Forearm Smash, only she didn’t clout her foe across the head, shoulders or back. Instead she did something entirely unexpected. She flicked a hand out and pinched Mercy’s ass.
Yelping in surprise far more than pain, Ellis whipped around in a half circle, her right arm already fully extended for the Uraken that’d swivel Wainright’s ja--” Miranda dipped the potentially match-ending strike, spun around behind the other blonde and slipped an arm around her neck. No Sleeper this, she grabbed hold of Mercy’s ponytail and pulled it from left to right, transforming it into a flaxen garrote of sorts. A Half Nelson on Ellis’s left arm made sure she couldn’t wrench loose immediately, though lord knows it didn’t stop her from trying.
“A word to the wise, sister.” Miranda murmured in Mercy’s ear while effectively choking her with her own hair. “Don’t EVER turn your back on NNNGGGHH!”
Ellis jammed the point of her right elbow into Wainright’s ribs, then crooked that arm back and snatched a handful of hair. The Snapmare that followed wasn’t entirely legal, but Mercy wasn’t above bending the rules when her opponent was willing to do the same. Miranda landed on her butt and *almost* succeeded in making it to one knee before the Blonde with the Iron Fists THWHACKED a Soccer Kick against her spine.
Baring her teeth as the prone woman cringed, Mercy cupped Miranda’s ears and hauled her upright just to THWHUMP a Kneelift into her belly. The Churchgoer’s head dipped forward and Ellis took control of it again, lacing both hands across the base of Waintright’s neck in a Muy Thai style clench. After that the Kneelifts came hard and fast, left-right-left-right, perhaps half a dozen in all before the set was ended by Miranda catching her attacker’s left leg around the thigh. Straightening up with a grimace, Wainright slammed the point of her elbow into Mercy’s thigh, then earned herself a universal ‘oh no she din’t!’ sort of ‘OOOOOOHHHH!’ when she reached out and CRAAAACKED Ellis across the face.
Mercy reared back but couldn’t create much distance because the Prophet of Pain still claimed ownership of her leg. Shifting her grasp from thigh to ankle (all in the hopes of staying clear of the heathen’s fists) Miranda took this golden opportunity to deliver her first sermon of the evening. “You are a proud fighter, Mercy Ellis. While pride itself is not inherently evil, yours is unchecked by the yoke of humility. That is the gift I mean to bestow upon you before welcoming you into my Chur--” Miranda had to pull her head back fast to make sure Ellis didn’t take off the tip of her nose with another ‘swicking’ backhand.
“You’re gonna talk to me about humility?” she snarled. “Bytch, I’ve been in the ring with Emily West and you could give her a run for her money in the ego department. I’ve got all the humility I need, all I want right now is a clear shot at your NNNGGGHH!”
Miranda Bytch Slapped her again and earned a glare that could’ve boiled steel in return. “Were you going to say ‘jaw’ heathen?” she chided. “It’s right here. All you have to do is reach out and take--”
Ellis sprang off her plant foot and whipped it at the side of Miranda’s head in an Enzugiri that would’ve crossed her eyes if the Septa of Sorrow hadn’t dropped into a low crouch with a half-second to spare. Cursing the miss, Mercy landed on her hands and knee, started to rise and “EEERRRRHHHHHH!” Wainright tucked the captured ankle under her left arm, then spun under the exposed limb and dropped onto her back to wrench the other blonde’s knee with a cleverly applied variation of the Dragon Screw. The torque of it rolled Mercy onto her back, leaving the stunned battler groaning and clutching her knee to her chest.
GROUNDED DRAGON SCREW:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFB2Z2D68Bg
Always composed and methodical, even against the most dangerous of adversaries, Miranda got to her feet, strolled over to the grounded grappler and clamped down on her left ankle. Mercy wasn’t about to take that lying down (spiritually, that was) and she fired off a quick kick that PWAAAKED into the other blonde’s thigh. Miranda grunted, but maintained her control and put herself out of range of future kicks by YANKING on Ellis’s ankle.
Delivered so soon after the Dragon Screw, it got quite a bit of reaction from the Heartless Wonder, who sat up to better clutch at the wounded joint. Wainright paid her no mind, she simply forced Mercy’s boot against the mat, then stepped on her ankle to keep her from going anywhere. “Your body is already beginning to fail you, sister.” she told the squirming woman. “Better for you to accept Midnight into your heart now rather than suffer unnecessarily, don’t you agree?”
Far from a passive bystander, Ellis worked to pull her ankle free, but Wainright adjusted her boot accordingly and the MMA standout was kept pinned to the mat like a bug on a card. “The only unnecessary suffering I’m dealing with right now is the bullshyt coming out of your UUNNNNGGGGHHHH!”
