3094/WMAT Exhibition: Dracula Vlad Tepes vs. Walter Bernhard

WMAT Exhibition: Dracula Vlad Tepes vs. Walter Bernhard
Date of Scene:	25 September 2015
Location:	Papaya Island - Stadium
Synopsis:	Dracula Vlad Tepes and Walter Bernhard collide in a WMAT exhibition of dark powers.
Cast of Characters:	83, 596, 726
Tinyplot:	WMAT 2015

---

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    It's a sunny day in the stadium. The weather is warm thanks to Papaya Island's position relative to the equator, the stands are likely to be packed, and overall the feel of this big Exhibition Match is one of excitement and cheer. And also perhaps a little bit of dread. The Field Marshal of the Confederacy, THE Dracula Vlad Tepes, versus another Vampire Lord... Though one perhaps not as familiar except to those Confederate Elites who were at a certain War Council with the Field Marshal, a few months ago.

    Two powerful vampires fighting it out, here, in broad daylight. It may seem a bit unusual even by Multiversal standards. But then a certain Stone arrives, along with the owner it has chosen of its own will to receive its full power.

    And suddenly the sky is gobbled up in darkness almost literally as though some vast unseen monster had swallowed the sun. The stadium goes black.

    After a few minutes of potential panic, as sources of emergency light are prepared by the tournament organizers, a pale glow begins to illuminate things. Ghosts carrying lanterns and knives fade into existence all over, bathing the tournament grounds in a sickly-hue not unlike moon light. The warmth in the air gradually and swiftly drops. There is a column of gray light that appears, like a spotlight, upon the fighting floor. And a stream of bats descends from the darkness above, chittering and shrieking, merging together into a shadowed figure, whose full appearance remains unseen.

    The column of light vanishes when the new arrival finishes doing so, leaving the ring in darkness once more. Darkness except for a pair of glowing yellow eyes, baleful and hungry, and the aura of evil power that whirls around the owner of those eyes.

    The darkness in the sky diminishes somewhat to allow better vision for the audience, both here and at home, and the ring as well becomes more visible. But the intent is clear: All attention should be focused on the ring, where Walter Bernhard now visibly stands within the square platform at the center of the stadium, in cape and armor, awaiting his opponent.

    The foe he hungers to face with a bloodlust that has not abated one whit over the centuries.

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    For once, it isn't Dracula himself casting a pitch-black night over the once blue sky. It's a strange feeling.

    But the Lord of Darkness isn't cowed by it. It's been a long, long time since Dracula last encountered Walter Bernhard, the one who 'granted' him his current powers when he was little more than a particularly genius mortal.

    What a perfect time to see how well he's improved since then.

    The sun and sky are blotted out, but so too is the ground soon consumed in a rolling black fog. It literally seems to crawl along the earth, fog reaching out in grasping hands to pull the whole mass forward as it all rolls and looms like a bizarre demon. The foreboding power of Walter's presence seems almost doubled as that fog clambers up onto the arena. No doubt that even the most insensitive being would be able to feel the heavy weight of looming evil that two such entities in the same place creates.

    The fog climbs higher, focusing on a single place that grows and grows. All at once, it all swirls away as Dracula's arm sweeps through it to the side, casting his bloody cape out behind him. His moonlight visage leers across the arena at Walter, a dragon's stare that most would cower under. Of course, it would take more than that to make someone like Bernhard falter.

    "Walter Bernhard," Dracula greets, smirking slightly as his arm falls back to his side. Fangs glint slightly in the light cast over the arena. "What a pleasure to meet you in person, at last! I must thank you for your generous invitation."

Zwei (596) has posed:
For obvious reasons, it's Weiss sitting in the commentator's booth today. Asche's voice is less . . . pleasantly entertaining to listen to, and the Armiger doesn't really fit besides. Instead it's his tactical recon drones that are posted around the arena to get full, simultaneous coverage to accurately report on, without simply relying on the stadium cameras to catch everything.

    "Wow! Already with the flashy entrances! I admit, and I probably speak for quite a few viewers when I say this, I was really wondering how a pair of vampires were going to duke it out in the middle of broad daylight, but Walter seems to have that problem well in hand! We just dropped to twelve thousand lux and five degrees centigrade in the space of a minute, so there's already some pretty hefty magic going on here, not even saying anything about all those ghosts! Dracula isn't about to be outdone though, but I have no idea what that fog even /is/! Is it alive? Your guess is as good as mine! The two of them are getting a good look at each other, but it seems to me like they aren't exactly unfamiliar."

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    Walter smiles as he sees and feels the approach of his opponent. The power of one just a strong as he, himself. It is the first time in so very long he has even considered the possibility of another being his equal. The veneer of human appearance, the mockery of life that is a vampire, is hard to keep up when two beings of such corrupt power are together. Walter's shield of darkness protects him. It is he who carries the Ebony Stone, after all. No amount of power can overwhelm that defense that has rendered him essentially invulnerable for so long, now can it?

    Walter doesn't believe so. But even if he were proven wrong... This looks to be a fight that he will enjoy. When Dracula makes his appearance, finally, Walter bows, his long red hair draping somewhat as he folds one arm over his black and red chest plate, the other behind his back. "Likewise, I have heard much about you, Dracula Vlad Tepes. Very intriguing tales of your power, and formidability as a ruler. Long have I wished to make your acquaintance. I would have asked you to my castle instead, but unlike other visitors, I likely could not BEAR to wait as you are forced through obstacles to reach me..."

