Lyra Heartfield vs Astrid Ostberg - Falls Count Anywhere Match

[Pegasus]

Skye screamed as she was swung into the lamp post by Astrid hitting her left shoulder as she tried rubbing it. However, Astrid was on her a moment later keeping her back towards the lamp post. Astrid interrogated her about her identity as Skye just stared blankly from under her bunny mask. She did not say one word and did not even flinch under Astrid’s glare. Skye whimpered a little and she felt her lip quiver as it sounds like she was about to cry.

“KANON! ROXANNE! LYRA! GET THESE MEANIES OFF ME! I’M TRAPPED!” Skye yelled loudly for the entire city block to hear her crying out for her sisters.

And it seemed to work. Sarabeth looked from where they came from and her pupils shrank to the size of black dots. Kanon, The Jackals, Cecilia, Lyra, and, worst of all, The Anomaly stalked forward as the demon kept himself back establishing his presence as the ringleader. He growled under his breath and grimaced seeing his newest disciple struggle against her restraints. First, they hurt Kanon and now, threatened to do the same to Skye. Unforgivable.

“ATTACK! SAVE!” The Anomaly ordered as he wanted every female disciple to hurt Astrid and Sarabeth and get Skye out of there.

[CaptainL]

Skye's back hit the lamppost with a clang, and no sooner had it done so that Astrid was bearing her weight forward, cranking down on the girl's arm to pin her into place. Her eyes narrowed on her with a glare of sheer rage. Even if Astrid had been battered and bruised in this match, even if she'd taken falls that left her head spinning, even if she had been plunged into the darkness against an opposing force that lived and thrived in the shadows, and even if she couldn't help but entertain the thought of how much she was at risk when she had ended up in the crosshairs of the Selection, none of that mattered now. Now, Astrid had one of them at her mercy. Her heart began to beat harder in her chest at the thought - she'd managed to stand up to them; she'd managed to do something! As long as Astrid had been able to put the disciples in their place, it proved that they weren't so invincible after all - that they could be beaten. For those few fleeting moments, Astrid felt in control again. All her confidence returned to her. Yes - it was true all along; she could do this!

But that feeling was short-lived. Skye didn't answer her questions. Instead, she cried out for the others - and immediately afterward, Astrid could hear footsteps coming throught the darkness. She spun around to see Kanon slowly and calmly striding forward, her scythe held behind her, as her boots tapped at the sidewalk. Her eyes narrowed in on Astrid and Sarabeth as she looked up, but she didn't betray even the slightest hint of emotion. Roxanne hung just behind her, her fists clenched and her teeth bared in a snarl, but Kanon wasn't so moved. The fact that Astrid had gotten away from her didn't bother her. She knew it was only a minor setback; not enough to disrupt the plan. And now, it was time to set things right.

The moment the Anomaly gave his signal, Kanon swept her scythe out from behind her and pointed it ahead. At her command, Roxanne, Cecilia, Saka, and Miza came barreling down the sidewalk at top speeds, swiftly closing in on their targets! Astrid sucked in a breath, steeling herself and trying to draw on as much energy as she could. She let Skye go, allowing her to sink to the ground. Trying to get more information from her wasn't worth the risk. She needed to move!

As fast as her weary legs could carry her, Astrid took off down the street. She didn't know exactly where it led - but as long as she was getting away from the Selection, that wouldn't matter! As she ran, she turned to Sarabeth with a huff. "I have an idea," she said, spotting some trash cans up ahead. "We need to create a barrier in order to slow them down! You think you can do that?"

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth was pulled along as she was almost dragged across the sidewalk, but managed to find her footing a few seconds before scooting her behind across the concrete. This wasn’t good. This was now basically a handicap match despite Astrid having an ally in her stepdaughter. Lyra rounded the corner as Skye hugged Roxanne like a baby cub leaping into her mother’s arms shaking and trembling a lot after Astrid trapped her. The Anomaly took over caring for Skye sending Roxanne back into battle as the female disciples closed in on the mother and daughter duo. Sarabeth bared her gritted teeth not sure what they could do against six disciples. Astrid barely had a moment’s rest and recover so even if she could bare the burden of taking on multiple people, she was far too tired to try. Sarabeth barely could hold her own earlier and her friends were dispatched like flies attracted to a lantern. Not to mention, Lyra just needed enough force to keep Astrid down for a three count and win and Astrid would be forced into being a disciple like Cecelia did.

