Silver vaulted his way down the incline from the entrance to the cavern, taking in the dull gray and dark brown of the bricks and surrounding rock, respectively. He dropped a few meters into a pipe that curled him up into a Rolling Attack and sent him through a few twists and turns. He yelped in surprise at the sight of a large magma pool waiting for him several meters below, activating his powers so he could levitate to safety onto a small platform just above it. Shaking off the momentary fright, he lifted himself across the fiery expanse, grabbing a few Rings along the way to help maintain his psychokinesis. He set himself down on a ledge, climbed a couple of steps, and found what looked to be a Past Post next to a tall and smooth wall. It didn't have the same colors as the one he and the Witchcarters had used, but he found the choices more pleasing to the eye.
All of the ones he'd seen so far, save for that specific one in the abandoned labyrinth, were identical to the one in front of him, now that he thought about it. He wasn't really sure what to make of that, only that he'd avoided them all so far, and he did the same with this one. The teen hedgehog used a yellow spring to give himself a boost, then flew the rest of the way to the top. His senses alerted him to another presence just in time to dodge a tackle from one of the nasty denizens of this place. It was a dragonfly with a mostly black and purple carapace, while the tips of its antennae were a bright red. It possessed wispy blue wings and solid magenta compound eyes, as well as a barb on its tail similar to that of a scorpion's. While this may have been threatening to most ordinary Animals, Silver wasn't intimidated in the slightest. With a flick of the wrist and a palm thrust, he wrested a large panel from the steps behind him, then crushed the evil insect against a rocky outcropping close by.
Climbing up the stone stairs, he found three more of the same creatures waiting for him at the top, one of which immediately dove at him with its tail poised to stab him. Silver vaulted over the first dragonfly and sped towards the second one while he was curled up, a cyan aura streaking behind him as he homed in on his target. The spiny gray ball broke the bug into bits, continuing to Roll underneath and past the third enemy right into a pitfall. It attempted to pursue the hedgehog, only to get bashed as the sphere catapulted back up into it courtesy of a pair of red springs. The teen veered onto the path behind him, where a fourth and fifth creature were swarming in, hoping to surround him with their remaining comrade. With a few hops and graceful acrobatic maneuvers, he deftly avoided them, bringing his left arm close to his chest as he did.
"Psycho Cutter!" he shouted, swinging that same arm out in a wide arc.
A large, curved horizontal blade of cyan light appeared in front of him, holding it in place with his hand. Silver waited until all three of the dragonflies approached him, smirking as they all lined up perfectly. With another pivot, he released the Psycho Cutter, the energy projectile streaking through the air with a low hum and slicing through the bugs like they were made of paper. The hedgehog dusted off his hands and thumbed his nose at the remains of the monsters before turning around and continuing on through the cavern.
A few more gaps stood in his way, which were fortunately narrow enough that he didn't need his psychokinesis to cross them. Once again, he found a Past Post, this one sitting pretty on a tiny platform above a long glass pipe. Silver briefly glanced down at where it led, frowning in disappointment as that, too, would've resulted in a fiery end.
"It's just as barren and depressing as the world Glacia created," he said with a sigh as he hovered over the board space, "only there's fire instead of ice. At least I don't have to use my powers to keep my tail from freezing off."
A few moments later, he touched down at the edge of a lengthy, flat passage that went on for a good way. Seeing no enemies in sight, Silver conserved his energy and took it slow, the echo of his footsteps filling the tunnel. As he strolled through the empty catacombs, he thought about what he'd been through in the past few days. He assumed that's how long he'd been here, anyway, given that he'd taken a couple of naps to recuperate since being sent to this place. For all he knew, more or less time could've passed following his arrival.
The steady thudding of his shoes was disrupted when one of them struck something small and loose, causing it to skip and clink across the stone. He spotted a brilliant cyan gem fashioned in a half dutch rose cut, its flawless facets giving off a soft glow in the bleak lighting. Curious, the hedgehog bent down to retrieve it, and when he did, he could tell there was definitely something extraordinary about the stone. Energy flowed from it and through him with a calm constancy that coaxed him into taking a moment to just relax and experience it. It was like those times early on in his training where he'd finally managed to ground himself after spending several minutes flailing about while trying to control his levitation.
"I've got a feeling this is pretty important," he thought out loud, "better take it with me."
With a light tap of his fingers, he moved the gem so that it was placed against his neck fur and used a minor inkling of his powers to keep it in place. He wished that he had something to carry it with so he could conserve every bit of energy he could, but this would have to do. Maybe when he was in a relatively safer spot, he could take a breather and have a proper gander at this rock he'd discovered.
Miles and the others were thankful that the nearby volcanoes were currently at rest when they arrived at the next Zone. Past the entrance to the underground, the ground shifted to orange stone with yellow polka dot patterns, light blue brick paving the path. Their surroundings were mostly a dull brown-red series of stone blocks, some of which depicted patterns and symbols, while others were riddled with cracks. Blue pipes stretched across the place and out of the cavern ceiling at certain junctions, while decayed and slanted pillars and structures stood along the route. Strange purple plants also grew from various points, and the water was a brackish green that smelled as tepid as it appeared.
"Aside from a bit more structural damage and the obviously tainted underground river," the fox commented as he held his nose, "this place looks a lot more intact than the previous two Zones."
Amy held her nose and grimaced at the grimy water. "I hope that dry path we used last time is still there, because I am not swimming in that."