    Boredom is the great curse of the immortal vampire. The things that grant entertainment become fewer and fewer. The value of things bleeds out of them as surely as the throat of a vampire's meal. This is something that Dracula should understand. That a century can seem to pass in an eye-blink, as days and months and years and decades all run together in a crimson slurry. Each night is like any other, each new deviancy holding amusement value only for a relatively brief time before it decays like everything else. Everything except the eternal ones.

    But a fight between vampires, rare enough as it is, let alone EQUALS in power, is an excitement that Walter has never before experienced. So though he retains some degree of caution, his confidence in his defense and his eagerness to taste of this new dark ambrosia, combine to perhaps make him a bit bolder than would be tactically sound under other circumstances.

    His hand behind his back opens, and a sphere of black and crimson flame arises from his palm, hovering in the air, tendrils hungrily reaching out in all directions already. Walter's head remains lowered, but he is showing no subservience in his bow.

    As Weiss begins to announce the action, the sound travelling even further in this artificial night than it would during the day, Walter likewise chooses to speak. "...Shall we begin?" he asks in his rich baritone, layered in a pleasantness and aristocracy that does not at all mesh with the monstrous presence he exudes.

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    "Well, I certainly feel honored that you would be so /anxious/ to meet me," Dracula replies, gesturing aside with a light sweep of his hand. "I hope such tales have not proven to water down any details; I would hate to have you taken off-guard."

    A dark wind sends the Vampire Lord's cloak billowing behind him, almost flapping gently. Dracula's smirk is not one of mockery, not with the way those fangs shine in the night; an apex predator has been challenged by another, and more than anything, this is intensely /amusing/. Dracula may flaunt and bluster, but the anticipation of such a battle is a burning thrill in his blackened heart.

    "Yes. Let's."

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic0xP7iTMuU

    The vampire's cloak suddenly lashes up behind him, splitting in half and growing into two great spiked wings. A powerful gust of wind is send across the arena as those demonic wings beat at once, but alongside it comes a roiling gout of hellfire. Darkness and flame lash out in a draconic shape, snapping at Walter as if trying to feast on his flesh.

    "Unfortunate that you haven't made quite so public an appearance yet," Dracula calls from where he still stands. "I know so little of what to expect from you! Awfully unfair, don't you think?"

Zwei (596) has posed:
"You know, this reminds me a lot less of two martial artists squaring off and a lot more of a pair of alpha tigers ready to go. It's not the usual kind of atmosphere you see from these fights! Both of these combatants seem very much unaccustomed to defeat! They're being pretty courteous for this kind of thing, but Dracula seems have been invited to strike the first blow! He barely even has to move to launch an attack clear across the entire arena! A casual theatrical cape maneuver and Walter is already neck deep in some hellish flames! If I were physically capable of feeling fear I'd be pretty intimidated by that just now!"

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    Walter suffers pain. Pain! For the first time in centuries! Since he came into possession of the Ebony Stone! His shield of darkness barely blunts the flames at all as they rush to consume him! It's startling indeed. But the shield itself remains intact. Just... Not functioning as it should. Is it because of his opponent? Is the darkness that surrounds him not able to cope with one who wields a similar power? Though... There's something about this power... That seems familiar somehow.

    Reeling back from this comparatively minor blow due to the sheer psychological shock of being HARMED of all things, Walter raises a gauntled hand to shield his yellow eyes and gathers himself. And then he too levitates up into the air to join the other Vampire Lord. He retorts as he brings that sphere of crimson and ebony flames around to the for, "If we knew all there was to know of each other, where would be the fun in that?" The sphere is launched upwards at Dracula, detonating after a time even if it does not strike directly.

    "And invitations have been granted to your Confederacy to Castle Bernhard in Eternal Night more than once. The two most recent were Lezard Valeth and Xiao Li Yu. They might have learned more of me had they accepted! A refusal of my hospitality is hardly MY fault now is it?" Well his general response to someone not wanting to come to his castle is to kidnap a loved one, so it's not as though he takes 'no' for an answer. Maybe that's why no one wants to come to his castle. That and the monsters. And the traps. And the fact he's a vampire.

    There are many reasons not to visit Bernhard Castle.

Zwei (596) has posed:
"Huh, it looks like Walter wasn't expecting that to work at /all/. Did he just underestimate Dracula's power, or did he have some kind of preparation up his sleeve that didn't work out? I'm willing to bet on the latter for now, but either way, he's come out of that one not /quite/ unscathed. I'll spare you the fighting fire with fire joke, because Walter is reciprocating with an attack that looks /eerily/ familiar. Is there more than a casual, coincidental link between these two? Anticipation abounds! He seems to have gone for a more practical proximity strike, detonating within a trigger distance of Dracula, no doubt anticipating a pretty wide margin of speed with that size! probably a smart move! Vampires aren't exactly known for being slow, and these two are both prodigial examples of the template!"

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    The crackling sphere flies at Dracula, and in response, his body abruptly dissolves in a mass of chittering, shrieking bats. Not quite in time, however: more than a few are consumed by the flames, sent burning and fluttering down to the arena floor in agony as the rest of the swarm slithers off to Walter's side. They're quick to manifest back to Dracula himself, where the vampire lord's wings flatten back into that billowing, bloody cape.

