Suddenly he landed with a hard bump. He stood up, brushed himself off, and realized something was different.

He had used both his hands to brush himself off.

Quickly he unwrapped the splint and looked at his arm.

It was as whole as if it had never been broken.

"Now that was odd," remarked a voice from behind him. Sonic turned quickly to see... Harry.

"Harry! I... what are you doing here?"

"Well, obviously you brought me here! And a good thing too, my back doesn't hurt anymore." He rubbed it and looked around.

They were standing in the middle of an empty field, devoid of any life except for grass. It was cloud overhead and a strange smell was in the air. Knuckles, Rouge and Tails were also there.

"Is this where Kerrigan warped? I thought it would be, well...creepier," said Tails, surveying their surroundings.

"It is creepy," said Rouge with a shiver. "Can't you smell it? There is a foul scent on the air..."

"It's Chaos," Knuckles whispered quietly. "We've warped into a realm of Chaos."

"Hey look!" said Tails, pointing away in the distance. "I can see a city! We should head for that!"

They all turned to Sonic.

"Maybe we'll find some clues around here," suggested Harry. Everyone agreed on this so they began looking around. However, there was not much to look around in. A ways off there was a forest, then there was the city Tails saw, and everywhere else...nothing. No life, no trees, not even a single bush.

"It's like the city and the forest are the only safe places to live," remarked Rouge.

"I think we'll be much more likely to find Kerrigan and Shadow in the city than in some forest," Sonic declared. Everyone followed him as he led them toward the shining city.
A few hours later, they arrived at the gates. Several guards came out and seized them roughly. Only Harry was not grabbed. One of them checked the back of Sonic's hand. The others did the same.
"It's okay, they're not metiyas!" called one of the guards. The others instantly released them.
"A thousand apologies, good sir. It is not every day we are paid a visit from ones who are not human, yet are not metiyas. You may pass, and for your inconvenience, find free lodging at the Stalking Lion. Just head straight through the city streets and you will find it." The guard bowed deeply and let them pass.

"What's the Stalking Lion?" asked Tails in a low voice as they passed.

"An inn of some sort, I gather," replied Sonic.

As they walked through the streets they saw some curious things. There were many more animals than humans there, some hedgehogs and foxes, some bats and rats, and other animals like them. But they were all silent, walking with downcast eyes and bowing to the humans they met. The humans for the most part paid them no heed except to wave them on. A couple of boys were throwing stones at a hapless frog. His only response was to bow his head down as he continued through the streets.

Rouge was outraged. "Aren't those poor things going to DO anything about that? Are they just going to let humans walk right over them?"

Rouge caught the arm of one of the boys who was about to throw another stone. "Stop it!" she chastised. "Can't you see you're hurting him?"

The boy wrenched his arm out of her grip and glared at her. "You steppin' outta your place, metiya!"

Sonic stepped in front of Rouge. "We are not metiyas," he said quietly and showed them the backs of his hands. The rest of the group held up their hands as well.

Sullenly, the boys dropped their stones and stalked off. The frog, which previously had been crouching on the ground, slowly stood up.

He mumbled, "Sorry, masters," gave them a look of absolute terror and scurried off. Rouge watched him go.

"Well, you're welcome!" she called after him. "Sheesh! You'd think he'd at least say thank you!"

"I get the feeling that they're not used to being saved. Do you think this kind of stuff goes on all the time?" asked Tails.

"Probably," said Harry darkly. "It's like humans are the masters and animals slaves."

"It's like that in the real world too, you know," pointed out Rouge.

"But not to this extreme," defended Harry.

"Hey you," called an extremely tall, large man. He walked slowly and menacingly toward them.

"Did you just stop those boys from hitting my frog?"

"Uhhhh...yes," said Rouge uncertainly.

He towered over them. "If they were beating him, he deserved it! Don't interfere with MY metiyas!"

He drew back his arm as if to hit Rouge. She quickly jabbed the man, once, twice, in the groin and in the stomach. He doubled over, wheezing.

"Quick! Run!" whispered Knuckles as the man's eyes blazed. They fled through the streets until they reached the Stalking Lion.

"Whew! That was close!" sighed Sonic. The innkeeper, a short, fat man with graying hair and a trimmed beard, looked at them from the counter where he was perched on a stool.

"Good evening masters! I take it you're the ones with free lodging as the gate guards reported? Come in, come in! Dinner will be on the house, but after that you'll have to pay. I need to make a living too, you know!" He chuckled at his own joke.

