Shadow the Hedgehog of the Colossus
Chapter 11: Basaran
After learning how Gerald Robotnik was able to secure a position aboard the Space Colony ARK, Shadow had been transported forward in time approximately one week and a half. The three Robotniks were travelling to the G.U.N's space facility to take a shuttle into space and arrive at the station, where they would be spending the rest of their lives.
Gerald was generous enough to put his mansion up for sale and give it to those in need of a home before leaving. He's not gonna need it where he's going. Once they arrive on the ARK, there's no going back. The money he received for it he used to purchase lab equipment to use in his research to cure Maria.
Maria and Ivo were very excited to go up into space. It was every child's dream to leave Earth and see what it's like from orbit. And they're about to make that dream a reality. Ivo pondered how the other kids at his school would feel when they heard about it. Hoping they'll be crushed with jealousy.
But when they arrived at the spaceport, there was one little drawback that Gerald didn't predict. The current G.U.N commander – before the one Shadow would meet years later during the Black Arms invasion – had just informed the professor that he is only permitted to bring one family member with him, not two.
"You can't be serious?!"
"I'm sorry, Professor, but it's the rules." The commander regretfully replied. "The shuttle has limited space. Most of it is taken up by the personnel you've assigned to your research team. There's only enough room for you and one of your grandchildren. I'm afraid you'll have to leave your grandson behind."
"How dare you!" Ivo stood up for himself, gazing up at the commander in anger. "I have as much a right to go to the ARK as any of these pathetic scientists Grandpa hired! Do you know who I am?! I am Ivo Robotnik! Someday I will be a great scientist just like my grandfather. I will-
"Ivo, that's enough." Gerald interrupted him before he could make things worse for himself.
"But Grandpa-
"Don't talk back to me!" He pauses momentarily to calm himself down to avoid yelling at his grandson. "Can you and Maria give me some space to talk to the commander alone please?" He asked calmly.
The young Ivo wanted to protest, but he held himself back for his idolised grandfather. He took hold of Maria's hand and dragged her away from the facility's entrance. Shadow continued to observe them as Gerald attempted to persuade the commander to let him bring Ivo too.
"Those fools! The nerve of them, saying I can't come with you to the ARK. That place is a paradise for men of science like me. A place free of corrupt governments and primitive apes!" He started talking to himself, completely forgetting Maria whose hand was still intertwined with his own.
"Don't be mad, Julian." Maria looked up at him with sad, puppy-dog eyes. "Grandfather won't leave you behind like Auntie Bertha did."
Shadow couldn't help but smile in response to Maria attempting to charm the young Eggman with her cuteness. She used to do the same thing to him back on the ARK whenever she'd try to talk him into something he normally wouldn't do. But as a 3-year-old, it is much more effective. He just couldn't bring himself to say no to Maria no matter how much he tried.
But no matter what she says to her cousin, Shadow already knows what'll happen. Gerald will go over to them after finishing his conversation with the commander and tell Ivo he is not coming with them.
Just as he predicted, the young Eggman was not happy with the news. And proceeded to lash out at his grandfather and the G.U.N commander. This only made the departure much more difficult for Maria.
"… I'm so sorry, Ivo. I've tried my best to convince them. But there's nothing we can do. Bringing you will mean putting Maria's life at risk. The best specialists in the world are all aboard that shuttle. I need their help if we are to discover a cure." Gerald tried to explain himself, hoping his grandson would listen to reason.
"But I'm a scientist too!" Ivo raised his voice. "You once told me my genius is on par with yours. Why can't you just replace one of those lesser-qualified scientists with me? I can help cure Maria too! You think I want her to succumb to her illness?"
"No," Gerald responded calmly. "But as gifted as you are, you're still just a child. You have many years ahead of you to adapt and expand your knowledge. What I need right now is a chance to save the only piece of my son I have left. Not sentient robots."
That last statement upset Ivo. He was saying that Ivo's intelligence wasn't good enough to help save Maria. How could he think so little of him? His own grandson.
Gerald immediately started regretting his words upon seeing how they affected his grandson. He attempted to apologise but was rudely interrupted by the commander who was telling them that the shuttle bound for the ARK was ready to launch and they must climb aboard at once.
With little time to spare, Gerald attempted to hug Ivo, only to be pushed away by him out of resentment. Behind his glasses, he could tell tears were forming under his eyes, even if he was trying so hard to hide it.
