Lyra Heartfield vs Astrid Ostberg - Falls Count Anywhere Match

[Pegasus]

Lyra scurried around under the ring trying to search for anything that could help her. Luckily, she had found a little something that could prove to be useful. Normal weapons wouldn’t do anything really as Lyra had to pick them up and get out from under the ring where Astrid would most likely have a plan already to counter. Even if Roxanne could run interference, Lyra wouldn’t be keen on having her manager do all the work for her. Just keep Astrid at bay when she truly needed it as per the master’s orders.

Lyra found a bag filled with mouse traps as they were just as sound enough to work. Primarily, they could be blunt enough to hit with and cause distractions for her. She decided to test this out by getting out a trap winding it up. Lyra would then throw it out right at Astrid’s feet in order to distract Astrid with it and letting it snap at her! She would then roll from under the ring to stand up and launch the bag of hard traps into Astrid’s shoulders!

[CaptainL]

As she stepped out onto the floor, Astrid could already tell, looking down at where Lyra was scrambling underneath the ring, that the Selection could only have ill intentions. It made her eyes narrow into a glare and her teeth clench to think of what plans they surely had in store for her - but she wasn't about to let that intimidate her. She needed the Selection to see she wasn't afraid of them, and she needed to put a stop to their meddling, one way or another! Astrid was standing up for herself, but she was also here to defend the honor and the legitimacy of professional wrestling, and part of that was showing her opponents that their tricks wouldn't be tolerated here!

Astrid bent down, reaching for Lyra's leg in order to pull her out from underneath the ring. But it was just then that Lyra reached for a mouse trap and tossed it in the Norsewoman's direction! As it came near, Astrid let out a gasp, and she jumped backward out of instinct to get out of range, letting the trap clatter to the floor at her feet. Her whole body was tense - this one move had been enough to remind her that Lyra was going to fight dirty. That in turn had been enough to catch her off guard. Astrid thought she was prepared for a lot, but she still wasn't expecting Lyra to throw mouse traps at her...

Nor was she expecting the next move the fortune teller made. But this time, when it came to dodging, Astrid wouldn't be so lucky. This time, Lyra struck with the bag of mouse traps, throwing it like a club against Astrid's side! Even when the traps themselves hadn't been sprung on her, the bag was full enough and heavy enough to hurt all the same. Astrid turned to the side, coughing and sputtering, as she was thrown off balance and went staggering away. She threatened to fall, but before she could her back hit the barricade with a clang. There, her teeth clenched and she let out a hiss, sinking lower against the steel of the barricade as she winced from the pain rippling through her back. At least she'd managed to keep her footing...but for how long?

[Pegasus]

Lyra smirked and came close to Astrid just as the Norsewoman settled herself on the steel guardrail. This was all going according to her plan so far and the next step was to get Ostberg into the crowd so they could have sanctuary away from the ring. Lyra was going to bring the namesake into reality and torch Astrid throughout the arena no matter where they ended up. There would be no protection for Astrid and she couldn’t complain since she wanted it that way. Astrid was in this for herself and The Selection could live with that, because it was her death wish. Lyra would open her bag of traps and tried spreading them out over Astrid’s body by chucking a horde of them at her!

None of the traps should cling to any of Astrid’s body parts, Lyra was just using them for blunt force for the moment. Maybe later if they returned ringside, she could use them as a last resort. If Astrid was distracted enough, Lyra would look to Roxanne and point at Astrid. Lyra didn’t have enough strength to force Ostberg into the crowd, but Roxanne was plenty strong enough to get the job done. She smirked at Roxanne devilishly.

“Clothesline her into the crowd. I’ll call Cecilia and we can advance more from there.”

[CaptainL]

After the whirlwind she'd just experienced, Astrid needed a moment to clear her head. She had landed against the barricade with the sound of a loud clang, and the reverberations running through the cold steel were still ringing in her ears and leaving her teeth chattering. Her head was throbbing, and her body ached - but Astrid knew just as well that that was the least of her worries. A far more pressing threat was the fact that she was down, stunned, and vulnerable - and Lyra was still on the hunt. She'd made it known in no uncertain terms that she wasn't afraid to leave Astrid bloody and brutalized, so showing even the slightest sign of weakness around her was asking for trouble. Whatever Astrid did, she couldn't leave herself exposed!

