- The RhyDin Post's black and gold logo flashes with an epic, orchestrated introduction theme. The logo spirals off the screen, and displays a high-tech news studio with flat screen television sets, and a massive, glossy black desk. Two men sit behind the desk. To the left (Peter Pham) is in his early thirties, of Asian ethnicity, has gelled black hair, and is in a charcoal suit. To the right (Chris Reed) is of Caucasian ethnicity with dark brown hair, is in his late thirties, is wearing a khaki suit, and has a vertical scar running down one side of his face. Both men, equipped with headsets, smile at the camera. -

Peter: How's it going, RhyDin" I'm Peter Pham, sports columnist.

Chris: And I'm Chris Reed, former dueler.

Peter: Thanks for tuning in with us tonight"

Chris: - Interrupting. - Before you introduce us, Pete, can I just say something"

Peter: Sure. What is it, Chris"

Chris: If I see another fists match, I'm going to hurl.

Peter: What's the matter, Chris" The hat not sitting too well with you?

Chris: Not well at all, Pete. I really should have stuck with cotton. Polyester is certainly not treating me nicely.

Peter: Well lucky for you, we've decided to take a break from our continuing coverage of the Tour de RhyDin to bring our beloved viewers a rather riveting challenge match this past Tuesday.

Chris: I didn't have a chance to look at all of the footage, Pete, but one thing really cracked me up"

- Roll footage, pre-match, audio-only. -

Valkonan: Get busy' Knock boots" Bump uglies"

- Chris laughs uproariously. -

Chris: Bump uglies" That a technical term, EmDoc"

Peter: Knock boots. I've never heard of that one. Anyway' before our viewers run away thinking we're just going to be jabbering the whole time, let's introduce the fight, shall we"

Chris: Absolutely. We're wasting time. We need to - Roll audio clip. Valkonan: - "get busy."

Peter: Yeah' right. So tonight we are delighted to bring you the challenge for Battlefield Park, between Wrecking Crew's Maria Graziano and former Overlord Anubis Karos.

Chris: No doubt about it, Pete; this'll be a tough match. I just hope it doesn't get so heated they decide to go home and - Roll audio clip. Valkonan: - "knock boots."

Peter: Someone take that remote away from him. He's going to hurt someone.

Chris: It's shiny!

- Roll footage, Round 1 and 2. HC/HC 0 All; LC/FSS 1-0 Karos. -

Graziano: The bat is drawn in and she tries to push off to one side to avoid the dagger coming in low. The decision to avoid rather than to mount a defense is made too slowly and she fails to be able to put enough distance between her body and his attacking arm.

Karos: The impact of the dagger meeting a cylindrical bludgeon which dwarfed it in both length and girth caused the Egyptian's stance to slightly buckle, a kneecap jutting out like a bony promontory as the force channeled itself into a chord which snaked along his forearm. Primal inclinations for survival overtook grand stratagems, the hindmost dagger quickly making an improvised cross-cut towards the thigh.

Chris: CLANG" and" Holy crow! I hadn't any idea that a guy that big was so agile!

Peter: I think we've said it before, though' You have to give it to Graziano for going into a swords match with a baseball bat. I mean wow. That just screams raw power. I can't believe it connected with his blade so well when she went high.

Chris: You say that, Pete, but take a look at how quickly Karos takes advantage of Graziano's hesitation' You can see she's clearly a little unsure of how to read him, and she pays for it with a clean stroke to the leg. He snapped out the attack so quickly it was like the wound appeared from thin air.

Peter: It's a beautiful use of misdirection, Chris. No doubt about it.

- End footage Round 2. Roll footage, Round 3 and 4. FLP/FLP 1-0 Karos; FSS/TH 2-0 Karos. -

Karos: Rapid evasion was more of a curve in it's trajectory than a lateral sprint, Anubis actually darting towards Maria's flank as the bat was avoided. A wrist canted backwards, aiming to graze gleaming serrates across her hip just before he pivoted around to face her.

