Crisis of Ivory
Chapter 14: Awakening
Location: Blue Ridge
The heroes leaped out of the Tornado, which was perched on top of a large cliff. Sonic yelled out into the cool howling winds which was the trademark of the only place in the Freezing Region which had average temperatures above zero. Sonic pumped his fist into the air and yelled out before racing down the cliff, leaving a tunnel of freezing winds in his wake. The other heroes quickly descended after him before landing on the green and blue grass filled valleys which highly contradicted the mountains of rock and ice around them. The small factory town was visible in the distance, with branching roadways full of trucks and cars spreading out from it and past the larger mountains surrounding the Blue Ridge.
"You guys ready for this?" Sonic asked, most of the heroes nodded. "I can sense the energies from it. It's getting real big so let's get moving!"
"It feels good to fight with you again, Sonic," Mighty said. "I've seen so much of the world and saved many people, but something about fighting with you gives a real big rush. You have a habit for fighting real big trouble."
"Maybe it's his guts," Gemini smirked, Amy glared at her brother. "Cause I can't stand that."
"You're so funny," Sonic retorted, taking a moment to sneer at him.
"Come on guys, let's focus. We have no idea what Ragnarok has prepared for us now," Knuckles reasoned.
"Oh, come on. It's so soon since those things popped up on the map and there's no way they could move that fast," Sonic said. "We're finally the ones in the lead."
"I don't know about that," Gemini replied as they trudged across the snow as fast as they could. "I have a feeling they're already there."
"Well in that case, we should move a bit faster," Amy said, and so they did. The wind howled even louder as they raced over the valleys and finally found themselves at the highest valley which was surrounded by a field of smooth and jagged limestone rocks. The wind raged even more around, probably due to the height of the valley and the rising chaos energy.
"See, I told you there was nothing over here!" Sonic said as a portal opened up behind him. "What could possibly happen?"
The moment the blue hedgehog turned around he was slammed with a powerful fist. The speedy hero tumbled across the turquoise grass before leaping to his feet and repelling two more blows from the cloaked figure. The blue hedgehog grabbed her fist and twisted the figure around himself, but then the being used the momentum and swung around for a powerful kick. Sonic quickly ducked under it while still holding the figure's fist, but as he lunged forward with a Sonic Wind the figure leaped into the air while using Sonic's hold as momentum, grabbing his arm and twirling rapidly before kicking out with both legs.
Sonic couldn't pull himself away and was thrown back by her high heels before the figure used the grasp to pull the hedgehog into the air and smash him into the ground. Luxi quickly summoned a staff to her hand and tossed it at the cloaked being, but the female figure slided to the left before picking up the weapon before it burned her due to the foreign energies and tossed it back, cutting into the dog's side slightly.
"Mind telling us what's here?" Knuckles asked, charging up a Thunder Arrow and shooting the lightning infused projectile at the figure. However, as it ripped up the ground before fading the female anthro was already standing at the top of the main rock, completely untouched.
"Come," she said in a soft voice, raising her hand.
In an instant a multitude of portals formed around her, giving way to Nerux, Aerux, Guardians, and a new beast. This one had the basic body of bird with its feathers being white with black outlines, and multiple long, feathered tails. The whole bird's body was lit in a black aura and it's beak was long and black, with its eyes being completely bold and blue with its head feathers being the same color. The Airborne let out a powerful shriek before circling the air in front of the cloaked figure who merely stood there.
"Okay, everyone pick a group and start killing. We'll worry about Ms. Princess later," Sonic said.
"I'll take that big bird," Mighty offered. "I really want to show you guys how much I've improved since way back when."
The heroes nodded and ran off to fight their respective enemies before Mighty rushed forward, his speed above the other heroes but not above Sonic's. The bird shrieked out before unleashing crescents of black energy from its wings aimed directly at him. But then the armadillo focused and moved with surprising agility, the waves of energy missing him greatly as he flipped, swerved, and dodged in every direction.
