Astrid Ostberg (c) vs Selket - Falls Count Anywhere Match for the LAW Heavyweight Championship Match

[CaptainL]

Astrid had spent most of this match at Selket's mercy. At every turn, it seemed, the Egyptian Priestess was beating her down, dominating her on both the physical and psychological levels and leaving bruises across both her body and her pride. She was using tactics completely foreign to the Norwegian, and she had long been forced to admit to the fact that she was hopelessly out of her league. But Astrid had spent too long accepting that her fate was to be a hapless punching bag for a woman she couldn't even hope to touch. She was a champion - and a champion wouldn't lie down and take something like this! It was time to live up to her creed - and she whipped a fist through the air, striking a blow against Selket's side!

The force of the impact was enough to make the challenger shudder, if only for the briefest of moments. To Astrid, that was proof that what she was doing was working - that Selket wasn't invincible; that with enough pressure she could get her to crack! Encouraged by her successes, she went for another punch, swinging her arms this way and that as she tried to bludgeon her opponent from all angles. With each swing of her fist, Astrid panted, working herself up more and more into a fervor. But it was a fervor she needed. She had to keep herself going if she wanted to take her opponent down! Selket was weathering her blows, firmly perched atop her, but Astrid wouldn't be deterred. Selket had to pay!

But then, it all came to an end. Once again, when Selket got the edge over Astrid, it wouldn't be through physical force, but through fighting dirty. She lifted up the smoke machine, and brought it down hard onto the Norsewoman's head!

A loud clang rang out as the metal struck its target. Astrid coughed and wheezed, her eyes glazing over as she flopped onto her back. And Selket didn't stop there, bludgeoning Astrid over and over! With each blow that landed she twisted and turned from side to side, writhing against the floor and attempting to grab at her head to dull the pain. But nothing seemed to work.

At last, Selket was satisfied with her efforts. Astrid sunk against the floor, her tongue lolling out and her ribs rising and falling with labored gasps for air. Everything around her was a haze. She barely even registered the sensation of Selket's body closing in on hers, the warmth of her breath against her cheek, and the weight of the Egyptian's breasts compressing her own, nor did she register the presence of the referee. Even as Selket leaned down to kiss her, Astrid, half-conscious and in a daze, could only moan softly under her breath. The warmth washed over her, but she wasn't lucid enough to give much thought beyond the physicality of their connection.

That was, until she heard the call of the referee. In that instant, Astrid's survival instincts kicked in, and her eyes snapped open just in time to see that Selket was on top of her, their lips locked with passion! The blonde blushed hard at the compromising nature of their position, but - as the referee raised and lowered a hand a second time - she knew what she had to do!

"TWO!"

It was at that same moment that Astrid bucked with her hips, kicking her legs up in the air to try and shift her body enough to disrupt the pin. She would throw her weight over to the side, attempting to roll both herself and Selket so the two were eye to eye. From there, Astrid swung her legs around her opponent's waist, attempting to lock down the pressure of a bodyscissor! If that worked, she would force herself up further over her voluptuous body, dragging her chest and abs against Selket's own to get into position and grab her head in the crook of her arm! Her teeth clenched and her brow beading with sweat, Astrid would summon all the strength she could muster!

"No! I won't...lose to you-!!"

[Bare]

Selket smirked as she locked down Astrid's body under her own, sure of her victory. Between her mind games eating away at Astrid's pride and morale and the actual physical beatdown she had just delivered to the woman with the aid of a smoke machine... Well it was obvious to see why the Egyptian woman felt confident in her ability to secure a win right now. Even as the ref dropped down and began the fateful three count Selket's gaze was fixated on Astrid's face, wanting to analyze and etch every agonized, bloody detail to the fore front of her memory. It was after all a special moment on a special night, the night Astrid's reign ended and Selket's beg-

But then

"WHAT!?" Hissing in sheer and total shock Selket found herself forced upward for a moment in the wake of Astrid's kick out, breaking the pin and her bid to win the heavyweight title once and for all! "No! How did you!" The shock of Astrid's kick out, when all signs pointed otherwise actually got to Selket, breaking her cool and calm composure for just a moment as she gaped down at Astrid' ability to resist the literal skull bashing at Selket's hands! What did this woman take before the match started? What was pushing her? How was she doing this! There had to be some reason for this, something! She just refused to believe in things as they were!

