Arrival [Octane #13]

[Drako Damone]

The camera shows a limo rolling up to the arena. Michael Cole is there to meet it, as the World Heavyweight champion steps out.

Michael Cole: "Drako, we've been waiting for your arrival here tonight."

Drako pulls the championship out and closes the door to the limo, placing the belt on his shoulder. "Would be nice if I had a moment to myself but what is it, Michael Cole?"

Michael: "Earlier tonight, we heard from your opponent in the main event, Salem. He had some interesting words for you."

Drako nods. "Yeah, I heard. Salem had a lot to say, and to the average person it wouldn't make much sense. Main points were that he thinks thirteen is his lucky number, he's not coming for the title, and he is chaos. Did I get that right?"

Cole: "Well..."

"Shut up and look stupid, it's what you're best at." Drako shifts the title on his shoulder. "Look, I ran with Salem for a little while. I've got a glimpse into his mind. Really that's about all you need to understand what he's about. He says he's chaos now. That's cute. You know what dragons do, Cole?"

Cole shakes his head.

"Good job following directions by making yourself look stupid. Looks natural on you. Dragons soar over head and bring destruction. Chaos is left in their aftermath. I'm sure you can get where I'm going with this. I'm not intimidated by Salem. Tonight isn't going to be about respect. But there is a point. Look where Salem has been, and look where I am. He vanished, left his own group high and dry. I went on to win money in the bank, and now the world heavyweight championship. Now that we've got new management, I've got a job to do, and that's go out and out work everyone else on the roster and defend my title. This match isn't for the title, but that's because they have to figure out who deserves a shot. Tonight, I get to knock Salem off that list."  

[Salem Croft]

Before Cole could reply to Drako, a sudden explosive force erupted between the men as the camera caught sight of Salem Croft bursting into view, flying in from behind Drako to club the champ in the head with a vicious forearm to the back of the head!

"Oh my!" Cole gasped, backing out of frame as he and the cameraman suddenly distanced themselves from the two wrestlers, Salem not quite dressed for work yet in a pair of worn black denim jeans and a matching hoodie, but that didn't stop him from trying to pull the stunned Drakoss shirt over his back and around his face, seeking to blind the young man while delivering a series of brutal uppercuts to his chin!

"What's that, Drako?! I couldn't hear ya!" Salem spat with a twisted look of delight as he savagely started working over the world champion while Michael Cole could be heard shouting for security.  

[Drako Damone]

Been a long time since the champion has been in a street fight situation but so he is. Dazed from the forearm, he's easier pickings as Salem pulls his shirt over his head and clocks him in the jaw. Only way out is to slide completely out of his shirt to finally get a view of his attacker  

[Salem Croft]

As Drako started backing away to get his shirt over his head, Salem twisted the cloth tightly with a taped fist before the champ got his arms free, knotting it around his wrists like a pair of makeshift handcuffs! One hand holding the man's arms down, the other grabbing Drako by his exposed throat, Salem drove the man's back into a nearby production truck as the frantic repositioning of the cameraman caught more people starting to spill into frame, forming a loose perimeter of spectators around the pair.

"Been a while, ain't it, kid?" Salem snarled with a smile, getting nose to nose with the champ as his eyes grew wide. "Miss me?!" Salem shouted the last two words, lifting the knotted shirt to pull Drako's arms up as Croft stepped into a savage knee, aimed for the soft spot of the gut while Drako was still backed to the van!  

[Drako Damone]

The knee doubles the unfortunately bound champion over, a natural reaction. Eventually he's going to get free, something he's attempting to do even as he tries to force air back into his lungs after the knee  

[Salem Croft]

Salem let go and stepped back as Drako coughed and gagged, not wanting the champ's slobber on him. Laughing at the man, Salem hunched over and put his hands on his knees, mocking him like a child as security started trying to work through the dense circle of people around them.

"What's that? Whatcha say? I can't hear you, boy!" Salem chided, holding a hand to his ear, looking down at Drako. "C'mon, CHAMP, say it like a MAN!"  

[Drako Damone]

"You hit like a b***h."

Drako looks to fire off a straight right fist to the jaw as soon as his hands are free. And why stop at one when this is a fight, so he'd keep swinging if the first lands  

[Salem Croft]

Salem felt his chin rock from the sudden swing, staggering back as Drako followed up with more fists, driving Croft into the crowd behind him. These weren't just startled spectators, though, but security guards of various shapes and sizes, seeking to drag Salem deeper into the throngs and away from Darko!

Grabbing one of Drako's thrusting fists in self defense, Croft would turn and pull Drako into them, using the champ to separate himself from the guards as Salem smirked, wild-eyed, wiping a trickle of blood from his lips.

"Yeaaaah, that's it - I LOVE IT when they fight back!" he said, spitting some blood with a smile at Drako as the guards moved to contain him.  

[Drako Damone]

Drako isn't going to let some guards keep him down. Shoving them away he gets a running start as he dives at Salem, attempting to take him down and pummel him some more  

[Salem Croft]

Salem watched, hunched over and wide-eyed like a feral animal, hungry for the hunt, for the copper taste of blood in his mouth. The aggression was like a drug, fueling "The Copperhead" and making the former Mr. Money in the Bank crave more. Thus, he was delightfully grateful as Drako came rushing him, taking the champ's tackle and eating a few punches from his back!

Michael Cole: "This is pandemonium out here! Our world champion was just arriving to the arena when Salem Croft ambushed him! But now the champ's fighting back - even as security struggles to break them up and contain this growing crowd!"

Salem's head buzzed, suddenly lightheaded as he had his skull punched down into the asphalt. But Croft smiled, blood on his teeth, turning the pain and damage into passion and nerve, gritting his teeth as he spit a mist of blood into Drako's eyes, using the gruesome distraction to seize one of his arms and wrench it into an armbar!  

[Drako Damone]

Drako was singularly focused on punching Salem's lights out. Perhaps he should have aimed lower because Salem spits blood in his eyes, blood the Soaring Dragon had drawm from him in the first place. Unfortunately this gives Salem the chance to lock him in an armbar. He might have fought out a little easier id not for being blinded first  

[Salem Croft]

Salem seized advantage of the situation, sliding out from under Drako as the champ was distracted and wrenching the trapped arm into a chicken wing as he transitioned behind him. Grabbing his hair with the other hand, Salem wrenched Drako up and shoved his chest into the nearby production van, slamming Drako against it with Croft's weight pinning him to the sliding door, twisting his wrist and forearm painfully behind his back!  

[Drako Damone]

This isn't going the champion's way at the moment butbhis vision is beginning to clear a bit as he grasps at the van. He grabs the handle and accidentally opens the door, but this doesn't help him. So instead he swings his head backwards, attempting to smash Salem's face in with a form of headbutt to get free  

[Salem Croft]

The crowd was getting unruly, some wanting to get their money's worth while others pleaded for Salem to stop. Michael Cole could be seen in the front row of the gathered audience, but even he was at a loss for words, stunned silent by the sudden, explosive aggression that had broken out here in the parking lot. Security was torn between breaking up the fight and holding those in attendance back, giving Drako time though to headbutt Salem blind!

Feeling their skills connect, Salem took a step back, letting go of Drako's hair to reach up and check his nose and teeth. His fighter's instinct, however, kept the grip on Drako's wrist, though he'd untwisted the chicken wing and allowed Drako's arm to go straight as the champ was hunched into the open door of the van!  

[Drako Damone]

Drako isn't fully free yet and that's a problem. He reaches into the van, clamoring for anything to bash Salem in the head with