The stage is set. Surrounded by nearly 18,000 fans sat upon the edges of their seats, the final two combatants of the King of Xtreme tournament stand in opposing corners, a hunger in their eyes for the goal that now sits in their sights. Only one victory separates Khideep Horn or Caleb Spires from the main event of the biggest pay per view of the year and neither holds any intentions of relenting their rights to it. Outside of the ring, the man who took the honors one year ago stands near his student, shouting words of encouragement to her. It is his presence, even moreso than the actual opponent's, giving cause for concern for the Inspiring, having seen in the past the brutality and villainy of the Barbarian Lord. With no DQ's in this contest, the only hope he had for a fair fight was for the pride of Vladimir to keep him from stepping in and preventing his student from the clean victory that would cement her case as the rightful Queen of Xtreme. The bell chimes out and Caleb forgets his worries, knowing that he can not afford to take his attention off of the Sumerian Sharpshooter.

Right out of the gate, the two fighters begin to measure each other up, strafing around the center of the ring with their arms up before them. Each look closely for the slightest hint of trouble - a hitch in one's step, trouble raising one arm, any favoring toward a section of the body. They find none as they close in on the middle of the squared circle and finally lock horns, clutching onto one another with a traditional collar and elbow tie up. Spires quickly makes the first move, clutching the wrist of the Middle-Eastern beauty and wrenching her arm forward before driving a forearm into the back of her elbow. Despite the stinging sensation that runs it's length, Khideep quickly returns fire by swinging back with it, catching Caleb on the chin with the point. She takes off in a sprint, launching herself into the ropes and coming back toward him with a full head of steam. The Elite One has turned his back on her to nurse his wound, leaving him wide open as she slings her arm around his head for a bulldog. The Lionheart Champion quickly takes her by the arm again though, twisting it behind her back as she continues forth without the hold she sought. Chickenwing applied, he presses his opponent into the ropes, trapping her and giving him an opportunity to crank up the pressure and wear down the appendage. She wiggles desperately in search of freedom and the Inspired soon grants it to her, helping to spin her back around before guiding her into the corner and planting a hard knife-edge chop across her chest to a cry of "WHOOOOO!" from the XWA Universe.

Before Khideep can catch her breath, Caleb whips her out of the recess and sends her rocketing across the ring toward the opposing turnpost. He follows after her, relentless in his attack, but the Iraq native has a surprise in store for him. Unable to stop her momentum, she takes to the air and leaps onto the middle turnbuckle, then presses off and spins herself around to face him. As her soles meet the canvas once more, he is almost upon her and Horn barely has the time to fall out of the path of destruction, slipping one of her boots in front of his ankle as she does and then the other into the back of his knee. Spires topples forward, his cheek crashing down upon the minimal layer of padding that recently hosted the same feet executing the drop toe hold. The rookie receives sparse applause for the move, rising from the small yet growing fanbase that had taken to calling themselves 'Hornographers'.

The combatants are quick to rise back up, each still fresh in the fight. The Elite One goes for a brutal shot, spinning himself about as he raises a leg aimed to take off the head of the Sumerian Sharpshooter. Khideep's agility is on full display, however, as she leans back, allowing the boot to pass just over her face before grabbing the ankle with both hands. She jumps up, wrapping her thighs about Caleb's in a scissors hold and the pair crash down onto the mat. Horn applies all of the pressure she can muster after slamming down onto her back, plenty enough to send the Lionheart Champion into a fit of pain as he writhes about in the clutches of the legbar. The referee slips into place next to him as the mocha-skinned mauler peeks over to her mentor, who gives her a reassuring nod that she's doing well.

The zebra clad official makes certain that veteran is not yet ready to concede the match and Caleb determines to show his mettle, rolling over with all his might and flipping Khideep onto her front before planting his free foot into her backside. She releases him, clamoring back to her feet as he follows suit. With an aching tendon, Spires trails and is completely unprepared as Horn takes to the ropes once more and dives down, driving the heels of her boots into his tender kneecap and knocking it out from under him. The Champion collapses onto his front, clutching his patella and groaning out loud as his attacker rises and towers over him. Horn grabs onto his ankle, raising it up as high as she can before shoving it back down, slamming the joint against the canvas with a thunderous bang. Caleb yells out in pain, besides himself with agony. Khideep kicks away the hand covering the source of the misery and steps down onto it, sending him into another spasm. The referee gets beside him again, but receives only unintelligible shouting from the champion - even moreso as the challenger to his title raises her other foot, focusing all of her 135 lbs down upon the worn and throbbing limb. She holds this for a few seconds before losing her balance, the split second she steps off of him used by the Inspired to roll away from her and take to the outside of the ring. He holds onto his knee, the tale written upon the grimace in his features.

