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Battle Beasts
Death Comes To Us All
Part IV
SEVEN DAYS PAST
White Leo stood on the beach awaiting the arrival of Power Jaguar and Violet Horn. Three beasts accompanied him, Polar Battle Bear, Gray Ox, and Giada. On each Beast's armor a square section, once black, now shone a brilliant blue. Polar Battle Bear turned towards the sea and concentrated, causing a small section of water to swirl. The square section upon his armor shimmered and he smiled. "No matter how many times I use this power, I still have a hard time grasping the sheer... magnitude of what's happened." White Leo nodded and recalled the events of six days past. Ten of the Beasts had opted to follow him, Penguinus, Mingo Kid, Polar Battle Bear, Gray Ox, Elephan, Wild Thunder, Giada, Smile Duck, Beavup, and Duck Dive. Together they traveled through the night until coming upon a large body of water. The lot of them looked at White Leo oddly as he began to immerse himself, walking slowly into the lake until the water reached his neck. He beckoned to the others and some followed, some remained, afraid of the glow the body of water had suddenly taken on. As the Beasts neared the lake, a light blue mist began to permeate the air. Unnoticeable at first, it soon increased in thickness and became visible to all. Looking at White Leo the Beasts saw that he was completely calm, and seemed to embrace the odd goings on. He spread his arms, and from the very place he stood there came a tremendous whirlpool big enough to upset the entire body of water. The Beasts, frozen with fear, didn't know what was occurring until White Leo spoke in a voice that was his own but carried a slight echo. "Beasts, we have been chosen to receive the elemental power of Water." The Beasts all looked down at their armor, which had now begun to radiate the blue glow as well. A small blue square on each armor suite blackened as if burnt, then lightened up to the crystal blue of the water while their armor returned to its normal hue. White Leo announced that they were now Beasts of the Water, able to in and out of it, possessing its strengths and knowledge, and with much concentration, they could even control the very water around them.
White Leo saw Violet Horn approaching, prompt as always. He was joined by Bonga, B-Fox, and Rabbit Kid. All now had a single black square upon their armor which flickered green occasionally. Violet Horn's smile was brighter than ever, and White Leo knew that they must now possess the elemental power of Wood. As they drew closer, a new confidence should be seen within them, a confidence that only newly acquired powers could bring. The power of knowing, possessing that which made you distinct. Violet Horn raised his hands skyward. "Tis incredible White Leo!" he boomed as he and his fellow Wood Beasts came forward. "Like nothing I have ever experienced!"
"I agree." White Leo smiled. "These were the powers wielded by our ancestors, passed down to us. I only hope we do them justice and use these powers to protect what they've created." As the other Beasts mingled, Violet Horn inhaled deeply and let out a sigh. "I feel reborn! Like a fiery star has just begun to burn bright within my-" He quieted when he saw Jaguar approaching. Both he and White Leo watched Jaguar intently. He looked different, walked in a manner that was uncharacteristically serious. The three Beasts with him, Goldar, Greysharp, and Eagle Killer looked a little rougher than usual, but it was Jaguar that concerned them. His eyes glinted unnaturally, as if possessed by some unknown force. White Leo noticed that like himself, Violet Horn, and the other Beasts, Jaguar and his companions each had a single black square upon their armor. The squares randomly flickered dark red. Jaguar did not pause until he reached White Leo and for the first time since they'd parted White Leo got a good look at Jaguar. The cat looked as if he hadn't slept in days, his bloodshot eyes accentuated by deep, arcing circles. His fur was matted, and his armor looked a darker shade of maroon than when they last spoke. The black square on his armor pulsated steadily with each breath he took. He stared White Leo directly in the eye.
"You sent us to a volcano. You never told us it was still active."
White Leo looked at him, incredulous. "That's impossible," he whispered "That volcano's been inactive since..." he was silent a moment. "Jaguar, what happened?"
