merendinoEmilano: Now, we get to enjoy the recovery chapters. One of these days, Sonic isn't going to be in the hospital.
/*-*/
Sonic's consciousness came in and out as he felt his strength come back in larger amounts. His family was there at one point, Sally was there at another, Fiona and Frederick were talking in another. Then there was no one, and the room was dark, so it was likely night.
One face that was distinctly absent from the room was Tails. Sonic would scan for him, every time he woke up. The little guy seemed to leave him at every turn. Sonic needed him, Sonic needed Tails to be there, to tell him that it was ok.
Still, Sonic was alone. He couldn't even dream, because he would sleep for only a few hours at a time. It frustrated him to no end. No… it worried him. Tails had proven that he was a bit extreme with his reactions. Sonic loved him so much.
Sonic slept for a few more hours, before he opened his eyes again. There he was. The little Yellow Fox, sitting there, by his bedside, ears drooped in the most pathetic fashion. Sonic tried to open his mouth as the fox nuzzled his hand, trying to find some comfort in Sonic.
"I'm sorry… I'll be your side-kick, I'll be forgotten for everything, just don't leave me please." Tails cried in his hand. Sonic moved his fingers to try and stroke the fox's face.
"Uhhn.." Sonic was trying to say "Tails" but his body wasn't exactly cooperating. Sonic was really getting annoyed by this sleepy, sluggish body.
Tails pulled away from Sonic's hand, and looked at his eyes. The Fox's eyes widened, "Sonic?... I'm sorry, for trying to hurt you, for attacking Fiona. I love you, so much. You're my brother, and I'm a terrible little bro." Tails hugged Sonic's neck, nuzzling underneath in submission.
"Hnnnnggg." Sonic tried to speak again but all that came out was a groan. He was so sluggish, probably from the drugs that turned the pain into a tingling feeling.
Tails pulled away, and looked at Sonic with so much pain in his eyes, "I don't deserve your love or forgiveness. I'm sorry, for everything. I'll happily be your side kick if it means I can spend another day with you."
"TTTNNN!" Sonic groaned, feeling his strength leave him when he tried to raise up.
Tails looked at Sonic with more regret, "But I don't deserve to spend another day with you. I'm a terribly person. I tried to kill my own brother… Which is why I've decided to atone." Tails smiled sadly at Sonic.
Sonic felt very worried with the way Tails was speaking. It sounded like the little guy had given up on trying to move forward. Sonic forgave Tails, but the little guy wasn't listening, or rather, Sonic couldn't speak.
"Sonic… I'm turning myself in, tomorrow." He pressed his forehead again Sonic's, eyes scrunched in pain, as if looking at Sonic made Tails feel all too worse. Sonic wanted to hug the little fox, but his arms and legs were casted, despite the fact that they didn't hurt too much.
Tails continued, "I'm going to do my time, and make it up to you… and hopefully, you'll forgive me one day. I want to run with you again, to go on an adventure, but I can't live like this."
Tails stood up, and closed his eyes once more, almost crying. The Fox turned around and muttered, "Get some sleep, please help everyone going forward."
Sonic mustered his entire strength, almost biting his tongue in the process, "Tails…"
Tails stopped, and turned around. Sonic felt his energy burn just to speak, but he mustered everything he had, "Tails… come… come… here." Sonic panted softly, but he knew Tails had incredible hearing. Tails once heard Sonic spill a drop of chili on the kitchen floor from the next room over.
So Tails got closer, before stopping and sitting down next to Sonic. He was quiet, waiting for Sonic to speak.
"Don't… go." Sonic almost fell asleep with those words. He was really…really hurt.
Tails flinched as Sonic growled to try to keep himself awake. Sonic caught his breath. On the bright side, the needles in his lungs were now only itches, which was a dramatic improvement.
"Sonic… I don't want to hurt you anymore. I need time to think." Tails mumbled softly.
Sonic sighed, gasping for air, "Don't… go… forgive… you… help-." Sonic couldn't keep it up. He was tired, and not nearly good enough to speak, but the alternative was to let Tails ruin his own life.
Tails shook his head, "I can't help. I messed up bad… Even you can't let me get away with this." He sounded… broken. Sonic couldn't accept that.
"Stay… Help….Forgive." Sonic gave up on complete sentences. They hurt too much, and took far too much energy to do. He needed something quick and easy. So the broken speech was going to have to do.