The fans begin to make a commotion, causing the Elite One to turn his attention back toward the squared circle posthaste. What he finds is the incoming form of the self proclaimed 'Future XWA World Champion', looking to bring herself one step closer to that realization. Khideep bounds into the air just shy of the ropes, flinging herself over them and down toward Caleb like a human missile. On a usual night, the wily veteran would simply step out of the way and watch the rookie crash and burn, but the damage to his knee has stunted his usual agility, leaving him with few options. He goes for the only thing that comes to mind, raising his arm and wrapping it around the neck of the incoming Khideep with a three-quarters lock, using the hold to guide her down onto the crown of her skull as they hit the floor, a sickening sound coming from the impact. The crowd jumps to their feet with excitement, cheering on the Lionheart Champion as the competitors lay there in a heap of barely conscious humanity.

Several moments pass before Caleb is finally able to peel himself off of the floor and make his way on all fours over the to steps to return to his feet. He stumbles a few steps before noticing the GodKing come over to check on his student and opting to slip back into the ring instead of having his back turned to Vladimir Strife. The Czar of Scars shouts at his protege, finally snapping her back into the land of the living as she begins to stir. He gives her a light slap across the cheek to move he along, but as he's rising back up, a pair of boots suddenly shoot out from under the bottom rope, catching him in the side of the head and throwing him into the guardrail. Spires slips out of the ring after the proactive baseball slide and helps Horn up the rest of the way, shoving her back into the ring and following after. He takes a peek back toward the former King of Xtreme, managing to distract himself just long enough for his opponent to slam her knee into his solar plexus and drive the wind from his lungs. Vladimir, lurched over the barricade, plucks a chair from the front row and tosses it into the ring, the next generation of his legacy catching it with a smile.

Khideep lifts the chair over her head, then slaps it down across the shoulders of the Lionheart Champion, a howl of pain escaping him. He stumbles forward, trying to put distance between them, but catches another shot to the back that rings up to the rafters. Caleb turns around to face his attacker just as another blows comes raining toward him, poised to crack his skull. He slips just out of the way, bringing an arm under Khideep's and across her collarbone. He grabs onto her tightly and yanks her into the air before dropping down with her, landing the side effect before pulling her nearest arm up and pressing it down to the mat beside her head. As he loops his other arm around her neck and takes hold of his wrist, he completes the Anaconda Vise and the signature move he simply calls 'Caution'. The Middle-Eastern beauty ignites with fervor, crying out as the ache of the shots she'd taken earlier to the appendage get drastically one-upped. She wiggles and squirms, but finds no reprieve, the tears in her eyes raising the spirits and will of the Elite One as he can now blatantly see the end in sight. The referee squats down beside the pair, quizzing Khideep about her willingness to continue. Despite the sharp and relentless pain in her limb, she refuses to give him so much as a single word. Spires compresses the arm with all his might, just shy of snapping it and looks to the official, who asks the rookie again. The Sumerian Sharpshooter lets out a primal scream and swings her knee up toward her chest, slamming it into the back of Caleb's skull. His vision instantly blurs and his grip weakens, allowing his foreign foe to slip free of his grasp while he slinks over to the mat.

Both fighter's are slow to their feet, Khideep favoring the brutalized arm and Caleb shaking off the ill effects of the thump to the base of his skull. As he presses his hands to the mat to assist, he feels steel under them. His vision clears up and he sees the steel chair added to the contest by Vlad, a grin coming to his face at the beauty of karma. He lifts it up as he rises, then juts it into the midsection of the would-be Queen as she turns to face him, doubling her over. He raises the weapon before crashing it down upon her, repaying the favor from moments ago. In similar form, she stumbles forth before catching another and taking a knee. Spires slips the chair in front of her, then reels back, pulling the side of the frame against her neck and limiting the flow of oxygen to her brain. Horn grimaces and grunts, trying to pry the weapon from his grasp to no avail. Despite the punishing choke, the student of the Sinner refuses to surrender. After several uneventful moments, the Inspired flips the weapon up so the flat steel is pressed against the side of her face, then plants his good knee into her shoulder and shifts his weight forward. The crash down onto the mat, chair first, followed by the beautiful face of Vlad's protege, finished by 192 pounds of Hoosier. The impact nearly knocks the Sumerian Sharpshooter out cold and the fans begin to rattle out praise for the man primed to be the next King of Xtreme.

Instead of rising back up, Caleb again slips to the ringside and flips up the curtain. He moves quickly, grabbing the first weapon in sight with the knowledge that the GodKing is lurking about and certainly has yet to forget the baseball slide from before. Spires slides back into the ring, taking a moment and a stumble to get his support under him. He lifts the aluminum trash can over his head and bides his time as the Czar of Scars trained femme fatale begins to show signs of consciousness. She musters up the strength to get to all fours, and then to put a foot beneath her, but it's as far as she gets before the first booming blow meets the back of her head, denting the receptacle. The strike puts a sense of urgency into her movements, causing her to try again, but a repeat of before leaves her dazed and fighting to focus her vision. As she sways and sluggishly steps up again, Spires stuffs the wastebin between the second and third turnbuckles and gives it a small tug to ensure it is firmly in place. Once he has, he takes a handful of ebony locks and forces Khideep to her full height before taking her by the wrist. He pulls with all of his force, sending her on a crash course with the hazard he's set up. The Sumerian Sharpshooter opts for plan B, however, pouncing and shwoing an incredible amount of athleticism as she reaches the top turnbuckle, using it to fling herself back into flip. The Inspired, caught off guard by the tactic, is unable to get out of the way as Khideep juts her elbow back and catches him in the pectoral, taking him to the mat.

