WarTraveller

1 minute ago, Wulfsbane said:

I believe there's a law against it. Dont remember the exact specifics but most places will say not to give direct download links. I think has to do with copywrites and stuff like that

So it basically comes down to copyright. Much like a lot of things these days.

Just now, Wulfsbane said:

Yeah. That should be fine cause It's going to a different site that has said link.

Must ask, though, why isn't it okay to directly link to a download? I'm guessing there's a law behind it, but why is it there?

Just now, Wulfsbane said:

Again we cannot share direct download links. We can get in trouble for it

I understand. Linking to the Sonic Retro page for it IS fine, though, right?

5 minutes ago, Wulfsbane said:

As long as we dont post direct download links I would welcome this

I would like that. I have a number of Sonic ROM hacks I think would be worth sharing.

1 hour ago, TheRedStranger said:

Okay, I will help you out on Skype then.

Right, think I've got it. Apologies for the late delay, my sister wanted me to play this game. We Happy Few, I think.

2 minutes ago, TheRedStranger said:

You gotta Skype, bud? I will message you until we get it finished.

 

I do, yeah. It's just Perry Martin, though.

14 minutes ago, TheRedStranger said:

VHS almost has his done. Does anyone else need help?

Considering I have never played a pen-and-paper RPG before, yes I would like some extra help.

I've never played D&D before. But it looks...fairly fun. I might give it a go.

15 hours ago, Ishapar said:

Honey Badger from Sub-Sahara Africa.  Known for raiding bee nests and being one of the most ferocious animals for its size (even lions leave them alone).  Basically a different type of badger.

Hmm...I'll see if I can make it work.

16 minutes ago, Ishapar said:

What about a badger?  Or a Ratel?

What's a Ratel?

14 minutes ago, Wulfsbane said:

Whoops. That might have been my bad. I can fix it tonight

Thank you.

Nice.

About the DA page, though. I WOULD have put my stuff on there, but it's not showing me the option, there's no button to add stuff to the group or anytihng. I guess I just don't have the proper clearances or something.

Apologies for being a bit late for this, but welcome to the site, Doodles! You'll like it here, I'm sure of it.

Yeah, it's been a while. I sort of forgot. Regardless, here we go again.

Where We Last Left Off: While the journey to and across Shang Mu was...less than successful, the team has nevertheless managed to earn the trust of egomaniac Mayor Zao. Taking off in one of his airships, the group returns to Shang Tu for a treaty, but are soon found in the middle of a sky-high ambush...

==========-----==========

Chapter 5: Airship Attack

=====================
Meanwhile, at Shuigang Palace
=====================

This time again, huh? Good. Lord Brevon always loved this part, where the hero failed and he was allowed to sink his poisoned blade deep into their jugular veins. To see them squirm and gargle their last before him...it was music to his ears. This particular one was another panda, one from a roving pack of vigilantes that roamed the land. Obsessed with honor and justice and all that meaningless tat that people spewed to get the higher ground. Brevon thought that at least he could physically prove his superiority. The vigilantes had been defeated and taken off to the torture chambers, helmets lying disgracefully in the dust, with only a single one left to deal with. He was heavily wounded, leaning on his spear like a crutch and doubled over in pain.

"Don't bore me with your lectures..." Brevon growled, "I've heard them a thousand times from a thousand self-righteous warriors! Unless you have something useful to say, the only thing that matters to me is how quickly I can cast you aside. I really have a lot of work to do."

The panda coughed, trying to hoist himself to his feet in a brave but ultimately futile move, "You'll fail...men like you will always fail..."

Brevon gave him no more time, the bloodlust clawing away at him too much to bear. He dashed forward and grabbed the being, choking him with his off hand. Finally, he drew his bloodied weapon and plunged it directly into the guy's chest. He gasped and screamed in agony, to which Brevon grabbed his head and forced him to look at the warmonger in the eyes until, finally, they went out and his body went limp. Brevon removed his blade and threw the corpse to the ground, "Hmm...Interesting theory. But still very much wrong."

"HELLO SIR," came the unmistakable voice of Syntax. Since the time she had been...used by the cloaked person, Brevon had managed to fix it up again, even adding in the ability for this being to access its hologram abilities. Just in case. The robot spoke up again, "HAVE YOU BEHEADED THE INTRUDERS YET? FOR THERE IS AN INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM GENERAL SERPENTINE."

Syntax backed up a bit, its eye once again glowing and showering a nearby area in a greenish light. In it was a hologram of Serpentine himself, holding a dark blue orb in his robotic mits. He laughed evilly, hissing out, "The full moon is out! Not a cloud in the sky!"

Lord Brevon was impressed. Suffice to say he had not taken the last news from him well, but refrained from torturing him; his work was still going to suffer if he did that work with the odd gaping wound. Instead he simply bellowed, "Don't relax just yet! Upload the scans and get back here immediately!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

And with that, the snake bowed and soon vanished. The hologram ceased too, leaving only Brevon and Syntax. Brevon was quick to speak, "Contact the crash site and tell them to refit our warp drive. I want the artefact to fit like a glove!"

"AS YOU WISH SIR..." Syantax trailed off, "...OH. IT APPEARS THE BEING FROM EARLIER IS TRYING TO CONTACT YOU ONCE MORE. SHALL I ALLOW HIM?"

"Hmm..." Brevon said, before standing back, "I suppose. Put him through."

Syntax obeyed and another flood of light swooped through its eye. The signal focused and, once more, was the shrouded man in the black cloak.

"What do you want?" Brevon asked bluntly.

"Well, I just wanted to congratulate you," the being said in its ever-strange voice, "I hear a certain someone is now the owner of a brand new, shiny super rock! Heh heh...grats."

"What is it to you?" Brevon asked again.

"It just proves you need me," the cloaked figure grinned, baring his sharp teeth again, "I helped Serpentine with distracting that Lilac brat, didn't I? Set up the RoboPanther as a decoy for my own target and that's just enough confusion for me sneak in and grab that wretched Stone."

