Shadow the Hedgehog of the Colossus
Chapter 5: Gaius
After his second battle with the Colossai – Quadratus – Shadow once again found himself back in the empty, black void. When he woke up back in the Shrine of Worship the first time, he had no memory of it. But this time around, he feels a sense of Deja-vu washing over him.
"Where am- Wait a minute. I know this place. It feels like I've been here before."
He takes a look at his surroundings despite there being darkness everywhere he looked. Until he spots another bright light at the end of another spiralling tunnel. He remembers getting pulled towards the light before waking up in the shrine again. He was drawn to it when he heard the sounds of breathing.
Shadow climbs back on his feet and dismisses the tunnel this time around. Whatever was at the end of that tunnel, he would not let it lure and manipulate him. He turns away from it and walks off into the darkness opposite it.
But no matter how far away from it he went, he would eventually find his way back again. No matter what he does, he can't escape it.
"Shadow."
Shadow pauses as he feels a strange sensation caress his shoulder. He quickly glances around, only to see that there was nothing there. But he knew for certain he felt a hand touch him, even if it was only for an instant. And that voice. There was no mistake. That for sure was Maria's voice he'd heard just now.
"Maria?" He called out to the tunnel.
"Shadow… I'm over here."
Though Shadow can't see her, he can hear her voice echoing down the tunnel of light.
He wanted to turn away and ignore it, but something was pulling him towards the tunnel. Was it curiosity? Manipulation of the tunnel itself? Or was Maria's soul trapped in there?
With no time to decide, Shadow went down the tunnel once again. As he got closer to the light, he could see a faint image in the centre. The image started getting clearer with every step he took closer to the light.
He was shocked to see that the image was of Maria herself. Back when she was still a 12-year-old human girl. She was just standing there, staring at him. A warm smile formed on her face.
"Maria! Is that really you?"
"Shadow… You came back for me." Maria's words echoed through the tunnel until they reached Shadow.
Shadow starts to pick up speed, trying to get closer to Maria. But no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't get any closer to her. The light at the end of the tunnel started to glow even brighter. Maria faded into the light and disappeared. Shadow tries his absolute hardest to reach her whilst avoiding direct contact with the blinding light.
"Maria, wait!" Shadow shouted worriedly. "Please, don't go!"
Shadow once again had been transported back to the Shrine of Worship, still unconscious from the aftermath of the fight. Another Shade creature was standing over him, only this time there were now two of them present.
Agro was also watching from the altar. Last time there was just one Shade, and now there are two. She wondered if the Shades were connected to the Colossai. Maybe they were their souls released from their bodies of land and fur after death. She had very little to think about considering she hadn't left the shrine once since they first got here. She can't help but wonder what exactly happens to Shadow after he kills a Colossus.
She was then startled by the sound of the Quadratus statue beginning to crack and shatter into pieces just like the Valus statue.
The Shades soon disappear as the black hedgehog opens his eyes, waking up back where he started once again.
"Back here again?" Shadow mutters annoyingly. "Is this gonna happen every time I kill a Colossus?"
"That is correct, mortal hedgehog."
Shadow looks up at the hole in the ceiling, addressing Dormin's non-existent body in response to their booming voice.
"I see. I think I understand how this works now. Every time I kill a Colossus, I gain some of their power- He cuts himself off to ask Dormin an important question. "That empty void. The place I end up in every time I kill a Colossus. What is it? And why do I keep seeing Maria's face and hear her voice?"
"That place is the realm between the world of the living and the world of the dead," Dormin explains thoroughly. "The power to bring back the dead within the Colossai sends thy soul there to adjust to thou's body. Thy maiden, thou wish to bring back, is connected to that power. As thou increase thy power to resurrect, so does thou's connection to the maiden's soul. In other words. The more Colossai fall, the more powerful thou receive. And the closer thy maiden's soul gets to the world of the living."