However, her mother at least thought up about a plan and it was better than nothing. Sarabeth nodded at her mother running to the trash cans taking off the lids, but not before running with two hitting shots to the head on Kanon, Lyra, Saka, Miza, Cecelia, and Roxanne using her smaller frame to barely dodge their swipes. She needed them stunned long enough otherwise the barricade plan would barely be useful. This wasn’t to get an advantage in the match, but more or less stall for time. They simply needed distance from their captors.

Sarabeth then kicked the trash cans over which inadvertently knocked over multiple piles of trash onto the sidewalk. She then got grabbed by Astrid and carried as her stepmother tried making ground as much as her tired legs could take her. They needed a place to hide and needed to get back in the arena. Sarabeth pointed to some double doors that looked like they led into the deep basement of the arena. Sarabeth knew it was probably a long shot and if the doors were locked, that signed off that place as a hiding spot to rest. Sarabeth ran and started opening the doors and her heart beat excitingly as the doors opened beckoning her mother into the dark basement below careful to not fall. Astrid would close the doors behind them as Sarabeth quickly found a light switch and the moldy basement lit up.

Sarabeth then saw a small metal can and saw a spare metal key inside testing it on the basement’s doors and breathing a relief when it locked the doors. They were safe for now. The Selection had no idea where they were and even if they did, they couldn’t get in.

[CaptainL]

Astrid only realized how violently she had pulled Sarabeth along after her a moment after the fact, and as she steadied herself, she glanced back over her shoulder, muttering "Sorry," under her breath. But Astrid knew all too well that she couldn't slow down. If the Selection caught up to her, there would be hell to pay - for her, and for Sarabeth. She didn't even want to think of what they would do to her, and the last thing she wanted was to leave her stepdaughter at their mercy. Sarabeth might have seen this as a handicap match, but to Astrid, this wasn't even a match at all. This was a fight for survival - one that, to Astrid, might as well have been life and death.

When she saw the trash cans, and had the thought of toppling them in their pursuer's path, Astrid had hoped to keep moving. She hadn't expected Sarabeth to stop and pick up the lids to strike at the Disciples' heads - and when she saw her running back into the line of fire, she instantly felt a chill run over her from head to toe. "SARABETH!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" she cried. But one way or another, it worked - with each blow Sarabeth dished out, a loud metallic clang rang through the air, and another member of the Selection dropped to the sidewalk. Each of them fell there, laying in a daze, their ears ringing and their heads turned to the sky. That gave Sarabeth long enough to set up a barricade - but the moment it was in place, Astrid grabbed her arm again, taking off as fast as she could.

"...Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that," Astrid muttered to herself, rubbing at her forehead as she winced against the throbbing in her temples. And too, at the thought that she had raised her voice at Sarabeth - didn't they just have this conversation? "I just...can't leave anything to chance-!" Astrid knew that the Selection wasn't going to stay down for long. They needed to stay in motion - they needed to get as far away from them as they could, just to stand a chance! The harder Astrid fought, the more her legs ached; her throat was growing dry and parched, and a droning buzz rang in her ears from how hard she was forcing her body to keep moving. A metallic taste had settled into her mouth, and every breath in and out filled up her chest with heat as she drew in hot air and let out haggard pants. But she couldn't stop now. One thing and one thing alone was keeping her going - and that was her drive for survival!

When Sarabeth found the basement entrance, Astrid gave her a tired nod. Finally, she thought, they would have a moment's respite. She quickly darted around the corner where her stepdaughter had indicated, and as soon as she'd locked the door behind them, she skidded to a stop - where all the weight set into Astrid's body at once. With her center of balance bowing inward, she fell forward, needing to reach out and brace herself against the wall as she grabbed at her chest, and her whole body lurched with every gasp she made for breath. But at least...she was safe now.

Slowly, her breaths began to slow, and so too did the fervent pounding of her heart. "Sara...beth..." she said, looking back in the girl's direction. "Are you okay..?" She glanced at her up and down, checking her over for any wounds. At least now, she had the chance to.

"What...do we do now..?" A shudder ran down Astrid's spine just from voicing those words. She knew they had a moment's peace now...but how long would it last?

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth looked concerned for her stepmother as Astrid was able to finally take a moment's rest as she was being put through the ringer tonight and there wasn't a single pinfall yet in this match. It's just been pure anarchy and Astrid was thrown right into the middle of it incidentally dragging her daughter along with her and the rebel Young Lioness may have been punished roughly, but she wasn't going down without a proper resistance. They were safe for the meantime as The Selection and the Anomaly did not see them come down here so they were out of their clutches, However, that begged the question on what to do, because they couldn't stay down here and who knows....maybe the referee will count this as a forfeit if they stay here? Astrid would then have to uphold the stipulation and join the Selection willingly whether she wanted to or not. They needed to get back to the ring where they had plenty of resources to work with.

