Luke Cranston vs Spectre — Fighting the Odds

[Monsy]

Decided by spinny-wheel when both wrestlers enter!

[CaptainL]

This was Turning Point. The next supercard event in LAW's schedule. A match of this magnitude demanded a special entrance worthy of the grand stage - and Luke Cranston was all about the showmanship and the spectacle. As a former bodybuilder, showing off was in his blood, and he wanted to impress the masses wherever he went. He was going to make sure his entrance tonight would be one to remember - and for a supercard, he was prepared to go above and beyond!

"Coming first to the ring, from Staunton, Virginia! Standing at 6'5, weighing in at 230 pounds, the American Hercules, LUKE CRANSTON!!"

It was time for Luke to make his arrival - and while he usually turned heads with his sheer size, this entrance would take things a step further. As soon as the announcer called Luke's name, the stage was bathed in a golden light, and triumphant music blared from the speakers. Then the curtains parted - and Luke took a few steps onto the stage. For this show, he had decided to make his entrance dressed the part of his namesake - the cape he usually wore for his entrance had been replaced by a lion skin, complete with the beast's snarling head posed as a hood, while he carried a heavy club in his hands. The fans could only look on in awe. Backed by a golden glow, Luke may as well have seemed like a demigod in the flesh! As usual, Flora Biscoletti, Luke's wife and valet, was following close at his side, waving to the fans as she passed. As he made his way to the ramp, he spread his arms wide, taking in all the cheers and applause sounding around him. He had truly received a hero's welcome.

But if Luke was being heralded as a hero, it wasn't just for his entrance. Just a few weeks before, Luke had announced a challenge to one of LAW's most notorious names - the woman known only as Spectre. The mysterious redhead had established herself as a dominant presence, tearing through the competition in several matches to date, and no one seemed to be able to stand up to her. Her name was one that struck fear into everyone's hearts. It seemed unthinkable that anyone would voluntarily step into the ring with her - but Luke had no qualms. He was going to try! He had volunteered to be the one to take Spectre down, and he had chosen this event to do it. Only time would tell if he could succeed - but from the looks of it, he had no doubts in himself!

Coming to the ring apron, Luke leaned in to throw his arm around Flora, pulling her against his chest and kissing her on the lips - and then, hoisting her off the ground and into his arms with his raw power alone! He set her on the apron, where she held down the ropes for him to step inside. There, Luke passed her his club and lion skin before taking a moment to stretch, stepping toward the center of the ring. It was time for him to face the challenge head-on!

Luke Cranston

Flora Biscoletti

[Monsy]

Once Luke was at the centre of the ring, the script was abducted by immediate darkness. Lights cut out all at once. A rising tide of white noise buzzed in the absence of commentator-ship and the whistles of crowd noise poisoned the space in every way Spectre could imagine. The ranks became a skyline of flashing lenses.

“Luke.” Spectre said, her voice coming from every angle and direction with flame suddenly rising from the ring posts at her syllable. A purple spotlight flicked to life over the Titantron, giving it a cone of clear view, showing the back of a robust metallic command chair, silver, black and widening in a tall V. The thin purple mist floating around the seat whirled. She turned around, though, more like swung her leg that couldn’t reach and let physics give her a 180. Dot was curled on her lap like a cat, knees brought in, facing the camera with a ‘Zzz…’ graphic animated across her screen.

The Malevolent Virus

Spectre was in full-gear nonetheless, masked and brimming with a collected smirk as she watched her reflection in Dot’s visor. “You’re just in time.” She said, giving Dot’s helmet a soft stroke. “I have a surprise for you, Punchmeat.”

[CaptainL]

Luke had meticulously crafted this entrance to build himself up. He was, of course, a former bodybuilder, and he was far from the most modest of people - if this was his chance to show off to the world on the grand stage, he wasn't going to pass that up. But there was more to it than mere egotism. He had to present himself as the man who could beat the Spectre - he had to look as confident as he felt.

Luke knew he was up against a tall order in issuing his challenge to one of the most feared women on the LAW roster. Every time she took to the ring, Spectre seemed to commandeer the very promotion itself as a means toward furthering her agenda, whatever that was. She struck from the shadows, unleashing every depravity she could think of, and then slipped away before justice could be served. Not even the law could stop her, no matter how many lines she crossed - she had every resource at her disposal to evade punishment for her deeds. It seemed like it would take the act of a demigod to stop her. But if that was the case, Luke was going to be the demigod who would take down the Spectre once and for all.

Even still, though, Spectre was one step ahead of the game. When the lights cut and the noise blared, even Luke, prepared as he was, took a step back, gritting his teeth. Then, Spectre's image came up on the screen. She had put just as much effort into her own entrance, and it was one that set her up as just as powerful. She was poised as something more like a supervillain than a wrestler now - in the minds of everyone watching, she just as might as well have been one. But it all spoke to how brazen she truly was. Spectre could do as she willed, and LAW could do nothing to stop her. There was no doubt about it - she was in control now. Not Luke, not LAW, and not anyone else.

