John Victor Foxfire: Johan is just getting started. Sonic's aneurysm was pretty rough, but he was at his limits. Sally saw Sonic was actually damaging himself with how angry and stressed he was, and came to realize just how bad things got. Sonic has been suffering, but he still believes in the Freedom Fighter cause, just not the leadership. Fiona is still at a cross roads between rejoining the Freedom Fighters or going back to Scourge, and it won't get easier for Fiona. Events are coming that are going to make everyone's lives… changed to say the least.
MerenDinoEmilano: Ok, but what kind of worldbuilding improvements/expansions would you like to see? Give me something to improve on.
/*-*/
Sonic slumped inside Freedom headquarters mess hall. To say he was bummed out would be an understatement. His injury was still a thing, and even with his faster healing, Sonic still wasn't allowed to do anything that might "strain" him for another week. He probably should take it easier for longer, considering his recent tear, but still… Sonic hated moving so slow.
Sonic looked at the glass of mixed juice. He'd decide to mix grape and orange, which wasn't half bad. He would have enjoyed the two better separate, but as he saw it, live and learn. Sonic took another sip and nodded.
The door opened, and his familiar leader stepped in, "Hey… what's up with you?"
Sonic gave Sally a fake smile, "Nothing much."
"Well you should be upset. You've got thieves, rapist and murders setting up camp right outside your city. You could protest Nagus' ordinance, tell him to set-" Sally was up to something.
"-What are you trying to get?" Sonic groaned. She'd been playing with him ever since he became a nobleman, and now Sonic was starting to catch on to when she was up to something.
Sally recoiled slightly, "I'm not going for anything. I just figured you'd be upset over him sending several dangerous criminals near your city. Clearly I was wrong."
Sonic smirked, "I believe in second chances." He didn't even know what a "Penal army" was until recently, and he was very upset about it as Sonic realized the proximity to everyone counting on him to keep them safe, but he wasn't going to let Sally have this.
Sally slumped slightly, "Well… That answers my question. Why are you still mad at me? Even you admitted Fiona coming back was a bad idea."
Sonic frowned, sucking on his canine, to remain quiet for a minute, "You don't trust me."
Sally laughed nervously, "What?"
"How long have we been working together. Not dating or as friends or besties. I mean from day one when we started the Freedom Fighters, how long have we worked together?" Sonic asked, partially curious himself. Time tended to blur when you lived life so fast.
Sally didn't offer anything. She remained quiet.
Sonic nodded, "Yet, you still don't trust me. You expect me to trust you and follow you blindly. I just sit down and shut up and let you do whatever. But if I do something that might mess your perfect world, you go off and expect me to sacrifice to give you what you want. If I don't you get mad and shout at me, and do everything in your power to make miserable." It sounded more accusing than he would have liked, but it was out there.
Sally stepped forward, "Now hold up, I don'-"
Sonic growled, "I'M NOT DONE! You have this approach that you can't do anything wrong. Yeah, you'll say "I was wrong." But you never seem to try and fix whatever caused the problem. What you do is you go off, get sad for a little bit and wait for me to come in and say it's all right. Well, it's not all right. What you keep doing is not all right."
Sally scowled at Sonic, "What is it I keep doing?" Her eyes glared at him.
Sonic saw no way to back out now, "You are trying to tame me. To put me on a leash and never have me tug it."
Sally kept her scowl, but nodded slowly. "We're going out on an offensive. We're going to reclaim the city of Ulber. We can talk when I get back."
"You are going without me?" Sonic asked, surprised. Maybe he hadn't heard right?
"We can't keep relying on you. We need a competent army. Part of that means that if you can't come we have to go out and do things a little harder. Nagus wants a grand offensive." Sally turned around and walked to the door, before turning around. She looked… rough. "I'm sorry that I've hurt you this bad."
Sonic felt a pang of guilt. The trouble was, he wasn't sure if she was manipulating him, or being sincere.
Even as she left, he wanted to apologize. But Sonic had made his statement, with the full hope that maybe things would change.
Sonic also was a little afraid of a "punishment" she would dish out for him not complying. That thought, however, reenforced his belief that something was wrong. He drank some more juice.
