Chapter Four – Betrayal
Sukko was the King of Stealth and Blaze wanted him to prove it. But they didn't have long. So far the illness caused by the Black Magic had largely been contained to the tavern. But as Blaze saw more and more people get sick, better to do it now, rather then later, before it spread throughout the land. To eradicate it while it was contained. Her idea was to do the cast and then have Sukko hide everyone, as they wouldn't enough time to make in look like, in the tavern, that absolutely nothing was going on. Sukko heaved, exhausted. Yet more high-level casting. Did she ask for nothing else? But he did see her point.
The Order of Elden was going to be here faster then they could get everyone recovered and the place looking normal again. They would just group fly in. An Airborne cast that allows for the rapid movement through the air of multiple people. It is a flashy and spectacular cast, involving whirling black clouds and streams of electricity but it wasn't true Teleporting, which was significantly faster. Time for Sukko to do his thing. He nodded, and everyone's held their breath. This time there was no fear in that room of his Magic anymore, and a huge amount of trust. Sukko was again honoured and for the first time, began to relax. The calmer the Sorcerer, the better he could cast. Seeing the suffering all around him, he was now determined to get the Black Magic gone. He concentrated hard, holding out his hands, his eyes glowing bright blue. A bright ball of light appeared between his hands. Pushing the Magic further, the ball of light expanded and when it touched his fingers, Sukko surged the Chaos Sorcery straight at the ball, and it exploded, sending out a blue shockwave right across the entire tavern. Several people screamed, until they realised that the shockwave of bright blue light, passed right through them, leaving them completely unharmed.
The Black Magic, on the other hand, not so much. The black smoke, red eyed snakes in each of the sick patients, squealed, desperate to get away from the impending cure, but exploded, vapourising instantly as soon as the shockwave touched them. Several left their victims, trying to get away, but were immediately caught. With minutes, the Black Magic was gone, and the towns people cured. There was relief and cheering as the Magic died away, but Sukko was panting. That was hard, and now the drain was brutal, but he had to push on. He immediately felt Magic in the distance, coming straight towards them. The Airborne Cast. The Order of Elden already were on their way. They'd felt that cast alright. Sukko only barely standing, concentrated hard, he growled and gritted his teeth.
"Everyone." He bellowed. "Quiet and hold still." He ordered, and with a nod from Blaze, he got instant silence. Suddenly, there was voices outside the tavern. The Order of Elden was already here. Sukko panicking, his eyes glowing blue again, whirled his hands around in a circle in front of him, sending streams of bright blue hue of luminescent vapour everywhere. Encircling everyone. Then his hands stopped, being held out in front of him. They were crossed, his hands faced up, his fingers clawed and two small balls of bright blue light in the centre of each palm. The streams of Magic still swirled all around, as the cast was complete. But this cast he just couldn't set in place and walk away. Hiding this many people, he had to maintain it, hence the balls of Magic in each hand, his eyes glowing brightly. Within seconds, the Order of Elden land in the town, and the door of the tavern was flung open, with a Wizard charging in, very defensively, his staff thrust out in front of him. Sukko recognised him. The Skunk looked around, absolutely dumbfounded. Suddenly, someone spoke from outside.
"Everglade, do you see anything?" He demanded. Silence as Everglade looked around, examining everything, Sukko expertly moving people out of the way, to let him through. He gulped, panicking and very confused.
"Riverton, there's nothing. The place is empty." He stammered. Everyone in that entire tavern had completely vanished from view. There was gasps around the room, but Sukko gentle tightened his Magic on everyone. He needed silence and stillness for this cast to work. He got it. But Riverton growled.
"That's not possible. This was the source of the Magic." He demanded, and came in through the door. He looked around stunned. But Riverton wasn't convinced at all, and the powerful Lizard, raised his staff and muttered an incantation, and the large crystal on the end began to glow bright yellow. But Sukko noticed there was a slight red tint to the crystal. But suddenly, the Sorcerer was forced to heave, pushing hard against the Wizard's powerful magical probe of the tavern. He gritted his teeth and groaned slightly, blocking the cast with everything he had. He succeeded. He could successfully block one Wizard, potentially two alone, but if they group casted against him, he could be in seriously trouble. The Wizard's cast died down, leaving the Lizard yet more confused. Suddenly, two further Wizards hurried into the tavern behind them. He rounded on them. He growled.