However that shocked dismay that overtook Selket was all the opening Astrid needed to turn things around. Before she could react Selket felt a pair of strong, burly legs wrap around her waist Selket would grunt sharply in pain as she was pulled deeper into the confines of Astrid's thighs, slowly but surely being crushed by the raw power from the Heavyweight Champion! "Gah! Damn you!" Yelping out in pain and breathless exasperation Selket would glare at Astrid's form with all the hate she could possibly muster towards the blonde woman. But that hate wasn't enough too stop the powerful woman from essentially climbing up Astrid's body getting closer and closer towards the mystical woman's face with nothing good in mind!

"Get.. you're filthy hands... Off me!" Snarling at the champion as her head was forced down by the woman's arm Selket knew that she couldn't let Astrid do this, it could very well be the end for her! But despite that urgency Astrid's own desperation was fueling her even further than Selket's own, and despite her best efforts to escape she just couldn't and Astrid managed to lock her head between the woman's arm!

"Mghmmmm! Lgh souuuuu!" Shouting muffled into Astrid's body Selket brought her hands around, smacking and hitting Astrid in the sides as hard as possible, desperate to at least loosen the blonde's grip, or at least cause her some discomfort while in the confines of the the tight brutal hold Astrid had her trapped in!

[CaptainL]

Though the match had broken out backstage, the camera crew frantically chased after the action. With the whirlwind of chaos these two women had left in their wake, they struggled to keep up - but they knew that a match of this importance needed to be seen. Their cameras were hooked up to broadcast their brawl to the big screen at ringside, allowing the spectators to follow along with the action - and every one of them was on the edge of their seat! With Astrid down for the two-count, it looked as though the champion's belt would at last be taken from her - up until she kicked out of the pin, and shattered Selket's confidence in the process! In that instant, it didn't matter that neither of the women were present; the crowd still let up a cheer all the same!

The change that came over Selket was palpable. When moments before she had been cool and cocky, knowing she had her coils wrapped around Astrid and awaiting the moment the Norsewoman would break, in just a few seconds everything she'd let herself believe had been pulled out from under her, and her confidence went crashing to the ground. Astrid had been through it all, tormented both psychologically and physically and made to believe she didn't stand a chance...and yet, she'd persevered, and come back from it stronger than ever!

Now, it was Astrid's turn to feel smug! The blonde grinned as she kicked up her legs, throwing them around Selket's sides and locking them in tight! Even when blood was dripping down her face and staining her hair from where she had been struck with the fog machine, Astrid was able to manage a smirk. "How did I, you ask? Well...sometimes, your greatest strength comes from adversity! This whole time, you've been trying to get in my head, to make me feel weak, like I don't have a chance...you actually came close, I have to say! But more than that, when my back's against the wall...I'm encouraged even more to fight harder than ever, just to prove I can do it! Just because I know this means so much more! I'm not fighting for the title, I'm fighting for my reputation - and I'll defend that tooth and nail! So..." Astrid squeezed her legs even tighter around her foe's waist as she cranked down harder on her neck. "If anything, I should thank you!"

Selket was still fighting back, of course. And Astrid, no matter how encouraged she might have been, was still dizzied from the blows she'd taken to the head. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever, and each punch Selket landed against her side caused her to shudder and her muscles to ease little by little. Soon enough, she had to let her go, releasing the hold and rolling aside. However, she'd already struck the greatest blow she could against Selket - she'd proven she was mortal. Now, Astrid lifted her head with newfound determination. She felt her second wind take hold as she got to her feet, and she hopped over Selket's prone form, going to the stairs to start running up to the next level!