Tails slumped, seeming to be pulled a little out of his slump, "I won't be long… Just a few years. I'll take time to think. I need this… to make it up to you, and to me."
Sonic gasped, feeling the wind reignite the needles in his chest, "Don't… Go… Help… Sally…. Need… Time." Sonic pleaded, hoping that Tails would understand. The Fox heard him, but stood up, and shook his head.
"I'm… not much help. I'm a kid, I have a lot to learn." Tail slumped, and turned around, "Goodbye… Sonic."
Sonic had to Stop him, "Live… for… me!" Sonic's throat ached at the sound of his voice rising.
Tails stopped and turned around, "W-what?"
Sonic gasped, allowing the burning to subside, "Help… me… help… Sally… live… for… me… Don't… hurt…you." Sonic tried to limit his words, and it somewhat worked, as his chest didn't burn so bad.
"You want… me to stay? After Everything that happened, after all of the things we said and did? I almost killed you!" Tails growled, baring his teeth. Sonic got it. This wasn't about Sonic forgiving Tails, it was about Tails forgiving himself.
"Stop… hurting… you…. Move…on." Sonic grumbled, feeling really weak. He needed to sleep.
Tails looked at Sonic. Sonic couldn't argue anymore. Tails grumbled something as Sonic went to sleep.
Sonic slept, but his mind didn't. He thought about how he could keep Tails out of jail. Fiona was clearly not happy with Tails, and it looked like she knew that Tails was out there that night. If she got Frederick to lock Tails up…
Sonic wasn't hurt by Tails. It was Johan who almost killed him. But if Sonic said Johan attacked him, then Johan would spill the beans about Tails being there and attempting to murder Fiona. If Fiona prompted an investigation, then Tails would probably confess given his guilty heart. If Sally asked around, then Tails or Johan would probably tell her.
Sonic's eyes opened as he struggled to sleep, this time, with Fiona and Sally in the room. Sally sat across from Sonic's bed, looking exhausted. Sonic felt bad, as he seemed to be an emotional sink for Sally. She would get invested, and couldn't do anything to stop Sonic from getting hurt. Then she had to worry about him, even if he didn't want her to.
Fiona sat to his right, in the row of chairs where she was kept her eyes closed. She was… sleeping? Or maybe she was awake
Fiona, she was a temptress. Sonic felt guilty… and a little worried about her kissing him. That…Sonic couldn't describe how he felt when she did, but it gave him a moment of clarity. Sonic wasn't going to betray Sally, He couldn't live with himself if he did. Sonic was faithful, and he would remain faithful forever.
But Fiona offered him something else. A friend he didn't really care about keeping the absolute-good-guy appearance with. How could he keep things up? Fiona wanted something he couldn't give her. Would things change because he refused to leader her on?
His head was starting to hurt from thinking, and his guilt wasn't helping him. Sonic tried to look at Fiona, but his head felt extra sluggish. He let out a groan as his body began to work, slowly creaking his head to face his fox friend, "F-Fiona…"
Sally perked up as Fiona opened her eyes.
"Sonic, Sonic are you awake?" Sally asked, suddenly standing up and rushing to Sonic's side.
Fiona jumped up as well, and the two moved in close, before Fiona took a step back, letting Sally get there.
"Sal…. Love you…" Sonic got out with a smile, he wished he could do more than whisper.
Sally's eyes lit up and she wrapped her arms around him in a soft hug, "You're alright…. Oh my goodness, when you died…"
Sonic groaned as the words assaulted his brain. He squeezed his right hand and it actually closed in a timely manner.
Sally blinked before backing away, smiling slightly embarrassed, "Sorry… I know you're hurting."
Sonic smiled back at her, "You're… good."
Sally hugged him again, "I'm glad you're back." Her hug felt nice, but he was still a little stiff in his joins. His cast was nice and protective from what he was pretty sure was a soft underbelly.
Sonic gasped and turned to Fiona, which caused Sally to look at him a little suspiciously. Sonic hoped she wouldn't read too much into their talk, for one reason or another.
Sonic gasped, "Fiona… talk…" He probably should have put more energy into proper sentences, but he was tired, and it hurt to speak.
"What do you want me to say? Sorry I left you out there alone…" Fiona slumped down, clearly letting it eat her.
Sonic gasped again, "Fiona…talk….alone…" Sonic really hoped Sally would get the message. She did, but her face didn't give Sonic a lot of confidence in their relationship's safety.
