Chapter 21 - Stomping Grounds
Mobara, to Anthony, looked like the kingdom never left the Elizabethan age. Several buildings
abounded looking like the Renaissance Festival Anthony liked to go to back on Earth, the only
difference being the existence of technology that could be seen here and there.
"Sonic," Anthony said, turning towards the hedgehog who at the moment seemed mesmerized by
being back home, "any chance we can catch up with that brother of yours?"
"Manic? Knowing him he probably knows were here already, and..."
Sonic and Sonia noticed a flashing light coming from one of the alleyways. They then took out
two pendants from pouches they were carrying with them and flashed their reflections back at
it. Within minutes, a green hedgehog which looked like a punk rocker came out.
"Bro! Sis! Welcome home!" the hedgehog, who Anthony recognized as Manic, said as he embraced
Sonic and Sonia. "Man, when I saw you coming, I couldn't believe it! What's the occasion?"
"Big news happening in Knothole bro," Sonic said, "and it has to do with this guy here!" Sonic
then motioned towards Anthony. "This is Anthony Bault, descendant of Sir Eric!"
"Awesome! Uh...why does the new Gamemaster look like an accountant?"
Anthony seethed at that comment while Sandra and the rest of the group giggled slightly. Sonic
was the first to calm people down. "Manic, bro, future reference...DON'T call the man an
accountant again! He's been called that one too many times, and after seeing him trash
Packbell, I wouldn't want to mess with him..."
"Got it," Manic said, walking up to Anthony. "Nice to meet you, Gamemaster."
"Please, Manic, call me Anthony...just DON'T call me an accountant!"
"Right...I suppose you're here to open the Hylas portal, right?"
"Indeed. Can you lead us to it?"
"You bet, follow me!"
The group walked with Manic to the portal location, and Manic was being introduced to the group
as they walked. He almost freaked out when he heard Megaman was a robot, but calmed down when
Sonic told him of his help in Minoc. Anthony was looking around, trying to take in as much as
he could about the area for future reference. Suddenly, he sensed a presence in one of the
alleys and asked the group to stop.
"What's wrong, Anth?" David asked. "You sense trouble?"
"Not sure...I'll go check..."
Anthony walked towards an alley opposite the one he sensed the presence from. He then sent a
telepathic message to Sandra.
*Sandra, I need your help. The alley opposite the one I'm walking to has someone spying on us.
I'm sure I know who it is, and I want to capture that person and prevent that person from
leaving. I'll give you the location telepathically, think you can do it?*
*I'll try. Who do you think it is?*
*An ally, if I'm not mistaken. Try not to be seen.*
*That's my specialty...*
Sandra snuck around to the opposite end of the alley Anthony had indicated and saw a cloaked
figure watching the group. She managed to get behind the figure without it seeing her and sent
a message to Anthony.
*I'm right behind the person, Anthony.*
*Good, I'll come towards you now. Keep that person from leaving.*
Anthony then turned around and ran towards the alley where the figure was. When the figure
turned around to try to run, it found itself being caught by Sandra, who was holding a dagger
to its throat to mock menace and to keep the figure still. Anthony ran up and grabbed the
figure by the arms, restraining it.
Sonic and company followed suit and saw the figure kneeling on the ground being held by
Anthony. "Yo Anth, who's this you and Sandra caught?"
"An ally," Anthony said, then turning towards the figure. "Sorry for all the trouble, madam.
I wanted to try and keep you here, and I wasn't expecting Sandra to pull a knife." Those last
words were said with a stern look in Sandra's direction.
Sonia was confused. "An ally? But, who..."
Anthony answered her question by removing the hood of the cloak, revealing a female hedgehog
with purple quills and a crown adorning her head. Sonic, Sonia, and Manic gasped in shock as
they recognized who it was, but David was the first to speak, "What the phrack...Queen Aleena?"
The hedgehogs followed suit with, "Mom?!?"
