Aired - August 14, 2026
(Black screen.)
(The sound of a heavy book opening.)
(Not cleanly. Not gently.)
(Old pages scrape against each other like bone over stone.)
(A candle ignites.)
(The flame burns blue for a moment… then deepens to red.)
(Ink crawls across parchment, but this time it does not form words.)
(It forms a crown.)
(Then an arrow.)
(Then a hand.)
(Then an oni mask.)
(A low choir begins. Beneath it, a war drum beats once.)
Voice-over:
“Once upon a time… they told you every kingdom needed a hero.”
(beat)
“They never told you heroes bleed.”
(The ink spreads faster now, swallowing the parchment edges.)
“They never told you crowns grow heavier.”
“They never told you stories change hands.”
(A bell tolls.)
(The screen flickers with torchlight.)
Voice-over:
“Here… legends do not rest.”
“They are tested.”
“They are broken.”
“They are remade.”
(The burning parchment folds inward, becoming a dark fairytale title card.)
NPCW: DARK FABLE
Voice-over:
“This is the MYTHIC Division.”
“Welcome… to DARK FABLE.”
SIGNATURE MONTAGE — QUARTER 3
1) King Arthur
(A sword is raised beneath a storm-black sky.)
Arthur stands alone in the ring, armor battered, breath steady, eyes forward.
The crowd roars around him, but he does not answer them.
An opponent charges.
Arthur turns, counters, and drives him down with royal certainty.
Another figure rises behind him.
Arthur meets him too.
The crown does not make him safe.
It makes him hunted.
But still…
The king stands.
2) Blonde Bombshells — Alice, Dorothy & Rapunzel
(Bright storybook light floods the screen.)
(Then the color sharpens into something dangerous.)
Alice moves first—quick, fluid, smiling as she slips through a strike and sends her opponent spinning.
Dorothy follows with perfect timing, cutting the escape off before it begins.
Then Rapunzel steps in.
Graceful.
Precise.
No wasted motion.
Three women stand together as the fallen opponent reaches for them and finds nothing.
A familiar dream.
A dangerous mirror.
A fairytale with sharper teeth.
3) Robin Hood
(An arrow cuts through darkness.)
(It strikes a hanging lantern, and green light spills across the ring.)
Robin Hood ducks beneath a wild swing by inches.
He answers instantly.
One shot to stagger.
One movement to shift position.
One clean finish to end the moment before his opponent understands it.
He rises with calm defiance and looks toward the hard camera.
Not a prince.
Not a servant.
Not a man waiting for permission.
A thief.
A hero.
A problem no king can tax away.
4) The King’s Hand
(A gauntleted hand closes around a royal seal.)
(The wax cracks.)
The Sheriff of Nottingham steps through torchlight, cold authority in every movement.
Will Scarlet strikes beside him, violence wrapped in loyalty and resentment.
The King’s Collectors close in after them.
No chaos.
No wasted cruelty.
Only enforcement.
A man is dragged down.
Another is silenced.
Another is left staring up at the lights while the Hand of power tightens around the ring.
The law has arrived.
And mercy was never written into it.
5) Crimson Viper — The Queen of Hearts
(Red roses bloom across black parchment.)
(One by one, the petals fall.)
Crimson Viper stands motionless as her opponent circles.
Then she smiles.
A trap springs.
A strike lands.
A body folds.
She moves like a sentence already passed, turning panic into punishment.
The Queen of Hearts does not chase control.
She assumes it.
And when the final blow lands, there is no rage in her eyes.
Only judgment.
6) Monster Bash’s Enforcers — Kong & Ogre
(Chains drag across stone.)
(The sound becomes a heartbeat.)
Kong surges forward and crushes an opponent into the corner with impossible force.
Ogre follows, lifting another body high before driving it down with brutal finality.
No pageantry.
No speeches.
No warning.
Tag made simple.
Power made sacred.
Two bodies fall.
Two monsters remain.
Kong and Ogre stand over the wreckage, gold and violence bound together.
The Enforcers do not protect a throne.
They make sure no one survives long enough to challenge it.
7) Raigen the Maryu
(Red and gold flame cuts across the screen.)
(A dragon’s shadow coils behind it.)
Raigen stands in the center of the ring, still as a blade before the strike.
His opponent rushes him.
Raigen erupts.
A brutal combination lands in flashes—strike, turn, impact, silence.
The old storm is gone.
Something darker has taken its place.
He lowers one hand.
The air around him seems to burn.
This is not Raigen returning.
This is Raigen becoming.
The Maryu has awakened.
8) Blood Oni Syndicate — Lord Kurogami, Kaen, Enrai & Yurei Rinn
(The screen fades to black again.)
(A single red mask appears.)
(Then another.)
(Then another.)
(Lord Kurogami stands in shadow, unmoving, his presence heavier than sound.)
Kaen steps through firelight, fists clenched, eyes burning with violent purpose.
Enrai follows beneath a flash of white-blue lightning, calm and lethal.
Yurei Rinn appears last, ghostlike, silent, her stare fixed on something the audience cannot see.
Four figures.
One shadow.
The ring becomes a ritual space.
The Syndicate does not enter stories.
It infects them.
And when Lord Kurogami raises one hand…
The darkness answers.
(The choir rises.)
(War drums thunder beneath it.)
(The arena appears, lit like a cathedral built for judgment.)
Voice-over:
“This isn’t the North.”
“This isn’t the light.”
(beat)
“This is where crowns are tested.”
“Where heroes are hunted.”
“Where monsters wear gold.”
“And where every victory leaves a scar.”
(The music drops.)
(Only the bell remains.)
Voice-over:
“In DARK FABLE… the story does not end happily.”
(beat)
“It ends… with a winner.”
(A final image flashes: crown, arrow, rose, chain, dragon flame, oni mask.)
Voice-over:
“And in Quarter Three…”
(beat)
“The story belongs to whoever is strong enough to take it.”
(The bell tolls one final time.)
Voice-over:
“This… is DARK FABLE.”
The broadcast returns live inside Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum.
Blue flame burns along the edges of the entrance stage.
The great stone arches surrounding the arena are illuminated beneath cold silver light, while banners bearing the symbols of the Mythic Division hang high above the crowd.
The audience is already loud.
Some hold signs for the fallen Eternal Flame Champion.
Others carry the colors of Nottingham.
The division has changed in seven days.
The camera sweeps across the coliseum before settling at ringside.
Julian Ward sits composed behind the commentary desk.
Beside him, Brick Brody leans forward with both forearms against the table, looking considerably more satisfied with recent events than his broadcast partner.
Julian Ward: “Welcome once again to Dark Fable, live from Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum. I am Julian Ward, joined as always by Brick Brody, and one week ago this division entered the evening with an Eternal Flame Champion.”
A pause.
The stage screen ignites.
Footage from last week appears.
Raigen traps the Sheriff of Nottingham in the Demon Sleeper.
The first fall belongs to the champion.
Then the image changes.
Prince John interferes.
The Sheriff of Nottingham claims the second fall.
Finally, after forty-four exhausting minutes, the Sheriff of Nottingham traps Raigen in the Sleeper.
Raigen submits.
The championship changes hands.
The crowd responds with a mixture of heavy boos and scattered cheers.
Julian Ward: “By the end of the night, that championship belonged to the Sheriff of Nottingham.”
Brick Brody: “And everybody can complain about how he got there until their throats hurt. Forty-four minutes, three falls, and at the end of it Raigen was the man who surrendered. The Sheriff of Nottingham walked out with the gold.”
Julian Ward: “But the circumstances surrounding that victory extend beyond what happened inside the ring.”
The screen changes.
A backstage image appears.
Severin Crowne stands opposite the Sheriff of Nottingham.
A package passes between them.
Julian Ward: “Earlier that evening, Severin Crowne approached the Sheriff of Nottingham privately. He delivered information concerning Raigen—information specifically designed to expose a weakness in the champion.”
Brick Brody: “That is called preparation.”
Julian Ward: “That depends upon what was requested in exchange.”
Brick Brody: “Everything has a price, Julian Ward. The mistake is believing somebody gives you an advantage because they admire your personality.”
The footage shows Prince John arriving after Severin Crowne has departed.
The Sheriff of Nottingham conceals the true nature of the conversation.
Julian Ward: “Even Prince John was not told what truly passed between them.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Maybe the Sheriff of Nottingham finally figured out that a man planning to climb toward a throne should keep a few secrets of his own.”
Julian Ward turns slightly toward him.
Julian Ward: “That is an interesting choice of words.”
Brick Brody: “It is an interesting championship.”
The footage disappears.
For a moment, only the Eternal Flame symbol remains.
Then it fractures.
A black crown replaces it.
The crowd grows uneasy.
Images of Mordred, Morgana LeFaye, Sir Agravaine, the Black Knight, and the Dread Knights appear.
Then one space within the image remains empty.
Myrrden.
Julian Ward: “And elsewhere, questions continue to gather around the Broken Crown. Mordred has begun questioning the recent conduct of King Arthur himself, believing that something about the Mythic Crown Champion has changed.”
The screen briefly shows King Arthur during his recent address.
His posture.
His authority.
The increasingly absolute certainty behind his words.
Brick Brody: “Maybe the king finally understands what being king means.”
Julian Ward: “Or perhaps those closest to Camelot are beginning to wonder whether authority and possession have become increasingly difficult for King Arthur to distinguish.”
Brick Brody: “You keep talking like confidence is a disease.”
Julian Ward: “Power sometimes becomes one.”
The image returns to the Broken Crown.
Mordred turns toward an empty doorway.
Julian Ward: “But Mordred has another concern. Myrrden has disappeared. He has not been seen by the Broken Crown in more than a week.”
Brick Brody: “Now that interests me.”
Julian Ward: “Because?”
Brick Brody: “Because men like Myrrden do not get lost.”
A beat.
Brick Brody: “They go somewhere.”
The screen goes black.
The crowd noise rises again.
Then tonight’s match graphics begin appearing one by one.
Black stone.
Silver thorns.
The symbols of two women’s teams emerge opposite one another.
Julian Ward: “And those unanswered questions surround an extraordinary night ahead. We begin with women’s tag team competition when the Black Chapel face the Fairest Hunters.”
Brick Brody: “That is a fight between two teams that do not need permission to get ugly. Good way to begin.”
The image changes.
A black seal appears.
It slowly breaks apart.
Severin Crowne emerges on one side.
Scarecrow appears on the other.
Julian Ward: “And after weeks of words, negotiations, closed-door conversations, and carefully chosen alliances, Severin Crowne finally enters a Dark Fable ring.”
The crowd responds loudly.
Julian Ward: “Tonight, Severin Crowne makes his Dark Fable wrestling debut against Scarecrow.”
Brick Brody: “Good. I have heard enough speeches from Severin Crowne to know the man can manipulate a room. Tonight we find out whether he can manipulate somebody who is trying to knock his teeth loose.”
A green arrow cuts across the screen.
Then another.
Three figures appear.
Allan A Dale.
Robin Hood.
And, for the first time as a competitor, the Blood-Moon Warden.
Across from them stand Brute Bailiff, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and Will Scarlett.
The reaction becomes louder and more divided.
Julian Ward: “The conflict surrounding Sherwood and Nottingham also enters another chapter. Robin Hood, Allan A Dale, and the debuting Blood-Moon Warden face Brute Bailiff, the new Eternal Flame Champion Sheriff of Nottingham, and Will Scarlett.”
Brick Brody: “That is six people carrying enough history to fill a graveyard.”
Julian Ward: “And particularly noteworthy is the arrival of the Blood-Moon Warden, who wrestles for the first time tonight.”
Brick Brody: “Then somebody better explain quickly that reputation stops protecting you the moment the bell rings.”
The screen changes again.
Gold light gives way to black.
Two teams of women appear.
Blonde Bombshells.
Queens of Punishment.
Julian Ward: “Women’s tag team competition returns later tonight when the Blonde Bombshells face the Queens of Punishment.”
Brick Brody: “Pretty names disappear quickly when somebody gets driven into the canvas.”
Lightning rolls across the screen.
A burning circle forms.
Raigen stands beside Taro Okami.
Opposite them appear the Gods of War.
The crowd rises.
Julian Ward: “And one week after losing the Eternal Flame Championship, Raigen returns to competition.”
Footage flashes of Raigen after last week’s exhausting title match.
Then Taro Okami appears beside him.
Julian Ward: “Tonight he joins Taro Okami against the Gods of War.”
Brick Brody: “That is exactly where I want to see Raigen. No sympathy. No recovery speech. No sitting backstage staring at the championship he lost. Get back in the ring and hurt somebody.”
Julian Ward: “The question is what forty-four minutes against the Sheriff of Nottingham took from him.”
Brick Brody: “We are going to find out.”
The lights on the screen turn crimson.
A ship emerges through a black storm.
Sinbad appears.
Then the image burns away.
Mordred stands behind it.
The reaction rolls heavily through the coliseum.
Julian Ward: “And in our main event, Mordred faces Sinbad.”
Brick Brody: “That is the match I want.”
Julian Ward: “Mordred enters tonight without knowing where Myrrden has gone. He enters while openly questioning what is happening to King Arthur. And across from him stands Sinbad, a man who has survived monsters, kingdoms, and impossible journeys by refusing to accept that danger makes something unbeatable.”
Brick Brody: “Then he better bring every lesson those journeys taught him, because Mordred looks like a man running out of patience.”
The full card appears across the screen.
Black Chapel vs Fairest Hunters
Severin Crowne vs Scarecrow
Allan A Dale, Robin Hood & Blood-Moon Warden vs Brute Bailiff, Sheriff of Nottingham & Will Scarlett
Blonde Bombshells vs Queens of Punishment
Raigen & Taro Okami vs Gods of War
Mordred vs Sinbad
The crowd roars.
Julian Ward: “Six matches. Two wrestling debuts. A new Eternal Flame Champion. A missing architect of the Broken Crown. And questions surrounding the Mythic Crown itself.”
Brick Brody: “That sounds like a healthy division to me.”
Julian Ward: “Your definition of health remains troubling.”
Brick Brody: “Nobody pays to watch healthy people make sensible decisions.”
For the first time, Julian Ward allows the faintest trace of a smile.
Then his expression changes.
He touches one hand to his headset.
Someone speaks to him from the production booth.
The smile disappears completely.
Julian Ward: “And apparently, Brick Brody, we are not beginning tonight with a match.”
Brick Brody turns toward him.
Brick Brody: “What now?”
Julian Ward: “We have just been informed that before tonight’s opening contest, there will be a special announcement.”
The arena reacts immediately.
No graphic appears.
No name.
No explanation.
Only the Dark Fable crest burning above the entrance.
Brick Brody: “From who?”
Julian Ward: “We have not been told.”
Brick Brody: “Then somebody backstage enjoys making an entrance.”
The lights surrounding the entrance ramp begin to change.
Julian Ward: “Whatever this announcement concerns, we are about to hear it.”
The camera turns away from the commentary desk.
Toward the stage.
The crowd rises.
Dark Fable waits.
This leaves the announcement completely unrevealed so the next segment can begin directly with whoever is delivering it.
The cameras cut away from the entrance stage and return to the ring.
The mood inside Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum shifts immediately.
Standing at the center of the ring are three figures.
Kristine Kringle, President and CEO of NPCW, stands with a microphone in hand.
To her right is Alton Bell.
To her left stands Elias Coldmere.
There is no ceremony surrounding them.
No banners.
No music.
Only the three executives beneath the hard white lights of the coliseum and the growing murmur of a crowd trying to understand why they are here.
Kristine Kringle waits until the noise begins to settle.
Kristine Kringle: “Ladies and gentlemen, there are moments in the life of any division when change becomes necessary.”
A mixed reaction rolls through the building.
Kristine Kringle: “For some time, Alton Bell has served this division as its General Manager. During that time, he has carried responsibility for one of the most demanding environments in NPCW.”
She turns slightly toward him.
Kristine Kringle: “Effective immediately, Alton Bell has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice President of NPCW.”
The crowd reacts strongly.
Some cheer.
Others simply absorb the announcement.
Alton Bell remains composed, hands folded in front of him, betraying very little emotion.
Kristine Kringle: “His responsibilities will now extend beyond the Mythic Division and across the larger structure of this company.”
She allows the reaction to settle.
Then she turns toward Elias Coldmere.
Kristine Kringle: “Which means the Mythic Division requires new leadership.”
The crowd becomes louder.
Kristine Kringle: “Beginning tonight, Elias Coldmere will serve as Commissioner of the Mythic Division.”
A deeper reaction moves through the arena.
Recognition.
Surprise.
A few scattered boos.
A few cheers.
Elias Coldmere gives the crowd a restrained nod.
Kristine Kringle: “This division has never been easy to govern.”
A small smile crosses her face.
Kristine Kringle: “I suspect that is unlikely to change.”
The crowd responds.
Kristine Kringle: “But I have confidence in both men standing beside me.”
She turns first toward Alton Bell.
Kristine Kringle: “Alton, before you move into your new role, I believe this crowd deserves to hear from you.”
She hands the microphone to Alton Bell.
For several seconds, Alton Bell simply looks around the coliseum.
The Dark Fable audience responds with a low chant.
Not entirely affectionate.
Not entirely hostile.
Respect earned through unease.
Alton Bell: “When I first accepted responsibility for the Mythic Division, I understood something very quickly.”
He pauses.
Alton Bell: “This place does not need to be controlled.”
A murmur moves through the crowd.
Alton Bell: “It needs to be understood.”
He slowly turns his gaze toward the entrance stage.
Alton Bell: “Kings have risen here.”
Alton Bell: “Monsters have walked through that curtain.”
Alton Bell: “Championships have changed hands because of courage, treachery, violence, obsession, and occasionally all four at once.”
A few cheers rise.
Alton Bell: “Dark Fable has never promised safety.”
He looks back toward the audience.
Alton Bell: “It has only promised consequence.”
That earns a stronger reaction.
Alton Bell: “I leave this division knowing something else.”
He turns toward Elias Coldmere.
Alton Bell: “It is in capable hands.”
Elias Coldmere meets his gaze.
Alton Bell: “Elias, you are inheriting a division that will test every decision you make.”
A brief pause.
Alton Bell: “That is not a warning.”
His expression barely changes.
Alton Bell: “It is simply the nature of the kingdom.”
The crowd responds again.
Alton Bell offers the microphone to Elias Coldmere.
Before taking it, Elias Coldmere extends his hand.
The two men shake.
There is no embrace.
No excessive celebration.
Only acknowledgement.
Elias Coldmere turns toward the crowd.
Elias Coldmere: “I have spent enough time watching the Mythic Division to understand one thing.”
He pauses.
Elias Coldmere: “There is very little about this place that is ordinary.”
A few cheers rise.
Elias Coldmere: “The rivalries are older.”
Elias Coldmere: “The grudges are deeper.”
Elias Coldmere: “And somehow every disagreement seems to eventually involve a sword, a curse, a crown, or somebody being thrown through something expensive.”
A restrained laugh moves through the audience.
Elias Coldmere allows it to fade.
Elias Coldmere: “But beneath all of that, this is still a wrestling division.”
His tone hardens.
Elias Coldmere: “And that means the ring matters.”
The response grows louder.
Elias Coldmere: “Championships matter.”
Another cheer.
Elias Coldmere: “Victories matter.”
He looks toward the entrance stage.
Elias Coldmere: “And actions have consequences.”
A knowing reaction follows.
Elias Coldmere: “I did not come here to erase what Dark Fable is.”
