Shadouge: Dragon Scales and Weird Tails…
Chapter 1: Thank the Drunkard
I walk down the bus aisle, careful not to bump into anything or anyone hanging off their seat. With a slight yawn, I amble down the stairs, exiting the bus. I huff in a sigh.
'Another lead, another day, and another bout of hunger and disappointment… Mobius, I wish he didn't have to assign ME this damn job…' First order of Business: Get something to EAT!
After catching my luggage, which was launched at me from about three men on top of the bus (What I carry isn't necessarily light, but I can carry it around like it's nothing.)I look around, and thank Mobius for Saloons, because there was one right around the corner.
As I sit down at the bar and order some food, I couldn't help but notice that everyone inside kept staring at me… taking note of my sudden apprehensive demeanor, the bartender, a dusty tan chameleon, spoke up.
"Ya new 'round here?" he asked, a thick southern accent coated his voice. I simply nod.
"Tons of folk here aren't too keen on new-comers cuz they figure they're either bounty-hunters or idjits." He explains, cleaning out a glass. He sets it in front of me and was about to fill it up with beer, but I stop him.
"Sorry, I don't drink." I say flatly, holding up a hand. He grins at me.
"Now that I get a good look at ya boy, I can see yer quite the honest type, eh?"
I raise an eyebrow at him when he says that, "And what's with the luggage? Ya look like yer packin' some mighty powerful stuff there, pal." he inquires, the old man points at my luggage, in the shape of a large cross, covered with an amassed amount of silken ribbon and leather belts that held it all together and in place, concealing what lay beneath. He lets out a dusty, ragged cough as he fills up the glass with water instead. I cringe at his laugh as I take the water and knock back a swig.
"This thing? It's nothing but my cross and burdens, Sir." I say, placing a hand on the 3 ½ ft. tall cross, "I'm a very religious man." I knew that, in a sense, it was a monstrous lie, but it held some truth.
I wasn't all too religious, in fact, a couple events led me to not want to believe in one, but that's another story. I gather my courage and suck in a breath, bracing for a scared reaction to my next question.
"Tell me, what exactly do you know about Anguis?" The old chameleon stood frozen and looked at me with wide eyes.
"Yer goin' after her?" was his question that sorta answered mine.
'Her?'
"I'm sorry, son, but if yer after Anguis then you're out of luck and out of my saloon. I… I can't help ya." He says sadly, lowering aged, graying eyes. I crease my brows, but I respect his words. I get up to leave, hefting my cross over my shoulder, but my final words to him are:
"Thank you anyways." With that, I leave, and as I sit in front of a fountain outside, I realize something.
'Well, its official…'
'I have NO freakin' clue where I should even go!'I thought to myself exasperatedly as I look to the dull blue sky. The only reason why it looked dull is because of the dust-ball of an area I was in.
It'd been 3 months since I'd been placed on this bizarre assignment from the Commander to search for a being known as Anguis, the legendary Fire Serpent, or, as most people call her, The Dragon. Hilariously, this being is so infamous, yet no one knows who exactly this being is, what they look like, Zilch, Nada, Nuttin', Z-E-R-O! And it doesn't help that,
I'm a good 6ft. tall hedgehog with a face that naturally looks relatively intimidating and a deep voice that scares most people shitless when I try to ask them questions. Especially when I ask about Anguis( It only gets worse if they actually give me the time to listen to what I'm asking about…)
Like I mentioned before, no one knows about this Anguis character, but because of some incidents and one massive rumor about the character taking out an entire local armada BY THEMSELF… Man, that's scary…
But I can't help but admit that this assignment doesn't peak my interest.
Just who was Anguis?
And what motives does she have?
Maybe she's a murderous lunatic, or just mentally unstable, or something…
Either way, it was make clear by the Commander that finding Anguis was apparent. He said that once she was found, then we needed to put her in confinement, and put her on trail…
It seemed just, since Anguis was kind of a killer. And thorough, too. It was said that the bodies of the Armada were either torn to shreds, burnt to a crisp, blown to bits, or any combination of the three. Hell, some were all of the above and much, much more. Talk about gruesome.
Maybe I had no idea what exactly she was being brought in for besides the Armada Massacre, as most call it, but if it is enough to bring the country as a whole to rest and peace, I'm all for it.
As I'm going over my current situation, I hear a scream. Immediately, my gaze drops from the sky and to the scene before me, and sure enough, there was this young girl-uh, woman, a nice, creamy caramel-skinned bat with white fur, her hair came down her back a few strands even trickled into her face and danced about her eyes, but a bundled tail of hair in particular came down to her rather shapely backside, big, round, sparkling bluish-green eyes, and her outfit being composed of fiery colors, from deep maroon to a striking yellow.
