On with the Fic!
(End A/N)
Chapter 7: Nocturne of the Arcane: Part II
As the Tornado III flew onward over the great ocean, both occupants couldn't help but admire the natural powered flight of Toresule and how he kept up easily with the mighty mechanized bi-plane, which was an homage to the very first Tornado. Tails wondered for a moment how Toresule could stand being a motorcycle in that same right, his mind was full of lots of questions that only seemed to go on with the moment.
Amy watched her friends in flight, both Wushan and Toresule were her friends, both of them she made friends with over the short time she'd known them. Wushan through his saving her and spending the night over her house, the thought made her blush a little bit; there was something about him that was in fact very different from Sonic. He wasn't the same adventurous boy that still heralded much to her heart; no he was a sound mature warrior of distinction, she felt that his very being demanded his presence not only be known, but acknowledged as well. She hoped that she wasn't falling for him, for her heart still devised and plotted the many ways through which her and Sonic could be together.
Her thoughts were silenced at the sound of Tails' voice, which made her look back to her friend.
"Amy, do you have an idea of where Sonic might be?" he asked her, tilting his head for a moment since she had totally missed the first time he asked the question.
"Actually, I'm pretty clueless since after about a month ago, Sonic disappeared in the region of South Island somewhere, I am sure he's okay, but I can't help but worry." Amy's voice seemed to be genuinely concerned about her favorite here and love interest.
However the very reason for the Hedgehog's disappearance was ironically tied to the same reason they were seeking him out for the same reason for.
-On South Island
As the blue hedgehog had fallen before her, Lyndia seemed to be amused by the whole attempt of the fast hero to stop her, she had no qualms with the hedgehog for trying and he had surprised her at first; but his great speed hadn't served him against her.
"Very impressive hedgehog, you are this planet's modern hero I can tell by your very demeanor; you would stand before oblivion to protect Mobius, worthy of our clan heroes. I won't forget your name, Sonic The Hedgehog." Lyndia stated as she started walking away from him.
Sonic was never known for giving up, he had no idea how she was so strong, she had only punched him and yet his insides felt rattled beyond comprehension; he had no doubt of her intense strength, but what was a greater thought in his mind was trying to piece together some kind of strategy against her. None of his moves seemed to work, she had blocked each blow, despite any amount of speed he put into attacking her.
"Wait wh-what do you think your doing? You can't *cough* go yet, you haven't beaten me." Sonic said as he rose, his trademark smirk coming to his face as he found the energy to stand.
Lyndia recognized this perseverance in his actions, putting everything on the line for the sake of the better of Mobius, another thing she respected in all. But it was fruitless for him to continue, she'd let him for the sake of his need to prove himself and with that, she wasn't going to question his wishes; however the fact she could feel her brother on the way here was why she decided this might be more serious than before.
Sonic, like his nickname, became nothing but a blue blur as he swirled around her; trying a variation of his Sonic Hurricane on her, he hoped that the lack of air would weaken her somewhat, it was what he was hoping for and maybe cause some damage with a spinball attack on her.
"Impressive speed." She said as she watched the blur surrounding her, immediately catching notice of the fall in breathable air.
In response she drew in one large breath as the air began to thin out with the rapidly increasing speed of the hedgehog before her, she shouldn't count him out after all. She could feel the air also throwing her balance off from the sheer force behind his motion, she could imagine what he could do hit her from any direction with all of this speed.
The power was there, Sonic struck as soon as he saw her balance off, racing at her faster than the speed of sound for a split second he hit her with the titanic force of a Sonic boom; fully aware that moving that fast caused strain even on him, such a blow threw them both forward as he connected with her side; shattering the strange armor she'd been wearing upon contact and immediately giving his spinball enough force to slam her through the two hills of the surrounding areas, before finally ending with him slamming her form harshly into a Cliffside; resulting in a mass of heavy cracks along the walls due to the force of It all.
"Ugh remind me to never do that again " Sonic uttered to himself as he fell from the wall, not shocked by the speed as much as the impact; even though she took most of the force that came from the crash.
He was almost very sure that even she wouldn't be moving this time, not with all of the force he hit her with; he looked at wall, surely she was done right?
For a few moments there was no movement from the still crackling wall, while some fragments dropped to the ground; her hand reached out of the wall; her face lit with annoyance red with anger about something and it wasn't about the blow.
"That was my favorite Chestplate hedgehog, I was taking it easy on you before; so forgive me you are a much prouder warrior than that. And for breaking my armor, I will pay you back dearly for this; my people's emblems ruined by your attack." It was nothing that she wanted to hear about, no retorts from him.
