Chapter Forty-Five
Me: Wow…Chapter 44 was long. I hope it wasn't boring to my readers.
Amy: So, a new part of this saga is still ahead of us. When will this whole thing end, Janus?
Me: I'll probably stop before it gets to Chapter 70.
Shadow: It better have a happy ending, or so help me gods, I'll rip your head off!
Me: Temper, temper, Shadow.
Nack: Art of me? How nice! (pulls out Law Givers)
Shadow: (puppy eyes)
Nack: No guns for you, Shads.
-- -- -- -- -- --
"Damn it, why did those four ditch us?" Zeipha moaned angrily. "They could have left some way for us to find us."
"I doubt anything of these hedgehogs will speak to me…" Nack answered. "We may have to split up and get information. As for me, I've got my own things to attend to here."
This sight did attract some attention; especially that of a hooded figure wandering the crowds. The figure was eyeing Rouge for reasons known only in his own mind. He began to follow the group as inconspicuously as possible, carefully noting their number, composition and apparent strength.
When he felt he had gathered enough data, he slipped into a side alley, and pulled out a crystal pendant from inside his cloak, and removed his hood. This fellow was a sky-blue hedgehog with three very long quills coming out of his head: one on top, and two on the back of his head and two hanging down. He had startling amethyst eyes as well that sparkled like Tahra's. But this was no ordinary cultist peon…it was Haishin, the emperor's son. Unbeknownst to his own people, Haishin had gladly sold himself to the forces of the Meteor Parasite in exchange for the power to get revenge against the girl who had shunned him. He knew she was here. He held the pendant to his ear and began to contact his superiors…
-- -- -- -- --
The battle against the bizarre foe that was Yakujo's ghost was not going well for Amy. The massive machine was flinging her around like a rag doll, and nearly smashed her flat a few times. The others were watching safely behind an energy barrier. The temple had suddenly gotten a lot larger when the battle started, which made the four hedgehogs wonder exactly what was going on.
Amy was assailed by hails of laser fire and missiles, and could barely keep her balance. The robot dashed up to Amy and grabbed her, holding her tight, and beginning to squeeze her hard.
"What's the matter, Ames? Giving up already?" Yakujo mocked. "Don't tell me this is all you can do?" He chuckled, and his voice changed…to a voice Amy recognized…the voice of her father, and it was mocking her. She could make out his image, disdainful of her.
"This is the result of Project Minerva? Ullundara was a failure…you can't even stand up to your brother! What a weakling you are."
Amy was now enraged. The voice of her father, the one who gave her life…she couldn't stand it. Thoughts of rage and revenge poured into her mind…she wanted to reach into that cockpit, grab her father's throat and snap his neck. But she knew it could never happen. As much as she hated him, the thought of killing her own parent was hateful…the thought of her hideous dragon form, corrupted by Ragozine, the source of her suffering, consuming her mother was sickening.
No…I can't let it happen to me…not like Sonic…there has to be some other way to win…
Then Amy got an idea…she had been relying on her Super form…she needed to switch tactics. In an attempt to bluff her brother, she pretended to faint. The machine quickly released its grip. Just before she could hit the ground, she switched to her Heroic form and took wing. Sonic was stunned by Amy's unusual form. He would have never guessed she would have a form such as this.
Impressive, Akuma thought. She recognizes that her Heroic and Super forms each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Amy immediately began shooting fireballs from her mouth, pounding the robot repeatedly. It began to stagger, and it seemed victory was at hand. Amy finally engaged the modified Bigfoot in melee. First she knocked the machine off its feet with a sweep kick, and then commenced to smash holes in its armor as it struggled to stand. In a matter of minutes, she had reduced the machine to bits. The ghost of her soldier brother floated from the machine's wreck, and seemed to be fading.
"Nice job, Ames. The hammer's all yours. As for me, I can finally rest in peace."
"Big brother…don't go"
"Take care of yourself Amy…and Shadow; do keep an eye on her, will you?"
Shadow nodded, and the ghost saluted military style as he faded away. The energy field dispersed, and the great hammer dropped to the floor. At last, Amy picked up the mighty sledge. It immediately gave her a rush of energy that was accompanied by a pleasant tingle. After giving it a few test swings which included a powerful downward swing that shook the entire room. Amy grinned. Mjolnir was nothing like her old Piko-Piko Hammer...with this, she felt unstoppable. Finally, she hefted the hammer onto her shoulder, turned to her companions, and gave a victory sign with her fingers.
"Nice job Amy…" Sonic said. "It looks good!"
"Do not be so confident, Amy Rose. You will not be able to tap into its full power until you have been sufficiently trained. But that is another matter…Shadow the Hedgehog, step forward and face your trial!"
Shadow did so willingly. To his horror, the visage of a young blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in a sky-blue dress appeared.
"Maria…I…I…I have to fight you!" Shadow gasped. He had contemplated this possibility, but he never thought it would come true.
"Somehow, I saw this coming…" Sonic said under his breath.
"Shadow…please, be strong. You've done so much for the world…and I have been unable to pass on to the spirit world. Like the brother of Amy, you must defeat me in the form I assume…"
"No! There HAS to be another way!" Shadow cried. "Akuma, please! Give me another opponent…even though she is a ghost, I dare not lay a finger on Maria!"
