Chapter 2: Rumors and Red knight

"Just a minute." The bald ageing owner of the shoe shop said as the doorbell brought news of a customer in the store. He huffed and puffed as he finally managed to push the large box of shoes onto the top shelf in the storeroom, he hadn't sold a single one of those shoes, and it was a disaster for a small shop like his to burn in with 10 pairs of expensive shoes like this. The storeowner sighed and headed to the front desk where a brown hedgehog was tapping his foot. "What can I do for you sir?" He said as he got a closer look at the hedgehog, his spikes were weird, must be someone from out of town, wasn't a local species of hedgehogs that looked anything like this one.

"I am looking for a pair of shoes, 2 pairs if you have them." The hedgehog smiled as he looked around the shop. "Preferably running shoes if you have any."

"Well I have a fine section of running shoes over here." The store owner said leading the customer to the right section of the store. "What size are do you use?"

"Size 16." The hedgehog said looking over the shoes on the wall. "But it looks like your selection ends at around a 13." He sighed. "Well thanks for the help, but I guess I will have to try somewhere else."

"Hold your horses one second." The storeowner said stopping the hedgehog in his tracks. "I might have some out back. Besides I can't let you out wearing those things." He said gesturing to the hedgehogs shoes that were filled with holes and covered in dirt. "What on earth did you do to those poor shoes anyway, they look like they were in a war or something."

"Well I run a lot." The hedgehog smiled.

"Oh really?" The owner said heading out to his storeroom. "You any good?" He called as he pulled the box back down.

"I can run at a decent pace yeah." The hedgehog smiled with a peculiar smile. "But I am always looking to improve."

"Why? Wanna race the blue blur?"

"The blue blur?" the hedgehog asked as the owner returned with a small brow package.

"A local criminal, or so people say." The storeowner told as he pulled the lit off the box and showed the hedgehog a pair of red running shoes. "He has been robbing the kings rings collectors all over the country, they say he is so fast they never even see him, just a blue blur and for a couple of months he have been robbing around here."

"Really?" The hedgehog asked as he kicked on the shoes without using his hands.

"Yeah he isn't very popular around here." The storeowner said frowning a bit of how he treated the shoes.

"Why is that, he is only stealing the kings money isn't he?" The hedgehog asked and added. "I'll take them."

"Good that will be 20 rings." The store keeper said lightening up a lot after the deal was in the house. "Well you see he stole 2000 rings not 3 days ago that were supposed to be payment to the mercenaries that are protecting a few of the small villages down south, and without their payment Eggman and his robot army are gonna destroy those villages."

"Sounds like he is just taking care of himself." The hedgehog said as he put the rings on the counter using his clove covered hands for the first time. "Can't blame him for that."

"You can when it gets people killed, and trust me stealing those rings will cause someone to get killed, either innocent people by Eggman or him by the red knight."

"The red knight?" The hedgehog asked curiously, hanging back to continue the conversation.

"You really aren't from around here are you?" The storeowner chuckled. "The red knight is one of the kings most loyal men, they say he is as strong as 10 ox's and can punch straight through walls! I am telling you when he gets his hands on that criminal he is going to pound him into the ground!"

"Well by the sound of it he is gonna have to catch him first." The hedgehog smiled and turned to head for the door.

"You don't wanna stay a bit? It looks like it is going to rain." The storeowner said and turned around to rummage through the cabin behind the counter. "I have an umbrella I can sell you if you want." He chuckled as he found the umbrella and turned around to an empty store while the first drops of water were already starting to wash a grey blur blue with new red shoes.

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"Retreat!" The squad leader roared, as he gritted his teeth, in 15 years of service he had never once called a retreat, but with the mercenaries gone they were grossly outnumbered. Damn that blue blur, the effects of his little ring stealing stunt were already costing lives. "Fall back to the village! We will defeat them in the alleys." He roared waving his men back as a robot flanked him. He jumped back as the giant hammer arm soared through the air and smashed the ground where he had been standing. The squad leader used the hammer as a stepping stone and jumped off the hammer and brought his sword down in a deadly arc that cleaved its way straight into the cockpit of the robot that became limp without the guidance of the animal within it.

"RETREAT!" The squad leader bellowed as he looked around and saw most of his men still engaged in combat against the sturdy robots. They could be taken down, he had killed dozens already, but to kill one of these you had to kill its driver and getting to the driver was difficult to say the least. The only reason he had been able to slay his own foe was because he had aimed for the joint between the ihelmet/i and the rest of the robot where the armor was weakest, but it was a small target and very hard to hit. "I SAID-" The squad leader began as a robot came soaring through the air and crashed into the ground besides him.

It was as if the entire battlefield fell quiet for a moment, it was possible to tumble the robots, maybe even push them, but sending one of the 500 pound heavy robots soaring through the air was unheard of, it simply couldn't happen and yet a crunching sound was heard and a robot soared almost ten yards into the air before crashing down into another group of robots, for a brief moment the Squad leader caught sight of the miracle maker and a grim smile crossed his lips.

"The red Knight is here! Slay the enemy!" He roared and his roar was returned by his men as they thought on with renewed strength. The robots were in trouble, caught between the soldiers and the virtual one man army that the red knight was turning out to be. No matter where they turned their seemed to be a sword or a fist waiting to bring them down and it wasn't long before the red knight was face to face with the last of the Robots. It seemed to be the leader, it was bigger than the others and moved quickly, it had already killed 3 of the soldiers.

"Lord Knuckles!" The squad leader called. "Allow us to take care of him."

"No I have him." Knuckles said seriously not taking his eyes off the robot.

"You really think you can take me?" The metallic voice of the robot said. "I am one of the 10 captains of Eggman's army! You will never take me!" The robot roared as a blade jumped out of its arm and it went for Knuckles. But the red Echidna was prepared and moved in below the blade and with one devastating punch he punched straight through the robot. Placing a boot on the robot he ripped his hand out again.

"The captain should still be alive inside, you can interrogate him." Knuckles said to a couple of soldiers as he turned to the squad leader.

"What a glorious victory my lord!" The squad leader laughed. "But what brings you to this corner of the kingdom my lord?" He asked as his soldiers pulled out a very angry and violent bunny from the robot.

Knuckles the Echidna looked up at the squad leader with a hard look in his eyes that caused even the hardened veteran to shiver. "I am here to catch a blue blur."