At the sight of such a threatening presence, Flora hung back. Her face went pale, and she held a hand to her mouth as her whole body shook and trembled. Even still, the bodybuilder wasn't about to let himself be intimidated. His fist balled tight at his side as he stepped closer, puffing out his chest and fixing a glare at Spectre. The bigger she was building herself up to be, he thought, the more spectacular her fall would prove.

"Surprises? Bring them on, I say. In case you haven't noticed, I didn't exactly come all this way to disappoint anyone. Whatever you've got to throw at me, I'm game!"

[Monsy]

“Good, because I wasn’t offering a choice.”

With her free hand, she opened the panel on her arm-rest and pressed a button, administering shocks to her temporary slaves of the evening that pushed out a large tarped spinny wheel onto stage, their faces twisted up, knees shaking and looking out breath. “You're making me wait.” Another button press. Another yelp into their mouth piece so everyone could hear the price of not appeasing. Frankly, it was about five percent that and another ninety-five in just reveling in pressing such a shiny button. The noise, the click, then the sound it produces. Pure coke to her ears, her loins and her fluttering exposed tummy.

The stagehands recovered, pulling the cloak and revealing a game-show wheel with triangle sections, prongs and a flapper at the top to declare the selection, flipping between anything from standard, to hardcore, multifall, sexfights, toils in mud, in a parking lot, FCA, submission and right towards a section labelled ‘Last One Standing.’ The wheel slowed, passing by a sliver that was black and held a chrome skull as its label.

When the wheel just looked like it was about to land on LWS, it reversed direction. Slowly, ever slowly, ticking back the selections until it landed perfect in Spectre’s own slot. The handlers peeled off the section, read the back and tried to muster the strength to talk into the microphone with a burning throat, “T-T--T-...” They choked up, summoning another shock to bring them down to their knees, with the other two hands grabbing them by the arms to drag them backstage. “Tonight!” Spectre picked up, “Is my involuntary gift. Thanks to my partner here, I got to every one of the stagehands, making this show mine from the start. Unfortunately for me, however, I’m a little preoccupied with my cat.”

Spectre’s smile creeped with laughter about to break out. She felt it in her toes, her hands, her spine, shaking one of her arms and making her smile twitch. After pressing another button on her panel, she spoke. “Keep on eye on your wife, Luke. You never know when she might.. vanish.” With entrance music beginning to hit the speaker. Spectre’s video feed began to fade towards nothing. A maniacal laughter fed through the speakers.

"Try and last!"

Overlaying the ominous challenge that now awaited him:

.

[CaptainL]

Luke had done his best to stand in defiance against Spectre - to prove that no matter how threatening and imposing she wanted to set herself up as, it wouldn't shake his confidence that he could be the one to take her down. Even still, when the stagehands carted the wheel of stipulations into the ring, even he had to step back with a wince. Spectre had truly spared no expense when it came to making a statement - both in terms of how elaborate her theatrics could be, and in the cruelty and depravity she was capable of. Spectre's malice was nothing new to LAW viewers, of course, but she always seemed to outdo herself when it came to just how far she was willing to go to express it.

Still, the wheel had to spin. And when it seemed to slow down as it came toward Last One Standing, Luke raised an eyebrow with close intent. This would actually work to his favor - considering how readily he eclipsed Spectre in strength and size, he would surely be able to knock her out with little effort, and he had the endurance to last against her best attempts to do the same. A smug smile came to his face. If that was where the pointer would land, then Spectre would have spent all this effort only for it all to blow up in her face! She'd handed him an easy victory!

But Luke realized just a moment later that he should've known things wouldn't be that easy. Just when it seemed like Luke would get what he was after, the wheel suddenly ticked backward - and at that, Luke let out a gasp! Spectre would always be in control, no matter how things looked from the outside. And she would make that readily apparent now.

The stagehands began to read from the slot, and Luke took a step closer to them. "What is it? What does it say?" He needed answers, after all - he needed to know what sort of fight he was going into! But before he could get what he was after, another shock sounded, and the stagehands fell. Luke hissed through his teeth as he stepped back. Spectre, he knew, was in control here. Furthermore, from what Spectre was saying, it would appear things were more complicated than they appeared...

"Partner? What are you on about!? Just give me a straight answer already!" the former bodybuilder shouted at the screen. Even Flora was confused - though her eyes went wide as Spectre made a warning. "Er...Luke, what's going on?! What's she talking about?"

Luke spun around to face his wife, his muscles going tense and his eyelid twitching anxiously. Whatever Spectre was planning, it couldn't be good. "I don't know, Flora. I don't know...but I can't let anyone get to you-!" This meant, of course, that he was focused on Flora - and his back was turned away from whatever Spectre had up her sleeve.