Chapter 4
The fierce warrior was a light grey anthropomorphic hedgehog whose quills were very short cut. She had serious eyes that curved at the top straight down, to form an angry expression. She wore a white gas mask with no goggles but with dark blue filters and a commander's cap and was the last remaining member of an army she led for more than 14 years.
She was known as Aloy Morningstar. At this time, we see her making a mad dash down the chemical plant metallic road and scaffolds. "We have an intruder," Radkon, who Aloy did not have information about at the time, said on the PA Intercom. "Morningstar member known as Aloy is attempting to break into the Chemical Plant. I went through hard pains defeating Zay to get here. Just get that hedgehog!" He finished as Aloy found herself getting deeper inside of the facility. Aloy was met by a horde of flying robot bees who attempted to swarm the soldier but she was too quick for them and performed a homing chain which traced the path the robots created and tore through them all.
Aloy looked around the plant to see transparent pipes with an unknown pink chemical which splashed in waterfall vistas and oceans and polluted the fresh spring water there even was left here in Toboggan. "She's getting deeper into the facility! I went through much pain to hire the best Redemption Force specialists around here." Radkon complained more as Aloy slid down a slide of spring water as multiple pathways were opened. In the large open slides were filled with robot scraps for some reason as Aloy just bonked them out of the way.
"Looks like they should've hired a backup squad for their soldiers." She thought. Once Aloy was running on ground again, there were shelves with neatly stacked crates that lined up around until she stopped at a metallic door, similar to a vault. "This is it," Aloy said as she hid behind a shelf and prepared to fight an enemy she knew was stalking her down. But what was it about him that made him so special to Radkon? She was just about to find out. The creation was an anthropomorphic wolf who had the same white stripes of a rib cage and pointy tail and same white deadlocks.
"You wiped out my squad and now it's time for me to wipe you," The mysterious figure stated as he clenched his fist in silver and black sharp gloves. Aloy looked from the edge of where she hid and saw this newcomer standing idle but ready to attack on a pillar of metal. "And what do you want to do with the Phantom Ruby?" Aloy impatiently asked the wolf.
"So, you broke in for a story? This isn't part of my agenda but I'm glad you asked. Long ago, the dreaded Radkon you may have heard of once came in contact with the Phantom Ruby and was shocked by it. While he was shocked in pain, he viewed a miraculous sight for evil; the completion of the Redemption Empire and everyone's savior defeated. Shortly after, that's when my jackal squad was charging in for the kill with my sword. We raided Thermal but apparently he offered that we joined him so we can learn more of the Phantom Ruby."
He sat down on the pillar and told his story behind the industrial background noise of machines working and the pink chemical splashing around in pipes and the oceans. "But why would he offer you the Phantom Ruby?" Aloy asked as she came from behind the storage shelf. "That's because we were looking for it ever since it formed naturally and erupted outside of Zipline," he continued his story.
"Once we heard the offer, we gladly accepted and were now fighting for the Redemption Empire. After a while, some reluctant intruder like you came in, some black hedgehog with red streaks on his quills. He beat me and called me weak, leading me into insanity. And since that day, I've left my pathetic face for rebirth." He finished off. He stepped off the metallic pillar and was shown wearing a metal mask covering his entire face with a voice synthesizer as he dropped on his silver hi-tops.
His mask had black and white circular patterns in his ears of the mask as the left eye resembled a lightning bolt which began to flash red as he used his power although his right eye was visible through the visor. "Now Aloy," the villain eerily said to Aloy as she began to take a few steps back. "Just answer one simple question: Where is DCP's savior?" This was a question that Aloy would do anything to keep from getting answered. "I'm not telling you, monster." She whispered.
"What!? Welching on me like everyone else? I'll teach you the consequences on backing out of a deal. Have at you!" The villain began to levitate in the air as the Phantom Ruby on his chest began to release a misty aura of red velvet and pink as a laser formed in its core and began to shoot out straight at the Morningstar. She was lucky enough to dodge, but the deadly laser sliced through everything until it got Aloy as Radkon demanded, "Blackheart, what are you doing?!" over the PA intercom system which alerted him about the damage he was causing.
Blackheart gave up on using the Phantom Ruby and said, "I'm giving you one more chance, hedgehog. Where is he?!" as he pinned down Aloy with his sword. She hesitated for as long as she could until she shouted, "Summit! He's with DCP in Summit!" Aloy took in a few deep breaths until she gave up. Blackheart let her go and said, "You disgrace. Looks like the time of the Redemption Force, Pirates and Ice Warriors shall come. Not even Zay will be able to stand against me now!"