"You gotta do better than that, especially since I discovered my ability to focus my energy in any part of me to strengthen myself. It would take a beast with brains to beat that," Mighty said.
The Airborne simply shrieked out again before its aura increased. In an instant it swooped forward, the energy from its aura turning its entire body into the shape of a living blade. Mighty gulped as the bird rushed at him, its aura lashing out and cutting even the air it passed. But in the nick of time he leaped straight over the bird, flipped over, kicked it in the back as it passed, causing it to lose its aura as the Ragnarok Beast recovered.
The armadillo spun into a Shell Roll before launching off the ground and knocking into the Airborne's head. The monster shrieked out in unbelievable pain, but Might wasn't done yet. The armadillo uncurled and unleashed a flurry of powerful blows in mid air that sent the beast hurling through the air. Mighty landed on the ground softly before holding out both of his hands to his sides, preparing a technique.
But as he did another blast descended from the air from before, knocking him back as the beast came out in front of the female Ragnarok agent once again. The heroes had defeated all of their enemies, Amy rushing to Mighty's side and healing him with a friendly burst of hearts. They all looked as the Airborne let an even louder shriek, the female Ragnarok agent standing completely still.
"For someone who's about to get their butt kicked, you're awfully quiet!" Sonic taunted.
"Don't overestimate yourselves. You may have great numbers but my will overcomes all of yours," the female said.
"Don't say anything too early," Luxi promised her. "Because my will to beat you in time to go get some chao fruit snacks is greater than your will of whatever!"
"You call yourselves heroes...there were heroes when I was younger that would make you look like mere children," she said. "You don't understand...the closest thing to the definition of a hero is Ragnarok. You couldn't possibly understand what we are doing."
"I'm sorry if I don't know how to justify mass destruction and death like you have," Knuckles growled.
"Sometimes sacrifices are necessary, and I thought one of the Knuckles Clan, who made the ultimate sacrifice to destroy their enemies knew that," she said. "We will change all the mistakes this world has created, starting with the first awakening."
"I don't think you'll be able to do that," Sonic smirked, "Knuckles, and Mighty, go!"
That was when the female Ragnarok agent realized that Knuckles and Mighty were nowhere to be seen. But then she saw the rough patches of earth left behind and she knew where they were. As both of them burst from the ground at different side, unleashing their Burrowing Uppercuts the female grabbed both of them by their wrists while they still flying through the air. She then used their momentum and spun around before tossing them both in the opposite direction of the other heroes through the air. Both of them hit jagged rocks sticking up from the ground quite hard.
Sonic moved to unleash an attack of his own, but then the Airborne roared at him-it was too much of a risk and he knew Mighty and Knuckles could make it. The two managed to get up as all of the heroes faced Typhoon and the Airborne circling her-this would be a tough battle if she could evade attacks from multiple heroes at once without getting so much as a cut or bruise. But to their surprise the Ragnarok agent merely raised her hand into the air and summoned a portal-the heroes were shocked at this move.
"I'll be back after the Chaos Core destroys you," she said, disappearing through the portal. "Have fun!"
The Airborne shrieked at the heroes and prepared to eliminate Sonic with one more swooping charge, but then all at once the Earth shook and Sonic was forced to the ground due to the force of the chaos energy growing even larger. Something about it just sent his senses flaring. And then it all at once culminated-and the earth split apart as a massive figure rose from it, shining brilliantly and lighting up the valley.
"I actually hope that's what she meant," Gemini muttered. "Cause they really shouldn't be allowed to get bigger than that.
The massive creature had large, curved golden horns that resembled the ones of devils. It also had narrow, golden eyes and red plating covering its chest and arms with gold radiating from under. Long, curved red claws came out from gold hands with red plating over the top of them. Red plating covered the beast's mouth and most of the rest of its head save for the eye level. The massive beast, known as a Chaos Core to the cloaked figure roared out into the air, causing the winds to pick up and blow past the heroes. The Chaos Core raised it's fist at the Airborne below it and crushed it flat into the ground, as apparently it didn't have enough influence after all.