Her body was apparently harmed by the full shock of the blow, however most of her armor took it; the cracks prominent in the Drakehedge armor seemed to anger her and certainly she could repair it, but the hedgehog had embarrassed her, her chest plate? Ruined by the impact, would need to be welded by her flame and tempered to a harder degree.
While she held one arm over her chest, she raced towards Sonic, knowing he'd move to avoid her, in fact she was counting on it; her trap already set wordlessly with the spells of the Arcane, her anger getting the better of her for the moment. Her hand outstretched in a slap, one capable of shattering boulders and yet aimed for his face, she found it proper for teaching the hedgehog to force her armored scales to become active; the protective layer beneath her fur which guarded well against most forms of conventional and magical damage was visible along her lower stomach and chest where he'd struck earlier.
Sonic did exactly what was instinct, he ducked down and guarded with his arms; since he'd learned from before how skillful she was with martial arts, her power was not to be underestimated.
This proved correct as an action, since Sonic blocked her knee and was sent back with great force; both forearms now bruised from the sheer force behind her blow, indeed he had to watch for himself, though he wasn't very sure how he'd avoid her next blow without taking some more physical damage at this rate.
While Sonic slid back nearly 7 feet from just blocking the blow, he was no longer shocked by her strength or power; if he could not beat her with force, he'd need something else, once he got back on his feet.
"Guh!" he felt a fist grind into his stomach, digging in with great force as he raised by his stomach, could she be so strong?
"You blocked, again you continue to surprise me with how you've got inside of you, I know that could defeat those Arcane wizards and knights of our time with your skill; but you cannot defeat the strongest of the Drakehedge with such small tricks. In the end Sonic the Hedgehog, your strength failed you; you will not die because you've impressed me, instead I will give you a gift for dishonoring me." She said as she began to lower him to her level.
Her forehead slammed forward into his head, as she promised she didn't kill him but she gave him a direct 'gift' of his life, but earned the harder-than-iron headbutt from her. With the blow having put him out, she dropped him to the floor and turned back to the cave, within the first beacon to awaken the mark of Mobius and the first that would awaken their mother if she succeeded.
"Come brother, help me fix my problem " she said with a soft smile, counting on her brother's arrival, it would be wonderful to see him again.
-With Wushan and the others
As they came to land things became radically clear that something had happened, Wushan leapt off of Toresule and looked at the ground, he smelled his sister and Arcane magic that had certainly been used.
"Toresule, watch them; do you understand?" he said as he spread his wings, which sprouted from his back, blood splattering around since he had wasted no time in summoning them, he took off towards the cave which was inwards of the city. There was no time to lose at all, his sister was cating and he knew with what.
Tails and Amy watched Wushan rush off, and the thought came there was something that seemed to very off about his sudden move.
"Where is he off to? Toresule?" Amy's voice of concern came once she had got out of the Tornado III, she'd come to the mighty dragonoid form of Toresule; standing firmly in place where he had been.
"To face his sister, go get Sonic; he is there to our side." Toresule gestured with his head, watching the cave carefully.
"Sonic!" Tails had just noticed Sonic' unconscious form and raced to his side, he couldn't believe the shape that Sonic was in, there was never a time in the past when anyone really got the jump on Sonic so much so that he was so badly thrashed like this.
Amy soon joined Tails beside Sonic and knelt down beside him, she was upset with what had happened to him, but she was very happy to hear his breathing. Though he was a mess, he would heal or could be healed by Wushan, that was what she was hoping; he often spoke of his magic and this was a pretty simple thing to ask for.
Of course she had no way of asking Wushan while he wasn't here, in her mind she couldn't help but worry about her new friend; she hoped that he would be more than fine given who he was going after, his older sister. She knew that he not only respected his older sister, but the way he spoke of her heroism, she was someone of distinction to him, and that his love for her was far greater than something small or simple by comparison.
"Won't you let me go to see after Wushan? Are you sure he's okay?" she asked two questions that she found to be very important to her at the moment.
"He will be as okay as he can without anyone there to distract him, while his sister isn't evil by nature; she won't hesitate to hurt anyone else getting in her way; not to mention Amy, you will be in grave danger going in there. As of the moment now, your scent is still mixed with Wushan's from the evening you two rested with each on the couch. She'll see you as trying to become his mate and thus test your mettle, by assaulting you and she may consider you a future target." Toresule hoped this cleared it up with her.
She of course had another question, but first was taken aback by his word choice.
"Target?" she asked, hoping to get the gist of what he was talking about.
"Yes, a target for the Drakehedge culture's test of power; to see if you are worthy of becoming his mate, a rite that any elder female related to the chosen male has the choice to act on." He finished the explanation and had a feeling that would cover it.
There was silence and then a momentary chill that ran through the group's bodies outside of the cave; something had very much just happened.
