aCe: Ultimatum 2121

[marktaggart]

When we last left off...

Corporal Aegis and Hustler had formed a tag team known as The Urban Army and had risen up the ranks of the tag teams in aCe in a mission to take the Essence tag team championship from Cyber Union. Nicodemus had become ever more vocal in his opposition to Aegis' personal crusade to free his wife from Murdok's clutches and the "useless emotions" of his ROC allies. Aegis vowed to first dethrone Cyber Union, then take the fight to Murdok once and for all.

In the meantime, Murdok had ruled over the aCe championship with an iron fist as it's first and only champion since the beginning in 2119. Anyone who wished to challenge him was faced with the barrage of every one of Murdok's minions on their way to the title, and few had been able to overcome such odds. Any challenger who did manage to "run the gauntlet" was faced with the unenviable task of challenging the champion on his home turf in the Ruins of Antilia, as he refused to wrestle anywhere else in defense of his championship. With the odds squarely in his favor, no man had been able to pry the title from Murdok's icy, undead grip.

On the eve of the tag team championship match between The Urban Army and Cyber Union, Murdok promised to show up and escelate the war to "the point of no return". The comments were dismissed as typical bravado and the match took place as scheduled. The Urban Army was on the verge of victory when the ring was swarmed by an army of undead soldiers and Murdok's entire team. They quickly threw Nicodemus and Holocaust out of the ring, then proceeded to deliver a savage beating the the ROC members as the undead minions prevented anyone entering the ring to help.

As ROC militia members finally began to fight their way through the zombie throng and to the ring, Murdok's voice boomed over the arena PA system. He challenged Aegis to fight his way to Murdok's personal arena, then face him alone for the aCe title and the fate of Trisis. As ROC members and aCe security finally got to the ring, Godsend uttered an incantation and all of the members of Murdok's Crusade disappeared.

Of course, Aegis boldly accepted Murdok's challenge and set off the next day alone, save for a remote hover-cam unit to document the happening, for Murdok's arena.

Aegis boldly fought his way through Noxious, Cremator, and several lesser zombies throughout the building to make it to the main arena. There stood Murdok, with Trisis at his side. As Aegis approached he was blindsisded by a shadowy figure. Then the rest of the Crusade joined in and nearly destroyed Aegis before the Corporal was able to push a button on his battle suit and detonate the self-destruct mechanism on his remote camera unit. That caused the distraction needed for Aegis to escape with his life. Although the mission was not a success, and his wife was still held captive by Murdok, Aegis would live to fight another day.

What followed was chronicled in the aCe Ultimatum 2121 description guide. Murdok's army has been ravaged after a failed attack on the ROC stronghold, teams have been destroyed and re-aligned. Warriors have been lost in battle and new ones have risen to take their place. After a month off to regroup after the nearly disasterous breaking of the truce, the aCe is set to begin again.

[marktaggart]

Wulf Skye:"Hello, aCe fans. After a monumental shakeup in the ranks of the aCe and planet-shattering events of the past month, we are pleased to be up and running once again! As we go forward you will notice several changes that have been made for the safety of the fans and everyone involved in the aCe. Due to the volitility of the warring factions within the aCe, there will now be a transparent force shield surrounding the arena entrance, down the rampway, and all the way around the ring. This will protect the fans from any of the more undesirable entries in the war and also protect the combatants from having to worry about any interlopers from the crowd."

"Also note that aCe referees have traditionally been clad in protective armor to prevent any unfortunate incidents as they are in the direct line of combat. aCe officials have deemed even this measure to be not enough and all humanoid officials have been replaced by android referees. Quite honestly, it was deemed too big a risk to allow civilians to be anywhere near newcomers like Mr. Bloat or Darkseed, to say nothing of the ever-increasing risk of infection by one of Murdok's undead minions."

"Now, on to tonight's action. As you all already know, the aCe tag team championship has been vacated due to the termination of the partnership of Nicodemus and Holocaust. Holocaust has apparently been turned into some sort of lifeless killing machine in the chaos of the past month, and Nicodemus and his army have become conspicuously tight-lipped about what has gone on behind closed doors since our last official aCe event. Whatever the case, aCe officials have decided that tonight we will feature a tournament to crown new aCe Essence tag team titleholders. Teams from all current factions were invited to compete. However, the ROC is still reeling from the invasion and their team of Lance and Aspin have not fully recovered enough to compete at such a high level. That means that the ROC will not be represented. It was also decided that the House Of Pain be kept out of the tournament. This is partially a measure to keep the sides even, but also in response to their actions in the riot and takeover of the Centropolis City Prison."

