Knight of the Moon: Chapter 45

Chapter 45
The Slayers

(Sonic's POV)

The werehog's body trembled with hate for the smug human standing opposite of him. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to kill the man responsible for his torture and even Sonic's rational side wanted payback for all the lives that Eggman had ruined by starting this rebellion. But, Sonic stayed back knowing that one threatening gesture and Merlina would be dead. Normally, Sonic would have doubted any fatal threats that the Doctor made but this time the werehog saw something not quite right in Eggman's eyes. He's finally gone over the edge.

Sonic's suspicions were right, though. It wasn't the fact that he'd lost again to Sonic that had caused this total change in the Doctor, it was because Eggman now had a once in a lifetime opportunity to finally be rid of his nemesis. Sonic was running out of time to cure himself before he would be forever lost to the beast and Merlina is his only chance at that cure. By getting rid of Merlina or by taking her with him back to Mobius, he'd eliminate any chance for Sonic to be saved and it would also leave Sonic with no way to get home again meaning Mobius would be ripe for the taking. Now that Eggman finally had his chance, he was willing to do anything to at long last beat Sonic.

"Mind your temper, Sonic," warned Eggman with a chuckle. Sonic growled louder and tensed his hands, ready to wring the human's neck.

Lancelot nudged the werehog with an elbow. "You'll do no good for yourself getting Merlina killed. He's right, we don't have much of a choice."

Eggman smiled, "Listen to your little friend Sonic, he at least has his wits about him."

As much as Sonic hated Eggman and hated giving up even more, he realized that this time…there really wasn't anything he could do. The werehog relaxed his muscled and his posture slumped. Sonic's eyes fell to the floor as his ears drooped and he tucked his furry tail between his muscled thighs. Yet, he face was still frozen in a half snarl. He'd elected to keep control for the moment, which was incredibly hard since giving up wasn't something his beast half was willing to do, but the second Egghead let his guard down…Sonic's tongue protruded from his muzzle and he licked his fangs.

"That's a good doggy heh heh heh he ho ho ho!" laughed the mad man. "Now, Mobius is waiting for me and I feel a little homesick. You two will sit tight…."

"While you waddle for the hills again?" added Sonic.

Eggman grin got wider. "Ah…a smart aleck to the end. It always amazes me how you can keep up you're petty backtalk even with the fact that you're going to lose dangling right in front of your nose…err…muzzle." Eggman's smile fell again as he got back to his point, although the corner of his mouth was still twitching a little.

He knows he's got me pinned….I can't let him get away!...maybe I can find another way to cure myself…Nimue could do it herself….I don't need Merlina….actually…so what if I don't get cured? I'm stronger now than I ever was… Sonic snarl faded as he realized how close he'd been to just killing both Eggman and Merlina. The beast was pulling on his mind, urging him…tempting him to kill both the humans and feed. Sonic grasped his head and growled as he dropped to his knees. It took a huge surge of effort but Sonic managed to put the werewolf back, for now. I don't have much time left.

Eggman evidently saw Sonic's little fit and his smile appeared again. "Having troubles are we? Good!" The human squeezed the knife tighter against Merlina's throat but was being careful not to puncture the skin or draw any blood.

Sonic at least got some relief. At this point, he doubted he'd be able to restrain himself if there was any blood present on Merlina.

"As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted, you two will stay down here while I prep my device. After I am safely through the gateway, you may have the girl," said Eggman.

Sonic was about to argue again but was silenced by another elbow bump from Lancelot who then whispered quietly so that only Sonic would hear.

"We do not have any other options Sonic. I hate sitting here as much as you do, believe me. We will wait for the human to ready this "gateway" and then we'll get him before he can get through," stated the black hedgehog.

Almost as if he'd heard Lancelot's mumblings, Eggman hollered, "Slayers, U1 and U2!"