"Ah!" Sonic called out before falling to the ground. Amy came to his side as unusual waves of energy poured off of him, like faded waves of navy.
"Are you okay, Sonic? You're burning up!" Amy exclaimed, using her heart powers to heal him in hopes that he would recover. "Luxi, do you know what's happening?"
And while Luxi also came to his side Gemini, Mighty, and Knuckles were completely focused on their target. The rose and ebony hedgehog rushed towards the beast instantly, splitting in two and racing with black energy. The Chaos Core roared out and dug into the ground before pulling up massive rocks surrounded in fiery flames. The hedgehog looked up in shock as the barrage of attacks came down on him, but managed to catapult his other body into the air before merging with it in order to go above the attacks.
The Chaos Core then unleashed a blast of pure golden chaos energy at him. The hedgehog was quickly overtaken by the blast, but as it burned him he unleashed a blow of dark energy straight into the center of the blast, causing it to burst before the hedgehog kicked the beast's plated head with all of his might. The creature stopped attacking for the moment but quickly recovered and tossed Gemini at Mighty, who quickly caught him.
"He's full of energy-he's like a living chaos emerald," Gemini muttered before getting up and kneeling for a second.
"He has golden energy too. So he's got the characteristic of a chaos emerald, the energy of a Super form, and he can manipulate the earth and fire," Mighty analyzed. "Sounds familiar?"
"Actually, it does," Knuckles smirked. "He may be biting off all of my stuff but I've still got something he doesn't."
Mighty stepped back, smirking as a massive speared projectile of lightning formed in Knuckles' massive grasp. Back when he met Knuckles he was much more stubborn and serious. Even though he still was the same now he could see Sonic's influences on him, especially with his calmness and joking manner.
"Thunder Arrow!" Knuckles roared. The echidna let go of the attack over his shoulder as it flew out pf his grasp, whizzing through the air and destroying the ground far beneath it. "I'll bet Gemini fifteen rings that this thing won't survive this. Besides, it's fully charged!"
"Deal," Gemini smiled as the attack impacted. Waves of golden chaos energy bled from the creature before arcs of lightning lashed from the central blast where radiating waves of electricity flowed across the valley. Then the smoke rose up and for a few moments the Chaos Core was not visible.
"I think you just won, Knuckles," Mighty whistled. "That hit it real hard in the back."
"I wouldn't say that," Gemini said, suddenly tensing up.
From within the cloud of smoke the beast's golden eyes glistened through the darkness, and then a rolling mass of golden chaos energy and bright hot flames was heading towards them. Knuckles was too tired to help Mighty punch up a wave of earth or block the technique, and the attack was too big to avoid. As the attack burst in all directions violently all three of them were thrown back into the trees, impacting against them as they fell down. By the time the destruction cleared the Chaos Core was looming over them, leaving a fissure behind it from it's energy composed lower body.
"I'll take my fifteen rings now," Gemini said, breaking the tree falling on him before he held his hand out to Knuckles. The echidna rolled his eyes before giving him one large rings and five smaller ones. "Even on the verge of getting killed I will always win my bet and I will always get my cash, okay?"
"I get it, now shut up already so we can stay alive," Knuckles replied bluntly, pulling Mighty out of the wreckage.
"I think it's too late for that bros, look," Mighty pointed out. The Chaos Core loomed above them, it's mouth wide open as a blast of flames like the first formed there. And they all knew they wouldn't survive another one.