The queen bowed down and nodded, and soon found herself being hugged by three, now grown
hedgehogs she hadn't seen for a long time.
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"I wanted desperately to see my children again," Queen Aleena began to explain, "but I was told
that I should not rejoin my children until the right time, or else our kingdom would fall
completely."
"What was the right time, if I may ask?" said Chris.
"According to the seer... 'the time would come when a Master breaks the barriers'. I did not
know what was meant by this, and I fear that my being with you before that event has now put
our kingdom in danger."
Several members of the group looked at Anthony after hearing that, the younger hedgehogs
showing excited smiles on their faces.
"Not exactly," Anthony said, looking straight at the queen. "Tell me...did your kingdom know
of the legend of the Gamemaster?"
"Yes...our entire planet knows of Sir Eric's great sacrifice! Why?"
Anthony smiled and continued. "My name is Anthony Bault, and I am a descendant of Sir Eric. As
such, I am also the next Gamemaster of Arcadia. I have already opened all but two of the
Arcadian portals, in fact," Anthony pointed at Megaman for this next part, "my friend, Megaman,
here comes from Neo-Earth. Perhaps, I am the 'Master that breaks the barriers' you were
waiting for."
Queen Aleena looked up at Anthony, new tears of joy forming in her eyes. "Is it true? Are you
of Sir Eric's blood?"
Anthony nodded...an action which caused the queen to break down. "Thank Destiny..."
Sonic, Sonia, and Manic comforted their mother, happy that they could be reunited, this time
for good. Chris and David looked toward Anthony with interesting smiles on their faces.
"Dang, Anth!" David said. "First you reunite Max with his kids, now you reunite Sonic and
Suni with their mother! Got any other family reunions planned?"
"Not really...at least not until after Robotnik's defeat."
"Come..." Aleena said, standing up, "we have much to do. The portal to Hylas is not far from
here, and we have a problem."
"What type of problem?" Manic asked.
"I overheard that Sleet and Dingo have already secured the sealed building where the portal
exists. They also have three robots in their possession that look like they were built for
destruction or demolition. They are currently trying to open the sealed building."
"I'm not surprised," Anthony said, getting the group to attention. "Packbell seemed to know
who I was at Minoc, so he's probably on to what we're doing now. We'd better hurry!"
"That's what I do best, Anth," Sonic said, already revving his legs. "I'll scout ahead while
you guys catch up."
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The group managed to catch up to Sonic, who was motioning for them to stay back.
"Quiet guys, sound like they're trying to break into the building," Sonic whispered as they
approached.
"Can you see what they're doing?" asked Sonia.
"Nada...and I don't want to stick my head out just in case they're keeping an eye out for
us...or a gun."
"Allow me..." Anthony said, activating his clairvoyance power. "I can see them...two rather
ugly looking furries, must be Dingo and Sleet...the robots look serious...one looks like an
gorilla with some extra firepower, the next one's looks like a bulky roboticized eagle, the
third one looks like a tank with a major arsenal and that's the one trying to destroy the
door...waaaaaaait a minute..." Anthony turned toward Sonic and touched his forehead with his
hand. "Sonic, do these bots look familiar to you?"
Sonic saw the image Anthony psionically showed him and almost laughed. "What? You've got to
be kidding...Grounder, Scratch, and Coconuts?!?"
"What the phrack?!?" David said. "I thought I scrapped those bots! What gives?"
"I read the fanfic," Anthony answered. "Their CPUs were still active and Packbell recovered
them. Looks like they got a massive upgrade too..."
"Looks like I'll have to destroy them again!" David said, pulling out a laser rifle.
"Are you nuts, Davie?!?" Sonia said. "We need a plan! We can't just rush out with guns a
blazing!"
"I agree..." Anthony said, "and I think I have a plan. Aleena, is there a back door to that
building?"
"Yes...around that alley over there," Aleena said, pointing to a back alley.
"Good...then this should work. Sandra, you up for another stealth run?"
