Aired - September 11, 2026
Black screen.
A heavy book opens.
One ancient page turns.
A candle ignites blue.
The flame turns blood-red.
Ink spreads across the parchment.
A crown forms.
An arrow pierces the crown.
A black card falls across the page.
Dragon fire burns around its edges.
From within the flames—
An oni mask.
Low choir.
Heavy drums.
The images begin.
QUICK FLASH — KING ARTHUR / ROBIN HOOD
King Arthur stands beneath the banners of Camelot with the Mythic Crown around his waist.
The image fractures.
Robin Hood draws his bow.
Another flash—
Blood-Moon Warden traps Sir Galahad in the Warden Lock at Wrestlefest.
King Arthur reaches toward his fallen knight.
Too late.
A final image—
Robin Hood standing beside the Blood-Moon Warden.
Watching the king.
Voice-over:
“Crowns are tested.”
QUICK FLASH — SEVERIN CROWNE
A black card spins slowly through darkness.
It stops between the fingers of Severin Crowne.
Behind him—
Sheriff of Nottingham.
Sir Agravaine.
Rapid flashes.
Lion.
Scarecrow.
Tin Man staring across the battlefield.
Then Severin Crowne applying The Veto to Little John at Wrestlefest.
The black card falls.
Another waits beneath it.
Voice-over:
“Heroes are hunted.”
QUICK FLASH — GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST / HANSEL
Snow falls through darkness.
The Universal Championship appears beneath it.
Ghost of Christmas Past emerges through the storm with the championship.
Across from him stands Hansel.
The Wrestlefest clock reaches ten minutes.
The bell rings.
Neither man has won.
Then the words burn briefly across the parchment:
TITLE OPPORTUNITY EARNED
Hansel looks toward the championship.
Ghost of Christmas Past looks back.
Neither moves.
Voice-over:
“Monsters wear gold.”
QUICK FLASH — RAIGEN / TARO OKAMI
The oni mask crashes onto the page.
Fire erupts.
Raigen recoils as the fireball strikes his face.
The flames clear.
Taro Okami stands beside Lord Kurogami.
Demon-wolf markings across his gear.
Cold eyes.
No explanation.
Rapid flashes—
Raigen confronting them.
Lord Kurogami smiling.
Taro Okami staring silently at the man he betrayed.
A blood-red chain coils across the parchment.
One end wraps around Raigen.
The other around Taro Okami.
The words appear:
AGE OF RUIN
Then—
ONE HUNDRED YEARS
The image burns away before anything else can be read.
Voice-over:
“And every victory leaves a scar.”
The drums accelerate.
Rapid images.
Mordred driving Sir Lancelot into the canvas.
King Arthur clutching the Mythic Crown.
Robin Hood refusing to kneel.
Hansel staring at the Universal Championship.
Sheriff of Nottingham holding the Eternal Flame Championship.
Severin Crowne’s black card.
Lord Kurogami raising one hand.
Taro Okami emerging through red fire.
Raigen staring directly back at him.
The music stops.
Black screen.
One bell tolls.
The NPCW: DARK FABLE crest burns onto the screen.
Voice-over:
“In DARK FABLE…”
A beat.
Voice-over:
“…the story does not end happily.”
Red flame moves across the crest.
Voice-over:
“It ends with a winner.”
Final bell.
Voice-over:
“This… is DARK FABLE.”
Hard cut to the live aerial shot of Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum.
The hard cut from the opening package lands on a sweeping aerial shot of Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum.
Torchlight burns along the upper stone arches.
Red-and-gold beams rake across the packed stands.
The crowd is already on its feet.
Signs rise throughout the lower bowl.
ROBIN WILL NEVER KNEEL
THE BLACK CARD HAS TERMS
HENRY DRIVES STEEL
TARO OWES BLOOD
TIN MAN HAS NO PRICE
The camera descends toward ringside.
At the broadcast table, Julian Ward sits composed beneath the glow of the Coliseum lights.
Beside him, Brick Brody leans forward with both forearms resting against the desk.
The noise continues to roll around them.
Julian Ward: “Welcome to NPCW: Dark Fable. We are live from Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum on September 11th, 2026. I am Julian Ward, alongside Brick Brody, and the closer we move toward Age of Ruin, the less this division resembles a road toward a supercard.”
A beat.
Julian Ward: “It resembles a collection of collisions waiting for a date.”
Brick Brody: “Good.”
Julian Ward turns slightly toward him.
Brick Brody: “You keep putting kings, outlaws, mercenaries, monsters and angry men in the same building, eventually the calendar stops mattering. Somebody gets hurt when they get close enough.”
The great screen behind them comes alive.
Footage from last week begins.
The Eternal Flame Championship.
Tin Man staring across the ring at Sheriff of Nottingham.
Then Severin Crowne striking from the outside.
The chair shot that costs the champion the opening fall by disqualification.
Later—
Sheriff of Nottingham reversing a pinning attempt to draw level.
Finally—
the Snap Brainbuster.
Three.
Sheriff of Nottingham retaining the Eternal Flame Championship.
Julian Ward: “Last week, Tin Man came within one fall of taking the Eternal Flame Championship. He won the opening fall after Severin Crowne’s interference caused Sheriff of Nottingham to be disqualified.”
The footage shows the later interference again.
Julian Ward: “But interference did not end there. Crowne remained a presence throughout the contest, and eventually the Sheriff recovered, won the second fall and then pinned Tin Man in the deciding fall.”
Brick Brody: “The part Tin Man ought to remember is the last one. He had the first fall. He had every reason to be angry. He still got pinned.”
The screen freezes on Tin Man sitting against the ropes after the loss.
Then—
a black card appears over the image.
Julian Ward: “And that is why tonight matters.”
The graphic changes.
SEVERIN CROWNE vs TIN MAN
The crowd erupts.
Brick Brody: “Enough cards. Enough conversations. Enough people pretending this is philosophy.”
He points toward the screen.
Brick Brody: “Tonight Tin Man gets the man.”
The replay changes again.
Wrestlefest Labour Day.
Severin Crowne and Sir Agravaine defeating Friar Tuck and Little John, with Crowne forcing Little John to submit to The Veto.
Then—
Ghost of Christmas Past hammering Hansel.
The running leg drop.
The Bear Hug.
Hansel surviving.
The clock expiring.
Julian Ward: “And since our last episode, Wrestlefest Labour Day added even more consequences. Severin Crowne and Sir Agravaine defeated Friar Tuck and Little John, strengthening the position of the alliance now growing around Crowne.”
Another replay.
The ten-minute clock reaches zero.
Julian Ward: “Universal Champion Ghost of Christmas Past could not defeat Hansel before the ten-minute time limit expired.”
The words appear:
HANSEL EARNS A UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Brick Brody: “He did not beat the Ghost.”
Julian Ward: “He did not have to.”
Brick Brody: “And now the champion gets to live with that mistake.”
The footage changes.
Mordred drives Sir Lancelot down with the Spear.
Three.
Julian Ward: “Mordred also defeated Sir Lancelot decisively, without a manager and without outside assistance.”
The replay immediately moves to the Wrestlefest main event.
King Arthur.
Sir Galahad.
Across from them—
Robin Hood and the Blood-Moon Warden.
The Warden’s Lock is applied.
Sir Galahad submits.
Robin Hood and the Blood-Moon Warden stand victorious while King Arthur looks on.
The Coliseum gives a huge reaction.
Julian Ward: “And perhaps most importantly for the road ahead, Robin Hood and the Blood-Moon Warden defeated King Arthur and Sir Galahad when Galahad submitted to the Warden’s Lock.”
Brick Brody: “There is your lesson for Camelot. The crown stayed around Arthur’s waist.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “His side still lost.”
The image freezes on Robin Hood staring at King Arthur.
Then the screen fractures into the AGE OF RUIN logo.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2026
Julian Ward: “And now there is no longer an incomplete road to September 27th.”
A low roar builds.
Julian Ward: “The card for Age of Ruin has been set.”
The Mythic Crown appears.
King Arthur on one side.
Robin Hood on the other.
Julian Ward: “The Mythic Crown will be defended when King Arthur faces Robin Hood. If Robin Hood loses, by his own acceptance of the stipulation, he must kneel to the king.”
Brick Brody: “And if he wins, Arthur does not get a kneeling outlaw.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “He gets to watch the outlaw leave with his crown.”
The screen changes again.
Wizard’s Warriors.
Tin Man.
Scarecrow.
Lion.
Opposite—
Severin Crowne.
Sheriff of Nottingham.
Sir Agravaine.
Julian Ward: “The Wizard’s Warriors will meet Severin Crowne, Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Agravaine in six-man competition.”
Then fire consumes the graphic.
Raigen.
Taro Okami.
Lord Kurogami between them.
The words appear:
BLOOD SYNDICATE MATCH
The crowd grows louder.
Julian Ward: “And after last week’s confrontation, the conflict between Raigen and Taro Okami now carries consequences measured in generations.”
Footage shows Lord Kurogami standing beside the silent Taro Okami.
Then Raigen confronting them.
Julian Ward: “If Raigen loses at Age of Ruin, he returns to the Syndicate and becomes indebted to it for one hundred years, with that debt passing through his bloodline.”
Boos fill the building.
Brick Brody: “That is not a wrestling stipulation.”
He looks toward the screen.
Brick Brody: “That is ownership.”
Julian Ward: “But Raigen demanded terms of his own. If he wins, Taro Okami must attend the Dragon’s Veil sanctuary and undergo a cleansing.”
The screen holds on Taro Okami.
Silent.
Unmoving.
Julian Ward: “Tonight, however, Taro Okami does not face Raigen.”
The image changes.
JOHN HENRY vs TARO OKAMI
A strong reaction rises.
Brick Brody: “Maybe that is worse.”
The screen fades.
A new championship graphic appears.
The Queen of the North Championship.
For a moment, the image of Lilith is shown.
Then it cracks.
Polly Mason replaces her.
The crowd reacts loudly.
Julian Ward: “There has also been a major championship change elsewhere in NPCW since we were last together.”
A new still appears from Super House Show 002.
Polly Mason with the Queen of the North Championship.
Julian Ward: “At Polar Division Super House Show 002 on September 8th, Polly Mason defeated Lilith to become the new Queen of the North Champion.”
The new champion’s image fills the screen.
Julian Ward: “Three days ago, that championship belonged to a three-time champion in Lilith.”
A beat.
Julian Ward: “Tonight, the landscape around the Queen of the North Championship is completely different.”
Brick Brody: “That is why I never care how secure somebody says a throne is.”
He gestures toward the Mythic Crown visible on a fan sign behind them.
Brick Brody: “Somebody always finds a way to knock the owner out of it.”
The screen clears.
Then tonight’s card begins appearing one match at a time.
WAR COUNCIL vs LARK OF SHERWOOD & MAID MARION
Julian Ward: “And that brings us to tonight.”
Images of Athena and Bellona appear opposite Lark of Sherwood and Maid Marion.
Julian Ward: “We begin with tag team competition. The War Council, Athena and Bellona, face Lark of Sherwood and Maid Marion.”
Brick Brody: “The War Council do not need another speech about destiny. They need to start beating people.”
The graphic changes.
The Convergent Championship fills the center of the screen.
JACK LUMBER vs DRAGON KING
Julian Ward: “The Convergent Champion is here. Jack Lumber goes one-on-one with Dragon King.”
Brick Brody: “Champion against a man called the Dragon King.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “There are worse ways to find out whether that championship travels well.”
Next graphic.
RAPUNZEL & LADY GUINEVERE
versus
YUREI RINN & ROSALYN, THE QUEEN OF THORNS
The Coliseum reacts.
Julian Ward: “Then an unusual alliance. Rapunzel teams with Lady Guinevere against Yurei Rinn and Rosalyn, the Queen of Thorns.”
Brick Brody: “That match has four women who solve problems in four completely different ways.”
He gives a thin smile.
Brick Brody: “Which means somebody is going to hate their partner before it is over.”
The screen goes black.
A single black card rotates slowly.
Then two faces appear.
SEVERIN CROWNE
TIN MAN
The crowd rises.
Julian Ward: “No intermediary. No offered card. No championship match separating them.”
A pause.
Julian Ward: “Tonight, Severin Crowne faces Tin Man.”
Brick Brody: “Finally.”
The screen changes again.
Four faces.
MORDRED & ROBIN HOOD
versus
KING ARTHUR & SIR LANCELOT
The reaction becomes enormous.
Julian Ward: “And consider the implications of this one.”
He lets the crowd noise breathe.
Julian Ward: “At Wrestlefest, Mordred defeated Sir Lancelot.”
Mordred’s Spear flashes again.
Julian Ward: “That same night, Robin Hood’s team defeated King Arthur’s.”
The Warden Lock flashes.
Julian Ward: “Tonight, Mordred and Robin Hood must somehow coexist against King Arthur and Sir Lancelot.”
Brick Brody: “You said coexist.”
He shakes his head.
Brick Brody: “I heard survive each other.”
Finally—
the entire screen turns black.
A hammer strikes steel.
Once.
Twice.
Then a wolf howls.
Two images burn into view.
JOHN HENRY
TARO OKAMI
MAIN EVENT
The Coliseum erupts.
Julian Ward: “And in our main event, John Henry goes one-on-one with Taro Okami.”
Footage flashes of John Henry standing beside Raigen.
Then Taro Okami beside Lord Kurogami.
Julian Ward: “John Henry stood with Raigen when the truth surrounding Taro Okami was revealed.”
Brick Brody: “Which makes tonight simple.”
He leans closer to the desk.
Brick Brody: “You cannot punch a hundred-year contract.”
A beat.
Brick Brody: “But John Henry can punch the man who signed his name to the fight.”
The crowd roars again.
Julian Ward: “Six matches.”
The full card fills the screen.
WAR COUNCIL vs LARK OF SHERWOOD & MAID MARION
CONVERGENT CHAMPION JACK LUMBER vs DRAGON KING
RAPUNZEL & LADY GUINEVERE vs YUREI RINN & ROSALYN, THE QUEEN OF THORNS
SEVERIN CROWNE vs TIN MAN
MORDRED & ROBIN HOOD vs KING ARTHUR & SIR LANCELOT
MAIN EVENT — JOHN HENRY vs TARO OKAMI
Julian Ward: “The road to Age of Ruin is no longer being constructed.”
A final image appears.
The September 27th logo.
Julian Ward: “It is set.”
Brick Brody: “Then stop talking about the road.”
He looks toward the entranceway.
Brick Brody: “Start breaking people on it.”
The bell sounds somewhere inside the Coliseum.
The crowd rises again.
Julian Ward: “The War Council faces Lark of Sherwood and Maid Marion.”
A beat.
Julian Ward: “Dark Fable begins now.”
The camera returns to ringside as the North Star Tag Team Championship graphic briefly appears on the screen.
BLONDE BOMBSHELLS vs WAR COUNCIL — AGE OF RUIN
The image fades.
Julian Ward: “The opportunity is waiting for them on September 27th. Athena and Bellona will challenge the Blonde Bombshells for the North Star Tag Team Championship at Age of Ruin.”
Brick Brody: “Opportunity does not mean momentum, Julian. The War Council have been stumbling since that match was announced. If I am Zeus, I want to see something tonight that tells me my soldiers remember how to win.”
The lights dim.
A peal of thunder rolls through the Coliseum.
Gold-white light flashes across the entrance.
Zeus steps through first, dressed in his regal battle attire, his expression severe.
Behind him come Athena and Bellona.
Neither woman acknowledges the crowd.
Athena walks with controlled precision, eyes fixed upon the ring.
Bellona follows with considerably less restraint, rolling her shoulders and staring toward the opposition entrance as though she would prefer the match already be underway.
Zeus stops at the foot of the ramp and raises one hand.
His warriors move past him.
Julian Ward: “For months, Zeus has spoken of inevitability. Of conquest. Of the natural superiority of the Olympian order.”
Brick Brody: “And right now, inevitability has a losing streak attached to it.”
Julian Ward: “That is precisely the problem.”
Zeus climbs onto the apron and parts the ropes for Athena and Bellona before dropping back to the floor.
The music changes.
Green light spreads across the stone entranceway.
An arrow whistles through the darkness and strikes a wooden target projected across the great screen.
Lark of Sherwood emerges first.
The crowd rises.
Behind her comes Maid Marion.
Marion pauses beside Lark and looks toward the ring.
The two exchange a nod.
No ceremony.
No fear.
They start down the aisle together.
Julian Ward: “There is no championship promise waiting for Lark of Sherwood or Maid Marion tonight.”
Brick Brody: “Sometimes that makes the other team more dangerous. They do not have anything to protect.”
Julian Ward: “And they have spent enough time fighting the machinery of kings to know what it means to stand across from people who believe victory is their birthright.”
Lark slides beneath the bottom rope.
Maid Marion climbs the steps and enters more deliberately.
Across the ring, Zeus says something to Athena.
She does not turn.
Her eyes remain on Lark.
Louie Linville steps to the center of the ring.
Louie Linville: “The following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall!”
The crowd responds.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first, accompanied to the ring by Zeus... representing the War Council... ATHENA... and BELLONA!”
Boos roll through the Coliseum.
Bellona raises her chin.
Athena remains completely still.
Louie Linville: “And their opponents... LARK OF SHERWOOD... and MAID MARION!”
A strong cheer.
Lark raises one fist.
Maid Marion never takes her eyes from the opposite corner.
Honest Abe checks both teams and motions for the bell.
The match begins.
Minute 1
Athena and Lark of Sherwood circle cautiously.
Neither gives ground.
Athena strikes first, catching Lark in motion and twisting her across the body into an Owl Wing Backbreaker.
Lark hits hard but immediately scrambles back upright.
When Athena reaches for her again, Lark hooks the body and drives her down with a sitout gourdbuster.
Both women separate.
Neither has established control.
Julian Ward: “A measured opening, and almost immediately we see why Lark cannot be treated as an underdog simply because Athena carries the Olympian name.”
Brick Brody: “You can call yourself the goddess of wisdom. A gourdbuster still hurts your face.”
Minute 2
Lark drives Athena toward the Sherwood corner.
Maid Marion tags in quickly.
The pair try to trap Athena, with Lark looking for the Double Chickenwing Facebuster while Marion closes from the side.
But Athena plants her feet, twists free and forces both women apart.
She catches Lark with a sharp forearm before Honest Abe orders the illegal partner back to the apron.
Julian Ward: “Excellent awareness from Athena. Sherwood tried to overwhelm her before she could reorganize.”
Brick Brody: “That is the first thing I have seen tonight that Zeus will actually like.”
At ringside, Zeus gives one curt nod.
Minute 3
The Sherwood tandem tries again.
This time Lark catches Athena with a Rolling Cutter.