"It'd be faster to go through the cave in the past, where the water level is lower," Khal proposed, tapping his boots a little impatiently, "we might be able to catch up to whatever's on the move in the future, but I can't speak for the terrain in that time."
Miles agreed on taking the fastest route possible, given their situation. At the same time, one of them had to try and scout out the era to come, not only to pursue the anomaly, but also to check if one of the Time Stones was in the area. With the latter point in mind, he whipped out the Miles Electric and checked the Radar to see if any of the mystical minerals were present.
"Let's see," he mumbled as he adjusted the reception, "just a few tweaks here and I should be able to pick up...ah, I found one!" He blinked as he double-checked the reading, a more concerned expression soon crossing his face. "And I don't know what's causing it to do so, but it's moving away from us!"
The little Chao among them babbled to Cream, who then turned to the fox. "Cheese is wondering if the Time Stone might be in the future, and that the mysterious thing grabbed it."
"All the more reason to get moving," the hyena decided, fishing out the blue one in his possession and opening a portal, "just follow my lead and we'll get to the other side in no time."
Cream bravely stepped through first, with Amy and Cheese closely following her together. Khal gestured for Miles to do the same, but the teen stood his ground.
"I'm going to the future this time," he told the warrior while holding up his device, "I've been able to determine that's the period the Stone is in. Just in case it's not connected to this anomaly, I'm going after it. And if it is, hopefully we'll all conveniently meet up to face it."
The older fellow cocked a brow. "Are you saying you want to go it alone? I've already told the others I'll guide them, so I won't be there to help if anything happens."
"I know, but I'll be fine," Miles replied confidently, "so don't let me keep you."
Khal nodded curtly to him. "We'll see you soon, then. Stay vigilant."
He then stepped through the gate to the past and sealed it behind him, leaving the fox alone in the present. Pocketing the Miles Electric, he brought out the ESP and popped in a new Ring as he switched the setting from Fire to Water. He activated the Bubble Shield, put the Projector back in its respective pouch, and dove into the slimy drink. Everything around him took on a greenish hue under the water's surface, making the paved stone structures and pipes appear as though they were covered in algae. There were still some fish swimming around, although they looked like they'd seen better days, and the number of their decomposing friends around them suggested that they didn't have many left.
Miles swam down past a clear pipe to a narrow passage, whipping his tails to boost past a spike trap in the ceiling. Winding his way several meters up an even slimmer shaft, he hovered back up onto dry land and peered at a familiar puzzle ahead. A platform was rapidly moving in a large circle between a slit in the stone wall, and one in a paved barrier. Both were too narrow for him to fit through, but he was aware of the solution. He flew towards the platform just as it was coming out of the bottom hole, putting his foot down on the other edge of it. A click rang in the air, and the paved wall rose up in a flash, letting both him and the hunk of stone he was on through to the other side.
After dismounting the platform, the way behind him came back down, leaving Miles no choice but to jump back into the water to continue. He reached the bottom of a rather deep pool, moved under an overhang that acted as a divider, and made his way up to a set of ledges a few meters above the water. The tunnel he ended up in was long and straight, and aside from a few pits along the way, it was perfect for using a Time Post. Miles checked behind him for anything inconspicuous, and to his good fortune, there was a Future Post nestled in the corner of the alcove.
He gave it a good smack, then judged the distance he would need to run in order to enter the Time Warp, as well as when to jump the gaps in the path. Right as he began to start sprinting, a loud heavy metal song began blaring from the Miles Electric, nearly making him trip and fall on his face. Skidding to a stop, the teen fox brought out the multitool and saw the icon of his teal lupine sister blinking on the screen. He deactivated the ESP, brushed himself with his free hand so he didn't look like he'd just fought two giant monsters, and then tapped on the answer prompt.
"Hey there, Giselle," Miles greeted her as casually as he could, "sorry I didn't pick up right away; I was in the middle of something."
"Then I should be the one apologizing," Gizmo responded, her teeth showing off a teasing grin, "I didn't mean to interrupt your tender moment."
The fox's fur puffed up and bristled. "That's not what I was suggesting!" He moved the display around so that she could see he was alone. "Does this look like a romantic spot to you?"
"You sure do get riled up about that pretty easily," the wolf giggled, taking a moment to compose herself. Once she could speak without snickering, she adopted a more understanding expression. "Alright then, little bro, what were you busy with just now?"
Miles hesitated to fill her in on the details. It hadn't yet reached the point where he personally felt that the twins' help was needed. At the same time, he knew that if he pretended everything was fine, they wouldn't fall for it. Maybe if he phrased it a certain way, they wouldn't look any further into it.
"Oh, it's nothing to worry yourself about," he tried to persuade her, "just a bit of a snag in our plans to have a peaceful time on Little Planet. Other than that, it's been pretty fun."
Gizmo gave him a deadpan look. "What really happened, Miles?"
So much for trying to be subtle.
"Okay, so 'a bit' might be an understatement," the fox admitted, "but I'm not lying otherwise!"
The wolf on the other end stepped away for a moment, yelling out her twin brother's name. While she waited on him, the she-wolf pulled her comm close so he was staring right into those orange eyes, with the edges of her top fangs still visible. Miles felt his tails droop and his ears subconsciously fold at "the stare", his own eyes attempting to glance away, but failing to do so.
"Please elaborate," Gizmo said in a way that made it clear that she wasn't asking, but rather demanding that he do so.