Graziano: The bat is brought around battering ram style and her rear foot pushes her forward but the bat cleanly misses its intended target. She's not just a step or two too slow tonight but more like five steps too slow. A dagger slices through the leg of her pants once again and bites into flesh bringing a sharp wince as she turns to face Anubis.

Peter: Oh, wow! Graziano is really off her game tonight.

Chris: I'm sorry, Pete, but I'm inclined to disagree. That was an incredibly adept evasion on Karos's part. Take a look here how he goes in directly"

- Action replay of Anubis's approach. A white arrow is drawn onto the slow-motion replay to follow Maria's miss. -

Chris: Yeah, she balks, but it's not like she can remedy that trajectory. How is she supposed to recover from something like that"

Peter: Step out of the way, of course.

Chris: No go, Pete. He's already on her before she can begin to fathom a defense. He's quick, and he's a quick-thinker.

- End footage Round 4. Roll footage, Round 5. HC/LC 3-1 Karos. -

Graziano: When she's down and looking like she's well on her way to a loss, there's one constant — violence. Her level of brutality skyrockets with each point she gives up and the line of conversation doesn't help any. Her upper body and hips twist with a low swing of the bat, putting as much speed and power into it as she can muster.

Karos: A sinuous limb swept across the breadth of coppery pectorals with a celerity reserved for truly malicious intentions, aiming high just as the bat collided against the flank of his kneecap. The grisly sibilance of bone veering away from the joint which housed it suffused the ring, punctuated by a genuine howl of agony which bordered on the lupine. Anubis simply crumpled to the crests of teal beneath, the precipice of a kneecap jutting at an angle like the apogee of an ancient mountain as it tilted away from his thigh.

Peter: There you go, girl. Another swing that finally lands.

Chris: But not before she's completely nailed in the arm! I hope she's ambidextrous, Pete. That bleeding doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon!

- End footage Round 5. Roll footage, Round 6. SH/HC 3-2 Karos. -

Karos: Resplendent obelisks of jagged steel lay in torpor amidst coarse flecks liberally tinged with vermillion as their proprietor struggled to sit upright, his mind's eye clouded by relentless waves of pain which lapped across his entire prone frame from the wellspring of the dislocation. The Ward would settle it in this grotesque manner if he did not act, so both palms positioned themselves at the knobby slopes of the joint. Kneecap was forced back into the position deigned for it by nature, a litany of pained curses in an archaic tongue freely careening outward from the open sluices of dessicated lips. Unfortunately, it also left him completely open.

Chris: Holy mother, Pete" Ow. Ow ow ow ow ow.

Peter: I have to wonder why they don't have a medic on staff at the dueling venues. Have they even considered it'

Chris: I haven't the faintest idea, but Graziano is quick to exploit down time, isn't she"

Peter: It was mid-round, Chris. It counts.

Chris: Well" alright. Karos ought to know better than to look away from his opponent during a match, and I'd imagine he does. But that's unforgiving of Graziano to land one on him when he's down.

Peter: She carries a baseball bat, Chris. She ain't a freakin" saint.

- End footage Round 6. Roll footage, Round 7. FCP/FSS 3 All. -

Graziano: Breathlessly and then a twist off to the side, pulling the bat in close as this time she is able to gain the advantage by jerking herself past him. As she does slip on by an elbow is directed towards his ribs.

Chris: That's a good land there; Graziano is definitely picking up the slack from the first few rounds, but I have a bad feeling she's getting over-anxious here, Pete.

Peter: I can see where you'd get that. If she isn't careful, she'll set herself up for a counter.

Chris: That levels it off at a tie. This is a nailbiter!

Peter: It is. For now, we'll have to take a short break, though. Stick with us, RhyDin! We'll be back after these words from our sponsors!