"I will admit," Brevon sighed, looking disgruntled, "Your methods are too subtle for my tastes, but they work. I can only hope you have more effective methods up your voluminous sleeves."

"Abandon that hope, Arktivus," the creature growled, "Lilac knows about you now, and trust me; it won't be long until she comes gunning for you personally. But don't worry. She'll be coming alone."

"...How do you even know this data?" Brevon asked, pointing an accusing finger at the hologram, "There is no possible way for you to know of these events!"

"A shame. I can see a lot more than others. Almost like I know exactly what's gonna happen in this crazy little game of ours. Well, sort of. My range is...limited," the being shrugged, "I'm getting  old and weak, after all. Can't all be massive Gary-Stus like you, can we?"

"Then answer me this," Brevon said boastfully, "What has just happened with them and what will happen next?"

The figure looked serious, even with his hidden face, "The group are currently earning the trust of this egomaniac called Mayor Zao. They're just about to embark on an airship back to Shang Tu. So if you have any sense you'll send in the Sky Battalion and paste 'em. Otherwise, much like that man over there said, you'll fail. Because of THEM."

"Lord Brevon will not fail to some braindead kids!" Lord Brevon bellowed, insulted, "How DARE you even suggest I will die such a disgraceful death by some random fool who thinks she's the hero!"

"...Think you're invincible, huh?" the figure grumbled, his mangled voice thick with disgust, "...Watch your back in the future, Brevon. You never know who might stab you in it..."

The hologram ceased and Syntax was still hovering in place, "THE FIGURE APPEARS TO BELEIEVE YOU ARE NOT INVINCIBLE, LORD BREVON."

"He's a fool, then!" Brevon continued his bellowing, "Regardless, he is the only vague way we can know where that wretched Chaser will be. We have the Stone, so now all we need to do is charge our batteries and get off this planet. Then we'll let it have it! Nuke every last settlement and use the power of the Kingdom Stone to take over the entire universe!"

"WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, MASTER BREVON, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A BIT OF A STRETCH."

"...A bit of a stretch..." Lord Brevon said in a disgusted tone, "I knew that cloaked fellow was too good at what he does. Just go and get the warp drive ready. NOW!" Sytnax agreed and flew off to reach the crash site. Brevon, angry and annoyed, stomped his way out of the room once more; 

"We're getting off this rock, even if it kills me!"

============
Back in Shang Mu
============

It was Carol first to exit the dining room, a slow plodding caricature of what she ususally was. She had forgotten just how much sushi she had devoured over the past couple hours, but it must've been about 25 servings. Not enough, she dared to think. She waddled over to the wooden seats placed just outside the hall and then collapsed into it. As she took deep, hearty breaths to stave off the sickness, the others soon followed suit. First was Milla, who took had eaten quite a lot of sushi, and as such was being carried by an as-ever stoic Master. Milla's face, while still happy and shiny, was showing signs of being twisted into one of sickness too, while Master kept that almost-miffed look on his face he always had. He and Torque, while happily feasting on the sushi just as much as the others, had not eaten as much and as such were forced to help the more bloated members out of the room and into the outside air. Torque was followed by Mayor Zao, who was as ever small and smug. For while the girls and Master had been chowing on the sushi, he and Mayor Zao had been talking about the power problems and what could be done. It soon ended with Torque suggesting a truce, to which a few select others agreed. Sadly, Mayor Zao was not among those people,

"An alliance with Shang Tu?" Mayor Zao began, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "What a lovely idea! ’Oh hey Majister! Sorry about ambushing your soldiers, stealing your priceless artefacts, shooting up your ancient temple and managing to lose it to a bunch of insects! Let's go frolicking in the woods together with our makeup and frilly dresses!"

Another sudden jingle ruptured the air and some more words appeared over Mayor Zao's head. The words this read, '+5 SARCASM'. Master jumped again, nearly dropping Milla in the process, but steadied himself.

He sighed wearily, "You know, in the universe I'm currently staying in, that would actually be seen as a good idea."

"Your Excellency, we're a neutral party," Lilac said dutifully, "Sent by the other party in-fact. Send us to speak on your behalf."

"No offence, but...how will THAT work?" the Mayor asked, "If he won't listen to the greatest ruler in all of Avalice, why would he listen to a bunch of kids?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can talk them into it," Master said again, setting Milla down, "As long as we with reason and persuasion."

"What do you mean?" Carol asked from the bench.

"Well, to put it another way..." Master grinned under his scarf, motioning to Blade, "Here's reason..." and then fished out his handgun and held it in his other hand, "And here's persuasion."

"Had to ask, didn't I?" Carol sighed.

"Aw, come on!" Milla, looking a little down, before scooting over to the Mayor and looking up to him with her puppy-dog eyes, "Pretty please?"

The Mayor's face seemed to radically shift from stoic to overly excited, as if Milla had set him into some odd 'cute trance'. Lilac seized this moment and quickly walked to his side, wrapping one arm around his back and flinging another into the air, "Just imagine how much people are going to love you for uniting the three kingdoms against a common enemy! You'll be a hero!"

"Me...a War Hero?" Mayor Zao grinned, the stars in his eyes elevating to a pristine sheen slathered across his face, "Now that you mention it...I COULD use a few extra hands...ah what the heck? It's worth a shot!"

The group jumped for joy, except for Master naturally, and crowded around the Mayor, with Lilac in front, "Thank you, Your Excellency!"

"You're welcome!" Mayor Zao called out, skipping into the distance, "To the airship!"

The group paused for a second, but soon followed the small skipping Mayor away from the hall and into the courtyard. Carol, despite her initial sluggishness, was at the front of the pack, followed by Milla and Torque, along with Lilac and Master at the back. The group continued running into the expansive courtyard until the Mayor finally stopped, skidding to a halt in his funny little heels. The others stopped too, one at a time, until they were all standing in the middle of the expanse with guards at every part of it. Soon, there was a rumbling sound and a large airship soon descended from the heavens. It was large, about the size of a single ship from that horrific armada seen before, only painted a more inviting shade of red, even on the wood. Its sails were a majestic ruby shade and stretched across the entire deck of the ship, ending in jet engines at the back and cannons situated everywhere along its sides. The impressive transportation eventually landed with a jolt, leaving most of the group with wide eyes and open mouths. The Mayor turned to look at them, looking quite pleased with himself.

