Imperial Dockyards, Fulgora, Sol Empire
Silver had arrived with Blaze and Patch at the Imperial Dockyards, a large assortment of docks that housed the Imperial Fleet and its many ships and boats that were employed in times of war or emergency. Suffice to say, the young Esper was amazed at how many boats were in the dockyards, at least compared to the one in Soleanna.
'Those ships are huge!' Silver thought in amazement, observing each one that they passed.
Blaze and Patch however were not amused by the childlike wonder that their newest Squire had given their mission, especially Blaze. She couldn't understand why her father would simply allow the newcomer into her Order of the Hearth, especially given that Silver wasn't even a Knight yet. But her hands were tied, as the Emperor's word was final, and saying otherwise would be treason, despite all her frustration and anger.
Silver could tell however that his attitude towards the dockyards was not appreciated, and he soon chose to stay quiet so as not to anger his new comrades any further.
"I was only looking at the ships, it's not like I didn't forget there were people in danger…" Silver said under his breath.
"What was that?" Blaze asked bluntly, causing Silver to flinch.
"N-Nothing." Silver replied quickly.
"...That's what I thought," Blaze remarked in a bitter tone.
Silver, Blaze, and Patch eventually made it towards what looked like a beautiful purple, gold, and maroon flagship, one adorned with one hundred and four guns, three masts with two sails on each and a flag on top of each one, one flag being the Sol Empire's emblem, one being the Coconut Guild's emblem and the last one being the emblem of the Order of the Hearth. The figurehead of the bow was what appeared to be a frog's head. The vessel's taffrail was adorned with a dramatic rendering of the sunlight god, Saviturn, riding his companion, the Gaia Phoenix, stretching across the sky, with an ornate figurehead depicting the Goddess of Dreams, Illumina was flying on one side while Saviturn's older brother, Solaris, God of the Sun and Time, floated on the other side.
"Well, well, well! Look what we have here!" A familiar voice called out to Blaze and Silver.
Turning their heads, the two fourteen-year-olds saw another Chevalier Lieutenant in the form of Mighty the Armadillo.
Accompanying him was a Mobian koala with white and black fur, blue eyes, and a tuft of hair hanging down, acting as bangs. She wore a black crop top blouse and black shorts, maroon leather fingerless gloves and boots with faded silver bracers and greaves with armour plating that resembled snake scales, a leather belt with a buckle that resembled a cobra's head that had a purple sash attached to it and a maroon cowl cloak shaped like a cobra's hood with a medallion attached to it that had three distinct emblems on it that were snake-themed.
"I-It's you! U-Um…" Silver blurted out before failing to remember the armadillo's name awkwardly,
"Chevalier Mason Armadillo, but my friends call me Mighty," The armadillo introduced himself. "It's been a while, eh Silver?"
"You know my name?"
"Uh, duh. Antoine and I had searched for you for a month before deciding to throw in the towel. That…and Tangle wouldn't tell me where she sent you."
"You mean that Vati wouldn't tell you since you couldn't catch her for the thousandth time," The koala teased.
"Hey, cut me some slack, Babs! She's hard to track with her swinging on flag poles and stuff,"
"...But you're into that," The older Mobian girl sassed.
Mighty sighed with a smirk, saying, "Guilty as charged."
"IT'S PATCH YOU BUMBLING FOOL!" The coyote barked while the eyepatch-wearing soldier's face boiled red.
Mighty rubbed his neck as he sheepishly laughed, "Ha ha! C'mon, Patch ol' buddy! You know it was an honest mistake!"
"We are not friends, peasant!" Patch spat, clearly irritated. "Your presence sickens me so."
Redirecting the spiteful comment with sarcasm, Mighty spilled fake tears, saying, "Aw…I miss you too, pal!"
Blaze then curtly addressed her subordinates, "Sister Barby, Chevalier Lt. Mighty,"
The others barring Silver and Patch turned to their princess and kneeled before her, saying, "Your Royal Highness,"
"Come, we have work to do." Blaze indifferently instructed, causing the other Embers to follow as they embarked on the L'aube du Soleil.
However, before entering, Barby asked, "What's the kid doing here with us?"
Blaze ground her teeth before begrudgingly admitting, "Apparently, he's our new…squire."
"Oh, snap! He is what Barry was talking about when he mentioned a new guy." Mighty clapped in excitement. "There's gotta be something special about you if the emperor's let you come with us."
"You buffoon," Patch said while rolling his visible eye. "Have you been forgetting that the boy's an Astra?"
"...Oh yeah," Mighty sheepishly grinned before laughing out loud, which only got him multiple sets of eyes rolling and a groan from his princess and teammates.
"Say kid, what can you-"
Before Barby could finish her question, Blaze sharply huffed, "Save you questions for the trip. We have to meet with the Ember of Pride."
"Yes, madam," The other Embers answered respectively as everybody went on the vessel's deck and descended to the inner chamber.
When entering said chamber, the ground found a lounge that was connected to another room that had the helm of the vessel. Within the long, the group had met up with the leader of the Order of the Hearth, Chevalier Commander Elias Acorn. What was notable about Elias was that on his neck was a black necklace that had a small black greatsword hanging off of it.
"Ah, greetings team," Elias smiled calmly before bowing to his princess. "Your Imperial Highness."
Blaze's face softened a bit as she nodded to the Mobian squirrel, saying, "Sir Elias."
"I see that you've met our new squire," The squirrel mentioned as he turned to Silver. "Congratulations, kiddo. I knew you had it in you."
"U-Uh, thanks, Commander." Silver stuttered bashfully.
"Don't thank me yet. You still have a long way before your assessment in one year." Sir Elias noted. "I am glad that His Grace sent you our way. This makes you assigned to the Order of the Hearth, meaning you are under my leadership."
"Order of the Hearth? What is that?" Silver questioned.
"Only the coolest division out of all of the branching divisions!" Mighty pridefully declared with a charming smirk.
"They are my Guardsmen," Blaze clarified. "Seven years ago, Father decided to personally form a separate unit that is devoted to my protection. But instead of simply remaining in the palace, I joined their missions in subjugating savage pirates and banishing enemies from my territories. Hence the name, Order of the Hearth."
"I guess that makes sense," Silver nodded, then asked Blaze, "And you're the Hearth,"
"Congratulations, you have a brain," Blaze snarked.
'Geez, what did I do to her to make her so hostile towards me?' Silver mentally inquired before asking the other Embers, "So, what does that make you guys?"
"We are her guardians or Embers," Sir Elias explained, "I am Sir Elias Acorn, the Pride of the Hearth and the lead guardian."
"I am Patch Depardieu, ze Sword of ze Hearth and Sir Acorn's second-in-command." Patch snootily answered while smirking at Silver antagonistically.
'...Oh joy, now I have two people to worry about on this team.' The Esper groaned.
"The name's Barby, darling, and I'm known as the Shadow of the Hearth," Barby spoke with a wink at Silver, causing him to blush red for a split second.
The armadillo greeted, "We've met before, squirt! You can call me Mighty! I've recently become the Shield of the Hearth!"
"It's an honour to meet all of you," Silver said as humbly as he could with a small bow. "I'll do my best to assist you however I can,"
'...Fool. He's going to get himself killed. If only Father renounced this warden charade.' Blaze groaned mentally.
(Your entire bloodline is composed of fools.) The entity from her subconscious spat.
'Yet it was your power that was stripped from you and cleansed. It was you who got sent back to Naraka by my ancestor's hand.' Blaze shot back coldly.
