Dizzy (Baroness & Kurt)

[BWS2K]

At his first signature BAMF!, the crowd was momentarily stunned. Even the Baroness, who had heard of Kurt's abilities before, was impressed to see the teleporter in action.

But only slightly.

Sweeping her gaze rapidly from side to side, Nightcrawler's opponent paused and sniffed the air. Slowly, she traced and tracked her quarry to its place above. He was definitely out of her reach. This called for some fancy moves.

The way into Baroness Blood's ranks is simple: survive. A vampire tries to make a meal of you, you fight back, escape, and eventually become a vampire yourself. It's a check to the balance and it keeps weaklings out.

Crouching low, she sprinted for the nearest column and, at the last second, leapt. Rebounding immediately, she gained enough height to reach the ceiling - and dug her claws into the concrete. Her grip wouldn't last more than a few moments but that's all she needed to pounce at Kurt, fangs bared...

The Baroness watched silently from below, wondering just how long this X-Man would last. She guessed no more than another sixty seconds.

Secretly, she hoped she was wrong - he was entertaining, in his own way.

[Gummy]

Kurt waited for the vampire to come very close to him before he vanished a split second before she would have done any real harm leaving behind only a tuft of blue fur. He kept vanishing and reappearing at random jabbing, clawing and whiping the vampire. A couple of her blows caught him a little off guard and he was hurting in places he now ignored.

Around there was a chitter from the blue and red bamfs who eyed each other but didn't do anything to interupt the events they were seeing.

Kurt vanished and reappeared beside the Baroness and grinned inclining his head to her as he took a moment to steady his breathing.

"Baroness."

The Baroness was right, he didn't have much left in him but the vampire was primal. He looked back to his opponent and waited patiently for her to come at him. He vanished just as she was reaching him and reappeared the other end.

He waited for her to find him bying time to catch his breath a little more and do a self check. He needed to stay alive for a little long. He had to just stay alive.

As his opponent found him again he waited for her to chose a path before vanishing and reappearing behind her and striking out with claws and fists. He hoped that would be enough as he reapeared on the ceiling. He knew what he had to do and he was going to do it or die trying. He focused on just staying alive.

[BWS2K]

All the back-and-forth was a bit much for the lone fighter and it was beginning to show. Her frustration was evident in her wide swings that caught far more air than at first. She was a hunter used to chasing prey, sure, but this was altogether different.

And the tiny demon versions were rather distraction even by their mere presence.

Kurt's sudden appearance beside the Baroness drew snarls of surprise and anger at the vampires nearest her - she only gave a slight grin: "Kurt."

The bamfs were curious creatures and while others may have been viewing them with disdain or musing on having themselves a little red or blue snack, the Baroness eyed them with the intense curiosity of someone for whom their existence may prove valuable some day. She wasn't sure how, or why, but one never knew when access to miniature teleporting creatures would be in demand.

She returned her attention to the battle. Her poor minion really was trying her best but it just wasn't enough. The woman lunged at Kurt from several meters away in desperation - and then a sudden powerful gust of wind filled the garage for just a moment. Long enough for Baroness Blood to assume her mist form, close the distance to the fight, rematerialize, intercept the fledgling vampire, and catch her by the throat.

"It was a valiant effort, my dear," the Baroness addressed her thrall calmly, "Now run along."

An effortless gesture sent the minion flying backwards and out of the makeshift arena's bounds, though she landed safely on her feet. The Baroness was cruel but never needlessly so. There had only ever really been one person present who could hope to provide an even match for this X-Man anyway.

"You entertain mortal sensibilities well enough, Kurt Wagner," Baroness Blood said, calmly stripping off her bulky ornamental armor to reveal a black skintight undersuit. She pulled her light hair up into a bun. "My tastes run... differently."

The Baroness nodded in more deference than she had shown in decades, allowing Kurt the first move against her. Whatever else may have been planned for Xavier's furry neophyte this evening, the opportunity to probe just what these Yankee heroes were made of was too tempting to let slip away.

