Shadow the Hedgehog of the Colossus
Chapter 12: Dirge
Team Chaotix was finally on the right track to locating the hidden village of the remnants of the Colossus Clan. After infiltrating Doctor Eggman's lair, they practically forced him to comply with their demands unless he wished to receive another serious beating from Charmy.
With little choice, he tells them everything he knows about Shadow and how he plans to bring Maria Robotnik back from the dead. Espio recalled seeing her in an old video log he and the others found locked away within the ARK's database. The one where Gerald told Shadow his true purpose and gave him the encouragement he needed to defeat the Black Arms.
From there, Vector can deduce that Shadow's mission and the disappearance of Tails and the others are linked, forcing Espio to facepalm. He'd already worked it out ages ago.
Eggman offers to lend them his pod as a means to finally repay them for their services and rescue him from Metal Sonic. But Vector assured him it wouldn't be enough. He and his team will be expecting the full payment from him once their rescue mission is over.
Now, miles above in the cloud-filled blue sky, Team Chaotix were flying Eggman's pod in the direction of the Colossus Clan's village indicated by the tracking device. Vector was in the cockpit, handling the driving. Espio and Charmy were hanging onto the wings on the sides.
Charmy was surprised at how quickly the cocky crocodile managed to figure out how to operate the pod and somehow keep it upright without crashing. He and Espio even made a bet on whether he'd get them there safely or not. If he wins, Espio will let him throw one of his ninja stars. But if he loses, he will have to be silent for the remainder of the trip. And to his annoyance, Espio was winning.
"Are we there yet?" Charmy asked, bored out of his mind.
"Quit whining, Charmy." Vector glances over in his direction briefly whilst keeping his eyes on the path ahead. "This isn't a road trip, it's a rescue mission. Besides, this thing is at top speed. It won't go any faster."
Charmy groans in annoyance. "I know that! I'm just so bored."
"Well, find a way to entertain yourself," Vector instructed, hoping to shut him up for a while.
An awkward silence passed over the trio as they stuck to their own devices. Espio was watching the tracker, telling Vector to follow the directions the little arrow was pointing. Vector was focused on flying the pod. And Charmy was still bored. He let out a painfully long exhale to illustrate just how bored he is.
Until he decided to entertain himself by making an unbearable popping sound with his mouth. Espio and Vector flinched in response. Charmy was starting to get on their nerves once he kept repeating it. Espio tried to drown him out by keeping his focus on the tracker. He brings it closer to his face so the beeping would be louder than Charmy's popping. He'd rather listen to that than his bumbling bee companion.
Unfortunately for Vector, he didn't have that luxury. What's worse, Charmy was right next to him so he could feel the tormenting vibrations emanating from Charmy's mouth every time he popped. He stared baring his teeth in anger and annoyance. If he keeps this up, he may just lose it.
"Ugh! For five minutes. Could you not be yourself… FOR FIVE MINUTES?!" He shouted at him, startling the six-year-old bee.
Vector recollects his composure and returns to flying the pod. But the mischievous Charmy covered his mouth to hold in a snicker, as he decided to play with fire and mess with him even more. He inches ever so slowly towards Vector and places his mouth directly next to his ear. He held his nerve, and his laughter, as he let loose one final pop right into Vector's ear hole.
"AHHHH! ARE WE THERE YET?!" Vector roared.
"Yes. We're getting closer to where the trackers pointing us." Espio reassured him. Just in the nick of time. Had this escalated further, Vector would've threatened to bite Charmy's wings off.
"Oh finally." Charmy expressed.
Vector gently pushes forward on the throttle, allowing the pod to descend to the wide forest below. As they got lower, Vector had to deploy evasive manoeuvres to avoid crashing into the many trees below. Espio and Charmy held on tightly to the wings and looked away from the various leaves and branches brushing over them as they closed in on the forest floor.
The pod landed at the foot of the mountain where the village was located. The detective trio exit the pod and check their surroundings. As far as they can tell, they're alone and have not been detected by the native Echidna.
Vector and Charmy decided to hide the pod from any potential thieves by pushing it into a couple of bushes. They then covered what was left exposed of it in leaves until it was completely concealed. Espio was up in the trees providing surveillance. He held the tracker up high to try and pinpoint the source of its beeping from above.
