Taking up the Mantle

by Rinpoo

Much has changed in the past decade since the defeat of Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn. Robotnik's absolute power and cruelty are left unchallenged as the war escalates to greater heights. Can the youth of Knothole change the fate handed to them, or will they fall victim to this vile, decadent world of brutal tyranny?

16. Disillusion

This chapter is dedicated to my mother: There is little I can say other than that my mother died at the beginning of this month, and I was working through this chapter in my grief and despair. I will not deify the dead or pretend my mother was an angel, but I did love her immensely despite her numerous flaws. It is only fair that she be immortalized in this chapter for eternity since she died while I was writing this. Rest in Peace mom, may you see your father again as you always wanted, and meet Jesus Christ, who you loved so fondly.

Author's Note: Redid this chapter. This was one of my favorite chapters despite my embarrassment over writing the corrupt nature of the aristocracy. Due to my self-consciousness, I almost didn't do any of this. I am glad I convinced myself not to delete it because I do believe this one is great.

Legal Trash. Sonic and everybody else is copyright SEGA/Archie comics. Except for Max, Annie, and Sonia. I created them in my rattled brain; if you like my OC's, use them and let me know. It'll be fun; we will have tea.

Chapter 16. Disillusion

Bang!

Crash!

The loud shuffling sounds could be heard, and Max groggily opened his eyes to see Cream moving about in her usual dirty, torn dress.

She was holding onto a cloth bag in both of her arms as she walked past the couch he was sleeping on.

"O-oh… I am sorry, did I wake you?" She asked when she noticed that Max raised his head to look at her.

"I…" He stopped to look around and immediately recalled where he was.

He looked around the dimly lit room by the lamp on the table and eventually returned his gaze to Cream.

"I don't know?"

He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, but it still felt as if it were nighttime. He was more well-rested but in a state of sleepy confusion.

Cream placed the filled cloth bag on the makeshift counter and opened it. She then started taking things out of it, and it was apparent that she had brought home some food.

A lot of it was meats, cheeses, and milk, but some of it was plants and fruits.

"You even have grown food?" Max asked while leaning forward. That was when he noticed that Annie was still sleeping across him.

She was stretched out and lying on her back with her arm falling off the couch. Her rabbit nose twitched a bit in her sleep, and she looked like she was dead to the world.

"Yes."

Max turned his attention back up to Cream when he heard her respond.

She began placing the food in the refrigerator and pulling out the spoiled stuff. "We have several greenhouses fitted with special lights to grow things, though it is limited."

Max listened as she explained how they got grown foods and placed the palm of his hand gently on Annie's leg.

"The money that was left in the Redford estate account was turned over to me this morning, so I was able to buy extra food." She explained.

Max nodded and watched as she finished putting the small thing of groceries away. He kept being impressed by this place and found that a good sleep had refreshed his mood.

He was thankful, as he didn't quite like feeling the way he did last night.

Cream walked over to the hallway lined with bedrooms and opened one of the doors. She leaned in and pulled out Max's clothes from a cylinder machine.

Once she had all of them in her arms, she neatly placed them on the counter for him to grab quickly.

"They are clean and dry. I made sure they were ready for you when you awoke." She said to him.

Max smiled thankfully and used his metal hand to lift Annie's legs up effortlessly. Then, as gently as he could, he moved past them and placed them onto the couch with care.

He was relieved she didn't wake up and stretched the minute he got to his feet. "Thanks for doing that for me…. And for the robe." He said politely.

"It is no trouble," She smiled sweetly. "but I would get dressed if I were you. As soon as Jonathan comes, you will be escorted to the council room near Lady Radcliff's office."

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked, still at a loss for time.

Cream opened her bedroom door and peered inside of it for a second. She then pulled her head out and spoke to him. "It is half-past twelve o'clock."

Max let out a sigh of relief, feeling grounded now that he knew it was early afternoon. Still, he must have slept for over 11 hours, or at least, he felt like he did.

"Lady Sarah said Johnathan should be here around 1:30 so there is plenty of time, and it is not as if meeting you is particularly formal." She said.

Max nodded and grabbed hold of his clothes, and whisked them away to the bathroom. Once he was inside, he rapidly dressed to be ready before one.

When he finished, he checked his appearance in the mirror to ensure he didn't look foolish.

His clothes were clean and smelled nice, if not a bit wrinkled. He used his metal hand to press his coat against the porcelain sink so that he could iron out the kinks with pressure. Once he was satisfied with it, he exited the bathroom.

When he came out, he saw Tails standing in the kitchen area with Cream, and when he reached the two of them, Tails spoke to him.

"Hey, big guy, rest well?"

Max nodded to the question, and Cream moved to pick up the feminine bag that she had used when she went to eat with Tails. She seemed prepared today, and her stutter had cleared up more than usual.

Max grabbed hold of an apple that sat on the counter and bit into it while Tails started chugging some water he removed from the fridge.

The three quietly ate and drank while Annie lay snoozing on the couch, oblivious to it all.

"It has to be passed one," Max said as he started drinking water as well.

"Yes, only a little while, and Jonathan should arrive." Cream said.

Tails smirked and pushed his fist into his palm. "I can't wait to give Seth what he has coming. He deserves it for getting all those animals killed..."

Cream frowned and placed her hand to her chest. "Uhm, w-well actually. Only Max and I are allowed to go. I am Sir. Redford's adopted daughter, and Max was invited to pass judgment with the council."

Tails shook his head. "Geez, now I won't get to see the look on his pompous face when he gets it."

Tails really seemed to hate him, and it made sense to Cream because of the carnage and hell they all went through that fateful day.

She would not forget Tails' feelings, though. Her mind was mostly made up on the matter already.

Max kept quiet while the two bantered, and just as he was about to speak again, the door began to rattle with hard knocks on it.

The noise made Annie turn her head and shove her face into the couch cushion.

Cream quickly opened the door, and sure enough, Jonathan stood before her, looking as well-rested as Max. "Good morning, Lady Redford, Your Highness." He said with a bow.

"Are we ready to go?" Cream Asked.

"Yes, all the members are waiting to greet his Highness, after which, Seth will be brought in to face his judgment." He responded.

Max immediately moved forward and went out of the door with Cream. Tails waved at them and wished them success in the proceedings.

Once they had met with Max and Seth was adequately dealt with, it would be another significant burden off of Tails' chest.

As the three traveled down the steps, Jonathan started to speak. "I must say, it was an excellent idea that we do this in shifts, my Lord. It would've made things harder, but thanks to your brilliance, we'll all get the rest we need."

"Sure…" Max responded halfheartedly while following behind him.

He felt there was a level of insincerity to his pandering, but given how everyone here acted, he couldn't be entirely sure.

When they reached the bottom of the steps, Max could see that Lynn was asleep in the doorstep. She was resting against the wall holding her spear.

"Why didn't she leave? I thought you relieved her?" Max asked, feeling bad for the jackal.

"Oh, don't worry about her. Blah does whatever she wishes. She is stupidly loyal, you know. She may be mute and dumb, but she makes a strong fighter and a good shield if it comes down to it." Jonathan answered.

The casual dismissive attitude of Lynn honestly upset Max, but he kept his mouth shut for now. The feeling of being well-rested allowed for a calmer disposition on his part.

Cream was relatively silent. She seemed to be struggling with what was about to happen. It was understandable, but she was trying to be bold.

Seth had supposedly done terrible things, and if it warranted death, Max wasn't sure if she could handle that.

They moved quickly on their way and did as best as they could to ignore the excited masses out and about this afternoon.

The group's pace was brisk, and even traveling through the residential district felt shorter than it had previously.

They had made it to their destination in less than twenty minutes, and it was a genuine relief to see the broken statue of king Maximillian Acorn that sat outside of the protective gate.

They wasted no time and were quick to enter into the wooden tunnel Max had walked out of when he greeted some of the people yesterday.

As he looked around the constructed space, he recognized other doors in the tunnel that led to different areas. If anything, he assumed this was where all the bureaucracy took place.

When they were reaching close to the door that housed Lady Radcliff's office. They ended up taking a sharp right and opening a different door. Once they were inside, it was but a short walk to the next one.

"Here you are. Everyone is waiting for you. I shall remain here to ensure that nobody enters that shouldn't." Jonathan said as he stepped aside while holding the second door open to allow them to pass.

Max watched from the cramped wooden hallway as Cream was the first to walk in, and when she did, he saw her put her gaze to the floor.

She casually walked towards a massive center podium that already had five animals sitting there with two empty seats.

Once Cream quietly took her seat next to the other animals, Max could hear Lady Radcliff call for him. "Your Highness! Please enter. There is no reason to be shy."

Max walked into the room, and he could see before the center podium sat a flimsy desk one could stand or sit at. The seats that the five animals sat in were elevated to give them a sense of dominant power.

The animals kept their composure and did not speak at all, even though Max could tell they were shocked.

He walked up to the flimsy desk and stood behind it. His eyes went from left to right, reading the grimy plaques bearing names as he went.

Redford, Brinwald, Radcliff, Windser, Lasil, Gotra.

Brinwald was empty, but Cream had taken her place at the empty Redford chair. She looked out of place, still wearing her ratty war-torn dress, and it was almost as if she didn't care she looked worse than everybody else here.

"Your Highness. Please speak to the council and introduce yourself." Sarah said nicely as she placed both her hands on the podium in front of her.

Max just breathed in and repeated the things he'd said multiple times by now, only adding emphasis on the council to enhance it.

"I am Maximillian Charles Acorn, the first son of Princess Sally Alicia Acorn and heir to the throne Mobotropolis. I am humbled to be here, and I must say that it is a grand honor to meet each and every one of you."

The council looked at each other with smiles about their faces, except for Cream, who seemed to be lost in her own mind during this time.

Windser, a massively overweight walrus, laughed a little bit, and his giant bushy, white mustache began to move from side to side.

"Ahhhh, yes! Just looking at you, only a fool would doubt your heritage! Your looks, your clothes! There is no mistaking it!"

Lasil, a gaudily dressed bluebird, was next to speak. He leaned forward and examined Max as hard as he could.

"I do say… You look the part, but I hardly understand why you're wearing that ratty glove and only one of them? Is it some sort of… royal statement?"

Max shrunk a little bit and slid his gloved hand off the tabletop so that it couldn't be seen anymore.

Lady Radcliff began to speak. "Now, Eliot, this is not a trial of fashion, and you would do well not to insult our honored guest."

Eliot kind of just waved his wing. "I was rather curious… Perhaps he will enlighten me another time then."

He put his wing to his beak and then pointed at him after brief thought. "I have to say… I am mildly interested in your attire and demeanor, though I do not understand it entirely…."

Max didn't like the bird much at all, but he said nothing so as to give off an air of respect, even if he felt it was undeserved.

Cream put her hands on the podium and criticized Eliot's rude comment. "I-I think that i-is quite uncalled for… M-Max is allowed to dre-dress as he pleases, being a prince and all."

Eliot just scoffed at her. "And we're supposed to take fashion advice from you? A PTSD-riddled rabbit, wearing an inelegant, smelly dress… I think not. I merely stated my mind, and I am sure his Highness understands that appearances matter."

Cream was silenced by the harsh comment. It seems as if Eliot didn't care much for the feelings of others, and Max got a sense that this was as nice as he could bring himself to be.

A rude way for the bird to be, sure, but there was a benefit to being so straightforward.

Gotra, a female chameleon. Stared at Max and eventually spoke up. "I'd seen King Maximillian Acorn in the heyday of Mobotropolis, and I can honestly say that your looks are uncanny…."

She leaned forward to stare harder. "It would be a disservice for a city so filled with knights and love for the royal family not to accept you. I would like very much that we establish a long-lasting relationship."

Lady Radcliff nodded after Gotra finished and then began to speak for everyone there. "Then it pleases me greatly, now that introductions are over, that we will be establishing trade with his Royal Highness." She paused, and Cream nodded when Sarah looked at her.

Lady Radcliff returned her attention to Max, then finished. "After consulting with Lady Redford, please accept a token gesture of much-needed medical supplies to be given upon your departure from Radcliff."

Max breathed out a sigh and shook his head slightly to contain his excitement. It felt somewhat daunting at first, but it all came off as an informal introduction, as Cream had said.

"Jonathan!" Lady Radcliff shouted, and Jonathan came running in.

"Yes, Lady Sarah?!" He said as he stopped in front of her with a salute.

"Bring, Sir. Seth Brinwald in here in about 10 minutes." She said.