"Alright… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you… again." Sally sighed, and left looking both suspicious and helpless. Sonic felt bad about how he said that. He would clarify everything when he was better.
Sonic's focused on Fiona, who had a serious face that returned Sonic's own nature.
/*-*/
Fiona saw the serious look in Sonic's face. He wasn't charming or romantic. He wanted to talk seriously, which Fiona did not want to do. Things tended to not work out well when She had to talk seriously.
"So… you get any good naps, Blue?" Fiona tried to laugh as she shifted nervously.
Sonic smiled, which didn't really do a lot for Fiona's confidence as Sonic's face slowly rose, "Good… bad… sleep."
That was vague. Fiona could see the light wincing in his eyes. She grabbed his hand, "I'm sorry I left you out there alone."
Sonic's eyes danced as his body shook his head slowly. The anesthetics apparently kept his muscles tired and stiff to prevent him from damaging anything accidently. "You're…good…"
Fiona shifted nervously, "Am I?" He had to have wanted to talk to her for a reason. Not just to catch up.
Sonic grumbled with sadness, "I'm… glad you… are… my… friend." He was using all of his energy to speak.
"Alright, Sonic… what's this about?" Fiona decided she needed to be quick. He only had so much strength. He was going to recover, there was no doubt in Fiona's mind, but he needed to make the most of their conversations now.
"Ass…assin…" Sonic grumbled, gasping and wincing.
Fiona frowned, but sort of understood. He wanted to know where the Assassin was, "I don't know… he got away." She didn't want to let him know that his little brother was probably out to kill her.
Sonic apparently wasn't buying her front, "You… know… Assass…in."
Fiona frowned and looked down, "Don't worry about it… get better, please." She didn't want to hurt him or stress him out while he was in a dangerous spot.
"Tails…" Sonic grumbled shifting nervously.
Fiona blinked. Did he know? How could he? Unless…Tails revealed himself… but why?
Sonic gasped, "Tails… Assassin." He knew. Fiona could see it in his eyes. But they weren't angry, they were pleading.
"Yes…. I think he's the assassin. I've got to keep myself safe." Fiona sighed, shifting as the idea of locking up his brother was already destroying their relationship.
"Forgive…him." Sonic sighed, panting.
"Forgive him, he tried to kill me! Sonic, he almost killed you!" Fiona growled, feeling pressured and not comfortable at all.
Sonic gasped, "Please… Forgive… him. He's… good…sad…need…him." Sonic pleaded, gasping.
Fiona shifted uncomfortably. It was good that Tails was sad? No… Tails was a good boy but sad… and needed Sonic? Or Sonic needed Tails?
Fiona saw the casting on his body. He was torn up in the worst way. He couldn't hope to move for a while. Fiona saw how much he suffered for her. He fought his little brother to keep her safe. Even if she had a grudge… it was his place to decide the little guy's fate.
"Alright… But if he tries it again, oh my gosh, I can't even believe I'm giving him another chance, I'll throw him in jail without a second thought. Or Frederick will." Fiona growled, frustrated both with Sonic and herself. She couldn't make up her mind.
Sonic smiled at her, and nodded slowly, "Thank…you."
/*-*/
The march had taken Johan and his small band through forests and hills. Food was stored with him, and water was carried by the other men. Still, the stops they had to take because the men were weak was mildly frustrating.
Even as the forests turned to hills, he wondered if they were even going to be useful to him. Stoix seemed to be able to scout, but there was no threat that Johan could sense. Still, she kept her skills strong while the others slept and sat around.
There was also… the tail. The one who was following them, watching their every move. The follower wasn't dangerous, at least, not to Johan, but that meant little for the intent of such a follower.
Johan found no point in looking behind them, at the enemy or enemies that could have destroyed them. He only looked forward, through the hills to see the mountians, which held beyond them the desert where his quarry awaited.
Roht approached him, "You got a plan for us? You said we're are going to fight in the desert, do you have anything else planned, or are we just going there to die?"
Johan opted to ignore the tone of his follower, "There are allies of the Kingdom who fight in the desert. We will meet them, and work to deal with our enemies. They will supply us, and we will crush their opponents."
Roht seemed to be upset by that response, "That's your plan? I thought we weren't fighting for the kingdom? Did you lie to my Da?"
"I never said the kingdom had no involvement. The king, that fool, has promoted my attack. As for Ceawlin, I vowed to guard you while at war. That is all I promised." Johan growled, the rodent seeming to take his words with anger.
