Shout outs to:
Bajy - oh, you've got some guesses! Then let us see what will happen in this chapter and the other 4 future chapters. ^^
Fatty635 - thank you so much! We shall see what happens soon. :)
Chapter 15: Beware, Fear of the Ruby
Tails and Saura immediately shivers when they see Infinite watching them. The masked jackal continues to watch the two along with the Phantom Ruby prototype in the wolf's hand. He glares at the wolf a bit as he starts walking to her and the fox. Infinite soon notices Tails trying to hold up Saura since it seems she's in a weakened state. Seeing them both back away, the jackal growls as he uses his Phantom Ruby to quickly get closer to the fox and wolf. "Where did you get that?" he asks the wolf in a demanding tone. Saura shivers as she grips on to the prototype while attempting to hide it. Infinite's growl increased when he sees that as he tries to take the prototype away from the wolf. When the jackal's clawed hand comes into contact with the prototype in Saura's hand, the two rubies start to glow a bit.
Tails flinches as he watches both Phantom Rubies glowing. "Wh-what's going on?" he asks while feeling a bit frightened. The gem on Infinite's chest glows brighter and stops as it shoots a tiny red laser at the gem Saura is holding. Saura feels something sting her the moment the laser hits the Phantom Ruby prototype. It felt like something had been stripped from her as if it's been searched for and found. The wolf yelps as she gets the prototype away from Infinite and flung it away out of instinct. The gem lands at a few feet away from the group. Luckily, it appears to not be damaged. Tails jumped when he heard Saura yelp as he accidentally drops the wispon. "Saura, are you alright? The fox asks the wolf.
Once Saura nods, she and Tails look back at the Phantom Ruby prototype with confusion on what just happened. That stung felt real to the wolf, but at the same time not real. Saura suddenly feels someone grab her arm and yanked her away from Tails. The wolf yelped as she tries to break out of Infinite's hold. She soon hears a growl which causes her to shiver a bit more. The wolf notices the fox trying to help her pull away from the masked jackal, but that only got the jackal to yank her more towards him and pushes the fox away from them. Feeling the pain on her neck and shoulder increasing, Saura whimpers as she places her free hand back on her neck and shoulder. She then feels a hand grab her cheeks, forcing the wolf to look at Infinite. "Where did you get that prototype?" she hears the jackal ask again. Saura said nothing as she still tries to break out of Infinite's hold. She feels the jackal's grip on her increase which had the wolf start whimpering more. "Answer," he commanded.
Saura starts to feel memories of the brown wolf with hazel eyes and shivers at the thought. She can't let Infinite become like him! Speaking of the masked jackal, the wolf feels his metal mask on her forehead. She shivers more as she tries to look at the jackal's eyes. The only one she sees is the left yellow eye. When she blinks, she could've sworn she saw the hazel color take its place, but it quickly faded when she blinks again. Feeling the grip on her arm increase pressure, Saura whines a bit. "D-don't b-become like… h-h-him," she manages to mumble out. The wolf feels the jackal move his head away as he looks at her.
Saura feels the clawed hand on her muzzle moving her face higher up. Infinite eye narrows at the wolf's sudden mumble as he becomes confused with what she said. He? Who is she talking about? If it's Dr. Eggman, then she should know better that he'll never be like that. He is far stronger than the human. The masked jackal suddenly notices something faint on her neck. There is a scar in a shape of a line like her neck had been… cut! Infinite stood there as he accidentally releases Saura's muzzle. That scar isn't normal! How did Saura get it?
When Tails got shoved away, he groans from the harsh tug. He gets up as he rubs his arm a bit since that's where Infinite shoved him away. The fox turns and sees the masked jackal still gripping on to the wolf's arm. "Saura," he calls out to the wolf! Saura looks to Tails as she snaps out of her frightened state to try and break out of Infinite's hold. Unfortunately, the jackal snaps out of his daze too and brings the wolf back closer to him. Tails runs to Saura but stops due to Infinite growling at him. "L-let her go Infinite," he says while shivering a bit from Infinite's growl. The jackal ignores the fox as he twirls the wolf until her back is facing towards him. And then, Infinite uses his same arm to hold Saura by her waist, so he can let go of her arm. The wolf tries to break free, but it wasn't working. "Wh-what do you want with Saura?" the fox asks the jackal.