The werehog's ears perked up as he heard the distinct sound of whirring gears and the slight groan produced from metal rubbing against metal. Pin pointing the noise's direction to the left of him, Sonic turned and immediately spotted one of Eggman's robots approaching from a side corridor he hadn't noticed. His muzzle parted into a half smirk. The robot was just slightly shorter than Sonic but was just as heavily built as the others and the werehog dismissed it as any kind of threat. More of these tin cans? However as Sonic took a closer inspection, he noted a few key differences between the "tin cans" he'd been fighting, and these new mechanical warriors. This machine carried a blade like the other bots but this sword was much thicker and also bore a saw-tooth pattern along the length of the blade. The werehog cringed a little thinking what a saw-blade would do if it met flesh. This machine also bore a large tower shield that was nearly as tall as the robot was; short, heavy spikes ran along the bottom of the shield and Sonic guessed that these could be used to brace the shield if dug into the ground. On top of that, the mech had a strange odor wafting off of it but Sonic ignored it. Hackles of fur stood up on the werehog's neck and he uttered a low threatening growl. I'll just have to keep away from that sword and I can thrash this junker. Sonic half made to charge at the robot.

"Uh uh uh Sonic! Stay put!" ordered Eggman. A sadistic smile weaved across his round face. "Besides, I'd take another gander at that bot if I were you before rushing headlong into my Slayer."

That's when the werehog noted a slight burning sensation that was quickly going from an annoyance to outright pain. As the robot entered the wavering torchlight of the dungeon, Sonic saw light glittering off of its metallic body and weapons and his eyes widened. Survival instincts began to kick in warning him to get as far away from this mechanical monstrosity as possible. The machine stopped roughly ten yards away from the anxious werehog revealing Eggman's true genius behind these machines. They were entirely encased in silver along with the sword and shield. Sonic couldn't control himself much longer and he took a few half steps back but kept himself from running. Knock it off Sonic and get a grip! he told himself. Still, the werewolf inside of him had every intent of keeping his distance from this silver machine. Sonic glanced down nervously at Lancelot who was eyeing another similar machine approaching from his side.

As if he could sense Sonic, anxiety Lancelot returned his own look of resolve and determination. Sonic understood what the black hedgehog was conveying and managed to bring his wild instincts back under his reigns; although his tail still flicked back and forth while he kept his muscles tensed in case the robots made the slightest movement towards them.

"These are my newest and greatest creations!" boasted the human proudly.

Sonic rolled his eyes and wished he could speak. Yeah, yeah, yeah I've heard this spiel before. It usually ends with you getting a butt-kicking and you newest creations end up as worthless heaps of smoking metal.

Eggman had paused, apparently waiting for Sonic or Lancelot to be impressed, but his grin faded a little when he noted both of their very bored looking expressions. "Humph…as you've noted both of these machines are entirely made from silver! I built these after studying your condition and learning a bit more about lycanthropy. Call it being cautious but I figured I might as well have a little extra card up my sleeve in case you ever did escape." The Doctor continued, "Unfortunately, silver is not an abundant material in these blasted canyons so I had to melt down the tributes and gifts I've acquired in my stay here to create the Slayers."

"You mean the heirlooms and treasures you stole from the villages that your soldiers raided and burned to the ground," said Lancelot. It was not a question.

The villain skirted the black knight's comment. "It seems all werewolves have a severe allergic reaction when coming in contact with silver; the metal negates their healing abilities and effectively weakens them. Enough of it will kill…rather painfully I might add. However I decided one can't have too many precautions," Eggman stated. "Do you smell that bitter sweet aroma coming from their blades?"

The werehog took another whiff of the musty air and again found that unfamiliar odor. For some reason though, it was making him feel even more uneasy. He heard the werewolf whispering something into his brain. Get away from it….now!

"Wolfsbane. I discovered that the oil produced from the wolfsbane plant's leaves is an extremely potent poison for werewolves in its raw form. Just a few drops of it in one's bloodstream will affect the brain essentially causing it to go haywire. Similar to introducing water into an electrical circuit, it shorts it out. In the same case, if there is enough wolfsbane in a lycan's blood, they will "short circuit" as well. Or in other words…" Eggman used his free hand to draw a line across his pudgy throat. "Both of the Slayers' swords are coated in it. So I'd suggest you abandon any ill-conceived plans of following me. Now …after you, dear lady," cooed Eggman as he released Merlina from his grasp then gave her very ungentle man-like shove towards a set of stairs that spiraled upwards into the keep and out of sight. Sonic guessed that they lead directly to wherever the doctor had his portal.