Roht grumbled, clearly upset by the fact that Johan expected him to fight, "Just make sure you don't mess up and leave us in the desert."
Johan almost laughed at the thought. The boy probably couldn't read the stars to travel. With the sun setting to their backs, Johan realized how the stars might be more essential than he would like. He kept his gaze at the stars, memorizing their movement and positions.
Gewis approached him, the white fur bristling, "So… You're still awake."
Johan kept his gaze up, "I will sleep later, but now I plan for victory."
"Confident, I guess you aren't really afraid of anything." Gewis mumbled. His voice actually sounded sad, and full of regret.
Johan found his words to be utterly foolish, "Don't be a fool. I have fears. To die without purpose, to be forgotten. Those are my fears. I fear that I will die not a glorious and valiant death, but at the hands of a coward who mere exploited a weakness within me."
"I mean the real world. No one seems to scare you." Gewis sighed, looking up at the stars.
"I am afraid of some who live in this world, but that fear does not give me strength, nor does it remove the threat. I do not allow my fear to crush me underneath its fat gaze." Johan growled, hoping that Gewis would understand.
"How? How do you just push your emotions to the side like that? I get scarred I am going to die, I feel terrible about some of the things I've done. How do you not feel that way?" Gewis slumped, curling up.
"I will put your fear to rest." Johan resigned, ready to dissolve this boy's terrors. He needed to see the truth of the world, and how futile some of these terrors that plagued his heart were.
Gewis perked up, eager to listen.
"You are going to die. You may not die today, you may not die tomorrow, but you will die. What separates men from boys is how they live and die. Do you live honorably, to follow a just code, or are you weak, and controlled by your fleeting feelings that enslave your mind?" Johan growled, feeling frustrated by how the people of the world acted. They were all so quick to do as they pleased, and never suffer for Honor's sake.
"I tried… I broke the law." Gewis reminded Johan. He was still stuck in the foolish ideas of the civilized world!
Johan snarled, "No, you broke their laws. They broke the true laws. You did nothing wrong, merely asserting your right to stand as a man." He hated this guilt complex that plagued these civilized people.
Gewis grumbled, "It doesn't make it any less of a law. I got punished all of the same."
"Then perhaps the laws need to change, or be forgotten." Johan growled, balling a fist to stare down that the Fox.
The Fox looked confused, "Forgotten? That's anarchy."
Johan let out a sigh from his throat, "Where I came from, laws were subject to the tribe. What ever tribe you lived with would decide how to handle you. No one was protected, no one was safe." Johan crushed a rock in his palm.
As Johan let the rock go, it's dust flying in the wind, he continued, "The theigns had to respect the gebur, because they could quickly be killed for their arrogance and failure. If anarchy holds men responsible for their failures, let anarchy reign."
Gewis was silent, licking his lips, before asking, "Why are you so cold?"
Johan snorted, "I see the truth of the world. I see not reason to check my ambitions for the weak and cowards who do no seek to achieve greatness."
Gewis frowned as the words seemed to get into his soul. Johan actually had hope that the boy might grow and learn from these talks.
"…what did you mean about death. We all get the same box." Gewis asked, sounding oddly more receptive than Johan originally believed.
"You decide how to greet death. You will die, but do you greet him as a sniveling coward, or as lion, who dares to challenge him." Johan growled, his throat vibrating as his fiery belly burned.
Gewis nodded, "I see…. I think I see…"
Gewis stood up and left Johan to his stargazing. Johan found himself hoping to have Gewis continue to follow him. The boy had potential to be a wonderful leader.
His dreams were cloudy, fuzzy, and perhaps more fantasy than reality. Johan paid them little mind.
When He awoke, Johan served His men fish and fruits. They ate well enough, but Stoix seemed to be elsewhere. Johan made sure to reserve her a plate, as she seemed quite ready for their war, so Johan was certain she had not deserted them in the night.
Gewis was also missing, and Johan was not worried about him, but did not rule out the possibility that he left. It was unlikely, but even still, Johan had no place for those who would desert.
Roht and Touborn seemed on edge, "Where's Stoix? If you did something to her, I will tear you to pieces!" Roht snarled.
Touborn held up his hands, but seemed quite distressed, "I would like to know where my sister is."
Johan let out a throaty sigh, "I do not know. I will wait for another hour, if they have not returned, then they will have to track us to catch up." He did not wish to find two of his men lost, but if they went astray, there was little he could do.
