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Description
(Back to Blaze’s point of view)

“STOP! HAND OVER THE DIAMONDS!” a voice suddenly screamed behind me. I turned and saw three tall, heavily armored knights behind me, holding weapons. I stood up and threw fireballs at all of them. It did nothing. “You think we would be prepared for the encounter of the Fire Princess!?” guffawed the knight closest to me.

“You work for Namii! Don’t you!?” I shot.

“This is where you have been keeping the diamonds. Give the diamonds to us, or we will just take you hostage and come back for the diamonds ourselves,” ordered the first knight. I then made a split-second decision, whether good or bad, I don’t know. I started stuffing diamonds as many diamonds as possible into my pockets and other extremities. Some even fell out but I don’t care. “OUGHH! Just as greedy as your father! GET HER!” ordered the head knight. I took off running out the window, feeling like a thief with the diamonds AND the Sol Emeralds in my possession. I don’t know where I was going, I just kept running. I heard the footsteps of the knights behind me as I entered the thick, muggy forests. I nearly tripped over roots and logs but did not stop. I kept running until I reached a field where a herd of warpigs grazed. Warpigs were thick-hided hogs that had long, sharp tusks. Males were usually very aggressive, and their tusks could pierce through rock. Which is why their ivory tusks were well sought after for weapons. And it was those tusks that Namii’s blades were made of. The majority of warpigs in this field were males, and I did not want to risk getting attacked by all of them. The knights behind me were closing in, but I had no choice. I blasted through the field, upsetting the warpigs in my path. Some made a beeline for me, others went after the knights on my trail. The warpigs did not stop the knights, or even keep them at bay. They just stabbed and shot at the warpigs as they kept the chase. I entered the forest again and came to a big, rushing river. I heard the panting and grunting behind me. With no choice, I dove right in. I lost a few diamonds from the current, but did not really care. They knew where the diamonds were now. I was more concerned about the Sol Emeralds, since they held the most power. The knights ran alongside the bank, firing at me. They missed most of the time, but one of their arrows grazed over my ear, taking off a chunk of flesh. I groaned in pain, just as the river dumped me over a waterfall. I was thrust into a couple rocks along the way, as I plummeted into the waterfall pool below. The water was freezing cold, as the river was mainly melted snow from Hujak Mountains. I did not see any indications that the knights climbed down the steep cliff after me, so I got out of the water, feeling like a drowned rat. I shivered as I head for Marine’s hut, which was luckily not too far from here.

“CRIKEY MATE! Ye be lookin like a catfish!” Marine cried when she opened the door to see me.

“You think!?” I spat. Marine let me in and started a fire, wrapping me with blankets and giving me a cup of nice, hot tea.

“Mate, with those enemies roaming around, you should’ve stayed home!” Marine said. I then started to explain to her what happened, including what Namii had told me about my father. “Bloody Nora….” Marine said after I finished. “I wouldn’t believe her lies about yer dad. I don’t think he be a greedy king, she just tryin to rile ye up mate. She just tryin to trick ye,” Marine explained.

“But what if she IS right? What if my father IS the greedy king? What if he DID hire those assailants? Namii said she wanted to kill me, but couldn’t, because my dad told her not to!” Blaze insisted.

“I don’t believe yer father was greedy,” Marine said.

“You were only an INFANT when the war happened! And if my father WAS greedy, why did he have the most powerful gems in his possession?!” I whipped out the Sol Emeralds.

“Weren’t the Sol Emeralds passed down along the royal family? I don’t think it be a matter of possession, I think it be a matter of heirloom,” Marine said. “And as ye say, yer dad was not part of the royal family, was he? It was yer mom that was in the royal bloodline. And if that were the case, the Sol Emeralds be passed to you through yer mom. And by the sounds of things, yer mom was the most generous queen a kingdom could ask for,” Marine pointed out.

“My dad married her FOR THE SOL EMERALDS!” I roared.

“Mate, remember what ye told me? That things happen, and that it’s all in the past now? That things will kick you in yer crotch, and that you just gotta waddle away stronger?” Marine reassured me.

“But, those enemies are bringing up the past…”

“Exactly. And you can choose to be upset and ashamed of yer father, or you can rise up and defeat those damned cretins. What do ye say?”

“...You’re right, Marine. Thanks.”

“Here, mate. I’ve been working on a little somethin. Stay there!”
Marine disappeared then, leaving me to sip on the warm, sweet rosemary tea. I was beginning to feel warm inside already. It did not take Marine long to come back, holding a big, black, plastic case. “I know I be a sailor, and a boat mechanic, but I’ve been whipping up some goodies,” Marine opened the case to show me five, long, sharp ivory knives. I picked one up and ran my thumb along the blade, and instantly I began to bleed. “Careful mate, they be sharper than a Rosewood Cactus,” Marine cautioned, taking the knife from me.

“You made these?” I asked in awe.

“Yes, I had to get roughed up by a few warpigs to get the ivory, but I did,” Marine said proudly. I looked at her, surprised. Her? In combat? No way. “This be a war, mate, and while yer flames be great an’ all, I don’t think they’d do a thing for that tough armor that they wear. I don’t think the combat we are used to will work at all,” Marine described. “Sonic may be able to get away with it, with his speed an’ all, but that’s about it.”

“Wow, Marine, I am impressed,” I said.

“This be yers,” Marine handed me one of the longest blades in the case. It had a glossy wooden handle. “Now, remember how I said I’ve been watching how Tails and Sonic cooperate? I haven’t just been practicing on ma speed, ya know? Follow me,” Marine said, but then she looked at me. “Oh, gettin’ ahead of maself, I will let ya warm up first,” Marine quickly said.