"You see anything up there, Espio?" Vector called up to him loud enough for him to hear but not too loud to draw any unwanted attention.
"Yes. Further down the mountain is whatever the device is leading us to." Using his ninja acrobatics, he makes his way back down by leaping from branch to branch. "Follow me."
The purple chameleon leads his comrades south down the mountain. They soon come across Tails's plane, the Tornado. Unlike the pod they borrowed from Eggman, it was just standing there out in the open for anyone to pilfer.
Charmy flew over to the plane to get a proper look at the cockpit, only to end up crashing headfirst into what appeared to be an invisible forcefield. The young bumble bee slowly, and comically slid down to the ground and fell flat on his back.
"Ow, that hurt!" He picks himself back up and taps his helmet. "Good thing I have head protection." He then starts stroking his antenna. "Can't say the same for my antenna though.
"There appears to be some kind of forcefield protecting the Tornado from any no-good thieves. Pretty smart thinking there, Tails." Vector commented.
Espio approached the Tornado and stretched his hand out to feel the barrier. The beeping on the tracking device stopped once they were close enough. The proximity of the device and the Tornado itself, caused the plane's defence systems to shut down, disabling the forcefield. He almost stumbled forward when he was unable to feel it.
"Uh, was that supposed to happen?" Charmy asked, worried they screwed up.
"Tails must've programmed this device to shut down the plane's defences when whoever holds this device returns if he is unable to." Espio calculated.
"Well, boys, this creates a problem." Vector spoke up, drawing their attention to their leader. "Now that we've accidentally deactivated the Tornado's defences, one of us will have to stay behind and guard it while the others rescue its pilot and friends."
"Ooo, can I do it?" Charmy volunteered excitedly.
"No way, Jose! You couldn't guard a top-secret disk." Vector immediately dismisses him whilst adding insult to injury. "A task this important should be handled by someone independent. Someone reliable. Someone big and intimidating. Someone… like me."
Charmy held his mouth shut, trying to hold back the intense laughter building up inside him. Independent and reliable were two things he'd never associate with Vector. And although he may look big and intimidating on the outside, inside he's just a clueless, easygoing, loudmouth with the heart of a child.
However, Espio agreed to have Vector guard the Tornado. His huge size isn't just for show. He can be pretty ruthless in a fight if the situation calls for it.
"The majority is in favour of me," Vector concluded much to Charmy's dismay. "Espio will be the one to sneak into the hidden village and rescue Tails and the others."
"Roger." Espio nodded, accepting his mission.
"What about me, Vector? What do I do?" Charmy asked.
"You, Charmy, have the most important role of all."
"Really?" He replied in a much chipper tone than before, curious as to what it was.
"You will be the decoy. You use your child-like innocence to draw the Echidnas' attention away from Espio and the cells they've got them locked in."
And just like that, Charmy's smile faded and replaced with a joyless frown. So much for having an important role.
Once everyone got the gist of what their assigned roles were, Team Chaotix went their separate ways. Espio uses his camouflage ability to turn himself invisible and starts gaining much distance from the Tornado by leaping from tree to tree. Charmy flaps his wings as hard as he can attempting to catch up, though he was unsure as to where the chameleon went. Vector stood by the Tornado and stood guard with his arms crossed, keeping a constant lookout for danger.
Once Basaran had fallen, Shadow left the plains of the real world and was taken back in time to the early life of Maria Robotnik. The last memory he saw they moved to the ARK. Now he was taken a couple of years into her future.
Maria was now seven years old. She'd been living on the ARK for four years. Most of those years she spent in Gerald's lab as he tried to cure her condition. Her grandfather and her team of scientists spent all day, every day, researching the rare disease and trying to come up with many ways to cure it.
Shadow watched as Maria sat still atop the operating table with her arm held out, allowing a scientist to take a sample of her blood. He can't imagine what thoughts were running through her head right now. She had this look on her face like she was sad. Was it because her grandfather was too focused on saving her life to spend any time with her? Or was it something else?
