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Zonerunner: Breaking the Barrier 3

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KIVAND6 AND VORAHK295: ZONERUNNER
BREAKING THE BARRIER 3 OF 3

Mt. Shinigami, the lair of the Youkai King, Orochi. And that's where Sari Donguri had gone to now. Flanked by two ogre-like beings called Oni, Orochi's guards, she was guided in.

Calculated Orochi Head: Welcome to our humble abode, Sari-Dongori-no-Hime.

Sari: I did as you asked. I surrender myself to you. Now, in return, the doorway to the Sanzu River remains closed, as promised.

Angry Orochi Head: Are you really that dense that you don't see what is going to come?

Snooty Orochi Head: Darling, if we could really open the gateway we would have done so already. Not even a King Youkai can open the gateways that easily.

Sad Orochi Head: The ritual to open the gates requires a maiden pure of heart but we didn't find the right one, it was so sad!

Happy Orochi Head: But now we have you, the maiden who would sacrifice herself to save her entire kingdom, she has to be the pure maiden. Joy, we found her!

Lazy Orochi Head: So by surrendering yourself you basically doomed your kingdom...and I didn't have to even move, good for me.

Dumb Orochi Head: Purty squirrel lady dumber then me!

Shouting Orochi Head: OROCHI!

Sari gasps, and turns to run, but the Oni block her path, as Orochi slides towards her.

Calculated Orochi Head: Now now, this won't hurt. Much. All we have to do is tie you up, I chant a bit and pull out your soul to break the seal...but to be honest I don't know how much it hurts...

Raging Oni Head: You buffoons tie her up and then stand guard in case anyone is foolish enough to try and stop us.

Lazy Orochi Head: Let's get this over with, I'm tired.

Shouting Orochi Head: OROCHI!

Sari: Does he say anything else?

Calculated Orochi Head: No.

Orochi continues to approach, as Sari pulls a sword out of the folds of her dress, which itself falls away, revealing a much lighter, less restrictive outfit beneath it. Orochi's heads all smirk, and he bats the blade out of her hand with his tail, knocking her over in the process. He quickly binds her with his coils, as she tries to slip herself free.

Orochi had Sari in her graps, as he tossed her across the cave, before his eyes glowed and chains materialized out of nowhere and tied up Sari.

Calculated Orochi Head: Now we can start the ritual...

His eyes glowed again and a spell circle appeared under Sari.

Angry Orochi Head: You better sit still because it's a complicated spell and I don't want to start over.

Lazy Orochi Head: Yeah, it'd be much effort.

Meanwhile close to the cavern of Orochi, the heroes had gathered. Only there were lots of Youkai guarding the place. Not only the Tengu, Kappa and Bakeneko, but much more new species: female Youkai with necks that stretched like rubber or had jaws in the back of their heads, fireballs with menacing faces, raccoon dogs with snakes for tails, Onis and many more.

Sonic: Those are a lot of Youkai...

Tails: And there will be a lot more if Orochi opens up that portal to the Sanzu river, and I doubt he'll keep his word.

Sally: Then we have to bring him down before he can do that.

Nicole: I'll try dazzling them again. Get ready to attack.

The Youkai may not be stupid minions, but they didn't see the attack from Nicole coming, the other heroes covering their eyes as the Youkai were blinded by a dazzling flash and started screaming in pain, rubbing their eyes and running into one another. This ended with a few fire Youkai burning others as they bumped into them, and the stretch neck Youkai getting their long necks tangled up in knots, or Kappa's tripping and spilling water.

Senkou: Sonic, Tails, take these daggers, they're made of iron enchanted with sacred exorcising salts, these are very harmful to Youkai.

Sonic: Right.

Shippou: And Sally, take my spare sword.

Sally: Thank you.

The trio take their weapons, while Nicole continues firing light beams at the Youkai. With that, the organic heroes charged towards the enemy army.

