SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
Part 3 of 3: The Bat Colony Saga
Chapter Ninety-Four: Legends of Blood, Part 3
The scene returns to the central cavern of the Bat Colony's hidden sanctuary. With the unlikely help of Rogue, the collective Heroes were able to temporarily remove Siren and Phantom from the problem. Knuckles, Charmy, Storm, and Omega sluggishly raced up the stairway with the double-crossing bat – they were still weak from the fight. They finally reached the last step of the stairway, which brought them back to the heart of catacombs. Rogue and the Heroes pressed themselves against the walls in any case that the other members of the Colony were looking for them. But surprisingly, the cavern was silent.
"It's quite in here." Storm murmured; his voice unknowingly echoed. "Wow, that is creepy."
"Is this supposed to be a good or a bad thing?" Knuckles asked the bat.
"It depends on the situation." Rogue said statistically. "In some cases, this would mean that the other soldiers are gone, leaving us with a window of opportunity to escape. But Commander Syix was always the cautious one." His ears twitched, searching for noises. "In case you somehow overcame the Elite Soldiers, the Commander would have put extra reinforcements."
"Then where is everyone?" Knuckles asked.
"Uh...guys?" Charmy called shakily.
The young bee was near the edge of the level, looking down into the pit below. The other members glanced at one another before stepping closer to the edge with the youngest member. Since they were already on the lowest level of the cavern, they had the best view of the pit, but Omega used his eyes to add extra light. At that moment, most of the Heroes wished he hadn't. They had discovered the missing Bat Colony, but it wasn't how they had expected. Nearly every member of the Colony was lying in a pile – their skin clinging to their bones with a look of shock or horror on their expression. Storm and Charmy backed away to the wall with the other looked on in shock.
"W-what happened to them?" Knuckles stammered frightfully.
"Thermal sensors detect no heat from bat species!" Omega informed. "Unit confirms that all creatures are dead!"
"Dead?" Rogue repeated shockingly. "But how? I came by this passageway only ten minutes ago." He hesitantly stared at his fallen brethren. "What could kill at entire colony so fast?"
"Allow me to shed some light."
Rogue and the Heroes jumped backwards at the tone of the voice, feeling a slight chill run down their spines. The group snapped their focus two levels above them, where they spotted a lone survivor. A tall and lean-looking white bat with silky, night-black wings gazed down upon them with his piercing golden eyes. He wore a blood-red cloak around his waist, tied by a violet belt, scarlet gloves with golden ring bracelets, and silver tribal necklace around his neck. While the unknown survivor smirked devilishly at them, it was Knuckles who noticed the character he was carrying behind him.
"Rouge!!" Knuckles yelled.
"So that's her a name." The bat said smoothly; bring his female prisoner into view. "I was wonder what the name of my savior was and now I have an answer." He stoked the female's check softly. "Thank you, Rouge."
"Keep your filthy hands off her!!" Rogue screamed angrily.
"If you insist." The bat shrugged.
Without a hint of concern, the unknown survivor tossed his prisoner into the pit. Because she was unconscious at the moment, the impact of the fall would most likely cause severe damage. Fortunately, Rogue extended his wings and glide beneath his crush to catch her safely in his arms. He drifted backwards to the rest of the group, never lifting his gaze from the cruel beast, and landed back on the floor. He handed Rogue back to Omega before glaring at the unknown bat.
"What was that for?!" Storm screamed. "Who do you think you are?!"
"It's about time someone asked." The bat sighed with relief. "To answer your question, my name is Alucard the Bat."
"A-Alucard?" Rogue repeated; his eye wide in terror.
"You know this guy?" Charmy asked curiously.
"There have been countless legends made of Alucard the Bat." Rogue explained, not allowing his gaze to drift. "They say he was the first leader of the Bat Colony. He conquered many lands within the shadows, both by force and legal action. And within three years time, he had complete control of the world." He shivered slight as he continued. "He was especially known for his cruelty and lust for consuming blood. The humans created a horror symbol called Dracula, who was modeled after Alucard himself."
