Hell On Earth: PESTILENCE - Satana Giganta vs. Artemis Michelle Armstrong

“Hey, this is technically a Pay-Per view thing, right?”

“Uh…Hang on let me check…Yeah it says so. See? Here on the pamphlet, top right.”

“Huh…Two for two! That’s got to be good luck or something, right?”

“I never heard of another wrestler getting two pay-per view matches for her debuts…but then again, I don’t really watch wrestling.”

The two casually making conversation were certainly an odd bunch. A huge woman, wrapped tightly in a singed cape and a mask like the devil was leaning against a wall as she conversed with a horrific skeletonoid-looking monster. There was a group of such creatures surrounding the woman, which had accidentally earned them their own little corner, away from the rest of the AFW employees. The guys in the suit were all friends of Satana, most of them having enough spare time to come and help her with matches by dressing up as her demonic underlings. They weren’t professionals, but the costumes did most of the work, and it was fun so they really didn’t mind. It was like a group of demons were on break, so many of them casually laying around in their strange outfits, waiting for their mark to let them know when to begin.

“Hey, did any of you guys check out the gal Josephine is going up against?”

“Justin! When the mask is on, its Satana!”

“No, nobody looks up that sort of thing besides wrestlers and wrestling nerds.”

“Ah ha, That’s so funny. I guess you guys wouldn’t want to see this major babe then, since you are all to engrossed in your cartoons and 2D waifu’s.”

“Oh, like you can judge! Mister “I saw bigfoot running into a gas station bathroom”.

“Hey! It’s not my fault it turned out to be an little boy in a gorilla costume! Who does that? Damn video bloggers these days…”

“Just shut up and show us your new girlfriend!”

The one named Justin would show off the woman named Artemis to the rest of his skeleton attired companions. Not all of them could see it at once, but each one seemed to take their time appreciating the woman on screen.

“Well I’ll be damned…She is kinda cute.”

“Damn, she looks like if Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dolph Luger had a baby, and it came out hot. And you gotta wrestle with that? I dunno if you’re luck is great or terrible.”

“You guys are gross. Just try to remember your blocking, okay?”

Finally, as the group continued to banter with each other, a lone AFW employee walked over. The marveled at the moving jaws of the Skeletons for a moment, taking in the intricate details of each of their costumes before remembering exactly why she was there in the first place. They quickly announced that Satana and her group were up, getting the skeletons to finally settle down and get ready to move.

“Hey Satana, are you going hero or villain tonight?”

“Eh, lets just wait and see…”
__

The terrifyingly triumphant trumpets of Satana’s theme began to erupt from the speakers just as the last member of the audience settled in! The lights of the stadium turning a blood red as a frenzy of music swelled and pumped through the air before falling silent, blood red turning to pitch black…

Only to return with a steady, combative tone. One that was befitting for the arrival of a King! A single red light shined in the center of the ramp; a tall, powerful looking woman enveloped in a cape stood like a pillar over the rest of the audience. The only thing visible was her face, which even still was covered in a mask, devil horns protruding from her fore head! The music began to move again, as though it were the sound of a marching army! No sooner did the beat change then something else emerged from backstage.

Demons. Horrific, monstrous creatures with skulls for faces, their movements jerky and twisted as their egg yolk eyes aimlessly drifted across each of the audience members. Their moans and hissing were altered to the point they didn’t even sound human!

Satana's Demons:

They seemed to lunge at anyone who got too close to the rails, and yet they sauntered right past the woman in the burned cape. It was as if they were making way for her, spreading out around the ring, stepping through the piles of dirt and mud. The scenery was fitting for such creatures, even as two of them hoisted themselves onto the side of the ring, and pulled the ropes apart for their supposed master.

Satana stepped through the opening, the two skeletons removing her cape for her before dropping down into the dirt with the others. The creatures had spread out all over the ring area, hissing and growling at anything that came close to them as they sauntered about, as though they were searching for something to feed on.

Satana simply smirked at the center of the ring, her fanged teeth giving her a cruel looking appearance as her powerful body was on display. Her minions had done the work of snatching everyone’s attention, as well as adding to her theme. Now, it was just a manner of how her opponent would deal with such an elaborate show!