    "A refusal of hospitality? How unfortunate, though I believe, from what I've heard, your greetings to your guests are rather more violent than most."

    Another whip of that hand, clawed fingertips curling in an almost graceful gesture. Paired with that motion is the sudden appearance of a purple pentagram of light just above Dracula, from which blasts a swirling beam of purple, chaotic energy lancing straight at Walter's chest.

    "Though, I must say, I appreciate how you choose to greet your guests," Dracula continues, strangely conversational despite the ongoing battle. "I find it to be a grand way to entertain oneself in the passing nights, seeing how many muster the strength to reach me /personally/. I almost wonder if /you/ might!"

Zwei (596) has posed:
"The kind of banter going back and forth here suggests that these two haven't even begun to get serious, but I'm pretty sure most people would be dead by now. That's some serious hype fuel right there! Walter appears to have been right on the money here, because Dracula rolled with that one pretty gracefully with a classic dissolving maneuver, restricting the damage to six point four percent of his total target profile by scattering his component bats! I have /no/ idea how that works, if the bats are really alive or just magic that looks like bats, or how it feels to have some of them burned up, but he seems like he's done this quite a few times before! He's probably guessed that magical fire isn't especially effective against someone who can call on their own, so he's moved to more formalized magic, involving some highly unstable, focused energy projection. It looks deceptively simple, but that's him just making it seem easy. That'd normally take most mages a pretty signifcant casting time, but he's using it in close combat like it's nothing!"

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    Further injuries! Fighting someone with such similar abilities is truly troublesome! This time Walter is better prepared for the experience of pain, and while the energy beam scores a blistering, white-hot scar across his breast plate that no doubt results in molten metal leaking onto the flesh beneath, Walter floats backwards out of range as he too makes a gesture with two clawed fingertips. The ground beneath Dracula glows. His only warning as Walter hisses out, "Perhaps we should compare ideas some time. I am always interested in that which provides entertainment." Then a pillar of shrieking white-and-black souls erupts from the tiled floor. If Dracula has not moved out of the way, he may be struck by it.

    "Making my way to you myself might be entertaining... But perhaps more so would be to choose pawns to do it on our behalf. That extra element of uncertainty could make the game even more exciting. To see if we have chosen correctly in our challenger. I have at least one who might be quite willing to engage in such a game..." Thoughts drift briefly to a certain pale-haired vampire fledgling who has only recently been permitted to leave his prison. But focus soon returns to the battle at hand.

Zwei (596) has posed:
"It really does seem like Walter is totally unused to being hit! Is it something about his opponent also being a vampire lord that makes his defenses less effective? Either way, he seems to be much more prepared this time, though that breastplate will be resting in peace right now. I don't think it'll survive another hit like that, and I'm well informed that molten metal burns hurt a /lot/! He's picking up speed on his feet though, acclimating a little to Dracula's rapid, aggressive pace, countering quickly with a vertical pillar attack of a nature I can't entirely ascertain. This is all pretty esoteric magic. Mortal mages don't often dig this stuff up, so consider it a rare treat! Attacking from right under your opponent's feet is usually a good way to score a quick, effective hit, but it rarely works a second time!"

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    Dracula is prepared for an attack...just not from below. The roiling pillar of undead coming from beneath him shocks him just a bit too late to evade it completely, and with a sharp hiss, he falters back in the air, taking a moment to recover from the pain of that attack. Such things he's been very much used to from Death, but it's been some time since he was bored enough to challenge the god to a duel.

    "Well, your skills /are/ impressive." The Vampire Lord sounds more amused than frustrated - it seems Walter's just as strong as he remembered the former lord being. "I must wonder, though, just how capable your followers must be; surely they would be impressive enough on their own, following someone such as yourself."

    Dracula's hand swishes his cape aside once more, and as the bloody interior is exposed, yet more flames burst forth in raging fireballs for Walter. This time, however, it's more than one, and not all simply aimed right for his opponent: attempting to anticipate Walter's next moves, Dracula tries to aim his following shots for where he expects the other vampire to evade.

Zwei (596) has posed:
"There we go! Textbook surprise attack! Right above and below is outside of where people tend to naturally look, so it's not entirely unexpected that it'd catch even a vampire lord off guard! Unfortunately, it looks like Dracula isn't an opponent you can put out of a fight with any single attack, at least without a /lot/ of preparation, so Walter may only have a temporary lead. Dracula isn't put off for long though! It looks like he's a veteran of battle injuries here, as you might expect a Field Marshal to be, so there's hardly time to breathe before he's swinging the pendulum back in his favour! Don't be fooled; that's not a random scattering of fireballs. Plotting the trajectory, he's carefully aimed those all at the same time to cut off potential routes of escape! In this kind of situation, steady nerves will help more than sharp reflexes, because the density isn't especially high, giving Walter a decent margin to weave if he can stay focused."

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    The spread of fireballs from Dracula is not-quite-avoided, the flames scorching at cloak and armor. With very little exposed skin, much of the damage is soaked by that, and the cloud of red-hued darkness that surrounds Walter. But if he had been less quick on his--Well, less quick in the air, or his eyes less sharp for the course the fireballs took, that could have been quite painful, shield or no.

