Chapter Twenty-One
Author's Note: Wow. This one has gotten a lot more attention than my previous project, Scores. I must be getting better. Keep in mind, folks, that I am open to constructive criticism, much like Shadow Stalkr did. Don't be afraid to tell me that this sucks, as long as you explain why and say how I could make it better. Flames will be ignored.
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"It has to be around here somewhere…" Knuckles mumbled as he tapped parts of a rock wall as the others just hung around, waiting for something to happen. Knuckles said that there was a secret passage inside the mountain that would remove the need for difficult climbing, but it seemed like he was mistaken.
"I'm bored…" Mikael moaned. "…Can you hurry up, mister echidna?"
"You can't rush these kind of things, Mikey," Tahra said to her brother, using one of his nicknames that she used at home. "Knuckles is not completely sure where it is."
"Tails, could you lend a hand?" Knuckles said, and the kitsune came over. After a quick glance around, he kicked a small rock next to the wall. It fell over, and the wall began to vibrate and open up, much to everyone (save Tails') surprise. The kitsune had a smug look on his face, once again reasserting his superior intellect.
"He was lucky…" Knuckles said dismissively and started into the passage. Tahra and Mikael snickered quietly while Sonic rolled his eyes before they all followed the echidna into the passage.
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The passage through the mountain was, as expected, very dark. But Knuckles had thought ahead and taken a torch enchanted with magical, non-burning flame, set on a rack for the purpose of going through the passage. As the group walked through the twisting corridor, they could sense the presence of the guardian spirits wandering the passage. They could not be seen, but their presence was definitely there. It was an oddly comforting feeling, rather than a chilling one. They seemed to warm the passage to the perfect temperature.
After about two hours of walking in silence, the group came upon a wall that indicated the presence of a door. Unlike the previous one, Knuckles opened the door simply by pushing on it. When their eyes readjusted to the light, a marvelous sight stood before them.
A citadel seemed completely made of emerald rose before them, its four green crystal spires reaching to the top of the overhang, and two watchtowers also stood at the gate. The walls themselves blocked out any view of the interior; even the tops of the buildings were blocked from sight. Diamond spikes lined the top of the walls, to protect from intruders who would dare try to scale the great walls. The only parts that seemed to be made of a non-gem material were the double doors, forged of adamant. Sonic started to wonder how the humans had never been able to get their hands on this super-metal, seeing it in such great amounts recently.
The arrival of the group was noticed by an echidna guard by one of the watchtowers. He called to them, to ensure that they were not enemies.
"Who goes there?" he called to them. "State your names and your business!" The group got a little closer so that they could speak normally to the guard. The guard seemed to recognize Knuckles, though.
"So, Knuxiln, the Guardian of the Master Emerald comes here. Why do you return here? You should be on Angel Island, right?"
"Knuxiln?" Sonic exclaimed. "That's your real name, Knuckles?"
"I have come here to guide this hedgehog," Knuckles said, pointing to Sonic, "on his journey of redemption. He bears the Mark of Penitence, and has been chosen by fate to wield the sacred blade Excalibur, but cannot do so without removing the Mark. As for the Master Emerald…it has fallen into the hands of the Judgment."
"Heh…and I thought that the prophecy was a fairy tale. But it looks like it's passing just as the ancients foretold. Talk about witnessing history. I assume you want to see the Cardinals."
"Can we just go in already?" Sonic complained.
"Sheesh…don't be so pushy," the guard responded snidely. He disappeared into the watchtower for a minute or two before the gates creaked open. The gates opened to a large plaza, surrounded by various two-floor buildings. The buildings, unlike the walls, were made of well-polished stone with some parts made of wood. All appeared to be well-maintained and designed, with simple but aesthetically pleasing decorations. There was one building that stood out above them all: a massive castle-like structure that nearly reached the top of the wall.
Some echidnas were passing through the plaza on their daily business, but they had all stopped to see the arrival of the newcomers before continuing on. All of them had at least one item of jewelry on them, whether a gold bracelet, a headband of silver with a gem in the middle, or just a necklace made of amethyst.
"Hey Knux, why all the bling?" Sonic asked as he noticed this. "There doesn't seem to be a poor person in sight…not that it's a bad thing."
"This citadel is where the nobility of my kind lives most. This is also where the Great Academy is…a lot of echidnas, and even people of other races send their children for education, if they have the right connections. The Cardinals the guard mentioned double as the deans of the Great Academy."
"So…I guess we're off to the Academy, then." Sonic said. "Just show us the way."
"I don't think it will be so easy. They're really stubborn, and won't speak to just anyone. They would only speak to someone with connections to the high ranks of the Emerald Light without an appointment." Tahra knew immediately that she was the one to do it. Sonic realized this too, but he was the first to answer.
"I think Tahra can get that."
Knuckles seemed perplexed. "You have connections to the clergy of the Emerald Light?"
"I'm the high priestess' granddaughter, believe it or not," Tahra answered. "I may not look the part, but I'm the real thing, Knuckles."
"But will they believe you? As you said, you don't look the part."
Tahra said something to Knuckles in a language that Sonic couldn't understand, but Knuckles seemed to be convinced, since he understood the language.
"Heh…I wouldn't have thought you could speak Echidna. No other hedgehogs but the high clergy of the Emerald Light know that language."
Tahra seemed very proud of herself at her prowess at different tongues. "I don't mean to brag, but I also know a lot of languages…but Echidna was my fourth language after Hedgehog, Common Human, and Brymbaal."
