L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

For four years, Ser Mercedes Chauvet had traveled the land on a knight-errant, seeking out every opportunity she could find to prove her chivalric virtues by helping those in need and hone her martial skills. She would travel along the main roads, stopping in villages and towns to hear the people’s woes and help how she could.

As of recent, Mercedes travels had lead her off the main roads. The well-kept cobblestone roads were now replaced with dirt paths created by riders who had come before. The Knight had heard word of a strange cursed village hidden away in a valley. After three days of traveling in the rain through thick and rugged forests, Mercedes arrived at her destination.

It was a dilapidated little hamlet with muddy narrow streets and termite ridden shacks with bowed thatched roofs that seemed ready to collapse at any moment. The most noticeable vista was the large and ominous castle tucked away in the mountains overlooking the decrepit town.

More off-putting than the looming castle was the eerie and omnipresent silence that permeated through the town. Though it was evening, there was not a soul to be seen or heard. One could at least expect to see a stray dog roaming the dirty streets in search of a scrap to eat or hear the sound of children at play but alas, Mercedes was alone with only the sound of rain pitter pattering against the mud.

The Knight came to a mossy two story building with a crude sign hanging over the door that simply read “INN”. Mercedes dismounted her steed and tied it to a post in the ground which she could only assume was for hitching. The dark skinned woman entered the establishment and was instantly met with the suffocating smell of rot and mildew. The only source of light, a single wax candle on the front counter illuminated the face of a pale sickly woman.

“I’m sorry if I frightened you,” Mercedes apologized. “I was searching for a place where I might stay.”

“We’re closed! Now be gone with ye!” The pale woman shouted, her sunken eyes quivering in her skull.

“Oh… I’m sorry I bothered you. Do you know of a different place where I might find stay?” The knight asked politely.

“You can bugger off the way ye came if ye knows what’s good fer ya!” The woman shrieked. Mercedes was taken aback by the woman’s yelling but stayed resolute.

“Pray tell me, is it true that this village is cursed?” she inquired. The woman behind the counter clamped her mouth shut and began to shake uncontrollably. “Please, tell me, I might be able to help.” Mercedes said with a gentle smile as she pulled her white cape and pointed to the black eagle coat-of-arms that adorned it.

“Hrng…” The woman groaned. “We be cursed alright…”

The woman told of a creature that lived in the old abandoned castle, as she spoke, her shaking became more severe. She told how the beast drink the blood of its victims and how occasionally people would simply disappear. She warned Mercedes that none who went to the castle ever returned but wouldn’t try and stop the knight from going. Mercedes thanked the woman set off for the castle.

There was a path leading up the mountain which had at one time been inlaid with bricks but years of neglect had left the road rocky and warped. Whip-poor-wills and owls began to sing their nocturnal songs as the evening sun was replaced by pitch black night. The recent rain, caused the moon’s light to be drowned out by thick clouds. Mercedes lit an oil lantern she kept tied to her saddle and continued her trek by its light. Every sudden noise caused her head to turn and her heart to race but eventually she arrived at the castle.

While surely impressive in its time, the castle now resembled the rotting corpse of an elephant with its crumbling dull grey walls covered in thick vines as nature tried to reclaim the man made structure. Its skeleton shown through where parts of the roof had caved in exposing the decaying support beams and rafters. Tall pointed spires and towers jutted into the sky like massive stone spears.

Mercedes dismounted her horse and approached the derelict fortress. She wore a small shield on her left arm in in that hand, carried a lantern. Her right hand rested firmly on the hilt of her silver rapier ready to draw at a moments notice. She tried to stride bravely towards the castles massive black doors but found herself doing a sort of shuffle instead. Once she reached the door, Mercedes would use the heavy iron knocker which caused an echo to ripple through the castle’s dead halls. If there came no answer, Mercedes would try and force the heavy door open herself.

Curiously enough, despite appearances, Esmera Vallacoste did not enjoy embracing the typical life of what one would call a 'vampire.' She neither particularly enjoyed the wearing of hefty capes, nor spending ones sleep inside a coffin. Yet despite such, the blonde that was now somewhat infamous across these lands had found herself with a humble abode in the form of a rather hefty castle. The castle, previously abandoned some countless years prior to the blondes acquirement of it, was seemingly in poor condition. Whilst the stonework in its prime may have been something of an architectural marvel, suited for only the highest levels of nobility, the castle now appeared ready to fall down. Near enough no light radiated from its many windows and towers; the door itself at the front of the keep practically ready to collapse on the next figure whom dared so thump across it.