    Rather than either brag or disparage his followers, Walter simply says, "I imagine them to be as serviceable as your own." Then he raises one claw-glaved hand, braces his forearm with the other, and lets out, "HAH! HAH! HAH!" as three of those exploding fireballs are launched from his palm, one each in a different direction. The initial impact of one may be harmful, but it's when they all explode that the real damage may be dealt.

    "It feels uncouth to use the same tactic that you just did," Walter admits afterwards. "But it appears there is much in our powers that are surprisingly SIMILAR." There is slight suspicion in Walter's voice, the casual banter aside. He doesn't know how this is, but he feels that SOMETHING is wrong here. This vampire fights too much like Walter himself. What is going on exactly?

Zwei (596) has posed:
"Oh, it looks like Walter knows this strategy, and its weakpoints! Barely a scratch on him, even from that level of coordination and aim! Impressive! And it becomes immediately apparent why too! He has his own version of the same attack! Trading volume of fire for that explosive power to fill in the gaps is a bit of a twist, but using the same tactics as your opponent gives you an intimate understanding of what they can do and how it works! My hypothesis is continually being reinforced here! These two have more common ground than it appears~"

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    "Yes-" Dracula's response is quickly silenced as he's forced to deal with the oncoming fireballs. It's something he knows how to handle, though: his hands come forward, manifesting sudden pentagrams of energy that serve as energy shields, absorbing the brunt of those fireballs one at a time. Unfortunately, as small as they are, they're also not perfect, with the explosions of more than a few lashing at him around the barriers. Better than suffering the full hits, at least.

    The Lord of Darkness takes a moment to dust off his sleeves after that, brushing away some soot and burning before he looks across the arena. That smugness still hasn't left him. "...as I was saying. I do believe there are some similarities between us, but is that not natural for much of our kind? Both with such great power, as well; is it not inevitable that we would match in some skills?"

    Is that smirk slightly mocking now?

    It doesn't seem like Dracula wants to let Walter think about that for too long, though, because with a sharp shout, his hands thrust forward and blast a single, giant orb of chaotic energy toward him. Like a black sun wreathed in a scarlet corona, that chaos rushes at Walter with intent to burst right in front of him. Raw, chaotic power, the very base and essence of Dracula's own nature.

    Behind the cover of that assault, Dracula swoops down to land on the arena floor, changing the elevation of the battle once more. Perhaps, even, in his favor.

Zwei (596) has posed:
That logic seems to go in reverse though! You can't really dodge between overlapping blasts, so Dracula counters the offensive with point defense barriers, soaking up the detonations before they can reach them. Classic moves, but these are refined fighters! It seems they're done feeling each other out though, because Dracula is severely stepping it up! It's a straightforward projectile but the sheer power is several magnitudes above what either of the vampires have been using so far, and barely even bothering to hold itself together! It seems he has something strategic in mind too, because the sheer size actually hides him from view, letting him maneuver tactically under cover, taking a position from underneath to reverse the altitude dynamic!

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    Indeed, Walter considers the words spoken, the manner that they are spoken in, the nuances of his opponent's body language and facial expression. His yellow eyes narrow, but not entirely in anger. He is practiced at word games and mind games, as much as he is with all manner of other pass-times and diversions. But he isn't given a lot of time to think, before that massive attack comes flying in and explode in the same manner that Walter's fireballs have been thus far. The explosion of chaotic energies conceals not only Dracula's relocation tactic, but also the location of Walter himself.

    As that devastating blow tears at the other Vampire Lord's body, a pillar of light might be missed within the storm of madness and death.

    A pillar of light and accompanying stream of bats that attempts to come down right on top of Dracula, swarm him, and tear at him with many hungry mouths, with the intent of leaving bleeding wounds that may linger with the unholiness-altered saliva of vampire bats. An anti-coagulant meant to wound even fellow monsters. And with vampires finding blood to be a precious commodity... Well!

    Needless to say, the bats have no verbal response to Dracula at this point in time.

Zwei (596) has posed:
Zwei says, "Ooh! That looks like it /hurt/! I can't speak for the effectiveness of dark magic on other unholy-aligned entities, but even with matching affinities that looked dangerous! This time it's Walter's turn to break out of it, resorting to the bat swarm to clear ground zero or risk being roasted alive! It looks like he has more plans than just escape though! You wouldn't think being savaged by a swarm of bats would be all that dangerous to a vampire, but those things are designed to bleed a lot, and for a vampire, blood is both power and a resource! Even Dracula shouldn't be able to afford hemorrhaging fuel for his powers for the rest of the fight, so we'll have to see if he can crush his opponent first before it becomes a serious issue! It's a tactical move on Walter's part, forcing his opponent to work under pressure rather than countering him at his leisure.""

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    Clever. Internally, Dracula's feeling rather pleased that Walter has enough tactical mindset to keep up with his own raw strength; if it were only sheer power that Dracula were fighting against, why would he be here, instead of fighting some incredibly strong brute? No, this is something much more than that. This is someone similar to him, someone with terrifying power and a mind sharper than any blade.

    This is something worthy of his time.

    Bats rip and tear at Dracula, and while he brings his cloak around himself as a shield, it's not perfect. Fangs sink through cloth into skin, biting and tearing and feasting on the dark blood of the Vampire Lord. Normally no beast would be so bold as to risk even a nip at the Lord of Darkness, but these are not ordinary beasts.