"Definitely," Sandra said, smiling. "This is turning out to be fun, I should work with you
more often!"
"Excellent, then I want you, Manic, and Chris to go around to the back door to try to open it
while Sonic, David, Megaman, and I create a diversion, and perhaps a little bot destruction in
the process. Sonia, you stay here and protect Aleena. Let's get ready."
Anthony activated his armor while Rush assumed armor mode and attached to Megaman and Sonic
turned his pendant into a guitar with a laser gun, something Anthony saw from Sonic
Underground. Sonic, David, Anthony, and Megaman then ran out to face the group.
Dingo noticed them approaching. "So, the hedgehog came back home. Ok, you bots, GET THEM!"
"Yeah! Payback time!" Coconuts said as he opened fire with his arm cannons.
As fire was volleyed between the bots weapons and Megaman's, David's, and Sonic's weapons and
Anthony psionic blasts, Chris, Sandra, and Manic snuck around to the back of the building to
the back door. The door was similar to the front door, thick with an electronic lock.
Chris was first to try it. "This should be no problem." He attached his computer to the lock
and tried to bypass it, only to find a firewall program preventing his attempts.
"Whoa," Manic said, seeing the failure on Chris's part. "Whoever sealed this was good. This
will take a while."
"We don't have a while," Sandra said, pulling a small device from her pouch and attaching it to
the lock. "Okay, try it now Chris."
This time the attempt was successful, and the door opened. Chris was impressed. "Nice work,
Sandra. May I ask how?"
"Packbell had the plans for this type of lock on file, and I stole a copy of them just in case
I needed to sneak in to...appropriate some materials."
"A girl after my own heart," Manic said, warming up to Sandra. "You single?"
"Back off, green boy, I'm taken!" Sandra said, pulling out a dagger and thumbing it to mock
menace. She then sent a thought to Anthony. *Anthony, the door's open over here and the
portal awaits.*
*Got it, Sandra.* Anthony telepathically thought back, then turned to his comrades as they
fought. "Gotta go, guys! Keep them busy!"
"You got it Anth, GO!" David said, firing several shots which acted in Patriot mode by
preventing several of Grounders shots from reaching them.
Anthony ran to the back door, an action which caught Dingo's eye.
"Where's he going? SLEET!" Sleet ran up to Dingo and was transformed into a motorcycle by
Dingo's remote. They then rode off to head off Anthony.
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Anthony arrived at the back door before Dingo arrived, and ran inside the building with Sandra,
Chris, and Manic. They then all closed the door and relocked it to prevent Dingo from getting
in.
"Hopefully that will hold them until I'm finished," Anthony said, then noticed Sandra had her
dagger out and was staring at Manic. "Manic tried to hit on you didn't he?"
"And failed miserably..." Sandra said.
"I see...Manic, keep your hormones in check and let's go."
The four of them walked towards where the portal was supposed to be and saw a shimmering red
swirl floating in midair.
"There it is...now it's my turn..."
Anthony charged his psionics and sent a psionic wave towards the swirl, turning it into a
shimmering blue portal. He then stepped into the portal and walked back out, where he was
followed by two figures.
"Guys, meet Princess Zelda of the kingdom of Hyrule and Link, hero of Hylas."
A brief greeting was exchanged and then the two newcomers were told of the current situation.
Anthony noticed Link was sporting different equipment, he still had the Master Sword in his
possession, but his shield and tunic had what looked like circuitry running through them. "Get
an upgrade, Link?"
"Yeah, your Doctor Light thought these would help, a form fitting mesh armor that generates a
force field and a shield which reflects laser weapons."
"Sounds like you were given a primer on high technology as well...you said 'force field' and
'laser' as if you knew what they were."
"Yeah, and I must say I am amazed...magic WITHOUT magic!"
"Well, you'll get your chance to use them. Can you take care of the poser in the back while I
rejoin the group in front?"
"No problem, Anthony!" Link said, turning toward Zelda. "You'd better take cover, Princess."
