Remember.
[You have been found worthy of inheriting this Labyrinth. Labyrinth Ownership has been transferred to you.]
Remember who you are.
[You are now the ruler of the Chaos Labyrinth.]
Remember what you must do.
[The Chaos Labyrinth has lost much of its past glory. It is now at level 1.]
Remember who you must fight.
[The law of the Underworld is to fight and survive. Build and grow your Labyrinth.]
Remember who you must save.
[Or face destruction.]
Remember...
Shadow sat up slowly, getting up from where his head lay comfortably.
"You're already awake!" She exclaimed, happy to see him.
"How long was I out?" He moaned, pressing a hand to his head. A pounding headache had suddenly come over him.
"A-about five minutes." She replied meekly. She realised how close they were now, seeing as he had used her thighs as a cushion for his head. "I saw the flash of light, and then you fell... Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Shadow responded roughly, ignoring the inflow of information that had been inputted into his head. "Let's get out of here. Before we become hunted again."
"Okay..." She responded, standing up. She reached into the backpack she was still carrying and took a water bottle, handing it to him, but he refused.
"Keep it. Just in case."
She frowned at his reply and still attempted to force him to take it, but he ignored her.
"Let's just keep moving."
"I'm not gonna let you die on me! Drink it!"
"I'm not going to die, I'm the ultimate lifeform. Take care of your damn self, so that I can still at least be paid something after all of this."
"You're the ultimate jerk! Just drink it!"
"No," Shadow growled, glaring at her again. But for some reason, she still refused to back down. "Just shut up and put it back if you won't drink it yourself."
"Fine... But don't say I didn't try to help." She sighed, giving up.
"I never asked for your help in the first place. You needed mine."
Auroreen stared hard enough to burn holes into the back of Shadow's head as they trudged along the Underground.
"Are you saying that everyone except Ms. Auroreen is dead?" Jewel asked.
"Yes. They were all killed before I could do anything," Shadow replied.
Jewel's expression didn't change, even after hearing that there were only two survivors. She seemed tired of hearing about sacrifices and wanted to hear something new.
That seemed heartless, considering that eight people had died. But what could he do? People often lost their lives in the Underground. Even now, her table was filled with documents regarding those who had died or been declared missing in the labyrinths.
"Are you sure you weren't mistaken? This is the first time I've heard of wolf monkeys on the first floor," Jewel said.
Considering how she wanted to hear something new, Jewel didn't ask in detail what happened with the crew. Instead, she talked about the changes happening in the Underground.
"I've worked too much and way too hard for you to ask such questions to me," Shadow replied coldly, getting up to leave. "Believe whatever you'd like, just pay what you owe."
Jewel sighed as he slammed the door shut behind him, knowing she had angered him even though she was only doing her job. Picking up her phone on her desk, she quickly dialled a number. She quickly arranged for the payment and a bonus to be sent to him as soon as possible.
Shadow quickly rushed home as soon as he left the building, speeding through the bustling city traffic. As soon as he made it to his room, he spread out on his bed and tried to organise his mind.
He remembered everything. His lost memories were flooding his mind, and he began sorting them out to stop the pounding headache. Everything about this world and who he was was beginning to make sense, and the more sense it made, the more dread he felt.
This world was not real, or, to be exact, it was not his world. It was the aftermath of a Choas Control that had been made using the wish of every living creature in the multiverse against the monster trying to turn reality into what he wished, Mammoth Mogul. It had turned everything he knew into the world he currently lived in.
But knowing this made him even more confused. Why, of all people, did Enerjak have a Labyrinth? Why did it choose him? Why did he need to be the one to save everyone? What did saving everyone even mean? Would he need to undo this entire world?
"And where is that blue faker?" Shadow asked aloud. But before he could even begin thinking any longer, a green translucent screen opened up in front of his eyes.
[The Chaos Labyrinth]
Level 1 Labyrinth (Synchronization Rate 8.75%)
Durability 41/1050
Facilities:
Master Room (Level 1)
Portal (Ready for Use 1/1)
Undisclosed
* The Ruler of the Labyrinth has insufficient ability.
* The Labyrinth's facilities cannot be activated.
"What?!" Shadow exclaimed when he saw the strange message. He couldn't help but think he had lost his mind, but again, he didn't have time to think about it. His "sister" had arrived.
"Shadow! Come here right now!" Maria shouted from the bottom of the stairs, anger in her voice.
Shadow hesitated. Now with his memories back, he didn't know how he should act. He could still see her bloody hands pulling the lever, the GUN soldier who had pulled the trigger by the door. Before, she had merely been the sister he loved; now, she was the friend he had always missed.
