The Deadly Game
Tailsfan
*note: Dynamos belongs to N. D. Wolfwood, so, if you enjoy this character you should read Sotsu, by him, a must-read. Also, I have finally started to write in the third person...no more script stories for me!*

	In the shadows of the night, a lone figure walks calmly, aleart for any signs of movement or sound. As clouds drift away from the moon, it becomes easier to see the creature-he is a ferret, with a tall, wirey build and dangerous look. He moves surprisingly quietly in large, black boots, silver buckles on them shining slightly. His dark brown fur melds neatly with his heavy black lab coat, buckled at the top with the same silver buckles as his shoes, opening up near his waist to reveal heavy black pants similar to the material of his coat and a belt with several long, silver knives thrust almost carelessly through it. A long, medium length tail flicks gently, and his black hair and bangs sway in a light breeze. Reddish-yellow eyes are hidden beneath silver goggles, and his black gloved hands hang tensely by his sides, ready to grab one of the weapons at a moment's notice.
	The ferret walks along a path, moving quickly and skillfully, barely making a sound. Behind him, the shadows seem to open up and take a shape...shadowy and human looking, it watches the figure in front of him. The ever aleart ferret tences, lowering his hands to the belt at his waist, near the deadly blades waiting to be hurtled into the body of a victem. Carefully selecting one, he stops, listening for a being he is almost certian is behind him.
	"Dynamos," whispers the shadowy figure in a voice that seems to come not from him, but around him. 
	With skilled ease, the ferret whirls, sending the knife slicing through the air at the speaker. However, the knife only goes through the figure and thuds into the ground behind him harmlessly, still quivering.
	"Dynamos," it whispers again. "You know why I am here."
	The ferret blinks behind his goggles, then relaxes his hands, which had been hovering near the belt.
	"Now the question is: Are you ready for it?" Continued the misty figure.
	Dynamos, never taking his eyes off the shadowy creature, pauses. Slowly, very slowly, he nods his head.
	"Good. Let us begin."
	The figure seems to melt away into the shadows, and the ferret dissolves along with it.
	Seconds later, there is nothing there at all.

	Sonic enjoys a sunny morning at his usual chair in the pool grounds. Knuckles is hanging around with him, chatting and joking. Suddenly, the two of them hear a shout. Standing at the gate is an old friend, Karma. A lizard with bright green scaly skin and a yellow belly, Karma was the DeathCrystal guardian known to stay in his ocean cave until trouble came. 
	Sonic sighs, then asks, " Okay, who stole'em, when was it, and-"
	"Chill," Karma replied with a hissing chuckle. "For once I'm here to hang out, not cause trouble."
	"Oh. Well then..." Sonic mumbled.
	As it was too hot to get up and run around, Karma amused the other two and himself by diving, flipping, and using every water trick he knew in the pool.
	"Man, how do you learn them all?" Sonic asked. "How can you even like water?
	Karma laughs, then says, "Well, I wasss born sssurounded by water, you jussst learn to like it. Here, look at thisss one."
	Karma climbs up the side of the hotel a little and jumps. At the arc, when he starts to fall, he twists and flips, turning into a green colored blur. A few inches above the water, he noses his head down and slices into the pool, barely making a ripple as he slides to the bottem.
	"Woah!" Knuckles exclaimed. "How'd you do that?"
	"It's actually easier than it looksss," hissed the lizard. "It'sss good practice for dodging techniquesss, sssurprisingly. Here, I'll do it again."
	Karma climbs up the side of the hotel a few yards as before and jumps. As he begins to spin, a gray shape rockets into his side, sending him flying. The lizard smashes into the wall of the hotel, sliding down to the ground, upside-down on his head with his tail hanging over limply.
	"What the hell?!" Sonic yelled, as the gray shape landed on the other side of the pool. The figure is immidiatly reconizable; it is Slash, an anteater with three long, sharp, steel claws on the backs of each hand.
	"You," Knuckles said coldly, staring at the bushy-tailed gray figure across the pool. 
	"Of cource. Me," returned the anteater in a silky, jaunty voice. "I told you I'd be back, it was only a matter of time."
	Instantly he is across the pool and charging at Sonic and Knuckles. As Sonic runs at him, he ducks down, swings his leg, and trips the hedgehog; suddenly Sonic is floundering in the pool from the kick Slash had given him. Knuckles is more patient; he waits for Slash to make the first move. He is soon rewarded for his caution; Slash leaps forward and and makes a false swipe at Knuckles's head. When the enchidna moves to block it, his chest is exposed. Slash swipes, hits, and draws three bloody lines across the white mark on Knuckles's chest. Another kick throws the enchidna to the concrete, completely winded and out of the fight. The anteater steps over Knuckles and heads for his goal, Karma, who is struggling to get out of his upside-down position.
	"Well, well, well," Slash says most unpleasently. "Nice to see you again, Karma...or should I say, nice to kill you."
	He kicks the lizard in the head, taking pleasure from Karma's pain. The guardian groans and stops trying to get out of his position.
	"This will be so sweet," Slash whispered, staring down at the lizard at his feet. He raises one clawed hand, aiming for a punch at Karma's exposed chest. He jabs down, sending the cold, death-dealing claws into Karma's heart...but they go through without damaging the lizard at all...everything is slowing down...
	"No!" Screamed the anteater in rage, staring down at his hand. It seems to melt away into nothing, disapeering from sight in seconds. He glances around; Karma is fading away as well, a shocked expression on his face, staring at where, seconds earlier, a clawed hand had been stabbing him in the heart, going through him as if he was a ghost.
	"No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO--"