Sonic looked up at the sky, or rather the ceiling of the base, and groaned. He stood up, right as another, familiar face walked in. Black and white fur that made Sonic want to puke at the sight of him, "Geoffrey." Sonic stated.
"Hey Sonic, still mad I'm here?" Geoffrey laughed smugly. He was still as annoying as ever.
"I want to tie you up and throw you in the river next to the base." Sonic growled softly.
"What?" Geoffrey called out as he raided the fridge.
"I don't mind." Sonic grumbled louder.
Geoffrey snorted, "That's a lie. What I don't understand is why you hate me. I moved on, out of the way for you and Sally. So why is it we have… what you'd call "beef" between us?" Geoffrey with his smug, punch able face.
"You managed to screw up years of hard work. You helped Nagus take a throne we fought tooth and nail to secure. And now you're here, like nothing happened." Sonic growled, "I don't know what you did for Sally to forgive you, but I don't trust you."
Geoffrey smirked, but look a little confused, only for a moment, "She didn't forgive me. She approached me. She asked me to rejoin the Freedom Fighters."
"Oh bull crap." Sonic groaned, but he kept listening. Then he saw the smirk. Sonic had fallen into the trap.
"It's true. She asked me to join, and it had something to do with you." Geoffrey shrugged.
Sonic had a feeling this was a trick, but he also couldn't rule it out, "So she brought you along to punish me, huh?"
Geoffrey scrunched his eyebrows together, "Mmm, something like that. She wanted you to act a certain way, and it didn't happen. Oh well, the princess does have a poor track record in the planning department."
Sonic growled, "You aren't here for her? Why are you here?"
Geoffrey shrugged, "I have my reasons. There is a lack of trust of course, between the capital and the Freedom Fighters."
"Your Nagus' spy?" Sonic realized. He felt angry… but not really surprised.
Geoffrey remained still, unreadable, "A possibility. I could just be here because I'm lonely and want some friends."
Sonic stood up, and walked to the door.
"Where are you going, I thought we were having a nice talk?" Geoffrey taunted.
Sonic wasn't going to give him the time of day. He needed to talk with someone who could understand him and give him some good advice. "Geoffrey, no one here trusts you. None of us ever will."
Sonic stormed off. His chest wound was itching yet again. Sonic tried to ignore it. On the bright side of not being able to run, he finally got to use the carriage system. As he made his way down to the town center, Sonic saw a chest next to his manor frame.
Before Sonic left, he would probably need to see if there was anything valuable in there. Was he ever so right, as when opened it, He saw hundreds of mobiums stacked on top of each other?
"Your taxes, lord." A Goat explained as he walked by. Sonic nodded… right, he had implemented a tax. He still needed to get a city guard going. That would come later.
Sonic walked up to the carriage station that was on the west side of town, "Yeah, I'd like a trip to New Mobotropolis." Sonic mumbled to the cat.
"Oh… Lord Sonic? I didn't think I would see you here." Her surprise was visible, as her tail wagged curiously.
Sonic gestured to the pink and dark red splotch on his chest.
"Oh my gosh. Are you ok?" The cat asked, as she shuddered.
"Yeah… I'll heal. I got shot in our last battle, though, and I can't run until my stitches heal up." Sonic smiled, trying to look upbeat. The worst part of it was over, he didn't want people worrying.
The cat smiled at him, "Well, your ticket is on us. You fought so hard to protect us."
Sonic almost protested, but stopped. It was nice to be appreciated, so he'd take a free ride, "Alright, thank you so much."
"We'll have the carriage leaving in twenty minutes. Please don't miss it." The cat called out.
Sonic nodded and went outside to wait. He saw two beautiful horses, sitting there, waiting for him and another mobian. A grey wolf, somewhat muscular, clearly tired.
The carriage set off, and Sonic saw the wolf go to sleep in the back of the carriage. They rode for three hours, and took a bathroom and lunch break. Sonic was glad they packed food, even if it was a little salty. Then they set off again.
This time, the wolf seemed to glare at Sonic.
