o3o: I'm glad you found the characters to be close to their comic counter parts. So I tried to get their speech and personalities just right. The hardest one was Julie-su, who I'm still working on, but I'm pretty proud of how things have turned out.
Johan and Julie-Su are going to have a fun relationship going forward. They have a lot of interactions coming up.
/*-*/
There was much to do with new soldiers from civilized nations. They had to be taught basic tactics, how to use their weapons effectively. They needed to have their bodies trained up to move like an actual living creature.
Johan found himself longing for his home once again, where the boys were fighters before they were fathers. He did not have time to train these men, and their bodies were not built for marching. They only had lasers, which were light, yet the people seemed tired halfway through the march as they moved towards the south of the city.
The strategy was simple enough to explain. They would move around and come from behind the area, which would be undefended as they had already secured that section of the city.
They moved quickly through the open areas of burned down buildings, or as quickly as could be expected with the footmen they had. The Pink Garden Defender was keen to watch her men, and take special care of them.
"Lien-da is desperate. We need to move faster." The pink Garden Defender stated in demands.
Johan growled simply and turned his head, "Tell them to move faster and I will do the same."
She frowned, before nodding. They moved at the same pace. The sun rose up to high in the sky, when they were straight south of the prison camps. Johan raised his head to listen for movement.
"Ray, fly up and look around, See if we were followed." The pink Garden Defender demanded. She was the leader.
"I'll be back in a sec." The winged squirrel gave her a salute with two fingers, and jumped up into the air, with the wind catching his wings, carrying him higher than Johan would have thought possible.
Once he was gone, the red plated beast leaned forward, "Is he going to be alright? What if something happens to him."
The pink Garden Defender smiled and shook her head, "Come on, we both know he can take care of himself, at least until we can get there to help him."
There was a friendship between the red plate-beast and the winged Squirrel, and sense of unity between the group from what Johan could tell. They were a warband, much like the ones the Saxons had at home. The plate beast was also very strong, which Johan could respect.
Still, the rest of them were weak, lacking experience in any form of fighting or battle. He could not drill the volunteers, for if they were exhausted when the fighting started they could be less than useless. So Johan sat around, and regained his own strength.
The pink Garden Defender came over and sat down, clearly eager to be social, " So… while we wait for Ray to get back, why don't you tell me about what's been going on in the kingdom of Acorn. Sally and Sonic back at it again?... Do you even know them?"
Johan growled, "I know them. Sonic is dead. He died attacking our enemy. The princess is either dead or still a machine. I would like to care less about it, but I am troubled by that." It was something that still burned inside him. Johan, however, was not as invested as the pink Garden Defender.
"What? What happened?" The pink one shouted, standing on her feet.
Johan recounted what he knew to her, being brief and "Cold" as she would put it. He did not care for pointless details. There was a visible pain to her, along with the plate beast who had come over once she had shouted. They were close. The two seemed to be frozen with sadness and pain.
Johan growled, "What has happened can not be undone. We can not be idle, our enemy will not."
The pink one glared up at Johan before nodding. She did not like what he had to say, but she understood it. That was enough for Johan.
"Oh… I don't think I've told you my name. I'm Julie-su, the co-leader of the Chaotix while Knuckles is… busy." She sighed at those words with annoyance.
"I am Johan." Johan growled. He had already told them his titles and status within the kingdom. There was no reason to waste anymore energy repeating himself.
The Plate beast smiled, and held out his hand, "The name is Mighty, Mighty the Armadillo. I'm the muscle… along with Vector."
Johan looked down at the outstretched hand. He took it and gave a simple nod to the…Armadillo. A strange name for a creature.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Mighty Shook his hand.
"Like your name, I will see if I can say the same." Johan growled, giving him a nod. Mighty's face shook slightly, as if he did not understand what Johan was saying, or if Johan said something strange.
"Right…" Julie-su stated, "Well, I hope we can all get along well enough."
Johan cocked his head before nodding to her, "We will work together fine so long as you do not attack me."
The two laughed at this, as if he were telling a joke. He was not, "Do not attack me, and you will live." Johan clarified.
Their laughter became low and Julie-su gave Johan a weak smile, "We're friends, or at least allies, right?"
"Yes." Johan growled softly. That did not mean much to civilized peoples. They would attack their own and violate their honor if it advanced them. They waited for some more time.
Johan found himself waiting, "Would your other leader be the one who lives on this flying island? The one called Knuckles who is friends with our pilot, Miles?"
"You came here with Tails?" Julie-su smiled with shock, "I mean, yes. Knuckles is busy."
