Crisis of Ivory
Chapter 10: Desperation
Location: Chun-Nan
"The Chaos Control isn't as rocky these days," Cream said as Amy puked in the corner, wiping the sides of her muzzle and panting herself. "This time, we threw up slightly less, don't you think?"
"I think that was just because Sonic and Knuckles were doing it together," Amy grimaced, finally lifting her head. "And both of them are pretty bad. I think I still prefer it when Shadow does it. A lot."
"Yeah, you're right," Cream said, sighing to herself. "They've saved the world so many times together and they just can't figure one trick out?"
"I guess that's fine," Amy said, her sigh being much more happy as her mind wandered somewhere else. "The greatest thing happened to me yesterday before we left."
"Let me guess, Sonic gave you another grin and a thumbs up," Cream assumed.
"Nope," Amy said as they walked on a simple brick path in between the cherry trees as the sun fully rose over the tall mountain range in the distance. "Sonic took me on a date to this private spot of his where we watched the clouds on a cliff overlooking all of Mystic Ruins."
"Wow, that sounds so nice Amy!" Cream said. "Tell me all about it!"
And so she did. Even though Amy talked about Sonic half the time and constantly expressed her interests and fantasies with the blue hedgehog hero, Cream found this interesting. The way she described what happened, maybe it was true, maybe Sonic did love her back for once and everything Amy said would happen over the years wasn't just a way to block Sonic's rejections. Yes, Cream was a lot smarter than Amy thought, she just kept it to herself. Knowing that Amy was happy made Cream happy despite the way everything was happening and the huge danger they were heading towards, one which they may not even survive.
"I can't believe that Amy!" Cream squealed, her chao bouncing around her. "That's so great! So are you two like together?"
"I guess so," Amy shrugged. "Everything is gonna be all right for now, at least."
The rest of the world begged to differ. At that moment a stream of anthros and humans ran down the path and up to them, all in a panic and stricken with fear. Amy and Cream ran past all of them and prepared their attacks for whoever they were feeling from. But then all of a sudden they saw the real problem. The smoke from the raging fires and clouds of dust rose from the small marketing town up ahead which had the only passage up into the mountain. After feeling the disturbance once back in Empire City Amy and Cream would not mistake it again-they knew what was up ahead.
"What's the trouble?" Amy asked.
"These strange beasts are attacking the town and destroying everything! Only a few of us managed to get away. There are so many left in town with those mysterious hooded people and their beasts!" a woman cried out.
"Even Eggman has never taken his plans to this mindless chaos," a man shouted. "We can't fight back against them with those powerful people around!"
"We can help," Amy said, "Are there supplies there to put out the fires before they hit the farms?"
"There's a river by the town," another man answered.
"Okay, we can get the villagers to put out the first while we drive everyone else out," Amy offered. "Get to some place safe and try to get GUN."
"Are you sure they'll help?" a villager asked. "They don't exactly like those outside the United Federation."
"GUN really wants these guys gone," Cream nodded. "They'll even help you guys out to get it done."
The villagers then fled past them, leaving the female duo to face the anarchy that would lie ahead in the burning village. They ran down the path and across the river bridge, finding a sight to dread. Ragnarok Beasts flew and leaped all over the place, burning down everything with the flames from the inactive lanterns in the village and the oil with them. Villagers ran for their lives and tried to fight back, and most failed in both categories.
The females leaped forward, knocking creatures left and right in front of them in order to save two children being held in the corner by them. The two fox anthros fled across the bridge while the two tried to figure out where the Ragnarok agents would be, knowing that they would be protecting the machine which would be the key to stopping their diabolical agendas.
"It's so annoying," Amy moaned. "If this was Eggman, he would've been yelling so loud about world domination that we would know exactly where he was."
"Well maybe we just have to see the signs," Cream said. "There would be more monsters protecting the areas where the bad guys are, right?"
"Yeah, and they would also be higher up!" Amy exclaimed, pointing to a ladder on the ground, "Let's lift it up to go up to the roofs!"
But as the two moved towards the ladder lying on the ground a group of Aerux swooped down and hovered near them, their long swords gleaming in the light. Amy instantly summoned her hammer and leaped forward at the first few, but they quickly hopped away before coming at her with stabs. The hedgehog leaped up higher into the air and swung around with her hammer, knocking them all away.
"Just because Sonic's in love with me doesn't mean I'm still not ready to kick butt whenever it's needed!" Amy smirked, twirling her hammer stylishly above her head.