[Gummy]

When the Baroness stepped in he stopped his last swing and relaxed a little. The feeling of exhaustion was start to wear with all the teleporting but he had to hide it. He knew just how far he could go and knew that her next words would push him past it. He watched her get undressed and knew what it would mean. He allowed that time to calm his breathing and ease the tension from his body that had been built up. He inclined his head with a soft smile. He liked her in one way. She was amazing and if it wasn't for her negative blood status he might have spent time wooing her.

Before he did anything else he bent and tried to take her hand very gently before planting a slight kiss upon it. She really was amazing and he wanted her to know he appreciated her before they fought.

[BWS2K]

Vampires don't blush.

Firstly, because shame is something a supernaturally undead creature of the night just doesn't experience much. Fear? Yes. Rage? Also yes. The exhilaration of a dramatic hunt or particularly crafty kill? Absolutely yes! But there's never actually a cause for anything approaching humiliation in these creatures - and most especially in one such as Lilly Cromwell, aka Baroness Blood.

The second reason vampires don't blush is that they don't typically have enough blood flowing in their veins.

So when Nightcrawler made his move to grasp the Baroness' hand, the entire parking garage fell completely silent. The previous sparring partner, licking her wounds metaphorically and otherwise, actually gasped - another thing vampires don't typically do on account of their not needing to breathe.

For her part, the Baroness was torn between obliging the furry blue fighter and ripping his lips off. She decided on the former, for now, and allowed her hand to be kissed lightly. Chivalry wasn't dead after all, which was an interesting observation to make in this time and place.

"My, my," she remarked in as coy a manner as an apex predator could muster, "Aren't we presumptuous?" Baroness Blood cracked a wide toothy smile: "This New World does have rather polite dinners, doesn't it?!"

And with those words, she began to growl and transform into a very large she-wolf. Her mass was easily more than Kurt's and, despite her appearance, there was no mistaking the savage delight in what were still very clearly the eyes of Baroness Blood. The creature lunged, its gaping maw ready to give Nightcrawler a 'kiss' of its own...!

[Gummy]

Kurt spoke for a few seconds and kept his cool as she grew larger.

"Manner foremost at...."

Well that wasn't good.

BAMF!

He was no longer where the jaws would have crunched down. Now his father's plans were bare in front of him. To make Kurt into a creature that wasn't worth heaven. He needed to stay alive even longer. He reappeared a slight distance away from her as he wanted to know her full reach and capability at least a little before he started to work on keeping alive.

He leeped from his position and started to twist mid air to.

BAMF!

He reappeared not far from her to continue moving with a swing kick to her back/shoulders. He hoped he had connected but wasn't sure.

BAMF!

Reappeared back where he had left and hung hold of the ceiling. He had to entertain her. He had to do this or everything that had happend had been for nothing. The exhaustion was starting to kick in and he knew it. He was starting to feel the effects of the teleporting. The Bamfs hissed at the vampires if they tried to get too close they would Bamf to a new location. Toying with them. Kurt looked at her and then to the Bamfs and let out a little breath. He had to continue.

BAMF!

He reappeared not far away but his grip faltered and for a few seconds his vision blurred as he tried to punch at her.

[BWS2K]

Now this was entertainment.

In a way.

The gathered vampires grinned wickedly and gnashed their toothy maws as they watched the dark mistress playing with the furry X-Man.

The she-wolf snapped and twisted, following along as best was possible, before reeling from the kick between her shoulder blades. It wasn't so much about pain as it was the audacity - manners or no, this could not stand. A slow guttural howl escaped her curled lips which echoed throughout the parking garage and surrounding night as the stench of Nightcrawler's teleporting - and those of the Bamfs - began to fill the air.

The Baroness, even in her wild form, was able to track Kurt's punch and quickly shifted to her mist form. His fist found nothing but vapor, and then, just as suddenly, the vampire lord reformed and grasped his forearm. She followed through with his initial momentum and added to it, flinging him through the air with what seemed to be some genuine rage: "Well, this has been fun, Kurt Wagner," she spat out his name. "But all good things must come to and end, don't you agree...?"