"We...we get to ride in THAT?" Carol asked quietly before breaking out into a frenzied flail, "OHMYGREATDRAGONYES!!!"

"But of course!" the proud Mayor boasted heartily, "It's equipped with everything you'll need for your trip, including luxurious living quarters."

"Impressive..." Torque said in amazement, "Beautiful and practical too."

"Damn, if you think THIS pretty..." Master himself looked a little smug, "You've never seen a steampunk airship from Universe ST3A12. Now THAT brings a tear to one's eye. But, I'll be honest, this looks just as cool."

"Beats sleeping in a tree, at least..." Blade added, "Alright, let's get on-board!"

They did so, entering through the main entrance and clambering up to the deck. All five heroes were standing on the deck, leaning on the rails, as the engines flared up. Mayor Zao was below, waving fanatically, "Good Luck, my friends!"

"Goodbye!" came a final squeal from Milla. Soon, the airship's hulking body was zooming into the night sky, and it did not take long to be nothing more than a dot on the horizon.

===========
One Hour Later
==========

It was easy to see that Lilac was mesmerised. Both she and Carol were sitting on the edge of the deck, looking over the railings while their legs dangled over the abyss below. Behind them was Master, leant against a sail pole but still quite close to the girls. In the distance was the planet in all its forestry glory, verdant plains and trees stretching on for as far as the eye could see. To Lilac, it was all so...beautiful. And it pained Master to know that, if he failed, this same Lilac would soon be turning these plains to fire and ashes without pause.

"Just imagine it, Carol..." came the awestruck dragon, "There are other worlds out there, just like ours..."

"Not just worlds, mind you..." Master said, tipping his glasses as if tipping a hat, "Other universes. Multiple Planet Avaliace's with multiple Lilac's and Carol's and Milla's. All going on their separate ways and doing heroic things to fight other Brevon's and Serpentine's and Spade's. It's...heartwarming, to say the least."

"Heartwarming?" Carol asked, "How so?"

"Well..." Master started, going against his better judgement and sitting where the two girls were too, "After so much death and destruction, it's always nice to see people across the multiverse consistently doing good. I've travelled through so many universes, I've lost count. I've spent a good three years meandering around this quarter alone. I've seen so much, done so much. I've fought alongside revolutionaries and Government agents, against heroes and villains. War, blood, battle, torture...oh, so much torture. I've seen the very worst a man can do. And then some. It gets...sickening, after a while."

"Why keep going, then?" Lilac asked, "Why keep at this Multiverse Vigilante business you keep mentioning? Don't you ever want to stop?"

"I do..." Master sighed, "I've thought about it before, I've even done it. Ever since the first time the Elder Masters ripped my powers from me, I went on a crusade against them, screaming against the heavens any way I could. But then my powers slowly returned and I cooled down...and I realised how much good I had done in the past. Thought the multiverse needed someone like me."

"The way you're going about it," Carol said, sort of amused, "It's like you have something to atone for."

You could say that..." Master lay down on his back, "I've seen a lot. But I've done so much more. And a lot of it is...well, all I can say is that I have a lot to atone for. For all I know, I might never stop. But I want to. Find some space to live on, with my girlfriend, just have a nice quiet life, you know?"

"Aww, cheer up..." Lilac smiled endearingly. "You'll make things right one day, I'm sure of it."

"Heck, maybe WE could take over your little expedition!" Carol said, looking quite excited, "We could go on space adventures! Don't you think that'd be so cool??"

"Are you kidding? It'd be the coolest thing ever!" Lilac grinned back, her smile from before still intact.

"You know, it's funny..." came Torque's distant voice, "I remember thinking the same thing once..."

Lilac turned to the alien. He seemed to be brooding, out of his shellduck outfit and looking into the distance, "Did you have a change of heart?"

"Not really, no..." Torque sighed, his gaze never looking at the others, "I guess I just wasn't prepared for the sacrifices I had to make...just gotta keep moving forward with this mission, I guess. No point thinking about a past that can't be changed."

"Amen, comrade," Master sighed too.

"Thanks..." Torque said, his voice returning to its more natural tone, "Hey, where's the other girl?"

"Milla?" Lilac looked puzzled, "I'm not sure...can you go check, Carol?"

"Sure..." Carol said wistfully, slowly walking off to the other end of the ship.

Lilac stifled a yawn, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to sleep..."

"I'm fine," Torque said, "You go on ahead."

"Yeah, I'll probably wait a little more myself..." Master stretched, "Probably watch the ship while you sleep. G'night, dragon girl."

Lilac smiled a final time before retreated into the cabins for the night. Soon, with no Lilac or Carol, it was just Master and Torque with the sounds of the wind and the engines for company. Master stood up and stood next to the brooding Torque, looking out into the distance, "Look at this view, man. Think about it, too; if either of us fail in our missions, this will be nothing more than a wasteland..."

"I know..." Torque sighed, "So, a Multiverse Vigilante, huh? A rare profession. Never thought I'd get to see one in person."

"Well, it's not the dream job your people probably said it is..." Master said, "As I said, you see a lot of horrible things on the job. The only thing that motivates me is that I've done a lot worse. One of those I wish to avert while I'm here..."

"This, uh..." Torque asked, "This atonement of yours...what're you atoning for? I mean, I'm atoning for getting my friends killed or enslaved by Brevon, but..."

"Yeah...tell you what, Torque. I'll tell you...everything. But on the strict rule you NEVER tell the others. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good. I'll start from the beginning..."

===================
On the Other Side of the Ship
===================

Carol, keeping the others out of earshot, crept further along the deck of the ship. Milla was near the aft-end, leaning against the finned part of the ship that lead to the cabins and looked out into the night sky.

"So..." Carol said quietly, "What're you doing, Milla?"

"I'm..." Milla started, a single tear in her eye, "I'm making a wish."

