Isaac just stood there, still in shock, holding the mistletoe in front of him. It wasn't until he felt a tap on his shoulder that he snapped back into reality. He looked over his shoulder, seeing a human guard towering over him. Isaac quickly put the mistletoe into his pocket, still blushing.
"I think she likes you, friend." He said, smirking.
"What?! Me! No! No, she cannot! I am.. I am just a-!" Isaac began to say, frantic.
"It doesn't matter what you are, but who are. She doesn't fancy the Ranger. She fancies you, Abaddon. The mistletoe was just an excuse to be able to show you how she feels. I'm sure of it!" He explained.
Isaac vehemently shook his head, his blush still bright.
"It is a tradition! That is all it is! It must be!" Isaac said, his throat still dry.
"The mistletoe is for lovers to kiss under. She wouldn't have kissed you if she didn't have feelings for you." He explained.
Isaac calmed down, his blush beginning to fade.
"I… I need to think. I… I do not know what to do." Isaac said, confused.
The guard held up his hand, stopping him.
"Sometimes, sleep is best before making a decision. But oftentimes, love can make it hard to do so. I should know. The first day I met my beloved, I couldn't sleep for two days. But eventually, I was able to confess my love. Now, we are married and have more love in our life than know what to do!" He explained.
"What is your name?" Isaac asked.
"Harold. Harold Yurani." He answered.
"Well, Merry Christmas to you and your spouse." Isaac said, bowing.
"Thank you, Ranger Abaddon. I'll be sure to tell Richard you mentioned him." Harold said.
"Wait, who is Harold?" Isaac asked.
"Oh, that's right. I didn't mention his name. My husband, his name is Richard." Harold explained.
Isaac was slightly surprised. But then again, Isaac knew he had made the mistake of assuming the man had a wife, instead of a husband.
"Well then, Merry Christmas to you and to Richard." Isaac said, making sure to include Harold's husband.
"Merry Christmas, Abaddon. Just remember, love comes in all forms, including people. But never live life without letting them know… you never know how long they'll be in your life." Harold said, before stepping in front of Sally's door, standing vigil.
"Thank you." Isaac said, before turning to go to his quarters.
Isaac smiled, hearing Harold's words as if on repeat. Isaac's mother, Gloria, had a similar saying. She would say this to Isaac many times. She believed in love, and that love held no discrimination. But did Isaac actually have feelings for Sally? He thought to himself on this.
"I mean, I care about her. I really do! But I care about others as well. But do I love her? You know what, I just need some sleep! Yeah, that will do it! When I wake up, this will just be a memory." Isaac thought to himself, running to his quarters.
After quickly changing into his sleeping attire, Isaac hopped into his bed. He put the covers over his head, waiting for sleep. After a while, Isaac tried to change his sleeping position. An hour passed before he got up out of bed.
"I cannot sleep! My thoughts will not stop! Alright, I need to make myself tired!" Isaac said, dropping down to the ground.
Isaac proceeded to do push-ups and sit-ups, trying to make himself tired. But even after working up a good sweat, he was no more tired than an hour ago. Then, he began reading from his bible, an old trick he learned to help settle his mind. But going from Genesis to Deuteronomy couldn't ease his mind! Isaac looked at the clock in his quarters, seeing it was already 3:15 in the morning.
"I should be asleep! Why is this not working?!" Isaac shouted, stomping his foot.
Suddenly, Isaac remembered something. The wine room downstairs had a full cask of wine! Isaac only had to drink a tankard or two to hopefully put himself to sleep! Isaac ran from his quarters and made his way downstairs. He opened the door to the wine room, seeing that a few of the guards were drinking there, celebrating. Isaac walked behind the counter and grabbed a tankard. He walked to the cask and filled it with wine, quickly gulping it down.
"Oy, Isaac! You drink them down like that, and you'll be tiltin' more than a ship in the harbor!" One of the guards said.
"I need sleep! But my mind will not let me! I have been drunk before, and I fall asleep faster when I am!" Isaac said, filling his tankard again.
"Isaac, slow yourself. You won't be able to make it to bed if you're drunker than my brother on St. Paddy's Day!" He spoke.
Isaac gulped the tankard again, draining it quickly. Isaac put the tankard down, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
"I am not gonna… be drunker than ya! I just… need to tire myself out!" Isaac responded, already slurring his speech.
