Miraculous: Tales of Shadowstar

Part 7: Vortex

It has been a long time since anyone had ever given Vortex the right to be fearful, and this enraged Chat Blanc instilled fear of annihilation like no other. Unlike before, Chat Blanc was faster, stronger, and far more deadly. The only thing that protected him from being entirely destroyed by the akumatized hero was the baseball bat with rows of shark teeth as he almost desperately smacked away the blasts of destructive energy from reaching him.

"Da hell?! Aye thought pipsqueak could control them!" The large man exclaimed as Chat Blanc unleashed a flurry of strikes of the white staff upon Vortex. The akumatized Cat Noir battered away Vortex's defensive stance with a powerful uppercut from his staff. In that moment, Vortex's eyes widened in shock as he saw the white energy flow into Blanc's right hand. Fortunately, just as the fist swung at the large man's exposed abdomen, Blanc would instead connect against a sword of crimson red that immediately disintegrated into ash upon contact.

Vortex took a generous leap back as he found himself standing next to Scarlet. Sounds of rushing water could be heard with each step as sheets of cold rain showered upon their heads. "It doesn't matter what he said. What matters is that we have someone who could wipe us and the city out with a snap of his fingers." Scarlet deduced, but they couldn't even blink before Chat Blanc vanished from sight and reappeared in front of the knight. Their eyes widened under the helmet just before the white staff slammed into the knight's left arm. Vortex had just seen the damage from the corner of his eye, but Scarlet was sent flying once again as they crashed through building after building at high velocity.

"Don't think for one second..." Chat Blanc's words felt like venom as he swung his staff wide at Vortex like a streak of white. The man barely had time to bring his bat up to block the attack. The air felt like it was screaming in Vortex's ears, the ground beneath them rumbled and cracked under the pressure, and Vortex found his feet skid across the slick wet stone. "That I'd let any of you get away! Not after what you did!"

Vortex felt his muscles burn from the strain as he tried to parry the ongoing onslaught from Chat Blanc. His teeth bared from the exertion as droplets of rain splattered from his movements. Scarlet, bloodied from the assault, leapt back into the fray in order to assist Vortex. But even with Scarlet's speed and Vortex's brawn. Both found themselves being hard pressed simultaneously as they tried desperately to avoid the destructive energy.

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There was only one place that Shadowstar knew of that could help a superhero without unmasking their identity. A duo of unique people that were capable of performing miraculous healing through use of science and magic. A loud trio of knocks on a large door of mahogany wood as Shadowstar kept checking on Ladybug. He really shouldn't have moved an injured person, but if he hadn't then it was possible that she might have been wiped out in Chat Blanc's rage. Not to mention that Ladybug was the only one who could fix this, and save Cat Noir from himself in the process.

When the door opened to reveal a tall man with curly dark hair with a salt and pepper beard that framed his jawline. Marcus Veil, dressed in a long sleeved black shirt and plaid pants as his initial smile dropped the instant he saw Shadowstar. Then his hazel eyes settled on the unconscious dark haired hero in the young man's arms.

"It's happening again." Shadowstar stated. With an acknowledging nod, the man stepped to the side with the door widening to allow Shadowstar to step inside. "Set her down on the couch. I'll grab my things." Shadowstar briskly walked through the lobby and into the living room. The lights brightened the from being dim the instant he stepped in the room as Shadowstar carefully laid Ladybug on the couch. He slipped one of the bundled blankets that's used for decoration under her head just as Marcus returned to the living room with a leather brown bag with a protective knot in a circle symbol on the side.