Sonic didn't have a lot to do, so he asked, "So… Can I help you?"
"Just keepin' an eye on you. You look like the rebellious trouble maker type." The Wolf growled. He was actually really young, but he seemed gruff, distrustful.
Sonic smiled at his assessment, "Yeah… I like to live life a little free."
"Well keep your freedom away from me. I don't want to catch your hands in my stuff." The wolf growled glaring at Sonic.
Sonic nodded, "Alright, fair enough. What'd you come to Roja for?"
"I came looking for work. I was in the guard for Melja, but Melja isn't owned by mobians anymore. Turns out, I don't have a lot of skills outside of keeping people out of trouble, and throwing them in jail when there is trouble." The Wolf kept his arms crossed.
Sonic frowned, "Yeah… That's a bummer." Then it hit Sonic, "OOH! I know." His chest stung as he stood up too quickly.
The wolf recoiled, and reached for a knife he had in his belt.
Sonic shook his head, "I can get you a job." Sonic grinned at his luck. This was great.
The Wolf eyed him suspiciously, "What kind of job?"
"Roja needs a city guard, and I haven't exactly found the time to interview people. So I was thinking-" Sonic started before the wolf interrupted him.
"Wait, interview people? Who are you exactly." The Wolf squinted at Sonic.
"The Name's Sonic, I'm the Lord of Roja. Anyway, I was looking to find people to get started with the city guard." Sonic smiled, but let the wolf speak.
"Wait you're… oh… I am sorry about accusing you of being a rebellious scoundrel. You aren't supposed to hire the city guard. You hire a captain of the guard, and he or she if she's a ma'am handles the hiring part." The wolf shifted nervously, clearly still worried about his previous comment.
Sonic shook his head, "Dude, it's fine, you aren't the first guy to call me rebel. But anyway, I need a captain of the guard, and you fit the bill perfectly. You've got experience, so you can handle all of the hiring and stuff."
The wolf blinked a couple times, "I'll need a barracks, close to the center of town. I don't exactly have experience leading a guard brigade."
Sonic shrugged his shoulders, "Just teach everyone what you learned, and figure out the rest later. That's not too hard, right?"
"I-I Guess." He still sounded hesitant. Sonic needed him to agree.
"Come on man. You'll be doing me a favor, you'll get your job you want, my town gets to be safe, everyone wins." Sonic pleaded.
The wolf paused for a moment, and looked down at his hands. Sonic couldn't pressure him anymore. Finally the wolf nodded, "The name is Hunter. I'll be your captain until someone better comes along. I don't think I'll be a good pick, but I can at least get you started."
Sonic shrugged, not entirely happy with the answer, but he had a feeling he could only lose ground if He pressure Hunter anymore, "Alright. But please think about staying if we can't find someone for the job."
Hunter didn't respond, and looked out into the distance.
They set up camp for the night. Sonic slept soundly, and they set off in the morning. Things were going his way. Sonic liked that.
The rest of the carriage ride was rather… uneventful. Despite his best efforts, Sonic found the leafless trees to be boring, and really couldn't find joy in looking at them for too long. There wasn't much to say except "Yeah, those are leafless trees."
Hunter frowned, "It's winter time. The trees are going to leafless."
That didn't make it any less boring. Sonic was once again reminded about how long trips actually took. He wasn't a fan.
Still, after several days which felt like years, Sonic arrived in New Mobotropolis. Which meant it was time for the walk to Knothole.
As he walked, Sonic wondered what he was even doing. Still he continued his trudge, and Sonic found himself getting hopeful. His carriage ride had taught him that the future wasn't necessarily filled with defeat.
He arrived at the hollowed out tree, and knocked.
Bernadette Hedgehog opened it, "Oh Sonic- Oh my baby!" she pulled him inside.
Sonic was caught off guard as his mother overpowered him, and made Sonic lose his footing. Sonic didn't understand her surprise and/or outrage until he followed her eyes. She had a firm grip on his shoulders, and her eyes wandered down to his chest area.
Right, he had been shot. The past few days Sonic had forgotten that not everyone knew about his injury.
