SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
Armand © SupergamerGreg79
Chapter Fifty-Seven: Eye of the Tiger
The scene opens up at night in the most populated city in the world, Station Square. The western side of the city was still under repairs from the battle between Nazo and Shadic. But despite that, there was nothing more peaceful than the starry night sky. But near the Station Square Museum, the peace was destroyed by an ominous black cloud slipping through the windows. Once inside, the black cloud shaped its form until Erazor Djinn was found standing in its place. Erazor grinned malevolently as he slowly approached his target. It was a small blue glass sphere with a perfect clear crystal floating in the center.
"At last." Erazor murmured. "The Heart of Nix. For years, these foolish humans have kept it as an artifact for display; unaware of what true power it possesses. I must truly thank Lord Nazo for finding this power item."
"And we have to thank you for talking so long."
Just as Erazor reached for the glass sphere, a silver flash passed him, cutting deep into the back of his hand. When the dark genie looked over, Howl was sheathing his sword. He turned around and ducked down just in time to avoid Rector's flying kick. Before the genie realized it, Marine and Raine had him trapped from one side while Rector and Howl had him trapped by the other. Marine, who was slowly learning her powers, shot a minuscule green blast at Erazor, but the djinn crushed it easily within his hand. Erazor pulled out his razor blade just as Howl unsheathed his sword and took a swing at him. They were both equally matched, but Erazor knew Howl was the better swordsman. Lucky for him, Raine threw a cloud of powder into the air, giving the djinn to step away. When the powder disappeared, Howl was paralyzed in place.
"I–can't move!" Howl strained.
"Sorry, Howl!" Raine said worriedly.
"What did you do to him, mate?" Marine asked, poking at Howl's stiff body.
"All his nerves have been stopped." Raine explained "I guess that was a bad time to test my paralysis powder."
"It was a poor choice to challenge me." Erazor said, Sphere in hand. "Did you really think you could defeat me?"
"Yeah, that's my job!"
The voice was entirely new to anyone in the room. All for combatants searched the dark room of the museum, but was completely unaware of where the voice had radiated from. Just then, a shadowed figured jumped from the ceiling and snatched the Heart of Nix right out of Erazor's hand.
"Show-off." Rector glared.
"Who in Ifrit's name are you?" Erazor questioned.
As the moonlight began to form from the windows, the shadow figure became clear to the others. He was a purple tiger with black stripes, looked roughly around seventeen. He wore a blue vest, blue slacks, black shoes, and black fingerless gloves. And on his wrist was a silver object that looked similar to a high-tech watch.
"I am Armand Novak the Tiger." Armand said proudly. "You probably heard of my father, Tobias Novak the Tiger."
"Never heard of him." The others stated; Armand facefaulted.
"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that." Armand murmured.
"As a loyal member of the Dark Rulers, I order you to surrender the Heart of Nix!" Erazor commanded.
"You'll have to pry it from my cold dead claws." Armand smirked.
"With pleasure." Armand said deviously.
Erazor whipped out his razor blade and made a dive for the newcomer. Armand, with amazing acrobatic skills, effortlessly flipped over the djinn's head and kicked off the back of it. Erazor ran into a podium, infuriated at the tiger already, as Armand gracefully landed on his feet. As Erazor stepped up, Armand pointed his wrist watch forward and pressed one of the many buttons. Suddenly, a laser net formed from out of nowhere, aimed for Erazor. Unfortunately, Rector was trying to catch Erazor from behind, but was pinned to the wall by the net when Erazor jumped to the side. Erazor breathed out a torrent of fire, but Armand blocked it with a laser shield from his watch.
"Is that really the best you got?" Armand said victoriously.
"Not really." Erazor said behind Armand.
By the time Armand had realized it, Erazor Djinn had kicked him to the wall. The tigers head slammed hard into the wall, leaving him temporarily dazed. But that was all Erazor need for him to let go of the Heart of Nix. Armand dropped the glass sphere and could only stare as it gently rolled to Erazor's feet.
"Foolish feline." Erazor chuckled, picking up the sphere. "Did you really think your technology could defeat my magic?"