"Over here," Sandra said, motioning towards a pile of crates.
Zelda took cover with Sandra and Manic while Chris and Link headed for the back door and
Anthony headed for the front. Both doors were opened by Chris at the same time...
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Anthony noticed the tide was going well for his group...Coconuts had been disarmed, literally,
of his blaster cannon arms and had a blast cavity in his chest the size of his head, and
Grounder was having trouble keeping Sonic, David, and Megaman busy. Scratch noticed Anthony's
exit, and went to attack him with his newly installed claw arms, only to have THOSE disarmed
literally as well by two well placed lightsaber strikes. Now helpless, Scratch soon found
himself being carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey by Anthony's lightsaber attacks.
"Hey, you guys want a leg or a wing?" Anthony ad-libbed to his group.
"Just bring us some leftovers, Anth," David said, firing a tandem blast with Megaman and Sonic
that reduced Grounder to scrap.
"Yeah, and we'll bring the dessert," Sonic said, reducing his weapon to a pendant again.
"Coconuts creamed pie and some lovely scrap for a centerpiece."
"Nice work guys," Anthony said. "Now, let's see if we can help Link take care of Dingo and
Sleet."
"Link's here?!?" David asked, surprised. "Damn, this ought to be good!" The three of them
ran up to join Anthony as he ran back inside the building.
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Link was having no problem dealing with Dingo. Even though Dingo was riding a motorbike mode
Sleet, he couldn't match Link's agility as Link sidestepped every attempt he made to run him
over and rebounded every laser shot with his shield. Link was even getting a few sword hits on
Sleet every time they passed.
"OW! Hey, Dingo, think we can avoid getting close to that elf-boy?!? It's beginning to hurt!"
"Shut up you fool! We need to take these newcomers down as per Packbell's orders...or would
like to be on his bad side?"
"I'll take my chances with elf-boy then..."
The two continued to try to attack Link, but soon found themselves outnumbered as Anthony and
company entered. Dingo saw the odds turn against him and retreated out of the back door,
avoiding parting shots by David and Megaman.
"Man, they got away!" Sonic said, a little disappointed.
"Ah leave them...they're harmless," David said, putting his rifle away. He and Sonic then
walked up toward Link. Zelda and company also left their hiding spot and Sonia and Aleena
entered the building behind the rest of the group.
"Sonic and company," Anthony said, making the introductions, "meet Princess Zelda of Hyrule and
Link, hero of Hylas." Greetings were exchanged, particularly between the queen and Zelda and
Link and Sonic, and Anthony was busy examining the portal.
"Too bad we can't move this closer to Knothole for convenience," Anthony remarked. "I
mean...I've been told how to move the portal entrances but I'm not sure if can hold my
concentration for that long and pilot my jet sled, even when we stop midway to rest."
"Leave that to me," Manic said, and pressed a button on a device he carried. Within minutes, a
van piloted by remote control came up to the entrance of the building. "This should cover
transportation, since we have quite a few bodies to transport back to Knothole."
Anthony looked towards Manic with a look of surprise. "You're coming to Knothole, Manic? What
about your fight here?"
"This place has been low activity since Buttnik started focusing on Knothole, one of the
reasons my sibs went there, so my people will be able to handle it. Besides...me and my sibs
have a LOT of catching up to do with Mom..."
"Amen to that!" Aleena replied.
"Alrighty then..." Anthony said, then turning back towards the portal. "Now about this
portal..."
"I know what we can do to move the portal so you won't have to worry about expending to much
energy, Anthony," Zelda said. She then cast a strange spell which collapsed the portal to the
size of a baseball and Anthony started the necessary concentrating in order to move it while
walking onto the van. As the group, save for David and Chris who were walking towards David's
hoverbike, were boarding, Megaman turned towards Sandra.
"Sandra, thanks for your help. Need a lift back to the Knothole area?"
"Sure, but just drop me off at the midpoint. I'll take the scenic route back home from there."
