SONIC UNLEASHED
Inheritance Cycle © Christopher Paolini
Chapter Eleven: Trial by Fire, Part 1
The scene opens to a distant tired village nestled close to the heart of Eastern China. With the scene of night fall covering a great percentage of the tiny habitation was covered in shadow. Once night had fallen over, the inhabitants of the hidden sanctuary rushed back into their homes – the lights were quickly snuffed out. Fortunately enough, no one was awake to witness the blinding flash of light erupting from the heart of the village. Sonic the Werehog howled in excitement for a few seconds before Nazo the Guardian clasped a frozen hand over his jaw.
"Will you stay quiet for a moment?" Nazo pleaded, removing his hand. Sonic's maw was still frozen in ice. "You have been acting like this every since we left Prof. Pickle's lab."
"Well, sorry for being happy!" Sonic snarled, ripping off the ice. "But you would be howling too if Lightra was still around to say that she loved you!"
"Now that's....mostly true." Nazo commented agreeably.
"It's so dark around here." Chip said blindly, waving his tiny paws around the air. "I can't see a thing! Oh no, I've gone blind! This is terrible!" Sonic removed the ice cream cone from his head. "Oh, that's better."
"So this is Chun-nan, huh?" Nazo commented bored.
"Chun-nan is an ancient land of legends." Eggman said informatively. "From the times of the ancient emperors, this village has been founded as the basis of folklore and myths. At one time, it was believed that this community was the training grounds for the Dragon Riders, where they would pass their lessons onto the next generation."
"That was very insightful." Sonic said appraisingly. "Where'd you learn all that?"
"It was in the guidebook I found down the street." Eggman stated, bringing the guidebook into view and flipping through the pages. "It also said that there is a town near by famous for its all-you-can-eat buffets....Hmm...."
Without wasting a single breathe, Eggman tossed the guidebook and vanished with the Eggmobile in a flash of light. The Gaia Warriors stared dumbfounded for the lost period ever before reminding themselves of their task. Tracing down the square-stoned road, the eyes of the Gaia Warriors took in everything that this village had to offer. The structures that surrounded them were made from the finest cedar wood, bonsai trees were planted around every corner, and the local restaurants glowed with exotic paper lanterns. But the most captivating feature was the benevolent, evergreen forest that concealed the village from the world.
"You know, this place isn't so bad." Sonic sighed pleasantly. "It makes even a raging beast like me feel calm."
"You would never think that a place like this exists." Nazo said coolly. "It's as if Dark Gaia never existed."
"Who again?" Chip asked wildly.
"At least one thing is still the same." Sonic sniggered. "But I'll bet there'll be a time when..." Suddenly, a frying pan swung out of the corner and clanged against Sonic's face. "Why does everyone do that?"
"Who's there?!" Nazo questioned, positioning his claw forward.
Without warning, a web of copper mesh catapulted out from the darkness and constricted the ice guardian to the wall. And while Chip sat back and watched, the unknown attack stepped forward around the corner. He was a tall, firm human with sandy-dark skin and wild, wood-colored hair. He wore a red Chinese robe while carrying a frying pan in one hand and a string connecting to Nazo's net in the other. Chip pulled out a bowl of popcorn and 3-D glasses.
"Stand down, beasts!" The man commanded. "You have fallen prey to Venton the Shur'tugal!"
"Ok, that last part made no sense." Nazo stated, his powers freezing and destroying the copper mesh. "But even so, you do not stand a likely chance against those you do not understand."
"And there is my you cease to understand." Venton proclaimed, hailing the frying pan like a sword. "We folk of Chun-nan are a proud race. We have lived to uphold the legacies of our..."
"You talk too much!" Sonic growled.
The menacing werehog – a sweltering red circle printed on his forehead – raised his giant fist over his head and flayed in down over the culinary warrior. Unexpectedly, the man known as Venton, dived forward and skidded cleanly between the werehog's legs. Once on the other side, he flipped around and thrust his foot at Sonic's back. Unfortunately, this only continued to irritate Sonic further as the beast swung his outstretched arm towards the man's head. Using the remaining wire, Venton whipped it around Sonic's arm and pulled the werehog forward, fisting the beast in the face. Once again, the effects of the blow did nothing but further Sonic's rage. Luckily, Nazo managed to encase both opponents in ice from their shoulders down.