Teleporter or not, being in the company of a dozen hungry vampires after sunset was enough to unsettle most veteran heroes. Kurt's body slammed into the concrete several meters away - clearly, the Baroness had been holding back before. She covered the distance between them in an instant and grasped his throat far quicker than would've seemed possible.

"Time to die, X-Man!" she hissed, all signs of civility now gone from her savage nature...

[Gummy]

Kurt was surprised by the vanishing Baroness but the catch and flinging of him and he tried to turn before hitting the wall, there was sudden sharp pain and dizziness but not unconsciousness filled his vision as he started to try and push himself upright. Breath was hard and he needed to just keep going. He couldn't give in. He couldn't let her win so he looked at her.

"No, I don't agree. My Gott is my protector."

He thought about Bamfing but knew it would not be good for him. The blue Bamfs were looking concerned while the red seemed eager for it to continue. He licked his lip and tried to focus. He couldn't breath properly and then he was being lifted up the wall with such force he felt something crack in his arm. His one hand tried and break the grip, the other was in pain. The red bamfs were getting more excited and holding back the blue bamfs some squabbling started up between the two sets of bamfs.

Kurt tried to breath as his consciousness started to fade... His lips moving in a prayer.... Some of the blue bamfs broke free and starting calling "Daddy!". The reds were egging on the Baroness to bite him.

[John Kilroy]

with a loud FWOOM! Jean landed in the middle of the floor crouched on one knee. She looked around her surroundings and noted the red BAMFS and vampires. They all began to snarl as her. She felt them all. Tormented souls bound to Blood's will. Not all vampires were Thralls, others had managed to break thier bounds and flee. Blood however was a particularly strong vampire able to twist people into her loyal slaves. Unfortunately for her, Jean was far stronger, especially when it came to mind powers.

"That's it, come to Me Children of rthe Night. Feast on the Power of the Mighty Phoenix!"

following the command of this godlike being. As if on command the Vampires charged with a singular howl as if they were part of an unimind. They dogpiled and began to ink their teeth into her. Jean's eyes began to glow and a light shined forth engulfing the whole room The Red Bamfs fleed the scene in terror and teleported away. The vampires flung backward. However, when they regained their bearings from the shock of force it was as if they had been awoken from a never-ending nightmare. The Phoenix imbued her with a sliver of her practically infinite power curing them of their vampirism. They were human again. They touched themselves and each other. One of the former female Vampires cried out in joy "We're alive again!" She then looked to Jean and hugged her. "Thank you. We owe you our lives."

Jean smiled and chuckled. "the spirit of life was always in you, I just removed your vampiric powers and the weaknesses that came with them. No get the others out of here. Let me deal with the Baronness."

She summoned a pillar of Phoniex Fire giving the former thralls space and distance to flee the scene. Soon The only ones left in the room were Jean, Nightcrawler, and the Baroness. Jean looked to Blood and crossed her arms.

"Baroness Blood I presume. I must say I am NOT impressed. let Kurt go or I shall make you suffer that which you fear the most."

[BWS2K]

Baroness Blood was familiar with power. Ancient occult ritual with a mystical artifact of legend was what made her more than just an ordinary vampire, and even her minions could be considered a 'cut above the rest' in some circles as a result.

All that was less than nothing in the face of a cosmic force like the Phoenix.

In an instant, the entire scene changed. The Baroness was alone, robbed of her foot soldiers and body guards by a legend somehow more ancient and powerful than the Grail that she herself had destroyed. In her mortal years, her name had been Lily Cromwell. Upon becoming an inhuman creature of the night, she still liked to play at being a well-mannered woman of austerity and social etiquette (albeit often malevolent and twisted). Here, in this moment, she was revealed for what she truly was - a baser animal led by primal and predatory instincts, pitiable at best.

And it was exactly that nature that took over, causing her to shriek in rage and high-pitched terror, her facial features and frame suddenly becoming more beastly and bat-like than ever before. It was a sound that echoed throughout the garage and up into the night air over the city. One that shook glass and caused those closest to shake their heads or block their ears to keep from succumbing to the sonic assault.