"Why don't we find out?" Armand said, holding out his watch. "Try this on for size. MEGA LASER!!"
Despite all impossibilities, a large red beam of light erupted from the end of Armand's watch. Even in the face of such massive power, Erazor did not seem threatened by the attack. And at the last second, Erazor faded into a cloud of black smoke and effortlessly evaded the laser. Armand's laser destroyed the eastern wall of the museum, allowing Erazor to slip free.
"Ok, maybe that wasn't such a smart move." Armand said sheepishly. He turned to Raine. "By the way, I never asked who you guys were."
"We're Team Virtex." Raine introduced. "I am Raine and these are my friends: Marine, Howl, and our leader, Rector."
"Hey, I know you guys." Armand said. "Your friends with the Sonic Heroes. Do you think you could get me Blaze's number.
For some strange, unknown reason, Silver was walking around the city and heard Armand through the hole in the wall. He levitated a random pot and tossed it at Armand's head. The tiger fell and Silver ran away with a cheer of victory.
"That was random." Raine said.
"Well, that's just great." Rector sneered, ripping the net that trapped him. "Because of your screw-up, Erazor got away."
"Excuse me, MY screw-up." Armand glared. "If it wasn't for me, you guys would be dead."
"We were doing just fine without you!" Rector flared.
The red hedgehog and the purple tiger glared at one another; sparks of battle radiating from their eyes. Armand looked away for a moment when he found Marine poking, pulling, and even biting at his watch. Armand finally pulled his hand away when the curious raccoon pulled out a hacksaw.
"What are you doing?" Armand asked hesitantly.
"Just trying to see how it does those cool things, mate." Marine said eagerly.
"Yeah, I've never seen technology like that since Metal Sonic." Raine said, healing Howl.
"I don't really know where it came from." Armand admitted. "It was a gift from my dad. It may looks small but it holds a ton of things: Radio, maps, weapons, lasers, and even serves low calories snacks. The only thing it can't do is tell time."
"It can't tell time?" Marine repeated.
"There was no more room for the clock." Armand shrugged.
"Look, you watch is very impressive." Rector said sarcastically. "But unless it can tell us why Erazor to that thing..."
"Actually, it can." Armand stated. "That artifact is called the Heart of Nix. Nix was a legendary spirit that controlled water at will. After she passed on to the spirit realm, she left behind her heart to a human she once loved. With her heart, the man was able to peacefully bend the waters until it disappeared. Whoever controls the heart controls the waters of the world."
"That sounds awesome, mate!" Marine shouted happily. Imagine what a captain like myself could do with it."
"But first, we would need to get it back from Erazor." Rector said.
"And that's what I intend to do." Armand said, jumping through the hole in the wall. "I guess I'll see ya around sometime."
And with that, Armand disappeared into the night.
"Well, now what do we do?" Howl asked, finally able to move.
"Let's think for a moment." Raine said thoughtfully; the males mimicked her, but Marine was staring into space. "If Erazor stole the artifact, he must be using it to control the water."
"But Erazor isn't one to think small." Howl stated. "If that genie wants to do any damage, he would need to find a large amount of water."
"And there is only one place that can hold that much water." Rector said.
"Soleanna!" The trio exclaimed.
"Hey, isn't that the museum keeper guy that hates you so much." Marine pointed.
Upon hearing what Marine said, the founding members of Team Virtex slowly turned around. They were unfortunate to find the museum curator, the guy who gave them their first job, staring open mouthed at the hole Armand created. The curator had hated Virtex for destroying his museum the first time and he was not happy to see them this time.
"You'll pay for this!" The Curator yelled.
"Run for it!" Rector screamed.
The scene alters to the next day at the City of Water, Soleanna. The princess of the city, Princess Elise, was walking down the street, surrounded by guards, making her way to the docks. She and her advisor were to set sail for a business conference with the Queen of South Island, Aleena the Hedgehog. But in all honesty, Elise would rather be anywhere else than princess duties. Elise walked up the plank of a long white boat and sighed in annoyance.
"Do we have to go?" Elise moaned, taking her seat.