(Mortal wench! Do not bring up past events that you have no clear knowledge of!) Hissed the demonic-sounding being. (Why not just rid ourselves of that brat when we arrive on the island?)
'...Tempting, but no.' Blaze answered.
(YOU WOULD SPARE YOUR WARDEN!? ) The being screeched, sounding almost bird-like.
'As I said, I will not harm him.' Blaze reiterated in resolution.
(EXPLAIN YOURSELF!)
'I have no interest in explaining myself to the likes of you, Demon.'
(HE IS YOUR JAILOR! A THREAT!)
' He is a naive and troubled boy that my father decided to entertain. Regardless of my personal thoughts, I must respect Father's wishes for the greater good of the empire.'
(Respect!?)
'Noblesse oblige, Demon. We're an honour-bound people. That's something a deranged beast like you could never understand.' Blaze concluded with a cool tone filled with pride.
(...Let's see how far you get with that so-called sense of honour.) The so-called demon heckled before the voice faded away.
"Okay, now that introductions are out of the way, why don't the rest of you get acquainted with each other while I get this boat sailing to Southern Island?" Elias stated before heading to the control room where the helm was located.
Soon enough, the boat began to set sail. Meanwhile, Blaze sat in the corner, meditating to calm her nerves, Barby began inspecting a strange crossbow, Mighty started to perform push-ups, Patch went to the top deck to practice his form after purposely bumping into Silver.
The coyote was still sore from his loss against the boy.
"Ouch, somebody's grouchier today," Mighty winched as he dusted Silver's shoulder out of kindness. "What was that about, squirt?"
Silver awkwardly answered, "Well…I kind of defeated him in my trial,"
"What?" Barby gasped.
Mighty's jaw dropped, saying, "No!"
The female taller koala's head turned toward Blaze's direction.
"He's gotta be making this up, right?" Asked Barby.
"If he did, he wouldn't be here would he?" Blaze evenly asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Well, excuse us, princess. No disrespect or anything, but it is a little hard for us to believe." Mighty explained while the armadillo and the koala sat on the seats from one side.
"He's an Astra." Blaze responded plainly before going back to meditating.
"Really?" Barby questioned, turning her attention back to Silver. "That's rare. There aren't many Astras in Fulgora, believe it or not. So spill!"
Silver uttered, "...What?"
"Babs' is asking what is your superpower, Errand Boy." Mighty lightly joked.
"...Oh, I forgot that's what you guys call The Marked over here." Silver mentioned. "I have the Mark of the Esper."
"...Esper?" Both Barby and Mighty questioned.
"Yeah, an Esper. I can manipulate esoteric forces from my consciousness to control psychokinetic energy," Silver explained articulately.
"...Wow, that sounds amazing! …I don't know what that means!" Mighty rescinded cheerfully.
"It means he can move matter with his mind using psionic energy," Blaze simplified while opening her eyes lazily.
"So you mean like Telekinesis?" Mighty asked.
"Actually, it's Psychokinesis." Silver corrected.
"What's the difference?" Mighty questioned, scratching his head.
"One is controlling matter purely through mental willpower, and the other is controlling matter psionically through external forces." Silver explained. "I have the latter."
"Oh. That's still cool!" Mighty complimented.
"For a twelve-year-old, you're quite smart." Barby halfway praised.
"I'm fourteen, ma'am." Silver politely correctly. "And I had some time to study while preparing for the trial. Now, I just need the experience."
"You got some mad fire in those eyes, squirt. I respect that. Most kids your age would be fooling around the neighbourhood and worry about their looks or scoring dates. Who put you up to this?" Mighty questioned.
"He's got a point. Wouldn't your parents be worried about a job like this? Even if you're a squire." Barby added.
"I've been an orphan for years, so I don't exactly have to be bothered by the dead's opinion." Silver casually waved off.
"Yikes," The armadillo winced while Barby bit her lip.
"...Have you no compassion for the pair that had given you life?" Asked Blaze, slightly curious at the hedgehog's initial response.
"I do. I've acknowledged their existence." Silver answered evenly. "But they've been dead for eleven years. There's only so much love I can give a person who wasn't there for the majority of my life. I don't even remember their faces anymore. All that they've left me was a life, an empty name, and my powers. Everything else for a time was…hollow."
Blaze remained silent as Silver's words rang in the ears of those in the lounge room and even followed to the room next door for Elias to hear.
"Then why try to be a Chevalier?" Barby asked again. "And why so young?"
Silver looked at the markings on his gloved hands then gripped them tight.
"...Because someone called my Mark a gift instead of a curse," Silver answered softly, catching them off guard. "That person told me that with my powers, I could make a difference. That I could make a better tomorrow out of the hellish present that we live in if I could inspire hope. So, I try to live up to that hope by giving myself to that cause and pitch whenever I can if it's within my power."
Mighty and Barby said nothing. They could tell by the sombre yet heartfelt answer. It was a naive ideal, but it was earnest and a goal that meant everything to Silver.
Blaze heard Silver's aspirations and sighed while contemplating, '...How naive.'
Windmill Village, Southern Island, Sol Empire
When one usually thinks of Windmill Village, one thinks of a quaint, peaceful yet busy and loud community with some of the best shipwrights in the Sol Empire, singing away and working on the finest ships and boats within the Great Sea. But now, it was under attack as demonic abominations began to claw and bite away at the once-thriving village. Fires engulfed houses, walls, and ceilings collapsed and broke as these foul beasts from the infernal depths of Naraka rampaged across Windmill Village and its sandy shores. The L'aube du Soleil and its crew approached the docks as they spotted the infernal creatures attacking Windmill Village, causing Silver's eyes to dilate in shock and fear.
"N-N-No way...so those are the Shaitan…?"
"The Minions of Ifrit." Elias answered the young Esper. "Birthed in the Chaotic Inferno Zone, they spread the Demon God's chaos and destruction."
"Ifrit? As in the Flames of Calamity that nearly destroyed the world after the Great Flood? That Ifrit!?" Silver blurted out.
"...The same." Blaze begrudgingly confirmed.
(...Flattery will not spare the brat.) The demon spoke.
'SHUT. UP.' Blaze growled in her mind.
"Why would the Setting Dawn Pirates be summoning demons? They can't be that dumb, can they?" Mighty asked, putting his hands behind his back.
"Wouldn't you if your entire fleet got reduced to a single ship crew?" Barby responded bluntly.
"I see your point," Mighty replied without hesitation.
"Enough banter," Blaze commanded before looking at Elias. "Commander, what's our plan?"
"We divide up three squads. The first squad will be on the offensive, fighting off the Shaitan and drawing their attention away from civilians. The second squad will be on the defensive, rescuing and guiding civilians to safety. The third squad will be working reconnaissance, searching for any lost civilians and supplies." Elias explained to the Embers and their princess. "Remember, without Windmill Village, the Sol Empire will lose most of its master shipwrights. Those of us with Vulcan Arms must refrain from using their Moksha level techniques or activating their Daeva Mode."
"Moksha? Daevas? What are they?" Silver questioned innocently.
"Vulcan Arms are weapons made in the Empire that have crystallised spiritual energy, or Chakra Stones, grafted onto them," Barby explained. "Typically, we use Sol-based Chakra Stones or Daeva Stones."
"But since you have no Vulcan Arm, it iz nothing zat you should be concerned about, squire." Patch immediately responded.
Silver nodded to Patch as Elias continued.
"Her Highness, Patch, and I will serve as the first squad and clear out the waves of the Shaitan. Barby and Mighty, you will be the second squad and in charge of rescuing and guiding the civilians to the bunker in the local Gaia Temple." Elias said to his squadmates.