"You mean this guy is Dracula?!" Storm squeaked, pulling Charmy in front.
"But if that's true, then why is he alive." Knuckles said as he raised his fists.
"There must have been some method to reviving him." Rogue hypothesized. "This must have been the secret weapon that General Rynod hid away all this time."
"He didn't hide me away." Alucard said malevolently. "He discovered me." He chuckled lightly at the confusion on their expressions. "Perhaps to clear up this matter, a little story would be best suited."
"Yay! Story!" Charmy clapped happily; the Heroes sweat-dropped.
"You see, it all began on our former home called Parasiden." Alucard began. "The Highest One and his brother had completed in the creation of the universe. But the only thing that was missing was life to fill it with. So, they united in creating the first eight species: hedgehog, echidna, fox, rabbit, hawk, cat, human, and bat. These first eight gifted with eternal life to watch over the world as it grew and thus were given a proper name: The Immortal Eight."
"Those species..." Knuckles thought. "Is it just a coincidence?"
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how much the Sonic Heroes resembled the group he was told. Sonic and the other represented the hedgehogs, he and Tikal of the echidnas, Tails and Aura of the foxes, Cream of the rabbit, Jet of the hawk, and Blaze of the cat. Though it was still up for debate, Kadaj and Rai could be considered taking the place of the humans and the position of the bat was definitely filled by Rouge. Was there some twist of fate behind the gathering?
"I was the Immortal Bat of the eight." Alucard continued uninterrupted. "As such, my brothers and sisters were to be used as lab rats for the Highest One's experiment. When he was satisfied, he used us to mold the other species that soon came into existence. But there was a small problem."
"Corruption...." Rogue said shortly.
"Correct." Alucard nodded. "The humans seemed to control a large number of the world populace and natural thought themselves to be superior. The Immortal Human sided with them and defected from the eight. And shortly following, the Immortal Echidna desired power for himself and defected as well. Soon enough, the only ones who hadn't left the Immortal Eight were the Immortal Hedgehog, the Immortal Cat, and the Immortal Rabbit."
"That would explain where Pachacamac and Ix gained their ambition." Knuckles said lowly.
"Logic dictates that the Babylonians were tempted by the original species!" Omega theorized aloud. "And the foxes own hatred and malice were most likely laid the foundation for the creation of the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
"Precisely." Alucard nodded. "The Immortal Hawk only cared about material possessions and the Immortal Fox grew stronger from the malice created from the ongoing wars. And then there was me – I was hungry."
"Hungry?" Charmy repeated strangely.
"The Highest One made a mistake in my creation." Alucard explained. "When I was created, I was given a slight flaws – I was always famished. And now matter how much food I consumed, I would always be hungry. But just as I was about to surrender hope, I tasted the sweet delicacy of blood." He moaned pleasurably; the heroes groaned nervously. "Such a sweet taste – I needed to have more. It was the only thing that could satisfy my hunger. And being immortal, I joined the war and devoured my fill."
"And then you were captured." Rogue said bluntly.
"And by my own son, no less." Alucard growled. "Only those who share my blood can truly kill me. That was the weakness all of the Immortal Eight shared. When this was discovered, all the Immortals were killed by there children. The three that had good intentions requested it. But I was not ready to give up so easily. I fought back long enough until they were forced to seal me away. And then I waited until my true heir returned to free me. And thus, I stand before you today."
"And the Bat Colony?" Knuckles questioned.
"They made an excellent meal." Alucard said, liking his lips. "I took them all out in a matter of minutes. I was planning to save Rouge for desert, which means the rest of you are on the menu."
"Good luck with that!" Knuckles growled.
"Yeah, you'll never beat us!!" Charmy shouted confidently.
"Is that so?" Alucard smirked as he rested his hands on Knuckles and Rogue's shoulder. The heroes were frozen with fear – the malevolent immortal appeared between them. "Well, I do consider it rude to play with my meal, but I can make an exception."
"That's impossible." Rogue thought fearfully. "I didn't even see him move."