"Oh..." Carol said, leaning to the side, "What kind of wish?"

"Well..." Milla said, a hint of sadness in her voice, "I really wanna see my mommy and daddy again..."

"Sounds like something nice to wish for..." Carol said, "Uh...did you know your parents?"

"Not really..." Milla stifled a sniffle, "I only knew them from when I was a cub. The only ones who respected these...Sira powers. Then there was this war..."

"The Avalice Cival War?" Carol asked, "The one where the kingdoms of Shuigang and Shang Mu had that battle?"

"Yeah..." Milla sniffled at last, "My parents had to go fight for Shang Mu...I never saw 'em again. I had to take shelter in the sewers of Shang Tu just for protection...you know..."

"Aww..." Carol looked down as well, hugging the softly crying hound, "That's so sad...look, it's alright. Everything'll be okay. Come on, we're going to get some sleep. How 'bout that? I can make you some hot caoco..."

"...Okay!" Milla said, very quickly returning to her old happy self. She and Carol quickly retreated into the cabins too. It wasn't long before Master and Torque were also hobbling their way to the cabins to sleep off all that sushi. Master looked ashamed, while Torque looked disturbed.

"...You did all that?"

"MasterSelves, even half-breeds like myself can be quite unstable," Master sighed, "The bond of a relative is strong, certainly strong enough to throw even normal level-headed men into the realms of insanity. Surely you must know that?"

"...I know," Torque sighed, "Come on. Better get some sleep..."

=======
That Night
=======

It was that time of the night again. Master always hated that. Every time he fell asleep he at best had a 50/50 chance of having a quiet night. And, sadly, those odds often went up after particularly busy days such as this one. On non-quiet nights, such as this time, he would dream he was in a blackened void, small fires dotting the area, and he would have to talk to someone he once knew. Most of the time it was Franky, who in all honesty still wasn't that happy to see him owing to the...incident they had both been caught up in before, speaking in his cryptic riddles as ever.

"Great..." Master's voice echoed across the void, "THIS again! Blade? You here buddy? No...well, looks like I'm alone. Again. Alright, Franky-Boy! Where are you? Where're your riddles?"

"Actually, he's not here..." came another, different voice, "Couldn't find him, so...I'm sorta here instead."

Master's brow rose in confusion and he glanced over to where the voice had came from. It was another hedgehog, this one female and petite. She too had brown fur, but a much lighter shade than Master's had ever been and she had eyes that gleamed a dazzling green. She was clad in a blue bodysuit with white accents and lines, alongside traditional white gloves and blued shoes. Finally was a green bag hanging from a strap wrapped around her shoulder, its side emblazoned with a red cross. One of her large, almost bat-like ears twitched a bit as she simply stood in front of the bewildered Master.

"Sonar?" Master asked, the confusion melded in thickly with his voice, "What're you doing in my head?"

"...I 'unno..." Sonar shrugged, "I'm just kinda...here. In the same way the others were here."

"Well, in all due respect, it's nice to see you again," Master chirped, taking the long-eared hedgehog's hand and shaking it, "I haven't seen you for a long time!"

"About a year and a half, I know," Sonar hummed, "Well, you're not really talking to the really real Sonar here. You're just talking to your sub-conscious who's just taken on her form and parts of her personality because another form is, for whatever reason, missing."

"What, you mean Franky?" Master asked, "Well, where's he gone off to, then? Good Chaos, he didn't jump ship to Lilac's noggin, did she?"

"Nobody knows," Sonar sighed, "Though I've...well, you've noticed that he seems to vanish for a few days every time you land in a new universe. So for all we know, he might. Gotta say, though; dude gets around."

"Great..." Master sighed, flopping to the floor and sitting there, "I'm trying to get Lilac through this with both her brain and body in one piece and my ex-best friend is probably prancing around having the time of his life."

"You know, it's funny..." Sonar smirked, "I thought you were sick of him guilt tripping you."

"Yeah, but I don't want him guilt tripping others instead!"

"Aww, it's fine," Sonar smiled, sitting beside Master, "I won't try to guilt trip you. For all I know, you've probably gone through enough. That, and Sonar is supposed to be a medic. Compassion is kinda necessary. Sadly, I do have a warning for you."

"Oh?" Master asked sarcastically, "Well, what is it?"

"The journey back to Shang Tu," Sonar sighed, "Turns out it's all been a farce. There is nothing but pain and suffering back home."

"And let me guess..." Master sighed, "You can't tell me."

"Well, I AM still a part of you, form of a beloved medic regardless," Sonar said quietly, "All I know is that Neera-Li is involved somehow. As expected, I guess. I have the horrible feeling that she's going to cause a lot of trouble for your group down the line. Better watch your back, Man Who Keeps Passing Through..." she sighed and stopped, before suddenly jumping, "OH! Before I forget, this might help..."

She then dug into her bag and fished out a small blue bottle, "Here. Your body found a way to counteract the poison from Brevon's blade. Should help your stomach wound heal. Take it, 'cause trust me; you'll need it..." she handed the bottle to Master, then stood up, "Sorry, Traveller, but I've gotta go. You're gonna wake up soon, anyway."

Master looked at the bottle, then endearingly at the form, "Thanks, Sonar."

"Don't mention it," Sonar smiled a final time, fading out just like Franky had with Lilac. Soon, even her wonderful smile was gone and Master was alone again. He sighed happily, staring wistfully at the bottle. It was small and blue, as said before, and it was also round and had a traditional wooden cork in the top. It had no label and a dark liquid was swirling around inside. Master smiled, removing his scarf and opening the bottle. Naturally, it smelt of roses (with a small hint of sunflower oil, for some reason), and looked vicious and uninviting. Still, it had to be drunk, otherwise Master was sure this stomach wound would be his downfall.

However, just as he was about to put the top of the bottle to his lips, a raging wind flew past his sitting form, throwing him to his back and flinging the bottle out of his hand. It eventually stopped, as if someone had caught in midair, and hovered in the air for a few seconds. Then there was a reverberating noise, one easily recognised as a cloak device failing, and a clawed and bloodied hand slowly came into existence. It was soon followed by the arm, then the creature's body and finally its legs and head. To Master's horror, the bottle was now in the grasp of the bloodied, black-eyed and crazed monster his whole mission was to avert.