"M-maria..." he stuttered, mentally kicking himself for his apprehension. But he couldn't help it; she was the one person he had always wanted to see.
Hearing how weak he sounded, the woman climbed up the stairs quickly and tried to open his door, but it was locked.
"Shadow?! Are you okay?!"
"I-I'... I'm fine..."
"You're on the news, you know!" She said, anger still evident in her voice. "What were you thinking? We told you, you don't need to go into the Underground anymore!"
"But... Your dowry..."
"Haaaa?! What dowry! We're not that old-fashioned!"
The anger had long since been replaced with laughter at his answer. She had never considered that he was so worried about her.
"I... I'm sorry..." Shadow said, now sitting on the floor and leaning against the door. "I missed you so much..."
"I'm not going anywhere, Shadow, you silly boy!" Maria giggled, leaning on it from the outside. "You're still welcome to see me all the time! Marriage doesn't mean I'll cut out my family!"
"I know..."
"Then cheer up!" Maria said bubbly, getting up. "I'll cook you something good later so you'll feel better!"
"Yes..." Shadow answered, ears perking up. "I'd like that."
"Okay. Get some rest!"
She left, going back down the steps. Shadow breathed out, not even realising he'd been holding one in. He couldn't look at her right now, not after all the things he had done in the past. Sure, this reality's Maria had no idea, but he did. He had no idea how he would act if he laid eyes on her right now.
Hoping to distract himself from her again, he willed the green translucent screen to open in front of him again. The same information was shown, but he had found something that made him curious.
"Portal?" He asked, wondering what that meant. The effect was immediate.
Shadow felt as if he were floating in the air. His cells seemed to disperse and rearrange themselves on their own. He found it hard to adjust, and had to check his body several times to see whether his limbs were still intact.
"Ah…" After Shadow had regained his composure, he realized that he was in his labyrinth. Initially, he failed to recognize that it was the same one he had seen before, as it appeared different. The patterns on the walls of the chamber had disappeared, and the previously uneven floor was now covered with tidy tiles.
The central altar and the stone table had undergone the most significant changes. The upper part of the altar seemed to have been split diagonally, and in between was a medium-sized square throne with two mysterious marbles resting on its armrests.
Puzzled, Shadow muttered, "What is this?" However, the large crack in the space behind him caught his attention the most. Beyond this rimless, open space was a familiar scene: a bed with neatly arranged sheets and an empty table. It was undoubtedly his room.
Shadow stared blankly at the space beyond the portal and the stone chamber before walking towards the former. He could feel himself floating again. It was his second time around, but he couldn't help but compare its similarity to Chaos Control. He held his breath, and his room appeared in front of him once again.
"So it's really a portal between here and there..."
He entered his labyrinth again to see if there was anything else he could observe within it. Just as he began looking around, a green translucent screen popped up in front of him again.
[While you were gone from the labyrinth, a creature came and stole your resources. You must complete the synchronization and activate the gate before you can look for the creature.]
"What? But I barely left for a few seconds..."
[You must complete the synchronization and activate the gate before you can look for the creature.]
Shadow smirked as he realized he was being urged to finish the labyrinth's synchronization. Knowing he was only delaying the inevitable anyway, he sat on the Throne and immediately felt his energy being drained from him into the mysterious marbles that lit up.
"What?!" shadow exclaimed, trying to remove himself, but the labyrinth seemed to be guzzling his energy as much stronger than he could imagine. He could only compare it to a starving child's first meal in days. Just when Shadow thought he would pass out from his energy being drained so severely, there was another pop-up in front of him.
[Synchronization complete.]
[Labyrinth Reorganisation complete.]
[The Chaos Labyrinth]
Level 1 Labyrinth
Durability 150/1050
Facilities:
Master Room (Level 1)
Portal (Ready for Use 1/1)
Gate (100/100)
Undisclosed
* The Ruler of the Labyrinth has insufficient ability.
* The Labyrinth's facilities cannot be activated.
[The labyrinth's defence is weak. It is recommended that you expand the labyrinth's budget for defensive infrastructure.]
"Then let's find that creature."
As if responding to his demand, an expanded version of the screen shone in front of him, showing a map of his current labyrinth. A cursor showed where he was currently, and a red blinking dot a while away showed where the creature he was looking for was. With a grin, he sped over to find the creature and jumped at the red critter much faster than it had time to react.
"Give me what you owe, you vermin." Shadow growled as he held it by the throat. The little thing shrieked in response, and with his other hand, Shadow used his energy on his hand to shine light on it.
[You have found an Imp. They are a species native to the Underground.]
It had the body of a six-year-old child, albeit with a large, red, and bald head. It also had two horns on its head and a long tail.