"Yes, Commander!" They all said in agreement.
Elias then turned towards Silver and said, "Squire, find as many civilians as you can and get them to the Gaia Temple. While we're not expecting you to take part in combat, you are responsible for the people under your care. Attack only if cornered or in an emergency. Understand?"
"Yes, Commander!" Silver answered in confidence.
"Good!" Sir Elias said as he took off the sword from the necklace of his chain and manipulated the energy from the blade to change it to its original four to five-foot-long great sword that was 2 thick.
As he picked up the Black Narasimha, he prayed in silence, then said, "Ladies and gentlemen, remember that not only our country and integrity are at stake, but lives here hang in the balance. Steel your resolve and never waver before the enemy."
Elias then directed his attention to Silver while projecting his voice to everybody, saying, "No matter what happens, always remember to embrace your dreams. And most importantly, protect your honour as Guardsmen of the Sol Empire."
Raising his blade in the direction of the carnage, Elias shouted, "EMBERS, SCATTER!"
With that, everybody broke off into their respective groups, leaving Silver by his lonesome.
Sir Elias, Blaze, and Patch took the offensive with blades and flaming claws ready. The trio charged forward with Blaze in the lead, being the fastest out of the three. They approached the mob of Ifrit's spawns. Specifical a hoard of Biters, a cross between lizards and canines made up of molten lava and rock, and Takers, creatures that were a cross between bats and bastardised phoenix-like entities made of red and orange lava, crossed with some bat attributes. Rather small, the Iblis Takers have wings resembling those of bats with a claw on their joint. Their eyes are dark-green, and they have two ears that curve backward, similar to horns. They also have a long tail with a pear-shaped tip. When there is no enemy in the vicinity, their bodies glow more faintly.
Elias brought his blade backward for Blaze to jump on and like a spring, he flung the princess forward, allowing her to somersault with claws ready to tear through Takers. With Laevatein and the Black Narasimha drew, both Patch and Elias dashed forward with the intent to kill. Blaze managed to take out all of her pent-up frustration by ripping through the heads and wings of the Takers using her Fire Claw technique from one demon to another, functioning as a Homing Attack of sorts.
Blaze ended up killing twenty-four Takers in a minute before moving on to the wave of Biters she found herself battling next. And she had a mean Burst Dash with all of their names on it.
Meanwhile, Patch had been making swift work of the Biters, utilising his enhanced perception of his Vulcan Arm, Laevatein, he stabbed many of the grounded demons in their weak points and used the Sol Energy to enhance the range of his attacks to pierce through the wave of beasts that charged at him.
Sir Elias, on the other hand, had a special weapon. More so than any of the Embers. His weapon, the Black Narasimha, contrary to popular belief, was not a Vulcan Arm. No, it was an entirely different contraption discovered by his ancestor on a faraway island that had been mostly abandoned before the Great Flood. According to Mammoth Mogul, it had power that had derived from raw Chaos Energy, a power that hadn't been used in thousands of years outside of himself. This dictated that the group of islands where the sword had been found might have been the first civilisation to create weapons. And so, the blade and two more important weapons were thus dubbed "Primus Arms", the progenitors of all Vulcan Arms and weapons in general.
And Sir Elias inherited the strongest offensive melee weapon of the trio.
Taking his blade, Elias cleaved through Takers like he was cutting through butter. The swordsman spared no enemy as body parts and debris were flung everywhere with every swing of the mighty single-edged ebony blade. When the demons above decided to spit fire at Sir Elias, he took the flat surface of the blade, used it as a makeshift shield, swung the blade with the flames etched on the blade, and created a flaming arc that eliminated the surrounding demon threat that was Ifrit's Minions.
Elsewhere, Mighty and Barby swiftly moved through Windmill Village, scanning and surveying each corner and street for any sign of trouble or life. Barby moved gracefully in an almost serpent-like way, while Mighty was agile and moved like a jackrabbit with explosive jumps.
"Over there, Babs!" Mighty called out, alerting the koala to two Mobian kangaroos on a rooftop.
"Gotcha!" Barby said as she pulled out the mystical crossbow, known by many as the Amber Trishula, and fired an arrow with a rope attached to the end at the side of the roof.
Barby grabbed onto the rope and pulled herself over to the roof, landing on her foot and heel before standing back up.
"Don't worry, I'll get you both down!" Barby called out to them, as their sense of hearing was mildly obscured by the increasing fire around the building that was growing rapidly.
The kangaroos then moved over to Barby, who grabbed onto both of them and ran forward as she hooked the rope around one of her legs and swung herself out of the fire's path as it consumed the building. Suddenly, an orange ethereal gauntlet hand caught Barby and the kangaroos, to which the kangaroos looked to their side and saw that the ethereal hand was created by Mighty, who gave them a playful salute.
As the second squad took the Mobian kangaroos to the Gaia Temple as a haven, Silver was not too far away, scouting the area using his PK (Psychokinesis) to fly around. Most of the area was on fire, not unlike what he had seen in his old childhood village during pirate attacks in the past. One could say he grew numb to the concept. Morbid? Perhaps. But it didn't blacken his heart, for his sympathy and grief over the death and destruction he witnessed burned bright still.
Silver looked down and spotted several people who appeared to be trapped under debris. He landed on the ground as he stretched his hands outwards, then began to glow cyan as the debris was all enveloped by cyan light. Silver lifted his arms up which levitated all of the debris into the sky, freeing the injured and scared villagers.
"I've got you!" Silver called out. "Get to the Gaia Temple!"
Silver watched as the villagers stood up, lifting their injured up along with them as they looked at the young hedgehog. Silver had helped people in the past with his Psychokinesis, but then most would scorn him and chase him off simply because his powers were seen as demonic or unholy by their faiths.
"Thank you." One of the villagers said to Silver, causing the Esper's eyes to widen before he then formed a little smile.
"You're welcome, now go!" Silver ordered the villagers, who all then quickly rushed off towards the Gaia Temple.
Silver then stopped glowing, letting the debris gently drop to the ground before he looked at his gloved hand with a sense of accomplishment.
"They thanked me….they actually tha-"
Silver couldn't finish his sentence, as he was sent immediately plummeting into the ground, face first.
"Argh! Ow, what the heck hit me?" Silver groaned as he rubbed his cheek.
"Blimey! Are you alright, mate?" A female voice with a strange accent asked, causing Silver to look up.
Standing in front of him was a young Mobian raccoon girl with orange fur, a white muzzle, a small black nose, and sky-blue eyes with one long eyelash on each one. She had brown triangular ears with cream canals on top of her head, brown rings around her rounded tail, and brown and cream-stripe markings around her eyes. On her head, she had two upturned pigtails with brown tips that were held together by yellow scrunchies.
For attire, she was wearing a lime green tube top with white trim, black capri leggings, tan gloves, white socks, and lime green and orange shoes with grey soles. She also wore a round pendant that appeared to be of an ancient-looking yet somewhat adorable face.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking…um," Silver trailed off.
"Marine the Raccoon, but just call me Marine." The raccoon girl responded before she looked around. "...Wait, what was I doing again…?"
A couple of shady individuals began to run in their way. One was a female red-skinned Mobian shark while the other was a specific breed of Mobian crab that was male. Both seemed to be armed with standard Vulcan Arms, with the girl wielding a scimitar and the male a rifle.
These two were Blade the Shark and Bristles the Yeti Crab, members of the Setting Dawn Pirates.
