Darkstalkers 4 Stages Part 1

Darkstalkers 4 Stages


~ Introduction ~

The world of Darkstalkers is not a normal one. All throughout the Earth and beyond are strange places, where strange fights break out between strange people; so who better to guide you there than a strange being? You do not have to refer to me by any name, for have both many and none. The only thing you need to know about me is that I will take you to these strange places; no cost, no harm, nothing but a simple trip. I have placed before you a collection of coffins, each one leading to a particular area where you are most likely to find the most exciting of fights. When you have decided where to go, simply find the coffin leading there, open it, and close your eyes as I personally transport you there; make very sure to keep your eyes tightly shut until we have arrived. Once again, there is no price for my services to you; I have no reason not to help you to wherever you wish to go. Just remember one thing. When you’ve opened a coffin, and I am currently transporting you somewhere, whatever you do:

Nͩͪ͗̆ͯ̎̈ͧ͏̝͇̳͓̫̫̘ͅEͪ̓ͬ̈͐̒͛ͦ҉̣͍̲̼̕Ṿ̵̢̤̙̗̱̟͕̪̋͌̎ͭͧE̥̯͂ͭŘ̼̠͖̻̞͍͒̄̎̈́͂̎͝ͅ ̨̖͙͓̞̲̹̏̑͛̌̔́̓ͅÒ̶̷̻̘̪̥̮̼ͅP̷̶̛̩̞͓̗̑͋E̡̬̜̭͔͒̌́̑ͬ̌͋̒͟N̶̢̖̣͗̌̊ͨ̄ͤ̄ͯ ̢̣̙̱́̽̈́ͧ͆̋ͦͧ͢Y̡̳̺̝ͥͦ̓ͬ̒̉͢O̸ͦ̑̓ͮͦͩ̀҉͓͔Ǔ͍̫̪̳ͤ̏͌̎̕͢͞R͚̃̌̏̍ͧͯ̅͜ ̯̟̠̱̻̘͉́̐͞E̲̗͖̫ͧ̇ͨ̇́Y̑͛̇̌͑ͦ͏̹̺̘͟E̡͉͈̠ͭ̈́ͭ͘͜S̥̈́ͣ͋̕͜.̪̹̺̦̭̝̮͊͟͝


Now allow me to explain your choices ~



~ Eros Steam ~

| Location – Aensland Castle in Scotland.

| Coffin Design – An elegant coffin made from stone with engravings of beautiful women and roses.

| Characters found here –
- Morrigan Aensland
- Lilith Aensland
- Moka Akashiya

| Description – The hot springs room that was recently built into Aensland Castle as requested by Morrigan, and so far seems to be doing pretty well. It’s rather expensive, but given that it belongs to one of the most powerful families in the Makai Realm and the high level of quality and service, it’s more than enough bang for your buck. The fight takes place just adjacent to one of the hot springs, where beautiful men, women and everything in between relax, both human and non-human. Some of the occupants will take their leave and stroll off the area, still naked but masterfully obscured by the steam so as not to distract the fighters. Occasionally you’ll see two playful guests chasing each other childishly around the spring, whipping each other with towels; meanwhile Lucien is still standing around with towels in his hand, shaking his head in embarrassment and shame. Many nude, posing stone statues are placed around the place, and one large statue behind the spring. The statue is that of a voluptuous woman whose bosom is covered only by the long hair and a large pillar with steam and a mystical glowing light coming from it. After the fight is over, the pillar will explode at the top and release a geyser of hot water glowing different colours while the face of the statue changes from calm to ecstatic.