"I've never felt such killer intent." Knuckles shivered. "Not even Nazo gives off this kind of evil."
Both heroes could distinctively hear Alucard's menacing hisses close to their ears, paralyzing them in their place. The Immortal Bat looked between the two, trying to decide who would be his first victim. Eventually, he came to the decision to make Rogue his next target. Alucard exposed his sharpened fangs beneath his maw and moved closer to the remaining member of his species before he heard something click. And before he even had a chance to look back, the Immortal Bat was blasted forward and tossed into the pit below. A sense of relief washed over the two as they both looked back to Omega – who was holding both turrets to where Alucard once stood – Rouge rested against the wall.
"That...was...close." Rogue panted heavily; sweat dripped from his forehead.
"I've never been so close to death before." Knuckles said, equally shaken. "Thanks for the help, Omega."
"My programming prevents me from experiencing fear!" Omega stated, reloading his guns. "The situation calls for my inclusion for I cannot be controlled by emotions!"
"You are an interesting one." Alucard said as he landed on the robot's back. "I must say, it has been centuries since anyone has come that close to injuring me. And seeing as how I cannot instill fear in your heart, you'll have to be dealt with."
The vampire immortal exposed his pointed fangs and snapped them closed on Omega's shoulder. On normal occasions, Alucard's fangs have been known to pierce steel armor. But Omega's entire structure was made from reinforced titanium, making it impossible for the dark immortal to make a scratch. And by the time Alucard had realized this; Storm had broken from his frozen state and slammed his fist into the bat's cheek. The malevolent immortal was tossed backwards into the wall, crushing the rocky surface behind him.
"Hmm...these infantile trespassers are more resourceful than I had imagined." Alucard mused, pulling himself out of the stone wall. "Or perhaps I'm not taking them seriously enough."
"How do you like that, Mr. vampire guy?!" Charmy mocked lamely. "Yeah, we're gonna kick your butt!"
"Charmy, don't insult the immortal murderer." Knuckles said warningly.
"Why not?" Charmy asked.
"Because you might live longer if you don't."
The young bee turned and stiffened – Alucard was directly in front of him.
The scene alternates to the base of the mountain, close to the lakeshore where the Heroes has started. With a powerful bang, the mountainside exploded in a shower of dust and dirt. Storm and Rogue were spotted flying backwards into the trees while Knuckles and Omega landed with their backs against the ground. Each of the latter two was carrying someone – Omega with Rouge and Knuckles with Charmy. The female bat was still out cold and Charmy seemed to have passed out in fright. Shaking his head disappointedly, the crimson echidna hung the bee out of sight so that he wouldn't be in the way.
"Everyone all right?!" Knuckles called.
"All systems operational!" mega proclaimed, resting Rouge against a tree. "Subject Rouge seems to be safe from any harm."
"Your bird friend is all right, too." Rogue stated as he landed between the two. "Unfortunately, he hit his head on a rock and seems to have blacked out. I hid him in a bush to keep him safe from attack."
"But is anyone really safe?" Alucard called from within the cave. "After all, my hunger has yet to be satisfied."
"Well, good luck with that." Rogue smirked, much to Knuckles confusion. "Everyone knows that vampires can't stand sunlight. The moment you step outside, this area will be lit with fireworks."
There was a long pause with the Heroes watching the Immortal Bat victoriously. Everyone knew the legends and with the sun at its highest point of the day, there was no way Alucard could reach them. But the malevolent immortal merely smirked at their feeble attempts. Slowly, Alucard stepped out the hole and exposed himself fully into the view of the light. But instead of dying at that instant, Alucard remained untouched.
"Uh...why isn't he blowing up?" Knuckles asked nervously.
"You should know better than to believe those silly little myths." Alucard chuckled darkly. "Over the millennia, the truth has been warped by legends and superstitions."
"So sunlight does not affect target!" Omega stated, clicking his rifle.
"The sun is a prominent gift to the world." Alucard said. "It nourishes all things...even evil."