"Forget about me! Just go! Go up to the ARK. Save Maria. You have made it clear you'll have a better chance of doing so without my help." Ivo venomously shouted at him. "Nobody ever cared about me! Not my mom or my dad. They threw me away because they didn't like the idea of raising a child who was smarter than them. And now you're abandoning me too. Well fine! I don't need you! I DON'T NEED ANYONE!"
Ivo attempted to turn tail and run out the front door, only to accidentally trip over the carpet and fall over. And to add insult to injury, he even hit his head on the glass revolving doors on his way down. Maria lets go of her grandfather's hand and rushes to help her cousin.
"Julian, are you ok?" She places her hands on his back, only to be shrugged off by Ivo. Shadow tried to intervene out of an instinctual urge to protect her. But all that accomplished was his hands phasing through them.
"Don't touch me!" He shouted back at her. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't inherited that stupid disease in the first place, we wouldn't be here! We would've been back home sitting by a warm fire right now." The tone of his voice slowly changed from anger to sadness.
"… Just go, Maria. Go with Grandpa to get yourself fixed. But know that I won't be here if you ever come back." Ivo glances back at her, tears dripping down his face.
Maria was also in tears over this whole ordeal. It broke her heart to see her cousin in this state. She was old and clever, enough to know he'd not had the happiest of times growing up like she did. She knew he'd always been jealous of her for it, even if he never showed it. Though she never knew her parents, she did know they loved her more than life itself. But Ivo's parents wanted nothing to do with him. They hated him just for being smart. Something he couldn't help.
Gerald takes hold of Maria's hand and gently pulls her away from the envious Ivo. It was time for them to depart for the ARK and leave behind everything… and everyone on Earth.
Knowing this would be the last time they'd ever see each other, Gerald made one final attempt to embrace his grandson, who was on the floor, bawling his eyes out.
"I'm sorry it came to this, Ivo… I don't know when, but one day we will come back for you. You're still part of this family and we will always love you."
Ivo only huffed in response and turned away from him, no longer able to handle looking his family in the eye. Gerald took that as a sign that he should leave now before things get any worse.
"Goodbye, Ivo. We'll miss you."
With those final words said, Gerald picks up Maria and carries her further inside the facility, following the commander. Maria looked over Gerald's shoulder and waved back at her cousin with a look of guilt displayed on her innocent face.
Ivo only glances back around for a few minutes and hesitantly waves back. Despite his rage towards the two of them for abandoning him, he knows deep down he may not see them again for a very long time. Even he wasn't cruel enough to pretend they no longer existed to him.
When the two of them eventually disappear from view, Ivo is escorted out of the space facility by two G.U.N guards. He angrily pulls his arms free of their grasp and leaves through the revolving doors himself. He didn't need anyone babysitting him.
Once outside, the rage-driven Ivo vented his frustration by yelling into the sky. He grasps his head viscously and pulls on his hair. He pulled it so hard that he unintentionally ripped out several chunks of hair, causing him to scream in agony.
Now Shadow can see what drove the young Ivo Robotnik to devolve into the mad scientist, Doctor Eggman. As well as how he ended up bald. Even he can admit that this was hard to watch. It almost made him feel sorry for the doctor.
He continued to watch as Ivo collapsed onto his knees and wallowed in self-pity. The clumps of hair he accidentally tore out were still resting within the palms of his hands.
"He thinks I'm not good enough for the ARK?!" He started to monologue to himself. "Thinks I can't accomplish much with my intelligence?! I'll show him! I'll show everyone! I will use my genius to take over the whole world with an army of machines. Robots are always better than people. They always do as they are told. They follow their programming. They never judge me. And best of all, they're always there for me."
Ivo picks himself back up and stares up at the G.U.N space facility. He readjusts his glasses and straightens his clothing, dusting off any dirt on it.
"From this day forth, I shall be known to the world as Doctor Ivo Robotnik. The greatest scientist in the world! Maybe then my grandfather will acknowledge me. I will finally surpass him and recreate the world in my image! Hohohohohoho!"
After witnessing for himself the birth of Doctor Eggman, Shadow suddenly finds himself standing beside a window with a complete view of Earth from orbit surrounded by space. The transition from one location to another happened faster than he could blink, giving him a few moments to time for his brain to process what just happened. He takes a quick look around and quickly figures out where he is.
"I'm… back aboard the ARK."