"Hey, I saw the kid run this way!" A rough yet feminine voice shouted toward Marine and Silver's direction. "Come, you're slowing us down!"
"Oh shit, that's what I was doing!" Marine exclaimed, facepalming herself before she dashed off. "Toddles!"
"Hey, wait! Come back!" Silver shouted, immediately before being spotted by the pirates himself.
"STAY RIGHT THERE!" Bristles shouted, holding up his gun toward the hedgehog's head. "One more move and I'm blowing your brains out!"
Silver had his back turned but said nothing. The Soleanna native had an unreadable expression on his face but remained impassive to the two pirates.
"Turn around and raise those hands in the air, brat!" Blade growled, placing a sword to Silver's neck. "Do it, or I'll cut your head clean off!"
Silver frowned as he slowly faced the pirates and raised his arms up. The boy stared into the eyes of his opponents with indifference but there was a glint of disgust in Silver's eyes that Blade could recognize. Silver's eyes and quills then glowed a faint yellow/gold.
"Go ahead and try, but that blade won't touch my neck." He spoke without moving his lips, his voice telepathically beamed straight into the pirates' minds.
Both Blade and Bristle gaped at the sensation they'd heard, pondering if they were going crazy.
"What the fu-" Blade and Bristle spoke at the same time, only to be cut off by what happened next.
Both of the pirates felt their bodies become completely still as if all motion and feeling of inertia left them. They were truly frozen in space-time. Their bodies glowed cyan as Silver thrust his hand forward, then curled it back, causing both Blade and Bristle to be propelled towards Silver, who leaped in front of the two pirates, psycho kinetically enhancing his body's momentum and speed, and landed a hard dropkick on Blade and Bristle's faces, knocking them to the ground and instantaneously rendering them unconscious. Silver caught himself in mid-fall as he slowly levitated back down to the ground.
"...No more pain. No more suffering. Not while I can do something about it." Silver proclaimed, clenching his hands while looking at them with a determined gaze.
His ear twitched as a familiar raccoon child rapidly approached the squire from behind a bush.
"CRIKEY! THAT WAS BLOODY AWESOME!" Marine shouted excitedly, causing Silver to flinch at the raccoon's volume. "They like tried to jump ya, but then you said, 'No, you 'bout to be jumped by me and me alone.' And then BAM! You froze them mangy dogs and pulled them and KABAM! Gave them the meanest drop kick since SWA Slam! Streuth I tell ya!"
'She's…lively.' Silver observed silently. '...Gold, she seems to be a handful, but I think you'd like this one.'
"Oh right, I didn't get your name, cobber," Marine said with a chuckle, only for Silver to let out a sigh.
"It's-"
Suddenly, a few metres away from the pair, a large spell circle that glowed orange-red appeared on the ground. From there, something large was erected from the circle. The being appeared to be made of molten lava and stone, standing a whopping fifteen feet tall, towering over Silver and Marine. The humanoid giant's cooled rock encased its limbs like armour. It had an extra large upper torso, arms and hands with rock armour encasing its hands, wrists, shoulders, torso and its almost minuscule floating head. In particular, its armour was spiked on the wrists and back. It also had rock armour around its feet and lower legs resembling boots, with additional rock armour creeping up their left hip.
This was The Iblis Golem, one of the strongest minions of the Demon God's lower division.
The monster groaned, letting out a mighty roar as its killing intent shot through the entire area, creating an atmosphere that would send most civilians and lower-ranking Guardsman into a state of shock and fear.
Suddenly, one of Sir Elias' words came rushing back to the young Mobian hedgehog.
….Steel your resolve and never waver in before the enemy.
When Silver saw Marine panicking and on the verge of fleeing for her life, steeled his nerves Silver bravely stood in front of the girl, leaving her speechless.
His unyielding determination manifested in psionic energy enveloping his entire being.
At this moment, the rest of Sir Elias rang true in his mind.
….No matter what happens, always remember to embrace your dreams. And most importantly, protect your honour as Guardsmen of the Sol Empire.
"What are you-" Marine whispered, only for Silver to respond gently,
"-It's okay," Silver spoke to the Mobian raccoon from in front of her. "As long as I breathe, as I stand, nothing will touch you."
Seagull Beach, Windmill Village, Sol Empire
The Setting Dawn Pirates and their infernal attack on Windmill Village continued, as Elias, Blaze, and Patch had continued to dispatch the Shaitan one by one. A Golem was sliced in two by Elias' Narasimha and Patch had skewered two Eaters on his Laevatein before quickly dicing them into fiery pieces of molten rock.
Blaze meanwhile unleashed a powerful wave of fire that incinerated several Shaitan around her, then dodged a lunge coming from a surviving Taker and quickly slayed it by aiming her hand at it like a gun, and fired a purple, magenta and yellow flame the size and width of a bullet, which sniped the Taker and caused it to implode.
"Good riddance, infernal scum…" Blaze said with a sense of self-loathing and anger.
(...Like someone you know.) Ifrit remarked within Blaze's mind, causing her to grit her teeth in frustration.
'No one asked you.' Blaze responded mentally.
Before the Princess of the Sol Empire could even react, she saw Elias move immediately in front of her and thrust the Narasimha forward, to which the blade extended and transformed into a bladed whip that snatched an incoming bullet headed for Blaze right out of the air, then threw it to the ground before retracting back into its sword form.
"You alright, Princess Blaze?" Elias asked his comrade and superior.
"I'm fine." Blaze replied bluntly before she and Elias heard the sound of clapping nearby.
"Bravo, bravo~!" A male voice in a raspy but eccentric tone spoke, followed by a few low chuckles.
The source of the voice quickly showed itself, belonging to a male Mobian otter with dark blue fur, light blue fur on his muzzle and belly, small and round ears, blue eyes, a diamond-shaped black nose, a thick tail, and two thick "whiskers" on each cheek. His attire consists of a black eyepatch over his right eye, a long-sleeved shirt, a gold-rimmed black coat with coattails and no sleeves, and black boots and gloves with golden rims.
"Jonathan "ShellBreaker" Otter of ze Setting Dawn. Why am I not surprised?" Patch impassively stated with his Vulcan Arm in front of him.
"It's Captain ShellBreaker to you, Antoine." Captain ShellBreaker jeered as he gazed upon the first squad. "Oh, and you even brought the Empire's Golden Child with you! Has the Guard gotten so soft that you need children to fight your battles?"
"Is that a problem, pirate?" Blaze questioned with a cold authoritarian voice.
ShellBreaker laughed, then said, "Gaia! Her attitude is nastier than the rumours say!"
"I knew you were a bastard, ShellBreaker, but to go so slow as to become an Iblis Trigger? And for what, to get your last fifteen minutes of fame? Pathetic." Sir Elias spat in disgust. "To think you were once a Naval Officer of the Empire…"
"And where did being in the Sol Empire's Navy get me, Acorn? Fifteen years I served and when my tour across the Great Sea ended, I was still stuck in the same shithole as I was before I enlisted! Barely a quid to my name!"
"Iz zat all serving ze Empire meant to you, Otter? Just a paycheck? Where iz your honour?!" Patch scowled in anger.
"To hell with honour, ya sycophantic nob!" ShellBreaker yelled back. "All that matters is riches and power, ain't no room for being a good sport in this sea-faring barney we call life!"
Taking the Dark Ring that was dangling around his neck, the pirate captain tapped into the Demonic Sol Energy (Iblis Energy) from within the Cursed Relic, summoning another wave of Takers, Eaters, and three more Golems for the trio to deal with.
