Chapter 35- Blazing Chaos 

Sotsu had gone a good distance by motorcycle until it had broken down. Now the echidna found himself trekking down the long highway alone, his left hand rested in the one of the front pocket of the coat, while his right held the Chaos Blade lazily over one shoulder. He didn’t wish to fly because he now knew that there were more then enough enemies about these areas that could easily spot him should he take to the air. He felt that he had his fair share of fighting for the day.

He looked exhausted to. The slight remains of a few burn marks still held on the echidna’s face. His long hair was a little scruffled looking. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and sank deep into their sockets. The coat still had a bullet hole in the left shoulder where Sotsu had threw Fury Gear’s round back at him, and some blood still held caked about the hole. 

"How much longer is it?" Sotsu asked himself as he squinted hard down the long road. 

The sun beat down on the pavement, Sotsu remembered how hot California’s summers could get. The normal gray cloud cover that seemed to be over the cities only seemed to remain over the cities. The rest of the area held clear blue skies, perhaps with a smudge of gray here and there, but not neat enough for the echidna’s taste. Sotsu didn’t bother taking off his coat though. He was used to hot weather, the heat didn’t bother him all that much, though it was a little uncomfortable. 

There was the slight distant sound of a motor. Sotsu stopped and slowly looked about, nothing. Sotsu remained still with his eyes looking about, he slowly studied his surroundings. Then he noticed off in the distance, in the direction that he had come from, was a small vehicle of some sort. It was coming his way. Sotsu tightened his grip on his Chaos Blade and began to slowly walk toward the oncoming object, he could tell it was going fast. 

As Sotsu got closer he was able to make out more details on the vehicle. A small round pod of some sort, silver in color, it reflected the bright rays of the sun. As the echidna got even closer he could make out a small figure in the open-topped vehicle, it seemed to be wearing a brown hat, though unclear the figure seemed to be a purple or blue color. 


A smile crept across the echidna’s face as he thought who it might be, his assumption was quickly answered as Nack the Weasel came into clear view now. The bounty hunter held a cheery look on his face as he was humming to himself.

"Excuse me! Excuse me sir!" Sotsu shouted waving his free arm about as the small silver pod neared.


Nack looked over to Sotsu as he neared and slowed down to a halt. Sotsu wasn’t too sure what to do, after all, he only knew Nack to be a bounty hunter character from a comic book, he never considered what to think should he have somehow met him. After slight hesitation, the black echidna suddenly realized how ridiculous he was viewing this. Just say the obvious and state your problem.

"Hi… my bike broke down a ways ago. Could it be possible for me to get a ride? Though I don’t have any money to pay you, would it be okay?" Sotsu asked, trying to sound polite as possible.

"Oh, sure I don’t mind. You’ll have to sit on the edge of this thing though, it’s really only meant to carry a single person," Nack replied with good-nature.

"Hey thanks. Er… don’t mind all the weapons and stuff. I guess you could say I’m a soldier. I’d have no intention of using these on anyone without a good reason," Sotsu said as he tried to look less threatening.

"No don’t worry about it I understand," the weasel replied as Sotsu set himself on the back rim of the pod with his feet dangling over the end.

Nack pressed the pedal and sent the pod moving along again. It was rather smooth as it went over the course and worn path of the neglected road. It tank like treading along the sides made little noise, the only sounds were of the engine rumbling softly and the bounty hunters quiet humming. 


"So what brings you out here? If you don’t mind me asking," the weasel said after a long moment.

"I’m looking for someone. What about you?" This question brought a fanged grin to the weasel.

"I’m looking for something," he replied.


Sotsu knew that Nack must be out here on a job. He wondered who hired him and what he was looking for though.

"I’m Nack, Nack the Weasel," the bounty hunted stated.

"I’m Sotsu. It’s nice to meet you. Though I guess I have you at a disadvantage. I know you already, you’re a bounty hunter," Sotsu smiled, thinking back when he had first saw Nack in the Triple Trouble issue and how much he had been a fan of Nack’s.