"Oh… this is alright, it's healing. Don't worry-" Sonic tried to defend.
"JULES! JULES! COME HERE! MY BABY's BEEN SHOT!" Bernadette cried out. She looked so worried
Sonic looked over past their coat hanger and saw his dad stand up from the table, "Berni, I am right here." His mechanical voice still stabbed Sonic in the heart.
Bernadette Hedgehog looked over at her husband, "He's been shot! What do we do?"
Jules' body made a series of whirls, and his eyes seemed to enlarge. Sonic saw the Mobian Letter in his hands. All he needed was a cup of coffee, and he would have looked like a regular dad.
"Sonic, have you been looked at by a doctor?" Sonic's dad asked, sounding rather cold, but Sonic assumed it was because of his vocal processor.
"Yeah, Doctor Quack looked me over." Sonic smiled his best comforting smile, 'I got a few stitches and have been taking it easy."
Julian Hedgehog nodded, "There is not much I can do for him. He has already got the best care available."
Bernadette turned to her husband in shocked, "What do you-"
"Mom!" Sonic raised his voice, watching his mother look at him, somewhat hurt. Sonic felt bad, but he had to make a point, "I'll be fine. I just need some rest and a good meal."
His mom slowly calmed down, "Alright, I'll make a lovely marrow soup. I just got a recipe From Rosy's granddaughter."
Sonic frowned, "Mom you don't have to-… Alright, I guess if it will help me out." He ultimately had to concede, because his mother could be stubborn when she wanted to be. Sonic knew he wasn't going to shake her.
He walked over and sat down at the table. Sonic's father pulled up the paper, "Our King Nagus has become quite the showboat. He claimed full credit for the new "Penal Program". It seems a technicality in the way the prison systems have been set up gives the king full access to our prisoners."
Sonic nodded, "Yeah, I know about the new guys who showed up at the base."
Julian raised and lowered his head in a nod, "So you feel troubled by these new people so close to your city?"
"No… I don't think they'll do anything bad." Sonic mumbled, feeling a little nervous about the question. Should he feel nervous?
Jules nodded, "Nagus does not believe so either. He told the interviewer that he had confidence in his "ally's" ability to regulate the criminals."
Sonic smiled, "Well… less work for me I guess… what do you think of it?"
Jules lowered the paper. He paused, before saying, "I am conflicted. I was a soldier, and we were expected to be good men. However, when your army consists of good men, the only loses are good men. I suppose it is better that a criminal die than a poor boy who wanted to keep people safe."
Sonic frowned at the thought. They still had the volunteers who had come.
"Something troubles you. Is it girl trouble?" Jules asked, his mechanical eyes glancing down at Sonic.
Sonic nodded, "I guess. A lot of things are hitting me at once. This wound wasn't too big of a deal, but I just feel… uh." Sonic couldn't describe how he felt.
"What is wrong?" His father asked, his machine voice being emotionless, but Sonic had a feeling he was being curious.
"Sally doesn't trust me, she doesn't back me up. I don't trust Fiona, just because now I feel like she was trying to get back into the Freedom Fighters to spy on us. Tails and I are having issues, and I can't seem to get him to tell me what's wrong. We aren't really on speaking terms anymore." Sonic gapsed, trying to calm himself down.
Jules waited patiently.
Sonic continued, "I just… I need a break and advice."
Jules nodded, "Very well. Mi-Tails is the closest thing you have had to a brother. My incident prevented you from getting a blood one. Try to talk with him. Now for the other part, if you don't like how Sally or Fiona are, tell them, and make sure they know. Sally sounds threatened by Fiona, reassure her of her place in your life."
Sonic frowned, "Girls don't feel threatened." He was pretty sure they didn't.
"Bernadette!" Jules called.
Sonic's mother came into the room carrying a bag of frozen bones. Jules remained quiet, starring at Sonic.
Sonic decided it wasn't worth the wait, "Did you ever feel threatened by another girl around dad."
"Absolutely. Guys think they're the only ones who feel like they are competing, but the truth is we girls compete for the right guy more than we probably should." Sonic's mom stated clearly, hefting the bag of bones. She went back into the kitchen section of the area to keep preparing them.