Artemis Armstrong was a woman of a thousand trails and tribulations. She’d hung off the edge of thirty-foot cliffs and swung across rush hour speedways on a steel cable. She’d jumped from burning buildings and out of cars going sixty miles-per-hour into fruit carts that she swore the prop guys moved twenty feet further away than it always should have been. Even if her performances were never reached Oscar material, the one thing the critics could never take from her was that she was her willingness to go the extra mile. It was what made her career. It was who she was.

But...bugs?

Worms?

Creepy? Freaking? Crawlies?

...

“Why did you put me in this fight?!” Artemis’ voice bellowed out from her green room and reverberated through the backstage halls.

“It seemed like good exposure!” Rob’s voice replied exasperatedly through the phone. There were few times in their partnership that the agent could recall hearing this particular tone from Artemis. He was very thankful to be miles away this time around.

“My ass! That has to be like six feet of mud out there! No way! I’m not doing any bugs!”

“It’s a big event! The hardcore champ is behind it. Jessica Wright? Take the title away and she's still one of the biggest names out there. Getting you associated with talent like that will go a long way in-”

“Associate me some other way!” She pulled the phone away from her, speaking directly into it as if she were holding her agent in the palm of her hand. “You knew I’d never say ‘yes’ to this! It’s in our contract! I read you that clause twenty times!”

He sighed just far away enough from the receiver to cover it. “It’s not like your wrestling in the mud. It’s on the outside. You just gotta throw the other person into it.”

“And what if she throws me in?! Huh? Didja think about that?! Didja?!” Artemis whipped her head left and right. “No! Call it off! We’re done here!”

Rob went silent on the other end for a moment. He knew she wouldn’t exactly be thrilled, but this? Only some quick thinking would salvage things at this point. Thankfully, he was always good on his feet.

“Oh. Wow. Really? Artemis Michelle Armstrong is worried about being...handled?” Her eyebrow twitched. “My oh my. I never thought I’d see the day. The Strongest Actress in the World doesn't think she can throw someone over a rope. The world of professional wrestling has done you worse than I could have realized. But, hey, I get it. The spark goes out eventually. Some people reach their prime sooner than others. No worries, Art. I’m here for you. If you’re too scared, I can easily-”

“I fucking hate you, Rob.”

It was easy to tell he was smiling on the other end. “There’s my girl.”

Artemis rubbed her forehead and breathed out through her nose. A deeper part of her knew he was right. This was one of those rare opportunities that didn’t come often, even less often to anyone with as shoddy a match record as hers. In this kind of cutthroat competition for placement, Rob was a godsend. This was the perfect time to have a real match. Get her name out there and keep her face fresh for the Japanese fanbase she’d been doing an unusually good job of maintaining so far. She had to do this, she could do this. Hell, she really did want to do this. Just...

...why did it have to be worms…?

“Sure. Alright. Whatever.” She brought her hand from her head and rested it against her hip with a sigh and a shrug. “I guess it's no big deal, ‘specially if they’re on the small side.” She was about to make her way towards the door before she froze on the spot.

“What’s her name again?”

…

The Trumpets:

Heaven's Blessing:

It wasn’t long after Santana’s bombastic entrance that the Valkyrie’s triumphant horns slowly rose from a genteel murmur to bellowing orchestral waves. Heavenly lights shone out like rays of intense sunlight from the top of the ramp. From the blinding light came forth the massive figure of Artemis Armstrong, her golden locks flowing aside her frame as she marched into the roaring applause against the triumphant tones at her back. She descended the steps in the same manner, looking straight ahead to her opponent in the ring. Outside, she looked like a figure stepped straight out of her blockbusters. Broad-shouldered, indomitable, an intrepid gaze in her eyes, power in each step as her eyes stayed affixed to her singular foe just beyond the pale. A hero sent from on high. An archangel to fight the demon on Earth.

On the inside, Artemis was a mess. She was a shaky foundation just waiting to break at the seams, a hair away from splitting in two. Every fiber of her being was dedicating itself to looking straight ahead and - for the love of all that was Holy in this bright and beautiful world - not looking down at the mud and maggots at her feet as she slowly crossed the threshold towards the ring.

Nearly there...nearly there....

Ohgodohgodohgodshecouldn’tdothisshecouldn’tdothisshecouldn’tdothisitstoomuchtheyrerightatherfeetheyregonnacrawlupherlegtheyregonnagetinhershoegodtheyresodisgustingdontthinkaboutthemjesusfuckchrsitinheavenshitshitshitshitshitshit.