[Bare]

As Astrid made her little heroic speech the challenger would glare at the champion with now unrestrained, pure, seething hatred directed towards the blonde woman. There was no way that was the way she was coming back just no way at all! That was like some sappy speech from a children's cartoon, typical from a woman like Astrid but still it shouldn't have worked! Astrid can't have beaten MONTHS of preparation and hard work just cause her back was against the wall she just can't have! These were the thought permeating every inch of Selket's mind, the frustration, anger, and though she would never admit it, desperation fueling her at this point as she battered Astrid's side with blows.

Thankfully the continued blows were proving effective against the champion. With each punch Astrid's hold grew looser and looser, her ability to breath gradually getting better and better as she continued. 'That's it. Let go you bi-' Just as she finished her train of thoughts sweet, full relief finally circulated through her along with waves of oxygen. However just as she started to get her bearings back she nearly jumped at Astrid's large form leaping over Selket's own towards the stairs!

'The hell is she doing!?' Incited by this reaction form Astrid the Egyptian woman found a new surge of adrenaline surge through her veins as she got up, a indignant yet furious snarl present on her face as she glared fiercely at Astrid's back! "Get back here you worm!" Howling after the champion Selket immediately gave chase, starting to run up the stairs two at a time! While doing so Selket reached inside her outfit, producing a small, golden pellet, another goody she had pilfered from the props and special effects room, and the way in which she planned to take back control of this match once and for all!

With Astrid's back still turned to her Selket would pop the small pellet into her mouth. Anyone watching who was familiar with the current lightweight champion would likely recognize what Selket had just popped, and begin worrying for Astrid in response. In fact back out in the arena the furious outburst from the challenger, along with her little surprise for the champ sent a worried murmur rippling through the arena. None the less however Selket's furious sprint along with her skipping steps enabled her to reach Astrid right at the top of the stairs grabbing the woman's wrist! If successful and without a word Selket would try to turn the woman around before biting down on the capsule in her mouth before suddenly spraying the contents out in front of her, attempting to blast Astrid in the face with one of Rose Gold's signature golden mist!

[CaptainL]

Astrid may have been a large and thickly built woman, and she may have taken a beating - but she was backed into a corner, and her adrenaline was running high, spurring her to take action she might never have thought possible in any other situation. That was enough to guide her body into hopping over Selket's and charging up the stairs. With every step she took, her heart pounded and she gasped for breath; she knew she had to move as fast as she could to put as much distance as possible between herself and Selket before the Priestess got back up.

In truth, Astrid wasn't sure how much of her own words she believed. Selket was a formidable opponent indeed; perhaps out of all of Astrid's challengers to the Heavyweight Championship she had come the closest to taking it from her. Even if Astrid had scored a blow against her, there was still that nagging thought in the back of her head, telling her that, just maybe, she might not be able to turn things around. But if she was feeling that, she tightened her fists and clenched her teeth, reminding herself that she wouldn't give it any heed. Selket didn't need to know that - and if Astrid could convince her she wasn't afraid of her, the rest of her strategy would crumble. The Egyptian had managed to get a leg up on Astrid because she had gotten into her head, but if Astrid refused to let that show, she wouldn't know what to do. She was using Selket's own tactics against her!

Back in the arena, the fans had seen Selket palm a capsule; the cameras were trained on her back. They had begun crying for Astrid to turn around - but the Norsewoman couldn't hear a word of their pleas! She didn't suspect a thing as she rounded the corner, continuing along the stairs. Soon enough, she reached the top, where she felt Selket's hand wrap around her wrist.

Astrid let out a gasp, spinning around to face her foe. In an instant, her survival insticts kicked in. Her leg shot out, delivering a forceful kick to Selket's gut. But not before Selket got off a shot of her own, blowing mist into Astrid's eyes! The champion cried out as she clutched her face and stumbled backward, the two of them standing at a stalemate.