He takes a moment to get reacquainted with the station that served as his home and birthplace. His hand gently drags along the metallic walls of the hallway he was standing in. Even through his gloves, it felt cold and sleek to the touch and so real. He wondered why he was able to touch surfaces but not people or objects. This was meant to be a recreation of Maria's memories. The floor he can understand as it prevents him from phasing through it.
Before he could delve any further into figuring out the physics behind this fabricated world, he spotted Gerald and his team of scientists exiting the shuttle and entering the ARK through the airlock. The professor was carrying Maria on his back. She fell asleep during the trip. Shadow approached them and stood near the airlock controls to get a proper look at what would transpire next.
Gerald gently shakes Maria, trying to wake her up. "Maria, it's time to wake up." He spoke softly.
Maria stirred in her sleep until she finally awoke from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes with her tiny hands until they were able to adjust to the brightness of the station's overhead lights.
"Grandfather? Wh- Where are we?" She spoke in between yawns.
"Take a look outside." He encouraged her.
He turns her around to face the window and shows her the vastness of outer space. the very sight of it shocked Maria out of her sleep-deprived state and woke her up completely. She could not believe her eyes.
"Om my goodness. We're in space." She stated excitedly.
"Yes, we are, my dear." Gerald responded just as happily without taking his eyes off of the Earth." Standing over Earth. Watching it rotate on its axis. It is one of the scariest places people can think of. The most wonderful to others. A place we haven't really visited beyond low Earth orbit for over thirty years. This is space. And this is where we will be spending our lives until we cure your sickness."
Gerald began to explain how the ARK operates. The station had its own artificial gravity equal to how it is on Earth so they didn't have to worry about their bodies suffering major impairment due to lack of gravity. It also had a self-sustaining oxygen generator that takes in exhaled carbon dioxide and recycles it as fresh oxygen so they could stay breathing for years.
It was fascinating for him to see how far humanity had come in space exploration and technology to create a space station like this. But Maria's mind was elsewhere, something Gerald picked up on only halfway through his explanation. Something was bothering her, and he had a vague idea as to what it could be.
"I know how you feel, Maria. I miss Ivo too. It isn't fair that G.U.N forced us to leave him behind."
"I've never seen him so angry before," Maria uttered quietly. She looks up at her grandfather. "Why couldn't they let us take him with us?"
"You heard what the commander said. There wasn't enough room for all of us. I wish things were different, I do. But we've come too far to turn back now." Gerald explained as best he could.
"I know… But now he hates us." She regretfully responded.
"No, Maria. He's just angry. He has every right to be too." He turns to look her in the eye as he explains the source of her cousin's anger. "Your Auntie Bertha and her despicable husband threw him away when he developed superior intelligence at such a young age. Bertha told me she just wanted a "normal" child. Not one that points out every flaw in herself. The moment she left him on my doorstep she was no longer my daughter. I told her to never show herself around me again and not to bother coming back if she decided to grow a conscious and come back for him. She made her decision. She doesn't deserve a second chance with him."
"What happened to Auntie Bertha?" She asked with curiosity.
"Who knows? The last thing I ever said to her was to leave and never return. Heh, that's the only time she ever listened to me. Between her and your father, she was always the mischievous one."
Maria looks away from her grandfather and directs her attention towards the emptiness of space. Something about it was peaceful and calming for her. She needed some time to process everything she'd just heard. She never met her aunt and uncle, but she always liked to believe they were nice people deep down. But the harsh reality of the kind of parents they have shattered that fantasy to pieces.
Shadow stands next to the professor and places his hand on Maria's small, gentle head. Though he'd never be able to physically touch her, he didn't care. He wanted to be there for her even if she couldn't see him.
"Everything will be alright, my granddaughter," Gerald reassured her. "This is a new beginning for us. We will face whatever challenges come our way together. And I will not rest until you are free of your mother's curse."
"He's right, Maria." Shadow spoke up, though he remained unheard by past individuals. "You are strong enough to fight this disease. My blood may be what cures you in the end, but you were strong enough to hold out until my creation. Whatever happens, the professor will be there for you whenever I am not."
Suddenly, the whole room starts getting brighter around him. His time in this chapter of Maria's story had come to a close. It was time for him to awaken in the real world and continue his quest to slay the sixteen Colossai.
"See you soon, Maria." He uttered as he was being wilfully dragged away into the light.
Maria's ears twitch, forcing her to look behind her. She had a strange feeling just now. One she couldn't help but wonder what it was.
"Is everything alright, Maria?" Gerald asked concerned.
"I- I thought I heard someone say my name."