So they waited for an hour, and Gewis and Stoix returned right as they had prepared to set off.
Johan saw their faces, fierce and eager to explain themselves. Johan simply growled, "Are you ready to go?"
Stoix nodded as Gewis seemed to be taken by surprise. Was he expecting malice or outrage? Stoix seemed to speak to Johan clearly and decisively, " I scouted the mountains ahead. There are two paths which seem to be clear and safe to travel."
Johan nodded, actually smiling. She understood the need for intelligence. Still, the scouting could have been faulty, so Johan saw it fitting to prepare for that.
Gewis sighed, "It'll take at least three days to go around the mountains. I checked for a short cut, but there didn't seem to be anything." Gewis sound demoralized, as if by being second to voice his thought he was lesser.
Johan responded with a nod, "Good work, We will walk through the mountains." He turned to his men, a total of nine others plus himself, "Walk with your brothers, protect each other. The mountains can be dangerous, and I do not need dead to bury before the fight ahead."
Stoix and Gewis took in the praise and demands well. The others were somewhat nervous, with the exception of Roht and Touborn, who were more focused on their sister. No matter, they would still be useful for controlling the area.
The hills were intense, sturdy and large. That meant little to Johan, but the energy to go was less than the energy to climb them. So they kept marching, perhaps around in a more disorganized fashion, but with ten men it meant little.
The hills turned to mountains, although the mountains started off scattered, not really worth navigating over, and instead just pillars to move around. After an hour, the mountains seemed to merge, where stone became the ground, and the range became walls.
There was a ravine where a river formed from the mountain snow, and the air truly did not seem warm. Johan and his men walked up the rigid mountain, finding what appeared to be a flat, windy road, or pathway, which snaked around the ravine.
To the left of them were a series of jagged rocks, which seemed to threaten to fall at any moment. Johan was not too keen on the idea of a rockslide.
Stoix continued to walk slowly, scanning the area for threats. Johan saw birds, but nothing truly large enough to threaten the weakest of the men,
As Johan walked, he saw a rumble in the rocks. It was gentle, but noticeable. Perhaps there was a volcano nearby? Perhaps God will for struggle to come their way. Still, the small rocks and dust that fell warranted his attention.
Johan slowed down. While he could speed up and run through any danger that came, but his men would likely suffer.
Stoix, Roht and Touborn seemed aware of the danger as well. "Come on, let's move." Roht called out, clapping his hands, much to the annoyance of the men.
They did not understand. They had grown accustomed to the civilized world, and had lost the natural senses that came from living the wild life that the Saxons enjoyed. Unfortunately, Johan's own senses had grown dull, as the mountain began to shake.
"GET IN CLOSER!" Stoix called out, moving in towards the mountain, with most of the men rushing to the inner area of the path.
A bear, however wasn't so lucky, as his right foot slipped as pieces of the stone crumpled and fell down the ravine. The grey bear did not enjoy the solace of catching himself before several smaller rocks hit his face, knocking him sideways, almost staggering off the cliff.
Johan, however, was not keen on losing a man to a pile of rock, and ran towards him, grabbing him and pulling the bear back on to the path.
A louder rumbling told Johan that something was coming behind him. Johan dared to turn around and see a chunk of the mountain rolling towards him, and towards the men who were taking cover from the rocks.
Johan ran and jumped off the path to get in between his men and the rock. They were in a truly annoying position, where all of the disasters could converge on them.
Johan smacked the rock, shattering it and sending pieces in several directions ,"MOVE NOW!" Johan barked, and they ran further along the path. Johan stayed up top, smacking stones aside.
Gewis seemed to stick to the outside, leading the men as stones rolled around them. Johan was concerned. The mountain was disturbed, and disturbed mountains rarely slept. The rumbling rose as an explosive blast shook the mountain.
Shards of rock and ash shot through the sky as Johan caught up to his men, who were stopped at set of rocks that blocked the roadway.
Johan jumped down with them as the men seemed to attack Stoix for her scouting. "Nice going, getting us trapped here."
"It was clear before." Stoix growled, as her brothers held her back.
Johan roared, drowning out the mountain's rumbling. The mountain actually seemed to quiet down at Johan's show of force, "This is fine."
The men looked at him.
Johan smiled, "It is a faster path."
"How, we have to go arou-"Before the wolf finished, Johan smashed his body through the rocks, clearing a path.