[Bare]

In many ways the tone of the match had shifted since the two heavyweights had brawled and chased to the back. Selket had done so with the intention of reclaiming certain victory from Astrid after the damned woman had made some miraculous recovery in spite of Selket's machinations! So she sought to put the two outside the former's comfort zone, something Selket was sure would aid her and for a time it worked. She not only furthered her mental assault but also her physical one, all but claiming victory over Astrid with a nearfall! But yet... for all Selket had done, before and during the match. It was here in the midst of the concrete and metal and darkness that should be Selket's domain that somehow, someway Astrid managed to shine once more and blind Selket, reversing the situations once more and putting the Egyptian on the back foot!

Worse yet than the physical the shift had finally chipped away and cracked Selket's carefully crafted mask. The frustration and anger at Astrid's fortitude finally getting to her and adding a new level of desperation for the challenger. Something that would no doubt hamper Selket's other plans.

But all was not lost. Not yet. Selket may have been noticeably more desperate and furious now, she may have been in pain and breathless from Astrid's desperate advance, but she was far from done. At this point the title was besides the point for Selket. At this point she only wanted destroy Astrid, even if it was the last thing the Egyptian Priestess would ever do!

But the roles between them had been shifted. While Selket was the one to race to the back with Astrid hot on her heels, Astrid was now the one running with the purple haired woman howling after her. Luckily for Selket she was the decisively faster and more agile of the two, her long legs carrying her up the stairs multiple steps at once. As such she quickly caught up to Astrid, catching her hand and turning her around!

"UGH!"...Only to eat a boot to the chest for her trouble! But even as Selket was being hurled backwards, pain wrenching at her face, she was at least treated to the sight of watching Astrid recoil from the golden mist she had sprayed in her face. But Selket was the one worse off from the exchange. After all she was the one sent tumbling down the stairs like a sack of potatoes.

Rolling down the stairs Selket would end up flat on her stomach, hurting all over and seemingly immobile for the time being. "Gngh.. ah..." Moaning softly in pain the camera zoomed in on her before focusing back on Astrid and going back up to follow her leaving Selket alone... Looking up Selket now had to deal with blood trickling down her head and lip, the cement stairs having done a number on her.

But in spite of the pain and injuries... Selket had a smile on her face as she saw a game changer. Groaning and cringing in pain Selket started crawling forward, away from the stairs and towards what would hopefully catapult her back into a dominant position!

[CaptainL]

Selket's strategy had worked in her favor at first. Outside the confines of the ring, Astrid was out of her element, and she was left struggling to keep up. But when push came to shove, Astrid found herself emboldened to fight back, to turn things around! She knew that Selket was going after not just her title, but her reputation as well; the Egyptian wanted to prove to the world that Astrid Ostberg couldn't possibly deserve the championship she held. Astrid couldn't allow that to happen. And now, at last, she let those stakes be her motivation, as she summoned the strength to shove Selket off!

In an instant, the pillars of Selet's plan crumbled. She had relied on Astrid being weak, helpless, unprepared, and overwhelmed, all of which would leave her open for the challenger to go in for the kill. But as much as Astrid was bruised, bloodied, and humiliated, she was beginning to realize how Selket thought - and she knew how to turn that back around at her!

The Norsewoman took off up the stairs. Even with her body sore and fatigued, her desperation was pushing her onward and upward. She raced from landing to landing, going in the only direction she could to get as far away from her opponent as possible. All that was on Astrid's mind was getting to safety, and she almost thought she had it...but once again, Selket was trickier than she'd anticipated.

Finding Selket right behind her, Astrid acted on impulse. But so too did the Egyptian. The gold mist flew into Astrid's eyes just as she kicked out in front of her, sending the blonde stumbling back as she tried to rub it off of her face. Gold liquid tripped down her cheeks, and she gasped and groaned. Her momentum had been broken, and that caused her adrenaline to die down long enough for her to be reminded of the aches in her legs. She hissed, clenching her teeth and buckling at the knees. She couldn't go on like this for much longer, and soon she'd need to do something about it.

