Chakram
Chapter VI: Cerberus
By: AxelXxX
The heroes disembarked their ship, trotting over to the coliseum gates, all nervously gripping their tickets.
"I know we've competed in the past Squall but-"
"Don't ever call me that again," Leon snapped. " Squall was a weakling…"
"I'm sorry" Yuffie crooned, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Maybe we shouldn't have come" Aerith said softly.
They all fell silent as the fourth passenger departed their ship, gently striding towards the coliseum. The gently clanking of the boots was the only sound that dared to expose itself as the man disappeared through the world entrance. The others lingered a moment longer, making sure he was indeed gone before any of them spoke.
"You really think we should have brought him, I know he got invited but…" Yuffie said, seeming very uncomfortable.
Aerith smiled "he's a gentle soul…. deep down."
"Deep, deep down it seems" Leon said, shrugging. " You girls and your crazy friends."
"Squall, you ain't met none of 'em yet," Yuffie said, grinning.
"Between this guy and the talking cat, I don't think I want to meet any more of them."
XxX
" Hey old man" Axel said, walking over towards the squat little goat man, who seemed to be dusting off something, a trophy of some sort. It was vibrant blue, sparkling in the dim light. A plaque beneath it read ' HADES CUP '.
The goat man turned around and glared at Axel. " I thought I already told yous to scram," He said, crossing his fat little arms.
"You did. But I didn't" Axel said, crossing his own arm in defiance. "Besides I have a ticket," he said, extending his new ticket.
"nuh-uh you already tried this stunt before. You ain't getting in," the goat man said, snorting.
"But this is MY ticket" Axel informed him.
The goat man plucked the ticket from Axel's hand and looked it over. "No foolin' huh? Well alright –"
"Name's Axel, got it memorized? A-X-E-L."
"Well alright, Axel, your in. how bout your friend there then huh" the goat man asked motioning towards Demyx who shook his head violently.
"I'm a lover, not a fighter," Demyx offered sheepishly.
"A lover? Demyx have you ever seen a woman" Luxord asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. Demyx turned a dark shade of pink, an obvious No.
"So Billy Goats Gruff, when dose this thing start" Axel asked, ignoring the idiotic squabble.
"My name is Phil. And I'm a Satyr, not a goat" He barked angrily. "Your preliminary match starts the moment you walk out there." He pointed at the door, out towards the arena. There were already people sitting in the stands, eating 'Zeus Zapped' brand popcorn and Mt. Olympus dogs, the self-proclaimed biggest hotdogs on this side of Kingdom Hearts.
"You guys go on and catch a seat. I'm gonna cool off a second before I go out there" Axel said. The nobodies complied, slinking off, up a set of stairs that led to the seats.
Axel stood for a moment, taking in a deep breath. He looked out at the arena, blood splattered about the place already. It was everywhere, staining the stadium floor, the walls, the dirt, and even a few people in the front rows (appropriately marked 'Splash Zone').
"Ummm exactly how many matches happened before I got here" Axel asked, looking at the carnage.
"One" Phil said. He winced and said " that guy…her was a monster. He dismembered, disemboweled, and a few other dis-s to his opponent. The crowd loved it though. They say the odds are in his favor over at the betting."
Axel gulped. One guy did all of that!? Axel saw some chunks, vaguely resembling innards scattered around the arena. Even though he was not one to be squeamish he couldn't help but feel sick.
XxX
Luxord looked at the tablet of names and the odds carved in next to them.
"Who you betting on" Demyx asked Luxord curiously.
"hmmm…I dunno. I'm thinking I'll bet on that one " he said, pointing at the name in second, directly under Hercules. The odds were almost tied, but Hercules was ahead by a few.
"That's a popular bet after people saw what he did in his first match" a man said, a somber frown on his face.
"And what was that" Luxord asked the stranger.
The stranger nodded apathetically and pointed toward the bloody arena " that."
Luxord's eyes widened. " One man did all that in one match?"
The stranger nodded. Demyx seemed horrified. " We have to tell Axel" He wined, tugging on Luxord's sleeve.
The nobodies started towards the stairs to go tell Axel about their discovery when they saw the red head march out into the arena. The stranger got up, hefting a large sword over his shoulder. He disappeared without another word. The nobodies barley saw the top of his Chocobo blonde hair disappearing down the stairs, towards the arena.