Mobara, to Anthony, looked like the kingdom never left the Elizabethan age. Several buildings
abounded looking like the Renaissance Festival Anthony liked to go to back on Earth, the only
difference being the existence of technology that could be seen here and there.
"Sonic," Anthony said, turning towards the hedgehog who at the moment seemed mesmerized by
being back home, "any chance we can catch up with that brother of yours?"
"Manic? Knowing him he probably knows were here already, and..."
Sonic and Sonia noticed a flashing light coming from one of the alleyways. They then took out
two pendants from pouches they were carrying with them and flashed their reflections back at
it. Within minutes, a green hedgehog which looked like a punk rocker came out.
"Bro! Sis! Welcome home!" the hedgehog, who Anthony recognized as Manic, said as he embraced
Sonic and Sonia. "Man, when I saw you coming, I couldn't believe it! What's the occasion?"
"Big news happening in Knothole bro," Sonic said, "and it has to do with this guy here!" Sonic
then motioned towards Anthony. "This is Anthony Bault, descendant of Sir Eric!"
"Awesome! Uh...why does the new Gamemaster look like an accountant?"
Anthony seethed at that comment while Sandra and the rest of the group giggled slightly. Sonic
was the first to calm people down. "Manic, bro, future reference...DON'T call the man an
accountant again! He's been called that one too many times, and after seeing him trash
Packbell, I wouldn't want to mess with him..."
"Got it," Manic said, walking up to Anthony. "Nice to meet you, Gamemaster."
"Please, Manic, call me Anthony...just DON'T call me an accountant!"
"Right...I suppose you're here to open the Hylas portal, right?"
"Indeed. Can you lead us to it?"
"You bet, follow me!"
The group walked with Manic to the portal location, and Manic was being introduced to the group
as they walked. He almost freaked out when he heard Megaman was a robot, but calmed down when
Sonic told him of his help in Minoc. Anthony was looking around, trying to take in as much as
he could about the area for future reference. Suddenly, he sensed a presence in one of the
alleys and asked the group to stop.
"What's wrong, Anth?" David asked. "You sense trouble?"
"Not sure...I'll go check..."
Anthony walked towards an alley opposite the one he sensed the presence from. He then sent a
telepathic message to Sandra.
*Sandra, I need your help. The alley opposite the one I'm walking to has someone spying on us.
I'm sure I know who it is, and I want to capture that person and prevent that person from
leaving. I'll give you the location telepathically, think you can do it?*
*I'll try. Who do you think it is?*
*An ally, if I'm not mistaken. Try not to be seen.*
*That's my specialty...*
Sandra snuck around to the opposite end of the alley Anthony had indicated and saw a cloaked
figure watching the group. She managed to get behind the figure without it seeing her and sent
a message to Anthony.
*I'm right behind the person, Anthony.*
*Good, I'll come towards you now. Keep that person from leaving.*
Anthony then turned around and ran towards the alley where the figure was. When the figure
turned around to try to run, it found itself being caught by Sandra, who was holding a dagger
to its throat to mock menace and to keep the figure still. Anthony ran up and grabbed the
figure by the arms, restraining it.
Sonic and company followed suit and saw the figure kneeling on the ground being held by
Anthony. "Yo Anth, who's this you and Sandra caught?"
"An ally," Anthony said, then turning towards the figure. "Sorry for all the trouble, madam.
I wanted to try and keep you here, and I wasn't expecting Sandra to pull a knife." Those last
words were said with a stern look in Sandra's direction.
Sonia was confused. "An ally? But, who..."
Anthony answered her question by removing the hood of the cloak, revealing a female hedgehog
with purple quills and a crown adorning her head. Sonic, Sonia, and Manic gasped in shock as
they recognized who it was, but David was the first to speak, "What the phrack...Queen Aleena?"
The hedgehogs followed suit with, "Mom?!?"