Sonic used his super speed, as did Senkou to rush through the Youkai ranks and slice them in half or beheading them. However, Sonic and Senkou were tripped up when two stretch-neck Youkai tripped them with their signature. Then two Youkai with the jaws in back of their heads moved in and prepared to chow down, but the heroes thrust their blades in their maws, and the two dissolves in black smoke. The stretchnecks struck back, but ended up being beheaded by the two hedgehogs.

Tails and Shippou soar over the battlefield, alongside Nicole, and start cutting the wings off of the Tengu, while she continues to fire paralyzing light blasts. They then picked up several Kappa, then held them upside down to have them pour the water from their heads on top of some fire Youkai extinguishing them.

Haruka, Fumiko and Sally teamed up as a trio of femme fatales, Fumiko stabbing with her daggers in the heads or hearts (where it was supposed to be) and dissolving them. Haruka's gauntlets were made of the same anti-Youkai iron so it burnt to the Youkai skin, who after a punch not only broke limbs but also suffered from severe burns. Sally sliced off Youkai heads with both the loaned sword and her own Sword of Light.

Finally were the two Oni, who by Sonic and Senkou's hands, were sliced by the weapons, and turned to stone before shattering.

Sonic: Those were the small fries, now for king coo-coo himself.

They moved inside as they saw how the huge eight-headed serpent chanted, as in the spell circle Sari shouted out in pain as her soul was being sucked dry. Above them, a purple maelstrom started to form, no doubt the portal.

Senkou was enraged.

Senkou: OROCHI! You have gone long enough, you and your Youkai have terrorized the people of our land, took our princess and showed dishonor with your lies and tricks, and now I'm going to end it! Let her go and stop before I slay you!

Sari: Senkou...

Calculated Orochi Head: I'm so close, no way I'm giving up now.

Angry Orochi head: They're giving me a headache. Let's vaporize them.

Snooty Orochi Head: By the way, those outfits, so passé!

The eight Orochi heads opened their maws and each fired a shot, each a different element. Calculated fired ice, anger fired flames, snooty fired lightning, lazy fired a foul-smalling tar-like substance, sad fired pressurized water, happy fired lasers, dumb fired spiked balls from his mouth and the shouting head sonic blasts.

Tails: Scatter!

The heroes do so, Senkou dashing under the blasts, and straight towards Sari. Orochi's angry head swung down at him, only for Sonic to crash into it, and dig his borrowed dagger into its eye. The head roars, thrashing around, as Sonic clings on, and the rest of the heroes try to keep Orochi distracted.

Senkou reaches Sari, and tries to take hold of her hands, only to get pushed back.

Sari: Senkou... he... needs me to open the portal... If... all else... fails... I want you to put an end to me... so that... he can't use me...

Senkou: I won't do that! I'm not going to sacrifice you!

Sari: My soul is almost gone already... if you don't... you'll save an empty shell... and he'll open the river.

Senkou: Sari...

Sari: I'm sorry about this, Senkou... but I have to do this... And... I love you.

Senkou: I love you too... and I'm also sorry, but I'm not going to kill you. I'm getting you out of there, so hold on.

Senkou drives his sword into the energy field surrounding Sari, starting to cut his way through it, only to get blasted away by a torrent of water.

Angry Orochi Head: It won't be that easy...(his eye heals)

Tails and Shippou flew towards him, but the Snooty and Lazy heads fire blasts at them and took them from the sky. Haruka and Fumiko tried attacking from the back but Orochi's Shouting head saw them and so he could swat them away with his tail. Sally brought out both her blades as she lashed at the giant serpent, but the eight heads thrusted at her and knocked her in a wall.

Sonic: This isn't working! How do you sneak up on a guy with eight heads? He sees everything we do coming!

Tails: Maybe not all...his heads all have different personalities, and sometimes they can clash...

Sonic: So the trick here is to... be obnoxious?

Tails: Something that we happen to have experience of.