"My God, you're a lightweight, ain't ya!" The guard said, noticing Isaac already getting drunk.
"I-I am FINE! I ju-just need a little more, okay?" Isaac said, beginning to fill his tankard again.
Isaac began to tilt his head back, but he became off-balanced, beginning to back up. Suddenly, he fell over backwards on a stool, spilling the wine in his tankard. Isaac slowly got up, not steady on his feet. The guard walked over to Isaac, grabbing his arm, and hosting it over his shoulders.
"Let's get ya to bed, alright?" The guard asked, walking him out of the door.
"No, no, no, no. I… I just want a little more, not too much." Isaac said, becoming quieter.
"Just relax, Abaddon. I'll make sure you get to your room alright." He said, helping him up the stairs.
It wasn't long until Isaac was helped into bed by the guard. The moment Isaac fell onto his mattress, his lights went out. Isaac fell asleep faster than he had gotten drunk. Eventually, in late morning, Isaac was woken up by someone shaking him. Isaac groggily woke up, his head feeling like it was ready to split!
"Come on, five more minutes." Isaac said, barely audible.
"Time to wake up, sleepyhead." A feminine voice said.
"Go away." Isaac whispered, still not opening his eyes.
"Are you sure? I've got you breakfast." She replied.
The smell of fried potatoes and eggs was welcoming to Isaac, forcing him to choose to actually wake up. After rubbing his eyes open, he saw who the voice came from. It was Sally. Isaac's eyes shot open; his headache being forgotten by his throat drying out.
"S-sally!" Isaac exclaimed, never seeing Sally in his quarters before.
"Hey. Listen, I heard what happened last night. I'm sorry, Isaac. I didn't mean to do that to you." Sally apologized.
"No! No, you… do not have to apologize. Sally… I… it was nice." Isaac said.
Sally slightly smiled. She sat down next to his bed, placing the tray of food on his night table.
"Keep talking." She said, smiling more.
"Alright, it was very nice. But… I guess what had happened with Gregory and all that paranoia with your father made me worry." Isaac admitted.
Sally giggled a bit.
"Isaac, my dad wanted to make sure we weren't having sex! He doesn't care who I date! As long as I'm happy, that's all he cares about." Sally explained.
Isaac felt his throat dry up again, noticing the glass of water on the tray. He quickly grabbed it, drinking it down.
"Well, eat up! We've got a busy day today! Amy and the others are still determined to give you and Lily an unforgettable Christmas. And since my dad is recovering nicely, he's letting us go outside of the Kingdom walls to go ice skating!" Sally said, getting up.
Isaac quickly got out of bed, grabbing his clothes from off his chair. He quickly ran into his bathroom, changed, and ran out. He practically jumped into his boots, tightening them. Grabbing the tray of food, he carried it with him to the door.
"Sally, we better hurry! If we are out there when the sun goes down, we will need to worry about more than a frigid night!" Isaac said, opening the door.
"And your breakfast?" Sally asked.
"I will eat it on the way there. We must hurry!" Isaac said, beginning to scarf down the fried potatoes and eggs.
After scarfing down his breakfast and leaving the tray on one of the cabinets on his way to the main door, Isaac grabbed his knives, sword, and his bow and a quiver of arrows from the quartermaster. He got to the door in time, seeing the others hanging around, talking.
"Alright! Let us get a move on! We must get there quick, before the sun hits noon! Follow me and stick close!" Isaac said, striding out of the castle.
"Wait for us!" Vector said, leading the group behind Isaac.
"Lily!" Isaac shouted.
"I am here." Lily responded, running next to Isaac.
"Have you been practicing your aim?" Isaac asked.
"Yes." Lily answered.
"Good. I will need an extra set of eyes. If you see anyone, and I mean anyone, that is not with us when we get there, let me know. If they turn out to be our enemies, let them know they are not welcome." Isaac instructed.
"Got it!" Lily replied, hanging back with the others.
Sally ran up from the group, clutching onto her coat.
"Isaac, aren't you cold? Here!" She said, handing him her coat.
Isaac gave it back, keeping his stride.
"I do not need it. I will be fine. We are taking the train, correct?" Isaac asked.
"Yeah. Only way to get there fast. Will you be alright? Tails told me you don't like the train." Sally asked.