Both machines froze in place on either side of Lancelot and Sonic, with their weapons held at the ready. Sonic tensed his muscles as he waited for Eggman to disappear up the stairs. The Doctor was just about to round the bend of the stairwell when he paused. His gloved hand reached for one of the mold covered stones that made up the wall of the stairs and dug his fingers into a crevice at the bottom. With a flick of his wrist, the stone flipped upwards revealing that it was actually a secret panel. It had previously been hiding a small handle which Eggman grabbed and pulled on, the handle slid out and then he turned it a quarter turn and pressed it back in. Sonic's ears picked up the sound of clanking gears and then saw a heavy steel portcullis slam down over the doorway cutting off access to the stairs. Eggman turned around, his face had a thoughtful expression.

"You know what….I've had a change of mind. Slayers….terminate both of the intruders. Goodbye Sonic, I will miss you dearly….friend…Hahahahaha! Now…Mobius…here I come!!" laughed the human as he strolled up the stairs and out of sight.

"Hmmph…well….this might be a problem….if I wasn't a knight of Camelot," stated Lancelot as he drew his blade and readied his stance. "I'll take this one! Yaaaarrr!!" The black hedgehog's sword flashed through the air, barely visible as he feigned and uppercut, and then as the machine moved its heavy shield to block the false attack Lancelot stabbed for the panel that had been the other mesh's weak point. The sword stuck solid metal and rebounded off surprising the knight and putting him out of position to block the machine's retaliation. Lancelot was knocked sideways as the robot delivered a solid blow from its tower shield. The hedgehog rolled a few feet but popped right back up and with a shout, charged at the mech again.

Sonic by now had turned to face the other Slayer. Warily, he eyed the saw-tooth blade as the machine raised it preparing to bring it down on top of the werehog. I can't let that thing touch me. He ducked to the side as the blade came down striking the stone floor and sending sparks off in random directions. Sonic got onto all fours and retreated back a few yards to give himself some distance between himself and the machine; he also had wanted to get away from the machine because the silver that armored it head to mechanical toe had begun to affect the werehog. His fur felt like it was going to ignite and his vision was going fuzzy around the edges. I'm going to pass out again if I can't get away from those things….or worse.

Now, the machine seemed content to wait for Sonic to make the next move. The werehog growled and bunched up his leg muscles as he prepared his own attack. Naturally his instinct didn't like the idea of taking on this silver monstrosity but Sonic ignored them and charged. In a few powerful strides, the werehog had built up considerable momentum and also brought his fist back intending to land a punch on the bot using his strength and the force behind his charge to hopefully knock the mech over. Unfortunately, Sonic's werehog brain didn't bother to consider the chance that Eggman had perhaps packed a few other surprises into the robot.

Seconds before the impact, the machine slammed the base of the tower shield into the stone imbedding the small spikes into the dungeon floor. It then ducked down and braced its considerable weight to back the shield. Sonic saw the move but figured his own strength would be more than enough to overcome. He was wrong.

Sonic didn't even feel his mass collide with the silver shield as the blow knocked him senseless for a few moments. His charge hadn't moved the machine or damaged it in the least bit. However, Sonic blacked out for a moment and when his vision returned, along with his ability to feel, the first pain he felt was the intense sting coming from his skin as the silver began to affect him. The werehog yelped in pain and scrambled to get away.

Suddenly four chains snaked out from the back of the shield and wrapped themselves around the werehog; tiny winches kicked into gear pulling Sonic tight against the silver shield's burning embrace; his instincts took over and the werehog panicked as he struggled to free himself.

The chains refused to give and now smoke was literally curling away from his fur as he roared in anguish. Lancelot, who wasn't having much luck on the other machine either, adjusted targets and appeared next to the machine's shield. With a cry, he brought his blade down hard on one of the winches disabling it and loosening the chain. He didn't have to finish off the second one though. Typical of Eggman's robots, these lacked an effective thinking process as well. The machine took a swing at Lancelot who was still by its shield arm; the black hedgehog sped away just as the Slayer brought its sword down upon its arm right at the elbow joint. The blow severed the limb completely and Sonic quickly crawled away. One chain was still holding the shield against his back though and the silver was rapidly weakening him. Luckily, with one chain gone, the werehog was able to slip his lower body through it and free himself.

