Bats in the Belfries: Pt 2

The next day, the bat family was gathered at the cliff overlooking Sandy Valley which stood right next to the Mystic Ruins. As Shadow stared down into the sand-filled void, Aero was already giving the gathered spectators a speech.

"My fellow members of the Bat clan. Today is the momentous occasion, our long-lost sister who was exiled from our clan in disgrace will now have a chance to redeem herself. For she and her mate will challenge the foul sluggeroth."

"Wait, slug what now?" Shadow asked in confusion. "What the heck is the chief talking about?"

"Oh, the slugs are these mean and nasty underground uglies that steal our crops and food harvests." Selena explained, pressing herself up against Shadow in an uncomfortable manner. "If these slugs aren't stopped, us bats are going to starve to death. But I know you can take them, Shadow."

"Great. Just the thing I wanted to risk my life for." Shadow rolled his eyes. "Saving a bunch of fruit for a bunch of fruity bats."

"Hey man, I resemble that remark." The small pile of clothes next to Shadow complained.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Shorty." He snapped. "Why don't you go find a rock to hide under before I cut you even farther down to size."

"Oh man, you went and did it now." The runt picked up the ultimate life form and threw him down into the valley like a rag doll. "Adios amigo."

"Oh my, it looks like Shadow is getting a head start into the quest. I admire his dedication." The chief complimented him. "Now Rouge, don't you think you better head down into the valley and join him?"

"Why does that doofus have to insult Shorty all the time?" Rouge threw her arms up in disgust. "Oh well, I better get down there before he does something even stupider." She leaped off the cliff's edge and glided down to the valley floor below. As she landed, she noticed Shadow spitting sand out of his mouth. "You just have to be sarcastic all the time, don't you." She grumbled tapping her foot, angrily. "Why don't you try being nicer to people? You'll get farther that way."

"The ultimate lifeform is kind to no one." Shadow snapped, trying to look menacing and regain hat little was left of his dignity.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Rouge asked, looking around. "I don't see any sign of these terrible slugs my family is so afraid of."

BWWAAA! A loud cry came out of the ground, as the sand exploded outward sending the two mobians flying.

"Stupid surface dwellers, you dare challenge the might of Kraken?" someone stated. Rouge looked up to see the most slime-ridden, wart-covered mobian she had ever laid eyes on. She thought it was one.

The creature was a large red slug with root-like hands, a large circular belly covered with patches of slime and fungus, large toadstools were growing out of his back, and two large tusk-like teeth stuck out of the front of his jaws.

"Ugh, this thing must be one of the slugs your family was talking about." Shadow stated, taking a fighting stance. "What do you say we clean his clock, take care of the others, and be home in time for breakfast? I don't want to miss Selena's pancakes."

"No Shadow wait." Rouge protested. "We don't know what this thing can do." The black hedgehog gave a flying kick towards the creature's gut, simply bouncing off the layers of fat. Kraken grabbed Shadow in midair, holding him dangling upside-down.

"Put me down you disgusting blob." The ultimate life form demanded, flailing around.

"Oh… what a yummy looking hedgehog." Kraken declared, holding the upside-down Shadow in front of his face. "Does dinner have any last words?"

"Yeah," Shadow declared angrily. "Burn." The black hedgehog ignited the flame jets in his hover boots, blasting Kraken in the face. The creature howled and dropped the ultimate life form, grabbing his scorched face and tunneling back into the sand.

"MY EYES!" Kraken screamed disappearing beneath the sand. "You'll pay for this, you pesky gerbil."

"I'm not a gerbil." Shadow stated. "Hurry, we have to go after him."

"But how?" Rouge asked, shrugging. "It's not like we can follow him underground."

"Rouge, two words. Shovel claw." The black hedgehog grumbled as he pointed at the claws on Rouge's gloves. "You can tunnel through two miles of dirt to find gems just like that stupid echidna can."

"Oh yeah, that's right." Rouge replied. "Hang on, Shadow. We're going in." Rouge grabbed the ultimate lifeform by the arm and leapt straight down into the sand after the ugly slug.

"Wait, Rouge… I… AAHH!" Shadow declared, before he found his face full of sand.