"DAMN IT! HE'S GOT A CURSED RELIC ON HIM!" Elias growled before proceeding to tear through the incoming horde of demons.
Blaze screamed while kicking some Eaters' jaws off, "...SHIT! How did you come across that thing!?"
"Oh this little trinket? Ever heard of a little isle called Sea Devil's Grove?" ShellBreaker replied with a sly grin. "Last I checked, it was one of the Hell Gates scattered across the Great Sea and used by the Demon God's acolytes to summon his brood. This fancy ring was the core powering the gate."
The trio would have stopped in their tracks if it weren't for the demons attacking them at all sides. This forced Sir Elias to shift its form, allowing the blade to separate into multiple segments until its current configuration was that of a bladed black whip. From there, Sir Elias gave the Black Narasimha a swing, clearing most of the demons, barring the Golems, in one go.
"You treacherous son of a whore! You dare evoke ze power of ze Wings of Demise against ze Empire!?" Patch interjected. "I'll-"
The three warriors jumped out of the way of a Golem's fist crashing into their area.
Sir Elias turned to Patch and said, "Patch! The princess and I can handle the Golems, you take ShellBreaker out!"
"...It will be my pleasure, Commander." Patch said, eager to dish out all of his pent-up aggression on his foe.
"That bloke is giving you too much credit, isn't he?" ShellBreaker heckled as he drew his own rapier. "What are you, now? A Lieutenant Chevalier, and only twenty-one? Wow…Couldn't even fill in your old man's boots. At the height of my career, I was a Captain with a fleet of my own, and I was pushing thirty. Do you know what that means, boy? That's over twenty years of experience that I have over you. And you still have the gall to face me?"
"I care not about your glory days, you old fossil. Today, you are an enemy of my country and have tramped on everything it stands for. As its sword, it iz my duty to cut you down." Patch declared, readying his Vulcan Arm. "In ze name of the Sol Empire, I will deliver your head to His Grace myself!"
"So be it, brat!" ShellBreaker screamed as he rushed at Patch. "GIVE ME WHAT YOUR DADDY COULDN'T BEFORE I SEND YOU HOME TO HIM!"
Coconut Guild Company, Windmill Harbour, Windmill Village
The ship-making factory had been held at gunpoint since the beginning of the raid. Currently, one of the notable members of the Setting Dawn Pirates held the operation of stealing important pieces of equipment, supplies for cleaning, and other materials for their vessel.
This person happened to be a male Mobian lemming. He had maroon fur and beige skin with a mop of short shaggy maroon hair and bright blue eyes. He had on a sky blue scarf around his neck, brown gloves, brown boots, and like Bristles, he shared a similar rifle Vulcan Arm while the lesser pirates under his command had muskets and flintlock pistols as Vulcan Arms.
This was Dive the Lemming.
He was currently overseeing the raid as he stood on guard, holding members of the famous "Coconut Crew" and their employees chained and captive. Interestingly enough, most of the employees and the main crew themselves were composed of Mobian koalas.
The leader himself happened to be an old but fiery spirited grey and white furred koala that wore a straw hat, green travelling backpack, brown and grey shoes.
This was Guild Master Tabeth Palmer or Master Tabby, head of the Coconut Crew.
"Is that all of them? No stragglers about?" Dive asked his fellow pirates.
"All of the Coconut Crew is here, Dive." A female pirate answered.
"Good, wouldn't want one of you dropbears alerting the Guard." Dive said as he looked at Tabby with a smirk.
"The fuck did you call us, you sea-dwelling numbnut?!" Tabby yelled furiously, causing Dive to reel back and flinch.
"Blimey, you koalas really are a feisty bunch." Dive said before taking out a dagger and approaching the old koala. "But can you keep quiet? Shall we test those angry lips of yours, old man? Where are the Archives?"
"I ain't saying shit." Tabby said bluntly, before Dive jabbed his dagger into the side of Tabby's arm, causing the koala to grunt in pain until the lemming removed it.
"The Sol Empire entrusted the Coconut Guild with the location of your precious Shipping Archives, data and info on all ships within the Navy and Imperial Guard. Their blueprints, their composition, ammunition, weak points, every single detail one would need to dismantle every fleet in the Empire's pocket." Dive said before pointing the now bloodied dagger at Tabby. "Where is it, Palmer? Tell me and this end, for all of your crew."
Tabby then started to chuckled sardonically, irritating the lemming pirate who gave the old koala a slash across the cheek for good measure, spilling a small pint of blood on the wooden floor below.
"And just what the hell do you think is funny, gumleaf muncher?" Dive asked angrily.
"Oh, sorry, mate, but aren't you meant to be a lemming? The same gerbils who'd follow their leader off a cliffside?" Tabby said mockingly. "That's called blind loyalty, cobber, and that shit'll kill ya if the one in charge decides it's your mug going off the cliffside."
"And what's your point, old man?" Dive asked impatiently.
"My point, you're a *." Tabby replied, saying a vulgar word that couldn't be repeated.
Dive was taken aback by this casual delivery of such an obscene word, but then quickly regained his anger as he used his dagger to cut a piece of Tabby's ear off. Tabby gritted his teeth as searing pain flooded his injured ear, but was no less unwilling to speak to his captor.
"Keep that attitude up, and we'll see what happens to your crew…" Dive said in a threatening tone.
In the distance of the guild's shipyard and workshop, were a certain female koala and male armadillo. The two Embers looked down from their perch, Barby using a pair of binoculars to see Dive interrogating Tabby while threatening the other guild members, making the koala grit her teeth in anger.
"Hang in there, Dad…I'll get you and the boys out of this mess…" Barby said before lowering her binoculars. "They've got most of the guild down there."
"Damn, they weren't able to get away in time." Mighty said in frustration.
"It gets worse, they know about the Shipping Archives. If they get a hold of them, they can dismantle and topple every ship in the Empire's fleet." Barby said, shocking Mighty.
"No way we're letting that happen," Mighty affirmed while clenching his fist. "So what's the plan, Babs?"
"Say, Shell-Head, let's do the distraction thing," The tall Mobian Koala suggested, causing the armadillo to groan.
"Aw, come on! You know I hate doing that." Mighty protested, smacking his lips.
"Don't make me beg, Mase! This is my family that we're talking about!" Barby reminded the armoured Ember. "I'll owe you one."
"Fine, I'll do it, for your family," Mighty said with a nod. "I'll get their attention and you do your assassin thing and take them out with stealth and grace."
"Flattery will get ya nowhere, Mighty." Barby said with a chuckle, then hardened her expression. "Right, I'm heading in."
Barby then drew the Trishula and shot an arrow attached to a rope on the skylight of the warehouse. She tied the rope to a nearby chimney on the rooftop and then leapt forward, grabbing the rope and zip-lining across it with her bracers scraped against it. After landing on the skylight, she looked down to survey the area inside of the warehouse.
Several pirates patrolled the area while searching every nick and corner for something that could lead them to the Archives. Barby placed her hand on the window of the skylight and then gently pressed one of her claws into the glass, cutting into it as she slowly cut a decent sized circle out of the glass, pulling it off and slipping through like a serpent.
Barby landed on the girder and crawled towards the more populated area of the warehouse. After that, she took out the Trishula again and loaded what looked like a double edged arrow into the slot. Barby then aimed at the wall below the girder and shot the arrow, which after piercing the wall, shot the other end out with what looked like a wire attached to it, and after it pierced the wall opposite the other, created a perfect tightrope.