    But they can be dealt with similarly enough.

    With a tremendous, draconic roar, Dracula's arms suddenly thrust out to his sides, casting his cape out around him as if lifted in a swirling wind. A tornado does, in fact, flare up around him, but not one of air: instead, it's a swirling tempest of hellfire, consuming the area around him and sweeping up into the sky like an infernal serpent bent on reaching the moon itself.

Zwei (596) has posed:
"Phew! There we go! That's looking closer to a vampire lord's full power! Fireballs don't have anything on that category five whirlwind of incineration! Even I'd be hesitant to be standing next to that! An omnidirectional attack is the obviously most effective counter against a flanking swarm, potentially capable of burning Walter out of the fight in one go! But exercising that much power at once might actually be a little too much if the blast wave throws the bats out of the real furnace! It's not an easy game to play! Both of these fighters have an unbelievable level of raw power, but just slugging away at each other won't get them anywhere! He'll have a few more chances yet though. He's pretty tough."

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    The bats, and the mind attached to them, seems to almost sense what's coming just a moment in advance. Too late to avoid all harm, but though they are scattered by the cyclone of infernal flame, the form they reassemble into seems to smolder rather than be charred. The damage from the sphere of chaos energy is still in effect, however. More than just Walter's hair is ruffled. Walter wipes the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand as he observes from a distance. Dracula's blood. He looks down upon the traces there and then extends his tongue to lick up THAT blood too.

    This flavor... Not only is it rich in power, but... There's something more than familiar than just another powerful vampie... A mystery to be solved, surely. But Walter wants to leave it unsolved for now. It will be another source of entertainment. To see if he can find the answer without having to ask. To figure it out on his own, to investigate... And that will likely mean remaining close enough to this other Vampire Lord to have the opportunity.

    Already, the novelty of feeling pain again is fading for him as he suffers more and more harm from this deadly foe. Just as Dracula is starting to unleash more of his power, it is time that Walter do the same. He raises his claw-tipped hands in front of his face and then thrusts them out to his sides, with a bestial shout as he grins widely, baring his fangs, his eyes glowing red within an aura of black and crimson. "RAAAAH!"

    The aura expands, tendrils of darkness lashing outwards to slice through tiles, a much lower-to-the-ground whirlwind than Dracula's, more spread out, but with that much greater range. Still, as Walter builds his power, the damage may be less than if it were a concentrated blow... If Dracula is even harmed by it. They have both demonstrated that they are capable of evading, countering, and toughing out harm from the other.

    Walter, despite his injuries, is having more fun than he has had in hundreds of years. He is fine without delivering a decisive strike yet.

    Because it's not time to end this game!

Zwei (596) has posed:
"Oh? Did Walter gain power from that? Isn't that what they called diablerie? Then again, I doubt it matters to these two! THey can pretty much just take what they want! In any case, Walter steps up to the new standard Dracula is setting, not to be outdone by such a display of power! Rather than attempting to blast him with raw, overwhelming force though, he seems to be working up to something, beleaguering him with an onslaught of wide reaching attacks to keep him occupied and pushes onto his toes. Any one of those slashing ribbons of darkness could prove to be a greivous injury, but it doesn't /look/ like he's going for a killing blow just yet. Let's see what he has up his sleeve! And let's see what Dracula has to say about it!"

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    The whirl of flame soon dissipates along with the wind, allowing Dracula to settle on the arena floor as he watches Walter manifest again. His fingers flex, curling like claws at his sides. His breath comes heavily, almost panting like a feral wolf teased by the taste of blood.

    Formal regality is fading as the dragon's primal fire roils closer to the surface.

    Darkness explodes through the arena toward Dracula, and his cloak once more comes around as a shield. Despite being cloth, it's strangely sturdy, buffeting Dracula beneath its cover while also refusing to rip at all. Is the cloak actually the dragon's wings in disguise, or does it simply take that form when he chooses?

    A sharp burst of raw kinetic energy suddenly blasts out from Dracula, knocking away further assaults from those tendrils. A deep roar rises from his throat, too, as his clawed hand reaches up toward the sky.

    Crimson lightning cracks through the air. A strange iron scent seeps through the wind, one that Dracula and Walter would be very familiar with.

    It starts to rain down on the arena, but not with any kind of cleansing water. Droplets of blood moving as fast as bullets, filled with flesh-eating corruption rain down on the arena, crashing into the tiles and down on top of Walter. Indeed, there's only one spot on the arena that /isn't/ being assaulted with that hellish rain: right around Dracula himself!

Zwei (596) has posed:
"I don't think Walter is quite being serious enough here! With Dracula under pressure from that much bleeding, he really doesn't have the luxury of taking his time to build up a decisive checkmate as the Lord of Darkness steadily comes closer to flat-out-all-out! If he keeps up the planning too long, it'll collapse under a rapidly escalating assault! Rather than attempting to dance around all those tendrils looking for a safe spot, Dracula stands firm and resolute, weathering the storm behind that supernatural cape as he regains his power, and explodes from the defensive posture with another high level spell! It is literally raining blood right now! I don't know how, but I guess demonic magic doesn't really have to explain itself! This isn't a gentle downpour either! We're talking near supersonic sleet! The water content in blood means that those should hit like hard objects, but the real kicker seems to be some kind of corrosive effect! It's looking bad for Walter at this point! There's no real safe spot in this storm, so now /he's/ under a time limit too! A bold move that could easily prove decisive!"