"War Lilac!"

"Miss me?" came a wonderfully nasty growl, "War Lilac, at your service. And if I remember correctly, last time we met you shot me in the stomach and left me to die."

"And I swear you did the same to me," Master replied bitterly, "Much more painfully and with the blade of a madman."

"Indeed..." War Lilac giggled, juggling the bottle in her hand, "And now your body is trying to heal that wound...and I'm sorry, but I really can't let that happen..."

"Don't..." Master growled, throwing himself to his feet, "You...DO IT."

War Lilac's sharp and bloodied teeth curled into a smile and the bottle in her hand shivered violently as her claws dug deeper and deeper into it. Finally, it gave and the bottle shattered, spreading the liquid and shards of glass across the floor. War Lilac herself howled with pain as the shards dug deep into the palm of her hand, which quickly gave way to deranged laughter, "Hahahahaha! OOOH...that hurts so good!"

"Chaos..." Master called out, "What do I do to make you end up like...that?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you know WHAT you do..." War Lilac grinned, removing the remains of her left glove, "It's more WHO does it!" To Master's surprise, large gashes were spread across her wrist, like someone had dragged barbed wire across it, "Look familiar? And what about the corruption, that all should die for the sins of our fellows? To, as you once said, prove a point?"

"...No..." Master sunk to his knees in shock, "No...not him!"

"Yes him!" War Lilac screamed, throwing her hands to the sky and letting out a disfigured laugh, "So you better work overtime boy!"

Master, face scrawled into pure rage, sprinted forward towards the twitching War Lilac, hoping to land a punch somewhere on her. However, at the last second some sort of chasm opened up beneath him, throwing him off his feet and leaving him hanging on the edge of this deep abyss. A chuckling War Lilac soon grabbed Master by his own left wrist and hoisted him up.

"Looks like you're gonna wake up soon..." War Lilac chuckled, "Gotta go back to old Neera and get it over with!"

"Get it over with?" Master asked, exasperated, "The hell d'ya mean?"

"Well, I'll be fair," War Lilac shrugged, "I'll give your fairer warning than that medic ever could. Neera's gonna get you guys locked up tomorrow. Torque will get set free and then...oh-h, and then..." Master suddenly winced as a hideous, piercing shriek filled his ears. To his abject terror, the voice matched that of Lilac's and the sound of surging electricity was mixed in. War Lilac grinned again, "Ha, that old Brevon! Always electrocuting people for the means of torture! Have to say, though, it REALLY gets the kinks out of your back..."

"No..." Master growled, "You're lying! I know you are! Why should I beleive you?"

"'Cause I've gone through this before, remember?" War Lilac said cockily, "Every stab, every gunshot wound, every bite and slash and..." she tussled the one synthetic tendril she had left, "Removal. I have had to sit through every last drawn-out, agonising, disgraceful second and believe me, I WILL make sure he inflicts every single one of those on you. Bon voyage!"

And with that, War Lilac's grip loosened. Master screamed as he fell deep into the abyss. The last thing he saw was War Lilac's sneering, ravaged face, before only total darkness and the sound of a thump.

===
???
===

"Traveller!" came Milla's voice, "Wake up!"

Master awoke with another start and fumbled around in his panic. He finally calmed down and sat up. He was in the cabins within the belly of ship, having just woken up. He was sprawled out on the floor, having seemingly fallen out of bed, and was still covered with the quilts. He was only wearing his black t-shirt and trousers, his scarf and jacket sitting on the nearby chair and putting his glasgow grin on show for all to see. Only Milla herself was in the room, panicked and misty-eyed. Explosions rocked the ship and sent both crashing onto their backs once more.

"What's going on?!" Master called out amongst the inferno.

"It's the Sky Batal...the Sky Batta...no..." Millla fumbled, "The airships. They're trying to shoot us down!"

"The Sky Battalion!" Blade called out, sat amongst the pile of clothes, "Dammit, I knew we overslept! Slugger, we gotta move!"

"Wait, where're the others?" Master asked.

"Carol and Lilac are taking out the cannons on the other ships!" Milla hastily explained, "Torque's trying to take the third one down!"

"I slept though THAT?"

Milla said no more but a mere, "Come ON!" and dragged Master to his feet. He responded with speed too, grabbing the mound of clothes on the overturned chair. It didn't take long to get dressed and soon he was rushing out onto the main deck of the ship. It was a warzone out there; the deck was littered with huge holes and burning fires, all damaging the ship. In the sky and beyond were even more airships, painted a mean green shade and even larger than Zao's ship, littered with robots and cannons and firing with gusto on both heroes' positions. Master grabbed Milla and dodged out of the way, slamming against the side of the cabin wall as a large cannonball smashed into the deck and created another massive hole in it. Master set Milla down and looked out towards the other ships.

"Dammit!" Master called out, "We've gotta take one of these things down! Milla! Do you know which ships they're on?"

"Lilac said she was going to take on the Metal Ship..." Milla said, struggling to remember the details, "Uh, and Carol said she'd take on the Fire Ship! Torque's taken on the Water Ship!"

"That only leaves the one in front of us, the Earth Ship. But I won't be able to get close enough to take those cannons on at this rate!" Master growled, "I'm going to have to use the RPG."

"Aww come on!" Blade whined, "We were saving that for when we went to Universe Z0M2011! The multiverse can only handle so much awful stupidity!"

"I know, but this is more important!" Master cried out quickly. He quickly dug into his jacket and began to fish out items clearly bigger than the pockets themselves. First was a metal lunchbox, "No..." which he threw away, followed by some kind of bag with a belt of bullets hanging out of it, "No..." and then a silver bracelet with a light blue orb on it, "Oh. So that's where Chip's neck thing went." Finally, there was a click and Master's expression changed instantly. Soon, he dragged a large long tube out of his jacket pocket, the tube having two handles and some kind of scope alongside a wooden finish. He then dragged out a rocket of some type, feeding it into the mouth of the tube and twisting it into place.

