Unleashing Sonic: Story Mode
Beyond where the second Goal Ring was located was a path, once again lit by fire. Despite the light shimmer of the flames, the surrounding area was still shadowy and dark.
"It's like a Temple of Ice…" Chip whispered, his own voice echoing and breaking the silence. I wondered what he had meant by that, until I made it to the end of the path. A huge structure of sorts was completely encased by ice, with the exception of the entryway…which was blocked off by an ice wall- but at least I could take care of the wall.
"Whoa…what is this place…"
"I'm still calling it the Temple of Ice!" Chip declared.
The foyer of the area- if it really was a foyer- had spike traps loitered along the floor, similar to the trapped alley in Spagonia. They weren't hard to avoid either- all it took was some well-placed hops. However, at the edge, Chip and I looked over a final set of spikes and two jets of frozen air…and found a hidden cavern.
"Okay, this is so cool!" Chip cried. Once again, his voice bounced from wall to wall, and I was really hoping that he wouldn't cause a cave in or something.
"Just try to keep your voice low, Chip…" I trailed, walking in slowly. "The Moon Tablet is most likely at the end of this-"
"Temple of Ice!"
To be honest, it didn't really seem like a temple to me, but who was I to go against him?
Though as I started to really get into the place, it was starting to look…temple-y? I wasn't sure how to describe it- I just know it was a little more than a cavern than I had predicted. Beams supported the walls, bars jetted out of those beams, and not to mention the halls and paths that crisscrossed around.
"This place is definitely intriguing…" I muttered, standing on a green button that opened a door that led to the lower area.
"It must be hiding something big- I can feel it!" Chip exclaimed excitedly. "What else would be the point of an ice temple here?"
"To guard the Moon Tablet that I know for sure is in here…" I replied, heading through the descending hallway.
"Yeah, but what if it holds a monster or something down here, huh? That's the only reason why I can see there being a sort of temple out here!"
"The monsters only arrived because of Dark Gaia," I pointed out. "I really don't think there'd be a temple here for some creature that only possibly appears every million or so years."
"I still think there's a monster," Chip stubbornly continued. "So just be careful…"
I'd rather fight Eggman's crazy creations than a dark monster. The monsters are actually threatening.
Cutting our debate about whether or not there was a monster- and the purpose of this structure being in the frozen wasteland- short, I threw open the next door and headed deeper. The moment I entered, there was something I had to cross. Sighing, I reached up for the first bars ands prepared to swing across.
"It's so repetitive…"
With one swing, I reached up and grabbed a pole hanging down from the ceiling and climbed up. I barely missed being struck by a Blower on my way up- it was hanging around in a small nook in one of the walls. Luckily I didn't necessarily have to defeat it, so I finished making my way to the top and jumped down.
"Oh great…"
More poles, more cold air, and more traps.
Next thing I knew I was sliding down a new pole, collecting ring, ducking under cold air, grabbing another pole, and just missing getting my feet turned into ice cubes all within the same move. My eyes were wide, my body clinging to the pole out of reach of any cold air.
"Yikes…"
"This place certainly keeps you on your toes, huh?" Chip stated.
"Yeah…" I huffed, jumping onto the next area and opening the next door. Chip flew ahead, flying down the hall and inspecting every little thing.
"Wow…check this out Sonic…" he gaped, staring into the next doorway. "This place is just full of interesting things…"
"What is it this time?" I asked, walking over to where he was. He pointed to the upper left corner of the room- the way out was blocked by a sealed barrier, which mean that somewhere in this huge room were three Light Keys. Chip turned to me with a worried look.
"Where are we gonna start?"
"We will turn this entire room upside down if we need to!" I declared, stalking off with a raised finger.
"Hey, your finger is right!"
"…huh?"
"There's a Light Key up there!" Chip cried, flying upwards to the first Light Key positioned on top of a small pedestal. "Now how do we get to it…"
I was already on it. I ran over to the northernmost part of the room, where there was a ledge I could latch onto. I did so and pulled myself up- the problem here was, the only way to reach the Light Key was to walk over a thin ice bridge.
Hopefully the spikes on my shoes would prevent falling.
Contrary to my original thoughts, reaching the first Light Key was a piece of cake! To add on to the simplicity, I caught sight of the second one! I grinned, seeing that I could just walk over there from where I was. My grin changed to a frown when I saw that acid-spitting Nightmares were also placed around the room. I rubbed my arm, recalling the experience in Spagonia.