The Norwegian tried to shake herself out - but when she looked up, all she could see was Lyra hurling a handful of mouse traps in her direction! Letting out a gasp, she jumped back against the barricade, her arms flying to cover herself as her whole body recoiled from the shock. All of them bounced off of her, coming clattering down to the floor below - but to Astrid, that was a thought that brought no solace, even as she peered out from behind her guard to see the traps spread out harmlessly around her. She knew all too well that when she saw them coming at her, she had shown fear. She'd given the Selection proof that she could be intimidated - and as that realization set over her, the color drained from her face and the hairs rose on the back of her neck as a chill took hold of her from head to toe. They were surely going to use this against her.

And at any rate, the brief few seconds where Astrid had let down her guard were seconds Lyra had to strike. Or rather, Roxanne did. Astrid had begun to lower her guard, catching her breath and telling herself to get back up, but by then, it was too late. Roxanne had heard Lyra's orders, and she took them with a nod, cracking her knuckles and bending at the knees as she let herself settle into a stance. "Can do..." And just moments later, she took off in a charge, raising her arm just in time to slam it against Astrid's chest the moment she was within range!

"Gaah-!!" Coughing and gagging under her breath, Astrid went flying back in an arc, toppling over the barricade and out into the ringside seating area beyond. Fans scattered in a panic, and a chair went clattering to the floor as she dropped on top of it. At the end of it all, though, she had landed flat on her back, with her legs kicked straight up in the air and her head spinning as she panted and gasped for breath. That was no position to be in in a match like this...

[Pegasus]

Lyra snickered to herself leading Roxanne over into the crowd as no boos or jeers were uttered besides a few of those yelling for Astrid to get back on her feet. Lyra sneered at them before bringing the Norsewoman’s head up and trying to shove her left knee to the former champion’s head! If that worked, Lyra told many fans to get out of their seats and nodded to Roxanne to help her with this next part. Lyra brought up Astrid to her feet fully as the Norsewoman wasn’t looking too hot and Lyra bent Astrid forward placing one of her arms over Lyra’s head. Hopefully, Roxanne would mirror her as both Selection disciples were going for a Double Suplex on Astrid into the empty chairs of the crowd!

[CaptainL]

Where she fell, Astrid's head was spinning. She could hear the ringing in her ears, and the cries of the crowd to get back up and to do something came through in a muffled haze. Her head was throbbing, and her body lurched as her chest rose stiffly up and down with each hoarse pant with which she brought the air back into her lungs. She knew she needed to get up, she told herself - her opponent had no mercy to spare her, and she couldn't leave herself vulnerable. Not for the sake of her health, and not for the sake of her image either, when she had made such a pledge to stand up for what she believed in. But Astrid was still lagging a moment behind - and when it was the Selection she was dealing with, that was one moment too long.

As soon as Astrid blinked enough of the haze out of her eyes to look back up at her opponent, she was met face to face with Lyra glaring down on her from above - and she barely had time to so much as gasp before the fortune teller grabbed her by the chin, bringing her into the path of a knee strike!

Lyra's knee landed with a clang, and Astrid cried out in shock as her head swung backward in an arc, knocking her back onto the ground. But Lyra was far from done. When she ordered the fans to get out of their seats, there were a few blank stares - but the Selection had certainly sent a message, and everyone understood it. They were no one to be defied. If they wanted something done, then the people had no choice but to comply - or else. The row behind Astrid rose from their seats and took a step back. And Roxanne was just as clear on the plan - with a nod to Lyra, she fell at her partner's side as the two of them scooped the Norsewoman's sagging body up before catapulting her straight into the row of chairs!

Astrid flipped over as she sailed through the air, and with the sound of a loud crash, she dropped on top of the chairs, scattering them in all directions. There she hit the ground, grabbing at her back and howling in pain, the soreness rippling through her spine and outward through her body as her back arched up from the floor. The fans glanced back and forth at one another, their faces pale and their eyes wide, and all of them consumed by a hushed silence. It was becoming clear now that the Selection didn't just want Astrid beaten, they wanted her destroyed. That something terrible was about to happen. But there was nothing they could do about it - how were they supposed to compare to the power they wielded?

[Pegasus]

Astrid was scattered among the wreckage of chairs as a few were collapsed on her body. Lyra had to grin like the madwoman she was as she ordered Roxanne to drag Astrid out of the pile while the fans could only look on helplessly. If they could cheer on Astrid, they would, but the Selection was so close to them that Roxanne could pummel them like a wolf would chew through a slab of meat easily. There was nothing that could stop them right now and Astrid was pretty much just ripe for the taking.