Sonic frowned. Life just kept getting more complicated, "SO what do I do?" Sonic asked.
Jules paused for a moment, "Tell them what you think is wrong, and hope for change."
"What if things don't change?" Sonic asked, hoping for an easy answer.
"Then it might be time for you to move on with your life. A princess does not have the power to decide your future." Sonic's father stated.
Sonic found the answer to be both comforting and scary. He'd done everything, which meant Sonic had nothing more that could improve the situation. What ever happened, Sonic would have big decisions coming up in his life.
/*-*/
Fiona's week hadn't exactly been expected. She hadn't expected to start marching for four days. She hadn't expected for the Wolverine to magically join up with them at the Capital. She hadn't expected him to be wearing a car.
But here they were, fascinated by the glisten steel wall in front of them.
"J-Johan." Sally, the ever-calculating princess, muttered, "W-When did you make that? How did you make that?"
"I was absent for a time. My Workers restored the forge on my flying fortress." Johan, the wolverine, growled, "I am ready for battle."
"Why'd you come here?" Sally asked, suspiciously.
"I could smell your movement. This many men could only be an attacking force, or a moving army. Either way, I came ready for battle." Johan asserted.
This was weird for Fiona. They brought this monster here to fight for the Freedom Fighters. The Freedom Fighters, who were supposed to be good, righteous defenders of the kingdom, had brought in a monster that kills and butchers. It did not sit well with her.
"We are heading to reclaim the city of Ulber. I Guess get ready to march, after we eat." Sally explained.
They set up camp outside the city. Fiona had to pitch in to grab fire wood for soup. Sally and Johan kept a close eye on the Penal soldiers. Her… They also were keeping a close eye on her. But the former princess's eyes weren't the only set of eyes on Fiona.
She saw the glances from the "rough bad boys". Their time in jail probably kept them from seeing a woman for a long time. Fiona had to keep any eye on them. Still, she grabbed her fire wood, and got ready for lunch.
They set up a fire, and threw some meat and flour into several pots and had them cook under the fire. Fiona saw three former prisoners come out of the woods, glaring back behind them. The large silvery figure emerged, with Johan in full armor, carrying two more.
Sally walked up and began to confront the wolverine. Fiona moved closer, only Johan to shout, "ALL OF YOU LISTEN TO ME!" The camp turned their head to face the wolverine. He tossed down the two convicts, and Immediate Fiona wanted to recoil, their noses had been busted, and bent. The convicts were still alive, but hurting, "DESERTION WILL SERVE YOU ILL. IF I CATCH YOU FLEEING, YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE MERCIFUL PUNISHMENT THAT I HAVE GIVEN THESE MEN! I WILL CARVE YOUR FACE SO THE WORLD KNOWS OF YOUR COWARDICE!"
"That's not your call to make!" Sally tried to counter, but Fiona could see the wave of fear wash over the army. She saw everyone look a little disturbed.
Fiona guessed that was the price for keeping everyone in line. Her thoughts were interrupted by a single white speck on her nose. It was cold and icy. Snow.
Sally jerked back to Johan, "What are you doing?"
Johan response was simple, "I am doing nothing. This is natural."
Sally scowled. Fiona had worn her nice leather belly-shirt and pants, so she was fine. The rest of the army, however, didn't seem to have anything wintery or heavy.
Johan laughed, "This is perfect." His glee was ecstatic. Fiona saw the foam from the pots and ran up to Sally, "Food's ready." She smirked, attempting to convey confidence, but a bit of smugness came out. Fiona was here, and Sally couldn't do anything about it.
Sally gave her the most forced smile, before shouting, "Everyone, get something to eat. Tails, go see about getting us some coats in the city."
Fiona did see the shivers as snow picked up. Johan however sat down, "This is very good. With this snow, we will be able to attack with the element of surprise."
Sally and he continued to talk, while Fiona ate some soup. She could honestly say that She missed Her noble cook and dining table. Still it beat starving… barely.
"Hello miss." The gruff voice of a bear smiled down at her. He had a tattoo carved into his forearm.