XxX
Axel stood uncomfortably in a puddle of blood, shifting his weight back and forth nervously. Too late to back out now. He looked at the opposite door and saw his opponent emerging. He held his breath for a moment. When they finally stepped out onto the battle field his eyes widened in horror…
It was a girl.
She smiled at Axel pleasantly and waved.
"You've got to be kidding me," Axel muttered. He summoned a single Chakram, twirling it around in his hand as he waited for the fight to begin.
"Ready, Set, Fight" Phil's voice called out from behind Axel.
Axel closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. ' Just treat her like any other opponent you've fought' he said mentally. He opened his eyes just in time to see a metal staff be swung at his head. He ducked, barely evading the blow.
He stared at the girl in shock, who merely smiled back at him, swinging the staff at him again. He deflected the blow with his chakram and stepped forward, forcing her back.
He couldn't help but think she looked familiar. He pushed her back, and then leapt back, dodging her immediate counterattack. "Aerith" Axel couldn't help but ask. He hadn't yet broken a sweat, though she seemed to be panting quite a bit.
She looked at him curiously. Her gaze bore into him for a long while and she seemed to be lost for a moment. "Who are you? D-do I know you" Aerith asked, voice slightly shaken. This man… he looked an awful lot like-
Her train of though was derailed as he jumped at her, swinging his weapon at her. She threw up her staff to block him as he crashed into it full force. They stood in a stalemate for a moment as he tried to out match her.
"Name's Axel, A-X-E-L, got it memorized?"
"Axel…" she seemed confused. It only took a moment with her guard lowered to knock the staff out of her hand. Axel caught in his other hand and swung it around, slamming it into the back of her head. She went down, out cold. The crowd began chanting for him to finish her. Axel snorted and tossed the staff down by her body. He had no intention of killing her.
Axel calmly strode out of the arena back into the lobby, much to the disappointment of the crowd.
"What a small universe" Axel mused to himself, a smile tugging at his lips.
XxX
Cloud dashed out into the arena over to Aerith. " Are you alright" He asked, alarmed. She didn't have any wounds, nor did she seem to be in any pain.
"I'm fine Cloud," she muttered as her eyes fluttered open. " That man…did you see him?"
Cloud nodded, " but what dose that have to do with-"
Aerith pressed a finger to Cloud's lips. " I thought he looked like…"
"Yeah, I know" Cloud cut her off. " Come on, lets get out of here."
"You're not fighting" Aerith asked curiously.
Cloud shook his head, looking at the arena. " That guy… whoever he was, he won without shedding a drop of blood. I doubt the others are as merciful."
"Yeah… come on. Lets go. I want to talk to the others… if they think that guy might be connected to what happened…"
XxX
"That was a bloody brilliant match," Luxord said, slapping Axel on the back. The three nobodies were sitting up in the stands, waiting for the next match to being. Who ever one would be Axel's next opponent, so they were curious as to whom it would be.
"Thanks…" Axel muttered. He seemed distracted, though the other nobodies had yet to find out why.
"What's wrong Axel? Shouldn't you be happy" Demyx asked, giving Axel a curious stare.
"Nothin" he sighed, watching the arena below with little interest. He was off, drowning in his thoughts. The nobodies thought it just better to let him be.
They watched as a burly blonde haired man walked out, holding a spear in one hand, a toothpick in the other. He placed the toothpick to his mouth and bit down on it, as if it were some nervous habit. "My money is on that guy," Demyx said, though they both knew Demyx didn't have a dime to spend.
The other combatant marched out on to the arena, roaring with fury. He looked like some odd cross between a lion and a human, covered with blue fur all over and what appeared to be a horn on its head. It had razor sharp claws but it also wielded a spear like it's opponent.
"Well my money is on that thing" Luxord said. The creature roared again, sending dozens of people to the betting booth.
"Ready, Set, Fight" Phil called out. In a heart beat the creature had launched itself into the air. It came soaring back down the to planet, holding out it spear, preparing to spilt it's opponent in two. The man jumped out of the way, but not enough to dodge the shockwave of the creature's crash landing. The two combatants went at ear other, hacking at each other violently with their weapons.