Artemis stepped through the ropes and stood up straight with her eyes closed and her fists at her hips. Her lips were pressed tightly together and she seemed to be trembling ever so slightly at the edges. For a second, it seemed as though this statue that resembled her would never move. Until it did, with a nice, long exhale. She opened her eyes, looked at her opponent across from her, and tipped two fingers her way.

“Sup?”

The demon’s and undead that surrounded the ring slowly turned their heads in the direction of the alien music. The victorious sounding drums and trumpets gently shaking the ring as Satana’s foe would step out into the light. Much like the picture they had seen, she was tall broad, strong, and undeniably beautiful! Her hair was like stands of gold, her eyes like premium jewels that would never sell for less then a fortune, and a body that seemed to have spent many years in a gym pumping serious iron. Some of Satana’s undead peered at one another, the devil woman even catching one giving its partner a thumbs up after eyeing up the American actress.

“*Sigh*, just stay in character you guys…”

As Artemis began to walk down the ramp, that is exactly what the undead did. Slowly, they began to lurch toward the actress, hissing and groaning all the way. They wouldn’t actually hurt her, or even touch her…their only goal was to build up the crowd and maybe get Artemis a bit spooked…that and get a better look at her. But the American actress blew past them. Her eyes were locked with Satana’s milky white lenses, leaving the hissing monsters behind without so much as a glance. A couple tried to spook her, but found it best to remain out of her way. While Artemis climbed in, Satana gave her monsters a questioning glance, to which she only got a few shrugs as an answer.

Honestly, it gave Satana the chills. Artemis had walked right through that mud filled with all sorts of bugs and maggots and roaches, and then blew right past the moaning undead like it was nothing. All while glaring at Satana in the ring. It gave the hell spawn chills, and though she his it well, she felt a bit shaken.

Until Artemis walked into the ring with her eyes squeezed shut, and stood as still as a statue. Satana’s smile was gone, only a quizzical sneer left on her face. Her eyes were drawn to a slight movement on Artemis’s boots, a tiny roach crawling over her laces and a few maggots trapped in the mud on her show. It made Satana peer down at her own boots…nothing bad, just a couple of worms and a beetle scurrying across the canvas.

How long had Artemis been still like that?

Finally, the American actress began to move, starting things off with a long exhale before finally looking at Satana with shaky eyes and an awkward greeting. So far, this was the weirdest entrance the devil had ever experienced. She couldn’t even come up with anything so say!

“Uh…Hey?” The devil waved, not exactly sure what else to do at the moment.

I guess I’ll play the bad guy…see where that goes.

Satana quickly cleared her throat before letting her sinister smile return, her fangs as sharp as a bear trap as she peered away from Artemis, trying to distract herself from the strange woman’s chilling behavior.

“Ah, you must be the famous actress we have heard so much about! Your talent has been talked about far and wide, even deep down in the pits! The devils say you would have to sell your soul to be so talented, and I am inclined to agree with them. So, tell me Artemis, which cross road did you go visit to achieve your talents? Who owns you soul now?”

Oh God she was imagining them in her shoes now. Oh God. Oh man. They’d totally gotten into her shoes. Crap, she was spacing out. Artemis’ brain was firing off a trillion synapses from end to end all over the place. The details of tonight were fogging on her. The match was losing position in her mind, and the only sign something was wrong was in the cloudy haze barley perceived in her eyes. The lights and noises were all mixing in on each other. Shit shit shit shit shit-

The blonde beauty blinked when an unlikely voice disengaged her autopilot. It was a genteel and relaxed tone that reached her ears from afar, on the opposite end of the ring. She blinked again. It wasn’t exactly the kind of voice she expected to hear from...well, someone with horns on her head.

In her state of delirium, a lot of details she’d been missing on her descent were starting to come back to the fore. She’d barely even noticed the demons scattered around the ring, keeping to their corners on the outside. Their figures danced in the corner of her vision as she craned her neck an inch or so to get a better look at them. Devilish. Freaky as hell. Really good costume job on that end. She’d been on B-movie sets that managed worse than that.

Satana was the one who got her attention the most though. The fine details on her appearance must have taken hours of meticulous craftsmanship. Every minor adjustment, every drop of sweat and blood concentrated to make herself as large a spectacle as possible in the center of the ring. Oh, and her costume was pretty nice too.