She pulled away when another pair of boots came thudding into her room, followed by Gadget squeezing into the picture. "Why're you yelling? You could've just pinged my comm, you know." He then noticed the fox on her device's screen. "Oh, I think I get it now. I'll save the jokes for later, then."
"Things have gotten...pretty crazy," Miles informed them.
The twins glanced at one another skeptically.
"Crazier than rediscovering a floating island with a resident member of a species thought to have gone extinct centuries prior?" the red wolf questioned.
"Battier than boarding a deadly space station and bringing about the downfall of a long-lasting empire that boasted technology superior to most?" the teal one added.
Miles couldn't deny that he had been on some pretty harrowing adventures since his first outing. The last couple had been especially incredible, from making new friends, to awakening new power, to bringing a somber close to his feud with the Battle Kukku Empire. And this latest one was shaping up to be even bigger than those, unless the threat of Sierus could be contained before it spread.
"Well, everything started off okay," he explained, "I found Cream's place just fine and got to meet her mother, who's a really nice lady. Then we got to Never Lake ahead of schedule, which is when our plans went down the drain." He paused, but his siblings simply nodded attentively and gestured for him to continue. "Little Planet's been ruined by some entity that's connected to the Principality of Soleanna, and if we don't stop it, it'll spread to the Earth as well."
Gadget pumped his fists and stood up straighter. "Say no more, little bro."
"We'll get over to you as soon as we can!" Gizmo promised.
Miles waved his free hand in a wide swing while he shook his head. "No, wait! Cream and I have some help, so it's not like it's just the two of us."
The wolves weren't dissuaded, however. Gadget was already out of the room before the fox could say anything more, while Gizmo was reaching for something off-screen with her free hand.
"More hands on deck never hurts," she insisted, humming happily as she put something in her utility belt, "too bad Sonic went off to who knows where, or else we'd bring him along."
The teen felt his head starting to get a little heavy. "Sonic just took the Tornado and left? Did he say where he was going or what he was doing? How are you and Gad even going to get here without the plane?"
"Yes, he did just that, and no, he didn't even give us so much as a hint before just flying away," Gizmo responded, taking a moment to wag her finger, "as for that last one, you'll see soon enough." She rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. "It was supposed to be a Christmas present for you, but given that we're apparently in another crisis, I think it's okay to spoil you a little early."
"There's no need for you guys to go that far!" Miles tried to tell her, pacing around anxiously while he pleaded, "I swear, we've got this under cont–"
The image cut out and went back to the Radar, which was the last app he'd been using before the call. He let his arm holding the multitool limp to his side while his other face ran its fingers down his face.
'I really need to be more assertive,' he considered, exasperated at this turn of events.
In the recent past, prior to Little Planet becoming the wasteland that it was in the present, Witchcart and her reunited cronies, all under Sierus' control, had made landfall.
"The first order of business is restoring my power to an adequate level," the entity declared, "something that would normally take quite a bit of time."
Carrotia laid her chin against one fist. "That's boring. I hope there's a faster way to do it so we can have fun."
"Provided we can find Time Posts," Sierus explained, "going further into the past will help to expedite my recovery, as well as set the first stage of my plan into motion."
Focke-Wulf perked up his ears and chuckled. "I'll do whatever it takes if it means getting to shred some saps!"
"Whether you rip and tear, or burn down all in your path, rest assured that there will be plenty of that," the being promised.
After a short stroll through the tropical paradise, the dark quartet scaled a tall natural ramp of triangular-patterned brown soil. They leapt down from the cliff that came shortly after, though Sierus chose to hover along and observe instead of using its host's feeble physical prowess. It levitated past a rise in the terrain to a gap between two hills, waiting for the three lackeys to catch up first. There were two Time Posts close to their position, one of which was on a higher ledge, while the other was right in front of them. Fortuitously, the latter of these was the type that they were looking for.
All four of them laid a hand on the Past Post as Sierus Witchcart tapped into the concentrated Temporal Energy that the small structure stored up. The white stars that would normally trail behind them from attempting to run into the Time Warp instead appeared around them. The glimmering shapes encircled them, rotating faster and faster until they began to blur, as did the rest of their surroundings. After several seconds, the lot of them saw everything but the bit of ground they were standing on shunted into the prismatic dimensional plane. The earth they stood on regressed until the soil grew less vibrant and the plants changed to more primitive flora. With another bright flash, everything soon settled and matched up with the prehistoric piece of turf they were on.
"Now what do we do?" Bearenger grumbled as he folded his arms.
The possessed human hummed thoughtfully. "We find suitable receptacles for fair portions of my essence so that they can devastate in my stead. After we have sown the seeds, we shall return to the present, where the destructive energy cultivated by my spawn shall rejuvenate me."
"Aww, I thought we'd be the ones making things go boom-boom," the rabbit pouted childishly.
"You will get your chance. Once I have been restored, the lot of you will grow stronger in turn. It would be a lot more entertaining once you have a bigger fire to play with, would it not?"
As eager as the trio were to get to wrecking stuff, Sierus knew how to tempt them. Getting stronger was always nice, and if they had to wait a little bit for that to happen, so be it. Not that they had much of a choice anyway, given how it was manipulating them, but the promise of power did make them more willing.
After spending a few minutes venturing through the Zone, they came across one of the apex predators of the time. A fine specimen of a T-Rex was out on the prowl, looking for something to scavenge, or some easy prey to hunt. Upon spotting the group, it assumed that the latter option had presented itself, and wasted no time in stomping over to them. Only Carrotia showed any signs of fear, slinking behind Focke-Wulf and Bearenger, who were both ready to get cracking. They glanced over at Sierus-Witchcart, who jerked its head towards the dinosaur.