"Yet you are here? Why does he send his men to fight without him?" Johan growled, clawing at the concrete beneath him. Perhaps the red Garden Defender was a coward, sending his armies while he remained safe.
"Well… He doesn't know we're here exactly…" She gave Johan another weak smile, and immediately answered, "I can't let the Legion take over this city. Knuckles is busy with his duty, guarding the big emerald, but I don't have that job." She was angry with him, Johan could tell that much.
"Does he have an oath?" Johan demanded to know. He wanted to know everything that was important before passing a judgement or shaming the Garden Defender.
"He did make a promise to protect the Master Emerald from anyone who would use it for evil." Julie-su sighed.
"Then it can not be helped. He has a duty to uphold, and you must respect it." Johan growled, pushing up with his front paws to stretch his back.
"We're supposed to be a team." She growled back, balling her fist, "I really needed his help back there, and he was still busy guarding that stupid rock!"
Johan shook his head, before realizing something. He sniffed closer to her. She had a mix of scents on her. One was like her own, a sibling or cousin. Another was… Knuckles. Johan could tell it was his scent, or very close, like a twin or brother.
"What are you doing? Stop that." She backed away from him, laughing as his sniffing tickled her.
"You are his wife." Johan concluded with a nod, "I can smell him on you… along with another scent who I do know." He actually tried to remember Knuckles' scent, as he was strong. His punch was impressive for such weak people.
"Wha- I mean, yeah, or no." She was being confusing. Johan growled at her. Julie-su sighed and explain, "I'm his… girlfriend? Destined loved one? We're dating… sort of."
Johan did not like that answer. "Girlfriend" was a weak term that lacked commitment.
"We're soul-bonded." Julie-su explained again, "We're going to get married… eventually. Um… I guess you don't know what a soul-bond is. We echidnas fall are destined to marry someone in our lives and uh-"
"God has willed you to marry Knuckles." Johan growled to simplify her stupidly long explanation that she intended to give him.
The pink Garden Defender blinked twice, before sighing, "I guess if you put it like that, it works."
Marriage was sacred, it was something to behold, and honored. It carried with it the privilege to bed the woman a man married, but also came with the oath that a man would tend to her, care for her and remain faithful to her. These people did not understand that.
Instead, they refused commitment, discipline or growth in favor of simple desires.
"Well you clearly didn't like that." The pink Garden Defender pointed out, sitting back on some rubble.
Before Johan could respond, he heard movement in the air. He perked his head up.
"It's Ray" Shouted Mighty, pointing up behind Johan in the area between two large buildings. The winged-squirrel flew back to them, and landed next to Johan, before rolling into a ball and slamming into mighty.
Julie-su came forward, "Did you find the prisoners?"
The squirrel uncurled and jumped to his feet, "I did, and I also found the armory, a loading dock, their mess-"
"Alright, thanks for the search, let's get a better look." Julie-su interrupted, and gestured to the other Garden Defenders, "Alright, let's get moving!" She barked at them.
The red garden Defenders rose to their feet with weapons, and they moved closer into the city. Ray told them when to stop, pointing at buildings which supposedly had Legionnaires inside.
"Ok, so over there in where they are keeping the prisoners." Ray stated, pointing up at the building in front of Johan towards his left across the street, "On the right is the army. If you go in further, they had little boxes that have ovens and tables-"
"Ok, We have what we need to know. Now we need to figure out a way to get the prisoners out safely." Julie-su stated, seeming angry at the idea.
"Calm down, Julie. There's no reason to get frustrated. I'm thinking we try to sneak in, and get the people out through the back door area." Mighty proposed, holding his hands out in an open gesture.
The squirrel immediately jumped up, "I'm with Mighty. We can be really quiet if we need to be."
Johan thought for a moment. There were thirty-four of them total, each moving about and making noise. Sneaking and deception would not work, especially with undisciplined men who had only recently been exposed to battle.
"No, we will not be "quiet". We will alert the legion, these men can not hide themselves, or fight." Johan growled, with a satisfied grunt to show his reasoning.
"Ok, what do you propose?" Julie-su asked, dragging her fingers down her face as she sighed in anger. She did not like his challenge to her plan.
"I will attack from the front. You will wait for my signal, and you will free the prisoners once I have drawn the enemy away. You can send your men to fight as well." Johan explained his plan, " Your men will need experience in battle."
"What? I can't ask you to do that. There will be probably two-hundred guns coming after you." Julie-su exclaimed as if Johan had not created the plan. She was worried for him, when he did not want her worry.