"What's that?" Milla asked in her usual innocent way.

"Ruchnoy Protiv...uh..." Master said, fumbling, "Uh, it's known as the RPG-7. A hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher, though often referred to as a rocket launcher for convenience. Found it in a black market in Universe STH2006 and fitted it with a laser targeting device. Hits where it aims...mostly. Anyway, stay there. You REALLY don't want to get caught in the backblast of this thing!"

Milla ducked out of the way and Master sprinted across the deck of the ship, aiming the launcher with only a single hand. His rocking hand steadied and he pulled the trigger, sending a spray of smoke out of both ends of the tube. The rocket itself screamed its way across the sky and arched around multiple times, tumbling towards one of the airships. It collided with one of the cannons of the nearest ship, the direct hit tearing through the creation and dragging its remnants back down to the planet's surface. Master, clearly pleased at this turn of events, fished out another rocket and loaded it, ready to fire another round. Milla, standing behind the wall, had a quick spark of genius and rushed out across the deck too, carrying another green block of energy above her head. The cannons fired again and Milla stopped, holding the block out in front of her and hoping for the best. The cannonball collided with the large cube and was sent sailing across the sky back to the airships, smashing into the jet engines and causing the ship to become unstable. Master took this opportunity and fired his second rocket into the ship as well, finally destroying the infernal transportation. Its sails caught fire and the hunk of wood, now totally aflame, went screaming into the planet below.

"Yeah!" Master cried out in victory, before suddenly stopping cold, "Uh, I hope Lilac wasn't on that one!"

"Nah, I checked it," Blade said, chuckling, "She's fine. Plus, she seems to be coming back here!"

It didn't take long, but eventually the ships stopped firing. In-fact, they seemed to be turning away. Master peered out over the wooden barrels he was hiding behind and looked out on the deck. Three shapes were slowly coming into focus, flying down to the ship on some kind of rocket-powered lifeboat. On it were indeed the three heroes of Lilac, Carol and Torque, somewhat battered and singed but mostly okay.

"Guys!" Milla cried out, bounding across the deck to tackle Lilac into a hug, "We did it!"

"We?" came Lilac's croaky, singed voice, "What happened to Sir Sleepsalot?"

"We're up, don't worry!" Blade said, "And we're fine. Managed to take down one of the airships, too!"

"We saw," Torque said, "You blasted that thing out the sky with only two rockets and a cannonball. Primitive, but impressive."

"Yeah, I saw it too," Carol said, "Shook the ship I was on to its core, but at least it rocked the cannons out of the ship itself. So you saved me a lot of work!"

"And I just happened to run into Spade," Lilac said, "That explosion of yours allowed me to drive him away, thank the Great Dragon."

"Spade was here?" Torque asked, "Why?"

"I don't know..." Lilac sighed, "I tried to tell him that Lord Brevon was to blame, but all he did was ignore it and try to throw me off the ship."

"Hmm hmm hmmmmm," came a rather weasely laugh, "My brother, always the arrogant and spineless traitor he always has been. At least I defend my kingdom!"

"Another unknown voice?" Master asked, irritated.

"Not this time..." Lilac growled, "That's Prince Dail!"

The heroes looked up into the skies. Amidst the quickly fleeing airships of war was something that could only be described as a mechanical monstrosity of a bird. Its massive metal plumes spread across the sky, each situated with some glowing blue orbs and a few specks of chipped paint. The body itself was also large and heavily armoured, with plates attached across its body, and two clawed feet to match. Finally came its head, large and majestic, but armed with some kind of lasers built into the eyes. And sitting on top of this machine was a panda of some kind; a regal, ruined individual who was clad in robes as green as the forests below them. Upon closer look, however, he looked ravaged with many rips in his clothing and obvious signs of repair everywhere. It certainly didn’t help that the creature's eyes were glowing a dull, disgusting red. The creature sat just behind the bird's neck, holding onto it and hiding behind a forcefield of some kind.

"Prince Dail..." Torque said with surprise, attempting to bow, "It's an honour!"

"Do not kneel to me, traitors!" the Prince shouted, his voice bombastic but seemingly synthetic, "We have a score to settle."

"Let me guess..." Carol said, exasperated, "You think we're the killers of your father."

"I'm not guessing," Prince Dail growled, "I KNOW. You killed my father, and you must pay for it!"

"This is gonna be one of those days..." Carol sighed.

"Prince Dail, please!" Torque quickly stepped out in front of him, "Listen to us. We know who your father's killer is! You're working for him!"

"Lord Brevon..." Prince Dail growled, throwing his head around in agony, "AARGH! NO! You lie!"

"I'm not lying," Torque said quietly, "Please, calm down and stand down. We can help you..."

Torque got no more time to say anything else, as what could only be described as a giant ball of electricity smashed into him at top speeds, sending him flying across the deck. He landed and rolled, eventually crashing into a bunch of barrels to stop his tumble. Lilac cried out in anguish and ran over to him, checking him over. He was injured, but thankfully the blast's damage had been mild. The Prince smiled smugly and edged forward in his machine, eager to finish him off. Instead, however, came a flurry of spins and kicks that rocked the bird to its core, damaging a good deal of its glowing plumage orbs and sent the Prince himself reeling. He looked up, growling, at the angry Lilac.

"Not a chance!" Lilac said, her teeth grated, "You're not hurting my friends!"

"You WILL face justice!" Prince Dail barked in response, "Surrender!"

There was thundering sound of wooden footsteps as the others heroes rushed across the deck to Torque and stood in front of him, guarding him. Carol was first, "No chance, buster!"

Milla was next, "I...I can't! I WON'T!"

And Master was last, "I will not bow to some decedent dandy!"

"So...you have all chosen death..." The Prince's voice was quiet and subtle at first. Then, with a monstrous creak, the bird activated all of its cannons and fired upon the heroes, who narrowly dodged it and dragged Torque out of the way. The creature then arched its head back and roared with a mechanical screech, its owner roaring alongside him, "HOW PATHETIC!"