"Aw, it was just getting to the good part." Chip whined; Nazo tossed a brick of ice at his face. "I'm ok!"
"Not that everyone has calmed down; maybe we can discuss this rationally." Nazo said hopefully.
"Fat chance." Venton hissed spitefully. "I would rather offer my bones to the Ra'zac than to compromise with you."
"Believe me, the feeling is mutual." Sonic sneered.
"Sonic, don't eat him." Nazo warned; Sonic snorted nastily. The Ice Guardian turned to the dark-skinned human. "Why have you attacked us out of the blue? We have nothing wrong to provoke an attack."
"Nothing wrong?" Venton repeated savagely. "Your kind has continually visited his village at night, possessing the innocence from their homes. I am merely trying to defend my people."
"It seems you have mistaken us for Dark Gaia's spawn." Nazo chuckled lightheartedly. "We may appear like monster – Sonic still acts like one – but we have no reason to attack your people."
"Yeah, we're the Gaia Warriors." Sonic said glaring. "You know, the good guys."
"I have heard many tales of the Gaia Warriors." Venton said suspiciously. "But the stories always say that the Gaia Warriors were a pair of hedgehogs, both representing light and darkness. How do I know if you're telling the truth?"
"Here, have some chocolate." Chip offered, holding out a large bar of chocolate. "Come on, it's delicious."
"That would be nice." Venton said kindly. Chip took a large piece and placed it in the human's mouth, whom proceeded to swallow it whole. "That was delicious. Ok, I guess you are the Gaia Warriors."
"All it took was a piece of chocolate?" Sonic thought strangely.
"The people of this village have strange customs." Nazo thought.
Once knowing that it was safe, Nazo released the cube that entrapped both fighters. Once free, Venton straightened himself to look appropriate – Sonic punched him in the face.
"Oh, you are so lucky you are the Gaia Warrior." Venton hissed.
"Whatever." Sonic waved before turning serious. "Now you obviously know something about the Gaia Warriors and what we really look like during the day. Does that mean you know where the Gaia Gate is?"
"Everyone here knows the Gaia Gate." Venton announced. "Just before the previous Guardian, Eragon Shadeslayer, died, he told the location of the temple to the village. He said that if there was ever trouble resonating from the temple, The Gaia Warriors were destined to arrive and save us."
"Where is it?" Chip asked curiously.
"It's hidden deep in the forest of Du Weldenvarden." Venton explained, pointing to the lush scenery behind the village. "Just beyond the former capital of Ellesmera. You'll find the gateway hidden in the former nesting grounds of the dragons."
"We thank you for your help." Nazo nodded politely; Sonic crossed him arms in bad temper. "We promise that we will prevent any harm from coming to your people."
"Be warned, there is more in the forest than the shadow creatures." Venton said seriously. "Once you cross the foundation of the temple, be prepared for the greatest of dangers."
"We deal with danger everyday." Sonic waved, trotting down the road. "Hurry up, slowpokes!"
"Bye-bye!" Chip called as he followed behind.
And that left Venton completely alone in the empty streets. The dark warrior stared at the ground – his eyes filled with dread and despair. Why had he refrained from telling them everything? If they truly were the Gaia Warriors, couldn't they help with his predicament? Venton clenched his fist hard, trying to think of the answer to the situation. And when no answer arrived to him, Venton shrugged his shoulders and wandered back to his home.
The scene alters to the winding forest of Du Weldenvarden. Must as they had expected, the entire forest was a gigantic maze that would make the tunnels under Hybrid's castle look small. Commenting on that, Sonic was still happy by the fact that they wouldn't be facing a basilisk anytime soon. After passing through gangling brushes, snapping trees, and hidden pitfalls, the Gaia Warriors found salvation in a wide clearing. Sonic and Chip went to the small pond that resided there before giving Nazo a drink – they didn't want the water to freeze.
"Man, how far does this forest go?" Nazo, surprisingly, complained.
"Who knows." Sonic shrugged. "We really should have stopped to ask that guy for directions."
"But I thought you didn't want to ask him for directions." Chip noted, nibbling at his chocolate.
"Anyway..." Sonic spoke, clearly trying to change the topic. "That guys said the temple could be seen from the former city of whatever, near some dragon's nest."
"Any trace of the city would be turned to ruins at this point." Nazo commented. "So our best hope is to find the ruins. With any luck, the dragon nests should be close by. And from that point, the Gaia Gate."
