"Ahhhhhhh..."

A deep, almost guttural, self-satisfied sigh fills the air as the camera fades in.

We see a familiar pair of blue eyes, staring directly at us.  The camera zooms back, revealing the smiling, sophisticated face of a man we saw on the previous Defiance TV; blond hair slicked back, teeth bared... the camera zooms a little more, revealing him to be in a black three-piece suit, his hands covered in white gloves and stacked, one over the other, on the handle of a black wooden cane with a silver tip.

"And so, at the advent of Untouchable, the pay-per-view event that promises to alter the landscape of professional wrestling as we know it, we, the Philosopher Kings, prepare to play the rather fitting role of being the first to land on the surface and begin the devastation."

He smiles.  The camera pulls farther back still, revealing the same supporting cast that flanked him on that familiar vignette.  On his right (our left) stands a monstrous masked man, towering over everyone else.  And on his left stand Troy Matthews and Saori Kazama, not at all like their usual, cheerful selves.

"Well, I would be remiss in not introducing ourselves, wouldn't I?"

The gentleman smiles.  Despite his use of a cane, he carries himself with poise, and indeed looks stronger than, say, a hardened athlete like Troy.

"I... am Edmond Villanova Fairbrook Dante; traveller, philosopher, and fighter.  I span the globe, taking in various cultures, especially their martial arts and deeper systems of thought.  I seek ideas on why we fight, and why we live, as both a philosopher and a king should."

He tilts his head and chuckles.

"Though, for the sake of simplicity in both marketing and the reactions of certain professional wrestling fanatics... you may simply call me 'Eddie Dante.'"

Dante taps his cane on the ground and takes a small bow, never losing that smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet the people who will hopefully be rallying behind us when we enter that squared circle... as well as the poor devils over whom we will run roughshod."

His eyebrows perk, while Troy claps his hands together once, all the while keeping his own gaze at the camera.

"And speaking of devils... at my side is the self-proclaimed Jersey Devil, Troy Matthews, to whom I am aware Defiance fans and wrestlers have been exposed.  After all, one doesn't easily forget a man with such bizarre hair, right?"

Dante chuckles yet again, while Troy rolls his eyes towards him and glowers.

“Relax, Troy... I kid because I care.

"You see, friends, young Troy had, shall we say... lost his way.  He had all of Defiance in the palm of his hand, only to let it slip through his fingers.  Maybe it was his susceptible knee, maybe it was a string of hard luck... but now, young Troy is here under my guidance, and the Slayer of Giants will go right back to doing what he does best."

Troy remains emotionless, and Eddie grins.

"And speaking of giants..."

The large masked man behind Eddie lets out a long, low grunt.

"This fine competitor here is Mushigihara, the Sumo Beast.  At six feet, four inches and three hundred seventeen pounds, this Goliath of mine first made his mark in the traditional dohyos of Japan’s sumo circuit.  His mask hides his face, his past, and his soul... so that he may continue marching forward in a different ring, alongside Troy and myself.”

Mushigihara leans in, towards the lens.  Not that we can see his face, but he looks poised for battle himself.

“As I’m sure most of you are aware, sumo is heavily dependent on the size of its competitors, many of whom weigh in at over five hundred pounds.  Of course, while this makes them strong and powerful, it leaves much to be desired in areas of stamina and agility.  Mushi, on the other hand, was never anywhere NEAR five hundred pounds, but he was quite a hefty fellow... and when he left sumo for good, he got to work on reducing his bulk and improving his cardiovascular conditioning, while minimizing any compromise to his power.”

Eddie Dante grins, and lifts his cane, pointing at Mushigihara’s torso.

“He’s a little leaner, but much meaner.  He can let loose a burst of offense more often than he ever could as a ranked maegashira... and now, one minute in the squared circle against Mushigihara is like five or six bouts inside the dohyo.  You think those guys fight hard?  Wait until you feast your eyes on this mammoth.”

Eddie nods his head.

“We are the Philosopher Kings, lads; a group of warriors who aspire to rule Defiance Wrestling... not with fear and violence, but with skill, determination, and knowledge.  The trio known as the Blood Diamonds are but step one of our quest... step two will be the Southern Heritage Championship around one of our waists, and then?”

Dante grins, lowering his cane.

“Well, you’ll just need to see, won’t you?”

With a tip of his invisible hate, we fade to black.

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