"We moved into the volcano, like you told me to. It even had predrilled caverns, like you said." Jaguar's monotonous voice was beginning to worry White Leo, but he said nothing. Jaguar continued. "We were there about three days, setting up, settling in, and then..." he tilted his head up a moment, eyes skyward, then back. "Then it went off." As White Leo's eyes widened, he began to smile slightly. "Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"
"Jaguar, I-"
Jaguar stepped closer. "Do you know what it's like to have liquid fire wash over every inch of your body? To have the flesh on your bones feel like it was going to melt?"
The setting sun glared down on White Leo, and he felt something familiar stir within him. He contemplated Jaguar's words and sighed heavily. "You feel like the pits of Hades has personified itself in your skin. You want escape it, but at the same time you look at you hands, expecting them to burst into flames but they don't, so you laugh. You start to feel the fire arc it's way through your veins, and pretty soon, you can't see, but you don't mind because in the darkness there is a redeeming light, calling you towards it. Nevermind the excruciating pain, or the sizzling sound you hear in your head, all you know is that you're your lungs are full of fire, your breathing flames and suddenly you realize that this is the best feeling you've ever had in you life....Into the light, into the flames of the sun..."
The other Beasts looked at the two, confused. Even Jaguar was caught off guard by White Leo's response. He looked at White Leo, who had tuned and was staring directly at the sun. Jaguar's smile grew a little, and he placed a hand on White Leo's shoulder. "Why do I get the feeling there's more to you than meets the eye?"
White Leo blinked and shook his head, shaking himself out of whatever thoughts he was having. Violet Horn, who who'd merely been listening before, now approached Jaguar. "You say the volcano erupted with you inside? Nay, I find this somewhat...difficult to believe."
White Leo immediately saw the black square on Jaguar's armor blaze red. Jaguar sneered at Violet Horn.
"Don't." he glared hard at the Bison. "I'm not in the mood."
Violet Horn, undaunted by Jaguar's warning, stepped up to the feline and smiled as the black square on his own armor flared as well. From the earth between them rose a small tree, pushing its way skyward. Violet Horn's cocky smile broadened. "I most certainly will. You expect me to believe that you were caught in a volcanic explosion? Such an occurrence would surely have killed you."
Jaguar growled through clenched teeth "That which does not kill me," he swiped his hand over the tree sprout, which instantly burst into flames, "makes me stronger."
Violet Horn gaped as he watched the flames consume the plant he'd just created. He was speechless. Jaguar began to advance on him, growling "Don't screw with me..."
"Enough you two." White Leo waved his hand in the direction of the burning plant and from the ground came a small geyser of water, dowsing the flames. Jaguar blinked at the sopping pile of ashes and looked over at White Leo. "You too huh?" White Leo, what is this? Why have we suddenly-"
"Gained the ability to control the elements?" White Leo finished. "These powers have always existed within Planet Beast, but when the wars ravaged the lands, not to mention its inhabitants, they stopped using their gifts. Little by little, they forgot about their powers, and war consumed their thoughts. My father always told me that one day we Beasts would rediscover our elementals." He looked around at the other Beasts, "And now, we have." White Leo had barely finished his sentence when a familiar voice cut through the air.
"White Leo!"
White Leo and the other Beasts whipped around to see who had called. The sun was halfway below the horizon now, and White Leo's sword glinted as he drew it ready. He recognized the voice. Gruesome Gator had returned.
"White Leo!" the voice of his nemesis came again, followed by laughter.
Jaguar's eyes darted about. "Where is he?!" his companions stayed close by, weapons at the ready. Violet Horn drew his ax and held it before him as his three Beasts gathered around, elementals flickering. "Show yourself, coward!"
White Leo felt a throbbing from his elemental and turned towards the water. As he did so, two Beasts emerged from its depths. One a blue manta ray, the other a gray flying fish. White Leo's eyes found themselves fixed on the glistening orbs that rested within their midsections.
"Lazerbeasts." he whispered.