Hardly reacting to its missing shield and arm, the machine stood and lumbered towards Sonic who was still reeling from his high exposure to the silver.

"Sonic! Heads up!" yelled Lancelot from across the room where he'd reengaged the other Slayer.

Snapping back to attention, the werehog dodged left just as the mech slashed downwards skating along the stone floor. It then changed grip on the blade and brought it sideways aimed at Sonic's ribs. Again, the werehog escaped in the nick of time. But the machine just kept coming and its attacks were becoming better and more accurate. As Sonic narrowly avoided a thrust to his ribs, he finally understood the machine's greatest advantage. This thing isn't giving me any chances to get a swing in! Sonic recalled how it had already known what his first attack would be, the charge. It knows how I fight and is keeping me from doing anything! Eggman's either been reading up on werewolves or he's been watching me. Probably both. The werehog attempted to slash the mech's sword arm but inches before his claws hit, the machine's fist rotated and the blade swung in a clockwise spin. Luckily, Sonic pulled back his hand before the arcing sword took it off. Damn! This thing's learning too! Eggman built these Slayers just for me. I guess I'm just going to have to get a little more aggressive! Letting his instincts take charge, the werehog went into attack mode. Since the shield was gone, the beast figured that the machine had no way of defending itself from another charge. Rearing back, Sonic lunged again with claws outstretched and fangs bared. I've got you this time!

Suddenly the machine dropped onto its knees making itself a smaller target and also putting itself a little below where Sonic's aiming point had been. The werehog had charged going for the mech's upper body. Now that it had ducked, Sonic was going to hit empty air. But, the machine wasn't going to miss its opportunity to finally get a blow in. As the massive beast flew over top of the squatting robot, it swung its saw-blade upwards in a strike that would tear Sonic's belly open.

Sonic saw the blade in slow-motion and realized too late the mistake he'd made. He braced for the inevitable strike knowing that if he took a solid hit, either the blade would spill his guts or he'd end up with a serious gash. Either way, the wolfsbane poison would finish him off. Then, out of nowhere, Lancelot appeared in the blade's path. The silver sword caught the knight in his side and glanced off of his armor and therefore causing the swing to go wide and miss the werehog entirely.

Sonic landed behind the machine and took its momentary disadvantage to get his own attack in. The werehog spun around and grabbed the mech's dome-like head ignoring the silver's cruel burn and with a primal roar, tore it from the machine's shoulder. Sparks flew from the gaping hole where the head had been as the mech crumpled to its knees. But, Sonic had learned from the other machines that they didn't need a working thinker to function and this one was probably just playing possum. So, he tossed the head aside and then plunged his muscled arm into the hole. His bulging upper arm muscles prevented him from fitting to far into the cavity but it was just far enough for him to find the battery circuit. Sonic had fought enough of Eggman's bots to learn that most of them were similarly built internally and this one proved no different. There you are! His claw latched onto the device's wiring and then he pulled taking the entire "heart" of the machine with his fist. With a wolfish grin, Sonic eyed the busted piece in his claws thoughtfully. You never change Eggie.

"Behind you!!" cried a voice.

The warning came too late though as Sonic felt silver teeth rip across his spine. Blood sprayed out from the wound running through the fur on his back and splattering across the floor and onto the Slayer standing just behind him. Somehow though, Sonic's mane of quills had snagged the blade partially lessening it force. Had it not gotten tangled up, the slash might have severed his spine.

"ARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!" snarled the werehog as he stumbled away from his attacker. He pressed one of his hands to his back and when he pulled it back for inspection, he saw the fur of his palm matted with a mixture of red and grey blood. The slash had caught him right about mid-back and he could still feel the silver's sting affecting him, making it impossible for his healing abilities to fix the wound right now. But then, Sonic felt the burn go away as the pain gave way to nothingness. There was no feeling around the slash and that numbness was spreading. A woozy feeling set upon the werehog and he briefly lost his sense of balance nearly collapsing. What the…what is….happening…. Inside his brain, the werewolf was going rampant and Sonic quickly discovered the source of his dizziness and loss of feeling. It's the wolfsbane! I wonder…how much of a dose did I take? As the sensation spread, Sonic began to fear for his life but relaxed a little as it stopped. However he did not recover his sense of feeling where it had been lost.