-Inside the Cave-
Standing on his feet, Wushan looked to his sister; lowering both arms as he began to gather another set of sparks within his lips, still in his hedgehog form he began to dig his heels into the ground, he was preparing to use something much heavier than he had been in fire. It was something that Lyndia noticed as well, she quirked a brow at her brother; certainly he knew the kind of power something like that held, her brother was no idiot, it would destroy the cave likely, but it wouldn't do her much harm.
"Brother of mine, certainly you know that if you do that, our mother will certainly awaken if not from the anger at her only son's destroying one of our Sacred Point Temples all because he tries to save the world." Lyndia stated a fact, as she still held her chestplate in place and finished welding the chain back to the metal; it was much easier now that her brother had hit her with the family flame, it helped start the process.
He seemed hesitant and more acting like her younger brother, thinking before actually doing something like this that simply wasn't sound in most cases, it was no doubt that he knew his sister was right.
"Lyndia, please...won't you stop this? Is there truly no other way? Certainly...you can ask the Chaos Emeralds or maybe the Master Emerald to reverse your dilemma?" his words asking, hoping, reflecting his wishes to her.
She sighed and shook her head towards her brother, knowing that the stones he spoke of commanded such presence and great power.
"Brother, we will talk if you can gather these forces; but you as well as I know that the Echidna Tribe commands the Master Emerald, to snag it for a person problem of mine? Unexcusable, it would hurt any bonds that our tribes have." she said it, sounding dutiful within the moments that she spoke; before starting towards the mouth of the cave.
She seemed to be considering something, though her brother stood firmly in his position, he was hardly a threat, let alone a match for her; so far she hadn't raised one claw seriously against her dear little brother out of love, though even that was growing harder for her by the day.
"Now remove yourself brother, I don't want to hurt you." she said softly, looking at him and showing her claws, glinting with fresh power...she wasn't going to hold back if he said no.
He didn't answer her verbally, instead he stepped towards her; though was immediately grabbed by the throat and slammed into the wall, a fiercesome motion of his body being thrown into the stone violently hadn't stopped him, from putting both claws to her neck and squeezing. Though this was no stalemate, in the lone fitting end, it was simple to say that he was no match for her; not in terms of strength.
Innovation was another matter, as his tail wrapped tightly around her throat and began to squeeze, specifically at the larynx; no words were passed between the siblings while this choking match went on. And though certainly Wushan had more leverage despite his position, he was finding it harder to breathe by the moment; she was not making this very easy for him to handle. His mind wandered while it began swimming, was there truly there large of a gap between their strength? His training had tripled in workload, he was stronger than he'd ever been, yet Lyndia still effortlessly kept her strength towering over his own.
"A valiant effort Wushan, my brother is indeed stronger than ever; more powerful than the lazier brother I had before." she smiled at him, proudly and still menacingly, as she began to squeeze harder, using the Arcane magicks to grant her more strength. Her grip soon became apparent, as a sickening pop sounded off from the grip's tightening rapidly on his neck.
He was not dead, but his body fell limp and quivered; she had disabled his actions by shifting his trachea and cutting off all air for a good moment. She sighed and slid him down the wall slowly, letting him lay at the ground on the cave floor, she was moving on now as she couldn't bear to see what she'd just done to her brother.
She could've killed him and still she would've only felt like destroying herself, this would work out...with their mother soon waking; soon to rip the world assunder to find her Eldest child and either help her or stop her once again, this was going to end. Lyndia would see that it did end in the way she wished it to; a satisfying close...
"Brother, our mother will bring us both peace." she said with a light smile, rubbing his forehead as she trembled again; this made her pull back since she knew what she'd done, forcably putting him to an unconscious state while she drew back. It was not a good time to stay, though the smell beneath her nose made her grunt in annoyance; she'd missed this.
Her brother had chosen someone? This smell seemed to be sweet, like strawberries and cream with a soft hint of roses...this was a female, it covered her brother's hair, had he been trying to hide this from her? A small smirk came to her lips, someone that she would challenge...perfect, she would make this female prove herself.
How unfortunate, mixed scents do a mystery make...it seemed that both Rouge and Amy were now in a spotlight, and not a very happy one...as it would end bad should Lyndia have her way.
(End Chapter)
A surprising chapter portion, I intended for this one to be a bit shorter than others for this reason, I am going to be making the next parts more frequently than not. This puts an end up to the Mark of Arcane portion, the temple is active and their mother will awaken. Things are about to go to a crazy place now for the main cast, as we'll all be seeing; Amy being mistaken for Wushan's possible chosen and Rouge while not that far along, may soon also become a victim, stay tuned.
-Quentix