Jonathan nodded and quickly ran out of the room. In this brief time, most of the council had come down from the podium and surrounded Max.

"Put er' there!" Windser shouted, holding out his chubby hand with a boisterous laugh.

Max put his right hand out and felt the crushing grip of the overweight mammal. "I say, I am simply delighted, absolutely delighted, to meet you! Windser's the name, Bruno Windser!" his deep voice shouted.

"I… uhm…" Max started but was quickly interrupted again.

"Hah! Hah! What fortune! A highborn prince, last of a great bloodline, here with us now. The winds of change are blowing, and the weather is looking good!" Windser continued on loudly.

Bruno was an energetic and overbearingly optimistic person, but his friendliness was hard not to smile at.

"I…" Max was about to correct his misconception that he was the last but silenced himself.

Despite the kindness of all the animals, he was unwilling to mention his beloved sister to them for some reason he didn't completely understand.

"?"

Windser paused as if trying to let him speak, but when Max didn't, he was more than happy to end the conversation in a timely fashion.

"Ah, very good… You and I shall have to chat again before you leave here, once all this unpleasantness is put behind us."

Windser let go of Max's hand and waddled back a bit due to the nature of his obesity. He was extraordinarily tall and portly and seemed to have a lust for life few did in this day and age.

"Sure… I will talk to you after the business with Seth." Max finally got a complete sentence out.

"Excellent!" Windser shouted and sauntered his way to his seat. Leaving Gotra and Lasil there before Max.

Gotra walked forward and bowed her head. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I am Lady Lilly Gotra, of house Gotra, and wife of Lord Timothy Gotra. It has been a few decades that we have longed for the presence of royalty here, and now thanks to you, our dream has finally come true."

She raised her head, having formally introduced herself, and Max responded to her kind words, though he felt they weren't befitting him.

"Thank you, Lady Gotra… I… well, it means everything to me that you feel that way, and your kind gift of medicine will be an invaluable one for myself and my companions."

Gotra just smiled and returned to her seat after. It was clear that Max, even in his inexperience, had a social charm that was correctly influencing them.

Eliot put his wings on his waist and looked over Max once more. Max looked back and saw he had a rapier at his side, telling him that Lasil was quite agile and quick in his swordsmanship, but it was hard to take someone so pompous serious in matters of war and combat.

"We have already met, so I will save the formal pleasantries," Eliot said in a disinterested tone and put his wing to his beak.

"A bit of advice though, I think it is rather offensive you came here wearing such a wrinkled coat, the garishness of it I can forgive, but you are among the higher class. Please act like you care more."

There was a bit of laughter from Windser and Gotra as Eliot smirked and walked away from Max to reclaim his seat.

Max didn't respond and simply stared at him out of the corner of his eye. He was feeling angry, but part of him felt like it was a purposeful attempt to make him make a fool of himself, and he was never going to allow that to happen.

Sarah moved her hand and pulled it towards herself to usher Max to sit alongside them. "Please come. Seth will be brought in shortly, and don't let Eliot get to you. He likes to bark loud because his bite is too weak to display."

There was more snickering from Windser and Gotra, and Max walked up to take his place at the empty seat that read "Brinwald."

Once everyone was settled in, they waited in silence for Seth.

After several minutes the door swung open, and Seth was brought in. He was still wearing the same clothes he had been yesterday, and he was surrounded by knights on every side.

His hands and legs had iron shackles on them, and he was pushed forward until he stood beside the flimsy wooden desk.

He couldn't bring his gaze towards them, and his expression was sullen and defeated. The bravado he displayed yesterday was entirely gone, and he looked utterly defenseless.

Sarah began to speak loudly in the silent room as the knights kept themselves by Seth.

"Seth Brinwald, you stand accused of conspiring against your fellow animals, as well as treachery resulting in the deaths of high standing animals and commoners. You also stand accused of endangering the life of his Highness, prince Max, and his companions."

She paused to look Seth over, and he was now looking at them instead of the floor, so she continued.

"A serious litany of crimes that at worst results in execution, and at best carries hefty penalties and fines for extreme negligence… How do you plead?"

Seth kept his mouth shut and seemed fearful. He just returned his gaze to the floor as the chains clanked with the movement of his hands.

"Silent, eh? Fair enough." Sarah said and then spoke loudly about how this was going to work.

"I will be abstaining from deliberation because I will be the one handing down your sentence, the rest of the council will deliberate until a majority, non-unanimous vote has been passed, and your fate is sealed. If you have anything to say or show that will prove your innocence, you may provide it at any time. Are there any questions, Brinwald?"

Seth just shook his head "no" and then took a seat at the desk. He seemed to have resigned himself, though Max couldn't understand why. This was his life, and he didn't seem remotely interested in fighting for it.

Sarah spoke again and laid out some paperwork. She reiterated the events and accusations that had taken place in her office yesterday and then passed the paperwork along the council line.

When Max received them, he reviewed the contents and saw the first page was indeed a paper filled out in a bid for the Redford estate during Cream's absence.

The second paper showed that it was Seth's duty to maintain equipment now that Sir. Redford was suffering from mental illness.

The third paper was a log of all equipment removed and returned to and from the storage facility. The highlighted date in question showed that Seth himself had indeed removed a signal emitter and not a map.

The fourth and final paper showed that Seth made multiple attempts to claim the Redford fortune stored in the private account.

Many of the attempt reasons were listed as the death of account holders and beneficiaries and his relationship as the closest living friend to the account holder.

Max looked up at Seth, who was simply staring at him while he looked over the damning evidence.

It was unquestionable that Seth was at fault somehow, and it was now making sense why he didn't seem to be fighting against this.

He put the papers back in order and handed them to Cream, who became ever more distraught by the information upon receiving and looking them over.

She never broke down during the review, but Max could tell she was fighting back the tears. Wounds always being reopened were unquestionably damaging her mental stability.

"Is everyone finished reviewing?" Lady Radcliff asked, then when Cream handed back the papers, everyone agreed it was time to start.

"Then let the discussion begin." Sarah finished.

Seth stood up again, and for the first time, he decided to speak.

"I…" He looked at Lady Radcliff, who seemed wholly displeased with him. He lowered his eyes and breathed in deep.

"It was a mistake… Cream is just as much at fault as I am for this… I told her that Sir. Redford wasn't well, but she refused to listen to reason."

There was murmuring among the animals, but Cream was quick to speak up for herself in a strange display of confidence on her part.

"N-nonsense! You were entrusted by my f-father to do your job correctly, and all I see here is a g-greedy man who tried to grab at what wasn't his!"

Seth looked upset and put his hands on the table in front of himself.

"What do you know, little rabbit? You are just common riff-raff playing noble. The money should belong to somebody who deserves it, who knows how to use it. I assumed you were dead and did what anybody would do… It isn't my fault that you wanted to run a fool's errand for an old man and got so many people killed."

"Bu-but it is your fault that we were given the wrong device!" Cream shouted, becoming enraged. "Y-you l-looked, Sir. Redford in the eye and gave h-him that device, y-you traitor! Your fat-father would be disgusted by your actions."

Seth became furious as he slammed his hands down on the table so hard that it split the wood on top.

"Shut your filthy mouth, you haven't the right to talk about my late father in such a manner, and if you continue to do so, chains won't stop me from reaching you!"

"Y-your guilty!" Cream shouted back fearlessly and pointed at him with conviction and power.

"T-the son of my father's closest companion stabbed him in the back!"

Cream and Seth's emotional exchange was cut short by Lady Radcliff slamming her fist against the podium loudly. "Enough! This is a deliberation, not a shouting match!"

As quickly as Sarah was angered, both of the two shut their mouth and averted their gaze. There was a long silence before Windser finally broke it.

"I see nothing more than circumstantial evidence here. Why, if I were as close to Sir. Redford as Sir. Lex and his son Seth, then I too would have made a bid for the estate and accounts. Even were he to have made a mistake, Cream knew very well the dangers and the state of Redford's mind. All blame cannot be cast solely on him." He rubbed his fat gut, having spoken his mind.

"Surely, you jest?" Gotra interjected. "This is a little more than just a mistake. Multiple animals were killed, including Diana Radcliff and Sir. Redford. I saw no mourning from Seth and only attempts to grab at the rewards that could be given for such a foul deed."

Windser scowled a bit. "A joker I can be, but not in matters such as this. I know very well who died, but I say, why does that matter? Cream is partially responsible for this, and if Seth is to be heavily punished, so too should she."

Cream slammed her hand against the podium. "I-I am not responsible! I am the victim here! He mu-murdered everyone. I saw it happen, and now you tell me it's MY fault because I wanted to keep Sir. Redford from being put down!"

"Precisely!" Windser responded. "You should have let the old man die a dignified death, but instead, you trusted somebody who didn't work with the equipment as much as Redford and then blame him for trying to collect on things he was likely entitled to. Everyone thought you were dead, including me."

"Oh, shut up, Windser…." Gotra became agitated. "It isn't her fault that Seth is nefarious, or at least, an idiot. He is responsible. Period."

Eliot shook his head and rubbed his beak. "I do agree with Windser. It is just as much Cream's fault. Redford should never have been ushered out like he was, and it isn't his fault that the error was made. He wasn't always in charge of the machines, that was Sir. Redford's duty, and it isn't Seth's fault that Redford's impairment kept him from recognizing the device was wrong."

"B-but…" Cream began but was interrupted by Eliot.

"But nothing, you knew the risks, and you took the chances. The same is true for Diana. Did she not have autonomy? Did she not choose to go? That is hardly Seth's doing. He likely made a terrible mistake, sure, but it was the incompetence of both Cream and Redford that resulted in this horrifying end."

Max listened to them bicker back and forth, and it was becoming quite heated.

Seth didn't speak or do anything other than stare into Max's eyes as Max stared back. It was as if the two were having some sort of mute conversation while the rest of them started yelling. Even Cream was losing it.

"….."

"Enough!" Lady Redford once again yelled at the animals for increasing their noise levels. Once everyone became quiet, she turned her attention to Eliot.

"Say what you will, Lasil, but if you dare speak so freely about my sister's incompetence in this matter, then you might find yourself in a cell until you learn some respect." She warned and stared at him intensely.

Eliot adjusted his neckpiece and simply nodded. "Forgive my careless words… I was merely attempting to say that Diana chose to go and…."

Lady Radcliff slammed the palm of her hand against the podium top with a slap. "I know what you were trying to say, Eliot, but the way in which you said it was poor. Watch your mouth, is that understood!?"

"Y-yes… My apologies, my Lady…." He said the first truly humble thing since Max had known him.

"We have been squabbling over this for quite some time now… Do you have anything else to say, Seth, or shall we go on to cast your verdict?" Sarah said in an agitated tone.

Seth looked into her seething eyes briefly and then cast his gaze back to the floor. "…"

"Very well, Windser shall go first." She said as she leaned back.

Windser coughed to clear his throat and leaned forward.

"With all the evidence presented, I simply cannot say that he had no fault in this matter, however. I truly believe that blame also lay with Cream and Redford for wanting to take this journey in the first place. His attempts to get the estate was no different than I would have done if such an event were to happen. I move that he be punished for his incompetence but not executed."

The room was quiet, and then Lady Radcliff pointed to Gotra. "Your thoughts…?"

"Seth was responsible and failed in all of his duties, not only that, but every piece of paper that was shown today paints a clear picture of nefarious intent, and in Redford and Cream's absence, there wasn't a shred of sadness or remorse on his part." She paused briefly.

"I believe, based on everything shown, that this was a deliberate attempt to regain the wealth and prestige of the Brinwald name since Sir. Lex's death, through the acquisition of the Redford fortune. Therefor. I believe that Seth Brinwald is guilty of treason, and as a result, should be executed for his crimes."

Max still remained silent, he was thinking hard about everything he was hearing, but it was only now that he was feeling the weight of the decision as the noose began tightening around Seth's neck.

Lasil simply began to speak before being offered a chance to. He knew what he wanted to say and decided it was best just to say it.

"I think that Seth is hardly responsible for what has happened, and I do not believe he owes Lady Redford a damn thing, least of all his life. I say we dismiss this matter and stop wasting our time. A mentally disabled animal should not be wandering about and making any sort of decisions such as Redford was doing during the preparations."

All eyes settled on Cream, and she sat quietly for a few seconds. Everyone could see the pain and struggle written on her face, but eventually, she spoke up bold and confidently to the room.

"I am not a violent person. I never want anybody to get hurt if I can help it, and I am certainly against murder and execution." She paused.