"Princess!" The advisor exclaimed. "You must remember your duties to Soleanna. It is crucial that we complete this business transaction between our two countries. South Island is recognized as the..."
"As the largest resource trader in the world." Elise said monotone. "I already know all this. But can't we skip the boring meeting and do something interesting for once?"
"So you want interesting, huh?"
Elise gasped and jumped from her seat. She looked back and found Erazor standing in the middle of the group of defeated guards. Underneath his arm was the glass sphere, the Heart of Nix.
"Who are you?" The advisor asked shakily.
"I am Erazor Djinn." Erazor announced. "A founding member of the Dark Rulers."
"I heard of you." Elise said bravely; the adviser cowardly abandoned ship. "Jet warned me about you. What do you want?"
"I originally intended to take this city by force." Erazor grinned wickedly. "But since you wanted something interesting, it would only be courteous of me to provide it."
Erazor lifted the Heart of Nix to the air and started chanting ominously. Suddenly, the calm ocean began swirling and lashing in every direction before coming together in one solitary place. Slowly, the water began to rise over the city, forming into the shape of a monstrous beast. It's body looked similar to that of a dinosaur, but the head resembled a piranha.
"What have you done?" Elise gasped.
"This is the true power of Nix." Erazor said proudly. "And with it, this city will belong to Lord Nazo."
"Wanna bet on it!"
Out of nowhere, a massive red laser beam flew out and exploded at the water demons leg. The demon's leg evaporated from the blast, sending the monster crashing back into the ocean. Erazor easily recognized the attack from yesterday and looked to the roof of the buildings to see Armand. The purple tiger bounced off the roof and landed on the boat between Erazor and Elise.
"Don't you ever know when to quit?" Erazor asked irritably.
"Sorry, that's really not my style." Armand smirked, looking back to Elise. "Don't worry, princess. I won't let anything happen to you."
"And how do you intend to defeat me?" Erazor questioned.
"Hey, I already beat your little sea monster." Armand pointed.
"Oh, did you now?" Erazor grinned.
All of a sudden, a tendril of water emerged from the ocean and grasped Armand by his ankle. Armand was lifted upside-down into the air and watched as the water demon resurrected itself; its leg repaired. Armand tried to reach for his watch, but the water demon had already flung him across the city and into the city central plaza. Armand crashed into the fountain, sending the surrounding citizens into a panic. While the civilians scattered in random directions, the water demon made its approach. Erazor grabbed Elise and dragged her to the roof of a nearby building to watch the fight. The water demon swung down its claw, but Armand pressed a button on his watch. The button activated a booster that allowed the tiger to move quicker. Armand effortlessly dodged the demon's attacks, but did not see where he was going until he hit a wall.
"I'm going to feel that one in the morning." Armand groaned.
"Please, stop this!" Elise pleaded to the djinn.
"You can save your sobs." Erazor said. "It is only a matter of time until the darkness envelopes this city." Erazor holds out the Heart of Nix to the water demon. "Now, my servant, send this feline to the next world!"
The water demon, bound by the powers of the Heart of Nix, willingly obeyed the evil genie. The monster gazed down at its prey and snapped its frozen teeth on Armand. Just when it seemed over, a miniature tornado appeared out of nowhere in Armand's defense. As the tornado passed by, the water demon found all of it's frozen teeth cut clean. As it landed, the tornado disappeared and Howl was found with his sword held out.
"Strike of Bushido: Air Cut!" Howl yelled.
"What is this?!" Erazor exclaimed.
Before he realized it, Rector came up and kicked Erazor to the side of the face. The dark genie was sent crashing into the ground while Marine pulled the princess to safety. Back with Armand, Raine flew up to him and forced a vial of green liquid down his throat. A moment later, Armand found himself completely rejuvenated.
"Whoa, now that has some kick!" Armand said eagerly.
"Heads up, guys." Rector said, landing between the two. "We're not out of the woods yet."
True to his word, Erazor crawled out of the pit Rector made for him; the Heart of Nix clutched in his hand.
"You filthy creatures have pestered me long enough!" Erazor yelled furiously, holding the glass sphere to the water monster. "Hear me, my servant! Obey your master's wishes and kills those who dare hinder me!"