Barby then dropped down from the girder and landed on the tightrope, balancing on it with the tips of her boots before she quietly moved across it as she surveyed her targets from above. She then folded out a contraption from one of her bracers, revealing a wrist mounted crossbow which she loaded with collapsible arrows, then ran her two fingers across it, making it glow a sickly green for a brief moment. Barby then took aim as she waited for the right chance to fire.
Two pirates walked past her field of vision and in an area away from the eyes of their comrades. Barby quickly shot two arrows at the pirates, the projectiles faintly glowing with sickly green as they hit their targets' necks and caused them to drop to the floor as they felt the sense of paralysis enveloped their bodies.
"Mimickin' neurotoxin was the right way to go it seems…" Barby quipped to herself as she moved over to the other side of the tightrope.
She spotted three more pirates, who were currently trying to access the computer in the guild's warehouse. Fortunately, Barby took aim and shot all three with the poisonous arrows, inflicting paralysis on them as well before going to the middle of the tightrope.
While Barby continued her job, Mighty managed to roll his way inside of the warehouse and into the line of sight of the lower ranking pirates.
'The things I do for my friends…' Mighty groaned as a small group of lower ranking pirates approached him.
"What the hell is that?"
"...It looks like a ball,"
"Maybe it's a sports ball. Ya know, the one brats play with."
"Well, what are you waiting for! Get rid of it!"
One random soldier tried kicking it, only a loud crack to echo. This was followed by swearing by the one who held their sprained and a bit of laughter from the surrounding co-workers.
"Quit your laughing, or I'll cut you drop bears up and feed you to the Orcas!" The pirate yelled, only to be sent flying through a nearby wall as Mighty threw a strong right hook with his arms enveloped in bronze coloured gauntlets.
"Oh sorry, I didn't see you there." Mighty quipped with a chuckle as more lower pirates began to surround the armadillo, brandishing cutlasses and pistols. "All these goons for me? You shouldn't have. Now, bring it!"
The pirates attacked Mighty, some of them swinging their cutlasses and others firing their pistols. Mighty held his gauntlet clad hand in front of him, blocking several bullets with his armoured hand as it absorbed the kinetic energy of the bullets, rendering them harmless. Mighty then rushed towards the sword-swinging pirates and proceeded to hand several strong hooks on each one, releasing bursts of energy with each hit and utilising the energy absorbed from before.
Mighty smirked before he dodged and slid across the factory floor as the pirates fired upon again, but the armadillo wasn't finished as he stood back up, thrusted his hands forward and created a large orange spectral shield that blocked each bullet and throwing knife that the slowly growing group of pirates were firing at Mighty.
Mighty then rammed forward with the spectral shield still present, bulldozing through the group of pirates and throwing them in different directions. Some of the pirates recovered from their daze and instead elected on trying to jump the armadillo.
"Come on, I'll take you all on!" Mighty shouted as he blocked a sword swing from one of the pirates with his gauntlet, then roundhouse kicked them into a nearby wall.
Mighty then dodged a pirate's attack, then parried another incoming attack from behind. Mighty ducked down and punched both pirates around him before creating orange spectral layers of armour around his gauntlets and blocking bullets from two other pirates' pistols. Having enough of their antics, Mighty launched himself at each pirate with a burst of orange energy and rapidly knocked each and every one unconscious, nailing each one in the solar plexus.
"And that's Jenga." Mighty quipped before scraping the dust off his gauntlets and looking up to the ceiling. "Barby, it's all clear down here!"
Barby then dropped down from the warehouse's railing as she and Mighty soon approached Tabby and his crew, releasing them from their restraints.
"Dad, are you okay? They didn't rough you up too much, did they?" Barby asked her father with concern.
"We're alright, love, nothin' us koalas can't handle." Tabby said with a chuckle. "We didn't tell 'em jackshit, the Archives are safe."
"Well that's good to hear." Mighty said, finishing freeing the other koalas. "Is this everyone from the guild?"
"Yeah, all of us were on the yakka when those drongos attacked." Tabby replied, before he then realized something. "Oh fuck! Where has that girl gone?!"
"Girl? What girl?" Mighty asked, confused. "I don't remember Barby saying she had any sisters."
"Dad?" Barby said to her father, awaiting an answer.
"While you were still trainin' at the Sisterhood, I found a girl dickin' about the shipyards, didn't seem to have any folks or loved ones looking after her." Tabby explained. "I took her in, and now she's somewhere on the island with all these infernal fuckers around!"
"Calm down, Dad, we'll find her." Barby assured, before looking at Mighty.
"You said, with all of the Hearth together, I'm sure we won't miss her." Mighty said with a nod before looking at the koalas. "You fellas going to be alright here?"
"They caught us off guard before, but now we'll be ready when they rear their ugly heads up." Tabby replied as he approached a nearby computer and typed in a few things.
A few seconds later, several automated weapons and turrets popped out of several places in the warehouse, surprising the armadillo while the female koala simply grinned.
"You really went and added a security system? Why didn't you activate it before?" Mighty questions.
"You really think we can hear all that racket when we're busy buildin' and fixin' ships for the Empire? The equipment and tools we use drown out all outside noises." One of the koala shipwrights replied.
"...Right." Mighty said with a huff.
"We should get moving now we know the Archives are secured." Barby said to which Mighty nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, and from the looks of it, we need to find your adopted sister too." Mighty said back.
"Let's regroup with the others." Barby said before approaching her father Tabby and hugging him, who in turn returned the hug.
"You make me so proud, darlin'." Tabby said with a smile.
"Thanks, Dad. Be safe and don't do anything stupid." Barby said, smiling back.
"No promises." Tabby said with a chuckle, as he watched both his daughter and Mighty leave the shipyards to return to their allies.
Seagull Beach, Windmill Village
Patch found himself exchanging sword blows with the Mobian that took his father from him. While aggressive, he didn't know his hatred to fuel his attacks.
No, he was better disciplined than that. And that's what Captain ShellBreaker wanted, given the nature of the Curse Relic.
Speaking of which, the battle seemed to be somewhat even at first. But dealing with an enraged young adult bored the older Mobian, so ShellBreaker used his Cursed Relic to summon hordes of Ifrit's minions to the physical world.
As a response, Patch, wielding his Vulcan Arm, had to cut them all down to get to the dastardly outer.
"COWARD!" Patch shouted, swiftly piercing through the cores of Biters before dashing to the otter with the intent to kill. "FACE ME LIKE A MAN!"
"You were always a temperamental child, Antoine!" The captain of the Setting Dawn Pirates mocked as he front-flipped out of the way. "What would Jeane say if he saw you now?"
"BE SILENT!" Patch growled, trying to overwhelm the otter with multiple stabs of his blade by using Depardieu Art: Flèche Perçante.
However, the Dark Ring that the Mobian otter held enhanced his abilities, allowing Captain ShellBreaker to dodge all of the thrusts of Patch's Vulcan Arm.
The suave Mobian otter parried Patch's Laevatein with his cutlass sword, grinning like the slimy bastard that he was.
While pushing Patch back, ShellBreaker said, "How weak… That's not an attack. This is!"
Captain ShellBreaker drew power from the Cursed Relic, channelling Iblis Energy into the blade of the cutlass.
Patch saw the amount of demonic energy and felt the strong draft it produced. The Mobian coyote held his Vulcan Arm up to guard himself. The next thing he knew, the chevalier was sent flying by a powerful arc of Iblis energy Captain ShellBreaker released with a single swing of his cutlass.