"Lazerbeasts?" Jaguar spun his spear and pointed it towards the nearby woods, from which a black bear and fox emerged. "You want to be a little more specific?"
In the trees Violet Horn spotted more of the unfamiliar creatures. A blue eagle, a parrot, a vulture. All had a look of death in their eyes. Mad hatred fueled by an unknown source.
Or was it?
"Lazerbeasts." White Leo repeated. "Beasts rejected by our ancient society. Outcasts."
"Until now."
White Leo spun around and found himself face to face with Gruesome Gator. He was flanked by two lazerbeasts, one a sizable green alligator, the other a three horned chameleon. Gruesome himself looked unusually dark, his skin had a grayish hue, and dark circles enveloped his eyes as if possessed. White Leo couldn't imagine what had happened to him, but more importantly-
"What happened to my old army?" Gruesome smiled, baring his jagged fangs. White Leo couldn't conceal his shock. "My thoughts...How did you-"
"Read your thoughts?" Gruesome finished again. "You'll carry that question to the grave. As for my old army, they'll die soon enough." he drew his axe."I have a new army now. They are far superior in every way to you pathetic Battle Beasts." He gestured to his right, then his left. "Dinogator and Puzzlecolor are perfect examples of that."
"That's yet to be proven, Gruesome."
Gruesome spread his arms. "Well then, shall we?" He clenched his fists and screamed "LAZERBEASTS!! ATTACK!!!"
**********
Jaguar had run to White Leo's side the second he spotted Gruesome. No sooner had the psycho given the order to attack, Jaguar leapt and slammed into Dinogator. The Beast staggered back and Jaguar tore into him, slashing him deep across the snout. Dinogator screamed in rage and grabbed Jaguar's throat with one hand. The two sneered at each other and struggled a moment before Dinogator suddenly let go, spinning with a high kick that caught Jaguar directly on the temple. He followed through with a right to the same spot, sending Jaguar to the ground. As his temple began to bruise, Jaguar drew his spear and sprang at the lizard again.
Seeing Jaguar head towards White Leo prompted Violet Horn to follow suite. Puzzlecolor shifted his skin color and and stalked towards the charging Bison, delivering a solid kick to the muzzle when he was in range. Violet Horn never saw him coming. The shock completely took Violet Horn by surprise, and he stumbled, clutching his bloodied nose. Puzzlecolor hissed and leapt on his back, clawing his neck wildly. Violet Horn fell and struggled to one knee, all the while trying to get ahold of whatever it was that was attacking him. Puzzlecolor leapt off and swung a wicked claw downward, opening a five inch gash on Violet Horn's neck. The bison clasped the wound with a grimace as Puzzlecolor hissed again, shifting his skin color to match the sand of the beach. His armor shifted accordingly as he circled his prey. Violet Horn felt another flash of pain as he was slashed again on the left side of his neck, but ignored it. He concentrated, his elemental glowing bright green. With a shout he rose to his feet and from the sand there shot twenty vines that ensnared his opponent. In a second Violet Horn was on his feet and charged forward.Swinging a vicious right, he tore Puzzlecolor from the gripping vines and send him flying through the air.
Near the woods, B-Fox cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted "You get 'im Biggie!" when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.
"You should worry about yourself, boy." B-Fox turned around in time to see the Black Bear lazerbeast pull back a tight fist, then everything went black. "They call me Hustlebear. Try to remember if you wake up."
Rabbit Kid watched in horror as B-Fox sailed through the air and landed hard in the sand a good ten feet away. Immediately she went after the Lazerbeast and swung at him. Hustlebear laughed and caught her fist. "Oh come on baby, I could never hit a female..." Another lazerbeast, a female fox in gray armor decked Rabbit Kid, "But I could." Rabbit Kid fell as Hustlebear let go and smiled "Take her Battle Fennec." The fox smiled back at him and kicked Rabbit Kid in the stomach. The kick had enough force to lift her off the ground and she fell on her side. Battle Fennec went to stomp on her and Rabbit swept her legs out from under her, bringing Battle fennec to the ground. Rabbit sprang to her feet as Battle Fennec did the same, matching her speed.