However, nearby coming out of an entrance to the backstage from the main stage, three black-hooded figures in normal jeans and black combat boots crept up into the crowd. Several crowd members noticed them, but didn’t give away their location until they sprung up running towards Lyra to kick her down and punch her down. They then went after Roxanne as the crowd got the cue to start cheering their heads off as these masked individuals weren’t with the Selection at all, but fighting against them and evening the odds! They pushed Roxanne over the guardrail and grabbed her to force her up the ramp and over to the curtain backstage to keep her out of the match picture, but this would no doubt call upon the Jackals and Cecilia to find Roxanne in order to help her out. Regardless of the identities of these individuals, they helped Astrid out and due to her being incapacitated, Astrid wouldn’t know the difference except maybe hearing certain sounds. It was now just Lyra and Astrid for the meantime.

[CaptainL]

Astrid could barely make sense of where she was or what was happening to her - let alone mount any defense. The Selection had completely caught her off guard with their tricks and traps, and now she was paying the price for it. Her head was spinning, and her whole body ached - not only had they hit her hard and fast before she could so much as fight back, they had waged psychological warfare in the process, planting doubts in the Norsewoman's head and making her question how well she could match up to the threat they posed. She'd been rattled in both body and spirit. Now, all she could hope for now was to survive.

But it seemed Astrid wasn't alone. She lay there in the heap of chairs, still aching and groaning, waiting for the Selection to enact their next assault - and yet, it was an assault that never came. And when she finally pushed herself up enough to look around and see what was happening, what she saw made her eyes go wide in shock. When she saw the hooded figures approach, her first impulse was to go tense, fearing the Selection had brought reinforcements. But instead, they turned to chase after Lyra and shove Roxanne over the barricade, sending her sprawling below!

Astrid...didn't know what to think of this. Even as the strangers helped her to her feet, she looked back at them with a glare as she shook the cobwebs out of her head. On one hand, they had just saved her. On the other...Astrid had pledged to stand up to the Selection on her own, to prove that she wouldn't let them hold any power over her. If she couldn't win on her own merits, was she only undercutting her own point? Was this just embarrassing herself?

"What...what is this..!?" Astrid said, shaking herself out; she bit her lip, still groggy. But as she collected herself, she took a step forward and pushed her benefactors aside. "I can handle this-! You stay out..!"

[Pegasus]

The hooded figures dragged Roxanne backstage throwing her through the curtain and possibly taking her out of the equation. Lyra used some chairs to stand up and sat down in one nursing her body. She looked up at Astrid yelling at her supposed benefactors, but she wasn’t the bit grateful. Astrid wanted to get her ass kicked. The Selection had all the firepower they needed and no rules to impede their wrath while Astrid just wanted herself and her old school drivel being the ammunition. Lyra chuckled to herself as some fans started getting confused.

“They saved you. You’re outnumbered here!” A fan yelled at Astrid as he had a heated glare on his face.

[CaptainL]

"Ah..!?" When Astrid heard the fan call out to her, she froze. She spun around to face him, her eyes wide and her face pale, but her muscles had gone rigid, and all she could do was stare out at the heckler, looking straight through him with a thousand-yard stare. Were they...mad at her? The fans? The same fans that she had always sworn to do right by; the ones to whom she owed her success, and to whom she had nothing but gratitude for their support? If Astrid, who so valued the goodwill of all her fans and supporters, had fallen out of their graces...something was very wrong. And was it all her doing? All thanks to her determination to set things right herself? Was she...getting carried away?

For a moment, the Norsewoman's head was awash in such thoughts; too much so for her to focus on the task ahead. But only seconds later, she reminded herself that to sit around and ponder such things was doing her no good. She was still at the Selection's mercy in this match - and every moment she had her guard down was one they could capitalize on! Gritting her teeth, she slapped herself across her face to try and get her bearings. She couldn't worry - she had to act! And now that she looked up to see Lyra seated on the chair in front of her, Astrid knew that this was a moment she couldn't waste! Lyra was in her sights - it was time Astrid saw to it she was punished!

Snorting under her breath, Astrid stormed forward to close in on Lyra. As she gained ground on her, she would break out into a charge, looking to catch up to her and swing a forearm across her chest to swat her right off of her seat!