Sonic groaned in dismay. "Man…I don't even know my kind's own language? That really sucks! I seriously need to learn some more languages."
"I'm sure I could teach you, Sonic," Tahra said. "But we need to get to the Academy."
Knuckles started off in a different direction. "You guys go ahead…I have personal business here. See you all later."
"Anyone else have personal matters to attend to?" Sonic asked the group.
"Actually, I'd like to peruse the library for a while," Tails interjected. "There might be some valuable information for the journey in there. I'll stay with you until we reach the library."
Sonic nodded. "Okay then, it's time for me to get this part of my adventure rolling…"
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The smell of cinnamon…that was the only indicator that Knuckles was heading in the right direction. He followed it through the streets of the city, taking a whiff every so often to ensure that he was on the right trail. It wasn't too long before he found the source: there was a batch of cookies sitting on a windowsill of one building, a dormitory of the Academy.
That must be Vahtri's… Knuckles thought. Taking a deep breath, he walked to the door and knocked a few times, then waited a little nervously. About ten seconds later, the door opened a little. An earthy-orange female echidna was standing there, peeking out. She was about to greet him when she gasped. She closed the door. Some rattling came from inside, and the door opened again, this time the whole way.
Both of them stood there nervously, trying to find the words to greet the other. They had not seen each other for almost seven years, so the meeting was obviously awkward. Eventually the girl managed to speak. They would be speaking Echidna, being members of the same race.
"Um…Knux…hi…" she said nervously. "You're back."
"Yep…can I…um…come in?" Knuckles stammered.
"Uh…sure…I just finished a batch of cookies. They need to cool."
Knuckles was starting to get a little more comfortable. "I could smell them from the plaza."
"You always could…"
Vahtri let Knuckles in and closed the door. Knuckles found a stool and sat down.
"What brings you here, Knux?" Vahtri asked as she began cleaning up her small kitchen, which was open to the small central area where Knuckles sat.
"As much as I'd like to say that it was your cookies that led me back, but it's not the reason. The real reason is that I'm helping fulfill the prophecy…one of my friends turned out to be Excalibur's new wielder, but he needs to repent for past crimes before he can do so."
Vahtri seemed surprised, as she stopped all cleaning. "You don't mean that…"
"Yep…it is coming back. Those angels are up to no good, and they took the Master Emerald."
"So that means the humans are…"
"Every single one of them is dead."
"Did your friend…"
Knuckles simply nodded. Vahtri sighed and shook her head.
"I can see why he has to go on this journey…but I think we talked enough about this. I'm glad that you're back. Tell me about what's happened over the past years…at least before this whole mess started."
"Well…for about two years I was alone on Angel Island, guarding the Master Emerald…when my friend comes along. He dropped the seven Chaos Emeralds, and I took them to safeguard them. I figured he shouldn't be using them as he was."
"How did you become friends with him?"
"He beat me in single combat a few times. He was a good sport, though. I eventually started to like him. As it turned out, he had a bunch of other friends as well. I started slipping on my Emerald duties after I met this guy. Oh, his name is Sonic."
Vahtri blushed when she asked this next question. "I know this may be silly…but have you found anyone else? Don't think that I'd be jealous or anything…"
"Well…there's this one bat girl that I met…her name's Rouge. At first she and I were rivals. But eventually, I guess a little something sparked between us. We dated on and off for a year or two…but nothing big has come of it yet."
"So does that mean…there's still hope?"
"Huh?"
"Oh, it's nothing…"
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"There…that's the last of them…" Tails sighed as he placed the last pile of books on a table in the library. He had been gathering old texts of all kinds for research reasons. Despite his true nature as a six-thousand-year-old angel, and would have a comprehensive view of history, his need to know was still present. Any information that would help Sonic's journey would be of great help.
He grabbed a text and began leafing through it, his eyes and brain taking in the words at an astounding pace. He was able to finish two books of roughly three-hundred pages in about twenty minutes. As he read through a third book, he seemed to find what he was looking for. Settling back into the text, he carefully took in every word…mouthing the words of the ancient language that he knew so well…
"…The demon, heart filled with greed for power and desire to serve the Parasite, carved an Emerald to rule over the others as their sovereign; imposing order on chaos and making the true power of chaos his and his alone.
But he lost this Master Emerald; and it lies in the charge of echidnas; woeful will be the day when he should regain his precious Emerald; for that is the day that the skies shall be red with blood.
To ensure his dominion over the land, he made shining beings with wings, calling them "angels", though the true servants of heaven have long since passed. He also struck a deal with a being from beyond the stars to serve him…but would turn his back on him when the time came.
Though my forecast of the ages seems bleak, those whose hearts are turned to good need not despair; for four of the sacred race shall rise; one born of the demon's angels…one made by human, seeking immortality…one infused with blood of dragons, to be used for power…one raised in the hallowed halls of the Emerald Light…all shall take the sacred arms, and show the demon, who serves the Parasite, and all his servants, the meaning of justice…"
Tails closed the book. This was the truth. He knew it in his heart, his mind and his gut, all at once. Whoever wrote this ancient text must have somehow seen things as they were. He had overheard Nazo speaking of a Parasite. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks…for the past six-thousand years he had been deluded into following the beliefs of a demon who served a being who would destroy it all. And to top it all off, the Master Emerald was a relic made for evil purposes, and had to be destroyed.
I have to show this to Sonic…I have to show this to everyone, he said to himself.
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Author's Note: The temptation to do "One Emerald to Rule Them All" was huge...but I resisted. Anyway, how's that for a plot twist?