"However, this is not about me, and it is a matter of my adoptive father… Sir. Redford was loyal, just, kind, and always helped Seth with whatever he needed in his life." She paused again, composing herself as much as she could.

"To him, this would be treachery, and he always believed that treachery should be met with death. While I am not sure if I agree with him, it is apparent that Seth betrayed my father, and so, as my last act on his behalf. I will do as he would because he no longer can."

Cream glared at Seth and finished her speech. "I want Seth's treachery to be paid for with his own life… That is how my father would want it, and so, I shall give his soul rest in knowing his death was met with the justice he deserves."

The council began murmuring at her declaration, and even Max was a bit surprised, given her nature.

It seemed, though, this was out of respect for the one person she had in her life, so voting against her own nature to appease the spirit of her loved one must have been challenging.

As Max thought about it, his eyes moved around, and he could see that every single person in the room was staring at him. He began to sweat as he realized that his decision would either kill Seth or punish him.

Lady Radcliff put on a small smile. "Ah, the hardest thinker and the politest. So quiet during this whole affair, you must be thrilled to decide this man's fate. After all, he has affected your life so much and hurt those you love quite a bit…."

Max knew it was true, and merely reading the papers was enough to at least convince him that Seth had done some or all of the things he had been accused of.

He looked and could see Windser, Lasil, and Gotra eagerly awaiting his decision.

He turned to look at Cream, and he could see a hopeful look on her face, that he would strike down this depraved animal and give her father rest.

Max looked at Seth, who had nothing but a defeated look on his face, and he dare not say a word to him. Their eyes just peered into one another's, and Max searched hard within to find the answers.

He owed it to Cream because she saved his life… She needed him now.

Seth's death would end everything and ensure that a treacherous scum such as he would no longer take advantage of others.

Guilt…

Max was sure of it, or maybe… He wasn't… He looked at Cream again and felt sadness fill his soul. He was full of pain seeing her like that, and he felt obligated to strike the finishing blow.

Max looked back to Seth one last time and thought hard about it.

Is this justice…?

"I…" Max hesitated, and all of the animals sat on edge.

He shut his eyes for a second, and then as confidently as he could, began to speak with his heart.

"Seth… I want to believe you acted maliciously… I want to believe you purposefully mislead Cream and Redford so that you could sate your own greed." He paused and looked at the glove on his hand for a second and then continued.

"However, just because I want to think and feel that way does not mean that you did. I have enough doubt that I cannot comfortably say that you committed this act the way I believe you did. If I have that much doubt, then I think it would be unjust to take your life." Max rubbed his head.

"It is better for you to be guilty and keep your life than you be innocent and lose it simply because I thought you should." He finished his statement. Foregoing what he believed he owed Cream in favor of what he felt was appropriate.

Cream looked really distraught over Max's decision, and Seth was utterly shocked.

He couldn't take his eyes off of Max, and Max turned to see Lady Radcliff's expression briefly change from a neutral frown to an almost sly smile.

The knights brought out their keys, unshackling Seth's hands and feet, and Lady Radcliff began to speak.

"Then, this matter is settled. Sir. Seth has been found guilty of negligence rather than treachery, and his house is ordered to pay restitution to the families of the lives lost, as well as to the Redford estate. His house will be given a probationary period of five years before any Brinwald is allowed to participate in decision making… Does this sit well with all members of the council?"

Lasil and Windser smiled happily and nodded. Gotra seemed disappointed in Max but begrudgingly accepted the terms.

Cream neither looked at Max nor Seth and simply ignored the question. It did not sit well with her, but if she were unwilling to speak, the matter would be deemed closed.

"Thank the royals that Maximillian is a generous soul Seth…." Radcliff began and then pointed to the knights. "I want you to escort him back to his home. I will contact his mother, Lady Brinwald, and discuss what is owed for each animal harmed."

Seth seemed lost and just kept looking at Max. Even as the knights dragged him out of the room, he kept looking back at him.

Gotra got up and stomped out, not even bothering to give Max a goodbye. She simply left in a huff and was gone from view by the time Max was able to stand to his feet.

Lasil came over and smiled at him. "I expected you to back the rabbit, but it is rather refreshing that you are a man that thinks for himself. I think my respect for you has gone up."

Windser let out a loud, boisterous laugh and smacked Max so hard on the back that he moved the top half of his body forward.

"Hahhhhhh Hahhhhhhh! See, this is what I am talking about! Handsome, young, and of strong mind and judgment!"

Max's cheeks warmed out of embarrassment. Windser was so loud and forthcoming that it seemed no matter what happened, he was going to make some sort of scene.

Windser wrapped his big arm around Max's right shoulder and pulled him tight to his massive body.

Max tried to break free, but the grip he had on him was too firm.

"Ah…"

"My lad, you simply must, in fact, you are REQUIRED to join me this evening! Us gentleman will be having a get-together at my estate, and I simply will not allow you to miss it!" Windser continued to yell and laugh with excitement.

Max was caught off guard and unsure of what to say. The truth was, he wanted to leave immediately after this affair was over, but Windser was so loud it was difficult to get a word in.

He turned his attention to Cream in hopes of having her help bail him out, but he was disheartened and shocked to see that she was abandoning him there.

She had silently risen and was taking her leave of the room without speaking a word to him.

"Cre…" Max began, but Windser cut him off.

"What say, you lad!? Will you do this old man a great service by gracing him with your royal presence this eve?" His grip became tighter.

Lasil even laughed. "Do come. It might be nice to pick your brain. Perhaps you can enlighten me on the royal's etiquette."

Max wanted to scream, he wanted to leave, but he felt so much pressure to accept.

Lady Radcliff just sat there at the podium, writing on paper while the affair took place. Max could feel his anger beginning to rise, and it was directed towards Cream for leaving him here.

He thought she was acting childishly, and even if he could empathize, it still pissed him off.

"…"

"Fine… What will one extra night here hurt…?" He eventually answered.

Windser let go of Max and yelled. "EXCELLENT! My Lord, you will not regret it! I shall send word to your guard to escort you when things begin!"

Lasil and Windser laughed, and they seemed to be relatively happy with themselves, perhaps this was merely a game to them, and they felt like their team had "won" something.

The two left together, celebrating and talking loudly as they did, leaving Max alone in the quiet room with nothing but the sounds of writing on paper.

It was all over now, and Max was left feeling unsure. Eventually, Lady Radcliff finished writing and stepped down to stand in front of Max.

It was the first time the two had ever had such intimate privacy, and she reached out her hand to touch his shoulder.

"I know you desired to leave after this meeting, but this is a good thing. Not only will this allow us time to pick and pack the best supplies for your leave tomorrow, but you will no doubt get to know your allies well this evening at the social gathering." She encouraged his decision.

Max looked up at her to see her smirking, and her tone became more casual than it ever had since he had first gotten here.

"I must say, though… I was surprised at how you voted. It was… Unexpected."

"I am sorry… I know your sister died… I…" He tried to apologize but stopped when she moved her hand and put her pointer finger against his lips to silence him.

"Shhhhh…"

The room became eerily quiet.

"I can see you understand which lineage to favor when important 'matters' come up…." Her voice was low, and she seemed outwardly happy.

Max didn't respond, and she turned her body to the side as she readied to leave. "Don't worry… I will ensure that the Brinwald's show their… 'thanks.'"

With that said, Sarah left Max there alone in the empty room. He looked around and felt an extreme uneasiness fill the pit of his stomach. How she spoke unusually frightened him.

"…"

Max walked towards the door but stopped to breathe out and collect himself. Just what had he agreed to, and how angry would Cream and Tails be that he accepted another night here?

He wasn't entirely sure, but it was too late to take it back now.

After an hour of collecting his thoughts, Max made his way out the door and into the wooden tunnel.

He could see that most of the people walking through here were unfamiliar knights and staff of the various offices around the area.

They stopped to say hi, but he felt distant and merely murmured "thanks" when he passed.

He pushed Lady Radcliff's demeanor out of his mind, as it was only middling on his scale of worry.

In truth, he felt like an idiot for not having sentenced Seth to death. It would have at least pleased Cream, and by extension, Tails. Though, it was his uncertainty of Seth's true motivation that stayed his hand.

To kill him to appease his friends and companions felt wrong to him, and even though he recognized he bared the burden of hurting Cream in some unknown way, he did it with composure and maturity.

Once he left the tunnel, he saw that one of his trio of knights was standing alongside the opening.

It was Robbie, the giant rhino. He had his arms crossed, and when he saw Max, he immediately bent into a bow.

"Good day to you, my Lord. I have been waiting to escort you back to the Redford estate."

Max blinked and then nodded. "So, I take it you are to be watching me until night?"

"That is correct, your Highness. That is when Blah will take the entire night shift." He said, standing up straight and leaning on his heavy spear made of solid steel.

"So, she gets the entire night shift while you and Jonathan split the day?" Max asked.

"Naturally, she must work harder to earn her keep. Nothing here is free, and a disabled, disfigured, and mostly worthless creature such as herself should be considered lucky to have an opportunity to serve you." He responded as he lifted his heavy spear and turned to follow Max's movements.

Max felt disheartened and shook his head. "Why do you speak so ill of her?" He asked, and the rhino raised an eyebrow at him as if it were not only a disgraceful question but an out-of-place one.

"Because that is the natural order of things… She is scum, she barely worked to get into Radcliff, and she isn't like myself or Jonathan. We were here at a time when things were new; we deserve the things we receive. She is an outsider that got lucky."

Max was feeling disgusted, but he pressed on, curious to find the reasoning for such rhetoric.

"What do you mean?"

As the two walked, Robbie began to explain. "Blah found her way to the waterfall torn apart and looking as good as dead. Nobody knew what had happened to her, and honestly, nobody cared, as she was left out there to rot until death. Somehow, she survived the brutal winter's night until the morning, and that was when an anonymous citizen with money pulled strings to have her taken in and mended."

Robbie took in a deep breath and continued his short tale. "In Radcliff, you aren't just 'given' entry. You need to sacrifice and work for it. All the digging that has been done was done by criminal offenders of the city and those seeking admission to it. You toil and contribute, then you and yours gain entry here for life."

He lifted his spear to gently push aside a commoner who was getting too close to Max during their walk.

"Blah recovered somehow but was not technically a citizen, so she was put to work digging as anyone should. She toiled for little under a year when a few of the friskier squires went down to have some fun one night. They offered her a dicking, but instead of appreciation, she dug several inches of pickaxe into each of their skulls."

Max already felt mortified by the tale, but he let Robbie continue to tell it uninterrupted as he took it all in.

The rhino hocked up and spit a giant wad of phlegm on the ground.

"For killing some of the order, she was to be put to death, but Sir. Lex stepped in and desired to use her for military purposes. She was given a free pass, pay, and residence for being a deviant."

He paused and looked around to make sure he wasn't in earshot of other knights. "Between you n' me, I am glad that Lex is dead, fuckin' scumbag..."

Max was rendered speechless by the crude and horrific story, but it painted a vivid picture of Robbie's attitude towards others.

Max was positive such things should be kept in silence, but this big fellow seemed merely too stupid to recognize that.

"I see… I won't tell anybody…." Max eventually muttered as they began leaving the residential district.

He smiled. "Hah, loyal to your subordinates, eh? Well, Jonathan seems to think Blah is loyal, but mark my words, she'll cutcha' if she gets the chance. She killed some fine up-and-coming knights who took an interest in her ugly ass, don't think she won't do it to you."

Max nodded, though he didn't believe what Robbie said was even remotely accurate. He may be playing along with the things being said, but he truly hated the attitude that some people here took.

It seemed like the less fortunate were ignored and derided simply because it was easy. Max had never seen such things in his young life and was so used to the only enemy being Robotnik that this came across as nonsensical and petty to him.

They slowed their walk, eventually stopped outside of the estate, and Lynn was gone from her sleeping area of this morning.

Max wasn't sure where she went to but had to assume she needed to eat. He turned to the rhino and bowed slightly in appreciation. "Thanks for the escort."

Robbie scratched his head. "Ya kno' you act weird for a prince. I don't mean no disrespect, but those of divine blood should be above their servants, not bowing to them."

Max didn't bother to dignify that with a response as he considered it to be nothing more than trite nonsense.

He started walking away from him disrespectfully, as he didn't care to have this conversation now, especially when he found he genuinely disliked Robbie.

Robbie just watched Max walk away like a prick, and his eyes narrowed a bit.

He knew how Lords and Ladies should act and felt that Max did not fit such a description. Thankful he probably should be, but authenticity was more what he desired from him.

