-Chapter 211-
Arabian Nights
Sand Oasis Zone
After heading through a vortex of swirling paper, Sonic, Sally, and Shahra soon found themselves in a desert area.
"This is the Sand Oasis Zone," Shahra explained. "Just outside the kingdom of Shanazar itself." "Okay," Sonic turned to her. "So who's this guy who's trying to make the world disappear again?"
"The Erazor Djinn."
"Can you take us to him?"
Shahra perked, seeing something approaching. "There is no need."
"Let me guess, he's coming?" Sally asked.
Shahra nodded, Sonic thumbing his nose.
"Well, at least that saves us the trouble of trying to find him."
Purple arcane circles appeared, from which a figure burst out, swinging a blade that resembled a cross between a curved scimitar and a straight-edge razor. Sonic backflipped to avoid the strike, looking to see their attacker: a tall, muscular, humanoid being with predominantly purple skin, traced with red markings. His beard and hair were a cardinal red and his hair was a ponytail which curled upwards. His eyes had black sclerae and red pupils and he had pointed ears. His attire consisted of a long brown cape, golden armbands, baggy white pants held up by a brown and gold belt, and brown, curly-toed boots.
"Talk about close shaves," Sonic quipped. "Maybe you know where I could get my quills sharpened, too?"
"So, this is him," Sally mused. "The guy trying to erase the Arabian Nights."
The Erazor Djinn chuckled, straightening up before crossing his arms. "So, this is the legendary blue rat?" he sneered and spat on the sand. "Utterly pathetic. To think such a diminutive creature is said to have the power to stop me."
"Dude, are you blind?" Sonic shot back. "You don't know the difference between a rat and a hedgehog?"
Erazor scoffed. "Do you realize who you're talking to? I am the Erazor Djinn! I am the one who shall carve up this world as I see fit."
"If you're gonna do that, can you at least wait until I'm done reading it, first?" Sonic deadpanned.
"Sonic…" Sally sighed.
Erazor ignored them, turning to Shahra. "Shahra, darling. So good to see you're freed from the shackles of that dull mortal girl."
"Her name was Leila!" Shahra snapped. "How dare you speak of her like that!"
Erazor scoffed, shaking his head. "She was nothing more than a mortal vessel to ensure your freedom. That is all any of them are. You were a fool to grow attached to such a fragile creature. But that is to be expected of you. Your heart bleeds for even the lowliest of street rats."
Shahra looked at him, a mixture of anger and sorrow on her face. "What happened to you, Erazor? You used to be so much better than this."
"You know what happened to me," Erazor said matter-of-factly before shaking his head. "But it doesn't matter. One hundred of the One Thousand and One Nights have already been wiped clean. And soon, the rest shall join them, night by night. And once I have the seven World Rings…"
Sonic blinked. "Seven World Rings?"
"My guess, the Shanazar equivalent of Chaos Emeralds," Sally mused.
"I'd say that's a safe bet."
Erazor chuckled darkly once more. "I take it that means you have yet to collect them for me, Shahra my dear."
"How can I collect what doesn't exist?!" Shahra demanded, throwing her hands up in frustration. "And even if they did, I would never give them to you!"
Erazor scowled. "We had a deal. Before you entered the contract with that girl, you promised that you would gather the rings for me."
"That was before I realized what your plan meant!" Shahra shouted, her fists clenching as they shook. "Destroying Shanazar! Spreading through the cosmos! That's why Leila and I fled to Mobius to find the blue hedgehog!"
Sonic and Sally exchanged looks.
"Yeah…" Sonic began, "these two definitely have some history."
"Clearly," Sally agreed. "And from the way Erazor is talking... I'd say they were close."
"Shahra, my darling," Erazor began, "clearly you need to be reminded of what happens to those who break their promises."
He raised a hand, a longbow manifesting amidst purple flames. A flaming arrow formed at the tip and he pulled back. Shahra gasped, and Sonic went wide-eyed. Just as he let the arrow fly, Sonic dashed forward.
