Bane wins...Does he? (POV of Batman)

Breathing heavily and glaring at his opponents like a crazed animal, Bane raised his clawed fists and smashed the streets at his feet, sending fissures and cracks to spread over the concrete and the overgrown streets to crumble ahead of him by at least 50 feet. Sending the roads to cave in and collapse and forcing the defending Vampires and Lycanthropes to dart out of the way and regain their footing further away. With a flehm choked roar, Bane charged towards the nearest opponent who couldn’t get away quickly, raising a massive fist the size of a mailbox down on the prone Zatanna, just as she managed to conjured a bubble of solid indigo light to protect herself. The impact was so intense, Zatanna’s bubble was buried a foot deep into the Earth, followed by another when he struck again and again. Looking out over the edge of the fight where his pack tried to contain the feral wolves, Bruce found Zatanna’s concentration slipping as her wall of bones began to crumble.

Running on all fours and darting from one stony crag of concrete to the next, Bruce jumped and slashed under Bane’s arm when he made to swing another attack, making the feral bear cry out in pain and rage after his arm swung limp at his side. Using his good claw, Bane swung at the black wolf, finding purchase and sending Bruce reeling several meters away to collapse into the ruin of a destroyed café nearby. Digging himself out as quickly as he could, Bruce looked up to find the four story tall bear galloping towards him, the wounds he inflicted almost completely healed and allowing Bane to run on all fours again as he charged towards him, his green eyes focussed on him and him alone. Still struggling, he was surprised when a burst of blue flame erupted out of Bane’s right shoulder, the venom empowered beast rolling onto his left and bellowing a roar of pain and swiping at his scorched flesh to put out the flames and collapsing back first into the adjacent building across the street.

Clearing itself of the rubble and metal, the Bear charged out to attack Dracula, his shoulder and back still crisping from the necrotic flames. The look of blind rage never left Bane’s face even when vines erupted from the earth and ensnared his neck and legs.

“Have you noticed it yet wolf?” Asked Dracula, staring down at Bruce as the Wolf King finally freed himself of the debris.

“Yes, he can only focus on one opponent at a time.”

“His wits are gone, but he still knows how to fight and kill.”

Checking on Zatanna across the street, Bruce was relieved to see her float above the crater she was beaten into, looking back at the Wolf King and nodding with reassurance. With a guttural roar, Bane freed himself from Pamela’s vines and looked around for anymore that would impose him. Snorting and breathing hard, the bar looked to his scorched flesh and down to the rest of the feral wolves trying to scramble over the jagged walls of necrotic bones walling up the battle. With a growl, Bane snatched up one of the feral wolves, the thing whimpering in surprise before Bane opened his jaws wide and bit the creature in half at the waist. When he did, Dracula and the Wolf King realised his necrotic burns were healing.

“We need to cut off his food supply!”

“I agree… AND keep him busy.”

Fully healed and rolling his new shoulder, the black Bear growled and glared back at the two plotting against him. Sneering and baring his chipped, yellow fangs, Bane gripped at the stone beneath him and fell into another charge, exploding out of the collapsed building and surging towards the two at full speed.

*

Floating towards Aloe Vera as she directed the vines to contain the massive bear, Zatarra could already see the massive wolfess deep in concentration, trying to keep up with the bear while Harleen guarded her from the feral wolves still scrambling around the battlefield. Her and Bruce’s pack were hard at work trying to round them up or cull them, but their numbers seemed endless.

“We have to work together to save them.” Cried out the vampire magician, watching as Bane quickly freed himself of his vine tangled noose only for a new one to take its place.

“we ARE! It’s taking all we have to contain this madness.” Growled Pamela, almost desperate to save her love from the monster trying to kill him.

“No, I mean we need to combine our powers to stop him, give him something to be distract by while we get rid of these animals.”