"Anything?" He asked his comrades. His fellow Wizards shook their heads.
"Nothing, Riverton." One of them said, shrugging. "The town looks completely normal, and quiet as most of the residents have now headed to their beds." He added. But Riverton roared in anger.
"That's not possible. The Serpent Sickness should be ravaging this town and the Palace, forcing the Princess to come to us for help, sending her to us and her death." He sniggered, to objecting looks from the other Wizards. But Everglade growled, grabbing Riverton.
"What's wrong with you?" He spat, rather shocked himself. "I told you that Black Magic cast was a bad idea. You almost killed two Wizards, seriously injuring them and knocked yourself out for three days, just to perform it, and for what? Nothing. It obviously didn't work." He spat, but Riverton backed away, his eyes crimson glowing slightly. He growled
"Oh, that cast worked alright. I saw the serpents myself just before I passed out. There's Magic here, we all felt it. But it's now gone. Whatever it was, I will have it, and the Princess's throne." He hissed, but Everglade just laughed at him.
"Your no Sorcerer, Riverton, despite what you might think." He giggled. But then growled in his own frustration. The book he was looking for in the Library back at Elden Fortress, he never did find. The Library had recently been striped of unwanted knowledge. He heaved, again frustrated. But he was still convinced the Blue Hedgehog was behind it, he just didn't know how. But Riverton just hissed at him. He leered.
"Enough about the Sorcerer, Everglade, before I have you thrown out the Order of Elden. They don't exist. This is simply just a rogue Wizard that learned Magic outside of the Order. Nothing we haven't dealt with before. There are still many Magical relics lost in the wildness, here in the Sol Empire. He must have just found one. He's obviously helping the Princess. But." He added. "Whoever he is, he is powerful, to remove Black Magic from an entire town." He hissed, evilly. "I must have his knowledge." He leered. All the Magic in all the world was worthless, without the knowledge to wield it. Then one of the other Wizard's piped up. He gulped.
"I checked the Palace, the Princess isn't there." He informed. Riverton growled, but then shrugged.
"He must be hiding her." He smirked. "No matter, I will have them both, and I know just how to flush them out. Maybe a ritual sacrifice of a child. A boy. How about that squire of yours, Everglade. Didn't you recently catch him trying to leave and dessert the fortress." He growled. The Skunk nodded, throughly unimpressed. The boy was nothing but trouble. Riverton's suggestion to get rid of him, did appeal. The Lizard smirked. "No one does that. But that's how we deal with troublemakers. The shooter of that missed poison dart had already met his fate for his failure." He sniggered, his eyes now glowing red slightly.
Sukko noticed, all the while still holding the cast, the Magic still flowing from his hands. But he was severely waning, his was shaking badly. He looked at the four Wizards, disliking the Lizard immensely. But his eyes widened at the mention of Arthur and his potential fate. But he couldn't keep this cast going for much longer and so he dove down into his mind and gave the other three Wizards an extremely powerful Telepathic signal, heavily hinting to move on and leave. It pushed Sukko hard, but it worked. They never knew. Suddenly, Riverton was rounded upon, as his three fellow Wizards all growled at him. Everglade glared at him. He hissed.
"That's enough, Riverton. No one is happy about the direction your taking the Order of Elden, but we follow you out of loyalty. I don't believe the Princess had been turned but the presence of Magic here, does prove your theory. But still." He hovered, unsure what to believe. He signed. "Regardless, there nothing to see here. You said so yourself. Whomever it was, has long gone. But I suspect he will cast again, and then we'll catch them. I'm not happy about a rogue Wizard in the Sol Empire either. But we have a job to do." He growled. Making for the door. Riverton objected but outnumbered three-to-one, he didn't have a choice, he needed to cooperation of the Order to do what he planned. He growled.
"Fine." He spat, leaving the tavern, along with the other Wizards and joining in with group, to do an extremely powerful cast that would take them back to the Elden Fortress. Suddenly, they all disappeared behind a cloud of black smoke.
They were gone.