"I made this plan, I asked you to take on this weak burden. Their weapons will fail them." Johan growled at her, clawing at the ground in anger at her care of his life. He was not so weak that they would make him die. Johan demanded that his enemy be stronger.
"But… I don't-" She started again, trying to again sound like caring leader in stead of a cowardly one.
"Enough! I will go, and you will decide if to seize on the gift I given you, or if you will wait here." Johan growled at her, before turning to the east, and he moved on the outside of his enemy's camp. Julie-su ran back to the volunteers that she had gathered and began to stir them up.
Johan moved north after clearing the camp, and again caught the strange, disgusting scent in the air. He had no time to waste pursuing it, but it did disturb him.
Johan then decided to turn west. He would be coming from the other base that these Garden Defenders had set up, or that is how it would appear. Deception was not his way, but this would provide a distraction.
Johan wandered close to the camp that the Legion had set up. He saw a Garden Defender on patrol, but the creature somehow avoiding looking at him. The Garden Defender began to whistle and turn around. He was trying to lie to Johan, to make Johan believe that he had not been noticed. Sweat dripped down the Garden Defender's head, dripping off the quills.
Johan wouldn't let him claim ignorance any longer. He dug his claws into the concrete beneath him, and sucked in air. His lungs felt their full size come to use as he swelled up. Then Johan let out a bellowing roar that echoed, sounding like thunder from Thor himself.
The boom started the patrolman, who quickly dove away. A second later the alarm was sounded and Johan heard metal legs moving quickly across concrete. If Johan stayed there, then they would send enough to keep him at bay. He charged forward and leapt as a row of metal soldiers turned the corner.
Johan's weight smashed the front line, and he rushed through the metal Soldier in front of him.
"ALL LEGIONNAIRES, THE WOLVERINE IS HERE!" A panicked voice shouted as the base erupted into chaos. Johan seized on that chaos, and attack another section of the square of metal soldiers. They were not dangerous, but Johan felt his fur burned down, and his old burns stinging again.
Johan shook his head, and roared again as the Garden Defenders rushed out with their lasers drawn and firing at him. Johan had to avoid the south section of the base where Julie-su was working.
He instead ran across the opening square of the city as a walker came out once again. It turned its cannon at Johan as he rushed towards it on all fours. The cannon began to glow, before Johan leapt up. The cannon raised up and shot Johan with a burst of energy, sending Johan back onto the ground and forcing his hide to scrap against the rough concrete.
Johan felt his chest bleeding from the impact. He shook himself and stood up. The cannon was steaming as more lasers fired at his body.
Johan ran towards the walker once again, this time it would not be able to hit him. The walker tried to go backwards, but it was clearly designed to go forward mostly, as it struggled to move its legs backwards.
Johan leapt on the machine and smashed the pilot's head into the controls.
"Get the other one down! Get it down!" Shouted a Legionnaire who was panicking. Johan ran him down as well, before biting down on his leg as he shot at Johan's wounded chest. He tore into the meat and swallowed it as the small red creature shrieked. Johan then dropped his paw on the creatures throat.
The blood in the meat restored Johan's strength, making him feel lighter and stronger. He chased down the other Garden Defenders who were trying to entrench themselves behind metal boxes which lined the street and large metal cans that they had brought out from the buildings.
"Start fighting! We can take him down!" shouted another from the window. They could not.
"Aim for his chest." Shouted a Legionnaire from a different window.
Johan looked down and saw the bleeding crack in his hide. Johan shook himself and ran to the east building's outside, tearing through the Garden Defenders who had come out before slamming into one of the doorways. The door broke off its hinges and fell across the marble floors.
Johan ran through the building and cleared it out of his enemies. They were quickly amassing outside the building, trying to stop him with numbers, but Johan took a moment to replenish his strength, eating the fresh meat around him.
Johan took a breath, and felt the annoying pain in his chest ease. He looked down at, and saw the small trail that led down his body. He growled at himself. Johan was not weak! This pain would not stop him!
The Wolverine flexed his chest muscles together, forcing more blood out at first, before the tightness stopped the bleeding. He held it there as the enemy's panic eased. He could smell curiousity, fear and annoyance.
Some thought he wasn't even in the building anymore. Others were hopeful for some reason.
Johan's ears graced him with another sound: The sound of large jet engines overhead. The enemy carriers had arrived. Johan held his chest together as the wound began to clot. He could hear the sound of large chunks of metal falling, and the sound mechanical buttons and sounds being made.
Reinforcements had arrived for his enemy.
As they did, Johan also heard another sound coming from the far distance. Rifles and artillery firing. The enemy started a second assault. Did Johan need to be there to aide the defenders?