Elias Coldmere: “I came here to make certain it continues moving forward.”
He glances toward Alton Bell.
Elias Coldmere: “Alton Bell built something here that deserves to remain strong.”
Then back toward the audience.
Elias Coldmere: “My responsibility is to make sure that happens.”
A louder reaction rises from the coliseum.
Elias Coldmere: “So to the wrestlers in the back, understand this clearly.”
He pauses.
Elias Coldmere: “I will listen.”
Another beat.
Elias Coldmere: “I will be fair.”
His expression hardens.
Elias Coldmere: “But I will not be passive.”
The crowd responds strongly.
Elias Coldmere: “This is the Mythic Division.”
He looks slowly around the arena.
Elias Coldmere: “I know exactly what I have walked into.”
He lowers the microphone.
Kristine Kringle steps forward once more.
Kristine Kringle: “Then tonight marks the beginning of a new chapter.”
She looks toward Alton Bell.
Then toward Elias Coldmere.
Kristine Kringle: “Congratulations to both of you.”
The crowd applauds as Kristine Kringle lowers the microphone.
The three remain standing in the ring for another moment before the camera cuts back to the commentary desk.
Julian Ward watches them leave the ring.
Julian Ward: “A significant announcement to begin the evening. Alton Bell moves into the role of Executive Vice President, while Elias Coldmere assumes responsibility for the Mythic Division.”
Brick Brody: “Poor bastard.”
Julian Ward turns toward him.
Julian Ward: “Which one?”
Brick Brody: “Elias Coldmere.”
Julian Ward: “Naturally.”
Brick Brody: “Look at what he just inherited. King Arthur is acting like the crown came with divine permission. Mordred is getting suspicious. Myrrden disappeared. Severin Crowne is handing out secret packages. The Sheriff of Nottingham just stole himself a championship.”
Julian Ward: “Won a championship.”
Brick Brody: “Those two things are not mutually exclusive.”
Julian Ward: “And yet Elias Coldmere appears quite prepared to accept the responsibility.”
Brick Brody: “Everybody looks prepared before the first fire starts.”
Julian Ward: “There are already several fires burning.”
Brick Brody: “Exactly.”
A final shot shows Elias Coldmere standing at the base of the entrance ramp as Kristine Kringle and Alton Bell disappear through the curtain.
For just a moment, the new Commissioner turns back toward the ring.
Toward the banners.
Toward the throne-shaped stage.
Toward the kingdom he has just inherited.
Julian Ward: “Whatever comes next, Dark Fable now answers to a new Commissioner.”
Brick Brody: “Then let us see how long it takes before somebody tests him.”
The camera pulls back across Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum.
The crowd is still buzzing.
And the first match of the evening awaits.
The lights inside Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum dim.
A low tolling bell rolls through the building.
Black light washes across the entrance arch as Prince John steps through the curtain first, dressed with all the self-importance of a man arriving to inspect property he believes already belongs to him.
Behind him come Lady Isolde Blackthorne and Prioress Malveil.
The Black Chapel move without acknowledging the crowd.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne carries herself with aristocratic contempt, chin raised as she surveys the ring.
Beside her, Prioress Malveil walks with her hands folded before her, expression cold and unreadable.
Prince John leads them toward ringside.
Julian Ward: “The Black Chapel opening our evening, accompanied by Prince John, and there are very few teams in the Mythic Division capable of carrying this kind of menace before the bell even sounds.”
Brick Brody: “That is because they understand presentation, Julian Ward. You walk into a fight like you own the place, and half the work is already done.”
Julian Ward: “The other half generally involves winning.”
Brick Brody: “That helps.”
Prince John climbs the ring steps and holds the ropes apart.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne enters without looking at him.
Prioress Malveil follows.
Their music fades.
Then the lighting changes.
A pale woodland glow spreads across the stage.
Gretel appears first.
Beside her comes Snow White.
The Fairest Hunters pause beneath the entrance arch before beginning their walk toward the ring.
There is none of the grim ceremony of their opponents.
Instead, both women remain focused directly on the Black Chapel.
Snow White points toward the ring.
Gretel nods.
They begin down the aisle.
Julian Ward: “The Fairest Hunters have never shown much interest in intimidation.”
Brick Brody: “That can mean courage.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “Or poor judgment.”
Julian Ward: “We are about to learn which.”
Gretel and Snow White enter the ring together.
Prince John retreats to the floor as referee ‘Honest’ Abe steps between the teams.
At the center of the ring stands Louie Linville.
He raises the microphone.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is a tag team match!”
The crowd responds.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first, accompanied to the ring by Prince John…”
A chorus of boos rises immediately.
Louie Linville: “Representing the Black Chapel… Prioress Malveil… and Lady Isolde Blackthorne!”
Lady Isolde Blackthorne slowly raises one hand.
Prioress Malveil does not move.
Louie Linville: “And their opponents…”
The crowd grows louder.
Louie Linville: “Gretel… Snow White… the Fairest Hunters!”
Snow White raises an arm toward the crowd while Gretel keeps her eyes fixed on Lady Isolde Blackthorne.
Louie Linville exits.
‘Honest’ Abe checks both corners.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne elects to begin for the Black Chapel.
Gretel steps through the ropes for the Fairest Hunters.
The bell rings.
Minute 1
Lady Isolde Blackthorne takes the center immediately.
Gretel barely has time to establish her footing before Lady Isolde Blackthorne pivots sharply and drives the Crimson Verdict directly into her jaw.
The roundhouse kick lands flush.
Gretel staggers backward but remains upright.
Julian Ward: “Crimson Verdict immediately from Lady Isolde Blackthorne. No feeling-out process whatsoever.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Feeling-out processes are for people who are not sure what they came to do.”
Lady Isolde Blackthorne watches Gretel absorb the strike, then advances again rather than allowing her any meaningful recovery.
Julian Ward: “And look at the expression on Lady Isolde Blackthorne. That was not simply an opening strike. That was a declaration.”
Brick Brody: “She just told Gretel exactly how the next several minutes are going to feel.”
Minute 2
Gretel responds with greater urgency.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne catches her and begins applying the Royal Guillotine, attempting to control the head and neck with the Dragon Sleeper.
Gretel fights through the position and creates enough separation to change the direction of the exchange.
Moments later the action spills toward the ropes.
Gretel launches herself from the apron with a diving crossbody to the floor, taking Lady Isolde Blackthorne down outside the ring.
The crowd reacts sharply.
Julian Ward: “And Gretel turns the momentum completely! Diving crossbody from the apron!”
Brick Brody: “That is better. You cannot let somebody like Lady Isolde Blackthorne dictate the pace and expect mercy later.”
‘Honest’ Abe begins counting.
One. Two. Three. Four.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne slides back beneath the bottom rope at four.
She rises immediately, but her expression has changed.
Julian Ward: “Back inside at four, but Gretel has demonstrated that the opening strike did not intimidate her.”
Brick Brody: “Maybe not. It did annoy Lady Isolde Blackthorne, though. That might be worse.”
Minute 3
Lady Isolde Blackthorne attempts to answer with the Velvet Backstabber.
Gretel reads it.
She turns into the attack and neutralizes the maneuver before Lady Isolde Blackthorne can complete it.
Julian Ward: “Excellent recognition by Gretel. She knew what was coming.”
Brick Brody: “That is what happens when you survive the first punch. You start seeing the second one.”
Gretel refuses to remain in unnecessarily.
She turns and reaches toward her corner.
Snow White accepts the tag.
Julian Ward: “Smart tag by the Fairest Hunters. Fresh competitor entering.”
Brick Brody: “And Lady Isolde Blackthorne looks irritated. I approve.”
Minute 4
Snow White enters quickly.
She catches Lady Isolde Blackthorne with the Gilded Grip, flowing from the arm drag directly into an arm bar.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne attempts to defend but cannot stop the transition.
Snow White controls the arm and forces her opponent down.
Julian Ward: “Gilded Grip from Snow White, and suddenly the Fairest Hunters are controlling the match.”
Brick Brody: “That is the danger of letting somebody survive your opening attack. Confidence grows fast.”
Lady Isolde Blackthorne works against the hold and eventually creates enough space to escape, but the exchange has visibly frustrated her.
Julian Ward: “Snow White is forcing Lady Isolde Blackthorne to wrestle from underneath.”
Brick Brody: “Which means now we find out how patient the noblewoman really is.”
Minute 5
Patience disappears.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne explodes forward and finally connects with the Velvet Backstabber.
Snow White absorbs the impact but fires back immediately.
She drives a knee upward into Lady Isolde Blackthorne’s face with the Kiss of Spite.
Both women recoil.
Julian Ward: “Velvet Backstabber from Lady Isolde Blackthorne! Kiss of Spite from Snow White!”
Brick Brody: “Now we are getting somewhere.”
Snow White remains standing.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne looks toward her corner.
For the first time, she decides that discretion is preferable to stubbornness.
She tags Prioress Malveil.
Julian Ward: “And now Prioress Malveil enters.”
Brick Brody: “Different problem entirely.”
Minute 6
Prioress Malveil and Snow White initially hesitate, each reading the other.
Neither commits recklessly.
Then the exchange accelerates.
Prioress Malveil catches Snow White and drives her down with the Rite of Silence, the headlock driver planting her hard against the canvas.
Julian Ward: “Rite of Silence!”
But Snow White answers almost immediately with another Kiss of Spite.
The knee catches Prioress Malveil cleanly.
Brick Brody: “That woman likes that knee.”
Julian Ward: “It has been extremely effective.”
Snow White turns toward her corner.
Gretel reaches out.
Tag.
Julian Ward: “Another timely exchange from the Fairest Hunters.”
Minute 7
Gretel enters as Prioress Malveil regains her footing.
The two women initially circle, neither finding an immediate opening.
Then Gretel strikes.
A spinning heel kick catches Prioress Malveil before she can properly defend.
Prioress Malveil stumbles sideways.
Julian Ward: “Spinning heel kick from Gretel!”
Brick Brody: “The Black Chapel came in looking like executioners. Right now the Fairest Hunters are making them work for every inch.”
Gretel does not remain in long enough for Prioress Malveil to reset.
She reaches back.
Snow White returns.
Julian Ward: “Quick tags. Fresh bodies. The Fairest Hunters have found a rhythm.”
Brick Brody: “Which means somebody needs to ruin it.”
At ringside, Prince John begins moving closer to the apron.
Minute 8
Prioress Malveil advances.
Snow White prepares to meet her.
Then Prince John begins shouting from ringside.
He moves along the apron, deliberately drawing attention toward himself.
Julian Ward: “And there is Prince John.”
Brick Brody: “There he is.”
Julian Ward: “That was not admiration.”
Brick Brody: “It should have been.”
The distraction does not work as intended.
Snow White maintains enough focus to attack.
She catches Prioress Malveil and delivers the Apple Splitter.
The Destroyer plants Prioress Malveil into the canvas.
The crowd erupts.
Julian Ward: “Apple Splitter! Prince John tried to distract Snow White, and it accomplished absolutely nothing!”
Brick Brody: “That was disappointing.”
Julian Ward: “For you?”
Brick Brody: “For strategy.”
Snow White remains in control, but the explosive sequence has forced her to continue working from a defensive posture as Prioress Malveil begins rebuilding her base.
Minute 9
Prioress Malveil regains control.
She catches Snow White before another offensive burst can develop.
Penance DDT.
Snow White’s head and shoulders are driven sharply into the canvas.
Julian Ward: “Penance DDT from Prioress Malveil!”
Brick Brody: “There it is. No panic. No wasted movement. Just take somebody’s head and introduce it to the floor.”
Snow White tries to respond but cannot prevent Prioress Malveil from staying on her.
Julian Ward: “The momentum has changed again.”
Brick Brody: “That is why you do not celebrate surviving one bad moment. Another one is coming.”
Minute 10
Prioress Malveil pulls Snow White upright.
She controls the upper body and lifts.
Faithbreaker Suplex.
Snow White crashes onto the canvas.
She absorbs the impact without producing an immediate answer.
Julian Ward: “Faithbreaker Suplex. Snow White is taking significant punishment now.”
Brick Brody: “This is where tag team wrestling gets cruel. Her partner is standing three feet away, and those three feet might as well be three miles.”
Prioress Malveil turns toward the Black Chapel corner.
Tag.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne returns.
Across the ring, Snow White finally regains enough composure to return to an even footing.
Julian Ward: “Lady Isolde Blackthorne back in, and the Black Chapel have stabilized the match.”
Minute 11
The structure collapses.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne and Snow White collide in the center while both partners enter.
Suddenly all four women are inside the ring.
‘Honest’ Abe tries to restore order.
Nobody listens.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne connects with the Velvet Backstabber.
Prioress Malveil fires a Superkick.
Snow White strikes back with the Kiss of Spite.
Gretel joins the violence with a Pump Kick.
Bodies stagger in every direction.
Julian Ward: “Everything has broken down!”
Brick Brody: “Finally!”
Julian Ward: “Velvet Backstabber! Superkick! Kiss of Spite! Pump Kick!”
Brick Brody: “Forget tags. Everybody hit somebody!”
‘Honest’ Abe finally forces Gretel and Prioress Malveil back toward their corners, restoring the legal pairing.
Julian Ward: “All four women landed something significant during that exchange.”
Brick Brody: “And nobody came out of it clean. Beautiful.”
Minute 12
As Lady Isolde Blackthorne and Snow White continue inside the ring, Prince John again approaches from the floor.
This time he moves behind referee ‘Honest’ Abe.
His intentions are unmistakable.
Julian Ward: “Wait a moment. Prince John is behind the referee.”
Brick Brody: “He is inspecting officiating position.”
Julian Ward: “He is trying to take out ‘Honest’ Abe.”
Prince John makes his move.
But Snow White sees him.
She reacts quickly enough to prevent the interference from succeeding.
Prince John recoils back toward the floor.
The crowd erupts with approval.
Julian Ward: “And Snow White stops him! Twice tonight Prince John has tried to influence this match, and twice the Fairest Hunters have denied him.”
Brick Brody: “That is the problem with honest referees. Everybody keeps protecting them.”
Lady Isolde Blackthorne, perhaps recognizing the opportunity slipping away, reaches toward her corner.
Prioress Malveil takes the tag.
Minute 13
Prioress Malveil enters against Snow White.
She strikes first with the Divine Palm.
The sharp palm strike catches Snow White cleanly.
But Snow White responds instantly.
She uses the ropes and launches into the Cursed Carousel.
The springboard reverse Frankensteiner sends Prioress Malveil over and down.
Both women have landed heavily.
Julian Ward: “Divine Palm from Prioress Malveil! Cursed Carousel from Snow White!”
Brick Brody: “Neither one wants to give an inch.”
Julian Ward: “And after thirteen minutes, that may become the deciding factor. Which woman can continue imposing herself after taking this much punishment?”
Both competitors struggle back toward their feet.
Gretel extends a hand from the corner.
Lady Isolde Blackthorne watches from the opposite side.
Prince John paces anxiously below them.
Minute 14
Prioress Malveil reaches Snow White first.
She closes from behind.
One arm snakes around the neck.
Then the other.
The Silent Sermon is locked in.
Julian Ward: “Silent Sermon!”
Snow White immediately reaches for the grip.
She tries to break the hands.
She tries to turn her body toward the ropes.
Prioress Malveil tightens the sleeper.
Brick Brody: “That is deep.”
Gretel shouts from the corner.
Snow White continues fighting.
Her movement begins slowing.
Julian Ward: “Snow White has survived strikes, suplexes, and interference tonight, but there is nowhere to absorb this. She has to escape.”
Prioress Malveil pulls her backward and cinches the Silent Sermon even tighter.
Snow White reaches once more.
Nothing.
She submits.
The bell rings.
Julian Ward: “Snow White submits! The Black Chapel survive the Fairest Hunters!”
Prioress Malveil releases the hold.
Gretel immediately enters to check on Snow White while Lady Isolde Blackthorne joins her partner.
At ringside, Prince John raises both arms as though the victory belongs principally to him.
Brick Brody: “Fourteen minutes, two failed attempts by Prince John to stick his nose into things, and the Black Chapel still got it done.”
Julian Ward: “Which may be the most important point. The Fairest Hunters frustrated the Black Chapel repeatedly tonight. Gretel and Snow White had stretches where they controlled this contest, and Snow White personally stopped Prince John from changing its course.”
Brick Brody: “And then Prioress Malveil put her to sleep.”
Julian Ward: “She did. When the opportunity finally appeared, Prioress Malveil needed no assistance. The Silent Sermon ended an exceptionally competitive opening contest.”
At the center of the ring, Louie Linville raises the microphone.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, your winners by submission… Prioress Malveil and Lady Isolde Blackthorne… the Black Chapel!”
Lady Isolde Blackthorne raises one arm.
Prioress Malveil simply stares across the ring at the recovering Snow White.
Prince John steps between them and lifts both women’s arms.
Julian Ward: “The Fairest Hunters made them suffer for it, but tonight the judgment belongs to the Black Chapel.”
RESULT: THE BLACK CHAPEL DEFEAT THE FAIREST HUNTERS WHEN PRIORESS MALVEIL FORCES SNOW WHITE TO SUBMIT TO THE SILENT SERMON IN MINUTE 14.
The broadcast cuts backstage.
The Dark Fable interview area is lit in cold silver and deep blue, the stonework behind it carrying the severe, ceremonial atmosphere of the Mythic Division.
Hana Nakamura stands with a microphone in hand.
Beside her is Severin Crowne.
He is dressed impeccably, posture relaxed, expression composed. There is no visible nervousness ahead of his first match on Dark Fable.
If anything, he looks as though tonight’s contest has already been entered into a ledger only he has seen.
Hana Nakamura: “Severin Crowne, later tonight you step into a Dark Fable ring for the first time when you face Scarecrow. We have heard a great deal about your influence, your negotiations, and the people you have been speaking with since arriving here. But tonight, for the first time, you actually have to compete.”
A faint smile crosses Severin Crowne’s face.
Severin Crowne: “An important distinction, Hana Nakamura.”
He adjusts one cuff.
Severin Crowne: “Influence without competence is merely theater.”
Hana Nakamura: “So you see this match as something you need to prove?”
Severin Crowne: “Not particularly.”
That answer catches her slightly off guard.
Severin Crowne: “Scarecrow is dangerous. Unpredictable. He possesses a talent for creating discomfort, and men who are comfortable fighting inside disorder are often underestimated.”
He pauses.
Severin Crowne: “That is precisely why he is an appropriate first opponent.”
Hana Nakamura: “Appropriate?”
Severin Crowne: “If one intends to establish authority, one should begin somewhere uncertainty already exists.”
Hana Nakamura: “You are talking about your debut like an appointment.”
Severin Crowne: “Most meaningful things are appointments, whether people recognize them as such or not.”
Hana Nakamura studies him for a moment.
Hana Nakamura: “Then let me ask about something else.”
She shifts the microphone slightly closer.
Hana Nakamura: “You have been meeting privately with some very specific people.”
For the first time, Severin Crowne’s attention sharpens.
Hana Nakamura: “The Sheriff of Nottingham.”
A beat.
Hana Nakamura: “Sir Agravaine.”
Another.
Hana Nakamura: “These are not random conversations. Both men are connected to major power structures inside the Mythic Division. Both have ambitions. Both have complicated relationships with the people around them.”
She looks directly at him.
Hana Nakamura: “So what are you doing?”
Severin Crowne smiles politely.
Severin Crowne: “Being helpful.”