Amy landed on the ground and put her hammer away, using her kick boxing skills to take the rest around her out. Cream followed up by reflecting off of the sides of the buildings by using her ears as slings, commanding her chao while dodging the many blades coming at her. Before the Aerux could react a massive whirlwind rose up from the ground with her three chao at the center, tearing up all of the rest of the Ragnarok Beasts.
Knowing that more of the dastardly enemies would be arriving shortly due to the chao they created, Cream quickly had her chao use the whirlwind to raise the ladder while Amy batted two Nerux away. The two scrambled onto the roof before kicking the ladder down and leaping across the rooftops. To their dismay, they couldn't find an agent in sight-just some more unwanted Nerux. Amy quickly used a Storming Hearts to blow them away while the two looked around, finding smoke in their way. Though Cream looked down and saw people putting out the fires, it would be no use if they couldn't stop Ragnarok here and now.
"Oh come on!" Amy whined. "Where could they be? There's definitely more creatures around, but no one in sight."
"Weren't they at the highest point in Empire City, and didn't they attack Gemini and Alice from the top of the cliffs?" Cream questioned. "So, wouldn't they be at the highest point in the village?"
"You're right, Cream!" Amy realized, pointing up ahead.
Surely enough, two figures rested at the top of the small but elegant castle in the center of town, unaware of the heroes' presence and without a care in the world. Another one of the black and white machines drew in waves of chaos energy from the disturbances, all for their evil motives. After Cream used her chao to lock on to and destroy a Nerux in front of her they dashed across the rooftops, using propulsions from Amy's hammer to vault over the sides. Eventually the two reached the side of the castle.
A Guardian landed in front of them, holding a massive double sided sword with blue ribbons wrapping around the hilt and the guard. The large Ragnarok Beast roared and stomped down before swinging his sword surprisingly fast in a wide arc that sliced the air itself. Cream and Amy dodged the attack before trying to attack themselves, however they were pushed back by the roar to the Guardian-it moved even the wind itself. As both females were knocked down the beast loomed over them and mercilessly brought its sword down. But Amy quickly pushed herself and Cream out of the way before Amy leaped into the air and came down on the beast's head with a massive pink tornado surrounding her hammer-the beast instantly evaporated into white and black particles on contact.
"Let's go Cream, we don't have much time," Amy suggested.
Cream nodded and then the two ascended the side of the structure, Amy holding on to Cream's hands as she flew up with her chao. The ground became farther and farther below until they finally reached the top. Cream dropped Amy and panted heavily while Amy suddenly summoned her hammer once more. An agent sped across the ground towards her, his white tail lashing out in the air behind him as he leaped off all fours and spun around with his leg snapping out at her. The pink hedgehog did not know where he got his reflexes from, but it was too late for her to defend herself from the fatal blow.
Location: Emerald Beach
Espio and Charmy dropped down from the Chaos Control warp hole as it closed up behind him, leaving him in the warm sun of the greatest beach in the world. The sand rolled slightly from the mild breeze and the cerulean sea glistened with the rays of the sun above. Even with the massive skyscrapers and the city in the distance away from the beach it was still paradise. The ninja chameleon made sure he was stocked up on shuriken, tags, bombs and kunai hidden within his wrist and shin compartments before he walked along the side of the beach.
"My sensing skills should reveal the disturbance to me," Espio told himself, closing his eyes and using a simple hand sign to reveal it to him. "Don't distract me Charmy."
"Oh, fine," Charmy said, entranced by the glow of the glistening sea.
He turned to the left and opened his eyes as he walked along the desert, carefully following the trail of the unusually heavy chaos energy with Charmy following. Unlike the other heroes the chameleon took his time, knowing that here on the beach the Ragnarok agents could take their time and hide out someplace secluded without hurting anyone to get the attention away from them. All he had to do was arrive before the machine finished charging, and from that time in Empire City he knew it took a long time for it to fill.
A ninja's mind is a powerful thing.
He walked down the boardwalks and the sandy beach layers until the skyscrapers were not longer so close and people became more scarce. And that's when he saw them. Reach for a kunai in each hand he moved into a fighting position as the Ragnarok member got up and moved into a fighting position as well, cackling to himself.
"Well, it took you long enough. I was bored out of my wits and now I have to tense up all over again," the Ragnarok member complained as a bright and compact yellow energy rose off his illuminated form. "The name's Bang, and this is your demise!"