~ Crimson Gallery ~

| Location – Castle Zeltzereich in Romania.

| Coffin Design – A traditional vampire’s coffin with a bat symbol on the front, and blood leaking from the edges.

| Characters found here –
- Demitri Maximoff
- Simon Belmont
- Rachel Alucard

| Description – The fight takes place in a beautiful rose garden in the courtyard of the castle. Red rose petals ride on a supernatural breeze while beautiful maidens tend to a large gathering of vampire bats, sacrificing their own blood to appease the pets of Maximoff.  A full moon can be seen in the starless dark sky, and at certain points the silhouette of a large bat monster can be seen briefly. There is one thing to note about the roses though; they aren’t naturally red. The once white roses actually obtain their new colour from the blood spilt by sacrificed virgins who offered themselves to Demitri. Their bodies can be seen on a ledge above the rose gardens, lying on their backs and impaled through the heart by cross-shaped gravestones, with their heads and hands hanging from the edges. Judging by their expressions they were charmed by the vampire lord’s charisma to the grave. Near the base of the garden bed is a pond of blood that rises in columns at the presence of the fighters, with events such as jumping, falling to the ground or hitting enemies with powerful attacks cause large splashes. After the fight is over, the pond of blood will all rise up like a massive wave while the roses begin to grow and transform into half-plant, half-humanoid maidens.



~ Arcana Manifest ~

| Location – Ludenberg Family Mansion in California, USA.

| Coffin Design – A royal jewelled coffin bearing the family crest of the Ludenberg family and various mystical symbols.

| Characters found here –
- Melissa Ludenberg
- White Schrödinger
- Circe

| Description – The fight takes place in the ballroom of the Ludenberg Mansion. There is actually a large party full of ballroom dancers right now, but for the sake of good sportsmanship and interest they have made the centre clear for the battle. On the dance floor are 22 aristocrats and royals all dressed sharply and elegantly, all dancing together with much grace or chatting amongst each other, discussing how great they like to imagine they are. There’s no reason to beat around the bush, for even the host of the ball knows how soulless and devoid of worth these patrons truly are. To reflect on their true nature their heads are replaced with tarot cards in a pathetic attempt to appear important and knowledgeable, when in fact they are flat and purely material driven; they don’t even have the dignity to admit that they replaced their heads, and instead claim that the cards are only seen because that’s what people they deem lower than them conceive them as. Thankfully, the actual ballroom itself is much more pleasant to look at. Exquisite pieces of art that are (quite literally) more lively than the dancers line the walls, the ceiling has a grand masterpiece watching over all beneath it and from it is a large diamond chandelier with ethereal indigo candles on top. When the fight is over, the chandelier will break off the ceiling and crush any dancers beneath it, though disgustingly enough the survivors still continue their activities as though nothing happened.



~ Where the Breeze is Best ~

| Location – St. Mercury Church in Peru.

| Coffin Design – A blessed black coffin with a golden cross adorning it and moss growing near the edges.

| Characters found here –
- Felicia
- El Segador
- Sugar Rottweiler

| Description – The fight takes place in a green, grassy field outside of the front of the church. This stage is probably the safest place to be in the entire game if you’re a human; there are absolutely no darkstalkers of any kind besides any who may be fighting. Near the field are young children running around and playing games, though some of them have instead taken a curious interest to the fight that is taking place. Closer to the entrance of the church are a group of adults (plenty of which are parents to the children) and a few priests watching over the children, discussing matters and watching the fight with caution to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. Off in the distance the Inca site Machu Picchu can be seen, where the clouds in the sky above it are swirling around each other at a fast pace. What’s most notable however is the row of angel statues mystically floating in the air near the fighting space. The expressions on their faces change when a fighter gets close to them, with the expression depending on who the fighter is; those that are more righteous and well-intentioned are merely given a stern look while more malevolent types are given a scowl. When the fight is over, the angels will all scream angrily as they conjure weapons of light and get into fighting positions while the adults grab all the frightened children and bring them inside the church.