Both exhausted, it's moments before either combatant moves, each opting to take to the outside again on opposite sides of the ring. Caleb again lifts the apron and begins to dig below, with Horn following his lead and doing the same. The Elite One produces a kendo stick and raises back up, while his opponent roots around for some time before sliding out a tubliner filled half-full with thumbtacks and yet another steel chair. She slips into the ring with it, the pair again on the same page as the Inspired comes in across from her. Khideep stands and swings the weapon high into the air, but only manages to give Caleb an opening that he uses to rattle the bamboo across her ribcage. Horn doubles over, dropping the seat, and catches another crack of wood across her back. She screams out in pain and drops to her knees, arching her back. Caleb lashes out one final time, snapping the shinai upon the crown of the would-be Queen, leaving her laid out on the mat.

Caleb wastes no time in dragging Khideep to her feet, smelling blood in the water. He drags her by the hair toward the ropes, stepping out onto the apron near the tubliner she'd produced, the crowd rising up and growing vocal as he does. He pulls Horn out through the ropes as well, her dazily following along. He looks over his shoulder to check the distance, then turns the Sumerian Sharpshooter around. Caleb takes her by a wrist, presses his head into the middle of her back and takes the other, using it to flip her around and switch their positions. With the realization of what is to come, the crowd turns to pandemonium. He takes a few steps and leaps off, plunging himself and his opponent down into the thumbtacks, giving a Facial to Khideep Horn in the tub. The shocked crowd begins to scream "HOLY SHIT!" in unison again and again, while the competitors writhe about in the agonizing bloodbath.

As the ruckus from the XWA Universe begins to die down, the Inspired rises from the tub, glinting steel tacks bedazzling his flesh. He reaches down and pulls the near-unconscious Khideep from the wreckage, showing her to be far worse for wear in the aftermath. Horn's features are barely distinguishable for the sharp metal posts buried in her face, lights flickering off of their flat ends from the camera flashes of fan's eager to catch a shot of the horror. Caleb roles the young rookie into the ring and follows after her, swiftly bringing her arm between his thighs and clamping down tightly upon it. The Elite One hooks his arms over her face and reels back tightly, sending a fresh pulse of excitement through the arena. With The Inspired locked in, the Sumerian Sharpshooter kicks her feet in a fit, screaming at the agony of it all as Spires wrenches back and drives the needle like conclusions of the tacks deeper into her countenance. The end seems to be upon the pair of warriors, next to no man having ever escaped the clutches of Caleb's crossface without surrendering. The shrieks nearly deafening, the Lionheart champion is barely able to distinguish the voice of the Barbarian Lord as it comes through the P.A. system.

"Mr. Spires.. you should have listened better.."

Caleb looks toward the Behemoth, perched on the side of the ring with the microphone held up toward his chin.

"I tried to warn you. I told you that my student would NEVER lose this match."

A smirk crawls upon the Barbarian Lord's mouth.

"If you had been listening, in fact, what I said was that the words 'I Quit' are not in my student's vocabulary.. and they aren't, Caleb. That poor little girl you have locked in that hold can barely order a fucking Coke in English.."

The Elite One's jaw begins to drop as the shock and the enormity of it all sets in. He looks to the fearful, tear streaked face of the Sumerian Sharpshooter as his brain races to comprehend the position he's in. Angry, he releases her and clamors to his feet, the rage broiling in his eyes as he starts making his way toward the trickster GodKing. As he nears the ropes, Vladimir drops down off of the apron and raises a single finger - his middle and favorite - to the Lionheart Champion. Suddenly, Khideep comes racing up from behind Caleb and leaps through the ropes, grabbing onto the top and middle ones and rotating about her grasp, swinging her legs up and slamming the tops of them into the mouth of the Inspired, dropping him flat onto his back. The Baghdad Beauty takes to the outside and reaches in, taking her opponent by the ankles and dragging him toward the corner. She pulls the legs out onto either side of the turnpost and folds one under the other. She hooks a leg over the crossed over ankle, locking down onto it as she lets her upper body drop toward the ground, locking in a turnpost figure four.

A sharp cry escapes the Lionheart champion as the pain in his knee is reignited worse than he could have previously imagined it. He fights valiantly against the agony, but faced with an impossible situation, debilitating pain and the threat of injury, it's not long before Caleb is forced to say the fateful words.

"I QUIT! I QUIT!"

The bell rings out and Vladimir taps his protege on the knee, calling her off the attack. She lets go and drops down, before coming up on her knees beside the former King of Xtreme. With a smile on her face, she looks up to her mentor as the referee presses the Lionheart Championship into her hands.

"I... did.. good?"

The GodKing grins and nods, taking his student by the arm and raising it into the air as she stands up and lifts the title into the air with the other in celebration, pride beaming on her face.