Isaac sighed, knowing that he had to bite a bullet today.
"I will be fine. It is only for a few hours." Isaac said.
"A few hours? No, it will only take us about twenty minutes." Sally said.
Isaac was confused. When he had been on the train, it took a few hours to get from the station to the Kingdom. Not twenty minutes.
"But the station is a few hours from here. How is it twenty minutes now?" Isaac asked.
"They set up new stations along the railroad. The train makes multiple stops instead of stopping at the end of it. The lake we're going to is only twenty minutes from here." Sally explained.
Soon, the Sonic Team arrived at the station, seeing the influx of people arriving, meeting with relatives for Christmas. Sally walked up to the ticket booth, tapping on the glass.
"Ah, Princess sally! We've been expecting you! How many for your cart?" The vendor asked.
"Fifteen. We're stopping at the first station. We'll need roundtrip tickets." Sally answered.
"Of course! Just show them to the conductor, he'll clip them, and please make sure you hold onto them! If you lose them, do not expect to get back on the train!" He advised, handing Sally the tickets.
Sally walked back to the others with their tickets, handing them to everyone. Isaac was the last to get his, quickly putting it into his pocket. As he did so, he felt the mistletoe he left in his pocket. The recognition of it in his pocket caused his throat to dry up. He quickly pulled his hand out of his pocket, acting as if nothing happened.
"Alright, everyone file in. The sooner we get onboard, the sooner we can go ice skating!" Sally announced, walking onto the platform.
Isaac was quick to walk with her, being her first line of defense. Isaac gave his ticket to the conductor, who clipped it and allowed him to enter. Now, the train was outfitted with a cart for guards who are employed by King Nigel and for members of the Royal Family. But in this case, friends of Sally, being the Sonic Team, were allowed to go into the cart with her. Eventually, everyone was accounted for and hanging out in the Royal passenger cart. Isaac sat down next to Sally, keeping guard. Lily sat next to Isaac, grabbing onto his arm. Vanilla sat down next to Vector, with Cream resting her head on her lap. Espio and Charmy sat down next to Vector on his left side, close to the wood furnace. Sonic, Tails, and Amy sat down in the adjacent booth, with Amy gently resting her head on Sonic's shoulders. Silver and Blaze sat on the opposite side of the wood furnace, with Silver warming his hands above the opening. Rouge and Knuckles were the last ones to enter, both looking rather annoyed.
"Well, I don't know where you put it! Sally gave you the ticket!" Rouge said, frustrated.
"Come on! When something goes missing, it's usually because of you!" Knuckles responded.
"Wait! Are you accusing me of stealing it?!" Rouge asked, shocked.
"Well, when something goes missing, it's usually because you took it! Call it a hunch." Knuckles fired back.
As they were arguing, Isaac caught something glimmering. It was in Knuckles' dreadlocks. It was the aforementioned ticket. It was clipped, signifying Knuckles misplaced it after he got it clipped.
"Knuckles." Isaac said, trying to get his attention.
But Knuckles and Rouge continued to argue, not paying attention.
"Knuckles!" Isaac said, a little louder.
They still didn't hear him, still shouting at each other. Isaac took in a deep breath, giving it one more shot.
"KNUCKLES!" Isaac shouted, almost rattling the train cart.
Rouge and Knuckles became silent fast, quickly turning their attention to the ranger.
"What?" Knuckles asked, still in shock.
"Your ticket, it is stuck in your locks. You must have put it there without paying attention to your own actions." Isaac explained.
Knuckles reached into his dreadlocks, pulling out the aforementioned ticket. Knuckles quickly had a sheepish grin, while Rouge gave him a death glare.
"I believe you owe Rouge an apology." Isaac said, not breaking his stare.
Knuckles turned to Rouge, slightly red with embarrassment.
"Uh, Rouge… sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of stealing. You forgive me?" Knuckles asked, apologizing.
"Let me think on it." Rouge said, crossing her arms.
"What?! Hey, you never apologize to me when you steal the Master Emerald! How come you get to 'think on it'?!" Knuckles asked, resuming his rage.
"Knuckles, don't you know how to ask a lady?" Rouge asked, sounding playful.
"Sure. Do you know one?" Knuckles asked, insulting her.