"First, you take your breather for as long as you need it, Mom. I want you at your best before we go back out there and win this thing. Though, I'm not sure how we are suppose to fight back considering we barely got out of there with all of them present. The electricity is shut off except for down here and we are going to need a flashlight to navigate anything those fuckers have for us up there," Sarabeth replied.

[CaptainL]

"R-Right, right..." With a huff, Astrid leaned against the wall, needing to brace herself against it. As soon as she had stopped moving, her entire body felt stiff and heavy - the adrenaline rush that came from knowing she couldn't afford to leave herself at the mercy of the Selection had fueled her forward, but now that she was safe she realized just how much of her energy she had needed to spend, and the toll it had taken on her own body. Sagging lower under her own weight, she grasped at her shoulder, her teeth clenching in a grimace from the sore sensation that rippled all up and down her muscles, and every breath she took felt hot and heavy in her lungs. But at the back of her mind, Astrid knew that things weren't over yet. The Selection was close at hand, and she was sure that not even the locked door would hold them back for long. She couldn't let her guard down - not here, and not ever.

When she heard Sarabeth propose finding a flashlight, Astrid nodded her head, slowly drawing in deep breaths. "Right, right...I think that's the next thing we should focus on. We need to be careful, though..." She realized she didn't know how to navigate the maze of corridors and tunnels down here, and her body stiffened with the thought. "I think there should be a mainainence room where we might be able to find one. And once we have that, if we can restore power, then they won't be able to set up any ambushes. But we need to go slow and stick together, alright? It's too dangerous if we get separated..."

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth usually never liked authority types and this is where her rebellious nature came from. She never wanted to bow down to a system or become some corporate stooge that was only chosen to feed propaganda to the world of why the company is the supposed best in the world. But she wasn’t facing a corporate entity….she was facing an entity of a whole other scale. Sure, Astrid and herself were safe for the meantime, but if they were found, things would just be back to how it was out in the cold. Sarabeth was sure they were safe down here as long as no one in The Selection caught wind of their location.

Sarabeth nodded and agreed staying together was the best plan forward. If she got lost, Astrid was on her own and she was running out of fuel in her tank to spare. Then The Selection could beat Astrid and take her away. Sarabeth shoved that thought to the back of her head as her abandonment issues couldn’t take hold now. The corridors were eerily quiet and Sarabeth startled herself when she ran over a cobweb or a well-placed cockroach. She shivered with disgust, but going along the walls was their best bet. Sarabeth hit a few doors, but unfortunately, they were locked. Business personnel only and they would have the keys.

Sarabeth and Astrid came down to the far end of the corridor as Sarabeth found steps upwards and she figured it was better than nothing. Taking her mom’s hand, Sarabeth led themselves up the stairs and her right hand found the knob opening it. Lights shined in their face as Sarabeth screamed before realizing they were back in another part of the backstage area….luckily enough with working power!

[CaptainL]

Astrid let out a huff as she set out into the darkness - and into the mouth of danger. Beyond the door, it was anyone's guess as to what they might find. Everything was pitch black; she could barely even see a foot ahead of her to tell where she was going. Whoever, or whatever, lay in wait...they seemingly had the perfect conditions for an ambush. Even besides the darkness, the Selection had made things perfectly clear that this arena had become their domain - and Astrid was plunging right into its bowels. She sucked in a breath and clenched her teeth; a shiver went through her whole body as she drew further and further away from the doorway she'd come through. Every step they took seemed to take them further and further from safety - and deeper into danger. Anything could happen, now, and she needed to be on her guard...

When Sarabeth stepped on a cockroach, a loud crack rang out - and Astrid let out a gasp, jumping up in the air. "What-!?" In that moment, any noise seemed like one that could alert the Selection to their presence, and her heart jumped in her chest at the thought that they might be able to seek her out! But a second later, Astrid squeezed Sarabeth's hand tighter, shaking out her head. No, what was she thinking? That was ridiculous - the Selection members were locked outside; there was no way they could get to them here. Her mind was playing tricks on her, it seemed - and given that her nerves were stretched to the breaking point, everything hit her hard. Too hard. "Ah, sorry, Sarabeth. Let's keep going..."

As she continued into the darkness, Astrid took a few deep breaths, trying to remind herself not to let fear get to her. It would be okay. The Selection was far from them now. As powerful and as unstoppable as they seemed, they couldn't possibly get through the locked door so quickly. Her hand ran along the wall, tracing its edges for any sign of a door. But nothing she could find would be of any help - that was, until Sarabeth came up the steps, and opened the door into the light beyond!