"Move, now!" Johan growled as they pushed through the rocky area. The men were listening at least, and moved through swiftly, despite the fact that the mountain had stopped its rumbling.
They continued to walk down the stone pathway, which became less of a path, and more of a field of rocks. Steam rose from cracks in the ground, which the men were careful to avoid.
Johan advanced first, checking the ground for softer areas that might have steam trapped underneath. His paws were singed after twice failing to spot the weak point. Still, it was a small pain to endure, and far less costly than loosing a critical man.
Stoix was smart, using her spear to poke in front of her. Still, it didn't matter much when Johan was the one setting off any pockets.
His paw sank into the ground. He immediately pulled it away as the men backed away with him. The steam shot up. Johan had learned enough about avoiding the dangerous gas.
"We're next to a volcano…" Gewis mumbled, as if just realizing it.
"Yes, I fear this route will be closed off when we return." Johan growled, feeling a slight agitation towards the mountain range.
Of course, the danger of taking such a route likely masked their approach, a more advantageous perk if they did not need to secure supplies on the journey. What ever surprise they would have over their enemy would be lost when they met up with the Desert Fighters.
Still, Johan found himself salivating at the idea of facing his enemies in open combat. Perhaps these new foes would actually be challenging, and offer a different style of battle.
The fields of steam and gas came to an end on a downward slope. The rocks began to feel sandy, and warm. This was good, because the moon was rising. They set up camp on the mountain side.
At the bottom of the mountain, there was plenty of water, and at the top, the heat from the steam could purify it. They ate dried meat, dunked in water.
That would have been the end of the night except for the dust churning towards them. Johan kept his guard up. Stoix noticed why he was so on guard.
"WE GOT YOU, YOU LEGION BASTARDS!" A shout came as a wheeled vehicle drove towards them. Johan cocked his head, confused by their shout, but clearly able to see that they wanted a fight.
Johan was happy to oblige. He jumped into action, his men springing up and taking positions behind rocks…as bullets flew through the air. That was odd, his enemy typically fought with lasers, not bullets. No matter.
Johan heard a bullet bounce off his chest plate from his left. Johan turned to his left and saw a mechanical hare with an eye-patch, holding a revolver. He was aggressive, which Johan could respect.
Johan pounced on him, earning a cry as the rabbit emptied his revolver into the Saxon-steel plate. The bullets bounced off as Johan roared in the man's face.
"CEASE FIRE!" Gewis called out. Johan noticed that his enemy was on edge.
Johan saw the two vehicles around, with a blue fox sitting out of a hole in the top with a large gun, looking horrified as Gewis held up hands and approached Johan.
He looked down at the hare, " Are you Jack Rabbit, leader of the Desert Freedom Fighters?"
"What's it to you?" The Hare growled. He would be taught to show respect. Johan pressed a claw into his throat. "Y-Yeah, so what?"
"We are members of… the Wolverine detachment. We come from the kingdom of Acorn." Gewis explained, acting quite firm with the coward.
"Kingdom? Last I heard, you didn't exactly have a king." Jack dared to laugh. Johan would have loved the confidence if it wasn't wrongly place.
"There is the king now." Johan growled, jerking the head of the hare back to remind him who to focus on.
"So what, you here to arrest me?" Jack growled back.
"Why would I arrest you? I would kill you if I wanted you gone." Johan snarled.
"… So why are you here?" it was not lost on Johan that he avoided the question. No matter, it meant nothing. Johan was there for oil, and had no stake in the arbitrary laws of civilized peoples.
"I want oil for my ship. I have come to bring order to this region, and supply myself. I am told that you are fighting the "Egg Legion"." That was a foolish name, but it was what they called themselves.
"Yeah, and things haven't exactly been going great…. They took the main ocean now. They got Egg Carriers and a new army apparently. We haven't exactly been bustling with manpower either." Jack grumbled, as if Johan did not come with the solution in hand.
"Then we are what you have been waiting for?" Johan deduced, "We will fight off these armies, and secure this region. You will give us oil for your enemies' destruction." Johan asserted.
Jack seemed to think for a moment. The blue-green fox's heavy breathing was let Johan know she understood their predicament. "Welcome to the desert, friend. We'll talk at headquarters." Jack smiled.
Finally, things were going faster.
/*-*/
Johan has made contact with Desert Freedom Fighters. Lots of fun, but perhaps a bit detached story telling coming soon.
Please, leave a review and give criticism, feedback or observations. I will respond in time.