Infinite hears Tails's question and tightened his hold on Saura. All the memories he had with Saura starts to replay in his head, two in particular. The first was when the wolf saved him and showed him kindness. And the other was back at Metropolis when she and the resistance try to pull an all-out-attack; the first time he heard her speak. The masked jackal glares at the fox as he starts glowing red and floating in the air while holding on to the wolf around the waist. "That is none of your concern. Your friend here belongs to me now," he replies to the fox.
Tails flinches at Infinite's response. "Saura isn't a property to keep Infinite! She's a living being just like you, me, and everyone else! Do you think about how she feels?" he asks the jackal.
"She will understand once she submits to me," Infinite argues as he shoots a red laser at Tails. He sees the fox dodge the little attack which caused the masked jackal to glare at the fox. "Once you, that blue nuisance, and your annoying friends are out if the way, she will have no one to turn to except for me," he says more as he growls at the fox. "All I have to do is wait for the Phantom Ruby to be recharged," he added.
Saura shivers as she listened to Tails and Infinite's little conversation. It's true she has feeling for the masked jackal, but she can't let him do with her as he pleases. She must have him see that he can still stop this madness while he can! The wolf soon sees Infinite getting ready to toss a bunch of red cubes at Tails. "T-Tails, watch out," she shouts to the fox!
Tails looks to Saura and Infinite when he heard the wolf's warning and notices red cubes coming towards him. But before the red cubes could touch him, someone blue grabs the fox and dodges the red cubes. Infinite growls when he sees this dimension's Sonic holding Tails. The masked jackal suddenly gets hit by a spin attack. Because of the impact, Infinite accidentally releases Saura, but he catches her before she touches the ground. The jackal floats higher as he tightens his hold on the wolf a bit when he sees the other dimension Sonic. He glares at the two hedgehogs. "So, you've finally caught up with me?" he asks with an unamused expression. Infinite watches the older Sonic put Tails down as he and the younger Sonic glare back at him. He humphs as he adjusts his mask a bit with his free hand. "Pathetic little hedgehogs. Even with the Phantom Ruby's power weakened, I still have enough power to smash you into blue jelly, no matter how many of you there are," he says to both Sonics. "I'll show you both how outclass you really are," he added.
Both Sonic glare at Infinite. "We're in a class of our own," the older Sonic says to Infinite with an annoyed look. He then glares back at the masked jackal. "Time to put up or shut up Infinite," he added. Sonic notices Saura in Infinite's grasp still and glares more. He needs to find a way to set the wolf free, so he and the younger Sonic can fight Infinite. The younger Sonic appears to be on it for he charges and tries to spin attack the jackal.
Infinite quickly dodges the younger Sonic and kicks him away. The masked jackal realizes he can't fight both blue hedgehogs with a single hand. But at the same time, he can't let Saura get away from him. He glares at the two hedgehogs and fox as he launches more red cubes at them. When both Sonics and Tails dodge, the red cubes had created smoke screens when they make contact with the ground. "Sonic, I think Infinite is making the smoke screens to get away with Saura," Tails says to both Sonics!
When Infinite heard Tails, he immediately goes to a different tower a bit further with the group the Phantom Ruby's as the others tried to follow. Little did everyone know, a figure started to form around the Phantom Ruby prototype that Saura dropped. The figure stood up as it materialized into an adult mobian wolf. It over heard the fox as the color around him changed to brown fur and white muzzle and wearing black gloves and shoes despite the pixel like aura around it. It growled as it looks to where Infinite and Saura took off to. "So, she is still alive and talking now apparently," a deep masculine voice was heard from the figure. "Looks like I need to reteach her that silence is golden," it added with a dark chuckle as it opens its hazel eyes while a red fog starts slowly forming around the roof floor.