Shadow took a look around the research lab. The desk was littered with many plans and ideas to cure Maria. All of them had big red Xs on them, implying that neither of them had worked. Ideas like clone meat. Boosting her immune system. And mutating her white blood cells to produce stronger antibodies.
Maria eventually grew bored of waiting for Gerald to spend time with her, so she decided to take a walk around the ARK.
"Grandfather, I'm going to take a walk around the station. Is that ok?"
Gerald was too deep in the middle of an important discussion to acknowledge her, so he responded with a simple "Yeah, that's fine." He didn't even look behind him when he answered her, which deepened her neglect. He immediately went back to theorising with his team.
Maria left as soon as she'd gotten his permission. Shadow opted to keep an eye on her, make sure she was safe. Even if he knew it was impossible to die before the day the "event" happened, he was curious to see how she was before his creation.
"… How about Project Shadow?"
Shadow froze as he was halfway out the door. He hadn't heard that name in a long time. It was the name of the research program that created him and the Biolizard, the prototype that came before him. His curiosity prevented him from turning away from the scientists.
"…What do you think, Professor?" One of the scientists asked.
"I think this is a waste of our precious time and resources." Another scientist butted in. "We've tried many times to create the Ultimate Lifeform and have yielded no results. It's an impossibility. Not worth getting back into."
"I disagree." The first scientist argued. He turns to Gerald. "Think of it this way, Professor. If we succeed in creating the Ultimate Lifeform capable of overcoming anything/everything, then we can use its blood to synthesise a cure for Maria. This lifeform would not only heal her but the whole world. Humanity could be free of all diseases and famine. Think of all the good we can do. All the lives we can save if we succeed."
"And what if it fails again?" Another scientist claimed. "If we hit another dead end we'll have wasted time and resources we could've used to cure Maria for nothing. Playing God is not the way."
The scientists all turn to Gerald, awaiting his answer on what they should do next. He thought through all the pros and cons behind the Project Shadow idea. Pros, if they succeed they will cure Maria and secure a brighter future for all species on Mobius, Overlanders and Mobians alike. Cons, failing would increase Maria's chances of succumbing to her illness and losing her life. It was a huge gamble. Shadow already knows his answer will be yes, though he is curious about how the project began.
"Someone hand me all the files we've got on Project Shadow," Gerald ordered one of his team members.
The scientists against the idea were worried he was considering it, but Gerald assured them that he hadn't decided yet. Whatever the files say will deter his choice.
He brings up the files in the ARK's database on Project Shadow. Inside were several documents, photographs, and video logs of early experiments. The recent entry stated that their last attempt was on some kind of jellyfish-like creature. The video footage showed the creature breaching containment and causing chaos in the lab before it exploded, staining the lab and the hazmat-wearing scientists in a jelly-like substance.
"See?" The scientists interrupted." The only test subject we had for the Ultimate Lifeform ended up tainting the lab with its guts. It took forever to clean it up. The men involved had to go to hospital because of its stings. One of them died while the other was paralysed."
Gerald's eyes were so fixed on the research left behind on the project that he drowned out any complaints that scientists had. His brain was too busy calculating what went wrong and how to correct it. Until an idea popped into his head. One that could revolutionise Project Shadow and turn it into something greater.
"We're going with Doctor Towers' idea. We're restarting Project Shadow." Gerald announced proudly.
Many of the scientists were surprised but supportive of this plan. But the two that weren't expressed their disappointment with their leader. They asked him why he would consider this and how his involvement would make a difference.
"After reading through the files and watching the footage, I've figured out what went wrong. All the first attempts were on Turritopsis Dohrnii, the Immortal Jellyfish. The last team assumed because of their ability to regenerate into a new jellyfish, whilst producing polyps, they could harness it for humans. But Jellyfish are not proper lifeforms. They have no brains. They don't obey the same laws of life that other animal lifeforms do. For Project Shadow to succeed, we need an animal that has extraordinary healing properties and a genetic code that can be spliced with humans. Something like…"
Gerald pauses as he catches a glimpse of a small lizard sitting inside a cage in the corner of the lab.
"Like a lizard."
The other scientists turn around and look at the lizard cage. The young female scientist in the group started to panic. That was her pet lizard she keeps close to her as she works. She brought it up to space with her because she couldn't bear to part with it.