Miranda hopped up and STOMPED on the inside of Mercy’s left thigh, just above the knee. “Do not for one second believe that your skepticism unnerves me, sister.” Miranda said as she walked a circle around her prey. “In truth I find it quite refreshing. If past experience has taught me anything it’s that former skeptics make for the strongest believers, once they’ve been shown there is something to believe IN.”
Positioned above Ellis’s head now, Wainright pulled the other blonde to a seat and stepped over her right shoulder with her right leg. Foot planted in the ‘V’ of her foe’s splayed legs, Miranda reached down and laced her hands under the heathen’s left knee. Then she rolled onto her back and pulled Mercy into her lap, a shift that stacked her square on the back of her head and one shoulder (the other was wedged against Wainright’s midriff) and streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetched her tweaked left leg at a near perfect forty-five degree angle.
Ellis let loose with a whistling groan that would’ve come out a full throated scream from ninety five percent of the roster. That’s why the ref was so quick to check on the otherwise stoic blonde. “What do you say, Mercy? Need me to call for the bell? Ya gotta say something if it gets to be too mu--”
“Save your breath for the street corner prophet.” the Heartless Wonder snarled. “She’ll be the one needing attention sooner rather than GGGGGRRRRRRRHHHHH… that all you got, bytch?”
Miranda, who’d drew her opponent’s trapped knee that much closer to her forehead, only smirked. “You have not yet BEGUN to reap the bounty of what I have to offer, Mercy Ellis.” Another pause as she put more pressure on her rival’s leg. “And if you don’t take some of the brass from your tone, the first thing I’ll provide is a much closer parking spot.”
Ellis growled, balled her hands into fists and smacked them both against the mat. “Talk all you want, Wainright. It’s gonna take more than your glorified yoga to take my leg.”
The Malevolent Moralizer rolled her eyes. “If it’s another demonstration you require, I’ll gladly--” Wainright grit her teeth and sucked in a hissing breath as Mercy affixed a gouging claw to the dense meat on the back of her right thigh. Practically a Hammy Clamp, it sent a deep, steely ache up into the true believer’s hip and all the way down into her knee.
“There’s a demonstration for you.” Ellis spat. “Go on and deliver a sermon now. Something along the lines of, Oh dear lord, let this chick let me go before she rips my leg EEERRGGHHH!” While she was more than willing to trade blows with a heathen in service of spreading her blessed Midnight, Miranda felt no particular urge to grant this poor soul any false hope, which was why she halved her grip and raaaaaaaaaked her nails across Ellis’s eyes.
Blinded by the cheap shot, Mercy didn’t realize she was free from the Stump Puller until she rolled over on her injured knee. Wincing, she braced her hands against the mat, rose up and caught a Running Kneelift flush across the jaw. Miranda stopped just behind her stunned adversary, reached over one shoulder with both hands and laced her hands across the Assassin’s chin. Then she kicked both legs forward and laid out on her back to THWHONK Mercy’s skull with a huge Reverse Neckbreaker. Ellis sat up on impact and would’ve curled her arms around the back of her head if Wainright hadn’t shoved her down flat and hooked that sore leg for…
RUNNING KNEELIFT TO REVERSE NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T01YUIBXpo
ONE…
Mercy kicked out with authority and earned a delighted cheer by stuffing one hand into Miranda’s startled face. “Get your punk ass away from AAAAAUUGGGGGGGGH!”
Miranda grabbed her foe’s left thigh just above the knee and PWAAAKED a trio of hard Hammer Punches onto the vulnerable joint. Composing herself after the initial burst of anger subsided, the Prophet of Pain grabbed her opponent’s lower face in one hand and drew her in so they were nose to nose. “Listen to me you guileless savage.” she cooed. “We are only having this discussion because I see some potential in your otherwise worthless existence. If you’re intent on proving me wrong I would be more than happy to end you at a moment’s notNNNGGGGHH!”
Mercy jabbed her head forward, striking Wainright square on the bridge of the nose. Miranda reeled, went to pull away and got cupped around the ears for her troubles. Two more Headbutts followed in rapid succession, Ellis striking the same spot each time out. The zealot finally created some distance but her departure contained none of her usual elegance, in fact she looked more like a groveling sinner instead of her usual confident self. She’d just reached the ropes when Mercy grabbed a double handful of hair and forced her throat against the rubber-coated.
“You wanna see my potential?” Ellis gripped the top rope in both hands and braced her right shin across the back of the other blonde’s neck. Then she pushed up and leaaaaaaaaaned down, forcing every bit of her nearly hundred and thirty pounds onto Miranda’s suddenly flailing frame. “You won’t find it in my fists or my feet. You’re not gonna find in any of the thousands of holds I could use to tear you into tiny, screaming pieces.” By now Craig was in her ear barking for a release, but the Blonde with the Iron Fists wasn’t done with her parable just yet. “You want to see my potential, Miranda? Ask your doctor to show it to you. It’s written in the contusions, fractures and scars I leave behind.”