As Athena rises, Maid Marion follows with an arm-trap neckbreaker.
The crowd surges—
but Athena explodes back into the exchange.
She catches Lark, hooks both arms and plants her with Wisdom’s Wrath.
All three women hit the canvas during the furious sequence.
Julian Ward: “That descended into a fight very quickly.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Athena tried to wrestle politely for two minutes. That is enough of that.”
Minute 4
Back to legal competition between Athena and Lark.
Athena takes the back and grinds her knee between the shoulder blades, wrenching Lark backward in the Gorgon Clutch.
Lark fights her way upright.
She turns beneath Athena’s grip—
and cracks her across the side of the head with a Shining Wizard.
Athena falls toward the ropes.
Julian Ward: “Lark has repeatedly answered Athena’s control with sudden impact.”
Brick Brody: “And Athena needs to quit letting her stand back up.”
Minute 5
Athena intercepts another charge and spins Lark down with a second Owl Wing Backbreaker.
Lark answers almost immediately with another sitout gourdbuster.
This time both women remain down briefly.
Athena looks toward her corner.
Lark does the same.
Simultaneous tags.
Bellona enters.
So does Maid Marion.
Brick Brody: “Now this might get ugly.”
Julian Ward: “I suspect that is exactly what Bellona has been waiting for.”
Minute 6
Bellona charges before Marion can settle.
She scoops her completely off the mat—
Alabama Slam.
Marion bounces off the canvas and rolls toward the ropes.
Bellona stalks after her, but Marion absorbs the punishment and refuses to remain grounded.
Bellona turns toward Zeus with a fierce expression.
Then tags Athena straight back into the match.
Julian Ward: “Brief but violent work from Bellona.”
Brick Brody: “She did not need sixty seconds. She needed one slam.”
Minute 7
Maid Marion reaches Lark.
Tag.
The Sherwood team floods the ring.
Marion crashes into Athena with a Lou Thesz Press.
As Athena tries to rise—
Lark catches her.
Sherwood Destroyer.
Athena is driven down brutally.
Zeus steps closer to the apron.
Julian Ward: “That is the cleanest double-team sequence of the match!”
Brick Brody: “And Zeus just stopped looking annoyed.”
A beat.
Brick Brody: “Now he looks worried.”
Minute 8
Maid Marion remains legal.
Athena recovers and powers her upward.
She military-presses Marion above her head—
Pallas Drop.
Marion crashes down.
But as Athena steps toward her, Marion catches her with a flapjack.
Both women rise quickly.
Athena strikes again and forces Marion down.
Cover.
Honest Abe: “ONE!... TWO!...”
Maid Marion kicks out.
Julian Ward: “First serious cover of the match, and Marion survives.”
Brick Brody: “That was not enough. If Athena wants those North Star belts, she needs to stop checking whether people are finished and start making sure.”
Minute 9
Maid Marion catches Athena moving forward.
Bulldog.
Athena’s face hits the canvas.
Marion immediately rolls her over.
Honest Abe: “ONE!... TWO!...”
Athena escapes.
Marion does not argue.
She reaches toward her corner.
Tag to Lark.
Julian Ward: “Neither team has been able to create meaningful separation.”
Brick Brody: “That favors Sherwood. The longer this stays even, the uglier Zeus is going to get.”
Minute 10
Athena steps toward Lark.
Before they can engage—
Zeus climbs onto the apron.
Honest Abe turns toward him.
The referee immediately orders the Olympian patriarch down.
Behind him, Lark hooks Athena.
Double Chickenwing Facebuster.
Lark covers.
But the distraction costs precious time.
Honest Abe finally turns.
“ONE!”
Athena kicks out almost instantly.
The crowd boos Zeus.
Julian Ward: “That distraction may have helped Athena, but it also prevented Lark from receiving an immediate count.”
Brick Brody: “That is why you bring a god to ringside.”
Julian Ward: “That is one interpretation.”
Brick Brody: “It is the useful interpretation.”
Athena crawls to the corner and tags Bellona.
Minute 11
Bellona explodes into the ring and immediately calls Athena back in.
The War Council attempts to trap Lark between them.
Bellona charges with the Crimson Spear while Athena comes off the middle rope looking for the Helm Breaker.
But Lark slips away.
Bellona narrowly avoids crashing into her own partner.
Lark grabs Bellona in the confusion and drops her with the sitout gourdbuster.
The Coliseum rises.
Julian Ward: “The War Council tried to overwhelm Lark, and Lark turned their own aggression against them.”
Brick Brody: “That was sloppy. Zeus knows it too.”
The camera finds Zeus pacing.
Minute 12
The War Council tries again.
This time they connect.
Bellona launches Lark backward with a German Suplex.
Before Lark can recover, Athena hooks her arms—
Wisdom’s Wrath.
Lark somehow forces herself back up and catches Bellona with another Shining Wizard before collapsing.
All three women are down.
Julian Ward: “There is the violence Zeus demanded.”
Brick Brody: “And Lark still got back up.”
Julian Ward: “That is the part he will dislike.”
Minute 13
Bellona stays on Lark.
Forearm.
Another.
Another.
A barrage of repeated forearms backs Lark toward center ring.
Bellona surges forward—
but Lark catches her around the throat.
Chokeslam.
Bellona crashes to the mat.
Lark staggers toward the corner and reaches Maid Marion.
Tag.
Brick Brody: “That is a problem.”
Julian Ward: “Fresh competitor for Sherwood. Bellona has been unable to establish sustained control.”
Minute 14
Maid Marion and Bellona meet in the center.
Neither gets an immediate advantage.
They separate.
Circle.
Lock again.
Another stalemate.
Then the pace suddenly changes.
Bellona fires a sequence of forearms.
Marion absorbs the final shot, grabs the head—
Bulldog.
Both women tumble down.
Julian Ward: “This match has become remarkably even.”
Brick Brody: “Which is another way of saying the supposed future champions are not beating the team in front of them.”
The camera catches Zeus glaring into the ring.
Minute 15
Bellona muscles Marion backward.
German Suplex.
Marion lands hard but rolls through toward her knees.
Bellona charges.
Marion throws herself forward with a low-angle dropkick, catching Bellona squarely in the legs.
The Olympian warrior drops to one knee.
Julian Ward: “Again Marion refuses to allow Bellona to dictate the pace.”
Brick Brody: “And every minute this goes on, those championship belts at Age of Ruin look farther away.”
Minute 16
Bellona rises furious.
She waits for Marion to turn.
Crimson Spear.
Marion is driven backward.
But she scrambles upright before Bellona can capitalize—
Bulldog.
Both women crash down again.
The crowd begins clapping rhythmically.
Julian Ward: “Neither side will yield.”
Brick Brody: “Somebody has to. Wrestling does not grade effort.”
Minute 17
Bellona gets to her feet first.
Zeus moves along the floor.
Maid Marion turns toward the ropes—
and Zeus suddenly introduces the Lightning Rod into the exchange from ringside.
The interference catches Marion completely unaware.
Honest Abe’s position prevents him from seeing it clearly.
Bellona immediately capitalizes.
She drives Marion down and hooks the leg.
Honest Abe: “ONE!... TWO!...”
Maid Marion kicks out.
The building erupts.
Zeus stares in disbelief.
Julian Ward: “Even with Zeus involving himself, Maid Marion survives!”
Brick Brody: “Now that is embarrassing.”
Julian Ward: “For whom?”
Brick Brody: “Everybody wearing Olympian colors.”
Minute 18
Bellona has had enough.
She hauls Marion upward.
Alabama Slam.
Cover.
Honest Abe: “ONE!... TWO!...”
Lark of Sherwood dives into the ring and breaks the fall.
Bellona immediately lunges toward Lark, but Honest Abe forces her back toward the apron.
Marion rolls onto her side.
Bellona turns and tags Athena.
Julian Ward: “Twice in two minutes the War Council believed they had this match.”
Brick Brody: “And twice they were wrong.”
Minute 19
Athena enters and reaches for Marion.
Marion catches her first.
Arm-trap neckbreaker.
Athena hits hard.
Marion crawls toward Lark, but Athena manages to catch the ankle before the tag can be completed.
Julian Ward: “Critical moment. Athena has to keep Marion isolated.”
Brick Brody: “She has had twenty minutes to figure that out.”
Minute 20
Marion twists free.
Tag to Lark.
Sherwood attacks immediately.
Marion drives Athena backward with a low-angle front dropkick.
At the same moment, Lark launches herself through the ropes and crashes into Athena on the floor with a diving crossbody.
The crowd erupts.
Athena is down outside.
Honest Abe begins counting.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six—
Athena rolls beneath the bottom rope.
Julian Ward: “Athena barely avoids a dangerous count.”
Brick Brody: “And look at Zeus.”
The camera finds him.
Jaw tight.
Hands clenched around the Lightning Rod.
Brick Brody: “That is not the face of a god watching destiny.”
Minute 21
The Sherwood pressure continues.
Lark catches Athena rising.
Shining Wizard.
The strike sends Athena staggering sideways.
Marion blocks the escape route long enough for Lark to maintain the attack before Honest Abe restores order.
Julian Ward: “The War Council are being beaten to the initiative.”
Brick Brody: “They look like challengers who already started thinking about the champions.”
Minute 22
Athena tries to regain her footing.
Lark closes again.
A vicious headbutt.
Athena drops backward toward the ropes.
Marion maintains positional pressure from the corner while Lark refuses to allow Athena room to breathe.
Zeus pounds one fist against the apron.
Julian Ward: “Sherwood is controlling the closing stages.”
Brick Brody: “And Zeus is about five seconds away from throwing thunderbolts at his own team.”
Minute 23
Athena finally creates space.
She drives Maid Marion backward into the corner with the Shield Bash.
Marion absorbs the shoulder thrust.
Athena pulls away—
and Marion explodes from the corner.
Kiss Goodnight Roundhouse Kick.
The strike catches Athena across the head.
She drops to a knee.
Julian Ward: “Kiss Goodnight! Athena may be hurt!”
Brick Brody: “That kick changes matches.”
Minute 24
Athena refuses to stay down.
She charges Marion back into the turnbuckles.
Another Shield Bash.
This one lands flush.
Marion slumps against the ropes.
Athena grabs her and drags her toward center ring.
Julian Ward: “One final surge from Athena.”
Brick Brody: “Then finish it. Stop surging and finish something.”
At ringside, Zeus is shouting instructions now.
Minute 25
Athena moves forward.
Maid Marion pivots.
KISS GOODNIGHT ROUNDHOUSE KICK.
The impact snaps Athena’s head sideways.
She collapses.
Maid Marion falls across her.
Honest Abe drops into position.
“ONE!”
Bellona starts through the ropes.
“TWO!”
Lark of Sherwood moves into her path.
“THREE!”
The bell rings.
The Coliseum explodes.
Maid Marion rolls away from the cover, breathing heavily.
Lark enters the ring and grabs her by the arm.
Honest Abe raises both women’s hands.
On the opposite side of the ring, Bellona kneels beside Athena.
Neither looks toward Zeus.
At ringside—
Zeus is motionless.
For several seconds, he simply stares.
Then his expression changes.
Not disappointment.
Fury.
Julian Ward: “Another defeat for the War Council, and this one comes less than three weeks before Athena and Bellona challenge the Blonde Bombshells for the North Star Tag Team Championship at Age of Ruin.”
Brick Brody: “And do not blame bad luck. Zeus interfered. Bellona had chances. Athena had chances. They got twenty-five minutes.”
He looks toward ringside.
Brick Brody: “And they still lost.”
Julian Ward: “Meanwhile, Lark of Sherwood and Maid Marion have just defeated the next challengers to the North Star Tag Team Championship. Whatever was expected when that title match was announced, the road toward it has become increasingly difficult for the War Council.”
MAID MARION & LARK OF SHERWOOD DEFEAT ATHENA & BELLONA BY PINFALL IN THE 25TH MINUTE AFTER MAID MARION PINNED ATHENA FOLLOWING THE KISS GOODNIGHT ROUNDHOUSE KICK.
The victors leave the ring.
The camera does not follow them.
It remains on Zeus.
Athena has reached a seated position inside the ring.
Bellona stands over her.
Neither woman speaks.
Zeus slowly climbs onto the apron.
His eyes move from Athena—
to Bellona—
and finally toward the Age of Ruin logo glowing above the entrance.
His grip tightens around the Lightning Rod.
The muscles in his jaw flex.
Julian Ward: “That is a very unhappy Zeus.”
Brick Brody: “He should be.”
Zeus steps through the ropes.
The broadcast cuts away before he says a word.
The camera cuts backstage.
Hana Nakamura stands in the interview area beneath the black-and-red Dark Fable backdrop.
Beside her is the Convergent Champion, Jack Lumber, the championship resting across his shoulder.
Hana Nakamura: “I’m here with the Convergent Champion, Jack Lumber, and earlier this morning we received confirmation that the challenge for Age of Ruin is now official.”
Jack Lumber adjusts the championship slightly.
Hana Nakamura: “You have signed the contract. At Age of Ruin, you will defend the Convergent Championship against Frankenstein’s Monster.”
A cheer can be heard from inside the Coliseum.
Hana Nakamura: “That is not an ordinary championship defense, Jack. Frankenstein’s Monster is one of the largest and most physically destructive competitors anywhere in NPCW. Why accept that challenge?”
Jack Lumber looks at Hana Nakamura, then down at the championship.
Jack Lumber: “Because this belt isn’t supposed to sit on somebody’s shoulder while they look for easy fights.”
He pats the faceplate.
Jack Lumber: “Convergent Champion means you take what comes through the door.”
A brief pause.
Jack Lumber: “Different divisions. Different worlds. Different kinds of fighters.”
He looks directly into the camera.
Jack Lumber: “And sometimes monsters.”
Hana Nakamura: “You genuinely have no reservations about stepping into the ring with him?”
Jack Lumber gives a small shake of his head.
Jack Lumber: “I’ve spent most of my life around things bigger than me, Hana.”
He gestures upward.
Jack Lumber: “Big trees.”
A second gesture.
Jack Lumber: “Big machines.”
Then he points toward the championship.
Jack Lumber: “Big expectations.”
His expression hardens.
Jack Lumber: “So no. I don’t fear monsters.”
A beat.
Jack Lumber: “Because the bigger they are…”
He looks straight into the lens.
Jack Lumber: “…the harder they fall.”
The crowd can be heard reacting from the arena.
Hana Nakamura: “And you intend to make Frankenstein’s Monster fall at Age of Ruin?”
Jack Lumber: “I signed my name this morning.”
He nods once.
Jack Lumber: “That was my answer.”
Hana Nakamura turns slightly toward him.
Hana Nakamura: “Before you can reach Age of Ruin, though, you have another very large problem tonight.”
The screen beside them comes alive.
JACK LUMBER vs DRAGON KING
Hana Nakamura: “Coming up next, you face Dragon King of the Monster Bash.”
Jack Lumber glances at the graphic.
Jack Lumber: “Good.”
Hana Nakamura: “Good?”
Jack Lumber: “If I’m supposed to fight Frankenstein’s Monster in sixteen days, I don’t want somebody warming me up.”
He turns back toward her.
Jack Lumber: “I want somebody trying to knock my head off.”
A faint grin crosses his face.
Jack Lumber: “Dragon King looks qualified.”
Hana Nakamura: “The Monster Bash have built their reputation on size, intimidation and overwhelming opponents. Dragon King has all three.”
Jack Lumber: “Then tonight he gets to find out whether intimidation works on a lumberjack.”
He removes the Convergent Championship from his shoulder and holds it in one hand.
Jack Lumber: “I know what Dragon King is.”
A pause.
Jack Lumber: “I know what Frankenstein’s Monster is.”
He raises the championship slightly.
Jack Lumber: “But they need to remember what I am.”
Hana Nakamura: “And what is that?”
Jack Lumber looks directly into the camera.
Jack Lumber: “Still the Convergent Champion.”
He slings the championship back over his shoulder and starts toward the entrance corridor.
After a few steps, he stops.
Without turning around—
Jack Lumber: “And Hana?”
Hana Nakamura: “Yes?”
Jack Lumber: “Tell them to reinforce the ring.”
He continues down the corridor.
Hana Nakamura watches him leave before turning back toward the camera.
Hana Nakamura: “The contract is signed. Jack Lumber versus Frankenstein’s Monster for the Convergent Championship at Age of Ruin.”
A beat.
Hana Nakamura: “But first, the champion faces Dragon King.”
The camera follows Jack Lumber disappearing toward gorilla position.
Cut to black.
The camera returns to the arena as the Convergent Championship graphic fills the screen.
CONVERGENT CHAMPION JACK LUMBER vs DRAGON KING
NON-TITLE MATCH
At ringside, Julian Ward watches the graphic fade.
Julian Ward: “Earlier tonight, Jack Lumber confirmed that the contract has been signed. At Age of Ruin, the Convergent Championship will be defended against Frankenstein’s Monster.”
Brick Brody: “And apparently the champion decided the best way to prepare for one monster is to start fighting the rest of the family.”
The lights darken.
A guttural roar rolls through the Coliseum.
Heavy chains appear across the great screen before splitting apart.
Dr. Frankenstein steps onto the stage.
He surveys the crowd with clinical disdain.
Behind him comes Dragon King.
Massive.
Broad-shouldered.
His entrance is deliberate rather than hurried, every step carrying the weight of someone accustomed to opponents backing away before physical contact ever begins.
Dr. Frankenstein walks several paces ahead, occasionally turning to speak toward his creation.
Dragon King never responds.
He simply stares at the ring.
Julian Ward: “The Monster Bash have always relied upon intimidation, physical superiority and the belief that normal wrestling problems can be solved simply by becoming larger than the opposition.”
Brick Brody: “Usually works.”
Julian Ward: “Tonight, Dragon King faces a champion who has already made it clear that size does not frighten him.”
Brick Brody: “Everybody says that before the large man drops them on their head.”
Dragon King steps over the top rope.
Dr. Frankenstein remains on the floor and adjusts one glove.
Then—
an axe strikes timber.
The sound echoes through the Coliseum.
A second strike.
A third.
The crowd rises.
Jack Lumber emerges carrying the Convergent Championship over one shoulder.
He pauses at the top of the ramp.
Looks toward Dragon King.
Then toward Dr. Frankenstein.
He gives neither man more than a moment.
The champion starts toward the ring.
Julian Ward: “There is the man who said only moments ago that he does not fear monsters because the bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
Brick Brody: “That sounds great until you remember the big thing gets a vote.”
Jack Lumber reaches ringside.
He removes the Convergent Championship.
Looks at it once.
Then hands it to the timekeeper.
He steps through the ropes.
Dragon King immediately moves forward.
