Sir Connery's Last Crusade Part 2: The Final Dual with Damocles the Elder!

Sir Connery and Green held their breaths as they heard the voice of Damocles the Elder. It has been such a long time since either of them heard the evil goat wizard speak. Damocles wasn't known for speaking much, except for when he was casting spells or meant what he had to say. The wizard was over a hundred years old, and he spent his life looking for the location of any and all artifacts with some relation to the beings that shaped the universe. Among them was the book of King Arthur, a book that was made by a god like being. This book was among a set of seven powerful books, each one held the power to transport a person reading it into a world within the book. The world within each book varied, but each one was unimaginably powerful. Inside of each book were seven powerful Rings known as the World Rings. The World Rings came in seven different colors, and each one was filled with powerful emotions. It is possible for a person to use the Seven World Rings to reshape not only the world within the book, but any world outside of it as well. However the price for using such unfathomable power, was to sacrifice the life of a person who was in immediate physical contact with the Rings, which meant that usually the person desiring the power would be sacrificed, however another person could be sacrificed in order for the power to be used without the one desiring the power paying the price.

Green knew all too well what King Arthur's book truly was, in the hands of an evil wizard like Damocles the Elder, it would be catastrophic. Sir Connery knew how powerful the book was, and he knew that destroying it just simply was not an option if it ended up in the hands of Damocles the Elder. "We must be silent as the wind." Sir Connery said as he led the team.

Green understood and did his best to keep silent, he watched his footsteps as they kept hidden in the ruins, while stalking Damocles. "So… I understand what exactly you're going to do once we've knocked Damocles the Elder down." Green said in whispers as they walked.

"The wizard shall fall by thy blade." Sir Connery said, as he made sure his sword was ready.

Green gulped slightly as he looked at the blade. "Sir Connery… You were in the Great War and saw the more… Darker side of what was going on… And you accepted the crusade that the Ancient Walkers gave to you… How do you… Keep going?" Green asked as they went over arches.

Sir Connery kept his calm as he listened carefully to Green's words. "It isn't easy… For the first few years I had nightmares daily… Years later the nightmares became weekly and to this day I have carried the burden of being in war. I was among the strongest, and the most noble and honorable of knights in the Kingdom of Acorn. I dreamed my whole life of leaving my easy going life, and joining the ranks of true honorable men. When the kingdom fell to Julian… I was scared more than ever before… And feared if I didn't stop him than all hope would've been lost… But the Ancient Walkers told me of the evils around the world, in the kingdom and beyond… I knew I had to do everything in my power to ensure that there would be a future for the kingdom and all people after the fall of the Robotnik Empire." Sir Connery said as they went deeper into the ruins.

"Has the crusade been so long that you just couldn't return after Robotnik fell?" Green asked.

"Indeed. Thy wished to return, but the threat of black and dark magic's kept me on thy crusade. I am sorry I haven't been able to fight Eggman or Neo Eggman on the frontlines." Sir Connery said. He and Green whispered back and forth as they entered deeper into the ruins.

"It's understandable. With so many people in our big world its hard keeping one crisis under control after another. At least I can be of some help to you, so you can return back to the Kingdom of Acorn. Elias has wanted to meet you for quite some time now." Green said as they suddenly halted.

They watched as Damocles chanted and opened the hidden chamber of King Arthur's tomb. Inside the tomb was gigantic, it had King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. "Just as the legends told… And now I shall claim what is mine by right of conquest." Damocles the Elder said as he wickedly smiled and walked toward the book which was held by King Arthur, who was in his armor, along with the other long dead occupants of his tomb.

"We're out of time, we must strike!" Sir Connery said as he charged in with his sword drawn.

Damocles quickly fired a bolt of dark lightning at Sir Connery, but the Sword of Light cut through the black magic. "Did you honestly think that after all these years, I Damocles the Elder would've been sloppy enough to let my guard down?" the evil goat wizard asked Sir Connery as he shot a dark fireball.

Green quickly moved Sir Connery out of the way. "Too bad you only focused on Sir Connery." Green said as he helped move his friend.

"In the name of the Ancient Walkers, I shall smite thee!" Sir Connery shouted as he charged.

Damocles the Elder pulled out a wizard staff, it had an image of Damocles' face on it. Except the wizard hat was off and it had an evil face and the horns fully visible. "I've learned about your tricks boy! You have nothing on me. Even if this hedgehog is with you!" Damocles the Elder shouted as he and Sir Connery exchanged blows, the sword and staff struck each other rapidly.

"Enough!" a voice suddenly shouted.

Just then, all of the suits of armor of the Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur came to life. Eyes glowed from each suit of armor, there was a black and red glow from Sir Lancelot's armor. Green noticed that Sir Connery and Damocles the Elder froze in place. "What is the meaning of this?" Sir Connery asked.

"I am King Arthur. And these are the Knights of the Round Table. Long have we slept and rested in the heavens above, but now we have been awakened into the world of the mortals because of these two before us." King Arthur said as he held his book in his left hand and his sword in his right hand, he pointed it toward the two Mobians that were frozen by his powers.