"Professor, please. Not my precious Lucy!" She pleaded with him, worried he was gonna experiment on it and turn it into a prototype for the Ultimate Lifeform.
"Don't worry, I wasn't referring to yours specifically. I know how much she means to you." The female scientist relaxed her nerves, relieved her beloved pet wasn't gonna become a test subject. "But I will acquire a sample of it's blood. We will clone our own lizard and turn it into our first official prototype for the Ultimate Lifeform."
"The Biolizard." Shadow thought out loud.
"Alright, people. Let's get to work. Doctor Jenson, get me everything used for Project Shadow. Doctor Veers, get me a sample of your lizard's DNA. And Doctor Russel, gather the chemicals listed in the files. We have one last shot at this, people. Let's create the Ultimate Lifeform." Gerald ordered his team. Project Shadow was now officially underway.
Shadow quickly catches up to Maria who was just wandering through the hallways alone. People do pass by her but pay her no mind. Most of them were scientists working on other projects that would benefit humanity in the long run. There were regular citizens here too, most of whom were relatives of the scientists. But there were very few children her age for her to talk to.
She was just as lonely as the void of space itself. That's why she enjoys looking down on Earth/Mobius from orbit. Shadow felt the same way. Back then he knew nothing about the planet and felt just as lonely as her, which is why they became so close. They only had each other to rely on.
"Um… Hi there."
Maria slowly turned away from the window to address whoever was introducing themselves to her. It was the voice of a little boy. He was a little shorter than Maria. He was wearing a red polo shirt with white trims, beige-brown shorts, white socks, and red shoes with a white stripe down the centre and white soles. But what made him stand out amongst the other kids were his short lilac hair and heterochromia eyes. His left eye was green and his right was brown.
Those eyes were an instant giveaway for Shadow. This kid was the younger version of the GUN commander. He met him once before when he was struggling to learn the truth of his past. The commander blamed him for the deaths of his family and Maria. Back then he told him that he would respectfully accept justice for his part in the ARK's fall, even if he couldn't remember it at the time.
After saving the Earth from Black Doom and his Black Arms, he made peace with the commander and he even invited him over to his home a week after to apologise for constantly blaming him for what happened. He then offered him, Rouge and Omega to work under GUN as a special task force, still under the name Team Dark. That was the day Shadow finally found where he belonged in the world.
"Hi. What's your name?" Maria asked the young GUN commander.
"Abraham. Abraham Towers. My father is one of the scientists working with your grandfather. You are Maria Robotnik, right?"
Maria nodded with a smile. She takes hold of Abraham's hand and shakes it. She couldn't help but gaze into the boy's eyes, fascinated that they were two different colours instead of one like everyone else she'd met. Abraham notices her staring and looks away in embarrassment.
"My eyes weird you out, don't they?" He asked worriedly.
"Not at all." She assured him. "I think they're pretty. I didn't know a person could have two different coloured eyes."
"It runs in my family. My grandmother had it. It skipped my father and went to me instead. Mother says if I am lucky in the future my grandchildren will have them. Whatever that means."
Maria was clever enough to understand what it meant. This boy was only two years younger than her. It won't be until the next ten years when his father gives him the "grown-up" talk.
Deciding to change the subject, Maria asked Abraham why he walked up and talked to her. He responded by claiming he hasn't got many friends aboard the ARK. All the other kids were much older than him and claimed they had no time to waste on a baby like him.
Maria saw this as a great opportunity to become his friend. She too had no friends, so why not help him feel accepted whilst having someone around her age to grow up with? As lonely as it can be in space, at least they'll have each other when their families are busy.
"… So, does this mean we're friends now?" Abraham hesitantly asked.
"Best friends," Maria responded proudly.
Abraham practically jumped with joy. He was happy to finally have a friend to spend his free time with. No more wandering the halls alone wallowing in loneliness.
Shadow's time in the past ended the moment Maria and Abraham announced their newly formed friendship to their parents/guardians. He was back in the Shrine of Worship in the same spot as Argo predicted he'd be. She places a couple of branches on the floor in the shape of an X right under where Shadow is lying. There were now nine Shades standing over him and the statue of Basaran joined the same fate as the others.
