A/N: Before we get to this chapter, I would just like to thank the group of readers that have continuously checked here even though it has been quite awhile now since the last update. Thank you everybody. Here's the reward for your patience, I hope it doesn't disappoint.
Chapter Two:
Alex threw himself at the Chimera, the sword he had borrowed from Fys gleaming in the sunlight. The evil freak of nature was completely focused on Damon, who was hiding behind a parked car to protect himself from the lion head's fire breath. Alex tightened his grip on the weapon and prepared to swing down on the beast's hind leg when the snake whipped around suddenly, catching him in the stomach and sending the surprised teen flying. Alex hit the ground hard, rolling four feet before stopping in the middle of the street, 'That could've gone better.' He stood up and quickly brushed off. The sword, which he had lost during his brief flight via Pain Airlines, was a good twenty feet down the road. The teen hero began to make his way over there but was stopped by the sound of a fast approaching car. He took a quick look over his shoulder and, with a yelp, threw himself on to the sidewalk as speeding car shot by. The car, an old '59 Mustang, crushed the blade of Alex's sword as it continued on its way through Troy. Alex sighed, 'Today can't possibly get any worse.' He stopped moving as he thought of what to do next.
Fys caught his opponent's sword with his daggers. The black haired assailant smiled, "Twenty seven lighting fast blows, twenty seven even faster blocks. Would I be wrong if I said you were more than human?"
"Don't compare me to those mortals. I'm far beyond any of them."
"Ha! That makes two of us!" The pair continued their vicious dance, harshly striking out at their enemy's openings while violently defending their own. They fought for two minutes before they came to another stand off. Fys took a deep breath, "You're good. What's you're name?"
"For now, you can just call me Orion. How about you?"
"I'm Fys, strongest of the Wild's Guardians!" He pushed Orion back and lunged with both knives. The dark haired swordsman hopped to the side with a laugh, "Whoa there, getting a little proud, aren't we?" Fys snarled. He wasn't used to being mocked during a battle, "Quit joking around and fight!" Fys threw himself at Orion, daggers ready to stab down into his face. Orion dodged again, this time countering with a strong kick to the stomach. He smiled, "Isn't it more exciting this way? Engaging in witty banter while battling to the death? Sounds much better than all the grunting and shouting your friends are doing." Fys turned to glimpse Damon and Alex's fight against the Chimera. Alex was just watching as his friend tried to keep himself hidden from the creature. Fys swore, "Get back into the fight, you stupid mortal, before Damon is killed!" Orion yawned to get his opponent's attention back, "Yeah, I'm still here. Don't turn your back on a battle unless you're ready to die." Fys whipped around and the two continued their duel.
"Get back into the fight, you stupid mortal, before Damon is killed!" Alex's head snapped around at Fys' comment, 'Mortal? What did he mean by that?' He shook his head, now wasn't the time for that. He searched the ground in hopes of finding some sort of weapon. His attention came to rest on his shoes. As fast as he could, Alex pulled of his sneakers and readied himself to throw them. He took one in his right hand, pulled back, and hurled it with all his might. The New Balance flew end over end before magically striking the snake head from behind. The snake hissed its agony and the large creature turned to face the one who would dare antagonize it. Alex stood tall, and with a grin, threw the second shoe, "Take this, fur ball!" With an almost bored look on its face, the monster released a small puff of flame that turned the projectile into nothing but ash. "…Crap." The Chimera's heads released a terrifying symphony of roaring, bleating, and hissing as it charged Alex, who, being at the center of its attention, promptly began sprinting down the street, shouting every curse and swear that came to his head. Damon stood up and looked around. During the fighting, people had who had been walking by stopped to watch the spectacle in shocked silence. Their focus now gravitated towards Fys and his enemy, who were still fighting in the street. He readied his knife and ran over to assist his new friend.
Fys and Orion stopped fighting long enough to notice their new audience. Orion gave a small wave, "Hello. How's everybody doing?" Damon ran on the scene and lowered himself into a battle stance next to Fys, who looked surprised, "What happened to the Chimera and mortal?"
"They ran off. Don't worry, Alex will be fine!"
"Actually, I was worried about what the Chimera might do once it finishes eating him." Orion looked at the pair, "Sorry about this guys, but I have somewhere I need to be. We'll have to finish this later." He turned to leave, revealing the symbol of Omega on his back, "In a month or two, I'll be in…Manhappers… or was it Menhats?"
"Manhattan?" Damon offered.
"Yeah, Manhattan. If you're there, we can finish this then. Bye." Orion turned and, with a wave of his hand, started what he knew would be a long journey East. Damon stood up, "What a strange guy." Fys nodded, but couldn't help but feel uneasy. Whoever Orion was, he was extremely dangerous. Damon suddenly brought his hand to his forehead, "Alex! We've got to go after him!" Fys sighed, "Alright, alright, calm down." He walked up to one of the dumbfounded citizens, "Excuse me, did you happen to see a lion run by?" The man snapped out of his daze, "Lion? Are you kidding me? That was a freaking monster! It had three heads, didn't you see?" Fys was troubled, 'Two mortals seeing through the mist on the same day? This can't be coincidence.' "Can you tell me which way it-" A tap on his shoulder got his attention and Fys followed Damon's outstretched finger towards the Chimera's path of overturned cars, knocked over lamp posts, and screaming civilians who weren't affected by whatever had kept the crowd docile before. Fys nodded, "Alright, let's go." The pair ran after the vicious creature in hopes that Alex had managed to distract it without getting eaten.
