Chapter 2 and time to get to serious.

Another thing that bugged me about the game was the fact that Sonic somehow had a sword before finding Caliburn. Where the hell did he get that one from?

Anyway, as with all my stories I try to keep things logical so... enjoy.


His feet pumping and shirt flying, Sonic speed through the swamp. He rushed past magnificent ruins, often using them as runways so not to get his feet wet as he flew through the area. The croaking of frogs was loud as they leapt away from the oncoming hedgehog and strange sparkling fairies flitted away from him.

He was beginning to understand why this was called the Misty Lake.

A heavy and thick mist hung close to the ground, obscuring everything from sight within a few meters. A number of times he had to rely on his innate agility to stop himself from flying off into the murky waters surrounding him, or into a solitary pillar jutting out from the undergrowth.

As he ran he scooped up a few apples that were either lying on the ground or hanging from low trees.

"I hope Amy likes these instead of a Chilli Dog." He thought as he stowed them in his quills.

Even though he was running through a strange land and the new sights he was seeing were great, Sonic couldn't help but feel bored. Back on Mobius he could go on his morning run and have to scrap a few of Robotnik's stray badniks, or have a race with a wannabe speedster. He folded his arms behind his head as he ran.

"This is too easy!" He said to himself. "I'll find that sword, beat that Arthur guy, save the world and get Amy that date she's always wanted in no time!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a great roar filled the sky. The cobalt hedgehog skidded to a halt and gaped, open mouthed at the huge green scaled dragon that swooped down towards him.

Its wings spanned so far into the mists that Sonic couldn't see the tips until they were folded against the dragons back. Its face was heavily scaled and it had two large tusks jutting out from its lower jaw. It opened its mouth and roared at the hedgehog who cringed back.

Sonic chuckled nervously; a drop of sweat running down his face. The dragon roared again and drew its head back. Thinking it was about to breath fire at him, Sonic darted behind a nearby pillar, but instead the dragon slammed its massive head into the spot where Sonic had been standing.

From his relatively safe location, Sonic's eyes quickly scanned the creature for any signs of weakness, its small red eyes, its soft underbelly and the soft flesh of the inside of its nostrals.

The dragons' beady eyes spied the hedgehog and it once again raised its head to attack. Taking this opportunity, Sonic curled into a ball and launched himself at the creature with his patented Spin-dash attack. He slammed into the light brown flesh of its underbelly only to bounce back and land sprawled on the ground.

"Whoa!" Sonic cried as he sped out from underneath another attack. Looking back, Sonic saw a strange small blue horn sprouting from the dragons' forehead and an idea formed in his mind.

He shrugged off his shirt and twisted it tightly together to make it more rope like and readied for the dragons next attack. Once again the dragon lifted its head back and slammed it to the ground, but this time Sonic jumped away at the last moment, and used his shirt to hook around the small blue horn.

As the dragon raised its head to try and shake the hedgehog off, Sonic released his shirt and kicked himself off the blue horn, preparing to slam into the dragons head with another spin-dash. What he didn't expect was the blue horn to break under the pressure of his attack.

With a pained roar that sent the hedgehog flying, the dragon fled back into the sky, quickly vanishing into the mists.

"Now if you could do that, why didn't you attack from the sky instead of making it easy for me?" Shouted the smug hedgehog before sprinting off deeper into the swamp.

-0-

Soon he reached a large, old tree standing on a rock in the middle of a lake. Running across the small land bridge, Sonic leapt up the rock and walked up to the sword stuck in the stone.

"This must be it!" He exclaimed, gripping the hilt tightly.

"Are you ready?" Sonic yelped, almost falling off the rock and stared down in surprise at Merlina and Amy.

"How did you guys get here so quickly!" He cried in disbelief. Amy laid her hands against her hips and glared at the hedgehog.

"Merlina's a wizard, Sonic! If you hadn't run off, she'd have teleported you here as well!" Sonic stared at them, his mouth hanging slightly open until his brain caught up with what was said.

"You mean to tell me, that I just ran through miles of swamp and ruins, fought against a frigging dragon and lost one of my favourite shirts for nothing!"

"Pretty much, yeah." Amy replied with a smirk. Sonic slapped his forehead, forgetting he now wore a metal gauntlet and yelp in pain.

"Okay, that was stupid." He mumbled to himself, rubbing at his forehead using his un-armoured left hand.

"If you remove that sword and defeat King Arthur with it…" Merlina continued. "You shall forever be the worst of knights, slayer of kings…"

"Guess I can't be the hero every time." Exclaimed the blue blur, and with a wink to Amy, he wrapped both hands around the swords hilt and pulled hard.

With a grunt he pulled the blade free from the rock, a bright light shone, and for a moment the sword glowed golden. After the light faded, Sonic stared in wonder at the blade he now held in his right hand.