Sonic took an instant dislike to the man. "Thanks. Where are our rooms?"

"First floor, rooms 6 and 7. You'll have to share." He handed them two keys. "Have a good evening."

Sonic and the others walked to the rooms and looked in. The beds were relatively clean, and there was a bathtub with a private bathroom.

"I'm heading to the common room," declared Sonic. "I'll learn something there." Knuckles joined him.

Together they sat down at a table. A plain brown hedgehog dressed in an apron stopped at their table.

He said in a quiet voice, "What will you be having?"

Sonic and Knuckles gave their orders and he left. Pretty soon two men stopped at their table.

"Are you new around here?" one asked.

"Yes..." said Sonic. "What are metiyas?"

The two men looked at each other. They chuckled.

"You are new here, aren't you? A metiya is a slave; more importantly, an animal slave. Like you. Only you aren't metiyas. We've had them since as long as anyone can remember. Real downbeaten group. They're usually handed down through families, so one group of metiyas usually serves one family...forever."

"Can't they be freed?" asked Knuckles.

"Who'd want to free them?" asked the man, as if surprised they would ask. "Once they got a taste of freedom, they'd all want some...and then we'd have revolts on our hands... and what's more, we'd probably lose any war we started with them. They outnumber us ten to one."

Sonic digested this information thoughtfully. "So every family has at least one?"

"Yep," responded the man. "They don't object to anything, too afraid they'll get beaten...most of them probably get beaten five times a day, even if they've done nothing. Kids like to throw rocks at them."

"Like that one we saw on the street," put in Knuckles.

The man looked at him sharply. "Are you the ones who started that?"

"Well..."

"Never mind, I can see from your face you did," cut in the man. "Your ignorance will excuse you once, but not again. Trust me; some are real stingy about their metiyas. Keep away from them."

Sonic and Knuckles nodded. The men rose to leave.

"Wait..." called Sonic. "I have one more question. Do you know of a man named Kerrigan, or a black hedgehog who looks a lot like me? I think they may have passed through here recently."

"SHHHHHH!" hissed one of the men. "Do you WANT to get in trouble? Even newbies like you should know that you never, EVER speak the High Lord's name. I have never, ever in my life seen folk so bound for trouble..." He plopped back into the chair.
"The High Lord has been around forever. He's immortal and unchanging. He rules this universe and created all of us. He is the one who brought metiyas into being. And as for your black hedgehog, I'm sure there's a million metiyas who fit that description. You've got to be more specific."

"He has a light case of metal around his chest," pressed Sonic. "And he would be in high favor with K... with the High Lord."

"Nope. Sorry. No one here would be in high favor with the High Lord. He has only servants, and the news would spread like wildfire if he had been through here."

"And one last question..." interjected Knuckles.

The man sighed. His other companion walked away. "Fine."

"What is the name of that hedgehog waiter over there?"

"Why would you want to know? But if you must, his name is Gabriel."

Sonic pondered this. Gabriel... that sounded... almost... familiar...

The man rose. "It's clear you need guidance. Without me, you'll be getting yourself into trouble at every opportunity."

Sonic studied the man. "Fine," Sonic said.

The man rubbed his hands together. "That's great! Where are you staying?"

Sonic showed him their rooms and introduced him to everyone else. The man said his name was Thayne.

"First if all, do you have a plan?" he asked them.

"To find Shadow and K... the High Lord," said Knuckles.

"Do you even know where to find the High Lord's citadel?" Thayne asked. They all shook their heads.

"It's off to the north, about one hundred miles. It will take you at least three or four days to reach it. But when you reach it, you'll find it's guarded by millions of metiyas. And more than just them. There are traps and snares and hidden ropes that will kill you if you don't watch your step."

"And just how is this going to help us?" asked Sonic.

"I can get you past there. For a reasonable fee, of course."

"How much?" put in Rouge.

"Oh... since you're new, I'll give you a discount. Four thousand gold."

Sonic's mouth dropped open. They didn't even have two gold, much less four thousand! "You can't be serious!"

"Hey, that cost includes supplies, shelter, and risk of life. Mostly risk of life. But if you won't pay, I won't guide!"

"Look, we don't have a penny to our name!" said Harry.

Thayne considered this. "Well...if I die or you die, then I won't get paid..."

"If one of us dies, it'll be likely that all of us will die," pointed out Tails.

"Sigh... all right, pay me afterward." Thayne put out his hand. Sonic shook it.