Slow-Count Sam gets between them.
Jack Lumber does not retreat.
The crowd responds to the staredown.
Louie Linville steps to the center.
Louie Linville: “The following contest is scheduled for one fall and is a NON-TITLE MATCH!”
A reaction rises.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first, accompanied to the ring by Dr. Frankenstein... representing the Monster Bash... DRAGON KING!”
Dragon King raises his head.
No gesture.
No acknowledgment.
Louie Linville: “And his opponent... he is the reigning CONVERGENT CHAMPION... JACK LUMBER!”
The crowd erupts.
Jack Lumber raises one fist.
Then turns immediately back toward Dragon King.
Slow-Count Sam checks both men.
Signals.
The bell rings.
Minute 1
Neither man wastes time.
Jack Lumber explodes forward and drives his shoulder directly into Dragon King’s midsection.
Spear.
The giant is knocked backward but not completely flattened.
Jack Lumber tries to follow.
Dragon King catches him.
Hooks the head.
Brainbuster.
The champion is driven into the canvas.
Both men roll apart.
Julian Ward: “That opening exchange told us immediately what kind of match this will be.”
Brick Brody: “No feeling-out process. Two big men trying to see which one can damage the other faster.”
Minute 2
Jack Lumber rises first.
He catches Dragon King moving toward him.
The Axe.
A brutal clothesline crashes across the upper chest.
Dragon King tries to brace against it—
but the force sends him down.
Jack Lumber stands over him.
Julian Ward: “The champion is not being intimidated.”
Brick Brody: “No, but do not confuse courage with control. He still has twenty-three hundred pounds of trouble standing back up.”
Minute 3
Jack Lumber drives a boot into Dragon King’s midsection.
The larger man doubles slightly.
At ringside, Dr. Frankenstein moves.
He reaches beneath the apron.
A chair appears.
Slow-Count Sam’s attention shifts toward the opposite side as Dr. Frankenstein thrusts the chair into position long enough to aid his protégé.
The advantage changes instantly.
Dragon King hammers Jack Lumber backward.
Julian Ward: “And there is Dr. Frankenstein inserting himself into this match.”
Brick Brody: “A scientist improves the experiment.”
Julian Ward: “With a chair?”
Brick Brody: “Efficient equipment.”
Minute 4
Jack Lumber refuses to remain backed up.
He grabs Dragon King and drops him across the knee with an atomic drop.
Dragon King staggers forward.
Turns.
Catches the champion.
Body Slam.
Jack Lumber crashes hard.
The giant stands over him.
Dr. Frankenstein nods approvingly.
Julian Ward: “Neither competitor is able to string together sustained control.”
Brick Brody: “That means one of them has not hit hard enough yet.”
Minute 5
Dragon King pulls Jack Lumber upright.
The champion suddenly shoves him backward.
Runs.
Spear.
The impact shakes the ropes.
Dragon King falls toward the canvas—
but as Jack Lumber tries to rise, the giant hooks him.
Spike Piledriver.
The champion is planted headfirst.
The crowd reacts sharply.
Julian Ward: “That is an alarming answer from Dragon King.”
Brick Brody: “And that is what the lumberjack was talking about backstage. You want monsters? There is one.”
Minute 6
Dragon King takes control.
He pulls Jack Lumber upward.
Body Slam.
The champion lands flat on his back.
Dragon King stands above him while Dr. Frankenstein gestures for more punishment.
Julian Ward: “This is the first sustained stretch where Dragon King has dictated the match.”
Brick Brody: “And now we find out whether Jack Lumber’s confidence survives gravity.”
Minute 7
Dragon King drags the champion back up.
Hooks him again.
Another Spike Piledriver.
Jack Lumber is driven into the canvas.
He rolls toward the ropes but does not reach them.
Dragon King stalks after him.
Julian Ward: “Second piledriver.”
Brick Brody: “You defend championships with your neck attached, Julian.”
Minute 8
Dragon King grabs him again.
The crowd rises in concern.
Third Spike Piledriver.
Jack Lumber hits hard and remains down.
Dr. Frankenstein raises one hand and points toward the champion.
Julian Ward: “Three piledrivers in four minutes.”
Brick Brody: “This is what happens when somebody says they do not fear monsters. Sometimes the monster takes that personally.”
Minute 9
Dragon King reaches down.
Jack Lumber suddenly fires upward.
A stiff uppercut catches Dragon King beneath the jaw.
The giant rocks backward.
Another step.
Jack Lumber drags himself upright.
Julian Ward: “There is life in the champion yet.”
Brick Brody: “More importantly, there is anger.”
Minute 10
Jack Lumber creates distance.
Waits.
Charges.
Spear.
This one drives Dragon King completely down.
The crowd erupts.
Jack Lumber rises more slowly than before but stays on his feet.
Julian Ward: “A second Spear, and this one had considerably more behind it.”
Brick Brody: “Now make the big man stay down.”
Minute 11
Jack Lumber backs into the corner.
Dr. Frankenstein begins shouting instructions toward Dragon King.
The giant changes his stance.
Jack Lumber ignores the words from ringside.
He charges.
Spear.
Again.
Dragon King folds around the impact.
Julian Ward: “Dr. Frankenstein is trying to coach Dragon King through this surge.”
Brick Brody: “He better give him better advice than stand there and get Speared.”
Minute 12
Jack Lumber traps Dragon King against the ropes.
A heavy chop echoes through the Coliseum.
Another.
Dragon King absorbs the punishment but his chest reddens.
Jack Lumber knocks him down and covers.
Slow-Count Sam drops.
“ONE!”
Dragon King kicks out almost immediately.
Jack Lumber looks briefly toward the referee.
Julian Ward: “Only one.”
Brick Brody: “That was not close, and Jack Lumber knows it.”
Minute 13
Dragon King rises aggressively.
Jack Lumber kicks him in the midsection.
But Dragon King catches the head.
Brainbuster.
The champion is driven down again.
Both men remain grounded for several seconds.
Julian Ward: “Every time Jack Lumber gains momentum, Dragon King finds a way to answer.”
Brick Brody: “That is why this is good preparation for Frankenstein’s Monster. Nothing easy. Nothing clean.”
Minute 14
Dragon King gets to his feet.
He grabs Jack Lumber.
Another Brainbuster.
The champion crashes down.
Dr. Frankenstein watches without expression.
Julian Ward: “Back-to-back Brainbusters.”
Brick Brody: “This match is turning into an argument about how much punishment the Convergent Champion can absorb.”
Minute 15
Jack Lumber fires another stiff uppercut.
Dragon King staggers.
Then grabs the champion and throws him over the top rope.
Jack Lumber crashes to the floor.
Slow-Count Sam begins the count.
One.
Two.
Three.
Jack Lumber uses the barricade to rise.
Four.
Five.
He reaches the apron.
Six.
Jack Lumber slides beneath the bottom rope.
Julian Ward: “Back at six.”
Brick Brody: “He did not rush. Good. Use every second the referee gives you.”
Minute 16
Dragon King moves toward him immediately.
Jack Lumber bursts from the ropes.
Spear.
The giant falls.
Cover.
Slow-Count Sam: “ONE!”
Dragon King kicks out again.
Jack Lumber sits up, breathing heavily.
Julian Ward: “Another early escape.”
Brick Brody: “That tells the champion something. The Spear hurts him.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “It is not finishing him yet.”
Minute 17
Both men rise.
Jack Lumber grabs the giant around the body.
The crowd reacts as he lifts.
Yukon Bodyslam.
Dragon King crashes down.
But moments later the giant returns the favor with a punishing Body Slam of his own.
Both men hit hard.
Julian Ward: “That is raw strength from the champion.”
Brick Brody: “And pride from both men. Neither one wanted the other walking away claiming he was stronger.”
Minute 18
Jack Lumber backs Dragon King toward the ropes.
A crushing chop across the chest.
Dragon King responds immediately.
Enzuigiri.
The kick catches Jack Lumber on the side of the head.
The champion stumbles but remains upright.
Julian Ward: “Remarkable athleticism from a man of Dragon King’s size.”
Brick Brody: “That is what makes the monster dangerous. Big is one thing. Big and mobile is something else.”
Minute 19
Dragon King reaches for another Body Slam.
Jack Lumber braces.
Blocks the lift.
The champion shifts his weight and forces the giant away.
Dragon King tries again.
Nothing.
Jack Lumber stands his ground.
Julian Ward: “The champion has stopped the power attack.”
Brick Brody: “That matters this late. Dragon King expected to move him and could not.”
Minute 20
Jack Lumber closes.
Atomic Drop.
Dragon King staggers forward.
Turns—
Enzuigiri.
Jack Lumber is rocked again.
The champion drops to one knee.
Dragon King remains standing but visibly fatigued.
Julian Ward: “Twenty minutes of punishment beginning to show on both men.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Now we find out which one still has something ugly left.”
Minute 21
Jack Lumber catches Dragon King again.
Atomic Drop.
The giant stumbles.
Then explodes.
Dragon Bomb.
Jack Lumber is driven violently into the canvas.
The Coliseum reacts.
Dr. Frankenstein steps closer to the apron.
Julian Ward: “Dragon Bomb!”
Brick Brody: “That might be the biggest shot Dragon King has landed all night.”
Minute 22
Dragon King reaches down to finish the champion.
He attempts another Body Slam.
Jack Lumber blocks it.
The giant strains.
Nothing.
Jack Lumber forces his feet beneath him.
Shoves Dragon King backward.
The crowd rises.
Julian Ward: “Again Jack Lumber denies the slam.”
Brick Brody: “And look at the big man. He is tired.”
Julian Ward: “So is the champion.”
Brick Brody: “Then this becomes simple. Who has one more collision left?”
Minute 23
Dragon King charges.
Jack Lumber sidesteps.
The giant turns.
Jack Lumber lowers his shoulder.
Runs.
SPEAR.
The impact drives Dragon King into the canvas.
This time Jack Lumber does not hesitate.
He hooks the leg.
Slow-Count Sam drops.
“ONE!”
Dr. Frankenstein steps toward the apron.
“TWO!”
Dragon King tries to move.
“THREE!”
The bell rings.
The Coliseum erupts.
Jack Lumber rolls away from the cover.
He remains on one knee for several seconds, breathing hard.
Slow-Count Sam raises his arm.
Julian Ward: “Jack Lumber withstands everything Dragon King could throw at him and wins the non-title match.”
Brick Brody: “Three piledrivers. Brainbusters. Dragon Bomb. Outside help. None of it finished him.”
Julian Ward: “And sixteen days before Jack Lumber defends the Convergent Championship against Frankenstein’s Monster, the champion has delivered a very clear message to the Monster Bash.”
JACK LUMBER DEFEATS DRAGON KING BY PINFALL IN THE 23RD MINUTE AFTER A SPEAR.
Jack Lumber’s music begins.
It lasts less than five seconds.
Then stops.
Julian Ward: “Wait.”
Dr. Frankenstein has climbed onto the apron.
Jack Lumber notices him immediately.
The champion gets to his feet.
Then the crowd begins reacting behind him.
From the entrance—
Ogre emerges.
Beside him—
Kong.
Neither man hurries.
They simply start toward the ring.
Inside, Dragon King has recovered enough to stand.
Jack Lumber looks from one side to the other.
Dragon King in front of him.
Dr. Frankenstein on the apron.
Ogre approaching from one side.
Kong from the other.
Brick Brody: “Now the lumberjack has a forestry problem.”
Julian Ward: “The entire Monster Bash is surrounding the Convergent Champion.”
The crowd suddenly erupts again.
At the top of the ramp—
Frankenstein’s Monster appears.
The atmosphere changes instantly.
Even the rest of the Monster Bash turn toward him.
Frankenstein’s Monster walks slowly down the aisle.
No expression.
No haste.
Jack Lumber does not leave the ring.
Instead, he reaches over the ropes and demands his championship.
The timekeeper hesitates.
Then hands it to him.
Jack Lumber pulls the Convergent Championship against his chest.
Frankenstein’s Monster reaches ringside.
The entire group now surrounds the champion.
Dragon King.
Ogre.
Kong.
Dr. Frankenstein.
And the challenger waiting at Age of Ruin.
Julian Ward: “There are too many of them.”
Brick Brody: “And Jack Lumber knows it.”
Julian Ward: “He is still not backing away.”
Dr. Frankenstein raises one hand.
The monsters begin moving.
Before they can close—
security pours down the entranceway.
More officials follow.
Several slide into the ring.
Others position themselves between Ogre, Kong, and the apron.
The crowd boos the intervention.
Brick Brody: “That saved somebody.”
Julian Ward: “The question is whom.”
Security forces Dragon King toward one corner.
Ogre and Kong are held at ringside.
But Frankenstein’s Monster steps onto the apron.
One security guard tries to stop him.
He is simply pushed aside.
Frankenstein’s Monster steps through the ropes.
The crowd rises.
Jack Lumber walks toward him.
Security forms a loose wall between them.
Neither man pays attention.
Frankenstein’s Monster looks down at the Convergent Championship.
Then at Jack Lumber.
The champion lifts the belt between them.
Jack Lumber: “Sixteen days.”
Frankenstein’s Monster says nothing.
He steps closer.
The security line compresses.
Jack Lumber does not move.
Now they are face to face.
The championship held between champion and challenger.
Behind Frankenstein’s Monster, Dr. Frankenstein watches.
Behind Jack Lumber, the rest of security waits for violence.
Julian Ward: “Jack Lumber said earlier tonight that he does not fear monsters.”
A long beat.
Neither man breaks eye contact.
Brick Brody: “We just found out he meant it.”
The camera tightens on the face of Frankenstein’s Monster.
Then Jack Lumber.
Then the Convergent Championship between them.
The AGE OF RUIN logo appears in the corner of the screen.
The scene cuts away before either man takes another step.
The camera returns to the arena as a new match graphic fills the great screen.
RAPUNZEL & LADY GUINEVERE vs YUREI RINN & ROSALYN, QUEEN OF THORNS
The image lingers.
On one side, Rapunzel and Lady Guinevere.
On the other, Yurei Rinn and Rosalyn, Queen of Thorns.
Behind the latter pair stands Lord Kurogami.
Julian Ward: “An unusual combination awaits us here. Rapunzel and Lady Guinevere have very different loyalties and very different ways of approaching a fight, but tonight they share an enemy.”
Brick Brody: “That is enough for a tag match. You do not need friendship. You need somebody willing to hit the same people you want to hit.”
A low, unnatural wind moves through the Coliseum.
The arena lights bleed into deep crimson.
Black petals begin drifting across the entrance screen.
They do not fall naturally.
They seem to rise.
A Japanese temple bell sounds.
Once.
Then again.
Lord Kurogami appears first.
He carries himself with absolute calm.
Behind him comes Yurei Rinn.
Pale.
Silent.
Almost spectral beneath the crimson light.
Beside her walks Rosalyn, Queen of Thorns.
The regal imagery around Rosalyn is corrupted by twisting black vines across the screen, thorned branches curling around an empty crown.
Lord Kurogami never looks toward the crowd.
He simply leads both women toward the ring.
Julian Ward: “Whatever else surrounds Lord Kurogami at present, there is no question that his influence extends well beyond the conflict involving Raigen and Taro Okami.”
Brick Brody: “Good managers build armies. Great ones build problems in different directions.”
Yurei Rinn slides beneath the ropes and rises without breaking her stare toward the entrance.
Rosalyn climbs the steps with royal deliberation.
She wipes one boot against the apron before entering.
Lord Kurogami remains outside.
Then the lighting changes.
Golden light spreads through the arena.
A Camelot crest appears.
Lady Guinevere steps onto the stage.
Behind her—
Merlin.
The crowd reaction is mixed and uneasy.
Guinevere walks with her head high, carrying herself with the bearing of Camelot.
Merlin follows more slowly.
His eyes move across the arena as though the building itself is beneath his consideration.
Julian Ward: “And there is another presence we cannot ignore. Merlin accompanies Lady Guinevere tonight.”
Brick Brody: “Then Fast Count Frank better keep his eyes open.”
Julian Ward: “Against Lord Kurogami?”
Brick Brody: “Both of them.”
Lady Guinevere reaches the ring.
She does not enter immediately.
She turns toward the stage.
A burst of bright light follows.
The crowd rises as Rapunzel emerges.
She moves with considerably more energy than her partner, looking from the fans toward the ring and then directly at Yurei Rinn and Rosalyn.
Rapunzel joins Lady Guinevere at ringside.
The two women exchange a look.
Not warmth.
Understanding.
That will have to be enough.
Rapunzel slides into the ring.
Guinevere follows.
Outside, Merlin takes position opposite Lord Kurogami.
For a moment, the two men simply stare across the ring at one another.
Brick Brody: “Now that is interesting.”
Julian Ward: “Two men accustomed to influencing the battlefield without necessarily entering it.”
Brick Brody: “That is a polite way to say neither one of them knows how to mind his own business.”
Louie Linville steps to center ring.
Louie Linville: “The following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall!”
The crowd answers.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first, accompanied by Lord Kurogami... the team of YUREI RINN... and ROSALYN, QUEEN OF THORNS!”
Rosalyn lifts her chin imperiously.
Yurei Rinn remains motionless.
Louie Linville: “And their opponents... accompanied by Merlin... LADY GUINEVERE... and RAPUNZEL!”
The crowd gives another strong reaction.
Rapunzel raises one arm.
Lady Guinevere merely steps forward.
Fast Count Frank checks both corners.
Rosalyn elects to begin.
So does Lady Guinevere.
The referee signals.
The bell rings.
Minute 1
Lady Guinevere and Rosalyn lock up in the center.
Guinevere quickly shifts her grip, hooks the leg and tries to elevate Rosalyn into a delayed Fisherman Suplex.
But Rosalyn widens her base.
She blocks the lift.
Twists free.
Then shoves Guinevere backward.
The two women reset.
Julian Ward: “An immediate attempt by Lady Guinevere to establish physical control, and Rosalyn simply refuses to be moved.”
Brick Brody: “Queens do not like being picked up and thrown around. Bad for the image.”
Minute 2
They meet again.
This time Guinevere gets underneath Rosalyn and drives her down with a sit-out piledriver.
The impact sends Rosalyn rolling toward the ropes.
She rises quickly.
Guinevere closes—
but Rosalyn slips behind.
Scepter Snap.
The German Suplex sends Guinevere hard onto her shoulders.
Both women roll apart.
Julian Ward: “A violent escalation.”
Brick Brody: “Good. They got the formalities out of the way.”
Minute 3
Rosalyn catches Guinevere from behind.
She traps the body and twists her into the Queen’s Gambit, the cradle belly-to-back inverted mat slam driving Guinevere into the canvas.
Rosalyn kneels beside her for a moment.