Darting her green eyes between Bane and Zatanna, Pamela nodded and stopped what she was doing. “So be it.” Weaving their abilities together, Aloe Vera’s vines grew out and gathered stone nearby, entangling and wrapping around the boulders and debris of the battlefield while Zatanna infused her necromantic spells into the construct

*

The heavy gait of Bane’s gallop sent buildings to shake and rattle. Bulldozing through crushed cars and fallen trees with the same ease as walking through a field of tall grass, as he charged towards the vampire and werewolf. Teeth and claws were barred and ready to rend the two warriors when a sudden crash of stone, vines and bone collided with the beast and struck him in the skull with enough force to hear the crack of bone and the chipping of teeth. Lumbering into view once the dust settled from the impact, Dracula and Bruce looked up to see a titanic golem of stone, vines and bone stomp into view, its head a collection of blooming vines and dozens of skulls with indigo glowing eyes. Rearing back a boulder the size of a car for a fist, the elemental construct launched an attack on the prone bear, letting loose a barrage of punches and blows that rained down on the beast and kept Bane busy.

Looking to the source, Bruce and Dracula found Zatanna and Aloe Vera working in tandem, conjuring the golem and directing its attacks. Heading towards the red wolfess and the indigo lantern, the two lords protecting them as more feral wolves attacked, giving Harley a reprieve. “About damn TIME you two showed up, my poor bat is ruined!” Complained Harley, wielding an undersized red and black painted steel bat that was dented and crumpled from so much use.

“Keep them both safe Harley, the Count and I will deal with this horde and focus back on HIM when we can.” Bruce answered, pointing at Bane as the golem continued to slam rubble and stone down over him. Looking back to Zatanna, the vampire was focused on her golem while maintaining the wall of bone keeping the feral wolves from escaping. “Zatanna, close the fence keeping them here, drawn them all to us.”

“How DARE you command one of my…”

Ignoring the Count’s indignation, Bruce looked to his remaining pack and howled, gaining their attention and waving them all back to him to regroup. Very quickly the group found themselves rallied by the snakes and spiders along with the four women who made up the remains of Bruce’s pack. Regrouping back to Aloe Vera and Zatanna, the feral wolves had followed, attacking the lycanthropes as the only source to sate their blind rage and hunger. Unlike the mindless beasts that lunged and swiped at the small group, Bruce’s pack were focussed, planning each strike and making killing blows with tooth and claw.

A blood curdling scream announced the arrival of Black Canary, landing in front of the pack and screaming out a shockwave against the attackers that stunned and reeled them into submission, while Talia leapt from one beheaded corpse to another in their moment of distraction and pain. By now the horde was dwindling, as the wall of bones receded back and made the killing field smaller, drawing in the feral wolves in the process. Now numbering over a hundred, the pack and vampires thought they finally had a means of stopping them… Then they heard a bellow of rage nearby. Turning their attention back to Bane, the Bear had grabbed hold of the construct by the waist and hoisted it off its feet, several the plant life from the Earth below and throwing the 50-tonne golem towards the pack and Vampires.

“LOOK OUT!!!”

Gathering who they could, the wolves jumped out of the way as the mass of rubble and bones crashed into where they had made their stand. An explosion of rock and earth sending them all tumbling to the ground, buried in debris and plant matter. Getting up with ringing ears, the Lycanthropes slowly got up and looked around, stunned from the impact. Staggering out of the rubble, Bruce clutched at his head as his ears rang and his mind swam. Looking over to his side he found Dracula slowly picking himself up out of the rubble, clutching at his healing wounds.

“Are you…?”

Waving back to Bruce to silence him, the Vampire Count regained his footing and frowned, clutching at his still wounded shoulder and wearing nothing left but his tattered pants. “As the men of this century elegantly put it… Fuck off!”

Smirking despite himself, Bruce looked around to find who was still in the fight. Surrounded by the horde of ferals, Bruce’s pack and Dracula’s brides gathered up on top of the golem’s remains as a high ground. Looking over his shoulder, Bruce found Aloe Vera clutching an unconscious Zatanna in her arms, a look of worry in her green eyes. That meant the wall was down! Looking back to Bane, the Wolf King readied himself as the massive Bear lumbered towards them, searing with hate and frothing at the mouth with rage and hunger.

Giving each other a look, Bruce looked down at the no life king, the two sharing a look of acknowledgement before they both looked to what remained of their servants. “Together…” Charging towards Bane, the rest of the ferals were ignored save for those that got in the way as the Lycanthropes and vampires made a charge against the bear. As one, the spiders scurried around the beast, enveloping him in thick webbing while the snakes and wolves slashed and bit at what they could. The vampires darting between attacks to slash and stab at the massive bear. Climbing onto his back, Bruce noticed the injector at the base of Bane’s neck. If he could separate him from the source of his strength, this fight would be over. Trying to maintain his grip on Bane’s hide, Bruce moved towards the injector until with a bellowing roar, Bane broke free of the webbing and reached up behind his back, grabbing hold of the Wolf King and prying him off. Struggling and biting at what he could to get loose, the last thing Bruce saw before everything became searing pain was Bane’s fanged maw opening and slam shut over him.