Hana Nakamura: “Helpful.”
Severin Crowne: “Yes.”
Hana Nakamura: “You gave the Sheriff of Nottingham information before his Eternal Flame Championship match against Raigen.”
Severin Crowne: “Information he was free to ignore.”
Hana Nakamura: “Information concerning a weakness in Raigen.”
Severin Crowne: “Preparation is not corruption, Hana Nakamura.”
Hana Nakamura: “And meeting with Sir Agravaine?”
Severin Crowne: “Conversation.”
Hana Nakamura: “About?”
Severin Crowne: “Matters relevant to Sir Agravaine.”
Hana Nakamura gives him a look.
Hana Nakamura: “You realize that answer told me absolutely nothing.”
Severin Crowne: “Then it was an effective answer.”
There is no mockery in his tone.
That somehow makes it more unsettling.
Hana Nakamura: “People are beginning to wonder whether you are assembling something.”
Severin Crowne: “People frequently mistake communication for conspiracy.”
Hana Nakamura: “Are they wrong?”
Severin Crowne considers the question for only a moment.
Severin Crowne: “I believe institutions become stronger when capable individuals are made aware of their options.”
Hana Nakamura: “That sounds like recruitment.”
Severin Crowne: “It sounds like counsel.”
Hana Nakamura: “Without being asked for it.”
Severin Crowne: “The most valuable counsel generally arrives before someone realizes they require it.”
Hana Nakamura lowers the microphone slightly, then brings it back up.
Hana Nakamura: “There is another word people have started using around you.”
Severin Crowne: “I suspect there are several.”
Hana Nakamura: “Kingmaker.”
For the first time, the faint smile disappears.
Not because he is offended.
Because the word appears to interest him.
Hana Nakamura: “You have built your reputation by standing beside powerful people. Advising them. Strengthening them. Helping them rise.”
She pauses.
Hana Nakamura: “And then somehow becoming indispensable.”
Severin Crowne: “An unnecessarily dramatic description of competent administration.”
Hana Nakamura: “Do you want to make a king here?”
Severin Crowne looks toward her.
Then toward the camera.
Severin Crowne: “Kings are terribly inefficient.”
Hana Nakamura blinks.
Severin Crowne: “They become symbols.”
His tone remains calm.
Severin Crowne: “Symbols attract expectation.”
A pause.
Severin Crowne: “Expectation creates obligation.”
Another.
Severin Crowne: “And obligation eventually becomes vulnerability.”
Hana Nakamura: “Then what do you want?”
Severin Crowne: “Stability.”
Hana Nakamura: “That is all?”
Severin Crowne: “For now.”
Hana Nakamura: “And the Sheriff of Nottingham?”
Severin Crowne: “I offered assistance.”
Hana Nakamura: “Sir Agravaine?”
Severin Crowne: “I offered perspective.”
Hana Nakamura: “And if either of them eventually owes you something?”
The smile returns.
Very slightly.
Severin Crowne: “Then I would hope they possess the character to remember it.”
Hana Nakamura exhales softly.
Hana Nakamura: “You really are not going to tell me what you are planning.”
Severin Crowne: “Planning suggests uncertainty.”
He takes one small step closer to the microphone.
Severin Crowne: “I prefer structure.”
A pause.
Severin Crowne: “There are men inside this division who possess strength.”
Severin Crowne: “Others possess titles.”
Severin Crowne: “Some possess authority.”
His eyes remain fixed on the camera.
Severin Crowne: “Very few understand the difference between possessing power and controlling what happens when power changes hands.”
He straightens his jacket.
Severin Crowne: “Tonight, however, none of that concerns Scarecrow.”
Hana Nakamura: “What does concern him?”
Severin Crowne: “His appointment.”
Hana Nakamura: “Appointment to what?”
Severin Crowne begins to walk away.
He stops after two steps.
Looks back.
Severin Crowne: “The first consequence.”
He leaves the interview area.
Hana Nakamura watches him disappear down the corridor before turning slowly toward the camera.
Hana Nakamura: “I am not entirely certain he answered a single question.”
A beat.
Hana Nakamura: “But later tonight, Severin Crowne makes his Dark Fable wrestling debut against Scarecrow.”
The camera lingers on the empty corridor where Severin Crowne vanished.
Then fades.
The lights inside Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum sink into a sickly amber haze.
Dry wind whispers through the sound system.
The entrance screen fills with an endless field beneath a dead gray sky.
A crooked silhouette rises at its center.
Scarecrow steps through the curtain.
Beside him walks Tin Man.
The reaction from the crowd grows as the two make their way down the aisle.
Scarecrow moves with that familiar loose, unsettling gait, shoulders rolling as though his limbs have never quite agreed on how a human being is supposed to walk.
Tin Man is the opposite.
Rigid.
Heavy.
Mechanical in his movements.
He follows several steps behind, saying nothing.
Julian Ward: “Scarecrow will not make this journey alone tonight. Tin Man accompanies him to ringside.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Severin Crowne likes studying people. Give him two problems to think about.”
Julian Ward: “You heard Severin Crowne earlier tonight describe this match almost as though it were a scheduled appointment.”
Brick Brody: “That kind of confidence either means you know something everybody else does not…”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “…or you are about to get punched very hard.”
Scarecrow enters the ring.
Tin Man stops at ringside and takes position near the corner.
The lights change.
There is no elaborate display.
No smoke.
No heraldry.
A single narrow beam of white light falls across the entrance.
Severin Crowne appears.
He is dressed for competition now, but little else about him has changed.
Same composed expression.
Same deliberate posture.
Same sense that every step has already been considered.
He pauses at the top of the aisle.
His attention goes first to Scarecrow.
Then, noticeably, to Tin Man.
Julian Ward: “Interesting.”
Brick Brody: “You saw it too.”
Julian Ward: “Severin Crowne looked directly at Tin Man before he ever looked toward the ring.”
Brick Brody: “Maybe he likes metal.”
Julian Ward: “I suspect there is considerably more calculation involved.”
Severin Crowne begins his walk toward the ring.
As he passes Tin Man, he briefly meets his eyes.
No words are exchanged.
Tin Man does not move.
Severin Crowne climbs the steps and enters.
At center ring, Louie Linville raises the microphone.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is scheduled for one fall!”
The crowd responds.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first, accompanied to the ring by Tin Man…”
Scarecrow sways slowly in his corner.
Louie Linville: “From the forgotten fields beyond the road… Scarecrow!”
The crowd gives Scarecrow a strong reaction.
Louie Linville turns.
Louie Linville: “And his opponent…”
A quieter anticipation settles over the building.
Louie Linville: “Making his Dark Fable wrestling debut… Severin Crowne!”
Severin Crowne gives no gesture of acknowledgment.
He simply removes his outer jacket and hands it through the ropes.
His eyes again move toward Tin Man.
Then back to Scarecrow.
Referee ‘Honest’ Abe checks both competitors.
The bell rings.
Minute 1
Scarecrow comes forward immediately, trying to turn the debut into disorder before Severin Crowne can establish control.
Severin Crowne refuses to be rushed.
He catches Scarecrow during the approach and abruptly drives him into the canvas with Motion Denied, a sudden DDT delivered with almost no wasted movement.
Julian Ward: “Motion Denied! Severin Crowne wastes no time displaying that technical precision we have heard so much about.”
Brick Brody: “That was not pretty. That was efficient. I like efficient.”
But Scarecrow immediately answers.
As Severin Crowne attempts to continue pressing forward, Scarecrow catches him in a front cradle.
‘Honest’ Abe drops into position.
Severin Crowne escapes before the predicament can become decisive.
He rises quickly.
Instead of looking frustrated, he glances through the ropes.
Toward Tin Man.
Julian Ward: “Again.”
Brick Brody: “He is wrestling Scarecrow, but he keeps checking the other man.”
Julian Ward: “That is becoming difficult to dismiss as coincidence.”
Minute 2
Scarecrow takes advantage of Severin Crowne’s momentary repositioning.
He drives forward and sends the debuting competitor overhead with a back body drop.
Severin Crowne lands hard.
Julian Ward: “Back body drop by Scarecrow, and this is precisely the kind of unpredictability Severin Crowne acknowledged earlier.”
Brick Brody: “You can make all the political calculations you want. Gravity still votes.”
Scarecrow stalks after him.
Severin Crowne attempts to defend against the attack but cannot prevent Scarecrow from maintaining control.
At ringside, Tin Man remains motionless.
Severin Crowne looks toward him briefly while pulling himself back to his feet.
Julian Ward: “There is that attention toward Tin Man again.”
Brick Brody: “If I were Scarecrow, I would start taking that personally.”
Minute 3
Severin Crowne changes the pace.
He catches Scarecrow, redirects him toward the ropes, and uses the rebound to execute State Sanction.
The slingshot suplex drives Scarecrow hard onto his back.
Julian Ward: “State Sanction from Severin Crowne!”
Brick Brody: “Now that had some authority behind it.”
Scarecrow absorbs the punishment and rolls toward the ropes.
Severin Crowne does not immediately pursue.
Instead, he adjusts his position so that Tin Man is directly within his line of sight.
Tin Man stares back.
Julian Ward: “He is studying him.”
Brick Brody: “Maybe.”
Julian Ward: “You do not believe that?”
Brick Brody: “Oh, I believe it. I just want to know why.”
Severin Crowne finally turns away and returns to Scarecrow.
Minute 4
Both men initially hesitate.
Scarecrow braces for another attack.
Severin Crowne waits.
For several seconds neither man commits.
Then Severin Crowne suddenly steps through the opening.
He secures Scarecrow and drops him with a Pileriver.
Scarecrow attempts to defend but cannot stop the impact.
The crowd reacts sharply.
Julian Ward: “Pileriver by Severin Crowne! He waited for Scarecrow to commit his balance and attacked the instant the opening appeared.”
Brick Brody: “That is what bothers me about this guy.”
Julian Ward: “His patience?”
Brick Brody: “No. How much he enjoys being patient.”
Severin Crowne remains kneeling beside Scarecrow for a moment.
His gaze again drifts toward the floor.
Tin Man has not moved.
Minute 5
Scarecrow fights his way upright.
Severin Crowne immediately attacks again.
A second Pileriver drives Scarecrow down.
But this time Scarecrow catches the arm during the transition and answers with a power arm bar.
Severin Crowne’s expression tightens as Scarecrow wrenches the limb.
Julian Ward: “Excellent counter from Scarecrow. Severin Crowne got the impact he wanted, but Scarecrow turned the exchange into an attack on the arm.”
Brick Brody: “That is what I like about Scarecrow. Nothing about him says conventional wrestler, but he understands pain perfectly well.”
Severin Crowne works his way free.
As he reaches one knee, his eyes again move toward Tin Man.
This time Scarecrow notices.
Scarecrow looks toward his companion.
Then back toward Severin Crowne.
Julian Ward: “And now Scarecrow has noticed it as well.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Maybe somebody will finally ask what the rest of us are thinking.”
Minute 6
Scarecrow does not give Severin Crowne time to continue observing anything.
He charges across the ring.
Haymaker Lariat.
The blow crashes into Severin Crowne and turns him inside out.
The crowd comes alive.
Julian Ward: “Haymaker Lariat! Severin Crowne absorbed every bit of that!”
Brick Brody: “There is your welcome to Dark Fable!”
Severin Crowne lies on the canvas for several seconds.
Scarecrow stands over him, arms hanging loosely at his sides.
At ringside, Tin Man takes one small step closer to the apron.
Julian Ward: “For the first time tonight, Severin Crowne looks genuinely shaken.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Now we learn whether the strategist can still think after somebody rattles the filing cabinets.”
Severin Crowne rolls onto his side.
Even now, once his vision clears, he notices Tin Man’s changed position.
Minute 7
Both men reset cautiously.
Neither finds an immediate advantage.
Then the pace suddenly accelerates.
Severin Crowne catches Scarecrow with Motion Denied.
The sudden DDT drives him down.
Scarecrow, however, recovers quickly enough to answer with another back body drop when Severin Crowne attempts to follow.
Julian Ward: “Motion Denied again, but Scarecrow answers immediately!”
Brick Brody: “That is the problem with trying to control somebody who does not care whether the match makes sense.”
Severin Crowne rolls toward the ropes after the back body drop.
He uses them to pull himself upright.
Across the ring, Scarecrow beckons him forward.
Severin Crowne briefly looks past him.
Toward Tin Man.
Then returns his attention to the match.
Julian Ward: “Whatever interest Severin Crowne has in Tin Man, Scarecrow is making certain he pays for every moment his attention wanders.”
Minute 8
Scarecrow presses his advantage.
Another back body drop sends Severin Crowne crashing onto the canvas.
This time Severin Crowne attempts to defend the lift but cannot prevent it.
Julian Ward: “Another back body drop! Scarecrow is beginning to find something that works repeatedly.”
Brick Brody: “Then keep doing it until the fancy man stops getting up.”
Scarecrow circles.
Severin Crowne remains down for a moment before rolling toward the corner.
His breathing has grown heavier.
The immaculate composure is still present, but now it requires effort.
Julian Ward: “This has become a very real test for Severin Crowne.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Debuts should hurt.”
At ringside, Tin Man watches closely.
When Severin Crowne sees him this time, he gives the slightest nod.
Tin Man offers no response.
Minute 9
Severin Crowne rises and changes tactics again.
He catches Scarecrow and drives him over with another State Sanction.
Scarecrow attempts to answer by controlling the head with a headlock.
For several seconds the two struggle for positional control.
Julian Ward: “State Sanction connects, but Scarecrow keeps fighting for control immediately afterward.”
Brick Brody: “That is smart. Do not give Severin Crowne time to think.”
Julian Ward: “You believe thinking is his greatest weapon?”
Brick Brody: “Look at him. Of course it is.”
Severin Crowne works his way out of the headlock.
He does not retreat.
Instead, he begins methodically positioning Scarecrow’s arm.
Julian Ward: “Watch the arm.”
Brick Brody: “Now he has something in mind.”
Minute 10
Severin Crowne traps the arm.
He steps through.
Then turns Scarecrow down to the canvas.
The Veto.
The arm-trapped crossface is secured immediately.
Julian Ward: “The Veto! Severin Crowne has it locked in!”
Scarecrow tries to absorb the pressure.
He reaches forward with his free hand.
The ropes are too far away.
Severin Crowne pulls backward, controlling both the trapped arm and the head.
Brick Brody: “That is tight. There is nowhere for Scarecrow to turn.”
Tin Man steps closer to the apron.
For the first time tonight, Severin Crowne does not look at him.
His entire focus remains on increasing the pressure.
Julian Ward: “Scarecrow is trapped in the center of the ring!”
Scarecrow reaches again.
Nothing.
Severin Crowne cinches The Veto deeper.
Scarecrow submits.
The bell rings.
Julian Ward: “Scarecrow submits! Severin Crowne wins his Dark Fable debut!”
Severin Crowne releases The Veto immediately.
He rises to one knee.
No celebration.
No raised fists.
No visible release of emotion.
He looks directly at Tin Man.
At center ring, Louie Linville raises the microphone.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner by submission… Severin Crowne!”
The crowd responds with a mixture of applause and unease.
‘Honest’ Abe raises Severin Crowne’s arm.
Severin Crowne allows it for only a moment before pulling away.
Scarecrow rolls toward the opposite side of the ring, recovering from The Veto.
Tin Man moves toward him.
Then Severin Crowne approaches the ropes.
Julian Ward: “Now what is this?”
Brick Brody: “Here we go.”
Severin Crowne reaches beneath the waistband of his ring attire and removes a small black card.
He steps through the ropes and drops to the floor.
Tin Man turns toward him.
The two men stand face-to-face.
Scarecrow, still inside the ring, watches from behind the ropes.
Severin Crowne says nothing.
He simply extends the card.
Tin Man looks down at it.
Then at Severin Crowne.
After several long seconds, Tin Man takes it.
The crowd murmurs.
Julian Ward: “A business card.”
Brick Brody: “There is your answer.”
Julian Ward: “Perhaps only another question.”
Severin Crowne gives Tin Man a restrained nod.
Then he walks away.
No handshake.
No explanation.
Tin Man remains standing at ringside with the card in his hand.
Behind him, Scarecrow has pulled himself upright against the ropes.
His attention is no longer on the pain in his neck.
It is on the card.
And on Tin Man.
The camera cuts back to commentary.
Julian Ward: “A successful wrestling debut for Severin Crowne, but somehow the result may not be the most significant thing we just witnessed. Throughout this contest, his attention repeatedly returned to Tin Man.”
Brick Brody: “Then the second the match ended, he handed him a card. That was not admiration, Julian Ward. That was recruitment.”
Julian Ward: “We do not know that. What we do know is that Severin Crowne defeated a dangerous and unconventional opponent cleanly in his first Dark Fable match, forcing Scarecrow to submit to The Veto. And moments later, he made certain Tin Man had a way to contact him.”
The camera returns one final time to ringside.
Tin Man looks down at the black card.
Scarecrow stands behind him.
Watching.
Julian Ward: “Earlier tonight, Severin Crowne insisted he was merely being helpful.”
Brick Brody: “Yeah.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “He looks helpful.”
Julian Ward: “The question is what accepting that help eventually costs.”
RESULT: SEVERIN CROWNE DEFEATS SCARECROW BY SUBMISSION WITH THE VETO IN MINUTE 10.
The arena darkens.
A low horn sounds through Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum.
Heavy red-and-gold light spreads across the entranceway as Prince John emerges first.
The reaction is immediate.
Boos pour down from the stands.
Prince John stops beneath the entrance arch and slowly raises one hand, demanding recognition that the crowd has absolutely no intention of giving him.
Behind him comes Brute Bailiff.
Then Will Scarlett.
And finally the new Eternal Flame Champion, the Sheriff of Nottingham.
The Eternal Flame Championship rests prominently around the Sheriff of Nottingham’s waist.
He walks several steps ahead of the others, posture straighter than it was only one week ago.
Julian Ward: “One week ago, the Sheriff of Nottingham entered this arena as a challenger. Tonight, he walks into this six-man tag team contest as the Eternal Flame Champion.”
Brick Brody: “And you can tell he likes the weight of that thing.”
Julian Ward: “He survived forty-four minutes and three falls against Raigen to win it.”
Brick Brody: “Survived? He finished the job. Everybody else can argue about methods.”
Julian Ward: “Particularly when one of those methods involved Prince John.”
At the front of the procession, Prince John turns and presents the Sheriff of Nottingham to the crowd as though unveiling a monument.
The champion removes the title and raises it.
The boos intensify.
Brick Brody: “Listen to them. That belt already makes people angry.”
Julian Ward: “Perhaps the man wearing it contributes.”
Will Scarlett slides beneath the ropes.
Brute Bailiff climbs onto the apron and steps over the middle rope.
The Sheriff of Nottingham enters last.
Prince John remains outside.
The lighting shifts.
A lute chord cuts through the arena.
Green light moves across the entrance stage.
Allan A Dale steps through the curtain.
The audience responds warmly.
He gestures toward the ring, but he does not begin walking.
Another roar rises.
Robin Hood emerges beside him.
The noise grows louder.
Julian Ward: “And here come two men whose battles against Nottingham require very little explanation.”
Brick Brody: “That is the problem with these Sherwood people. They never know when they have lost.”
Julian Ward: “Some would call that resistance.”
Brick Brody: “I call it bad survival instinct.”
Then the lights turn crimson.
A deep percussion begins.
A circle resembling a blood-red moon forms across the stage screen.