"Look out!" he screamed, jumping in the way and taking the arrow in the chest.
"Sonic!" Sally cried.
She rushed forward, just in time to see the arrow explode into purple light, leaving behind a single, flickering flame right over Sonic's heart. Minutely under the candle-sized fire, black marks that look almost like Chaos Corruption began to spread.
"Well, this is unexpected…" Erazor banished the bow, "but fitting nonetheless. If anything, perhaps this is an even better punishment."
"What have you done?!" Sally demanded.
"You see before you the Flame of Judgment. From this moment on, the rat's life force is tied to the flame. When it extinguishes... his life is forfeit."
"No!" Sally clutched Sonic close.
"You monster!" Shahra screamed.
"I am what I need to be to get what I want," Erazor shot back. "Now, bring me the seven World Rings, or else the rat will join your precious mortal host in the most painful way imaginable."
"That's the deal, huh?" Sonic asked, grimacing slightly as he worked to straighten up. "I bring you these rings, you break the curse? You expect us to trust you or believe anything you say?"
"Let me put it to you this way, rat," Erazor began. "What choice do you have?" Sonic gritted his teeth, looking down at the flame as Erazor began to rise up off the ground. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an audience with King Shahryar."
He cackled, purple flames surrounding him before he vanished.
"Sonic… you idiot," Sally let out. "Why do you always do this?"
"He was gonna shoot Shahra!" Sonic defended. "What was I supposed to do, let him?"
"Oh, I don't know," Sally said sarcastically. "Maybe you could've just pushed her out of the way instead of taking the bullet yourself?!"
She slapped him upside the head, causing Sonic to wince. As he rubbed his head, Shahra approached with a concerned expression.
"Please, do not fight each other," she begged.
"You think we're fighting?" Sonic asked. "Nah, Sal just cares a lot."
"Be that as it may, we don't have time for this. The flame is burning away as we speak…"
"Can't you remove it?" Sally demanded.
Shahra shook her head, looking down solemnly. "No… I cannot. My power is no match for that of the Erazor Djinn. If I could, I would."
"Eh, forget about it," Sonic insisted, getting to his feet. "Not the first curse I've taken, and I doubt it'll be my last. Now, as I recall, Erazor mentioned someone named King Shahryar."
"Yes, he is the king of these lands, and the main character of the story. Without him, there wouldn't be an Arabian Nights."
"Right," Sally nodded, recalling when she herself read the story. "He's the Sultan who found out his wife was unfaithful, so he had her executed. From there, he would take a new wife each night, and execute her the next day. In order to be spared this fate, one of his wives, a woman by the name of Scheherazade, told him stories for a thousand and one nights. He loved the stories so much that even when she finished the last one, he still spared her."
Sonic tapped his toes on the ground. "Well... with my speed, we'll just have to make sure we get to him first."
"Then there is no time to waste." Shahra waved her hand, summoning the Magic Carpet. Sally climbed on as Sonic got ready to run.
"Let's hope that rug can keep up!" he declared before taking off across the sand, Shahra and Sally flying along.
They soon came across a Shamarian-style palace surrounded by numerous genie-like creatures, all of them colored in various shades of blue, red, or green.
"What are these things?" Sally asked.
"Ma Djinns," Shahra explained. "Corrupt or fallen genies and spirits. Erazor must be controlling them."
Sonic immediately charged in, bouncing off several of them with Spin Dashes and Homing Attacks. Much to his surprise, in a flash of light and Arabic writing, they collapsed, becoming what appeared to be normal, albeit pointy-eared, humans.
"These things are people?!" he shouted.
"It's like the Voidlings back in Maginaryworld," Sally realized. "They've been transformed by the Erazor Djinn!"
"Corrupted and turned into monsters…" Sonic hissed. "Bastard…" The black veins crawled visibly across his chest. He didn't seem to notice. "Just one more reason for me to take him down a peg."
Before he could go on, however, he winced, a hand going to his chest as he saw the tainted veins.
"Sonic!" Sally cried.