They continued to argue, even after the train pulled out of the station. It eventually reached the point where they were told to be quiet by the conductor. But even then, they continued to shout at each other and argue. Suddenly, a well-placed knife hit the seat between them, stuck into the wood behind the cushion. They looked to where it came from, seeing Isaac leaned forward and his hand extended.
"If you two have nothing nice to say to each other, then be silent. Mull on that for a while." Isaac demanded, easing himself back into his seat.
Rouge and Knuckles just crossed their arms, turned away from each other, refusing to speak to one another.
"Finally! Peace and quiet!" Vector said, putting his headphones on.
About halfway through the trip, a concession trolley entered the cart, equipped with a large boiler. Small, porcelain cups were hanging off the side of the cart, along with saucers.
"Ah, Princess Sally! Is now a good time?" The steward asked.
"By all means." She replied.
Smiling, the steward knocked on the frame of the doorway, summoning four waiters from the other cart. Rushing to the seats, they grabbed the corners of the seats and spun them around! Soon, the seats turned into booths, small tables falling out of the wall panels of the passenger cart.
"Yay, I love this part!" Charmy said, a large smile spreading across his face.
"Wait, what part?" Isaac asked, not remembering this happening when he was last on the train.
"Oh, you'll see." Espio said, smirking.
The steward hit a button on the speaker built into the cart, music playing from it. Interestingly enough, it was 'Hot Chocolate' from The Polar Express. The waiters grabbed saucers and cups by the handful, tossing them like frisbees to the tables, landing perfectly. The boiler let out a high-pitched whistle, releasing a large cloud of steam. Soon, hot chocolate flowed from the boiler, entering into metal pitchers. The waiters each grabbed one, quickly pouring the hot chocolate into the cups. Isaac was quick to drink his down, emptying it before anyone else got a chance to drink theirs. Smacking his lips, he quickly had a large smile on his face.
"Hot chocolate!" He exclaimed, content.
As if on cue, one of the waiters quickly refilled his cup. Isaac did not hesitate to drink it down again. Unfortunately, it was a little too hot this time around. Isaac clenched his teeth, so as to prevent himself from doing a spit-take. He gulped it down, feeling his throat burn.
"Yikes! Isaac, don't just gulp it down like that!" Sally exclaimed, seeing his reaction.
"A little too late for that." Isaac responded, rubbing his throat.
Cream and Charmy were happily sipping on their hot chocolate, enjoying the music playing from the speaker. Eventually, after everyone got one more filled cup of hot chocolate, the waiters and steward left the cart, the music just ending as they left.
"I love it when that happens!" Charmy exclaimed, grabbing his cup of hot chocolate.
"Speak for yourself." Knuckles said, sitting rather close to Rouge.
"You're just saying that because they sat us close." Rouge playfully said.
Knuckles grumbled, crossing his arms. Lily slid out of her seat and grabbed the knife that was still embedded into the seat between Rouge and Knuckles. After she pulled it out, she gave it back to Isaac, who promptly sheathed it back into its place on his belt.
"Just in case you need to throw it again." She said, which quickly made Knuckles stop complaining to himself.
"Thank you, little sister. Here, take mine. I cannot taste anything right now, because of how badly I burned my tongue." Isaac said, giving Lily his cup of hot chocolate.
Lily was quick to take it, already drinking it.
"You know, when we get back, we should watch 'The Polar Express' tonight! I think Lily would like it." Sally offered.
"Ooh, me too!" Charmy exclaimed, excited.
"That sounds nice." Amy commented.
"I am sorry, but I have never heard of it. What is it?" Isaac asked.
"It's a movie! It's about this train that goes to the North Pole around Christmastime. I think you would like it, too." Sally explained.
Isaac had never seen a movie before, let alone one about a train. But if Sally recommended it, then it couldn't be too bad, thought Isaac.
"If you think it is a good idea, I will watch it." Isaac said.
Eventually, the train stopped to a screeching halt. Isaac instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword, a response to the sound. Sally touched his shoulder, comforting him. Isaac breathed in, and then out, letting go of the hilt.
"First stop, Acorn Lake!" The conductor said over the intercom.
"Okay, let's get going! Tails, do you have the storage beacon ready?" Sally asked.
"Yep! Just need to get into a clear space to activate it." Tails replied.
