A ginger and a blonde woman hustled down the empty halls backstage, in the distance the roar of the crowd was almost like the falling of rain on a tin roof. The pair stopped and the blonde nodded after a moment's pause.

"They've definitely started by now and as far as I can tell there is no electronics monitoring us nor is there anyone following us." Caelia stated.

"So how are we going to go about doing this?" Terri asked looking about worriedly, her senses, sharpened by her career of crime fighting screaming at her that despite the machine's insistence that they were safe that they are about to walk into an ambush. "Do we split up and call the other when we find a potential exit?"

"That would be both inefficient and foolish." Caelia scoffed dismissively, "We lack communication devices and doubtlessly such devices would be tracked. No I can effectively map the areas we travel thanks to my perfect machine memory and spatial reasoning and together we should hopefully be able to overwhelm anything or one who blocks our path. Aside from the show runner himself, I doubt they have anyone who can handle both your mighty stone body and my logic! We will doubtlessly find an exit and free everyone being held here."

"By steel and stone we shall guide the way." Terri snorted at her own line, “Sounds almost like a team name.”

"We shall be a most wonderful team by my calculations," Caelia smiled brightly, "Let us try this way, it is at least heading in the correct direction."

Caelia hurried down a seemingly random hallway and Terri took one last slow look back the way they came, a deep frown on her face before hurrying after the other woman. Not two seconds later someone emerged from a different hall, their thin feminine cow boy boots making not a sound as they casually strolled after the two women.

~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~

The ring was repaired and the maintenance crew hurried out of the stadium as people began to hurriedly filed back to there seats excitedly chattering as they looked at the leaflets for the next fight. Randy was among them excitedly chatting with the giant red robot next to him who seemed pleased as punch to talk with him and several people who had gathered around the announcers booth to join in on the conversation. The talk died down as the machine waved the small gathering back to there seats and Randy got himself presentable before the music started again.

"Sorry for that delay there folks," Randy welcomed the crowd, "Here's hoping you made good use of those twenty minutes because for this next fight you're not going to want to miss a second of it! As we all found out over the week this man was not in fact a man at all, but a mighty outer realm monster supposedly beyond our comprehension in the body of a man! A living beast of fire! Older than most countries, he's here to fight for our amusement tonight! Cry havoc and let him hear you call his name! It's, Carnivore~!"

As the fast electronic beats and heavy electric guitars once more welcomed the black haired titan onto the stage, he seemed ready to once more largely ignore the crowd and march to the stage in time with the music. He found himself blinking in surprise when he saw the entire ramp was lined by bellowing brutes, buff bimbos, and strapping strongmen. Each and every last one of them posing, waving, and cheering for him. Despite his best attempts to remain stoic a hint of a smile tinged his features as he walked down the waiting line accepting many a high five, a handshake, and much to his surprised befuddlement a couple of slips of paper with a sequence of numbers on them. "We've burned through all the witches," the music sighs as the ancient beast slowly pulls away from his many eager fans, "from the paupers to the righteous." Stepping over the ropes once more he slid the rolls of paper into his pockets, perhaps someone else would know the meaning of the odd ritual he'd been exposed to.

"It's seems our stoic titan has earned himself something of a fan club," Randy smiles at the loudly hooting and flexing segment of the crowd.

"Hardly surprising really Randy," Murder Bot chirped seeming to radiate amusement, "People find confidence and power attractive. Seeing as the man faced down Tessa at her most predatory without flinching he was bound to acquire a few admirers. Add in his mysterious bestial nature and he's all but a magnet to certain types."

In the ring Carnivore blinked and took another look at those still cheering him, taking notice of some of the more flirtatious fans and more than a few making obvious and highly inappropriate romantic gestures at him. A look somewhere between complete befuddlement and utter disgust flashed across his face before he could recenter himself and pretend the crowd simply did not exist.