A third figure emerges.
The Blood-Moon Warden.
The reaction changes from recognition to curiosity.
He stands between Allan A Dale and Robin Hood.
For several seconds, he simply stares toward the ring.
Toward the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Julian Ward: “And tonight marks the in-ring debut of the Blood-Moon Warden.”
Brick Brody: “He picked an interesting night for it.”
Julian Ward: “His first match in NPCW places him opposite the Eternal Flame Champion.”
Brick Brody: “That is better than beating some nobody. You want people to remember your first night? Hurt somebody important.”
The three men begin their walk toward the ring.
The Sheriff of Nottingham steps forward inside the ropes.
The Blood-Moon Warden does not break eye contact.
At ringside, Prince John notices.
He says something toward the champion.
The Sheriff of Nottingham dismisses him with a small wave.
Allan A Dale, Robin Hood, and the Blood-Moon Warden enter together.
The six competitors separate into opposite corners.
Referee ‘Slow-Count’ Sam stands between them.
At center ring, Louie Linville raises the microphone.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is a six-man tag team match!”
The crowd cheers.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first, accompanied by Prince John…”
The boos return.
Louie Linville: “Brute Bailiff… Will Scarlett… and the reigning Eternal Flame Champion… the Sheriff of Nottingham!”
The Sheriff of Nottingham raises the championship.
Prince John applauds vigorously from the floor.
Louie Linville: “And their opponents…”
The crowd rises.
Louie Linville: “Allan A Dale… Robin Hood… and making his wrestling debut tonight… the Blood-Moon Warden!”
The Blood-Moon Warden steps forward as the crowd reacts.
Louie Linville exits.
The championship is handed to ringside.
‘Slow-Count’ Sam calls for the bell.
Allan A Dale begins against Brute Bailiff.
The bell rings.
Minute 1
Allan A Dale immediately uses movement.
He creates space and fires a Dropkick into Brute Bailiff.
The larger man absorbs the blow and answers by stepping through it.
Heavy Hammer Fists crash down in succession.
Julian Ward: “Dropkick from Allan A Dale, but Brute Bailiff answers with that Hammer Fist Barrage.”
Brick Brody: “That is the difference in those two men. Allan A Dale wants rhythm. Brute Bailiff wants percussion.”
Another Hammer Fist drives Allan A Dale backward.
Brute Bailiff has established the harder impact early.
He turns toward his corner.
Tag to Will Scarlett.
Julian Ward: “Quick change from Nottingham’s side. Will Scarlett enters.”
Brick Brody: “Keep fresh men coming. Six-man matches reward teams that understand when to leave.”
Minute 2
Will Scarlett comes in aggressively.
Allan A Dale catches him first.
He secures him and drops him with a Piledriver.
Will Scarlett absorbs the impact but responds almost immediately with a Snapmare Facebreaker Knee Smash.
Julian Ward: “Piledriver from Allan A Dale! And Will Scarlett fires back with that knee directly into the face.”
Brick Brody: “Nobody is getting a free exchange tonight.”
Allan A Dale reaches toward his corner.
A hand is waiting.
The crowd rises.
Tag.
The Blood-Moon Warden enters his first official minute of competition.
Julian Ward: “And here we go. The debut begins.”
Across the ring, Will Scarlett grins and gestures for him to come forward.
Minute 3
The Blood-Moon Warden does.
The pace erupts.
Allan A Dale and Robin Hood enter with him as the Sherwood side launches a rapid three-man attack.
The Blood-Moon Warden drives Will Scarlett down with the Blood-Moon Drop.
Allan A Dale follows with a Knee Lift.
Robin Hood adds a Superkick.
Julian Ward: “Blood-Moon Drop! Knee Lift from Allan A Dale! Superkick from Robin Hood!”
But Will Scarlett refuses to disappear beneath the assault.
He catches the incoming Blood-Moon Warden with a Codebreaker.
Brick Brody: “And Will Scarlett answers all three of them with one shot!”
Julian Ward: “An extraordinary opening exchange for the Blood-Moon Warden, but Will Scarlett made certain the debut came with an immediate price.”
‘Slow-Count’ Sam forces the extra competitors back toward their respective corners.
The Blood-Moon Warden and Will Scarlett remain legal.
Minute 4
Both men attack at the same moment.
The Blood-Moon Warden connects with a Dropkick.
Will Scarlett rebounds and catches him with another Snapmare Facebreaker Knee Smash.
Julian Ward: “Dropkick from the Blood-Moon Warden, and again Will Scarlett answers with that knee.”
Brick Brody: “The rookie looks good.”
Julian Ward: “Rookie?”
Brick Brody: “Debut is a debut.”
Julian Ward: “And he has shown no hesitation whatsoever.”
The Blood-Moon Warden regains his footing quickly.
Will Scarlett glances toward his corner.
Prince John is already shouting instructions.
Minute 5
Will Scarlett reaches toward the corner.
The Sheriff of Nottingham begins entering with him.
The intention is clear.
Two-on-one.
Will Scarlett prepares for a Tope Con Giro.
The Sheriff of Nottingham sets himself for a Springboard Dropkick.
But the Blood-Moon Warden reads the situation.
He avoids the converging attack and reverses the entire sequence.
Neither Will Scarlett nor the Sheriff of Nottingham lands anything.
The Blood-Moon Warden turns and fires another Dropkick.
The crowd erupts.
Julian Ward: “The Blood-Moon Warden saw it coming! Nottingham tried to overwhelm him, and he turned the double-team attack against them!”
Brick Brody: “That was impressive.”
Julian Ward: “High praise.”
Brick Brody: “Do not make me repeat it.”
At ringside, Prince John throws both hands outward in frustration.
Sheriff of Nottingham returns to the apron.
Will Scarlett remains legal.
Minute 6
The Blood-Moon Warden catches the arm.
He transitions into an Armbar.
Will Scarlett fights through the position and creates separation.
Then the Superkick lands.
The Blood-Moon Warden’s head snaps backward.
Julian Ward: “Armbar from the Blood-Moon Warden, but Will Scarlett answers with the Superkick!”
Brick Brody: “That is the first real welcome-to-the-division shot.”
Will Scarlett does not follow further.
He turns.
Tag.
The Sheriff of Nottingham steps through the ropes.
The audience gets louder.
The champion removes an imaginary speck from his shoulder before approaching.
The Blood-Moon Warden waits.
Julian Ward: “Now this is what many in this building wanted to see.”
Brick Brody: “Debutant against champion.”
Minute 7
Neither man retreats.
The Blood-Moon Warden lands first with a sharp Elbow Smash.
The Sheriff of Nottingham answers by sweeping him down with a Russian Legsweep.
Julian Ward: “Elbow Smash by the Blood-Moon Warden. Russian Legsweep from the Eternal Flame Champion.”
Brick Brody: “And look at the rookie get back up.”
The Blood-Moon Warden rises immediately.
The Sheriff of Nottingham studies him.
At ringside, Prince John stops shouting for the first time.
Julian Ward: “The champion may have expected more hesitation.”
Brick Brody: “Then he has not been watching.”
Minute 8
The Blood-Moon Warden shoots low.
He takes control of the legs.
He turns the Sheriff of Nottingham over.
Boston Crab.
The champion reaches toward the ropes but cannot immediately escape.
Julian Ward: “Boston Crab! The Sheriff of Nottingham is trapped!”
Brick Brody: “First match and he is putting the champion through the grinder.”
The Sheriff of Nottingham attempts to defend but cannot break the hold immediately.
The Blood-Moon Warden eventually releases and quickly turns the position into a pinning attempt.
‘Slow-Count’ Sam drops down.
One.
The Sheriff of Nottingham kicks out.
Julian Ward: “Only one.”
Brick Brody: “That count felt like winter.”
Julian Ward: “His name is ‘Slow-Count’ Sam for a reason.”
Prince John shouts from the floor that the count was still somehow too fast.
Julian Ward: “Apparently not slow enough for Prince John.”
Minute 9
The Blood-Moon Warden comes forward again.
Forearm Smash.
The champion staggers through the ropes.
Then suddenly the Sheriff of Nottingham launches himself outward with a Suicide Dive.
Both men crash to the floor.
Julian Ward: “Forearm by the Blood-Moon Warden! Suicide Dive from the Sheriff of Nottingham!”
Brick Brody: “There is the champion. Stop letting the new guy introduce himself and hit him.”
Sheriff of Nottingham pushes himself upright first.
The Blood-Moon Warden follows.
They return inside before ‘Slow-Count’ Sam can become a larger factor.
Julian Ward: “Neither man has established clear control. They are exchanging damage almost evenly.”
Minute 10
The Blood-Moon Warden catches the champion again.
He takes the legs.
Turns him.
The Warden Lock.
The Scorpion Deathlock is secured.
The crowd surges to its feet.
Julian Ward: “Warden Lock! The Blood-Moon Warden has the Eternal Flame Champion trapped!”
The Sheriff of Nottingham grimaces.
He refuses to submit.
The Blood-Moon Warden pulls backward.
Brick Brody: “Now this is interesting.”
Julian Ward: “The champion is in serious trouble.”
Prince John moves closer to the apron.
Sheriff of Nottingham continues fighting.
He will not submit.
Eventually the hold is broken.
The Blood-Moon Warden looks toward his corner.
Tag to Allan A Dale.
Julian Ward: “The champion survives the Warden Lock.”
Brick Brody: “But now Allan A Dale gets him after somebody else softened his legs.”
Minute 11
Allan A Dale immediately attempts the Travelling Troubador.
The Sheriff of Nottingham anticipates the swinging neckbreaker.
He reverses.
German Suplex.
Allan A Dale lands hard.
Julian Ward: “Travelling Troubador reversed! German Suplex by the Sheriff of Nottingham!”
Brick Brody: “That is championship awareness. He recognized the setup before Allan A Dale completed it.”
Allan A Dale attempts to defend the throw but cannot.
The champion uses the momentum to regain some breathing room.
Prince John applauds from ringside.
Julian Ward: “The Sheriff of Nottingham desperately needed that reversal.”
Minute 12
Allan A Dale refuses to let him rest.
Gutwrench Suplex.
The champion hits hard but comes back immediately.
Springboard Dropkick.
Allan A Dale is sent backward.
Julian Ward: “Gutwrench Suplex from Allan A Dale!”
Brick Brody: “And that Springboard Dropkick answered it!”
Both men remain active.
Neither controls the exchange for long.
The Sherwood corner urges Allan A Dale forward.
The Nottingham corner does the same for the champion.
Julian Ward: “This has become a war of accumulation.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Those are the ones you remember the next morning.”
Minute 13
Allan A Dale finds another opening.
He catches the Sheriff of Nottingham and drives him down with a Scoop Powerslam.
The champion absorbs the full impact.
Allan A Dale immediately covers.
‘Slow-Count’ Sam drops.
One.
The Sheriff of Nottingham kicks out.
Julian Ward: “Again only one.”
Brick Brody: “Allan A Dale did not get much out of that cover.”
Julian Ward: “But he continues forcing the champion to expend energy.”
Allan A Dale looks toward his corner.
Tag.
Robin Hood enters.
The crowd rises.
The Sheriff of Nottingham pulls himself upright.
The two rivals come face-to-face.
Minute 14
The building gets louder.
Robin Hood attacks.
Pumphandle Kneecap Brainbuster.
The Sheriff of Nottingham responds with the Execution Order.
The Death Valley Driver plants Robin Hood.
Julian Ward: “Pumphandle Kneecap Brainbuster from Robin Hood! Execution Order from the Sheriff of Nottingham!”
The champion covers.
‘Slow-Count’ Sam begins.
One.
Two.
Robin Hood kicks out.
The crowd erupts.
Brick Brody: “That was closer.”
Julian Ward: “The Sheriff of Nottingham nearly pinned Robin Hood with the Execution Order.”
Robin Hood rolls toward his corner.
The Blood-Moon Warden reaches down.
Tag.
Julian Ward: “And the Blood-Moon Warden wants the champion again.”
Minute 15
The Sheriff of Nottingham charges with a Lariat.
The Blood-Moon Warden sees it.
He neutralizes the attack completely.
The champion stumbles through after missing.
The Blood-Moon Warden turns to face him.
Julian Ward: “Lariat avoided. The Blood-Moon Warden has repeatedly shown remarkable defensive awareness tonight.”
Brick Brody: “He does not look overwhelmed.”
Julian Ward: “Not even slightly.”
Prince John begins pounding the apron.
The Sheriff of Nottingham looks toward him in irritation.
Brick Brody: “The champion is getting annoyed.”
Julian Ward: “And annoyance against an unfamiliar opponent can become dangerous.”
Minute 16
The Blood-Moon Warden attacks again.
He secures the legs.
But the Sheriff of Nottingham fights back with a Snap Brainbuster during the struggle.
The Blood-Moon Warden absorbs the impact and still manages to complete the Warden Lock.
The Scorpion Deathlock is cinched in for the second time.
The crowd explodes.
Julian Ward: “Again! Warden Lock for the second time tonight!”
Brick Brody: “And after that Brainbuster!”
The Sheriff of Nottingham refuses to surrender.
His face contorts under the pressure.
Prince John screams toward ‘Slow-Count’ Sam.
The Blood-Moon Warden pulls harder.
Still no submission.
Eventually the hold is released.
The Blood-Moon Warden turns to the Sherwood corner.
Tag to Robin Hood.
Julian Ward: “Twice the Blood-Moon Warden has trapped the Eternal Flame Champion in the Warden Lock. Twice the champion has survived.”
Brick Brody: “That matters too. He did not quit.”
Minute 17
Robin Hood enters and immediately takes the Sheriff of Nottingham over with a German Suplex.
The champion responds by sweeping Robin Hood down with another Russian Legsweep.
Julian Ward: “German Suplex from Robin Hood.”
Brick Brody: “Russian Legsweep answers it.”
Robin Hood rises first.
The champion follows.
Both men are showing the accumulation of seventeen minutes of constant exchanges.
Julian Ward: “The Sheriff of Nottingham has spent a long stretch of this match as the legal man.”
Brick Brody: “And that is dangerous in a six-man tag.”
Julian Ward: “Especially with fresh partners still waiting.”
At the opposite corner, Brute Bailiff and Will Scarlett both extend their hands.
The Sheriff of Nottingham ignores them.
Minute 18
Both competitors hesitate briefly.
Then the exchange resumes.
Robin Hood executes another German Suplex.
The Sheriff of Nottingham fires back yet again with his Springboard Dropkick.
Julian Ward: “Another German Suplex from Robin Hood!”
Brick Brody: “And the champion keeps answering!”
The Springboard Dropkick sends Robin Hood backward.
Neither man goes down for long.
Julian Ward: “There is pride involved now.”
Brick Brody: “There was pride involved before the bell.”
Julian Ward: “But now the Sheriff of Nottingham appears determined to prove he can finish this without leaving the ring.”
Brick Brody: “That may be pride.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “Or stupidity.”
Minute 19
Robin Hood changes the attack.
He catches the champion coming forward.
Pop Up Powerbomb.
The Sheriff of Nottingham crashes down.
But again he responds.
Springboard Dropkick.
Both men land major offense.
Julian Ward: “Pop Up Powerbomb!”
Brick Brody: “Springboard Dropkick again!”
The audience is on its feet.
Robin Hood staggers toward his corner.
He reaches.
Allan A Dale tags in.
Julian Ward: “Allan A Dale returns, and the champion still refuses to make that tag.”
At ringside, Prince John is visibly demanding that the Sheriff of Nottingham leave the ring.
The champion ignores him.
Minute 20
That decision immediately costs him nothing.
The Sheriff of Nottingham charges forward with a Lariat.
It catches Allan A Dale cleanly.
Allan A Dale cannot defend against it.
Julian Ward: “Lariat from the Sheriff of Nottingham!”
Brick Brody: “Maybe the champion knows exactly what he is doing.”
Allan A Dale is knocked backward.
The Sheriff of Nottingham remains standing.
He points toward the Eternal Flame Championship at ringside.
Then toward Allan A Dale.
Julian Ward: “The champion believes he has control.”
Brick Brody: “Then finish it.”
Allan A Dale pulls himself upright.
He looks across the ring.
The crowd begins to rise.
Minute 21
Allan A Dale moves first.
He catches the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Final Verse.
The champion crashes down.
But the Sheriff of Nottingham answers during the exchange with a Snap Brainbuster.
Both men have landed significant offense.
Julian Ward: “Final Verse! Snap Brainbuster!”
Allan A Dale falls across the champion.
‘Slow-Count’ Sam drops to the canvas.
One.
The Nottingham corner erupts.
Two.
Prince John begins screaming.
Three.
The bell rings.
The coliseum explodes.
Julian Ward: “He got him! Allan A Dale has pinned the Eternal Flame Champion!”
Brick Brody: “Oh, that is going to make Nottingham miserable.”
Prince John freezes.
Will Scarlett stares through the ropes.
Brute Bailiff slams one hand against the turnbuckle.
The Sheriff of Nottingham lies on the canvas for several seconds, stunned by the result.
Allan A Dale rolls away.
Robin Hood and the Blood-Moon Warden enter the ring.
They pull Allan A Dale to his feet.
At center ring, Louie Linville raises the microphone.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, your winners… Allan A Dale… the Blood-Moon Warden… and Robin Hood!”
The crowd roars.
Allan A Dale’s arm is raised.
Robin Hood stands beside him.
The Blood-Moon Warden turns and looks toward the opposite side of the ring.
The Sheriff of Nottingham is now sitting against the bottom turnbuckle.
Their eyes meet.
The champion remembers the two Warden Locks.
Now he has another problem.
Julian Ward: “A remarkable debut for the Blood-Moon Warden, who twice trapped the Eternal Flame Champion in the Warden Lock and repeatedly matched him exchange for exchange.”
Brick Brody: “But do not steal the finish from Allan A Dale. He pinned the champion.”
Julian Ward: “Absolutely. After twenty-one punishing minutes, Allan A Dale caught the Sheriff of Nottingham with Final Verse and secured the three-count.”
Brick Brody: “One week after winning the Eternal Flame Championship.”
A grin spreads across his face.
Brick Brody: “That belt is already making his life harder.”
The camera cuts to Prince John outside the ring.
He is furious.
The Sheriff of Nottingham rolls beneath the bottom rope and takes his championship from ringside.
He looks at it.
Then back toward the three victorious men.
Julian Ward: “The Sheriff of Nottingham remains Eternal Flame Champion tonight.”
A pause.
Julian Ward: “But Allan A Dale has just proven that the champion can be beaten.”
Brick Brody: “And the new guy made him survive the same submission twice.”
Julian Ward: “For Nottingham, the celebration of last week lasted precisely seven days.”
The Blood-Moon Warden stands in the center of the ring as Robin Hood raises Allan A Dale’s arm beside him.
Across the aisle, the Sheriff of Nottingham retreats with Prince John, Will Scarlett, and Brute Bailiff.
He never takes his eyes off the ring.
RESULT: ALLAN A DALE, BLOOD-MOON WARDEN & ROBIN HOOD DEFEAT WILL SCARLETT, SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM & BRUTE BAILIFF WHEN ALLAN A DALE PINS SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM WITH FINAL VERSE IN MINUTE 21.
The broadcast cuts backstage.
The Dark Fable interview area is lit beneath cold silver light.
Hana Nakamura stands at center frame with a microphone in hand.
Beside her are Raigen and Taro Okami.
There is one immediately noticeable absence.
The Eternal Flame Championship.