Of course, when her first impulse was to scream, Astrid jolted upright, moving to clasp a hand over her mouth to muffle the noise. "Shh..!!" Once again, her body went tense as every muscle stiffened, and her heart rate surged. But as she took the time to look around, Astrid could see that the doorway before them led to a room with the lights on, and some shelves and cabinets stocked. She let out a few deep breaths to calm herself down. This, she thought, was exactly what she needed!

"I'll stay by the door to keep it shut...just in case," Astrid said, wincing at the thought as she moved into place to bar the door. "You go ahead and look for a flashlight. There should be one in here."

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth nodded as she checked the shelves and saw that there was one spare flashlight along with two batteries. She uncovered the battery compartment and put the batteries inside before turning on the light seeing it was working. With a shudder of what was to come, Sarabeth took a leap of faith and started walking out of the storage closet. Her and her stepmother came out into the dark hallway and down from them seemed to be the front lobby and merchandise stand, but of course fate would be cruel to them. The Selection had simply come in through the front doors as The Anomaly pushed certain workers out of the way as Sarabeth stood frozen. The demon saw Astrid and Sarabeth partially through the darkness and pointed at them roaring for his disciples to hunt.

Lyra stood ahead running for the duo as it was high time to end this. No more hide and seek. No more running. These two feared them and it was time for Astrid to meet her fate. Sarabeth tried getting in front and actually managed to hit Lyra in the gut with the flashlight, but she got bulldozed by the numbers of The Jackals and Cecilia as they held her down while Skye ran in giggling trying for a shotgun Dropkick on Astrid!

[CaptainL]

Perhaps they were closer to desperate hopes than any educated guess - but Astrid's predictions had proved correct. As she stood to bar the door, spreading her arms out and leaning her weight back against the door just in case anything might try to get in from the other side, she watched as Sarabeth retrieved a flashlight from the shelves! "Good thinking-!" At that, a grin came to her face, and she nodded her head to Sarabeth. Perhaps there was only one flashlight for them to use, and Sarabeth would have to bear it alone - which limited the amount of light they had to work with and made her a far more important target, a thought that made Astrid wince a little to think about. But at the very least, it was better than nothing. And when the two of them soon slipped out into the darkness, Astrid felt just a little bit more secure in herself. At least they weren't completely in the dark now. As long as they could shine a light into the darkness, the fear of the unknown could be conquered. They didn't feel so alone. Maybe, Astrid thought, they had a chance after all!

When they turned a few corners, coming out of the hallways and into a larger and more open room, Astrid just stood a little taller; with each footstep she took, she could feel her spirits rise more and more. Even in the dark, she could recognize this as the concession area - she knew where they were, and she would surely be able to find her way back to the ring! She could see people moving back and forth, too, which told her she wasn't alone. But once again, just as soon as soon as things seemed to take a turn for the better...the Selection was ready to rear its ugly head once again.

Just then, the door opened. Sarabeth froze to a halt, and her flashlight's beam fell right into the open doorway as the Anomaly emerged from it! At the sight of the advancing demon, Astrid let out a gulp; something dropped in the pit of her stomach and her eyes went wide. Her fingers tightened around Sarabeth's shoulder, but just like her stepdaughter, the sight had been enough to shake her to the core. Astrid had known from the moment they entered the basement that they weren't safe; that the threat was always looming over her shoulder. But now, the danger was staring them straight in the face!

As Sarabeth came rushing forward, Astrid's jaw dropped in a gasp. She was shaken out of her daze by the knowledge that danger wouldn't wait for her - they had to act fast! And Sarabeth only seemed like she was right in the path of danger! "SARABETH-!" Astrid cried out - but it was too late! She couldn't draw the green-haired girl back before the Selection members closed in around her, beating her down! She took a step closer, reaching a hand out to try and lend her aid...only for Skye to suddenly rush around and send out a kick that caught Astrid completely unaware!

"Gah-!!" Astrid went staggering over to the side, where her balance gave way and she fell against the concession counter with the sound of a thud. Wincing and recoiling in pain, she grabbed for her elbow as the shock shot through her whole body. But she wouldn't let this stop her - not when her family's safety was on the line! When Astrid looked back up at Skye, her eyes were narrowed in a glare, and her teeth were locked in a grimace. With all the adrenaline surging to her system, she pushed herself off the counter and grabbed for Skye, looking to spin her around and slam her face-first into the counter's surface!

If that worked, Astrid would waste no time in shoving herself off the counter, rushing over to Sarabeth to try and pry her assailants off of her. "Sarabeth-!! Hold on, I'm coming-!"