Gerald looked around, but could not find a single soul in the hallway they were standing in. They were all alone. Not a single soul could be seen or heard within their radius.
"There's nobody here but us."
"Oh? I could've sworn I- Never mind. It's nothing. I think I'm still tired from the trip."
"Then let's find our quarters and take a rest. I'll need it if my brain is to function at full capacity tomorrow. First thing in the morning, my team and I will start getting to work on finding a cure." He announced.
Shadow tosses and turns in his sleep as the now eight shades look down on him. The statue of Kuromori explodes into tiny pieces of rubble and dust. He's reached the halfway point of the ritual now. He only needed to kill eight more Colossai to complete the ritual. Dozens of arrows were littered around him.
"…Maria." He muttered in his sleep as he began to regain consciousness.
The shades quickly disappear into the ground, preventing the black hedgehog once again from seeing them. His eyes flicker as he regains his strength to stand back up. It felt as if his body was getting weaker to the point where the simplest notion of standing up was becoming difficult. It's like he's turning into an old man.
He then remembers the bow and quiver of arrows he's picked up during his battle with Kuromori. He'd almost forgotten he had those. He grabbed them to act as a substitute for his chaos spear ability that he'd lost. He has little experience with this kind of weapon. The only time he's ever used one was during the Olympic Games he and his friends competed in against Mario and his friends. But he should have no difficulty shooting an arrow. It can't be any different than firing a gun, he thought.
Once he's picked up the arrows and placed them back in the quiver on his back, he walks over to the altar where Maria's hedgehog body remains perfectly still all this time. He places the sword back in its sheath before reaching the top of the steps and examining her. The white chaos emerald continued to preserve her new body safely within her lifeless gloved hands.
Now he was able to properly touch her. Her fur was cold to the touch, but that didn't stop him. After seeing what went down in the last flashback, Shadow wanted to be there for her. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before completing the Forbidden Spell and sacrificing his own life to save hers.
"Thou seemed troubled, Shadow." Dormin interrupted them. "Thou should be pleased. Thy ritual is halfway way completed. Only eight Colossai remain."
"And I've lost half my strength in the process," Shadow responded.
He then attempts to perform a spin-dash to further prove his point. And just as he'd expected, he is no longer able to do so. Yet another one of his signature abilities was lost to the spell.
"Thou said thy would do give thou's life to rescue this maiden's soul. Is thy having second thoughts?"
"Never!" Shadow raised his voice at the exposed ceiling. "Nothing will stop me from completing this spell. As you said, I am halfway there. Quitting now would be pointless. I'd have sacrificed my powers for nothing."
Dormin admired the Ultimate Lifeform's determination. The echidna of the Colossus Clan all shared that feat. Though it did them no good in the end. Their civilisation has fallen and the legacy they made here has been lost to time. They doubt anyone even believes they've even existed.
"Thy next foe is… The land where trees nary grow… It sleeps in a dry lakebed… A rude awakening."
Shadow nodded in acknowledgement and began to set off once more, but not without taking one last look at Maria, dusting any leaves and dirt off her blue dress and picking twigs out of her long golden locks.
He descends the stairs to the outside fields of grass. There he finds Agro grazing in peace. Shadow decided to wait until she was satisfied with a full stomach. He'll need her at full strength for the second half of their journey.
With her stomach full of grass and water, Argo trotted over to the black hedgehog and turned herself around, permitting him to ride her once more. Not that he needed her permission.
The sword's light guided them back towards the south of the shrine where the bridge leading to the exit of the Forbidden Lands was. The two of them had passed by that bridge so many times that neither could recall how much they'd seen the same dead Quadratus Colossus.
Shadow even took this opportunity to make a second attempt to grab the last two silver salamander tails he needed to finish brewing the other two elixirs. Now he has all three to use at any time he's in desperate need of a stamina boost.
Agro ran through vast open fields of grass, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her body and the wind in her mane. But that soon altered once she felt the texture in the ground change from soft green grass to cracked stone ground. The sun was also obscured by thick dark grey clouds.
The sun's rays still shone through them enough to continue pointing them in the direction of the next Colossai, which was known as Basaran, written under its statue.
This drastic change in climate forced Agro to come to a halt just at the end of a small bridge that crossed over into a vast, empty, foggy, and dried-up lakebed. There were rock formations in the distance but they were barely visible amongst all the dust and fog hanging over the area. Even Shadow had trouble seeing it, and he has really good eyesight. Perhaps it was yet another aspect of himself that had been drastically weakened.