Down, down, into the endless tunnels they went; following a labyrinth like path through the endless seas of sand. The two mobians headed deeper and deeper into the vortex of loose earth particles. Moving farther and farther away from the surface as they went.

"Rouge, are you sure that this is the best way to track that monster?" Shadow asked getting pulled along through the shifting sands. "I mean, this isn't exactly the easiest way to follow an underground creature."

"We've got to follow his trail before we lose it, Shadow." Rouge replied. "Besides, I've heard of this creature before. Sonic and the freedom fighters had an encounter with him during Robotnik's rule."

"Do you mean that underground freak of nature whose race was wiped out by Julian?" Shadow asked. "He must have come to live off the bat folk after Robotnik fell from power. A pity we're going to have to take him from the endangered species list to extinct."

"Must we slay the poor creature, Shadow?" Rouge asked a twinge of sadness in her voice. "He is the only one left of his kind."

"That's right, Rouge. He's the last of his kind." Shadow said, bluntly. "He has no place in this world." The two came out in a large chamber filled with strange and primitive cravings, looking over the architecture Rouge noted something familiar about the shapes and sizes carved into the wall.

"Hey, Shadow." Rogue asked looking around the inscriptions. "Don't these look like those slug creatures that Kraken is one of?"

"Yes. I do believe, you are correct." Shadow added. "And it looks like they're all worshipping some kind of… crystal."

"It is the sacred history of my people." A deep voice bellowed from behind the two. "All intruders who gaze upon this image must pay the ultimate price." Kraken lunged forward, launching an extendable arm at Rouge who jumped out of the way. Turning to look at Shadow, he spewed a bunch of acidic goo at the ultimate life form. BLAAAAH!

"Chaos Control!" Shadow declared, teleporting out of the way. "That's the last of the energy from the chaos drive GUN gave me." The black hedgehog tossed the empty cartridge aside. "I need to find some way to get another charge."

"You're done for, hedgehog fool." Kraken screamed, lunging at the black hedgehog with his fangs. "You're not going to leave this chamber alive!" He charged straight at Shadow who simply stood there until the last moment.

"That's all you got." Shadow gloated him.

"I'LL DESTROYED YOU!" Kraken roared. At the last moment, Shadow jumped backwards opening fire with a barrage of shots from the semi-automatic pistols that GUN granted him. "Eat lead, slug-face."

Hundreds of bullets poured into the body of the slug-like creature getting stuck in his layers of fat. The creature chuckled.

"How do you want me to pay for the meal? Cash or Card?" the slug replied.

"Shadow, looks like your guns didn't have any effect on old lard butt here." Rouge snapped.

"Oh, you think that's something little lady." Kraken inhaled all the bullets disappearing into his flesh. "Just watch this." He spewed the bullets out back at the duo baking them jump all over the room. "Dance, little mobians, dance." Kraken laughed. "My body is made of a gelatinous substance. I can absorb any small impact that it thrown at me from the outside."

"Ow, he shot parts of my clothes off." Rouge looked down at the scratches and rips in her body suit. "You're going to pay for that, you filthy slug."

"What can you possibly do to me, little girl?"

"I'll show you what a treasure hunter can do." Bringing her shovel claws out, Rouge dove straight at Kraken's belly, jumping into the goo and tunneling into the body mass.

"AHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Kraken shouted. "My body on fire."

"You said, outside." Rouge answered. "But I'm going in."

"HEARTBURN!" He screamed. "GET OUT OF ME, YOU NASTY LITTLE PARASITE!" Kraken heaved like he was going to blow chunks. Then, vomited Rouge out of his mouth covered in a putrid green slime that smelled like rotten eggs and decomposing ham sandwiches with maggots in them.

"Oh gross." Rouge said, finding she was unable to stand. "Oh great, I can't move."

"Then, it is the end of treasure hunting for you, you mangy night scavenger." Kraken raised a claw over his head. "Give my regards to the ancient walkers."

"ROUGE! NO!" Shadow jumped forward without even thinking. With a laugh Kraken backhanded the ultimate life form, sending his flying straight into the carving of the glowing crystal that the slug's on the mural were worshiping. The instant Shadow's body hit the wall, the ultimate life form was bathed in an eerie blue light.

"Wait, what is happening to you?" Kraken asked in shock. "This is not possible."