The man finally managed to get a hit on the creature, drawing blood. It screamed in fury, letting out another monstrous roar. After that it dropped its weapon and went berserk, slashing at the man with its claws. It grabbed his spear and snapped it into, tossing it aside as he leapt on the man. The man began screaming that he forfeited. Two of the Coliseum security guards had to pry the lion-man creature off the other man who was bleeding profusely.
"Cid" one of the guys sitting near by cried out and got up. They had seen him earlier, placing a bet. He picked up his weapon, a sword that seemed to be fused with a gun, and took off down the stairs.
XxX
"This bad Herc, real bad" Phil muttered, looking over at Hercules.
"What is it Phil" he asked, crossing his arms.
"People are dropping out of the tournament left and right. If the tournament gets cut short then the crowd I'll riot" he huffed, throwing his arms up.
"Oh no need to worry" a voice said. They looked around for a moment before Hades appeared before them in a puff of flame. " You see my chummy little goat-man," Hades said, poking Phil in the stomach. " I've made sure we'll see some real sparks in this tournament."
"Hades" Hercules snarled, standing prepared for a fight.
Hades smiled and said " just a friendly warning." And with that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"If Hades is up to something I think we need to go on and cancel the tournament Phil" Hercules said, frowning.
"No, the last thing we need is Hades and a mob of angry spectators."
"Then what do we do?"
"We wait. That's all we can do."
XxX
Meanwhile in the Underworld,
Chains clanked fiercely, roars echoing through out the whole underworld.
"Patience my pet, you'll be free soon enough."
I want out now it demanded angrily.
"Soon"
NOW! It screeched, slamming its paws into the ground. It sent out a shockwave powerful enough to shake the whole room.
Now, now, now it wined like an angry toddler. It strained against its chains even more, making them clank and clink. It struggled to snap them, but without avail.
"It's all about timing. Not now… but soon. You'll be ready soon, my Cerberus" Hades cooed to the monster. He turned and left it's chambers, shutting the door tight behind him. " Just a few more pawns to put into place."
XxX
Axel sighed, standing in the lobby. Was he nervous? Of course he was, that was a stupid question. But that didn't stop people from asking.
"You nervous kid" Phil asked, grinning.
"No, of course not. Watching human-lion hybrids rip someone open is one of my favorite pastimes" Axel said, gradually getting louder.
"Jeez sorry I asked" Phil snorted.
Axel sighed, tense as he waited for them to announce his match to start. They had to sedate his opponent after the last match so he had to wait for him to wake up.
"The match between Axel and Kimahri Ronso is now beginning. Both challengers please step into the arena" one of the coliseum security guards announced.
"Oh joy" Axel muttered, walking out into the arena.
He stood, watching his opponent walk out onto the field calmly. The deadly spear in his hand gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight. The Ronso snarled standing at the opposite end of the arena. It eyed Axel viciously, madness burning in it's eyes.
"Ready, Set, Fight" Phil called, signaling the start of the fight. Axel summoned up one of his Chakrams, still saving the other. He wanted the unveiling of the Oathkeeper to be special, something no one would forget.
The ronso came out with the same opening move, launching up into the air, coming down with his spear right over Axel's head. Axel slid out of the way as if it were nothing and slammed his chakram into the back of its head. It roared and swung around, trying to hit Axel, who merely laughed and dodged with his signature grace.
"Here kitty, kitty" Axel called, dashing around behind the ronso. Before it could make heads or tails of the situation Axel had started in with a flurry of blows. He knocked the ronso off its feet for a moment, giving him time to get back for the inevitable counter attack.
As fast as Axel was, there was no time for him dodge what was coming. The ronso recovered and launched himself at Axel in the blink of an eye. He grabbed his arm, to keep Axel from hitting him with his weapon. The ronso cleverly twisted Axel's arm, causing him to drop the chakram helplessly. Then the ronso punched Axel in the face, knocking him stupid for a moment.
Axel felt like his brain had been scrambled for a moment. It took him a moment to refocus himself. When everything snapped back into prospective he saw the ronso raise his fist to his him again. This time Axel dodged it, barely given his limited mobility. Axel saw this as a shinning moment of opportunity and he used all his strength to turn the ronso's against itself. He used his free arm to grab the ronso and tossed him over his back.
