Laurenz von Brandt

BIOS
Bellum Bestiae:

In a small town in Holy Roman Empire Germany resides Laurenz, a common smith. After years of supplying the Empire's knights and guard with the weapons and armor necessary for battle, he soon receives word that Damoclus wishes to bring chaos and strife to the world and decides to forge a sword for himself, one powerful beyond imagination, that will change weapon-smithing forever.

ARS SPECIALIS
Feurige Windmühle (Fiery Windmill): Laurenz swings his sword horizontally at his opponent at a 720° counter-clockwise angle, walking towards them as he does so. Meter Burn adds an additional spin. (Match Win Finish Animation: Decapitated, but no blood comes out due to it having been burned away)

Ausbrechende Flamme (Erupting Flame): Laurenz swings his sword above him at a 180° angle and slams it down on the ground, creating a large flame that erupts upwards. On Meter Burn, a fiery explosion is formed instead, dealing more damage. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

Feuersäule (Pillar of Fire): Laurenz plants his zweihänder in the ground, causing a fiery pillar to erupt around him that damages the opponent. On Meter Burn, the pillar lasts longer and does more damage. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

Feurige Klinge (Fiery Blade): Laurenz raises Feuerklinge into the air and supercharges it with fire, giving him a 10-second 5% damage boost. While in this state, attacks from the sword cause the opponent to catch fire, taking slivers of damage over time. Meter Burn adds five more seconds boost time and 3% more damage. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

ARS BESTIAE
Brennende Angreifen (Burning Charge): Laurenz turns into his bison form and, covered entirely in flames, charges at his opponent, causing a hard knockdown if it connects. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

Flammenwerfer (Flamethrower): Laurenz shape-shifts into his bison form, stands there, and, horns supercharged with fire, shoots a stream of flame from each horn, damaging the opponent if it connects, then becomes his human form again. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

PERCUTE ULTIMUM
Pre-Percute Ultimum pose: Raises Feuerklinge to the sky with both hands, with the blade briefly on fire

Pre-Percute Ultimum strike: Jumps at his opponent with Feuerklinge above his head and slams it down on them

Laurenz changes into his bison form, supercharges his horns with fire, and charges at his opponent, causing their whole torso to explode, but leaving the arms, which then fall to the arena floor, intact, and their head to fly upwards. Then, while the opponent's disembodied head is still airborne, Laurenz shape-shifts back to human form, Feuerklinge supercharged with fire, and swings at the head, not only vertically slicing it in half, but the two halves, with no blood coming out due to it having been burned away, also catch fire until the flesh completely burns away. Afterwards, he plants Feuerklinge into the ground, declaring, "Mine is quality craftsmanship. Nothing defeats it!"

MISC. INFO
Voice Actor: Travis Willingham (Street Fighter, Fullmetal Alchemist)

Destined Battle Rival: Han Qingmei

Stage: Smithy Interior

Intro Sequence: Laurenz walks into the arena in his bison form, then becomes his human form again and says as he examines Feuerklinge, then raises it into the air, "Are you willing to test meine neueste Kreation (my latest creation)?" Next, continuing, "Because I know I am," he goes into his fighting stance.

Round Win Sequence: Laurenz spins Feuerklinge at his side twice, then holds it above his head, saying, "Your arms might be due for an upgrade," before going into his fighting stance again.

Outro Sequence: Laurenz effortlessly swings his zweihänder at a 180° angle in different directions, then plants it into the ground and wipes the sweat from his forehead, saying, "Alles an einem Arbeitstag (all in a day's work)."

PROLOGUE: THE TALE OF THE BLACKSMITH, LAURENZ VON BRANDT
(We cut to a 16th-century tapestry of Laurenz in his smithy crafting Feuerklinge, then some text pops up in a manner reminiscent of the Story Modes of Soul Caliburs III and IV.)

In Germany during the predominantly Roman Catholic Holy Roman Empire, about half a century before the founding of Lutheranism, which was under the rule of Maximilian I, who would later be succeeded by his grandson, Charles V, resides a simple blacksmith known as Laurenz von Brandt. He spends his days mining for not only iron and steel, but also rarer, as well as more magical, ores, with which to make things ranging from simple crafting equipment to the more complex, weapons included. There is nothing he cannot craft.