With my inner flame, that did not take long. So Marine grabbed her bamboo knife and lead me outside. There, the Coconut Crew were setting up cubes of hay on the wall. “Fire away,” Tabby said. At that instant, Marine threw her bamboo knife at one of the hay cubes, it grazed over the top and it exploded in a pile of hay.
“I myself still have a bit of practice!” Marine giggled, going over to retrieve her knife. I was not in the mood to throw it, so I went over to the next hay cube and because slicing it fiercely, liking the adrenaline that flowed through me as I did. When I finished, the hay cube was no more. “DAMN! Yer a natural!” Marine cried.

“It’s...nothing....I mean, I’m pretty fast and precise at cutting vegetables, but this is different…” I said.

“No, not at all, mate. But this is nothing. Let’s practice on moving targets. Bring them in, boys!” Marine roared towards the distance. The rest of the Coconut Crew were running right for us, and following them were four big warpigs.
“MARINE! This is overkill!” I cried.

“Not at all,” Marine said.

“NO! Do you KNOW how dangerous warpigs are!?” I cried.

“Don’t worry mate, they be females!” Marine smiled at me.

“They’ve still got really sharp tusks!” I insisted.

“The enemies have really sharp knives, but will that stop you?”

“No…”

“Then let’s get going!”

Marine charged right for the incoming warpigs, holding just her bamboo knife. There was no way that little knife could take out those four big warpigs. I shook my head in disbelief, but went after her. We were outnumbered as well, and these warpigs looked furious. Marine started swinging her knife wildly at the two warpigs ganging up on her. I focused on one, but the other was behind me, charging into me with her sharp, long fierce tusks. “We are outnumbered! This won’t do!” I roared. Marine could not talk, because she was on the ground being overpowered by two warpigs. I ignored the two I was focusing on and ignited my hands. I swung my alit hands at the warpigs overtaking Marine. They backed up, snorting. “OFF! OFF!” I roared. I turned to the warpigs I was fighting. Soon I had all four of them backing off. Marine lay sprawled on the floor, bruised and bleeding. The warpigs snorted, turned, and ran off. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?” I picked up the injured raccoon, who was coughing out dirt.

“Why did you scare them off, mate? We have gotta practice on tough, moving creatures if we wanna fight these guys!” Marine roared.

“It’s not just about blunt force. We’ve gotta strategize things as well,” I insisted. “If we wanna practice fighting, the best creatures we can practice on at this point in time are slar bambbits,” I described.

“WHAT! MATE! They are weak! They don’t fight at all!” Marine cried. Slar bambbits were medium sized gray and yellow rabbits, best hunted for their insulating fur.

“We are not experienced with knife fighting. We can’t just dive right into the deep water,” I growled.

“Who wants roasted warpiglet!?” Kyok and Colonel walked in, carrying a big plate with a rotisserie style warpiglet on the plate. I shook my head. So THAT’S why the female warpigs were more aggressive than normal. The Coconut Crew took their baby and and roasted it. Then again, I have to admit, warpiglet DID taste awfully good. I cooked it quite a few times in the past. And I had never had it roasted, so this MUST taste good.

It WAS good! The meat was tender, juicy, and a nice blend of spices. “Figured you all would need a nice meal after working so hard!” Colonel said. We did not respond, as we happily ate our meal. When we were finished, there was still a quarter of the rump left, but we were well stuffed. Just as we laid back and let it all digest, there was a knock on the door. Everyone froze instantly. “Could it be!?” Colonel asked.

“It couldn’t!” Tabby cried.

“NOW!?” Setter roared.

“It’s getting LATE!” Kyok added.

“We are DOOMED!” wept Daikun.

“I’ll blast those enemies to kingdom come!” growled Muzy.

“QUIET!” Marine shushed. Everyone waited, as there was another knock at the door. Marine held her bamboo knife and inched towards the door. Colonel followed, but cowardly hid behind Marine’s legs. Marine reached the door but hid off to the side. Colonel reached up for the doorknob; luckily his short stature allowed him to hide beneath the window on the door. He slowly opened the door. In a flash, Marine had her knife out, holding it across the doorway.
“Relax! Relax, it’s just us!” hearing that familiar deep voice made my heart shiver. I immediately jumped up and raced for the door.

“PRINCESS! WAIT!” Kyok called. Marine held her knife back to allow me to pass, as I raced outside and flung my arms around him.

“THERE YOU ARE! I was worried sick!” he cried in my ear. “You weren’t are your cottage!”

“Sorry,” I wept, as I slammed my lips onto his.

“SONIC!” Marine cried, as she raced outside too. But she passed him to go towards Tails. She hugged him quickly but happily.

“What are you doing here?! You’re not supposed to come back for another week!” I said.

“This time, an exception had to be made. I tinkered around with the machine, and with a bit of a sacrifice, I had it allow us to have two weeks of extra time,” Tails explained.

“Sacrifice?” I asked.

“Our dimensions cannot coexist for a long period of time, because the Chaos and Sol Emeralds become unstable together, right? Well, I had to...erm...COAX Knuckles to lend us his Master Emerald...it wasn’t easy...let’s just say I...have to go back to work when I get back!” Sonic remarked.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“I can’t let a threat to my princess running around,” Sonic responded, kissing my cheek.

“But Nega is a threat!” I reminded him.

“Yeah, but you can burn his mustache off. These guys are different,” Sonic insisted.

“They have fireproof armor,” Marine said.

“I brought along some things,” Tails held out a plastic case, just like the one Marine had. Inside was...you guessed it. More knives.
“Did you make these?” I asked.

“Ha! I’m a mechanic, not a blacksmith,” Tails replied.

“Psh!” Sonic snorted.

“What?” Tails asked.

“It’s….nothing. Carry on!” Sonic leered.

“Anyway, I bought these off the internet...I had to sell a lot of my old scrap, but it was worth it,” Tails replied.

“They’re not gimmicks...are they?” Marine asked.