He teased as he broke into an evil laugh. Aloy hopped right to her feet and began to run as she grappled around until she landed onto a freight train, almost falling off into the ocean but climbing onto a yellow cargo box. She crouched completely and crawled until she saw the train going inside of a tunnel. Aloy scurried in a panic and grappled upwards and in front of another freight train, releasing her grapple again at the last second.
She swung out of the Chemical Plant and evacuated into hiding. For so long, she wondered if she would see her army rise up again but knew that the Morningstar Family was still standing by her. But when she heard of Gingersnap, a member of the Resistance, was being attacked in the Luminous Forest in Sub Zero. Now it was her time to show her fearless scout who would stop at nothing until a fight is done.
Back to the present in Sub Zero, where Zay's rivalry with Blackheart was just the beginning for him and the Redemption Empire's move.
"I'm always happy to crush a hero. Besides, your forces were nothing," Blackheart says as Gingersnap stood with no regret upon him. The jungle was gloomy and dark with a wildfire spreading down the rainforest. Radkon had been setting off explosions around the Casino Forest, a bright and colorful area to play and gamble with fortune and entertainment. The jungle was covered with dark green lush bushes and overgrown trees and leaves that almost left no trace of the full moon, shining down on the forest. They stood right outside of a vault door which was another one of the secret labs created by Ice Warriors.
The outside was barely lit with almost lanterns of flames. "Does anybody but you believe your lies?" Gingersnap asked as Blackheart charged towards the hero. They dodged all around as a pink with black stripes and polygonal gem fell and released another misty aura of the same color. But this duo was too busy fighting to notice the gem. Zay finally dropped in after an encounter with a giant snake that awoke from the explosions that were set off. "You go Gingersnap, I'll take care of this!" Zay said as he stood in front of the wounded hero.
"Seeing is believing, so it looks like Zay was resurrected from the dead. Still more of the same as I remembered," Blackheart murmured. "You still don't leave much of an impression. I don't even know your name!" Zay replied back in another sarcasm tone. Blackheart gave a stern look and said, "You may call me Blackheart for the brief moments that you have left. I know you search for my source of power but that is of no concern to you." And that was all true.
Zay was attempting to search for the source of Blackheart's power for so long. "I'm sorry but we're just knowing each other so well! You've just got to share the source of your power with me! I insist!" He sarcastically joked more. This caused Blackheart to become more agitated as he clenched his fists and released a force of negative energy. Gingersnap and Zay stumbled in the weightlessness as Blackheart grabbed Zay and growled, "Your insistence is futile," dragging our hero somewhere away to a giant snake, the same one that Zay dealt with. Blackheart lowered down in front of Zay, preparing for a fight along the recurring coils of the camouflage like copperhead giant. Zay started jogging for a split second before breaking into a boosting sprint to drive off Blackheart for a while.
He started off with a field of red cubes that circled around a coil of the monster snake. Zay easily hopped over these fields until they curved around once. This was the first chance our hero got to strike the jackal. "Okay then. Let's see how long you last during this!" Blackheart said as he formed a large rectangle as Zay circled around the snake's coils. Blackheart flew up and somehow created multiple decoys of himself. Zay caught up by flinging himself on a spring pad that led to a crumbling cliff as he bounced right over into the air where the decoys floated.
Zay performed multiple homing attacks as he got another hit on Blackheart, hiding in the back. This time, he would have to create more decoys. The more sweaty Zay got and the more the fight went on between the two, the more data that Blackheart recorded. Was he an android? And, how did he manage to create multiple copies of himself all at once? Nobody had seen Blackheart since then except when fighting the Resistance soldiers, but the civilians didn't want to mention it...especially after last time. "Your data is exceeding limits never before seen!" Blackheart said in confusion.
"That's because I grow every second other than you," Zay joked as he boosted up to Blackheart, attempting to get away on the snake coils, knocking him down. "Well, you've improved since our last bout. But you will still take defeat in your dictionary," the brooding knight said, as the ruby he held released a shockwave that disoriented Zay's vision with the red and pink cryptic aura. Zay wobbled uncontrollably when Blackheart released two energy spheres that knocked the hero off of the snake, as it burrowed back into its home underground the lush rainforest, distrubed by the battle. "Rrrrrrgh! I gotta figure out the secret of this power." Zay frustatedly said as he dusted himself off and dashed away to headquarters. Gingersnap returned home on his own, so Zay didn't have to worry about him.
While the Resistance cared for the duo who were wounded after driving off Blackheart, Mustapha10 still gives in despair for failing Zay. But luckily, the vigilant hedgehog who saved the day is still standing by him as they foil a small plan from a great nemesis…