Albeit given the reputation the castle, and its owner carried, it was a rare thing indeed when someone did in fact deem it wise to call upon Castle Vallacoste's doors.

Aware of the presence of this figure long before Mercede's nag had made its loud trots up unto her lands, the sole figure and occupant of the castle before the adventurer had opted to gain clear sight on the figure from somewhere beyond her mere towers or walls. For Mercede's may have not have even comprehended such, but she had been watched, nay, stalked, ever since she laid her feet upon the floors of the Inn.

When that fated knock came upon her doors, no direct answer was given from the castle itself. The wood creaked, seemingly ready to give way, but somehow it held its stature. For whilst appearances may have been deceiving and then some from the outset, Esmera's naturally powerful and magical aura had kept the castle not only in sturdy condition overall from her mere lengthy presence, but the insides of her abode were the near perfect opposite of the exterior. Lavish rugs, finely kept drapes, the shiniest of silverware and the comfiest of beds adorned the inside of Esmera's castle, with a hefty store of treasure that in itself would have made for quite the prize. If not the head of its owner; a figure known in more places than Mercedes might have been lead to believe.

Not that Esmera had any intention of letting the adventurer upon her premises, mind. The blonde did not dabble in magic, but again, her naturally mystical aura had subdued the castle in some form of spell that only let those she deemed upon its premises. Not with a small army nor a hefty battering ram could one break through its hefty door. Not without first dealing with the cruel mistress who had claimed it.

Observing from amidst those thick woods as Mercedes knocked upon her door, Esmera deemed it worthy that she presented herself soon after.

After all, she had apparently been summoned!

"So tell me...are you another...that has come to claim my head?" She stood before the adventurer, a noted distance away from her, clad in that extravagant red dress she so adored.

The Knight would feel the muscles of her arms and shoulders strain as she tugged in the heavy oken door. She would place her foot on the wall adjacent to the door for increased leverage but still it would not so mutch as rattle or creak, as though it were not mearly locked by a man made bolt but rather sealed by some otherworldly force.

Mercedes would turn her attention to the flamboyant tracery windows wondering if she could possibly break into the sullen fortress. Just as the thought crossed her mind, a voice called out to her. Mercedes wheeled around unsheathing her rapier with lightning fast reflexes. On the edge of the wood stood a woman of unparalleled beauty, her golden blond hair and pale white skin seeming to produce their own light source as even from this distance, Mercedes was able to make out her every detail despite the darkness and rain. The gorgeous woman wore a brilliant red dress the likes of which Mercedes had never seen any other woman wearing even at the most lavish royal balls.

The Knight held her sword perfectly horizontal with the point facing the radiant blond who asked if she had come to take her head. Mercedes found it difficult to answer as if she were under some sort of spell. With incredible willpower she managed to stammer: ”A-are you the one who resides in this place?”

Mercedes had come expecting to find some grotesque blood sucking creature but she could not shake the feeling that this woman was just as frightful as any monster she could imagine. There was something uncanny about such unblemished beauty. The longer the Knight stared at the woman, searching for even the slightest imperfection and finding no such thing, the more she felt unnerved. Such physical perfection was unnatural and should not exist.

Unsurprisingly, Esmera's senses were far beyond that of even a normal vampire, given her extreme age. And she took no time putting them to good use, as she thoroughly expected the girl from a rather safe distance away. Even if she had but been a mere human, if Mercedes suddenly went for something of a surprise range attack, with this space between them, there was no way she would not make it to the safety of the woods in time.

Her eyes practically examined each and every inch of the beauty before her; her frame, whilst hidden under thick armour that appeared to be suited for taking a modest amount of punishment, felt to Esmera as if it was simply hiding a body beneath for the blonde to practically feast upon.

The smell of the woods, whilst strong and somewhat dark, was not at all a hindrance to the natural perfume of the beauty either, as Esmera took it upon herself to take a hearty inhale through the nose; her face pulling a look of utterly lust as she did so.

And her hearing? She didn't have to be stood with head against Mercedes' chest to hear that increased heartbeat. Despite the confidence she pushed out through her mouth, nerves were still very much beginning to overtake this adventurer.

"Ah ah...I asked first...let us not be rude to one another, shall we?" Her fangs still hidden by both the distance and the fact her smile was not a toothy one, Esmera for the moment restrained herself from testing the physical strength of her foe with a simple attack. She wanted to see if she could reduce this beauty to a quiver, through words alone.

