“Your long speeches are starting to bore me,” mocked James, who had always found the white -haired man’s long speeches strange and often riddle like.
Lucius smiled. “Well, you do lack intellect.”
“I’m smart enough to realise that you’re the one behind what’s happening!”
Lucius began to laugh. “Are you referring to the unfortunate chain of events that now troubles this world?”
“You now exactly what I’m talking about!” shouted James, pointing an angry finger up at his foe. “Don’t think I’m going to let you get away with this!”
Lucius snickered at the very thought of James threatening him. “Have you forgotten how badly I’ve humiliated you?” he said, mocking the agent. “Time and again I’ve beaten you, humbled you. What makes you think this time will be any different?”
The agent reached behind his back and pulled out the sword the professor had given him from a scabbard he had tied on his back. “Because this time, I have this!” shouted James, holding the blade aloft for him to see. It shined brightly in the moonlight and Lucius looked a little taken aback. He definitely had the white-haired man’s attention now.
Lucius hated that blade. He knew it was of Alexandrian origin but this was not the only reason for his hatred of it. The white haired man knew that because this weapon was on Earth, it meant that his own sword was still in the possession of Auron, the Alexandrian warrior who he had fought within the Dark Forest over a year ago. He hated the thought of that. He hated that his beloved sword; a weapon he had to prove himself worthy of wielding was now being used to aid his sworn enemies. He planned on taking out his frustrations on James. He wanted to make him suffer. The fact that James now wielded this weapon only increased the dislike he had for him.
James’ could see Lucius’ displeasure, even from so far away. His plan was going perfectly. The agent began to goad the white-haired man, much to the latter’s displeasure. “Is that fear I sense up there? Are you really the fierce warrior you claim to be, or simply an imposter?”
Lucius snarled with anger. “I assure you vermin I’m no imposter. I possess far too much power to be anything but the real thing!”
“Then come and prove it!” challenged James.
“As you wish.”
The Underworld warrior leapt from the top of the building, gliding through the air with elegant grace. He landed at the end of the bridge that James stood on, landing down on one knee. He looked to take no discomfort upon landing despite the great height he had jumped from. James knew he could not do battle with Lucius here and now. Taking him on at this very moment would end up in defeat, even with his possession of the Alexandrian sword. James turned and ran…almost it seemed in retreat. Lucius rose to his feet and smiled. “What the hell is going on?” said the homeless man, who still lay at the side of the bridge whilst watching events unfold between the pair. Lucius turned to the man for a moment and snickered at him before giving chase after his enemy.
James raced through the streets of London, with Lucius giving chase. “There is no escape for you son of Zeris. This is the final act of the performance, do enjoy it,” mocked Lucius as he pursued the agent.
The pair ran three times faster than a regular man. They used all their skills and agility to run through busy traffic, never truly being in danger of colliding with any of the vehicles despite a few near encounters. A few of the cars on the road had seen them coming at the last minute and swerved in an attempt to avoid them causing a mini pile-up of vehicles on the road.
Next, James led Lucius down to the London Underground railway system. A train was setting off on one of the lower platforms and James leaped onto the roof as it pulled away. Lucius quickly followed suite and the pair engaged in a mini duel on top of the train. Lucius quickly gained the upper hand, landing a few fierce blows forcing James into retreat once more.
Not yet, thought James. As the train passed beneath a tunnel, James used the sword to cut through the bricks, hurling them toward the white-haired man like a baseball being struck off a bat. Lucius easily dodged them and punched several of them clean with his fist.
The train exited the tunnel and James leapt off the roof, making his way hastily to the exit of the Underground. The pair continued southward towards the coast. The chase went on for several hours; James just about managing to keep his enemy at bay. The night began to fade and dawn was close, but James was beginning to become fatigued. They had now run so far south, they had reached the English coastline.
Lucius noticed the rising sun and realised why it was that James had fled. So he has realised his strength, interesting.
James’ plan had been to keep away from Lucius until the sun had rose and then engage him when he would be at his strongest, and the white-haired man would be at his most vulnerable. They were now in open land and Lucius spotted a small chemical plant that was connected to a large cliff nearby which overlooked the sea. Lucius stopped dead in his tracks, bringing his pursuit of James to an end. After a few moments, James realised he was no longer being chased and came to a halt himself. He looked around and noticed Lucius jogging gingerly towards the chemical plant. James was annoyed, he knew he almost had Lucius where he wanted him.
“Come back, come back and fight!” shouted James.
The white haired man paid him no attention though and continued onward towards the chemical plant. James sighed and now gave chase after Lucius.
Workers still manned the plant and smoke came from the roof as a mixture of chemicals produced wild fumes. James addressed the workers. “Everybody, get out of here now, there’s a storm coming this way!”
There was indeed a storm coming this way, but not in the way the workers might have thought. All the workers in the plant were already disillusioned by having to work despite the global catastrophe and didn’t take much persuading.
With the men gone, James entered the chemical plant. It smelt of sweaty workmen and chemical fumes filled the air. The corridors were narrow and damp. James advanced onward; he had more pressing matters on his mind.