"Hey." Fiona groaned, already knowing where the bear was going with this. Bad boys were hot. Caught bad boys were not.
"You seem like you need to open up a little. Why don't we talk." The area around her had been drown out as the snow began to pick up.
Fiona gripped her spoon to her side. He was probably not going to take "no" for an answer. So she'd have to get a little dirty. Some eyes wandered over.
Fiona smirked, "Please. I've got friends to talk to. I don't think we need to get any personal." Fiona smiled hoping people would come in. If not, she'd stab him with the spoon.
The bear placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "Perhaps I wasn't being- Ah… hey." Fiona hadn't seen Johan move, but here he was gripping the bear's forearm. The bear began to punch Johan in the chest repeatedly, but Johan growled, "What are you doing?"
The Bear began to whine, "Nothing." He desperately tried to pull away as Johan's grip tighten.
"You should be helping with food." Johan growled, clearly upset.
"Right, Right. I'll be helping with food." The bear tugged harder, but Johan's grip remained.
"I have ripped your miserable soft people in half. Do not test my ire." Johan growled.
The Bear nodded vigorously. "Right, Right! Ok, Ok. I get it. I'm sorry."
Johan released the Bear, who scrambled off.
Fiona looked at Johan, "I had it under control."
"I don't care, I wanted to make sure that everyone knew I expect them to be dignified and disciplined." Johan wandered back to Sally's side.
After eating, Tails returned with several boxes of old coats. The soldiers got some warm, so that was good, and they set out marching. The army arrived at the town outside of Ulber, and set up camp inside the city.
Fiona was surprised by a couple of things: One, that the town was in one piece. Aside from the bullet holes and destroyed buildings on the east side, the town was fine. Two, that the town was so empty. Their "Camp" was nothing more than a series of houses and beds. A few needed sleeping bags, but that was it. There were a few buildings occupied, but there were maybe thirty residents for a two mile town.
Dry bread and water for the night, and Fiona went to sleep in a bed that probably hadn't been washed before it was abandoned.
When she awoke, it meant more marching. About two hours' worth until they found the city. A sharp reminder was struck to Sally and Fiona. The city had walls. They had rifles.
They didn't know if the gate on the other side had been repaired or not, but the idea that the Freedom Fighters would try to rush Robotnik was… absurd. At least Fiona hoped Sally wouldn't send the guys to go suiciding.
Sally groaned from the edge of the forest, "We can't even starve them out."
Fiona thought for a moment. Right they were fighting machines, not people.
Johan began to make a fluctuating growling noise. It seemed to always change, and never follow a rhythm. Fiona realized he was humming something to himself.
His steel helmet had bits of snow on it, and it had ear guards which looked welded at the last minute. Still, if not for the arms and legs, someone could forget there was a living creature under there. If he is a living creature, and not some nightmare cast on us by an angry god.
Sally finally growled, "Alright, what's going with you!" She snapped at the Wolverine.
Johan simply pointed out by the road, "There is a river." There was, a large river which drifted into the city, frozen slightly from the cold.
"Yes, and?" Sally asked clearly annoyed.
Johan turned to her, "is there a guard against it?"
"You mean like a grate or water gate?" Sally asked.
Johan remained quiet. Fiona saw the wheels turning in his head.
Sally shook her head, "It was a trade town. There wasn't really a need to keep water. Why?"
"Why not walk on the river?" Johan asked, sounding more curious than brilliant. He seemed cautious.
"The ice isn't nearly thick enough. We'd need it to freeze at least half a foot thick. I don't think the weather will do that anytime soon." Sally sighed, and seemed to look at him with a bit of apology.
Fiona frowned. It was actually…very smart. Scarily smart. If She were in the defenders shoes, the enemy just appearing out of nowhere would make her surrender on the spot. As the two sat in silence, Fiona also had to give credit. It was a shame the plan had failed.
Sally grit her teeth, "Not a word. EVERYONE, PREPARE A FIRE, AND FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!"
Fiona jerked up, "Wait, what's going on."
"We will walk on the ice." Johan crawled out towards the river.