"Not bad." the fox grinned, "There's just one problem..." with lighting speed she spun and kicked Rabbit in the face, again in the stomach, bringing her knee up to catch Rabbit Kid as she doubled over. "I'm better." Rabbit Kid fell backwards and collapsed, a thin line of blood crept from her mouth and stained the sand.
Hustlebear watched the fight with a smile when he heard thunderous footsteps behind him. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the rhino Greysharp storming towards him at breakneck speed. He growled as he turned to face the behemoth, beckoning. "Come On!" he shouted "Bring it!" Greysharp gladly obliged, upping his speed and slamming into Hustlebear at full force. To his surprise, Hustlebear took the shot and was barely pushed back, all the while wrapping his arms around the rhino's massive neck. "That the best you got?!" he screamed as Greysharp tried to push him back. Hustlebear planted his feet preventing Greysharp from pushing him further. His fury growing, Greysharp pushed forward again with all his might and Hustlebear felt himself being slowly pushed back, the ground behind him being pushed up around his boots. With a sudden movement, Hustlebear stepped to the side and shoved Greysharp to the ground. He raised a hand, fingers extended. With a mad smile he screamed "Weaponz!" and his fingers elongated, sharpening themselves into black metal claws. "How do you like this, tough guy?!" He plunged the daggers into Greysharp's neck, bringing forth a spray of blood that splattered against his armor. Hot pain flashed through Greysharp as he tried to shake Hustlebear, but the Lazerbeast held fast, digging his claws in deeper. "Think you're tough?" he taunted, squeezing his arms tighter around Greysharp's neck, "You never fought a lazerbeast!" Clinching his grip, Hustlebear pulled up with a growl, straining his muscles. A moment later, he'd lifted Greysharp up and over, slamming the beast on the ground behind him. Greysharp impacted with a loud thud and remained still, in pain and unable to breathe.
B-Fox regained consciousness a few seconds after landing in the sand, and checked his jaw to make sure it wasn't broken. "I hate bears..." he muttered and looked around. The battle was in Gruesome's favor, as every Beast was having minimal success in dealing with the Lazerbeasts. Blue Eagle had taken down Eagle Killer, then joined Rainbow Sam in pummeling Polar Battle Bear and Goldar. Giada and Gray Ox backed further away from the water as Grim Reefer and Flysailor approached. Two large fins extended from Flysailor's shoulders and he took to the air. "Look out!" Giada shoved her friend down as the flying fish swooped down on them. Flysailor circled back and streaked towards them again. Giada straightened her left arm and whispered "Weapon..." Her hand morphed into a gun weapon, which she aimed directly at her attacker and released a powerful stream of water. Her elemental flashed wildly. "Water!" The stream intensified and widened, nailing Flysailor and sending him to the ground. Slowly he rose from the sand and Giada saw to her horror that the sphere in his chest was glowing a dull blue. She looked down at her own elemental, then back at Flysailor. The glow from his orb intensified and Giada felt the ground beneath her shaking. before she could move, a geyser of hot water shot skyward, hitting her arm and throwing her. She screamed,clutching her scolded arm. Flysailor laughed, a low gurgling sound, and went after Gray Ox. She was fighting Grim Reefer as best she could, sickle ax in hand. She swung repeatedly at the blue Manta, but couldn't connect. She swung once more and Grim Reefer swatted the weapon from her hands, then kicked her in the midsection. She doubled over with a huff, trying to keep her footing. Flysailor flew into her from behind, knocking her down. His orb flashed again and Gray Ox found herself surrounded by steaming geysers. From the water emerged yet another Lazerbeast, a brown shark clad in green armor, his beak lined with serrated edges. The two fish saluted him. "Targets are down Spark Shark."
The shark smiled, pleased by his comrade's success.