“Come on vermin, come to me,” said Lucius, whose voice echoed around the walls of the narrow corridors.
James gripped his sword, ready for battle. He let the anger flow through his body to give him strength. “You know what I hate the most about you James?’ said Lucius.
James looked around anxiously, scanning for where the white-haired man could possibly be.
“The fact that I’m going to beat your arse?” shouted James.
A low laughter began to fill the air. “Amusing but no,” Lucius answered.
James approached an area where the chemical fumes filled the room in a white mist, hampering his vision.
“It is because even for an Alexandrian…” continued Lucius. The white haired man suddenly emerged from the mist and kicked the sword clean out of James’ hand. “…You are so incredibly weak and predictable!” James quickly threw a couple of punches that Lucius evaded, however not as easily as he normally would have. The white haired man took a couple of steps back, as did James. The pair breathed heavily as their lungs cried out for air. Finally, after several hours, the chase had come to an end. Neither man could run anymore. Even Lucius managed to nod in appreciation of James’ efforts in keeping pace with him. Lucius had chosen this time to do battle for a reason, however. First of all, he deemed this area far enough away for him to engage his foe without fear of any of his friend’s being able to come to his aid. It would just be the two of them in a fight to the death. Secondly, the reason for choosing the underground facility beneath the mountain cliff was that it was free from the rays of the sun, which had caused Lucius’ stamina to degrade faster than normal, whilst at the same time, enhancing James’ strength.
Although he did not have the same strength he would have during the hours of night, Lucius had concluded that his fighting skills were still far beyond that of his opponent. He would still be able to eliminate James, despite him having this disadvantage. “E
nough of this. You have served your purpose. You many die now!”
James picked the sword up from the ground and pointed it toward him. “I don’t think so!”
Lucius smiled and raised his hands, clenching them both into fists as he invited James forward. “Come to me. Come to me and I will kill you, just as I killed your friend!”
Chad…
James charged towards his foe, crying out with rage as he leapt forward, looking to unleash the most powerful blow with the sword he could muster. He aimed the blade towards Lucius skull. The white haired man looked surprisingly calm, as James got ever closer, not even flinching. Moments before James connected, Lucius moved his weight forward and unleashed a hate induced double handed punch of his own. It struck James directly in both his ribs, sending him hurling back at least ten feet. James crashed into a concrete roof support, which shattered as he crashed through it. James hit the ground hard and in breaking the roof support, large pieces of the concrete fell from the roof above down on top of him.
The white-haired man began to laugh. He turned around and looked toward the sword that was not his, the sword James had been using against him in the fight, which was now stuck in the wall. Lucius decided the time had come to put an end to this contest and began to walk towards the blade. He intended to use the sword to behead his enemy and keep it as a trophy to take back home to his father. He knew once James was dead, and the will of the Earth people was broken, his father would allow his return to Underworld. That was what he now craved more than anything. He had been on Earth for nearly two long years and he missed the Underworld realm dearly. He had the comfort of his great love Clarissa there, a member of his father’s elite. How I would like to have her in my arms, he thought. The Earth women did not pleasure him as Clarissa had done. Although he had bedded many, it was Clarissa who he wanted to share his bed with once more. Once the vermin is vanquished I shall return to her.
Beneath the rubble of concrete and stone, James struggled to breathe. Not because of the rubble that was covering him though. It was due to the fierce blow that Lucius had struck to his ribs. He was also bleeding fairly heavily. He had not realised just how hard Lucius could punch. Clearly, he had been holding something back up until now. James attempted to move some of the rubble from above his head, struggling to do so. He could hardly move beneath it. He tried again, realising that he was helpless against his foe in this position. He finally managed to push a piece of it away with his right hand, allowing it to come above the rubble.
Suddenly, something strange began to happen. Warmth began to fill him and James felt the grazes and cuts on his hand quickly healing themselves. The strength began to slowly return to his hand. James attempted to stand up and was able to too so with relative ease now. The large pieces of rubble fell off him like tiny pebbles. The deep cuts on his hand began to heal themselves very quickly. In a few moments, the cuts were nothing more than small grazes. James’ body also felt warmer than it did before. He looked above his head and discovered why this was so.
The concrete roof support that James crashed into had broken, causing part of the roof directly above him to collapse. A small ray of sunlight shone down through the broken part of the roof onto James. The heat gave him strength and it regenerated his body, healing his injuries somewhat. James smiled, realising he could use this to his advantage.
Lucius had now reached the sword he detested so much. He pulled the blade from the wall with minimal effort.
“Lucius!” shouted James from behind him.
Lucius, still with his back to James, seemed a little surprised to hear his voice so soon. He thought his earlier blow had put James out of the fight for a long duration. He turned around and was even more surprised to see James standing on his feet.
For the first time, James turned the tables on his white-haired nemesis. “Is that all you’ve got?” he said, mocking him. Lucius was not impressed by his rival’s words. He looked at the blade he now held in his hand. Pride got the better of him and he tossed it aside. He wished to finish off James with his own hands. Lucius walked forward, his usually calm exterior had been rattled slightly.