Shadow paid close attention to Dormin's explanation. He needs to know every little detail about the Colossai and the fragments of power they possess.
"So, with every Colossus I kill, their power gets absorbed into me. And through that power, I can access the world between Heaven and Earth and make contact with Maria. Perhaps guiding her soul back to the living world is part of the ritual I need to perform to save her." He thought to himself.
He then thinks back on his fight with Quadratus, remembering how he almost lost the fight due to his slow reaction time when it came to firing his Chaos Spear at it. He had a theory on why that happened. But he has no proof to confirm it until he fights the next Colossus.
A beam of sunlight shines through the hole in the ceiling and lands upon the statue sitting next to the destroyed Valus idol on the right side of the shrine from the altar's perspective.
"Thy next foe is… A giant canopy soars to the heavens… The anger of the sleeping giant shatters the earth."
Shadow looks over the third statue. This one was known as Gaius. The name reminded him of the demonic creature, Dark Gaia, that Sonic fought one time. He wasn't there during those events, but he had heard the stories from Sonic himself.
With no time to lose, Shadow once again set off out into the open, leaving Agro behind to watch over Maria and the Chaos Emerald.
Shadow raises the sword high while running, following the beam of light as usual. This time he was heading south of the shrine, back from the direction he came.
As he crossed the earth-made bridge once again, he suddenly comes to a halt upon noticing something peculiar. Something that piqued his interest so much that he felt the need to stop running and take a proper look at it.
He looks down at the small beach where some of the pillars for the giant bridge stand. It was the same place he fought Quadratus. Lying beside the pillars was Quadratus's corpse. The holes where his glowing eyes formed were now empty and hollow.
Shadow was confused over the state of the Colossus's body. Normally it would take a few weeks for a corpse to show any signs of decomposition. But that logic didn't seem to apply to the Colossai. Its body was almost completely covered in sand, with only some of its stone armour left uncovered. What's even stranger is that there appeared to be trees growing out of the sand mounds that covered it. How the hell could this happen in a few hours?
Shadow had a few theories about this. The simplest one is that Colossus biology doesn't obey the same laws of physics as a regular animal or human body. Or maybe whenever Shadow passes out after each fight, he has been asleep for a very long time. But that second one he couldn't believe. If he had been out of it for months, then Agro would've shown signs of it being so long, such as being long gone from the shrine. Agro may be loyal to him, but not loyal enough that she'd wait entire months for him to wake up. She's a horse, not a dog.
"Hmm. Perhaps it's the land itself that has different rules to it compared to the outside world." Shadow speculated. "This place was ruled by a powerful tribe until Dormin arrived. There's so much about them that I still don't know… I can't trust them. But I've already come too far to stop now. I have to see this mission through to the end."
Shadow then turns back to the direction he was headed and blasted off at full speed across the bridge.
On the other side of the bridge stood an area mixed with sand and grass that appeared more brownish compared to the fresh green grass on the other side. Ahead of him was a narrow trench surrounded by two walls of rock.
The sword's light was pointing down the trench, so that was where he needed to go.
As he was running down the trench, he notices a small salamander come out of nowhere in his path. Shadow barely had enough time to react as he brings himself to a stop. The rate of how fast he was running, causes him to trip over his own feet at the sudden attempt he made to stop. He tumbles forward a couple of times until he comes to a complete stop inches away from where the salamander was standing.
Shadow slowly pushes himself off of the ground and takes a good look at the salamander staring up at him. It was unlike any normal salamander he'd seen. This one was completely black with a glowing silver tail and underbelly. First the rapidly decaying Colossai, and now a glowing-tailed salamander. Maybe Shadow was right all along about the land having different rules compared to the world beyond.
"Boo!" Shadow shouted at the salamander, scaring it away. The salamander ran like hell away from him, fearing he would kill it, chop its tail off, and eat it.