"Best to avoid those…" I murmured under my breath. While diving under a haywire acid ball, I fell onto the beam with a harsh thud, wrapping my arms and legs around it before I slipped off. "Hunh…hunh…hunh…"
I saw the third key- it was behind an ice wall. It was closer, but if I jumped down now I'd just have to work my way back up again. It was more efficient to go after the second one. I carefully got back to my feet just as another glob of acid was spat my way. I scurried off as fast as I could without falling, feeling the projectile take off a few hairs of fur, but overall scarcely missing me. I didn't dare try to attack- I'd fall for sure! Instead, I made a mad dash for the hidden room where the second key was, obtained it, then leapt off the edge.
"Time for the last one…"
The darn acid-spitter wasn't giving up just because I had retreated to the lower part of the room, leaving me to continue to weave and bob away from the onslaught.
"Augh!"
I lunged out of the way of another, the stray glob smacking into the ice wall and melting it upon contact. Chip cringed as I skid against the ground, only stopping when I hit a wall. Even though I just performed an embarrassing feat, I still had to crack up at how the enemy did my work for me.
"That was kinda cool!" I laughed, stretching my arm over from my upside-down position and claiming the final key.
"That's one way to get a key…" Chip giggled. I up righted myself and gave him a shrug and a wink.
"You know me- never a dull moment."
He instantly beamed right back. "That's for sure!"
Once again avoiding any dangerous flying object, I returned back to the seal barrier, which was no longer sealed. Also once again, Chip wanted to be the first one to see what was up ahead.
"It's like a chamber or something!" he shouted in pure astonishment.
"Chip…" I warned, trying to get him to remember what I told him about talking loud.
"But look…everything is sealed off with pure ice!" Chip continued to gape. He was right- just about everything, including the rooms themselves, were cased off in ice. It was peculiar, to say in the least. "Now do you agree that it's a temple of ice?"
"It's a temple of ice all right…" I punched through the nearest ice wall- nothing of value rested behind it. I shrugged and rounded the corner, walking down the rest of the hall that was decorated with ice just as well. Chip hovered around, acting almost too casual for my tastes.
"You know, there's still the possibility of-"
I rolled my eyes and plowed through more ice- this time, there were more halls behind it. "I really doubt that there's a monster, Chip."
"And what if there is?"
Why did he keep bringing up this claim…?
I wasn't able to answer- we had rushed into a room that was instantly sealed off- which we both knew by now was the universal sign for "a fight". He stopped pressuring the whole monster subject for the time being and flew out of the way while I readied myself.
"Red Rhinos! Pests! Augh!" I heard Chip whimpered. Said foes started ganging up on me, backing me into a wall.
"C'mon, power. I hope I can unleash it again…"
All the creatures looked on as I flung my arms behind me and threw my head back. A light growl escaped my throat as the blue aura started to radiate from me once again. The Nightmares cringed in fear, knowing I was certainly a threat, but none of them could escape from me now.
I didn't even need to move from my spot- one mighty swing from an arm knocked nearly all of them over, and any that I missed were quickly dispatched with a swat of my fist. Several of the Pests were defeated instantly, but the Rhinos were still a lot tougher. They shakily stood back up, then all scrambled out of the way when I tackled one into the ground. I recuperated swiftly, claws catching three of the escaping Rhinos and felling them. There was still four left, and all of them didn't dare try to approach me- at least, not while I was still Unleashed.
Too bad for me my Unleashed status didn't last…
As soon as I got rid of the final four, my power wore off, but I didn't care. I thought I was finished. I was wrong.
"What in the world is appearing now?" yelped Chip, now hiding behind a pillar. My jaw dropped as two large club wielding hulks emerged out of the ground, along with several "spontaneously combusting orbs" that I wasn't all too fond of.
"Oh man…why did I waste my ability?" I groaned, starting to circle the room to avoid the clubs. "Now I'm all drained out…"
Well, this was wonderful.
It wasn't long before one of the weapons of mass destruction made contact with my head, clubbing me to the side and sending me sprawled out on the ground. Already weakened enough from my brief unleashing, it made me even more unable to move. I struggled to simply push myself off the ground, and the second hulk certainly didn't help by battering me back down again.