"Well, it seems the crystal embedded in this wall has the same energies as the chaos emeralds." Shadow declared, his body turning shock white. "It seems that I have attained the same power as that pathetic blue faker."

"My people's sacred crystal trapped in the wall mural this whole time?" The slug asked in disbelief. "How could I not be aware of this?"

"It doesn't matter what you are aware or not aware of." Super Shadow spoke in a creepy voice with a built in echo. "You're usefulness in this world is at an end. Prepare to join the rest of your species in oblivion."

"No, wait. This changes everything." Kraken pleaded. "With the crystal, I don't have to steal from the bat clan anymore. I can use its power to restore my race and…"

"CHAOS CONTROL!" Shadow teleported disappearing from view. "Tell me something, blob face. Do you know what happens when a body of mass is displaced by another body in the same space?"

"NOOOOO!" Kraken screamed. Shadow suddenly teleported right into the middle of Kraken's body causing him to explode in a massive shower of goo.

"No two bodies can exist in the same space at the same time." Shadow smirked. "So, one of those bodies has to go."

"Very cute and all, Shadow, but I'm kind of stuck in all this goo right now." Rouge struggled against the slime. "Think you could lead me a hand here?"

"Of course," Super Shadow responded, burning away the last of the slime with his touch. "There. You should be free now."

"Thanks, but don't you think that was a bit heartless, Shadow?" Rouge said sadly, looking at the splattered piles of goo. "I mean, he only wanted to save his people and he had agreed to stop robbing us."

"Like I said, Rouge. He had no place left in this world." Shadow held his hand out. "Now, I'm actually kind of hungry and since the slime ball ate all the food he had stolen. Watch this." A light began to glow in his hand. "Chaos… swiss roll." Then, a pastry appeared in his hand. "MMmmm, delicious."

"Gee, it sucks that some bakery somewhere on Mobius is missing one of their pastries." Rouge said in disgust. "Now if you excuse me, I'll head back up to the surface. The stink of a power-mad hedgehog is getting to me down here."

"Yeah, whatever." Shadow replied as she tunneled back up through the sand. When he was sure she was gone, Shadow put his hands on the splattered piles of goop and let the last of his energies he gained form the crystal flow into the slime puddles.

"Mep." The cry came up from the dozens of little puddles which formed into little Kraken like creatures with fangs and eyes. "Mep. Mep."

"There. Kraken's race has a second chance at life." Shadow said with a smile of satisfaction. "But without any of the original's greed and anger. Don't ever tell Rouge about this little guys, or she'll think I'm going soft."

"Mep." One of them declared as Shadow went back up the tunnel of sand.

"Rouge we are greatly honored that we have vanquished this foul foe and saved our clan from starvation." The chief declared. "You and your beloved are welcomed in as full members of the tribe with all past sins forgiven."

"Thank you, little brother." Rouge replied the necks of both her and Shadow. "But actually, to tell the truth, Shadow isn't my husband."

"WHAT!?" the hopping pile of clothes shrieked. "You keeding, girl? Why did you lie to us like that?"

"I was just afraid that you would get on my back about getting married and starting a family." Rouge shrugged. "It was easier to lie than to put up with all your nagging."

"Wait a second, you mean to tell me you and Shadow aren't married?" Selena asked, her eyes going wide. "Like Shadow is still totally single?"

"Yeah, he's not my type." Rouge declared, turning around and walking away. "I'm so totally not a Shadow fangirl. You can have him for all I care." Selena's eyes suddenly turned into hearts and a big grin spread across her face as she turned her head to look at Shadow.

"Rouge, wait. Don't leave me alone in this situation." Shadow, then turned and took off running. "Hover shoes, don't fail me now."

"That was a very foolish thing to do, Rouge." The chief advised her. "Shadow will never get that girl off his back."

"Eh, maybe he deserves a little backfire karma." Rouge answered with a smirk. "Maybe it'll teach him not to be so heartless sometimes."

The hedgehog and his teenage bat pursuer ran over the hill and Shadow's screams of terror can still be heard.

"Eww, I caught up with you Shadow sweetie."

"NOOOOO! LET ME GO! DON'T TOUCH ME THERE! HAPPY PLACE! HAPPY PLACE! MARIA! MARIA!"