"Oh. Y’know me? Well I didn’t know bounty hunters had fans," Nack said looking back to the echidna over his right shoulder.

"I guess you could say I’m a fan," Sotsu replied a little stunned that Nack was more or less dead on with his assumption. 

The two didn’t talk much more after that before the place one again fell into silence, and they trekked down the long highway. Night fell, the air cooled, the stars in the clearing of the sky sparkled. Sotsu figured Nack wasn’t going as fast as he was when his fast as he was when his bike was going. Or they would have made it to the rest stop where Gray and Carmen were staying. It was fairly dark, the moon was covered by the clouds over the city. Soon the area lit, as several street lamps lit about them at once, Nack stopped and looked about. He jabbed the asleep echidna a few times with his index finger to awake him.

"Hey buddy. I think something’s up," Nack whispered to the drowsy echidna. 

"Huh? Shoot," Sotsu said quietly, figuring someone or something else was going to fight with him.

Nack drew a large silver blaster from his belt, Sotsu lay his sword in the pod and drew his two black pistols, they got up and on guard, scanning the darkness. Then the sound of a single person’s shoes clacking on the broken pavement sounded and echoed throughout the area. They sounded like, dress shoes.

"League of Gentlemen," Sotsu said under his breathe.

Then a single figure walked out from the darkness, slowly. Over his right shoulder was a marble staff with a gold tip, he was a small, round, dark skinned man wearing a pair of gold-framed spectacles. 


"Who are you?" Nack demanded bringing his pistol up.

"Me? I am Greg Isaac, sent from the League of Gentlemen to exterminate that echidna you are carrying passenger," the small man said pointing the marble staff to the pod. 

"Sotsu?" the bounty hunter asked looking over his shoulder.

"Let me handle him Nack. This is my fight," Sotsu said as he lifted himself from the pod and hopped down in front, pistols poised to shoot.

"I’ll help you. I’m not gonna let some pudgy overlander push anyone around," Nack said as he hopped down beside the black echidna

"Ready?" Isaac asked as he placed the staff in both hands.

"Let’s goooo!" Sotsu shouted as he dashed forward toward the member of the League of Gentlemen. The crimson and gray trechcoat flapped lively, the pistols gleamed in the yellow lamplight, the echidna’s long black hair flew backwards, he pulled the trigger with red hot fury.

Isaac took his staff into a chambered position as the barrage of blue energy came his way. He jutted the staff forward and it began to glow brightly with green energy. Several pieces of diamond shards flew from the tip of the marble staff, they made contact with each of the laser shots and absorbed them, the small gems continued their path toward Sotsu, now charged with the energy of the last shots. 


"Shit!" Sotsu exclaimed as he pivoted on his heel as the diamond shards neared, he began running the other way, but it was no use as the projectiles were hot on his heels. 

Nack took up his large silver pistol and began shooting large red laser rounds from it. The shots were aimed toward the shards chasing his echidna friend, as soon as he took out one. All the shards lost their flight and hit the ground and exploded in bright blue blasts that shook the whole perimeter, Sotsu was tossed a ways.

Isaac took the staff into both hands and raised it above his head, green spirals of Chaos energy began to circle it, then altogether entered the staff. He took one step forward and hurled the weapon toward Nack. It flew with amazing speed, tumbling end over end toward the bounty hunter.

Nack dived to the side, the staff made contact with the pod and the vehicle exploded in a bright orange flash. Nack rolled and got upright, the black echidna ran past him now with the giant Chaos Blade in his hands.

"You want Chaos Energy? Come get some!" Sotsu shouted as he drew Chaos Energy into the great black blade. The ancient ruins of the blade glowed bright green, which contrasted with Sotsu’s red and gray trench coat and blue leg gear.