“NO!!!!!!!!” Screamed Aloe Vera, seeing Bruce thrashed around like a chew toy in the mouth of the massive bear before being spat out and tossed aside to tumble into the dirt at his feet. Her red hair billowing over her lupine head, Aloe Vera conjured plant growth to spear into the animal, her eyes wide and tear streaked as her plants impaled the bear over and over again while vines gathered Bruce and tried to pull him to safety. Bringing him in close, Pamela whimpered, kissing at his snout and pressing her claws against his crushed and wounded chest to stem the bleeding as Harley joined her, dropping her bat to do the same. Seeing his prize being taken, Bane growled and stomped forward, quickly being distracted when Goliath flew in and slashed at Bane’s eyes and face. Roaring out in rage, Bane grabbed hold of the gargoyle by his waist and slammed him down onto the ground, raising a clawed foot and stomped down on his body, the crunch of bones from the first stomp alone told he was dead, but the bear never checked until the fifth stamp of his foot to look down at the blood soaked crater. Fueled by anger and revenge, Dracula leapt towards the bear’s face, grabbing hold of what he could and reared his fist back, punching deep into Bane’s eye socket and ripping free the optic nerve in his steely grip.

The roar Bane gave nearly drove the man deaf before he felt a massive claw grab him from behind and pry him off. Glaring back at the vampire even as a new eye regenerated and replaced the one torn out, Bane crushed him in his grip, tossing the vampire king towards the others and slammed his fist down in an intimidation stance. The pack and brides rallied to gather towards their fallen leaders and fend off the ferals now closing in. Standing between Bane and the rest, Black Canary breathed deep and let loose a banshee cry that sent shockwaves towards Bane, making the beast clutch at his ears as his fur turned grey. Then with a roar of his own, the bear clapped its claws together, creating a shockwave that stunned everyone and sent them all reeling and tumbling back, even the ferals were blown away from the intense force of strength.

“YOUUUUUU… CANNNNOT…. DEFFFEEAAAAAAT…. BANE!” The bear slurred, closing the distance between him and his opponents, his horde surrounding the beaten vampires and lycanthropes until he loomed over them all. “FIRRRRRST… EAT… BONNNNNNES… THEN… GOTHHHHHHAM!”

Dazed, stunned and still hearing the ringing in his ears, Batman could hardly move. The wounds in his chest and arms still wracked through him, the pain keeping him from getting up and fight. The only thing he could hear was the whimpering of Pamela and Harley squirming towards him, nuzzling his wounded shoulders but unable to do anything else. Looking around, Bruce could make out the others crushed and broken, half-buried under the rubble and surrounded by the approaching feral wolves, the animals licking their chops at the sight of prone meat. He had nothing left, they had nothing left to give. Then hearing a scrapping of dirt against leather and cloth, Bruce’s eyes fell on his former opponent; the vampire count dragging himself up.

Dracula sluggishly sat up from his prone position, dragging himself up to his hands and knees, spitting out a mouthful of blood and slowly lifting one leg up to stand. Regaining his footing and swaying with vertigo, the vampire count looked up at the snorting werebear in defiance. His black hair draped down his dirt and blood caked back and shoulders as he slowly approached the heavy breathing animal, shambling forward on sheer will alone.

“You think me defeated animal?” Called out the Count, stepping out into the clearing with bare feet, oblivious to the bloody footprints he left behind the others still weakened and injured from Bane’s assault. Spreading his arms out wide, Dracula glared up at his opponent, his vision so blurred he couldn’t even recognise the form in front of him, but he didn’t care. “Do you think this rabble of beasts and that poison in your veins makes you mightier than me?!” Seeing Bane sneer, the Count continued. “No matter what you make of yourself, you are but a beast, a ‘dog’ of war. But I am Monster!... It takes a MAN to kill a monster!”

Finding his footing and keeping his arms out, the drained and broken Vampire lord looked up at the bear, a smile forming on his bloody lips just as he caught sight of the beast’s fist clench and rise to deliver the finishing blow.