"Stupid lizard." Shadow muttered as he got back on his feet again. He then starts to get worried about himself as realisation struck him. "It happened again. I was too slow to react. I could've run around, jumped over, or straight up ran over it if I wanted to. My reaction time has gotten slower than usual. That means what happened back there wasn't a fluke. I've gotten weaker as a result of that black substance… I need to be careful from this moment on." Shadow noted as he slowly started running again.
Eventually, he finally exits the trench and finds himself in a huge open area. Ahead of him was a big lake that stretched to the very end of the mountain wall. In the middle of the lake stood a massive circular stone platform. The platform was held up by several huge chains that disappeared under the water's surface, implying it was anchored down.
"This platform looks like it could've been a battle arena for the Echidna tribe that once lived here. Perhaps this was constructed to train their warriors or settle disagreements. Whatever its original purpose was, it's now the resting place of Gaius."
Shadow notices a pathway leading up to the platform, but the bottom part was submerged in water. Luckily, he still has his speed, otherwise, he would've had to swim over there.
He takes a couple of steps back to gain some distance from the edge of the lake and the pathway he needs to jump to. He takes a deep breath as he enters his ready stance and blasts off to the edge of the lake. This was followed by a carefully planned leap. He was hoping to have gained enough momentum to make the distance. Unfortunately, Shadow wasn't able to get very far. Halfway through the leap he begins to plummet straight down to the lake below.
With little time to think, Shadow curls up into a ball and starts spinning like crazy, hoping he can skid himself across the water and reach the path. His body bounced along the water like how a flat stone would if one were to perfectly throw it. He barely makes it to the pathway and comes to a stop on the part of it submerged, with the water up to his legs. He sighs in relief upon his partial success in reaching the platform.
Shadow walks up the path until he is slightly higher up. He sits down on the edge of it, his legs dangling over the side above the water. He takes a moment to rest to contemplate what just happened.
"First my reaction time is slower, now I'm unable to leap as high and far as I usually do. This has to be because of the black stuff that spews out of the Colossai's bodies after death. At this rate, I'll lose all of my powers and no longer be known as the Ultimate Lifeform." Shadow clenches his fist as he got back up again. A look of determination washed over his face as he races up the path to the platform. "But I won't give up. Even without my powers, I WILL save Maria!"
At the top of the path, the bridge leading to the platform was broken. Shadow knew he'd have to jump to get across. But considering how weak his leg strength had gotten, he was afraid he'd end up falling towards the lake below. But the gap wasn't that wide, so he had doubts about actually failing it. His jumps have gotten weaker but not THAT much weaker.
As he lands atop the platform, he catches a small glimpse of the next Colossus he has to fight. It was just lying there, not even moving an inch. Like all Colossai, it won't awaken unless it feels the presence of the ancient sword. It was surrounded by a low-hanging fog, making it difficult to reveal its whole appearance to him.
Shadow climbs the staircase leading up to the platform and takes a couple of steps towards the sleeping Colossus.
It didn't take long for Gaius to awaken from its centuries of slumber. Its eyes light up with blue as its body starts to move. The sound of its morning snarls, swishing fur, and crumbling rocks can be heard as it slowly struggles to get itself off the ground.
This one was another bipedal type, but he was a lot taller and skinnier than Valus. Its upper torso and arms were all fur while its legs were stone. It had no feet, only round stone orb stumps. It had stone armour on its chest, waist, and neck. Its arms were much longer than its legs and it had no hands. Like its legs, it only had stumps. Its left was covered in sharp rocks, while its right had a long rectangular stone sword-like arm. Both its shoulders had big chunks of stone armour around them, making it difficult to climb its body when Shadow attempts to reach its weak spots located on the top of its head and stomach.
"This one will be tough compared to the first two. Especially since my body's gotten weaker than when I started." Shadow mentally planned out as Gaius took notice of him and slowly approached him. "This one is the tallest so far. Gotta be around 97 feet tall. And this is the first one I've seen wielding a massive sword. I gotta find a way to get atop its head. But with all that armour in the way, it won't be easy. And I can't just leap up to its mid-section."