The longer she looked, the more obvious it became why the two had been paired together for this specific matchup. There were some things that just weren’t done justice from behind a television monitor, and Satana’s body was one of them. Before they even touched gloves, Artemis could feel her blood quickening a bit. If she didn’t want to eat bugs and mud, she’d have to get a little serious here. Her lips had parted to say something before a sudden monologue cut her off. The American actress felt her head rear back a couple of inches for a moment.

Right...where was this coming from again? The costume she got. The whole demon persona looked nice. But her mannerisms were different. The bravado was something straight out of her theatre class. She almost carried herself like an-

“Oooooh, that’s what’s going on.”

The American closed her eyes with a finger to her chin. This was somewhat short notice, but a professional such as herself was always prepared for a role should the opportunity ever arise. The inside of her mind was a rewinding tape, running through a thousand performances backward in her mind, piecing together fragments of a million personalities. Her eyes opened with a gaze of steel. Her gleaming white smile defiantly faced down the demonic aspect only a few steps away, unshrinking against its blood-red visage.

“HA!" The powerful actress folded her arms with a resounding clamp of her impressive biceps, fortifying body and mind in a strong stance.

"There exists not a force across all of the Great Mother Earth that could contain my ironclad spirit! I am Artemis Michelle Armstrong, and my soul is the silver in every cloud, the shine in every star, the howl in every wind!” She stepped forward strongly and cut the air between with a mighty flourish of her hand, clenching her other in a fist. "Your admiration is commendable, demon, but no amount of flattery shall pardon your ilk from divine justice! Prepare yourself, for I shall return every last one of your ilk to sender!”

Ah! It seemed playing an over the top villain had knocked Ms. Armstrong out of her funk.

Absolutely perfect. Satana didn’t know much about her opponent other than what her guys had mentioned before the match, and hearing about her being something of an actor made the devil try to tap into her opponent’s stage face. The last thing she wanted to do was beat a comatose opponent after orchestrating such a complicated entrance.

As Artemis seemed to climb out of her stupor, she finally realized what was going on around her. It was surreal, looking at a woman who had passed by the hissing and growling monsters like they were not even there, only to seem surprised by their presence a few minutes later. She seriously did not see them or their strange antics as she approached the ring. It took a few minutes more before Artemis seemed to even notice Satana herself, to which she quickly got into character herself. Artemis quickly transformed from a silent, dazed looking woman into a sure powerhouse of a warrior. The razor toothed smirk on the demon's face a bit more genuine. Artemis was playing an interesting foil for the queen of misdeeds she herself planned on playing.

Well, now things had the chance to get interesting. Time to get the ball rolling.

A cold chuckle rolled off the luchadora’s tongue as Artemis’s fist cut through the air with practiced ferocity. In response, Satana simple shrugged and stepped forward herself, eyes hidden behind the milky white lenses in her mask. She made it so that the only expression that could be derived from her body language was that of power and malice: chest out, shoulders straight, and hands clenched tight into fists!

“Pride cometh before the fall, Little Actress! For every bright light, there is often a shadow just out of sight. No matter how virtuous you are, there is still darkness inside of you, no matter how small.”

The Devil’s tongue rolled out of her maw to lick a strain of saliva from her teeth, intentionally playing up the sinister side of her villainous character!

“Please do not misunderstand intent as admiration! Whatever you think you are capable of will fall woefully short! The soil that surrounds this ring is clamoring to devour you now, and I have every intent in granting its desires!”

As she spoke, Satana’s devilish monsters began to lurch and moan once more. They sloshed and squished through the mud, staying in character even as they made there exit. Their absence didn’t bother Satana in the slightest, as the display was pretty much over. The real show would begin soon enough as she waved a powerful hand around the ring with dramatic flourish!

“For this is hell on earth! And though I am nowhere near Pestilence, I will still be the instrument of your destruction!”

Damn it, she should have fished out one of her old costumes for this.

Artemis was very tempted to do so given the theme for tonight. Most of her selection was back in her Cali pad, but she brought a couple numbers along that she’d developed a bit of a liking towards. She could put on the mask whenever she felt like and match the persona word for word. At the same time, she didn’t think there would be a lot of people that would get it, mostly with her opponents. There were a lot of stiffs around here. It was hard to find someone with a bit of flair for the theatrical that could roll with what she was doing.