The Maria spirit started wagging her finger in a childish scolding manner. "Shadow…how could you be so immature…you hold on to me like a little baby."
"Everything I've done has been for you, Maria…"
Maria shrugged. "Well, maybe it's time you did something good for your own sake for once."
"For my own sake, huh? I'll do it in your memory, Maria…"
"Thank you, Shadow…now, will you face me?"
He donned the moon-motifed armor of his Heroic form and conjured the Chaos Edge. "I'll hold nothing back, Maria."
Masamune began to glow, and Maria began to shift form. In a flash of light, the form of Maria was changed into something far more intimidating: a six-armed, human-like entity, each arm holding a copy of Masamune. The head and hair remained in the shape of Maria's, but now her blue eyes had shifted to a disturbing shade of yellow that contrasted with the ochre body. The katanas gleaned in the light, and Shadow's test began…
-- -- -- -- --
For reasons unknown to them at first, Krynku's army stopped in the middle of their march. But their general knew all too well what was happening. The barrier that kept the city invisible to hyena eyes was down, but the city had at least ten other layers of defenses as ancient as the hills. He could crack them all with Hexedge without breaking a sweat, but he didn't feel like wasting the effort. He had an inside contact.
"Is everything ready, Haishin?" Krynku said to the emperor's son, who was ready to drop all ten shields at once.
"Everything's good to go. Just remember to tell your men to spare my life. I didn't work for four years with that hag Ilseah to have access to the inner sanctum just to lose it all to one of your own men. And try to keep those shadow creatures in line, too."
"What about those four hedgehogs Nazo mentioned?"
Haishin grinned before answering. "Akuma may have been the greatest warrior to have ever walked the earth, but he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. The fellow was far too eager to test those four."
"One question…how the hell do you know all this?"
"I have access to the temple's inner sanctum…that way, I can watch their every move in the Sacred Arms shrine via my pendant. It looks like the black and red one is doing battle now, and doing very well. He could be trouble."
"Akuma is serving our needs quite well, even though he doesn't know it."
"Just drop the shields already, so we can crush this damn city."
With a single mental command, Haishin dropped all the defenses of the city, leaving it wide open to attack by Krynku's dark army…but his plan did not go unnoticed. Someone burst into the sanctum…it was Nack, wielding his two favorite guns: heavy-looking black handguns with several red and blue buttons. The insignia of the Judgment, a shield with wings behind it, was inscribed onto each gun.
"Well, if it isn't little Haishin…who would have thought you'd sink so low as to betray your own people…especially for revenge."
Haishin was aghast. A weasel, the most inferior of all the races, had penetrated into the inner sanctum of the Emerald Light…for a moment, he forgot the fact that he was going to help bring it all down. Nack seemed to sense this.
"For what you're doing…the Law Givers have declared you guilty." He raised the two guns. "Set to lightning." He started firing off small orbs of lightning at a rapid pace, but Haishin quickly called forth one of the shadow creatures, which took a hit, but regenerated it. The traitorous hedgehog summoned nine more to his aid.
"So these are the souls that ripped out of the angels…except twisted and corrupted. I'll have no qualms against blowing these guys to bits…set to holy." The Law Givers, Nack's name for his handguns, beeped, and Nack began firing again, taking out the shadow creatures with greater ease. But still they came, and Haishin kept summoning more. Soon there were at least a hundred in the inner sanctum, and they began to swarm the armed weasel. Seeing that victory was obvious his, Haishin summoned yet another shadow creature, which grabbed onto him and pulled him into the darkness from whence it came.
In a blaze of light, Nack unleashed his full fury on the swarming souls, incinerating them with his favorite guns, and feathers from his wings flying everywhere. In several minutes, the whole group of shadows was either destroyed or retreated out of fear.
"Crap…I better find the others…"
-- -- -- -- -- --
"Well, Vera…looks like the party's gonna start soon…" Regal said as he looked down on the city he once called home from a high cliff. The army was advancing at a faster rate than before, and it looked like the city was preparing its extra defenses.
"Indeed," said Haishin who had appeared behind the two. "Greetings, Vera."
"Great to be working with you, old buddy," Regal replied cordially, but without looking at him. When he did, the red hedgehog jumped from surprise. He had never seen the shadow creature before. This particular one resembled a massive crocodile, at least twice as big as Vector, and had two dull yellow eyes and seemed to have wisps of black fog oozing out of it.
"Oh, I forgot…this fellow is my personal Dark Soul guardian. I can summon him whenever I please. This little fellow was quite powerful in life, at least before he was beaten by Nazo himself. Oh, and try rubbing that pendant for a little bit. Your special guardian should appear."
Regal looked at his crystal pendant and began rubbing it vigorously, and to his delight, a shadow creature came out. This one was smaller than Haishin's, but still quite large…it was a half-breed, a mix of echidna and armadillo, one who had met his end at the hands of angry echidnas.
"Eww…half-breed," Regal said with revulsion. "But beggars can't be choosers…"
"Those two are weak compared to mine," Vera bragged…she rubbed her crystal, and the same black fog began to pour out…
-- -- -- -- --
Me: Kingdom Hearts…TWOOOOOO!
Tahra: You don't even have a Playstation 2…
Me: Who cares! (grabs keyblade and waves it over head) Oh, and I joined Deviantart.
Sonic: Oh brother. Someone get the tranquilizer gun…