“Nope. I tested one of them in the kitchen. I barely used ANY pressure on FROZEN chicken breasts!” Tails explained.

“HMPH!” Marine roared.

“What? What’s wrong?” Tails asked worriedly. Marine left. “Marine!” Tails cried. But Marine came back, carrying her case. “OH! You had the same idea!?” Tails cried excitedly. But Marine did not respond. She turned and went outside, then came back in, carrying a big rock. She set it on the table. Then using one of her crafted knives, brought the knife down. It pierced right through the rock. Tails took one of his bought knives and attempted to break one of the smaller pieces of rock, but nothing. “Oh...ah…” Tails rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

“Warpig ivory be the strongest tool out there, sailors used it all the time. I don’t know what this be…” Marine examined the blade of Tails’ knife. “...but it’s garbage compared to this.”

“Marine!” Sonic scolded. “Tails went through a lot to get that!”

“Did he kill two warpigs? No. He sold a few stuff, that’s it!” Marine grimaced.

“S-Sorry!” Sonic cried.

“What’s a warpig?” Tails asked.

“Only the most aggressive critter to roam. I mean, apart from dragons and titans. Warpigs have the same strength as a troll, only they are smarter and much quicker. They have long, thick tusks that can break through stone. They have VERY delicious and nutritious meat though. So if you want to sacrifice a few limbs to slaughter one for dinner, go right ahead!” Marine explained.

“Hey! That’s an idea! We can practice combat on trolls! I mean, they are no smarter than the enemies!” I remarked.

“HEY! That be a good idea! And their skin is thick like the armor!” Marine said.

“I don’t need practice! I was King Arthur!” Sonic said.

“Wha…?” I asked in awe. “You’re...royal!?”

“Oh, yeah! I still have to tell you that story!” Sonic responded awkwardly.

After the story, I was bewildered. “So, you had no royalty line, yet you were KING Arthur?” I said. “If I am honest, that is an absolute insult to the true lines of monarchy. We don’t just go crowning kings and queens willy nilly here. The fact that you were despite having no royal background, is an absolute insult to my family line!” I remarked.

“Erm...sorry,” Sonic said. “I had no need or desire to become the king, either. They just did, just because I wielded the true Excalibur.” His indifferent response annoyed me.

“You don’t get crowned just because you possess a certain sword!” I cried.

“In the legends of King Arthur, though, technically you do. King Arthur was the only person who could pull Excalibur out of the rock, so he was to become king,” Tails said.

“Was he a prince?” I demanded.

“I don’t know. There’s many different interpretations of the legend in the world, so it’s all subjective, really,” Tails replied.

“It’s still an insult, royalty is not something you can pass around. It’s something you are born into, and it’s something you are supposed to honor,” I said.

“I thought you did not like being a princess?” Sonic asked.

“I don’t. But it’s something I honor and accept with gratitude,” I responded.

“Well, we’re from a different dimension, so of course we will do things differently from here. And besides, it was just a legend. A story,” Sonic told me.

“I disagree with it,” I growled.

“If it makes you feel better, actual monarchies in our dimension doesn’t work like that,” Tails said.

“Then why create a legend that is different?” I demanded.

“It’s a story,” Sonic responded. I could feel my internal flame growing with annoyance, but I stood down and did not say anymore.

“What I think is most unbelievable is the TALKING sword!” Marine shrieked.

“Trust me, even to this day, I struggle with believing it still myself!” Sonic said. Marine let Sonic and Tails in. Sonic sniffed the air.
“Mmm, what’s for dinner?” he asked.

“Warpiglet. We have some left, want some?” Marine asked.

“Hm, I’ll give it a try,” Sonic reached for the remaining meat on the table and took a bite.

“Save some for me! I am always open to new foods!” Tails cried.

“Wow! That’s pretty good!” Sonic cried. “Did you make this!?”

“I did,” Colonel bowed.

“This is GREAT!” Sonic remarked as he handed some for Tails to try.

“OH WOW! THIS IS GREAT! I have to say, it’s even better than pork!” he cried excitedly.

“Pork?” Marine asked.

“Pigs in our dimension, they produce pork meat,” Sonic explained.

“Yeah, but this stuff is even YUMMIER! You know what!? I’ll pass a chili dog up for this anyday!” Tails cried.

“Wow, Tails! You’re pushing it with that!” Sonic laughed. “Perhaps this tastes better than pork because our pigs probably don’t get as much exercise as warpigs do here,” Sonic suggested.

“Oh yeah, warpigs are aggressive and energetic little critters. That makes their meat more savory!” Marine remarked. “If you think this is good, ya outta try red lamb!”

“Red lamb?” Tails asked.

“They’re rare creatures found in the mountains. Sailors always believed that lambs eat herbs and spices before they are slaughtered; they are THAT good! Their meat is thick too, and fills you up fast! Problem is, they’re rare,” Marine remarked.

“Ah. So they were THAT good?” Sonic asked.

“Yeah, so they’re only a once-in-a-blue-moon dish. We have to only eat them once a year or less, to keep them from going extinct. They have always been known as the food equivalent of gold,” Marine replied.

“Man! I want to try some now!” Sonic cried.

“Exactly. When someone first hears about red lamb, they want to try some. And they go and look for some. That’s how red lambs came to be endangered. So many people heard about how good they were, so they went on a killing spree with them. Pretty soon, they were on the verge of extinction. So King Geralth, Blaze’s old man, set a rule to only eat them once a year or less. People try not to talk about them to newcomers, or they’ll go crazy wanting to try some. Like I said, it’s like the food equivalent of gold,” Marine said.

“No. Knowing my father, he did not put that rule up. He would’ve wanted to keep a whole farm of red lambs secretly, not wanting to share them with the kingdoms around. He let them starve. There’s no way he would have just let other kingdoms have some, especially with how expensive red lamb is. He would have kept them ALL to himself!” I spat.