Almost admiring the damage.
Julian Ward: “The Queen’s Gambit from Rosalyn, and Guinevere has been forced onto the defensive.”
Brick Brody: “That is where Rosalyn wants her. A queen does not just beat you. She wants you underneath her.”
Minute 4
Both women hesitate as they rise.
Guinevere begins moving forward.
At ringside, Merlin raises one hand.
His eyes fix upon Fast Count Frank.
The referee suddenly pauses.
His attention drifts inexplicably toward the ropes.
Rosalyn recognizes something is wrong immediately.
She steps away rather than walking blindly into whatever Guinevere intended.
Outside, Lord Kurogami looks across at Merlin.
No reaction.
Only recognition.
Julian Ward: “Something just happened to Fast Count Frank.”
Brick Brody: “You think?”
Julian Ward: “And I strongly suspect Merlin happened to him.”
Brick Brody: “Then he should count himself lucky. Usually when a wizard starts staring at you, things get worse than losing thirty seconds.”
Rosalyn decides she has had enough and reaches her corner.
Tag to Yurei Rinn.
Minute 5
Yurei Rinn enters and immediately reaches for Guinevere’s neck.
Reverse Neckbreaker—
No.
Lady Guinevere twists through the grip.
She catches Yurei around the waist.
Alabama Slam.
Yurei Rinn hits hard.
Guinevere steps backward and watches her rise.
Julian Ward: “Excellent reversal by Lady Guinevere.”
Brick Brody: “And that is the danger with Yurei Rinn. You had better hurt her when you get the chance because she does not look like somebody who cares very much about pain.”
Minute 6
Yurei Rinn backs Guinevere toward the hostile corner.
Rosalyn tags herself in long enough for both women to attack.
Yurei traps the arm.
Hammerlock Spinning Tombstone.
Before Guinevere can recover—
Rosalyn seizes her.
Scepter Snap.
The back-to-back impacts leave Guinevere sprawled near the ropes.
Fast Count Frank forces Rosalyn back out after the double-team.
Julian Ward: “That was devastating. The Tombstone from Yurei Rinn, immediately followed by the German Suplex from Rosalyn.”
Brick Brody: “That is what a real team does. You do not take turns hurting somebody. You stack the damage.”
Minute 7
Yurei Rinn drags Guinevere upright.
Hammerlock Flipping Powerslam.
Guinevere crashes down.
Yurei immediately presses across her for the cover—
but Guinevere rolls through.
She reverses the pin.
Fast Count Frank drops.
“ONE!”
“TWO!”
Yurei Rinn kicks out.
Both women scramble upright.
Julian Ward: “That nearly turned against Yurei Rinn completely.”
Brick Brody: “That is what happens when you get greedy. She had the woman hurt and tried to finish too quickly.”
Minute 8
The pace briefly slows.
Neither woman commits.
Then Guinevere charges.
Alabama Slam.
Yurei Rinn is driven down again.
But as Guinevere steps toward her, Yurei rises through the pain and fires repeated elbow strikes into the side of the head.
Guinevere staggers.
Yurei remains standing.
Julian Ward: “Neither woman gained much from that exchange.”
Brick Brody: “Except bruises.”
Minute 9
Guinevere traps Yurei around the body.
Air Raid Crash.
Yurei is planted.
Again she refuses to remain down.
She rises and cracks Guinevere with another series of elbows.
Guinevere backs toward the ropes.
Julian Ward: “Lady Guinevere is landing the larger throws, but Yurei Rinn keeps answering.”
Brick Brody: “That woman fights like the grave already rejected her.”
Minute 10
Guinevere catches Yurei once more.
Alabama Slam.
But Yurei hooks the head on the rebound and drops Guinevere with a Reverse Neckbreaker.
Both women remain down momentarily.
Yurei Rinn crawls toward her corner.
Tag.
Rosalyn, Queen of Thorns re-enters.
Julian Ward: “Fresh competitor for Lord Kurogami’s side.”
Brick Brody: “And Guinevere still has not tagged Rapunzel.”
The camera finds Rapunzel stretching desperately over the top rope.
Minute 11
Rosalyn approaches Guinevere.
At ringside, Lord Kurogami moves closer.
As Guinevere is forced toward the ropes, Kurogami subtly pulls and twists them from the floor.
Guinevere’s arms become tangled between the cables.
She tries to wrench herself free.
Rosalyn watches.
Smiles faintly.
Fast Count Frank moves in to untangle Guinevere, but valuable seconds disappear.
Julian Ward: “That was deliberate.”
Brick Brody: “Of course it was.”
Julian Ward: “Lord Kurogami has effectively snared Lady Guinevere in the ropes.”
Brick Brody: “Then she should stop standing close enough for him to do it.”
Across the ring, Merlin’s expression darkens.
Minute 12
Guinevere remains trapped in the wrong half of the ring.
Lord Kurogami raises two fingers.
A small gesture.
Nothing more.
But Rosalyn sees it.
Her posture changes.
She steps forward with renewed purpose while Guinevere struggles to reset herself.
Julian Ward: “Another signal from Lord Kurogami.”
Brick Brody: “He does not have to scream. His people know what he wants.”
Rosalyn circles slowly.
Guinevere backs away.
Minute 13
Rosalyn catches both arms.
Royal Constriction.
The Venus de Milo double armbar forces Guinevere backward.
Her shoulders and arms are torqued painfully.
At ringside—
Merlin places one hand against the apron.
A faint shimmer seems to move across the canvas.
Guinevere’s eyes suddenly sharpen.
Her resistance returns.
She forces enough separation to break the hold.
Rosalyn immediately drags her down and covers.
“ONE!”
“TWO!”
Lady Guinevere kicks out.
Julian Ward: “Whatever Merlin just did, Guinevere suddenly found strength she did not appear to have moments earlier.”
Brick Brody: “One manager tangles people in ropes. The other one recharges them.”
A beat.
Brick Brody: “I miss managers who just carried tennis rackets.”
Minute 14
Guinevere finally creates space.
She catches Rosalyn by both arms.
Double Underhook Powerbomb.
Rosalyn crashes down.
Guinevere falls backward afterward, too exhausted to capitalize immediately.
Rapunzel reaches even farther from the corner.
Julian Ward: “That may be the opening Lady Guinevere desperately needed.”
Brick Brody: “Then tag out.”
Minute 15
Before Guinevere can reach her partner, Rosalyn cuts her off.
Yurei Rinn enters again.
The pair overwhelm Guinevere.
Rosalyn launches her with another Scepter Snap.
Yurei catches her as she rises—
Hammerlock Spinning Tombstone.
Somehow Guinevere answers amid the chaos with an Alabama Slam that sends Rosalyn crashing down.
All three women end up on the mat.
Julian Ward: “This has become a war of attrition around Lady Guinevere.”
Brick Brody: “And she is losing the numbers game.”
Minute 16
The assault continues.
Rosalyn catches Guinevere in another Queen’s Gambit.
Before she can even fully recover—
Yurei Rinn locks in an STF.
Guinevere’s body is twisted between both attacks before Fast Count Frank finally restores order and forces Yurei back to the apron.
Guinevere reaches weakly toward Rapunzel.
Still too far.
Julian Ward: “This is becoming dangerous.”
Brick Brody: “It became dangerous ten minutes ago.”
Minute 17
Guinevere rises unsteadily.
Merlin moves again.
His hand closes into a fist.
He murmurs something beneath his breath.
The lighting above Rosalyn flickers.
For the first time, Rosalyn looks unsettled.
But not stopped.
She traps Guinevere.
Scepter Snap.
Cover.
“ONE!”
“TWO!”
Lady Guinevere kicks out.
Rosalyn rises and immediately grabs at her own arm.
Something is wrong.
She looks toward Merlin.
His expression is unreadable.
Julian Ward: “Rosalyn landed the German Suplex, but whatever Merlin directed toward her appears to have taken effect.”
Brick Brody: “This match has two managers conducting their own private war outside the ropes.”
Julian Ward: “And four wrestlers paying the price for it.”
Minute 18
Rosalyn tries to close again.
Merlin reaches inside his robe.
A burst of powder flashes through the air.
Rosalyn recoils, momentarily blinded and disoriented.
Fast Count Frank turns too late to identify exactly what happened.
Guinevere does not waste the opportunity.
She crawls.
Reaches.
TAG.
The Coliseum erupts.
Rapunzel enters for the first time.
Julian Ward: “Finally! Rapunzel is legal!”
Brick Brody: “She has been standing on that apron for eighteen minutes. She ought to be fresh enough to run through a wall.”
Minute 19
Rapunzel charges immediately.
She catches the still-disoriented Rosalyn.
Bridging Back Rack.
Rosalyn’s spine bends across Rapunzel’s shoulders.
She struggles to escape.
Rapunzel maintains the pressure before finally dropping her.
Julian Ward: “Completely different energy now.”
Brick Brody: “That is what a fresh partner is supposed to look like.”
Minute 20
Rapunzel stays on Rosalyn.
She traps her from behind.
Cobra Clutch.
Rosalyn struggles.
Rapunzel cinches tighter.
Fast Count Frank asks for the submission.
Rosalyn: “NO!”
She refuses.
She claws her way toward enough leverage to survive.
Rapunzel eventually releases.
Then, surprisingly, she turns toward the corner.
Tag to Lady Guinevere.
Julian Ward: “Short, explosive burst from Rapunzel, and now Guinevere is back.”
Brick Brody: “I am not sure I like that decision. Rapunzel had the freshest legs in the match.”
Minute 21
Guinevere comes in quickly.
Snap DDT.
Rosalyn’s head hits the mat.
But the Queen of Thorns rises almost immediately.
She seizes Guinevere’s arm.
Dagger Bloom.
Hammerlock DDT.
Both women are down.
Guinevere crawls toward the corner.
Tag.
Rapunzel returns.
Julian Ward: “Rapid tags now from Guinevere and Rapunzel.”
Brick Brody: “That is what they should have been doing twenty minutes ago.”
Minute 22
Rapunzel rushes Rosalyn.
Flatliner.
Rosalyn bounces off the canvas.
But she reaches toward Yurei Rinn.
Tag.
The opposition overwhelms Rapunzel immediately.
Rosalyn hits the Scepter Snap.
Yurei Rinn follows by locking in a Cobra Clutch.
Rapunzel fights through it and manages to wrench herself partially free.
She drives Rosalyn down again in the confusion.
Julian Ward: “Chaos again around Rapunzel.”
Brick Brody: “This is where experience as a team matters. Yurei and Rosalyn keep finding ways to attack together.”
Minute 23
Rosalyn hangs back as Yurei Rinn takes over.
Rapunzel turns—
Yurei catches her.
Tombstone.
Rapunzel is driven headfirst into the canvas.
The crowd gasps.
Lady Guinevere steps through the ropes, but Fast Count Frank cuts her off.
Julian Ward: “Tombstone from Yurei Rinn!”
Brick Brody: “That may have taken everything out of Rapunzel.”
Minute 24
Rosalyn takes advantage immediately.
She enters as Yurei retreats to the apron.
Rapunzel tries to rise.
Rosalyn gets behind her.
SCEPTER SNAP.
The German Suplex folds Rapunzel onto her shoulders.
Rosalyn bridges.
Fast Count Frank drops.
“ONE!”
Lady Guinevere starts through the ropes.
“TWO!”
Yurei Rinn steps into her path.
“THREE!”
The bell rings.
Rosalyn releases the bridge and rolls to one knee.
Lord Kurogami gives a single approving nod from ringside.
Yurei Rinn steps into the ring beside her.
On the opposite side, Lady Guinevere kneels beside Rapunzel.
Outside—
Merlin and Lord Kurogami stare across the ring at one another once again.
Neither says a word.
Julian Ward: “A grueling twenty-four-minute contest, and in the end it is Rosalyn, Queen of Thorns who catches Rapunzel with the Scepter Snap and secures the victory.”
Brick Brody: “And look at how they got there. Guinevere was isolated for most of the match. Kurogami interfered. Merlin interfered. Everybody tried to bend the rules, the referee, or reality itself.”
He gestures toward the victors.
Brick Brody: “But when it finally mattered, Rosalyn threw Rapunzel on her head and got three.”
Julian Ward: “A significant victory for Rosalyn and Yurei Rinn, and another reminder that the influence surrounding Lord Kurogami extends well beyond a single rivalry as we continue toward Age of Ruin.”
ROSALYN, QUEEN OF THORNS & YUREI RINN DEFEAT RAPUNZEL & LADY GUINEVERE BY PINFALL IN THE 24TH MINUTE AFTER ROSALYN PINNED RAPUNZEL FOLLOWING THE SCEPTER SNAP.
Lord Kurogami steps onto the apron.
Rosalyn stands to one side of him.
Yurei Rinn to the other.
Across the ring, Merlin helps Lady Guinevere steady Rapunzel.
For several seconds, the four wrestlers cease to be the focus.
The camera instead centers on the two men outside the physical contest.
Merlin.
Lord Kurogami.
Two influences.
Two forms of darkness.
Neither willing to look away.
Cut.
The camera returns to the ring.
The usual canvas has been transformed into something far more formal.
A long black table stands at center ring.
Two chairs are positioned on opposite sides.
Two identical contracts rest beneath the overhead lights.
A black pen has been placed beside each.
Standing between the chairs is the Mythic Commissioner, Elias Coldmere.
The crowd is already restless.
On the great screen behind him:
AGE OF RUIN — SEPTEMBER 27
RAIGEN vs TARO OKAMI
BLOOD SYNDICATE TRIAL
Elias Coldmere waits until the noise begins to settle.
Elias Coldmere: “There are contract signings designed to confirm matches.”
He glances down at the documents.
Elias Coldmere: “This is not one of them.”
A murmur spreads through the Coliseum.
Elias Coldmere: “The match was agreed to last week. What is being signed tonight confirms the consequences.”
He places one hand on the table.
Elias Coldmere: “At Age of Ruin, Raigen will face Taro Okami in what Lord Kurogami has defined as a Blood Syndicate Trial.”
The screen behind him changes.
An image of a dark ceremonial fighting enclosure appears.
Across it:
THE DOJO OF BLOOD
Elias Coldmere: “The contest will take place inside the Dojo of Blood.”
A beat.
Elias Coldmere: “There will be no disqualification.”
The crowd reacts.
Elias Coldmere: “And the obligations contained within these documents are binding upon the result.”
The lights dim.
A deep ceremonial drum sounds.
Once.
Again.
Then the stage becomes washed in black and crimson.
Lord Kurogami emerges through the curtain.
Beside him—
Taro Okami.
The reaction is immediate.
Boos rain through the Coliseum.
Taro Okami is dressed in his newer demon-wolf presentation.
Dark gear.
Predatory markings.
The visual remnants of the man Raigen once trusted have been buried beneath something colder.
Lord Kurogami walks ahead.
Taro follows.
Silent.
Julian Ward: “Since revealing himself as the man behind the mask, Taro Okami has offered virtually nothing in explanation.”
Brick Brody: “He does not owe anybody an explanation.”
Julian Ward: “Not even the man he betrayed?”
Brick Brody: “Especially not him. You want answers from a man like Taro now, beat them out of him.”
Lord Kurogami ascends the steps.
Taro Okami enters behind him.
Neither takes the offered chair.
Elias Coldmere looks toward Taro.
Elias Coldmere: “The contract has been reviewed.”
Lord Kurogami: “As it should be.”
Elias Coldmere: “I was speaking to Taro Okami.”
A reaction rolls through the crowd.
For the first time, Lord Kurogami’s expression tightens slightly.
Taro Okami gives no response.
He simply looks at Elias Coldmere.
Then down at the contract.
Elias Coldmere: “Your silence is your choice.”
A pause.
Elias Coldmere: “Your signature will not be.”
Lord Kurogami smiles faintly.
Lord Kurogami: “There will be no difficulty, Commissioner.”
Elias Coldmere: “Good.”
He turns toward the entrance.
Elias Coldmere: “Then we will bring out the other party.”
The lights shift.
Dragon fire rolls across the great screen.
The crowd rises.
Raigen’s music begins.
A roar greets him as he steps through the curtain.
The burn scar remains visible beneath the entrance lighting.
He sees the ring.
He sees Taro Okami.
His pace immediately quickens.
But before he can begin down the ramp—
Hana Nakamura steps into his path.
Raigen stops.
The crowd noise lowers slightly as the camera closes in.
Hana Nakamura: “Raigen.”
He looks at her.
Hana Nakamura: “Please.”
Raigen says nothing.
Hana Nakamura: “I know you already agreed to this.”
She glances toward the ring.
Taro Okami is visible in the distance.
Watching.
Hana Nakamura: “But agreeing when you are angry is one thing. Signing something that can follow your family for generations is another.”
Raigen’s jaw tightens.
Hana Nakamura: “One hundred years.”
A beat.
Hana Nakamura: “And if that debt outlives you, it passes to your bloodline.”
She shakes her head.
Hana Nakamura: “That is not just your future you are putting on that table.”
Raigen looks toward the ring again.
Lord Kurogami is smiling.
Taro Okami remains completely still.
Hana Nakamura: “You can still walk away from the paper.”
Raigen finally looks back at her.
Raigen: “No.”
The answer is quiet.
Certain.
Hana Nakamura: “Raigen—”
Raigen: “If I walk away now, then everything he did worked.”
He looks toward Taro.
Raigen: “The mask.”
A beat.
Raigen: “The fire.”
Another.
Raigen: “The betrayal.”
His eyes remain fixed on the ring.
Raigen: “He wanted me to doubt what I was willing to fight for.”
Hana Nakamura: “And if you lose?”
Raigen: “Then I pay what I agreed to pay.”
Hana Nakamura: “For a century.”
Raigen: “If that is the price.”
He starts forward.
Hana Nakamura reaches for his forearm, stopping him for one final moment.
Hana Nakamura: “And your family?”
That lands.
Raigen pauses.
For several seconds, he does not turn.
Then—
Raigen: “That is why I cannot lose.”
He gently removes her hand.
Then continues down the ramp.
Hana Nakamura remains at the entrance.
Watching him go.
Inside the ring, Taro Okami’s eyes never leave Raigen.
Julian Ward: “There is the part of this agreement that makes it unlike almost anything we have ever seen sanctioned here.”
Brick Brody: “That is why contracts matter. Everybody likes making promises when they think they are going to win.”
Julian Ward: “And if Raigen does not?”
Brick Brody: “Then the Syndicate owns the promise.”
Raigen reaches the ring.
He steps through the ropes.
The music dies.
He does not look at Elias Coldmere.
He does not look at the contract.
Only Taro Okami.
The two men stand on opposite sides of the table.
Lord Kurogami takes his place beside Taro.
Elias Coldmere remains at the head of the table.