And before the Heroes could blink, Alucard appeared between Rogue and Knuckles with his hands pressed against their necks. He slowly began to increase the pressure until his heightened sense of hearing caught a familiar series of clicks. As Omega unloaded his cargo, the Immortal Bat released his prisoners and jumped into the air. Knuckles and Rogue quickly ducked to the side to avoid getting caught in the middle of Omega's range. Speaking of whom, the red robot was shooting rapidly across the air, hoping to knock Alucard out of the sky. Unfortunately, the Immortal Bat's advanced speed allowed him to maneuver past the rapid-fire bullets and land behind the titanium colossus. Omega tried turning, but Alucard grabbed the robot's arm and, with a great deal of strength, tossed him into the mountainside. The metallic giant remained trapped in the rocky wall – his body sparking occasionally.
"Systems...failing..." Omega stated weakly. "Activating....sleep...mode..."
"Well, now that he's out of the way." Alucard said smoothly, watching the robot go offline. "I can deal with you two miscreants."
"Think we can take him?" Knuckles asked hopefully.
"Against the first of our kind and an immortal, no less?" Rogue responded sarcastically. "Sure, I think we have a shot."
"There's no need to be rude." Knuckles muttered.
"You pathetic insects amuse me to no end." Alucard chuckled darkly. As he stepped closer to the defensive warriors, his foot kicked against something soft. Looking down, he spotted the unconscious Rouge resting against a rock. "Oh, I had forgotten about her. My little savior is catching up on her well deserved sleep. And once I'm done with you, it will be eternal."
"Stay away from her!!" Rogue yelled angrily. Alucard watched amusingly as the crimson warrior skipped into the air, surrounded his body within his wings. The elite twisted his body towards his enemy, shouting. "Screw Wing!!"
The Immortal Bat did not seem concerned by the assault and allowed the attack to pierce his chest. But much to the Elite's surprise, Alucard's body seemed to be harder than steel and resist his attack completely. While unintentionally releasing his signature technique, Rogue left himself wide open for the Immortal Bat to strike. Alucard raised his foot and jabbed it into Rogue's chest, sending him flailing into the trees. And while the Immortal Bat was smirking victoriously at his fallen enemy, he suddenly realized that the atmosphere began to heat up rapidly. Alucard quickly snapped his attention downwards, discovering a circle of fire surrounding him. His eyes followed the trail and ended at Knuckles' fists, which were pressed into the ground.
"The Living Flames." Alucard said knowledgably. "The Immortal Echidna was famous for the creation of this technique. Seeing that you know it, you must be a descendent of his." He scowled angrily. "I never liked him much."
"Then you are definitely not going to like this!" Knuckles yelled, clapping his hands together. Upon his command, the circle of flames jumped up and rained down upon the unsuspecting bat. "Yes! I finally got him!!"
"Got who?"
The echidna warrior froze. He didn't need to look to know that Alucard was directly behind him, most likely unharmed. Was there any way to stop this guy? Did he have no weakness? All these questions remained unanswered and the Immortal Bat grew impatient. Alucard raised his claws for the final strike when he was interrupted by and unlikely duo. A green blur emerged from the ground and slammed into Alucard's chin, sending him flying into the air. There was a sudden shriek of noise and the bat's body was shot across the air and splashed into the nearby lake. Rogue weakly pushed to his knees, staring in shock at the duo. Siren and Phantom, still in their broken armor, helped their leader to his feet.
"Siren? Phantom?" Rogue gaped amazingly.
"Rogue, what happened?" Siren questioned quickly. "Where are Commander Syix and the rest of the Bat Colony?"
"They're dead." Rogue said bluntly. "Each and every one of them was consumed by Alucard."
"That bastard!" Phantom shouted angrily. "I'll show him not to mess with the Bat Colony!"
"You don't understand." Rogue said hopelessly. "We are dealing with a real live immortal. The longer you two stay here, the better chance he has of killing you both."
"You never did pay attention." Siren smirked. "When we accepted you as our leader, we agreed to follow you to the end. And if this truly is our last battle, we will die as true warriors...and true friends."
"Guys..." Rogue murmured emotionally.