“What? What’s gotten into you?” Sonic asked. I grimaced at him, then turned and ran off. “BLAZE!” Sonic roared. As I left Marine’s property, Sonic grabbed me. “What’s up?” Sonic asked worriedly.

“My father. He was a greedy old bastard. HE LET OTHER KINGDOMS STARVE! And I’m his dirty spawn!” I cried.

“MATE! What did I say earlier!?” Marine ran out.

“No! Leave me alone!” I cried, turning around. But Sonic turned me back.

“Blaze! What are you talking about?” Sonic asked.

“MY FATHER! IT WAS HIM WHO SET THE ICE WARRIORS! He put them together because he hoarded diamonds from other kingdoms, forcing them to STARVE! He had the warriors protect the diamonds! He killed many innocent people with these STUPID Sol Emeralds! And he passed them onto ME! He had the diamonds in with ME!” I cried, throwing the Sol Emeralds at the floor. But at that instant, the Sol Emeralds were encaged. They then whipped over towards the trees in the distance. I instantly made a beeline for them, only to find Namii and her knights standing there. Namii had the cage of Sol Emeralds, and a triumphant grin.
“If you hate the Sol Emeralds so much, why did you follow them? Why not let us take them?” Namii leered as Sonic and Marine ran up.

“YOU!” Marine hissed.

“Ugh. I don’t have time to deal with a slar bambbit such as you,” Namii growled. Marine chucked her bamboo knife at Namii again, but she once again caught it. “Again? You obviously don’t-” but Marine had intended for Namii to catch it; she had another knife and ran straight for her, despite not having healed from her wounds from the warpigs. Namii pulled out two of her ivory knives and swung at Marine. But Marine dodged and managed to graze Namii’s arm with one of HER ivory knives. “UGHH!” Namii roared, as blood trickled down her arm.
“That’s what ya get for wearing slutty armor!” Marine leered. “Might want to opt for more coverage!”

Namii glared at Marine, but then smirked back at me. “You really believe all that bullshit I told you about your father hiring us? You’re really a gullible little ass, aren’t you?” Namii leered.

“What!? What do you mean!?” I roared.

“Your father was not greedy at all. I can’t! HAHAHAH! You believed my sob story! Hahahah!” Namii laughed.

“What about the diamonds!?” I roared.

“After I killed your father, I stole them. Heheheh. Then I planted them in your old room so you can find them, and believe the story 100%! Truth to be told, we want these more,” Namii held up the cage of Sol Emeralds. “We don’t have any leader. We go by our own rules. Unfortunately, lots of people had to die in our wake. They just wouldn’t get out of the way,” Namii leered at Marine, who clenched her fists in anger. “I am not going to waste anymore time with you little fluffballs. Let’s get going,” Namii said, pushing a button. I threw a fire at the cage, but it did not bust. “You think we’d prepare for the Fire Princess, hm?” Namii leered. At that moment, a huge flying vessel appeared, with a ladder. Namii grabbed onto it. “You guys can take care of these fools,” Namii instructed her knights. The four buff men withdrew barbed weapons. At that instance, Tails ran up, to see what the hell was going on, followed by Colonel. The knights charged for us.
“Alright, ya wanna play?” Sonic cracked his neck. He did his Homing Attack at one of the knights, but was then whacked back by a sharp weapon.

“Sonic! You’re nothing but a ball to them now! You need this!” Tails held out a knife.

“NO! I don’t NEED weapons!” Sonic cried, getting up and brushing himself off.

“You don’t have a CHOICE!” Tails roared. Marine and I were ahead of the game though. We each took on a knight. I must have been taking this more seriously than the fight with the warpig, because I actually felt myself landing some hits. The knight wasn’t giving away too easily, though. His armor was pretty tough. A knight closed in on Sonic. He did his Spin Dash and tripped the knight. This allowed Marine to plunge her bamboo knife into his back.
“I have a choice,” Sonic said sternly. He started running in a circle around the other knight, and a tornado formed around him. Unfortunately, all that did was flip the knight over.

“These have tougher armor than Eggman robots!” Tails cried. A knight was making a grab for Tails. Tails closed his eyes and held his steel knife out. Unfortunately, he was tackled.

“Oh no ya don’t!” Sonic cried. Without thinking, he picked up a steel knife and plunged it into the knight on Tails. And then in that instant, his memories of knighthood flooded back, and it became as if he was welding Caliburn again. He started slicing through the knights at bewildering speed. Marine and I were watching him in awe as he took down the knights we were fighting with in one breath. We were then standing amongst a pile of dead knights.

“MATE! WHAT THE HELL! YOU DON’T WANT TO WELD WEAPONS, YET YOU HAVE THE BEST EXPERIENCE!? YOU LET US ALL STRUGGLE WHILE YOU, THE EXPERT, REFUSES TO HELP!?” Marine roared at Sonic.

“Sorry...I am not a weapons guy!” Sonic said awkwardly.

“Get used to it,” Tails grunted, getting up.

“How the hell will we get to their flying ship?” I asked.

“Leave that to me,” Tails smirked.

“We don’t have much time. I’m afraid their intentions are even worse than Nega’s,” I said.

“Yeah, cause they will kill to get what they want,” Marine agreed.

“Blaze! You okay?” Sonic asked.

“Yeah,” I said.

“You hurt at all?”

“No.”

“Good.”

That of course was a lie; I had a few cuts on my arm, but hid them with my sleeves. I did not want him worrying about me. It was great we had weapons, but we needed armor too. But...I was still not sure. Was my dad a greedy poor man? Or not? I had no idea. Marine, Sonic, Tails, Colonel and I headed back for Marine’s hut to prepare for a battle plan. As we left, a group of male warpigs ganged up around the knight corpses and began to drag them away to their nests.