It would be inaccurate to say that the creature known as Baroness Blood had lost all form of reason. Rather, her entire focus of mind was on a singular thought: I have lost.

It was a novel experience.

All this transpiring in just a moment or two, she backed away, snarling, and turned her wild eyes on Kurt.

"Our entertainment... has only... just begun," she gasped out in clipped syllables and barely coherent words, "...Kurt Wagner!"

A final glare at Phoenix that promised vengeance, and the entire chamber was suddenly filled with a gust of wind as Baroness Blood turned to mist and was whisked out of the garage. All these weeks were now for naught, all her children lost, but at least one victory was had: She had wanted to test the strengths of heroes on this side of the pond, and now she had. This was knowledge - and knowledge was, perhaps, the oldest and most potent power in the universe...

[Martyr]

The Beast (Hank McCoy)

The Beast was soon after teleported in by a little blue Bamf. "Forgive the impertinence of my fashionably-late arrival. I am not going to imply my journey brought me anywhere near the Land of Enchantment, even if there may have been a wrong turn."

The jovial X-man may have been a bit out of place bringing levity at a time like this and in this place, but it was all part of something else. Vampires were often very-self important, if they were anything like the occasional foe of the X-men, and really all of herodom, Dracula. Quips as it were, were then a mind game, a form of pugilism just as if he struck with a fist. Even if his were more likely to come with more flowery language than the likes of Wade.

Wait, there was nothing to fight. No vampire he could see.

The Beast moved to Kurt, lifting him in his arms.

"I have you, my friend." He then addressed his other teammate. "Jean, as I am arriving late and do not see an enemy anywhere near here, I must exercise an abundance of caution and ask for a sort of shibboleth. I will forgo a demonstration of power both for the sake of brevity and because I do not know how much you recently expended. So, I ask, who else was among us in those early days at Xavier's?"

Shapeshifters were all too familiar to the X-men. He had to be sure. Logic dictated that whatever creature could appear as Jean could not pry such information from a mind such as hers, or if it could, precaution was moot.

OH MY STARS AND GARTERS!

Template adapted from Silv.

[Gummy]

In the grasp of the Baroness Kurt was struggling to breath, his consciousness slipped away from him only to return with a siring light. Which his eyes struggled to focus on. His form limp in her grasp, his one hand tried to raise to protect his eyes from the sudden bright light. Then he was falling and finally able to gulp in a good lung full of air. His head cleared a little to only be swamped by the scream. His one good arm tried to protect his ears as well as try and focus on what was going on. The words of the baroness floated to his almost deaf ears. His breathing was jaggered as his body went still and his mind floated. He knew this sensation he didn't want to go again so soon. He wasn't ready. His consciousness returned back to his body as pain coursed through every point on him.

"Hank? Was that Jean? I'm I'm sorry I couldn't..."

He coughed and he felt the warmth of his embrace. The blue bamfs were worried and there were also loads of them. One was holding Kurt's tail then let go. Kurt went still but was at least breathing. He had fought well. Both of Kurt and the baroness had lost that night.

[John Kilroy]

“Cyclops, myself, Iceman, Archangel, and you, Charles Xavier was our leader at the time we referred to him as Professor X, Changeling and Lorna Dane were also part of the team. I find it odd also that people seem to forget the fact that you were not always the Blue beast that we know today.”

She gave him a warm smile as a slight tear fell For a brief moment she could not help but think of a nightmare that she had while meditating in the White Room, well it was not so much a nightmare so much as it was a vision of a possible future, or an alternate one,. A dark one. It was one, where the X-Men became supremacist isolationists that formed their own nation similar to Genosha under Magneto’s rule. They began to lose themselves. Some quickly, some slowly, and some lost themselves worse than others. Beast suffered this fate the worst, becoming a twisted version of beast…a Dark Beast if you will.

She didn’t say anything at first because she was so caught up in ending the crisis with Kurt. Now that it was over, her emotions caught up with her as she embraced Hank.

“It’s good to see you again,” she whispered.

She then rushed to Kurt's aid. “Easy Kurt easy.”