Shadow stops thinking for a moment as Gaius was preparing to swing its sword arm down towards him. He quickly spin dashes underneath it and is now standing behind the behemoth.
Gaius slowly turns itself around to find its foe and make a second attempt. With every step it takes, the ground deforms with perfectly circular craters due to its massive orb feet.
Shadow starts to run around the Colossus fast, forming a tornado around it in hopes of distracting it long enough for him to plan a strategy to defeat it. Gaius however manages to get in a lucky shot and manages to kick the Ultimate Lifeform, sending him, and pieces of the ground it kicked up, flying backwards.
Shadow was severely injured from the impact that he was struggling to get back up again. He uses the sword as a crutch to keep his body upright.
"Damnit! It got me good with that one. My slow reaction time is gonna get me killed if this keeps up. It's a good thing I still have my enhanced endurance, otherwise my bones would be shattered."
Gaius approaches the black hedgehog once the tornado faded. Its now glowing orange eyes were fixed on his location. Shadow starts limping further into the centre of the platform. He needs time for his body to heal to try another method of attack. He takes a quick rest atop a metal disc in the middle, his breathing getting heavier and more rapid as his body heals itself.
He attempts to put the sword away as he rests but manages to accidentally drop it instead. An intense vibration can be felt as the sword hit the metallic plate he was standing on, followed by an intense ringing sound. It sounded as if someone had taken two large metal pipes and clanged them together, creating an intense ear-splitting noise. Even now Shadow can still feel the vibrations throughout his body.
"Vibrations. That's it!" An idea soon popped into his head. If there was a lightbulb hanging over his head right now, it would be turned on. "If I can get Gaius to swing his sword down on this platform, the vibrations should shed some of that armour off of him."
Gaius finally reaches his tiny opponent. It wastes no time preparing its sword arm for another downward strike, attempting to squash the hedgehog.
Shadow wasn't moving from his spot. He stood his ground until he knew for certain that the giant sword was within range of him.
Gaius takes a step back and raises its right arm, holding its sword high. Then, in a matter of a few seconds, brings it down on him again. Shadow, however, homing attacks out of the way just in time. The stone sword makes contact with the metal plate, creating a vibration a hundred times more intense than the one Shadow made. Shadow covered his ears as the ringing white noise spread throughout the entire platform.
Gaius roars in pain as its body stumbles back slightly. The armour around his right arm and the back of his neck had been shattered. Bits and pieces of it fell to the ground around him. Shadow moved out of the path of the falling debris to avoid getting crushed. Gaius soon ends up down on one knee with his sword arm plunged into the ground.
This was Shadow's only window of opportunity. He rushes over to the sword arm and grabs a hold of the edge just as Gaius was lifting it back up. Gaius swings the sword around to shake him off. Only this time, Shadow seems to be struggling to maintain his grip.
It then decides to once again thrust its sword into the ground with him on it. But Shadow performs yet another spin-dash and rides up along the sword to its arm. With the armband-like armour broken, Shadow can now climb up the arm and jump over to the creature's back, grabbing on tightly to its black fur.
He climbs up its long skinny arm until he reaches its shoulder, then finally the top of its head. Shadow takes the sword in his hand and plunges it deep into the Colossai's head. Gaius growls in pain as it shakes its head from side to side. These Colossai have certainly proven that they are limited in intelligence like most non-anthropomorphic talking animals. If it had even the slightest touch of human intellect, it would think to try and squash him with its numbed left arm in an attempt to swat him off.
But no. All they do is shift their body side to side to try and shake him off. But Shadow's superior strength prevents him from letting go so easily.
Shadow then climbs down Gaius's face to reach the second symbol on its stomach. He briefly stops so that he could look into the giant's glowing eye. On closer inspection, it looked like he was staring into a swirling orange vortex. Its flow was similar to the light tunnel he keeps seeing in the dark void he gets sent to with every victory.