Elias Coldmere: “Before either signature is placed on these documents, the terms will be stated publicly.”
He lifts the first contract.
Elias Coldmere: “If Raigen loses at Age of Ruin, he will swear allegiance to the Blood Oni Syndicate for one hundred years.”
Boos erupt.
Elias Coldmere waits.
Elias Coldmere: “If the obligation extends beyond Raigen’s lifetime, the remaining debt passes through his bloodline.”
The boos grow louder.
Lord Kurogami’s smile broadens.
Raigen never looks away from Taro.
Elias Coldmere: “If Raigen wins, Taro Okami will be required to enter the Dragon’s Veil sanctuary and undergo a cleansing.”
The crowd cheers.
Still—
no reaction from Taro.
Elias Coldmere: “The contest is a Blood Syndicate Trial.”
He sets the contract down.
Elias Coldmere: “No disqualification.”
Another pause.
Elias Coldmere: “Inside the Dojo of Blood.”
He looks from one side of the table to the other.
Elias Coldmere: “Those are the terms.”
Silence settles over the ring.
Lord Kurogami slowly reaches forward.
He rotates Taro Okami’s contract so that it faces him.
Lord Kurogami: “You speak of these terms as though they are dangerous.”
Elias Coldmere: “They are.”
Lord Kurogami: “No.”
He looks toward Raigen.
Lord Kurogami: “They are clarifying.”
Raigen finally turns toward him.
Lord Kurogami: “For so long, Raigen, you have mistaken distance for freedom.”
A faint smile.
Lord Kurogami: “You left the Syndicate.”
He spreads his hands.
Lord Kurogami: “Yet here you are.”
Raigen: “Because you sent him.”
He points across the table at Taro Okami.
Raigen: “Say it.”
Silence.
Raigen: “Tell me why.”
Taro Okami does not move.
Raigen: “Look at me and tell me why you did it.”
Nothing.
Lord Kurogami: “You continue to ask the wrong question.”
Raigen looks sharply toward him.
Lord Kurogami: “You ask why Taro Okami betrayed you.”
He steps closer to the table.
Lord Kurogami: “You should be asking whether he ever belonged to you at all.”
The crowd reacts.
Raigen starts around the table.
Elias Coldmere immediately steps between the sides.
Elias Coldmere: “Not tonight.”
Raigen stops.
Elias Coldmere: “You wanted the match.”
A beat.
Elias Coldmere: “Sign for it.”
Lord Kurogami gives a quiet, satisfied laugh.
He gestures toward the contract.
Lord Kurogami: “Go ahead, Taro.”
Taro Okami sits.
For the first time in the entire segment.
He picks up the pen.
Raigen watches every movement.
Taro signs.
No hesitation.
No flourish.
He places the pen down.
Then rises.
Still silent.
Elias Coldmere examines the signature.
He slides the second contract toward Raigen.
Elias Coldmere: “Once you sign, the terms are fixed.”
Lord Kurogami: “Listen carefully, dragon.”
Raigen looks toward him.
Lord Kurogami: “When you lose, this will not simply restore what you abandoned.”
His voice lowers.
Lord Kurogami: “Your children will inherit your disobedience.”
The atmosphere in the Coliseum changes.
Raigen’s hand closes into a fist.
Lord Kurogami: “Their children may inherit it as well.”
Elias Coldmere: “That is enough.”
Lord Kurogami: “No, Commissioner.”
He looks directly at Raigen.
Lord Kurogami: “He should understand what he is signing.”
Raigen pulls out the chair.
Sits.
Picks up the pen.
He looks at the signature line.
Then toward Taro Okami.
Raigen: “You should understand too.”
He signs.
The crowd erupts.
Raigen puts the pen down.
Raigen: “When I win, you go to the Dragon’s Veil.”
Taro Okami stares back.
Raigen: “And whatever he put inside you…”
His eyes flick briefly toward Lord Kurogami.
Then return to Taro.
Raigen: “…we find out whether there is enough of the man I knew left to cleanse.”
For the first time, something seems to move behind Taro’s eyes.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Something smaller.
Gone almost immediately.
Lord Kurogami steps forward.
Lord Kurogami: “There will be nothing to cleanse.”
Raigen: “Then why are you so worried about it?”
The crowd reacts loudly.
The smile leaves Lord Kurogami’s face.
Elias Coldmere takes both signed contracts.
He checks the signatures.
Then closes the folder containing them.
Elias Coldmere: “The contracts are executed.”
The AGE OF RUIN graphic appears again.
RAIGEN vs TARO OKAMI
BLOOD SYNDICATE TRIAL
DOJO OF BLOOD
NO DISQUALIFICATION
Elias Coldmere: “On September 27th, the argument ends.”
He steps away from the table.
Neither wrestler does.
Raigen walks around one side.
Taro Okami walks around the other.
They meet at center ring.
Face to face.
Lord Kurogami watches from behind Taro.
Elias Coldmere remains close enough to intervene, but does not.
There is no shove.
No strike.
No table overturned.
Only the stare.
Raigen looks directly into the face of the man who once stood beside him.
Taro Okami gives him nothing.
The crowd begins chanting.
“RAI-GEN!”
“RAI-GEN!”
“RAI-GEN!”
Taro Okami does not blink.
Julian Ward: “One hundred years of allegiance against a forced cleansing at the Dragon’s Veil.”
Brick Brody: “No disqualification. The Dojo of Blood. And two men who already look like they would rather start tonight.”
Julian Ward: “The signatures are now on the page.”
The camera tightens.
Raigen.
Taro Okami.
Neither moving.
Julian Ward: “At Age of Ruin, one of them will have to live with what those signatures mean.”
The image holds on the stare.
Cut to black.
The camera returns to the Coliseum.
A black card appears against an empty parchment screen.
It slowly rotates.
Then the image splits.
SEVERIN CROWNE vs TIN MAN
The crowd reacts loudly.
Julian Ward: “This confrontation has been building for weeks. Severin Crowne offered Tin Man one of those black cards. Then last week, Crowne’s involvement helped corrupt Tin Man’s opportunity to become Eternal Flame Champion.”
Brick Brody: “And tonight there is no card between them, no Sheriff, no championship.”
A beat.
Brick Brody: “Just the man making the offer and the man who keeps refusing it.”
The lights lower.
A single white spotlight falls upon the entrance.
Black cards begin appearing one after another across the great screen.
No names.
No explanation.
Then—
Severin Crowne emerges.
Dark suit-like wrestling gear.
Measured pace.
Absolute composure.
He pauses beneath the entrance arch and removes a single black card from inside his coat.
He turns it slowly between two fingers.
Then puts it away.
Julian Ward: “There is something unsettling about how little urgency Severin Crowne seems to feel.”
Brick Brody: “Why should he hurry? Men like Crowne think time works for them.”
Severin Crowne walks down the aisle without acknowledging the crowd.
He enters the ring.
Moves immediately toward one corner.
Waits.
Then the sound of metal striking metal echoes throughout the building.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The lights brighten.
Tin Man steps onto the stage.
The crowd rises.
He looks toward the ring.
Toward Severin Crowne.
No hesitation.
No fear.
He begins walking.
Julian Ward: “Tin Man has never needed much ornamentation. His strength has always been his refusal to bend.”
Brick Brody: “That is also his weakness.”
Julian Ward: “You believe refusing Crowne is weakness?”
Brick Brody: “I believe refusing anything without understanding the price can become weakness.”
Tin Man reaches the ring.
He steps onto the apron.
Severin Crowne watches him enter.
Neither man advances.
Honest Abe positions himself between them.
Louie Linville steps forward.
Louie Linville: “The following contest is scheduled for one fall!”
The crowd responds.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first... SEVERIN CROWNE!”
A wall of boos.
Crowne gives the smallest nod.
Louie Linville: “And his opponent... TIN MAN!”
A strong cheer rises.
Tin Man clenches both fists.
Honest Abe checks both men.
Calls for the bell.
It rings.
Minute 1
They collide immediately.
Severin Crowne catches Tin Man moving forward and drops him with Motion Denied, the sudden DDT driving his head into the canvas.
Crowne reaches for him again.
But Tin Man surges upward and drives his head violently into Crowne’s midsection.
Both men stagger away.
Julian Ward: “No feeling-out period. Each man arrived knowing exactly who stands across from him.”
Brick Brody: “Good. They have spent enough time talking around each other.”
Minute 2
Crowne attacks the neck.
A Policy Adjustment elbow smash lands against the side of Tin Man’s neck.
Tin Man absorbs it.
Steps forward.
Another headbutt directly into the midsection.
Crowne folds slightly.
Tin Man pushes him backward toward the ropes.
Julian Ward: “Crowne is targeting the neck repeatedly.”
Brick Brody: “Because Tin Man is built like a furnace. You do not attack the furnace. You damage the hinges.”
Minute 3
Tin Man drives repeated knee strikes into Crowne near the ropes.
Crowne creates separation.
As Tin Man advances—
Crowne kicks through the ropes and catches him, sending Tin Man tumbling to the floor.
Honest Abe begins counting.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four—
Tin Man climbs straight back inside.
Julian Ward: “First attempt by Crowne to force this match outside.”
Brick Brody: “Remember that.”
Minute 4
The pattern repeats.
Tin Man crashes in with knee strikes.
Crowne absorbs them long enough to catch the body—
and throws Tin Man through the ropes again.
He hits the floor.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four—
Back inside.
This time Tin Man rises glaring at Crowne.
Julian Ward: “Twice now.”
Brick Brody: “I told you to remember it. Crowne is testing something.”
Minute 5
Crowne pulls Tin Man toward him.
Short-arm clothesline.
Tin Man takes the blow and stays close.
He hooks Crowne around the waist—
belly-to-belly suplex.
Crowne lands heavily.
Tin Man stands over him.
Julian Ward: “There is the power advantage.”
Brick Brody: “And unlike a black card, that one does not require anybody to read the fine print.”
Minute 6
Crowne regains control quickly.
He hooks Tin Man.
Piledriver.
The impact drives Tin Man into the mat.
Crowne rises—
and Tin Man immediately fires knee strikes from close range.
One catches Crowne beneath the ribs.
Another drives him backward.
Julian Ward: “Tin Man took that piledriver and still answered immediately.”
Brick Brody: “That is exactly why Crowne wants him.”
Minute 7
Crowne attacks from behind.
The Majority Drop.
Neckbreaker.
Tin Man rolls onto his side.
Crowne reaches for him again—
but Tin Man fires a kick directly into the thigh.
Crowne’s leg buckles.
Tin Man kicks it again.
Julian Ward: “Now Tin Man is changing his approach.”
Brick Brody: “Break the leg and Crowne cannot walk around handing out invitations.”
Minute 8
Crowne catches Tin Man near the ropes.
He launches him backward with State Sanction—
a slingshot suplex sends Tin Man crashing into the center of the ring.
But as Crowne approaches, Tin Man catches him.
Fireman’s Carry.
Crowne hits the canvas.
Both men roll in opposite directions.
Julian Ward: “Neither has gained the separation necessary to control this.”
Brick Brody: “That usually means somebody starts doing something nastier.”
Minute 9
Crowne rises first.
He grabs Tin Man and sends him through the ropes again.
This time Tin Man lands harder.
He remains down.
Honest Abe counts.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six—
Tin Man pulls himself onto the apron and rolls back inside.
Crowne is waiting.
Julian Ward: “Third trip to the floor, and this one kept Tin Man outside considerably longer.”
Brick Brody: “There is your pattern.”
Minute 10
Crowne attacks immediately.
Policy Adjustment.
The elbow crashes into the neck.
Tin Man staggers.
Then suddenly hooks Crowne—
Takeover Suplex.
Crowne is thrown across the ring.
The crowd rises again.
Julian Ward: “Every time Crowne thinks he has broken Tin Man’s rhythm, Tin Man finds another answer.”
Brick Brody: “But Crowne keeps asking the same question.”
Minute 11
Tin Man closes.
He begins attacking Crowne’s leg again.
A vicious kick to the thigh.
Crowne tries to shift away.
Another kick.
The leg gives.
Crowne drops to one knee.
Tin Man stands above him.
Julian Ward: “Tin Man has found something.”
Brick Brody: “Now hurt it until it stops working.”
Minute 12
Tin Man moves in.
Crowne suddenly catches him—
Motion Denied.
The DDT plants Tin Man.
But Tin Man rolls through the impact, grabs Crowne’s body and traps him between his legs.
Steely Resolve Lock.
The bodyscissors closes around Crowne’s ribs.
Crowne’s expression changes.
For the first time tonight, real strain.
Honest Abe asks for the submission.
Severin Crowne: “No.”
Tin Man tightens the hold.
Crowne claws toward the ropes.
Inches.
Then reaches them.
Honest Abe orders the break.
Tin Man releases immediately.
Julian Ward: “Tin Man had Severin Crowne trapped.”
Brick Brody: “And that got a reaction. Remember that too.”
Minute 13
Both men rise.
Tin Man advances.
He drives another headbutt into Crowne’s midsection.
Crowne stumbles toward the ropes.
Then, almost instinctively—
he grabs Tin Man.
Turns.
Throws him through the ropes.
Tin Man crashes to the floor.
The crowd reacts.
Honest Abe moves toward the ropes.
One.
Tin Man rolls onto his side.
Two.
He gets one knee underneath him.
Three.
Severin Crowne stands in the center of the ring.
Watching.
Four.
Tin Man reaches the barricade.
Pulls himself upright.
Five.
He looks toward the ring.
Six.
Tin Man could return.
He does not.
Seven.
The crowd begins shouting.
Julian Ward: “What is Tin Man doing?”
Eight.
Tin Man looks directly at Severin Crowne.
Then slowly shakes his head.
Nine.
Crowne’s expression changes.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
Ten.
The bell rings.
The crowd erupts in frustration.
Honest Abe signals for the count-out.
Severin Crowne remains standing inside the ring.
Tin Man remains outside.
He made no attempt to beat the count.
Julian Ward: “Tin Man could have returned.”
Brick Brody: “Yes.”
Julian Ward: “He chose not to.”
Brick Brody: “That was not exhaustion, Julian. That was a decision.”
Honest Abe raises Severin Crowne’s arm.
Crowne barely acknowledges it.
His attention remains fixed on Tin Man.
Julian Ward: “Whatever was happening between these two men tonight, Tin Man ultimately refused to continue playing it on Severin Crowne’s terms.”
Brick Brody: “Call it whatever you want. Crowne gets the win. Tin Man gets to explain why he walked away.”
Julian Ward: “And considering the black card that has remained between them for weeks, I suspect this confrontation is far from resolved.”
SEVERIN CROWNE DEFEATS TIN MAN BY COUNT-OUT IN THE 13TH MINUTE AFTER THROWING TIN MAN THROUGH THE ROPES AND TIN MAN DELIBERATELY REMAINED OUTSIDE FOR THE REFEREE’S TEN-COUNT.
The result is announced.
But Severin Crowne does not leave.
Instead, he walks slowly toward the ropes.
Tin Man stands on the floor below.
Still looking at him.
Crowne reaches inside his gear.
The crowd begins reacting before the object is even visible.
A black card.
He holds it between two fingers.
Raises it.
Tin Man stares at the card.
Julian Ward: “Again.”
Brick Brody: “Of course.”
Crowne looks down at Tin Man.
Then flicks the card into the air.
It turns once.
Twice.
And lands at Tin Man’s feet.
The crowd murmurs.
Tin Man looks down.
The black card lies against the arena floor.
He does not pick it up.
Not yet.
Above him, Severin Crowne gives the faintest smile.
Then turns away.
The camera remains on Tin Man.
His eyes move from the card—
to Crowne’s back.
The black card remains between them.
Cut.
The camera returns to ringside.
The great screen fills with the crest of Camelot.
Then it fractures down the middle.
On one side—
MORDRED and ROBIN HOOD.
On the other—
KING ARTHUR and SIR LANCELOT.
The crowd rises immediately.
Julian Ward: “This may be the most politically unstable match on tonight’s card.”
Brick Brody: “That is putting it politely.”
Julian Ward: “On one side, Mordred and Robin Hood. They are not allies. They are certainly not friends. Their grievances with King Arthur simply happen to point in the same direction tonight.”
Brick Brody: “That is enough. You do not need matching Christmas cards to be a tag team. You need somebody who hates the other side more than he hates you.”
The screen changes.
Images from Wrestlefest Labour Day flash in sequence.
Lady Guinevere victorious.
Then—
Mordred driving Sir Lancelot down and defeating him.
Then the main event—
Robin Hood and the Blood-Moon Warden standing victorious while King Arthur looks toward the fallen Sir Galahad.
The image freezes on Arthur’s face.
Cold.
Humiliated.
Angry.
Julian Ward: “Wrestlefest did not go the way the Champions of Camelot expected. Lady Guinevere was successful, but Sir Lancelot lost to Mordred.”
The replay changes.
Sir Galahad submitting to the Warden’s Lock.
Julian Ward: “And later, King Arthur and Sir Galahad were defeated by Robin Hood and the Blood-Moon Warden.”
Brick Brody: “You forgot the most important part.”
Julian Ward: “Which is?”
Brick Brody: “The king noticed.”
A low drumbeat begins.
The arena darkens.
Black and violet light spills across the entrance.
Mordred steps through the curtain.
He stands beneath the fractured image of Camelot.
No manager.
No entourage.
He looks toward the ring with the same expression he carried at Wrestlefest.
Contempt.
Certainty.
Julian Ward: “Mordred already proved at Wrestlefest that he can defeat Sir Lancelot without assistance.”
Brick Brody: “Which means Lancelot has something to prove tonight.”
Mordred enters the ring and immediately turns toward the entrance.
His music dies.
Then an arrow pierces the darkness on the great screen.
Green light spreads through the Coliseum.
The crowd erupts.
Robin Hood emerges.
He pauses at the top of the ramp.
Looks toward Mordred.
Mordred looks back.
Neither acknowledges the other.
Julian Ward: “There is no friendship here.”
Brick Brody: “Stop saying it like it matters.”
Julian Ward: “It matters if they cannot function as a team.”
Brick Brody: “Then they had better find a reason.”
Robin Hood walks to the ring.
He slides beneath the ropes.
For several seconds, he and Mordred simply stare at one another.
Then Robin moves to the corner.
No handshake.
No conversation.
The lights change.
Royal horns sound.
The entire entrance transforms into gold.
The Camelot crest fills the screen.
Merlin appears first.
His staff in one hand.
He looks toward the ring.
Then turns.
Sir Lancelot emerges.
The reaction is mixed.
He carries himself proudly, but his expression is considerably tighter than usual.
Several steps behind him—
King Arthur appears.
The Mythic Crown Championship is around his waist.