Upon hearing that Damoclus, the demon lord of Infernus, would doom all the lands and all the people who live there unless a warrior, noble and righteous in spirit, vanquished him, Laurenz went out to mine for as much incendium, one of the rarest of all ores, as necessary to forge himself a weapon, as he had always wished to do, which he named Feuerklinge, meaning "fire blade." Appearing to the blacksmith, the bison spirit, Bubalus, acknowledged his potential and decided that he would be his resident warrior.

MIRROR MATCH (QUEST MODE)
(Laurenz is in his home stage when, out of nowhere, a fiery circle appears in front of him, and Damoclus emerges from it.)

Damoclus: I am impressed you have made it this far, warrior. However, before your destined battle begins, I have one more challenge for you... yourself! (creates another Laurenz for the real one to fight)

Laurenz: I honestly cannot believe that I was tricked into dueling against myself, nor do I know the exact reason. You do not deserve to even be a blacksmith!

(Both Laurenzes draw their zweihänders and go into their fighting stances.)

Mirror!Laurenz: My crafts are far more superior. Yours are merely toys im Vergleich (in comparison)!

DESTINED BATTLE - vs. Han Qingmei
(Cut to an abandoned cathedral somewhere in Europe, where Laurenz and Qingmei stand a foot away from each other, looking at each other.)

Laurenz: If you have the time, Fräulein (miss), please allow me to demonstrate the power of my glühendes tausend-Grad-Schwert (glowing thousand-degree sword) unto you.

Qingmei: After that one time when my emperor broke the news that she was to wed another woman and my powers spiraled so far out of control that I had to give up men entirely?

(Laurenz and Qingmei go into their fighting stances.)

Laurenz: Ja (yes). Now, step forward and let us sing ein Lied von Eis und Feuer (a song of ice and fire).

Qingmei: You know not what you do... So be it. Wŏ jiēshòu nĭ de tiăozhàn (I accept your challenge)!

SUB-BOSS BATTLE - vs. Torturex
(After the fight, a badly-beaten Qingmei is down on one knee and one hand.)

Laurenz: I am terribly sorry that your Kaiser (emperor) had to cast you aside in favor of another woman. You have my utmost concern.

Qingmei: It is all right, and xièxiè (thank you). Oh, by the way... My jiàn (sword) broke during the fight. Do you suppose you could craft me another?

Laurenz: Follow me into my smithy back home in Deutschland (Germany) and I shall consider it.

(A fiery portal materializes beneath Laurenz's feet, slowly dragging him into it.)

Qingmei: Zhù nĭ hăoyùn (good luck) in your quest to stop the evil demon lord. I will wait for you!

(Six seconds later, we cut to Laurenz in the Infernal Torture Chamber.)

Laurenz: I wonder what I could craft with all this geschmolzener Stein (molten rock) in this place?

Damoclus: You will not be harvesting any of it, not at all. The molten rock you see here belongs only to Infernus! In order for your final confrontation against me to commence, you must first get past... my chief torturer.

(Soon after, thunderous footsteps are heard, which are revealed to be those of an emerging Torturex.)

Torturex: Me welcome you to Infernus! Torture you in chains for Lord! Me want watch you suffer!

Laurenz: I am a blacksmith, verdammt (damn it)! Not some poor, defenseless soul who needs to be tortured! (readies Feuerklinge)

FINAL BOSS BATTLE - vs. Damoclus
Damoclus: (sitting on his molten rock throne, infuriated that Laurenz has defeated Torturex) What is this?! My chief torturer, defeated? (rises from his throne) Very well... I shall finish off that common smith myself!

Laurenz: (walking into Damoclus' throne room with Feuerklinge strapped to his back) I knew I should have thought of upgrading diese Waffe (this weapon) to be strong against Höllische Dämonen (Hellish demons) a little sooner...