The water demon roared in obedience and brought down its claws upon its prey. Rector and Raine jumped in one direction as Armand went the other. The techno tiger flipped backwards and pressed a button on his watch that formed a blue laser sword from his wrist. At the same time, Howl glanced at Armand, both coming to a silent agreement. Armand raced forward and cut one of the legs, attracting the demons attention. As the water demon reached back with its claw, Howl came up and cut the claw down the middle. Howl crouched down to let Armand jump of and run up the demon's arm. Armand took a swing at the demon's head and cut across its face. Unfortunately, when Armand landed, both swordsmen found that the demon regenerated all the wounds they created.
"What?!" Armand groaned loudly. "After all that, we did nothing?!"
"It is made of water." Howl stated. "I didn't really expect it to do anything."
"Then why did we do it in the first place?!" Armand screamed.
"Don't worry, mates!" Marine yelled as she ran back. "You captain is back to save the day!"
"Your not our captain!" Team Virtex roared.
"Geez, tough crowd." Marine muttered.
Using what little skills she knew, Marine shot two green orbs directly into the demon's eye. The monster wasn't affected by the feeble attack, but found it to be irritating. The water demon shifted its gaze to the raccoon that attacked him and opened its mouth to release a torrent of rushing water. Marine knew she wouldn't be fast enough to avoid it. Luckily, Armand came to the rescue and carried Marine out from the danger.
"You ok?" Armand asked kindly.
"Thanks, mate." Marine smiled. "I guess you not a loud-mouthed, Tony the Tiger wannabe like Rector said."
"WHAT DID HE CALL ME?!" Armand roared furiously.
But Marine had no time to go into further details as the water demon loomed over them. It snapped its refrozen jaws down on both of them, but suddenly stopped short. It's head turned back to its tail and found Rector holding it back by sheer strength.
"You are getting way too personal." Rector strained.
Much to Armand's amazement, Rector took a firm grip on the water demon's tail and flung the monster over his shoulder. The red hedgehog threw the beast down to the ground, flooding the city streets within a five mile radius. Howl stood at the top of a flag pole, Raine flew over the water, and Marine stood on Armand's head and he swam to the nearest roof top.
"I think I'll wait on the chat with Rector for a while." Armand said, pulling himself out of the water.
Armand shook his fur loose of any water as Rector leapt across the roof tops toward them.
"Is everyone ok?" Rector asked courteously.
"A little wet, but we're ok, mate." Marine said cheerfully.
"Especially since I did all the swimming." Armand grimaced. "And I don't even like swimming."
"We better get to the palace to make sure the princess is ok." Rector suggested.
"I believe you have other matters to deal with."
It was Armand who was the first to discover Erazor's sudden appearance as the dark djinn appeared in front of him. Since Armand was the one who annoyed him the most, he was Erazor's first target. He whipped out his razor blade and swung it across Armand's chest. Armand flinched from the pain when he realized something: the blade never touched him. It only took a moment before he noticed that Rector had jumped in front of him to take the hit.
"What did you do that for?" Armand gasped.
"Don't sound so ungrateful." Rector joked. "I don't know why I did it, but I just felt I had to."
"But you could die." Armand said fearfully.
"I'm not afraid." Rector coughed. "Just make sure to take care of Marine."
Rector fell backward, but Armand caught him before hit the cement. Marine was enraged at the genie for attacking her friend and started swiping at his wildly. Unfortunately, she was too short and weak; Erazor held out his foot to keep her back. But Armand to the blow the hardest. It brought back painful memories of his father.
"When dad died, I made a promise I wouldn't let that happen to anyone else." Armand thought. "I'm not going to break that promise."
"Stop your sniveling, feline." Erazor cackled. "This is only the beginning of your troubles." Erazor held out the Heart of Nix, commanding the water to reform into the water demon. "Now, my servant, finish him!"
"The water demon complied and swiped at Armand and the fallen hedgehog. Armand pressed a button on his watch and jumped away at swift speed. As Armand continually dodged the beasts claws while carry Rector, he began to think. The water demon would regenerate after every attack, making it impossible to defeat. And Erazor was in complete control as long as he held the Heart of Nix. What a minute...That's it!