"O-Ow…"
A small group of the explosive orbs came closer to me, with me instinctively swatting at them to get away. I then mentally snacked myself in the face- contact was what set them off! The bulges on their heads started to swell, and I knew they would get ready to blow soon.
"Argh…"
I managed to get on my feet and hobble away, the four bombs I had activated me still tailing me. I was really in for it now…
"If I still had enough power I could've taken down both hulks already…" I grumbled to myself.
Me and my perfect timing.
Right now I had to find a way to shake these things off my tail- striking them again would surely cause me to end up charred or something. I glanced around at the surroundings in what little time I had left- if there was a way to get them to all blow up at once, it would definitely weaken the brutes, and I would be able to land some sort of final blow! But how could I do that without it being an act of suicide?
I just knew I had to hurry- something that wasn't exactly easy when you were a) slower than usual and b) totally banged up. I tried nevertheless. The brutes were spinning around, trying to keep up with me constantly running in circles around the room, while I was just trying to outrun the bombs…or at least send then in a new direction.
"Come and get me!" I dared, slashing into any bombs I hadn't attacked yet. Now all of them were charging at me, ready to blow my head off. Hey, I was ready for them too! …for the most part. "I've only got one shot at this!"
I cringed, standing in the middle of the room and knowing the bomb-enemies were going to go off at any moment. While they were all coming at me, the brutes were as well, meaning that my plan was slowly working. I could feel that both of the hulks has their clubs raised high above their heads, and I could tell that all the bombs in the room were prepared to explode.
The hulks brought their clubs down. Both of them ended up hitting an orb instead of me.
Chip let out a wail as the room burst into several explosions, one by one, each one detonating the next. All of the orbs self-destructed, effectively bringing both of the brutes' health down by a ton, as I had planned. They staggered around, not expecting to be constantly bombarded by the many explosions. Chip just looked on, expression softening.
"Sonic…?"
Just as he prepared to assume the worst, my epic battle cry rang throughout the room once all the explosions had died down. Chip's head snapped up- I was in the air, bringing a harsh Were-Hammer down on the brutes' heads to finish them off. His worried look transformed into one of delight and relief, and I just winked at him.
Never assume the worst when it comes to me!
"Heh…I took care of them even without the power…" I panted, letting my exhilaration work itself off. That was tense! When I finally recomposed myself, Chip was grabbing my arm in a…victory hug, I concluded.
"Sonic, that was awesome! How did you ever think to do that?" he gaped, still in disbelief. "You took them out like it was nothing!"
I shrugged, grinning like an idiot. "I dunno- I suppose I just improvised…"
He let go of me and glided over to the area the force field was once blocking. "Well, either way…we should go through here!"
"Oh really?" I said, smirking. "Why don't we just take that other way out?"
"Because the Goal Ring is this way!"
I don't think he detected my sarcasm.
"Now let's go- after that battle, you deserve a rest!" he claimed. I sighed, grabbing my head while shaking it.
"I sure do…"
At the end of the narrow hall, there was the Goal Ring, shinning in all its glory under the moonlight shinning down from a skylight up above. Also shimmer on the ground was Holoska's night half of its Planet Tablet. I scooped it up, knowing that Jari-Thure would be able to put it together with the day half we had obtained days ago.
Then there would only be three more continents left to save.
"Well? Whaddya waiting for Sonic?" Chip asked, floating next to the Goal Ring. I stashed the Moon Tablet away, stepped into the Goal Ring, then gazed into the moonlight.
"Hey Chip?"
"Yes Sonic?"
"I told you there was no monster at the end of this place."
"It's still a Temple of Ice."
. . .
When we emerged back out of the Shrine- or the Temple of Ice, as Chip kept insisting, it was still nighttime. It wasn't a surprise, since we managed to get the tablet faster than I have anticipated, but still…I would have been a lot more pleased if day have arrived when we got out. But it wasn't meant to be.
I had a bad feeling run through my mind…
"Hey, Sonic. Now that we have more tablet fragments, isn't it about time we go to see the professor?"
"Huh? Oh yeah…sure."
Chip tilted his head as I started off for the Tornado. "Is something up Sonic?"
"No, I just…well, I get the feeling we'll be coming back here pretty soon…"
"Oh…okay."
Upon returning to the Tornado, we found that Tails was fast asleep in his seat. Chip giggled to himself while I climbed up and poked his shoulder.