"Kill it," the entity commanded them, "I do not require the containers for my essence to be alive. And be quick about it; I do not wish for the guardian of this world to discover us too soon."
That was all the motivation that the wolf and the bear needed to jump into the fray. The bigger of the two guys went in first, pounding his fists together and making threatening gestures at the giant reptile. Its expression changed to show some surprise at such a small thing challenging it, but the T-Rex didn't ease up on the attack. It lunged at Bearenger with its infamous jaws, moving with surprising speed for its size, yet the mammal was faster. He dodged the massive bite by a few hairs, then grabbed hold of its snout and jumped up at the same time he drove both of his arms down.
The predator was stunned, both figuratively and genuinely, by its head being slammed into the dirt, its short arms moving to push itself up. Focke-Wulf chose that moment to dart in and slash across one of its eyes with his claws, coaxing an angry and pained snarl from the behemoth. It got to its feet and charged at the pair, both of them diving to one side to avoid being crushed. The blue wolf sped after it, ducking beneath swings of that powerful tail before pouncing onto it and Rolling up the length. He cleared the base of it at the same time that Bearenger lumbered over and seized the tip of it, digging his heels into the ground while a magenta aura coated his arms. A confused grunt escaped the dinosaur as its limb was pulled taut, though it didn't have long to wonder before an azure sphere came down on the back of its head, right where it was most vulnerable.
As it crashed down a second time, the wolf once again brandished his natural weapons, his eyes taking on a more vivid tint of their new magenta color. The tips of his claws glowed that same shade, with a wispy purple-black smoke rising off of them as well, and he brought them down on that reptilian noggin. He was pleasantly surprised at how easily he cut through the tough flesh and solid sinew, soon exposing a bit of that tender brain matter. The T-Rex tried to shake him off, but it was too late to stop the maniac from sinking his searing digits into the stem and severing it. Less than half a minute later, the mighty terrestrial hunter was motionless, all its vital functions having been cut off by that one critical blow.
"Efficient work," Sierus commended them, "and I see that you noticed my touch. There is more to come as my might returns, so consider that as a little incentive."
It hovered over to where Focke-Wulf had bored into the reptile's head and clasped the hands of its host together. As they gradually drifted apart, a small black-purple orb of fire grew in the space between them. It then deposited the flame into the hole, and the sound of fat, muscle, and other matter being fried filled the air. A dark blaze spread from the gaping wound over the rest of the body, slowly but surely charring the corpse from both the inside and outside.
"The process for such a spawn will take some time, so let us be off," Sierus proclaimed, the trio falling into line beside it, "we have a few more Zones to tackle in this manner before we can progress to the second phase." It turned to Carrotia in particular. "I do not abide hesitation, but I will give you one more chance to be useful. Fail or refuse, and you get to serve as the starter log for the next vessel that I mold."
The rabbit gulped audibly at the threatening promise. She hadn't refused to step in entirely out of fear; she knew the boys could handle a big dumb beast like that. But now, she was aware that if she wanted to stay alive, she couldn't afford to be so lackadaisical like she was under the old Witchcart. And hey, more power and cool abilities did sound nice. Maybe with this new guy or whatever it was, they could actually take down that meddlesome fox...
The past form of the underground catacombs wasn't too different from the present, from what the quartet of Cream, Cheese, Amy, and Khal had seen. The ground still had that odd polka dot pattern, though it was dark green with lighter green here, and there was still stone paving much of the ground and some walls, albeit more primitive in construction. The water level was significantly lower, and it gave a darker tint to everything beneath the surface. Most importantly, it was much clearer and cleaner, as evidenced by the greater number of fish swimming around without any concern. They'd managed to get by so far without getting wet, but it seemed they would have to dip their toes at some point in this part of the Zone.
"Hey, Cream," Amy tried to whisper so the hyena wouldn't hear her. This was helped by them approaching a waterfall that cascaded down from above, but it did mean she had to speak up to be heard over the roaring currents. "Don't you think now is a good time to ask Khal about a few things? Maybe a little more about himself, or what he thinks of Miles?"
The rabbit couldn't deny that she was curious, and she had told the fox she would try and speak with the warrior a bit more. She glanced over at Cheese to see what it thought of Amy's words, being met with a nod and a bit of Chao babble. If her two friends believed she should follow through, then that's what she would do!
However, she would wait until they were in an area where it would be easier for them to talk. Khal led them down the waterfall to a platform made up of three blocks in an L-shape, which rotated 90 degrees clockwise the moment he jumped from it to a nearby alcove. Minding this, the two girls and their diminutive companion joined up with them, then proceeded down a steep incline to a narrow tunnel. This opened up to a dozen meter drop into what would be nearly chest-high water for someone as short as the pink hedgehog. The Gear allowed her to descend safely, while Cream and Cheese did so by their methods of flight. Khal, meanwhile, had to leap to one of several stone blocks moving up and down, drop to another of those L-shaped platforms, then use his claws and blade to climb down the wall the rest of the way.
The group bypassed a Future Post and proceeded through an opening to a pair of columns that served as a simple crushing trap. After taking a few moments to assess the timing, they slipped through and came to a pool, where they could see a few different paths through the depths they could take. The hyena dove in and headed for the closest, uppermost tunnel, and after a moment's hesitation, the girls and Cheese went in. The water was cold, but not unpleasantly chilly, and the abundant mineral content made it feel a tad rough. They didn't stay submerged for long, as a pair of yellow springs gave them all a significant boost out of the water and up a tall shaft.