Once Infinite gets to the other tower thanks to the Phantom Ruby, he gently lowers down to roof. Since the hedgehogs and fox have some climbing to do along with taking out a few enemies, he moves his mask a bit until only his muzzle is shown. Quickly, the jackal pulls the wolf to him and plants a quick, but gentle peck on Saura's lips. While he does this, Infinite has one of his red cubed auras hit the area near Saura's foot and has it turn into a cuff chained to the ground and cuffs one of the wolf's legs. Saura blushed but it was immediately over when she feels something on her leg and the jackal pulled away. The wolf noticed cuff on her leg chained to the ground, so she starts to struggle to break herself free. "Stay here Saura," he gently commands as he puts the mask back on completely.
Saura frowns as she looks to Infinite and grabs his clawed hand. "Infinite p-please, don't hurt them nor the o-others. They're my friends," she pleaded to the jackal. The wolf hears the masked jackal growl at her a bit, but she stands her ground.
"Friends are nothing but a fleeting illusion Saura," Infinite says to Saura in a serious tone. The masked jackal looks straight at Saura in the eyes. "You can count on nobody but yourself," he added.
Saura looked shocked; but instead of letting go of Infinite's clawed hand, she tightens her hold. "Th-that's not true Infinite," she says to the masked jackal as her frown returns. "T-they're not illusions, they're as real as you and me," she added. She watches Infinite look at her with suspicion. "I-I know it is because I-I didn't understand i-it at first either," she replies to Infinite's silent question. The wolf starts to feel memories replay in her head of her time before Eggman's take over which caused her to look down. "B-Before I met Sonic a-and the others, I… never had any friends. M-mostly everyone w-would make fun of m-me because of my v-voice… I-If I spoke and t-tried to make friends, they would j-just push me a-away. A-and when I tried to get h-help… th-that's when I… stopped," she explains as she shivers. She takes a deep breath to try and stop shaking a bit. Saura looks back to Infinite even though she can't see his face expression with more confidence. "A-and then I met Sonic and his friends. They made me s-see that not everyone are the same and I can't be afraid of e-everything. They also had me see how the friendship th-they've given me gives me strength," she added.
Infinite listens to Saura until she finished her story before the takeover. It seems the wolf must have gone through some kind of trouble in the past. That's the more reason he must change this world. The masked jackal then sees Saura move her free hand to place it on the side of his mask. "Saura," he growls out quietly to warn her. He can't let the wolf remove his mask out in the open.
Saura, instead of shivering, frowns at Infinite's growl, but continues to have her hand on the side of his mask. "And then I met you. A-at first, I thought you would be like h-him… but after y-you kidnapped a-and took me to M-Metropolis and the same for now, I realized y-you're not. Y-you're in the s-same position I was in b-before, lonely and having n-no one to trust," she says to the masked jackal. Not hearing anything from the masked jackal, the wolf releases her hold on his arm to hug him, just like he does to her. She feels Infinite flinch at her sudden embrace, but she continues to hug him. "I-Infinite, there are other ways to make this w-world a better place. Don't help E-Eggman, he is not the s-solution to a better world. There are o-other solutions and you don't have t-to find them on your own. L-let me help you find that other way," she says to the jackal.
Infinite flinches a bit with a surprised look and blush behind the mask. He growls a bit quietly as the feelings he was feeling before with Saura start to rise. No, he can't let it get to him right now! The masked jackal grabs the wolf by her arms and has his forehead on her shoulder which caused the wolf to let go. "If you really want to help me, then you should submit to me," he says to Saura. When Infinite feels the wolf shake her head, his grip on her arms tighten a bit and growls more. He then remembers Saura mentioned "him" again. Who is she talking about?
"Infinite, let her go," Infinite and Saura soon hear the voice of a blue hedgehog. Saura turns and sees both Sonics and Tails glaring at Infinite.