For weeks, the title had become part of Raigen’s silhouette.
Tonight, there is only the man who once carried it.
Hana Nakamura turns toward her brother.
For a moment there is something more personal in her expression.
Then the interviewer takes over.
Hana Nakamura: “Raigen, last week you entered Dark Fable as Eternal Flame Champion. Forty-four minutes and three falls later, the Sheriff of Nottingham left with that championship.”
Raigen gives a slow nod.
Hana Nakamura: “You won the first fall. You fought through everything that followed. But ultimately, the Sheriff of Nottingham forced you to submit in the deciding fall.”
Raigen: “He did.”
There is no excuse in the answer.
No hesitation.
Hana Nakamura: “How difficult has it been accepting that?”
Raigen looks down briefly.
Then back toward her.
Raigen: “Accepting it is not the difficult part.”
He pauses.
Raigen: “Living with it is.”
His expression remains controlled.
Raigen: “I earned the Eternal Flame Championship.”
Raigen: “And last week, I lost it.”
Hana Nakamura: “Even knowing Severin Crowne provided the Sheriff of Nottingham with information about your weaknesses?”
A slight tension enters Raigen’s jaw.
Raigen: “Information did not make me submit.”
A beat.
Raigen: “The Sheriff of Nottingham did.”
Hana Nakamura studies him.
Raigen: “I can blame Prince John.”
Raigen: “I can blame Severin Crowne.”
Raigen: “I can spend every day asking what the Sheriff of Nottingham knew before that match.”
He shakes his head.
Raigen: “None of that changes what happened.”
Hana Nakamura: “So where does that leave you?”
Raigen: “At the beginning.”
Hana Nakamura: “You believe you have to start from the bottom again?”
Raigen: “I lost the championship.”
His answer is immediate.
Raigen: “That means I do not stand at the front of the line anymore.”
He looks directly into the camera.
Raigen: “If I want another opportunity at the Eternal Flame, I earn it.”
Raigen: “Match by match.”
Raigen: “Victory by victory.”
Raigen: “Until there is no argument left.”
Taro Okami gives a quiet nod beside him.
Hana Nakamura: “But the Eternal Flame Championship has not been the only thing occupying your attention.”
The mood changes.
Hana Nakamura: “For weeks, a masked attacker has repeatedly appeared around your matches.”
Raigen’s expression hardens immediately.
Hana Nakamura: “Sometimes attacking you directly.”
Hana Nakamura: “Sometimes interfering.”
Hana Nakamura: “Always creating another problem between you and the Blood Oni Syndicate.”
Taro Okami remains still beside him.
Hana Nakamura: “And recently, there have been suggestions that the man underneath that mask might actually be Taro Okami.”
She looks between the two men.
Hana Nakamura: “At first, even you were not certain.”
Raigen turns toward Taro Okami.
Raigen: “No.”
He does not soften the admission.
Raigen: “I suspected him.”
Taro Okami looks back at him.
Raigen: “I saw enough things that did not make sense.”
Raigen: “Enough convenient timing.”
Raigen: “Enough moments where Lord Kurogami wanted me looking in one direction.”
He pauses.
Raigen: “And for a while, I looked.”
Hana Nakamura: “At Taro Okami.”
Raigen: “Yes.”
Silence hangs between them for a moment.
Hana Nakamura: “What changed?”
Raigen turns fully toward Taro Okami now.
Raigen: “I stopped looking at what Lord Kurogami wanted me to see.”
Then he faces Hana Nakamura again.
Raigen: “And started asking who benefited from it.”
Hana Nakamura: “You no longer believe Taro Okami is the masked attacker.”
Raigen: “No.”
The answer is firm.
Raigen: “I believe the masked man is exactly what he has always appeared to be.”
A pause.
Raigen: “Another weapon belonging to Lord Kurogami.”
Taro Okami: “The Blood Oni Syndicate does not always defeat someone by attacking them.”
His voice is quiet.
Deliberate.
Taro Okami: “Sometimes they make the person destroy what surrounds him first.”
Hana Nakamura: “And you believe that was the point?”
Raigen: “Absolutely.”
His anger remains contained.
Raigen: “Lord Kurogami could not separate us by force.”
He gestures subtly toward Taro Okami.
Raigen: “So he tried suspicion.”
Raigen: “The attacker appears around my matches.”
Raigen: “Clues begin pointing toward Taro Okami.”
Raigen: “Doubt grows.”
He gives a humorless half-smile.
Raigen: “And Lord Kurogami waits for me to do the rest.”
Hana Nakamura: “You think he wanted you to turn against Taro Okami.”
Raigen: “I think he expected me to.”
Taro Okami: “That would have been easier for him.”
Raigen looks toward him.
Taro Okami: “If you believed I was the attacker, he would never need to prove it.”
A beat.
Taro Okami: “He would only need you to believe it long enough.”
Hana Nakamura: “Does that suspicion create any damage between you?”
Neither answers immediately.
Then Raigen does.
Raigen: “It could have.”
He looks directly at Taro Okami.
Raigen: “That was the point.”
Taro Okami: “But it did not.”
Raigen: “No.”
The two men exchange a small nod.
Nothing theatrical.
Just understanding.
Hana Nakamura: “So what happens when the masked attacker appears again?”
Raigen’s expression turns colder.
Raigen: “Then I stop asking who he is.”
Hana Nakamura: “And start asking what?”
Raigen: “How much pain Lord Kurogami is willing to let one of his agents suffer for him.”
Hana Nakamura lets that answer sit for a moment.
Then she shifts the subject.
Hana Nakamura: “Tonight, however, you have another problem.”
She looks toward both men.
Hana Nakamura: “The Gods of War.”
Taro Okami: “An established team.”
Hana Nakamura: “And that matters. They have fought together repeatedly. They know each other’s timing. They understand positioning. They do not have to wonder where their partner will be.”
Raigen: “Neither do we.”
Hana Nakamura: “After everything we just discussed, you can say that?”
Raigen: “Especially after everything we just discussed.”
He looks toward Taro Okami.
Raigen: “If Lord Kurogami wanted uncertainty between us, then tonight is where we answer him.”
Taro Okami: “Not with words.”
Raigen: “With results.”
Hana Nakamura: “And for you personally, does defeating the Gods of War become the first step back toward the Eternal Flame Championship?”
Raigen considers the question.
Raigen: “Every match from this point forward is part of that road.”
His voice becomes more deliberate.
Raigen: “I know what it means to carry the Eternal Flame.”
Raigen: “I know what it cost to earn it.”
A pause.
Raigen: “Now I know what it costs to lose it.”
He stares into the camera.
Raigen: “The next time I reach it, I intend to arrive stronger than the man who lost it.”
Hana Nakamura: “And if that eventually brings you back to the Sheriff of Nottingham?”
Raigen: “Then he will meet the version of me that earned the rematch.”
A brief silence.
Taro Okami steps slightly forward beside him.
Taro Okami: “But first…”
He looks toward the camera.
Taro Okami: “The Gods of War.”
Raigen: “First, the Gods of War.”
Hana Nakamura turns toward the audience.
Hana Nakamura: “Raigen begins his climb back toward the Eternal Flame tonight, and perhaps just as importantly, the attempt to divide him from Taro Okami appears to have failed.”
She glances toward her brother.
Hana Nakamura: “Raigen and Taro Okami against the Gods of War, later tonight.”
Raigen and Taro Okami leave the interview area side by side.
The camera remains on the corridor after they are gone.
The masked attacker remains unidentified.
But the purpose behind the mask is becoming clearer.
Whatever Lord Kurogami intended to break between Raigen and Taro Okami has survived.
For now.
The lights inside Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum fall into a dark crimson wash.
A warped carousel melody crawls through the arena.
Playing-card symbols begin rotating across the entrance screen before splintering into black and red shards.
Dark Hatter emerges first.
He pauses beneath the entrance arch, head tilted slightly, as though listening to something no one else can hear.
Behind him come Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, and Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades.
The Queens of Punishment walk toward the ring with none of the theatrical energy suggested by their escort.
Their expressions are cold.
Predatory.
Julian Ward: “The Queens of Punishment have made it very clear that they do not view this as merely another non-title contest.”
Brick Brody: “They should not. You beat the champions, you make people start asking why you do not have their belts.”
Julian Ward: “And Dark Hatter has proven repeatedly that his presence at ringside carries consequences.”
Brick Brody: “If the referee cannot stop him, that is everybody else’s problem.”
Dark Hatter turns slowly toward the ring as Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, and Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades climb onto the apron.
The music fades.
Then the arena brightens.
Gold and white light spread across the stage.
The North Star Tag Team Championships appear on the entrance screen.
The crowd rises.
Alice and Dorothy, the Blonde Bombshells, step through the curtain with the championships displayed prominently.
Alice carries hers over one shoulder.
Dorothy wears hers around her waist.
They stop at the top of the aisle and look toward the ring.
Dark Hatter smiles faintly.
Julian Ward: “The champions have survived every challenge placed before them, and tonight there are no championships at stake.”
Brick Brody: “Which means they better not wrestle like there is nothing to lose.”
Julian Ward: “A victory over the North Star Tag Team Champions would immediately elevate the Queens of Punishment.”
Brick Brody: “Exactly. The belts may not be on the line, but their position is.”
The Blonde Bombshells begin their walk toward ringside.
They enter together and immediately hold the championships up toward the Queens of Punishment.
Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, does not react.
Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, stares directly at Alice.
At center ring, Louie Linville raises the microphone.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is a non-title tag team match!”
The crowd responds.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first, accompanied to the ring by Dark Hatter…”
Boos roll through the building.
Louie Linville: “Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts… and Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades… the Queens of Punishment!”
Dark Hatter extends both arms toward them like a master presenting pieces on a board.
Louie Linville: “And their opponents…”
The crowd grows louder.
Louie Linville: “They are the reigning North Star Tag Team Champions… Alice and Dorothy… the Blonde Bombshells!”
The champions raise the titles.
Louie Linville exits.
Referee ‘Honest’ Abe takes possession of the championships and hands them to ringside.
Alice elects to begin.
Across from her stands Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts.
The bell rings.
Minute 1
Alice moves first.
She catches Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, by the arm and sends her over with an Over-the-Shoulder Armdrag.
The landing is awkward.
Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, immediately favors the affected side and struggles to reset.
Julian Ward: “Over-the-Shoulder Armdrag from Alice, and Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, came down badly.”
Brick Brody: “Then attack it.”
Julian Ward: “There is concern already around the Queens of Punishment corner.”
Dark Hatter leans closer to the apron.
Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, calls toward her partner.
Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, remains upright but is clearly compromised and unable to properly defend against the champion’s continued control.
Brick Brody: “If she cannot protect herself, this match can become very short.”
Minute 2
Alice does not hesitate.
She takes advantage of Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts’ difficulty defending and accelerates into the Wonderland Whirl Hurricanrana.
The Queen of Hearts is sent sharply across the canvas.
Julian Ward: “Wonderland Whirl from Alice! The champions have recognized the opening immediately.”
Brick Brody: “That is what champions are supposed to do. Sympathy belongs backstage.”
Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, rolls toward the ropes.
She is still visibly affected by the opening exchange.
Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, extends a hand from the corner.
Dark Hatter says something from the floor.
Whatever it is, Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, refuses to leave just yet.
Julian Ward: “She is hurt, but she is refusing the tag.”
Brick Brody: “Pride. Useful until it becomes expensive.”
Minute 3
Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, suddenly explodes forward.
Off With Their Heads.
The flying clothesline catches Alice flush and drives her down.
The crowd reacts to the sudden reversal.
Julian Ward: “Off With Their Heads! Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, found something despite the trouble she has been in.”
Brick Brody: “That is why you finish somebody when they are hurt.”
Alice absorbs the full impact and rolls toward her corner.
She tags Dorothy.
Across the ring, Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, finally makes the decision to leave.
Tag to Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades.
Julian Ward: “Both teams change at once. Dorothy and the Dark Duchess are legal.”
Minute 4
Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, enters immediately.
No hesitation.
She catches Dorothy and drives both knees into her face with Queen’s Checkmate.
Dorothy goes down hard.
Julian Ward: “Queen’s Checkmate from the Dark Duchess!”
Brick Brody: “That is how you make an entrance.”
Dorothy absorbs the strike but quickly realizes she needs separation.
She turns toward her corner.
Tag back to Alice.
Julian Ward: “Very quick return for Alice.”
Brick Brody: “Because Dorothy just got introduced to both knees.”
Minute 5
Alice attacks with speed.
Rabbit Hole DDT.
The Dark Duchess is driven into the canvas.
But as Alice attempts to continue, the Dark Duchess catches her and applies the Straight Jacket Choke.
Julian Ward: “Rabbit Hole DDT from Alice! And the Dark Duchess responds with the Straight Jacket Choke!”
Brick Brody: “Good exchange. One woman attacks the head, the other tries to shut down the neck.”
Alice fights free.
Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, decides not to remain in.
She tags Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts back into the match.
Julian Ward: “The Queen of Hearts returns.”
Brick Brody: “Let us see how much that arm is bothering her now.”
Minute 6
Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, does not test the arm.
She attacks with her entire body.
One Snap Suplex.
Then another.
Then another.
Alice is repeatedly driven down by the successive series.
Julian Ward: “Successive Snap Suplexes from Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts!”
Brick Brody: “That is your answer. Hurt or not, she can still throw somebody.”
Alice absorbs the punishment and tries to create distance.
The Queen of Hearts follows.
Julian Ward: “Whatever affected Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, early has not removed her from this match.”
Brick Brody: “Pain is information. She adjusted.”
Minute 7
Alice turns and catches her with a Forearm Smash.
The blow lands cleanly.
But Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, answers by lifting Alice into a Delayed Vertical Suplex.
She holds her there.
Then drops her.
Julian Ward: “Forearm from Alice, but the Delayed Vertical Suplex belongs to the Queen of Hearts.”
Brick Brody: “That was control.”
Both women look toward their corners.
Alice tags Dorothy.
Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, tags Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades.
Julian Ward: “Fresh competitors again.”
Minute 8
Dorothy enters with Alice joining her.
The champions begin working together.
Dorothy lands a Backhand Chop.
Alice follows with another Over-the-Shoulder Armdrag.
But Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, refuses to be overwhelmed.
She catches Dorothy and traps her in Spade’s Edge, the Crossface tightening around the head and shoulder.
Julian Ward: “The champions are combining offense, but the Dark Duchess has Spade’s Edge!”
Brick Brody: “That is one way to stop a two-on-one attack. Grab one and make her regret coming close.”
Dorothy fights against the Crossface while Alice remains close enough to keep pressure on the Dark Duchess.
Julian Ward: “A dangerous exchange for both teams. The champions are controlling numbers, but the Dark Duchess is finding individual openings.”
Minute 9
The tandem attack continues.
Dorothy catches the Dark Duchess with the Kansas Cyclone.
The Tornado DDT drives her down.
Before she can recover, Alice follows with the Wonderland Whirl Hurricanrana.
But again the Dark Duchess refuses to disappear.
She catches Dorothy with Queen’s Checkmate.
Both knees crash into the face.
Julian Ward: “Kansas Cyclone! Wonderland Whirl! And Queen’s Checkmate from the Dark Duchess!”
Brick Brody: “That woman is getting hit by two champions and still finding a way to hit back.”
Julian Ward: “But she is paying an enormous price.”
‘Honest’ Abe works to restore the proper legal structure.
The champions back away only briefly.
Minute 10
The Blonde Bombshells surge again.
Dorothy drives the Dark Duchess down with a Bulldog.
Alice follows immediately with another Wonderland Whirl Hurricanrana.
The Dark Duchess attempts to defend against the double-team offense but cannot.
Julian Ward: “Bulldog from Dorothy! Wonderland Whirl from Alice! The champions have found a sustained advantage.”
Brick Brody: “And this is where tag team experience matters. They are not giving the Dark Duchess time to breathe.”
Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, reaches toward her corner.
Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, stretches her hand out.
They cannot connect.
Dark Hatter begins pacing along the floor.
Julian Ward: “The Dark Duchess needs to reach the Queen of Hearts.”
Minute 11
The champions keep her isolated.
Dorothy lands a One-Armed Neckbreaker Slam.
Alice follows by applying a Keylock.
The Dark Duchess attempts to defend against the continued two-woman pressure but is unsuccessful.
Julian Ward: “One-Armed Neckbreaker Slam from Dorothy, and Alice immediately attacks the arm with the Keylock.”
Brick Brody: “This is a beating now.”
Julian Ward: “And notice the discipline. They are not simply throwing offense. They are preventing the Dark Duchess from reaching her partner.”
At ringside, Dark Hatter becomes more animated.
He begins talking toward Dorothy.
Softly at first.
Then more insistently.
Brick Brody: “There goes the Hatter.”
Julian Ward: “And that is rarely a positive development.”
Minute 12
Dorothy remains on the attack.
Kansas Cyclone.
The Tornado DDT drives the Dark Duchess down again.
But as Alice attempts to continue assisting, Dark Hatter moves closer.
His voice rises.
Strange, disorienting fragments are directed toward Dorothy.
Julian Ward: “Dark Hatter is trying to unravel Dorothy with those sinister whispers from ringside.”
Brick Brody: “Whatever he is saying, she is listening.”
Dorothy still lands the Kansas Cyclone, but the disturbance disrupts the champions’ rhythm.
Alice does not contribute to the exchange.
For the first time in several minutes, the Dark Duchess gains enough space to recover.
Julian Ward: “The champions still landed the larger blow, but Dark Hatter finally created hesitation.”
Brick Brody: “That is why you bring a manager.”
Minute 13
Everything breaks down.
Both teams surge into the ring.
Dorothy lands a Splash.
Alice drives the Dark Duchess down with the Rabbit Hole DDT.
The Dark Duchess answers by trapping Dorothy in a Camel Clutch.
Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, enters and begins throwing Alice through another series of Successive Snap Suplexes.
Julian Ward: “All four women are in the ring!”
Brick Brody: “Good. Stop pretending anybody respects tags now.”
Julian Ward: “Splash by Dorothy! Rabbit Hole DDT from Alice! Camel Clutch from the Dark Duchess! And the Queen of Hearts with those Snap Suplexes!”
The crowd rises as bodies scatter across the canvas.
‘Honest’ Abe finally begins forcing competitors back toward their corners.
Julian Ward: “The structure has completely collapsed.”
Brick Brody: “And somehow nobody got eliminated from the argument.”
Minute 14
Order returns with Dorothy and Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, legal.
Dorothy fires a Bicycle Kick.
The strike connects.
But before she can build further momentum, Dark Hatter again involves himself verbally.
He shifts along the floor and calls out toward Dorothy, deliberately drawing her attention toward the wrong side of the ring.
Julian Ward: “Bicycle Kick from Dorothy, but Dark Hatter is misdirecting her again!”
Brick Brody: “He is pointing her toward the trap.”
Dorothy turns just enough to create uncertainty.
The Dark Duchess capitalizes, regaining position.
The exchange evens out.
Julian Ward: “The champion landed the strike, but Dark Hatter prevented her from fully controlling what followed.”
Dorothy turns toward her corner.
Tag to Alice.
Minute 15
Alice comes in against the Dark Duchess.
She catches her with another Over-the-Shoulder Armdrag.
The Dark Duchess responds immediately with Forehand Chops.
One lands across the chest.
Then another.
Julian Ward: “Armdrag from Alice, and the Dark Duchess answers with those Forehand Chops.”
Brick Brody: “Neither woman has much left to waste.”
Alice absorbs the strikes and looks toward her corner.