- Camera returns to the studio, where Peter and Chris are engaged in a friendly discussion. They both look at the camera. -

Peter: Welcome back, RhyDin! Glad you stayed with us!

Chris: We need money, Pete. These commercial breaks are killing me!

Peter: We left off tied at Round Five. I must say I'm eager to see if Graziano can make a comeback after all of this.

Chris: I don't know, Chris. I have a feeling Karos is more prepared for this challenge than she is.

Peter: Let's find out then, shall we"

- Roll footage Round 8. SH/TH. 4-3 Karos. -

Karos: Threads of agony which saturated every ligament within the organic column of flesh which struggled to stand fully erect were only now beginning to pine away into oblivion, the trailing dagger's keen poinard scraping against the rounded slope of the incoming bludgeon in what appeared to be a rather weak attempt at defense. A half-step avoided the shot completely, the toll of a jolt of searing pain inspiring a feral snarl. The filigreed hilt of a sideways dagger as smothered within a refined palm as the pain urged his fist forward, aiming for the jawline with the naked savagery of a wounded predator.

Chris: See" I was afraid of that. She's way too eager to get points on the board, Pete. Something's obviously got her distracted from the match.

Peter: Or she lost a bit of sleep the night before.

Chris: It's very possible" she may very well - Roll audio clip. Valkonan: - "knock boots" the night before a big challenge.

Peter: What does that even mean' I honestly have never heard that before.

Chris: You know" neither have I.

- End footage Round 8. Roll footage, Round 9. FSS/FCP 5-3 Karos. -

Graziano: Her neck twists with his momentum as the punch strikes her jaw. The bat slips from her hands as the blood loss and pain make her arms too weak to hold onto it any longer. Without the bat, a burst of panic gives her enough energy to draw her leg around in a crescent kick hoping to push away whatever attack that she assumes will be incoming since she is now weaponless.

Karos: Hours later, Anubis would silently ruminate over his final maneuver, the persistent remnants of his pain inciting a query over whether or not it was worth it to utilize this maneuver. The very same strain of iron discipline which fettered emotive reactions to the exasperating machinations of freshly collared flesh was now employed to force athletic physique into juking to the right. A dagger just scarcely drew across Maria's hip once more before Anubis outright collapsed to the sands.

Chris: He's out" Well" I suppose that's one way to go out with a bang!

Peter: But he scored a point, so the match is still his.

Chris: That had to be an exhausting match for the both of them, Pete. You can see the look on Graziano's face as she misreads Karos, thinking he's going in offensively. Pure panic.

Peter: The title hung over her head, but it wasn't exactly hers. I imagine she'll hear from Cronin about it.

- Camera pans back to studio, where both men are engaged in a discussion. -

Chris: I have to wonder how much the title actually meant to her if she opted to be a no-show.

Peter: I imagine something important drew her away, Chris. As you've seen, challenge matches are almost impossibly taxing on both competitors.

Chris: You can say that again, Pete. I for one am relieved to have Karos in a position again, though. He's far too good of a fighter to be lacking a title.

Peter: A lot of people would disagree with your assessment.

Chris: Sorry, Pete. I admire fighters for their skill. I couldn't care less about the politics involved.

Peter: I can see that. Politics tend to complicate matters.

Chris: Then again? without people getting pissed off and morally offended, a lot of the challenges wouldn't be had! So' thank you, drama! Please continue to be offended, RhyDin. It makes for excellent sport, and venomous matches!

Peter: That may be offensive in and of itself, Chris.

Chris: More than this" - Roll audio clip. Valkonan: - "Get busy."

Peter: Give me that thing! - Reaches for the remote control, throws it, and the sound of shattering plastic is heard. -

Chris: Awwww?

Peter: Thank god. - Looking back at the camera. - Sorry about that, RhyDin. That does it for us here at the Post. Until next time, I'm Peter Pham.

Chris: And I'm Chris Reed!

Peter: You stay sporty, RhyDin!

- End tape. -