"An imp?" he identified, and he felt the limp creature's body tremble. Upon a closer look, he saw that its eyelids were trembling incessantly. It was playing dead because he had merely slammed it against the wall.
"You bastard!" Shadow growled, squeezing its neck once more. Realising it would actually die this time if it didn't stop playing around, it coughed and wheezed, scratching at his arm with its claws. Seeing Shadow's eyes glow in the darkness, it was clearly terrified for its life but still wouldn't show him where the resources were.
"Seems like you need a lesson about what happens to thieves..." Shadow whispered darkly, raising a fist. The imp screeched once more as it felt his killing intent and quickly began to shake violently.
"What are you-"
He quickly cut himself off as he watched golden rings fall from its body. Surprisingly, it had been collecting quite a lot of his resources.
"You little hoarder. I bet this isn't all you have!"
The imp gulped loudly, prompting Shadow to raise it upside down and shake it even more violently. More and more rings piled up beneath him. Soon enough, nothing more came out from the imp that squealed and cried.
Shadow let down the imp, and it rolled away to safety, gasping for breath. Looking back at Shadow in anger at how it was treated, it stomped the floor and blew a raspberry at him while raising what seemed to be a middle finger. The imp appeared frustrated to have lost the gems to Shadow and quickly vanished into the darkness, seemingly afraid of being caught.
"Hmph..." Shadow grunted, a small smile on his face. He had never intended to harm the imp at all, but he was sure that he would never be able to trust it, hence his immediate switch to violence. He picked up one of the rings in front of him to inspect it.
"Energy rings..."
He could feel the abundant energy circling within them and already knew of their scarcity. Energy rings were one of a few unique items that were only available in the Underground. They were sometimes buried deep underground or concealed by rare underground plants. Under-beasts or under-creatures would consume them, and many explorers roamed the Underground to collect them. They could power vehicles, homes, factories and some even powered entire countries.
Energy Rings were expensive on the market due to their rarity. Depending on their energy level, they could be worth thousands of credits. For even stronger ones, like Power Rings or the rarest possible Red Star Rings, the price was all up to the seller.
"The Labyrinth needs upgrading anyway..."
Shadow was not someone who needed money desperately, nor was he by any means poor. The good Dr Gerald Robotnik was a world-renowned scientist who had discovered the use of Energy Rings during the war to cure his daughter's disease and had taken him in. Shadow had merely saved up all the money he had to repay the family that had taken him in. He was neither greedy by any means, so he knew he wouldn't need the Energy Rings that much unless he wanted to build up a reputation and network with other Hunters. This wouldn't be a bad idea, considering he now owned a Labyrinth.
Taking back the Energy Rings, he returned to the altar, where a black emerald glittered as it hovered in mid-air. He separated a few rings he would take back home and began throwing some to the emerald, which absorbed them easily. After only three, another pop-up revealed itself to Shadow.
[An intermediate-level Energy Ring has been offered to the altar. Its quality is poor, as it has spent a long time travelling the underground world with the imp. However, it is enough to restore and upgrade the damaged labyrinth's durability.]
[There are 24 hours left before the durability restoration of the labyrinth is complete. There are 72 hours left before the labyrinth rises in rank.]
Satisfied with the outcome, Shadow found a place to stash the remaining rings and returned to his room through a portal.
"Twenty thousand credits!"
Shadow rolled his eyes at the screech of the purple weasel-wolf hybrid mobian across the table. He was currently negotiating for a better price for his Energy Rings, but the mobian was using every excuse under the sun to try and scam him.
"Come on, Nack, do you think I'm an idiot?" Shadow said slowly, playing with one of the rings like it was a coin. It seemed to do nothing but anger the Weasel even more.
"I'm being serious! Some of these barely have any energy left over! It's like someone tried to feast on it!"
Shadow couldn't help but acknowledge the scammer's insight. He wasn't completely off the mark, but that wouldn't mean he'd let the scheming Weasel get a one-up on him. He knew what the going prices were for Energy Rings these days, and he'd hoped Nack would treat him better.
"You won't get a better price from anyone than me! I promise you that!"
"And why is that, Nack?"
"... Well..."
The Weasel began sweating, and Shadow knew immediately that he would need this information. Knowing he didn't need money that badly in the first place, he devised a compromise.
"Give me twenty-one thousand and the information."
"Hey, if it's information you want, you gotta pay for that instead!"
Nack slammed his fist on the desk as if threatening to break it. But the last thing Shadow would be scared of was a thieving Weasel.
"How about twenty-thousand, the information and I don't ask the authorities to investigate you?"
Nack swallowed nervously, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. But still, he refused to be intimidated by Shadow's threat.