The Shades disappear as Shadow regains consciousness. He felt something pricking his back as he tried to get back up. He feels the ground beneath him and picks up the branches Agro left. He knew immediately that the horse was responsible. But what he couldn't figure out was why she'd waste her time mocking his landings with an X. Was she toying with him? Or was she just telling him that this spot is where he always wound up after defeating a Colossus?
Whatever the case, Shadow didn't care. He picks himself up as well as his discarded bow and arrows. They've been a big help to him against Basaran. He'll keep them for the remaining Colossai onwards.
As he was placing the bow through his arm and over his right shoulder, he grunted in pain when he felt the bow's string brush over the burn he'd received from the hot steam burst during the Basaran fight. He examined his wound and it was just as he'd feared. The next ability he'd lost was his healing factor. It was weaker than usual during the battle, but now it was gone completely. Any wounds he received from this point onwards would be faithful if not treated the old-fashioned way. With medicine and bandages. None of which he has on him right now.
Dormin's voice booms in from above, startling the Ultimate Lifeform. He looks up and awaits his next foe. The sun's light shines down on the statue of the next Colossus. It was a snake-like Colossus which was named Dirge, as written on the stone plaque on the bottom.
"Thy next foe is… An isolated sand dune… its tracks are well hidden… Shaking the earth, its gaze is upon thee…"
Shadow places two fingers in his mouth to whistle for Agro to come to him. The black steed responded instantly and awaited her friend to mount her back. But first, Shadow needed to take care of his burn before it caused him any more trouble in his next battle. He opens his satchel, reaches inside, and pulls out one of the three elixirs he'd made to provide him with a boost of strength and stamina. He was going to save them until things started to get much more challenging on the road ahead.
He pours some of the bright glowing blue liquid, jelly-like substance on his burn and rubs it in. It was a strange sensation, but it felt like it was doing what he hoped. It was cooling his burn, allowing him to move his arm freely again. He then drinks the rest of the elixir and places the now-empty flask back in the satchel.
Shadow's body started to glow blue as a result of the elixir working its properties in his system. It felt as if a surge of energy was racing through his body. Suddenly he was just full of energy. It was like he'd just taken a steroid and his physical strength had been boosted beyond normal levels.
The sensation only lasted a few seconds as the blue glow faded away and his body began to calm down. Shadow took a couple of deep, calming breaths to soothe his nerves before finally climbing atop Agro's back and riding her out of the shrine.
Agro glances back at the black hedgehog, worried he may be hurt after taking that elixir.
"Relax, horse, I'm fine." He says as he looks over at his right shoulder where he got burned by the geysers. "Whatever that stuff was, it seemed to have done the job the book said. It's a good thing you were very thorough with the ingredients. Had you given me too much or too little it could've killed me in my weakened state, especially now that I've lost my healing factor."
Agro turns away from him in shame. She hadn't even considered that possibility. Truth was, she just randomly grabbed the ingredients listed in the notes, not even thinking about how much she'd acquired.
"No use crying over it now. What's important is that it's worked. It should make this next fight a little easier."
As they were following the sword's light, Shadow's stomach started to rumble, which was still a new experience for him. He was hungry. He can't just ignore his stomach's cries for sustenance even if he wants to.
He orders Agro to pull over to the side of a nearby stream to the right of the shrine. They followed it along until they found a huge lake a few feet away from where he battled Barba.
When they were at the edge of the lake, Agro decided to lie down and rest while Shadow climbed down from her back and walked into the water until it was up to his ankle. He pulls out his bow, draws an arrow, and takes aim at the water. He was hoping to catch a fish and cook it over a fire for him to eat.
His patience was truly trusted here, as fishing had proven to be much more challenging than he'd anticipated. He missed four times trying to hit a fish. The more his stomach grumbled, the more frustrated he got.
"I can't believe I am about to say this … But I wish Big the Cat was here to lend a hand." Shadow shuddered in response to what he'd just said. Did he really just say that? He couldn't believe it. He was relieved to know that nobody was around to hear him say that. And Agro didn't know who Big was so he doubted she'd question it.