He growled to himself, feeling his wound finally clot up. It was time to fight again. Johan ran down the stairs of the large building and burst out the door to see the tall machine soldiers that The Egg Man had tried to use in the captiol. No matter, they would fall.
Johan rushed at the first one he saw that had a shield as the Legion began to fire at him. It pulled out a large laser pistol, but tried to put it away as Johan closed the distance and leapt at the machine. It raised its shield, but Johan's weight and force knocking it to the ground and broke something inside it.
Johan then jumped at the second one, trying to strike swiftly. There were six around him, minus the one he had just destroyed. The Second one swung its shield in waving motion to knock Johan away, making him roll across the concrete in the ground again.
Johan rose to his feet and shook himself, ignoring the burns that were hitting his back. As he stoon on the pale concrete the was around the buildings, he saw a post on the corner of the square. Johan grabbed it and pulled upward.
The post rose out of the ground with great resistance. Still, Johan picked it up and held it in his right hand. He then turned to face the coming attackers with his new mace.
The machines held their line as if they had real courage, and kept firing at him, although not at his freshly closed chest wound. The lasers struck his shoulders and upper chest, as he charged the cursed machines. The large silver giant raised its shield, but Johan struck with such a force that its arm was pushed back, locked into place.
The machine tried to turn itself as Johan endured another volley of lasers, before swinging the mace he had pulled into the large machine's skull, smashing into it, but also bending the mace he had pulled, and chipping off several of the hooks.
No matter, Johan shook himself and moved to the next giant, his ears could pick up the sound of movement, and Julie-su's voice commanding the prisoners. At least she had the ability to listen to Johan, and seize on the distraction Johan had made.
Johan returned his focus and slammed his bent mace of the metallic skull of the tall walker in front of him, crushing the eye-slit down and knocking the second machine to the ground. The third one rushed forward with its shield raised up. Johan raised the mace over the shield as he stepped to the side and swung into the machine's chest, bending its body forward before he raised his mace again and slammed it down on the machine's head, bending it further.
The building behind Johan had stopped firing into his back, and had grown quiet. Perhaps the cowards had given up, or they were being attacked by Julie-su and her men. Regardless, Johan had enemies in front of him to deal with.
Johan saw two of the three machines rushing towards him, with the third remaining back to shoot at Johan. The charging two had put the large laser pistols away and pulled out glowing swords. Johan reached down and picked up on the large machine's shield, which was perfectly weighted for him. A good blessing.
Johan raised the shield and blocked a coming strike before swinging his bend mace under the machine to his left's shield, slamming into the joint area and snapping it upward, knocking a piece out. The left machine's arm locked up. The right one swung its sword at Johan.
Johan again moved and to block the strike with his shield. The blade of light skipped off his shield, and Johan swung his mace into the machine's side as the left one returned with a cut into Johan's left shoulder. He snarled and swung the mace with more force, shattering the head piece, before slamming the shield through the right titan machine.
Johan dropped the shield and snarled as his shoulder hurt from the large gash which had scalded itself shut, but reopened and now dripped blood down his body. The last machine fired its laser pistol at him. Johan growled and charged it down, with the bent end of the mace put forward.
His enemy was carefully hidden behind its shield, but Johan's response was to simply push the shield down and stab with the mace. The mace struck the chest of the machine but snapped as it did, sending the machine to the concrete and shards of metal flying at Johan's face. He ducked his head to avoid the metal striking his eyes, before stabbing the machine with the handle, crushing through the armor and making the visor grow dim.
Johan left the handle from his salvaged mace in the machine and panted. He scanned the area for anymore threats. His nose smelled his own blood and the fear in the air. The battlefield seemed to have grown quiet.
"He's injured, Shoot him now!" A voice called from above as a red Garden Defender descended down on a strange sphere vehicle. She did not wear a hood or cloak, nor a mask. Instead she wore a loose fitting suit of black leather. How strange. Johan would care more if he were not ready for battle.
More Legionnaires came from the direction of her carrier's back. Her men smelled of fear and hesitation.
Johan growled at them.
"He can be killed! Get him!" She shouted again.
Her men readied their weapons. Johan immediately leapt at their lines, ignoring the pain in his shoulder and biting into the leg of one Legionnaires. The rest scattered in fear as she flew back.
"Lien-da, That's enough! We've had enough trouble… let's call it a day." Julie-su's voice came from behind Johan.