"I only got one shot at this." Armand muttered, grabbing Rector by the scruff of his neck. "Sorry about this, buddy." Suddenly, Armand tossed Rector into the air and reached for a button on his watch. "MEGA LASER!!"
Like the times before, the watch ejected a massive red laser beam. The water demon was unaffected by the laser and willingly allowed it to phase through its body.
"Haven't you learned by now!" Erazor laughed. "Your weapons cannot defeat my servant."
"Who said I was aiming for your pet." Armand grinned.
Erazor stared at the tiger in confusion before he realized what he meant. The laser that phased through the demon was meant for him, more specifically, the Heart of Nix. Armand caught Rector and made a quick grab for Marine before the blast hit. As the laser made contact with the Heart of Nix, the glass sphere and crystal exploded into a thousands pieces. The water demon groaned in pain before reverting to its original form, floor the city streets again. Armand landed not far from the blast and noticed a black cloud escaping from the explosion.
"He got away." Armand growled.
"But at least you saved the day." Marine said cheerfully.
"Yeah, I guess I did." Armand smiled. "Dad, I hope your proud of me."
"I am, son." A voice replied.
A few hours later, the city workers were removing the last of the running water from the streets. Thanks to the random monster attack and city flood, Elise was forced to cancel her trip to South Island. Elise tried to act disappointed, but there was no hiding her joy. She was so happy that she paid Team Virtex in gold; Rector nearly had a heart attack. Armand was out near the dock, watching as the sun set across the horizon. Team Virtex, including the bandaged Rector, walked up to him.
"So, got any ideas on what you're going to do next?" Raine asked.
"I'm not really sure." Armand said honestly. "I guess I'll just go look for my friends, Axel and Basil."
"If you ever need a place to stay, our door is always open." Howl stated.
Armand nodded in appreciation. He turned his gaze to Rector, who stared back. For a moment, it looked like the two were ready for another round. But then the held out their hands and shook them respectively. As Rector pulled his hand away, Armand found a silver medal in his hand. It had Rector's kanji's, Strength and Heart, tattooed into the metal.
"What's this?" Armand asked.
"Consider it a membership badge." Rector said. "From now on, you are an official member of Team Virtex."
"Hey, thanks, man." Armand grinned happily.
"You better come back soon, mate." Marine said.
"Don't worry, we'll see each other again soon." Armand stated. "After all, it's never really good-bye."
Armand walked past the group, waving his hand to them. Team Virtex returned the wave, knowing that Armand would come back to visit someday.
The scene alters to quaint little land of South Island. It was nighttime, so no one could see the Heartless serpent, Naga, slithering his way along the beach. It's been fifteen years since he had set foot on this Island and it brought back so many memories. Naga stopped suddenly near the lapping waves and hissed in the cruelest fashion.
"Did you intend to kill me when I wasn't looking?" Naga hissed.
Naga's gaze shifted over his shoulder and stared at the newcomer. He was a black hedgehog with raggedy brown going up his limbs and quills. His pitch black eyes were enough to scare even Mephiles. He wore white gloves, three different belts: red, blue, and green; and white boots with blue outlines. Attached to his belt numerous different colored rings.
"Why did you call me here?" The hedgehog questioned seriously.
"I am in need of your assistance." Naga hissed. "I simply need you to do me a little job."
"Forget it." The hedgehog spat. "I have other matters to deal with."
"Still searching for your light?" Naga chuckled. "I wouldn't think it would be that difficult to find one rat."
"What do you know?" The hedgehog glared.
"If you want to find your light, you'll have to do as I say." Naga hissed. "I helped you escape from that prison, but I can also help put you back. Do you think you can exist, knowing that he is using your darkness for all the wrong purposes?"
"What do you want, Naga?" The hedgehog growled.
"Patience." Naga said pleasingly. "Your time will come soon enough, Orion."
A new friend joins Team Virtex: Armand! Will Armand ever return to Team Virtex? What is Naga's latest plan? And who is the mysterious Orion? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
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