Everyone filed out of the cart, leaving the train. The snow was not as deep as it was in the Kingdom, the trees providing slight shelter from the snow. The snow went up to Isaac's mid-calf, but for others, it went up close to their knees. Isaac had to hoist Lily onto his shoulders to keep her from getting stuck in the snow. After a few moments, they reached the lake, which had no snow on the surface of the ice.
"Alright, let's get our skates!" Tails said, bringing up his watch.
"Skates? I do not remember seeing anyone carry any." Isaac responded.
"We didn't, but they'll be here in just a few moments." Tails informed, hitting a button on his watch.
Soon enough, a roaring engine came into focus, getting stronger with each passing second. Isaac and Lily quickly equipped their bows, stringing an arrow. A large aircraft passed by, dropping a large metal box. The aircraft's engine soon became distant, before disappearing completely.
"What was that?" Isaac asked, slowly putting the bow back around his shoulder.
"That was the X-Tornado! Capable of 300 MPH air travel and equipped with an arsenal of weapons for air combat!" Tails explained, priding himself on his technological capabilities.
Breathing a little heavy from seeing it, Isaac quickly regained his composure.
"I do not like it." Isaac commented, walking to the metal crate.
The crate automatically opened, revealing a large selection of skates, ranging in different sizes. Everyone grabbed a pair of skates that was closest to their size, putting them on. Isaac was the only one having trouble with putting them on.
"This is not going well, Tails." Isaac said, trying to tighten the laces.
"Yeah, looks like one the skates are a little big. You may have grabbed another size by mistake." Tails observed.
"It was not a mistake. I need a smaller size for my left foot. I only have nine toes, altogether." Isaac explained.
"Wait, you're missing a toe? Were you… born with it?" Tails asked, hesitantly.
"No. I amputated one of them due to frostbite." Isaac explained, finally able to get the laces tight enough.
"Yikes." Tails reacted.
Isaac slowly got up, not used to balancing himself on a metal blade. Slowly, he made his way to the lake, which had a thick layer of ice on it.
"Me first!" Vector shouted, jumping onto the ice.
"Right behind you!" Sonic replied, gliding on the ice.
"Wait for me!" Amy said, following Sonic.
Eventually, everyone made it onto the ice, let alone Isaac, Sally, and Lily. Isaac attempted to step onto the ice, before his foot slipped from underneath him, inadvertently doing a split, with his right leg stretched out onto the ice.
"Good thing your limber! That would've probably hurt!" Sally observed.
"Are you not going on the ice?" Isaac asked, carefully getting up.
"I'll wait. I mean, you do want to try, right?" Sally asked.
"I am willing to try anything once, as long as it will not kill me." Isaac responded, attempting to get back out onto the ice.
Only this time, Isaac felt both of his feet slip out from underneath him, landing on his rear end. Lily managed to step out onto the ice without falling, looking off-balance.
"Look, brother! I am doing it!" She exclaimed, slowly getting further out onto the lake.
"Wait for me, little one!" Isaac said, scrambling to get back onto his feet.
This time, Isaac didn't fall, but he was still as off-balance as a newborn fawn. Sally stepped out onto the ice, carefully grabbing under Isaac's arm, helping him regain his balance.
"It's never easy the first time. Here, I'll help you get to the others." Sally offered.
Isaac grabbed onto Sally's shoulder, skating very carefully next to her. Slowly but surely, they met up with the others in the center of the lake. Sally slowly let go of Isaac, allowing him to stand on his own. While still off-balance, Isaac felt that he was finally getting the hang of it.
"Alright, Isaac! How you enjoying it?" Amy asked.
"To be honest, I am concerned about falling through the ice. Last time it happened, I ended up amputating one of my toes." Isaac admitted.
"Oof! Well, don't worry about that. The ice is too thick to fall through! But since everyone is here, we can start having some fun!" Sally announced, pushing herself away from the others.
Sally quickly leaped into the air, spun around, and landed gracefully on her right foot. The others glided on the ice, doing whatever they felt like doing in the moment. Isaac was still standing where he was, attempting to push himself off without falling. While slow at first, Isaac eventually gained speed, getting more comfortable with skating. It wasn't long until he could actually skate around without feeling like he was going to fall all the time. Looking around, he saw Lily and Cream skating around, sticking close to each other. Amy was practically chasing Sonic around, but they kept a pretty even distance. Knuckles was off-balance as well, but somehow managed to gain a good speed without actually falling. Rouge was just circling Knuckles, which she knew it was annoying him to no end. Silver and Blaze were skating close together, occasionally doing a few tricks, thanks to some well-timed telekinetic abilities. Tails was pretty much hanging around Espio, Vector, and Charmy, talking to them as they skated around.