The three found Khal waiting for them, standing at the edge of the makeshift steps they ended up on. The hyena beckoned them to move on. Not far past another Future Post, she saw where they would have to enter the water again, and it looked to be a good bit deeper this time. This swim was barely longer than the last one despite the greater dive, as all they had to do was swim down one passage and up the one next to it to reach dry land again. A few vaults and yellow springs soon brought them to a long and tall channel in the cave that had a couple of gaps, a few decorative stone columns, and a slope close to where the ceiling got lower.
It seemed they were approaching the final stretch, so Cream thought it was a good time to pluck up some courage; not just for the threat ahead, but also to broach her concerns with the hyena.
"Mr. Khal, do you mind if I ask you more questions?" she inquired softly.
"Go ahead," he answered her as he hopped the first pitfall in front of them.
The bunny girl took in a breath, waited until they'd passed the second gap, then let it out once they walked down the decline at the end.
"What do you think of Miles?" she asked him directly.
Khal stopped and turned around to face them, cupping his chin in one palm. There was a contemplative light in his gray eyes.
"I've told you before that I've seen many things, both directly and vicariously," he replied coolly, "and that includes the fox boy's exploits. He's done more for the world than many could dream of, yet he remains humble about most of it. He has a good heart and a strong sense of justice, and his trust and reliance on his friends is wonderful to see."
Cream was a bit perplexed to hear this sort of praise. She had a feeling that it wasn't all the spotted guardian had to say about her vulpine friend, though.
"However," he went on, proving her right, "from what I've seen, he sometimes overthinks things, which can be costly if time is tight. He also has a childish naivete when it comes to handling certain matters. That softness has cost him a companion, and unless he becomes willing to do everything possible to protect what he holds dear, it'll take much more from him, sooner or later." He let out a puff through his nose. "But that doesn't mean I dislike him, even if I'm a bit critical of that latter point." The spotted hyena folded his arms and lowered his head a little. "Perhaps I should make that clear the next time we see him; I've noticed he's been reluctant to speak with me unless he has to, or the topic of conversation interests him."
All in all, it wasn't remotely as scathing as the teen had expected. That Khal was willing to communicate how he felt about Miles to the fox himself was also a good step in making things more amiable, or at least less awkward. There was still one little detail that Amy piped up about.
"Then why were you so harsh on him after getting rid of those mean dummies?" the pink hedgehog wondered.
The spotted mammal's mane spiked up a little. "Because his decision to spare those savages ended up causing damage and costing time. Extending mercy and forgiveness isn't a weakness, but offering it to those that are unrepentant is a fool's errand. I also don't appreciate when others presume they can tell me what to do. The only one with that authority is Shai, though once upon a time, I was deferential to my mother."
Cream decided that was a good time to move on to something that didn't provoke visible irritation in the older guy, nor make her and her friends uncomfortable. Maybe he had some fond memories of his family, friends, and the other people in his community.
"Well, since you brought her up," the rabbit segued, "what was your mother like? Or the rest of your family and the people you knew in your clan?"
That did appear to calm Khal down somewhat, as his hackles went back to resting against his spine. "I don't know if you're aware, but spotted hyena culture is matriarchal. This is due to the women being, on average, larger, stronger, and more aggressive than the men, unlike with most mammals. I was both the first child and the first son of our clan's matriarch, though that barely afforded me any more primacy than the other males in our society."
He shook his head dismissively and started to walk again. They did need to get going, after all.
"Anyway, as I said before," he carried on, "I was raised as a warrior like everyone else, then doubled as a priest starting from my adolescence. I became the head one after a few years, and Khashi, my eldest younger brother, joined me at my side as an acolyte. Out of all my siblings, he was probably the closest to me, as he often confided in me, and was very attentive and dutiful aside. I told him to take over as head priest if I never returned, and I saw through visions given by Shai that he did just that. He lived a good, long life."
A sad smile crossed Khal's muzzle, though he quickly regained a more neutral countenance. The others had noticed it, but chose not to say anything.
"Most of the other clan members treated me with the respect that came from my position," he went on, stopping just before some loose rocks collapsed to reveal another pitfall. He gave it a moment, then continued talking after clearing the jump. "I wouldn't say they were friends, but relations were amiable, for the most part. As for my mother...she was rigid, but fair. There was a lot expected of me from even a young age, and she made sure to drill that into me, though never to the extent you'd consider it 'abuse'. I was destined for something greater than my stint as head priest, she'd said, something that would immortalize me in the clan's annals. That's why she gave me the name 'Khaldun', which means 'eternal'."
Cheese chirped and jabbered at him, which managed to provoke a longing, yet also content sigh from the hyena. Cream would have provided a translation, but it seemed that the guy knew well enough what the Chao had said.
"From time to time, but they lived their lives and naturally passed on long ago," Khal said with finality as he bowed his head respectfully. He perked his ears up as they came to another slope and a shaft that went deeper underground. After a prolonged moment of silence, he called his khopesh. "There's something ahead, no doubt the anomaly we're looking for."
Tabling their conversation for the time being, the guardian went on ahead, vaulting off of the walls as he descended into the chasm. The girls and their tiny partner trailed after him up a flight of makeshift steps, though once they reached the top, a column of stone closed behind them. They didn't turn around to look, though, as a long, powerful tail that was black with purple spots and streaks slinked down into the pitfall in front of them. A shudder ran through all of them except the hyena, who simply gripped his weapon more tightly at the sight. He went after it, landing at the bottom of the drop and seeing a bit more of the creature, though it was still too vague to make out as it retreated into a second vertical passage.
