Chapter 76-Capture, Part Three

"Aghhh…"

Khione lets out a small groan and slowly opens her eyes.

Looking around, Khione discovers that she's been bound by ropes, and finds that she's in the midst of being dragged across a strange, underground labyrinth that appears to be a prison.  Khione strains her head over her shoulder to peer behind her, and sees that she's being dragged by Tondra, the electric swordswoman.  Khione weakly peers over to the side and sees that Sparky, the explosion user, is dragging an unconscious Ana, who's wrist and ankles are bound by ropes as well.

Khione's eyes widen.

"Was I…captured…?"  Khione whispers to herself.

Khione's eyes slowly flicker over to Ana, where she finds her comrade unconscious.

"Ana!"  Khione whisper-shouts, but Ana doesn't stir.

"ANA!"

Again, nothing.

"Damn…" Khione spits as she stares at the ground

Khione winces as her ass and back are dragged across the rough ground.

"Looks like I need to find a way out of this by myself…"

Khione peers at her wrists and attempts to pull them apart.  And while her wrists are still bound together by rope, Khione barely has just a tiny bit of wiggle room.

Khione smirks to herself.

"So they underestimated the Ice Charger, eh?"

Using the miniscule amount of room that she has, Khione wiggles her wrists until her hands reach a position that sort of resembles her Charge Stance, with Khione's balled fist placed loosely on top of her open palm.

"Ice Charge, Level One!"  Khione whisper-shouts to herself with a smirk as icy-blue sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around her body, "-Permafrost!"

Using her Permafrost, Khione freezes the ropes binding her wrists and ankles.

"Hm?"  Tondra asks as she pauses, "Do you feel that, Sparky?"

"Feel what?"  Sparky asks.

"It just got…COLDER all of a sudden…" Tondra answers.

Khione's eyes widen.

"I need to be quick!"  She whisper-shouts to herself.

"YAH!"  Khione cries as she swiftly pulls her wrists and ankles apart, shattering her ropes.

Swiftly, Khione touches the ground by Tondra's feet.

"PERMAFROST!"  Khione shouts again as she freezes the ground around Tondra's feet.

"SHIT"  Tondra cries as she attempts to leap backwards, but before she can, Tondra's feet are frozen by Khione's ice.

"Damn resilient bitch!"  Tondra roars as she swiftly draws her katana and swings it outwards.

Khione attempts to scramble up to her feet and dodge Tondra's attack, but isn't fast enough.

Khione squeezes her eyes shut and grits her teeth, accepting her oncoming demise.

But then, instead of feeling the swift slash of Tundras katana, a loud metal CLANG rings through the air.

"H-huh…?"

Slowly, Khione opens her eyes and ears back over to Tondra, where she finds Ana standing in the way of Tondra's slash, blocking her katana with a katana of her own.

Khione's face brightens.

"Ana!"  She excitedly exclaims.

"Thanks for waking me up, Khione!"  Ana says as she turns over her shoulder and peers at Khion with a smirk, "Though I was having a nice nap."

"It looks like you and I are destined to face each other, huh?"  Tondra grunts through grit teeth, dragging Ana's attention back towards her.

"I've never fought another E-Charging swordswoman," Ana replies, her teeth also grit in concentration as she struggles against Tondra's blade.

"You're forgetting about me again!"

Khione hears a voice shout as she's wrapped up in a flaming explosion, causing her to cry out in pain as she's sent flying backwards, slamming through the concrete wall behind her.

"KHIONE!"  Ana cries as she turns and peers over her shoulder at her ally, which drops her guard from Tondra.

"Don't turn your back to me!"  Tondra roars as she swings her katana downwards, slashing Khione across the chest, and causing her to stumble backwards, clutching her bleeding wound.

"Don't worry about me, Ana!"  Khione coughs as she waves away the smoke, "I'll take care of Sparky."

"Right," Ana replies with a small nod as she turns to face Tondra again then readies her katana, and the two swordswomen clash.

Khione slowly pushes herself up to her feet and peers forwards, where she finds a smirking Sparky strutting over to Khione, wand drawn and aimed right towards her.

"So you're my opponent again, eh?"  Sparky smirks as electric-yellow sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around her body.

"It appears so," Khione grunts as she resumes her Charge Stance as well.

Meanwhile…

"Hah…hah…hah…"

I want to myself as I continue making my way through the underground prison that Old-Man F and I found ourselves trapped within, desperate to find someone, ANYONE, whether they be friend or foe.  Preferably friend.

I continue running, until eventually, I spot a bright light up ahead, causing my face to brighten.

That must be the exit!

And so, I step on the gas, and charge forwards until I reach the exit.

After another brief jog, I reach the exit of the underground prison, and upon walking through, I find myself standing in a large field of dried-up, solid dirt.

I look around.  I appear to be on the outskirts of town, because no civilization is in sight.

I frown, then turn around to face the exit to the underground prison again.

Should I…go back.  I can't just leave my friends behind down there.  However, if I go back down into that prison, ALL OF US are in our enemy's grasp.  At least out here, I can do some recon, maybe find out where I am and who our enemies are…?

My thought process is interupted when I hear some footsteps come from behind me, causing me to flinch.

Slowly, I turn around, finding myself standing face to face with the eyepatch-wearing smoke user from before a couple dozen feet away from me.

"Who are you?"  I ask, "The leader of these cloak-wearing Devil-Eye freaks?"

The smoke user takes a step forwards, but then, in the blink of an eye, we find ourselves standing side by side.

"Not exactly."

My eyes widen as I scramble backwards

"H-how did you do that?!"  I cry.

"My name is Smokey Prometheus," the eyepatch-wearing guy says, "The First Sun of Prometheus of the Children of Fire."