"Things look calm for now. Now, let us see what these skates can do!" Isaac said to himself, pushing off.
Isaac quickly circled the lake, feeling himself begin to pick up speed. It wasn't long until he was giving everything he got, reaching top speed. Isaac quickly jumped up, feeling himself clear a large distance. Isaac landed, quickly falling down, and sliding across the lake. After he stopped sliding, he got back up, laughing. He was truly enjoying himself! After an hour on the ice, everyone skated off to take a break. Isaac took off his skates, rubbing his left foot.
"I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed getting a blister on my foot." Isaac said, putting his boots back on.
"It happens. So, when does the sun set now? Like Isaac said, we don't want to be out here when it gets too dark." Silver asked, stretching out his legs.
"Well, it's 1:47 pm right now, so the sun will set approximately at 5:43 pm. We have about 4 hours." Tails explained.
"Man, I can't wait to get back! I heard dinner is going to be good tonight!" Vector exclaimed, licking his lips.
"Don't do that. You'll get chapped lips that way." Vanilla warned.
"Yes, ma'am." Vector responded.
As they were talking, Isaac heard something coming from down the tracks that lead away from the Kingdom. Isaac walked out to the tracks, seeing a figure running towards him. Sally and the others walked out, wanting to see what was happening. Sure enough, it was another Mobian. A brown badger. He was breathing heavy, as if he had been running for a while now. But what caught Isaac's eye was that he was wearing the armor of the assailants that have plagued he and Lily for almost eight years! Isaac quickly unsheathed his blade, prepared for an attack.
"Sally, quick! Get behind me!" Isaac ordered.
But instead of attempting to attack him, the badger collapsed onto his knees, out of stamina. Isaac approached him, ready to defend if needed.
"Wait! I've heard about you! You're Abaddon! Please, you have to help me!" He begged.
"Why should I help you?" Isaac asked, venom spilling from his voice.
"Please, I'm on the run! I've defected! But my old squad, they're on my tail! They've been after me for 30 miles! Please, I need help!" He begged, explaining his predicament.
Sure enough, a squad of four warriors, two Mobians, a human, and an Overlander appeared. For those who don't know, an Overlander is like a human, except they're of enormous stature, have four fingers, and have a deep rage for those who aren't close to human. Not all Overlanders are this way, but you'd be surprised at how many there are. The badger saw them and ran past Isaac, cowering behind him. The squad arrived, stopping about 20 feet from Isaac. They were breathing heavy, evidence of their pursuit.
"Demon-spawn! We have heard of your exploits from England! I must say, you are creating a thick shroud of deceit. But for now, we are not here for you. We came for the traitor! Hand him over and we'll be on our way." The Overlander said, holding out a hand as if to receive something.
Isaac looked behind him, seeing the defector terrified. Isaac could only guess what they would do to him.
"I am sorry, but you are not taking him away. Please, I give you a choice. Leave now and celebrate this blessed holiday with your family and friends. Do not seek a fight that is not in your favor." Isaac offered.
The Overlander laughed, his chest shaking up and down. The others laughed, before being cut off by the Overlander.
"Enough! We are being generous today, Abaddon! Give us the traitor and we will leave! And that will be that!" He said, repeating his offer.
Isaac shook his head, stepping forward.
"No. Never again!" Isaac said calmly, readying himself.
Sonic and Knuckles went to join Isaac, but they were stopped by his extended arm.
"No. This is my fight. Do not intervene unless I say so." Isaac ordered, walking towards the squad.
The two Mobians, a bat and a bear, ran towards Isaac, wielding swords. Isaac quickly sheathed his sword and equipped two knives, using them to block the blades. Pushing them back, Isaac staggered them and rolled forward. Isaac swept the bear's legs, tripping him. Isaac quickly extended his arm, punching the bat into his lower gut, knocking the wind out of him. Hunched over, Isaac grabbed his wings and threw him over his head and down into the snow face down. As the bear was getting up, Isaac took a step forward and delivered a palm strike, hitting his nose. Isaac could feel the bear's nose give in, blood beginning to trickle from it. Grabbing his nose, he began swiping at Isaac with his claws. While the claws tore his clothes somewhat, Isaac managed to grab his left paw and leap over the bear with it, breaking it at the wrist. A quick palm strike to the back of the head knocked him out cold. The human, a female, threw a pair of throwing knives at Isaac. Isaac quickly deflected them with his arm gauntlet, only barely scratching its surface.