Instead of summoning some creatures to fend him off like Espio expected the Ragnarok member pulled out a long cannon off his back and held a spherical container in his hand. For some reason, Espio felt as big the battle would start with a bang, and it did as the ground exploded underneath him. Espio was completely taken over by the powerful blast right before he pushed Charmy out of the way, letting loose billowing smoke and bright yellow energy into the air.
Location: Chun-Nan
Amy blocked the kick off the side of her hammer before swinging out. But this Ragnarok member was much better than that and pushed off with his failed kick before rebounding off the ground on all fours and delivering a punch to her gut. Amy dropped her hammer as it disappeared and fell for a second before catching herself and staggering. The energetic Ragnarok member flipped back on his feet and crouched down, bouncing with excitement.
"Someone not feeling too good today?" the Ragnarok member laughed, flipping off his hood in an instant.
The monkey had light gray fur, almost white while his muzzle was a dark gray. His eyes were a light green, almost a jade color like Sonic's. His hair was cut short, with the ends left over curling backwards. He had a mild gray mane of fur which went from the very back of his head to the front of his chin and down to his chest that could be seen under the cloak.
"The name's Refuu the Monkey!" he screeched, doing another flip onto all fours. "Now, let's have some fun! No need for talking or introductions, just fighting!"
"That's all I needed too!" Amy said as she summoned her hammer once again. "So shut up and take the beating you get for hurting all of these people!"
"Oh, all we're doing is causing some chaos! No one died...yet," Refuu whined. "See, now I'm talking again. Let's just fight already."
The monkey bounded forward and whirled through the air, limbs flying. Amy blocked most of them with the hammer as he soared over her, but then as he landed behind her she was forced to swing her hammer around to block his powerful forward fist that punched the air aside. Amy quickly ducked under a high kick he unleashed by swing through the force of the punch, and swung her hammer around to knock him aside.
The monkey tumbled as the hammer collided with his body, but he quickly sprung up to his feet and barreled through the air like a like a drill with his fist forward. The blow knocked the wind out of Amy before he kicked her up into the air. The hedgehog cried out in pain but she couldn't block his blow and was therefore sent back down to the ground. She did have the hammer to block his kick but not the ground shaking impact to the Earth below.
"Amy!" Cream cried out, but before she could help she had the summon all three of her chao to form a shield of rotating energy in front of her.
The kick from the other Ragnarok agent bounced off of it and knocked him back before Cream snapped her ears out to grab him before she shot forward like a slingshot and kicked him directly in the chest. The Ragnarok member flew back as Cream landed with her chao surrounding her, ready for the next attack.
"Remember me? Oh yeah, you never fought me back in Empire City," Leo chuckled, pulling off his hood to reveal his armor like skin once again. "Those chao can hit me much harder together than any normal person could, and you know how to take advantage of those long ears. But it was big strain, wasn't it?"
"Even if it was, I can handle it!" Cream promised, panting slightly as her ears drooped. "What are you made of, anyway?"
"If you knew, you would be too surprised," Leo said, and then stopped speaking.
Suddenly he held his hands out in front of himself and spewed, surprisingly, a wave of magma from his hands. Cream and her chao leaped back as the magma rolled along towards them, before flying when they realized it wasn't cooling under them. Leo then had the magma rise off the ground again and come up under them but Cream flew back and forth, dodging the heavy arrows of volcano-hot magma.
The rabbit wiped the sweat off her brow before charging forward in the window that Leo had to take to recall his magma. But it was a trap. The magma suddenly spun around and knocked Cream back, burning her slightly before the magma returned to Leo even faster than before despite how heavy it was.
The rabbit moaned as she rose again, her Chao attaching to her and trying to heal her injuries. But despite this Leo charged for her again, and she was completely defenseless in the face of his overwhelming power.
There would be some long fights to come.
To Be Continued...
A/N: Yes, this took a lot longer than I thought it would. Because I planned out all of the character relations, plots developments, and all the other little tidbits that separates a really planned story from that idea someone just thought of one day. But it will all be worth it, and as some character connections will form that have never appeared in any other story I have ever written, besides my manuscript which was another reason for this late update...
...Yes, I'm rambling. Also, please review, I appreciated all of the new reviewers and I hope you like this story even more by the end of this new arc here. It is always nice to hear from that one person who can say something really valuable about your story and push you forward. Hang tight for the next update, which really will be called Heart of the Chao, sorry for the chapter name change!