The Path Forward: Lauren Fredericks vs. Bast - Apex Qaulifier

[BlackAkuma]

Had Bast been slammed before? Yes. She couldn't recall when off the top of her head, but she was certain it had happened before. But always against someone who was at least within her range or bigger. Never a smaller opponent.

This was new. And irritating.

Her eyes widened as she hit the mat with a resounding impact, making the ring shake on contact. Lauren broke out into a celebration, and rightfully so, but Cersei was less than enthused.

”Bullshit! This is bullshit!” Her shrieks were loud enough to carry far over the audience’s cheers. ”Samira, what the hell? Get up, get the fuck up!”

Bast didn’t need the encouragement. She was already on her way up, rising a couple of seconds after the impact. She was disoriented, but hurt? Not really. Getting slammed like that wasn’t fun, but it would take much, much more to keep her down for any real length of time.

She just needed a few moments to gather her bearings. Only a few.

[Highfly]

Lauren was disheartened when Bast quickly made her way to her feet but that wasn't stopping Lauren no way! The blonde in blue jumped up and extended her legs aiming a dropkick right at the jaw of the rising Bast to hopefully knock her right back down to the mat again!

[BlackAkuma]

Bast was just about to stand up when a pair of boots slammed into her face at high velocity, landing flush on the chin and bringing her back to the mat. Unlike the blows before, this had enough impact to leave her thoroughly rocked, and her body did the only smart thing it could do - retreat.

She tumbled under the ropes and spilled to the outside of the ring, landing on her feet with a few stumbling steps. Shaking her head, she made her way around the corner while her vision cleared up, only to be greeted by Cersei’s iron glare.

”What. Are You. Doing?” Cersei gave Bast a quick smack upside the head - rude, but it did help clear her fog a bit.

Bast shook her head, scrunched up her face, and returned the glare with one of her own. She was never in the mood for this, but less so after having that happen. ”I’m fine. It’s under control.”

”Is it? Because it doesn’t look like it’s under control. It looks like Ms. Piggy is giving you the business!” She stabbed her finger towards the ring and did her best to ignore the audience’s deafening cries.

[Highfly]

Lauren was feeling it, and she saw Bast on the run! No one was believing what they were seeing but Lauren was out to make believers out of the fans tonight. "Yeah! We're gonna get that upset tonight! Wooooooo!" Lauren said as she ran towards the opposite side of the ring, bouncing off the ropes as she ran back towards the side Bast was. Lauren rarely flew but she had been working on some agility with Peggy so it was time to show it off! Lauren jumped and flew... barely.... through the middle rope using her body as a missile to launch herself right into Bast!

[BlackAkuma]

”Focus.” Cersei stood before Bast with arms folded, looking her up and down, as if assessing a machine to make sure it was in working order. In a manner of speaking, that was precisely what she was doig. ”Remember why we’re here. Remember what we’re here for.”

Bast closed her eyes, most likely rolling them underneath there. ”I am.” She started to turn around, still keeping her sister in view as she moved. ”Just back, give me some space, and-”

Cersei had just opened her mouth to cut her sister off, when Lauren went and did it for her in the worst way imaginable. She could see the woman flying through the ropes behind her sister at the last moment - just enough time to realize what was about to happen, to have a full knowledge of what was going to occur, but nowhere near enough time to stop it.

Lauren might not have been as heavy as Bast, but momentum and gravity were powerful allies, giving her more than enough force to make an effective human missile. She crashed into the taller African woman like a wrecking ball, and more importantly, she crashed into Cersei, too, slamming both of the sisters against the barricade.

Bast was hit hard. She went down on her knees, stunned, but it wasn’t anything she couldn't brush off without a few moments to recover.

Cersei wasn’t so lucky. Her much smaller, weaker frame was devastated by the blow, and she wound up in the fetal position curled up, hissing and groaning and writhing on the floor.

”Calaso!” Bast crawled forward on her knees, eyes wide, as she realized what had just befallen her sister, not even noticing or caring what Lauren was up to at the moment. She shook her sister’s shoulder, trying to get some kind of response, anything. ”Calaso, are you all right?”

[Highfly]

Lauren flew... a rarity for her but something that the crowd seemed to enjoy watching! She knew she hit the other women hard but the landing was hardly soft for her either. Lauren groaned and tried to make her way to Bast while reaching out to grab her by the arm. Lauren had to keep the momentum rolling, and she opted to do so by whipping the big Bast into the ring apron as hard as she could while trying to follow up with a shoulder thrust to the abdomen as quickly as she could!

[BlackAkuma]

Bast looked on, helpless as her sister writhed on the floor, grasping her back. She couldn't see any outward damage, but that was the trouble - if there was any damage, it would all be on the inside, and it would be serious. Her sister’s condition hadn't been a real problem for a while, but then, she hadn't had any major accidents for years. There was no way to know if her body could handle it, if she could take that kind of damage.

She didn’t have time to look further - Lauren was back on the attack, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her up, forcing her back into the fight. A fight Bast wanted no part of. A fight Bast wanted to end.

She would end it.

Laurne threw her into her up against the rinside and followed up with a tackle to her gut, plowing her shoulder into her gut with a blow that emptied Bast’s lungs. The woman wasn’t weak, had a lot of power to work with, and this would’ve been enough to fell many opponents…but not her. Not now.

”You hurt her. Bast hissed under her breath as she reached and captured Lauren’s head, tucking it tight under her shoulder. With her opponent clutched tight, she brought her leg up for two hammering knees, drilling them into her stomach in rapid succession.

[Highfly]

Lauren thought she was in the drivers seat but she was quickly proven wrong as she took hard knee shots while Bast grabbed her head leaving Lauren held and dropping to her knees on the outside of the ring. Lauren groaned and wondered why the loudmouth going down was such a big deal. If you couldn't take it why be ringside? Having the wind driven out of her though left Lauren gasping for breath, struggling as all her momentum seemed to have been wiped with hard knee shots.

[BlackAkuma]

Those weren’t just regular knee strikes, either. Bast usually put power into her blows, restraint never being her strongest suit, but she didn’t often lace them with the kind of hate-fueled energy that she brought out for Lauren. These knees weren’t just meant to hurt, they were made to destroy, as if she was trying to shoot them through her opponents body instead of just wailing into her.

And she was far from done.

Bast pushed her way off the ring, making space, then reached down, grabbed Lauren’s far arm, and draped it over her shoulder, with her opponent’s head still trapped. She took a quick glance back to gauge the distance, then dipped down, lifted her, and brought her flying through the air, looking to smash her back onto the edge of the ring with a vertical suplex.

[Highfly]

Lauren was now reeling as she was woman handled by Bast. She was lift up and a limp mass offering no resistance as her back came crashing down on the edge of the apron! "AAAHHHHHHHH!" Lauren howled as she crashed down and flopped to the ground, writhing in pain while weakly kicking the ground with her flubbery legs. Lauren was hurting badly now and she was really struggling to even rise back to her feet after her hot start had entirely fizzled out.