The crowd erupts into boos.
Arthur does not acknowledge them.
His eyes are fixed on Sir Lancelot.
Not on the opposition.
On his own knight.
Julian Ward: “That is worth noting.”
Brick Brody: “The king looks at Lancelot like a carpenter inspecting a cracked beam.”
Julian Ward: “We understand King Arthur has been deeply dissatisfied with the Champions of Camelot since Wrestlefest.”
Brick Brody: “He should be. One victory from Guinevere does not erase Lancelot getting beaten by Mordred, and it does not erase Arthur and Galahad losing the main event.”
Sir Lancelot reaches the foot of the ramp.
He turns as if expecting Arthur to walk beside him.
The king does not.
Arthur simply points toward the ring.
Go.
Lancelot’s jaw tightens.
He climbs the steps.
Merlin follows.
Then King Arthur.
Inside the ring, Robin Hood leans against the ropes and looks directly at the Mythic Crown.
Arthur notices.
The two men lock eyes.
The crowd grows louder.
Julian Ward: “September 27th, King Arthur defends that championship against Robin Hood at Age of Ruin.”
Brick Brody: “And tonight they get a preview with three other men around to make it more violent.”
Arthur removes the Mythic Crown Championship.
He does not raise it.
He gives it directly to Fast Count Frank.
Then he turns toward Sir Lancelot.
A few quiet words.
Lancelot nods.
Whatever Arthur said did not please him.
Louie Linville moves to center ring.
Louie Linville: “The following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall!”
A roar rises.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first... the team of MORDRED... and ROBIN HOOD!”
A strong reaction.
Mordred does not acknowledge Robin.
Robin Hood raises one fist toward the crowd.
Louie Linville: “And their opponents... accompanied by Merlin... representing the Champions of Camelot... SIR LANCELOT... and the reigning MYTHIC CROWN CHAMPION... KING ARTHUR!”
Heavy boos fill the Coliseum.
Arthur stares at Robin Hood throughout the introduction.
Fast Count Frank checks both teams.
Mordred elects to start.
Arthur immediately steps through the ropes.
The crowd reacts.
The bell rings.
Minute 1
King Arthur charges immediately.
No hesitation.
A clothesline crashes across Mordred’s chest and drives him backward.
Mordred tries to brace against the impact but cannot.
Arthur stands over him.
Then turns toward his own corner.
Without waiting for Mordred to fully rise—
Arthur tags Sir Lancelot.
The gesture is abrupt.
Almost dismissive.
Julian Ward: “That was not a strategic discussion.”
Brick Brody: “That was the king telling Lancelot to fix something.”
Julian Ward: “Something he believes Lancelot failed to fix at Wrestlefest.”
Minute 2
Sir Lancelot enters cautiously.
He and Mordred circle.
Both men feint.
Neither commits.
Then Mordred catches Lancelot suddenly—
Downward Spiral.
Lancelot hits the canvas.
At ringside, Merlin bends over a crystal sphere now visible in his hands.
The interior glows faintly.
His eyes narrow.
Julian Ward: “Merlin already consulting that crystal.”
Brick Brody: “Maybe he is looking for the part where Lancelot stops getting dropped by Mordred.”
Minute 3
Mordred presses.
He grabs Lancelot and swings him down with a neckbreaker.
Lancelot rolls through the impact.
Gets upright.
Enzuigiri.
The kick catches Mordred high.
Both men stagger.
Julian Ward: “Better answer from Sir Lancelot.”
Brick Brody: “He needs more than better. His king is standing ten feet away judging every breath.”
The camera briefly catches Arthur.
Expressionless.
Arms folded.
Minute 4
Mordred closes again.
He hooks Lancelot around the head.
Vertical Suplex.
Lancelot tries to shift his weight—
but Mordred powers him over.
The former knight crashes onto his back.
Julian Ward: “Mordred is beginning to control this exchange.”
Brick Brody: “Same man who beat Lancelot at Wrestlefest. Same problem.”
Minute 5
Lancelot finally creates space.
He catches Mordred down.
Runs toward the ropes.
Running Shooting Star Press.
He lands across Mordred’s torso.
Mordred absorbs the impact but cannot immediately rise.
Sir Lancelot gets to one knee.
Looks toward King Arthur.
The king gives him nothing.
Julian Ward: “You can feel Lancelot looking for approval.”
Brick Brody: “Then he should stop looking and start winning.”
Minute 6
Lancelot stays aggressive.
He catches Mordred rising.
Rolling Elbow.
The blow lands flush.
Mordred stumbles toward the ropes.
Lancelot follows.
Another strike.
Mordred finally pushes him away.
Julian Ward: “This is the strongest stretch Lancelot has had.”
Brick Brody: “And Arthur still looks like somebody served him cold soup.”
Minute 7
Both men hesitate.
Then the pace spikes.
Mordred catches Lancelot and drives him down with an inverted sit-down faceslam.
But Lancelot rolls toward the ropes.
Springs upward.
Running Shooting Star Press.
He lands across Mordred again.
Both men remain down.
Julian Ward: “Neither man can maintain control for long.”
Brick Brody: “Because neither one wants to give the other the satisfaction.”
Minute 8
Mordred rises first.
He seizes Lancelot.
Another inverted sit-down faceslam.
This one leaves Lancelot flat on the canvas.
Mordred sits beside him.
Looks toward King Arthur.
Then smiles.
Arthur’s expression darkens.
Julian Ward: “That was meant for the king.”
Brick Brody: “Everything Mordred does is meant for the king.”
Minute 9
Mordred reaches for another swinging neckbreaker.
Lancelot twists free.
Before Mordred can adjust—
a burst of flash powder erupts from ringside.
Merlin has thrown it across Mordred’s line of sight.
Mordred recoils.
Fast Count Frank turns too late.
Lancelot takes advantage.
He forces separation.
Then reaches his corner.
Tag to King Arthur.
The crowd explodes.
Julian Ward: “Interference from Merlin, and now King Arthur re-enters.”
Brick Brody: “The king asked his wizard for a solution.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “He got one.”
Minute 10
Mordred wipes at his eyes.
Looks up.
King Arthur charges.
At the same time Mordred launches forward.
Spear.
Arthur hooks the arms.
King’s Decree.
The exchange collapses into a violent collision.
Neither man gains clean control.
Both hit the canvas.
The crowd roars.
Julian Ward: “Spear against King’s Decree!”
Brick Brody: “Neither got what he wanted, but both got hit.”
Minute 11
Mordred gets upright first.
He catches Arthur from behind.
Lifting Inverted DDT.
The Mythic Crown Champion is driven down.
Mordred covers.
Fast Count Frank drops.
“ONE!”
King Arthur explodes out.
Mordred immediately sits up.
Arthur rolls toward the ropes.
Julian Ward: “Only one, but Mordred just put the Mythic Crown Champion down.”
Brick Brody: “And that will bother Arthur more than the count.”
Minute 12
Arthur rises.
He leaps forward with a jumping knee drop.
Mordred moves.
Arthur hits the canvas.
Mordred surges upright and crushes him with a clothesline.
Cover.
“ONE!”
“TWO!”
King Arthur kicks out.
The crowd reacts loudly.
Mordred stares at Fast Count Frank for a moment.
Then turns toward his own corner.
Robin Hood has his hand extended.
Mordred looks at him.
A long beat.
Then tags.
Julian Ward: “There it is.”
The Coliseum rises.
Robin Hood enters.
Across the ring—
King Arthur is already standing.
Julian Ward: “The two men who will decide the Mythic Crown at Age of Ruin are now legal.”
Minute 13
Robin Hood wastes no time.
He comes off the ropes.
Senton.
Arthur takes the full impact.
Robin immediately hooks the leg.
“ONE!”
Arthur kicks out.
The two men scramble upright.
They stop.
Face to face.
The crowd becomes deafening.
Julian Ward: “That cover was almost secondary.”
Brick Brody: “No, it was a message. Robin wanted the king to feel a count.”
Minute 14
Robin Hood presses forward.
He catches Arthur with a Superkick.
The champion staggers toward his corner.
Sir Lancelot reaches in.
As the situation breaks down, Lancelot enters and fires a Rolling Elbow into Robin Hood.
Robin reels backward.
Arthur yields the ring to his knight in the scramble.
Robin Hood looks toward his own corner.
Tag.
Mordred returns.
Julian Ward: “And suddenly we are back to the Wrestlefest pairing.”
Brick Brody: “Perfect. Lancelot gets another chance to prove the first loss was a mistake.”
The camera catches King Arthur on the apron.
He says something sharply toward Lancelot.
Lancelot does not look back.
Minute 15
Mordred attacks the legs.
He takes Lancelot down.
Turns him over.
Sharpshooter.
Lancelot cries out as Mordred sits back.
Fast Count Frank kneels to check for the submission.
At ringside—
Merlin raises both hands.
His eyes lock on the referee.
Fast Count Frank’s expression changes.
His attention drifts.
The official seems almost dazed.
Mordred notices.
He looks toward Merlin while maintaining the hold.
Sir Lancelot: “NO!”
He refuses to submit.
Julian Ward: “Merlin is doing something to the referee again.”
Brick Brody: “And Lancelot is still trapped.”
Julian Ward: “But precious attention has been diverted away from whether that submission was properly monitored.”
Brick Brody: “Then Mordred ought to break Lancelot’s legs and remove the ambiguity.”
Mordred finally releases.
Minute 16
Sir Lancelot pulls himself upright.
Mordred closes.
He hooks him.
Lifting Inverted DDT.
But Lancelot fires an Enzuigiri during the struggle.
The kick lands.
Mordred staggers.
Lancelot tries to capitalize—
but his damaged legs betray him.
He hesitates.
That is enough.
Mordred catches him again.
LIFTING INVERTED DDT.
Lancelot is planted.
Mordred covers.
Fast Count Frank drops.
“ONE!”
King Arthur steps toward the ropes.
“TWO!”
Robin Hood moves into his path.
“THREE!”
The bell rings.
The Coliseum erupts.
Mordred releases the cover and immediately looks toward King Arthur.
Not toward Sir Lancelot.
Toward the king.
Robin Hood remains between Arthur and the ring.
For a moment—
the victorious team stands on opposite sides of the canvas.
Still not friends.
Still not celebrating together.
But victorious.
King Arthur enters the ring.
He walks past Robin Hood.
Past Mordred.
Straight toward Sir Lancelot.
Lancelot is sitting against the bottom rope.
Breathing heavily.
He looks up at his king.
Arthur looks down at him.
Disgust is written clearly across his face.
Julian Ward: “For the second time since Wrestlefest, Mordred has pinned Sir Lancelot.”
Brick Brody: “That is not bad luck anymore.”
A beat.
Brick Brody: “That is a problem.”
Julian Ward: “And for King Arthur, this continues an extremely troubling stretch for the Champions of Camelot. Lady Guinevere succeeded at Wrestlefest, but Lancelot lost, Arthur and Galahad lost, and now Arthur’s team has been defeated again.”
MORDRED & ROBIN HOOD DEFEAT KING ARTHUR & SIR LANCELOT BY PINFALL IN THE 16TH MINUTE AFTER MORDRED PINNED SIR LANCELOT FOLLOWING A LIFTING INVERTED DDT.
The result fades from the screen.
But the camera remains inside the ring.
Mordred has already stepped through the ropes.
He looks back once.
Satisfied.
Robin Hood has not left.
He stands across the ring from King Arthur.
The Mythic Crown Championship is handed back to the king.
Arthur takes it.
For several seconds, he looks at the title.
Then at Robin Hood.
Robin points toward the championship.
No words.
He does not need them.
Arthur slowly raises the Mythic Crown.
Not in celebration.
In warning.
Behind him, Sir Lancelot pulls himself upright.
Arthur turns.
The title lowers.
His attention shifts completely from Robin Hood to his knight.
Sir Lancelot meets his king’s eyes.
Arthur says nothing.
That somehow makes it worse.
Merlin climbs onto the apron.
He looks from Arthur to Lancelot.
Then toward Robin Hood.
Julian Ward: “There are two problems in that ring.”
A pause.
Julian Ward: “One is waiting for King Arthur at Age of Ruin.”
The camera closes on Robin Hood.
Then shifts to Sir Lancelot.
Julian Ward: “The other is standing beside him.”
Brick Brody: “And I would rather be the outlaw.”
The crowd continues chanting for Robin Hood.
Arthur hears every syllable.
He stares at Sir Lancelot one final time.
Then walks past him.
The king leaves first.
Merlin follows.
Sir Lancelot remains alone in the ring for several seconds.
Behind him, the AGE OF RUIN logo burns across the screen.
Cut.
The camera cuts backstage.
The atmosphere is immediately volatile.
King Arthur is already pacing through the corridor, the Mythic Crown Championship clutched in one hand rather than worn around his waist.
Merlin stands a few feet away, silent, watching the king unravel.
A production assistant hurriedly clears out of the path.
King Arthur: “Again.”
He turns sharply.
King Arthur: “Again, they embarrass this kingdom.”
His voice echoes down the stone-lined corridor.
King Arthur: “At Wrestlefest, Lancelot falls.”
He takes another step.
King Arthur: “Galahad falls.”
Another.
King Arthur: “I am forced to watch an outlaw and that thing beside him celebrate in my kingdom.”
He turns toward Merlin.
King Arthur: “And tonight?”
He laughs once.
There is no humor in it.
King Arthur: “Tonight they do it again.”
Merlin remains composed.
Merlin: “Anger can sharpen judgment, Arthur.”
King Arthur: “Do not lecture me about judgment.”
The response is immediate.
King Arthur points toward the arena.
King Arthur: “My judgment built order out of this place.”
He turns again.
King Arthur: “My judgment gave these people walls.”
Another step.
King Arthur: “Law.”
Another.
King Arthur: “Purpose.”
Hana Nakamura approaches carefully from down the corridor with a microphone.
She stops at a respectful distance.
Hana Nakamura: “Arthur, can I ask you about what just happened in—”
King Arthur turns.
He walks directly toward her.
Before Hana can finish, he takes the microphone from her hand.
Not violently.
But without asking.
Hana Nakamura stares at him.
King Arthur turns toward the camera.
King Arthur: “You want to ask what happened?”
He points toward the arena with the microphone.
King Arthur: “What happened is failure.”
A beat.
King Arthur: “Again.”
Footsteps approach.
Sir Lancelot appears from around the corner.
He is still breathing heavily from the match.
His gear remains marked by the fight.
He slows when he sees Arthur.
The king notices him immediately.
Silence.
Then—
King Arthur: “There he is.”
Sir Lancelot’s expression tightens.
King Arthur: “Camelot’s greatest knight.”
The words are poisoned with sarcasm.
Sir Lancelot: “My king—”
King Arthur: “Do not.”
Lancelot stops.
King Arthur: “Do not stand there and offer me another explanation.”
He takes a step toward him.
King Arthur: “At Wrestlefest, Mordred defeats you.”
Another step.
King Arthur: “Tonight, Mordred defeats you again.”
Sir Lancelot: “I fought—”
King Arthur: “And lost.”
The corridor goes quiet.
King Arthur: “That is the part that matters.”
Sir Lancelot looks down briefly.
Then back up.
King Arthur: “You were not brought into the Champions of Camelot to fight bravely.”
A beat.
King Arthur: “You were brought in to win.”
Merlin watches from behind Arthur.
Sir Lancelot: “I have never refused a fight for Camelot.”
King Arthur: “Then perhaps refusal is not your problem.”
The insult lands.
Lancelot’s jaw tightens.
King Arthur: “Perhaps ability is.”
Hana Nakamura visibly reacts.
Merlin does not.
Sir Lancelot takes a half-step forward.
Sir Lancelot: “Choose your next words carefully.”
The crowd inside the arena can be heard reacting faintly through the walls.
King Arthur stares at him.
Then smiles coldly.
King Arthur: “There.”
A beat.
King Arthur: “That.”
He gestures toward Lancelot.
King Arthur: “That is what I need.”
He turns back toward the camera.
King Arthur: “Strength.”
His voice rises.
King Arthur: “Discipline.”
Another step.
King Arthur: “Knights who understand that defending a kingdom requires more than honor.”
He looks back toward Lancelot.
King Arthur: “It requires victory.”
Arthur resumes pacing.
King Arthur: “I need better knights.”
That hangs in the corridor.
King Arthur: “Stronger knights.”
Sir Lancelot says nothing.
King Arthur: “Because look around us.”
He points toward the unseen arena.
King Arthur: “Outlaws run through Camelot with impudence.”
A beat.
King Arthur: “False kings crawl out of the dark and presume they can speak to me as equals.”
His expression hardens.
King Arthur: “Monsters walk through these halls.”
Another beat.
King Arthur: “Sorcerers.”
Another.
King Arthur: “Mercenaries.”
Another.
King Arthur: “Men with black cards.”
His eyes narrow.
King Arthur: “And every one of them seems to believe Camelot has forgotten how to punish defiance.”
Merlin tilts his head slightly.
King Arthur: “They are wrong.”
He steps directly toward the camera.
King Arthur: “It stops now.”
A long pause.
King Arthur: “If the Merry Band wishes to behave like criminals…”
He lowers the microphone slightly.
King Arthur: “…then I will treat them like criminals.”
Hana Nakamura looks toward Merlin.
Merlin gives nothing away.
King Arthur: “Effective immediately…”
He raises the microphone again.
King Arthur: “…I am placing a bounty upon the outlaws of the Merry Band.”
The corridor seems to freeze.
King Arthur: “One hundred thousand dollars.”
Hana Nakamura’s eyes widen.
Sir Lancelot looks toward the king.
King Arthur: “One hundred thousand dollars for the men who have decided that my laws are optional.”
A beat.
King Arthur: “For those who hide in forests.”
Another.
King Arthur: “Those who steal from the Crown.”
Another.
King Arthur: “Those who attack my knights.”
He looks directly into the camera.
King Arthur: “And those who stand beside Robin Hood.”
The crowd can be heard reacting loudly from the arena.
King Arthur: “Let every mercenary, every hunter, every brute and every ambitious fool in NPCW hear me.”
His voice lowers.
King Arthur: “The Merry Band now has a price.”
He pauses.
King Arthur: “Collect it.”
Hana Nakamura: “Arthur, what exactly does that mean? A bounty for what? Their capture? Their matches? Their—”
King Arthur drops the microphone.
It strikes the floor.
He turns away.
Merlin follows him immediately.
Hana Nakamura watches them disappear down the corridor.
Then she looks down at the microphone.
She bends and picks it up.
A few feet away, Sir Lancelot still has not moved.
Hana Nakamura: “Lancelot…”
He looks toward her.
Hana Nakamura: “What does that mean?”
A beat.
Hana Nakamura: “A bounty?”
