The Viper and the General

[CaptainL]

Viper Hoshiwara was a woman of few words. She didn't say much because she didn't feel much, going through her life in a state of apathy whenever she wasn't desperately chasing after the next sensation. And when the sensation she was usually chasing was the rush of adrenaline that came from putting herself in the midst of incredible violence, she preferred to let her actions do the talking. A light tube in the face was worth a thousand words.

So if Viper was going to make a public statement, that was a rarity. And that meant whatever she was going to say was important enough for her to actually take the time to get out there and say it.

In the arena, the big screen fizzled to life, coming up on a view of a chair set up in some dingy warehouse. The Viper was seated in a chair, staring dead-eyed and unblinking into the camera with a cigarette glowing in the corner of her mouth. She blew out a long trail of smoke before taking it from her lips, twirling it around idly in her fingers as she spoke.

Spoiler

"Look. I don't do these things often, so I'm gonna keep it brief. Heard there's a new LAWLess Champion. Marceline Diaz, right?" She shrugged. "Mm. Some old hag. Don't care about the details. But I will say this. I took part in the LAWLess Title Hunt, so I should know a thing or two about that belt. And I see it ended up in the hands of someone who doesn't even know the meaning of deathmatch wrestling."

"Hey, Marceline, ya listening? Have you ever done an honest-to-god hardcore match? I'm talking the kind bitches are afraid to go into. Because I have. I've done enough of them that they stopped being new to me. If you're gonna call yourself a hardcore champion, I think it's about time you proved you actually have the balls to live up to it."

"So here's my pitch. You and me. Exploding barbed wire deathmatch. Bring that belt of yours. I mean, it's 24/7, so yeah, you're gonna do that either way. If you really want to be a hardcore champ, let's see how you handle what being hardcore really means."

As she finished her speech, Viper pulled a switchblade out of her pocket, extending the blade before slowly running her tongue along its edge. With that, the broadcast went dark. Viper had issued her challenge, and now only time would tell what would happen next...