"Thy wished not to disturb thee of thou slumber ancient ones. But I Sir Connery have been tasked by the almighty Ancient Walkers, to purge the world of all black/dark magic users and all who follow in their evil ways." Sir Connery said as he explained himself.

"I am Damocles the Elder, I have come for the book of King Arthur. And I demand to have its powers to rule and reshape the world as I See fit!" Damocles the Elder said as he explained himself.

"I'm Green the Hedgehog. The most recent physical form of Nazo the Hedgehog. I came to ensure my friend Sir Connery finished his crusade, and that the book of King Arthur remained here to rest for all time in peace." Green said as he explained himself while kneeling.

King Arthur and his knights exchanged glances at each other. They then said, "You both have great power. And you both serve one great master. With such evenly matched powers, we can't just let you proceed as you are and destroy the island of Avalon in the process." One of the knights said.

"You are to be given a challenge." Another knight said.

"Which will test which of you is worthy." Another knight said.

"This challenge is in two phases." Another knight said.

"And you will be judged by your own actions." Another knight said.

"Your first challenge is to fight my corrupted shadow. Match its moves after chasing it down. And after you strike the finishing blow. You shall be given a choice. You will each be given your challenge at the same time. May the lord have mercy on your soul?" King Arthur said as he moved his left hand, and then suddenly the two were sent into Avalon back in the days of old.

Both Damocles and Sir Connery had to chase King Arthur's Shadow. It appeared as King Arthur did in his armor, but the armor was very different and looked evil upon first glance. The two chased the evil entity, they then matched blows and made a fatal hit on the shadow. It faded and then the landscape changed into mist. Damocles the Elder suddenly saw Black Death the Cat (aka Black Tom Cat), and the cat showed Damocles that he found the Seven World Rings. When the cat used the rings, he begged his master to help him from death as a result of using the world shaping abilities of the World Rings. However Damocles laughed and sacrificed the cat to the World Rings. Then all of a sudden time froze, though he was aware of what went on. Meanwhile, Sir Connery saw a stranger with the World Rings, Sir Connery was willing to sacrifice himself in order to save the stranger and seal away the World Rings. "Thou who hath willingly given your life, to save a complete stranger and the world… You have passed." The Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur said.

"And you shall be granted the chance to honorably finish Damocles the Elder. If you succeed we shall entrust our most sacred artifact in your hands." King Arthur said as he put Sir Connery and Damocles the Elder into a misty area.

As the fight dragged on, Damocles the Elder said. "Face it Sir Connery. You're no longer in your prime, like you were when you met Knuckles. You are an old warhorse that I shall put down." Damocles the Elder said as he pushed forward with his staff.

Sir Connery found his strength and began to push back. "You fight for selfish and destructive ideals… I fight for what is right and for the Ancient Walkers who gave us all a chance at life when their kin lost theirs… In the name of the Ancient Walkers and of all that is good and innocent in this world… I! Shall! Smite! Thee!" Sir Connery shouted as he pushed the wizard forward. He then found the power of light, it charged him and he used the Sword of Light to cut Damocles the Elder's staff. He then ran the evil wizard through.

Damocles the Elder was then completely destroyed by the Knights of the Round Table. Sir Connery was sent back into the tomb from whence he and his foe and friend came from. "You have proven yourself honorable, trustworthy, and willing to make sacrifices for the greater good and a true Knight. Sir Connery, we give to you the book of King Arthur. You shall safeguard it. The choice for how best to keep it safe is up to you. You shall depart from here peacefully with your friend." King Arthur said as he levitated his book into Sir Connery's hands. The ghosts of the king and knights of old then left their armor, and returned to the afterlife.

Sir Connery and Green were teleported to the nearest shore where one could see the island of Avalon. The island then vanished completely before their eyes. "It's finished…" Sir Connery said.

"What about Witchcart and the Witchcart Gang?" Green asked.

"They have seemingly vanished from our Zone. And with Damocles the Elder finally gone… I can return home." Sir Connery said as he remembered that the Ancient Walkers called him to protect Merlin Prower.

"I have a feeling the four tried to get me in a sneak attack involving the Boom Boo ghosts…" Green said as he scratched his chin and thought about the four evil magic users. "What about the book?" Green asked.

"Thy am too great an easy a target. Even with my strength, I doubt I can keep the book safe for long. So I am entrusting the book with you and your security." Sir Connery said as he handed the book to Green.

"Thank you Sir Connery. I'll make sure this is dropped off someplace safe. Then I'll return back to South Island, Emerl is probably missing me by now." Green said as he waved goodbye to Sir Connery after putting the book in the safety of a satchel.

Sir Connery smiled, he looked at the sunset and knew that his crusade was finally over after ten long years. And he knew with confidence, and for sure that he could return home.

Rest well Sir Connery, your last crusade will be remembered along with all of your true heroics. And that is how Sir Connery's crusade to destroy all of the evil magic users in the world came to an end, though Ixis Naugus is in the Zone of Silence, Mammoth Mogul is on the loose and who is Witchcart and the Witchcart Gang aka the Witchcarters?! We'll have to wait and see in another story ARC for these questions to be answered.

Until then, stick around for the next Green Universe story ARC, and Green Battle!