"You should never use a throwing knife on an aware opponent. It would have been better if my back were turned." Isaac instructed, inadvertently insulting her.
Grabbing her sword, she swung at him, intent on cutting off his head. Isaac quickly dodged the blade, stopping it by grabbing her hand. She retaliated by grabbing a knife from her belt and attempting to stab Isaac in his neck. Isaac grabbed her hand as well, creating a stalemate. Isaac breathed deeply, focusing his pyrokinetic abilities. Soon, the sword began to heat, becoming incandescent. Isaac let go of the hand that held the knife and grabbed his sword, slicing her sword. The blade melted through the snow, igniting the grass below it. She began to step away, horrified by what happened. But before she could fully retreat, Isaac grabbed a bolas from his belt and threw it at her feet, ensnaring her. As she struggled, a slow, condescending applause came from the heavily armored Overlander.
"Well, well, Abaddon. I must say, I'm impressed. You've managed to best two inbred Mobians and a pathetic human. But I am their genetic superior! Come, dance with death, Demon-spawn! I shall send you to Hell, yet!" He proclaimed, unsheathing a large claymore.
Isaac sheathed his sword, walking past the human.
"Isaac, you're gonna take him on with your fists?! Look at him! Dude's a mountain! Retreat!" Silver shouted, concerned.
"Best to listen to your friend, Demon-spawn. I am unlike anything you have ever faced before." The Overlander said, cracking his neck.
"Yes, you are. But I am not scared." Isaac responded, cracking his knuckles.
"You should be!" He shouted, running towards Isaac.
Isaac leaped to his left, barely avoiding the claymore. Isaac threw two knives at him, but they only deflected against his chainmail. The Overlander charged again, this time performing an undercut sweep with the claymore. Isaac wasn't fast enough to avoid it, taking a full hit from it. But Isaac's surprise and horror, it didn't cut through him. Instead, it threw him fifteen feet.
"ISAAC!" Sally cried out, horrified by the brutal attack.
Isaac slowly got up, feeling as if his ribs were shattered. The sword wasn't sharpened, but instead was left dull. A weapon of cruelty instead of efficiency, it was meant for breaking bones than to cut through them. Grabbing a broken branch, Isaac supported himself up off the ground, breathing hard. Clutching his ribs with his free hand, he hobbled away from the Overlander. The Overlander slowly made his way to Isaac, occasionally swinging his sword as if it were a toy.
"I am unlike other soldiers, Abaddon. I am not to be efficient, but to be a messenger. Your corpse, broken and battered, will be the message. We are not to be dealt with. We are to be left alone to do as we please! The Order of Honorius shall cleanse all of Mobius!" He announced, swinging at Isaac again.
This time, Isaac used the branch to defend himself. The sword bounced off of it, shaking. The Overlander switched the hand it was in, shaking his previous hand from the recoil. Seeing his opportunity, Isaac closed his eyes and focused.
"Do not wish to see your demise, huh? Well, then so be it!" He exclaimed, swinging the claymore down.
But instead of a dull blade on Isaac's neck, the only thing to meet Isaac was a push of air. Blinking, the Overlander looked at his blade, which had melted down to the hilt. Isaac's eyes opened, causing him to leap towards his opponent. Fighting against the pain, Isaac grabbed his arm and hoisted himself over him, landing on his neck. Working his legs under his arms, Isaac did the same hold he had performed on Knuckles a few days prior.
"RAAGH! GET OFF OF ME!" He shouted, running towards a tree.