"Without further ado, let's try to move ahead and get on with the action!"

aCe Essence tag team title tournament round one

Hustler and Scorch defeated Zombie Nation when Scorch pinned Noxious.

Wulf:"No faction has ever held both the aCe single and tag team championship at one time, and that will not change tonight! Murdok's minions could not get the job done in their invasion of ROC headquarters and they couldn't do it tonight, either! Things are definitely about to heat up because the new Darkness Falls are about to step into the ring with the killing machine that nearly destroyed their entire race, Flatliner and Holocaust, the Shock Syndicate. No doubt revenge will be on the minds of the Tribesmen!"

Darkness Falls defeated Shock Syndicate when Jakyl pinned Flatliner with "Hit 'em High".

Wulf::"Unbelievable! Shock Syndicate was absolutley demolishing Darnkess Falls until that move came out of nowhere and scored the pin! That's got to be a morale boost to the tribesmen, but the war is far from over!"
*(note: dreaded "snake eyes" gave DF the one-move win)


The Archangels defeated The Hellraisers when Gabriel pinned Darkseed.

Nuborn Destruction beat The Others by disqualification when the referee could not restore order after a barrage of lightning-quick double team manuvers by The Others.

Wulf:"An unsatisfying end to that one, as The Others seemed to be firmly in control but they seemed to forget the rules of tag team wrestling. I suppose that could tend to be a problem when you are your own partner. It may be hard to figure out which 'you' should leave after the tag! I see Nemean has entered the ring now, which means it's time for everyone's favorite part of the show (his words, not mine); The Nemean Show!"

Nemean:"Thanks, Wulf. I know you love me, don't try to hide it. I just want to say that The Others may have lost the decision, but everyone knows who was winning match when it ended. They'll be back and those Essence title belts will be around their waists soon enough!"

"Right now though, my guest is a man who should be feeling at least a little better than he did the last time we saw him, Corporal Aegis! After your latest rescure mission you've got you wife back, but it's far from over between you and Murdok."

Aegis:"You know that's right. Trisis is back with me, but we're still working on a way to overcome the plague that infects her body. Believe me when I say Murdok WILL pay! He's hidden behind an entire army in his stronghold since the aCe began, but his army's been demolished and his castle destroyed. There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide now! That's why I want Murdok to bring what's left of his aCe army to what's left of the ROC headquarters and face the ROC in a Caged Battlefield Match!"
(Avarice makes his way to the ring)
Avarice:"Aegis, there is one important component to your statement that I want to address. Murdok's army is a shell of it's former self. Godsend has abandoned him, Cremator got his head blown off I hear, and he's left with nothing but a pair of corpses and a ghost assassin. That means he has no one left to hide behind. The ROC has paid me well to join the cause, and for that reason you have gotten my loyalty....for now. But Avarice The Blackheart is never satisfied. There can never be enough.As long as their is more to be had I will not rest. And around Murdok's waist I see a gleaming prize that has been calling to me since I came to the aCe. Every time that piece of the Essence on it's centerplate pulses it's as if it's calling my name: 'Avarice, Avarice, Avarice'. It wants to come home. So you are right to call Murdok to do battle, but your motives are all wrong. Strip Murdok of his dignity, his kingdom, his power. But leave the aCe championship for me!"
(Avarice leaves the ring)
Nemean:"Wow! They are on the same side, but two men could not be more different than Aegis and Avarice. The bottom line is that aCe officials have decreed that Murdok WILL be forced to come out of hiding to defend that belt or else he will forfeit the title and his right to compete in the aCe. How this will play out will be seen next week!"

aCe Essence tag team title tournament round two!

Hustler and Scorch beat Darkness Falls when Scorch pinned Krypt.

Nuborn Destruction won by coutout over The Archangels when Tekaro hit Gabriel with the shield on the floor, leaving the Archangel unable to continue.

Wulf:"One thing is for sure about the finals of the tournament tonight; It will not be a wrestling clinic between these two brawling teams. Nicodemus has been publicly quiet about his intentions, but we know his former allies no longer trust his motives and he has honed his team into a merciless unit of destruction. This is almost a continuation of where we left off, with Hustler adding Scorch to the mix as his partner as he tries to capture the tag titles against Nicodemus' newly-christened 'Tabula Rasa'. Can Hustler succeed? Or will Warfare and Tekaro keep the tag team championship under Nicodemus' sphere of influence? We'll find out soon enough!"

aCe Essence tag team title finals!

Nuborn Destruction beat Hustler and Scorch with EXTINCTION LEVEL EVENT on Hustler.

Wulf:"That match was everything a tag team title match should be! Nuborn Destruction keep the belts in-house with a move they call by the ominous name of "Extinction Level Event", and it is as powerful as the name implies!"