"The sacred sword…" Amy breathed. The blade was almost as long as Sonic was tall, and the gold of its hilt, cross-guard and rain-guard were tarnished, but immaculately designed.

"It goes by the name Caliburn." Merlina said proudly.

"It's kinda sorry looking." Muttered Sonic.

"Fool!"

"Whoa!" Sonic cried in surprise. The rain-guard had slid back to reveal a pair of small green eyes and a mouth.

"You are the chosen one! You are but a squire!" A glob of sweat slowly ran down Sonic's face as he stared at the talking blade.

"Oh yeah! Says you!"

"What the heck is going on!" Cried Amy as Sonic jumped down from the rock, landing in front of them.

"The sword has a mind of its own." Merlina explained. "It selects its bearer."

"Yeah, well it's got a pretty smart mouth on it for a sword." Mocked the cobalt hedgehog.

"Hmph! The impertinent one is you, knave!" The sword, Caliburn bit back. "Brace yourself, for I shall train you until you are worthy!"

"Sonic!" Sonic spun around to see Amy pointing off into the distance. Following her finger Sonic saw a large black horse and its menacing rider.

"All right, Professor!" Sonic settled into a fighting stance, gripping Caliburn tightly in his hands. "Work your magic!"

"Now let us see the power of your so-called sacred sword." Mocked King Arthur before he turned his horse and galloped away.

"After him! Commanded Caliburn.

"Why? He's running away." Sonic pointed out.

"After him, fool!" The sword snapped.

"Alright already!" With a burst of motion, Sonic gave chase.

"Sonic! Wait!" Amy cried, before giving chase herself.

-0-

Sonic soon found himself sprinting along the same path that had brought him to the sacred sword now in his grasp. Being the fastest thing alive, he didn't have any trouble catching up with the horseman. King Arthur glanced back and saw the hedgehog hot on his tail and reared his horse away, swinging his oversized blade at his pursuer. Sonic barely dodged in time.

"Whoa, that was close!"

"Remain calm!" Shouted Caliburn as Sonic ducked another swing from King Arthur.

"Remain calm! I've got a guy trying to cut my quills off here!" Sonic shouted back, dodging another attack.

"Time your swings to block your opponent's attacks!" The sword commanded.

Growling through clenched teeth, Sonic waited for Arthur to attack again, this swinging Caliburn in an opposing arc and blocking the strike. Twice more he did this, the third time causing Arthur to slip slightly from his saddle.

"Now is your chance, attack!"

The blue blur didn't need any more incentive and slashed Caliburn across the Kings chest. Arthur grunted in pained surprise and kicked his horse into a gallop. Sonic gave chase once again, filled with bravado.

"You'll never get away!"

"Pursue me at your own peril, weakling!" Warned King Arthur as he summoned three of his dark knights to block the hedgehogs path. Sonic wasted no time and sliced through them, clumsily blocking their answering blows as he tried to keep pace with the fleeing horseman.

Arthur awaited the hedgehog at the end of a bridge, and Sonic leapt at him as soon as he was close enough. He blocked the Kings attacks with well timed swings of his own sword and kicked the black knight in the chest, causing Arthur to falter and giving Sonic another opening.

Slashing Caliburn through the air, Sonic struck King Arthur twice more while his guard was down, forcing the King to flee again. This time the King dragged his long blade through the ground, sending up dust and sparks. To avoid being blinded, Sonic jumped onto a railing and ran along it.

"You're not gonna lose me!" He exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. Arthur glared and reined his horse to a stop on a small grassy island, his blade held high.

Sonic knew exactly what to do and waited for the King to attack. Blocking each blow, the blue blur waited for the right moment to counter attack. King Arthur swung down at the hedgehog who dodged, and buried his blade in the ground. Sonic leapt up, Caliburn swinging through the air and kicked the King squarely on the forehead, sending the armoured knight flying off his horse and onto the ground. With a panicked whiney the horse turned and fled, leaving its rider kneeling in the mud.

"Oh yeah! That was tight!" Sonic celebrated and pointed Caliburn at the fallen King.

Arthur gripped his scabbard tightly and it began to glow, healing all the wounds Sonic had dealt him and he climbed back to his feet, ready to continue the fight.

"This could go on forever! You sure you're a sacred sword?" Sonic cried in disbelief as the King stood up.

"It is you, sir, who lacks the proper fighting skills." Sonic glared down at the sword in his hands. He couldn't believe that it was insulting him at a time like this.

Arthur's horse galloped back, stopping next to its rider and the King mounted. "Bah! A fool of a knight not even worth slaying."

"Do you see? He thinks so, too." Sonic growled at his blade.