End of Part 4

Description
(Back to Blaze’s point of view)

“STOP! HAND OVER THE DIAMONDS!” a voice suddenly screamed behind me. I turned and saw three tall, heavily armored knights behind me, holding weapons. I stood up and threw fireballs at all of them. It did nothing. “You think we would be prepared for the encounter of the Fire Princess!?” guffawed the knight closest to me.

“You work for Namii! Don’t you!?” I shot.

“This is where you have been keeping the diamonds. Give the diamonds to us, or we will just take you hostage and come back for the diamonds ourselves,” ordered the first knight. I then made a split-second decision, whether good or bad, I don’t know. I started stuffing diamonds as many diamonds as possible into my pockets and other extremities. Some even fell out but I don’t care. “OUGHH! Just as greedy as your father! GET HER!” ordered the head knight. I took off running out the window, feeling like a thief with the diamonds AND the Sol Emeralds in my possession. I don’t know where I was going, I just kept running. I heard the footsteps of the knights behind me as I entered the thick, muggy forests. I nearly tripped over roots and logs but did not stop. I kept running until I reached a field where a herd of warpigs grazed. Warpigs were thick-hided hogs that had long, sharp tusks. Males were usually very aggressive, and their tusks could pierce through rock. Which is why their ivory tusks were well sought after for weapons. And it was those tusks that Namii’s blades were made of. The majority of warpigs in this field were males, and I did not want to risk getting attacked by all of them. The knights behind me were closing in, but I had no choice. I blasted through the field, upsetting the warpigs in my path. Some made a beeline for me, others went after the knights on my trail. The warpigs did not stop the knights, or even keep them at bay. They just stabbed and shot at the warpigs as they kept the chase. I entered the forest again and came to a big, rushing river. I heard the panting and grunting behind me. With no choice, I dove right in. I lost a few diamonds from the current, but did not really care. They knew where the diamonds were now. I was more concerned about the Sol Emeralds, since they held the most power. The knights ran alongside the bank, firing at me. They missed most of the time, but one of their arrows grazed over my ear, taking off a chunk of flesh. I groaned in pain, just as the river dumped me over a waterfall. I was thrust into a couple rocks along the way, as I plummeted into the waterfall pool below. The water was freezing cold, as the river was mainly melted snow from Hujak Mountains. I did not see any indications that the knights climbed down the steep cliff after me, so I got out of the water, feeling like a drowned rat. I shivered as I head for Marine’s hut, which was luckily not too far from here.

“CRIKEY MATE! Ye be lookin like a catfish!” Marine cried when she opened the door to see me.

“You think!?” I spat. Marine let me in and started a fire, wrapping me with blankets and giving me a cup of nice, hot tea.

“Mate, with those enemies roaming around, you should’ve stayed home!” Marine said. I then started to explain to her what happened, including what Namii had told me about my father. “Bloody Nora….” Marine said after I finished. “I wouldn’t believe her lies about yer dad. I don’t think he be a greedy king, she just tryin to rile ye up mate. She just tryin to trick ye,” Marine explained.

“But what if she IS right? What if my father IS the greedy king? What if he DID hire those assailants? Namii said she wanted to kill me, but couldn’t, because my dad told her not to!” Blaze insisted.

“I don’t believe yer father was greedy,” Marine said.

“You were only an INFANT when the war happened! And if my father WAS greedy, why did he have the most powerful gems in his possession?!” I whipped out the Sol Emeralds.

“Weren’t the Sol Emeralds passed down along the royal family? I don’t think it be a matter of possession, I think it be a matter of heirloom,” Marine said. “And as ye say, yer dad was not part of the royal family, was he? It was yer mom that was in the royal bloodline. And if that were the case, the Sol Emeralds be passed to you through yer mom. And by the sounds of things, yer mom was the most generous queen a kingdom could ask for,” Marine pointed out.

“My dad married her FOR THE SOL EMERALDS!” I roared.

“Mate, remember what ye told me? That things happen, and that it’s all in the past now? That things will kick you in yer crotch, and that you just gotta waddle away stronger?” Marine reassured me.

“But, those enemies are bringing up the past…”

“Exactly. And you can choose to be upset and ashamed of yer father, or you can rise up and defeat those damned cretins. What do ye say?”

“...You’re right, Marine. Thanks.”

“Here, mate. I’ve been working on a little somethin. Stay there!”
Marine disappeared then, leaving me to sip on the warm, sweet rosemary tea. I was beginning to feel warm inside already. It did not take Marine long to come back, holding a big, black, plastic case. “I know I be a sailor, and a boat mechanic, but I’ve been whipping up some goodies,” Marine opened the case to show me five, long, sharp ivory knives. I picked one up and ran my thumb along the blade, and instantly I began to bleed. “Careful mate, they be sharper than a Rosewood Cactus,” Marine cautioned, taking the knife from me.

“You made these?” I asked in awe.

“Yes, I had to get roughed up by a few warpigs to get the ivory, but I did,” Marine said proudly. I looked at her, surprised. Her? In combat? No way. “This be a war, mate, and while yer flames be great an’ all, I don’t think they’d do a thing for that tough armor that they wear. I don’t think the combat we are used to will work at all,” Marine described. “Sonic may be able to get away with it, with his speed an’ all, but that’s about it.”

“Wow, Marine, I am impressed,” I said.

“This be yers,” Marine handed me one of the longest blades in the case. It had a glossy wooden handle. “Now, remember how I said I’ve been watching how Tails and Sonic cooperate? I haven’t just been practicing on ma speed, ya know? Follow me,” Marine said, but then she looked at me. “Oh, gettin’ ahead of maself, I will let ya warm up first,” Marine quickly said.

