The four furies in spiked leather sliced through the howling wind as they raced round and round the block where the Fight Nation studio was located. Not a scar, nary a blemish marked the youthful faces of the women riders, though the savage ecstasy alight in their eyes was as ancient as war itself. Faster and harder they road and with them went the storm, the thunder roaring to match the cry of their engines.

"Howdy folks, this yer host, TJ Longstreet, for another edition of Outside the Ring, featurin' the biggest, baddest names in all of combat sports, not to mention folks you might not have heard of but are gonna hear a lot about soon and..."

KnightMask was sure that TJ glanced his way. Thunder crackled, loud and sudden enough that it made KnightMask twitch in his seat.

"...well, and some folks that might not be either, but might make for a little variety, 'cause that's what we're all about folks. First off, we got former Oklahoma Cowboy Akira Nakamura, 4-time All-American, 3-time NCAA champ, who continued a tradition started by the great Yojiro Uetake, of Japanese fellahs comin' over to the Cowboy stable an' whoopin' some serious butt."

Akira, a picture of stony, emotionless stoicism, nodded vaguely. He was wearing a Cowboys warm-up and beneath it a shirt brandishing the logo of the long-defunct Warrior Arts Wrestling promotion.

"...and other side of me here, they used to call 'em the Blonde Blaster, folks, an' I don't know if that was 'cause of his nasty kicks or his right hand...he was one of the longest reignin' champs there was fer Universal Vale Tudo Fighting Championships...Paul Erikson!"

Paul threw back a clump of his ample blond mane, smirked and pointed a finger gun at TJ.

For the first half hour, KnightMask simply sat back and listened as TJ did his best to stoke the flames of a feud which had long simmered between Erikson and Nakamura.

It essentially came down to the fact that Warrior Arts Wrestling and the UVTFC had been two promotions at war with one another, since even before their inception. The UVTFC had been founded by a former member of the WAW, Satoru Saitama (formerly the wrestler known as Lion Mane), who'd actually precipitated his departure by breaking the orbital bone of a wrestler whom he was supposed to be working with as a tag partner.

Upon founding the UVTFC, Saitama immediately begun to accuse the WAW of fixing its contexts, as well as of having a roster of people who only appeared skilled because of the fixed nature of their organization. A number of public confrontations followed, culminating in one of the senior members of the WAW confronting Saitama at his Super Lion gym...and being beaten and severely humiliated by Saitama. Its credibility irreparably damaged, the WAW, once a global shoot-style wrestling force, soon closed its doors.

Erikson and Nakamura respected one another's skill and had even been friends before the feud, but they seemed to bear the honor of their respective promotions on their backs even after both of their careers had long since finished. Thus an unbridgeable chasm lay between the two champions. They were polite in their exchanges, but it was clear that the old wounds were still there.

KnightMask was a devoted student to wrestling history and the history of martial arts in general, even those he didn't practice, but even though he was in the presence of two luminaries of the sport he loved, he found his eyes continually wandering back to Natalia, who waited for him outside the studio. He actually holding his mask on his lap, all the better to stare at her, he supposed.

He still wasn't sure why she'd returned to Michigan, other than that Jorge had told him he felt as if it had become too dangerous in Brazil for her...and that he trusted him to take care of her. Natalia was in many ways, a fierce individualist, so the idea that someone was going to "take care of her" seemed odd...unless she was expected to be under some kind of physical threat...

TJ: Alright, alright, don't go to sleep CrazyMask! We still gotta talk to you, boy! Yer all set to jump into the ring a week from now with the man now holding the most significant belt in wrestling...a man who has held every single title in the XWF there is to hold...a man whose gonna be primed to be ticked off as it comes after getting dumped into the Marina Bay an' having to trek his own way back from Singapore to America all by his lonesome...we're talkin' Michigan's own Mark Flynn, boyeeee! How's that feel? I mean, he's the only man around to defeat the same guy that sent you flyin' into a taxi cab, ain't he?

KnightMask: Well, what can I say? I'm going to go out there and do my best. Its a scary thing, going out there in a battle royal...even scarier given that there are going to be practically no rules. So, I just pray to God that through His Grace I will able to acquit myself with honor and courage...and that I will give my fans and my opponents a worthwhile performance, hopefully one that brings the best of them, just as I hope they bring the best out of me.

TJ: You're doin' an' Xtreme rules battle royal, boy...I think God's sittin' this one out, fellah!

KnightMask: Well, I think its in situations like this that having faith is perhaps most important of all.

TJ: So how does it feel t'live in Michigan, hearin' all this Mark Flynn hype and now, finally, knowin' that yer gonna be sharin' a ring wit' him?

KnightMask: You know, I'm honored to share the ring with all three of the guys involved. I have a lot of respect for what Mark Flynn's done, of course, but I think that Chris MacBeth, well, he's already proven what he can do...his kicks are very technical, very well-executed and that's still an area of my game I'm working on. He's also no slouch when it comes to trading submission holds. And World 1-International, I'm a big fan of his work and I'm very proud to call him a friend.

TJ: Yeah, yeah, you an' World-1 International was all set t'form a tag-team! So much fer that, huh? Ain't no friends in a battle royal, boy!

From the moment the match was announced, KnightMask was perhaps more worried about how to react to the involvement of one of his best friends in the industry, World 1-International...in a match where it was every man for himself...and in which no tactic or hold would be barred. Would he watch his friend's back? Would World 1-International watch his back? If they did, would that be the right thing to do, the honorable thing? Was it cowardly to team up with your friend to take advantage of two other wrestlers who were fighting as individuals....? How did you follow the rules and conduct yourself with honor when anarchy was the rule...?

KnightMask: He's certainly my friend, but we're both competitors. However, we've sparred in the gym and I don't think this is going to necessarily be any different. I think World 1-International might actually be upset if I didn't do my best. We've got a lot to live up to given our first match....

TJ: That match sucked, boy!

KnightMask: I'm very proud of it, TJ. But if you didn't like it, well, I hope World-1 and I can impress you this--

Outside, the thunder roared loudly--enough to be deafening--and almost plaintively.

Paul Erikson: Man, that was loud! What, is Thor pissed at you or something?

Akira Nakamura began to speak, but another deafening roar of thunder silenced him.

TJ: What's a matter, cats got yer tongues? I don't get it, everyone fergot how t'talk? KnightMask, the question is boy...are you ready t'die? This ain't ADCC, boy! An' juicin' up here ain't gonna be squat when Mark Flynn is shovin' a steel pipe up--

TJ continued talking, but Akira, Erikson and KnightMask were rendered deaf to his words. The thunder had struck again.