The glowing woman gave a smug response to Mercedes’ question. The Knight swallowed and tried to calm her nerves. She could feel her heart pounding but she did not understand why. She had fought many a monster over the past four years and darkness should have been of no concern to her as she had spent innumerable nights camping without so much as a fire to keep her warm. And yet, there was no doubt in her mind that at this very moment she was terrified. This fact alone should have been enough to confirm that the woman to whom she spoke was not human but Mercedes desperately wished to be wrong and so she continued to speak.

“I apologize, but you must understand that the answer to your question depends entirely on your identity.” She said with her silver sword still level in a fencer’s stance, and her shield held ready to parry if the need arose. “If you are the one who resides here then I do indeed have a quarrel with you.” Mercedes tried to take a step forward but only managed to shuffle forward an inch or so.

"Tch..."

For a moment, Mercedes' words passed over unfocused ears, as instead, Esmera's attention was attracted to but the object in her fencing arm. Or more, what it was made of.

"Silver..." Her words barely audible to herself let alone the adventurer before her, Esmera did not need to taste the sting of one of her many weaknesses to know what the sword was made of. It's gleam was only slightly different from that of your regular steel, or even iron sword, and yet to one such as Esmera, it may have well have been painted an entirely different colour. The blonde would do her best to give away no cues that she was phased by the mere presence of that material, but it did indeed take her a while to bring her focus back to the face before her.

"Fair enough..." Her voice returning to its hypnotic lull, Esmera began something of a lavish pace to her side; constantly keeping the same distance away from the girl before her, as she ever so slowly began a rather lengthy circling of the woman.

"Then perhaps I should indeed let you know...that I am indeed the one who resides here...what will you do?" She'd gleam, suddenly stopping and facing the girl with one hand under her hefty bosom, the other to her chin as if pondering.

"Do you intend to make me your prisoner? Or perhaps...something else entirely?"

The transcendent blond confirmed what Mercedes already knew. This was the bloodsucking creature she was searching for. The Knight was overcome with a feeling of gloom now that she knew she would be forced to fight this otherworldly entity.

The woman began circling Mercedes while maintaining her distance, like a predator, waiting to exploit the first moment of weakness it spots. She would ask what Mercedes had planned for her. She asked if the Knight planned to take her prisoner with an arrogant tone of voice.

“Your actions prove that you cannot live peacefully with humans,” Mercedes answered honestly. “Therefore I have no choice but to remove you from this world!” The Knight declared while the point of her sword followed the beautiful monster like the needle of a compass following the North Pole.

Mercedes would take a deep breath and force her foot to step forward followed by the next. Soon she was compelling herself to ease towards her circling target. Despite declaring her killing intent, Mercedes did not seem fully devoted to that goal as she hesitantly approached.

"My actions? Whatever do you mea-...hmph...fine..." Her charade more than over with, Esmera did not opt to insult the adventurer's intelligence by continuing her plot. She was the only figure within miles of the castle, besides Mercedes herself. And she was dressed in robes that most of the nearby villagers couldn't afford with a lifetime of work. It was obvious to all but a village idiot whom the blonde really was.

A shudder came down her spine soon enough, not from the words nor intent of her foe, but from that silver weapon pointing clear at her heart. Silver did not possess an aura to it to Esmera nor her kind; she was not weakened from the mere presence of it, but past encounters with that magical material had left a grim feeling upon the blonde beauty every time she simply laid eyes on it. The first order of business was removing that sword and throwing it as far as she could muster. But surely enough, the large shield in the opposing arm, whilst not made of silver itself, would have surely have posed as hurdle.

A shame it was, for the adventurer that was, that Esmera was at her absolute peak. At her age, her thirst was insane; merely a day without feeding, and the woman's strength would but begin to dwindle down to that of nothing more than a strong human. But today of all days, it seemed Mercedes' had opted to visit her domain mere hours after the blonde had fed. To say she was powerful as of right now, was an understatement and then some.

"So be it...but let it be said...that I did not give you more than apt time to turn and flee...!" Her words suddenly picking up the pace, as her tone shifted into a rather serious one! Her assault near enough launched straight after, Esmera opted to demonstrate her abilities to this adventurer in quite a show; cutting nearly a hundred metres or so between them, until the point where the blonde was but right before her!

Her tactile intentions made known, as she attempted to smash her solid left bicep into that shield adorning Mercedes' arm; the dust still settling on the path she had paced in but a blink of an eye, as she attempted to send the girl nearly flying!

