< --- made by WaterJewelEmi
Ballroom A, big as it was already, had now become bigger with the help of a hole connecting it to the second floor. Pieces of tile broke off the edges and fell down into the large crater below. There, a writhing heap of dirty wool lay. Beneath it a woman cried and struggled helplessly as if she were trying not to fall asleep.
Ace only had a moment to observe when he entered, for the attacker took notice immediately. It didn’t even rise. It just bolted at him, giving him close to no time to react. He had to hop back a bit, nearly tripping over the mallard behind him, and drew the Guardian Strike Swords to parry the attack.
Seeing as those two were being occupied by each other, Danger Duck chose the safest role in this encounter: taking the unconscious woman to safety.
Turning back when he had her, Duck saw that Ace and the Vampire were seriously engaged in swordplay. Every move they made took nanoseconds, and so it was nothing he could butt in on. He would only get hurt.
Duck dodged a stray laser from Ace’s eyes, shouted indignant criticism at him, and Quacked out of the Convention Center when he saw that the other Loonatics had finally arrived to help.
The first to enter was Lexi, who instantly took note of the intensity of the fight. “Wow, I wonder what Ace said to make him so mad,” she said.
Just as they saw Ace and the Vampire disengage, Rev sped over to the Villain’s backside and boxed his ears. No sooner he had done so than Vampire belted him across the face, having been ready the entire time.
The turn of events shocked Rev so he was open for another hit, one which sent his body skipping along the floor like a pebble along water.
“Oy, dat looked plenty fun,” said Ace, who had still been engaged even as the Bat dealt with Rev. “What was dat, da Backhand o’ Doom?”
Ace saw the enemy’s sword glide along his, meeting at the hilt whence the bat slid forward and said, “Your accent bothers me. Mind if I cut your tongue out?”
“So much for polite introductions,” was Ace’s response, and he tried his laser eyes again. The Vampire manipulated their swords and deflected the laser. It hit Tech, who had been attempting to aim his disabling guns at him.
Lexi, who had been standing beside Tech, motioned for Ace to disengage. He did so and said to the Bat, “You’re pretty good! I can’t keep up wit’ ya!”
With that, Lexi took the chance to knock the Vampire off his feet with some Mind Blasts.
It didn’t work too well.
The vampire released his sword knowing it would fly back, and it just nearly pierced the unconscious roadrunner behind him. This resulted in Lexi panicking and calling off her attack.
Puzzled by the Vampire’s success so far, Ace let his frustration get the best of him. He came at the bat with the Guardian Strike Sword charging up, forcing all the energy he had into his next swing. He also said something like “Dodge this, Drac!”
So the energy from Ace’s sword did in fact effect the Bat. He screamed and writhed in the light of the blade before disintegrating into dust. Ace stood there, shaking, wondering if that was about right. It couldn’t possibly have been staged…the villain did make quite a fuss about it.
Zadavia, Lexi and Slam approached the heap of dust, Slam picking some up and cramming it into his mouth. “Ew,” Lexi solemnly said.
“And dat’s how da cookie crumbles.” Ace put away the Guardian Strike sword, making sure to add to the effect with a cheap old saying. He turned his head to Duck, who had just appeared beside him.
“Oh good, he’s dead already--” Duck hesitated. “I mean…dead already? Pffft, pathetic.” Ace could only sigh at the mallard and his sad attempts to conceal his obvious cowardice.
Not a moment later, Slam began convulsing and heaving up the dust he had swallowed. Lexi and Duck stepped away, Zadavia rubbed his back as if it would help him, and Ace watched intently as the regurgitated ash took on a humanoid shape. It looked kind of angry.
Ace, feeling an unfamiliar pulse in the atmosphere, alerted the ‘Tics to take cover…a second too late. The air about the reforming body prickled and then imploded, reversing again to send everyone off their feet. This excluded the one in the center, and Danger Duck, who had simply Quacked out of the building and back in again.
Now the only one on his feet, Duck finally took a stand on his own. The Vampire had reconstructed himself by then, and so turned to look at the short mallard, choosing him as the next target. “Don’t look at me like that! Here, have some Plasma Egg, that‘ll make you feel better,” Duck said, and threw one as he spoke.
The ‘Egg’ hit the bat directly in the face, and so he would stop short in his tracks. He gingerly wiped the stuff off, looked at Duck once more, and walked to him examining the goo in his hand. “What is this?” he asked.
“I…I already said. Plasma Egg,” Duck said, not knowing what to make of the bat’s sudden change in disposition.
“Is there actually egg in it?”
“A bit. I got a bit on my hands earlier…”
“Odd…” the bat squinted at Duck, making him feel rather nervous. He then turned away, speaking to himself. “So it really does exist...” He examined the mallard once more. “Doesn’t seem like much, though.”
“Hey, I don’t get you at all, but my plasma stuffs can be pretty darn effective sometimes!”
“Sometimes? What times?”
Frustrated, Duck began throwing repetitive pairs of orbs at the bat, who simply darted past them untouched, and met him at the end of the line. The mallard yelped when he felt the vampire grab his beak and yank out his fake fangs.
He looked at the fangs, and then at the mallard’s costume. After a moment of observation, he broke into laughter.
“What? What’s so funny, I-what-I don’t get it,” Duck said, tripping over his sentences.
“Little duckie,” the Vampire gently clasped his hand while still laughing. “You are adorable.”
The Loonatics and Zadavia all choked on their own saliva and stared at the crazed bloodsucker. That was about all they could do besides talk, as the shockwave from before had partially paralyzed them. “Are you right in the head?” asked Tech, who had been conscious since.
“Of course not,” the bat said, and sliced deep into Duck’s palm with his claws. Duck tore his hand away, clasping it with the other as he staggered back. “That hurt!” was all he could say about that.
“It normally does,” said the bat. He grinned sickly and finished in a greasy tone. “Don’t be such a little girl.”
Duck seethed.
With his hands drenched in blood, he activated his plasmatic powers again. He ignored the crazed smile on the bat’s face, and the aghast expressions of the others, and the visions of glyphs and runes and red tints and everything around him, and threw the orbs at his challenger inconsequentially.
The bat raised a shield of prickling air, which burst as it touched Duck’s ‘orbs’ with them. Duck couldn’t see what was happening at all, and thus thought of his visions and feelings as a blind rage.
Everyone’s senses exploded in a frenzy. The shadows lifted them, then threw them down and flattened them.
And then the power went out.
Once he could hear again, Ace noticed Tech was cursing like a trucker.
The Vampire’s eyes were the only light in the dark building. They gave off an unsettling white glow, and by the look in his eyes, the Loonatics could tell he was smiling.
“That was absolutely magnificent,” the bat said.
“What are your intentions?” Zadavia’s voice ordered, finally after an entire chapter of saying nothing. “Who are you?”
The bat looked directly through the darkness at Zadavia and said, “I’ve been gone for so long…so long, I’m sure nobody would remember my name even if I told them again and again…” his eyes turned without his head, resting their gaze on Duck.
He jumped, his thoughts returning to him suddenly. For a moment Duck felt all alone, as if Lexi, Slam, Ace and all the rest didn’t even exist. Just him and the thing that craves blood.
“Orlauf,” said the Vampire.
“Your name?” Duck heard Lexi say. He felt relieved to know that the others were still there, even in the pitch black.
“Yes. My name. Count Orlauf,” the Vampire said again.
“And your purpose?” Zadavia pressed further.
Orlauf laughed, and then his eyes closed, and then he wasn’t there anymore.
. Keep it up.
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