Patch used Laevatein and redirected the attack elsewhere while sliding into the dirt, making the arc of demonic energy incinerate a nearby palm tree.
"Sweet Mobius…" Patch whispered as ShellBreaker readied himself for another Iblis-charged attack.
"I can do this all day, Antoine!" Shellbreaker said with a maddening grin. "If you think you're man enough to stop me, then stop me!"
For the next minute, Patch found himself dodging and avoiding powerful arcs of Iblis Energy that were thrown around by ShellBreaker's cutlass empowered by his Cursed Relic.
While doing so, Patch noticed several openings in ShellBreaker's form which was unusual for the former member of the Imperial Guard.
'It's zhe relic! Zhe ring must be polluting his mind and bolstering the worst parts of his nature!' Patch noticed.
Using this to his advantage, Patch began to channel Raw Sol Energy from the Chakra Stone in his Vulcan Arm, empowering the Mobian coyote. From there, he dash forward to close the gap between himself and ShellBreaker.
"Eager to die, are we? You're nothing like the man that your father was." ShellBreaker quipped as he prepared to unleash another wave of Iblis Energy.
Patch calmly sneered, "To trash like you? Never!"
This touched a nerve in ShellBreaker. The otter failed to cut down the younger Mobian with his cutlass sword. As it turned out, Patch took control of the battle from his opponent, using his footwork to shuffle around and gracefully dodge every sloppy swipe.
For every swipe Patch dodged, he used Laevatein to pierce through soft areas of the otter's joints and the upper body.
The Mobian coyote then elbowed the otter's nose, crushing it. This made ShellBreaker shout in pain, dropping his cutlass sword in the process. Afterward, Patch proceeded to drop the pirate with a front kick which the opponent landed back first.
ShellBreaker was met with a rapier close to his throat. The chevalier placed his left foot on his abdomen, and then stomped on it, breaking the otter's ribs.
Patch coldly stated, "...You're right, I am not like my father. My rage is greater!"
With that, ShellBreaker died from a rapier having run his heart.
Patch sighed before sheathing his blade. Looking at the body, Patch kneeled to it to take the Dark Ring off his neck, only for it to disappear, much to Patch's shock.
"It vanished!"
Patch's shock quickly wore off when a shockwave shook the island, snapping him back to reality. This prompted the coyote to spit on the otter's corpse.
"Pourrir en enfer, traître." Patch hissed before he got up, turned away, and dashed off to look for his comrades and princess.
Nearby the Gaia Temple, Windmill Village
The Iblis Golem formed a large ball made of Demonic Sol Energy, then hurled it in Silver and Marine's direction.
Marine screamed, then shut her eyes and embraced her end. However, Silver was quick to use his Psychokinesis. He concentrated on a particular spot on the ground and tore a large slab from the earth. He then used this thick slab of stone to shield himself and Marine from the attack.
While holding the objective with his powers, Silver ordered, "I'll deal with this monster! Hurry and get to the Gaia Temple while you still can!"
"B-But-"
"GO! NOW!" Silver bellowed, leaving no room for an argument as he launched his burn stone slab at the Golem, damaging it.
Marine did not need to be told twice.
Once she saw her opportunity, Marine scurried away while thinking, 'Be careful out there, mate.'
Silver felt his attention to the Iblis Golem, which roared with an intensity he had never felt before. From there, the Dark Ring formed on the forehead of the Golem like a crest. To add a bit of danger to his situation, Silver found himself trapped as the Iblis Golem created a whirlwind of Demonic Sol Energy (Iblis Energy), dragging solid rock upward with it, albeit in different altitudes.
"I'm closed in!" Silver growled, using his powers to anchor himself onto the ground.
The Iblis Golem immediately dived out of the way of burning stones aimed to kill him. The former Soleannite hedgehog mentally mulled over his options. He could continue flinging large objects at it, but that would be predictable. He could dispel the whirlwind of flames, but the beast would probably create another one.
Silver would need a weak point to exploit. A weak point he would either have to find or create. Silver noticed that the pectoral area of the Golem had visible damage in its midsection and quickly knew what to do. The younger Esper propelled himself forward with his Psychokinesis before levitating and moving out of the way of several flaming rocks that the Golem launched at him. When the Golem fired another round of flaming rocks, they homed in on Silver's location who tried his best to fly away with them.
When he realised he couldn't lose them, Silver halted in mid-air before stopping the flaming rocks' motion with his Psychokinesis, then proceeded to fling the flaming rocks back at the Golem, nailling its weak point and causing the Spawn of Ifrit to shatter in two.
"It's done, now I need to find-what?!" Silver exclaimed as he saw that the whirlwind and its floating debris had not been extinguished. "Why is this whirlwind still going? I thought I destroyed-oh crap!"
As realisation raced through Silver's mind, the Golem soon began to reform itself, only this time it took on a more monstrous appearance, looking like a sentient puddle of lava and brimstone with arms and head with curved horns.
"Still alive…" Silver muttered to himself as he created a cyan barrier of psionic energy that blocked a large stream of fire and lava that the mutated Golem shot at him from its mouth. "So if that wasn't its weakness, then where is it…?"
Silver took to the sky again as he circled around the whirlwind as he dodged more streams of fire and lava. Smaller Golems soon formed from the debris within the whirlwind and began to target the young Esper, who dodged and parried each of their attacks with his Psychokinesis.
"It's time I turn the tides!" Silver declared, pointing his outer palms toward the whirlwind of flames that surrounded him and the monster.
With his Psychokinesis, Silver manipulated the Demonic Sol Energy at the large Iblis Golem's body, dowsing the beast in its corrupted flames. The Golem howled in pain as a result. Silver saw the mini Iblis Golems charging at him when an idea crossed his mind.
'...Why not turn its underlings against it?' Silver thought, keeping an intense expression.
Silver placed a hand on the ground, and executed a Psycho Shock, paralysing all mini Iblis Golems that their creator spawned. With them unable to momentarily move, Silver used his power to levitate and tear them into smaller pieces of charred rubble.
With his ammunition prepared, Silver threw the smaller pieces of his enemies at the larger Iblis Golem's chest and face, damaging and stunning the beast. The staggering and dazed Iblis Golem was prime to be finished off, giving Silver the perfect opportunity.
Silver used his power to levitate twelve feet off the ground, he managed to warp close to the Iblis Golem's face and reeled his hand back.
"THIS WILL END IT!" Silver growled.
Silver finished the battle by sending a surge of PK energy into the Dark Ring, and through it, the entirety of the monster fell prey to the overwhelming energy of the squire. In mere moments, the beast from the Chaotic Inferno Zone crumbled into dust, leaving behind a cracked Dark Ring relieved of its evil demonic power.
Marine, hiding behind a large boulder nearby, whispered, "...Is it over?"
'...It's all over.' Silver sighed in his mind.
The Esper Mobian hedgehog descended to the ground gently, then levitated the damaged Cursed Relic to his right hand to inspect it.
"...To think this little ring caused so much chaos." Silver muttered. "So much destruction. What the heck is this thing?"
"Silver!"
The Mobian hedgehog turned to find the remaining Embers and Blaze approaching him.
'So, that's his name.' The raccoon child thought to himself. 'Wait, is this bloke a knight?'
Blaze was the first to reach her new squire.
"Report," Blaze promptly ordered.
"Oh! U-Uh, right," Silver nodded. "I've evacuated as many people as possible to the Gaia Temple. A large lava monster spawned out of nowhere, but I took care of it with my power."
"Is that so?" Blaze questioned, skeptically glaring at the boy with her arms crossed.