Only when Sukko was a hundred percent certain of that, and sure the Wizards were not still watching them with their Magic, did the almighty Sorcerer finally let go. The bright blue Magic dissipated and suddenly, his knees buckled and he fell to the floor, but was immediately surrounded by people who helped him sit up. Still on the floor, just to silently stared at. Absolutely everyone was stunned, at the sheer power the Blue Hedgehog managed to produce. The King of Stealth, a Master Sorcerer, oh yes.
He'd just completely outdone the Wizards at their own game and on his own, and none of them knew. Well, except one. Everglade but as Sukko himself saw, he wasn't being believed. He was panting, heavily out of breath, painfully heaving, only barely staying conscious as Blaze knelt down to him. She grabbed his hands, in total awe of his power, but saw to her delight that was recovering relatively quickly but that he'd sleep well tonight. But that wasn't what was on her mind. It was the betrayal of the Order of Elden.
But she knew the Order, or she thought she did. Not their Magic, but the Wizard's themselves. She'd dealt with them all her life just like her parents before her. She explained all this to everyone in the tavern. She paced the room, frustrated. She growled.
"But the Order of Elden had always been so just and loyal to the Sol Empire, so why would they turn on us?" She spat. She just couldn't work it out. But a quiet voice in the corner did. He scowled.
"Corruption." He hissed, in nothing more then a cold whisper. Sukko heaving badly from the drain, was only barely awake, had had enough of being centre of attention and had slivered to the corner, while Blaze was talking, and was now deep in shadows. You could barely see him. He sighed. He felt much more comfortable here. Blaze was surprised, as she didn't even see him move. That was when Blaze realised that Sukko didn't like fame, or being the centre of attention, at all, unlike his brother. He was so different. Silence answered the Sorcerer, so he continued. He rolled his eyes. "You know." he hissed. "The reason why Magic is outright banned on Mobius. Corruption. It permanently consumes the Sorcerer, or any Magic user, for that fact, turning them pure evil where the Magic takes complete control, and the mind is all but gone. Sometimes, it's easy to spot, other times, not so much. It is something that plagued me all my life. As for the Order of Elden, there is corruption amongst them as they are exposed to the same Magic as Sorcerers, so it would make sense, as the relics they use to cast were created by them." He explained, but Blaze gulped, but Sukko calmly raised his hand to calm her. "I don't think it's the entire Order. I think it's just a handful of individual Wizards have been taken. The Lizard seems to the main one showing any symptoms." He shrugged. Blaze looked up. He gasped.
"Riverton." She hissed. Sukko nodded, he heaved.
"Yes, plus who knows how many more but unfortunately those who are corrupted have influence. It is easy to persuade and corrupt a fellow Sorcerer or Wizard into following them, so it only a matter of time before the it avalanches and the entire Order of Elden had fallen." He sighed, but Blaze growled.
"But why try and take my kingdom?" She hissed. Sukko smirked. He knew why.
"Because corruption seeks power. It's desperate for it. I suspect the Wizards have learned everything they can casting using incantations and enchantments, and as powerful as they are, they is still limited. There may be something out there that I don't know about, but who knows. They physically can't cast, as long, or as hard as I can, and if they did, the drain alone would kill them, as they bodies weren't physically born, unlike mine, to take it." He smirked. Blaze frowned.
"That's rather counter-productive." She agreed. Sukko nodded. He smiled.
"Quite." He added. "And you can't create a true Sorcerer for scratch, using Magic, you have to be born one." He grinned. "So if they can't expand their Magical horizons then they would go after another power. A political one." He leered. Blaze hissed.
"My kingdom." She snarled. Sukko nodded in agreement. If they won the Sol Empire, then how more many civilisations would they go after and potentially fall to them. But then Blaze began to panic. "If Wizards can corrupt each other. What about you? You have Magic too?" She stammered, absolutely terrified. She had really taken a shine to Sukko, she was desperate not to lose him. But Sukko rolled his eyes, going slightly red again that Blaze thought that of him. He grinned.