~ Clarity Blank ~

| Location – Six Paths Temple in the Himalayas.

| Coffin Design – A simple wooden coffin with depictions of human priests and demons existing in a balanced state and a bowl of fire near the top.

| Characters found here –
- Donovan Baine
- Anita
- Ino Tengu

| Description – The fight takes place outside of a holy shrine area, where it is currently snowing. Inside the shrine area is a large stone bowl being held up by the backs and hands of a nude muscular human and a nude humanoid demon with a face not unlike the head of a shisa statue; their expressions are calm and stoic. In the bowl is an ethereal light blue flame with talismans and seals surrounding the edges. Around the statues and the bowl is a ring of meditating priests of all kinds of races; only one is human while the rest range from generic demonic humanoids to borderline abstract serpent beings. All of them are in a calm, sitting position, constantly floating and slowly moving around the statues. They have all been meditating for days on end hoping to find peace of mind, answers to great questions or simply preparing themselves for trials foreseen to come. In front of the four large pillars that support the shrine are guards of different races wielding naginatas, making sure no one interrupts the priests they have sworn to protect. Outside the shrine near the steps is another fight going on, not unlike the one the two characters are in. The fight is between a bald, female monk wielding kusarigama and a large, four-armed, presumably female demon with an insect-like face and three spiked appendages growing from the back. When the fight is over, something very unexpected will occur between the fighters; an orb of cosmic power will appear out of nowhere and draw in the two fighters. The fighters will struggle to get away, but are eventually pulled in and get their bodies transformed into a liquid-like energy before fusing together and starting to form as one being.



~ Gelombang Iblis ~

| Location – Eelmaw Festival Street in Indonesia.

| Coffin Design – A well-crafted bamboo coffin with a mask of a menacing, grinning demon placed on the top and several offerings of plant materials around it.

| Characters found here –
- Hsien-Ko/Lei-Lei
- Ogro
- Miko Vulpa

| Description – The fight takes place on the footpath near a road during a festival. A parade is marching through the road, consisting of many human festival-goers and children prancing about while dressed in costumes resembling demons; it’s unknown if they’re aware or not, but there are plenty of actual demons prancing about alongside, and also unknown is if those demons are just trying to trick them and attack them later or if they really do just want to have fun. The fighters aren’t the only ones on the footpath, as an elderly couple with their dog can be seen sitting and watching the festival, content with just watching and not partaking in any more physical activity; there’s a homeless bum passed out with a bottle of booze not too far from them, or is he dead? To the far right is a small stand selling bizarre cuisine made from the body parts of both creatures from Earth and Makai; not too sure if all those things are edible. On the rooftops of the shopping district on the other side of the road are a group of rowdy teenage rebels and four-legged demons running across, most likely up to whatever mischief and mayhem they can cause with whatever’s in those smoke-emitting backpacks. The main attraction of the parade is a large float featuring a large paper mache figure of the upper half of a six-armed human man with the face of the spirit king Barong; the figure has hand-operated mechanisms that allow movement for the arms and head. When the fight is over the figure will shape-shift, turning from male to female and having the head of Barong turn 360 degrees and revealing the face of the demon queen Rangda; Rangda then turns to face the screen and breathe a large wave of hellish flames.



~ Lovely Madame Agatha ~

| Location – Starts off in an abandoned train station in England before going to various different countries throughout the world.

| Coffin Design – A mechanical bronze coffin with the nuts and bolts in plain sight, a list of train timetables and above it a glass window that has water on the other side; looking through the window long enough may yield a quick glimpse of a face.