"A big show is coming your way next week as aCe officials are forcing
Murdok to show up on neutral turf and they promise to have big news regarding the aCe championship!"

[DMK]

Wow. This is a great aCe fed.

It's results like these that make me want to hurry up and get to the current edition so I can use guys like Omni and Odyssey.

Murdok, Essence champ since 2119?! Talk about domination.

Hopefully Avarice can finally take the belt off the Harvester of Plagues.

Looking forward to more.

[Deleted]

Fantastic recap here...

Very cool to see the Cyber Union had such a large role in the pre-2121 aCe. And Murdok's dominance is just nasty!

Nice win for NuBorn...very cool to see them with the belts. I have a feeling Shock Syndicate and The Others will be looking to redeem themselves soon.


Looking forward to more!



~ :-Xsk

[Avarice]

Nice read, Mark. Cool to see yet another aCe fed around. Just in case I haven't mentioned it, aCe is the bomb! Thanks Kris for such a great universe.

[marktaggart]

Feb 13, 2008 10:20:31 GMT -5 @osk said:

Fantastic recap here...

Very cool to see the Cyber Union had such a large role in the pre-2121 aCe. And Murdok's dominance is just nasty!

Nice win for NuBorn...very cool to see them with the belts. I have a feeling Shock Syndicate and The Others will be looking to redeem themselves soon.


Looking forward to more!



~ :-Xsk

Nicodemus and Holocaust made an awesome team. Of course, it made it even more dramatic to read 2121 when Nicodemus blew up his parnter and co-titleholder!

Murdok has stacked the deck against everyone trying to get the belt in my storyline. He defended about once a game month and only on his home turf. The balance of power shifted hard in 2121 and I'm not expecting his reign to last too much longer.
...But I've thought that before.

You'll see that I'm playing it where the public knows something is up with Nicodemus and Tabula Rasa, but no one is speaking of the extent of his plans publicly. I imagine the good guys would not want widespread panic of letting everyone know Nicodemus plans to destroy them all if he wins, and it wouldn't benifit Tabula Rasa to come out and announce it.

[marktaggart]

Wulf Sky:"This show is going to be huge! Wait until you hear what the aCe officials have decreed! Let's take a look at the screen!"

(An aCe official, shrouded and hidden in shadow as is customary so that no one may attempt to influence or jeapordize the integrity of the committee, appears on a large screen hovering above the ring)
"Let it be known that Murdok's cowardly attack mission on the ROC was an abomination and against everything the aCe has attempted to do. We have stood by and allowed great leeway as it regards how and where the aCe championship has been defended. But that aforementioned act of cowardice woke us up and made us decide that it is time to take greater control of the action in the aCe. Therefore, it is our decision that ALL aCe championships must be defended on neutral ground at the aCe Centrolpolis Arena. The championship contests will be strictly one-on-one or tag team affairs with no outside interference allowed. Failure to comply with these rulings will result in the offenders team being eliminated from their place in the aCe, where they will watch from the sidelines as the fate of the aCe is decided."

(Murdok makes his way to the ring, flanked by Zombie Nation.)
Murdok:"Do you fools expect me to come here and cower at your feet? Do you forget so quickly that I have ruled over the aCe with an iron fist since it's inception? That none have been able to topple my minions and come to my home to defeat me? Do you believe that will change because of my depleted faction and a change of venue? Then your are fools! Avarice, ROC mercenary, if you want my title prove yourself worthy by defeating MY mercenary Gheist. And Aegis, I accept your feeble challenge! Bring what is left of your ROC to face me and my Zombie Nation inside of the cofines of the Caged Battlefield! Of course, with At-Las' not yet fully healed, I suppose you are a...hand short tonight. But I'm sure that matters not to one so brave as to enter my inner sanctum, take what is mine, and then burn my kingdom to the ground!"

(Aegis, Aspin, and Avarice appear at the end of the aisle)

Aegis:"Arrogant to the end, dead scum! But you see, the rest of the aCe isn't playing your game anymore. The forces of good have joined together under the Pantheon of the White and together we will do whatever it takes to secure ultimate victory. No more hiding behind lackeys for you, no more hiding out with the aCe title belt. Your man Gheist WILL have a match tonight, but it won't be as a blocker for you! We've got back-up,too! So send Gheist to the ring and we'll find out what he can do one more time with Shepard !"
Avarice:"Then bring your tattered zombies to the cage, 'champion'! Because I will join Aspin Northstar and Corporal Aegis there to face you and I will show you why your reign is near an end!"