The queen bowed down and nodded, and soon found herself being hugged by three, now grown
hedgehogs she hadn't seen for a long time.
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"I wanted desperately to see my children again," Queen Aleena began to explain, "but I was told
that I should not rejoin my children until the right time, or else our kingdom would fall
completely."
"What was the right time, if I may ask?" said Chris.
"According to the seer... 'the time would come when a Master breaks the barriers'. I did not
know what was meant by this, and I fear that my being with you before that event has now put
our kingdom in danger."
Several members of the group looked at Anthony after hearing that, the younger hedgehogs
showing excited smiles on their faces.
"Not exactly," Anthony said, looking straight at the queen. "Tell me...did your kingdom know
of the legend of the Gamemaster?"
"Yes...our entire planet knows of Sir Eric's great sacrifice! Why?"
Anthony smiled and continued. "My name is Anthony Bault, and I am a descendant of Sir Eric. As
such, I am also the next Gamemaster of Arcadia. I have already opened all but two of the
Arcadian portals, in fact," Anthony pointed at Megaman for this next part, "my friend, Megaman,
here comes from Neo-Earth. Perhaps, I am the 'Master that breaks the barriers' you were
waiting for."
Queen Aleena looked up at Anthony, new tears of joy forming in her eyes. "Is it true? Are you
of Sir Eric's blood?"
Anthony nodded...an action which caused the queen to break down. "Thank Destiny..."
Sonic, Sonia, and Manic comforted their mother, happy that they could be reunited, this time
for good. Chris and David looked toward Anthony with interesting smiles on their faces.
"Dang, Anth!" David said. "First you reunite Max with his kids, now you reunite Sonic and
Suni with their mother! Got any other family reunions planned?"
"Not really...at least not until after Robotnik's defeat."
"Come..." Aleena said, standing up, "we have much to do. The portal to Hylas is not far from
here, and we have a problem."
"What type of problem?" Manic asked.
"I overheard that Sleet and Dingo have already secured the sealed building where the portal
exists. They also have three robots in their possession that look like they were built for
destruction or demolition. They are currently trying to open the sealed building."
"I'm not surprised," Anthony said, getting the group to attention. "Packbell seemed to know
who I was at Minoc, so he's probably on to what we're doing now. We'd better hurry!"
"That's what I do best, Anth," Sonic said, already revving his legs. "I'll scout ahead while
you guys catch up."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The group managed to catch up to Sonic, who was motioning for them to stay back.
"Quiet guys, sound like they're trying to break into the building," Sonic whispered as they
approached.
"Can you see what they're doing?" asked Sonia.
"Nada...and I don't want to stick my head out just in case they're keeping an eye out for
us...or a gun."
"Allow me..." Anthony said, activating his clairvoyance power. "I can see them...two rather
ugly looking furries, must be Dingo and Sleet...the robots look serious...one looks like an
gorilla with some extra firepower, the next one's looks like a bulky roboticized eagle, the
third one looks like a tank with a major arsenal and that's the one trying to destroy the
door...waaaaaaait a minute..." Anthony turned toward Sonic and touched his forehead with his
hand. "Sonic, do these bots look familiar to you?"
Sonic saw the image Anthony psionically showed him and almost laughed. "What? You've got to
be kidding...Grounder, Scratch, and Coconuts?!?"
"What the phrack?!?" David said. "I thought I scrapped those bots! What gives?"
"I read the fanfic," Anthony answered. "Their CPUs were still active and Packbell recovered
them. Looks like they got a massive upgrade too..."
"Looks like I'll have to destroy them again!" David said, pulling out a laser rifle.
"Are you nuts, Davie?!?" Sonia said. "We need a plan! We can't just rush out with guns a
blazing!"
"I agree..." Anthony said, "and I think I have a plan. Aleena, is there a back door to that
building?"
"Yes...around that alley over there," Aleena said, pointing to a back alley.
"Good...then this should work. Sandra, you up for another stealth run?"