Isaac quickly reached under his chain, putting pressure on his windpipe. The Overlander rammed Isaac into the tree, shaking the snow off of it. Despite the pain, Isaac kept his hold, focusing more pressure. The Overlander continued ramming the tree, hoping to knock off Isaac. But despite the pain, the constant ramming, and the fear, Isaac maintained the hold, the Overlander's energy beginning to diminish. Soon, with one last struggle, the Overlander collapsed, passed out from lack of oxygen. Sonic and Knuckles ran over to Isaac, rolling the Overlander off of him. Isaac was struggling to breathe, his ribs feeling as if they were constricting his lungs. Knuckles and Sonic helped him back up on his feet, careful not to hurt him any further. Sally ran over to Isaac, tears streaming down her face. Isaac kept his face down, feeling as if he were ready to pass out. She stopped at him, gingerly lifting his head up. While Isaac felt and looked like he was going to pass out, he was still coherent of his surroundings.
"I-I'm fine, Sally. Apologies for speaking informal." Isaac rasped out.
Wiping tears from her eyes, she grabbed Isaac under his arms and gently set him down. Lily ran over, dragging a pack. Sally slowly lifted up Isaac's shirt, seeing the damage done. Besides the large, deep bruising, there was a red line where the blade met Isaac's abdomen. Surprisingly, it didn't do anything worse than break his ribs.
"Listen, we need to… get the captured onto the train. They need to be… tried for their crimes." Isaac choked out, restrained by his injury.
"Shhh, be silent. We need to get you out of here, first." Sally whispered, attempting to conceal her tears.
Taking off the cloak, Amy grabbed two branches and fashioned a stretcher. She tucked it under Isaac's left side.
"Alright, we need to be quick. Sonic, support his right side. Knuckles, support the left. I'll restrain his neck. On the count of three, we need to lift him about two inches off the ground and move the stretcher underneath him." Amy instructed, placing her hands and forearms on the sides of Isaac's head and neck.
"Amy… your hands are cold." Isaac said quietly.
"Ready?" Amy asked.
"Ready." Sonic and Knuckles said.
"One, two three… lift!" She counted, keeping Isaac's head and neck restrained.
They lifted him up, Lily quickly sliding the stretcher underneath him. They gently put him down, Isaac reacting by groaning and coughing.
"My lungs… they hurt." Isaac groaned.
"It's not your lungs, Isaac. They're fine. We just need to get you to the station." Amy informed, grabbing an end of the stretcher.
Sally grabbed the other, lifting it with Amy. Slowly, they made their way to the station, where the train was beginning to pull in. Sally knocked hard on the Royal passenger cart door, almost desperate. A guard pulled it open, surprised to see Princess Sally.
"Princess! What happened? Is that Ranger Abaddon?" The guard asked, concerned.
"Yes! We need to get him to the infirmary as soon as possible! Quick, help us get him in!" Sally said, attempting to move Isaac into the cart.
"Hold it! Not so fast!" A voice said from the other cart. The door opened from the other cart, revealing a conductor. He looked to what the commotion was, seeing the injured Isaac.
"Sorry, but he can't get on without a ticket. Station rules, my dear." He said rather callously.
"Screw the rules! Isaac is dying! Please, help us get him in!" Sally begged.
The conductor only stopped her with his palm.
"No ticket, no entry!" He proclaimed.
"Sally." Isaac rasped.
"Yes, Isaac?" Sally asked, giving him her full attention.
"My ticket… it's in my pocket." Isaac said.
Sally reached into his pant pocket, finding the ticket. But as she pulled out the ticket, it became snagged on something else. She pulled with more force, finding it to be stuck in the fake mistletoe Sally gave Isaac just last night. Separating it, she quickly gave the ticket to the conductor. He quickly snatched the ticket, clipped it again, and gave it back.
"Well, don't just stand there! Get him on!" He said, clearing a path.
After Isaac was loaded on, three guards exited the cart to arrest the four warriors that were left in the snow. After hauling them on and securing them and stripping them of their weapons and armor, they put them into a makeshift cell to hold them until they got to the Kingdom.
"Wait for us!" Amy said, leaping up into the cart and handing her ticket to the conductor.
After everyone loaded themselves onto the cart, the conductor stopped the defector.
"Ticket, please." He requested.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have a ticket." He informed.
"No ticket, no entry!" He said.
"What if I buy a ticket?" He asked.
"If you have 30 rings, I can make that work." The conductor said.
Faster than he had said it, the defector produced 30 rings. He was quickly given a clipped ticket. The defector sat next to Isaac, who was still conscious.
"Mr. Abaddon, I owe my life! I will do everything in my power to repay the favor!" He promised.
The train soon left the station, headed its way to the Kingdom.