"How, it's not frozen enough- can you freeze it?" IT had never occurred to Fiona the he might have a special ability like Sonic or Tails.
Johan growled, "You should go back to them if you do not wish to freeze."
Fiona didn't need to get told twice. She ran back, and saw they were erecting their tents into layers to make super thick tents around a massive pile of sticks. Everyone was in a panic. Sally came over and lit her blades on each set of sticks.
Fiona dove into a tent, and huddled up, grabbing her sleeping bag and wrapping it around her with everyone else in their group's tent.
"WE'RE READY!" Sally shouted, and Fiona braced. Her ears started to ring as pressure changed. The tent walls began to rock back and forth Fiona heard tearing and screeching from wind. She saw loose ends become rigid.
Then… it quieted down.
"It is ready." Johan growled, and Fiona crawled out of the tent. What had been a few inches had turned into two feet of snow. The land was covered, and the storm still continued, fiercer than it was before. Fiona felt her heart rate rising. Johan could do that? She had seen an ability like that at the prison, but She had dismissed it at her imagination.
"Freedom Fighters, prepare to attack!" Sally called out. Fiona walked over to the bank of the river, now frozen with snow. She licked her lips nervously. The Clusters of the mobian army followed her onto the ice. The river was frozen solid, or at least enough to let them walk on it. She dared to jump, and found that the ice didn't even come close to cracking. Easily one to two feet of ice.
"The storm will not last forever." Johan growled.
Sally called out, "Advance!"
They pushed up the river, the walls turning from barely recognizable outlines to solid stone. Fiona and the rest of the army was maybe ten feet from the walls, and nothing happened. They approached and Fiona felt her breath quicken. There was no telling what they would find. If this area was guarded, Fiona would be the first one to get hit.
Maybe Sally wanted that. The two shared a mutual hatred, so maybe this was a plan to get rid Fiona once and for all. But she couldn't wait there all day to find out. If she was wrong, then it would look bad on Fiona, not Sally.
With a deep breath which hurt her lungs because of how cold the air was, she swung around the corner. Fiona saw two red figures… standing there, mouth open. Their bodies were cased in frost. Frozen to death. The temperature had dropped so quickly, the echidna's had frozen to death.
Fiona saw a door to one of the houses. It had scratch marks on it, from where they had tired to pry it open. The badniks were walking into walls and buildings. Were they glitched?
Fiona dared to approach as the Army spread out. As she got closer, the visors became much more visible. They had ice crusted over them. The badniks went off thermal vision if Fiona's memory served her right.
She turned around and saw the large wolverine sniffing the frozen corpses. What was he-
Johan's mouth suddenly snapped at the arm of frozen victim, tearing it off. He chewed it and swallowed, making Fiona feel nauseas. She covered her mouth, "DO you have to do that?"
Johan swallowed another bite, "They don't need their meat anymore."
She felt a glint out of the corner of her eye as light reflected off the snow, "Yes but-" She cut herself off as he moved. Her eye followed as time seemed slow. A flurry of energy rested in the air, one stand heading straight for Fiona's neck.
Fiona felt her breath slowly leave her body. A shadow moved over her. Johan pushed his chest in front of her. Time resumed as the blast deflected into the sky.
Two cyborg wolves fired their blaster rifles from any alley way probably fifty yards away. Their blasts deflected off of the steel plating that surrounded Johan's body.
"Move!" Johan shouted, and tossed her into the snow next to several soldiers.
As She flipped her self over to look she saw Johan moving to shield the others who caught off guard, snarling and insulting them, but keeping them alive.
Fiona leveled her rifle. She didn't exactly know where they were, but she had an idea from the blasts of light. Fiona raised her sights slightly and fired. The lasers stopped, and a scream carried through the wind.
"Freedom Fighters spread out into the alleys, open hit em hard!" Sally shouted, running forward.
More lasers opened up, firing at the Freedom Fighters. Some disappeared, and Fiona wasn't sure if they were fleeing or just getting to a better position. What she did know was that Johan picked up a metal badnik and tossed it at the bursts of light, getting silence.