"You think you can come in here and make a mockery of me?!"
"No," Shadow replied lightly, staring down the Weasel glaring at him. "But one phone call to the Association, and I promise you, you're not gonna see the light of day for a very, very long time."
Nack could see in Shadow's eyes that He wasn't bluffing, and he mentally judged his options. With a sigh of defeat, he slumped in his chair.
"Fine, dammit, FINE! You get your twenty thousand."
"Go on then. Why wouldn't I get a higher price?"
"There's been an influx of Energy Rings from unknown places, supposedly overseas. Apparently, it's becoming more common in other areas of the Underground across the planet." Nack explained, scooping up the coins and putting them away.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, but I don't buy it."
"Oh?" Shadow was intrigued. "What's your opinion on it then?"
Shadow raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to carry on. But Nack's grin widened.
"That'll cost you extra, hedgehog. You asked why, and I delivered it."
Shadow couldn't help but laugh at the Weasel's corrupt nature; even with his life on the line, Nack was still thinking about money.
"Take two thousand from what you're paying me and tell me what I want to know."
Nack's smile widened even more, and he happily continued.
"They're fakes, I bet, and they're not from overseas either."
"What makes you say that?"
"I've got friends in many places, and they've told me they haven't heard anything like that from their own countries."
"Is that so?"
Nack frowned at Shadow's response.
"You think I made it here by winging it? I know very powerful people in some very powerful places!"
"Not powerful enough to save you from the association?"
Nack seemed to shrink, and his frown grew deeper. He began lighting a cigar and took a puff before he continued.
"The Association is like an invite-only party. Not even I can get in, believe me, I've tried."
"I'd believe that."
"Yeah, yeah, I've told you all I know, so scram, hedgehog."
Shadow snorted in laughter once more and got up to leave.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Nack."
"Whatever, blackie."
Nack watched Shadow walk out of his store and pressed a button beneath his desk. Immediately, a hidden door beneath the floor opened, and two Mobians climbed out. A polar bear and a duck.
"What's up doc?!" The duck said gleefully, waving excitedly at his employer.
"I've got a mission for you two," Nack replied, taking another puff from his Cigar.
"Ooooh! Finally!" The duck exclaimed, saluting. "What do we need to do?"
"Go and teach that prick who just walked out of here a lesson."
"With pleasure boss!"
The polar bear nodded without a sound and together they walked through another hidden door in the wall.
Nack couldn't help but giggle, thinking of the look that would be on Shadow's face the next time he showed up here.
Shadow had purposely chosen to take a walk back home instead of instantly getting there by running. With his memories returned, he knew that Nack, or rather "Fang", would never willingly suffer a loss of his ego, even if it meant losing out on some money. Shadow had to acknowledge the man's pride at the very least.
So when he turned the corner and was met with a burly polar bear with a green duck on its shoulders, he wasn't the least bit surprised.
"Bark. Bean."
Shadow smirked as the troublesome duo walked closer to him menacingly. Just as Bark was cracking his knuckles, Bean suddenly pulled on his head to stop him.
"Hey!" He screamed, pointing angrily at Shadow. "You ruined our introduction! How come you already know our names?!"
"I already know everything I need to know about you both." Shadow chuckled and teleported in front of Bark before he had a chance to react.
Bark went on the offensive, his fists flying forward to attack Shadow. However, he didn't hit anything but air.
"What Floor did you crawl from Bark?" Shadow asked, quite impressed with the speed, accuracy and power behind the polar bear's punches.
"Get him Bark! Get him!" Bean exclaimed from his position on top of his head.
Bark didn't say anything but put up a hand to indicate his answer, still throwing punches with his other hand that Shadow never stopped dodging.
"Floor 5? You're definitely strong for coming from a lesser floor." Shadow mused. He stopped moving and blocked the first with his own outstretched palm. Bark's eyes widened in shock.
"The problem is Bark, you're too honest for your own good."
Shadow smashed his fist into the polar bear's stomach, sending him flying down the street, where he crashed into some trash cans that stopped his momentum. Bean tried to make him get up, pulling on his head comically.
"Noooooo! Bark! You can't die here!" He wailed, "Not like this!"
"He's not dead, you moron."
Shadow appeared behind the duck, and he knocked out the boy with a swift chop to the neck. Touching Bark's head, he poured his energy into the bear's body, slowly healing and bringing back his consciousness. With a grunt, the polar bear looked up weakly at Shadow.
"Tell your boss. From now on, he works for me." Shadow declared, removing his hand and turning to leave. "If he wants to keep living any longer..."
Bark weakly nodded and made a mental note to do whatever it took to never piss off Shadow.