The two stared at each other. Lien-da, the leader of the Legion scowled in hatred at Johan and his allies. Johan growled at her, displaying his teeth and clawing at the ground. He could try and jump at her, but he did not know if he could get her when he did. It would be best to wait, and let her descend lower.
"Of course you would have escaped. I'll have to do a better job about keeping you down." Lien-da growled down, clearly speaking to the pink Garden Defender and her team.
"Lien-da, We're going to kick you back to your master!" Julie-su shouted, "Give up now!"
Julie-su held up her pistol and aimed it at the Red-Garden Defender.
Lien-da didn't seem threaten, which was a good trait to have. She was stoic with an angry, annoyed scowl at the pink Garden. Johan's vision was not great, and his body was still bleeding as annoying addition to their current stand off.
Lien-da's men returned with their weapon drawn. She then slammed a button. The vehicle she was in fired four rockets down at them. Johan ran in front of Julie-su's warband, using his body to shield them from the explosion. The blast hurt, but Johan held firm before snarling up at the Garden Defender.
Julie-su fired her pistol up at the vehicle, but Lien-da flew upward and shouted, "Shoot them! Don't let them escape! I want her alive!" Lien-da commanded while still hovering overhead, pointing at Julie-su.
"Get to cover! Johan, are you ok?" Julie-su shouted at Johan, while still taking cover behind Johan's large form.
"Move, Now!" Johan barked at her, before charging forward on all fours, covering his chest wound with his shoulders and head. The Legionnaires began to drop their walkers from the flying carrier, along with the Titan Machines which raised their shields immediately.
Johan slammed into the Titans which stood in front of the walker machines. He climbed up the closest one's shield and slammed it into the ground before slamming his fist through its metal skull.
Johan felt a tug in his back, and realized that he had been cut across it. He jerked around and threw a punch into the next Titan's chest, before jerking upward and tearing the machine in half with some effort.
Several smaller lasers were firing at Johan, while Julie-su, Mighty and Ray tried to aide Johan. He heard the sound of the closest Walker's laser getting ready to fire, only for the pilot to be kicked out of his seat by Ray, who flew into him.
Might rolled into a ball and rolled other walker, before uncurling and climbing up its leg. Johan focused on the Titans as Julie-su fired at the other Legionnaires, hitting a few in the chest before getting pinned behind a metal box in the street.
Johan had the task of dealing with more Titan machines. He carried out this duty by charging at the other six. One walked forward with a glowing blade, and stabbed into Johan's chest. He roared in pain, but smashed the arm off the machine, and swung his fist into its side.
Johan turned to the second one which had drawn its large laser pistol and fired at Johan. Johan ducked to dodge the attack and ran quickly to strike the machine. As he did, Johan heard a sound from behind himself.
Several rescued Garden Defenders ran out with their captured weapons and started shooting at the Legionnaires. "Come on, Protect our city!" The cry went out and the Garden Defenders continued to fire, while still lacking the discipline needed to wield their weapons.
Johan tore the head off the next Titan machine, feeling his muscles start to ache in pain. Pain came with growth, his wounds would harden him, his muscles would be stronger. Johan was ready to fight more. Johan picked up the metal husk of the Titan, before tossing it at one that was next to a descending Lien-da.
The machine fell back from the husk and was collapsed on the ground as the Legionnaires continued to fire from the buildings and in the street. Their fear was tastable, and they were more fighting out of desperation than they were from courage.
Johan charged at Lien-da, who quickly shot up into the sky.
"LET'S GO! PROTECT OUR MARSHAL!" Shouted a familiar voice that Johan had not heard in at least a day.
Gewis ran from behind the Legionnaires, fighting with the city Security force and with the kingdom's army. They began to fire from cover, resulting in the Legionnaires being surrounded, "THERE'S NO SHELTER FROM OUR STORM!"
Johan roared, "FORWARD! DEATH OR GLORY!" The Garden Defenders heeded Johan's call, and rushed forward with him.
The Legionaries broke as bullets ripped through their lines from behind. Johan dealt with the last of the Titan machines that wasn't pinned, and Julie-su ran forward with her pistol.
The Legion scrambled to escape. The ones in the buildings would be difficult to pursue, so Johan allowed them to escape as the two armies joined together. Johan's men had their seaxes drawn and began to cut into flesh as the enemy ranks descended into chaos.
The battle became a blur of blood and glory.
/*-*/
Alright, Johan has taken down two of the three Legion prison camps. Lien-da is on the backfoot, and her troops are demoralized. Johan has been able to show his strength, and the Chaotix are going to work, showing their strengths and skills.
Alright, next chapter will be a little more normal.
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Thank you all for reading.