"I'm alright," Sonic assured. "It doesn't even burn. It just feels… cold."
He looked down at the marks, his mind flashing to those same marks on Longclaw's talons, across Metamorphia's body, and all across Kat's arms. It didn't take him long to realize that he had essentially been corrupted.
"By Aurora... is this what dark Chaos corruption feels like? I deserved Knux punching me out for what happened to Kat more than I thought…"
Sally reached down, grabbing Sonic and pulling him onto the carpet. "Save your strength for the bigger fights," she then rose to her feet, turning towards their enemies, "and leave these guys to me."
She then summoned her Ring Blades, jumping off the carpet before attacking the Ma Djinn.
"You heard her," Sonic declared, arranging himself properly on the carpet. "Let's go find the King and make sure he's okay."
"But what about Sally?" Shahra questioned.
"Trust me, she's got this."
-X-
As Sally fought off the Ma Djinn, Sonic and Shahra hurried for the throne room to find it empty.
"Are we too late?" Sonic asked.
It was at that moment they heard a strained grunt, seeing a pot moving around slightly.
"What the-?" was all Sonic managed to get out before the pot tipped over with a crash, spilling out a very familiar face. The figure pulled himself out of the pot, revealing it to be a skinny man wearing regal robes and a feathered turban, along with a groomed mustache. Sonic's jaw practically hit the floor at the sight of him.
"Julian? Julian Kintobor?" he took a closer look. "No… you're not."
"What is going on here?" the man demanded. "Who are you? Are you in league with the Erazor Djinn?"
"No! We're here to stop him!" Sonic looked him up and down, the pieces falling into place before turning to Shahra. "That's King Shahryar, right?"
"Indeed he is," Shahra confirmed. "Our beloved King and Ruler."
Sonic turned back to the king, his eyes flickering with sadness.
"I bet. He... reminds me of someone I used to know,"
"Wait a moment…" Shahryar approached him. "You… you're the blue hedgehog of legend! You've come!"
"Yes," Shahra nodded. "Leila and I fled the palace to find him. It was…" her breath hitched and her eyes became misty, "her last act."
Shahryar's features softened and he approached the young genie, placing a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "She had a good life, and will be well remembered."
"Yes…" Shahra wiped her eyes, sniffed, then returned to the matter at hand. "Your Highness, what happened? Where are your guards? The palace staff?"
"The Erazor Djinn came, corrupting the citizens and my guards into the Ma Djinns." He grimaced, turning away. "I should have done something to try and help them, but instead I hid in that jar like a coward to avoid detection."
He shook his head, disgusted with himself. "What kind of king runs and hides rather than stands up for his people?"
"Hey, stop thinking like that," Sonic insisted. "I'm sure your men would want you to be safe. Besides, if you hadn't hidden, then you wouldn't be here to help us."
That seemed to make Shahryar straighten a bit. "What do you need?"
Before Sonic could even open his mouth, there was a loud screech, and a massive shadow overtook the trio. They had just enough time to turn before a massive green pterodactyl swooped in, snatching Shahryar up in its talons and taking off.
"Your Highness!" Shahra shouted.
"Julian!" Sonic screamed without thinking.
Sally came running in at that, looking behind her in confusion.
"Did I just see Dr. Kintobor being flown out of here in the claws of a Pterodactyl?" she asked.
Instead of answering, Sonic quickly mounted the magic carpet again, pulling Sally on after him.
"C'mon! We can't leave him hanging!"
Sally nods, then they quickly fly after him.
"So…" Sally began, turning to Sonic with an imploring look, "explanation?"
"That's the King," Sonic hastily explained, "and for some reason, he looks like Julian."
"Many inhabitants of this world are similar to those in yours," Shahra explained as she flew alongside them. "I don't know why or how, but they are."
"We'll leave that mystery to the brain trust…" Sonic's grip on the carpet tightened. "Right now... we need to save the King."
Once again, the veins spread just a little bit more…
Author's Note:
Oh no! Can Sonic and Sally save the king and break the curse?
Please R&R. Until next time!
