Fallen Stars

Mystery Fifty-One

A Storm of Beasts

The radiant light cuts through the heavens, illuminating the dark and stormy sky.

Wrath: (Draco made it?? This is an easy win now!)

Everyone on the battlefield pauses to glance at the newly arrived stranger as the light slowly dims.

???: Can you fools chill out, you’re disturbing my torpor.

Wrath: That voice…Ursa??!

Ursa is a golden-haired teenager with a brown complexion and a perpetually sleepy demeanor. He looks down at the beast, with morning blur.

Wrath waves at him erratically, his claw twitching with a weird motion.

Ursa: *rubs eyes* Who are you?

Wrath: It’s me! Wrath!

Ursa: Wrath? I’ve never seen you a day in my life.

Wrath: It’s me, you dim lightbulb!!

Ursa has a memory bubble form, him in highschool on the basketball team, wearing the number twenty, and standing next to him with their arm over his shoulder is a teen with a large afro, and the wearing number six, it is unmistakably, Wrath.

Ursa’s memory bubble pops.

Ursa: Uh...you don't look like the Wrath I know.

Wrath: Ursa, you idiot!

Wrath looks down at his claws, getting sad.

Wrath: (I really fucking hate this form.)

Ursa: *lightbulb* Ooooh, Wrath. The guy who cried when I beat him one on one?

Wrath: I didn’t cry!

Ursa: So you admit I beat you!

Wrath: Never! Practice started before we could finish the game!!

Ursa: But I was up, you mutant freak!

Wrath raised his arms slightly, his expression a clear display of alarm, concern and hurtfulness.

Wrath: Whoa, too far.

Ursa raises his right arm and tilts his head down.

Ursa: You’re right, my bad.

Ursa scatters as light particles, traveling to Wrath’s side.

Ursa: So, what’s the situation? *yawns*

Wrath addresses the circle gathered around him, his gaze fixated on the storm as it brews once more.

Wrath: I’ll enter the storm and destroy it from within.

Baidam: What?? How??

Wrath: Follow me up from there.

In the storm…

Fear: And now they have five. We should pull out and retreat.

DOOM: I’m going in.

Fear: No! We need to be cautious!

DOOM: Just send me out!!

Fear ropes DOOM with her tempestuous winds, hurling him out with fierce intensity, cleaving through the area near the beasts!

Wrath, waiting for this moment transforms into lightning, sneaking into DOOM’s armor and shocking him from the inside!! The other beasts form their attacks to assault DOOM, but he’s pulled back into the storm.

Fear: Good strat.

DOOM: Why did you pull me?! He’s here!!

Wrath: **Wrath Style - E-Bomb**

Another massive electrical sphere forms, detonating in the eye of the tornado and shattering the storm’s fury, tearing the chaotic whirlwind apart!!

Ursa: Always reliable Wrath. If he says he's going to do something, he's going to do it. My turn.

DOOM and Fear are both falling down to the ground from the explosion. Fear covered herself in wind armor to dampen the blow.

Ursa scatters again, as he travels near both. He becomes whole, he forms a ball of light near his foot, and begins to kick it and juggle it.

Ursa: **Tired-light Style - Circadian Rhythm**

He begins a rhythmic motion with the light ball, its intense glow blinding as it pulses with accumulated energy. With a powerful, precise movement, he executes a super kick, sending the brilliant, blinding ball soaring toward DOOM and Fear, who are plummeting from the sky.

DOOM and Fear: We’re dead…

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

But, in that moment before it reaches them, Ursa falls asleep, the light ball fades away. Ursa, now in a deep slumber, begins to plummet to the ground at high speeds. Just in time, his quick-acting blanket unfurls and cushions his fall, saving him from a harsh landing.

Baidam: What was that??

Carina: Useless.

Rosa: **Louloudi Style - Rooted in Jealousy**

A swarm of tree roots surges forward, grappling DOOM and Fear with reverse hooks that latch onto them tightly. They hang upside down, the roots coil around, locking them in place and piercing through their armor, rendering them immobile and ensnared.

A vibrant, angry lime green flora emerges, spitting out a corrosive acid that eats away at the wind armor and dissolves DOOM's metal suit slowly.

Baidam: **Purity Style - Bankrupt Blizzard**

A fierce blizzard sweeps in, its icy winds shaped in the form of tiny sharks, tearing into their armor and slashing at their skin. The bone-chilling cold rapidly freezes DOOM and Fear, encasing them in a solid layer of ice.