Agro just laid there watching him try to catch a fish. Shadow notices her watching and decides to do something he'd thought he'd never ever do in his life. Tell his life story to a horse. But it wasn't because he wanted to. It was to help pass the time as he catches a fish. That's what he kept telling himself internally.
"In case you were wondering, Big is someone I know back where I come from. He's an annoying, fat cat who only thinks about fishing and his pet frog. I don't talk to him. I don't really talk to anyone when it doesn't concern saving the world… I'm not one for small talk, so don't read too much into it. This is a one-time thing to pass the time as I secure my meal." He fires off another arrow into the water, only to miss the fish once again. "Damnit!"
As he readied another arrow for another attempt, Shadow tells Agro about the other people in his life. There was his lookalike, Sonic, whom he originally viewed as an inferior copy of him, but grew to respect as an ally over time. Knuckles and Tails who were part of his team. Both of which Shadow does hold respect for. Amy, he didn't have an opinion on other than she can be a little annoying when she obsesses over Sonic. Though she was able to help remind him of the true purpose he promised Maria moments before she died. He will always appreciate her for that. Cream he holds a soft spot for and likes being around. Something about her cute nature helps remind him of how beautiful the world and its people can be. Silver and Blaze he also grew to respect. Blaze once made a great sacrifice to save the future from Iblis's flames. It reminded him of the sacrifice he will make once he completes the ritual. And Silver he saw as an admirable ally, though he did develop a bit of a rivalry with him over time. Silver still held a small grudge against the humiliation he instilled on him when he used Chaos Control to slow time enough to kick him in the back of the head.
But none of them he could ever respect and cherish more than Rouge and E-123 Omega. The members of his Team Dark. They were always with him ever since Rouge first awakened him from the pod Eggman kept him in after his fall from orbit during the aftermath of stopping the ARK from falling to earth and destroying all life.
As he wraps up that story, Shadow finally manages to skew a fish with his arrows and pulls the arrow out of the water with the fish still impaled on it.
He soon gathers a couple of stones and twigs together to build a campfire. But the way he lights the fire was intriguing to Agro. He uses the sacred sword to focus the split-off beams to set the pile of sticks on fire. He places the arrow with the dead fish over it and twirls it around until it is evenly cooked.
As he waited for his meal to be cooked, he continued telling his horse about the story of his life up until the present day. Recalling the past events of when he was first awoken by Eggman and sacrificed himself to stop the aforementioned falling ARK. Being revived by Eggman and later freed by Rouge with no memory of his past. To the day the Black Arms invaded Earth and were defeated by him. Ever since that day, he'd been seen as a hero in the eyes of the world instead of the deadly superweapon Black Doom made him out to be.
Although she didn't show it, Agro understood every word he was saying. Shadow knew she was wise despite being a regular horse. She understood the weight of what the black hedgehog had gone through to protect the world and keep his promise to Maria. He may look edgy on the outside, but he had a strong heart. She knew that the day he freed her from his trap. That was why she'd remained by his side this whole time. She shared Shadow's hopes of reviving Maria and she would gladly give her life to help him do it.
"Why do you continue to help me?" Shadow asked her. "You've finally seen what these Colossai are capable of up close. You almost got blasted by Basaran's energy shots. And yet you still wish to help me. You're either very brave or very foolish." He commented as he took a bite out of the cooked fish.
Agro lowers her head. She wasn't offended by what he said, but contemplating that very question herself.
"Why are you so keen on helping me see this ritual through to the end? What do you get out of it?"
Agro let out a small neigh before standing up again. She scans the ground for a stick. Once she finds one large enough, she starts to drag it into the ground. She was trying to spell out her answer in the mud by the stream. When she was finished, Shadow swallowed his current mouthful and examined the writing in the mud. The word "Friend" was displayed in front of him. He assumed that was the answer to his question.
"You're saying you are helping me because I am your friend?" Agro lightly nodded. "I never asked for your friendship. I'm the Ultimate Lifeform and you're just a regular horse. Our partnership was necessary for my mission. You should go back to your own family when this is over."
Argo groaned in sadness, hurt by what he'd just said. She then uses the stick to write her response to him. When she was done, the words "No family. Lost. Alone" appeared in the mud. Shadow finishes off the fish, tosses its bones back into the lake and places the arrow back in his quiver. He looks over the words and then over in Agro's direction.