Axel was exhausted from that last feat. He was panting audibly, trying to suck air into his aching lungs. Before he could catch his breath the ronso was on him again. It had scrambled around behind him grabbing Axel again. This time it dug its fangs into his shoulder, slicing through the skin. Axel looked over his shoulder and saw blood dripping down his side. While he didn't have a problem watching other people bleeding, his own blood made him feel faint.
Axel struggled against the ronso but couldn't fight as the creature tried to force him down. Axel knew if he went down as the last guy had, he was doomed. Fight as he could the ronso soon had Axel face down in the dirt, writhing and flailing. Axel screamed as he felt the monster's claws dig into his back. He bucked and writhed, but no avail. It was going to kill him… unless.
The ronso slid its teeth out of Axel's injured shoulder and let go of him, standing victoriously over him. The ronso took his spear, the crowd crying for him to finish him. The ronso took the spear and drove it down to finish off the nobody forever.
Axel barely had time to roll out of the way. The spear caught the end of his coat, pinning him. The enraged ronso launched himself at Axel. Axel quickly unzipped the coat and maneuvered out of it in enough time to get away. The ronso ran after him roaring in fury. Axel summoned his chakram and stopped. He tossed it at the on coming ronso, hitting it in the head. It stopped and fell back, stunned.
Axel stopped too for a moment, just to catch his breath. He felt a cool breeze rush over his blood, sweat, and dirt covered body. The gentle wind on his bare skin felt nice. He took deep steady breaths, bracing himself for the ronso's counter attack.
But there was none. It got to it feet angrily, growling at Axel, madness in it's eyes. Then it stopped. It touched the top of it's head, it hand on it's long slender horn. There was a crack through it, probably where Axel had hit it. The creature looked horrified as it ran its furry finger along the crack. "Kimahri's horn…" it said pitifully. " you broke Kimahri's horn" it said, still gently touching its horn.
"Oh, I'm sorry" Axel said. A moment passed before it clicked what he had said. " wait a minute… no I'm not" he said summoning his chakram. Befor Kimahri had a chance to look over at Axel he had launched himself at the ronso striking him across the head again.
There was a loud snap, and the beast and its horn fell to the ground. Kimahri lay in a stupor for a moment before he reached up and touched what was left of his once brilliant horn. He looked angry for a moment before he began to sob pitifully." Kimahri's horn" he moaned, coving his eyes with his furry hands.
"Now that's just pathetic" Axel said, standing infront of Kimahri. He looked down at the ronso and shook his head.
"Kimahri forfeits" it roared, grabbing its severed horn and getting to its feet. It ran out of the arena, perhaps to find some glue.
"Good luck with that" Axel muttered, shaking his head. He walked over to the spear and pulled it out of the ground, getting his tattered coat. " Jesus Christ on a cracker" he snarled as he slipped it back on. It had a huge hole in it where the spear had punctured it. Axel zipped up his coat and looked up at the crowd, who he had been oblivious too before then. They were cheering wildly, jumping up and down with joy.
Axel smiled, and couldn't from feeling proud. He grinned like a maniac and gave the crowed a thumbs up. " Stay in school" he shouted, for lack of anything better to say, and slipped off the field and back to the lobby.
XxX
"He's good"
"Not as good as you though"
"You sure?"
"Positive. He has a pinwheel for a weapon. You have this little beauty of a weapon," the man said, patting the gun. He clipped a chain on the end of the gun, a little metal charm hanging off the end of it. "It's a hands down victory, trust me. Especially with this little upgrade."
He stared for a moment in shock as his gun changed before his eyes. It had three deadly gun barrels now rather than the already lethal two. The man grinned beneath his hood and handed back the upgraded weapon. " I call it Cerberus," he said, pointing at the charm. A metallic three-headed dog twinkled in the dim lights.
"If you're sure then, but I warn you, I find out you've double crossed me this gun will be turned against you." Vincent Valentine stood perfectly still, staring at the mysterious stranger.
"I would have never invited you to come if I didn't think you'd win. We can both cash in big on this you know."
"I'm highly aware" Vincent said in a bone-chilling monotone. "You keep your end of the bargain and I'll keep mine. I finish off this last weakling and we split it fifty-fifty."