Carina: **Sandsation Style - Dune & Desire**

Sand erupts from beneath DOOM and Fear. The swirling sand engulfs them, forming a crushing sand tomb that traps and entombs them completely.

Wrath: Nice job! One more hit!

Wrath: **Wrath Style - King’s Wrath**

Wrath raises both hands, summoning three lightning bolts that flash in the sky clouds behind him. He hurls them forward, crackling with energy and piercing through the sand tomb, electrifying DOOM and Fear!!

Wrath flies, landing by Carina, Rosa and Baidam.

Wrath: (Jealousy, Bankrupt, and Desire? I have the perfect names for them.)

Baidam: Is it over already? That was too quick. I wanted to chain them up!

Wrath leans over in pain, holding his shoulder.

Wrath: We did fight already for quite awhile, so it end-

A fierce gale rages, blowing apart the sand tomb and all lingering attacks. Despite the strain, Fear and DOOM remain steadfast, battered and worn but still upright, the pain is evident in every labored breath, their bodies showing the toll of the battle.

Fear: We have to pull out.

DOOM: I can win this. I may not be able to kill the rest of them now, but Wrath is weakened like us, let me kill him and we can go.

Fear: I’m making the call.

DOOM: One more attack, one more is all I need.

Wrath turns to address his group, but a harsh cough erupts, splattering blood onto his hand. He quickly wipes his hand across his face, leaving a streak of blood, but his determination remains unshaken despite the setback.

Wrath: One more attack, I can end it with that.

The three of them nod.

Crackling lightning surges around Wrath, while sinister blood flows from DOOM, pooling ominously at his feet.

Wrath vanishes in a flash, leaving a trail of lightning in his wake, reappearing above DOOM and Fear, wings beating powerfully in the sky.

Carina, Rosa and Baidam continue their assault, unleashing their attacks on DOOM.

Fear leaps aside, amplifying her gale to shield DOOM, deflecting Carina’s treacherous sand, Rosa's writhing roots and Baidam's relentless frostwave.

Wrath: Let’s end this, DOOM!

Rumbling lightning coils around Wrath, gradually shaping into his vivid, crackling crown.

Baidam and Rosa are stunned by it.

Baidam and Rosa: The-The Limitless Crown!?

DOOM: (The Limitless crown??)

DOOM is quickly reminded of something, someone intimidating, standing with their back to him saying, “The Limitless Crown will lead all the beasts, and that’s what I want.”

His lightning surges chaotically in red and blue, the red overwhelming the blue entirely as he aims down at DOOM.

Wrath: **Wrath Style - Bolt From The Red**

A superbolt spins within the clouds above, and with tremendous magnitude, it strikes down!

DOOM: **DOOM Style - Midnight**

Fountains of blood erupt from the ground once more, but this blood has hardened and been fortified with DOOM’s Cosmos. The massive strands surge upward, clashing fiercely with the crimson lightning bolt descending from the sky!

Fear unleashes her wind once more, propelling them upward behind the blood with renewed strength!

The clash remains balanced, a fierce power struggle unfolds, but gradually the blood starts to gain the upper hand!

Wrath smirks, a glint of challenge in his eyes.

Wrath: Hmph. Since it's two of you, how about we even the odds. Handle this second one.

A second superbolt spirals within the clouds, crackling with a more potent pop and rumble, radiating a volatile synergy infused with Wrath's Cosmos leaking from its core. It descends, crashing down onto the first bolt, overwhelming DOOM's blood in a spectacular display of raw power!

As if time has slowed down, DOOM’s attack breaks apart, and crimson droplets hang in the air, gradually falling in every direction. All DOOM can perceive is Wrath smiling and waving goodbye with his lobster claw hand, just before the blinding flash of the red bolt overtakes his vision!

He glances frantically to the side, as if preparing to dodge or run, but his armor suddenly pulls him toward the incoming bolt! The thunderous bolt strikes!

Wrath wipes the sweat from his forehead.

Wrath: Whew.

As the destruction subsides and the lingering smoke clears, DOOM still stands, barely clinging to life. His armor is almost nonexistent, with only fragments remaining, and his mask is half destroyed.

Wrath: How the fuck is he still alive?!

Wrath jolts, his body shaking uncontrollably as he reverts to his normal form, his electricity runs out of time.

Wrath collapses into unconsciousness, his limitless crown still aglow as he plummets from the sky.

Fear: DOOM! This is the time, finish him off!