"You won't." He smirked, reading her mind, but then he sighed. "Or at least, I hope not. Me and Sonikku have discussed this at length. What to do if I ever was to turn. But Sonikku was much more powerful then any of you give him credit, and if push came to serious shove, and we fought, on opposite sides, he would win. He had one almighty weapon." He heaved. Blaze gulped. But Sukko smirked. "His Super-Speed. It is the greatest weapon in the galaxy, if used in the right way, and enough lateral thinking is done. If Sonikku travelled fast enough, he could potentially smash through anything. Any barrier whatsoever, the speed of sound, the speed of light, even time itself." He added. "And..." He emphasised. "Magic." He sighed. "There is no Magical cast in the universe that can stop him, not even my own, and he'd just smash though them all. A Chaos Creature with a powerful mental power, like myself, is mentally very strong and powerful but physically, not so much. Actually, we are relatively weak, by comparison. Just like Sonikku isn't really that mentally strong and you can catch him out occasionally." He added, winking to Blaze. She giggled, knowing exactly what he meant. Sukko heaved. "With my physic, I have put time, effort and a lot of physical training into it, like a ordinary person does, to try and strengthen it, otherwise it would have nothing. If Sonikku was to hit me, at his top speed, he would easily survive the impact. Being so physically strong, however I wouldn't. Even with all my Magic, I would die instantly, and he would do it if he had to, hating every minute of it." He cried. Blaze felt for him, that was tough. He sniffed. "Against him, I literally have nothing. But I seriously doubt he'd let it go that far, to be honest. He'd intervene way before then." He giggled, but Blaze frowned, not understanding.
"But how would he know? Your here, in the Sol Empire and he's back on Mobius, there's a dimension between you. It's not possible to communicate between dimensions." She asked. But Sukko smiled.
"Actually, yes there is." He smiled. "Well, sort off." He added. "The Psychic Link." He explained. "A Telepathic link that can sometimes naturally occurs in identical twins. Myself and Sonikku were born with one." He grinned. "It's how I always know when somethings up with my brother, and how I can hear a simple call from him, the other side of the planet. Or at least I could back on Mobius." He heaved, frustrated. "Since I can here, I can feel his presence, just about feel his emotions, but I can't hear him speak anymore, and I suspect vise versa. If anything was to happen to me, then he'd know and come running." He smiled, but Blaze cut across him. She raised an eyebrow, she was amazed at that, but actually not that surprised. She sniggered.
"But to travel between dimensions, don't you need..." She explained but got cut across by the Sorcerer.
"Seven Chaos Emeralds." He grinned, but Blaze giggled, holding out her hand, only for a different type of Emerald to appear, hovering and circling slower, just above her palm, glowing slightly. Sukko stared. She smiled.
"No. Seven Sol Emeralds. I'm surprised with your Magic that you didn't sense I had them. I been carrying them on my person since we met." She laughed. Sukko gulped, walking across the tavern, to right opposite Blaze to stare at the gemstone, utterly fascinated. The Emerald was green colour, somewhat flat and rectangular in shape. He blinked.
"No, I didn't. I had no idea you had them." He sighed. "You see, Chaos Sorcery in so incredibly powerful in it's own right, that it can't be further enhanced by external Power Stones. The Chaos Emeralds, the Master Emerald, and even these, the Sol Emeralds do absolutely nothing for me, no matter what I do." He smirked and as if to demonstrate, he grabbed the Sol Emerald, to the shock of many, but it immediately lost it's glow, becoming cold and dormant, extremely dull, with no life or soul at all. Sukko hovered it in his own hand with his Magic, his eyes glowing blue, but the Sol Emerald did nothing in response. It wasn't until Blaze took it back, did the Sol Emerald instantaneously spring back to life. She heaved, amazed.
"Well, that explains why the Order of Elden have never tried to steal the Sol Emeralds, when over the years, pretty much everyone else has." She shrugged. Sukko giggled.
"That's because they use Chaos Sorcery, the Sol Emeralds will do nothing for them." He smiled, but then he frowned. "Why do you have them on you? You had no idea that you'd be in danger today. I'm guessing you can wield them, like Sonikku can, with the Chaos Emeralds." He asked. He wasn't surprised that Blaze had superpowers. Again, he couldn't sense them on her, but now he realised that the Sol Empire had it's own energy. Sol Energy, what her powers were based on. Blaze smiled. After what Sukko had done today, he deserved an explanation.