First things first, though, she needed to clean the mist out of her eyes. Feeling around blindly in front of her, Astrid found a door and pushed it open, stumbling into the hallway outside. She soon found her way to a water fountain, washing her face off with it. Astrid took a sigh of relief as she straightened herself back up, now with her vision returned to her. It was a good thing she'd bought herself some time with kicking Selket down the stairs, or she'd never have a chance.

[Bare]

The camera crew that had followed Astrid and Selket through their triad among the halls of the foreign Arena, they, like most of the crown not fully believing the twists and turns the match had taken on both a literal and figurative sense. In fact even though the two had been separated they still were completely unsure about what was happen, again like many in the audience watching from the main part of the arena right now. Especially with that last exchange effectively leaving both women in a stunned state.

"Guys what should we do?" The cameraman whispered while focusing on the still recovering Astrid who had only just managed to wash her face clean of the mist Selket had sprayed on her. The boom man however shot a glare at his colleague for breaking the cardinal rule of filming and speaking while the match was going. "They could care less if the two knocked out on the highway, we film until the bell rings!" He whispered back sharply to the cameraman who jumped back slightly from the severity but he obliged.

They weren't the only ones confused however and soon the entire arena was murmuring, wondering how long the match would continue for if at all. Not with both women seemingly out of it. Confusion gave way into restlessness and restlessness grew into agitation as people started shouting for Astrid to go back down the stairs and continue beating on Selket, or vice versa anything to get some more action flowing in the match again!

Ding

Before anything could escalate further a single ding, picked up by the boomman rang out through the arena. A single, small chime released by a elevator. The elevator right next to the water fountain Astrid had used to clean her face free of the gold mist. As the cameraman focused on said elevator, mostly out of surprise than anything else, he briefly wondered who was unlucky or dumb enough to walk right into a impending war zone... besides himself at least. But he was at least being paid for it.

As the door opened however.... "RAGHHHHHHH!" With a sudden, inhuman warcry a familiar purple blur exploded from the elevator, crashing into Astrid with a furious scream of determination as she immediately grabbed at Astrid's hair before swinging fist after fist into the woman's head!

Back on the previous floor the were on Selket had taken notice of the elevator located there following her spill down the stairs. So seeing the opportunity the Egyptian woman had crawled herself inside, securing her own safety and free ride to where her opponent was! All while buying herself time to recover in her own right. Now she was back right on the heels of Astrid, pummeling the champion with wild abandon! After a good series of blows however, regardless of how her opponent would react however Selket would try to keep the woman on her toes, namely by pivoting on her heel and using Astrid's blonde locks as leverage to throw the woman in the direction of the glass wall facing out to the arena!

[CaptainL]

From the moment the match had begun, Astrid had been constantly fighting for her life. It seemed at every turn, Selket was ready for her with another trap or a sneak attack, and the champion couldn't so much as take her eyes off of her for fear of her retribution. It was only now that Astrid could finally take a breath. She had kicked Selket down the stairs, and the Egyptian would be sore and weary where she landed, hardly in any shape to coming charging back at her any time soon. For now, Astrid at last had the moment she needed to slow down and recuperate. After what had been a long and hard-fought psychological war, one that began before the match itself did, perhaps that was just what she needed. As she washed the mist out of her eyes, Astrid let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't let her guard down yet, of course, but at least now she could get her bearings.

Or so she thought - because no sooner had the Norwegian straightened herself from the water fountain that she heard the sound of a ding behind her. At that moment, she froze. Every muscle went tense, and her eyes snapped open wide. This far into the event, the arena was quiet. There was no one in the halls, except for Astrid, the crew - and Selket herself. With no one to mask the noise, Astrid could hear the sound loud and clear. And she knew exactly what it meant.

Taking in a gasp, she whipped herself around just in time to see the elevator behind her open up. And a second later, Selket came charging out of it! Astrid barely had any time to cry out in shock as the challenger was upon her once again, one hand grabbing for her hair while the other slammed punch after punch at her skull and knocked her head from side to side. Even if she had taken a shortcut, how could she possibly have recovered this quickly? Was this woman even human!?