Sonic: Agreed. Hey, Orochi, why do you have eight heads? Couldn't decide which one was uglier?

Angry Head: What did you call me? I'm going to turn you into mush.

Sad head: That was so mean! Why do you have to say that?

Tails: You fire water, fireballs and ice at once, so you're a fridge, a heater and a faucet in one.

Angry Orochi Head: Let me at them! Let me at them!

Calculated Orochi head: Please other me's, let's get over this rationally.

Angry Orochi Head: Rationally, our ass. I'm gonna get them!

The angry head fired fireballs around wildly, Sonic running to avoid and making sure the angry head followed him, and the angry head bumped into the snooty one.

Snooty Orochi head: Watch where you're going you brute.

Angry Orochi head: Don't tell me what to do you sissy.

Snooty Orochi head: That's it, take that (shocks his counterpart)

Happy Head: Hahaha! That was funny!

Angry Orochi Head: I'll show you funny! (bumps Happy on the head)

Happy Orochi Head: That's not funny.

Dumb Orochi Head: Me thinks it funny!

Lazy Orochi Head: Will you cut it down, I'm trying to sleep.

Snooty Orochi Head: That's always your problem, you always sleep, lazy bum!

Sad Orochi Head: Please stop fighting, it makes me sad.

Shouting Orochi Head: ORO...

Other heads: Shut up!

Tails: It's working, he's distracted.

Sonic: Alright, let's go for it!

Senkou once again starts cutting into the field, this time assisted by those who aren't mocking Orochi. Sari cries out, as more of her soul is pulled away, but Tails throws his dagger into the portal, disrupting it and sending it into flux. Also, with Orochi distracted, he couldn't properly contain the mystic energy of the ritual.

Senkou: In the name of justice, I break this barrier!

With one final slash, the field around Sari was shattered and the seal vanished and with that the portal closed.

Calculated Orochi Head: Now look what you guys did, the portal is gone, we can't open it again for a few millenia now!

Angry Orochi Head: Me? It was th chumps who messed up!

Sad Orochi Head: Why do you always blame me?

Sally: Enough talk, let's get him!

The heroes rushed at the rushed at the still bickering Orochi heads. Sally went in first, jumping up and slashing with her blades in the face of the angry head, leaving an X-shaped scar as it roared in pain. Tails and Shippou were next, as they both slashed with their namesakes, leaving four marks, almost like a claw mark, in the face of the calculated head. Fumiko jumps on top of the dumb head, which she had stabbed earlier, but stabbed him in the other eye with her dagger as well.

Dumb Orochi Head: Me not see! Tell me what go on?

Haruka then delivered a punch with the gauntlet, which knocked the Dumb Head in the other heads, who bumped violently in one another in a domino effect.

Senkou and Sonic finished it up, Sonic with the dagger adn Senkou with his blade, rushing at Orochi, targeting one of his heads and with a single swipe, one of Orochi's heads was cut off.

Shouting Head: OROCHI!!!

With that the shouting head was seperated, and went up in flames and black smoke, as the tyrant only had seven left.

Calculated Orochi head: It's not possible, I'm the king of Youkai.

Angry Orochi Head: Bastards! You cut away a part of me.

Sad OrochHead: I'm beyond tears, it's too sad.

Dumb Orochi Head: Me not see, what happen, why hurt?

Snooty Orochi Head: I'm going to faint...

Lazy Orochi Head: I'm not going to be able to sleep for weeks, the nightmares...

Happy Orochi Head: I no longer feel happy...let's get out of here!

With that, in a puff of black smoke, Orochi dissapeared.

Sonic: He's gone...

Senkou: But he's crippled. Without his eight heads his power isn't as big as it used to be, Orochi will not be the threat he used to be. We'll find him again, and then we'll finish it. But for now...we need to bring our Princess to safety.

Sari, meanwhile, was holding onto Senkou, and being fussed over by Fumiko and Haruka.