"They are a set of seven Emeralds of great power, Sol Energy, the energy of the Sun and originating here in the Sol Empire. They are the inter-dimensional counterparts to the Chaos Emeralds. However Tails, the Fox, has successfully used the seven Chaos Emeralds to cross dimensions. The Sol Emeralds are, by custom, protected by the Sol Empire's Imperial Princess, with their current guardian is myself. I carry with at all time's because it is what's expected of me. They don't disappear after use, like the Chaos Emeralds, and to guarantee their protection, I carry them on me at all times." She smiled. But Sukko sniggered. Suddenly, he fancied pushing his luck. He really liked this Princess.
"What, even in the bedroom?" He giggled, very sarcastically, to an eye roll and growl from Blaze and gasps from around the tavern. But then she giggled. Sukko, now finally relaxing into life here in the Sol Empire was just beginning to show his sense of humour, which was very sarcastic and a little vulgar. The level of tiredness was mainly to blame for it, and the fact no one cared about the Magic, made a massive difference. He was like this back at home. But Blaze sighed, time to reign the Sorcerer in a bit. She smirked, remembering Tails doing exactly the same with his brother. She heaved.
"Enough." She spat. "Their kept in a secure case, it you must know but jokes aside, what to we do now?" She asked. Sukko smirked, but then heaved. He wondered back over to the window of the tavern, looking outside, but he suddenly got extremely dizzy from the drain, which was back with a vengeance. He'd just about kept it at bay, but at this late hour, and the fact he's not slept in more then twelve hours, he was now very tired. He panted, and turned back to Blaze.
"Well. The Order of Elden have gone, and won't come back for a while. It should be now safe for everyone to return home and their beds." He heaved. The thought of sleep felt so good, he was that tired, but his sarcastic side got the better of him, again. He smirked and raised an eyebrow to Blaze. She noticed and growled.
"No!" She spat. Sukko giggled.
"Well, you can't blame a guy for asking." He giggled. But Blaze rounded on him. She hissed.
"And I should have you kicked out of my Palace for that." She grilled. "My bed chambers are exactly that. Mine." She sneered. "Alone." She added. Sukko smiling, nodded, holding up both hands, showing the white palms of his gloves hands in response, backing away, a sign of non-aggression. But he was just teasing, trying to wind up the Princess. But he did deeply respect her. He used to sleep around a lot when he was younger, but not nowadays. In fact, he hadn't in years, not since he qualified as a Doctor, he was long past it now. But he did feel incredibly lonely, fearing a girl would never take him as a Sorcerer. But that was Mobius. This was the Sol Empire. Different rules. Maybe he had a chance of finding a wife here.
He threw his long black coat on again as he followed Blaze back to the Palace, and the bedroom he'd originally woken in. He door closed behind him, as he looked around the plain white, somewhat simple room.
How one day can change a person's life, and boy, had it changed Sukko's. He'd gone from potentially illegal imposter to highly trusted Sorcerer in just twelve hours, and he was barely getting his head around it. Maybe, the bedroom joke, wasn't such a good idea but he was very tired.
He thoughts turned back to Arthur and his potential ritual sacrifice. The sacrifice of a life, almost certainly meant more Black Magic, and from what Sukko knew of those casts, which honestly wasn't very much, they took several days of preparations and hours of mediation to setup, especially for a non-Sorcerer. He was rescuing Arthur, that was a given, but he had a little leeway. Twenty-four hours to rest and recuperate and find the location of the hideout of the Order of Elden. He had to admit, he was, in that very moment, in no fit state to storm a potentially powerful, well hidden, Wizard's hideout, especially alone. He was just too tired from the drain. Today, he'd preformed more high-level Magic then he'd done in years, and yes, he could seriously feel it.
Sukko needed to be on the top of his game to take on the Order of Elden. Blaze wasn't coming, and he had not intention of telling her either. She only just found out she had a Sorcerer in her Kingdom, and a powerful one at that. Two, Sukko suspected, would be too much. He needed rest, as he kicked off his boots and having taken off his coat, he lay down, but before he could do anything else, the mighty Sorcerer was sound asleep.