Infinite growls madly at the Sonics and Tails. But then, he notices the Phantom Ruby on his chest starts glowing. With a dark chuckle, he releases Saura and turns to Tails and both Sonics as he floats in the air with red and pixel-like aura around him. "You're done for Sonic. The Phantom Ruby's energy is recharged," he announces.
Saura flinches at Infinite's announcement. Infinite spreads the red aura out around him. Tails, Saura, and both Sonics feel the Ruby's power thanks from the pressure. Once it finishes, the wolf looks up to Infinite with an upset expression and trying to break out of the chain as rain drops start to fall. "Infinite no," she shouts to the jackal!
"Perish along with your useless friends," Infinite says to both Sonics. Before he can make an attack, another red aura spreads around which lead to confusion. The masked jackal had already launched Phantom Ruby's pressure. So, why is it happening again? No matter, the ruby is all charged up and he can summon another sun to destroy the resistance.
Saura shakes her head a bit as she watches Infinite get ready to attack. What can she do to stop him? She has nothing but the grabbling hooks on her wrist bracelets. She suddenly feels another pressure of red aura with Tails and both Sonics. "Wh-what was that?" Tails asks as he looks around the already red area with Saura and both Sonics. When the second red aura pressure travels through, the chain and cuff on Saura's leg disappeared! Saura lifts her leg a bit for proof and sees she is free.
"Saura…"
Saura flinches when she hears something. She looks around rapidly eye-wide. That voice sounded so familiar! After all, that same voice had been whispering in her ear the whole time. But where had she heard it before? She then looks straight ahead of her as she froze with fear. Something about that voice is telling the wolf to be silent. But, was it all real or in her mind? Unfortunately, everyone else was oblivious to the voice. Both Sonics glare at Infinite as the get ready to attack. "Tails, you and Saura get back to the others," the older Sonic says to the fox.
Upon hearing the older Sonic, Infinite glares at the blue hedgehog and got ready to attack Tails. However, the fox had already got to the wolf. "Come on Saura, let's get going," he says to Saura. To his surprise, the wolf didn't respond. It was like time is frozen on her figure. "Saura, what's wrong?" he asks with worry. Once again, there was no response. Tails starts shaking Saura to hopefully snap her out of her trance. This time, Saura responded as she blinks and starts deep breathing after a gasp. She looks around until she sees Tails. "Saura, let's get back to the others," the fox says as he starts trying to drag Saura.
Before Tails could go far, Infinite was right in front of him and Saura. He's shocked to see the chain and cuff, that he originally used to trap the wolf, had disappeared. The fox was soon dragged until he is behind the wolf. The jackal glares a bit at Saura as he grabs her free arm to yank her away, but then the Sonics came after him and attacked together. When all five were in contact, something in the air gave them chills, even to Infinite.
"So, you're speaking again?"
The wolf froze once again. Now she knows it's not in her head! Saura stood there as she looks around the area without moving her body. It can't be… can it? This time, she wasn't alone. Tails looks around for the source of that voice while Infinite and both Sonics did the same. Thinking the masked jackal might have something to do with it, the older blue hedgehog glares at Infinite. "That's enough Infinite, stop toying us with your Phantom Ruby illusions," he says to the jackal.
Infinite humphs at the older Sonic as he looks around for the source of that voice. He knows for sure he isn't the one responsible for that effect of the Phantom Ruby. But still, there is something about that voice he doesn't like. From the looks of it, Sonic and his two friends are not responsible. The masked jackal looks to Saura who appears to be staring in… fear?! Infinite looks directly to the wolf; something is wrong! But then, the jackal was attacked by the older Sonic. Growling at both Sonics, he starts to fight them.
"Saura…"
Saura starts shivering more when she heard it. It sounds like it's coming from the tower she and the others were at. Slowly, the wolf turns to look at the other tower. There appears to be a red mist surrounding the area there, but there is also a figure standing there. She can't really tell who it is since the red mist is attempting to hid it. However, the moment the figure turned to look straight at Saura's eyes, the wolf sees the hazel color in their eyes. The wolf's eyes widen in fear as she starts backing away. It can't be... can it?