"Yo Bro…we're back! Earlier than I thought, honestly…"
Tails stirred from his sleep almost instantly. "Whuzzut? What time is it? Pickles…chocolate…zzzz…"
"Tails, wake up! We need to get to Spagonia!"
"Yeah, and its day there!" Chip added. "So you can't be sleeping!"
I shook Tails again, but this time he didn't budge. Poor guy- all this flying around was taking a toll on him too. Chip almost resorted to jumping on his stomach, but I stopped him because for one, he really wouldn't like that, and two, the kid needed his rest. Carefully, I scooped him up- which was a lot easier than when I wasn't in wolf form- and placed him in the back seat. Chip raised an eyebrow curiously when I jumped in the cockpit instead.
"What're you doing?"
"What? Didn't you know I could pilot a plane too?"
"Really?" he questioned, sitting on the wing as close to Tails as he could get. "Then why does Tails always drive?"
I shrugged, getting myself comfortable. "He likes to- and I like to stand on the wing anyway. Though, if I have to, I do still drive on the occasion. I think Tails deserves a decent rest for all that he's doing for me…"
"I agree!" he slightly frowned. "But you need some sleep too Sonic…"
I waved a hand. "Nah, I'll be fine. It's not like I haven't pulled all-nighters before, huh? Heh heh…"
"You have- I know that better than anyone else- but should you really be driving a plane while you're exhausted?"
"Would you rather have a drowsy eight-year-old kid at the wheel or the teenage hedgehog with decent flight experience who can handle the night?"
"First option."
I refused to reply to that and started up the plane- I flew it like the last time I did was only yesterday.
. . .
"See? Nothing to worry about," I told Chip, jumping off the edge of the plane once we were parked in front of the professor's house.
"I don't know- when you transformed back I could've sworn the plane went slightly out of control due to your subconscious excitement," Chip replied bluntly, folding his arms in the air and giving me a look. I shrugged.
"You can't blame a subconscious reaction. Now let's go see what to do next!"
Chip obeyed and followed after. I prepared to burst right through the door, but better judgment took a hold of me, and I slowly opened the door instead.
I wanted to be prepared in case Amy wanted to mount a tackle-hug on me.
However, this wasn't the case, as Amy had herself all caught up in studies again. That was good- I could really be ready for when she wanted to hug me. Professor Pickle, on the other hand, was standing around as if he knew I would be arriving at that very moment.
"Ah, Sonic. Good to have you back," he said with a smile.
"Good to be back!" I agreed.
"Hey, where's Tails?" Amy asked, closing the book she was reading and walking over.
"He's sleeping in the Tornado," I explained. "Poor guy was snoozing away when we came back, and we couldn't wake him up, not that I really wanted to."
"He must be completely out cold if he didn't stir at all during the ride over here," Amy pondered. Then, she sprung at me, and I instinctively flinched. However, instead of the death hug I was expecting, she lightly threw her arms around my neck.
I was caught completely off guard.
She stayed latched to me, and I stayed shocked, as Pickle continued with his talk. "I've been so busy, I've not even had time for cucumber sandwiches!"
"Wow, that must be really busy!" gasped Chip. I sweat dropped.
"So I'll get right to the point. Your destination is still in Holoska. Get to it, Sonic, my boy!"
I knew it.
"We came here for nothing?" winced Chip.
"I told you," I sighed moments later. Amy let go of me then stared at the ground sadly.
"You're such a busy guy, we haven't even had any quality time together!"
Curse my inability to stand to see someone sad.
"Look on the bright side, Ames," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder to get her to cheer up. "At least you got to see me for a bit!"
"Not as long as I'd like to though…"
"Nothing I can really do about that though…someone has to save the world."
That finally managed to get Amy to smile. "I'm lucky enough to even know a guy like you, Sonic…"
To be honest, I could've sworn she wanted to say, "I'm glad that I'm friends with you, even though you don't like me as much as I like you." Either that, or I was totally imagining whatever was going on in her delicate mind. I wasn't sure of what to say next, especially after I thought that, so I backed away from them both, giving Amy a little wave, then running out the door. Amy stood, confused, Chip mirroring her expression.
. . .
I was now sitting on the wing, watching Tails continue to sleep, and I started to feel guilty. My little world adventure was draining him of all his energy, and he didn't even get to actually do any of the adventure. He just drove Chip and I back and forth…that couldn't have been very fun, but it was still necessary.
I just hated how Tails got the short end of the stick.
