DURIEL


          “Huh, where am I? Who are you?” Tikal asked, when she awoke (she was unconscious when she appeared. Mighty decided to ask a question instead of give an answer.
     “Are you Tikal?”
     “Yes, I am. How did you know that?” she asked, still completely confused at what was going on.
     “I remember Knuckles saying something about you, how you helped him and Sonic defeat Perfect Chaos, or something like that.” Tikal nodded, and then Vargus stepped in.
     “The Arch-Angel Tyreal told us to tell you that you are now mortal and vulnerable,” he said, somewhat astray from his usual stern voice. Tikal was a bit surprised by this, now knowing that she was alive.
     “Is Knuckles anywhere near here?” she asked.
     “Yeah, he’s near the coast of the island. We’ll take you to him,” said Mighty, who was motioning for her to follow.
     “Thank you,” she replied, as she began to follow him toward the coast. Then, she stopped suddenly. Coast? “We’re not on Angel Island anymore, are we?” Mighty shook his head sadly, and they began to head off. Vargus, however, was still standing in the same spot he had been the whole time. It was almost like he was in a trance. Wow…

          “There, finished,” said Diablo, who was now beholding a huge fortress/castle like structure. It was shaped like a giant cross, with large hallways on the three top ends. At each corner was a gothic tower like the one mentioned earlier. At the bottom, two huge statues of demonic warriors seemingly guarded the entrance. Baal was pleased with his brother’s work.
     “Just like the old one.”

          “Duriel, I have a job for you,” hissed Mephisto, as the Lord of Pain stood before him. “There are some mortals on this planet that may prove a threat to us. Since Baal, Diablo, and myself must stay here, we need someone to go and deal with these pests.”
     Duriel just laughed in his growling voice, and said, “Hmph! Don’t go sending me to perform tasks that you are to weak to handle yourself.” Mephisto was enraged by this. How dare he! A Lesser Evil, believing that he is superior to a Prime Evil?! This will not stand, thought Mephisto, as he charged the demon, grabbing him by the shoulders and plowing him into a pile of rubble.
     “I am capable of anything you are, and I can do it far better than you can!” he yelled, and then found himself being thrown into a pile of rubble himself. In his anger, Mephisto had forgotten that Diablo was the only Evil that matched Duriel’s physical strength. He then found himself being charged by Duriel, and the Lord of Pain remained true to his name by using his large scythe hands to hammer Mephisto around, greatly weakening him. But, Mephisto was not through yet. He launched a powerful bolt of lightning at Duriel, which just phased him enough to distract him, and that’s when the Lord of Hatred used his psychic energies to stop the Lesser Evil in his tracks. Duriel began to feel like he was being crushed, which he was. “Now, Duriel! You are going to do as I bid, and you will never be foolish enough to attack me again!” He then sent Duriel to the island that the Chaotix had landed on.

          “Hey, Knuckles, I think you might want to see this!” yelled Mighty, who finally emerged from the dense trees of the island. Knuckles looked up from his dreary position, still depressed about what had happened, and then his eyes shot wide open at what he saw.
     “Tikal?! What are you doing here?!”
     “I was just as surprised as you, Knuckles. Would somebody be kind enough to tell me what’s going on, now?” Tikal asked, her patience beginning to fade. Knuckles then told the whole story, and at the end, pointed up to the smoldering mass that was Angel Island. Tikal could not believe it. She then felt something, and fell to her knees. Knuckles seemed to get the same feeling, as he looked weak for a moment, but they both regained. “Chaos is loose,” Tikal said, as she began to stand up again. “Someone has found the Master Emerald, and shattered it.”
     “Why would they go after the Master Emerald?” asked Julie-su (don’t worry; she’ll get more involved soon enough).
     “I remember Mephisto saying something about making a new Soulstone right before we phased,” said Vargus, who had now joined the group.
     “What’s a Soulstone?” asked Espio.
     “The Soulstones were three powerful gems created from the Worldstone. The Worldstone is the artifact that prevents the realm of the Burning Hells from flooding into Sanctuary. Every realm has an artifact that prevents this from happening. The Soulstones were created to entrap the essence of the Prime Evils when they were banished into Sanctuary. But, a captured angel warrior, Izual, who was the high lieutenant to Tyreal, told the Prime Evils about the Soulstones and how to corrupt them. He helped the Brothers mastermind their own exile into Sanctuary. Now that they know how to use the Soulstones, making their own would make them even more powerful. Tell me, was the hedgehog noble and pure?” Knuckles nodded.
     “He’s about as close as it gets. Why?”
     “If he was pure enough, then Diablo cannot regain his true form without waiting for a long time, or the assistance of a Soulstone,” Vargus explained. “And what is this Master Emerald you speak of?” Now it was Knuckles turn to explain.
     “The Master Emerald is a large gem that contains great power. It’s the only reason why Angel Island stays afloat.” Vargus didn’t seem to like what he heard.
     “That’s what they’re going to make the Soulstone out of. We have to stop them!”
     “Hopefully, Chaos may be able to defeat them,” stated Tikal. But Vargus just shook his head.
     “Nothing in this realm will be able to defeat the Prime Evils. But, what it this Chaos you speak of?”
     “Chaos is a creature of great power, derived from the Chaos Emeralds (I’m guessing. Feel free to correct me in a review). Once the Emerald is shattered, he will be set free.” Vargus then looked a little less worried.
     “Although I doubt that he could defeat the Prime Evils, Chaos may be able to keep them busy for a while.”

          Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo had somehow found where the Master Emerald was hidden. “This gem radiates powerful energies. It will make a perfect Soulstone,” said Mephisto, who now had the emerald in his hands. He then smashed it on to the ground, and from it arose a strange creature (I ain’t describing Chaos. It’s how he looks before he’s that big mouth form). It looked at the Prime Evils, and decided to attack Mephisto first, knocking him into the cavern wall. It then turned to Baal, who was ready to retaliate. He fired his cold wave (it’s a wave of energy that freezes and knocks you back a couple meters) at the being, freezing it in place. Mephisto, who quickly recovered from the blow, fired a lightning bolt at the frozen form, and shattered it.

          “Chaos is dead,” said Tikal, suddenly. “He tried to fight them off, but they were too strong.” Then, some rustling was heard in the dense trees. A low growl was heard, and the air started to get colder.
     “Everyone, get ready to fight!” yelled Vargus, who now had his staff drawn. Knuckles and Julie-su got in their fighting stance, backed up by the Chaotix. Vargus suspected that the Prime Evils would send someone to keep them busy, but he didn’t know what, or worse, who. He then began to shiver, for the air was still cooling. Soon, he started to notice that it was getting harder and harder to move. Then, the disturbance showed itself. Duriel was now upon them.
     “What is that thing?!” yelled Vector.
     “I, am your doom,” growled the Lord of Pain, as he began to charge Vector. With one quick swipe of his scythe, he sent the crocodile flying into the trees, knocking down several in the process. Vargus then made the move.
     “Attack!” he yelled, as he led the charge, Knuckles and the Chaotix following closely behind. However, Duriel merely laughed, welcoming the onslaught. These fools have no idea who they’re dealing with...



Okay, I lied. Tell me, do you people like the short chapters, or would you prefer longer ones?