"Definitely," Sandra said, smiling. "This is turning out to be fun, I should work with you
more often!"
"Excellent, then I want you, Manic, and Chris to go around to the back door to try to open it
while Sonic, David, Megaman, and I create a diversion, and perhaps a little bot destruction in
the process. Sonia, you stay here and protect Aleena. Let's get ready."
Anthony activated his armor while Rush assumed armor mode and attached to Megaman and Sonic
turned his pendant into a guitar with a laser gun, something Anthony saw from Sonic
Underground. Sonic, David, Anthony, and Megaman then ran out to face the group.
Dingo noticed them approaching. "So, the hedgehog came back home. Ok, you bots, GET THEM!"
"Yeah! Payback time!" Coconuts said as he opened fire with his arm cannons.
As fire was volleyed between the bots weapons and Megaman's, David's, and Sonic's weapons and
Anthony psionic blasts, Chris, Sandra, and Manic snuck around to the back of the building to
the back door. The door was similar to the front door, thick with an electronic lock.
Chris was first to try it. "This should be no problem." He attached his computer to the lock
and tried to bypass it, only to find a firewall program preventing his attempts.
"Whoa," Manic said, seeing the failure on Chris's part. "Whoever sealed this was good. This
will take a while."
"We don't have a while," Sandra said, pulling a small device from her pouch and attaching it to
the lock. "Okay, try it now Chris."
This time the attempt was successful, and the door opened. Chris was impressed. "Nice work,
Sandra. May I ask how?"
"Packbell had the plans for this type of lock on file, and I stole a copy of them just in case
I needed to sneak in to...appropriate some materials."
"A girl after my own heart," Manic said, warming up to Sandra. "You single?"
"Back off, green boy, I'm taken!" Sandra said, pulling out a dagger and thumbing it to mock
menace. She then sent a thought to Anthony. *Anthony, the door's open over here and the
portal awaits.*
*Got it, Sandra.* Anthony telepathically thought back, then turned to his comrades as they
fought. "Gotta go, guys! Keep them busy!"
"You got it Anth, GO!" David said, firing several shots which acted in Patriot mode by
preventing several of Grounders shots from reaching them.
Anthony ran to the back door, an action which caught Dingo's eye.
"Where's he going? SLEET!" Sleet ran up to Dingo and was transformed into a motorcycle by
Dingo's remote. They then rode off to head off Anthony.
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Anthony arrived at the back door before Dingo arrived, and ran inside the building with Sandra,
Chris, and Manic. They then all closed the door and relocked it to prevent Dingo from getting
in.
"Hopefully that will hold them until I'm finished," Anthony said, then noticed Sandra had her
dagger out and was staring at Manic. "Manic tried to hit on you didn't he?"
"And failed miserably..." Sandra said.
"I see...Manic, keep your hormones in check and let's go."
The four of them walked towards where the portal was supposed to be and saw a shimmering red
swirl floating in midair.
"There it is...now it's my turn..."
Anthony charged his psionics and sent a psionic wave towards the swirl, turning it into a
shimmering blue portal. He then stepped into the portal and walked back out, where he was
followed by two figures.
"Guys, meet Princess Zelda of the kingdom of Hyrule and Link, hero of Hylas."
A brief greeting was exchanged and then the two newcomers were told of the current situation.
Anthony noticed Link was sporting different equipment, he still had the Master Sword in his
possession, but his shield and tunic had what looked like circuitry running through them. "Get
an upgrade, Link?"
"Yeah, your Doctor Light thought these would help, a form fitting mesh armor that generates a
force field and a shield which reflects laser weapons."
"Sounds like you were given a primer on high technology as well...you said 'force field' and
'laser' as if you knew what they were."
"Yeah, and I must say I am amazed...magic WITHOUT magic!"
"Well, you'll get your chance to use them. Can you take care of the poser in the back while I
rejoin the group in front?"
"No problem, Anthony!" Link said, turning toward Zelda. "You'd better take cover, Princess."