The blond began to deny any wrong doing but stopped herself, seeing that there was no point pretending she wasn’t the monster Mercedes sought. She would give the Knight a small warning before launching her attack. Mercedes tried to ready herself. She could sense that this woman was powerful but the adventurer had no idea what sort of attack she could expect. Mercedes narrowed her eyes and watched as her glowing opponent stepped forward and then… she disappeared.

Mercedes was taken aback. Her body tensed up and she lowered her guard for less than a second and at that moment, the woman’s perfect smiling face reappeared, inches away from Mercedes’. The Knight’s eyes went wide, not just with shock, but true fear. She had faced enemies that were faster than a human before, most wild animals are capable of outrunning a human but this speed was incomprehensible!

Mercedes would try and raise her shield at which time, the blonde’s slender and seemingly frail arm would slam into the Knights small shield with the force of an ogres club. Iron shield folded in ward as if it were made of a thin foil rather than hard tempered metal! Mercedes was send flying backwards where she slammed against the hard wood door of the castle.

"Hnggg...Grrrrah!" The Knight clenched her teeth and tried to keep from crying out. Her armor had managed to protect her back from severe damage but it did little to reduce the pain. The straps of her bent shield snapped and the now useless piece of metal fell to the stone floor with a clamor. Her left arm did not fare as well as her back. It was immediately clear that her forearm was compromised. Even the slightest movement caused a searing pain to shoot up Mercedes arm and throughout her body causing her face to twist an ugly grimace.

“Tch…” Mercedes stabbed the point of her sword into the ground and she mustered the strength to pick herself up off the ground. She staggered to her feet and resumed her fencing stance, her face wincing with raindrops mixing with newly formed beads of sweat and her left arm now dangling at her side.

Her heart was beating faster than ever, her reflexes and perception her heightened by adrenaline as she entered a primal fight or flight state. Even with these natural stimulants flowing through her, Mercedes knew that she could not compete physically with such a beast. She would back up against the wooden castle door, limiting the number of directions from which she could be attacked. The Knight would then begin swinging her sword from side to side in wide arcs in the hope that she might be able to cut her opponent even if the blond decided to dash forward.

At her peak, that ordinary shield that the adventurer wielded, or rather did wield, in her hand was little more than an annoyance to the blonde. But Esmera was no fool; even with ordinary reflexes and the standard traits of a human, a wild fencing style combined with a few creative uses of that shield could have put the blonde in a world of trouble. Similar distance now created between the two prior to Esmera's advance, the blonde would turn to one side; hands lazily to her side as she gleamed at the beauty. There was little to say, beyond a resounding tut at her success, as she watched those shards fall to the ground in front of her own keep.

But rather than tend to her ache, nor even attempt to use what shards she could, Mercedes opted to go wild. Her back to the door, there'd be no monstrous distance created by Esmera's next attack, nor would the vampiress have a chance at coming at the girl from an angle. To even open the door of her own domain required her physical touch; she could not simply will it, in order to give her further space to smash this beauty around. Not that she intended to have this encounter indoors mind, for she had little intention of cleaning up the mess it would surely leave.

Pacing forward at a rather slow pace, seemingly keen to walk into that sword, the blonde would stop just shy of the distance those wild swings were reaching, with that gleam still attached. Even the smallest of cuts from such a weapon would have caused the greatest of aggravations upon Esmera's skin.

Had she been cut near enough in half with an ordinary weapon, her extreme healing would have brought her up to full strength yet again within a matter of seconds, with again her natural aura kicking in to ensure those red robes she had adorned followed suite.

But to be stabbed, jabbed, or even poked with even a dull silver blade? It was comparable to the human sensation of touching scolding water. And whilst she would have healed, the slow pace of such would have more than allowed any adventurer who so deemed it to end her extended life. Obviously then, Esmera had little intention of even letting the silver grace upon her skin. Although she certainly didn't show it.

For soon after she had closed to the minimum safe distance from those lengthy swipes, Esmera would step in; her body now within full range of Mercede's swipes. Only, the human girl would not find it easy to lay even a scratch on the blonde; her figure moving in and out, moving near inches to that blade at a time, all with a smile! For whilst Esmera herself had little experience with using a sword, her experience with sword users over her greatly extended life gave her extreme skill towards that of dealing with sword play. Such compared with her insane speed, meant that there were few fencing styles in the world she had yet to encounter!