| Characters found here –
- Jon Talbain/Gallon
- Bell
- Lydia Gardenias

| Description – The fight takes place on top of the demon train known as Agatha. Agatha is a powerful entity that takes the form of a large steam locomotive that can travel through portals to various places and run without a railroad. Agatha has a more Steampunk appearance than most regular trains, and a bronze tinge. What’s a lot more noticeable however is the large, uncannily human-looking mouth on the front of the train. Luscious red lips and pearly white teeth almost always smiling, and upon opening you’ll find a pair of human-like eyes and a human-like nose. In spite of her rather creepy appearance, Agatha is a very nice woman; she’s incredibly polite, kind-hearted and willing to help anyone in need. This comes in handy with her dimension-warping power allowing her to pick up people of all kinds and from all lands lost on their way or just looking to get back home, totally free of charge. As good as that sounds, this applies for not just humans, but also denizens of Makai, and since there’s no true guarantee that they’ll get along, fights tend to break out often; poor Agatha cannot actually feel anything that her wheels aren’t touching, and has rather tunnelled sense of vision and hearing, making her completely oblivious to the bloodshed that happens within her own body. The fighters first board Agatha at an abandoned train station in England that Agatha thinks is rather nice to look at despite its decrepit state. From then on she travels through the rusted rails for a short time before warping to various other countries. In order, she travels through: France, Morocco, Kenya, Pakistan, India, China, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Washington DC, Alaska, Korea, Russia and finally Switzerland before going back to England. When the fight is over, something goes wrong with Agatha’s abilities; her next portal ends up becoming twisted and chaotic, and Agatha’s wheels begin heavily sparking. For once, Agatha loses her cheerful smile.



~ Liquid Jewelled Mirror ~

| Location – Bashia Royal Castle in Ireland.

| Coffin Design – A gorgeous marble coffin with a surface that dances around with glitters shining like the stars.

| Characters found here –
- Rikuo/Aulbath
- Holia Bashia
- Pit

| Description – The fight takes place in front of a large fountain outside of the castle. This fountain is owned by the royal Bashia family and was built by the most talented darkstalker craftsmen that could be hired; it took 9 years to build and was completed in 1897. It almost entirely made from black marble and has four water-filled layers, with the largest at the bottom and the smallest at the top. All along the inside of each layer are water jets angled diagonally upwards, creating a ring of thin, parabolic streams of water for each layer. At the top of the fountain is a granite statue of a beautiful man holding an urn over his head; sparkling water continuously pours out of the urn. Gracefully dancing on top of the water are thin, humanoid water elementals that can shift their liquid form into anything, but choose to show respect to the Bashia family by taking a form similar to them; the glowing, aqua coloured jewel seen in the head is their only true form. Most of them are dancing, though some of them are also sitting on the layers observing the fight. Beyond the fountain is a cliff leading off onto the raging waters of the sea, though it’s not visible when you’re watching the fight. However, the sea makes its presence known instead through the night sky. Alongside the many stars and constellations, the great waves and all the unique marine life can be seen moving about in an almost rhythmic pattern, almost giving off the appearance that the space beyond the Earth is filled with aliens. When the fight is over, the statue at the top of the fountain will come alive and levitate the urn above his head into an upright position and spreading his arms out; all the water in the fountain will then rise and swirl around in a spherical pattern while the jewels of the water elementals shine brightly as they move about.



~ City of Creativity ~

| Location – Downtown Rhode Island, USA.

| Coffin Design – A colourful and vandalized coffin covered in graffiti and skating stickers, with some stickers being based off Capcom franchises.

| Character found here –
- Jeremy Sanchez

| Description – The fight takes place in a closed local skate park during night located at Downtown. Where the youth hang out every day after (or before) school, spending quality time skating with friends and ordering burgers, pizza, and even slushies at Panda's Food Shack, and every young folk having a good time before it closes at 6. During the night some youngsters like to sneak in to skate during the night or even throw a party while the owner is away, but they always clean up because they don't want to piss off the owner so they can keep the park open. Then they graffiti and vandalize the walls, floors and ramp while spreading stickers on poles, chairs, and objects, making the skate park even more colourful, which leads to a higher chance of having more young and professional skaters visiting and skating in the park. Jeremy himself has snuck in and illustrated a picture of Morrigan on the wall one night with unique sexy details due of his talent, to make everyone believe that Darkstalkers are real as written alongside the succubus. During that night, bats can be seen hanging on the rail wall and flying off later on as the moon begins to turn red when it hits to the witching hour.  Bright colourful lights envelop the streets, while the skate park remains less brightened since there are only four pole lights around the park. When the fight is over, all the light from the poles are drawn into the hand of Morrigan’s image as it winks and coyly smiles at the player.