"Do you think dragons really existed?" Chip asked excitedly. "I hope there are still some now."
"Chip, let me tell you a few things." Sonic sniggered, pulling the flying dog closer. "I have fought giant machines overlords, battled evil spirits, duked it out with alien invaders, and lasted against inner-dimension time gods." The werehog grinned at Chip's astonished look. "But I can tell you, there is no such thing as..."
Suddenly, a heavy gale of wind bellowed from the north, nearly pushing the heroes back to the village. Thanks to Sonic's sensitive hearing, he could hear an unknown screech mixed in with the wind – the werehog had never heard anything like it. As the wind died down, there was a loud flapping sound, followed by the same screech, before everything went silent.
"What was that?" Nazo asked shockingly.
"Maybe it was a dragon." Chip suggested hopefully.
"I told ya, Chip." Sonic said exasperatedly. "There is no such thing as..."
Before Sonic could get his sentence out, an orb of blue energy shot out from the trees and struck the werehog square in the chest. Sonic landed with an unnerving thud along with a sickening crack – his right arm was broken. But while Chip scurried over to his friend, Nazo traced the undaunted attack back to its source. Dropping the cover of the nightly shade, three unknown creatures similar to the Nightmares. They were levitating creatures that resembled ancient sorcerers, but each possessed a different color: blue, red, and green. They are to be known as Dark Master, Fire Master, and Lightning Master.
"Wizard monsters?" Sonic questioned, staggering to his feet.
"For some reason, this doesn't shock me." Nazo commented. The Lightning Master waved his staff, sending a bolt of electricity through Nazo. "I stand correct. That shocked me."
"Who writes this stuff?" Sonic muttered.
Using his remaining arm, Sonic thrusted his fist forward for the Dark Master that attacked him earlier. Unfortunately, the Fire Master, its body ablaze, hovered in front of its companion and shielded itself with its staff. Just by coming in contact with the red sorcerer, Sonic's hand was cindered – Sonic released an echoing howl. Taking the opportunity given, the Fire Master pointed its staff forward and unleashed a fireball to rival Blaze's. Still whimpering over his arms, Sonic was too distracted to avoid the blazing sphere and was launched backwards into the tree – his chest burned black.
"Sonic!" Nazo exclaimed worried. "Are you all right?!"
"Nazo, look out!" Chip warned.
"What?!" Nazo said startled.
The Lightning Master was standing directly behind him, giving Nazo barely enough time to dodge its staff. Thrashing his claw to the ground, Nazo formed a wall of crystallized ice to separate himself from the enemy. Hoping to give himself enough time, Nazo turned to help his friends in their distress. Unfortunately, the barrier was shattered by another sphere of blue energy given by the Dark Master. Nazo didn't even have a moment to realize what had occurred before the Lightning Master relinquished a storm of electricity through his body. The Ice Guardian could only remember this kind of pain during his time with Lightra and held no will to stop it. The Lightning Master continued to force all his energy through the Gaia Warrior with no hope of surviving.
"Blöthr kyeykva!"
And the tone of the strong voice, the Lightning Master's powers faded and its staff shattered for unknown reasons. Not seeking waste this moment, Nazo reverted his claw into a sharp point. The Ice Guardian staggered quickly to his feet and stabbed the piercing weapon through the Lightning Master's chest, obliterating it from existence. The Dark Master floated away as the Fire Master joined his side. A moment later, Nazo's savior appeared. It was Venton, but he now wore a crimson red tunic with form fitting white pants and a sword sheath strapped to his belt. Holstered in his right hand was a weapon anything like Nazo had ever seen. It was a long broadsword with a small spherical emerald at the hilt. What amazed the Guardian more was the shining jade steel that formed the main part of the blade.
"You..." Nazo said shockingly. "You're the guy from the village."
"I have a name, you know." Venton said grudgedly. "I warned you that these woods were dangerous, but I never expected someone like you to listen."
"But why are you hear?" Nazo questioned. "Why would you purposely put yourself in danger for our sake."
"That can be mended later." Venton stated, sending hateful glares to the evil creatures. "But right now, we better deal with these kalfya."
"I don't know what that means, but I'm all for it." Nazo said.