Alex turned left as his monstrous pursuer released a jet of flame to roast him. They had been running for a good fifteen minutes now, Alex only staying ahead because of the Chimera's desire to toy with him before it made the kill. He turned down on to Main Street and found himself staring up at the imposing high school. A new idea came to Alex as he began what he hoped would be the last leg of this insane life or death race.
The Von Heiland High School was built with intimidation in mind. The main building looked as if the military had come in and modernized a medieval castle. The school towered over the surrounding city as if proclaiming its dominance of the landscape. Surrounding the campus was a wall that stood twelve feet high. Engraved into the stone was the history of the United States. The administration called it their "Inspiration for the Future", but older students said it was just the district flaunting its massive funds. There had been no after school activities today so the school was closing shortly after the last bell. As he came in sight of the large front gate, Alex could see that it was beginning to close on its automatic hinges. He burst into a sprint, barely making it through before the gate shut. The Chimera came to a pause as it reached the barrier now separating it from its prey. The pair could still see each other from between the gate's bars. Reveling in his new safety, Alex presented the beast with a rude gesture and stuck out his tongue. His joy was quickly extinguished when, after backing up for a running start, the monster hopped the wall with little effort, an expression that could have been smiles across all three faces.
The lion head released a burst of flame that Alex barely avoided by hitting the floor hard. He rolled to one side as the snake shot down for a killing blow, barely missing. Alex jumped to his feet and backed away a bit, 'At least that goat doesn't do anything.' Almost at once, he began to regret that thought as the goat fired a massive glob of a spit that, hitting the ground with a hiss, dissolving the cement. 'Acid spit? This is insane!' Alex dove as the Chimera pounced at him. He got up on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. 'What a way to end it. Eaten alive by a monster in the school courtyard. The Chimera circled around in front of him and Alex looked up to glare into the lion's great eyes. He smiled, "Come on, then. Finish it!" The beast complied, preparing a great ball of fire. It almost released when, from out of no where, a gleaming object shot down and crashed between them. Coughing, Alex closed his eyes and waited for the dust to settle, the thought of running never crossing his mind.
Once it had, he stared up at a great lance that had landed head first, piercing the ground. Alex slowly got to his feet and staggered forward, hardly believing he was still alive. The Chimera backed away, the lion growling in what may have been fear. The spear shaft was made of finely crafted bronze, like the sword Fys had given Alex, and had many Greek words up and down it's length. Alex stepped forward, something in his mind encouraging him closer. Once within arm's length, he cautiously reached out and grabbed hold. All fatigue left him, and a new power surged through his muscles. With ease, Alex pulled the spear from the earth and, with new courage, turned to face his opponent , who recoiled as if in pain, "Alright, time for round 2." The Chimera shook away whatever had ailed it and renewed its attack with intensified ferocity. Alex back stepped a claw swipe and swung his new weapon for a crushing blow to the lion's side, sending it four yards to the left. After recovering, the creature took a tentative step back, unsure of how to proceed. Alex was left to gawk at his new found power, 'How did I do that?' The Chimera decided to put it's best foot forward and fired a vicious flamethrower. Alex, startled back into reality, threw himself out of the way. The beast lunged at his downed prey, ready to finish the fight. The human combatant barely had time to roll away before killing claws came down from above. The goat head fired another wad of death spit and the cobra lashed out for a throat ripping bite. Alex leapt to a battle stance and, once the snake was close enough, brought the spear down as hard as he could. The spear head sliced through, cutting the head-tail off at the head way point. The snake hissed faintly, crumbling into black dust. The other two heads roared and bleated in pain. Alex smiled, "You can be hurt huh?" The two began to circle one another, Alex jabbing with his spear and the Chimera breathing fire.
For five minutes, all they did was tease one another with false openings, trying to get the other to drop their guard and attack. Then, without warning, shot forward, claws extended and jaws wide. Alex tensed before leaping up. Straight as an arrow, he went over the lion and straight through the goat. The final head roared in massive pain. On landing, Alex spun and threw his spear with all his might. He immediately found this to be a mistake. The strength that the weapon had granted him was now gone and the battle's toll on his body returned in full force. Alex doubled over and vomited, unprepared for this. His throw missed its mark and the Chimera charged, ready to kill. Alex backed up as fast as he could, but it was too late, 'So much for getting out alive.' He turned away and thankfully, slipped into unconsciousness.
The final Chimera head roared for its close victory and pounced. Before it landed though, a new fighter appeared, slicing the massive beast in half with his strike. The man sheathed his sword while his the defeated monster dissolved into black dust, which slowly faded away. After checking that Alex was fine, he walk over to where the lance had landed and carefully picked it up. He put it down next to Alex, "Take care of this, kid. It will help with whatever the gods have planned for you next. With a swish of the cloak he was wearing, he turned and walked away.
END
A/N: Again, I apologize for not putting something up months ago. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a schedule going, maybe even make the chapters longer. Anyway, how was the fighting? This was the first time I've ever written something like that, so comments would be helpful.
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