"Why are you stopping? The next Colossus is right in front of us." Shadow asked, annoyed by her hesitation.
Agro responded with a frightened neigh and started to slowly back away from the bridge. Shadow got her to stop by gently pulling on her mane. He wasn't trying to hurt her but to get her attention.
"You're afraid of what's in there, aren't you?"
Agro nodded in response, confirming his suspicions. From her perspective, all she saw was a barren wasteland devoid of life. Shadow can sort of understand. He assumed this whole area was filled with water and life once. But then Dormin's initial rising caused the land to deform. The water must've drained through the huge gaping cracks on both sides of the bridge they were standing on.
It only occurred to Shadow now that this is the first time Agro will encounter a Colossus. Up until now she had only taken him to their hidden locations which were usually old, ruined temples of lakes of water. But this one will be right out into the open waiting for their arrival. Only awakening to the power emitting from the sacred sword. Now he understands her fear.
"There's nothing out there but the Colossus. I understand you're afraid to face it. But there is no place for me to hide in there. Without my speed, I won't be able to outrun its energy blasts… I don't normally say this, but I need you to be brave for me. I can't defeat this thing without you. And if I face any others in open areas like this, I need you to be my legs and run as fast as you can. Will you do that for me? For Maria?"
Agro glances back at Shadow, then over to the lakebed, then back at Shadow again. She did not like this one bit. The fear of what lies within was overwhelming her fragile mind. But she fought through it and put her hoof down. Sometimes a horse has gotta do what a horse has got to do.
She carefully trots over the bridge and enters the dried lakebed. The further she went in the more courage she attained. However, that all started to wither when she was mere inches away from getting blasted by the erupting hot steam of a geyser.
The black horse immediately stood up on her hind legs and let loose a terrified neigh. Shadow held on tightly to her mane as he tried his hardest to calm her down.
More geysers started erupting out of the cracks in the ground in front of them. Turns out they were standing in a whole minefield of them. One wrong step and they're blown to bits.
Shadow scans the area, trying to find a safer route to the Colossus. Unfortunately for him and Agro, there wasn't one. The sword's light was pointing through the geysers. Basaran was on the other side.
"Damnit. There's only one way to go from here. Straight through… Agro is not gonna like this." He thought to himself.
Shadow gently kicks her side, encouraging her to keep going. But Agro wouldn't budge. She was too scared to move a muscle.
"Listen! I don't like it either, but there's no other way through. We have to take a risk and go through those geysers. Earlier you were prepared to risk your fears to help me save Maria. Are you telling me you're prepared to turn tail and run?!" Shadow raised his voice, hoping to spook her out of her fear and give her the motivation to keep moving forward. She shakes her head in response.
"Then get over your fears and run like there's no tomorrow. Or else there won't be a tomorrow for Maria. Now get going!" He ordered.
Agro squints her eyes and lets out a battle cry as she stands up on her hind legs once more, before racing into the geyser fields.
Shadow guides her through the lakebed, trying his hardest to determine when and where the next geyser is set to blow and guide his horse around them.
One of the geysers goes off on their right just as they are riding through. The hot steam grazes Shadow, forcing him to let out a pain-filled grunt and cover his wound with his left hand, whilst keeping Agro from crashing into anything with his free hand. Without his healing factor, the wound continued to inflict pain on him. His task had just become much harder, especially when it comes to climbing the Colossus which he knows he will do.
Agro and shadow eventually make it past the minefield and start to close in on a strange formation of rocks dead ahead. At first, they were thrilled. Finally, a place where they can get some stamina back and Shadow can tend to his wound. But there was one problem they didn't account for. As they got closer, they noticed the rocks were moving.
Those "rocks" turned out to be the next Colossus, Basaran. Its appearance was identical to a giant tortoise. Its whole body was made up of stone armour. Even its head was completely covered, apart from the top where the sword revealed was where its weak spot was located. Its legs were like castle pillars with a round orb acting as its feet, almost identical to Gaius.
All this time it had been halfway buried in the ground sleeping, only to be awakened by the presence of the sacred sword. Not even the loud blasting sounds of the geysers could wake it up.
Its blue glowing, swirly eyes scanned the area for intruders until they spotted the two black creatures. They changed to orange as the giant tortoise slowly made its way towards them.
Shadow was wise not to underestimate this Colossus for its lack of speed. It's tough armour more than made up for it. He could see no way of climbing onto its back without his ability to jump high or teleport. Climbing just became more difficult with his injured arm.