Sir Lancelot looks down the hallway where Arthur disappeared.
Then back toward Hana.
He gives a small shrug.
Not indifference.
Uncertainty.
Sir Lancelot: “I don’t know.”
Another pause.
His expression darkens.
Sir Lancelot: “And I’m not sure he does either.”
The camera lingers on Lancelot.
Behind him, on a monitor mounted to the wall, the image of Robin Hood from earlier tonight freezes beneath the words:
$100,000 BOUNTY
Cut to black.
The camera cuts backstage near the entrance curtain.
The picture catches the scene before either man realizes the broadcast has found them.
Taro Okami stands beneath the red glow of the gorilla-position lights, his demon-wolf gear casting jagged shadows against the wall.
Beside him is Lord Kurogami.
Kurogami leans close enough that only a fragment of his voice reaches the camera.
Lord Kurogami: “Easy.”
Taro Okami turns his head slightly.
Lord Kurogami: “Do not let Raigen see.”
The words hang there.
Taro says nothing.
Lord Kurogami notices the approaching camera.
His eyes immediately find the lens.
The feed cuts.
Back inside the Coliseum, Julian Ward and Brick Brody sit beneath the glow of the main-event graphic.
JOHN HENRY vs TARO OKAMI
Julian Ward: “An interesting instruction from Lord Kurogami just moments ago.”
Brick Brody: “Interesting?”
He gives a dry snort.
Brick Brody: “That sounded like a warning.”
Julian Ward: “Perhaps. And whatever he meant, this is not the first time John Henry and Taro Okami have stood across a ring from one another.”
The screen changes.
Two previous match results flash briefly.
JOHN HENRY — 2
TARO OKAMI — 0
Julian Ward: “They have met twice before.”
A beat.
Julian Ward: “John Henry won both.”
Brick Brody: “Which means tonight is not just another match for Taro.”
He looks toward the entrance.
Brick Brody: “This is a man trying to prove he has become something different.”
The arena lights begin to fall.
A deep wolf howl echoes through the Coliseum.
Red smoke curls across the entrance.
The screen fills with a blackened forest beneath a blood-colored moon.
Then the silhouette of an oni mask.
Lord Kurogami emerges first.
No smile tonight.
Behind him comes Taro Okami.
The demon-wolf transformation is impossible to miss.
Dark, predatory gear.
Crimson markings.
Wolf-like motifs woven into the armor and fabric.
The remaining traces of his former presentation seem deliberately buried beneath something harsher.
Taro Okami walks with his head slightly lowered.
Then he raises his eyes toward the ring.
Julian Ward: “The man walking toward the ring tonight is not presenting himself as the same Taro Okami who lost those previous encounters.”
Brick Brody: “Good. Because if he is the same man, the score becomes three-nothing.”
Lord Kurogami walks alongside the barricade.
He says something quietly to Taro.
No answer.
Taro Okami climbs onto the apron and steps through the ropes.
He moves immediately to the center.
No pose.
No acknowledgment of the crowd.
He simply waits.
Then—
the sound of a hammer striking steel reverberates through the building.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The crowd erupts.
The great screen fills with sparks from a forge.
John Henry steps through the curtain.
He carries himself with the same grounded force that has defined him throughout Dark Fable.
No mysticism.
No ceremonial menace.
Just strength.
Labor.
Steel.
John Henry stops at the top of the ramp.
He looks directly at Taro Okami.
Then toward Lord Kurogami.
He starts walking.
Julian Ward: “John Henry stood beside Raigen when the truth about Taro Okami finally came into the light.”
Brick Brody: “And tonight he does not have to solve Raigen’s problem.”
A beat.
Brick Brody: “He gets to solve his own.”
John Henry reaches ringside.
He climbs the steps deliberately.
Lord Kurogami watches him pass.
John Henry turns his head slightly.
The two men exchange a look.
Then John steps into the ring.
Taro Okami moves forward.
Honest Abe immediately positions himself between them.
Louie Linville enters the center.
Louie Linville: “The following contest is tonight’s MAIN EVENT and is scheduled for one fall!”
The crowd responds loudly.
Louie Linville: “Introducing first, accompanied to the ring by Lord Kurogami... TARO OKAMI!”
Boos fill the Coliseum.
Taro does not react.
Louie Linville: “And his opponent... JOHN HENRY!”
A thunderous reaction.
John Henry raises one fist.
Then lowers it.
His eyes never leave Taro.
Honest Abe checks both men.
He signals.
The bell rings.
Minute 1
Before either wrestler can properly engage, Lord Kurogami moves toward the apron.
He reaches beneath the edge of his robes.
For one brief second, something like a demonic mask appears in his hand.
He lifts it toward Honest Abe.
The referee freezes.
The image is there only long enough to unsettle him.
Then Kurogami lowers it.
Honest Abe turns back toward the match.
No disqualification.
No warning severe enough to change anything.
Taro Okami uses the distraction to stalk toward John Henry.
But John braces himself.
He absorbs the pressure without giving ground.
Julian Ward: “We are barely a minute into this match, and already Lord Kurogami has involved himself.”
Brick Brody: “He did not touch anybody.”
Julian Ward: “He threatened the referee.”
Brick Brody: “Then the referee should develop a stronger constitution.”
Minute 2
John Henry drives forward.
He catches Taro and powers him across the back.
Backbreaker.
Taro Okami hits hard.
But as John reaches for him again, Taro twists beneath the arm.
He traps John’s head and arm.
Hunter’s Lock.
The triangle choke clamps into place.
John Henry immediately begins fighting the position.
Honest Abe drops to check.
John Henry: “NO!”
He refuses the submission.
Taro tightens the hold.
John plants one boot.
Then another.
He muscles himself high enough to loosen the pressure and tears free.
Both men separate.
Julian Ward: “Very different approaches. John Henry attacks the structure of the body. Taro Okami attacks the ability to breathe.”
Brick Brody: “And if Taro can take the air out of John Henry, all that power becomes dead weight.”
Minute 3
Taro Okami closes immediately.
He catches John Henry standing.
Standing Guillotine Choke.
The arm wraps tightly around the neck.
John reaches for the waist.
Tries to lift.
Cannot.
Taro pulls down harder.
For several seconds, John Henry’s posture begins to collapse.
Then he drives Taro backward into the turnbuckles.
The hold finally breaks.
John steps away coughing.
Julian Ward: “Again the neck. Again the breathing.”
Brick Brody: “That is a plan. Taro knows he is not going to win a contest of lifting heavy things against John Henry.”
Minute 4
John Henry answers with brute force.
He catches Taro in motion.
Scoops him.
Bodyslam.
Taro crashes into the canvas.
He tries to turn onto one side.
John stands over him.
Then pulls him back upright.
Julian Ward: “And there is John Henry’s response.”
Brick Brody: “Simple works.”
Minute 5
John Henry hoists Taro again.
Another Bodyslam.
This time Taro lands closer to the ropes.
As John reaches down—
Taro snaps upright.
Standing Guillotine Choke.
The crowd reacts.
John immediately grabs at the forearm.
The hold is not fully secured.
He muscles Taro upward just enough to break the leverage.
Both men stumble apart.
Julian Ward: “Every time John Henry imposes his strength, Taro returns to the neck.”
Brick Brody: “That is what Kurogami meant backstage. Easy. Do not give Raigen a show.”
Julian Ward: “You believe that was the instruction?”
Brick Brody: “I think Kurogami wants Taro disciplined.”
Minute 6
Lord Kurogami moves closer to the ropes.
He speaks.
Quietly.
Almost too quietly for anyone beyond Taro Okami to hear.
The words seem to cut through the noise anyway.
John Henry pauses.
Something in the cadence catches him.
Taro attacks in that moment.
A sharp combination drives John backward.
The distraction has done its work.
Julian Ward: “Another intervention from Lord Kurogami, this time without even touching the ring.”
Brick Brody: “You call it a curse.”
He shrugs.
Brick Brody: “I call it coaching.”
Julian Ward: “That did not sound like coaching.”
Minute 7
Both men reset.
For several seconds, neither commits.
Then John Henry explodes.
He hooks Taro around the waist and drives him backward with a Back Suplex Bomb.
The impact shakes the ring.
Taro rolls over.
Gets one knee beneath him.
Fires a series of elbow strikes into John’s ribs and jaw.
One.
Two.
Three.
John Henry staggers.
Taro remains upright.
Julian Ward: “That was the heaviest throw of the match so far.”
Brick Brody: “And Taro still answered.”
Minute 8
John Henry catches him again.
He forces Taro into position.
Pumphandle.
The crowd rises.
STEEL DRIVER.
The sit-out powerbomb drives Taro Okami into the canvas.
The building erupts.
John Henry remains seated for a moment.
Then rises.
Taro lies flat on his back.
Julian Ward: “Steel Driver!”
Brick Brody: “Now that is the kind of thing Raigen ought to be watching.”
A beat.
Brick Brody: “If Kurogami really does not want him seeing this.”
Minute 9
John Henry keeps pressing.
He pulls Taro upward.
Another Bodyslam.
Taro hits hard.
Before John can follow—
Lord Kurogami again produces the image of the Mask of Wrath.
He turns it toward Honest Abe.
The referee instinctively backs away.
John Henry turns toward ringside.
John Henry: “Stay out of this!”
Kurogami lowers the mask.
Smiles faintly.
Julian Ward: “Again Lord Kurogami intimidates the referee.”
Brick Brody: “And again John Henry lets him get inside his attention.”
Julian Ward: “There is a distinction between distraction and repeated interference.”
Brick Brody: “Not if the referee refuses to do anything about it.”
Minute 10
John Henry turns back.
Taro Okami attacks immediately.
Knee strike to the face.
John’s head snaps backward.
He responds with a knee lift of his own.
Both strikes land almost simultaneously.
Both men stagger.
Taro falls against the ropes.
John drops to one knee.
Julian Ward: “Neither man gave an inch.”
Brick Brody: “That is how noses get broken.”
Minute 11
Taro Okami gets there first.
He wraps John Henry’s neck.
Standing Guillotine Choke.
Again.
John reaches for the waist.
His knees buckle.
Honest Abe asks.
John Henry: “NO!”
The crowd begins clapping rhythmically.
John plants his feet.
He forces himself upright despite the choke.
Taro hangs from him.
John Henry drives forward into the ropes.
The referee calls for the break.
Taro releases at the last possible moment.
Julian Ward: “Third serious choke attempt from Taro Okami.”
Brick Brody: “And John Henry is getting slower every time he escapes.”
Minute 12
Taro comes forward again.
John Henry catches him.
Atomic Drop.
Taro’s body jolts upward.
He stumbles forward.
Turns.
John stalks him.
Julian Ward: “Now John Henry is trying to keep this fight upright and physical.”
Brick Brody: “Good choice. Every second he spends wrestling on the mat is another chance for Taro to wrap something around his throat.”
Minute 13
John Henry grabs Taro Okami.
Backbreaker.
The force folds Taro across the knee.
He collapses to the canvas.
John hooks the leg.
At ringside—
Lord Kurogami steps forward.
He locks eyes with Honest Abe.
No mask this time.
Just the Oni’s Gaze.
The referee hesitates for the smallest fraction of a second.
Then drops.
“ONE!”
Taro Okami does not move.
“TWO!”
Lord Kurogami’s stare hardens.
“THREE!”
The bell rings.
The Coliseum explodes.
John Henry releases the leg and rises to his knees.
Taro Okami lies on the canvas.
For the third time—
he has lost to John Henry.
Honest Abe raises John’s arm.
At ringside, Lord Kurogami does not move.
His expression is unreadable.
But the earlier instruction echoes over the scene.
Do not let Raigen see.
Julian Ward: “Three meetings.”
A pause.
Julian Ward: “Three victories for John Henry.”
Brick Brody: “That is not a coincidence anymore. John Henry has Taro Okami’s number.”
Julian Ward: “And sixteen days before Taro enters the Dojo of Blood against Raigen, this is a result Lord Kurogami cannot possibly have wanted.”
JOHN HENRY DEFEATS TARO OKAMI BY PINFALL IN THE 13TH MINUTE AFTER A BACKBREAKER.
The result graphic fades.
John Henry stands in the center of the ring.
He looks down at Taro Okami.
Then toward Lord Kurogami.
Kurogami slowly climbs onto the apron.
He does not enter.
He simply stares back.
John Henry raises three fingers.
One.
Two.
Three.
The crowd roars.
For the first time, Lord Kurogami’s composure visibly tightens.
Inside the ring, Taro Okami sits up.
He sees John Henry’s raised hand.
His expression hardens.
John lowers the fingers.
Then points toward the entrance.
A message without explanation.
Whether it is meant for Raigen—
or whether John simply knows exactly who will hear about this—
does not matter.
Julian Ward: “Whatever Lord Kurogami wanted hidden tonight…”
The camera closes on Taro Okami.
Then on John Henry.
Julian Ward: “…the result is now impossible to conceal.”
Brick Brody: “And if I am Raigen, I am paying attention.”
The camera holds on Lord Kurogami staring into the ring as John Henry’s music plays.
Cut.
The camera returns to a wide shot of Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum.
The crowd remains on its feet after the main event.
At ringside, Julian Ward and Brick Brody sit beneath the slowly dimming arena lights.
Behind them, the great screen shows the final image from moments ago—
John Henry holding up three fingers.
Across from him, Taro Okami and Lord Kurogami.
Julian Ward: “Thirteen minutes ago, this evening ended with a question hanging over Taro Okami.”
The screen displays the record.
JOHN HENRY 3 — TARO OKAMI 0
Julian Ward: “Three meetings with John Henry.”
A beat.
Julian Ward: “Three defeats.”
Footage replays the final Backbreaker.
Three.
Julian Ward: “And after hearing Lord Kurogami tell Taro before the match, ‘easy, do not let Raigen see,’ there is now no hiding what happened tonight.”
Brick Brody: “Maybe Raigen should see it.”
He leans back.
Brick Brody: “Because Taro has sixteen days to figure out something John Henry has figured out three times.”
The screen burns red.
The signed contracts appear.
RAIGEN vs TARO OKAMI
AGE OF RUIN
BLOOD SYNDICATE TRIAL
Julian Ward: “Earlier tonight, there was no escape from another consequence.”
Footage shows Taro Okami signing first.
Then Raigen.
Julian Ward: “Raigen and Taro Okami signed the contracts for their match at Age of Ruin.”
The stipulations appear one at a time.
DOJO OF BLOOD
NO DISQUALIFICATION
Julian Ward: “They will fight inside the Dojo of Blood under no-disqualification rules.”
Then—
RAIGEN LOSES — 100 YEARS OF BLOOD SYNDICATE ALLEGIANCE
DEBT PASSES THROUGH HIS BLOODLINE
Julian Ward: “If Raigen loses, he swears allegiance to the Blood Oni Syndicate for one hundred years, with any remaining debt passing through his bloodline.”
The graphic changes.
RAIGEN WINS — TARO OKAMI ENTERS THE DRAGON’S VEIL FOR CLEANSING
Julian Ward: “If Raigen wins, Taro Okami must enter the Dragon’s Veil sanctuary and undergo a cleansing.”
Footage shows the final silent staredown.
Brick Brody: “That is not a rivalry with a stipulation attached.”
He watches the screen.
Brick Brody: “That is two men betting what comes after them.”
The footage changes.
Mordred plants Sir Lancelot with the Lifting Inverted DDT.
Three.
Then King Arthur stares down at his defeated knight.
Julian Ward: “Camelot continued to fracture tonight as well.”
The graphic shows:
MORDRED & ROBIN HOOD — VICTORIOUS
Julian Ward: “The unlikely team of Mordred and Robin Hood defeated King Arthur and Sir Lancelot, with Mordred pinning Lancelot for the second time since Wrestlefest.”
Brick Brody: “Arthur wanted stronger knights.”
A beat.
Brick Brody: “Tonight one of his strongest got beaten by the same man again.”
Backstage footage follows.
King Arthur berating Sir Lancelot.
Then the microphone in his hand.
The words appear across the screen.
$100,000 BOUNTY
THE MERRY BAND
The audience boos loudly.
Julian Ward: “And the king responded by escalating his campaign against the Merry Band.”
The replay shows Arthur declaring the bounty.
Julian Ward: “One hundred thousand dollars.”
Brick Brody: “That is where tonight changed.”
Julian Ward: “Explain.”
Brick Brody: “Before tonight, if you wanted Robin Hood or the Merry Band, you needed a reason.”
He points toward the screen.
Brick Brody: “Now you need a bank account.”
Julian Ward: “And King Arthur never clarified precisely what someone must do to collect that money.”
Brick Brody: “That makes it worse.”
The bounty graphic remains for another moment.
Then a black card falls across it.
Footage shows Tin Man standing outside the ring during the referee’s count.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Then Severin Crowne tossing another black card toward his feet.
Julian Ward: “Tin Man also made a choice tonight.”
The image freezes on the card at his feet.
Julian Ward: “He deliberately remained outside the ring and accepted a count-out loss rather than return to face Severin Crowne.”
Brick Brody: “But Crowne did not treat that like rejection.”
The replay shows the card falling.
Brick Brody: “He made the offer again.”
Julian Ward: “And Tin Man still has not picked it up.”
Brick Brody: “Yet.”
The image fades.
Black thorns spread across the screen.
Rosalyn, Queen of Thorns bridges Rapunzel with the Scepter Snap.
Three.
Julian Ward: “Rosalyn, Queen of Thorns and Yurei Rinn defeated Rapunzel and Lady Guinevere, in a match shaped almost as much by the opposing influence of Lord Kurogami and Merlin as by the four competitors themselves.”
A brief shot shows the two men staring across the ring.
Brick Brody: “Too many wizards, curses and schemes.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “But Rosalyn still got the pin.”
The footage changes again.
The Convergent Championship.
Jack Lumber Spearing Dragon King.
Three.
Then—
Dragon King.
Ogre.
Kong.
Frankenstein’s Monster.
All surrounding Jack Lumber.
Julian Ward: “Convergent Champion Jack Lumber defeated Dragon King in a non-title match.”
The face-to-face confrontation between Jack Lumber and Frankenstein’s Monster fills the screen.
Julian Ward: “But the victory brought the entire Monster Bash to the ring.”
A shot of security separating the two.
Julian Ward: “The contract is already signed. At Age of Ruin, Jack Lumber defends the Convergent Championship against Frankenstein’s Monster.”
Brick Brody: “And tonight he found out that when you challenge one monster, sometimes the whole crypt shows up.”
Finally—
the War Council.
Maid Marion’s Kiss Goodnight Roundhouse Kick connects with Athena.
Three.
The shot immediately changes to Zeus glaring into the ring.