"That's how the deal goes. Now get out there and spill some blood for me" the man said, setting his hand on Vincent's shoulder. Vincent glared at him and growled. The man quickly retracted his hand and nodded and left.
He wondered outside the coliseum and waited moment before he was approached.
"Are the pawns in place?"
"Yup. The two are in the finals, all the others dropped out, just as you planned" the man said, looking up at Hades from under his hood.
"Excellent" Hades said, a wicked smile curling his lips.
"My only question is dose the red-head really have to die? I mean what did he do? He seems like a nice guy to me-"
"You're not aloud to ask questions. You're a peon, the rook in this game of chess. He is a pawn. Besides, what is he to you?"
"He's", Hades stared at him expectantly. The man sighed and shook his head. " Nothing, I'm sorry Hades" he said, though there was a bitter glare in his eyes.
Hades looked down at him and snorted. " On a separate note, has anyone ever told you that you are astoundingly short?"
"Yeah actually, someone has" he said, his sapphire eyes shimmering as he laughed to himself.
It had been one of Axel's favorite pastimes.
XxX
Axel was sitting in the lobby, not anxious to go and face the other nobodies. They would tell him to quit while he was ahead. But that wasn't the way Axel played a game. He played a game till he was defeated. He didn't quit, didn't drop out, and more than once it had hurt him. How many times had he ended up severely injured because of his job? He'd been out for weeks after a mission, just because he had pushed it. Because that's who he was.
Axel looked up as a figure passed him, heading towards the arena. A long flowing red cape followed after him as he breezed through the lobby.
"Who was that," Axel asked, looking over at Phil.
"That was your next opponent. His name is Vincent Valentine, he's a monster" Phil said, shaking his head.
Vincent Valentine? Why did that sound familiar? Axel pondered over the name for a while before it came back to him. Not only the name, but a flood of memories too. Memories he had tried to shove behind him. They flashed before his eyes like some sort of video of his life, his past life, on fast forward. He buried his face in his hands and shut his eyes, willing the memories to stop. They did and he looked back up at Phil.
"More so that my last opponent," he asked, feeling obligated to say something after his memory attack.
"Without trying."
Axel winced. He had though that ronso was bad. Something even worse? Maybe he would have to drop out.
"Well when ever your ready for him, he's obviously ready for you. Good luck kid" Phil said shaking his head again. " You'll be needing it." And with that he trotted off, leaving Axel to himself.
"No kidding" Axel muttered. He sighed, agitated. "This is just not my day."
"Now, now, is that really the kind of attitude my champion should have?" Axel looked up and saw Hades grinning down at him maliciously. " Awww come on kid, one more fight. You off that guy and you win, no problem" Hades said, patting Axel on the back.
"Vincent's the guy you wanted me to kill then," Axel asked. " You're yanking my chain."
"Aww come on kid, he's a push over."
"He ripped apart his first opponent" Axel growled. " Sorry if I'm not a fan of having my internal organs shown to the world. You know if people saw my lungs it would ruin my reputation, I use to be a bit of a smoker," Axel said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Actually a pack of cigarettes didn't sound like a bad idea about now.
"You will win, trust me" Hades said, that malevolent grin lighting up his face again.
"Ooh I smell foul play," Axel said, grinning right back. "Sorry not interested, I quit."
"Then you'll spend all eternity in the Underworld as my slave" Hades said casually.
"What!?"
"Tsk tsk, don't people every read the fine print?"
"I didn't sign anything!"
"It was a verbal contract," Hades said. A puff of smoke, and a scroll of paper appeared in his hand. He handed it to Axel who read over it. Sure enough, in the fine print,
In the event the signer of the document fails to complete his mission either by termination or resigning, he relinquishes his body, heart, and soul to Hades, Lord of the Undead.
Axel .
"That's just not fair. That's not even my handwriting."
"Life's not fair kid, now get in there and spill some blood" Hades said, shoving Axel out into the arena.
XxX
"So not cool" Axel sighed to himself as the lobby door slammed shut behind him.
He stepped out into the arena, feeling Vincent's gaze tearing into him. Before he could get his composure the battle had started. Axel's eyes widened as he heard the loud crack of a gun going off. It took him a moment to register what was happening. His opponent had a gun!