Max ascended the Stairs of the estate, and when he reached Cream's front door, he knocked. It was quiet for a moment, and then it swung open to reveal Annie standing there in her usual attire.

"Max? Where the hell have you been?" She whispered in an annoyed tone.

Max just pushed himself past her, not wanting to hear her complaints either, and as soon as he reached the couch they had slept on, he flopped onto the cushion.

"…"

"Max… I dunno what happened, but Cream has barricaded herself into her room and refuses to talk. Tails got pissed off and started yelling at her through the door…." She explained the situation to him, and it was about what he had expected things would be like.

Tails came from the small hallway when he heard the noise and pointed at Max the second he saw him. "Alright, explain what the hell is going on. Every time something happens, this girl loses her mind, and I am sick of it."

His voice was full of frustration mixed with intense care. It was clear he wanted to fix the things hurting her but was powerless to do so.

Max looked at his boots and simply shook his head left to right.

"I… When we had the council meeting, Cream voted to have Seth executed. I assume it took everything she had to muster the courage to vote that way, but…." His voice trailed off in hesitation.

Tails blinked when he heard that. Had Cream done so because of him and his feelings? He hadn't wanted to put her in that position at all.

He rubbed his arm and responded. "But…?"

Max let out a sigh. "I am the cause, alright? I voted against her and gave Seth a lenient punishment."

Tails scowled immediately. "You what!? Do you know what that bastard did? What we saw!? And you voted against her!?" His voice was elevated due to his shock.

Max stared at Tails and could offer no excuses for what he chose to do and merely waited to be torn apart for having done what he did.

Tails took in a deep breath and shut his eyes before he spoke again. "I just want to know why Max… Cream did everything to save your life and to help us. I just… I don't know." He searched for an answer.

Annie backed away slightly. Recognizing how hurt Tails felt and she wanted to let them speak freely to one another.

Max glanced at Annie and eventually just stood up to face Tails. "Because there was no way to know if he did it purposefully. Say what you want, but I would be the one living with the weight of the decision, not you. I… It just didn't feel right."

Tails could understand Max's reasoning, but he was struggling to accept it as an answer.

"She is one of us, and you went against her…." Tails tried to be reasonable, but he was so caught up in his disappointment and pain that he couldn't.

He felt that all the blood, misery, and carnage he endured that day would never have retribution now.

"What do you want me to say?" Max placed his hands in his coat pockets. "I did what I thought was the right thing to do."

"…"

Tails stared at the pained expression on Max's face and realized the predicament he was being placed in. There was an unenviable unfairness to it.

"Alright..." Tails eventually said after a long silence.

Max scratched the back of his head. "What?"

"If you think it was the right thing to do, then so be it. I won't lie. I disagree with it, but I respect your intelligence, so it is ok." Tails tried to smile.

Max smiled weakly back, feeling better that Tails was trying to respect him. "Thanks…"

Tails breathed in and let out an exasperated breath. "Don't worry, I will try to reason with Cream before we leave…."

"You have plenty of time…" Max began as he readied himself to break the other news. "We are staying another night, so she might come around."

Tails shook his head, and Annie kind of smiled hearing the news.

"Are you serious, Max?" Tails sounded annoyed. "Why?"

Max kept standing before the old sofa and responded. "I was invited to spend time with the members of the council, as well. They told me that this would allow them time to gather the best medical supplies for us to take tomorrow when we leave."

Tails thought about it for a moment and then recognized this was his chance to not only help Cream feel better but let Max do the duties he wanted to be responsible for.

He placed his hand to the bottom of his muzzle and smiled a bit. "Hah, look at you, doing your mother's part in a way that would make her proud."

"I dunno, abou…." Max began, but Tails just grabbed hold of him and brought him in for a one-armed hug.

"I know! I trust your decisions, and hey, everything we gain from this will really let us stick it to ol' butt-nick." He messed up Max's hair with his fist.

Max let out a genuine laugh, feeling all his tension and displeasure leave him for a moment.

"Thanks…"

Tails let him go. "So what time is this get-together? I assume it is just you who is invited?"

Max nodded and rubbed his arm. "Yeah… I was told the knights would escort me when it was time, though I am sorry that you can't go."

Tails shook his head and waved his hand. "Nah, all that boring bureaucratic stuff I can do without. I feel sorrier for you."

"Gee, thanks…" Max said, recognizing that this would probably be a tedious haughty-toity affair.

Tails turned to face the hallway. "I am gonna try and get Cream to come out and talk." He made his way down the hall and began gently knocking on her door.

"Hey, Cream…" He began.

"…"

Max felt his frustration come back when he remembered how she acted, and rather than sit around and be subject to it again, he moved towards the front door and shut it.

Once he was in the narrow stone stairwell, Annie pushed open the door and shut it behind herself so that she could join him.

"That was a whole lot…." She said, seeing Max standing at the edge of the steps looking down.

"You are not kidding." Max began and kicked some of the dirt that sat along the top of the stairs.

"Cream's being a total pain. Yeah, I am not sure I made the right choice, but she needn't be so ignorant about it."

Annie shrugged and then leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "Well then, fuck her."

Max turned to stare at her. She was always so bold and uncompromising, but it felt refreshing to hear that.

He just looked at her, and she smirked.

"Look, I ain't saying she didn't do a lot for us, but she ain't one of us. If she wants to be that way, then we just stick together and leave her ass behind." She said.

Her leg bent up, and she rested the sole of her boot against the wall.

There was much truth to what she was saying, and it was now that Max truly understood the need for a confidante.

Even if she were telling him what he wanted to hear, it was cathartic and stress relieving.

"Thanks, Ann… I knew I could count on you."

"Hey, you made me an important person. The least I can do is fulfill that. Maybe if luck would have it, when we get the medicine tomorrow and bail, the device Snively is building will be finished." She said.

Max was feeling in higher spirits. This was all good, despite Cream's adverse reaction.

Everything else was a net positive for everyone involved. Max lowered himself and then sat at the top of the stairs.

The two quietly stayed there thinking, and then Max spoke again. "Say, Ann?"

"Hm?"

"What do you really think of this place?" He asked.

Annie shook her head. "I… Really don't know?"

Max turned to her. "Funny… I feel the exact same way."

"There is a lot to love here, but I do miss the forest already. If I have to be honest, not having the sun kind of creeps me out." She Admitted.

"Yeah, this place is different. I will say that…." He said.

In truth, Max didn't want to admit his growing distaste for this place, but his newfound positive outlook on the situation was helping him cope with the depression, stress, and anger that has been distorting his perception.

"I'm gonna go back in… You comin' Max?" Annie asked.

"Nah… I think I am going to sit out here for a while and think. When I was invited to this meeting, they called it a 'gentleman's get together,' so I need to figure out how polite I should be." He stated.

"Well, I can see the problem with this already," Annie said as she opened the door.

"What is that?" He asked.

"They invited you, and you're no gentleman." She laughed and closed the door behind herself before he could offer a response.

Max shook his head. "Still the comedian…." He muttered irritably.

Max sat in the quiet stairwell for some time, and eventually, he got bored with it.

He was unwilling to go into the house to deal with Cream and decided to take a walk. He moved down several flights of steps until he reached the last one.

He paused for a second when he heard the sounds of talking from outside, and he quietly made his way down the last set.

Once he reached the opening that led to the gated off 'yard,' he pressed himself against the wall so that he couldn't be seen behind the stone entrance.

"…"

"His Highness?"

…

"I dunno…"

…

…

He could barely make out the conversation, so he peeked his head around the small corner, out of the opening, and could see Jonathan talking with Robbie beyond the gate.

When he watched them, he could see Robbie looking somewhat agitated and Jonathan attempting to shut him up.

"Keep it to yourself…."

…

…

"He is bullshit!" Robbie's voice boomed.

…

Max ducked back around the corner and knew for sure what direction the conversation was going.

Apparently, the magic of his presence was not enough to convince all, and Robbie's comment to him earlier made him realize that the dislike for one another was likely mutual.

He took in a deep breath and then came around the corner. He didn't want them to talk so openly about him, so he decided to stop it by revealing himself.

"I am telling you something is wei…." Robbie stopped the second he saw Max exit the stairwell.

"Good evening, Your Highness." Robbie immediately went to his stock greeting.

"Max!" Jonathan yelled with happiness to see him.

Max waved when he heard the shout from Jonathan and moved past Robbie without acknowledgment.

He could now see a look of anger on the rhino's face, but it faded quickly when Jonathan began to speak.

"Your Highness, I have been informed that it is time we should begin making our way to the Windser estate. He is anxious to get you there from the very beginning of the gathering." He said.

Max was surprised that it had come so soon and responded hesitantly. "Isn't it a tad early? I thought it was taking place this evening?"

Jonathan pulled back his glove to look at his watch and then held it up for Max to read. "It is nearly six pm, my Lord."

Where had the time gone? Being inside this mountain indeed was disorienting, and he sheepishly placed his furred hand on his head and rubbed his hair.

"I… Well, I see, but I should probably inform my companions that I am departing."

"Worry not, Your Highness. I can inform them while Robbie escorts you and then meet you at the estate." Jonathan said with pep.

"What about Lynn?" Max asked, forgetting her "proper" name here.

Truth be told, he wanted to avoid Robbie at all costs.

Jonathan looked confused and then glanced at Robbie for a second, who was acting disinterested.

"I… Uh, forgive me, Your Highness… I know not whom you speak of."

"Never mind…" Max said and looked towards the stairs that led to Cream's home.

Jonathan nodded and spoke. "The choice is yours, milord, but I wouldn't want you to be exceedingly late and insult Lord Windser."

"Fine…" Max begrudgingly walked over to Robbie. "Please inform them of my departure."

Jonathan bowed and hurried up the stairs as Robbie began to immediately lead the way to Windser's estate.

Max honestly did want to inform them himself, but he felt like he was being pushed to do what others wanted him to.

As the two walked further into the social district. The feeling of safety Max once had with the knights left him entirely.

Robbie was now cold and distant, and it made Max not want to talk to him if he could help it.

Every once and a while, Robbie would turn back to look at Max out of the corner of his eye, and eventually, he opened his mouth to say something.

"I'm curious… If your mother is Princess Sally, then who might your father be?" His voice was low as the two turned into a hole carved into the mountain, similar to the one that housed all other high-end estates.

It was dark, and the light from the stores barely reached the opening.

"That's none of your concern," Max stated bluntly, not wishing to discuss his parentage with him.

"Oh, well, forgive me, 'Your Highness….' It just means a lot to me you are here, and I simply desired to know more about you, was all." Robbie said as he walked up the shadowy steps.

Max felt like the Rhino was fishing for something, but what he could not gather.

He eventually relented and thought that revealing his father would sate his curiosity for the rest of the walk.

"Sonic Hedgehog." His voice echoed out into the dark stairwell.

The rhino stopped momentarily and kicked a machine that sat in the corner of the platform that twisted the stairs further up.

When he did that, the lights began to flicker on and off and eventually settled into the on position.

"Never heard of em' Is he a lord or a prince?"

It was unbelievable that he hadn't heard of the incredible Sonic Hedgehog at all, and Max shook his head now that he could be seen in the light.

"No, he was my mother's childhood friend and was raised by his uncle, Sir. Charles Hedgehog…"

Robbie smirked a bit and continued up the steps with Max in toe. "So, your father is a lowborn with no lordship, his uncle but merely knighted?"

Max took insult to that comment because it came off as one. Though, to be fair, he hadn't ever thought about it.

His mom was his mom, and his dad was his dad. They were them. He never cared for nor questioned their pedigree.

"Just shut your mouth." Max eventually lost his polite demeanor and responded in an irritable tone.

Robbie stopped, turned, and bowed. "Oh, forgive me, your 'Highness…' I meant no disrespect. I shall keep quiet and hope you can forgive me for my impudent tongue."

Max gritted his teeth, sensing the hint of mockery in his tone. He stared when Robbie turned around to continue escorting him up, and he absolutely refused to accept his apology.

The insincerity that Max saw was worse than that of Jonathan's, and he couldn't wait to be rid of his "guard" once they reached their destination.

The two ascended many stairs until they reached the final floor. This dug-out estate was far higher above the social district than Redford's, and it made Max wonder why, with such limited resources, there were even such grandiose homes like this, to begin with.

When he reached the elegant etched wooden door fixated into the stone. Robbie moved aside and tapped his massive spear butt into the stone steps.

"Here you are…."

Max walked by him, and as their eyes met, they both knew that things had changed.