Julian Ward: “And the evening began with another setback for the War Council.”
Julian Ward: “Lark of Sherwood and Maid Marion defeated Athena and Bellona, despite repeated involvement from Zeus.”
The North Star Tag Team Championships appear.
BLONDE BOMBSHELLS vs WAR COUNCIL
AGE OF RUIN
Julian Ward: “The championship opportunity remains. At Age of Ruin, Athena and Bellona challenge the Blonde Bombshells.”
The image returns to Zeus.
Julian Ward: “But whatever confidence existed when that challenge was established is becoming considerably harder to find.”
Brick Brody: “Forget confidence.”
He gestures toward the furious expression on the screen.
Brick Brody: “I would worry about surviving the meeting with Zeus.”
The screen goes black.
A bell tolls.
Then—
NEXT WEEK ON DARK FABLE
The crowd responds.
Julian Ward: “And next week, the road to Age of Ruin becomes even narrower.”
The first graphic appears.
JACK LUMBER vs KONG
Julian Ward: “After defeating Dragon King tonight, Convergent Champion Jack Lumber takes another step directly into the Monster Bash when he faces Kong.”
Brick Brody: “He said the bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
A pause.
Brick Brody: “They apparently intend to make him prove it one monster at a time.”
Next—
DOROTHY vs ATHENA
Julian Ward: “Dorothy goes one-on-one with Athena.”
The image of Zeus briefly appears behind Athena.
Brick Brody: “After tonight, I would not want to be Athena’s next opponent.”
Julian Ward: “Nor, perhaps, would I want to be Athena when she speaks with Zeus.”
Next—
HERACLES vs HANSEL
Julian Ward: “Heracles meets Hansel.”
The Universal Championship flashes behind Hansel.
Julian Ward: “And remember, after Hansel survived the ten-minute Wrestlefest challenge against Universal Champion Ghost of Christmas Past, he earned a championship match.”
The screen reads:
UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK
Julian Ward: “Next week, we will learn exactly when Ghost of Christmas Past will defend the Universal Championship against Hansel.”
Brick Brody: “Which means Heracles has the chance to ruin Hansel’s evening before the date is even printed.”
Next—
ALICE vs BELLONA
Julian Ward: “Alice faces Bellona.”
Brick Brody: “Another member of the War Council with something to prove.”
Next—
flames move across the Eternal Flame Championship.
ETERNAL FLAME CHAMPIONSHIP
SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM vs SCARECROW
The crowd erupts.
Julian Ward: “And the Eternal Flame Championship will be defended.”
The champion appears.
Sheriff of Nottingham.
Across from him—
Scarecrow.
Julian Ward: “The Sheriff of Nottingham puts the championship on the line against Scarecrow.”
Brick Brody: “And after what Severin Crowne did to Tin Man, you know the Wizard’s Warriors will be watching everything around that ring.”
The final match graphic appears amid lightning and dragon fire.
RAIGEN & TAKUMA RYUJIN
versus
KAMINARI HONO — ENRAI & KAEN
A loud reaction rises.
Julian Ward: “And Raigen will not have sixteen peaceful days to contemplate the contract he signed tonight.”
The image of Lord Kurogami appears faintly behind Enrai and Kaen.
Julian Ward: “Next week, Raigen teams with Takuma Ryujin against Kaminari Hono—Enrai and Kaen.”
Brick Brody: “That contract signing put Raigen’s future on the line.”
He looks toward the graphic.
Brick Brody: “Next week the Syndicate gets another chance to damage the man before he ever reaches the Dojo of Blood.”
The full card appears.
NEXT WEEK — DARK FABLE
JACK LUMBER vs KONG
DOROTHY vs ATHENA
HERACLES vs HANSEL
ALICE vs BELLONA
ETERNAL FLAME CHAMPIONSHIP — SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM vs SCARECROW
RAIGEN & TAKUMA RYUJIN vs KAMINARI HONO — ENRAI & KAEN
PLUS — THE DATE FOR GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST vs HANSEL FOR THE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE SET
The camera pulls back from the commentary desk.
Julian Ward: “Tonight, the War Council lost again.”
The image flashes to Zeus.
Julian Ward: “Jack Lumber survived one monster and found four more waiting.”
The Monster Bash.
Julian Ward: “Tin Man walked away from Severin Crowne, only to receive another black card.”
The card.
Julian Ward: “Raigen signed away a century if he fails.”
The contract.
Julian Ward: “King Arthur responded to another humiliation by putting one hundred thousand dollars on the Merry Band.”
The bounty.
Julian Ward: “And Taro Okami was defeated by John Henry for the third time.”
The final Backbreaker.
Brick Brody: “Everybody keeps talking about Age of Ruin like ruin is waiting for September 27th.”
He looks toward the screen.
Brick Brody: “It is already here.”
The arena lights begin to dim.
The last image on the great screen is not the match result.
It is the backstage bounty notice.
$100,000
THE MERRY BAND
Then the image burns away.
For one moment, only the Mythic Crown remains.
An arrow strikes through it.
Black.
Julian Ward: “For Brick Brody, I’m Julian Ward.”
One bell tolls.
Julian Ward: “Good night from Camelot.”
The final image is King Arthur’s bounty proclamation burning across parchment as distant hoofbeats and hunting horns rise beneath the credits.
Fade to black.
The credits have nearly finished rolling.
The screen fades from black one final time.
A quiet corridor backstage at Scrooge’s Camelot Coliseum.
Most of the building has begun to empty.
Inside the dressing room belonging to the Queens of Despair, the atmosphere is considerably less ceremonial than usual.
Gear bags are open.
Coats have been pulled on.
The last pieces of equipment are being packed away.
Regina stands near a mirror, removing the final traces of her ring presentation with the cold precision of someone who considers the evening already beneath discussion.
Across the room, Malice closes a bag and fastens it with a sharp pull.
Near the door stands the Huntsman.
Silent.
Watchful.
His arms folded.
One person is conspicuously absent.
Rosalyn, Queen of Thorns.
Malice: “She could have at least told us whether she was returning.”
Regina does not look away from the mirror.
Regina: “Rosalyn does what pleases Rosalyn.”
A beat.
Regina: “Queens often do.”
Malice gives a small, venomous smile.
Malice: “Careful.”
Regina: “I am.”
Three knocks come from the door.
Not loud.
Not impatient.
Evenly spaced.
The Huntsman immediately turns toward it.
His posture changes.
Malice: “Expecting someone?”
Regina: “No.”
Another knock.
The Huntsman walks to the door.
He opens it only partially.
Standing outside is Severin Crowne.
Dark suit.
Calm expression.
One hand resting behind his back.
The Huntsman says nothing.
Neither does Severin.
For several seconds, the doorway itself becomes the negotiation.
Then Regina’s voice comes from inside.
Regina: “If you are going to stand there, at least allow us to see who is wasting our time.”
The Huntsman opens the door wider.
Severin Crowne steps into view.
Malice’s expression immediately sharpens.
Regina slowly turns from the mirror.
Regina: “Ah.”
A beat.
Regina: “The collector.”
Severin Crowne: “An inaccurate description.”
He steps inside.
The Huntsman does not move out of his way entirely.
Severin simply stops at the distance permitted to him.
Severin Crowne: “Collectors take possession.”
His eyes move briefly from Regina to Malice.
Then to the Huntsman.
Severin Crowne: “I prefer agreements.”
Malice: “That is a prettier word.”
Severin Crowne: “The useful words often are.”
Regina studies him.
Regina: “You have been very busy making agreements.”
Severin Crowne: “I have been identifying useful people.”
Malice: “Useful.”
She laughs softly.
Malice: “There is the compliment.”
Severin Crowne: “Would you prefer flattery?”
Malice: “I would prefer honesty.”
Severin Crowne: “Then we are already making progress.”
The Huntsman closes the door behind him.
He remains beside it.
Not joining the conversation.
Guarding it.
Regina: “You did not come here to admire us.”
Severin Crowne: “No.”
Regina: “Then speak.”
Severin Crowne looks toward her.
Severin Crowne: “The landscape of Camelot is changing.”
Regina: “Camelot is always changing.”
Severin Crowne: “Poorly.”
A faint smile touches Malice’s face.
Severin Crowne: “A king places bounties upon his own enemies because his knights cannot control them.”
Regina’s eyes narrow slightly.
Severin Crowne: “Outlaws defy the Crown openly.”
Severin Crowne: “Monsters gather around championships.”
Severin Crowne: “Sorcerers manipulate the battlefield.”
He pauses.
Severin Crowne: “And alliances that were once considered permanent are beginning to depend upon whoever happens to survive the week.”
Regina: “You make instability sound offensive.”
Severin Crowne: “Wasteful.”
That answer interests her.
Severin Crowne: “Instability without structure produces nothing.”
Malice: “And you intend to provide the structure?”
Severin Crowne: “Where necessary.”
Regina: “To whom?”
Severin Crowne: “To those capable of using it.”
Silence.
Regina folds her arms.
Regina: “And you believe that includes us.”
Severin Crowne: “Obviously.”
The certainty of the answer causes Malice to glance toward Regina.
Regina: “You are either very confident or very presumptuous.”
Severin Crowne: “Those traits are frequently confused by people who have not yet seen the result.”
Malice: “There he is.”
She steps closer.
Malice: “That is the man I expected.”
Severin Crowne acknowledges her with the slightest tilt of his head.
Regina: “What exactly are you offering?”
Severin Crowne: “Access.”
Regina: “To?”
Severin Crowne: “Information.”
A beat.
Severin Crowne: “Opportunity.”
Another.
Severin Crowne: “Resources.”
His eyes remain on Regina.
Severin Crowne: “And, when necessary, force.”
The Huntsman shifts slightly at that.
Severin notices.
Severin Crowne: “Not a replacement for what you already possess.”
He looks directly at the Huntsman.
Severin Crowne: “An addition.”
The Huntsman gives no response.
Regina: “And in exchange?”
Severin Crowne: “Coordination.”
Malice: “Loyalty.”
Severin Crowne: “Such a sentimental word.”
Malice: “You do not believe in loyalty?”
Severin Crowne: “I believe in obligation.”
A pause.
Severin Crowne: “Loyalty is what people promise.”
He looks between them.
Severin Crowne: “Obligation is what survives when promises become inconvenient.”
Regina is quiet now.
Listening.
Malice: “And if your interests conflict with ours?”
Severin Crowne: “Then we discuss the conflict.”
Malice: “And if discussion fails?”
Severin Crowne: “Then we learn something useful.”
A soft laugh from Malice.
Malice: “I like him.”
The Huntsman does not.
His expression has not changed.
Regina: “You have approached others.”
Severin Crowne: “Yes.”
Regina: “Sheriff of Nottingham.”
Severin Crowne: “Yes.”
Regina: “Sir Agravaine.”
Severin Crowne: “Yes.”
Regina: “Tin Man.”
For the first time, Severin pauses slightly.
Severin Crowne: “An ongoing conversation.”
Malice: “He walked out tonight rather than continue fighting you.”
Severin Crowne: “And still looked at the card.”
That answer quiets the room.
Regina: “So what is this?”
She gestures around them.
Regina: “Another card?”
Severin Crowne: “If that makes the decision clearer.”
His hand emerges from behind his back.
Three black cards.
He places them on the dressing-room table.
One.
Two.
Three.
The Huntsman’s eyes immediately move to them.
Malice approaches first.
She picks one up.
Turns it over.
Black.
Minimal.
No obvious decoration.
Malice: “And this is supposed to impress me?”
Severin Crowne: “No.”
A beat.
Severin Crowne: “It is supposed to identify you.”
Malice studies him.
Regina walks toward the table.
She does not touch her card yet.
Regina: “What do we gain immediately?”
Severin Crowne: “Advance notice where I can provide it.”
Regina: “Influence?”
Severin Crowne: “Where it can be exercised.”
Regina: “Protection?”
Severin Crowne: “Where it is deserved.”
Malice: “You really dislike unconditional answers.”
Severin Crowne: “Unconditional answers are usually lies.”
That makes Regina smile for the first time.
Barely.
But genuinely.
Regina: “And what authority do you imagine you will have over us?”
Severin Crowne: “None that you do not grant.”
Regina: “Convenient.”
Severin Crowne: “Accurate.”
Regina finally picks up the second black card.
She runs one finger along its edge.
Regina: “Suppose I accept.”
Severin Crowne: “Then your interests become relevant to mine.”
Regina: “And yours to ours?”
Severin Crowne: “That is the purpose of an agreement.”
Malice: “You are building something.”
Severin Crowne: “Yes.”
Malice: “What?”
Severin Crowne: “Something less dependent upon the whims of kings.”
That lands with Regina.
Her eyes move toward him more sharply.
Regina: “Now you have my attention.”
Severin Crowne: “I assumed I eventually would.”
The Huntsman finally speaks.
His voice is low.
Huntsman: “Why us?”
Everyone turns toward him.
Severin Crowne: “Because you are independent.”
Huntsman: “They are.”
He gestures toward Regina and Malice.
Huntsman: “I asked why you want me.”
Severin Crowne looks directly at him.
Severin Crowne: “For the same reason.”
A beat.
Severin Crowne: “You have spent considerable time serving people without ever becoming defined by them.”
The Huntsman’s expression hardens.
Severin Crowne: “You have credibility beyond any single queen.”
A pause.
Severin Crowne: “That is valuable.”
Huntsman: “To you.”
Severin Crowne: “To anyone intelligent enough to recognize it.”
The Huntsman looks down at the remaining card.
He does not touch it.
Regina: “You are interested.”
Huntsman: “I am listening.”
Malice: “That is practically enthusiasm from him.”
The Huntsman ignores her.
Regina turns the card once in her hand.
Then looks toward Severin.
Regina: “You said agreements.”
Severin Crowne: “I did.”
Regina: “Then understand ours.”
She steps closer.
Regina: “The Queens of Despair do not become servants.”
Severin Crowne: “I have no use for servants.”
Regina: “We do not kneel.”
Severin Crowne: “Neither do I.”
Regina: “And if you ever confuse cooperation with obedience—”
Severin Crowne: “You will correct me.”
A beat.
Severin Crowne: “I would expect nothing less.”
Malice smiles.
Malice: “Oh, this could become unpleasant.”
Severin Crowne: “That is often where useful things begin.”
Regina looks toward Malice.
No words.
Malice gives one small nod.
Then Regina looks toward the Huntsman.
He remains uncertain.
Regina: “Well?”
Huntsman: “I don’t trust him.”
Severin Crowne: “Good.”
The answer comes immediately.
The Huntsman looks toward him.
Severin Crowne: “Trust creates laziness.”
Huntsman: “And suspicion?”
Severin Crowne: “Attention.”
Another silence.
The Huntsman finally walks toward the table.
He picks up the third black card.
He does not pocket it.
He simply holds it.
Regina: “Then we have an agreement.”
Malice: “For now.”
Severin Crowne: “Those are usually the only agreements worth making.”
Regina slides her card into her coat.
Malice does the same.
After another moment, the Huntsman reluctantly pockets his.
Severin Crowne gives a restrained nod.
Severin Crowne: “Then welcome.”
He turns toward the door.
The Huntsman immediately steps in front of him.
Huntsman: “One question.”
Severin stops.
Huntsman: “There were three cards.”
Regina’s expression changes slightly.
Malice looks toward the empty side of the room.
The absent fourth member suddenly feels considerably more present.
Huntsman: “Where is Rosalyn’s?”
Silence.
Severin Crowne looks toward him.
Then toward Regina.
Then Malice.
Severin Crowne: “There isn’t one.”
The room freezes.
Regina: “Explain.”
Severin Crowne: “The offer is extended to the three people in this room.”
A beat.
Severin Crowne: “No one else.”
Malice’s smile disappears.
Regina: “Rosalyn is one of the Queens of Despair.”
Severin Crowne: “I am aware.”
Regina: “Then if you want the Queens—”
Severin Crowne: “I did not say I wanted the Queens.”
That cuts cleanly through the room.
Severin Crowne: “I said I wanted you.”
He looks at Regina.
Then Malice.
Then the Huntsman.
Severin Crowne: “Three specific people.”
The Huntsman’s eyes narrow.
Huntsman: “Why not Rosalyn?”
Severin Crowne considers him for a moment.
Severin Crowne: “Because an alliance becomes unstable when one member’s obligations already point elsewhere.”
The others exchange looks.
Regina: “Meaning?”
Severin Crowne: “Meaning I do not recruit people whose priorities I cannot reliably define.”
A pause.
Severin Crowne: “Tonight, Rosalyn walked beside Lord Kurogami.”
That lands.
Malice: “So this is about him.”
Severin Crowne: “It is about structure.”
Regina: “You believe Rosalyn cannot be trusted.”
Severin Crowne: “Trust is not the issue.”
The Huntsman watches him carefully.
Severin Crowne: “Leverage is.”
A long silence.
Severin Crowne: “Rosalyn, Queen of Thorns has chosen to cultivate other soil.”
His voice remains calm.
Severin Crowne: “I see no reason to plant beside it.”
Regina looks unsettled now.
Not frightened.
Thinking.
Malice: “You came here knowing that excluding her might end the conversation.”
Severin Crowne: “Yes.”
Regina: “And you still came.”
Severin Crowne: “Yes.”
That answer matters.
Regina slowly exhales.
Regina: “You are very certain of your position.”
Severin Crowne: “I am certain of the offer.”
He steps toward the door again.
Huntsman: “And if Rosalyn objects?”
Severin Crowne stops without turning.
Severin Crowne: “Then she will have identified her position.”
The Huntsman stares at him.
Still skeptical.
Possibly more skeptical now than before.
Severin Crowne opens the door.
Before stepping out, he looks back.
Severin Crowne: “The cards take effect immediately.”
Regina: “Meaning?”
Severin Crowne: “You will know when it matters.”
Malice smiles again.
That answer she likes.
Severin Crowne leaves.
The door closes.
Silence.
No one speaks for several seconds.
Then Malice pulls the black card back from her coat.
She turns it in her fingers.
Malice: “Well.”
A faint smile.
Malice: “That was interesting.”
Regina looks toward her own card.
Then toward the empty space where Rosalyn would normally be.
Regina: “Interesting is not the word.”
The Huntsman remains by the door.
He takes out his card.
Looks at it.
Then at Regina.
Huntsman: “I still don’t trust him.”
Regina: “Neither do I.”
Malice: “Good.”
She slips the card away again.
Malice: “Apparently that means we are paying attention.”
The Huntsman does not smile.
His eyes remain fixed on the closed door.
Then they shift toward Rosalyn’s empty chair.
The camera slowly pushes in on that absence.
Three black cards have entered the Queens of Despair dressing room.
None of them belong to the Queen of Thorns.
Cut to black.
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