Llew groaned as he awoke.

"You alright?"

As his eyes adjusted to the sudden intrusion of light, his blurred vision just barely managed to make out the interior of a large building constructed out of metal.

"You should rest a bit more if you have to. You took a really bad hit when your robot crashed into my Blaupanzer."

"It wasn't us who crashed into you! It was you who crashed into us!" came Flogal's insistent and exasperated voice.

Llew stared hard.

A few meters away from him, a raven-haired male was standing at a silver table. A pair of goggles rested upon his dishevelled fringe and he was dressed in a set of dark blue overalls. There was a rhythmic clanging as he brought a hammer swinging down repeatedly.

"Llew? Are you okay?" Flogal's snout popped into his vision.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where are we?"

"In my workshop." answered the stranger. "They call me Patrick here in Star Gate. I'm a mechanic."

"Did you rescue us?" Llew asked. "Thank you."

"Haha! Don't mention it! It's always nice to see another human face in these parts!"

Flogal rolled her eyes. "He may have saved us.. but he was the one who almost killed us in the first place."

Patrick rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I was in the middle of test-running my Blaupanzer. We don't usually get visitors flying over from the Sanctuary."

"Blaupanzer?" Llew questioned.

Stopping his work for a moment, Patrick walked over to the right and gestured proudly. "This!"

Llew turned.

A huge humanoid mecha stood in the confines of the building. Its armor was primarily blue with dashes of black and white. Neon green lines decorated its vents and eyeplate. Equipped with a massive rifle and a shield with two cannons, its horn just barely managed to scratch the ceiling.

"Wow. You made this yourself?"

"Of course! I built it to become the strongest Nova Grappler!"

"Nova Grappler?" Llew knew it was the name of a Clan from Star Gate, but that was all.

"Yup. Over here, the Star Gate is ruled by the Commercial Wrestling Federation. And the warriors who fight in the league are known as the Nova Grapplers." Patrick explained. "Well, most of them are sentient robots and aliens that a mere human like me doesn't really stand a chance against. But I thought that if I made a huge robot for myself to pilot, I'd be able to fight them on the same level!"

"Wrestling, huh?" Llew muttered to himself. "Wait a minute, where's Wingal?"

"Patrick says that he only found the two us after we crashed," Flogal commented with a worried expression. "I think he must have fallen elsewhere."

"What?!" Llew rose. "We need to find him!"

"Woah, woah, slow down," said Patrick. "You guys won't be getting anywhere without a guide. Or with your stomachs empty. So let's all sit down and have a nice meal, and then I can show you guys around the city and look for your friend, alright?"

"Fine." answered Llew.

At that moment, the young knight realised that the Mobile Hospital that Kiriel had given him was also in the building. But it was broken and badly dismantled, as if someone had been tearing it apart..

Patrick smiled. "You guys won't be needing it anymore, right?"

…

On the dark and shady streets of Star Gate, Wingal walked. All around him were strange people and strange contraptions. He knew that he had to find Llew and Flogal at once, but he couldn't pick up their scent trail from anywhere.

"Lost?"

Wingal turned. It was the pink feline that had been following him for a while now. A blue ribbon was tied elegantly around her neck. She neither looked nor smelled dangerous, but the blue High Dog had been taught to be wary of strangers. Especially in an alien nation like this.

"No," he lied. "I can take care of myself."

Wingal continued on his way, but she continued to follow.

Whirling around, he snapped. "Stop following me!"

"I can help, yaknow," she responded coolly.

"I don't need any help," he seethed.

"Of course you don't."

"Look, just leave me alone, okay? Go and catch some mice or something."

"Mice? Please. My tastebuds are a lot more refined than that. I would rather go for a nice bowl of chocolate pudding."

"Chocolate pudding?" It was only then that WIngal realised how hungry he was.

His stomach growled, forcing him to turn away awkwardly as the cat giggled.

"Come on. Let me treat you to a nice little snack, then I'll leave you alone," she suggested.

Considering his options for a moment, Wingal replied. "Fine. What's your name anyway?"

"You can call me Lucky Girl."

As Lucky Girl pranced down alleys and lanes, Wingal followed close behind, his mouth watering at the thought of sinking into a delicious plate of chocolate pudding.

"We're here," announced the feline as they arrived at a particularly dark corner between two buildings.

"Are you sure?" Wingal glanced at his surroundings, wary.

There was no sign of anything within the shadows of the dark alley. To make matters worse, the walls were narrow and closed in on him from three directions, so to escape would be difficult, to say the least. And the smell of chocolate pudding was non-existent in the stale air.

"You tricked me, didn't you?!" accused the High Dog.

Lucky Girl smiled. "It's for your own good."

At that moment, there was a flash of light as a figure teleported into the space.

It was a human-sized robot, simple in design, and decked out in the colours of blue, yellow, white and red. A sword and shield lay in its arms.

"You called, Lucky Girl?" it spoke in a digital voice.

"Yes." the cat replied. "I found this High Dog wandering around the streets. From his attire I assume that he's a Royal Paladin from the United Sanctuary. I don't know what he's doing here but he seems to be looking for his comrades. I thought it would be better to bring him to you rather than let him get picked off the streets by some criminals."

"My thanks." The robot approached Wingal. "Greetings, traveller. I go by the name Goyusha. May I know who you are and what brings you to the nation of Star Gate?"

Wingal sniffed at the being suspiciously. "Can I trust you? I was already tricked by Lucky Girl over there.."

"Lucky Girl did what was necessary to bring you to me. And you need not worry. I am an esteemed member of the glorious Dimension Police, an organisation dedicated to preserving the peace and upholding justice. It is my duty to ensure that no harm befalls you. I swear it upon my honour."

The High Dog could gain nothing from it's olfactory inspection of the stranger, but its words felt powerful and sincere. "Alright, then. My friends and I are on a journey across the world. But when we got here, something crashed into our.. robot, and we got separated."

"I see. Well, I shall report this to Commander Laurel and see if any abnormalities have been detected in the vicinity. For now, why don't you come with me?"