With my inner flame, that did not take long. So Marine grabbed her bamboo knife and lead me outside. There, the Coconut Crew were setting up cubes of hay on the wall. “Fire away,” Tabby said. At that instant, Marine threw her bamboo knife at one of the hay cubes, it grazed over the top and it exploded in a pile of hay.
“I myself still have a bit of practice!” Marine giggled, going over to retrieve her knife. I was not in the mood to throw it, so I went over to the next hay cube and because slicing it fiercely, liking the adrenaline that flowed through me as I did. When I finished, the hay cube was no more. “DAMN! Yer a natural!” Marine cried.

“It’s...nothing....I mean, I’m pretty fast and precise at cutting vegetables, but this is different…” I said.

“No, not at all, mate. But this is nothing. Let’s practice on moving targets. Bring them in, boys!” Marine roared towards the distance. The rest of the Coconut Crew were running right for us, and following them were four big warpigs.
“MARINE! This is overkill!” I cried.

“Not at all,” Marine said.

“NO! Do you KNOW how dangerous warpigs are!?” I cried.

“Don’t worry mate, they be females!” Marine smiled at me.

“They’ve still got really sharp tusks!” I insisted.

“The enemies have really sharp knives, but will that stop you?”

“No…”

“Then let’s get going!”

Marine charged right for the incoming warpigs, holding just her bamboo knife. There was no way that little knife could take out those four big warpigs. I shook my head in disbelief, but went after her. We were outnumbered as well, and these warpigs looked furious. Marine started swinging her knife wildly at the two warpigs ganging up on her. I focused on one, but the other was behind me, charging into me with her sharp, long fierce tusks. “We are outnumbered! This won’t do!” I roared. Marine could not talk, because she was on the ground being overpowered by two warpigs. I ignored the two I was focusing on and ignited my hands. I swung my alit hands at the warpigs overtaking Marine. They backed up, snorting. “OFF! OFF!” I roared. I turned to the warpigs I was fighting. Soon I had all four of them backing off. Marine lay sprawled on the floor, bruised and bleeding. The warpigs snorted, turned, and ran off. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?” I picked up the injured raccoon, who was coughing out dirt.

“Why did you scare them off, mate? We have gotta practice on tough, moving creatures if we wanna fight these guys!” Marine roared.

“It’s not just about blunt force. We’ve gotta strategize things as well,” I insisted. “If we wanna practice fighting, the best creatures we can practice on at this point in time are slar bambbits,” I described.

“WHAT! MATE! They are weak! They don’t fight at all!” Marine cried. Slar bambbits were medium sized gray and yellow rabbits, best hunted for their insulating fur.

“We are not experienced with knife fighting. We can’t just dive right into the deep water,” I growled.

“Who wants roasted warpiglet!?” Kyok and Colonel walked in, carrying a big plate with a rotisserie style warpiglet on the plate. I shook my head. So THAT’S why the female warpigs were more aggressive than normal. The Coconut Crew took their baby and and roasted it. Then again, I have to admit, warpiglet DID taste awfully good. I cooked it quite a few times in the past. And I had never had it roasted, so this MUST taste good.

It WAS good! The meat was tender, juicy, and a nice blend of spices. “Figured you all would need a nice meal after working so hard!” Colonel said. We did not respond, as we happily ate our meal. When we were finished, there was still a quarter of the rump left, but we were well stuffed. Just as we laid back and let it all digest, there was a knock on the door. Everyone froze instantly. “Could it be!?” Colonel asked.

“It couldn’t!” Tabby cried.

“NOW!?” Setter roared.

“It’s getting LATE!” Kyok added.

“We are DOOMED!” wept Daikun.

“I’ll blast those enemies to kingdom come!” growled Muzy.

“QUIET!” Marine shushed. Everyone waited, as there was another knock at the door. Marine held her bamboo knife and inched towards the door. Colonel followed, but cowardly hid behind Marine’s legs. Marine reached the door but hid off to the side. Colonel reached up for the doorknob; luckily his short stature allowed him to hide beneath the window on the door. He slowly opened the door. In a flash, Marine had her knife out, holding it across the doorway.
“Relax! Relax, it’s just us!” hearing that familiar deep voice made my heart shiver. I immediately jumped up and raced for the door.

“PRINCESS! WAIT!” Kyok called. Marine held her knife back to allow me to pass, as I raced outside and flung my arms around him.

“THERE YOU ARE! I was worried sick!” he cried in my ear. “You weren’t are your cottage!”

“Sorry,” I wept, as I slammed my lips onto his.

“SONIC!” Marine cried, as she raced outside too. But she passed him to go towards Tails. She hugged him quickly but happily.

“What are you doing here?! You’re not supposed to come back for another week!” I said.

“This time, an exception had to be made. I tinkered around with the machine, and with a bit of a sacrifice, I had it allow us to have two weeks of extra time,” Tails explained.

“Sacrifice?” I asked.

“Our dimensions cannot coexist for a long period of time, because the Chaos and Sol Emeralds become unstable together, right? Well, I had to...erm...COAX Knuckles to lend us his Master Emerald...it wasn’t easy...let’s just say I...have to go back to work when I get back!” Sonic remarked.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“I can’t let a threat to my princess running around,” Sonic responded, kissing my cheek.

“But Nega is a threat!” I reminded him.

“Yeah, but you can burn his mustache off. These guys are different,” Sonic insisted.

“They have fireproof armor,” Marine said.

“I brought along some things,” Tails held out a plastic case, just like the one Marine had. Inside was...you guessed it. More knives.
“Did you make these?” I asked.

“Ha! I’m a mechanic, not a blacksmith,” Tails replied.

“Psh!” Sonic snorted.

“What?” Tails asked.

“It’s….nothing. Carry on!” Sonic leered.

“Anyway, I bought these off the internet...I had to sell a lot of my old scrap, but it was worth it,” Tails replied.

“They’re not gimmicks...are they?” Marine asked.