The Prince wasted no time in attacking the group again, raising himself fully into the sky and screaming down onto the deck of the ship. Master grabbed Torque and dragged him out of the way, spiriting across the deck and off into the cabins, while Carol and Milla split off to attack the being from all sides. This only left Lilac to fight the Prince head on, which she did with ease. First she jumped up and onto a nearby rocket lifeboat, springing off it and spinning directly into the creatures plumes. A good portion of what remained of the orbs were smashed too, rocking the robotic bird and almost throwing the Prince off. He steadied himself and mashed buttons installed onto the neck of the bird, causing its wings to bend. Between the tips came a slowly forming ball of light blue, very similar to what Torque had been knocked out by, which the creature shifted and launched towards the dragon. The energy ball barely missed Lilac, grazing her tendrils and singing the fur. This did not throw Lilac off, however, and she managed to smash the final few orbs. The forcefield around the Prince disabled with an audible crackle and Lilac took her chances. She threw herself into the Prince's location boots first, striking him in the face with both feet. He tumbled off the bird and smacked into the deck, groaning with the pain. Lilac closed in to restrain him, but he dodged and dashed back onto the bird before Lilac could blink. All she could see was a green outline of the Prince before she looked up into the sky to see the robot bird dive bomb her once more.

Carol attacked soon after, jumping onto the robot and grabbing the Prince by the wrists, wrenching control of the contraption away from him. The bird swung wildly about in the sky, sending the two flying left and right but both stayed on. Milla approached next, a block of energy already in her hands, and she jumped into the air. Another giant laser came screaming from her hands, slicing through most of the plumes and sending them crashing to the deck of the ship. She too jumped onto the back of the bird and wrestled to keep the Prince away from the controls. Lilac watched with awe before she received a sudden bump from Master, the Blade of Hysteria in clasped tightly in his hand, He silently pointed to the top of the ship's sail supports, to which Lilac seemed to understand. She grabbed him and rolled into another Dragon Boost, propelling her and Master high into the air. The Boost ceased and two were sailing high above the robot. Master then thrust Blade forward and once again split the blade itself into segments and wrapped the final few around one of the support beams. A few uneasy, windy seconds passed and soon the two were swinging across the ship and closing in on the quickly dissolving bird. Finally, it gave up and its engines cut out, sending the infernal thing plummeting towards the planet's surface along with the rest of it. The Prince was catapulted into the air, in a split second, all became clear to Lilac. She shifted position, grabbing Master's legs and stretching out her own, slamming both boots into the Prince's chest. He was sent flying off the side of the ship and colliding with one of the escaping transport vessels, hanging onto its landing gear for his life.

"You FOOLS!" he screamed in rage as the vessel zoomed off into the sky and beyond, "THIS IS FAR FROM OVER!"

Lilac sighed, flopping back onto the deck. Master did this too, stuffing Blade back into his holster. Carol and Milla approached separately and even Torque managed to limp towards the group.

"Well..." Carol said wearily, a big  grin spread across her face, "That was fun."

"Fun?" Milla whined, "How was that fun?"

"I dunno..." Master said, nodding, "I thought that was kinda fun too."

"Spade and Dail..." Lilac said softly, staring at the deck floor, "Why did they attack us? Spade isn't on Brevon's payroll...isn't he?"

"Best guess, he's just trying to find his father's killer," Torque said, "He'll never accept that the leader of his brother is the killer. It's almost as if someone's manipulating him behind the scenes."

"What about Dail?" Lilac asked, "He seemed to be in pain when mentioning Brevon..."

"As expected, really," Blade began to explain, "His brainwaves weren't in any way natural. In-fact, the only other time I've seen brainwaves like that is in victims of this robo-croc in Universe AG-213. Nasty little cretin he was; brainwashed and enslaved entire countries just to fuel his disgraceful desires. Still, his victims had radically different brainwaves, missing the ones that helped with conscience thought. Best guess, Brevon tortured the little sprog into complete servitude."

"Great..." Lilac sighed, "So he won't take no for an answer because he thinks Brevon is top dog?"

"Yes," Master said finally.

"Well, we managed to scare them off..." Torque sighed, scraping some debris off the deck, "And we have evidence of Brevon's involvement, too. A good portion of those escape vessels came from his army and the metals used are like nothing on this planet. With this, we have them! We need to get back to Shang Tu as soon as possible."

The others said no more, only agreeing with silent nods and then beginning to walk to the cabins. However, bounding along the deck towards them was a very panicked Milla.

"Guys!" she called out, "We have a problem!"

"She's right..." Blade mumbled, "Listen...do you hear anything? I can't. There are no sounds to hear..."

"Traveller, are you sure that weapon of yours isn't going a bit...you know..." Carol twiddled her fingers in a circular motion, "Senile?"

"No, he's right," Torque said, "Normally we'd be hearing the sound of the engines, but there's just...nothing."

The group stood around for a few seconds, slowly processing the information, before looks of shock spread across their faces and they dashed like madmen to the back of the ship. To their horror, the two majestic jet engines were now blackened charred messes, beyond inoperable, and emitted nothing but thick black plumes of smoke. The entire ship began to tilt forward and the rushing wind became stronger and louder, to almost unbearable levels.

"Oh no..." Master said, panicked. He rushed to protect Milla, grabbing her hyperventilating form, "Everybody get inside and hold onto something! We're going down!"

==========-----==========

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51 minutes ago, TheRedStranger said:

You know yourself better than I know you, bud. Think of your temperament, sociability, energy-level, physical inclinations, ect. That would help you get a more clear picture. 

Right, so I need a creature who is very temperamental, not even close to being sociable, somewhat active and not very fit. This might take a while.

Now that'd be simple;

Armed with whatever person/technology clearly allowed Eggman to bathe the world in fire (bad future, maybe?), he would use it to gather as many Sonic's as he possibly could and destroy them all, Classic Sonic among them However, because Classic Sonic has Plot Armour gifted by SEGA is small and incredibly agile, he manages to escape his restraints but only has time to get Modern Sonic out of the restraints before Eggman tries to kill the others. He fails, but he locks them away until he manages to find a way to do it, giving the two Sonic's time to escape and plan to save them before Eggman rends the multiverse asunder with his potential paradoxes.