He wasn't entirely sure why they had changed, but Robbie's passive-aggressive antics showed him that there was little respect for him.

"Have a nice night…." Robbie said in a bitter tone and used his massive arm to pull open the wooden door.

Max just went inside and ignored him. Ignorant of him, sure, but he was not obligated to maintain politeness if he felt he had been slighted. He recognized the power he held over Robbie, but his desire to use it was nonexistent.

When the door shut with a slam, he looked about his surroundings and could see excessive lavishness from wall to wall.

It had the same basic makeup that the Redford estate had, only it was vastly more prominent, and there were dozens of doors leading many more rooms.

The interior also featured used furniture, but some of it was so fancy it looked like it might have even belonged to his own family castle at one point.

Pictures of Windser and what appeared to be his lovely wife hung about the wall, and the carpet was plush and comfortable looking.

"Pardon, dear. May I see your invitation, please?" Max heard a feminine voice call out to him.

He turned his head to the side, expecting to see Lady Windser, but what greeted him was a woman barely three years older than he was.

He blinked, and his face became heated with embarrassment.

The young fox who had called out to him was scantily clad in what can only be described as her undergarments. Her midriff and legs were fully exposed, and there was nothing elegant to her attire.

She put on a sly smile and walked over to him, ensuring that she accentuated her walk to make herself seem alluring.

When she was close, she bent forward, exposing her cleavage to him. "I am going to take it you do not have an invitation, dear?"

"I…" He stared at her in bewilderment and then stammered out his name. "I am Max… uh, Prince Maximillian Acorn."

She giggled slightly and placed both of her hands on his shoulders. "I knew that just from looking at you, Lord Windser is expecting you."

She let go of Max's shoulders, and as she walked by him, she brushed her long tail against his arm. "Right this way, handsome."

Max stared at her voluptuous body as she led him through the estate all the way to the back.

Once she reached the furthest door, she grasped onto the handle and spoke to him. "All of Windser's guests have now arrived. You are the last to get here."

Max walked next to her, and when she opened the door, he could see that it was rather dark on the other end.

In front of him was another set of wooden steps with a dim light at the top that barely offered the vision to navigate.

"Enjoy." The woman smiled and allowed Max to enter. Once he had done so, she shut the door behind him.

As Max ascended the small set of steps, he could hear the sounds of yelling and laughter mixed together with the jumbled noise of what appeared to be music.

Once he reached the top, he could see a long, dimly lit corridor that had a door all the way at the end of it.

Max walked towards the door, but as he approached the halfway point of the hall, he was stopped by the loud shouting of Windser.

"Max! My lad, you made it!"

Max looked to the right and could see a large round table with three men sitting at it.

Eliot and Windser were two he recognized, but the third was a giant lizard he hadn't seen before.

"Come in, your Highness, then we can have some 'real' fun!" Windser continued to shout for some reason.

Max turned right and entered the large opening. Once through, he saw that the room was relatively small, but it had bottles upon bottles of liquid sitting on shelves. There was a lioness behind a giant wooden counter with her hands set against it.

As his eyes traveled, he saw at least six scantily clad women of various species traipsing for the visual pleasure of the men at the table.

Max looked right, then he felt his heart stop when he saw another animal sitting on the opposite side of the room.

Seth…

He was sitting at a small table with a bottle while taking small sips from it.

He was staring daggers at Max as he segregated himself to the lone corner away from the rest of the flock.

Max turned to look at Windser, surprised, and spoke in a hushed tone, barely discernible above the light music playing from a CD radio device.

"He's here?"

"Sure, why not?" Windser responded, then took a long drink from a shot glass. "We are team, Seth… Well, most of us!" He yelled the last bit with a laugh.

The lizard held up a glass towards Seth. "No hard feelings, my wife may have tried to have you executed, but you know how women can be!" He chuckled a bit and reached out his free hand to Max.

"Nice to meet you, my friend. Name's Timothy Gotra." He smiled while downing the small glass of liquid.

"I, well… Charmed?" Max said, still struggling with what to make of this circus.

"C'mon! Hava seat!" Windser shouted and patted an empty chair next to himself.

When Max walked over, a woman that looked to be around his age immediately came and pulled the chair out for him.

"Here you are, my lord."

"Uh… Thanks…" He said sheepishly, taking his seat.

He couldn't believe these women were so comfortable with walking around practically nude.

When he was finally seated at the table, he noticed yet another large replicate portrait staring down at the table from the wooden wall.

In many ways, this one was worse than the others, as it was not only his grandfather simply staring, but he was staring at him with all these half-naked teens surrounding him.

"…"

"What's wrong with you, stupid women! Get the man a drink!" Lasil demanded, slamming his wing against the table.

"Really… It is no…." Max tried to speak but was silenced.

"Shut your mouth, kid! Yer not gonna turn down hospitality, ya hear!" Lasil slurred a few of his words and pointed at him judgmentally.

Within seconds, a woman bent over as close as she could to Max so that he could barely avoid her breasts being shoved in his face.

She placed a drinking glass in front of him and then lifted a bottle set on the table and poured it in.

"Here you are…." She said and raised herself back up.

He stared at her briefly and then at the drink she poured. He was unsure of whether he should try it or not. For all he knew, it was poison, and the stench coming off it was so strong, for a moment, he believed it was.

Max looked up at everyone, and they stared directly at him as they eagerly waited for him to down it. Even the sexually alluring woman in the skimpy outfit was gawking at him.

He felt the pressure rising and then looked over at Seth, who was glaring at the whole table.

It made him uneasy, so he turned his gaze elsewhere, only to be met with the eyes of his grandfather staring down on him.

The stress was proving far too high, and so he held his breath and downed the liquid as quickly as he possibly could.

It burned his nose and throat severely, and he ended up going into a coughing fit afterward.

The men at the table cheered and laughed as the woman immediately poured Max a second glass before walking away to do other things around the place.

"What… what in the hell… was that…?" Max choked out between coughs.

"Hard liquor brought from abandoned bars in Mobotropolis," Windser replied as he snapped his fingers.

Within seconds a petite mouse walked over and opened a box, after which he took out a cigar and placed it in his mouth. The mouse lit the end of it as he puffed, and he then blew smoke upwards into her face.

The woman didn't cough, and Windser merely spoke again. "These are as well. Help yourself as you please."

Max dare not say anything and just sat in silence while the woman took the box and walked away with it.

He glanced at the men who were all having another drink, and he simply placed his right hand on the full glass, debating whether or not he should do that again.

The men all seemed interested in him and watched his every move while he sat there.

Lasil smirked and banged his empty glass against the table. "What? Is Windser's offering of rare liquor not to your lofty tastes?"

Windser put on a sad look. "I should hope not. These are quite precious, and sharing them with the royal family is an incredible honor."

"You are a virgin, huh, kid?" Timothy stated with a chuckle.

Max froze up at the forward question, and his expression betrayed him. The three men started to roar loudly in their slightly inebriated state.

"Guilty!" Eliot said as he began pouring another glass.

"I… well… Uhm…." What could Max say? He had never been asked something like that.

"Listen, lad," Windser murmured. "It is ok if this is your first-time drinkin'. There is no shame in it. In fact, we are proud to pop that cherry."

Max had completely misread the question, but the truth was, he felt they were trying to make a fool of him.

He lifted the glass, and this time he drank it fast. The burning hurt his throat, but he held in his pain and didn't cough this time.

"Atta boy! Take your medicine!" Windser yelled and downed another shot.

As Max sat there, he began to notice a strange feeling come over him. It was disorienting and frightening at first, but then he recognized the calmness it brought to his inner thoughts.

Drinking this liquid had made him feel far less paranoid and insecure about everything, and dare he say it, happy. For the first time in a while, he felt a sense of relaxation.

He leaned back into his chair and gladly poured another glass. Another drink went down the hatch, and his table companions all approved.

"Shall we play our game, gentleman?" Windser asked as he finished off his cigar and threw it on the wooden floor.

A young cat came over and bent down to clean it up for him, and he merely grinned with delight as he used his hand to smack her across her ass.

"Ah!" She yelled in surprise. It clearly caused her pain, but she didn't say a word to Windser and merely carried his trash away.

Even in Max's relaxed state, he felt terrible for her, but he still kept his mouth shut for fear of some kind of reprisal.

He thought he was here to make a good impression and if it meant silencing his protest, then so be it.

"Let me tell ya about women…." Windser began. "They sure are fun to collect." He chuckled some more.

Max felt a little ill but wasn't sure if it was from the drinking or his words.

Such disrespect was not a thing in Knothole, and it was more like a family… This was… well, Max didn't even know.

He poured another glass of liquid and downed it. Feeling that the more he was relaxed, the more it would help him tolerate this night.

After Max slammed the glass down, he wiped his mouth sloppily and thought about Windser in that portrait with the lovely woman.

"Hey, uh, aren't you… uhm… married?" He blurted out with little filter and leaned forward as his body began to feel heavy.

Winder nodded. "Of course! However, I just need to state the obvious. Monogamy is bullshit."

He snapped his fingers and was brought another cigar to puff on. "Only an idiot believes in fidelity. We are sexual creatures after all, so why not enjoy it to its fullest?"

Max's head moved from side to side, and even in his diminishing mental reasoning, he found that to be nonsense.

He viewed this behavior as little more than hedonism and found Windser, an animal who needed to bend things to make them fit his lifestyle choices.

Max reached for the empty glass again and accidentally knocked it over when he tried to grasp it ineptly.

He looked up and laughed a bit for no reason and then humored Windser. "That sounds logical."

After a moment, Max saw a delicate, gloved hand reach down and grab the glass he had knocked over.

They then placed it right-side-up in front of him and lifted the bottle on the table to pour his drink.

When Max's slow mind caught up with the events taking place, he looked over to see who was doing it.

Standing next to him was a delicate young sheep. She was wearing an elegant white dress accentuated by gold laces, and her head and ears shimmered as the dim light reflected off of her solid gold tiara and earrings.

"Here you are, Your Highness… Allow me." She said in a proper yet nervous voice.

She brought the full glass up to Max's lips, and once he could feel the rim of it, she tilted forward to feed him the liquid.

Max coughed a few times and smiled stupidly. He looked the young girl up and down and could see she was reasonably young.

Probably no more than two years younger than himself. She was stunning, and her manner of dress was rather eye-catching.

"Uh… Hi…" Max said to her with a big grin.

"Hello." She smiled back and placed her hand against her somewhat flat chest. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord. I have heard so much about you."

Max turned to Winder and the others with a confused look on his face, and Windser began to speak.

"This is Aria. She is the youngest daughter of one of the houses. When she heard you'd be here tonight, she insisted on me letting her come over. Normally I wouldn't, given this is no place for an 'elegant' lady, but…." Winder trailed off in his drunkenness and seemed to be trying to remember why she was here himself.

Aria merely bowed towards Max. "I w-was not going to take no for an answer. I had to meet a member of the royal family…." She said.

Max was struggling to follow the things happening and scratched his head. He could read her bashfulness, and perhaps all of the houses knew Windser's lifestyle but simply didn't care about it in the slightest.

"I… Well, it is a pleasure, Aria. Thank you." He said in a slowed-down manner.

"Are we playing a game or what!?" Lasil shouted as Gotra began pointing towards the table.

"What's this about playing?" Windser stated, confused.

"You said we were gonna play cards," Gotra stated.

A cute deer came over with a deck of playing cards and set them in the center of the table where Gotra had been pointing.

"Ah, yes, cards… We can't have his royal princeness… uh… un entertained, can we?" Windser said while opening the old card pack.

Max was perplexed and squinted, watching Windser sloppily shuffle the deck.

"I never played cards. I am not sure what to do." He said.

"Don't worry, I got you covered, lad," Windser said and threw a brown pouch in front of Max. The entire container made a jingling noise as it landed against the wood of the table.

Max picked it up, examining it slowly, and then struggled to untie the string knot.

"Here, allow me to accompany you, milord. I will help you play," Aria stated, taking the sack away from Max, and once she opened it, she began dumping the contents in front of him.

Max saw a bunch of crude coins made of various cheap metals fall out. They each had different numerical denominations sloppily etched on them, and it didn't take long for him to understand this was their currency.

100, 1000, 10000, 100000. They were all massive quantities, and there was quite a bit of them.

After he had gawked at the "money" enough, he turned to look at the lovely Aria.

"You know how to play?" He said.

"Of course, cards are a great source of entertainment for the houses, not to mention there are so many different games to play with them." She replied.

Max simply nodded, and by the time he turned back to look at the table, he could see that Windser was already dealing cards to everyone.