“Nope. I tested one of them in the kitchen. I barely used ANY pressure on FROZEN chicken breasts!” Tails explained.

“HMPH!” Marine roared.

“What? What’s wrong?” Tails asked worriedly. Marine left. “Marine!” Tails cried. But Marine came back, carrying her case. “OH! You had the same idea!?” Tails cried excitedly. But Marine did not respond. She turned and went outside, then came back in, carrying a big rock. She set it on the table. Then using one of her crafted knives, brought the knife down. It pierced right through the rock. Tails took one of his bought knives and attempted to break one of the smaller pieces of rock, but nothing. “Oh...ah…” Tails rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

“Warpig ivory be the strongest tool out there, sailors used it all the time. I don’t know what this be…” Marine examined the blade of Tails’ knife. “...but it’s garbage compared to this.”

“Marine!” Sonic scolded. “Tails went through a lot to get that!”

“Did he kill two warpigs? No. He sold a few stuff, that’s it!” Marine grimaced.

“S-Sorry!” Sonic cried.

“What’s a warpig?” Tails asked.

“Only the most aggressive critter to roam. I mean, apart from dragons and titans. Warpigs have the same strength as a troll, only they are smarter and much quicker. They have long, thick tusks that can break through stone. They have VERY delicious and nutritious meat though. So if you want to sacrifice a few limbs to slaughter one for dinner, go right ahead!” Marine explained.

“Hey! That’s an idea! We can practice combat on trolls! I mean, they are no smarter than the enemies!” I remarked.

“HEY! That be a good idea! And their skin is thick like the armor!” Marine said.

“I don’t need practice! I was King Arthur!” Sonic said.

“Wha…?” I asked in awe. “You’re...royal!?”

“Oh, yeah! I still have to tell you that story!” Sonic responded awkwardly.

After the story, I was bewildered. “So, you had no royalty line, yet you were KING Arthur?” I said. “If I am honest, that is an absolute insult to the true lines of monarchy. We don’t just go crowning kings and queens willy nilly here. The fact that you were despite having no royal background, is an absolute insult to my family line!” I remarked.

“Erm...sorry,” Sonic said. “I had no need or desire to become the king, either. They just did, just because I wielded the true Excalibur.” His indifferent response annoyed me.

“You don’t get crowned just because you possess a certain sword!” I cried.

“In the legends of King Arthur, though, technically you do. King Arthur was the only person who could pull Excalibur out of the rock, so he was to become king,” Tails said.

“Was he a prince?” I demanded.

“I don’t know. There’s many different interpretations of the legend in the world, so it’s all subjective, really,” Tails replied.

“It’s still an insult, royalty is not something you can pass around. It’s something you are born into, and it’s something you are supposed to honor,” I said.

“I thought you did not like being a princess?” Sonic asked.

“I don’t. But it’s something I honor and accept with gratitude,” I responded.

“Well, we’re from a different dimension, so of course we will do things differently from here. And besides, it was just a legend. A story,” Sonic told me.

“I disagree with it,” I growled.

“If it makes you feel better, actual monarchies in our dimension doesn’t work like that,” Tails said.

“Then why create a legend that is different?” I demanded.

“It’s a story,” Sonic responded. I could feel my internal flame growing with annoyance, but I stood down and did not say anymore.

“What I think is most unbelievable is the TALKING sword!” Marine shrieked.

“Trust me, even to this day, I struggle with believing it still myself!” Sonic said. Marine let Sonic and Tails in. Sonic sniffed the air.
“Mmm, what’s for dinner?” he asked.

“Warpiglet. We have some left, want some?” Marine asked.

“Hm, I’ll give it a try,” Sonic reached for the remaining meat on the table and took a bite.

“Save some for me! I am always open to new foods!” Tails cried.

“Wow! That’s pretty good!” Sonic cried. “Did you make this!?”

“I did,” Colonel bowed.

“This is GREAT!” Sonic remarked as he handed some for Tails to try.

“OH WOW! THIS IS GREAT! I have to say, it’s even better than pork!” he cried excitedly.

“Pork?” Marine asked.

“Pigs in our dimension, they produce pork meat,” Sonic explained.

“Yeah, but this stuff is even YUMMIER! You know what!? I’ll pass a chili dog up for this anyday!” Tails cried.

“Wow, Tails! You’re pushing it with that!” Sonic laughed. “Perhaps this tastes better than pork because our pigs probably don’t get as much exercise as warpigs do here,” Sonic suggested.

“Oh yeah, warpigs are aggressive and energetic little critters. That makes their meat more savory!” Marine remarked. “If you think this is good, ya outta try red lamb!”

“Red lamb?” Tails asked.

“They’re rare creatures found in the mountains. Sailors always believed that lambs eat herbs and spices before they are slaughtered; they are THAT good! Their meat is thick too, and fills you up fast! Problem is, they’re rare,” Marine remarked.

“Ah. So they were THAT good?” Sonic asked.

“Yeah, so they’re only a once-in-a-blue-moon dish. We have to only eat them once a year or less, to keep them from going extinct. They have always been known as the food equivalent of gold,” Marine replied.

“Man! I want to try some now!” Sonic cried.

“Exactly. When someone first hears about red lamb, they want to try some. And they go and look for some. That’s how red lambs came to be endangered. So many people heard about how good they were, so they went on a killing spree with them. Pretty soon, they were on the verge of extinction. So King Geralth, Blaze’s old man, set a rule to only eat them once a year or less. People try not to talk about them to newcomers, or they’ll go crazy wanting to try some. Like I said, it’s like the food equivalent of gold,” Marine said.

“No. Knowing my father, he did not put that rule up. He would’ve wanted to keep a whole farm of red lambs secretly, not wanting to share them with the kingdoms around. He let them starve. There’s no way he would have just let other kingdoms have some, especially with how expensive red lamb is. He would have kept them ALL to himself!” I spat.