"Well, it's your fault! You're a sad excuse for a teacher!" Tired of their bickering, Arthur kicked his horse into motion and rode off into the mists.

"Sonic!" The cobalt hedgehog turned to see Amy rushing towards him. "What happened?"

"This sorry excuse of a sacred sword couldn't get his job done!" Sonic accused, waving his arm at the now hovering blade.

"I performed to the best of my abilities! It is you who lacks the training necessary to wield me effectively!" Sonic took an angered step towards Caliburn, his teeth grinding.

"Why I ortta…"

"I don't get it." Amy confessed, causing both sword and hedgehog to look at her quizzically. "Caliburn, you're meant to the sacred sword that can defeat Arthur and save the world right? So how could Arthur survive a fight with you?"

"For as long as he bears that scabbard… we may never be able to defeat King Arthur." Said Merlina, stepping out of the mists.

"How do you keep doing that?" Wailed Sonic. Amy rolled her eyes.

"So what're we going to do?" She asked.

"We must ask the scabbard's former owner how to hinder its power." Caliburn answered.

"And who would that be?" Sonic questioned, still distrustful of Caliburn.

"Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. The one I mentioned earlier." Merlina explained.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Said Amy. "Let's go pay her a little visit."

"I fear it may not be as simple as that." Caliburn commented.

"What do'ya mean?" Sonic asked, holding the sword out in front of him so Caliburn's face was towards him.

"You shall see for yourself." The sword responded cryptically. "Onward, my young knave."

"Stop calling me 'knave'!" Snapped the cobalt hedgehog. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"Very well, then. I shall call you Knave the Hedgehog."

"Whatever, you oversized letter opener." Countered Sonic as he jogged after Merlina. Amy sniggered at their behaviour and ran after them.

-0-

Soon they found themselves in a wide clearing and Merlina used her magic to summon training dummies and targets for Sonic to practice on. He quickly set about rushing around and attacking each target from different angles, suffering Caliburn's mocking so long as he taught him the skills he would need.

Amy watched in awe and a little bit of jealousy as Sonic trained. He was getting to do all these fantastic things and she was stuck watching from the sidelines. She wanted to try her hand at swordplay, but Caliburn had outright refused to be wielded by woman.

Amy had tried to summon her Piko-Piko hammer at those words, but it hadn't come. Now she was relegated to watching as Sonic had fun. She took another bite from the apple he had given her and sighed.

Sonic and Merlina were walking back towards her, Sonic sweating but wearing a proud smile on his face had Caliburn floating next to him.

"Hmm… I suppose something must be done about this." Muttered the sword.

"What're you talking about?" Groaned the hedgehog.

"My edge has grown blunt." Caliburn explained. "Being in that rock for so long has taken its toll."

"Ha! Not the sharpest tool in the shed, huh?" Sonic mocked, causing the small eyes of Caliburn to roll.

"That's because a gentleman shouldn't have such an edge."

"Gentleman? Who are you calling 'gentleman'?" The hedgehog mocked, and Amy could have sworn she saw a faint smile on the blade's face.

"Seek out the blacksmith in the castle town. I must be presentable when we meet the Lady of the lake." Sonic thought for a moment before turning to face the two women.

"What are you gonna do, Merlina?" Sonic asked worryingly.

"What about me!" Amy snapped, jumping to her feet. "All I've done so far is watched you have fun!"

Sonic and Caliburn took a frightened step back. "I'm more than capable in a fight, and I won't be treated like some damsel to be protected!"

"Amy, I-"

"The battlefield is no place for a woman!" Caliburn interrupted. Amy took a threatening step forward, causing Sonic to cringe back.

"You're lucky I don't have my hammer wise-guy!" She growled fiercely.

"Why do flowers bloom, knowing they are destined to wither?" They all turned to see Merlina stood a few paces away, holding a small red flower between her fingers.

"Their time of beauty is so short-lived…" As the two hedgehogs and floating sword watched, the flower withered and died in her hand. Merlina looked up at them, suddenly aware that they were watching her.

"Forgive me, but I would be recognised in town. I shall remain behind in hiding." Amy and Sonic looked at each other for a moment before he gave Merlina the thumbs-up.

"All right. Then I guess it's so long for now." Merlina nodded.

"Yes. May your journey be safe." The young wizard turned and walked away. Sonic turned to face the sakura hedgehog next to him.

"You coming Amy?" He asked, jerking his head towards the path. She looked at him for a moment, wondering if he was being serious or not, her anger and frustration dissipating under Sonic's soft gaze.

"Yeah. Why not?" Together the two hedgehogs ventured out of the forest and along the road, doing their best to ignore the complaints emanating from the blade held in Sonic's hand.


This chapter was fun to write.

Well I've not got much more to say other than, see you next week.

-Corrupt TE-