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    Bloody bullets rain down from the blackened heavens, not only piercing Walter's flesh, but also devouring it from the inside out. To say that it hurts is an understatement. It's like holes have been drilled into him all over and then they've been filled with acid. This is no blood that Walter will be drinking, that much is certain. Letting out a roar of pain, and anger, that dissolves into LAUGHTER of all things, the Vampire Lord is engulfed in bloody flames as he boosts his speed for a moment to lunge forth at Dracula to simply strike him with an armored fist!

    As his blood lust grows, his age-slackened battle instincts awaken more and more. Walter drives himself to levels he has quite simply never HAD to use before, because he has never faced an opponent who is his equal. "This is the battle I have waited for all these long years!" He roars out, speeding past and through his first strike attempt, and then turning to blaze back the other direction for another crimson-flamed charged! "As mortal life times fell and were lost like this acid rain!" He turns a second time and slashes with one strike of clawed hands, and then another! "This is the foe I wish to face! This is the power I wish to test!"

    Maybe part of this increased ferocity is the smell of blood all around. Unconsumable though it may be, it is a scent that, in sufficient quantity, would make just about ANY vampire more feral!

Zwei (596) has posed:
"Here we go! Walter's really into it! It looks like he's recognized a worthy foe at last! After that impressive duel of magic against magic, the fight has gone straight to body blows! Now we can see the supernatural physical prowess of a vampire on display as well as their magical strength! I'm engaging the slow motion relay right now for those in the audience with normal eyes! It's a /ferocious/ fighting technique to be sure! Meant more to rip the flesh off someone's bones than deliver technical strikes! Of course, it's not like you're going to grapple and pressure point a vampire, so causing as much gross physical harm as possible is likely the ideal solution!"

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    Brutal strikes and burning blows fly at Dracula, and he uses an equally raw method to deal with them: his own hands. While he may not have gauntlets, Dracula's raw strength isn't to be underestimated. He certainly suffers some injury, but his reflexes allow him to meet Walter's blow with a powerful defense. Again and again he counters those furious strikes, his own body straining, but enduring.

    And behind that, his vicious grin seems only to match Walter's own fury.

    "Test it as you wish - soon, you will no longer have the strength to stand!" Dracula's laugh echoes through the arena, malicious and powerful. He winces slightly, but he hardly falters - refuses to, even. "Until then, come: show me your strength, show me what power you hold! We shall see how long it endures!"

    Another sudden blast of kinetic force flares out from Dracula, but only enough to stagger Walter and get some breathing room. Dracula will need it, for as strong as he may be, his greatest strength is in his magic. With another forceful shout, his hand thrusts forward, summoning a trio of purple energy balls in front of him. All at once, they hover forward, then simultaneously detonate around Walter in what becomes a single grand demolition!

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    The devastating attack of three powerful fireballs at close range from Dracula can not be adequately avoided despite Walter's attempt to fly backwards. It sears Walter's flesh, sends his long red hair whipping upwards and around from the force, and he clenches his fanged teeth together to brace against the pain! The pre-emptive declaration of victory offends Walter's sensibilities. Surely, this is an interesting, intelligent, powerful foe. But strong enough to think he is Walter's superior?

    Scoff!

    But Walter's shield continues to fail to protect him against harm, and he feels it is time to draw upon more of his power. His eyes glow red constantly now, and he gathers crimson flames about one hand, simply trying to lunge force and BACKHAND Dracula of all things! The lashing out of his hand is no mere slap, but it is meant to correct an arrogance that Walter reserves solely for himself!

    "Do not be so certain of yourself, Tepes! My true power has yet to be displayed! You may recant your bold claim when you have seen it!"

    And all the while that acid blood rain of Dracula's continues to burn away inside, even as the cloud of darkness and vampiric regeneration attempt to smother the insidious corruption, so much like Walter's own.

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    That strike is something Dracula is prepared for. His arm comes up, muscles tightening beneath his clothes to weather the sharp impact of that deceptively powerful attack. Fire lashes at his clothes and the skin beneath, but he manages to keep himself from being slammed by Walter's offended force.

    And he's still just /smirking/, fangs glinting like the sharpened canines of a dragon ready to prove its superiority. "True power? Don't tell me you've been holding /back/, Bernhard! Come now, show me what that /true power/ is!"

    A hard shove of his arm sends Walter's hand aside, and with another rush of dark wind, Dracula floats up and back off the arena floor. His cloak, however, doesn't stop billowing around him, especially when his hands lift to the sky and a raging, unstable power starts to build from him.

    "Here," the Lord of Darkness shouts over the raging storm that begins to from in his hands, "allow me to show you first!"

    The attack is much like that chaotic orb from before, but increased a hundredfold. Something like a black sun starts to manifest above Dracula, roiling and crackling with violet coronas and crimson lightning. Its form barely seems contained: raw chaos that would tear apart any other living thing who tried to handle it, unbridled calamity barely crunched down into something restrained. That chaos only grows and grows, sending howling wind and crackling lightning through the air as the dark, chaotic sun builds above Dracula.

    "DEMONIC MEGIDDO!"