Gaius makes another attempt to shake him off, but Shadow ignores it and climbs down to the platform on its waist. The second symbol was right in front of him. Using both hands, he thrusts the swords into the Colossai's stomach like he was skewering a fish with a spear.
Gaius's growls become more sorrowful as their body start getting weak. It can feel the life fading from its body as it collapsed to its knees and falls over forwards. Shadow ended up getting flung across the platform by the Colossus in a last-ditch effort to smash him.
Shadow skids across the ground to the edge of the platform, managing to grab onto it and save himself from falling into the water below. As he pulls himself up, he can see the Colossus's body darken as the black smoke consumes its body entirely, which was then followed by the black tendrils.
Shadow knew what was about to happen next and quickly attempts to get away by climbing back up and running. But the black tendrils end up catching him and force their way into his body while he was still hanging onto the edge.
Shadow once again can feel his eyelids getting heavy and his grip on the ledge starts to weaken. If he were to pass out now, he would end up drowning in the lake. He fights as hard as he could to keep himself awake just long enough to pull himself back up just in time before he falls back into a dark shadowy slumber.
The flight to wherever the Colossus Echidna Clan were was a long one. Silver was too exhausted to continue using his psychokinesis to fly and ended up hanging on top of one of the wings of the plane. Tails were keeping himself awake by drinking coffee he kept in a thermos. Blaze was sleeping in the front passenger's seat. And Knuckles was just focusing on following the directions in his head.
After what felt like hours of silent flying, Knuckles finally speaks up, addressing his young fox friend.
"Tails, we're here!" Knuckles announced as he points just ahead of them.
In the distance, they can see a couple of hills formed in a circle. Inside the circle was a huge civilisation hidden in a forest of giant trees. There was a massive wall around the city, most likely built to keep out any intruders, while the giant trees keep it hidden, but not too well if one were to travel by flight as they did.
"There it is. The hidden city of the Colossus Clan." Tails stated, grabbing the attention of Silver and Blaze as they came to their senses and took a look for themselves.
"I don't see any clearings for us to land." Silver pointed out.
"It's wise that we land the plane outside their city walls. These Echidna may not be welcoming to strangers." Blaze stated.
"Right. Everybody buckle up, it's gonna be a rough landing." Tails warned as the Tornado begins its descent.
The Tornado slowly makes its way down to the bottom of the hills and lands in a massive open field, making it easier to gain speed for when they need to take off again. Or make a quick getaway in case the Echidna tribe attempts to chase them down. Hopefully, for their sake, it won't come to that. Even if they consider it, they'll stop once they know what Shadow is doing in their old homelands.
The four heroes exit the plane once they've successfully landed and began making their way up the hill to the hidden city.
"What do you think these Echidna are like Knuckles?" Silver asked.
"How should I know? Not all Echidna know each other, Silver." Knuckles replied slightly annoyed. "For the longest time, I thought I was the last of the Echidna. Only to realise I'm only the last of my clan once I met the Nocturnes Clan. And now there's a third clan that's existed long before my, and the Nocturnes, Clans. The whole thing is messing with my head."
"I bet if Sonic was here, he'd probably make a quick snarky remark about your knucklehead." Tails speculated.
Knuckles only grunted in response. He knew Sonic long enough to know that the possibility was absolute, no matter what the circumstance. Sonic may be his friend, but there's a limit to how much of his insults towards him he can take.
As the heroes were nearing the top of the hill. Blaze signals them to stop upon hearing a twig snap around them. They're not alone. They then form a circle and ready their attacks. Silver's body glows turquoise as he charges up his psychokinesis. Blaze's fists ignite on fire as she takes her stance. Knuckles taps his fists together, ready to throw punches at whatever was sneaking up on them. As for Tails. All he did was pull out some kind of high-tech energy blaster. Unlike his much older, and more experienced, friends, Tails cannot fight as well. His greatest asset was his amazing intellect and gadgets.
