Sonic: Adventures of Areion

Episode 24: Learning Of a Secret

On the other side of the lake in Jade Creek, four figures broke through the water's surface and swam over to the surface which reveal themselves to be Torque, Carol, Nicole, and Milla. They turned towards where the hidden base was before it sank to the bottom of the lake with of worried for their companions.

"Lilac, Areion..." Carol muttered sadly.

Milla started sniffing on the ground for a few moments when she stood back, looking startled "Something's coming, something very very big is coming!"

"It is true and they are almost here!" Nicole deactivated her scanner before speaking to the others.

Torque quickly put on his disguise and positioned himself in front of the others, ready to draw out his blaster "Stay behind me!"

At that moment, they saw a large group of jeeps driving by and were transporting soldiers belonging to the Shang Tu army forces. They began to slow down upon a familiar voice yell out a command.

"Halt! I said that!" turns out that it was General Gong who was leading the army as he stoped the jeep next to the currently small group "Well look what we have here."

"Have you seen Lilac and Areion?" Milla asked worriedly.

"The dragon girl and monkey boy? I'm afraid not."

"What's with the army?" Carol asked curiously, mentally hoping that it wasn't meant for them.

General Gong frowned at that question "Zao and his goons are about to attack Shuigang. I'm not about to let that happen."

Everyone was taken back by the sudden news with Torque being the most vocal "Zao is going to war!?"

"This is all going according to Brevon's plan." Nicole said with venom at the alien's name, she still remembers how Areion and Lilac were tortured and their separation during their escape made her all the more anxious but seeing the human giving the warlord a beatdown made her a bit satisfied but more worried of how brutal, murderous, and merciless he was. He even killed Serpentine with one strike.

"Now if we reach him. All he needs is a little persuasion, if you know what I'm talking about." Carol said with a smirk, recalling Zao being a sucker for compliments which can make him dance to their tunes.

"We're friends with him, maybe we can get him to stop!" Milla piped up.

General Gong snorted at that "Yeah right, like that wi..." then he suddenly stopped in realization of an idea "Wait a minute, I think you might be on to something! Hop on!"

"Okay then." Torque got onboard the jeep with the others quickly following suit before they all set off to intercept Mayor Zao and his army before an already bad situation gets worse.

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Meanwhile at the Shang Tu palace, a wounded Lilac stands before the magistrate and Neera Li with her head bowed in guilt, Areion wasn't present because he had been carried to the healing room to recover.

"So you deceived us, do you realize what this means?" The magistrate asked with his back turned towards Lilac.

"If it makes any difference, I am deeply sorry for everything." Lilac said sadly.

"It means that I have been foolish and your simian friend was telling the truth this whole time." Lilac was surprised at the unexpected response from him as he turned around to face her "We examined the fragment which your commander gave to us."

A feeling of budding hope arose within Lilac "Does that mean you will help us?"

"Before we would do so, there 's something you must do for us. A mission, if you will." Magistrate said. "Accept and we will restore your strength. Succeed and we will restore your honor and that of your friend's."