Almost immediately, the Dark Master spun its staff around and summoned forth another sphere of blue energy. But Nazo was prepared this time as he formed a shield of ice from his forearm to block. While seeing Nazo's defense, the Fire Master called a molten fireball from the end of its staff. But before the monster had a chance to complete its attack, Venton held his palm towards the glistening pond and called to it.
"Eka ethgrí adurna!"
In a miraculous movement, the water jumped from the pond and showered over the flaming wizard. Powers drained, the Fire Master could only stare it agony as Venton ran it through with his blade. The Dark Master clearly knew he was out matched by the way it tried to fly away. But at the last second, Sonic's hand swatted from above and crumbled the creature beneath his palm, utterly destroying it.
"That was fun." Sonic said brutally; his arm limping to his side. "I was actually hoping there would be more."
"We'd better not risk it, Sonic." Nazo stated. "Your arm is damaged enough as it is."
"I can take care of that." Venton said pointedly.
Sonic did not seem trusting to the human, seeing how he reacted back in the village, but was reluctant to accept his help. Venton kneeled close to Sonic's elbow, inspecting the points of possible pain. From his pointed ears, Sonic could distinctly hear him muttering "Waíse heill", followed by a soft glow. When the miniscule light died, Sonic had regained all feeling in his arm.
"Hey, that actually worked!" Sonic cheered, flexing his arm. "Where'd you learn to do that?"
"Before he passed on, Eragon Shadeslayer passed his knowledge to me." Venton informed.
"Then doesn't that make you the Guardian of the Gaia Gate?" Chip asked.
"I was never given the official title, but yes." Venton nodded.
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Nazo questioned interestingly. "It would have saved us a great deal of trouble if we had the Guardian at our side to begin with."
"I don't deserve the title." Venton said sorrowfully. "Not after what I did."
"What happened?" Sonic asked softly.
Instead of answering, Venton thrusted out his hand and opened his palm. Under the light of the half-moon, his hand was marked by a glistening silver spiral opal tattoo.
"This is the gedwëy ignasia." Venton explained to the stunned faces. "It means shining palm in the Ancient Language. It is a mark given to Riders when they first touch their dragons."
"Ah ha!" Chip shouted proudly. "I knew there were dragons."
"Yes, there are, but not many." Venton said mournfully. "Many of the dragons died during the reign of Galbatorix in ancient times. The few that remained were Saphira, dragon of Eragon Shadeslayer, and Thorn, dragon of Murtagh Morzansson. My dragon, Rioku, was born shortly after theirs."
"Where is he?" Nazo asked.
"When Saphira and Thorn mated, it was my duty to watch over their child until it hatched." Venton continued sadly. "I had managed for the previous years until recently. When that abomination, Dark Gaia, corrupted the planet, he polluted the mind of Rioku and turned him against me."
"How did that happen?" Chip asked.
"Dragons are more in tuned with nature than we are." Venton explained. "When something happens that influences the planet, they must be ordered to follow. Rioku is now a servant of Dark Gaia."
"And that's why you came to us." Nazo analyzed. "You knew only with our help would you be able to reclaim your dragon."
"I am sorry for what I have done earlier, but I am in desperate need of your help." Venton said pleadingly. In a surprising act, the dark-skinned Rider dropped to his knees and bowed to their feet. "Please, help me return my friend."
"What do we do guys?" Chip asked between them.
"Well, we do owe him for saving our lives." Sonic said, lifting the human to his feet. "We will help you get your dragon back, but only if you take us to the Gaia Gate."
"That shouldn't be a problem." Venton smirked. "My previous reports have told me that Rioku is currently nesting near the Gaia Gates, safely guarding Thorn and Saphira's egg. He may be under Dark Gaia's control, but his will keeps him obligated to his duty."
"Then we best hurry." Nazo said warningly. "If we want any chance of defeating a dragon, we need to remain in these nocturnal forms. And the sunrise will be within less than two hours."
"Follow me." Venton instructed. "I know a shortcut through Kirtan."
With a swift nod, the Gaia Warriors followed the Dragon Rider farther into the dark reaches of the forest. Unknown to them, a massive shadow of a winged beast loomed over them before soaring across the skies towards the mountains.
A new challenge is presented to the Gaia Warriors. Will our heroes be able to defeat a powerful dragon? Can Venton regain control over his partner? And will the dragon egg remain safe? Find out on the next Sonic Unleashed!
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