Their mysterious stalker was soon revealed to them. The four heroes were surrounded by the very tribe they were looking for. Like Knuckles, these Echidna were all red and wore spiked boxing gloves. But they were all dressed in grey robes, and their faces were covered by animal masks. Each one was different from the other. The back and front of their robes all housed the same symbol that appears over the Colossai's weak spots when Shadow fought them.
The Colossus Echidna Warriors all draw their weapons. Some carried swords while others wielded bows and arrows. They aim their weapons at the heroes and have them at their mercy.
Fighting them would not only be a waste of time but also compromise their reasoning for coming in the first place. Knuckles puts his fists down and approaches the one pointing his sword at him.
"Warriors of the Colossus Clan. My name is Knuckles. I am a descendant of the Knuckles Clan, as well as the last of my tribe. We come in peace." He pleaded with them.
The Echidnas all look at each other, shocked to not only see a member of the Knuckles Clan but to also learn that he is the last of them.
"Why have you come here?" The Echidna warrior asked.
"We wish to speak to your leader regarding the possibility of an ancient evil reawakening." Blaze interrupted. "The demonic entity known as Dormin."
The Echidna warriors all tremble upon hearing that name. A name neither of them had heard for hundreds of years. They all lower their weapons and disband their kill circle.
"Come with us. You may tell the Lord everything you know." The warrior says as he leads the heroes towards the city.
The other warriors stood behind the four heroes as they guided them uphill. Tails was out of breath once he reached the top with the others, while they were perfectly fine. Not only was he inexperienced in combat compared to his friends, but he also has less physical strength. When it comes to travelling from place to place, Tails always relied on flying. Whether it was with the Tornado or using his dual tails to helicopter around. This was the first time in a while he had to make a big climb using his short legs.
Knuckles notices his struggling and offers him his shoulder to lean on. The young fox smiled and accepted his generous offer.
"Thanks, Knuckles." He says as he catches his breath. "So… how's it feel to see another Echidna in years?"
"These guys are nothing like me. Or the technologically advanced Nocturnes Clan. They feel more like natives than how other Echidna are today."
"Yeah. It's fascinating how they've clung to the ancient traditions of their ancestors for many generations. I can't wait to see what their city is like." Tails whispers back.
The heroes and their Echidna escorts soon reach the tall stone gates to their city. Upon closer inspection, Blaze and Knuckles compared their design to their old civilisation within the Forbidden Lands.
One of the warriors signals the guard in the watch tower to open the gates and let them in. The guard turns the winch on the side of the tower to open them.
The heroes soon catch a glimpse of the city on the other side, and they were amazed at what their eyes present. The city of the Colossus Clan was massive, with land spreading out as far as the eye can see. At the end of the city walls stood three giant temples, the middle one being slightly bigger than the other two. The style of them was similar to the structure of the temples of the Knuckles Clan Tikal lived in.
In front of the temples were streets littered with rows and rows of stone houses with straw roofs and wooden doors. The roads were also paved with yellow stone. Some of the fields were full of crops and farms used to grow food. A couple of Echidna dressed as farmers were raking their fields as well as picking fresh fruit, vegetables, wheat, and other stuff. There was a waterfall and a flowing river on the far-right side of the city. A few Echidnas were sitting by the bank fishing.
The streets were flooded with Echidna citizens, all of them dressed in what looked like old Roman-style clothing. Only the warriors were wearing robes and masks. Some Echidna were riding horses across the fields, and even some children were playing in the fields, smiling and laughing.
The heroes – most of all Knuckles – were in disbelief over the sight of it all. To think that a society such as this had been keeping itself hidden from the rest of the world for so many years. Even back in the Forbidden Lands, they were isolated. The reason why remains a mystery to this day.