Damoclus: Laurenz von Brandt, little more than just a simple blacksmith in Holy Roman Empire Germany, under the rule of Maximilian I, also known as King of the Romans, of the House of Habsburg. Welcome to your final confrontation against me, Damoclus, the demon lord of the realm of Infernus!

Laurenz: I am so much more than you assume. Do you see this Schwert (sword) that I crafted only recently? It is called Feuerklinge, with a blade fashioned from a rare ore known as incendium, which possesses die Kraft des Feuers (the power of fire).

Damoclus: Hmm... interesting. Tell me, does it have the power of the flames of Infernus?

Laurenz: To be honest, not really. Just... ordinary flames.

Damoclus: Is that it? I expected better from that worthless toy of yours.

Laurenz: Pass auf deine Zunge auf (watch your tongue) when you speak of my weapons! Swords are not toys. A doll is a toy!

Damoclus: You have quite the talent for crafting all manner of magical weapons, and the sword that you possess is no exception. I have an offer for you. How about you work for me as blacksmith to my demon army?

Laurenz: I would much prefer that my weapons be used for the good of the world and all of humanity, never for evil of any kind. (going into his fighting stance) So, die Antwort ist NEIN!! (the answer is NO!!)

Damoclus: You think you, a smith, can defeat the demon lord of Infernus? Allow this battle to be your final one! Septemgladio! (his seven swords, Septemgladio, materialize, and he goes into his fighting stance as well)

AFTER WINNING AGAINST DAMOCLUS IN HIS PRIMARY FORM
Damoclus: (badly beaten and down on one knee and one hand) How dare you...?! (slowly gets back up, heavily breathing with his fiery purple glow becoming angry) Never again... will you see... the light of day!

(Damoclus then transforms into his dinosaur form, then lets out a vicious roar, forcing the player to fight him in only one round.)

ENDING
Damoclus: (defeated and reverting to his humanoid form) NO!! This is impossible! (having been beaten even worse, slowly gets back up again, but barely) Me, a demon lord... defeated by a mere blacksmith?

Laurenz: I hope you realize by now. We are just as capable of fighting as anyone else! (raises Feuerklinge above his head and impales Damoclus in the chest with it)

Damoclus: I will make you pay dearly... (breathing heavily) for ruining my plans! (falls to the molten rock ground dead, but no blood comes out of him due to Feuerklinge having burned it away)

(Cut to Laurenz back home in Germany being cheered by the townspeople in defeating Damoclus as he triumphantly stands with Feuerklinge raised above his head.)

The grueling battle against Damoclus ended with Laurenz vanquishing the demon lord and, in the process, saving the world and its people from suffering at his hands. Not many expected that a mere peasant such as him would come to take such a quest, but upon the blacksmith's return home to Germany, everyone hailed him as a hero for his valiant efforts.

(We then cut to Laurenz at his smithy as he is hard at work forging new weapons and armor for some of the Holy Roman Empire's guard, who are waiting in line, with, in addition to other rare materials, as well as the more common ones, iron and steel, the lava and molten rock samples he just took from Infernus, with his now-girlfriend, Qingmei, observing.)

It is thanks to Laurenz upgrading them with the new materials he found in Infernus that his weapons are now more powerful than ever. They will need to be, so as to ensure the safety of the lands from any further outside threats, as per the blacksmith's decree that the weapons that he crafted never be used for any malevolent purpose.

(Cut to pre-credits roll, where "The Devil and the Huntsman," from Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, starts playing as we are treated to short animations of all the characters, shown in full-body, in their home stages, with the names of their voice actors/actresses and pieces of 16th-century tapestry depicting said characters as their animal forms on their left or right. Afterwards, the credits start rolling and the song continues playing.)

DID YOU KNOW?

 * Travis Willingham, whom I picked to voice Laurenz, was not only previously Guile (whose English-dub voice I envision Laurenz's to sound like a German-accented version of) in Street Fighter and Roy Mustang in Fullmetal Alchemist, but also Thor Odinson in Marvel cartoons, reprising the role in Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. ...Oh, and he's also Jay "The Flash" Garrick in Injustice 2.