The machine marched towards him casually as if murdering him was going to be a simple as putting one foot in front of the other. It didn't care who he was, what he was, or even how tough Sonic was; it didn't even care if it wouldn't survive. All that mattered was that if met the goals of its programming. All of Eggman's machines had this sort of destructive mentality, a cold indifference to killing, and it hadn't ever bugged Sonic before. But this thing…this was the first machine he'd fought that had the ability to at last succeed; and that scared him.

Backing up and growling at the silver machine, Sonic brain sought some way to beat it. He'd gotten lucky on the last one and he knew it. I can't beat it! It knows all my tricks and this one still has that shield on!

Then from the far wall Lancelot whistled to get Sonic's attention. Quickly, the werehog glanced over at the hedgehog. The knight hadn't moved from where he'd fallen after taking the blow for Sonic. His armor was crumpled in where the sword had struck; also, the werehog noted, Lancelot's sword arm hung limply at his side twisted at an unnatural angle. Blood trickled out from under his breast plate. Caliburn had been dropped few yards away and was face down on the stone.

"Sonic…quit thinking like a beast! These Slayers were built specifically to fight a mindless animal…not a knight of Camelot!" instructed the battered knight.

At first, Sonic didn't understand Lancelot. I'm trying! Nothing works! Then, the werehog realized that he'd been fighting off of instinct, doing whatever his beastial side would do by nature. The second Sonic quit focusing on what he WANTED to do and what his body told him to do, he felt a little of his old creativity flare up. Sonic grinned. Looks like I'm going to have to use a little finesse.

Instead of attempting another charge, Sonic held back the urge and backed away giving himself some more breathing room. The machine lumbered towards him slowly, rhythmically. It was in no hurry.

I can't take this tinker box head on. But if I can trap it…. Sonic got a little closer to the mech enticing it to start swinging at him and also to follow him. All of the attacks were short of Sonic but he could still feel the blade's burn as it sliced the air right in front of him. Still, he kept close and the bot followed Sonic across the dungeon until the werehog had positioned himself right in front of an unoccupied cell. That's it….keep coming….

Sonic was pinned and the robot knew it. However, just as Lancelot had guessed, the robot wasn't programmed to plan or watch out for any tricks that the regular Sonic would typically pull. Obviously it could see how Sonic had led it right up to this conveniently free cell, but it didn't consider that the beast was setting a trap. It wasn't programmed to fight Sonic, it only knew how to fight a ravenous werewolf.

The machine paused for a moment as it waited for Sonic to make the next move. It's programming told it that now that the werehog was corned, it would act like any other trapped beast and that would be to attack whoever had it pinned. So, the robot prepared itself for what it considered to be an inevitable attack.

Of course, Sonic was fighting back the extreme urge to strike. His instincts raged at him and he felt fear knowing that this metallic thing had him trapped. For obvious reasons, his beast side didn't enjoy being cornered. Stay…still….just a little longer. No matter his willpower though, he knew that this was a fight he was going to lose. The machine seemed content to wait though, time was on its side as Sonic's body was trembling now as he fought to keep himself from attacking.

He held out for what felt like hours, though it was just a minute or so, but finally Sonic felt his control slipping. All of his muscles were tightening as he readied to pounce and an uncontainable growl had worked its way out. Panicking, Sonic tried to force his enraged instincts back. No!....I'm not going to lose…it now!....Fight!....I won't….Kill it!...no… Sonic's eyes started to darken.

