Barton coughed, barely able to lift his head. Through the haze, he saw a figure descending from above—metallic, sleek, crackling with electric energy.
"Sorry I'm late. Got held up by some morons."
Tony Stark stood there in his Storm Javelin armor. The helmet's visor flickered as he looked down at Barton.
"You look like crap, Legolas."
"Yeah… working on it." Barton replied.
Tony turned his attention to Hubert, who had regained his footing. The vampire's crimson eyes narrowed.
"And who the hell are you supposed to be?" Hubert asked.
Tony flexed his gauntlets. The armor whirred in response, the silver plating pulsing with power.
The alley flashed with another burst of lightning as Tony fired again. A concentrated arc of energy streaked toward Hubert, illuminating the night in a crackling blaze of blue. But the vampire was already gone. Tony's sensors screamed warnings as something moved impossibly fast—too fast for even his enhanced targeting systems to track.
Then, impact.
Hubert's claws struck the Storm Javelin armor at the chest plate, sending Tony hurtling backward. He smashed through a wooden cart, barrels exploding into splinters around him. The force of the strike rattled the armor's gyros, but the plating held.
"Alright," Tony muttered, shaking his head as he stood. "So, you hit like a truck. Good to know." Hubert landed lightly a few feet away, brushing dust off his coat.
"And you're more than human. I should've expected that, considering your friend." He tilted his head toward Barton, who groaned in pain against the cobblestone. "But unlike him, you wear your strength on the outside."
Tony rolled his shoulders, the servos in his suit adjusting.
"Yeah, I do. And guess what? This armor isn't just for show, Dracula."
"Dracula? My name is Hubert. But Dracula.. Hmm.. I like that name. Maybe I will use it as my stage name."
But without warning, Tony fired up his thrusters and surged forward, fist glowing with a concentrated pulse of kinetic energy.
Hubert dodged, but this time, Tony was ready.
The moment the vampire blurred sideways, the Javelin armor's predictive AI adjusted. Tony twisted his gauntlet mid-swing, redirecting his momentum into a spinning backhand—enhanced with a surge of lightning.
The hit connected.
For the first time, Hubert grunted in pain. The silver-coated gauntlet sent arcs of energy rippling through his body, burning into his skin like searing acid.
Tony didn't give him time to recover.
A repulsor blast struck Hubert square in the chest, launching him backward. He tumbled through the air before flipping mid-flight and landing on the alley's edge, claws digging into the stone to halt his momentum.
"That actually hurt," Hubert admitted. "I haven't felt pain in centuries." Tony extended his arms, energy humming through his gauntlets.
"Well, buddy, you're about to get reacquainted real quick."
He fired.
A barrage of micro-missiles launched from his shoulder plates, streaking toward the vampire with pinpoint precision. The explosions roared through the alley, blasting apart brick and stone. Dust and smoke filled the air, obscuring Tony's view.
His sensors scanned rapidly. No sign of movement. No heat signatures. Of course, no heat signatures. This monster is cold blooded. I would need to adjust my armor next time.
"Come on," Tony muttered. "I know you're not dead. Not that lucky."
Then, without warning, a shadow emerged from the smoke.
Hubert moved like a phantom. One moment he was across the alley, the next—he was right in front of Tony. Claws raked across the silver plating, sending up sparks and also Hubert sense the pain on his claws. Tony staggered back, but before he could counter, Hubert was already behind him. A devastating kick to the back sent Tony crashing into the ground.
The vampire disappeared again.
Tony's AI screamed proximity alerts, but it was too late. Hubert struck from above, slamming into Tony's shoulder with enough force to send him skidding across the cobblestones. And for the first time Hubert had changed himself from the guise of a human being to a huge 8 feet tall monster.
Minor structural damage. Energy reserves: 87%.
Tony cursed. He was doing damage, sure but now when he saw Hubert, he was shaken. At times like these he wished Liam was here. He had now disappeared, using his invisibility. The air in the alley grew thick with tension. Tony's sensors flickered between warning signs and recalibrations, trying to keep up with Hubert's erratic movements.
Then—silence.
The dust cloud hadn't fully settled, but he knew better than to think Hubert was gone.
He was hunting.
"Alright, big guy, what's the plan?" Tony muttered. "Because I gotta tell you, the whole disappearing act? Not as cool as you think."
No response. Then, just as Tony's thrusters flared for another charge, a strangled gasp filled the air.
Barton.
Tony spun around just in time to see him—suspended off the ground, feet barely scraping against the cobblestone. Hubert stood behind him, one massive claw wrapped tightly around Barton's throat. His other hand was pressed against the archer's ribs, claws just barely breaking the skin.
Barton was struggling, but Tony could see the fatigue in his movements. Too much blood loss. Too much damage. He wouldn't last long. Tony's hands curled into fists.
"You don't want to do this," he warned. Hubert smirked, his monstrous features contorting into something that resembled amusement.
"Oh, I think I do. You see, I don't fear death, metal man. But drawing unnecessary attention? That's a different matter."
Hubert was calculating the cost of this fight. Turning into his true form in Oxenfurt was already a massive risk. If the battle dragged on any longer, the guards and the witch hunters would take notice. And once that happened, his comfortable existence here would come to an abrupt end.
Hubert wasn't trying to win.
He was trying to escape.
"You want out?" Tony said, voice steady. "Fine. Let the bird go, and I won't chase you."
"Do you take me for a fool?" His grip tightened around Barton's neck. "You're stalling. Hoping for an opening."
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