The ref reached ‘THREE!’ on his count so Ellis hung in there until ‘FOUR!’ before finally dismounting. Doing so didn’t feel too great on her left knee, but the pain seemed to have diminished a bit now that Miranda was gagging and fighting for breath. “Get up, asshole.” she flicked a boot into Wainright’s undefended rump. “How can you expect to see what I have to offer if you’re down there sucking wind?”
Hand at her neck, Miranda croaked, “You would be wise not to test me at moments like this, sisNNNNNNNGGGHH!”
Mercy grabbed a handful of waistband, reared back and jerked the other blonde forward while simultaneously lunging in to THWHAP her across the small of the back with a huge Forearm Smash. Barely on her feet after the brutal tugging, Miranda froze with her hands raised to shoulder-level. She only started moving again when Ellis dipped low and snatched on a tight Waistlock. Feet planted flat she popped her hips and DUMPED Wainright on the back of her head with a brutal Backdrop Suplex. Miranda rolled through to a seat and slumped forward, one hand pressed gingerly to the base of her aching neck.
BACKDROP SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3aKG5P7q1k
Behind her, Mercy rolled to one knee and smacked her across the back of the head. “No drifting off in church, sweetheart. I’ve still got a lot to NNNNGGGGH!”
The Septa of Sorrow whirled around and swiveled Mercy’s head with a Bytch Slap that echoed deep into the cheap seats. Ellis shook it off, scrambled to her feet. and went nose to nose with Miranda, who’d made it upright a heartbeat prior. “You may speak whatever lies and delusions help you sleep at night, Mercy Ellis.” Miranda said in a venomous whisper. “But if you EVER blaspheme against my Church again you will suffer like no other before you.”
The Heartless Wonder stepped in even closer, forcing the other woman back a half step. “I could give a rat’s ass about that traveling circus you call a Church.” she spat. “All I want is a clean shot at the bytch who cost me the Lightweight Championship.”
At this Miranda Wainright smiled and cleared off by a few steps. “Here she is, warrior. The woman who stole one opportunity to offer you a lifetime more. If you would strike her down for such an offense…take your best f*cking shot.”
Mercy snorted, raised her hands and drew a bead. “You don’t really want that, preacher. Not rea--” Wainright lashed out with a kick aimed at Mercy’s bad knee but the Heartless Wonder shifted positions and caught the zealot’s foot under her arm. No taunt from Ellis though her satisfaction was palpable. Instead she spun around and under Miranda’s leg to dump her to the mat with a vengeful Dragon Screw. More than a little eager to payback the punishment she’d endured earlier in the bout, Mercy got to her feet with Wainright’s foot still in her possession and stepped through her splayed stems. Then she dropped to her back, locked her legs around Miranda’s left thigh and set about crushing it with a vicious Grapevine.
DRAGON SCREW TO SINGLE-LEG GRAPEVINE:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2TtZMcMlAw
“GGGGGRAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!” Wainright pushed up straight, tugged at her own hair, then clawed at her attacker’s thigh, all to no avail. Seeing the question on the official’s face, Mercy smirked, “Go ahead and ask her, Craig. She’ll say no, but I want to hear the panic in her voice.”
The pressure on her knee was a bit too uncomfortable for Wainright to out and out scoff, yet she didn’t sound anywhere close to panic when she dismissed the referee’s question of surrender. Shifting the full force of her attention back to Ellis, the Malevolent Moralizer sat up and asked, “You really think highly of yourself, don’t you, sister?”
Mercy kept the pressure steady on her foe’s leg, she wasn’t about to let the other blonde’s silver tongue distract her from the task at hand. “Yeah, I do. As do a lot of other people.” She paused and cranked back on Wainright’s shin while simultaneously forcing another long constriction through the Scissors. “By the time that bell rings, you will too.”
Miranda grimaced, worked her hands along the edges of the Grapevine in search of some weak point, found none. “That’s where you’re wrong, sister. I already think highly of you. But you won’t achieve your full potential until you EEERRRGGGGGGGHH!”
Ellis bore down that much harder and stretched out so that she was looking up at the lights. “Don’t even think about it!” she barked to the wriggling zealot. “I am not about to sign away my life to stand shoulder to shoulder with you and the rest of those brain-dead idiots!”
Wainright wasn’t one to let slanders against her faith go unanswered, but this one had to hang in the air for the moment because she was too busy clawing at the mat for leverage. Hips twisted as far to the right as she could manage, Miranda dug her fingers into the mat and started to drag their combined weight toward the ropes. Mercy probably would’ve done the same thing in her position (she had the Grapevine locked in perfectly after all) but that didn’t mean she was going to let Miranda retreat without comment. “Scurrying away from a heathen like me, cutie? What would your big, bad Midnight monsters say about NNNNGGGHH!”
