The Underground

Story Form By Panda (altered)

Originally by Nate Docken

Chapter 6: Awaken Revenge

Kalia was downstairs target practicing when she heard movement upstairs as she took off her ear muffs. It suddenly stopped but she jumped as something passed down her window. She ran to it, throwing off her ear muffs. She looked over the edge and saw Kazna running away. She grabbed a rifle from the nearest wall, aimed and fired.

Kazna was startled by the gunshot that was fired at him but felt lucky as it missed. He continued running but decided to move out of range when more shots were fired at him. He turned the corner of the building and waited for it to stop. When it had been a moment, he peeked around the corner to see who had been shooting.

"I hate moving targets..." she sighed. She noticed Kazna step out of the corner. He glared at her threateningly.

I'll kill her later... he decided. His main priority now was Phoenix, now that he knew of his whereabouts. He grinned twistedly before turning around and running off once again.

Kalia frowned. "...Phoenix." she whispered to herself and ran out of the room.

Inside the warehouse, Phoenix fought a small group of three Prophets inside a large dusty and dark room with boxes of leftover junk. He threw them all back easily, killing one and severely injuring the other two to immobility. After he threw the last one back, he stood up strait and relaxed. He then shot a death glare over his shoulder towards the doorway.

Kazna became enraged as he began to remember so clearly of that day...

Flashback

At the time, he was still under Prometheus's wing. He wasn't yet ready to take on a battle, but secretly he followed Prometheus to that very warehouse, just as Phoenix... no, Apollo, asked.

"I'm here, Underground. State your business." Prometheus said coldly. The tone of voice, which Kazna had never heard from her, sent shivers of fear down his spine.

"Your demise." Apollo said coolly with a cat-like grin. "I care not for the Underground, I wish only to kill you... Is that too much to ask for?"

She laughed cruelly. "Oh, really? What inspired such harsh words?" she said, abruptly stopping.

"Rumors, here and there. I hear that you are a master of using the sword." he eyed the sword strapped loosely on her hip.

"I don't consider myself one... but if you say so, they perhaps I am." she said with a playful smile.

"Your existence as a Prophet should be reason enough to kill you, but I care not." he sneered. "It is just another reason to kill you. I will prove my power over you."

"I understand now." she drew her sword slowly. "Come, naive one, I shall show you a merciless death and end your insanity."

"Cocky, aren't we?" he tilted his head in sarcasm.

"You're nothing special." she did the same, mocking him.

"Your mistake would be to underestimate me."

"And your mistake is your thirst for power."

"I do not consider that a mistake." he frowned.

"Then draw your blade and I shall show you the way." she took a step forward.

"Hold!" he drew his pistol. "Throw your guns away."

"Fair enough." she sighed and threw aside the gun holstered at her thigh.

"Also..." he shot at the tall shelf near the door. It broke a wooden leg, causing a heavy load to pile up in front of the door. "I hate interruptions." he stared at the crack that remained in the door. He glared at Kazna's presence.

"You are paranoid." she crouched low, ready to attack.

"Not true, just wise to the ways of the world." he threw aside his pistol and drew his sword. "May death be with you."

Apollo swiftly charged in with a horizontal slash, which missed as Prometheus jumped back and attacked back the same way. He parried the attack and retaliated with a whirlwind attack that she also blocked. She unexpectedly kicked him in the chest, causing him to fall back. He rolled away as she brought her blade down and got back to his feet.

"So that's how you wish to play?" he grinned menacingly. He thrusted his sword towards her body but she moved aside and attacked vertically. She caught his upper arm while he moved out of the way, only making a small cut. He completely ignored it, mesmerized by his own hunger for power, and attacked diagonally. She parried and forced the blade away with her own, then thrusting her sword towards him. He jumped aside, slightly alarmed and was cut severely but not threateningly on his waist. He then horizontally attacked at the back of her knee while dodging and while she recovered from her attack.

She cried out in pain and fell to her knees, bleeding gruesomely. He had cut the tendon that allowed her to move her knee.

"Prometheus!" Kazna shouted in panic through the crack of the door. She turned, distracted, and was shocked to see her student present.

"Kazna!" she knew death was certain, now that she couldn't move. "Get out of here, you fool!"

"You shouldn't turn you back on your opponent." she heard from behind her. "You've wasted enough of my time, your death will prove my strength."

She saw death flash before her as he cut most of her head off by the neck, leaving only a small piece of flesh to hold her head and body together yet. Her lifeless body slumped over and continued to bleed all over the floor.

"You were nothing special." Apollo wiped his sword with her jacket and sheathed it.

Kazna stared with horrified eyes. But this day, he stared at Phoenix with enraged eyes.

"You were there when she died." Phoenix said, his expression much softer than Kazna remembered before. It was almost sympathetic.

Kazna walked up to Phoenix. "I have been hunting you ever since that day." he smirked. "The ecstasy and anticipation I feel now cannot be described easily."

"Do the other Freed Minds give you nothing else to do?" he said, emotionless.

"I care not for the others. I forsake my duties now as you did when you killed her."

"I am changed now." Phoenix said, meeting his eyes from his shoes. "I fight for the Underground and not for myself as I once did."

"Nothing but death could change the mind of someone like you, Apollo." he smiled. "Don't make me laugh."

"And thus, here we are." he loosely held open his arms and briefly looked around the room. "Apollo died by his greed for power. I forsake that name and I am now Phoenix."

"Don't bore me with such stories." Kazna frowned. "No one can cheat death."

"What about Neo?" he said back. Kazna silenced. "Was he not reborn?"

"You..." he growled. "I don't... I won't believe you. It doesn't matter. This time, I will not be held back!"

Phoenix didn't respond for a moment. "...If I must fight, I shall."

Kazna drew his blade, pleased. "I have dreamed of this day..." he smiled.

He too drew his sword. "Then I shall apologize ahead of time for crushing it."

TBC