Nobody seemed to care to invite Seth over to play, and it would likely be something he would refuse to do anyway.

After the cards were dealt, Max picked up his and instantly recognized that he had two matching cards but didn't quite understand what to do.

Aria leaned in and whispered into his ear. "Milord, you have a pair of matching cards. You are allowed to discard as many as you like when it is your turn so that you may potentially strengthen your hand. Perhaps drop the three cards that don't match to see what you get."

Max looked at the men dropping cards in an ordered fashion, each placing a 100 coin in the center of the table.

Once it got to Max, he followed their lead and set a 100 coin with the rest. After which, he dropped three cards and drew three more from the deck that was now placed on the table.

…

8, K, K.

Max didn't speak and watched as the other animals gauged each other as if trying to peer into one another's minds.

Unfortunately, everyone but Max was so drunk that it made such a task impossible.

Windser folded his cards and shook his head. "Nothin' good boys."

"Raise…" Gotra said and tossed in 4 more 100 coins.

Lasil looked at him and tossed in a 1000 piece. "You're full of shit."

Aria whispered to Max. "You have a decent hand. You must either match the total highest bet or raise it beyond that to stay in."

Max smiled a bit, the sound of her voice was soothing in his ear, and he preferred her beautiful attire to the skimpiness of the other women. He found their bodies pleasing to look at, but this seemed like a girl he would love to associate with casually.

He looked down at his coins and then carelessly tossed a massive 10000 coin into the pile.

"Uhm, Raise?"

"Hhahhhh!" Windser coughed and laughed simultaneously. "Truly a prince! A high bet right off the bat, you boys should quit, yer against that divine luck!"

"Divine luck, my ass," Lasil said and tossed in 9 more 1000 pieces.

Gotra knew when he was licked and folded his cards. "No way am I gonna' start the night off losing 10000."

"You can raise again if you wish or agree to lay your cards down to determine who wins this hand," Aria instructed Max and placed her hand on his right arm gently.

Max could feel her gentle touch as she ran it softly along the outside of his coat. It made him feel queasy in a pleasant way, and he felt even more relaxed.

"I am ready to show my cards."

"Great!" Lasil laid out his cards so that everyone at the table could see.

J, 10, Q, Q, Q.

Max smiled a little bit in his dizziness and laid out his cards.

8, 8, 8, K, K.

"Goddamnit!" Lasil shouted and rubbed his face with his wing.

Gotra and Windser bellowed and began to taunt him together. "Beaten by an amateur!"

"It isn't divine luck, it is beginner's luck!" Lasil shouted back to them.

Aria clapped her hands together with a smack and swept the coins from the center pile towards Max. "A well won hand milord, but I would expect no less from you."

Max looked down at his loot pile, and it dawned on him that these animals were taking this seriously.

They were treating this junk as if it actually mattered, and the group of them were already on their way to dealing the next hand, looking eager to increase their "wealth."

He didn't care for any of it, and these coins meant absolutely nothing to him. Though it meant the world to them, it was little more than trash in his eyes, and even had it been solid gold or rubies sitting before him. He would likely feel the same.

Aria offered him another drink which he downed without even thinking about it. It had become so normalized by now, and the alcohol had relaxed his entire body to the point that he simply didn't care.

As time passed, the group played an indeterminate number of hands, and coins were passed back and forth through the group. Max eventually stopped drinking from the glass and settled on sipping it straight from the bottle.

Time and conversation were almost nonexistent, and the table at some point devolved into nothing more than the men struggling to play or passing out on the tabletop.

Windser shakily moved his hand but ended up dropping his cards on the floor, and Max was so deep into a state of drunkenness that he struggled to hold his head up unless he had his hand propping it up.

Aria was standing attentive to Max, and though he could barely remember things in sequential order, he was positive she had been there the entire time.

Lasil moved his wing and started to shake Gotra. "Wake up… you ain dead, are ya?"

Windser laughed at nothing and leaned back in his chair to rub his stomach. "He's fine, I am sure of it… He just might need some food, yes…?"

The room felt so dense and disorienting as Max struggled to look around it. He could see the women still moving about, doing whatever nonsense Windser would have them do.

He saw Seth still sitting in that corner by himself. The animal still looked rather miserable, but it was evident by the way he swayed his head that he was deep into his bottle himself.

"I had a nice night… but?" Max tried to say but completely forgot what it was he intended to.

"But nothin' kid," Lasil said weakly, too disoriented to even be arrogant.

Max tried to stand up but was completely surprised at how the room appeared to sway. He lifted his leg up as if trying to take a massive step over something, but he staggered immediately.

"Ah!" He cried as he fell, knocking the chair over as he toppled to the floor.

Lasil and Windser started to roar with drunken laughter as Aria ran over to help him.

"Milord, are you alright!?" Her tone was loud, but her touch was still ever gentle.

After a moment of lying on the floor, Max was grabbed by several of the women and lifted to a standing position. "Ah… I am so, well so. I am incredibly sorry."

The women gave him a weird look for saying that, and Aria simply wrapped her arms around Max's drunken frame and then spoke softly to him.

"You should relax for a moment… It is probably not wise for you to walk about in such a state."

Max reached his hand and grabbed the bottle off the table, and took another sip of it. His body felt elastic, and he liked the feeling of it. Even though he was pushing himself to drink more than he should, nobody would dare tell him no.

"You should take Max to the guest room. He can relax in there." Windser said as he started poking Gotra with his finger.

Aria simply nodded and glanced over at Seth in the corner. After which, she began leading Max to the quieter hallway. As he stumbled and swayed about, finding it difficult to even move correctly, she held onto him for dear life.

Neither of the two was speaking to one another, and even in his stupor, Max felt really awkward.

Once they managed to reach the door at the furthest end of the hall, his mind went blank for a second.

…

When his perception kicked in, he found himself sitting on an elegant purple couch in a rather fancily decorated room.

"…?"

"Are you alright, Max?" He heard Aria's voice call to him sweetly.

"Huh?" He asked, still confused.

"You blacked out and fell again, though I was able to drag you to the couch and set you upright." She explained.

Max looked around the room with his heavy head, noticing that it was filled with elegant furniture that matched the decor and had an open balcony similar to Redford's.

Aria came into view, and her expression seemed fearful. She just stood before him in her beautiful full dress, with high elbow gloves on.

"I… Thanks, Aria…" He struggled to say and leaned his head back on the couch cushion.

"…"

Aria moved in and placed herself beside Max as she looked him over from a close perspective.

Her gloved hand began to touch his shoulder like before, and Max found it pleasant. Soon, her hand was running down his arm all the way to his right hand, and then when she reached it, she began to play with the digits one at a time.

Max looked over at her and could see her beginning to move in more intimately.

"Aria?"

He moved his head away, and she began to press her lips against his furred neck and kiss. Her face was warm, and her hands were shaking from anxiety.

"I… Aria…" He struggled to put his thoughts in order as her trembling hands began to rub his chest.

Max felt heated and filled with desire, but he also felt frightened and full of remorse. Her hand lowered to his waist, and she began to rub his pants which made him attempt to weakly squirm away.

"Stop…" He choked out, but she continued touching him.

"Please…" He asked, his voice full of desperation as his fear increased.

He again attempted to squirm away, but she merely followed him along the couch. Her mouth forcefully pushing forward and kissing his neck whenever it was exposed.

Max felt utterly powerless at the moment, and he was struggling to make his uncoordinated body obey his slow mind's edicts. Her hand raised up from his crotch, and she began to undo the gold buttons that clasped his beautiful coat closed.

When the first one came undone, Max's eyes shot open in a visceral panic. Even in his drunkenness, the terror of his hidden ugliness was far too great.

His adrenalin raced through him, and with his strong metal appendage, he pushed her forcefully away from himself.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" His voice cracked in rage as he breathed in frantically.

Aria hit the carpeted floor with a thud, and she looked up at Max with terror in her eyes. He staggered to his feet and loomed over her with both of his hands balled into fists.

He was gasping for breath as the disorienting room swayed from his inebriated panic. He didn't speak and merely stared at her in his emotionally compromised state.

Aria sat on the floor and looked as if she were about to sob. She almost reminded him of his little sister at this moment, and it made him sick to think she was behaving in such a way.

After a moment of silence, Max uttered the only words he could bring himself to say.

"Get out…"

Aria shook her head defiantly and held herself, still frightened by his abnormal strength. "I… Y-you have to let me do this… Please." She begged.

Max kept his mouth shut, and as their eyes met, he felt nothing but pity for her… His empathy was such that even his drunkenness could not dull his concern.

He staggered slightly on his feet as he held his head with his gloved hand and then said the last thing he would on the matter.

"I don't care what you tell them… just get away from me… please…." His tone was sorrowful, and nearly crying.

Aria's eyes widened, and she scrambled to her feet, tripping once in the process. Her body moved quickly, and all Max heard was the sound of the door slam when she exited with haste.

Max was so full of confusion, sadness, and anger that he was rendered almost entirely unstable.

He put his furred hand to his face as his tears began to wet it. His heart sank into his chest, and he stumbled backward, crashing onto the couch with a thud.

What would Annie say? His family? Nicole? He felt like he had done something terribly wrong, even if he owed them no explanation of such events.

As he sat there, he felt truly alone now, lost in a sea of disorientation and dejection. All the relaxed feelings completely wiped away for an amplified version of his miserable existence.

He lowered his head and began thinking terrible and depressing thoughts, wishing he had someone to bring him comfort in his vulnerability. This same vulnerability he experienced while he found himself near death in that pit of despair.

He wished she was here…

Why couldn't she be here now…?

Nicole…

He recognized in this broken moment that her presence was solace, as she had brought him a sense of safety that nobody could match.

"…"

Max sat on the couch, and the fear began welling up within him again. He needed to get out of here, flee, and get away from this place and these people.

They were unlike him, and he knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt now. Animal or no, they were nobody he could ever love.

He shakily moved off the couch, accidentally kicking the liquor bottle he had been drinking out of earlier, causing it to spill out and douse the carpet.

He had had enough with humoring this disgusting trash. He was going to get out, once and for all, or he would die trying.

Max haphazardly swayed towards the door, and once he reached it, he opened it as quietly as he could.

He stepped into the hallway and slid his hand against the wall to help him keep his balance. The sounds of laughter could be heard in the private bar area, and he slowly made his way along the hall.

Once he reached the opening to enter into the drinking area, he peered in. He could see the three men completely out of their minds giggling and yelling to the point that they didn't even know what was happening.

Max stumbled his way across their line of sight without a problem and awkwardly walked towards the set of steps that would lead to freedom. When he walked, he breathed in deeply, feeling physically sick from all the consumed alcohol.

His boot touched the first step, but as it did, he heard a voice from behind him call out in a whisper.

"Hey…"

Max drunkenly turned around and found himself face to face with an equally drunken Seth.

The two stared at each other, and then Max spoke quietly.

"Just let me leave…."

"…"

There was a long silence, and then Seth responded with a blunt question. "You really are the true prince of Mobotropolis, aren't you?"

Max didn't expect to hear that, as it was a rather odd question, and just stood there dumbfounded.

"…"

Seth moved forward and stood tall before the drunken Max and continued. "My father, Lex, he was a knight, a true knight who'd often talk about King Maximillian's just nature… Today… I could see in you what my father would always talk about…."

Max swayed a bit and leaned more of his weight against the wall.

"So?" Was all he could say. He struggled to find a point to this conversation and really wanted to just be gone from here.

Seth kind of frowned a little bit and then crossed his arms. "Well, I want you to know… I did it."

Max was confused and tried to comprehend. "Did?"

Seth put his hands down at his sides and clarified. "I purposefully gave Cream that device to kill her… I wanted her dead…."

Max was in shock, along with all the other overwhelming feelings assaulting his mind and body.

Why was Seth telling him this? Why mock him in such a way? Especially after telling him how "just" he was.

"I…" He struggled to find words, but Seth just spoke again, confidently.

"I wanted her dead," He leaned in so that Max and his eyes could meet in an intense stare. "but… I wasn't the 'only' one." His voice came out low and sincere.

It was about this time that Max's slow brain recognized this statement as a warning rather than a simple gloating confession over his stupidity.

Max felt an amalgamation of fear and rage, but he just watched Seth. "…"

"Respect and loyalty aren't given. They are earned, and as far as I am concerned… What is owed is solely to you." Seth swayed a bit as he turned and looked back briefly.

"If you are scared of me… You are wasting your time. There are much worse things lurking in the shadows." He said, then walked away, leaving Max to interpret that how he wanted.