Seeing an opportunity, Fiona ran straight at the alley that had shot at her. Her rifle still had one shot left, so she should have been able to take out the wolf's friend. As she got there, she saw blood. A lot of blood. She saw it make a trail. She followed the trail, and saw a figure carrying another, "Freeze on the ground!" She… she didn't want to actually kill someone.
The wolves turned around. The healthy one had a blaster rifle in his hand.
Fiona pulled up her rifle, "Come on, this is already over, you know it."
The wolf raised his blaster. Fiona didn't have a choice, and she pulled the trigger. It ripped into his chest. She had hoped her aim was off, that it had just knocked him to the ground. Fiona ran over, "Oh gosh."
The bullet clearly tore something. Blood was gushing out of every orifice. The second one was also still. She had no choice… right. Fiona had done a lot a of bad things, but kill wasn't something she wanted to do, or enjoyed. She wanted to avoid it.
She just stared there. Fiona could have knocked him down? Maybe one could have survived? No… She needed to pull that trigger. Still… it sat terribly with her.
The world seemed to go silent. The storm was letting up, and Fiona saw the reason. Several wolves and echidna had their hands up, and were marching in a single file. They had won.
Fiona slumped down. Perhaps this was the best outcome. A quick win. Something else she noticed, was how the Penal army seemed to all have a "Thanks" to say to Johan. He had saved their lives of course.
/*-*/
The fight should have gone on longer. Johan regretted freezing the river over. He watched as the new captives were rounded up. They were not executed for their cowardice, nor would they be enslaved.
This land discouraged valor by rewarding cowardice. Johan hated it.
Johan chose to round up the machines and claim them as tribute. The princess didn't protest. "Sure, you've earned it."
He would have to haul it back. As he began to life up several machines to take back to the forge, a male voice called out, "Princess Sally! We found something, something big."
This caused Johan to halt, and look over his shoulder at the princess. Johan followed her with a brisk pace to see what warranted the excitement.
A large metal cart seemed to carry a single racketen, which was massive. It was as large as Johan, and half as wide. There were three of them, with more ammunition stashed around.
"This could have hit New Mobotropolis from here." Sally frowned, her concern becoming visible.
"Are we scrapping it?" The wolf asked, awaiting her word.
"…No. We've got more walled cities to take. This might be useful. Johan, can you drag it?" Sally asked him.
Johan lowered his head to examine the weapons. It seemed to be very dangerous.
"…hold up." Sally walked over to Johan. He remained still as she wasn't a threat to him. She grabbed his helmet, and he undid the straps for her to pull it off. She looked closely at the ear guards his slaves had welded for him.
"This is a camera." The Princess stated, pointing to the speck on the left ear piece.
"What does that mean?" Johan growled, hating semantics.
"Some one is watching you through this. Who put this on?" Sally asked.
"My slaves. If they wish to see my strength, so be it." Johan dismissed.
"You're ok with it?" The princess seemed confused. Johan would explain it for her.
"I see nothing wrong with slaves wishing to see their master in battle. They are not threat to me and no knowledge will make them a threat." Johan asserted.
Sally opened her mouth like she wanted to protest, but then shrugged her shoulders, "Alright. Do you need anything before we set off?"
"Time and a cart. I will return my rightfully taken loot to my fortress, and then I shall return." Johan vowed.
"Can you not carry it?" the Princess asked, curiously.
"I can carry all of the machines, and a building. I have the strength. I do not have large enough hands to carry the machines without dropping some." Johan clarified.
"Alright, we'll find you a cart." Sally stated.
Johan returned to the city center, and began to round up his destroyed mechanical enemies. Still… Perhaps he would have to talk with Ezra about this… issue. There were a number of possibilities as to why they put that "Camera" there, and Johan wanted to make sure there were no… accidents in the future.
/*-*/
So, Sonic once again came home to mom and dad. I decided to have him look to dad for advice when things got tough. Fiona experienced the first battle of the campaign, and Johan got to save a lot of the soldiers, earning respect. This was a pretty well-rounded chapter.
Please leave a review to tell me what you thought, or tell me how I can improve. Thank you for reading.