DOOM remains standing still, strangely silent. He is also unconscious, his body is shocked occasionally from the lingering aftereffects of the bolt. Bolt From The Red has an everlasting trait known as "Shellshock," which persistently torments the target.

Carina: Save him, Baidam. We’ll finish off DOOM.

Baidam: Ok!

Fear senses their movements.

Fear: (I can’t beat the three of them alone.)

She ropes DOOM and launches herself into the air with a tempest, yanking him away from the battlefield as she kicks the air to dash hastily away. Phobos and Moros quickly take off, following.

Baidam creates a series of ice stepping stones that ascend with each level. At the last step, she leaps into the air, catching Wrath falling.

Baidam (blushing): (He’s surprisingly handsome...)

Baidam drops from the sky and lands on a giant flower in a flower bed created by Rosa.

Baidam smiling, playing with Wrath’s hair, fascinated by the crown. In the distance, DOOM snaps awake! Bloodshot eyes open, he unleashes a final, ruthless attack!

DOOM: **DOOM Style - Impending DOOM**

A potent iteration of this attack manifests as a single, unyielding line of blood, infused with his last efforts and Cosmos.

This tremendous crimson wave of blood rushes toward the group. Baidam senses the impending threat and swiftly reacts, creating a cryo-style sigil on her hand before slamming it into the ground.

Baidam: **Flat Mir; Ice Wall**

Sixteen titanic ice walls, thick as fortifications, ascend from the ground!

The bloodstream collides violently with the ice walls, shattering each one in succession! It reaches the twelfth wall, smashing into it with relentless force, obliterating it, and then dies out!

Rosa: That was close.

DOOM falls unconscious again.

Baidam: It’s a good thing I did sixteen, I was only going to put up eight.

Carina and Rosa move closer, checking on each other and Baidam. Rosa begins crafting a flower bed that radiates life force and energy, allowing those who rest within it to regain their strength.

Rosa: **Lifebloom**

Carina: And what are we going to do with him?

Carina shoots Ursa a piercing glare, her eyes narrowing like a laser dart while he sleeps peacefully.

Rosa: Yeah, what was the point of him showing up?

Baidam: It looks like he was friends with Wrath; we need to leave him be.

Rosa: Fine…

Rosa sits down in the flower bed and begins to meditate as the flowers grow around her.

Carina: So, I suppose we’re just waiting til they both wake up.

As she speaks, a chair made of flowers begins to bloom around her, and she settles into her seat. Risqué coils around her feet.

**Fear and DOOM’s Location**

Fear: Damn it, DOOM. So close to dying, you owe me again.

She dashes through the air, nimbly navigating while dragging DOOM along.

Fear: One of his labs should be nearby. The closest one is about five days out. Don’t worry, I’ll get you into a Reviver Pod.

DOOM's body hangs like a ragdoll, arms and legs trailing behind him as he's violently dragged through the air.

An hour passes, and Wrath’s eyes flicker open, slowly gaining awareness. He finds he cannot move, his body still trapped in a paralyzing stillness. He feels and smells a blissful fragrance.

Wrath: My body, it feels so good.

Laying on Baidam’s lap, he rests amidst a blooming tapestry of flowers.

Rosa: It's the aroma from my flora. It's restoring your life force and rejuvenating you.

Wrath: Yaha. Even though I feel better, I cannot move a single muscle.

Ursa stirs from slumber, letting out a deep yawn as he stretches his limbs, shaking off the morning stiffness.

Ursa: ’Twas a good fight.

They all drill him with a piercing death stare, their expressions a mix of annoyance and disbelief.

Wrath: Ursa shut up, you didn’t do anything.

Ursa: We won, didn’t we? Must’ve done something.

In that moment, the group is approached by another formless beast, made up of swirling dark liquor, taking the form of a donkey.

Wrath: (Another friend of DOOM?? I can’t move, I may be dead here.)

The beast halts abruptly, it lets out a loud hee-haw, its body shuddering as it starts to cough violently, throwing someone up — out comes Asselli…

Asselli: I-I’m here…to help in the fight…

He gives a wasted, crooked smile and a thumbs-up.

Carina: No worries; he’s on our side and was supposed to help in this fight.

Carina delivers a swift kick while he's down, shattering several of his teeth.

Carina: The fight is already over, clown.

Asselli: Ah… Let’s have a drink to celebrate our victory then…

[Wrath vs DOOM Has Concluded!!

Time For A Celebration!!]

Mystery 51 Fin