Chapter 8
An hour later, Sonic had gotten his strength back, the venom no longer taking effect to his body. He sighed slowly as he sat up and looked at Shadow.
"How are you feeling?" The golden hedgehog asked him.
"Better." He sighs. "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, it's not your fault. It was the venom that weakened you."
"... Can we try looking for some new terrain?" Sonic asked him. "I just know that if we go to the first we're gonna get ambushed again. It's too early to go back to the lake again, and I don't feel like going to the desert again after… well…" He laid a hand unsurely over his stomach.
Shadow nodded. "Of course. There's gotta be something that we haven't discovered yet. Let's go."
Sonic nodded and they both stood up, walking in a new direction to find new locations.
They set off in search of new horizons, setting off from camp in a completely new direction than they've ever tried before. Away from the parts of Mareth they have thus far discovered, much of the world seems to be a barren wasteland, making even the desert seem healthy and full of life. Their trip soon begins to seem unproductive, having found no new areas of Mareth or any contact with its inhabitants.
"Perhaps there really is nothing else." Sonic sighs. "Let's go back to camp."
However, as they turn around to do so, Shadow soon catches the faintest glimpse of something in the distance!
"Wait, what's that?" He pointed.
Squinting, Sonic shields his eyes from the sun and try to discern the strange glint on the horizon, but it's simply too far away.
"Well, whatever it is, it certainly merits a check – it could be anything, perhaps a city, or even some demon enclave that needs destroying." Sonic exclaims excitedly.
"Well then, let's go check it out." Shadow encourages.
With a quick check of their fists, they begin the long trek towards the shimmer in the distance.
...
They finally close the distance between themselves and the strange structure, which begins to take shape ahead. Though it's half-buried under what must be years of built-up sand and debris, the hedgehogs can clearly make out high stone walls supported by vaulted arches, broken every so often by the shattered remains of stained-glass windows and a pair of utterly destroyed oaken doors nearly hidden behind a row of tall marble pillars, many of which have long since crumbled. High above the ground, a pair of tall, slender towers reach up to the heavens, one of which has been nearly obliterated by some unimaginably powerful impact, leaving it a stump compared to its twin. From the rooftops, strange shapes look down upon the Mobians – stone statues made in the image of demons, dragons, and other monsters.
"Wow." Sonic breathes out in awe. "So devastating… but so cool."
The two arrive at the grounds around the ruins, cordoned off by a waist-high wrought-iron fence that surrounds the building and what once might have been a beautiful, pastoral garden, now rotting and wilted, its trees chopped down or burned, twig-like bushes a mere gale's difference from being tumbleweeds. A few dozen tombstones outline the path to a gaping maw that was once the great wooden doors. Seeing no obvious signs of danger, the two make their way inside, stepping cautiously over the rubble and rotting debris that litters the courtyard.
It's quite dark inside, illuminated only by thin shafts of light streaming in from the shattered windows and sundered doors. A few dozen wooden pews, all either thrown aside and rotting or long-since crushed, lead up to a stone altar and an effigy of a great green tree, now covered in graffiti and filth. Stairs beside the altar lead up to the towers, and down to what must be catacombs or dungeons deep underground.
However, what most catches their eyes upon entering the sanctuary are the statues that line the walls. Beautifully carved gray stone idols of creatures, chimeras, and nearer to the altar, god-like beings, are each set into their own little alcove. Unfortunately most have been destroyed along with the cathedral, each lying in a pile of its own shattered debris; some having whole limbs or other extremities broken off and carried away by looters, leaving them mere shadows of their former glory.
All of them but one.
"Shadow, look at this one." Sonic calls to his companion.
Not evening noticing that the blue hedgehog had separated from him, Shadow turns to see Sonic standing in the farthest, darkest alcove with a single statue that still seems intact.
It is of a woman – well, more like a succubus than a human woman. Though posed in a low, predatory crouch, she would normally stand nearly six feet tall, hair sculpted to fall playfully about her shoulders. A pair of bat-like wings protruding from her back curl back to expose the lush, smooth orbs of her breasts, easily DD's on a human. A spiked, mace-like tail curls about her legs that are attached to the pedestal upon which she's placed. As they stand marveling at the statue's beauty, they cannot help but notice the slit of her pussy nearly hidden beneath her. Oddly, it seems to have been carved hollow so that one could easily stick a few fingers inside if they so choose.
"It's wrapped in chains." Shadow observed.
Sure enough, a pair of solid gold chains extend from the pedestal to her wrists, binding the statue. A plaque has been bolted to the pedestal, a feature not present on any of the other statues here. Leaning down, Sonic blows a sizable amount of dust from the plaque, revealing the following short inscription.
"Break my bonds to make me tame?" He reads aloud. He looks at Shadow curiously. "What does it mean by that?"
"I think it's like a genie in a bottle." Shadow shrugged. "Break the chains and she'll be your servant, I'm guessing."
"You mean this creature is alive?!" Sonic gasped, looking back at the statue.
"Only once you break her free."
Sonic looked back at the statue. He supposed he could break the chains on the statue. But who knows what will happen if he does?
"Should I… should I do it?" Sonic asked the other uncertainly.