Sari: I'm alright, really. A bit sore, but I'll survive.

Senkou: Sari-no-Hime...

Sari: Leave the 'Hime' out. To you I don't want to be your superior, but your lover. (holds Senkou's hands)

Senkou: Sari...

The two stared in each other's eyes as they got closer. But then...

A streak rushed by, knocked over Senkou and grabbed Sari. It was Theta.

Theta: I'll need to borrow something.

Sonic: You again! You just couldn't leave us...

Theta: I should thank Orochi for sparing me the trouble of getting the princess and tiring you out. But now I must collect.

Tails: He used Orochi from the start?

Theta then reached out to Sari, phased his hand through her as if he was a ghost and pulled out his hand, his metallic appendage wrapped around something he couldn't make out. Sari fainted as he puts her down.

Senkou: Sari! You monster!

Theta: She isn't dead, just in shock from the extraction. I have what I came for, I have no more use for remaining in this world. I'll take my leave, but be warned: interfere again and I'll destroy you all!

With that, Theta vanished. Senkou rushed over to Sari, but, true to Theta's word, there wasn't a mark on her, and breathing and pulse were regular.

Senkou: He was... being truthful... she's completely unhurt.

Sonic: But what was that thing he took from her?

Fumiko: You don't think it was her soul, do you? He might be trying to open the river too!

Nicole: No... it was made of metal, I know that much, and I think it might have even been electronic.

Sally: How can a person from this world have an advanced electronic in her body? She's organic.

Nicole: I also sensed some mystical elements...whatever it was he took, it's familiar...but also completely out of any world.

Tails: But now we know what Theta was looking for, and he has it now.

Sally: There are seven more worlds he's most likely to visit, so we'll have more chances of obtaining...those things. But at least we have more of an idea what we're looking for.

Meanwhile Sari woke up.

Sari: Oh...what a weird day.

Fumiko: That's a bit of an understatement.

Haruka: At least you're alright.

Sari: Yes, there's that.

Senkou: Sari...i think we were in the middle of something.

Sari: Just stop talking! (pulls him in for a kiss)

Sally: That's so sweet.

Sonic: Why should they have all the fun?

Sally: I like the sound of that...

Sonic and Sally kiss, while Shippou and Fumiko lean closer together, then pause and look at Tails.

Shippou: Sorry.

Tails: No, you two feel free to join in. Don't mind me.

Later, at the palace, our heroes prepared to say their goodbyes to their counterparts, already having recharged their warp rings.

Senkou: We want to thank you. Because of you we madea  crippling blow to the Youkai leadership. I'm sorry you couldn't achieve your mission.

Sonic: It's nothing, at least no one got hurt. Just promise me you'll treasure your time with your girl. We may come from different worlds, different times even but we both live in dangerous worlds, so value all the time you have.

Tails: If something good came out of this is that I have hope again, for the future. For a person close to me...

Shippou: I understand. I hope you'll be able to bring her back.

Sari: If you need anything, any help at all, our world will always be accessible to you.

Sally: Thanks. Now, it's time for us to continue, to make sure Theta won't harm any other worlds. Keep strong.

Haruka: You can count on it.

Senkou: As of today, we are no longer allies, we're brothers!

With that, a few final hugs and handshakes later, our heroes departed through the warp ring, off to new worlds.

Meanwhile, somewhere out of the zones...Theta was observing the key-like object he took from Sari, putting it on a keychain-like object.

Theta: The mystical and the scientific, rolled in one...no, in sixteen, sixteens keys. I already have nine, just seven more to go. With that, my desire will come true. No matter what the costs.
With this we conclude the first arc of the zonerunner series. There are more to come, and i'll do these ones in between when me and Vorahk have time. So stay tuned loyal fans!
© 2013 - 2024 KivaTheDCWizard
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MasterFusion's avatar
Very Good, Kiva. Awesome!