Chapter CD: End of Intermission ~Multehx

A blast of steam erupted from the pipe that served as a smokestack to him. Malfector was working hard indeed, climbing the steep, inclining path into the spiralling tunnel of darkness. The weight of the object upon his back was tremendous indeed, and causing his feet to leave inch-deep depressions in the rock with every step onward.

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Alfred cackled with glee from atop a crashed cart. Omega and Kenzo had to leap constantly to avoid their destruction. From the heavens, massive pillars of lightning rained down, striking the cobblestone street, leaving craters in it where occupants had been moments before, rending deep crags through stone and earth to depths far, far below indeed.

"DAMMIT!!" Omega swore over the chaos, kicking himself off a house just as it was struck to a pile of rubble. Kenzo swung his axe wildly, deflecting with resounding clashes the stones that were hurled haphazardly about, some large enough to topple him even at that speed. He growled as he swung faster and faster, the debris flying about with increasing speed as well. The professor snickered, throwing out both index fingers and sending spiralling chords of pure voltage coursing first for the robot, who narrowly evaded, then for the knight. With a quick and precise move, the axe was spun so that the flat side of a blade faced the oncoming bolt.

He gritted his nonexistent teeth, wincing at the intense shock which coursed through him, though his move did have some of the desired effect. A good portion of the stream was deflected by the cleanly polished edge and send right back at its originator. Alfred gritted his own teeth, lit up like a Christmas tree, hair as wild as ever still, finally closing his hands into fists. The attack stopped with that and he shook his head, quite visibly steaming.

While the attack would have had more of an effect with any other opponent, Professor Nsvem was quite used to taking the heat; up to ten thousand volts casually really. This, the robot knew, and wasted no time firing the thrusters in his boots as he lunged. Drawing back a fist, he rocketed it forward as he drew nearer. Alfred quite audibly lost the wind his lungs were carrying, doubling over and holding his stomach. Wasting no time, he drew his blade and activated it. With a cry of rage, he brought it down to cleave the man in twain.

There was a near-deafening clash and a brilliant flash of light and Omega was hurled back. Alfred stood, breathing hard, coming out of hyperventilation as his wind returned. A sinister grin he bore, as in his right hand he deftly spun his cane. As he stopped it on the ground, it was quite obvious where the blast of energy came from. His unique cane, made of unfathomably strong materials from the age whence it came, glowed with a brilliant yellow with the electrical energy that filled it. Looking out the corner of his eye he spotted movement and quickly spun, parrying with his cane again.

The massive battle axe clashed against the cane with a brilliant explosion of light, and its holder growled in pain as again electricity coursed over his body quite visibly. But this didn't lessen with force with which he maintained his attack. Snickering, Alfred was putting up surprisingly just as good a fight, making up for his shortcomings in strength by weakening his foe enough so he was a match.

"Brute strength will always fall to the might of my intellect!" he sneered, "and so does any to oppose my master, sir knight."

"I know just what kind of sick things your master has planned, and I'm not letting that happen again!"

Alfred sneered, slowly beginning to take the upper hand. "Suit yourself, metal moron. But you're already five steps behind!"

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Malfector groaned. He had been trudging on for seemingly hours now. Left at this bend, right at that, onward he trekked. Though, away, far away still, he felt his calling. And so, onward he continued, bearing his cargo most unholy.

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The further they went, the more cold the air became, the denser, the more...putrid. Jaded frowned as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop; the assassin almost alongside him the entire way. "It's culminating now," Scilas nodded, groaning. "This is getting bad methinks, and I'm not even as 'in tune' to this all as you."

Jaded smirked, shrugging as they ran on, another alley soaring beneath them as another roof they landed upon. "Don't need to be a rocket scientist to sense it now, how down wind and closer we're getting with each moment.

The two skidded to a stop suddenly. Both glared, reading their weapons. "And, speaking of evil..."

From atop a chimney ahead dismounted a rather elegantly-dressed fellow. In his hand he held an ornate staff, with some odd, upside-down pyramidal shape at the head. He smirked, tapping the butt on the ground.

"Well, good eve, gentlemen," he spoke. Waving to the alleys below, he snickered. "Seems I've got the rodents stuck in my little labyrinth, so, you two are in luck."

With a deep chuckle, his appearance appeared to blur and divide, each becoming solid after splitting.

"Two's a bit two few for me," both said in unison, "but I think I could amuse myself with it with you two…till I decide to really slaughter you."

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"How close are they...now?" Redaz panted, running as hard as he could still.

"Close enough, dammit! Keep running, stupid!" Ratch barked angrily, moving pretty darn fast for a hulk of a robot.

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Finally, he was there. After ages upon seeming ages. Ascending the steps seemed to take hours upon hours, but less than a minute. Into the extended hand of the one seated Malfector did place the Sepalaris into it.

Slowly, the fingers seemed to curl around the blades’ handle and tighten a grip on it. Lethargically, the figure drew a shaky breath and exhaled. His eyes forced back the weights upon the lids and slowly adjusted to the dark brilliance of the chamber.

"I'm....awake..." A sinister grin slowly spread over his face, his fanged canines showing clearly as he began to chuckle to himself. “Finally.”

He snickered, chuckle growing to laughter, and eventually throwing back his head and bellowing a loud, maniacal chortle that echoed and reverberated throughout the vastness of every corridor. Deftly he shot to his feet, brushing a lock of his shock blue hair from his eyes, grinning just as evilly. "Now, where was I?"