Astrid didn't have time to question those things, of course! She would quickly throw herself back into the heat of the fray, mirroring Selket's move as she in turn grabbed her by the hair, simultaneously trying to haul her head back to force more space in between the two of them while her other hand swung for her face and her ribs. It was hardly the sort of polished, professional wrestling Astrid boasted of, but they were long since past that. This was a free-for-all, and Astrid had every intention of coming out on top!

In the frenzy of battle, Astrid didn't realize where she was going. Locked in a mutual exchange of blows, the two women were being steered toward the window overlooking the arena, but Astrid had no idea where Selket was taking her - that was, until the Priestess gave her a sharper yank on her hair and whipped her body to the side, hurling her straight into the glass! Astrid's feet left the floor, and she was thrown in an arc, her body making impact with the window. Against her weight, it shattered, and Astrid dropped down, bathed in a shower of broken glass!

At once, the wall leading to the arena seating broken, the sound returned to the halls. Cries of terror and chants of "HOLY SHIT!" echoed through the upper floors. Astrid would have plummeted a story to the seats below, were it not for a raised walkway between the floor and the glass breaking her fall. But it did little to ease the pain she felt. Panting and wincing, she lay in a heap on the platform amidst shards of glass, raising her head to look back up at Selket through the broken window, while blood trickled down her face and arms from where the glass had cut her. They had returned to the arena, but now things were even more precarious than before! And yet, Astrid still couldn't will herself to get back up!

[Bare]

Selket had counted herself lucky. If that elevator hadn't been located so close to where she had fallen down the stairs then who knew how long it would have taken for her to hunt down Astrid. Likewise the brief moments of peace had been enough for her to get to her feet and hype herself up, making it easy for her adrenaline to kick back in the moment she saw Astrid again. Another lucky occurrence with the woman being right within her sights the moment the elevator doors had opened.

Feeling that adrenaline surge kick through once again Selket had no trouble charging forward, literally tackling herself into Astrid and while not taking the woman down, it did create the perfect chance for her to attack. But now that the mind games had been shaken, now that nearly all of her tricks had been spent, and especially now that Astrid had pissed her off Selket had abandoned any and all sense of grace or regality in her offense. No it was just savagery. Punches, knees, slaps, at one point when her face was close enough Selket even had snapped her teeth at Astrid for an attempt to bite the woman. Anything and everything that Selket could do to reclaim the advantage and put the norse woman down for good.

Unfortunately however it appeared as if Selket's mind games had worked a bit TOO well against Astrid and the blonde had now managed to adapt to Selket's strategy and violence. Now the champion was returning such actions in kind, sending her own brutal strikes at Selket's face and yanking her hair, trying to control the encounter. Things had devolved from a wrestling match to a outright brawl, one where neither woman was willing to give in, where in order to claim supremacy over the other they'd have to take things another notch up.

Something that Selket understood on a more innate level than Astrid in spite of her adapting to Selket's strategy. Thus despite the pain Astrid was putting her through, Selket turned, utilizing her own grip on Astrid's hair to turn and send the woman flying clear through a window! "Hagh.. agh... what?" Selket asked to herself through the pain, for a moment stunned and wondering if she had actually gone too far even for her....

Until she heard the cries of the fans and chants of HOLY SHIT which prompted the Egyptian to walk forward to see just what she had done. Now at the edge of the precarious ledge the fans instantly rained a chorus of boos and cheers directed to the now visible heel. Looking down and seeing Astrid laying on the walkway, bloody and beaten with a ref carefully making his way up from ground level Selket would smirk softly as she turned around. For a moment the fans wondered if she was actually going to do the smart thing and turn back, waiting for Astrid to get up so the two could move the brawl to somewhere safer.

But anyone who thought that didn't know Selket well enough. "Glad I wore proper boots instead of going barefoot for this." Selket thought to herself as she took a deep breath and bent down... Before suddenly leaping backwards, flipping through the air off the ledge and over Astrid's body, attempting to crash down on top of the reigning heavyweight champion with a moonsault while the woman laid defenseless on the raised walkway!