"You have no family." He repeated the words. "Did you lose them when you were a foal?"
Agro slowly nodded. A single tear trickled down her left cheek as she turned away from Shadow and gazed out over the water. Now he understands why she'd been sticking with him this long. She was all alone. She'd gotten separated from her herd when she was young and ended up wandering the wild for most of her upbringing. He and Maria were the first company she's had since then.
He wasn't sure what to say now. Even he wasn't cruel enough to not care and tell her to leave him once she's outlived her usefulness. Before he didn't care what happened. He assumed she'd be a good first friend for Maria on Earth once she'd been resurrected. But learning that he will have to give his life to save hers changed things. He has a whole new purpose for the black stallion once their Forbidden Spell is complete.
"Agro, look at me." He waited until she did as she was told before continuing. "After this mission is done I have an important task that only you can carry out… I want you to take care of Maria. Make sure she makes it back home to the others safely. Make sure she has a good life. Will you do that for me?"
Agro paused momentarily to process the magnitude of responsibility Shadow had bestowed upon her. It was a big ask for a wild horse like her, but one she won't refuse.
She slowly approaches the black hedgehog and rests her head on his left shoulder in an attempt to hug him. Shadow just stood there uncertain of what he should do. He wasn't much of a hugger. He often viewed it as a cheesy display of affection that served no purpose to him. But for some reason, he could not bring himself to pull away. He hesitates at first but ultimately decides to return the gesture and place his arms around her neck. This was a weird experience for him. Thankfully this wasn't the first time he hugged someone. He only did this to one other person. The kind-hearted girl he's attempting to revive.
"Ok ok, you can let go now." He called out to Agro, snapping her out of the moment and gently pushing her away. He clears his throat and returns to his usual serious tone. "Alright, we've wasted enough time. Let's get going to our next destination."
He gathers his things, puts out the campfire, and climbs atop Agro's back. Once aboard, he draws the sacred sword once more and turns it until the smaller beams converge into a singular large one. He lightly kicks the side of the horse, encouraging her to follow the beam to the next Colossus.
The two adventurers travel across slope hills and rocky terrain. Agro was trying her best to dodge the rocks sticking out of the ground so she didn't trip over them whilst Shadow was keeping an eye on the sword's beam. It was pointing towards a chasm. As they got closer, Shadow noticed iron ore covering the rocky walls on both sides of the gorge.
"Hmm, the Echidna tribe must've used this gorge to mine materials for their weapons and other stuff. I wonder what the civilisation was like in its glory days."
Agro whinnies to get Shadow's attention back on the road ahead. Up ahead was the entrance to a huge cave. That was where the light was guiding them. Shadow kicks Agro's side, ordering her to speed up as she charges into the cave. The sword's light goes out once they've entered the cave. They had to watch their step from there onwards.
They followed the cave until they spotted light at the end of the tunnel. The light was coming from a hole in the cave roof. The duo found themselves in a big open chamber full of sand and rock pillars.
Shadow climbs down from Agro and slowly makes his way to the centre of the chamber on foot. He vigorously scans the area as he draws the sword once more. The sun's rays bounce off the blade's sleek sides and point the blue beam towards the ground, causing Shadow to stop in his tracks.
"The sword says the Colossus is right here. But I don't see it." His eyes narrow as he takes his time looking around the chamber. "It must be hiding underground, trying to ambush me when my guards down."
Agro was confused by what was going on and decided to trot over to him. The ground started to rumble under Shadow's feet, causing his eyes to widen and quickly glanced over at the approaching horse.
"DON'T RUN OVER HERE!"
Suddenly, the tremors started to increase in seismic activity until the next Colossus, Dirge, burst out of the ground a few feet away from where Agro was. The black stallion panics and backs away as the Colossus dives back into the sand.
Its appearance was identical to that of a snake, with the only feats being the stone shark-like fins on its back, spikes on its sides, and armour-plated tail. It looked a little bit similar to Hydrus except this Colossus was shorter than the catfish and had no visible eyes. It was also the only Colossus – so far as Shadow knows – that had an open mouth with mandibles. A terrifying beast indeed. It may not have energy blasts like the last two reptilian Colossai, but its gaping mouth could be just as dangerous if he did not watch his footing.