**********
The battle raging all around them, Gruesome Gator and White Leo stood facing each other, neither had moved since the battle began. Gruesome smiled. "You see White Leo, it's hopeless. In mere moments my Lazerbeasts will kill each and every one of your precious Beasts."
"You underestimate them Gruesome. It takes time to adjust to a new foe."
"Time is something you no longer have White Leo. Your forces will die, just like you. And I will be the one to remove your head from the rest of your body."
"Empty words Gruesome. They mean nothing. You're a megalomaniac just like Galvatron. I thought you would have taken his defeat as a lesson." Gruesome's eyes narrowed. "Then the time for talk is over."
"Yes." White Leo drew his sword. "It is."
***********
The beach rang with the clashing of the leaders' weapons. Six connections and they remained locked, nose to nose above their sparking weapons.
"Die!" Gruesome bellowed and swung his ax downward, missing White Leo by inches. Maddened, he swung again. White Leo ducked and caught the weapon with his sword, countering the wild beast three more times before pinning his ax to the ground. Between fierce eyes, each tried to out muscle the other. White Leo suddenly let up and kicked Gruesome in the jaw. Stunned by the lash, Gruesome staggered back and White Leo followed, catching him in the jaw again with his armored forearm. Blood came after a third shot, and Gruesome fell to one knee after another. A moment of silence came as a larger trail of blood leaked from Gruesome's mouth and down his jaw. With a smile, he wiped it away. "First blood... is yours White Leo. Now it's my turn."
With a fury that amazed White Leo, Gruesome launched himself forward, connecting with a right cross. Undaunted, White Leo grabbed Gruesome's arm and yanked forward, flipping the reptile over his shoulder. Gruesome hit the ground hard but whipped out his left leg and swept White Leo off his feet. In a second Gruesome was on him, clutching his throat, refusing to let go as White Leo struggled for air. The pained look on his face was priceless! Gruesome grinned and pressed harder on his nemesis.
"Die..."
Gruesome bore down as hard as he could, visualizing White Leo's final breath in his mind, unaware that a section of White Leo's chest armor had taken on a bright blue glow. Finally, as he had always dreamed, White Leo stopped struggling and went limp, his eye closed, head sagging to the side. With a growl of satisfaction, Gruesome loosened his hold, preparing to throw his vanquished foe to the ground. No sooner had he done this, a thundering torrent of water shot from the glowing section of White Leo's armor. Unable to shield himself, Gruesome caught the full brunt of the blast and was hurled back through the the air, landing ten feet away in the sand. White Leo inhaled deeply and tore after Gruesome, colliding with him as soon as he managed to get his footing. Bloodied and battered, the two leaders locked up. Trading blows again, Gruesome managed to open a serious wound above White Leo's left eye and lost three teeth from a straight kick to the jaw in retaliation. Gruesome bellowed and slammed White Leo in the back of his head, then nailed him again with two closed fists. White Leo fell to his knees and Gruesome grabbed him from behind, wrapping and arm around his neck and locking it with the other. He pulled back and twisted at the same time trying to literally rip White Leo's head off.
'Die!" he screamed. His eyes were wild. Blood streamed from his mouth and frothed at the edges. "Die! Die! Die! Die! DIE!!!" Gruesome slammed White Leo face first in the sand and drew his ax. Breaths tore in and out of his lungs, the blood from his wounds glistened. Gruesome's eyes glazed over as he stood over his fallen foe and spoke with a grim finality.
"I would have waited an eternity for this.... Die White Leo!"
White Leo saw Gruesome's lips move, but didn't hear the words. Through his blurred vision he'd caught sight of a huge dark figure approaching Gruesome from behind. It moved silently, it moved fast, and it moved with purpose. It was Badshark. In his frenzy Gruesome was oblivious to everything except the task at hand. His ax glinted in the final rays of the sun as it sank below the horizon. Raised to his full glory, Gruesome lifted the weapon above his head. Badshark drew his trident, reared back...
and ran Gruesome Gator through.
**********
TO BE CONCLUDED...