Max held the wall and thought, and after a bit of time passed, he realized that Seth was showing some kind of loyalty to him, though he wasn't entirely sure he even wanted it.

Whatever circumstances had led to this, Max didn't care to figure out, and he merely stumbled down the steps quickly, not caring about the noise he was making any longer.

He stumbled out the door and through Windser's dark hallway. The shadows that reminded him of the evil that lay beneath Mobotropolis proved ineffective against his drunken state.

He nearly fell down multiple times, walking too quickly in a straight line, so desperate was he to flee.

He could see the silhouette of the front door and the bright light that poured in from beneath the crack at the bottom.

Oh, glory be that the device was still powered on. He used his gloved hand to push forward, and despite it being barred with a metal latch, he didn't bother to undo it.

After a second or two of pressing his metal arm against it, it broke the wood with a loud crack. A small chunk of the door fell off to the floor, and Max just simply exited, closing the damaged door behind him.

There was nobody there, no guard, no patrons, no women. It was just him and the brightly lit stairs that led to the social district.

He attempted to race down the first flight but quickly tripped, losing his footing, and toppled downwards.

"Shi-!"

He rolled down each step until he smacked his face up against the stone wall that turned to lead further down the stairwell.

"Ah! Rrr." He grunted and doubled over, rubbing his body.

He "felt" pain, but it was less about feeling it, and more so he didn't care about it.

He was quick to recover and used his metal arm to hoist himself up to his feet with the aid of the stairs. Then, he leaned against the wall and hung his head low to try and stabilize himself.

"Shit…" He breathed in heavily. "I need… I need to get back to Cream's…."

Tap

Tap

Tap

The sounds of leaking fluid came, and Max could see tiny red dots of liquid falling and slap against the rock of the stairs.

He moved his furred palm up to his face, and the drops began to splash against it.

"Ugh…" He moaned as he wiped his beautiful coat sleeve against his nose.

He looked down at it and saw the bloody streak that had been left on it, then he merely turned to descend the stairs.

He didn't care as much as he usually would, and he slowly swaggered his way down while using the wall to keep him from toppling over again.

Max's eyes began to shut as he walked, shifting in and out of consciousness. Though moving, his brain seemed to skip swaths of time every so often.

Last he remembered, he was going down the second set of steps. The next thing he knew, he was walking along the social district in confusion.

The few knights that roamed all stared at him in shock, and as they tried to approach him to help, he merely held up his hand and demanded they stay away.

"Don't… come near me…." His voice was almost a slurred growl.

They heeded his warning, and soon enough, he was staggering along in a random direction without interruption.

The dazzling lights of the shops caused Max to stare towards them as he wandered. So distracting were they that he didn't even know what he should be focusing on.

Eventually, the dimness had come to the area he was walking, and there was barely any light to speak of. Where was this? Was this home? Was this near Cream's home?

He looked about ineptly and could only see a giant carved-in building with stained glass windows and a troupe of diggers further down the way.

He struggled to remember which way was which and thought that perhaps the large building was where he might need to go.

Max sauntered his way forward and up towards the large door, it appeared to be empty, but he could see the light burning deep within through the flickering against the colored windows.

He pushed on the door, and it opened with a loud creakiness that echoed into the massive space. The vision of torchlight along pillars of stone greeted him upon his entry.

The dark room flickered with its multitude of open flames, and at the opposite side of the room sat a stone altar.

He was cognizant enough to recognize this wasn't where he had been staying, but such a place eluded his understanding for the moment.

"What…?" He said as he drunkenly looked around the room, his muzzle covered in the drying blood that had run out of his nose.

Stares…

From all sides…

Along all walls…

Giant murals of his family, some he couldn't even recognize, looking down judgmentally on him.

Their condemnation and displeasure were so apparent through painted expression that he felt his sins were borne naked to his kin.

His eyes followed the gallery, and the wooden pews lined up along either side of him that led towards a central platform at the furthest end.

There, at that altar, sat the most significant offense of all, a rendition of his mother, that dressed and looked nothing like he knew she would.

The sympathetic look on her teary face as blood flowed from her skewered chest dripped down the painting into a puddle at the feet of a demonic entity.

One that was unmistakably representative of Robotnik by the size and shape of form.

"Divine Princess' Sacrifice."

Said a giant plaque beneath, illuminated by the torches that sat at the base of the painting.

The sickening images made Max turn and flee in fear, his uncoordinated legs gave way, and he fell to the crimson carpet.

He crawled but a few inches until he gained the will to push his heavy body up and stagger to his feet.

Max burst through the door and tripped forward. Then, he began to weakly run, in whichever direction would take him away from the horrendous depictions.

The world spun as his heart beat in his chest, and he started pushing animals out of the way with force if they happened to get near him.

"Move!" He shouted. Pushing an animal out of the way.

The commotion and yells brought out more animals, and Max eventually stopped when he realized he was heading towards an open mining operation.

The world was so jumbled, and the people that were digging surrounded him once he stopped moving.

"Maximillian?" He could make out his name over the whispers of shock and awe.

He turned every way he could and noticed that everyone here was dirty, ragged, and smelled terrible.

They surrounded him in droves and began touching him. All over, he was being grabbed, and he could barely make out the garbled pleas as he heard them.

"Oh, heavenly day, he has come to free us of our punishment!"

"Please, you need to pardon me!"

"Allow my family entry! Please!"

They drown out each other, and Max struggled to push through the small crowd. Their tools had been dropped to the dirt, and they couldn't help but smother him.

He was frightened of these people, though they seemed ecstatic to see him, and his drunkenness made it all the harder to comprehend and act appropriately.

"Let me OUT!" He screamed and used his metal arm to push a woman away from him.

She went toppling to the ground with a thud, but her place was quickly taken by another. They all seemed to be so overwhelmed with a desperation that they couldn't help themselves.

Pushed about back and forth, Max was at the mercy of the of them all…

…

"Hey!"

A loud shout echoed into the mining tunnel from but a few feet behind Max. He couldn't see who it was, and in his current state, he struggled to add a name to the voice.

"?"

The yell made the animals back away from Max, and he dropped to his knees once they were a slight bit away. He looked up and could see Robbie angrily stomping towards him as he slammed his hulking solid metal spear into the dirt once he was close enough.

"You fucking scum better have a good reason for this horseshit!" He shouted and moved towards the frightened work troupe.

"I-we… We got overexcited… Please forgive us." A cheetah walked forward hesitantly and groveled for mercy, apparently knowing the terror of the knights well.

When he did so, Robbie brought the spear up, and with the butt of the handle, smacked him square in the face, sending him toppling backward to the ground.

"Ah!" He cried out as he grabbed hold of his mouth, now leaking blood all over his paws.

"Shut your mouth, lowlife… You will speak when you are permitted to, not before!" He scoffed and stomped forward, sending the rest of the workers back in fear.

Max was kneeling on the ground, dazed, and watching this unfold made him feel even worse than before. He tried to get up but stumbled down to his knees again.

The rhino turned his attention to Max and spoke out, annoyed. "You were supposed to stay at Windser's estate all night, and now you have your other guards and myself scouring the city for you… You're lucky I am forced to come for you. Otherwise, I'd have left you to the wolves."

Robbie stopped talking and turned to smile at the frightened workers pressed against the wall and seemed to be enjoying his power over them.

He stepped up to the agonizing cheetah and held his spear in both hands.

"I think an example needs to be made, since the lot of you can't help but keep your filthy hands to yourself… Stealing is one thing, but touching a 'prince' is another." His mocking tone was mixed with quite a bit of delight.

"Stop…" Max choked out weakly and struggled to get to his feet again. This time managing to stand up by the use of his metal arm.

Robbie tried to ignore Max and looked over the cheetah menacingly.

"Y-you've proved your point!" A young woman shouted from the corner. "Let us get back to work… Please!"

Max stepped forward and, as loud as he could, yelled out to Robbie. "That is enough! Let him be!"

Robbie glared at Max with a disgusted look on his face, and then his grip on the spear tightened.

"You'd stand up for them? The criminals, the faithless, and the trash?"

Max didn't know or care what these people did or who they were. He only knew he didn't want to see this happen.

"I demand you release him this instant!" All of his anger came out clearly when he shouted his edict.

There was a hush, and Robbie, with a look of disappointment, simply turned to look at the writhing animal before him. Without care or concern, he kicked the defenseless creature, which prompted him to cry.

Worker animals yelled out in horror, and Max stood mortified while the giant rhino began to beat the worker senseless.

The cheetah balled himself up to have what protection he could, and Max couldn't believe that the rhino was looking for an excuse to terrorize these people.

Robbie stopped beating, and the spearpoint slammed down by the roughed-up animal's chest. He turned to Max with a judgmental look on his face.

"No lord, prince, or divine being would throw their lot in with them… You have no royalty in you, I am sure of that now."

Max stared on, feeling the rage course through his body like a heated iron. His hands balled into fists, and he took a step forward to show his aggression. "Don't tell me you believe this bullshit!"

"Bullshit?" Robbie didn't follow, but then Max began to shout more in his anger.

"The murals, your worship, your life! It's all bullshit!"

Robbie moved forward a step, sending the workers fleeing further into the mine. "Shut your blasphemous mouth!"

Max could see the Rhino's indignation and drew his blade weakly from his side, holding it in his right hand. "…"

"You… you dare threaten me?" He stomped his foot, and it made the loose rocks shake around him. "I see you now, nothing more than a false idol! No princess would lay with common scum, and no bastard such as you could have the blood of the gods within him." Robbie pulled up and readied his spear.

"…"

"I'll end your existence!" Robbie yelled and stormed forward.

Max held his sword as tight as he could, but the rhino was quickly on top of him. He ineptly attempted to swing his blade to stop the oncoming attack, but he could barely coordinate his thoughts, let alone his right arm.

The rhino laughed at Max's stupidity and mockingly turned his spear around. Then, with one mighty blow of the blunt end of the long pole, he sent Max toppling to the ground and his sword flying from his grasp into a stone wall.

"Augh!" Max choked out as he rolled along the ground, kicking up dust as he went.

He was far too inebriated to put up an actual fight, especially not a one with a knight trained explicitly in combat.

He tried to get up but felt a boot kick him in the ribs, which sent him tumbling to the ground again.

"Ooof!"

"Once I spill your guts all over this ground, people will know you lack divinity! I will show the world it is you who are bullshit!" Robbie's mad ramblings were defensive and irrational.

He was set on proving Max's illegitimacy, and he seemed convinced that members of the royal family had some kind of supernatural power.

Max rolled over and could see Robbie standing over him just as menacingly as he had when he battered the cheetah. He held his spear high and seemed to be aiming it down at his chest.

"You look the part, but I see through your lies! I cast you away, deceiver!" He roared triumphantly, feeling already vindicated in his suspicions.

There was little Max could do, and he was at an all-around disadvantage. He couldn't think straight, he couldn't fight back well, and he felt increasingly ill.

There was really only one part of his body that obeyed him without fail, and he decided at this moment that now was his last chance to use it.

He immediately held up his gloved hand as if to be begging for mercy, and he kept it in front of the spear point while he focused his blurred, deteriorated vision on the Rhino's expression.

"…"

Robbie just smiled at the pathetic display. He knew that this child was mere mortal when actual royals were beyond that… divine beings of perfection.

"Proof of your malevolent falsehoods!" He shouted and thrust the spear towards Max.

It came down rapidly and stabbed into the palm of his left hand. The rhino had expected to tear through it but was caught off guard when the moment the spear hit.

Max grasped around the point, and it stopped moving entirely despite its velocity. The razor-sharp edge failed to draw even a modicum of blood.

"What is this!?" Robbie yelled and tried to wiggle the spear to sever Max's fingers.

Max simply slid his wrapped hand along the sharp end until he had a firm grasp around the pole portion behind it. Once he had it locked into place, he used his thumb to apply pressure.

Robbie moved the spear from side to side more roughly, but Max's grip was like a vice and could not be removed. He lifted his boot up and kicked Max in the arm where it met his elbow, and still, Max held on unphased.

After a few more seconds, the sound of metal cracking could be heard, the pole near the head of the spear began to bend while tiny slivers of it chipped off and fell to the ground.

"It's not possible!" Robbie yelled, frantically trying to push down all of his strength and weight to skewer the small squirrel.

Max merely pulled hard with his hand, and the pressure proved too much for the steel pole. It broke a little way up from the point, and once it did, metal chunks and pieces clattered to the stone ground.