2 hours ago, TheRedStranger said:

Try and spice it up a bit, yeah. There's a million more animals out there. And different types like a Hedgehog as well. 

 

 

I dunno, just have to go for one that would fit my, uh, personality. Any idea?

Hmm. A tough one for sure. I'd like to say hedgehog, BUT that's just a bit too stale, isn't it?

5 minutes ago, F07E said:

Nah it'd be Rouge, but sonic, As everyone is sonic. Human sonic is just the awkward dude in the sonic costume during the stream, he too is sonic, as once again everyone is sonic.

A shame Though Sonicman is funnier. I'll be the first to admit, his redesign in the Archie comics is...pretty much spot on. He looks like a Sonic-themed Captain Falcon and it's amazing. Well, more so than the OTHER Archie Sonic Man. Curse those Mega Man crossovers...

35 minutes ago, TheRedAuthar said:

Sometimes heroes need help.......

So the grand choice is a second Sonic?  Forget Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, just make the whole cast Sonic.  Modern Sonic, Classic Sonic, Boom Sonic, Nerd Sonic, Girl Sonic, etc.

Seriously, Classic Sonic sees like the worst choice for a partner.  Unless they're saying he's the 2player Co-op Sonic.  Cuz I could live with that.

 

But I doubt it .

I like the idea of a girl Sonic. You could have it as a parody of the Werehog and call it Sonic Eyelashed.

7 minutes ago, F07E said:

Ancient relic guardian sonic, Kid sonic, pyromancer sonic, sea captain sonic, timelord sonic, ninja sonic, detective sonic, dream-god-fairy-thing sonic, emo sonic, fan service sonic, talking vegetable sonic, human sonic...

Man that list really is endless.

...Wait, wouldn't Fanservice Sonic just be Classic Sonic at this point? Human Sonic is just Sonicman.

1 minute ago, ToaArcan said:

Because SEGA aren't doing what you wanted, they're making a smaller Classic game (Good!) and releasing it alongside a bigger Modern game (Good!) and shoehorning Classic-style gameplay into the Modern game to please the Mega Drive whiners (Bad!).

I suppose that's about right. That stream was an utter disaster.

1 hour ago, ToaArcan said:

I brought this up in the SKype chat, but how long do you think it'll be before desperate fanboys take the grimmer setting and the tagline "Join the resistance" as absolute proof that the FF are definitely going to be in the game?

Dang, you beat me to it, Arcan! Though to be fair it would be pretty cool if they did. Only reason I can think of to use that tagline.

Regardless, I do think you're right. Generations WAS good, but I'm getting really, REALLY sick of Classic Sonic. Partly because I'm just finding it cynical now, and partly because of what his appearance entails for the game. The mandate is that Classic Sonic can't appear unless A: it's in the Genesis era or B: it involves time travel (which is the sole reason Classic didn't appear in the All Star Racing games, which fails to make sense to me). Yay, MORE time travel! 'Cause the Sonic games TOTALLY haven't proved it can't hack time travel or anything, have they? You know, like 06. And Rise of Lyric. And technically Shadow. in some paths.

It's annoying, really. I finally have the kind of Sonic game it looks like I want. It looks darker, it looks like it will take itself more seriously, and I'm going to make an off-the-wall guess and guess that the game might return to the Hedgehog Engine gameplay, the stuff they're actually GOOD at. It's also what I wanted them to do; make a smaller Classic game and release it alongside the the bigger Modern game, so people of both grounds get a good experience tailored for them. I should be incredibly happy at this turn of events...so why aren't I?

2 hours ago, TheRedStranger said:

Tough break..

---

I remember being excited with Sonic X coming out and then having my hopes dashed against the rocks when I got Chris X instead. 

My Saturday Morning Cartoons were stuff on the 90's Toonami and a lot on Cartoon Network. I did see some of the Disney and Nicktoon material but CN had a moderately bigger influence. I am quicker to recall instances from Dexter, Johnny Bravo, Power Puffgirls and Courage the Cowardly Dog than Duck Tales, Doug, Hey Arnold, and Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers. My favorite cartoons were usually the heaviest though. I loved Courage because of its creepy yet quirky material. Batman the animated series because it was darker and entertained more subject matter than other cartoons gave us. Same goes with the Justice League and Batman Beyond. I still today think Mask of The Phantasm is the best Batman movie ever made (though Killing Joke might take that honor soon). Satam came later in my life and took rival spot with Batman.

I'm gonna be fair; I'm not exactly the biggest fan of my childhood. Pretty much all of my family relations got put through the wringer, I generally acted like a fool and I had to watch these shows. Underground I look back on with a good deal of nostalgia, but I'll happily admit the show is terrible, while Sonic X is beyond comprehension. I wanted to see a SONIC anime, Sonic X! Not Chris X or Cosmo the Magical Talking Vegetable X! ESPECIALLY not the latter! No idea how it works compared to Boom, apart from THIS (best to worst);

1. SATAM
2. AOSTH
3. Underground
4. Boom
5. X

It's annoying, 'cause I think a Sonic anime COULD work! But with SEGA's borderline draconian "mandates", that's...pretty much never going to happen. Which is a shame. Especially since I think most modern kid's shows are, frankly, appalling apart from a very select few.

My Saturdays were...urgh, Sonic Underground and Sonic X.

1 minute ago, Wulfsbane said:

Well if you ever decide to rewrite it I look forward to reading it.

112233C... is that a Futurama reference?

Why thank you.

No. It's just the first thing that came to my head when coming up with a designation for this universe of mine, and now I'm just kind of stuck with it. Nowadays the "code" is two letters that overlook the franchise name and then either three numbers or a three letter word that better signifies what that is. For example, an alternate Freedom Planet universe would be FP-235, and a Sonic one would be SH-998. 112233C has kind of remained the same, however.