But then in the nick of time a figure flew through the night sky before landing on top of the Chaos Core's back. Luxi held out her hand and formed a long, spiked spear of lime before stabbing it into where the cerebral cortex would be in any normal being. But despite the fact that it hit dead center and golden energy bled, the beast merely wailed out before tossing her through the air. Knowing the landing would kill her the dog quickly summoned a bladed fan, sitting on the top of it as she slowly descended around the beast, launching bladed weapons at the Chaos Core as she passed around it. The creature eventually roared out before raising a massive fist. Luxi leaped off her weapon and landed on the ground near Knuckles before her weapon was torn to bits, along with the valley below.
"Sorry about the late help but something about this energy just messed Sonic up," Luxi said.
"That's great, considering that he's the only one who has really dealt with this stuff besides me and Amy. And let me guess, Amy's with him too," Knuckles complained.
"I might actually murder him," Gemini said. "I know what I can do with the body too."
"Besides the fact that's really creepy, we all need to attack him at the same time from different sides. That way that thing won't know what to do. It doesn't really have a brain, after all," Mighty suggested.
"Well, it's the only plan we've got right now," Luxi shrugged, the fighters moving into their different stances. "Let's kick this thing to kingdom come!"
Amy watched from afar, pouring as much power as she could into healing Sonic. Bursts of fire and earth followed the sound of blades slicing and impacts ringing through their ears. She couldn't believe that even with all four of them attacking the Chaos Core at once that they were losing. All of a sudden the beast unleashed a circular blast of flames in all directions, knocking every fighter back. The energy creature then turned towards Sonic and Amy, golden chaos energy flaring up around it.
"Sonic...wake up!" Amy begged. And so he did.
In an instant the hedgehog's fur darkened to a navy blue and for a second his eyes flashed a deep vermilion. Navy winds circled around him and then he was a mere streak. He landed behind him as a massive yet slightly darker Sonic Tornado swirled around the beast and tore it to shreds. Golden chaos energy flew in all directions as the heroes came together, looking over the wreckage at what was left.
The object left behind was a pure sphere of chaos energy, glistening like a sun with pure white as it's core. The Chaos Core went from ivory to crimson as it radiated out before ending in the exterior of the sphere. The top and bottom of the sphere was covered in small gold plates instead of the clear surface of the rest of the sphere. Knuckles grabbed it and suddenly felt a power much like the energies of the emeralds, but this one was much more shocking like lightning and cold instead of the usual warm feeling.
"Looks like that beast was really the release of this power trying to protect it from those who were unworthy," Knuckles said. "Like how I guard the emeralds."
"Let's get back in the plane," Mighty offered, calling the plane using the communicator. "But Sonic, how did you do that?"
"I don't know," Sonic said. "Once I got used to this energy I got a surge and it just...happened."
Knowing they would have to face more of this and they didn't have much time the heroes flew off with Mighty piloting while Amy healed the heroes. But unknown to them what just happened would only be the beginning of Sonic's trials.
Location: Unknown
"You were right," the female Ragnarok member said, kneeling before the Ragnarok Lord in his throne chamber. "He was able to naturally conduct that energy with unusual ease. He is really one of the Chosen."
"I suspected as much. It could only explain all of that dormant energy that he hasn't been able to utilize yet," the Ragnarok Lord said, looking off into the distance once again. "And it was more than any of the other Chosen, past or present besides those two, including him..."
"Should I retrieve the Chaos Core now that they know?" she asked. "I could take them by myself."
"I know you can, but let them keep it for now. We can always get it later," the thrones figure ordered. "Now, go. We cannot let that Doctor take another city. The heroes don't even know of him conquering Westopolis yet."
"Yes Master," she said, and then faded into a portal. The Ragnarok Lord knew it would take time, but victory was still in hand. He could still see his ambitions realized in his vision. It would not end.
To Be Continued...
A/N: I was able to work on this over vacation, which was awesome. I may double update, and if I do please review both chapters separately. It would mean a lot. Next chapter we'll really see Eggman working and more of this Chaos Core business flying around in addition to two deaths, one OC and one canon, so hang tight for that!