(Aegis leads his troops away as Murdok seethes in anger inside the ring, with the Zombie Nation staring blankly back down the aisle).

Wulf:"It's already hot tonight and the matches haven't even begun! As Murdok leads his zombies to the back to prepare for tonight's main event, let's go to the ring and see the Archangel versus the demon!"

Gabriel The Archangel defeated Darkseed with ELYSIUM'S CHARGE.
After the bell, GODSEND came up through the mat in a ring of fire and attacked Gabriel from behind. He locked on SPEAK OF THE DEVIL, but EXODUS and SHEPARD rushed out to prevent any real damage from being done.

Shock Syndicate fought off Darkness Falls and won via match stoppage when Jakyl could not continue after being hit with both SHOCK AND AWE and SHOCKWAVE.

Wulf:"The combined concussive force of those two deadly manuvers in one match is enough to incapacitate anybody, and The Tribesman was no exception tonight. The rematch goes to Shock Syndicate, who I'm sure have their sights set on the aCe tag team championship. One man who has his focus on higher goals is the vagabong priest, Shepard. We'll see him in action next as he rekindles his rivalry with Gheist."

Shepard pinned Gheist after the Turnbuckle Tabernacle, ending an exciting and fast-paced matchup.

(the paricipants for the previous bout clear out of the ring and the lightshow begins, signaling the start of "the Nemean Show". Nemean enters the ring in his typically electric style)
Nemean:"I don't want to waste any time tonight. I know everyone loves it when I engage you all in a long bout of oral discourse, but I need to bring out a man who, honestly, turns my stomach so much that I just want to get this over with. I won't even call him my 'guest', I'll just say here comes Mr.Bloat."
(Bloat lumbers to the ring, using his razor to slash at the transparent barrier between the aisle and the fans as he walks)
Nemean:"Now, I can understand why the aCe went to the extra trouble of securing the fans safety. In fact, they went to an awful lot of trouble to make sure you wouldn't hurt any civilians. But I just wonder why they bothered at all. I think someone needs to put you back in that dark cell you got sprung out of, and Esperanto says he's going to be that man!"
Bloat:"(burps and grunts)....let him try."
(Bloat gets right in Nemean's face and stares at him with psychotic eyes)
Nemean:"Am I supposed to be scared, or are you trying to knock me out with the stench? If you knew the things I know, if you'd seen the secrets I've seen lately pal, you'd know what scary is. Scary isn't a 400-pound fat guy with halitosis,BO, and a funny little rake he likes to cut people with!"
Bloat"Not scared? Try me then, little man.(grunts and snorts)"
Nemean:"I thought you'd never ask! Ref, get in here and let's do this!"

Mr. Bloat defeated Nemean with CRUEL and UNUSUAL.
Nemean controlled the bout and kept Mr. Bloat off-balance until he got caught by the monster's girth and promptly smothered with the sadastic finisher.

Wulf:"Mr. Bloat is sure not a polished wrestler, or any kind of athlete for that matter, but he makes up for it with sheer girth and a psychotic mean streak! Nemean found out tonight, and his sacrificial scouting effort may have given Bloat's enemies an invaluable first look at how to stop him. Right now, the participants are arriving at the Battlefield, the monitors are set up inside the arena, and we are set for the main event!"

Caged Battlefield Match!

Aegis and Noxious started out for their respective teams. Aegis threw Noxious all over the cage until the alarm sounded and the next man entered the ring. Murdok's team got the advantage and sent Rotwurm. The Zombies double-teamed Aegis and attempted a flesh feast, but Aegis fought them off and fought back. Finally the alarm went off again and Avarice surprisingly entered as the second member of the ROC. Zombie Nation was no match for the ROC duo, with Rotwurm in particular ending up on the receiving end of a lot of punishment. Finally, it was time for Murdok to enter the battle. He helped Noxious take over on Aegis, then turned his attention to Avarice. Murdok's forces used the 3 on 2 advantage to it's fullest, severely wearing down Aegis in the process. Just as it looked like the Corporal wouldn't be able to hold out much longer, Aspin Northstar entered the cage as the final participant.

Aspin quickly made his presence felt by scoring the first elimination, defeating Noxious and giving his team the numbers advantage again. Soon he struck again and Rotwurm was eliminated from competition. That left Murdok alone to face the might of all three members of the ROC. With Aegis down and hurt, Avarice told Aspin to stand back and let him go one-on-one with the champ. It nearly looked like Avarice would pay for his bravado with elimination after the POWER OF THE PLAGUE rocked the would-be challenger. But Avarice fought back and finally hit the 7th SIN to pin the champ and give the ROC the shutout win.

winners-Avarice, Aegis, and Aspin Northstar.