Whatever it was, it knew it was being chased, though the hyena couldn't tell if it was trying to run away or lure him into a trap. Either way, he kept up the pace, while Cream, Cheese, and Amy were able to follow with relative ease. Past the tunnel their quarry went into, there was a third lengthy descent where Khal had to temporarily hitch a ride on the Gear due to there being no safe way for him to get down. From there, steps started directing them deeper into the catacombs until they came to a conspicuous outcropping that overlooked a pool at the bottom of one last break in the stone. The warrior spotted the barest traces of ripples disturbing the surface, suggesting something had just taken a dip.
"What do you think it is, Mr. Khal?" Cream asked him nervously, with Cheese echoing her mood and sentiment.
He growled and twirled his blade. "Something amphibious, which would have the advantage down there. I can maneuver fairly well underwater, and if I have to use it, I do have at least one ability that would work. I'm uneasy about letting the three of you, though. It might be best to let me handle this alone."
"Be careful," Amy told him, grabbing his free hand and giving it a squeeze with both of hers, "and call us for help if you need it, okay?"
Khal nodded and gently closed his fingers around hers as reassurance. "Don't worry, I haven't survived this long just because I'm ageless. But, if it comes down to needing your help, I'll let you know one way or another."
He drew in as deep of a breath as he could, dismissed his weapon for the time being, then plummeted head-first into the water several meters below. He swiftly swam beneath an inverted arch and came out into a long and open tunnel with barely enough room at the top for him to surface if he needed air. But of course, it was what occupied that tunnel that he was after. It was an exceptionally large specimen that was like a cross between a newt and a true salamander from what he could glean, one that was almost twice again bigger than him even if its tail was excluded. It had mostly black skin with dark purple spots and markings, and those glowing magenta eyes shared by all of Sierus' servants were present here, too. Most concerning, though, was the fact that the water immediately around it was off-color, visibly bubbling, and had a more oily viscosity.
'It's super-heating the water and secreting toxins,' Khal thought, once again summoning his weapon, 'probably what ends up polluting this place and affecting the present.'
With several strong strokes, he closed the distance with the monster in short order, catching its attention once he drew near. It whipped its tail and spun around in a blink, lunging with its jaws wide open, ready to bite down on the hyena. He reacted by jetting out of the way and slicing it across the side, gritting his teeth as he endured the burn of the boiling water on his hand. Khal felt his fingers start to shake a bit, while the pain he'd just felt subsided, along with the sensation of the cooler currents.
'Must be the poison,' he figured, watching the aquatic salamander do an 180 and head back his way, 'pretty dangerous if it can pass through my skin and act this quickly. Seems to be limited to the area of contact, though.'
The warped amphibian twisted its body one way and then violently jerked it in the opposite direction, causing two bony protrusions to emerge from behind its front legs. It swooped in at an angle with the intent to scrape that sharp tip across the hyena, but he brought up his weapon to block. By doing so, however, he was thrown for a loop as the greater weight behind the attack caused him to flip over. This left him prone to a slap from that tail, knocking him down into the stone below and pushing out some air from his lungs. The same feeling followed the minor scorching his back received, though there was also a sense of stiffness in light of where he'd been struck. It only made sense that the more antigens he absorbed, the more compounding effects they would have on him.
His foe darted down the tunnel and doubled back, spinning like a turbine so its ribs could act as an impromptu blender. Khal reached into a pocket with his free hand and tapped one of the Time Stones, letting the color around him drain away as he slowed the chronological flow. To help conserve energy, he only did so long enough to retreat and duck into the nook beneath the lip of the passage, then immediately canceled it. This left the salamander confused when it felt no impact with its target, prompting it to cease its rotations and search for him. The hyena used that opportunity to kick off the corner and curl into a Rolling Attack with his khopesh extended, lopping the last foot of that tail off.
A gargling screech and a cloud of bubbles emitted from the angry beast, while Khal felt more of that numb, yet uncomfortable rigidity spreading through him. He did his best to bear it and push on, only to be reminded that exerting himself underwater like this made it harder to hold his breath. Feeling his chest start to burn, he shot towards the surface and leapt from the water to grab a sturdy vine hanging from the cavern ceiling. He was barely given a moment to take in some fresh oxygen when the salamander surfaced nearby, a section of its body swelling up from a gland beneath its skin. A black-purple caustic fluid sprayed in a thin and precise line at his hand, which he narrowly avoided by letting go and dropping into the water once more.
The monster believed this to be the chance it needed to take down the hyena, making a second attempt at a crushing bite. That proved to be a fatal mistake as Khal drew his weapon arm back and grabbed one of the Stones with his other hand. Right as the salamander was about to chomp down on him, time slowed to a protracted crawl for everything but the guardian. He thrusted his arm forward and sent his blade right through the back of its maw, grabbing the hilt with both hands once he felt it penetrate that moist skin. With a sickening rip, he brought it back in his direction, cleaving through the skull like it was putty.
Since he didn't get a good breath when he last went up, his lungs began to ache, and so he deactivated his ability. He swam through the cloud of blackish-red blood left by his carnage, heading back the way he came to tell the girls and Cheese that it would be safe. Khal glanced back for a moment to see his handiwork, the mutilated corpse of the salamander sinking to the bottom of the pool. It had proven to be something of a pushover, all things considered, but he was still glad that he hadn't dragged the girls and the Chao into this.