The trapped battler snapped / skidded her right leg back to jam the ball of her heel into Mercy’s left thigh. “Monsters are the least of your concerns at the moment, sister.” she growled after resuming her progress. “Better to prepare yourself for what happens when I reach the ropes.” That happened not five seconds later and Wainright didn’t waste a second demanding release. Mercy gave it to her, but only after she wrenched and yanked on the Grapevine until ‘FOUR!’ on the ref’s count. Free of the Assassin’s clutches, Miranda drew in close to the strands and pulled her knee up against her chest to work out the worst of the twinge.
“Wait, aren’t you a faith healer?” Ellis snorted from a short distance away. “Or do you go to services at Our Lady of Perpetual Ice Baths, just like the rest of us heathens?”
Wainright turned dark, cold eyes on her adversary. “Watch your tone, sister. My admiration for your skills only goes so far.”
“Probably goes a lot further than my admiration for yours.” Mercy shot back. “Get up, tramp. You picked this fight, you better be ready to deal with everything that comes with it.”
The Prophet of Pain reached for the ropes, thought better of it and got to her feet unassisted. “I am more than ready for everything in your arsenal, Mercy Ellis. I wonder if you can say the saMMNNNGGGHH!”
The Heartless Wonder pounced and THWHAPPED her opponent across the jaw with a lightning-quick Superman Punch! If not for the ropes Miranda would’ve hit the floor in an instant, as it was she slopped around in a woozy half circle to land with her arms hanging over the top rope. Craig made some noise about Ellis attacking a girl stacked in the ropes, but Mercy paid him no mind, she only grabbed a handful of the other blonde’s waistband and pulled her out a short distance. Visiting a well that’d paid dividends earlier in the bout, she hooked her head under Miranda’s left arm, wrapped her right arm around opposing waist and muscled her up onto her shoulder. Rather than hold her all the way down, Ellis let loose at the apex and rolled aside, leaving Wainright to freefall straight down into a THWHUMPING back-first landing!
RELEASE BACK SUPLEX:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjtp4Oc3e3M
Miranda started to sit up, then found herself forced right back down when Ellis slung a leg over to straddle her waist. One hand in the prone wrestler’s hair, Mercy yanked her head off the canvas and pwak-pwak-pwak-pwak-pwak-PWAAAKED her defenseless forehead with no less than a dozen straight right hands. “Hey Mercy, watch it with the closed fists now!” the ref demanded of his charge. “Knock it off or I’ll--”
Ellis stopped throwing hands to look him dead in the face. “Either count or keep your mouth shut, Long. You and I both know the entire locker room is cheering right about now.”
She was almost assuredly right, but that didn’t mean Craig could let her sit there and pound away at Wainright’s face. So he started his count, which Mercy worked ‘til ‘FOUR!’ before pushing up and walking away with a noticeable swagger in her step. “TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT HER!” Mercy had those dangerous gloves raised high, looking for all the world like a boxer who’d just smote a particularly obnoxious foe. “LOOK AT HER AND REMEMBER THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS TO CHICKS WHO STICK THEIR NOSE IN MY MATCHES!”
Miranda heard and noted the vile lies coming from Ellis’s mouth, but she didn’t pay them any real attention until the throbbing in her head started to subside. That happened around the time Long reached ‘FIVE!’ on his standing ten count, however she didn’t push to one knee until after ‘EIGHT’. Aware that the savage striker would return to inspect her handiwork, Miranda started to rise, but just slow enough to present an irresistible target. Sure enough, Ellis closed in, grabbed a double handful of hair and jerked her to verticalit--”UUUUUUNNNNGGGGGHHH!”
With her hands otherwise occupied, Mercy couldn’t protect herself from the thumb Miranda jabbed into her right eye. “HEY!” Wainright delivered the blow when Craig’s attention was slightly diverted, but the way Ellis’s head whipped away was unmistakable. “Keep off her eyes, Miranda! You know better than that!”
“I know the tenets of my faith trump the tenets of yours, zebra. Now still your tongue while I do the work of Midnight.”
With one hand pressed to her watering eye, Mercy didn’t see the next attack coming until Wainright’s hands were practically cupping her ears and by then it was far too late. There was a loud ‘THWHAP!’ followed by a stunned groan from the blonde as the Ear Ringer put a nasty shiver in her knees. Said shiver became full on failure when Wainright reared back and drilled the fingertips of her left hand into the hollow of her foe’s throat. Stumbling like a drunk, Ellis wheeled away and clambered into the ropes chest-first. Even in her discombobulated state she turned around almost at once, the instinct to keep her back away from the other blonde was strong as it’d ever THUNK!