"My...what a touching scene." Knuckles and the bat trio turned on their heels as Alucard slowly made his way to shore. "If I had a heart, I would shed a tear of happiness for such loyalty. Fortunately....I don't."
What happened next was a mere blur.
"Where am I? What happened? And what's with all the noise?"
Slowly regaining consciousness, Rouge slowly regained her bearings. The first thing she noticed was how bright it was for a dark and barren cavern. His blurry vision soon cleared enough to realize that she was staring into the sky with the sun shining down upon her. Then everything came back to her piece by piece: the locket, the door, Syix, Dracula. Everything was suddenly coming back to her in a storm of memories.
"Knuckles!" Rouge screamed suddenly. "What am I doing here? Where's Dracula?"
"I'll be with you in a moment, dear."
She nearly gave herself a whiplash turning her head to the voice. She found Alucard, unfortunately standing in the center of a ring of bodies. No one looked dead, but was badly beaten. The bat trio winced and groaned painfully from their grueling defeat and Knuckles was being lifted off the ground by his dreadlocks. Looking highly amused, the Immortal Bat released his prey to the ground, placing his foot on the echidna's head.
"I must give you some credit." Alucard said sinisterly. "You certainly know how to choose your friends and acquaintances. The echidna and the red brat were especially difficult to manage."
"What do you want?" Rouge questioned, shakily standing up.
"What I've wanted for thousands of years." Alucard grimaced. "A cure for this insatiable hunger. Until that joyous day when I do discover it, I must feast on the life of those who dare to cross my path." He increased the pressure in his foot, pushing Knuckles further into the dirt. "My appetite is starting to return. Perhaps I deserve a treat for my battle."
"Don't you dare touch him." Rouge hissed angrily.
"And what, might I ask, do you plan to do?" Alucard smirked.
The Immortal Bat hissed hungrily as he lowered himself closer to the echidna's neck – his fangs exposed. But before he could dine on the blood of the youth, an unknown forced smashed against his cheek and tossed him into the trees, which snapped in half. Alucard quickly recovered from the shock and moved to a kneeling position, finding Rouge in place of where he once stood. The Immortal Bat glared menacingly at the interloper when he felt something warm run down his cheek. He brushed his finger across and examined the contents – it was his blood.
"Of course." Alucard thought. "This girl is my direct descendent. Only those who share my blood are able to kill me. I should kill her quickly before she discovers this."
"What's the manner, hun?" Rouge taunted. "Don't want to dance anymore."
"Actually..." Alucard said; he appeared behind the female. "I was just looking for the right moment."
If the Immortal Bat had expected to make a surprise attack, he was sadly disappointed. Unlike his previous targets, Rouge could spot him easy and knocked his hand away with a swipe of her leg. Alucard, being caught off guard by this development, was forced to retreat backwards as his young heir sent a barrage of powerful kicks. Unfortunately, Alucard was able to find a gap in Rouge's assault and drove his fist forward into the bat's shoulder. The feminine thief sided backwards, clutching her shoulder, which had surprisingly gone numb. In the one moment Rouge had managed to take her eyes off her target, the Immortal Bat jumped ahead and clutched his descendant's head in his hands. In response to this, Rouge grabbed the man's wrist, preventing him from closing his hand over her skull. It was a contest of will.
"You're very difficult to deal with." Alucard sneered. "That only proves that you are my flesh and blood."
"I am nothing like you." Rouge hissed.
"Perhaps." Alucard nodded. "Unlike me, you allow emotions to drive you. You are restricted by feeble emotions such as love and fear. Such a sad fate." He raised his free hand, drawing in backwards as a fist. "In the right hands, you would have been a useful weapon. But your time has passed."