"Let's hope that he's not too distracted by his new paramours," Randy teased before continuing excitedly, "Because we've got quite the foe for him tonight. What could possibly challenge a beast of the dark realm between the worlds you might ask? Well why not a creature synonymous with unapproachable power and legends? A living incarnation of the idea of war and death itself shaped into womanly form! That's right lads and ladies! We've got ourselves a goddess to fight this monster!" The crowd roared in excitement and a hungry gleam entered Carnivore's eyes, his inner fire burning bright as he was now giving Randy his full attention. "This dragon slaying, soul stealing, mistress of assassins and werewolves has chosen to grace us with her presence tonight! So throw your hands up and howl out a 'Priset være gudinnen' for this pale reaper of the frozen north! Priset være gudinnen, The~ Wol~f!"

The crowd threw back their heads and howled as tapping cymbals welcomed in a classical beat of electric guitars. A thick low mist covered the stage as a tall snow white woman with long blonde hair tied in a pony tail walked onto the stage. Her eyes, shining like the full moon drifted over the crowd as the song's vocalist cried out and the audience echoed the classic song. Keeping her hands close to the daggers at her side she strode forwards with purpose, staying always in the exact center of the ramp as far from the roaring crowd and reaching hands as possible while pretending to ignore them. Her long elven ears twitched and flicked seeming to try and catch every sound as she strode forwards. "We come from the land of the ice and snow" the song declared as the Wolf reached the ring circling it and giving it an evil look, "From the midnight sun where the hot springs flows."

Raising her gaze to snarl up at Carnivore who glared impassively back she gave the ring one last ugly look before turning to flip both the announcers the bird resulting in laughing cheers from the audience and good humor from both judges. Climbing the stairs she stops before the ropes seeming unwilling to touch them before flipping over the ropes without taking her eyes off Carnivore drawing a fresh wave of cheering from the crowd. She cast a distrustful glare at the referee as he climbs into the ring as well before returning her gaze to Carnivore who uncrosses his arms and takes a stance.

"The contestants have gathered," Randy spoke slowly in an almost reverent voice, "God vs Beast in a battle that last until one or the other admits defeat." A massive smile splits his face, "This should be a match to remember now let's get ready for one hell of a ROYAL ROAD RUMBLE!"

The referee's hand drops and Wolf immediately leaps across the entire length of the ring, knives high and aimed at Carnivore's face. Carnivore reaches into his own chest and rips out two of his own ribs which twist and take the form of twin bone gladius. He uses one to effortlessly parry Wolf's lunge and drives the second straight into her gut. Wolf staggers away with shock, one hand going to her bleeding wound as Carnivore remains in his corner casually glaring down at the tall goddess. A chanted prayer and the wound vanishes as the woman returns to her feet.

Wolf's next approach is more cautious as she edges forwards making several feints which Carnivore does not rise to before snarling and readying herself to strike true. She starts when without warning Carnivore steps into her stance and again plunges a gladius into her gut while using the other to strike her across the face to send her tumbling. Carnivore snarls down out the injured goddess of death and spreads his arms out in invitation snarling, "Is this the best that a 'goddess' can manage these days? I have witnessed children with more skill with a blade! Already mortal members of this competition have displayed more skill than you to me! Have you simply existed by overwhelming your foes with raw strength and your healing magics?"

Flashing the titan a toothy snarl of her own the goddess lunges towards his chest before diving for his ankles. Yet again Carnivore sees through the feint effortlessly and his foot meets the woman's face stunning her long enough for each gladius to slide in between her ribs. He lifts the nearly six foot tall woman over his head and flings her back to the opposite side of the ring. "Your lack of training is obvious! Your eyes and body reveal your tricks long before you make them, you over-swing with abandon, and none of your movements carry the least bit of flow! For all your claims of being a goddess of death and assassins I don't doubt that a mortal man with anything more than a basic amount of training could dance circles around you with a blade! You are pathetic!"

"It seems that Carnivore is going to be dominating this match!" Randy announces as the crowd jeers. Cries of "YOU CAN'T WRESTLE!" begin to fill the stadium as Wolf tries to regain her feet or work her magic with two punctured lungs. "Is there anything that The Wolf can do to turn around this one sided domination!?"

"Seeing as all of Carnivore's critiques are on point she's going to have to pull out one heck of a triumph card to turn things around Randy."