Miranda charged, hopped onto the bottom rope and slammed her right knee into Mercy’s forehead! Already staggered, the Heartless Wonder threw both arms over the rubber-coated steel to keep from dropping flat on her ass. Wainright dropped down and backed off a few steps to better survey the damage. Apparently not satisfied with her original effort, she charged in to administer a second High Knee, then twisted around and caught Mercy’s noggin in a Side Headlock. Boos, then groans from the crowd as Miranda raced out of the ropes and PLANTED her rival facedown in the center of the squared circle with a huge Running Bulldog.
ROPE SLUMPED HIGH KNEE & RUNNING BULLDOG:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG8L3nre3_8
While she was in perfect position to go for a pin, Wainright stretched out flat and rolled under the bottom rope on the far side of the ring, where she got to her feet and quickly made a trip to the nearest corner. Safely perched on the top turnbuckle a few seconds before Ellis began to rise, the Malevolent Moralizer stood tall and raised her hands high overhead. “Gloried be they that heed the warrior’s call… but Midnight comes for one and all!”
Back to the mounted zealot, Mercy remained ignorant of the danger until Miranda took wing and by then it was far too late. Knees raised to chest level, Wainright stuffed them between the other blonde’s shoulders and laced both hands across her chin to pull Ellis down into a THWHUMPING Lungblower. Mercy’s legs kicked up over her head as she landed hard on her tailbone, just another dash of unpleasantness to go along with her other aches and pains. She’d only started to reach for her jolted spine when the Prophet of Pain shoved her down flat and stretched out atop her in a snug Crossbody. Looking eerily serene as she hooked the far leg, Miranda mouthed the count along with the arbiter and the heathens.
DIVING LUNGBLOWER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVcCJydZuhE
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Ellis pulled her leg free and sat up with a good half-second to spare. Nonplussed, Wainright snuggled in close on her foe’s left side and promptly wrapped a hand around Mercy’s throat. Driving her to the mat with a single violent shove, Miranda leaned all her weight into the stranglehold while Ellis thrashed and the ref tried to scold her off. That proved useless, so he resorted to the count, which she only heeded at ‘FOUR!’
“Watch it with the chokes, Wainright!” Craig demanded. “Don’t think I won’t disqualify you!”
Miranda fixed him with a baleful look. “Is that any way to speak to someone doing such noble work?” she slid a little closer, presumably to plead her case. “I was simply trying to exorcise the foul presence that has corrupted my sister’s senses.”
“Be that as it may, you can’t just strangle her--HEY! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THAT!?”
Wainright had indeed moved closer to the official, he just didn’t understand why until Mercy’s legs started kicking again. Then he saw the Pious Punisher’s shin wedged across Ellis’s neck and he could’ve kicked himself for being so foolish. No warning this time, Long fired off a brisk count and surely would’ve ended the contest in a DQ if Wainright hadn’t pushed to her feet at ‘FOUR!’ “You go to her neck one more time and I will call for the bell immediately.” the zebra threatened. “Don’t doubt me for a second.”
Miranda observed him for a moment. “I don’t. Your convictions are admirable, albeit misplaced.” He offered nothing to that, not that Miranda minded, her attention was already honed in on Mercy Ellis. Coiling the Assassin’s braid around one fist, Wainright dragged her to her knees and pounded a single, spiteful Kneelift between the penitent blonde’s eyes. “You are not the first fierce warrior I have brought to heel, sister. Nor will you be the last.” Mercy grunted and tried to shove at her attacker’s hips, but a few sharp tugs on that seized braid was enough to put a stop to that.
One more tug set Ellis on her feet, though she was very much a stooped and gasping version of her usual self. Miranda claimed the other blonde’s proffered noggin in a Front Facelock, then tossed the near arm over her shoulders and bent down to hook Ellis’s left leg at the knee. Often accused of wasting precious time sermonizing, Miranda Wainright nonetheless possessed a remarkable economy of movement, as evidenced in the way she immediately twisted her hips and laid out on her back, thus THWHUNKING Mercy on the back of her head and shoulders with a flawless Fisherman’s Neckbreaker. Ellis hit hard and rolled onto her belly, both arms flying to the back of her abused melon.
FISHERMAN'S NECKBREAKER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=15pIXfXLKvI
Close enough to shoot the Half Nelson for a cover if she were of the mind, Mercy instead got to her feet and sprinted into the ropes to her opponent’s left. Taking to the skies upon her return, Wainright kicked both legs forward and brought the right one down flush across the back of Mercy’s neck. The Heartless Wonder grunted her disapproval and tried to squirm loose, alas Miranda helped herself to a big handful of hair and cranked her head back at an unpleasant angle. From there she angled her left leg across the front of Ellis’s throat and locked her ankles to secure an awkwardly applied Figure Four Headscissors. Painful as it was (and it was painful, the immediate pink flush in Mercy’s cheeks was proof enough of that) things got that much worse when the Malevolent Moralizer twisted onto her tummy and pushed up on her hands, thus hoisting Ellis’s head and upper body off the canvas.