Dorothy is waiting.
Tag.
Julian Ward: “The champions make another quick exchange.”
Brick Brody: “They smell the finish.”
Minute 16
Dorothy enters at speed.
She catches the Dark Duchess with a Bulldog.
The impact drives the Queen of Spades face-first into the canvas.
Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, tries to respond with Spade’s Edge, reaching for the Crossface.
But she cannot establish it.
Julian Ward: “Bulldog from Dorothy! The Dark Duchess tried to answer with Spade’s Edge, but she could not secure the hold!”
Dorothy turns her over.
Cover.
‘Honest’ Abe drops into position.
One.
Two.
Three.
The bell rings.
Julian Ward: “The champions win it!”
Brick Brody: “Sixteen minutes, and the Queens of Punishment made them earn every one of them.”
Dorothy rolls away as Alice enters the ring.
The Blonde Bombshells embrace briefly before ‘Honest’ Abe raises their hands.
At ringside, Dark Hatter stares into the ring without expression.
Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, climbs onto the apron and checks on Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades.
At center ring, Louie Linville raises the microphone.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, your winners… the North Star Tag Team Champions… Alice and Dorothy… the Blonde Bombshells!”
The championship belts are returned.
Alice raises hers.
Dorothy holds hers against her chest while looking across the ring at the Queens of Punishment.
The camera cuts back to commentary.
Julian Ward: “The North Star Tag Team Champions survive a serious non-title test. The Queens of Punishment absorbed extended stretches of double-team offense, Dark Hatter repeatedly disrupted the champions’ rhythm, and the match broke down entirely more than once.”
Brick Brody: “And do not forget Crimson Viper, Queen of Hearts, fought through trouble almost immediately. She was hurt in the opening minutes and still came back throwing suplexes and clotheslines.”
Julian Ward: “But when the final opening appeared, the champions finished it. Dorothy caught the Dark Duchess with the Bulldog and secured the three-count.”
Brick Brody: “That is why they have the belts.”
Julian Ward: “Tonight, they did not have to defend them.”
A pause.
Julian Ward: “They defended their standing instead.”
The camera lingers on the Blonde Bombshells holding the North Star Tag Team Championships while the Queens of Punishment regroup with Dark Hatter on the floor.
RESULT: BLONDE BOMBSHELLS DEFEAT QUEENS OF PUNISHMENT WHEN DOROTHY PINS DARK DUCHESS, QUEEN OF SPADES, WITH A BULLDOG IN MINUTE 16.
The lights inside Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum turn white.
Then gold.
A low thunderclap rolls through the building.
The entrance screen fills with storm clouds gathering above the columns of an ancient temple.
A bolt of lightning tears across the image.
Zeus steps through the entrance first.
The crowd responds immediately.
Behind him come Ares and Mars.
The Gods of War do not acknowledge the audience.
They walk on either side of Zeus, an established unit moving with the confidence of men who have fought together enough times that very little needs to be said between them.
Julian Ward: “This may be one of the most important tests Raigen could have selected for his first match since losing the Eternal Flame Championship.”
Brick Brody: “Selected? He is facing Ares and Mars with Zeus standing behind them. That is not a rebuilding exercise. That is volunteering to be hit by a wagon.”
Julian Ward: “The Gods of War possess exactly what Raigen and Taro Okami discussed earlier tonight. Continuity. Experience. Trust developed through repeated competition together.”
Brick Brody: “And that matters. Two good wrestlers are not automatically a good team.”
Ares and Mars enter the ring.
Zeus remains outside, watching from their corner.
Thunder fades.
For several seconds, the arena darkens completely.
Then a red moon appears across the entrance screen.
A single drumbeat begins.
Taro Okami emerges first.
He stops beneath the entrance arch.
A second figure appears beside him.
Raigen.
The response rises.
There is no Eternal Flame Championship around Raigen’s waist tonight.
He looks toward the ring.
Then toward Taro Okami.
The two exchange a nod.
Together, they begin walking.
Julian Ward: “Earlier tonight, Raigen said he has stopped believing the masked attacker plaguing his matches is Taro Okami. He believes the suspicion itself was part of a strategy by Lord Kurogami and the Blood Oni Syndicate to divide them.”
Brick Brody: “Words are easy backstage.”
Julian Ward: “And this?”
Brick Brody: “This tells us whether they meant them.”
Raigen and Taro Okami enter the ring.
Across from them, Ares and Mars remain together.
At ringside, Zeus watches.
Louie Linville steps to the center.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, the following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall!”
The crowd responds.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first, accompanied to the ring by Zeus…”
Zeus slowly raises one arm.
Louie Linville: “Ares and Mars… the Gods of War!”
The reaction is loud and hostile.
Louie Linville turns.
Louie Linville: “And their opponents…”
The crowd grows louder.
Louie Linville: “Taro Okami… and the former Eternal Flame Champion… Raigen!”
Raigen steps forward.
No celebration.
No acknowledgment of what he used to possess.
Only focus.
Louie Linville exits.
Referee ‘Honest’ Abe checks both corners.
Raigen starts for his team.
Ares starts for the Gods of War.
The bell rings.
Minute 1
Raigen wastes no time establishing the pace.
He closes the distance on Ares, drives him backward, and sends him through the ropes to the floor.
Ares attempts to prevent the momentum from carrying him out but cannot.
Julian Ward: “Raigen immediately sends Ares to the outside.”
Brick Brody: “Maybe losing that championship made him impatient.”
‘Honest’ Abe begins the count.
One.
Two.
Three.
Ares slides back beneath the ropes at three.
Raigen does not chase him recklessly.
Instead, he reaches toward his corner.
Tag to Taro Okami.
Across the ring, Ares immediately tags Mars.
Julian Ward: “Both teams change after only one minute.”
Brick Brody: “And now we get our first look at how Taro Okami handles an established tag team.”
Minute 2
The answer comes quickly.
Mars brings Ares back into the exchange.
The Gods of War attack together.
Mars drives a Knee Lift into Taro Okami.
Ares follows with a Power Bomb.
Taro Okami is driven hard into the canvas and cannot answer either attack.
Julian Ward: “Knee Lift from Mars! Power Bomb from Ares! The Gods of War immediately showing their experience together.”
Brick Brody: “That is the difference. They did not need to discuss it. Mars created the opening and Ares knew exactly where to be.”
Raigen grips the top rope from his corner.
Taro Okami rolls onto his side as the Gods of War remain poised to continue.
Julian Ward: “This is precisely the disadvantage Raigen and Taro Okami knew they would face.”
Minute 3
Mars and Ares attempt to extend the assault.
Mars comes forward looking for a Running Powerslam.
Ares prepares the Short-Arm Clothesline.
This time Taro Okami sees the convergence.
He disrupts the timing and neutralizes the entire double-team attempt.
Neither attack lands.
Julian Ward: “Excellent awareness by Taro Okami! The Gods of War tried to overwhelm him again, and he broke the sequence apart.”
Brick Brody: “That is important. First time they caught him. Second time he learned.”
Taro Okami backs toward the center of the ring.
Ares is forced back toward the apron.
Mars remains legal.
Julian Ward: “And that response may matter beyond this match. Taro Okami did not look toward Raigen for rescue. He solved the problem himself.”
Minute 4
Taro Okami attacks Mars.
He secures the body and throws him with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex.
Mars answers by closing distance and trapping Taro Okami in a Bearhug.
The two struggle for control.
Julian Ward: “Belly-to-Belly Suplex from Taro Okami, and Mars answers with the Bearhug.”
Brick Brody: “That is a strong man’s answer. You want to throw me? Fine. Now let us see how well you breathe.”
Taro Okami fights free.
As he turns toward the ropes, his attention suddenly moves to Zeus.
The look is hostile.
Taro Okami attempts to retaliate toward Zeus, but nothing comes of it.
Zeus remains beyond his reach.
Julian Ward: “Taro Okami just turned his attention toward Zeus.”
Brick Brody: “Bad idea.”
Julian Ward: “Whatever prompted that response, Taro Okami gained nothing from it.”
Brick Brody: “Never pick a second fight until you finish the first.”
Minute 5
The moment costs Taro Okami.
Mars catches him.
Power Bomb.
Taro Okami hits hard and cannot defend against the impact.
Mars immediately covers.
‘Honest’ Abe drops.
One.
Two.
Taro Okami kicks out.
Julian Ward: “Power Bomb from Mars, and that produced the first serious near fall of the match.”
Brick Brody: “That is what I meant. Look away for one second and somebody tries to fold you in half.”
Taro Okami rolls onto his stomach.
Mars stays near him.
Raigen calls toward his partner from the corner.
Julian Ward: “Taro Okami needs to reset here. The Gods of War are punishing every lapse.”
Minute 6
Taro Okami regains his base.
He turns sharply.
Lunar Fang.
The spinning back kick catches Mars directly in the jaw.
Mars drops backward.
Julian Ward: “Lunar Fang! Cleanly delivered by Taro Okami.”
Brick Brody: “There you go. Stop worrying about Zeus and kick the man standing in front of you.”
Taro Okami does exactly that.
He remains near Mars, denying him an easy route toward Ares.
Julian Ward: “That may be the first truly clean momentum shift for Taro Okami tonight.”
Minute 7
Both men initially slow.
Mars attempts to protect himself from another attack.
Taro Okami waits.
Then he closes.
Judo Throw.
Mars attempts to defend but is sent over.
Julian Ward: “Excellent Judo Throw from Taro Okami.”
Brick Brody: “Now he is making Mars wrestle his pace.”
Taro Okami remains standing over him.
Mars turns toward the Gods of War corner.
Ares extends his hand.
Taro Okami moves between them.
Julian Ward: “And now we see Taro Okami beginning to isolate Mars.”
Minute 8
Taro Okami takes Mars down again.
This time he follows him to the canvas.
Ground and Pound.
Repeated strikes land while Mars attempts to cover.
Julian Ward: “Ground and Pound from Taro Okami. He has completely changed the direction of this match over the last three minutes.”
Brick Brody: “And now make the tag.”
As if hearing him, Taro Okami reaches toward his corner.
Raigen tags in.
Across the ring, Mars reaches Ares.
Tag.
Julian Ward: “Both teams change again. Raigen and Ares are legal.”
Minute 9
Raigen attacks the arm.
He applies an Armbar.
Ares works through the pressure and responds with a Short-Arm Clothesline.
Both men land meaningful offense.
Julian Ward: “Armbar from Raigen, but Ares turns the exchange into the Short-Arm Clothesline.”
Brick Brody: “That is a good collision.”
Raigen rolls through the impact and immediately looks toward his corner.
Tag to Taro Okami.
Ares mirrors him.
Tag to Mars.
Julian Ward: “Another rapid pair of tags.”
Brick Brody: “Neither team is allowing fatigue to make the decision yet.”
Minute 10
The structure breaks down.
Taro Okami and Mars engage.
Then Raigen enters.
Ares follows.
All four men are in the ring.
Taro Okami drives Mars down and unleashes Ground and Pound.
Raigen catches Ares with a Knee Lift.
Mars answers with a Power Bomb.
Ares hoists an opponent into a Gorilla Slam.
Julian Ward: “All four men are fighting! Ground and Pound from Taro Okami! Knee Lift from Raigen!”
Brick Brody: “Power Bomb from Mars! Gorilla Slam from Ares!”
‘Honest’ Abe attempts to restore order.
Bodies scatter toward opposite corners.
Julian Ward: “No clear winner in that exchange. Every man landed something.”
Brick Brody: “That is what I like about tag matches when everybody stops pretending they came here to wait on the apron.”
Minute 11
Order returns with Taro Okami and Mars legal.
Taro Okami executes another Judo Throw.
Mars answers with a Knee Lift.
The exchange is nearly even.
Julian Ward: “Judo Throw from Taro Okami. Knee Lift from Mars.”
Brick Brody: “Neither one is getting an easy advantage.”
Mars remains upright.
Taro Okami does the same.
Both men show the accumulation of eleven minutes of repeated contact.
Julian Ward: “The longer this continues, the established rhythm of the Gods of War becomes more dangerous.”
Brick Brody: “Unless Raigen and Taro Okami build one of their own before then.”
Minute 12
Taro Okami takes Mars down.
Ground and Pound again.
Mars covers but cannot answer.
Julian Ward: “Another Ground and Pound sequence by Taro Okami.”
Brick Brody: “He has found something that works against Mars.”
Taro Okami does not remain in unnecessarily.
He looks toward his corner.
Tag to Raigen.
Julian Ward: “And there is the tag. That is better team discipline than we saw at the beginning of the match.”
Minute 13
Raigen enters against Mars.
He catches him immediately with a Front Kick.
Mars absorbs the blow but cannot respond.
Julian Ward: “Front Kick from Raigen.”
Brick Brody: “And again, no wasted motion.”
Raigen does something noteworthy.
He does not remain in merely because he has control.
He turns.
Tags Taro Okami back in.
Julian Ward: “Another quick tag.”
Brick Brody: “Now they are starting to look like a team.”
Julian Ward: “Which may be exactly the answer they wanted to provide tonight.”
Minute 14
Taro Okami catches Mars with another Belly-to-Belly Suplex.
This one lands cleanly.
Taro Okami covers.
‘Honest’ Abe drops.
One.
Two.
Ares rushes into the ring and breaks the pin.
Julian Ward: “Ares makes the save!”
Brick Brody: “That might have been it.”
Mars rolls toward his corner.
He reaches.
Tag to Ares.
Julian Ward: “The first major save of the match belongs to the Gods of War.”
Brick Brody: “And that is tag team awareness. Ares knew exactly when his partner needed him.”
Minute 15
Ares enters aggressively.
Knee Lift.
Taro Okami attempts to defend but cannot.
The strike lands clean.
Julian Ward: “Knee Lift from Ares.”
Brick Brody: “Fresh man against somebody who has carried a lot of this match.”
Taro Okami staggers back.
Ares remains in front of him.
At ringside, Zeus watches without expression.
Julian Ward: “Taro Okami has already absorbed significant punishment tonight.”
Brick Brody: “Then we find out whether that trust extends to knowing when to leave.”
Minute 16
Taro Okami answers before leaving.
He takes Ares down.
Ground and Pound.
Repeated strikes connect.
He covers.
One.
Two.
Ares kicks out.
Julian Ward: “Near fall for Taro Okami!”
Brick Brody: “That was closer than Ares wanted.”
Ares rolls toward his corner and immediately reaches for Mars.
Tag.
Julian Ward: “Ares wisely gets out after surviving the cover.”
Minute 17
Mars returns.
And immediately the Gods of War return to what they know best.
Ares remains involved.
Mars traps Taro Okami in a Bearhug.
Ares adds a Side Russian Legsweep to the sequence.
Taro Okami absorbs both attacks.
Julian Ward: “The Gods of War have begun another extended double-team attack.”
Brick Brody: “This is where their experience becomes ugly.”
Taro Okami is trapped.
Raigen watches from the apron, unable to reach him.
Julian Ward: “The danger is not one maneuver. It is the continuation. Mars and Ares know how to keep the next attack waiting behind the first.”
Minute 18
The assault continues.
Mars drives Taro Okami down with a Samoan Drop.
Ares follows with an Elbow Drop.
But Taro Okami refuses to remain passive.
He catches an arm and locks in a Reverse Cross Armbreaker.
The crowd responds.
Julian Ward: “Samoan Drop! Elbow Drop! But Taro Okami has the Reverse Cross Armbreaker!”
Brick Brody: “That is a great response. If two men are going to attack you, grab one limb and try to take it home.”
Taro Okami wrenches the arm despite being trapped inside the tandem assault.
Julian Ward: “Even under sustained pressure, Taro Okami is finding offense.”
Minute 19
The Gods of War hesitate.
Neither Mars nor Ares finds an immediate opening.
Taro Okami does.
Judo Throw.
Mars is sent down.
The extended double-team sequence finally ends.
Julian Ward: “Judo Throw by Taro Okami, and he survives three minutes of sustained pressure from the Gods of War.”
Brick Brody: “That was important.”
Julian Ward: “Because?”
Brick Brody: “Because his partner never had to save him. Taro Okami survived it himself.”
Minute 20
Now Raigen enters to assist.
Taro Okami catches Mars with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex.
Raigen immediately attacks the leg with an Armbar transition on the upper body during the tandem sequence, adding another layer of control while Mars tries unsuccessfully to defend against both men.
Julian Ward: “Belly-to-Belly Suplex from Taro Okami, and Raigen attacks the arm!”
Brick Brody: “There you go. The new team is learning.”
‘Honest’ Abe forces Raigen back out when the sequence ends.
Julian Ward: “We have spent twenty minutes asking whether Raigen and Taro Okami can function as a true unit.”
A beat.
Julian Ward: “The answer is becoming clearer.”
Minute 21
Both Taro Okami and Mars initially hesitate.
Then Taro Okami catches the arm again.
Reverse Cross Armbreaker.
Mars responds by forcing the action toward the ropes and throws Taro Okami out of the ring.
Taro Okami crashes to the floor.
Julian Ward: “Reverse Cross Armbreaker, but Mars sends Taro Okami to the outside!”
‘Honest’ Abe begins counting.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Taro Okami slides back beneath the ropes.
Brick Brody: “Six count. He took a moment out there.”
Julian Ward: “And wisely so.”
Taro Okami immediately reaches toward Raigen.
Tag.
Mars reaches Ares.
Tag.
Julian Ward: “Both teams make the change. Raigen and Ares again.”
Minute 22
The Gods of War attempt another tandem attack.
Ares fires a Forearm Smash.
Mars moves in with a Power Bomb.
Raigen recognizes the pattern.
He disrupts it.
Neither attack lands effectively.
Julian Ward: “Raigen neutralizes the double team!”
Brick Brody: “Now both of them have done it.”
Julian Ward: “Precisely. Early in the match, Taro Okami learned how to disrupt the Gods of War. Now Raigen has done the same.”
Ares remains legal.
Mars stays involved from the apron side as the pressure continues.
Minute 23
Ares catches Raigen and drives him across the back with an Over-Shoulder Backbreaker.
Mars cannot contribute meaningfully to this part of the attack.
Raigen answers with a Knee Lift.
Julian Ward: “Backbreaker from Ares!”
Brick Brody: “And Raigen answers with the Knee Lift.”
Raigen stays upright.
Ares does the same.
Julian Ward: “Neither side is separating now. Twenty-three minutes, and this has become a test of who can maintain structure under exhaustion.”
Minute 24
For several seconds, everyone hesitates.
Then the action erupts again.
Ares drives down an Elbow Drop.
Mars adds a Samoan Drop during the tandem attack.
Raigen answers with another Knee Lift.
All three attacks land.
Julian Ward: “Elbow Drop from Ares! Samoan Drop from Mars! Knee Lift from Raigen!”
Brick Brody: “Everybody is getting hurt.”
The extended double-team sequence ends.
Raigen remains in the ring with Ares.
Julian Ward: “The Gods of War are still landing more tandem offense, but they have not been able to break Raigen or Taro Okami.”
Minute 25
The Gods of War begin another coordinated attack.
Ares connects with a Knee Lift.
Mars follows with a Samoan Drop.
This time Raigen cannot answer.
Julian Ward: “Knee Lift. Samoan Drop. Raigen took both.”
Brick Brody: “Now they have him.”
Raigen rolls onto one shoulder.
Taro Okami reaches desperately from the corner.
Ares prevents him from getting there.
Julian Ward: “This is the most vulnerable Raigen has looked in this match.”
Brick Brody: “And the clock is becoming part of the fight.”