Shadow shrugged. "Maybe you should. Maybe she can help us."
"I suppose." Sonic frowned. "... I'm gonna do it."
Sonic revs up a spindash and strikes at the chains.
"OW! Dammit, that hurt!" He yelled once he bounced back, a nice little cut in his head now.
"Idiot." Shadow hissed as he took a look at the wound. "What the hell were you thinking!?"
"I thought that would work." Sonic explains through his hissing. He looked back at the girl. "Looks like I still got some results."
Suddenly, an ear-splitting SCHING! echoes through the cathedral as shards of gold go flying. The boys recoil, shielding their face from the surprisingly explosive force of the chains' shattering. When the dust settles, they cautiously lower their arms, giving them a good view of what lies – or rather, kneels – before them.
"Holy shit."
The gargoyle has stepped down from her pedestal, and now kneels as a supplicant before a king, forehead near the ground and weight rested upon her stone knuckles even as her massive wingspan unfolds behind her and her mace-like tail swishes rapidly behind her. Slowly, the gargoyle raises her head to gaze upon them, her now ruby-red eyes staring into theirs. Her smooth, nippleless breasts heave, once-stone hair falling forward in strands, fringing her smooth, angular face. Her thin, gray lips slowly curl into a small, sultry smile as she says, just on the edge of hearing...
"Masters. My... Masters."
The two glance at each other, then over their shoulders, but there's no one else here.
"Are you referring to us?" Sonic asks her cautiously.
The girl nods. "What would you have of this one, Masters?" she asks, looking up at them expectantly.
"Um… what are you, exactly?"
"I am your humble servant, Masters. Your tool. Your plaything. Your toy. Ask, and I shall obey." She seems to pause for a moment, and adds in an emotionless whisper, "this one would be honored to pleasure the Masters, if they desire."
That raised more questions than it answered.
"What is your name?" Shadow asked her.
"I... I am... I simply am. What would my Masters call me?"
The two hedgehogs looked at each other, then back at the girl. Suddenly, they quickly turn their back on her and whisper to each other.
"She doesn't have a name." Sonic gasped.
"She expects us to name her." Shadow nodded.
"Yes but what would we call her?"
"Well…" Shadow looked back at the creature. "She is a gargoyle succubus. Maybe something related to that?"
"Suki." Sonic smiled. "That's a cute name for her, right?"
Shadow smiled. "Suki it is then."
With that, the two turned back around and smiled at the girl.
"Ok." Shadow announced, causing her to look up at him. "My friend and I have discussed it..."
"And we've decided to call you Suki." Sonic beamed friendly at her.
"Suki," she purrs, "Suki, Suki. My Masters have interesting taste."
She continues to kneel before them expectantly, making them feel a little uncomfortable.
"Are we… are we supposed to give her an order?" Sonic whispers to Shadow.
"I guess so." Shadow frowned. "Or we could just… try to talk to her."
"Talking sounds better." Sonic nods, then looks at the girl. "Why were you chained up?" he asks, glancing at the shattered bonds on the ground.
"Master found a new toy and soon grew tired of me. Still, she did not want me stolen."
"Your last master?" Shadow asked curiously.
"That is correct."
"Who was. . . she?"
"She was. . . Master."
"Fine," Shadow sighed. Apparently she doesn't want to tell of her last master, and he doesn't feel like pressing the issue just yet. "In that case, what happened here?"
Suddenly, Suki breaks the stare and looks away, as if in shame. "The demons' doom that even now blights Mareth took its toll here, too. The people of a town no longer here believed they were safe under Marae's roof. Protected. Their faith was. . . Misplaced."
Sonic can't help but feel sorry for the poor gargoyle. It isn't hard to figure out what happened, and in truth, she reminds him a bit of himself – and of the consequences if he ever fails.
The blue hedgehog reaches over and puts a hand on her smooth, cold shoulder.
"I am Sonic, the Champion of Mobius." He explains as reassuring as he can. "My duty isn't entirely dissimilar to what yours was, and while I hope I'll never know what you've gone through, I can certainly sympathize."
Suki looks up at Sonic, her ruby-red eyes shining in the dim hit of light in the cathedral. Sonic cups her cheek and gives her a smile.
"Come on, now," he replies, offering her a hand up. "Let's get out of here."
"Master. . . I cannot." she says, again looking away from Sonic. "Please, do not ask that of me. I. . . I am still bound to this place. Please, Master. I shall never ask anything of you again. Please."
Sonic looks sadly at her and slowly nods.
"Will you be alright here?" Shadow asks her.
She gives him a little smile and says, "Of course, Master. Especially if... if you two return. You will return, Masters? Won't you?" She looks deeply into their eyes and huskily purrs, "I can make it... pleasurable... if you do..."
"We would never ask that of you." Sonic chuckles, rustling her hair a bit. "Shadow already has himself a girlfriend in this world."
"She's not my girlfriend." Shadow blushes darkly, crossing his arms and looking down shyly.
"I guess you're right, she's your baby mama." Sonic sneers playfully at him, which earns him a sharp punch to the arm. "Ow!"
"But anyway, you can rest assure, Suki, we will return." Shadow nods to the gargoyle.
With that, the two hedgehogs turn to leave and return to camp.