Around her neck was a scarf-like collar, crimson in color, and the rest of her shirt faded from that rich, blood-colored crimson to a bright dandelion's yellow. Around her lay what looked like cloth, tied neatly on shapely hips, beneath that lay another, probably tied to the first, but was more burgundy and dark. From there came about 7 long, petal-like frills that formed a skirt, fading in the opposite pattern of her shirt, but the same colors.
Beneath that lay long, goddess-smooth toned and shapely legs, and boots lay clad on her feet. Her right arm had a shoulder pad, burgundy in color, attached to both her shirt and sleeve, which were disconnected merely by a missing shoulder piece.
It was only then did I realize that the thumb and middle fingers in her gloves were gone.(Coolest thing ever.) Her left merely had an arm sock up to her elbow. Here was this beauty, an angel here on Mobius who was being harassed by some drunken afternoon asshole.
And maybe it was my chivalry talking, but it made my blood boil.
Before I knew it, I had walked right up to the situation, catching the latter part of it.
"I'm telling you for the last time, Leave me ALONE!"
"Not yet, you…hic… I wanna see whacha got under that pretty dress of yers…"
Just as a grimy hand reached for the frontal and foremost petal of her skirt, I stepped before her, I could already feel the urge just to punch this bastard's face in.
"H-hey…! Move outta the way buddy, I'm doin' somethin' here…!" the drunk stammers, his breath came up and whacked me in the face with the bottle of everything he drank , pathetically trying to reach around me. I sharply grab his hand and held it away, the foul smell of shame and booze wasn't too pleasing.
"How about sobering up and getting some damn manners instead?" I say nonchalantly, but I harden my gaze at him, making all too sure to bore into him hard enough so he not only gets my point, by will fucking live by it.
"By the way, you need to learn how to treat a lady…" I nearly growl between gritted teeth, but I plaster on a dangerous smile to conceal it, "Because I can promise you, if you keep doing this to the wrong women, you're sure to get your ass kicked." The drunkard scoffs at me.
"And… wh-who do ya think yoouu think you are, Slerkus Gochika?" he slurs, he looked he was just a pluck to the head away from flopping face-first from alcohol. You know, now that I think about it….
I take a step forward and do just that; I pluck his drunk ass in the head. Sure enough…
" Ooh man, I feel…"
WHOMP! He finally conks out and face-plants the dirt and cobblestone street. I can't help the smirk of satisfaction that stretches across my face.
' The idiot shouldn't drink so much… especially when all it takes to knock him out is a pluck to the head.' I nearly forgot that goddess of a woman was standing behind me until she gently tapped me on the shoulder.
I turn and find those beautiful gems for eyes that managed to capture the cerulean depths of the ocean in them staring into my own, a smile of gratitude gracing her features.
I'd never known one person could look so captivating before… she truly was a sight to behold, I felt like a peasant in her presence and she was fair princess.
"Thank you very much for saving me, Sir!" Did I just die and go to Heaven?
I swear, she really is the angel walking the earth that is Mobius! Even her voice was velvety and smooth, it was practically soothing! If I could melt right now, I would.
She must have noticed I was staring at her, because she gave me a weird look.
"Um, is there something wrong?" she asks, tilting her head to the side. Out of nervousness, I over-react.
"N-no! Not at all! I'm sorry, but I can't help myself when it comes to a lovely woman such as yourself."
'I can't believe I just said that!' On the inside, I was screaming at myself. I wanted to bash my head into the nearest wall! WHY did I say that to her? Why, oh, Why?! Why did THAT of all things have to just slip out! Oh no, she's gonna—
"You…you think I'm…?" she stammers, a blush that made her face glow with a light red tickles her cheeks as her eyes go a bit wide.
If there are degrees of beauty, she just skipped third and fourth degree beauty and went straight to fifth. And they can make you burn up as if you're standing in fire. Right now, I was doing he Macarena inside a Super Nova.
"I-I, uh…"
"Thank you so much! I've never seen a guy with enough balls to actually say that to me without whistling at me!" she giggles, and immediately, the weight of the worlds flies right off my shoulders.
'I thought she was going to grill me for being so corny…'
"So, what's your name?" Wait, Goddess-like-woman-say-wha?!
"M-me?" I stammer.
"Duh, you're the only one I'm talking to, right?" she retorts, giggling at my bashful and rather dumb demeanor. I think she finds it cute, like most women do. Oddly enough, I still don't get that to this day, but I can only smile at her bubbly, joking manner.
"Shadow, Shadow the Hedgehog." I introduce with a bit of pride. She smile brightens. Man, her smile rivals the sun…
"Nice to meet you, Shadow! I'm Rouge the Bat, but you can call me Rouge." She introduces with the same amount of pride, if not more. I wonder if she wouldn't mind…
"Well, Rouge, would you care to join me for lunch?" 'Guess it kind of helps I left the Saloon when I did, and maybe I should thank that drunk bastard… I just found the world's most beautiful woman. And, I don't know why, but I felt like from this day forward, everything was going to be different.'
Rouge giggles.
"I'd love to."