There was loud sounding of wind, the marble staff flew from the wreckage of the pod and back into the man’s hands. Sotsu leapt in the air bringing the Chaos Blade above his head, Isaac got into a fighting stance with the staff held firmly in both hands.

Sotsu yelled as he neared the overlander, pushing the sword downward and meeting Isaac’s staff. Sotsu was actually held in the air as he pushed downward, large amounts of Chaos Energy shot about the two like bright green lightning, wind blasted everywhere as the energy ran vividly about. 

Nack simply watched in awe as the two powerful beings held locked in a fight of power, pushing against each other’s weapons in an attempt to overpower the other. 

Isaac quickly drew back for only enough time to let Sotsu land, then he flipped the staff about quickly and struck at Sotsu. Sotsu blocked the attack, but found Isaac to be fast enough to recover and attack again before he could recovered from the first attack. Sotsu began to loose ground as he was set completely on defense. Each Chaos charged attack from the man emitted a bright green flash when it was blocked by Sotsu’s Chaos charged sword. After loosing almost ten feet of ground to the overlander Sotsu finally got an opportunity.

Isaac sweep in a wide arc with his staff, overshooting his distance and leaving himself open when Sotsu leapt the attack. As Sotsu hit the ground, Isaac was just finishing the overly wide arc, Sotsu quickly spun and sent the butt of the Chaos Blade’s handle into the man’s chin. 

As the man backed up from the blow, Sotsu pressed on. The echidna spun the blade in a vertical circle, a trail of translucent green energy followed behind like a shadow of the blade. Then as the blade came up toward Isaac the man gripped his staff in both hands and blocked low. The blade struck right at the middle of the staff, in a loud shattering sound it broke in half, sending marble shards everywhere.

The blade continued through and toward the man’s face. Isaac leaned back as the blade swept just past his face, then as Sotsu began to recover from his strike the overlander slammed both pieces of the marble staff right beside each other, one half in each hand. A great blast of Chaos Energy shot fourth in a large wave, covering Sotsu. 

Inside the wave Sotsu held his ground, around him was a force field which was barely holding. He gritted his teeth as he strained to hold it up, had or if the Chaos blast covers him no doubt he’d be burnt to ashes. He sharpened his eyes as he used even more energy to re-charge the Chaos Blade, then he chambered the weapon back and shot it fourth through the wave.

Nack watched as the black blade shot from the wave and skinned the top of the overlander’s head. Isaac dropped the top halves of the staff and the wave dissipated, he recoiled back a ways gripping the skinned and bleeding top of his bald head. 

As the rest of the green energy left, there stood Sotsu with his side toward the overlander, his Chaos blade over his right shoulder and his left arm extended with it’s palm open. 

"Mr. Isaac, I bid you fair well," the echidna said before a wave of shadow energy blasted fourth.

Isaac looked up with a horrified look on his face, he raised his arms over his face, then the wave came over him. Through the gray blast Isaac’s form was silhouetted, then the blast slowly grew blacker. After a short few seconds the blast dissipated. Nothing was there, not even a sign of Isaac. 

Sotsu slowly lowered his left arm to his side, a slight breeze drew up. The echidna began to trek back to the wreckage of the pod, he took up his equipment bag it only had a few slight burns on it. He gave the awe-struck weasel a slight smile, then took to a slow walk down the highway. As he passed each street lamp they turned off, casting the highway in blackness once again. After a few seconds of hesitation Nack finally began to run to catch up to the echidna. 


"It shouldn’t be too much longer. And from there, it’ll be time to face Abet," Sotsu told himself as he looked up to the sky. Sotsu thought about what he did to the poor Isaac. He hadn’t killed him, as it may have seemed, he did something that Sotsu considered might end up a worse fate. He actually opened a random teleport rift in which the overlander was sucked into. Sotsu knew he must no longer be as pacifistic to his enemies if he wished to live. And this would be proven soon enough.

-Nicholas D. Wolfwood-