HANGMAN'S HEADSCISSORS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxd1Pp3hk6U
Gritting her teeth as the Hangman’s Headscissors did their worst, Mercy huffed a ‘no’ to the referee, then sent one hand to inspect the knot of her rival’s ankles. Wainright felt the scrabbling digits but paid them no mind, better for the heathen to discover the hopelessness of the situation on her own. Far more willing to voice his concerns, Craig Long knelt beside the warring blondes and tapped Mercy’s shoulder. “How ya doing, Mercy? Need me to call for the bell?”
“Nuuuhhhhh….. no.” she rasped. “I’ll be out of this in a secUUNGGHH!”
Miranda began to rising up and down, a series of righteous push ups that did no favors for Ellis’s already straining neck. Stopping after half a dozen, the churchgoer smirked, “Your optimism is refreshing as it is baseless, sister. Your only chance of salvation lies in the sound of your hand tapping the canvAAASSSSEERRGGGHHH!”
Mercy slipped her right hand under Miranda’s left knee-pad and gouged four fingers into the soft flesh that was the pit of her foe’s knee. More than a little startled by the near electric bolt of pain that ran from knee to ankle and back again, Wainright sent another pulse through the Headscissors in hopes of dissuading Ellis’s talon. Mercy snarled, then doubled down on her counterattack. The numbness in her lower leg started creeping north into her thigh and after a second or two the zealot was forced to disengage. Rolling a short distance away, Miranda pulled her knee close and flexed it several times before deciding she was good to stand.
Elsewhere, Mercy pushed to her knees and rubbed the back of her neck. “Penance is a good look on you, sister.” Wainright opined. “Steady on and accept my blessing so that a whole new world may open to--”
Mercy didn’t just get to her feet, she got to her feet and spat on the toes of Miranda’s right boot. “Let’s make a deal.” the Assassin sneered. “I’ll accept your blessing right after you accept mine.”
Miranda’s nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed, the only visible signs of her rage. “You will accept my blessing… or have it forced upon you.”
“Not gonna beat me, Wainright. You’re all out of mirac--” the Septa of Sorrow charged and lashed out her right arm in a Shotei aimed at the heathen’s NO! Mercy dipped under the strike, hooked her right arm across Miranda’s chest and snatched hold of opposing waistband with her other hand. Wainright barely had time to register her predicament before Ellis hauled her up and dropped her down into a Kneelift that THWONKED the stunned blonde between the eyes.
PAINKILLER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCbZgV7iDYg
Miranda stumbled hard but didn’t go down, a bit of resistance that earned her the tiniest bit of respect in the other woman’s eyes. But it wasn’t NEARLY enough to stop the Heartless Wonder from snatching hold of Wainright’s hair and stuffing her into a Standing Headscissors. Sparing the briefest of moments for a wink at the hard camera, Ellis cinched her arms around Miranda’s waist and hoisted her up so that she was sitting slumped on her attacker’s right shoulder. No time for penance, reflection or absolution now, Mercy rose up onto her toes and hurled Wainright down into the thinly-padded plywood with a resounding THAWHAM! Starfished, save for her right leg which was pointed up at a rather boneless angle, Miranda offered no protest when pressed across the upturned limb to wedge it against the zealot’s chest for the…
ONE…
TWO…
THRNOOOO!
Wainright got a shoulder up, keeping her in the battle for at least another three seconds. The Heartless Wonder leaned back on her haunches, mopped for a forearm across her brow and considered the options. The preacher certainly wasn’t the glass-jawed priss she’d assumed, but Ellis was far from frustrated with the situation. In fact Wainright’s stubborn resistance only spurred Mercy to take her down harder the next time around. Speaking of which… she filled a hand with Miranda’s hair, got up and forced the other blonde to do the same. Switching to a Wristlock only because it was more strategically viable than leading the bytch around by her hair (the ref’s nagging didn’t play into her decision in the slightest) Ellis pointed Wainright toward the strands, slung her away, then dug in and yanked her back the way she’d came. Ready to strike the instant Miranda started her return trip, Mercy buried a shoulder in her opponent’s belly while simultaneously wrapping her arms around the zealot’s upper thighs. In the next instant she pushed up onto her tiptoes, lifting the other blonde off her feet for what would’ve been a helluva Double Leg Takedown if she’d just dumped her onto the mat. Instead Mercy dropped forward and down, putting every bit of her weight into the Spinebuster that THWHAMMED Wainright into the thinly-sheathed plywood.
SPINEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=alyAPTkG7u8
Ellis didn’t even bother to go for a cover. Instead she slid forward into the mount, curled both hands into fists and pwak-pwak-pwak-pwak-PWAAAKED a barrage of murderous lefts and rights into Miranda’s head. These were closed fists and very, very illegal, as Miranda would’ve pointed out if she hadn’t been hiding behind the guard of her forearms. Luckily for her Craig Long was paying close attention and he jumped on the infraction at once. “Hey, open up those hands, Mercy! C’mon now, you know better than that!”
Mercy topped throwing hands, but only so she could snatch Wainright’s wrists and press down hard. “All I know is that someone’s needed to beat some sense into this bytch for a long time. And it’s going to take a lot more than polite coaxing to change my mind.”
The punches started to fall again, short, hammering blows that pounded the crown of Miranda’s skull before she was able to get the guard up a little higher. Craig started to count in spite of the boos it earned him and was quietly pleased when Ellis ended her siege at ‘FOUR!’ Or perhaps it was more accurate to say she changed to a tactic less objectionable in the eyes of the rules. Spinning out of the mount into a crouch directly above her rival’s head, Mercy hauled Miranda to a seat and slowly hooked her right arm in Half Nelson. That got some cheers from the FAWNatics and some grew to quite a lot when Ellis took her left elbowpad in her teeth and pulled it down to her forearm. With Miranda’s cheek resting against the side of her left knee Mercy raised her left arm high overhead, then DROVE the point of her elbow into Wainright’s jaw.
Miranda groaned, tried to move her head away and soaked up three more elbow smashes for the trouble. Always quick to find her rhythm, Mercy delivered a baker’s dozen before she paused to palm the top of Miranda’s skull. “You finished, cupcake? Or are you willing to suck Sunday brunch through a straw?”
MERCILESS ELBOWS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpdNc1jbuk4
Wainright sucked in a few shuddering breaths, then snarled, “You have no idea what my faith has already asked of me, Mercy Ellis. Enduring your sloppy, amateurish Elbow Strikes is hardly a difficult bur--”
The Blonde with the Iron Fists curled her left hand under Miranda’s chin and tipped her head back so they could lock eyes. “Mind your tongue, choir girl. My elbows are the only divinity you’ll ever know.”
“Shut you blaspheming mouth, you heathen slutTRRMMMHH!” Ellis smashed her mouth shut, a fish-face that might’ve been funny if not for the utter lack of humor on Mercy’s face. “Don’t you dare spit, Wainright. I want to see all of those teeth in the collection plate.” She let loose, raised her left hand high overhead and… let out a piercing shriek when the Prophet of Pain twisted her head and chomped down on the other blonde’s posted gam.
Startled and hurt by this unexpectedly savage counter, Ellis drilled a final Elbow Smash into the crown of her prey’s skull, then shoved her away and scrambled to verticality to inspect the damage. Sharp as the pain was, Mercy expected nothing more than a welt, so you can imagine her surprise (and rage) when she discovered a rill of blood pooling atop, then spilling over the side of her kneepad. “First blood to you, Miranda.” she murmured. “Guess I’ll have to settle for most blood.”
Gory plan in place, she stomped over to the other blonde, who’d barely made it to all fours following the merciless bludgeoning. No theatrics or threats, Ellis simply filled a hand with Wainright’s hair and hoisted her up on shivering knees. An arm threaded between the churchgoer’s legs led to a Fireman’s Carry and even more cheers as the FAWNatics rose as one to witness the glory of Mercy’s knee staving in Miranda’s poisonous head. The Mercy Killing was mere heartbeats away when the clock struck Midnight and the lights went out. It tolled again and the lights came back with a guest in tow. Perched on the apron directly in front of Ellis, Tiffany Mayes climbed onto the second rope and pointed a commanding finger at the non-believer. “PUT HER DOWN, TRAMP!” Mayes bellowed. “CAN’T YOU SEE SHE’S TRYING TO SAVE YOU?!”
TIFFANY MAYES:
Though far from pleased by Tiff’s appearance, Ellis wasn’t about to abandon a match killer to swing on Wainright’s follower, especially not when Craig had already hurried over to the apron to restore some order. Knees bent slightly, Mercy dipped that much deeper, then pushed up and whirled in a wobbly circle when someone clamped down on her shoulder. Her hands full of zealot, Ellis only got a glimpse of Adelaide Brewster before her whole world went red. A weaker woman might’ve crumpled to her knees and ultimately taken less punishment for it. But Mercy Ellis was anything but weak and she stayed upright, a perfect target for the Super Kick Ashley Conda THWHACKED off the point of her chin.