As he passed beneath the overhang and went back to where he'd separated from the group, a horrible pain suddenly wracked his entire body, his arms and legs twitching uncontrollably as he fought to keep them steady and fight for air. His heartbeat thudded in his ears, the rate of his pulse faster than he'd heard it in a very long time, and his vision started to blur.
'Damn, the poison's stronger than I thought,' he considered, struggling to keep his eyes open, 'keep it together, Khaldun.'
Luckily, he breached the water, but when he gasped for air, it wasn't calm or measured breathing. He was hyperventilating, dizziness overcoming him as numbness traveled up his spasming limbs. Much as he tried, he couldn't move beyond small, semi-controlled motions to keep himself afloat, and the obvious automatic functions.
"Khal! Oh my gods, what happened!?" he heard Amy shout from above, seeing pink, orange, and blue shapes hovering down to him, "hang on, we'll get you out!"
He didn't want them to risk getting affected by touching him, but he didn't have the strength to speak when he was spending so much energy just trying to breathe without passing out. He felt the hoverboard move beneath him and slowly lift him out of the water, which was when his arms and legs went wholly limp. He'd been through worse, and he knew that this wasn't going to be enough to put him out of commission for good. But man, did he feel embarrassed and aggravated about being reduced to this state.
"Shoot, looks like a dead end," Silver muttered.
The tunnels had eventually led him to a pool of magma that was blocking what seemed to be the only way forward. As powerful as his psychokinesis was, he wasn't confident in his ability to keep a bubble of space around himself long enough to come out the other side of the molten river. And while he could easily tear apart the ceiling and burrow his way up, he didn't want to risk a cave-in that could potentially bring down more weight than even he could handle. That meant that his only options were to either backtrack and find a different route out of the catacombs, or return to the beginning of the Zone and take the above-ground path to the next.
Just as he turned around, the hedgehog sensed that he wasn't alone. There was an energy signature that felt vaguely like a portion of his; not the aspect that fueled his powers, but something else he'd never been able to put a finger on. He remembered being told that it was something everybody had in varying quantities, and that people who possessed high amounts, like himself, were special. Harnessed properly, it was potentially capable of even more than his psychic abilities, so he'd been told. The problem was that there had been nobody to teach him how to use it like he could his psychic abilities. Not only that, but nobody he came across ever had anywhere near as great a volume of this mysterious energy as him. He could tell this one was different, though; the reserve he felt out was comparable to his own, if not greater, and for a moment, it intimidated him.
'Easy, you don't know if it's hostile,' he thought to help compose himself.
Even with that considered, he kept both his mind sharp and his fists at the ready. A few moments later, the presence he'd felt landed on the ledge across from him, and he had to admit that it wasn't what he'd been expecting. A tall and wiry fox with amber, white, and tawny fur, cyan-blue eyes, and two tails instead of one was looking at him with just as much awe. He was also carrying a rather strange device with its antenna pointed the spiny teen's way, specifically at the gem on his neck fur.
"So someone did grab it," the vulpine mumbled as he put the machine into one of the pouches on his utility belt.
Silver took a step back, glancing down at the stone and then back up at the new guy. "Who are you? Why do I feel so much strange energy coming from you?"
"Huh, strange energy?" the fox replied, tapping a couple fingers against his chin as his eyes trailed off in one direction. After a moment, he let out an "ahh" of understanding. "You must mean Chaos Energy. I'm kind of surprised; you're only the second guy I've met that can sense it in other living things. I haven't quite gotten it down myself, but I'm working on it." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "To answer your first question, though, my name is Miles Prower." He gestured to the hedgehog with one hand. "How about you?"
The friendly demeanor made the younger teen relax, but he didn't entirely drop his guard. He had no idea what this Miles wanted, after all, aside from maybe the gem he was carrying. The fox seemed rather interested in it, and he wasn't sure what to make of that.
"I'm Silver," he answered tersely, "Silver the Hedgehog."
"Nice to meet you," Miles responded kindly, then motioned towards the mineral in that collar of fluff, "I couldn't help but notice the stone you've got there. I have a couple that are identical, save for the color."
That piqued the hedgehog's interest. If this gem he had wasn't the only one of its kind, then there had to be more to it. He patiently watched Miles dip into two of the pouches on his utility belt, and true to his word, he brought out a pair of stones that looked just like his. The only difference was that instead of cyan, one was yellow and the other was orange.
"Do you know what they are?" he asked the fox.
Miles pocketed the Time Stones and was about to explain what they were, only for everything around them to fade to white. It was just like how the others described the initial part of the future changing before their eyes. Much like they'd informed him, it didn't take long for everything to come back into focus, and both he and Silver were stunned by what they saw.
The caves had transformed into a mechanized, but non-invasive containment facility, with the polka dot rocks now magenta with pink spots, and the stone pavement replaced by light blue metal panels. Technical piping and meters decorated the pathways they could see, and plants, both inside and outside protective glass tubes, helped to liven the place up. Where there was once magma, there was now pure water that gave everything beneath its surface a soft shade of blue. While much of it still ran through the place like in the present, the pipes running through the Zone were carrying more of it to sections that needed it.
Silver walked over to a tall flower with eight yellow petals and a bright red center on its head, seemingly mesmerized with its simple beauty. As he leaned in for a closer inspection, he inadvertently took in a whiff of its scent, which made him pull back, though not out of disgust.