Wolf clenches her teeth as the jeers, the doubts, and taunts fill her mind. She glares up at the slowly approaching Carnivore with utter hate as anxiety, stress, and rage begin to eat at her building into a swirling mixture of spiteful fury. Her muscles tense and blood oozes from her jaws as pain and fury fill her, eating away at her civility and leaving only a beast. The change comes in the blink of an eye to those gathered, like an illusion was dropped more than a transformation. Her howl silences the ring as again she lunges at Carnivore who stumbles back caught as off guard as anyone else.

Massive rending claws smash into the bone knives and sunder his guard with the raw force behind them, a second swipe tears half the mans face off in a gory mess. Elongated jaws now filled with sharp tearing teeth go for the throat, but find an arm instead. The jaws rip and worry, maiming the captured limb before Wolf twist and hurls Carnivore across the ring into the turnbuckles. Dropping to all four she charges the cornered man like a howling freight train. Her jaws do not find her prey as Carnivore rallies and reverses her charge using her own momentum to force the goddess up and over flinging her out of the ring.

Randy leaps out of his seat with a startled cry as the man sized wolf slams into the announcer's table and he began cowering behind Murder Bot who simply chortles, "Well that would certainly seem to count as a decent triumph card, but will it be enough to keep Carnivore on the back-foot?"

"By Drake don't let it out of the ring M.B!" Randy wailed.

His concerns were for naught as the werewolf goddess turns her eyes back to the ring where Carnivore stood, his body rapidly regenerating the savaging he'd received. He cocks his head and beckons the wolf to rejoin him in the ring. "Do not think I will be intimidated by such a small thing. Come let us finish our fight."

The Wolf snarls and leaps to the ropes and from there lunged at Carnivore who skillfully ducks the lunge and leaves two deep gouges in the beast as she passes. The werewolf yelps and turns with an earth rumbling growl, the injuries creeping close with a sound like ripping fabric played in reverse. Carnivore gives a mountainous rumble of his own in return as both of the fighters close for a viscous frenzy of slaughter.

"Gods and Devils look at them go!" Randy gushes still half hidden behind Murder Bot, "Those two are tearing each other to pieces and making one hell of a mess in the process! We're going to have to give the ring a heck of a clean if we don't want it stained red!"

"For those of you in the front rows I do apologize for not having advertised your seats as being in the splash zone." The increasingly red machine beamed, "I do hope the stains will wash out."

In the ring the brutalistic exchange continued. The Wolf bit down on one of Carnivore's blades to pin it and rakes the pinned arm to the bone with her claws. In exchange Carnivore slams his thumb into her eye causing the organ to burst as he drives his other blade into the roof of her mouth as she howls in pain. The Wolf responds in kind by grabbing hold of the larger man and raking his torso viciously with the claws on her feet to carve deep valleys in his flesh. The titan returns the favor by grabbing his freed blade and using it to spit The Wolf from breast to groin with a single stroke.

The two finally separated from the vicious exchange. The Wolf visibly maimed as she holds her organs in place while her regeneration closes the wounds and reinflated her crushed eye. Carnivore himself was slashed to ribbons and has literal rivers of blood flowing from his wounds. He stands tall and unbroken still, but it was easily visible that his own regeneration is slowing and if the fight continues his victory is not guaranteed. The Wolf licks her lips greedily as she begins to slowly circle the injured beast.

"I will admit you caught me off guard," Carnivore states haughtily, still glaring down his nose at the stalking woman, "Yet even now you use no skill, you have simply complemented it with feral ferocity and an utter disregard for your own health. You are no goddess of war, simply a beast of murder, incapable of tactics or strategy beyond grinding your foe down or killing them with surprise. As such, upon my pride as Arylos the Titan, I refuse to be defeated by such a simpleton."

Murder Bot twitched and began to rapidly type on something upon the announcer's table. The shimmering bubble barrier begins to form over the watching crowd as Randy finds himself and the referee hurled into the crowd as the barrier finishes forming. The lights overhead flicker wildly as seconds later pillars of fire poured in through the doors to the stadium. The shimmering barrier darkens to a deep polarized black yet still the pillars of white hot flames are near blinding to the shrieking and startled crowd.