"I'm still sorry, buddy, even though you've forgiven me…" I trailed, hoping that his sensitive hearing would pick up what I was saying while he slept. To my surprise, he suddenly smiled- still sleeping, but he was smiling lightly. I wondered what he was dreaming about- obviously it wasn't as extremely awful as my nightmare if he was grinning about it.
"As long as we're together…"
I thought I had heard things- glancing down again, it was apparent Tails had said that.
"Tails…"
"You know I've always got your back…"
I inched closer to him, noticing that his sleep talk was gradually getting softer. Was he dreaming about me? And if he was, was it because I had said something? He moved slightly- I jumped back in case he was waking up. But no, he was still snoozing, he just adjusted his position. Tails must have really been tired- I don't think even I could sleep that hard!
"You and me, Sonic…just like you promised…"
My heart sank low- no wonder he was still sleeping, he was having too great of a time simply dreaming about him and I on another adventure together! I pulled my knees up to my chin and sighed. Sometimes being a hero had its drawbacks, especially when it meant neglecting your friends for the sake of the planet's safety. I had Amy missing me and Tails simply craving time to spend together…and I couldn't really fix any problem. At least, not until this whole mess was over. And when this whole mess was over…what if I lost Chip?
It was frankly a passing thought, but a strong one at that. He would surely (and hopefully) get his memories back, but if he did…what if that meant Chip needed to leave? I'd have my older friends, but lose my new one? And it was upsetting enough that I had to put aside my older friends for the new one…
"I've never felt so torn…"
I shook it off, climbing back into the cockpit to take off for Holoska again. One last time, I glanced over my shoulder at Tails. I reached back and ruffled up the fur on his head.
"I promise, kiddo. One day it'll be just you and me…you deserve it…"
"Hey Sonic!" Chip called, flying out of the lab. "Why'd you just run out like that? Amy was left totally speechless, then she just went right back to reading that book!"
I frowned slightly and turned away. Typical me, not knowing how to respond in that situation probably downed Amy even more. Chip didn't even give me time to whip up some sort of answer- he just jumped onto the wing and sat next to me.
"Well, we better head on back to Holoska so someone can put our tablets together! Just think, Sonic- we'll be even closer to fixing the planet back up!"
The enthusiasm in his voice upset me even more, mainly because of the second part of what he said, but I managed a smile, even if it was a bit sad.
"We sure will Chip…"
"I can't wait! Going on journeys like this really is fun, you know! Even when we're faced with endless danger, I still feel brave because I know you're with me!"
Oh, why was he laying it on so thick now?
"…you don't know how great it is to hear that Chip," I said, somewhat quietly. I glanced at him- he had on his beaming grin, and I almost couldn't take it. Usually I'd be grinning right along with him, but I had too many thoughts on my mind right now. However, one thing was at least certain- we needed to get back to Holoska. I started up the plane shortly after and took off into the sky.
I hate how you can't please everyone. In the end, if you do somehow make everyone happy, you're the one who's unhappy.
. . .
Once we were in Holoska (Chip now complaining about how we "nearly crashed" since I transformed under Dark Gaia's influence again and had an "episode"), we looked for someone who could put the piece of the tablet together. To our surprise, we fund out that Jari-Thure and Sarianna were just the guardians- the one who could put the fragments together was none other than the elder of the tribe. He was hanging around by the village campfire, and his eyes sparked to life when he saw both halves of the tablet resting in my palms.
"Well what do you know? You've got the tablet fragments! You might be the chosen ones after all!"
Oh joy- more "chosen one" nonsense. Sometimes I think people only say that to get them to do heroic things. …well, you don't need to ask ME twice!
"I know I've been saying a lot of silly stuff, and I apologize. That was all just a ruse, you see!"
I found that odd, considering I hadn't really conversed with him before.
"You probably thought I was just a doddering old man, but I can put tablet fragments together! That Jari-Thure and Sarianna are guardians too, but my role is special, don't you know!" he took both halves from out of my hands and began to fit them together. "Let's see…put this like this…There! Your tablet! Bet you didn't think I could do it! Not much we villagers can do about the crazy things in the world, but you fellows! You…huh? What was I saying? Care for some seal blubber?"