ADELAIDE BREWSTER:
ASHLEY CONDA:
Bat and Serpent disengaged at once, the pair of wicked brunettes down and barrel rolling under the bottom rope while the first outraged roars reached the ref’s ears. Blinded and blindsided, Ellis lurched hard to the right and only caught her balance because Miranda wriggled clear of her shoulders. Any comfort taken from retaining her footing vanished when Wainright closed in and spiked a vicious Kneelift between the vulnerable fighter’s thighs. The low blow finally put the Heartless Wonder on her knees, not that she got much time to acknowledge the penance. Mercy’s knees had only *just* touched down when Miranda reeled her into a Standing Headscissors.
Aware that Tiffany’s diversion wouldn’t last much longer, Wainright slapped a Waistlock around her opponent’s midsection and muscled her up n’ over so that the small of Ellis’s back was wedged against the point of her right shoulder. Sliding her hands up to the heathen’s chin, Wainright pulled Mercy’s head down as far as anatomically possible, then kicked her legs forward and dropped to a seat to damned near wrench Mercy’s head from her shoulders. Dropped to her knees by the force of Thou Shalt Not! Mercy wavered for a second or two, then slopped out on her face and chest. Seeing the deed was done, Mayes waited until her leader snuggled into a Crossbody and hooked the far leg. Then and only then did she throw up her hands and drop to the floor, as per Craig’s strenuous commands.
THOU SHALT NOT!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Czt7H-flQo
Breathing a sigh of relief, Long turned around to check on the action and was stunned to find Mercy shoulders down and ass to the rafters. Miranda allowed him a moment to gather his wits before she cleared her throat. “Do you mind? Or are you waiting for something more tawdry?” Nagged by the suspicion that he missed something important, the zebra swooped down beside the cover and counted off…
ONE…
TWO…
THREE!
Utterly displeased by the result, the FAWNatics rained jeers on the squared circle even as the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via pin-fall… MIRANDA WAINRIGHT!”
Miranda smirked, dropped Mercy’s leg and leaned back on her haunches. She didn’t stand, however. Rather she slung a leg over the other blonde’s torso and slid up to sit squarely on Ellis’s chest. Behind her, Adelaide, Ashley and Tiffany slithered under the bottom rope and took up a position on their leader’s six. Craig made no attempt to stop them but he didn’t leave the ring either, choosing instead to take up residence in one corner in case the cruel quartet decided to continue hostilities against the prone Assassin. Following a few seconds of quiet contemplation, Wainright grabbed a handful of blonde braid, curled it around her fist and lifted Mercy’s head off the mat. “Humble yourself before me, warrior. Offer your weapons to my cause and I will offer you every gift at my disposal.”
“Fuuuhhhh…. f*ck your gifts. And f*ck you too.” she moaned. “I’m not finished with you.” Miranda frowned, then nodded sadly.
“On that topic, we are in agreement. Your suffering has hardly begun.” Spinning clear of her perch, Wainright looked to her acolytes and gave a simple order. “Teach her a lesson.”
Brewster and Conda moved in at once, the former rolling Ellis onto her tummy while the later took up a position directly above her head. Cinching her arms around the blonde’s waist, Adelaide hoisted Mercy up in a wheelbarrow that brought her eye to eye with the Constrictor. Ashley licked her lips and filled her hands with the blonde’s hair and smiled. “You look good enough to eat, little mouse.” With that she hopped up, stuffed her knees against Ellis’s chest and dropped onto her back to THWHUMP Mercy’s tits courtesy an Inverted Lungblower. Give him credit, Craig Long tried to halt the mugging, unfortunately Miranda ran perfect interference, thus neutralizing the zebra while Tiffany ran the ropes. Trapped facedown and helpless atop Ashley’s knees, Mercy never knew what hit her when Mayes flipped off the second rope and THWHAPPED down across her exposed back!
SINISTER SERMON @ 1:20
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDTYI1Q0l8c
The Moonsault bounced Ellis off Conda’s knees and gave Brewster enough clearance to wheel around and drop to her butt, thus completing the beatdown with a Wheelbarrow Facebuster.
WHEELBARROW FACEBUSTER:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5OAq8tTD5U
Shoving the wreckage aside, the vicious trio got to their feet and arranged themselves behind Miranda. Arms spread wide, the Malevolent Moralizer cooed, “Heathens cheer when warriors brawl…”
“But Midnight comes for one and all.” answered her choir.
Miranda nodded, clearly satisfied with the night’s work. “And Midnight is not done with Mercy Ellis. Or any of you heathens, for that matter. Peace be with you.”
The lights winked out and when they returned the Church of Eternal Midnight was gone, leaving only a grimacing referee and a demolished Assassin in their wake.