The nearly solid mass of fire slams into Carnivore, swirling into a tighter and tighter ball of plasma until it was as if a star had formed in the ring. The ropes and fabric burn away, the announcers booth burns to ash, and The Wolf recoils from the blinding light that had once been her prey. The ring still stands as the solid flames began to take on a four winged form and fade to reveal what had once been Carnivore.

"It seems that Carnivore has resorted to using one of the edgiest transformations I have witnessed in a while in order to prevent a loss!" Murder Bot announces sill standing next to the ring seemingly unaffected by the heat, "But will this living black sun of edginess be eclipsed the howling moon of the Wolf or will the Wolf find herself burnt to cinders?"

The Wolf squints with her half blinded eyes at new form of Carnivore, taking in the orange runes that now flowed like magma over his flesh, his four wings, two of flames, two of steel and stone carved to look like a bird of prey's. She looked directly into his now literally burning eyes and snarls. She throws back her head and baying out a challenge to this beast that dare consider itself a match for an alpha werewolf and goddess!

She lunges for the transformed titan. Yet almost before she's cleared the ground he is upon her, seizing her by the throat and flashing a toothy smile. She tore and clawed at the limb holding her, but what gashes she manages seem to seal as soon as she makes them. Carnivore lets out a low atonal chuckle that rapidly builds into wild diabolical laughter as he smiles down at the pinned beast in his hand.

"Allow me to show you true ferocity for a few minutes my arrogant little pup."

A blow strikes the Wolf's arm, shattering it, before it had even started to heal another blow shatters her other arm. Then she is airborne, if only briefly as again a grip that makes a mockery of iron seizes her ankle and begins to hammer her into the ground like she is naught but a toy in a toddler's grip. When he at last seems to grow board he simply begins to pound her muzzle flat with his fist, "I'm not sure if your regeneration has a limit or not, let us find out together shall we?"

Fear began to overwhelm rage as the mind of the goddess begins to free itself of the murky swamp of the Wolf. Nevertheless she couldn't find any way to escape her situation. All attempts to fight back seemed to encourage the demon and none of her magics would likely affect this beast of flames even if should could get one off. Her eyes settles on the half melted blob that had once been the device one needed to announce their defeat. It hurt to admit, but she could not win this fight, and continuing would only make it hurt more.

She reached for the semi-molten mess and with her broke canine features managed to weakly mewl, "I quit." Between one blow and the next Wolf was spirited away leaving Carnivore snarling in fury and casting about for his stolen toy.

"And it's over!" announces Murder Bot happily, "Under a brutal beat down from Carnivore the Wolf admits defeat and is sent running back to her den to lick her wounds!"

"What a Rumble this was!" Randy cheers out in the excited and wild crowd, "Reversal after reversal culminating in a demonic transformation! Hopefully in the future though Carnivore will take it easier on the stage!"

"Indeed Randy, I do hope that everyone doesn't mind-" Murder Bot started before turning as the four winged beast behind it demands attention.

"I was not done having fun toy," the burning titan states, voice oozing with anger and blood lust, "I hope you are willing to substitute."

Carnivore threw a flame wreathed punch square into Murder Bot's chest. The titan that had slaughtered dragons and defeated a goddess was rather shocked when his blow failed to produce the slightest of effects on the nine-foot tall machine. Snarling he reared back to smite the machine by holding nothing back, only to face the red metal machine’s counter.

Faster than many would think possible for such a heavy looking machine Murder Bot reached out and gently rested one of its massive clawed hands atop Arylos' head. The titan had the briefest sensation of magic being cast before he experienced the horrible sensation of his flames being snuffed out, the roaring flames going cold as the very source of their heat was being siphoned away. His wings crumbled to ash and runes vanished as he collapsed feeling like he was one foot in the grave as he fearfully tried to nurse his sparks back into a fire again.

The giant robot knelt down next to him, "Sorry, but you got a bit carried away there. And we are going to need to have a talk about what fires you may touch in the future. Fusion generators are not toys little flame." Taking the weakened man under his arm and ignoring his struggles and protest it brought the microphone back to its mouth, "Please bare with us everyone while we fix up the ring. But don't head home just yet, we've got a nasty grudge match coming up next and I know you are going to love it!"