Minute 26
The Gods of War attempt to continue.
Ares lands an Over-Shoulder Backbreaker.
Mars drives in a Knee Lift.
But Raigen suddenly catches one of them during the exchange.
Piledriver.
The impact changes everything.
Julian Ward: “Piledriver from Raigen!”
Brick Brody: “There it is!”
Julian Ward: “He absorbed the Backbreaker. He absorbed the Knee Lift. And still found enough to deliver the biggest individual blow of the exchange.”
The tandem assault finally breaks apart.
Raigen pushes himself upright.
Ares remains opposite him.
Minute 27
Raigen attacks the arm.
He attempts another Armbar.
Ares reads it and neutralizes the hold before it can be fully established.
Julian Ward: “Ares stops the Armbar.”
Brick Brody: “That matters this late. Both teams know what the other is looking for now.”
Raigen does not panic.
He backs away.
Resets.
Ares circles.
Both men are breathing heavily.
Julian Ward: “Twenty-seven minutes. There are no surprises left. Only execution.”
Minute 28
Raigen catches Ares.
He traps him in an Abdominal Stretch.
Ares cannot defend against the hold.
Raigen torques the body.
Then he turns the situation into a pinning attempt.
‘Honest’ Abe drops.
One.
Two.
Mars dives in and makes the save.
The crowd erupts.
Julian Ward: “Mars saves the match!”
Brick Brody: “That was necessary.”
Raigen looks toward Mars.
Then toward his corner.
Tag to Taro Okami.
Ares rolls toward the opposite corner.
Tag to Mars.
Julian Ward: “Two minutes remain, and both teams have gone back to their partners.”
Minute 29
Taro Okami and Raigen attack together.
Taro Okami drives Mars down with another Belly-to-Belly Suplex.
Raigen attacks the leg with a Leglock during the tandem sequence.
Mars absorbs the entire combination.
Julian Ward: “Belly-to-Belly Suplex from Taro Okami! Leglock from Raigen!”
Brick Brody: “Now finish it.”
Raigen is ordered back to his corner.
Taro Okami remains with Mars.
The crowd begins reacting to the approaching time limit.
Julian Ward: “One minute remains.”
Zeus steps closer to the apron.
Ares shouts toward his partner.
Raigen does the same from the opposite side.
Minute 30
Taro Okami attacks.
He takes Mars down.
Then traps him.
Hunter’s Lock.
The Triangle Choke is secured.
The coliseum rises.
Julian Ward: “Hunter’s Lock! Taro Okami has Mars trapped in the Triangle Choke!”
Mars tries to defend against the position but cannot break the hold.
Taro Okami tightens his legs.
Brick Brody: “He has him. Make him quit!”
Ares leans through the ropes from the corner.
Raigen watches from the opposite side.
Mars refuses to submit.
Julian Ward: “Mars will not surrender!”
Taro Okami pulls down harder.
Mars continues fighting.
The crowd begins counting the final seconds.
Brick Brody: “Come on!”
The bell rings.
Taro Okami looks toward ‘Honest’ Abe.
For an instant he believes the submission may have occurred.
It did not.
‘Honest’ Abe steps between them and signals that the match has reached the thirty-minute time limit.
The crowd responds with a mixture of cheers and frustration.
Julian Ward: “Thirty minutes have expired!”
Brick Brody: “Mars survived.”
Taro Okami releases the Hunter’s Lock.
Mars rolls toward his corner.
Ares enters and helps him upright.
Raigen steps into the ring beside Taro Okami.
At center ring, Louie Linville receives the official decision.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, the thirty-minute time limit has expired. This match is officially declared… a draw!”
A divided reaction rolls through the building.
Neither team celebrates.
Zeus climbs onto the apron but does not enter.
Ares stands beside Mars.
Across from them, Raigen and Taro Okami remain together.
The four competitors stare across the ring.
Thirty minutes have resolved nothing.
And perhaps proved something.
The camera cuts to commentary.
Julian Ward: “No victory for either team tonight. But for Raigen and Taro Okami, I believe this match answered the question they brought into it.”
Brick Brody: “They can work together.”
Julian Ward: “Against one of the established teams in this division, they survived repeated double-team assaults, interrupted the Gods of War’s coordinated offense, created combinations of their own, and came within seconds of perhaps forcing Mars to submit.”
Brick Brody: “Do not turn a draw into a victory.”
Julian Ward: “I am not.”
Brick Brody: “Good, because Ares and Mars went thirty minutes too. Mars was trapped in the Hunter’s Lock when time expired, but he did not quit.”
Julian Ward: “Which is why the official result remains a draw.”
The camera returns to the ring.
Raigen extends a hand toward Taro Okami.
Taro Okami looks at it.
Then takes it.
The crowd reacts.
Julian Ward: “Earlier tonight, Raigen said he believed Lord Kurogami wanted suspicion to drive a wedge between these two men.”
Their hands remain clasped for only a second before they release.
They stand side by side.
Julian Ward: “Thirty minutes against the Gods of War appears to have done precisely the opposite.”
Brick Brody: “Maybe.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “But Raigen also said tonight begins his climb back toward the Eternal Flame Championship.”
The camera settles on Raigen.
Brick Brody: “And a draw is not a step up the mountain.”
Julian Ward: “No.”
A beat.
Julian Ward: “But neither is it a fall.”
Across the ring, Zeus gathers Ares and Mars.
On the opposite side, Raigen and Taro Okami remain together.
Four exhausted competitors.
No winner.
No surrender.
RESULT: RAIGEN & TARO OKAMI WRESTLE THE GODS OF WAR TO A THIRTY-MINUTE TIME-LIMIT DRAW. MARS IS TRAPPED IN TARO OKAMI’S HUNTER’S LOCK WHEN TIME EXPIRES BUT DOES NOT SUBMIT.
The lights inside Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum dim.
A single trumpet sounds.
Then another.
A full ceremonial fanfare rises through the building.
Blue-and-gold light spills across the entrance stage as the crest of Camelot appears across the great screen.
The reaction is immediate.
Cheers from some sections.
Boos from others.
But everyone rises.
King Arthur steps through the curtain.
The Mythic Crown Championship rests around his waist.
His armor catches the light as he stops beneath the entrance arch, chin raised slightly, surveying the coliseum with the calm certainty of a man who no longer merely believes he rules.
He expects others to recognize it.
A few steps behind him comes Merlin.
Staff in hand.
Expression unreadable.
Julian Ward: “Once again, King Arthur has summoned Dark Fable for what he calls a Royal Decree.”
Brick Brody: “And every week that crown looks a little heavier.”
Julian Ward: “Physically?”
Brick Brody: “No.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “In his head.”
King Arthur begins walking toward the ring.
He does not slap hands.
He does not acknowledge individual supporters.
The crowd is treated as a court assembled for his arrival.
Merlin follows silently.
Julian Ward: “There has been increasing concern over the way King Arthur has spoken about this division. Less as its champion and increasingly as though the Mythic Crown grants him authority over everything surrounding it.”
Brick Brody: “He is the king.”
Julian Ward: “He is the Mythic Crown Champion.”
Brick Brody: “Tell him there is a difference.”
King Arthur climbs the steps.
Merlin enters behind him.
A microphone is already waiting.
King Arthur removes the Mythic Crown Championship and raises it slowly above his head.
The crowd responds loudly.
Then he lowers it onto his shoulder.
The fanfare fades.
Silence settles over the arena.
King Arthur: “There is a lesson that history teaches every kingdom eventually.”
He waits.
King Arthur: “Prosperity without order becomes indulgence.”
A murmur moves through the crowd.
King Arthur: “Freedom without responsibility becomes chaos.”
His eyes travel across the audience.
King Arthur: “And power without respect becomes rebellion.”
The last word hangs there.
Merlin remains several feet behind him.
Still.
Watching.
King Arthur: “For too long, the Mythic Division has permitted too many men to mistake disorder for strength.”
Boos begin to rise.
King Arthur continues without reacting.
King Arthur: “Factions move through these halls without discipline.”
King Arthur: “Ambitious men conduct their business in shadows.”
King Arthur: “Champions rise and fall while opportunists circle around them, each believing that possession of violence entitles them to authority.”
He glances down at the championship on his shoulder.
King Arthur: “It does not.”
A stronger reaction.
King Arthur: “Authority is not taken merely because one is strong enough to seize something.”
He pauses.
King Arthur: “Authority must be recognized.”
The words carry considerably more weight than the sentence itself.
King Arthur: “This division requires order.”
King Arthur: “It requires respect.”
King Arthur: “And it requires an understanding that there are institutions older than ambition and obligations greater than personal desire.”
He walks slowly toward the ropes.
King Arthur: “Earlier tonight, Elias Coldmere was named Commissioner of the Mythic Division.”
Scattered cheers rise.
King Arthur: “I welcome him.”
The tone makes the welcome sound almost like permission.
King Arthur: “And I sincerely hope our new Commissioner recognizes something his predecessors occasionally forgot.”
A pause.
King Arthur: “Administration may govern the contests.”
He raises the Mythic Crown Championship slightly.
King Arthur: “But royal authority governs the kingdom.”
The building erupts.
Some applaud.
Others boo.
Brick Brody: “There it is.”
Julian Ward: “A very specific message to the new Commissioner.”
Brick Brody: “That was not a message.”
Julian Ward: “What would you call it?”
Brick Brody: “A boundary marker.”
Inside the ring, Merlin’s eyes shift toward King Arthur.
There is something almost cautious in the movement.
King Arthur: “If Elias Coldmere understands that distinction, then Camelot and his administration will find no conflict between them.”
A beat.
King Arthur: “Order recognizes order.”
Suddenly the arena lights change.
The fanfare stops completely.
A deep horn sounds.
Not ceremonial.
Primitive.
A forest appears across the entrance screen.
Bare trees.
Heavy mist.
Then movement between them.
King Arthur slowly turns toward the stage.
Merlin does the same.
The crowd rises.
Huntsman steps through the curtain.
There is no entourage.
No ceremony.
He carries himself with the stillness of someone who has spent more time tracking prey than addressing crowds.
His eyes are fixed on King Arthur.
Julian Ward: “The Huntsman.”
Brick Brody: “Well, somebody heard the word authority and decided to test it.”
Huntsman begins walking toward the ring.
King Arthur watches him approach with obvious displeasure.
Huntsman reaches ringside.
He climbs onto the apron.
Merlin subtly steps closer to King Arthur.
The Huntsman enters.
Another microphone is passed through the ropes.
For several seconds, neither man speaks.
Champion and hunter stand opposite one another.
Huntsman: “You talk too much about order.”
The crowd reacts.
King Arthur’s expression tightens.
Huntsman: “Men who truly possess it usually do not need to remind everyone.”
King Arthur: “You interrupt your king to offer philosophy?”
Huntsman: “No.”
A beat.
Huntsman: “I interrupted a champion who has begun confusing one title with another.”
The crowd surges.
Brick Brody: “Oh, that was a mistake.”
Julian Ward: “Perhaps intentional.”
King Arthur takes one deliberate step forward.
King Arthur: “You stand before the bearer of the Mythic Crown.”
Huntsman: “I can see the belt.”
A louder reaction.
King Arthur: “Then perhaps your difficulty lies in understanding what it represents.”
Huntsman: “Strength?”
King Arthur: “Sovereignty.”
The word draws a reaction.
Huntsman looks at the championship.
Then back at King Arthur.
Huntsman: “No.”
The building grows louder.
Huntsman: “It represents the man who survived long enough to carry it.”
His eyes narrow.
Huntsman: “Nothing more.”
Merlin finally shifts forward.
Merlin: “You should choose your next words carefully.”
Huntsman turns his head toward Merlin.
Huntsman: “I always do.”
Then back to King Arthur.
Huntsman: “A crown does not make the forest kneel.”
King Arthur: “This is not your forest.”
Huntsman: “No.”
A beat.
Huntsman: “But you are beginning to behave like prey.”
The crowd erupts.
King Arthur takes another step forward.
The two men are nearly chest-to-chest.
King Arthur: “You mistake my restraint for vulnerability.”
Huntsman: “Hunters do not care what prey calls restraint.”
The tension spikes.
Merlin watches carefully.
King Arthur: “You presume greatly for a man whose station is so far beneath mine.”
Huntsman: “Then why are you angry?”
That one lands.
King Arthur stares at him.
Before he can answer, another theme interrupts.
The lighting changes to cold white.
The crowd turns toward the entrance.
Elias Coldmere appears at the top of the stage.
No grand presentation.
No procession.
The new Commissioner carries a microphone and walks only far enough to stand beneath the entrance arch.
Julian Ward: “And here comes the new Commissioner.”
Brick Brody: “Did not take long for his first headache.”
Elias Coldmere: “Gentlemen.”
Neither man in the ring looks particularly pleased to see him.
Elias Coldmere: “I have been Commissioner of the Mythic Division for only a few hours.”
A slight pause.
Elias Coldmere: “And already I have a king discussing jurisdiction and a hunter discussing prey.”
A few cheers.
Elias Coldmere: “So perhaps we simplify this.”
King Arthur: “Commissioner, this matter does not concern you.”
The crowd reacts.
Elias Coldmere raises his eyebrows slightly.
Elias Coldmere: “That was fast.”
A laugh ripples through the audience.
King Arthur does not appreciate it.
Elias Coldmere: “Two contracted competitors standing inside an NPCW ring threatening one another concerns me quite directly.”
Huntsman glances toward King Arthur.
Elias Coldmere: “And since neither of you appears interested in resolving this conversation politely…”
He pauses.
Elias Coldmere: “…you can resolve it the traditional way.”
The crowd begins to rise.
King Arthur’s expression changes.
Elias Coldmere: “Next week.”
A beat.
Elias Coldmere: “In the main event of Dark Fable.”
The crowd grows louder.
Elias Coldmere: “King Arthur…”
He points toward the ring.
Elias Coldmere: “…versus the Huntsman.”
The building erupts.
Huntsman gives the smallest nod.
King Arthur looks genuinely offended.
Not worried.
Offended.
King Arthur: “Absolutely not.”
The crowd responds immediately.
Brick Brody: “Wrong answer.”
Julian Ward: “Or perhaps precisely the answer Elias Coldmere expected.”
King Arthur: “You misunderstand what stands before you.”
He lifts the Mythic Crown Championship.
King Arthur: “I am the Mythic Crown Champion.”
He points toward the Huntsman.
King Arthur: “He is beneath me.”
The Huntsman smiles for the first time.
Barely.
King Arthur: “I do not grant royal audiences to every woodsman who wanders from the trees seeking relevance.”
Boos pour down.
Huntsman: “Then do not call it an audience.”
He takes one step toward King Arthur.
Huntsman: “Call it a hunt.”
The crowd erupts again.
King Arthur turns toward him sharply.
Elias Coldmere: “You know, Arthur…”
The champion looks back toward the stage.
Elias Coldmere: “I was prepared to make this simple.”
A pause.
Elias Coldmere: “One match.”
The crowd begins sensing what is coming.
Elias Coldmere: “No excuses.”
Elias Coldmere: “No politics.”
Another beat.
Elias Coldmere: “But if your objection is that the Huntsman is beneath the Mythic Crown Champion…”
The roar begins before he finishes.
Elias Coldmere: “…then we can solve that too.”
King Arthur’s eyes narrow.
Elias Coldmere: “Next week, King Arthur faces the Huntsman…”
A pause.
Elias Coldmere: “…for the Mythic Crown Championship.”
The coliseum explodes.
Julian Ward: “My word.”
Brick Brody: “There is your new Commissioner!”
Inside the ring, King Arthur stares toward the stage in disbelief.
Merlin immediately steps close and says something quietly to him.
King Arthur barely seems to hear it.
King Arthur: “You would reward insolence?”
Elias Coldmere: “No.”
His answer is immediate.
Elias Coldmere: “I am rewarding your confidence.”
A loud reaction rolls through the building.
King Arthur says nothing.
Elias Coldmere: “You said he was beneath you.”
Another beat.
Elias Coldmere: “Prove it.”
The audience roars.
The Huntsman turns toward King Arthur.
His eyes move down to the Mythic Crown Championship.
Then back to the champion.
Huntsman: “Next week…”
He takes one step closer.
Huntsman: “…run.”
The crowd erupts.
King Arthur’s face hardens.
He raises the Mythic Crown Championship between them.
King Arthur: “Kings do not run.”
Huntsman: “Everything runs eventually.”
The two stare at one another across the raised championship.
On the stage, Elias Coldmere watches his first major ruling settle over the Mythic Division.
Beside King Arthur, Merlin is no longer watching the Huntsman.
He is watching the king.
The camera cuts to commentary.
Julian Ward: “A remarkable decision from our new Commissioner. One week after assuming authority over the Mythic Division, Elias Coldmere has made King Arthur versus the Huntsman for the Mythic Crown Championship.”
Brick Brody: “And Arthur did it to himself.”
Julian Ward: “How so?”
Brick Brody: “He said the man was beneath him. Elias Coldmere just gave him the opportunity to prove it.”
Julian Ward: “There may be another issue here.”
Brick Brody: “Which is?”
Julian Ward: “King Arthur spent this entire Royal Decree discussing the need for recognition of authority.”
A pause.
Julian Ward: “Tonight, Elias Coldmere made certain the king recognized his.”
The camera returns to the ring.
The Huntsman stands only feet away from King Arthur.
The Mythic Crown Championship remains raised between them.
Neither man looks away.
Next week, royalty becomes prey.
And the hunt will be for the Mythic Crown.
The lights inside Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum dim to near-black.
For several seconds, there is only silence.
Then the sound of metal dragging across stone cuts through the arena.
A low red glow spreads across the entrance stage.
The symbol of the Broken Crown appears across the screen.
Cracked.
Blackened.
Incomplete.
Mordred steps through the curtain.
No Myrrden.
No Morgana LeFaye.
No knights surrounding him.
Tonight, Mordred walks alone.
His armor catches the red light in hard edges as he pauses beneath the entrance arch.
There is no fury in his expression.
Only a colder kind of concentration.
Julian Ward: “There has been considerable uncertainty surrounding Mordred over the last several weeks.”
Brick Brody: “That is one way of putting it.”
Julian Ward: “He has openly questioned the changing behavior of King Arthur. He has been unable to locate Myrrden. And tonight, after watching the Mythic Crown Championship picture change dramatically just moments ago, he must now turn his attention entirely toward Sinbad.”
Brick Brody: “That is the problem with carrying too many questions into a fight. The other man does not care whether you have answers.”
Mordred begins walking toward the ring.
He does not acknowledge the crowd.
He does not look toward commentary.
He simply enters and takes position in the far corner.
The red light fades.
A low roll of drums begins.
The entrance screen changes.
Dark ocean.
Moonlight.
A ship cutting through violent water.
Then a curved blade flashes across the image.
Sinbad emerges.
The crowd rises.
His posture is relaxed, but his eyes remain fixed on the ring.
There is confidence there.
Not arrogance.
The confidence of a man who has faced danger too many times to be impressed by reputation.
Julian Ward: “And if there is one man in the Mythic Division unlikely to be overwhelmed by the mythology surrounding Mordred, it is Sinbad.”
Brick Brody: “A man who survives monsters, storms, cursed islands, and impossible voyages eventually stops being impressed by somebody wearing dark armor.”
Julian Ward: “That does not make Mordred any less dangerous.”
Brick Brody: “No. It just means Sinbad knows dangerous when he sees it.”
Sinbad walks down the aisle.