Tails notices the fear Saura is showing as she backs away. He looks at the direction the wolf was staring at and sees the figure, but not its eyes. Noticing Saura might be in danger, he grabs the wolf's hand. "Come on Saura, we need to leave," he says as he starts dragging Saura.
Infinite and both Sonics look at Tails as the fox tries to drag the wolf away. Infinite glares at Tails but was soon attacked by the younger Sonic. The older Sonic looks back to Tails. "Tails, get going now," he says to the fox.
When Tails nods, a red rope suddenly flies in from the other tower. Saura, recognizing the rope, immediately went to panic mode, but couldn't dodge it in time and was whipped to the ground with a yelp. "Saura," the fox shouts for the wolf! He quickly helps Saura up. "Don't worry, you're going to be fine," he tries to reassure the wolf.
When Saura hears Tails's voice, she realized her friends and everyone else are in huge danger! They have no idea who that figure is, but she does! She must warn Tails, both Sonics, and the others, including Infinite! "No, it's not! We're all in danger," she shouts! Realizing what she's doing, she covered her mouth and looks back to the figure in the other tower. The "training" she gets when she talks start to roll back in her mind. However, she can't let it get to her! She looks back to Tails as she shivers in fear. "Someone else is here! He's done deadlier things than Infinite has done! And he does it for his enjoyment," she starts explaining!
Tails shivers at Saura's sudden outburst. There is someone worse than Infinite? How can that be? Infinite is the one who has been murdering innocent lives! Who could be worse? "Wh-who are you talking about?" he asks with concern and fear.
"You're speaking again Saura…"
Saura shivers more but shakes her head as she starts deep breathing in panic. "Please, get everyone away from him especially children! He's a killer but tortures his victims first! H-he's a-" before Saura could say more, the same rope appears and catches her. The wolf lets out a scream as she feels the rope dragging her away from Tails.
"Saura," Tails shouts as he tries to save the wolf! The fox tries to pull her out of the rope, but it seems to have a tight hold. He looks to both Sonics as they fight Infinite. He doesn't want to call out to them for help, but there isn't much of a choice! "Sonic, help," he calls out to both hedgehogs!
When he heard Tails, the older Sonic immediately look to where Tails is and sees his best friend struggling to save his new friend! Noticing Infinite is distracted a bit, he kicks the masked jackal away and runs to help Tails with the younger Sonic. The older Sonic has hold on Saura with Tails while the younger Sonic is trying to get the rope off the wolf. Unfortunately, even with the Sonics, the rope is still stronger. "Hang on buddy," the older Sonic calls out to Saura as he continues to try and save her!
Saura continues to struggle from the rope, but no matter how hard she tries, it's still stronger. The wolf suddenly loses her footing from the roof. She looks back to Tails and both Sonics as they try to help her. She can't let them near him! He'll kill them! She then looks to Infinite who gets up after being kicked by the older Sonic. When the jackal got up and looked at Saura, the rope, as if being used by someone, makes a huge tug as it forced Tails and both Sonics to let go. The wolf lets out one more scream as she was pulled into the other tower that now has red mist all over the roof.
Author's note:
Hello everyone! Thank you all so much for the 6K+ views for this fanfic! I know, I say this a lot, but it really means a lot to see you guys reading this. :) Anyways, I hope you guys paid attention to the clues that I gave out in the last chapter. Because, here comes the part where things might get a little bit complicated. ^^; I'll explain what is what in the next chapter so it'll help explain the scenario a bit more.
To the chapter: oh man, Saura is doing a lot of talking to Infinite AND warn both Sonics and Tails. Not only that, but Saura seems to be really scared of whoever she saw. O-O As for the second aura spread, try reading the beginning a bit carefully and read through "Just Give In, Never Speak Again." The rest is up yo you all on what happens. ;)
Thanks for reading and PLEASE Review! :)