Chapter Twenty-One:

Shadow's Search


A green flash of light filled the ancient ruins, gleaming off the edges of the jagged and rocky cliffs of Tartarus Rock. When the light faded, he stood by a pillar, surveying the surrounding area with a serious scowl upon his face.

Shadow walked to the middle of the area, taking slow and steady steps, and looked around as he kept alert for ancient traps.

Following the chaos in Furtree Village and after seeing Sonic with those other blue hedgehogs on their way to Westopolis, Shadow had set off to key locations to make sure that people were safe from the doctor and his alliance of other doctors. He knew that the Eggmen could launch another attack somewhere like in in Furtree Village or in Westopolis.

It was a matter of when the attack would happen and where it would take place. Shadow had visited Station Square, knowing that Eggman had attacked the city before, and the dark hedgehog knew that the doctors' forces could launch an attack on it without warning.

So far, no other attacks had been taking place. Spagonia, Empire City, Station Square, Chun-Nan, Soleanna and Central City were all safe for now.

But Eggman's threat still loomed and it was important to be on alert, to be prepared. And on top of that, Shadow held his promise to Maria that he would protect the world. He may not have been Sonic, but he was going to protect this planet in any way that he could.

And while "patrolling" the strategic locations where attacks had yet to happen, Shadow had caught wind of an artifact known as the Black Emerald. From what he'd heard, it was in Tartarus Canyon, and it was very powerful. When he heard of it, he was reminded of the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald.

Knowing that Eggman would likely want to use it for his gains, Shadow had gone to Tartarus Rock to find the Black Emerald. He'd also heard that the Babylon Rogues had gone there, searching for treasure. And there was no doubt their search for treasure led them to it.

Shadow scanned the ruins and the terrain. He looked down at his feet, then he looked around and took notice to the piles of scrapped robot parts that littered the ground. The Black Emerald was nowhere to be found and Eggman had been here. Which version of the doctor it was, it didn't matter, but someone had fought him and smashed his robots.

"Where's that damn Black Emerald...?" Shadow growled, 'Perhaps the Rogues have it, unless Eggman does.'

Deciding it would be a worthless waste of time to explore the area further, just to find that damn gemstone, Shadow pulled out the blue Chaos Emerald that he'd found during his little global patrol duty and shouted, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

Tartarus Rock vanished and Shadow found himself in a bustling market place, full of humans and anthropomorphic animals.

Knowing the likes of the Babylon Rogues, they likely came here, to the local black market, to sell whatever treasures they had found for some cash. Shadow didn't care about money and he had no value for the items sold on the black market unless it was really interesting. He wandered through the crowds, blending in like a silent shadow ninja, as if he were invisible to anyone.

"...might not be magic, but at least we got a black diamond, boss." He heard a gruff voice say.

'Black diamond.' Shadow thought, his ears perking up, 'Could it be...?'

"Who cares about your black diamond, Storm?' A high voice quipped, "Selling that old clock we looted on that old ship was worth it, especially since we still got our cash."

"At least we don't have to pay for board repair." A female voice remarked.

He spotted them, the Babylon Rogues, sitting at a nearby table next to a diner with a bag of money next to them. Storm the Albatross held a black-colored object in one hand while holding a cup with his other. Jet the Hawk reached into the bag, holding a fistful of coins, before placing them back into the bag, while Wave tinkered with her Extreme Gear.

Shadow pushed past a bear and walked up to the Rogues' table. The trio didn't seem to notice the approaching dark hedgehog, but then, Storm looked up and then he nervously looked over at Jet.

"B-Boss, that angry black hedgehog is here." He said with a gulp.

Jet turned. "Oh, look who it is." He remarked, "Shadow the Hedgehog, leader of Team Dark, and black mirror of Sonic. You come to pick a fight with the Rogues?"

Shadow slammed his fist on the table, "Where's the Black Emerald?" He demanded.

"You're looking for that?!" Wave rolled her eyes.

"Looks like ya didn't hear the news." Jet quipped, "Eggman attacked us in Tartarus Rock and made off with the Black Emerald and we got whopped by that stupid blue robot who looks like Sonic. And the old doc had some assistance from some magic-using fella who looked like him."

"It looks like you're in the dark about the doctor's newest scheme and I'm saying 'in the dark' very loosely..." Shadow told Jet.

"What's his new scheme, aside from using that Black Emerald for somethin'?" Storm asked.

"Doctor Eggman's teamed up with doubles of himself from across the multiverse in a bid to take down Sonic. The Eggman Alliance attacked Furtree Village, which may as well have been a key part of their plan to lure in Sonic and destroy him on their first attempt. And undoubtedly, both Eggman and his counterparts want to use the Black Emerald's powers..."

"...And it will spell doom for many worlds."

"Huh?" Storm raised an eyebrow as Jet sneezed and Wave gasped, "Who are YOU?!"

Shadow turned as a hooded figure approached the group and pulled back his hood to reveal the face of a green anteater with blue eyes. His hands glowed with power and the mysteriously mystic anteater stared at the four of them warily, his eyes filled with a great hint of urgency as if he could see something that no one else could see.

"I am the Oracle of Delphius." The Oracle said, "And I come with a warning. The Black Emerald is a gemstone of a dangerous power, one that can bring about an era of chaos and fear across all worlds. When all the Eggmen are gathered together with the Black Emerald combined with the Chaos Emeralds, the world shall face the horror... of the Eggnikbrid."

Shadow was beyond surprised. The Oracle held up his hands and mist surrounded the dark hedgehog along with the Babylon Rogues. As the mist surrounded them, Shadow watched as something frightening with a hideous mustache appeared through the veil...