Then, out of nowhere, Lancelot appeared behind the Slayer and delivered a crushing blow to its back sending the mech staggering towards Sonic. Conveniently that was right when the werehog's instincts won out and as the machine got within striking distance, Sonic grabbed the robot by its shoulder joints and tore both arms out of the sockets. The silver burned as usual but he was in a frenzy and didn't register the pain as he dropped the arms and then smashed his fist through the machine's core and out the back plate. As he withdrew his fist, silver slices of metal dug into his arm gouging out new wounds and even leaving a few splinters behind that burned within his flesh. A few sputtering clanks came from the Slayer before it's red eye faded to black; it tottered on its feet for a second before falling like a board face first. Dust flew up from the floor as it landed. The beast's wild eyes then searched for its next target to rip apart and his eyes landed on Lancelot who had fallen where the machine had been standing. That last attack that had let Sonic take down the Slayer drained what little strength he had left at the moment and now he lay hunched over and clasping his right side uttering a few choice curses beneath his visor.

Prey….feed…. Drool was already streaming from his jowls and he took a few steady steps forward. His tongue hung out of his mouth and he was panting from both the battle with the Slayers and also in anticipation and excitement as he wondered how tender this hedgehog was.

"Don't even think about it Sonic!" cut a sharp voice from Sonic's left. The werehog's head snapped towards the speaker and he saw a sword lying on the stone. It had managed to twist itself enough so that its words weren't muffled. Caliburn….GAH I lost it again! Angrily, the werehog shook his head a few times trying to clear it; his eyes gradually shifted back to green and he felt his voice return enough that he could speak.

"Sorry, Lancelot….and thanks for bringing me back again Caliburn. I thought I had control over it….but it's getting worse now that I'm feeling…." Sonic trailed off and shuffled his feet nervously as he glanced at a patch of mold on a far wall not wanting to meet either of his companions' eyes.

Caliburn flipped himself over and floated up so that his sword point hovered a few inches from the ground. He floated over to the groaning Lancelot's form and eyed the knight's injuries.

The sword then looked at Sonic and then at the bars covering the stairway. "We can't delay any longer. You're going to have to fight for control just a little more, Sonic," stated Caliburn. "I don't think those bars are going to give you any trouble, are they? Actually, can you even fit through that door?"

The werehog chuckled as he saw that Caliburn was just trying to lighten the mood a little. He didn't even berate Sonic for losing control again.

"I think I can manage," the werehog replied. His furry brow wrinkled as a question sprung to mind. "Aren't you two coming too?"

Lancelot nodded and motioned to stand. He then dropped another obscene curse as he fell over clawing at his ribs.

"Lancelot is in no fit to fight anything at the moment."

"I'm fine!" argued the black hedgehog as he failed again to get his footing.

Caliburn raised a metal eyebrow. "Are you now?" asked the blade sarcastically. "He won't be moving for the moment and I'll need to stay with him in case more of those metal warriors show up although I suspect our army will have any of the leftovers tied up at the moment. We'll wait for them here. Go and save Merlina before that madman gets away with her."

Sonic growled in acceptance as he nodded. Before he could dash to the bars, Lancelot called out from the floor.

"Give the Doctor my regards, my king," hissed Lancelot through gritted teeth.

Rearing back, Sonic cut loose with a howl that rattled the torches in their wall sockets. I will... Sonic clicked his claws together. …and I'm going have a little fun with him too.

The werehog ran at the iron bars and slammed his shoulder into them. Unlike the Slayers', these simple metal obstructions were no match for the power of an enraged werewolf and they nearly snapped from the hit. One bar popped out of its holding place but the others managed to hold for the moment. Sonic quickly finished off the other bars by wrapping his huge hands around a few other bars and yanked tearing out the iron bars and busting large shards of stone from the door frame. He quickly snapped off the remaining two bars. The door had been made to accommodate a human sized body, not monster. Sucking in his chest as best he could, Sonic forced his broads shoulders through one arm first and then sliding through sideways. His muscled torso got wedged into the frame and restricted his movement. Claustrophobia set in. He felt trapped again and Sonic began to go berserk again, growling and struggling like a thing possessed to get out of the door. He forced himself to calm down again and to try and think rationally. Alright, I think I need a little more breathing room. With his free arm which was still outside the door, Sonic smashed his fist against the stone of the door frame breaking off a good chunk of the wall. A few more swings widened the gap enough for him to duck and at last get through. Eggman, here I come!