With that being said, the Immortal Bat drilled his fist directly for Rouge's forehead. But the moment he did, Rouge found a small window of opportunity. Alucard's other hand unconsciously slackened its grip, allowing the feminine thief to shake it off and avoid being killed. At the moment her ancestor's hand passed by her, she did the one thing that came to her mine – she bit him. Rouge stabbed her own fangs into Alucard's arm, causing the bat to shriek in pain. All of a sudden, the skin on Alucard's arm began to collapse and cling to the bone within. Alarmed by this, the Immortal Bat used his free hand and smacked her across the face to force her release. Alucard staggered backwards, staring at the useless limb that was once his arm. He glared back at his heir when he noticed the differences from the experience: blood dripped from her mouth and her eyes were piercing gold.
Ah, now you see the truth." Alucard chuckled wickedly. "Only further proof that you are the one that will carry on my legacy."
"I already told you." Rouge growled. "I am nothing like you."
"Why deny it any longer?" Alucard questioned. "The fact that you have absorbed my blood, the sole trait that symbolizes my power, proves that you are mine. Stop fighting your heritage and join me. Together, we could hone your powers. You will have all that you desire."
"I already have what I desire." Rouge stated.
"What?" Alucard questioned.
"I have lot of good friends..." Rouge said, thinking of the Sonic Heroes. Her gaze roamed over to Rogue and the fallen warriors. "I found my best friend and my home..." Her eyes wandered to Knuckles, drawing an appreciative smile. "And someone who loves me truly. So whatever you offer, I'm not buying."
"Stop being a fool!" Alucard hissed.
"You're the fool!!" Rouge exclaimed. "I told you before, I am nothing like you!!"
At the moment, her eyes returned to the regular aqua color. Knowing that he had failed to persuade her, the Immortal Bat predicted that the only thing left to do was kill her off. Alucard zoomed across the field and swiped at Rouge's neck, only to discover that she was no longer there. A large winged shadow was cast over him, drawing the forsaken Immortal into a stance of fear as he stared up. Rouge hovered over head with her foot held forward aimed to strike down the man who had caused her so much grief. The feminine thief dived forward, spinning like a top for her signature attack.
"Screw Kick!!"
Alucard was left frozen in a state of terror, only able to watch as his descendent pierced through his chest and escaped through his back. Rouge landed on her feet, her entire body soaked in the Immortal's blood. His expression unchanged, Alucard dropped to his knees and slowly dissolved to dust – time had finally caught up with him. But before he disappeared entirely, he uttered his last words to the world.
"Damn you, wench..."
After nearly an hour of recovery, the group had finally gathered together to say their final good byes. Knuckles and Rogue were greatly shocked to learn that Rouge had beaten Alucard all by herself. They unknowingly slipped a comment regarding women as the weaker sex – Siren and Rouge made sure they remembered to hold their tongues. Omega, Storm, and Charmy stood behind Rouge and Knuckles as they spoke to the departing bat trio. Before separating, Knuckles handed Rogue a circular communicator with the initials 'S.H.' on the face.
"What's this?" Rogue asked.
"Though I really don't like you very much." Knuckles said gruffly, earning a smack from his fiancé. "I consider you all valuable warriors. So, I think you deserve to join the Sonic Heroes."
"What are you guys going to do now?" Storm asked.
"We're the last of our kind." Siren said solemnly. "Since we are no longer under the authority of General Rynod or Commander Syix, we feel that we should explore the world." She blushed lightly, gazing admirably at Rogue. "Besides, we swore to follow our leader to the end."
"You sure you don't want to come with us, Mistress Rouge?" Phantom asked.
"Sorry, hun." Rouge winked. "I've already got plans. But you guys will be sure to attend the wedding right?"
"We'll be there, but I won't like it." Rogue grumbled.
Rogue giggled at her best friend's pouting. She decided to give him a little parting gift and kissed the bat's cheek lightly – Siren didn't seem too pleased with Rouge anymore. While Rogue recovered from the shock of the experience, he noticed that Knuckles had held out his fist, not as an opponent, but as a sign of friendship. Both rivals of love smirked at one another and Rogue tapped his own fist against the echidna's. This was the beginning of a new day.
The bonds of family are only determined by cherishing one another. Is this truly the end of the Bat Colony? Will Rogue and the others return one day? And what lies ahead for Knuckles and Rouge? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
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