The rhino pulled up, and the rest of the pole slid out of Robbie's hand now that the point was missing. He tossed it to the side a few feet away from the hidden work animals and reached to his belt to pull out a long knife that was sheathed in it.

Max's display of superhuman strength scared him, and now he doubted all of his declarations, but he knew it was too late to hold back, so he rationalized it as little more than a faulty weapon.

Robbie jumped atop Max and held his throat, choking the animal with all his immense strength.

Max could hardly see straight as the rhino aimed his knife down from above to stab him in the chest. He struggled to breathe for dear life as he could barely hold on to his consciousness.

Max wrapped his metal digits around the small spear end and knew that he had to thrust as hard as possible to save his own life.

Robbie swung the knife down towards Max rapidly but had a look of utter surprise on his face when Max's efficient metal limb thrust the spearhead forward from beneath him.

It precisely and effortlessly pierced his metal chainmail armor and proceeded to tear deep into his chest.

It went until it was jammed so far that what was left of the small pole was barely visible on the outside.

"Augh!" He cried out and dropped the knife the minute he felt the rush of agony.

It completely defied logic that Max had such strength and precision so deep into his cups. To tear through metal armor with that tiny bit of spear from his disadvantaged position was unfathomable.

The rhino grabbed hold of his chest and stood to his feet in sheer panic as he held the area the bit of pole stuck out of.

Max just watched from his lying position on the ground, gasping for air and feeling devoid of sympathy for the animal, even when he was in such agony.

Robbie grabbed and pulled the little pole out a bit and screeched. He then pulled again as the rest of the tip came out.

Unfortunately, doing so was his fatal mistake. Once the blood started to flow freely, and once the wound was exposed. He collapsed and fell to the ground, holding his stab wound for dear life.

…

Five long minutes passed, and Max still lay there, listening as his breathing, cries, and gasping faded into obscurity.

Death…

Max had expected it to come for his kind in the form of a robotic enemy, possibly Robotnik, but never another animal. So twisted was Robbie's worldview that he couldn't believe it had come to this.

When he sat up, he could feel the pain all over his body, but his inebriation was comfortable numbness.

He grunted slightly and shakily got to his feet. Looking around, the mine felt off tilt, but all animals that had once surrounded him were nowhere to be seen.

He limped over and wearily stared down at the unconscious victim of Robbie's aggression.

Then, he looked back at the corpse of his "guard," and a nauseous feeling of satisfaction came over him at this moment.

This rhino was disgusting in Max's eyes, and to end his life made him feel good in some perverse way. Though the sentiment scared him a lot, he could recognize it could just as easily be himself lying there as the corpse.

Max wobbled a bit, holding the area where he had been kicked, and began to shuffle away from the mine entrance at as fast a pace as he could manage without falling.

He left Robbie there to rot with his victim and could barely make a sound, so full was his mind of thoughts.

He staggered left and right as he walked past the building that housed those horrendous depictions, and then when he passed it, he fell forward onto his hands and knees.

His sickness was far too significant. His body and mind were overwhelmed with the toxins that coursed through his blood.

Max gagged and coughed, and eventually, vomit came up through his mouth and poured onto the ground with a sickening splash.

The sour taste of bile was extremely off-putting, but he continued to wretch until the contents of his stomach had emptied.

He collapsed on his side in the area that began to lead to the social district and merely stared in whatever direction his head landed. Less a prince and more like the ragtag band of dirty workers he had seen.

Time stood still as he contemplated what happened to him and how truly awful he felt.

Part of him wished that delusional animal had slain him, as the burdens of this night seemed to be far too high a price to pay for his continued existence.

The sounds of kicking dirt came, and it was a moment or two before a brown boot stepped right in front of his face. He desired not to move or talk, so he simply just continued staring off into space as he had been doing.

Max felt himself being lifted by strong arms and initially made no attempt to stand under his own power, but as he felt the ground beneath the soles of his boots, he held on firmly to the frame of the person lifting him.

When he looked, he could see it was Lynn. Obviously scouring the social district for him as Robbie had been the mining area.

Her face was full of worry, as the vomit on the ground and dry blood on his face led her to believe he had been assaulted by someone in the city.

Though she might have been half right. Max wasn't sure how she would take to hearing he had slain one of her comrades, even though Robbie thought very little of her.

There was silence, and eventually, Max tiredly said what he wanted more than anything in the world. "Take me back to Cream's… I want… I want to see my friends."

Lynn wasn't sure but simply nodded because he had stated his desire. She used her impressive strength to drag him with her, and Max limped as he moved.

They staggered together until she stopped at the gate to the Redford residence and ushered him towards the dimly lit opening of the stairs.

Max pushed her away a bit roughly and caught himself on the stone frame of the opening. "I'm going up alone… Just leave…" His voice came out harsh.

She seemed kind of sad to see him like this, as he was clearly drunk and much of his charming politeness seemed to be gone.

She couldn't be sure if it were merely the alcohol or if hanging out with Robbie and the rest changed his perceptions.

Max felt like he couldn't trust anyone, but her violet eye shining dimly in the faint light made him rethink his dislike of her as his guard, if only for that moment.

The two stared quietly, and then his voice came out low and sad as he spoke. "I… I am sorry for my behavior. I just… A lot has happened to me tonight..."

Lynn continued to stare and then smiled a tiny bit. She had the suspicion that things were far worse than bad and found that her loyalty for him went beyond assignment in his continued politeness during adversity.

She took her spear and scratched along the ground just before the entrance to the stairs so that the light could reach it.

"Rest well. I will handle things from here."

Max struggled to read it, but after several attempts, he got the gist of it. He eventually nodded and turned away from her as she kicked the dirt to erase the message.

Before he went to ascend the stairs, he took one look back to thank her, only to find that she was already gone from view.

"…"

He slowly and painstakingly shuffled up the steps, taking complete care that he didn't fall down them again. When he reached Cream's door, he stopped and began to look down at his glove.

There was a giant cut mark across the palm with slices along his finger joints, and they all revealed the shining metal beneath. By trying so hard to hide it, it had allowed him to be underestimated by others.

With quiet caution, Max used his left hand to press against the door and was truly surprised that it was unlatched.

It opened, and he could see that the inside of the room was completely dark. Not even a soul appeared to be stirring.

Such darkness had terrified him so many times before, but he hobbled in and shut the door behind himself with very little apprehension.

The blackness was overwhelming with the door shut, and nothing directly around him could be seen.

He looked towards the shimmering to his right and was drawn to the dim light that illuminated from below the stone balcony.

He shook and stumbled towards it, pressing aside the curtains that were usually drawn to block this very light. Once he reached the table that sat there, he flopped into the chair and lay his head on the smooth surface with his hands reaching across.

His eyes stared blankly at the only dim light offered to him by the social district below and fixed them in the direction of the mining area.

This whole place, everything, everyone… He hated them all.

As he lay there and stewed in his grief, anger, and guilt, he began to cry. The sounds of his tears began tapping against the table beneath him as they fell.

He could never go back to being just "Max," could he?

Then again, who was Max in the first place?

Maybe he had always been such a shitty person and never recognized it before.

…

"Holy… Max?"

A quiet voice whispered from beyond the veil of darkness.

"…" Max couldn't answer and just quietly lay on the table filled with sorrow.

After a few seconds, he could see the silhouette of Tails moving and sitting down across from him.

"Where the hell have you been? After Cream refused to come out, Annie and I quit trying and were up so late waiting for you. Unfortunately, she wound up passing out in one of the guest rooms… Is everything ok?"

Max had no concept of time but moved his head slightly to look at Tails' shadowy form from where he was sitting.

He had a rather large glass of something in his hand, and he appeared to have either been waiting for him still or woken up for that drink.

"I…" What could Max say?

….

…..

…

"I hate this fucking place…." He finally finished with his voice so full of seething anger and misery that Tails could immediately identify something was off about him.

"Max… Are you? Are you drunk?" Tails asked despite it being obvious.

He reeked of booze, and his speech pattern was slow and emotional. It wasn't as if Knothole didn't have forms of alcohol, but he couldn't believe a sixteen-year-old would be able to get this loaded.

Max merely cried silently, and the shadows hid his face and tears from scrutiny. He wanted to say so much but felt like he lacked the will.

He felt as mute as Lynn, and his mind had so many terrible events playing in it repeatedly that he felt stuck.

"…"

"Max, c'mon, talk to me… It's me, Miles, you know… I care about you. Please tell me what happened?" Tail's voice was calm and almost begging as he looked to help him where he had failed to help Cream.

Max had been so tight-lipped, so quiet since his awakening, that he had suffered needlessly alone.

Perhaps the alcohol loosened his tongue, but he began to ramble about the first thing that came to his head.

"I… When I was dying… Nicole. She really cared about me…."

"I know she did…." Tails responded to show he was listening, even if he didn't believe Nicole could 'care.'

"I was ready to die, but I wanted her to be free, to live… So, I put her brain into a workerbot's body…." He stopped talking.

Tails felt his stomach get a little ill, but it was an open secret to those in Knothole. They all knew it had to be the body of a workerbot, but no one wanted to believe Max so despicable to steal it from somebody.

"Max… I…" Tails wasn't sure if he should chastise him, though he felt it was wrong and desecration to the person it belonged to.

"You don't… You don't get it, Miles…." Max slurred with anger as he flailed a little bit on the table.

"All of them… None of them have minds any longer…."

Tails felt a chill and knew it was from a sense of dread, even if he still struggled to understand Max's broken story.

"They are all down there… thousands of them… an endless graveyard of robotic bodies lacking their souls…." Max's voice was continuously oscillating between rage and profound grief as he finally relayed the inner feelings that had been eating at him since before the trouble in Radcliff.

Tails was now catching on and leaned in. "Are you for real? A-are you saying you FOUND the missing workerbots?"

Max didn't answer and merely lay there as he always had.

Tails was breathless by the startling revelation. For years uncle Chuck talked about the decline in workerbot numbers, but nobody had any clue why.

Now, Max was claiming to have found them dumped somewhere with their precious mind chips removed.

"You are certain about this, Max? The body you gave Nicole was already missing its roboticized brain?" He said with a bit of nervousness.

"Yes… All of them are dumped there like trash…." He responded distantly.

Tails now comprehended why Max was so upset lately. Not only that, but it shed new light on the sinister goings-on of Robotnik.

"Thanks… for finally telling me…."

Tails stood up and placed the large glass in front of Max. "I don't like this place all that much either…." He paused for a bit and changed the subject as if he didn't want to talk about his bad experiences here either. "Drink all of that. You'll recover better if you do."

Max stared at the glass and muttered to Tails. "Don't trust anybody here…."

Tails could see that Max was serious, if not quite a bit out of his mind from the booze, and it was difficult to take his warning with urgency.

Though, the circumstances by which he was able to get this drunk were extraordinarily concerning to him.

After a bit of contemplating, he eventually came over and rubbed Max's head lovingly. "Things will be alright. You'll see."

If only Tails knew… Max simply hoped he would heed his warning, even when it came to Cream.

He already knew he was likely facing grave consequences for what occurred tonight but was hoping to get up early and be gone from here before he had to deal with it.

Tails felt that he had comforted Max enough because of his silence and turned to walk away.

"Oh," he turned his head back a little bit. "I wanted to say that I think you should get some rest. It is three o'clock in the morning…."

With that relayed, Tails left him there to collect his own thoughts and figured Max would peter out quickly if left alone.

Once Tails was gone from the room, Max sat up slowly and felt a need to follow his instructions if it meant he could get up early and be gone from Radcliff as fast as possible.

He lifted the glass while beginning to drink from it and recognized it as refreshing water when it hit his tongue.

It cleared up some of the dehydration he felt and got the horrid taste of vomit out of his mouth.

He drank it slowly and thought about how much safer Knothole and being with those he cared about felt.

When the glass was empty, Max laid his face into his arms and sat there lost in thought about the days when he wanted to be the hero and savior to the animals of Mobius.

The idea brought him disgust, and he knew better that some animals aren't worth saving.

The thoughts were against his very upbringing, and he felt hatred for himself that he even entertained such ideas at all.

His amplified feelings antagonized him until the fatigue of the booze, injuries, and sickness ran him down.

Inevitably, Max blacked out, but the last thought he had was his intention of leaving these people behind to rot in the terrible world they created for themselves.

Wrap Up. In all that is stupid the reason Max and Lasil's poker hands were messed up, is because ff net does not allow patterns. I basically needed to add , to make it so that they wouldn't be auto deleted. This website is trash.