“What? What’s gotten into you?” Sonic asked. I grimaced at him, then turned and ran off. “BLAZE!” Sonic roared. As I left Marine’s property, Sonic grabbed me. “What’s up?” Sonic asked worriedly.

“My father. He was a greedy old bastard. HE LET OTHER KINGDOMS STARVE! And I’m his dirty spawn!” I cried.

“MATE! What did I say earlier!?” Marine ran out.

“No! Leave me alone!” I cried, turning around. But Sonic turned me back.

“Blaze! What are you talking about?” Sonic asked.

“MY FATHER! IT WAS HIM WHO SET THE ICE WARRIORS! He put them together because he hoarded diamonds from other kingdoms, forcing them to STARVE! He had the warriors protect the diamonds! He killed many innocent people with these STUPID Sol Emeralds! And he passed them onto ME! He had the diamonds in with ME!” I cried, throwing the Sol Emeralds at the floor. But at that instant, the Sol Emeralds were encaged. They then whipped over towards the trees in the distance. I instantly made a beeline for them, only to find Namii and her knights standing there. Namii had the cage of Sol Emeralds, and a triumphant grin.
“If you hate the Sol Emeralds so much, why did you follow them? Why not let us take them?” Namii leered as Sonic and Marine ran up.

“YOU!” Marine hissed.

“Ugh. I don’t have time to deal with a slar bambbit such as you,” Namii growled. Marine chucked her bamboo knife at Namii again, but she once again caught it. “Again? You obviously don’t-” but Marine had intended for Namii to catch it; she had another knife and ran straight for her, despite not having healed from her wounds from the warpigs. Namii pulled out two of her ivory knives and swung at Marine. But Marine dodged and managed to graze Namii’s arm with one of HER ivory knives. “UGHH!” Namii roared, as blood trickled down her arm.
“That’s what ya get for wearing slutty armor!” Marine leered. “Might want to opt for more coverage!”

Namii glared at Marine, but then smirked back at me. “You really believe all that bullshit I told you about your father hiring us? You’re really a gullible little ass, aren’t you?” Namii leered.

“What!? What do you mean!?” I roared.

“Your father was not greedy at all. I can’t! HAHAHAH! You believed my sob story! Hahahah!” Namii laughed.

“What about the diamonds!?” I roared.

“After I killed your father, I stole them. Heheheh. Then I planted them in your old room so you can find them, and believe the story 100%! Truth to be told, we want these more,” Namii held up the cage of Sol Emeralds. “We don’t have any leader. We go by our own rules. Unfortunately, lots of people had to die in our wake. They just wouldn’t get out of the way,” Namii leered at Marine, who clenched her fists in anger. “I am not going to waste anymore time with you little fluffballs. Let’s get going,” Namii said, pushing a button. I threw a fire at the cage, but it did not bust. “You think we’d prepare for the Fire Princess, hm?” Namii leered. At that moment, a huge flying vessel appeared, with a ladder. Namii grabbed onto it. “You guys can take care of these fools,” Namii instructed her knights. The four buff men withdrew barbed weapons. At that instance, Tails ran up, to see what the hell was going on, followed by Colonel. The knights charged for us.
“Alright, ya wanna play?” Sonic cracked his neck. He did his Homing Attack at one of the knights, but was then whacked back by a sharp weapon.

“Sonic! You’re nothing but a ball to them now! You need this!” Tails held out a knife.

“NO! I don’t NEED weapons!” Sonic cried, getting up and brushing himself off.

“You don’t have a CHOICE!” Tails roared. Marine and I were ahead of the game though. We each took on a knight. I must have been taking this more seriously than the fight with the warpig, because I actually felt myself landing some hits. The knight wasn’t giving away too easily, though. His armor was pretty tough. A knight closed in on Sonic. He did his Spin Dash and tripped the knight. This allowed Marine to plunge her bamboo knife into his back.
“I have a choice,” Sonic said sternly. He started running in a circle around the other knight, and a tornado formed around him. Unfortunately, all that did was flip the knight over.

“These have tougher armor than Eggman robots!” Tails cried. A knight was making a grab for Tails. Tails closed his eyes and held his steel knife out. Unfortunately, he was tackled.

“Oh no ya don’t!” Sonic cried. Without thinking, he picked up a steel knife and plunged it into the knight on Tails. And then in that instant, his memories of knighthood flooded back, and it became as if he was welding Caliburn again. He started slicing through the knights at bewildering speed. Marine and I were watching him in awe as he took down the knights we were fighting with in one breath. We were then standing amongst a pile of dead knights.

“MATE! WHAT THE HELL! YOU DON’T WANT TO WELD WEAPONS, YET YOU HAVE THE BEST EXPERIENCE!? YOU LET US ALL STRUGGLE WHILE YOU, THE EXPERT, REFUSES TO HELP!?” Marine roared at Sonic.

“Sorry...I am not a weapons guy!” Sonic said awkwardly.

“Get used to it,” Tails grunted, getting up.

“How the hell will we get to their flying ship?” I asked.

“Leave that to me,” Tails smirked.

“We don’t have much time. I’m afraid their intentions are even worse than Nega’s,” I said.

“Yeah, cause they will kill to get what they want,” Marine agreed.

“Blaze! You okay?” Sonic asked.

“Yeah,” I said.

“You hurt at all?”

“No.”

“Good.”

That of course was a lie; I had a few cuts on my arm, but hid them with my sleeves. I did not want him worrying about me. It was great we had weapons, but we needed armor too. But...I was still not sure. Was my dad a greedy poor man? Or not? I had no idea. Marine, Sonic, Tails, Colonel and I headed back for Marine’s hut to prepare for a battle plan. As we left, a group of male warpigs ganged up around the knight corpses and began to drag them away to their nests.

End of Part 4