    The Dark Lord's hands thrust forward, and that giant mass careens toward Walter, hurtling down to the arena. Unstoppable and uncontained, it rages furiously until it touches down...and abruptly shrinks into little more than a pinpoint.

    A split second calm before that tiny point suddenly explodes into a dome of released chaos that consumes the arena itself. The audience and commentator, at least, are kept a distance away from its edge, but only barely: the poor spectators will no doubt still be buffeted by powerful winds and particles of debris knocked around by the raging storm of darkness and hellfire that's consumed the arena, the dome ringed by a circle of blazing purple flame.

    The arena is certainly going to need some reconstruction after this is through.

Zwei (596) has posed:
"Incredibly, Dracula appears to be more or less keeping up with it blow for blow! He's clearly not quite as dedicated to hand to hand fighting, being forced to absorb some of the damage from those brutal swipes and jabs rather than deflecting it, but his raw strength proves to be enough to withstand that furious barrage without losing use of his arms! It seems he doesn't want to be caught up in a close quarters fight for long though, because he's employed a simpler spell to throw Walter back and give him some breathing room, which he's using to triple his earlier magic attack and drown him out in explosive magical energy! The playful attitude is gone as these two go at each other like snarling wolves, baring their fangs at each other's throats! Literally even! Walter won't be deterred by the multiple consecutive and simultaneous magic attacks Dracula is drowning him in however, skipping through hat unholy rain to rejoin the melee with the backhand of the century!"

Zwei (596) has posed:
"Ohhh boy! Here we go! Dracula has clearly had /enough/! The two of them clearly don't have the time to keep doing this, and so they're moving on to going for their last few moves before a checkmate! Decisive, crushing blows that have a real chance of demolishing a weakened vampire! This one doesn't need much description! He's demonstrated this violently unstable form of magic before, but nowhere near this scale! There's nowhere for Walter to run when this puppy explodes, engulfing almost the entire arena! The attenuation will fall off away from the focal point, but there's no way he's getting out of this one unscathed! How will he answer this challenge?!"

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    The enormous explosion seems to catch Walter completely by surprise. Despite the dramatic lead-up, the rise into the air, the gathering of such enormous power, how clearly telegraphed the attack is... There seems to be no preparation to defend. And Dracula alone, of course, may suspect the reason why. Though Weiss's keen observations have likewise noted the evidence pointing to the truth, and may do the same here as well.

    Walter Bernhard had suspicions, but it the surprise of seeing his most powerful attack used against him that has him caught flat-footed. But when the explosion finally goes off, engulfing the Lord of the Eternal Night he seems to actually... Try to brace himself to resist it! It's all he can really do! If he can not evade, and he can not block it, the only remaining option is to reduce the impact as much as possible! The shield of darkness granted by the Ebony Stone, the bloody mist that surrounds Walter, tries to SMOTHER the attack as the red-haired vampire lifts into the air to reduce the directions the explosive force can come from, and direct his body to face down at an angle!

    And he concentrates his shield directly in front of him, not unlike the pin-point barriers that Dracula used earlier, but covering a wider area.

    It is not enough to negate the overwhelming power in the attack. And the Vampire Lord is nearly thrown from the stadiumn area as his body is savaged by chaotic energies and concentrated evil such that Walter himself can scarcely wield!

    And when the dust settles, the darkness engulfing everything still intact, there is no Walter Bernhard to be seen. Or at least not in the form that he has been seen in so far.

    Instead there is a giant, demonic bat. Larger than a tall man by thrice, with a wingspan even wider. The monstrous bat flaps there, glaring at Dracula with its fur scorched, its skin nearly scalded off in places as the blood that was inside Walter Bernhard was boiled by the forces at work!

    "I know not who you REALLY are, Dracula Vlad Tepes, but if it is true power you wish to see, then ye shall have it! BEHOLD!"

    The demonic bat draws its head back, and its wings down, the gusts of its wing beats nothing compared to the wave of force created by Dracula's attack, but still enough to bow a human being caught beneath such to the ground.

    Then the bat whips its head forwards and its wings upwards, and expels a sphere very similar to Dracula's own from its mouth with a deep, guttural cry, "DARK INFERNO!"

    It is like Dracula's Demon Meggido, but condensed from the start into a crackling ball of darkness and lightning nearly as big as Walter's new form itself. It's safe to say an explosion is probably imminent.

    One that will likely turn the already-damaged ring into a flaming crater.

Zwei (596) has posed:
"As I suspected, Walter is canny enough to realize he's not getting away from an attack of that magnitude while staying inside of the legal bounds of the arena! These two might have needed a bigger map for this! On the other side, he does appear to have notable leanings towards absorbative defense, giving him somewhat of an advantage when it comes to attacks that can't be actively avoided or prevented. Multiple layers of magical shielding eat up a significant chunk of the energy signature directed at him, reducing a lethal blow to a severe but workable injury. In reciprocation he . . . shapeshifts?! Is a giant devil bat his 'true form', or some kind of battle transformation? I don't know! He seems intent to retaliate with the same show of force, not to be cowed or one-upped by his opponent! No reference to ancient arabic cities here! It's a similar pattern, but based in elemental power rather than the esoteric arts, cratering the much abused stadium under the magnitude of the discharge!"

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    Dracula's eyes narrow to burning slits at the sight of Walter's new form. Something he'd never before seen the vampire pushed to, but something he must have expected. All vampires in his world appear to have such an ability, after all: just because Walter was too confident in his old ally Death all those years ago didn't mean that he lacked such a power then.

