Shadowbreakers

*"It's already over. You just don't realise it yet."*

The **ShadowBreakers** are an MNR/TPW tag team consisting of Zayne Kelley and Firiten Duskrunner. As one of the initial sixteen tag teams which formed the promotion's Duo Division, their debut was during the Saved State Premiere.

## Career

Cementing themselves as the second-best men's tag team by the end of MNR/TPW's first episode, the ShadowBreakers didn't have an easy route to the finals of the Men's Tag Tournament.

Being drawn in to the final match of the first round, their debut outing as a duo was against The Red Mages. Although the pyromancer had started out his MNR/TPW journey strangely cold, Falarion Silverwind was in the midst of a hot streak. Spotting the relative weak link within minutes, Zayne busted Varyss wide open with a *Demon Spike* but, to his surprise, it wasn't enough.

Taking over, Falarion turned things around by hitting Zayne with a *Magic Bullet*, before the two magic-users combined their abilities to show off the *Magic Convergence*. Despite being heavily bloodied, Varyss continued fighting, throwing everything he had at Zayne. But it was Firiten who had the final say in the matter, preying on the weakened Varyss with a *Roll The Bones* before setting him up for the *S-3* to take the win.

With the semi-finals drawing them up against the Canticle Of Thorns, they went from plucky newcomers to being the last hope of denying an all-*Monday Night Raid* final to decide the inaugural holders of the tag team titles. Taking advantage of their opponents' tactical choice to switch out Noctaemis for  Ramus, they quickly outclassed the Sylvari in terms of agility.

Despite Ramus managing to hit Firiten with an inverted spinning neckbreaker while tangling the one-eyed rogue in the ropes, he wasn't able to stop his opponent making the tag with Zayne. And, after Firion allowed his rage to overcome him, clotheslining Ramus after the *Painless Thorn* was too slow to help with a pin break for the *Baron of Damnation'*s liking, Zayne knew he'd already won. After enduring a *Death Spike* in order to widen an opening, a *Wisecracker* in response was enough to secure the win.

The finals, however, was where the problems they ran into became insurmountable. The Ebon Blades, being former 2v2 champions in their previous promotion, were no strangers to fighting for belts and, with much more experience than their opponents, Zayne and Firiten had a fight on their hands.

Despite their hard-hitting agility, it seemed that the Death Knights had an answer for everything. For every *Demon Spike*, there was a *Rockstar Kick*. For every *Roll The Bones*, there was a *Death Pact*. Even hitting  Melo with an *S-3* wasn't enough to break the deadlock between them. Defiant as they were, the rogues were still mortal and, after a *Black Judgement* from Feonyr, Firiten could withstand no more.

However, Zayne and Firiten wouldn't have to wait long for revenge. Demanding a rematch out of the champions, the  Ebon Blades were all too happy to give them one, hoping to notch their first title defence in Episode 003. Now having a feel for how the Death Knights fought, the pair were able to amend their tactics accordingly.

Even when Firiten was momentarily knocked down from the ring, Zayne was able to resist Melo's onslaught alone. However, their more even matchup wasn't free of problems. Stepping in, seemingly in protest at how the recently defeated ShadowBreakers had somehow finagled their way to the front of their proverbial line, Rhaeadra triggered another  revision instability, forcing the match to be restarted at the beginning of Epsiode 004 in order to find a winner.

Undeterred by the longevity of the match, Rhaeadra's meddling or their opponents, they fought on. And, even after Firiten endured a *Dead Rock Ending* forty-five minutes in, he kept going. Managing to draw blood from a pair of Death Knights on course to their eventual victory, Zayne all but drove Feonyr's lower jaw through his nose with a *Wisecracker*, Firiten tackling the Rockstar to the mat to prevent the pin being broken.

The next episode, the newly-crowned champions went on a victory lap, letting the rush of victory get to their heads by taking on one of the strongest solo competitors from *Monday Night Raid*, Tharg Axebinder. The orc's reputation more than preceded him, more than happy to give as good as he got from the pair of them. Almost managing to secure a win by count-out, Zayne proved to be too slippery for the comparatively colossal orc to pin down. It took almost twenty-five minutes for the champions to finally grind down the battle-hardened warrior but, after one last *Death From Above* from Firiten, the orc's body finally gave out and yielded to the inevitable.