"Have you never seen a flower before?" Miles joked, wearing an amused smile.
The other teen shook his head. "Only in what few books I could find about them. There aren't many places where you could grow them anyway, not after what Glacia's done to the world."
"Ah, so you're a native," the fox said with an air of understanding.
Silver blinked at the statement. "Well, no, I'm not from this place."
"I meant this era," Miles clarified, "you might not believe me, but I'm from the past. How far in the past compared to 'now', I don't know, though I hope to figure that out sooner than later."
So, he was a time traveler just like Focke-Wulf and the others had been. Unlike them, however, the two-tailed teen was being up front about it, and he also seemed to have some knowledge about Glacia and the ruined world. Maybe he was also trying to discover a way to prevent it from coming about?
"I do believe you," Silver said, smirking a little at the shock on the fox's face, "you're not the first guy from the past I've met, and I've gone back myself, once." His smile fell a bit at the recent memory of what had happened when he did. "Though I didn't get to see or do much before I was forced to come back."
Miles stroked his chin in thought. "Who did you run into before you met me? Maybe I know them, since time travel isn't exactly a widespread thing."
"There were three of them and they were kinda strange, but one of them was alright. His name was Focke-Wulf, and he–"
The hedgehog gasped as the fox stepped forward so closely that their noses were almost touching. There wasn't much that scared the gray-quilled teen, but the furious glint in those cyan-blue eyes was rather threatening.
"Focke-Wulf the Wolf is anything but alright," Miles informed him with a deep growl, "and I don't know what he told you, but you shouldn't trust him or either of his two comrades."
It was obvious that Miles had a personal and very negative history with the trio he had met, and that did concern him. Still, he figured he owed it to those odd guys to speak up a little on their behalf.
"W-well, he said that I could change the fate of the world if we went back," the spiny fellow went on, "all he wanted was for me to help them return to their time."
The vulpine set him down and sighed. "Well, sorry to say, but you were tricked, even if he was right about the first bit. I know from personal experience that that guy and his pals don't care about anyone but themselves." He crossed his arms and frowned. "They were simply using you to save their own hides, and if they'd had their way, they probably would've turned you against me and the others who are actually trying to avert what happens in my future."
Now the future-dweller felt even more guilty, and a bit angry with both himself and those three troublemakers. Not only had he accidentally freed some evil entity, but he'd been helping criminals, too? He smacked his head with one palm and shook it aggressively, trying to dismiss such gloomy thoughts. Unless they could go back to the specific times where those things had occurred to stop them, there was nothing he could do about what was past. His energy was better spent on trying to figure out ways to bring all those threats down in the present. The fox's present not his...at least he thought that was right? Time travel was such a headache.
"So, is that why everything around us changed from what it was to all of this?" he queried, motioning at their environs.
Miles nodded. "Yeah, it means my friends eliminated the source of this Zone's ruination in the past. This makes the third one we've restored, so far." He snapped his fingers. "Oh, right, I almost forgot about your earlier question. I want to answer it, but I'd prefer if we headed back to my time and met up with everyone else first."
Silver was uncertain. When he'd last gone back in time, he'd only made things worse. He was still trying to find if there were any clues to bringing down Sierus in this place that bore its influence. But aside from the gem he'd discovered, nothing of the sort had turned up. Even so, he wanted to keep at it, at least for a little longer.
"Sorry," he replied, "but I think it's better for me to stay here for now. Everything was all icy until recently, and now there's fire too."
Miles appeared momentarily disappointed, but his expression was swiftly replaced by one of understanding. "I'm guessing you know about Sierus?"
"Yeah," Silver answered vaguely, not wanting to reveal his part in unwittingly setting the being free, "and I've been trying to see if there might be any clues to beating it. This part of the world is different from the rest, at least what I've seen. So, I thought maybe I'd find something that could help."
The fox shrugged and flashed him a peace sign. "Then I won't force you to come if you don't want to. I'll see you in the next Zone, or maybe one of my friends will. Anyway, I hope something turns up in your search!"
With that, the two of them went their separate ways, with Miles backtracking through the now more pleasant tunnels. It wasn't long until he came to a familiar stretch of land with a Past Post close to a section of the river. Utilizing the object, Miles passed through the Time Warp and came out the other side without incident.
That was, until he saw that all of the others in his group were close by, rather than at the end like they'd agreed. Upon spotting him, Cream ran up to the fox and tugged him by one arm over to the gathering, her other hand nervously clutching at her collar.
"Miles, you have to help!" she uttered frantically while Cheese waved its arms around and cried out in distress, "Mr. Khal was poisoned by the monster tainting the Zone!"
He didn't even get the opportunity to inquire about how that could've happened when he was brought in front of the hyena, who was laying on the Extreme Gear like it was a stretcher. His arms and legs were sprawled out loosely while his chest rose and fell at irregular intervals, some shuddering evident in his breathing. His gray eyes were bloodshot and lightly glazed over, though he could still apparently see the fox, as they did move to focus on him.
"You think your healing power can help?" Amy asked, her hands clasped together pleadingly.
Miles bit the tip of an index finger through his glove. "I'm not sure, but I'll try. If I can just remember how I did it for Fuchsia when I was supercharged, I might be able to pull it off."
The two girls and the Chao watched with bated breath as the fox placed his hands over the warrior's chest, doing his best to call forth the Chaos Energy he needed for this feat. He hoped he'd be able to manage it, because he wasn't sure what to do if it turned out that he couldn't.