"Over here," Sandra said, motioning towards a pile of crates.
Zelda took cover with Sandra and Manic while Chris and Link headed for the back door and
Anthony headed for the front. Both doors were opened by Chris at the same time...
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Anthony noticed the tide was going well for his group...Coconuts had been disarmed, literally,
of his blaster cannon arms and had a blast cavity in his chest the size of his head, and
Grounder was having trouble keeping Sonic, David, and Megaman busy. Scratch noticed Anthony's
exit, and went to attack him with his newly installed claw arms, only to have THOSE disarmed
literally as well by two well placed lightsaber strikes. Now helpless, Scratch soon found
himself being carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey by Anthony's lightsaber attacks.
"Hey, you guys want a leg or a wing?" Anthony ad-libbed to his group.
"Just bring us some leftovers, Anth," David said, firing a tandem blast with Megaman and Sonic
that reduced Grounder to scrap.
"Yeah, and we'll bring the dessert," Sonic said, reducing his weapon to a pendant again.
"Coconuts creamed pie and some lovely scrap for a centerpiece."
"Nice work guys," Anthony said. "Now, let's see if we can help Link take care of Dingo and
Sleet."
"Link's here?!?" David asked, surprised. "Damn, this ought to be good!" The three of them
ran up to join Anthony as he ran back inside the building.
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Link was having no problem dealing with Dingo. Even though Dingo was riding a motorbike mode
Sleet, he couldn't match Link's agility as Link sidestepped every attempt he made to run him
over and rebounded every laser shot with his shield. Link was even getting a few sword hits on
Sleet every time they passed.
"OW! Hey, Dingo, think we can avoid getting close to that elf-boy?!? It's beginning to hurt!"
"Shut up you fool! We need to take these newcomers down as per Packbell's orders...or would
like to be on his bad side?"
"I'll take my chances with elf-boy then..."
The two continued to try to attack Link, but soon found themselves outnumbered as Anthony and
company entered. Dingo saw the odds turn against him and retreated out of the back door,
avoiding parting shots by David and Megaman.
"Man, they got away!" Sonic said, a little disappointed.
"Ah leave them...they're harmless," David said, putting his rifle away. He and Sonic then
walked up toward Link. Zelda and company also left their hiding spot and Sonia and Aleena
entered the building behind the rest of the group.
"Sonic and company," Anthony said, making the introductions, "meet Princess Zelda of Hyrule and
Link, hero of Hylas." Greetings were exchanged, particularly between the queen and Zelda and
Link and Sonic, and Anthony was busy examining the portal.
"Too bad we can't move this closer to Knothole for convenience," Anthony remarked. "I
mean...I've been told how to move the portal entrances but I'm not sure if can hold my
concentration for that long and pilot my jet sled, even when we stop midway to rest."
"Leave that to me," Manic said, and pressed a button on a device he carried. Within minutes, a
van piloted by remote control came up to the entrance of the building. "This should cover
transportation, since we have quite a few bodies to transport back to Knothole."
Anthony looked towards Manic with a look of surprise. "You're coming to Knothole, Manic? What
about your fight here?"
"This place has been low activity since Buttnik started focusing on Knothole, one of the
reasons my sibs went there, so my people will be able to handle it. Besides...me and my sibs
have a LOT of catching up to do with Mom..."
"Amen to that!" Aleena replied.
"Alrighty then..." Anthony said, then turning back towards the portal. "Now about this
portal..."
"I know what we can do to move the portal so you won't have to worry about expending to much
energy, Anthony," Zelda said. She then cast a strange spell which collapsed the portal to the
size of a baseball and Anthony started the necessary concentrating in order to move it while
walking onto the van. As the group, save for David and Chris who were walking towards David's
hoverbike, were boarding, Megaman turned towards Sandra.
"Sandra, thanks for your help. Need a lift back to the Knothole area?"
"Sure, but just drop me off at the midpoint. I'll take the scenic route back home from there."