He reaches ringside and looks up toward Mordred.
Mordred does not move.
Sinbad climbs the steps and enters.
The two men remain in opposite corners.
At center ring, Louie Linville raises the microphone.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Dark Fable main event!”
The crowd responds.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first…”
He turns toward Mordred.
Louie Linville: “The fallen son of Camelot… the prince of the Broken Crown… Mordred!”
A mixed reaction fills the arena.
Mordred remains motionless.
Louie Linville turns toward the opposite corner.
Louie Linville: “And his opponent…”
The crowd grows louder.
Louie Linville: “The voyager who has crossed seas no kingdom could command… Sinbad!”
Sinbad raises one arm.
Louie Linville exits.
Referee ‘Honest’ Abe checks both competitors.
The bell rings.
Minute 1
Mordred attacks immediately.
There is no feeling-out process.
He closes the distance before Sinbad can establish rhythm, catches him around the upper body, and drives him down with an Inverted Sitdown Faceslam.
Sinbad absorbs the full impact.
Julian Ward: “Immediate aggression from Mordred. Inverted Sitdown Faceslam, and there was absolutely no hesitation.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Whatever is happening in his head, he understands the easiest way to quiet it.”
Julian Ward: “Which is?”
Brick Brody: “Hit somebody.”
Mordred remains over Sinbad, refusing to give him much room to recover.
Sinbad rolls toward one knee.
Mordred follows.
Julian Ward: “This is a very deliberate opening from Mordred. He is not allowing Sinbad to turn this into a contest of movement.”
Minute 2
Mordred continues the pressure.
He catches Sinbad before the voyager can create space.
Downward Spiral.
Sinbad is driven hard into the canvas.
Julian Ward: “Downward Spiral from Mordred.”
Brick Brody: “Two minutes. Two clean attacks. Sinbad needs to stop absorbing them and start returning something.”
Sinbad rolls onto his side.
Mordred stands over him.
There is still no celebration.
No taunting.
Only the next opening.
Julian Ward: “This is perhaps the most focused we have seen Mordred tonight.”
Brick Brody: “Maybe because the ring is simpler than everything waiting outside it.”
Minute 3
Sinbad finally finds his answer.
But Mordred strikes at the same time.
Mordred explodes forward with a Spear.
Sinbad responds during the exchange with an Inverted Tornado DDT.
Both men hit hard.
The crowd comes alive.
Julian Ward: “Spear from Mordred! Inverted Tornado DDT from Sinbad!”
Brick Brody: “There he is.”
Julian Ward: “Sinbad needed that.”
Brick Brody: “He needed to remind Mordred there are two men in this match.”
Both competitors rise slowly.
Sinbad shakes the effects of the Spear away.
Mordred does the same after the DDT.
The opening advantage has disappeared.
Julian Ward: “And now the main event has changed. Sinbad has demonstrated that he can meet Mordred directly.”
Minute 4
Both men hesitate.
Neither commits.
They circle.
Again, no attack.
The arena becomes quieter as each man waits for the other to make the first mistake.
Finally, Mordred steps in.
He takes Sinbad over with a Vertical Suplex.
But Sinbad responds with a Double Knee Strike.
The knees catch Mordred cleanly.
Julian Ward: “Vertical Suplex from Mordred, but Sinbad answers with both knees.”
Brick Brody: “That waiting game mattered. They both knew the next exchange was going to hurt.”
Sinbad regains his footing slightly faster.
Mordred sits up and looks toward him.
For the first time, there is visible frustration in the Broken Crown prince’s expression.
Julian Ward: “Sinbad is beginning to make Mordred work for every advantage.”
Minute 5
Mordred charges again.
Clothesline.
It lands.
But Sinbad catches him immediately afterward and drives him across the knee with an Inverted Facelock Backbreaker.
Mordred arches from the impact.
Julian Ward: “Clothesline from Mordred!”
Brick Brody: “Backbreaker from Sinbad!”
Julian Ward: “Again, Mordred lands his offense, but Sinbad refuses to allow the exchange to end there.”
Brick Brody: “That is how you frustrate a man who wants control. Make every victory cost him something.”
Mordred pulls himself upright against the ropes.
Sinbad remains near the center.
Neither man looks particularly comfortable anymore.
Minute 6
Mordred changes level and uses speed.
Dropkick.
The strike catches Sinbad and sends him backward.
But Sinbad regains his balance quickly enough to answer with a Short-Arm Lariat.
Mordred absorbs the shot and stumbles away.
Julian Ward: “Dropkick by Mordred. Short-Arm Lariat from Sinbad.”
Brick Brody: “Harder exchange for Mordred than he wanted.”
Julian Ward: “But still an exchange he initiated.”
Brick Brody: “And he keeps initiating them. That tells me he believes he can break Sinbad before Sinbad breaks him.”
Mordred steadies himself near the ropes.
Across from him, Sinbad begins moving forward.
Minute 7
This time Sinbad controls the exchange.
He backs Mordred toward the ropes and unloads with Open-Hand Chops.
One.
Then another.
Then another.
Mordred absorbs the strikes without finding an immediate answer.
Julian Ward: “Open-Hand Chops from Sinbad. He has Mordred backing up.”
Brick Brody: “That matters.”
Julian Ward: “Because?”
Brick Brody: “Because the first two minutes belonged completely to Mordred. Now he is the one being forced backward.”
Another chop lands.
Mordred finally creates enough distance to escape the barrage.
His chest is reddened.
His expression is darker.
Julian Ward: “Sinbad has changed the emotional direction of this contest.”
Minute 8
Mordred responds exactly as expected.
Violently.
He catches Sinbad before the voyager can continue pressing forward.
Downward Spiral.
The second one of the match drives Sinbad into the canvas.
Julian Ward: “Another Downward Spiral!”
Brick Brody: “There is the answer.”
Sinbad absorbs the impact and rolls toward the ropes.
Mordred stands over him.
This time the aggression is less controlled.
More urgent.
Julian Ward: “There was more force behind that one.”
Brick Brody: “Because Sinbad annoyed him.”
Julian Ward: “And irritation can become dangerous.”
Brick Brody: “For either man.”
Minute 9
Both men rise.
Neither retreats.
Mordred strikes first.
Vertical Suplex.
Sinbad lands hard.
But when Mordred tries to continue, Sinbad catches him.
The arm is trapped.
The head controlled.
Hammerlock DDT.
Mordred is driven face-first into the canvas.
The crowd erupts.
Julian Ward: “Hammerlock DDT from Sinbad!”
Brick Brody: “Cover him!”
Sinbad turns Mordred over.
Hooks the leg.
‘Honest’ Abe drops into position.
One.
Mordred does not move.
Two.
Still nothing.
Three.
The bell rings.
For one moment, the crowd seems surprised by how suddenly it has ended.
Then the reaction explodes.
Julian Ward: “Sinbad has pinned Mordred!”
Brick Brody: “Nine minutes! Mordred controlled the opening, kept coming forward, and Sinbad caught him when it mattered!”
Sinbad rolls away and sits against the ropes.
He is breathing heavily.
Across from him, Mordred remains face-down for several seconds.
At center ring, Louie Linville raises the microphone.
Louie Linville: “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner by pinfall… Sinbad!”
The crowd cheers.
Sinbad rises.
‘Honest’ Abe raises his arm.
There is no exaggerated celebration.
Sinbad simply looks toward Mordred.
The Broken Crown prince begins pushing himself upright.
He reaches one knee.
Then stops.
The reality of the result settles in.
Julian Ward: “An important victory for Sinbad. Mordred controlled much of the opening two minutes, and even afterward he continued landing significant offense.”
Brick Brody: “But Sinbad kept answering.”
Julian Ward: “Precisely. The Spear was answered by the Inverted Tornado DDT. The Vertical Suplex was answered by the Double Knee Strike. The Clothesline was answered by the Backbreaker.”
Brick Brody: “And the last Vertical Suplex got answered by the move that ended the match.”
Julian Ward: “The Hammerlock DDT.”
The camera moves toward Mordred.
He is now standing.
He does not look toward Sinbad.
He looks toward the entrance stage.
Toward the place where Myrrden should have been.
Toward the kingdom where King Arthur has become increasingly certain of his own authority.
Toward a Mythic Crown Championship match that was made only moments before Mordred entered this ring.
Brick Brody: “That man has too much happening around him.”
Julian Ward: “And tonight, Sinbad made certain none of it could become an excuse.”
Sinbad climbs onto the middle rope and raises one arm toward the crowd.
Behind him, Mordred remains standing in the center of the ring.
Still.
Silent.
Defeated.
Julian Ward: “For Sinbad, this is a victory over one of the most dangerous men in Dark Fable.”
A pause.
Julian Ward: “For Mordred, it is another question added to a growing list.”
Brick Brody: “And he does not look like a man who enjoys questions.”
Julian Ward: “No.”
The camera tightens on Mordred’s face.
Julian Ward: “He looks like a man who intends to find answers.”
The image holds.
RESULT: SINBAD DEFEATS MORDRED BY PINFALL WITH A HAMMERLOCK DDT IN MINUTE 9.
The camera returns to a wide shot of Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum.
The ring crew has begun clearing the remnants of the main event.
At ringside, Julian Ward and Brick Brody remain at the commentary desk as the crowd continues buzzing over Sinbad’s victory.
Julian Ward: “An extraordinary night on Dark Fable comes to an end, and once again this division looks very different than it did when we arrived.”
Brick Brody: “That is what happens when people actually settle things with fists instead of committee meetings.”
Julian Ward: “Interestingly enough, we began tonight with something very close to a committee meeting.”
Footage appears on the screen.
Kristine Kringle stands in the ring beside Alton Bell and Elias Coldmere.
Julian Ward: “NPCW President and CEO Kristine Kringle announced that Alton Bell has been promoted to Executive Vice President of NPCW, ending his tenure overseeing the Mythic Division.”
The image changes to Elias Coldmere addressing the crowd.
Julian Ward: “And Elias Coldmere was introduced as the new Commissioner of the Mythic Division.”
Brick Brody: “Then before the night was finished, he already had to deal with King Arthur.”
Julian Ward: “We will come back to that.”
The footage changes.
Prioress Malveil has Snow White trapped in the Silent Sermon.
Julian Ward: “The Black Chapel opened competition tonight with a hard-fought victory over the Fairest Hunters. Prioress Malveil forced Snow White to submit to the Silent Sermon.”
Brick Brody: “Even after Prince John tried twice to involve himself and accomplished almost nothing.”
Julian Ward: “A surprisingly accurate assessment.”
Brick Brody: “Do not sound so shocked.”
The screen shifts again.
Severin Crowne traps Scarecrow in The Veto.
Julian Ward: “Then Severin Crowne made a successful Dark Fable wrestling debut, forcing Scarecrow to submit to The Veto.”
The footage continues beyond the bell.
Severin Crowne stands face-to-face with Tin Man.
The black card changes hands.
Brick Brody: “And then he gave Tin Man that card.”
Julian Ward: “After spending much of the match watching him.”
Brick Brody: “He met privately with the Sheriff of Nottingham. He has spoken with Sir Agravaine. Now he is handing cards to Tin Man.”
Julian Ward: “And yet when Hana Nakamura asked him earlier tonight what he was building, Severin Crowne insisted he was simply being helpful.”
Brick Brody: “That man makes ‘helpful’ sound like a threat.”
The screen changes.
The Blood-Moon Warden applies the Warden Lock to the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Once.
Then again.
Finally, Allan A Dale hits Final Verse.
One.
Two.
Three.
Julian Ward: “The Blood-Moon Warden also made an impressive wrestling debut tonight, twice trapping Eternal Flame Champion Sheriff of Nottingham in the Warden Lock.”
Brick Brody: “But the important part came at the end.”
The freeze frame shows Allan A Dale having his hand raised.
Brick Brody: “Allan A Dale pinned the champion.”
Julian Ward: “He did. Final Verse was enough to defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham, and as a result, the champion's immediate future has become significantly more complicated.”
Brick Brody: “Good. He has had that championship for one week. He was getting comfortable.”
Highlights transition to the Blonde Bombshells.
Dorothy drives Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, down with the Bulldog.
Julian Ward: “The North Star Tag Team Championships were not at stake tonight, but Alice and Dorothy again demonstrated why the Blonde Bombshells hold them.”
Brick Brody: “The Queens of Punishment made them work. Dark Hatter got involved more than once. The champions still won.”
Julian Ward: “Dorothy pinned Dark Duchess, Queen of Spades, after sixteen minutes.”
The screen changes to Raigen and Taro Okami.
Images move rapidly through their thirty-minute battle with Ares and Mars.
Julian Ward: “For Raigen, tonight represented the beginning of the road back toward the Eternal Flame Championship.”
Brick Brody: “And he did not get a win.”
Julian Ward: “No. But perhaps something else was accomplished.”
The final seconds appear.
Mars is trapped in Taro Okami’s Hunter’s Lock.
The bell sounds before he submits.
Julian Ward: “Raigen and Taro Okami fought the Gods of War to the thirty-minute time limit. Mars was trapped in the Hunter’s Lock when time expired.”
Brick Brody: “Still did not quit.”
Julian Ward: “He did not. But after weeks in which Lord Kurogami and the Blood Oni Syndicate appear to have deliberately encouraged suspicion between Raigen and Taro Okami, those two men operated tonight as a team.”
Brick Brody: “That might bother Lord Kurogami more than a victory would have.”
The screen goes dark.
Then Camelot's crest appears.
King Arthur stands in the ring holding the Mythic Crown Championship.
Opposite him stands the Huntsman.
Julian Ward: “And our new Commissioner certainly did not wait long to make his presence felt.”
Footage shows King Arthur discussing royal authority.
Then the arrival of the Huntsman.
Finally, Elias Coldmere appears on the stage.
Julian Ward: “King Arthur called for greater order and respect within the Mythic Division and expressed his expectation that Elias Coldmere recognize what the king described as royal authority.”
Brick Brody: “Then the Huntsman came out and called him prey.”
Julian Ward: “A philosophical disagreement expressed somewhat more directly.”
Brick Brody: “He told the king to run.”
Julian Ward: “And when the argument escalated, Elias Coldmere made the match.”
The graphic appears.
KING ARTHUR vs HUNTSMAN
Then gold burns around it.
MYTHIC CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP
The crowd responds again.
Julian Ward: “King Arthur versus the Huntsman, next week for the Mythic Crown Championship.”
Brick Brody: “Because Arthur could not stop himself. Elias Coldmere made a regular match, Arthur complained that the Huntsman was beneath him, and the Commissioner put the championship on the line.”
Julian Ward: “His first major ruling certainly established one thing.”
Brick Brody: “Which is?”
Julian Ward: “Whatever authority King Arthur believes accompanies his crown, Elias Coldmere intends to exercise his own.”
The final highlights come from tonight's main event.
Mordred drives Sinbad down with the Downward Spiral.
Sinbad answers with the Inverted Tornado DDT.
The Double Knee Strike.
The Hammerlock DDT.
Then the three-count.
Julian Ward: “And finally, Mordred entered tonight carrying questions about King Arthur, the Broken Crown, and the unexplained disappearance of Myrrden.”
Brick Brody: “Then Sinbad gave him another problem.”
Julian Ward: “Nine minutes into our main event, Sinbad caught Mordred with the Hammerlock DDT and pinned him.”
The footage freezes on Mordred staring toward the entrance after the match.
Brick Brody: “That is a dangerous man having a bad week.”
Julian Ward: “And perhaps a dangerous man beginning to wonder how much around him has changed without his understanding why.”
The highlights fade.
The camera returns to the commentary desk.
Julian Ward: “And after everything that happened tonight, next week's Dark Fable may carry even greater consequences.”
A match graphic fills the screen.
ROBIN HOOD vs SIR AGRAVAINE
Julian Ward: “Robin Hood goes one-on-one with Sir Agravaine.”
Brick Brody: “And considering the conversations Sir Agravaine has recently been having, I will be watching more than the match.”
The graphic changes.
RAIGEN vs WILL SCARLETT
Julian Ward: “Former Eternal Flame Champion Raigen begins his individual climb back toward contention against Will Scarlett.”
Brick Brody: “There is your first rung. Win.”
The next graphic appears.
LADY GUINEVERE vs MORGANA LEFAYE
The crowd reacts.
Julian Ward: “And the tensions surrounding Camelot become considerably more personal when Lady Guinevere faces Morgana LeFaye.”
Brick Brody: “That one does not need a championship.”
The graphic shifts again.
WAR COUNCIL vs FAIREST HUNTERS
Images of Athena and Bellona appear opposite Gretel and Snow White.
Julian Ward: “Women's tag team competition will feature Athena and Bellona, the War Council, against Gretel and Snow White, the Fairest Hunters.”
Brick Brody: “The Fairest Hunters lost tonight. Next week does not get easier.”
Then flame consumes the screen.
The Eternal Flame Championship appears.
SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM vs ALLAN A DALE
ETERNAL FLAME CHAMPIONSHIP
The crowd erupts.
Julian Ward: “And tonight's pinfall has immediate consequences.”
Brick Brody: “As it should.”
Julian Ward: “After pinning the champion tonight, Allan A Dale receives the opportunity next week.”
The image shows the Sheriff of Nottingham holding the Eternal Flame Championship opposite Allan A Dale.
Julian Ward: “The Sheriff of Nottingham defends the Eternal Flame Championship against Allan A Dale.”
Brick Brody: “Seven days to figure out why Allan A Dale just beat him.”
Julian Ward: “And seven days for Allan A Dale to prove tonight was not an isolated victory.”
The screen goes black.
A horn sounds.
Gold light slowly spreads across it.
The Mythic Crown Championship appears.
On one side stands King Arthur.
On the other stands the Huntsman.
KING ARTHUR vs HUNTSMAN
MYTHIC CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP
The audience rises as the graphic fills the arena screen.
Julian Ward: “And in our main event…”
A pause.
Julian Ward: “For the Mythic Crown Championship…”
Julian Ward: “King Arthur defends against the Huntsman.”
Brick Brody: “The king wanted respect.”
He looks toward the camera.
Brick Brody: “Next week he gets hunted instead.”
The graphic remains.
King Arthur.
Huntsman.
The championship between them.
Julian Ward: “Tonight, Dark Fable received a new Commissioner.”
Images flash behind the championship graphic.
Elias Coldmere.
Severin Crowne handing his card to Tin Man.
Allan A Dale pinning the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Raigen standing beside Taro Okami.
Sinbad standing victorious over Mordred.
Julian Ward: “A champion was pinned.”
The Sheriff of Nottingham appears.
Julian Ward: “An alliance survived an attempt to fracture it.”
Raigen and Taro Okami appear.
Julian Ward: “A man who claims only to offer help found another person worth approaching.”
Tin Man looks down at Severin Crowne’s card.
Julian Ward: “And a king demanded that his authority be recognized.”
The final image returns.
King Arthur holds the Mythic Crown Championship.
Across from him, the Huntsman stares at it.
Julian Ward: “Next week, he may have to defend it.”
Brick Brody: “Order. Respect. Royal authority.”
He gives a low laugh.
Brick Brody: “None of that matters when the bell rings.”
Julian Ward: “For Brick Brody, I am Julian Ward.”
The camera slowly pulls away from ringside.
Higher.
Past the crowd.
Past the hanging banners.
Toward the stone arches of Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum.
The final image on the great screen remains unchanged.
The king.
The hunter.
The Mythic Crown.
Julian Ward: “Good night from Dark Fable.”
The broadcast fades to black.