"Erm, I think that's one food I'll have to pass on…" Chip mumbled, flying away quickly. I was once again clueless as to how to react in that particular situation, so I just left the elder to his seal blubber cooking and headed up to the shrine. Now that we had a full Planet Tablet, it meant that we'd have to go through the Star Door…
And fight something. With prior knowledge, I knew it wasn't going to be Eggman either. Perhaps this is what Chip meant by there being a monster at the end? Who knew?
"There is it, Sonic…" Chip trailed, pointing to the Star Door when we entered the temple, as if he had read my mind. "It's glowing now…I'll go open it."
"I still have no idea how you manage to do that," I said while shaking my head. Chip shrugged- he didn't really know either as well. He spread out his hands, summoning the power in his jade green orb to open the door. As usual it rumbled open, and I was apprehensive about entering. Chip gave me a light nudge, and then his words from earlier resurfaced- he was brave because he was with me. How can he be brave with me if I was hesitant just to see what lie ahead? Apparently this was enough to get me to go in.
. . .
"It's DARK!" Chip whined mere seconds later. I know he hated it, but…
"Shhh…" I said tensely. I knew there was something up ahead, and I almost didn't want to know what.
What was definitely up ahead was a bright light that made both our pupils shrink from the sudden intensity. Covering my eyes, I looked on to see where it was radiating from. In the middle of a large, how you say, arena, I suppose, was what I perceived as a dragon encased in ice. Its eyes started moving around rapidly, creeping out both of us.
Then it abruptly thrashed upward, breaking free of its frozen prison, staring at us like we were a snack, then charging forward with a ear-splitting roar.
"Oh no!" Chip wailed, taking cover behind me. I, on the other hand, balled up my fists and dashed forward. Chip did a double take, then assumed a battle position as well. The Dark Moray, as I discovered it was called, was certainly not going to be a cakewalk.
As I mentioned before, dark monsters were more likely to give me a workout- but fighting Eggman always seemed to be more entertaining.
"This canister thing looks really cold…I wonder if we could use it somehow!"
I looked over my shoulder to see where Chip was at- I was making a mad dash around the room to survey the area. He was floating next to said "canister thing", except it was so cold that it froze itself in ice.
"Huh…" I pondered. I turned heel and ran over to where Chip was, punching the canister free of the ice and heaving it over my head. What was I supposed to do with it? I know it was cold enough to free things…but what to freeze? The Dark Moray was surrounded by a force field, after all…
"Maybe if you take out those eel guys below the barrier with fall…"
I gave him a look since I had no idea what he was talking about. He frantically pointed to the closest glowing blue eel jetting out of the side, snapping and hissing like crazy. Now I had an idea of what to do! Even thought the Dark Moray was invulnerable at the moment, that didn't stop him from attacking. Huge glacier spheres went soaring over my head, and I was just grateful that they didn't strike me like they did before.
I still remember how unpleasant it was. Brr…
I chucked the canister at the first eel thing, and upon contact, the canister really did manage to freeze it. Chip cheered while I socked it in the jaw- it was no more!
"How many more of those are there?" I asked, breaking more ice and grabbing another canister.
"Only one Sonic! On the other side, quick!"
"Gotcha!"
Hurrying over to where Chip had pointed me to, I was quick to bring my canister down onto the second eel's head. Like the first one, it froze into an eel popsicle, and I took it out. The shield guarding the Dark Moray fell, and I jumped in to attack the big guy.
"I bet that big lug's weak spot is that glowing green thing!"
"I'm on it!"
I gripped another canister that happened to be next to me then chucked it at the Moray. It froze on the spot, just like its eel minions. If what Chip said was true, then I needed to hit the green bulges that ran down it's body- thank goodness there were only three.
But don't these kind of things always come in threes anyway?
I aimed for the one on its back first, just because it was closer. Chip mimicked my movements as I hacked and slacked like crazy! Eventually I must have struck a nerve, because the green bulge was no more and the Dark Moray broke out of the ice. It flailed around again, then knocked Chip and I away as it spun in a violent circle. We both landed on the ground, and inertia kept us skidding.
"I take it we've got two more times until we beat that thing?" I grumbled, picking myself up instantly.
"I would assume so," Chip shrugged in response. He flew off the ground as well while I scooped up another canister and ran for the eels again. This was going to be a piece of cake! The first eel didn't even know what hit him- the second one got a lucky break because the Dark Moray managed to land a blow on me with those ice orbs of his.