Dirge circles around for another attack. Shadow ran as fast as his weakened legs could carry him, but he wasn't quick enough to outrun the giant sand snake.
He desperately calls out to Agro who responds immediately and grabs him by the strap of the satchel, lifting him off the sand-covered ground moments before Dirge leapt out with its mouth open wide. Shadow grabs her mane and pulls himself back on her back as she continues to run.
Dirge emerges from the sand once more and chases after them. As it closed in, Shadow realised that it did have eyes after all, they were just closed at the time. Which was odd considering the other Colossai he battled didn't have eyelids. But that wasn't important right now. He needed to locate Dirge's weakness which he assumed was somewhere on it's furry back since it was the only part of him that wasn't covered. But he can't get to it if he keeps retreating underground. Fortunately, he had a plan to prevent it from doing so.
"Keep running, Agro! Whatever you do don't stop!" He instructed.
Agro picked up the pace while Shadow turned himself around to face the approaching Colossus. He draws his bow and an arrow. It was hard to aim whilst on a horse. It didn't help that the soft sand made running more difficult too. But the Ultimate Lifeform steadied his breathing, held still as much as he could and aimed Dirge.
He waited until his head was just out of the sand far enough for its eyes to be exposed. Once they were out, he fired an arrow into its eye, causing it to roar in pain and quicken its pace. He fires a second arrow into its other eye, temporarily blinding the Colossus and allowing it to crash head-first into the cave wall.
Now was his chance to strike. Agro runs past the Colossus, allowing Shadow to jump off. He draws the sword in midair and locates the two symbols on its back. Shadow aims for the one closest to where he is about to land, positions the blade above it, and brings it down deep into its earthy body. Dirge roars in agony as it tries to shake him off.
The battle wasn't over yet. There was still one more symbol for the Ultimate Lifeform to stab. But getting to it had become more difficult now that Dirge had recovered from its daze and started to retreat underground.
Shadow pulled the blade out, grabbed a hold of its lower back fin and held on tight as it burrowed underground again. He grunts as he can feel the sand pushing against his body. It was like he was being smothered to death by giant rough sandbags with pins and needles sticking out of them. It was downright unpleasant. But he fought through the intense pressure and held on until Dirge decided to resurface again.
He lands a couple of punches on the giant snake's back, hoping to trigger a response. It's a good thing he still had his super strength. A normal human punch would be the equivalent of a bug landing on a person. They would hardly feel it.
Dirge inevitably resurfaces and attempts to shake the black hedgehog off once again. Shadow shakes off any sand clinging to him and effortlessly climbs up its back to reach the last symbol.
Sensing what he was doing, Dirge was about to make another dive into the sand. This time he plans on staying down there until the little pest drowns or is crushed to death.
"Not this time!" Shadow declares and grabs hold of the top fin. Using his super strength, he rips the fin off by pulling it to the right, sending a surge of pain throughout the Colossai's body.
Dirge was so distracted by the damage that it didn't notice the wall in front of it and ended up crashing head-first into it once more. Shadow shimmies downwards a few feet until he is right on top of the symbol. He ends this fight once and for all with a final stabbing.
Dirge's eye properly closes as the lights in its sockets go out. Its body goes limp and comes crashing down atop the soft sand. Shadow takes a couple of deep breaths and rests atop its back which was blackening due to the releasing smoke. Instead of running away from it, Shadow decided to make its job easier and lay down atop the dead Colossus. The black tendrils enter his body and Shadow is once again put into a comatose state.
Agro watched as this happened. She wanted to see for herself how the process behind him passing out and waking up back in the temple played out.
She was not expecting the result being Shadow's unconscious body floating up into the air along with the sword and bow for a few seconds and then disappearing. She blinked in confusion and looked around, wondering where he went. But Shadow was nowhere to be seen.
She may not know where he is, but she knows where he went. He's being sent back to the Shrine of Worship. There was nothing left for her here. Agro turns herself around and sprints back the way she came. Hopefully, she'll make it back before her friend wakes up.
To Be Continued