Strings Of Fate & Falling

Thorn snorted. "Don't know why, my boss would've slaughtered anyone else - "

"You will speak when you are spoken to!" Ratchet snarled at her loudly, his eyes glowing red, which made Thorn tense up and back down. He growled, looking to Roxanne with a dark, sinister expression.

Then he looked to Max. "Ash is going back where he belongs. Whether it be with me or in hell, I'll see to it." he growled, a dark vibe coming off of him. "I have no time with you." he said before he started to fade.

"Your not going anywhere" he stabbed his sword into the ground as it started to glow. A blood red seal circle appeared seal king all of them within. "Your not leaving until you let ash go. " he said he snapped his fingers. As he teleported roxy back to the village. Only max and kieko were within the seal with ratchet and thorn

Ratchet turned and growled. "You have no business with Ash. I'm going to give you this one and only chance for you to leave, or else you'll be over there, staining the mountain." he snarled, his eyes glowing red and his form turning black.

Thorn was beside him grinning sadistically, chuckling to herself.

Kieko snarled, his eagle wings spreading out and wide as his entire form contrasted with Ratchet. He already knew Max would want to take on Ratchet himself, so he focused his attention on Thorn.

"How about you let ash go, or i send you and your sadistic little girlfriend to hell." Max said his face stoic and calm. "And it's going to take more than hitting a mountain to kill me so do go on an make your threats." He picked up his sword. "They mean nothing to a Half demon" his eyes glowed red as his form was consumed in his flames

Ratchet suddenly had a calm expression on his face as he pulled a sneer, which turned into a grin as he raised his eyebrows, obviously amused by Max. He closed his eyes for a moment before he made a cloud of smoke beside him, revealing Ash's immobilized form on the ground. He was confused to where he was and when he looked to Ratchet, he tensed up.

"You can keep trying to drag me back to that place, back to your lair which should be overrun by the 'Fearsome Fighters' by now, but that won't stop me from escaping again." Ash growled at him. "I'm not going to be your puppet anymore!"

Ratchet looked over his shoulder at him, eyes sinister as there was a glint of red for a moment. Then he chuckled to himself. "I'll give you a head start Ash. One week." he said lowly, black smoke circling Ash's form repeatedly as he spoke. "A week to make up your mind. Of course, I know you'll choose wisely...you don't want so much blood on your hands do you?" Ratchet's face suddenly morphed into something insane as faded away in the smoke.

Thorn looked to Ash and grinned, she knew what was coming.... "Bye Ash ~ Don't die before we get back." she said, winking before he form disappeared in Ratchet's smoke too.

Max grabbed as and the seal lifted allowing ratchet and thorn to leave. "Ash my friend you have some serious explaining to do" max said looking to the hedgehog. "Kieko can you go check on roxy for me. I want to talk to ash alone"

Kieko hesitated but nodded nonetheless as he suddenly vanished in a beam of light.

Ash growled. "Get off me." he was struggling in his hold, a hint of fear in his voice, but also pain as he was wincing. He thought he was going to die right there and then.

Max growled back. "First off is that any way to treat the guy who's tryin to keep you alive, an second don't growl at me and sit down. Your still injured from your crash."

Ash was close to hyperventilating as he panted, struggling to break free from him. "I said get off!" he snapped, the fear evident in his voice now. "I'll tell you whatever you need to know, just let me go....please..." suddenly he whimpered, closing his eyes.

Max set him down. "Breath man, I'm not trying to kill you. Now tell me who are they and why are they after you."

Ash coughed a little, catching his breath as he rose to his feet, calming himself before he spoke. "It's not just them, there's a few more back at his lair. Ratchet's in charge of this operation to take over Mobius and erase the human's existence. I...used to be involved in his operation, but, recently, it was really weighing on me. I couldn't take anymore and I had no reason to stay there, so I escaped. Always battling with the 'Fearsome Fighters', always killing, always creating new weapons and machinery to do his dirty work as well as us." he sighed, slumping against the tree and dropping to the floor.

"It was driving me mad. Me and Ratchet never saw eye to eye anyway, and I guess I finally cracked when I fled. Though, I obviously wasn't to escape easy, since he and Thorn both followed me here. He still needs me for something, a plan of action, mingle with Sonic and the others. I just couldn't do it anymore..." he clutched his head. "If I were you, I would stay out of it. Luna and 'The Fearsome Fighters' are sure to bring him down before he brings the apocalypse upon us. They're capable, they have to."

Max sighed. "Staying it of something this big is not my style. I have village to protect as well as my girlfriend. You can stay in konai, we can figure something out to keep you away from him and thorn. Personally I'll send that bastard to hell if he comes anywhere near her"

Ash sighed too, looking up at the sky. "I just hope he doesn't send anything else. Blaise or De'Ath." he shook his head, before something caught his attention. "If I'm honest with you, your girlfriend should be dead right now. Ratchet's not known to spare the innocent in all of this. When he took her as well as me, I was surprised he hadn't killed her yet. Oh, whatever, I'm a dead man as it is..."

"I'm not the type of guy you wanna mess with" he said as he helped ash along . "I want to know everything you can tell me about that ass and his companions."

Ash looked to him for a moment, before he winced, looking down at the floor as they started heading back. "I'm sorry, I don't know that much about him except that he used to be a member of the 'Fearsome Fighters'." his eyes lowered. "I hope your friend...Roxanne's okay." Ash said, concerned for her.

"We'll find out once we get there" he said as they walked into the village some of the people holdin weapons and ready for battle. "Everyone go back to your homes it's safe for now"

Ash looked around, at the villagers and the village. This place...already felt peaceful and it seemed everyone had a family and every villager seemed willing to protect one another from danger. It was the kind of normality he had craved his whole life.

He grunted. "You're really the leader of this village?"

"Son of the leader. A Templar with power not far from my own. However it also helps that I'm the son of a demon" he said walking him to the house

Ash nodded. "I see..."

Kieko was inside leaning against the counter with his arms folded as he watched her in concern. She had been silent for a while, as she was washing up cups in the kitchen to take her mind off something. Roxanne sighed as she closed her eyes.

The door opened and max and ash came back in max helping him to the couch again. "Now you lay down and rest"

Ash grunted as he lay down. "Ok...alright."

Roxanne suddenly turned and went towards them in a hurry. "Oh, thank god you're both alright!" she said, immediately wrapping her arms around Max, pulling him close as she sighing with relief.

"Of course we're fine. Guy didn't even wanna fight" he said gettin squeezed

Roxy clung to him tighter. "I know. He didn't seem like what Ash had described, I mean, when Kieko shot us down, he saved my fall." she said.

Ash shook his head. "No, believe me, he's worse than what I described."

"By what ash said he normally would have killed any innocents that got in his way" max said

She eventually pulled away from him and looked between them. "If that's true, then how come I'm still alive?" she asked, looking troubled.