Barby and Mighty glanced at the rubble of the Iblis Golem, with Mighty adding, "It checks out, Your Highness. This smoldering pile of rubble speaks for itself!"
Blaze's glare softened as she thought, '...Perhaps I was misjudging his ability.'
(Don't be so sure. I sense the Dark Ring has been damaged.) Ifrit pointed, causing Blaze to look at Silver's hand.
Just like the Demon had noted, there was a visible crack on the Cursed Relic which indicated that the Dark Ring was damaged. She swiped it from Silver's hand to double check the damage.
"Foolish knave!" Blaze said, nearly throttling Silver while the furs on her tail stood on end. "How could you have been so careless!?"
"W-What did I do wrong!?" Silver stuttered, wondering what was wrong.
Patch, examining the relic, scowled at Silver.
"The Ring!" Patch surmised. "You had it and broke it!?"
"It was attached to the monster!" Silver defended his choices. "If I didn't use the trinket as its weak spot, who knows what could have happened to the Gaia Temple!"
After listening to Silver's side, Elias realised, '...If the Cursed Relic lost its host, then maybe…'
Mighty commented, "That monster had to be huge judging on the amount of rubble in one pile."
"No kidding." Barby Koala commented.
"Simply shattering a cursed relic could have resulted in a catastrophe on the island!" Blaze countered, pointing at Silver. "Your reckless disposal nearly jeopardised everybody!"
"How was I supposed to know that!?" Silver exasperatedly exclaimed, raising his arms up in the air.
"Okay, let's calm down for a bit," Elias said, playing the voice of reason before turning to Blaze. "Your Highness, why don't you cut the new guy some slack. It's his first mission, and an abrupt one at that. He knows next to nothing about Vulcan Arms, let alone how Cursed Relics worked."
Blaze huffed before turning away, trying to save face while mentally tuning out her inner demon.
Elias turned to Silver and said, "You did pretty well for a squire, but you clearly have a lot to learn. If there's another way to handle a situation, seek it out. Actively. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir," Silver nodded.
Elias nodded, then turned to Blaze and said, "I have a compromise. If Silver's Astra ability has special properties that could contain Iblis Energy, maybe special containment trials should be designed for him. Would that appease your concerns?"
"...That is acceptable, I suppose," Blaze told her second-in-command before walking toward the direction of the ship. "We are done here. The soldiers have apprehended the criminals and are collecting the bodies for the morgue. We're heading back to the mainland."
"At once!" The Embers of the Hearth agreed, following their princess.
Little did they know, a certain civilian had secretly tailed them.
Aboard the Imperial Vessel
All the members of the Hearth made it safely to the L'aube du Soleil as the attack on Windmill Village was averted by their effects. Mighty sat down while Barby kept watch in case anyone tried to board the ship, Elias and Patch began preparing the paperwork to give to the Emperor and Silver was reflecting on the day he had, both his successes and mistakes. Blaze had calmed down considerably after her annoyance at the young hedgehog damaging the Dark Ring.
After letting out a sigh, Blaze turned to Silver and said,
"I won't hold this first offense against you, given you are only still a Page. Try not to make it a habit, or I might find yourself out of employment."
"I understand…" Silver said with a nod.
"Geez, aren't you being a bit harsh?" Mighty asked.
"If he expects to remain part of the Hearth, then he must learn quickly that we cannot afford to make more errors and mistakes, the Empire's stability and safety is in my-in our hands."
'She really takes her job seriously, huh?' Silver thought to himself. 'She's being cranky, but it's not like she's wrong. Cracking a mystical object without knowing its properties isn't a smart move. I'll have to ask Master Mogul to give me more reading material on the subject.'
"Alright, the docks are clear!" Barby shouted.
"Hoist the anchor! Prepare to return to Fulgora!" Elias ordered the crew.
As the ship was about to leave Southern Island, an alarm started blaring out across the ship.
"What is that?!" Silver exclaimed in shock.
"The ship's security alarm! We have an intruder!" Blaze replied.
The ship's guardsmen then began to search around the ship for any signs of a stowaway, checking high and low around the vessel.
"How did someone sneak on with Barby watching the place?" Mighty questioned in confusion. "You're not getting rusty, are you?"
"My skills are fine, you prick! I saw no one enter the docks and that's a fact!" Barby yelled angrily.
"Your Highness! There's something inside of the cargo bay!" One of the guards called out.
Blaze and the other members of the Hearth then headed down into the ship and towards its cargo bay, each one prepared to confront what was inside. When one of the guards opened the door, the Order of the Hearth quickly rushed in to fight whatever adversary snuck aboard….only to find a lone barrel inside.
"...A barrel?" Mighty said confused, lowering his guard.
"Which one of you fools pulled zis prank?!" Patch asked the guards.
"It wasn't any of us sir, honest!" One of the guards argued.
Before anyone could talk, the lid of the barrel was sent flying clean off the top, catching everyone's attention as they aimed their weapons/powers at the barrel. Soon after two tan gloved hands popped out of the barrel, followed up by a familiar raccoon girl's face with an awkward expression.
"Marine….?" Silver said, breaking the silence.
"Heh heh….uh….hi….?" Marine said, waving at the Order of the Hearth awkwardly.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note:
Did you enjoy the chapter? If you did, please leave a favourite and a review on what you liked or didn't like. Sorry for taking so long to make this third chapter, I have been busy both in terms of my private life and looking for work. But I wanted to release a new chapter of one of my stories this new year.
And before any of you ask, My Venom Academia is still on hiatus. We will attempt to release a new chapter this year at some time, but until I DO NOT want to see anyone post reviews mentioning that story, only reviews concerning this one.
Without further ado, here are the notes:
Blaze and Silver's dynamic: Think of them like Sonic and Caliburn during the events of Sonic and the Black Knight. Blaze, however, does not have her full character arc until after the events of Sonic Rush, though she will have more nuance as the story progresses.
Blaze's personality: Inspired by Raven from DC, though unlike Raven, she is not a hopeful person. She is best described to be Silver's opposite. A realist and pessimist. She is responsible only by principle of her noble family's honour to serve her empire, rather than Silver taking a genuine interest in the people living in said empire.
Ifrit: He may serve to be the Trigon for Blaze's Raven, so to speak. This comes from the scene in Sonic 06 where Blaze uses the Chaos Emeralds to seal Iblis inside of her, but here, the monster from Sonic Rivals 2 is used to take Iblis' place, with the former monster's name being used to refer to the opposite aspect of Sol Energy.
The Order of the Hearth: The Sol Zone's equivalent to the Chaos Zone's Knothole Freedom Fighters in terms of how they function, albeit in the interest of the Fulgoran Empire.
Mighty's inclusion: Let's just say that he's a foreigner far from home. He's long accepted his role in his new home and the friends he's made. He might treat Silver as a little brother.
Barby's family: In ABSOLUTION, Barby's father is Tabby and the Coconut Crew are like a family to her.
Cursed Relics: Those who have items that hold Iblis Energy (the negative force to Sol) have Cursed Relics and these wielders that can summon abominations from the Chaotic Infernal Zone are considered to be Iblis Triggers.
Shellbreaker Crew: They originated from the Post Genesis Wave continuity of the Archie Comics run of Sonic the Hedgehog. They are mostly the same, albeit it seems that the captain has a history with the empire.
Do feel free to suggest ideas for later chapters, but do remember that this is still our story and we have final say on what happens in it. Please be civil and calm when giving reviews or comments.
If that's everything, this is UltimateDemonBeast65 signing off! See you next time!