He didn't have much time to reach as he noticed Basaran was lifting its head, revealing five spiked protrusions under its jawline. The protrusions started to glow yellow as arcs of electricity sparked out of them. It was the same type of energy Kuromori used against him.
"Agro, run now!" He shouted as he kicked her side, pressuring the black steed to run as fast as it could in the opposite direction.
The duo managed to get away just in time as a huge ball of energy discharged out from the protrusions and impacted the ground a few feet behind them. Basaran may be slower than the other Colossai, but its ranged energy attacks make up for that bug time.
"Hmm. What should I do? If we stay in one place for too long, it'll just blast us with whatever energy it is harnessing. But I still need to climb its body to reach the symbol on its head. I just need to figure out how to get up there."
Shadow quickly looked over the entire lakebed, hoping to find something, anything, that could help him accomplish his mission. But he was soon startled out of his train of thought by another geyser erupting a few feet in front of him. Agro comes to a screeching halt in a desperate attempt to avoid getting steamed.
"That's it! I'll use the geysers. They won't kill it, but they should injure it enough for it to get low enough for me to climb onto it's back." He deducted.
"Agro, head back into the geyser fields." Agro looks back at him briefly in confusion. "Trust me, I've got a plan to deal with that overgrown tortoise. Just do as I say and lure it into the minefield."
Agro didn't like this plan. But she trusted Shadow with her life and put her faith in his plan. She changed course and dashed the geysers while avoiding more energy attacks from Basaran.
Eventually, the Colossus was able to catch up to them and make another attempt to destroy them with a close-range attack. But as it was about to unleash it, a geyser erupted underneath it, slightly pushing Basaran upwards. He groans with discomfort as the hot steam blasts against his soft, furry underbelly. The only part of him that isn't covered in armour.
At first, this seemed bad for Shadow. He was expecting the steam to knock it over so he could gain access to its belly, but Basaran was fighting through the heat and trying to force itself back down.
To get him to topple, Shadow will have to force it on its back with a well-placed shot to the foot. Once he was close enough, he could see a glowing moss under its hoof-like feet. He draws his bow, pulls out two arrows, and takes aim at Basaran's feet. His nerves were held as he pulled the string back.
He then unleashed the arrow from the bow and was glad to see it hit its intended target. Basaran growls in response and begins to lose its balance.
The steam started to die down, forcing Shadow to unleash the second arrow in its bottom left hoof. Basaran let loose another growl as its body began to lose balance. The Colossus ends up falling right onto its back, exposing its underside to the black hedgehog.
Agro races alongside the Colossus, closing the distance enough for Shadow to leap off of her back and right onto Basaran's stomach. His hands grab hold of the fur as tightly as they can. Once he maintains his grip, he attempts to make his way up. But the burn he received earlier caused him to temporarily let go and almost lose his hold. That didn't stop the Ultimate Lifeform. He grinned and bared the pain as he practically leapt across its underside until inevitably reaching the other side.
Basaran struggled for a bit until he was finally able to turn himself upright. Shadow hurried over the edge of its stone shell and ducked in between the gaps in armour that enabled the Colossus to move.
Once it was back upright, Basaran spots a rapidly retreating Agro trying to get out of the geyser fields. He started charging up its energy blasts again believing Shadow to be with her, when he was actually making his way down his back to the top of his head.
Basaran reared its head back as it was about to discharge another blast. But the blast ended up exploding in its face after feeling a painful piercing of the flesh on the top of its head. The tortoise Colossus roared in pain. The culprit for its suffering was Shadow the Hedgehog, who'd just fired an arrow at his head. He should've figured it wouldn't be enough to kill it, but at least its attention was on him now.
He draws the sacred sword and holds on tight as Basaran shakes its head back and forth, trying to knock him off. As soon as its movements slowed, Shadow thrusts the blade deep into the centre of the glowing symbol. Basaran groaned in sorrowful pain as its eye sockets went dark and its body hit the ground, plugging up several of the geysers.
Black smoke erupted out of the hole in its head and began to consume the body. Now was the time to bail. But Agro was too far out of range to hear his whistles. Not like it mattered anyway. All he needed to do was sit tight and wait for the tendrils to possess him and send him back to the shrine himself.
Agro glances back at Shadow as the tendrils enter his body and take possession of him. She decided to let it happen as she knew she'd find him back at the shrine again. And as always, he'll somehow beat her there once again. Just how does he do that, she wondered.
To Be Continued