"F-F-frozen…isn't…f-f-fun…"
The eel slammed itself into my side several times, and there was nothing I could do about it. Heh, I felt like the Dark Moray when I froze him and wailed on him. Only difference was I wasn't preventing the world from becoming a whole.
That's when I remembered- once I defeated him, we could get access into the Gaia Temple and put the fourth Chaos Emerald on the pedestal to restore Holoska! With newfound motivation, I broke free of my icy restraints, then proceeded with finishing that thing off. Chip was trying to help by hacking away at ice, but it really wasn't doing any justice. I gave him a small grin before plowing my fist into it, then snagging what I came there for and launched it at the eel from a distance. Direct hit!
"Hey…why isn't the shield down?"
"There's a third one now!" cried Chip. I sighed and rubbed my temples.
"How totally typical."
Groaning, I ran to the other side of the area after picking up another canister, locating the third eel that I had somehow missed. Like previously, I froze it, then smashed it to smithereens.
"All right, the shield's down!" Chip exclaimed. "Look out for its attacks!"
No need to tell me twice.
I lunged for its front- that's where the next green bulge was. The Dark Moray had become a bit more tactful- it sent a harmful spray of frost, aimed directly down at me, but I rolled out of the way and backed up just in time to get away from it. Then it started launching those cold spheres again…
"He's certainly hard to get a fix on, huh?" I panted, then cringing. First, it fell flat onto me. Then, it started spinning around like a helicopter blade and whipping me right off.
"Don't forget you can freeze him too!"
Crud. I forgot.
I made my way back onto the area, instantly running out of the way when spikes of ice were sent to damage me. The Dark Moray was certainly putting up a fight…
"I really hate to say this because it's totally corny, but…you're on ice now!"
"ROAR!"
It became encased in ice once again, allowing me the perfect opportunity to strike again. Once I beat on its second weak spot as much as I could, it finally couldn't take anymore and broke free again. I could tell it was on the verge of death- it was getting aggressive.
"Once more, Sonic!" encouraged Chip. I gave a quick nod and jetting off to remove the barrier again. What was I so worried about? This monster wasn't so bad!
Still more terrifying than one of Eggman's clunkers. You can't convince me otherwise, seriously.
Now there were four eels- but the strategy to take them out wasn't any different than before. Freeze, bash, break, and remove the barrier. The only change was that I repeated it four times.
"Heh heh, what're ya gonna do now, huh?" I snickered, leaping in front of the Moray and grinning broadly. Smoke- or was it just hot air?- snorted out of its nose before it breathed its own cold air at me. I felt my foot become frozen to the ground, but thankfully the rest of me was still mobile. "I guess that's what you're going to do now…"
I had to act fast- that thing was going to strike again and there was no way I'd be able to dodge. Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of one last canister a few feet away. This was yet another time where I could actually be glad my arms could stretch.
I reached over, smashed the ice from where I stood, then grabbed the canister. I had to time it right, otherwise I'd lose the chance. It slammed onto the ground, preparing to sweep me right off. If I froze it too early, then I wouldn't be able to reach the weak point on it's head, even with my extendable arms. If I waited too long, it'd knock me right off…meaning I had to freeze it when it was literally right next to me.
The very moment I saw it started to sweep, I threw the canister and hoped for the best. Chip, watching on the sidelines like always, covered his eyes, afraid to see the outcome. The moray got closer and closer to me until I had thought I waited too long…and right when it was about to strike me, it suddenly froze over.
Sometimes even my own luck amazes me.
My mouth gaped open- how in the world was I able to manage THAT? However, being me, I didn't waste anymore time questioning it and focused all my attention and energy into finishing the Moray off. I saw the pain flash in its eyes several times, every time I dealt a blow to its final weak spot. Enough was enough soon…enough.
"Eek!"
I glanced at Chip for a brief second, then turned back to the Moray. Once defeated, it sprung back up again, but this time it stayed straight, head tilted back.
"Sorry, I'm in rush here!"
Without another roar, the Dark Moray slammed into the ground for a final time.
. . .
Chip and I managed to reach the Gaia Temple, where at the very center lied the Chaos Emerald pedestal that we were so accustomed to seeing by now. Chip used his mysterious orb's power to raise it, then gave me a nod to go ahead. I stretched my arm over and placed the Cyan Chaos Emerald into the slot. The planet restored the emerald's power, and in turn, the power of the Emerald restored the fourth continent.
I really like this chapter. ^^