Axel heard a crash next to him and saw part of the wall crack under the pressure of the bullet that had barely missed him. Two more dents in the wall appeared around him, sending pieces of is crashing down. Axel dodged the falling debris, only to be shot at again. He gracefully danced around the bullets best he could. One nicked his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.
The world went blurry for a moment as pain ripped through him. It felt like he'd just had hole shot through him, even though it had barely nicked him. What kind of gun was that? No time to sit around and wonder, as he heard another loud crack. This time the bullet slammed into his arm. Axel cried out again and fell on his knees. Oh god the pain… it hurt so badly. Axel hugged his arm against his chest and whimpered in pain. He looked up at Vincent, who hadn't moved an inch so far. He glared at him hatefully as he crawled to his feet again. He summoned his loyal chakram and forced a grin across his face.
"Vincent Valentine… long time no see huh?"
Vincent seemed un-phased, though his grip on the trigger loosened a fraction.
" It's been a long time since I saw you last. Since then though, I've been given these icky orders to destroy you."
Vincent glared at him, as if trying to read him. It clicked with Vincent much sooner than the others. "Yeah, it has been. Ironically, I was given orders to destroy you too."
"Then how bout you put down the gun and we kill each other like civilized adults?"
"Sorry Turk, that's not happening" Vincent aimed the gun at Axel's head and fired.
Axel ducked, barely in time to avoid getting a hole in the head. Axel hurled his chakram with all his strength at Vincent, knocking the gun out of his hand. Axel quickly dashed in and punched the disarmed Vincent across the face.
Vincent promptly struck him back, sending Axel staggering. Vincent lashed out with his claw and grab Axel's injured arm. His claws crushed down on his arm, threatening to rip it right off.
Axel screamed and tried to pull away. He was not in the mood to be dismembered. He summoned his chakram into his other hand and smashed it into the side of Vincent's head, causing him to release Axel.
Axel jumped back and looked at his arm. He moved it, just to make sure it wasn't broken. It hurt, but it was useable. He calmly stood his ground; gripping his chakram tightly, ready to attack at any moment.
Vincent recovered from the blow to his head and calmly walked over to his gun. He picked it up and aimed it at Axel.
Both combatants grinned like maniacs under the hot coliseum sun.
Locked in a stalemate.
Who would make the first move?
XxX
"This couldn't have gone better if I had done it all myself" Hades said grinning at his helper, who was tugging on the chains around the door.
"Lord Hades, these are too heavy, even for me! Besides, what do we need him for?"
"Quite peon" Hades snapped. " I'm basking in a moment of glory. My plan has all come together. Pretty soon I can add Hercules to my collection of warriors, not to mention the ace gunman Vincent Valentine and that red-headed brat."
"Axel?"
"Yeah sure, whatever his name is."
The man looked alert and gazed up at Hades. " What is he good for? Taking up space?"
"What's it to you? You seem awfully defensive of this Axel character."
"I-I … nothing sir. So what do we need ol' three heads for anyways?"
Hades grinned as he walked over to the broad expanse of doors. "Well Since Hercules and that Sora brat broke my old one I decided to make a few upgrades." He laughed manically as he grabbed the chains and ripped them off the doors.
The man backpedaled and stood by the wall, watching the scene unfold.
"NOWS THE TIME! COME ON OUT CERBERUS!"
There was a thunderous roar of acknowledgement and the doors flung open. Death, death, kill, KILL Cerberus screamed as it galloped out of the gates of the Underworld, towards the coliseum.
The man stared in awe of the new Cerberus then looked over at Hades. " D-did it…just talk?"
XxX
"What, are they trying to kill each other with their minds" Demyx asked, glancing over at Luxord.
Luxord cocked an eyebrow at Demyx and told him to shut up.
The two nobodies watched as Axel and Vincent stood in a stalemate, staring each other down fiercely. They had been worried about Axel after his last match, but he seemed to be doing fine… so far.
One false move against this opponent though and BOOM, he was dead.
"You know what's really a shame," Luxord muttered under his breath. Demyx looked at him curiously, coercing him to continue. " I bet all my money on Vincent."
"Sucks for you. I bet mine on Axel."
"Demyx"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
XxX
Axel tensed, ready to spring. ' Just do it' his brain kept screaming. 'Just go on and do it.' He tensed, preparing himself for what was probably suicide. Then he shot forward, ready to strike Vincent while he was off guard.