As they were being guided towards the centre temple, the Echidna citizens couldn't help but stare at them out of curiosity. Growing up behind these walls, they have never seen another species of animal apart from the horses they bred and the fish they eat. Apart from Knuckles. Silver, Blaze, and Tails stood out to them the most because of their bizarre appearance.
"They're all staring at us." Tails stated shyly as he partially hides behind Knuckles to avoid their gaze.
"They've probably never seen anything like us before. They've been living inside these walls for many years that they have no idea what the outside world is like." Blaze explained.
"They seem friendly so far. But best we don't let our guard down." Silver pointed out.
The others nod in agreement. The only reason they've let them in was because they mentioned Dormin. Had Blaze not done such, they would've been skewered by their arrows and blades by now, and this whole trip would've been for nothing.
As they arrive at the middle temple, the guards up front open the doors for them and return to their guarding positions, not even moving a single muscle. Tails was a little freaked out by how intimidating they are but keeps his focus on the path ahead.
What lay ahead of them was a long dark hallway decorated in emerald-green stone. The path they were walking on was decorated with a lighter green stone compared to the rest of the room. The walls were decorated with lit torches and tapestries, each one painted with an image of the tribe's history. Blaze instantly took notice of the one that depicts the Echidna fighting against a giant horned minotaur-like shadow monster with glowing blue eyes similar to the Colossai and tendrils coming out of its back. She instantly recognises it as the true form of Dormin.
At the end of the hallway were stairs leading up to a round crystal table. Sitting at the table were thirteen Echidna shamans. They were all dressed in robes that looked like a monk with a hood over their heads. They all wore different animal masks that covered their faces. And sitting at the head of the table was another Echidna shaman whose robe was white compared to the other black-robed ones. His robe had the same symbol as the soldiers and Colossai. He too had his face covered by a mask. His was styled to look like a bear.
The white shaman sees the strangers approaching and stands up from his chair. One of his guards hands him a wooden staff decorated with feathers and a spearhead. He approaches his esteemed guests and addresses them. His voice sounded old compared to the younger guards but carried a low-pitched authority-driven tone to it.
"This is the first time in a hundred years our people have been discovered by strangers from the outside world. My people will not allow your kind to violate the peace we have maintained for generations." The shaman leader bellowed. "Who are you? And how did you find us?"
Knuckles was the first to step up and pledge himself before his kind. "I am a descendant, as well as the last, of the Knuckles Clan. We were tasked with protecting the Master Emerald, and the seven Chaos Emeralds. The Master Emerald has shown us the way to get here."
"The Knuckles Clan?" The shaman says slightly intrigued. "I had believed that your clan had all been wiped out by the creature known as Chaos. How is it only you survived?"
"My ancestors were saved by a brave female Echidna named Tikal. She was the one who sealed Chaos, and herself, inside the Master Emerald for many years." Knuckles explains. "Throughout the years, my ancestors have continued their duty until it was passed on to me… I have heard many stories of your tribe. But I'd never believed it to be true until today."
"I see…" The shaman pauses as he looks over the other three heroes with him. "And who are these strange creatures you travel with?"
Blaze steps forward to address the shaman directly rather than let Knuckles take his time explaining. The sooner she warns them of the incoming danger the better.
"My name is Blaze. I am the princess of the Sol Dimension." She then turns to Tails and Silver. "This is Silver the Hedgehog. My partner who fought by my side against Iblis. And this is Miles Tails Prower… May I ask what your name is?"
"I am Lord Emon. Leader of the Colossus Clan, and head of the council of shamans."
Lord Emon then lifts his mask and pulls his hood back, revealing his face to them. His fur was a darker shade of red compared to the other Echidna, and his quills have white stripes in them. His face has bushier white fur, making it look like a beard.
"What is your reasoning for coming here, strangers?" He asks them now looking upon them through his own eyes.
"We came to warn you that the world is in danger," Blaze stated seriously. "The Master Emerald has shown us a vision… That Dormin will return!"
To Be Continued