“You are no match for my strength!” said Lucius as he reached James. He threw the most fierce punch he could muster. Lucius’ fist landed square on James’ lower left jaw, sending his head jerking to the right. James was unmoved though. Unbeknown to Lucius he had stepped into the light of the sun and his punch just didn’t have the same effect. The rays of the sun had lowered Lucius’ body potential, and his blow was nothing more than a normal man might receive from another regular man.
James slowly turned his head back to face Lucius and smiled, he knew he could match up to his foe now. Confusion was edged on Lucius’ face, taking a few moments to figure out how James was able to withstand his punch. He then looked upwards and realised the cause of the power shift in the fight. James seized his chance and hit Lucius with a quick and powerful uppercut whilst Lucius was busy staring at the sun. Lucius groaned a little as the punch sent him flying back several feet.
James, understanding the need to press home his advantage, began to break several of the other concrete roof supports nearby. He jumped out the way as the rubble fell down all around him. Lucius rose to his feet, not at all amused by the blow James had landed. He wiped his mouth, which was bloody and then smiled. It had been a long time since he had the opportunity to fight against someone who could truly give him a run for his money. Lucius was a fierce warrior and he loved the joy of battle.
Instead of being intimidated, Lucius advanced forward, despite the sunlight. James also ran forward and the pair met in the middle of the facility. They fought back and forth, James having the speed and strength advantage now, but Lucius was still the more skilled fighter. The latter used every fighting technique of the dark arts of Underworld to keep his now more physically superior foe at bay. Every time James would seem to gain the upper hand, Lucius would come up with a miraculous counter attack to thwart him.
The two of them began crashing into the computer equipment at the nuclear plant as the intensity of the battle increased. The machinery began to catch fire as their powerful frames bounced off them with great force. The radiation levels began to rise as James and Lucius continued their fight. James realised he needed to try a different approach. Everything he had thrown at Lucius thus far had been ineffective. James decided to employ a different fighting style. He changed his fighting stance, however, Lucius seemed unconcerned.
“Ah yes. I’ve studied all the primitive combat methods of this world,” he said. Lucius observed James’ stance a little closer. “Now let me see, Karate yes?”
James rushed forward unleashing several of the most difficult Karate techniques that he could muster. Lucius fended them off almost effortlessly. James changed his style once more, this time to that of Ninjutsu. Just like before, Lucius recognised the style and dealt with it accordingly. The agent was beginning to become frustrated and sloppy. Despite his physical superiority, he could not break through Lucius’ solid defence. The white haired man truly was a great fighter.
“You cannot beat me with the weak and narrow-minded fighting styles of this world. I was trained by the dark king himself, I have never been defeated!” warned Lucius. The white haired man looked around to the machinery equipment that the pair had broken whilst brawling. He noticed that some of it had caught fire. Lucius gave a sinister smile. He held forward the palm of his hand, which began to give off a red glow. James could feel the heat coming from his hand and sensed that his enemy was about to attempt to manipulate the fire elements within the compound. The white haired man reached his hand in the direction from which the machines had caught fire and began to hurl fireballs in the direction of the agent.
James looked on as the fire approached him at great speed. Oh great.
Two fireballs reached him simultaneously. James jumped up quickly and spun his body around three hundred and sixty degrees in mid-air to avoid them. The fireballs whisked pas
t him at great speed, but to James it almost seemed like slow motion. He could not afford to be content though because just as he landed back on the ground, another three balls of flame were well on their way toward him. He jumped again, this time having to almost do the splits in mid-air as he rose his legs either side of him to avoid a fireball hitting them. At the same time he crouched his head to the left to ensure two balls of fire didn’t crash into his face.
As James landed, Lucius met him with a punch to the face. It did not have the force it might have done had the rays of the sun not been present, but it still caused discomfort. Lucius met him with another punch, which found its mark. James sensed fireballs coming at him from behind and ducked down. This time, Lucius also had to take avoiding action to ensure the flames did not strike him.
With James still in a crouching position, Lucius kicked him square in the face, sending the agent abruptly back up to a standing position. Lucius then quickly threw a left hand but James was wise to it and blocked the attack. James unleashed a high kick in response, which hit Lucius in the face. The force of the kick sent the white haired man stumbling back a little, however, it paved the way for three more fireballs to quickly advance on James.
With little time to improvise, James attempted to weave out the way, he managed to successfully avoid the first two however the third had hidden in the shadow behind the previous fire and hit him in his left forearm. James cried out as the flame burnt against his skin. He realised he could not withstand these attacks forever. Then he remembered, there was one item nearby that could very well enable him to survive the onslaught.
James brushed past Lucius, doing a forward roll to avoid a roundhouse kick from his foe as he passed. Lucius used the fire that had originated from the burning machines to conjure a much larger flame than any of the previous one’s and hurled it into James’ direction. Reaching his sword just in time, the agent picked it up from the ground and swung it at the fireball before it could make contact with him.
Clash Of Worlds Page 41