Satana was a welcome surprise in that regard. The costumes were one thing - the intricate details on her backup crew not going unappreciated - but the performance was where the magic was. Her passion was infectious and even a bit nostalgic in a weird way. Good energy, great delivery, her confidence spoke for itself. As much as she could appreciate the attempts AFW made to liven things up with its theatrics, it just couldn’t match real dedication to the craft like this. Artemis only wished she could have added to it a little more.

It was a tinge of regret, but nothing more than that. This was a match. Functionality was important too, and she had a feeling she’d be needing the flexibility.

Santana’s monologue got a couple chills on two fronts. There was the tone itself, amped with power and foreboding energy, and then there was the body that sold those lines. The longer she watched as the Latina threw her impressive frame about with one dramatic flourish after another, the more Artemis saw. Thick musculature, pronounced veins, definition etched in flesh. They were one bottle of hair dye away from a mirror match.

If any of that worried the former actress, her face didn’t show an inch of it. Straight at the end of her fated foe’s vehement prognostication, the mighty hero at the ring’s center stood with crossed arms and defiant glare. Her jeweled eyes glowed an illustrious radiance, her arms unfurled as she pointed a singular judgement towards the demon beneath a thunderous stomp forward.

“The boasts of a most heretical mind! Pestilence, pride, darkness. Meaningless, I say! Earth, Water, Fire. The purity of a truly courageous soul commands the very reality surrounding us all and the ties that bind! Bear witness! It’s will is just and shall wash your evil away in a majestic tide, whose name is Fury of One!”

That was how that line went, right? She had a few seconds to run through her scripts mentally. The official stood at the center and eyed between the two giants. The crowd had become restless. The distractions had departed and there was still plenty of show to get to. She raised her arm high and threw it down. Artemis fell into her stand with her arms high as the bell rang out. Eyes locked, feet apart, a hand beckoning her rival forward.

“I invite you to retreat to the crevice from whence you blighted this fair Earth, hellspawn. Those lackeys are no longer here to save you. Come, if you dare! And I shall reunite you in haste!”

There was nothing Satana hated more than someone who stubbornly refused to go along with her characters and have some fun with their fights! In the luchadora’s mind, wrestling was just as much about entertaining the audience as it was facing off against an opponent. If someone were to reject playing along, well then rather than have an entertaining battle tell a subtle fable, people would just be watching two people fight! Anyone could see that if they hung around a dingy bar late at night. This was about telling a story between two fighters, one of which was written before there very eyes!

So she was extremely appreciative of the lengths Artemis was going through to build herself up and make herself distinct from her demonic foe. It was clear why Satana had been selected for a pay per-view-based around the apocalypse, but she was worried her foe was going to be unable to keep up with her specific style. But meeting and seeing Artemis now, all doubt was washed away from her mind. This would be a fine battle. One that was about to begin.

Satana didn’t try to step on Artemis’s lines, the cool cruel Crusher instead planting her arms on her hips while displaying her smug grin. She was giving Artemis time to speak, letting her say all she wished before the fiery depths of her hellish power consumed the girl. The blonde woman’s speech was heartfelt and powerful, but Satana shrugged her shoulders like it was nonsense spouting from a child.

“Fury of One? Tsk Tsk, You really shouldn’t be committing sins in front of me, taking a name like that. But I don’t suppose it would help you either way.”

As Artemis got into her stance, so too would the demon shift about. Satana took on a traditional wrestling stance, her knees bent while she leaned in, ready to put her weight behind her and bowl over Artemis if the need arises. The horns on her mask gleamed in the over head spotlight, her heart beat racing as the bell clanged loudly to signal the match.

“Hear that, Fury of One? Sounds like funeral bells to me~”

Satana had a brash confidence in herself, the demon already beginning to encroach upon Artemis’s side of the ring! The demon’s foot falls were like tremors from a mountain, and there was no hint of hesitation in her movements. Both of them were built like forces of nature, and Satana moved with as much power.

Just as it seemed the two might lock up in battle, the devil’s stance shifted! She bolted upwards, standing face to face with the bombshell before quickly firing a missile of a fist to clash into Artemis’s iron jaw! While there was a bit of deception involved, it seemed that things were already beginning to heat up between the pair of them!