Before he could do anything there was a loud rumbling. Part of the coliseum wall gave way as a loud roar echoed all around them. A huge monster came crashing through the wall, out onto the battlefield.
Spectators screamed and scrambled to get out of the arena as the monster roared again.
"What in Zeus's name is that!?" Phil asked, looking at Hercules, who was sitting next to him.
"It looks like Cerberus…except…"
"May I introduce you, ladies and gents to Cerberus 2.0!" Hades squealed as he appeared in puff of smoke in front of the monstrosity. "He's got all the latest upgrades, since you dismantled my last model. This one is twice as bloodthirsty and ten times stronger."
Cerberus 2.0 seemed to be some sick cyborg monster, half three headed dog, half machine. One of its forelegs and both of its back legs had been replaced by mechanically enhanced arms. The right head had half of it replaced by the advanced cyber upgrades. The middle head had a new metallic jaw that would easily crush anything in its path. The left head was nearly entirely mechanical all the ways down its neck. Its tail had been redone, all metallic, with a new deadly blade on the end of it.
"So, you like it" Hades asked, grinning at Hercules. " Well? Do ya, do ya, do ya?"
"It's great, now I'm going to take it apart" He said, leaping onto the battlefield.
"Ooh, this is gonna be fun" Hades said, sitting down. " Come on Phil sit, watch."
XxX
Axel stared at the beast, stunned by it in all its monstrous glory.
The only thing that could pull him out of his trance was the crack of a gun. Vincent had fired at the beast. There was a soft ding, as the bullet bounced off effortlessly. The creature howled and whipped its tail around, smashing into Vincent and knocking him out.
"Hey you, get out of here," Hercules said to Axel, motioning for him to leave the battlefield.
Axel started for the lobby then paused. He saw Cerberus whip around again, hitting Hercules with its tail, sending him flying. Hercules hit the wall and fell, out cold.
"Now it's just you and me ugly," Axel said, grinning. Cerberus roared and whipped around, trying to nail Axel with its tail. Axel jumped, easily dodging.
Axel landed gracefully and stuck his tongue out at the creature. Faster than he could react a huge metal paw stomped down on him, crushing him into the ground. Axel screeched, struggling to get away. Pain rattled every fiber of his being as he heard the grinding of gears, trying to squash him like a bug.
"Dance water dance!"
Axel looked around and saw water splash into Cerberus's side. The creature howled as sparks began to sizzle out of its mechanical leg. It lifted up of Axel just long enough for him to scamper away.
"Hey Axel! Over here" Demyx called, waving Axel over. Axel dashed over to when Demyx was climbing down the wall that separated the seating from the arena. He let go and landed with on his butt. " Ouch, hey Axel, you okay?"
"Peachy" Axel panted. They watched Luxord climb down, then turned their attention back to Cerberus, who had apparently recovered from his temporary malfunction. Axel grinned his trademark maniac grin and looked at the others. "You ready?"
"You bet" Demyx said, grinning back at Axel.
"Fighting side by side for our lives, wouldn't miss it for the world" Luxord said, motioning vaguely, though returning the grin.
"Then let's kick some robo-puppy ass!"
XxX End Chapter VI XxX
Well was it worth the wait? Sorry it took me an awful long time to finish it. I actually DID finish it a while ago, but then my computer got virus'd and I had to re write it all over again. I'm kinda glad it did though, because this version is MUCH better than the original one I wrote. About three times longer too, heh.
Yay for Kimahri the littlest ronso. I think he should have been in Kingdom Hearts. If anyone deserved it he did. So he got to shine in here. Also I made Aerith and Cid fight, because they never do in Kingdom Hearts. I thought that was a shame since they're both kickass! When Squall says " between this guy and the talking cat…" he is referring to Cait Sith, because deep down Cait Sith is also cool. I mean, GIANT STUFFED MOG ATTACK! Name something cooler than giant stuffed mog.
Now I'm going to sit back, grab a mountain dew, and begin work on chapter 7. In chapter seven we find out who this mysterious man working for Hades is and how the nobody team plans to take down Mecha-Cerberus.
Oh boy are you gonna love it, I can already tell!
Toodles and much love to you my readers
Axel