    Unfortunately for Dracula, one of the few things he lacks any natural defense against is his own power wielded against him. And Walter, the source of that very power, now turns it upon him in a blazing storm.

    Dracula's cape whips in front of him, shielding him once more against that assault. Magic reinforces its strange strength, but even that isn't enough to completely endure the devastating blast.

    By the time the storms clear, the arena is hardly much of anything anymore, licked by flames and swirling tendrils of smoke. And above it all, where Dracula was a moment before is now a towering demon whose body of swirling blood is shielded by plates of obsidian armor. Four wings whose plated scales make them resemble angelic feathers flap lightly behind him; horns curl back from his skull-like visage; sickly blood seeps between the cracks of his armor to drip along the ground.

    The gigantic demon folds his arms over his chest, then lifts his chin up to stare down at the great bat that is Walter. "Impressive. /Very/ impressive," he intones, booming over the arena. "But...it would seem this arena is hardly fitting for us to unleash our full strength. Perhaps, in less limiting confines..."

    A short, sharp laugh. "Still, it's hardly reasonable to push one another to death in this arena, is it? I believe we've shown enough of each other for one evening of indulgence."

    A draw, or something like it? He certainly doesn't seem like he's readying for another attack, even despite his own new form.

Walter Bernhard (726) has posed:
    Despite the strength of the attack, Walter did not truly expect it to defeat a foe such as this in one hit. He expected it to do damage, of course, and severe at that. Enough to show this upstart who was really in control here! The fact that Dracula transforms as well just tells Walter that they have not yet begun to unleash all that they have. Both of them, despite their efforts, have been holding SOMETHING back. Though with Walter's transformation, that something is largely now out in the open.

    Only the power he possesses now, in this form, is what he can bring to bear. And the injuries he has from Dracula's potent sorcery are slow to recover. Almost as though they aren't regenerating at all, or at the pace of a mere human! Pah! When the idea of a fight beyond the limited confines is suggested, Bernhard flaps his mighty wings higher to raise to Dracula's level. He is about to respond with 'so be it!', still confident he will not lose, simply because he never has before. An unrealistic assessment of the power gap between them, perhaps.

    But before the distorted voice of the demon bat can speak, Dracula says something that draws the other vampire away from his predatory mind-set, the instinct to run down his 'prey' and finish the job. He is no fledgling vampire. He is not Joachim Armster. And with centuries of experience, even after a battle such as he has never had before, he withdraws his new form into itself, flesh becoming shadow, and then shadow becoming flesh in the form of a man.

    A man injured, with armor in need of repair. A man with yellow eyes, who is flying in the air. A man who is not a man, but a monster. But still, it is Walter Bernhard, not a giant demonic bat. And though his eyes smolder with hunger not-yet-sated, he speaks with a relatively calm, if theatrical tone, so that all might hear. "So be it! This match is at an end! It has been MOST entertaining. I would have more of it in the future. To that end, here and now, I declare that Castle Bernhard, its master, and the monsters of the Forest of Eternal Night, shall ally with the Confederacy under Dracula Vlad Tepes!"

    He may be smiling now, the gracious opponent of the mighty Field Marshal, who has been afforded the honor of a fight like only vampires such as these can engage in... But as he floats a bit closer, his features go dark, and he speaks so that only Dracula or someone with phenomenal hearing can detect the sub-sonic frequencies being used.

    "I will learn the secret of our connection eventually. I hope you make the hunt as interesting as you have this battle."

Dracula Vlad Tepes (83) has posed:
    A new ally? Well, isn't /that/ a surprise.

    And a worry, considering who it is.

    Dracula doesn't allow any concern to show in his expression, however. The great demon gives a sharp huff, then steadily condenses in billowing shadows until its giant form is shrunken back into the less-giant form of Dracula himself. Burned, torn, damaged, but still with enough strength to keep his head high as he regards Walter.

    "Hm...very well, then," the Field Marshal remarks with curiosity in his tone. "We will accept this offer, and welcome you among the Confederacy's ranks. Allow me to manage the proper paperwork once I've recovered, if you would be so generous; fear not, for I will certainly ensure your alliance goes smoothly."

    His grin only grows at that looming, threatening addition. It speaks enough of his response: 'I dare you to succeed'.

    "Let us retire, then," Dracula speaks more loudly, "and mend our wounds. It seems we will have greater matters to tend to in the future, shall we not?"

    With a last flourish of his cape and an echoing cackle, the Lord of Darkness bursts into another swarm of dark bats that swirl through the air in a screeching storm, before each one in turn dissolves into a fine black mist that seeps up into the clouds above.

    What an interesting turn of events...

Zwei (596) has posed:
"Ohoho! That's not something you see every day! I think the two fighters have realized that this isn't the best place for a pair of ancient vampire lords to unleash the top tiers of their power, and done their best to come down from the battle high and be reasonable. After Dracula matches Walter's transformation, proving that they both have the power of a 'final form', the two seem to have struck an alliance right here on . . . well what /used/ to be the stadium grounds! I suspect even /they/ want to find out what exactly makes them so similar, and yet different~ The exit is as flashy as the entrance, leaving the crowd stunned, or terrified, into silence! The recording of this isn't something I'd let your children watch!"