	There is total darkness around Karma, he cannot see or feel anything. Suddenly, with a burst, the shadows form into a universe, planets and stars seem to spin around him, yet he can breathe.
	"What?" He gasped. "Not possible!"
	Around him, he can feel the other three growing into their normal solid shapes from there faded forms. Slash, Sonic, Knuckles...
	"Hey!" Yelled a farmiliar voice. "What's going on?!"
	"Tails?" Sonic said, bewildered, staring at the suddenly appearing fox.
	"Thisss izzz impossssible!" Karma whispered again. "Thisss izzz a twissst in dimentionsss! Not even the DeathCryssstals and Chaosss Emeraldsss combined could do sssomething asss powerful asss thisss!"
	The five of them float in the space-like dimention, fear growing on their minds with each minute. Suddenly, the shadows in front of them seem to open up, and a figure grows from them. It grows a little more solid, but still seems to be formed of shadowy mist. A humanoid body slowly becomes visible, covered in a cloak of dark, vapor-like material.
	"Ah, yes," It states calmly. "My little....game pieces."
	Sonic looks as if he is trying to remember something, but cannot place it. He stares at the figure in confusion.
	"And I see the hedgehog can almost remember me from out last encounter. I modified your memory from that incident after Tikal messed with it," he seemed to spit out her name as if it was a curse word, "but you still managed to have an idea of who I am." He waved his shadowy hand and instantly Sonic remembered.
	"You!" he spat, glaring. "Come to erase us all again, huh?"
	"Actually," the figure said in a perfectly calm voice, "I've come to play a little game with you five. But before I tell you about that, you must first know about me. 	
	"I am one of the shadowbeings of the universe. I have been alive for millions of years, playing my death games, growing ever powerful. I cannot die; on the contrary, I feed of death and destruction. I have been feared in many dimentions, given many names...Shadowmist, Scorn, Excrete...but you may know me by Abolisk.
	"I will continue my rise to power, and the only way for me to grow is to allow evil to grow. Many have stood in the way of my might-all are dead. Anybody who trys to stop evil is against me....I wipe them out, mortals or superbeings.
	"However, even I know that mortals stand no chance against me." He glances around the group. "Flight? Speed? I am faster than light and have flown higher than the shadows. Cunning? Those more powerful than I have fallen to me and my traps. Brute strength? Mortal strength is nothing compared to what I can do."
	At these words Slash gave a low growl. Abolisk turned to him.
	"Ahh, I can read your mind, Slash. You wish to challenge me."
	Slash stares at the misty figure in total hate.
	"Very well," sighed Abolisk. Instantly Slash is released from his gentle floating hold. He falls onto a suddenly appearing platform, lands softly, and stands to face his enemy. The other four hover around the platform, watching.
	Slash suddenly speeds forward, darting for his enemy. Without warning, Abolisk counters; a dark liquid spurts out of the air, skimming towards Slash and grazing him on the shoulder. The anteater gives out a shriek; the liquid is acid, and even barely touching him it burns down to the skin. Wincing, Slash continues his charge, dodging everything Abolisk throws at him; the superbeing seems to be able to form the very air itself into a deadly trap. Sudenly he is in front of the figure; he grins and punches into the chest of the shadowy man.
	"He did it?" Tails asked skeptically.
	Suddenly, the anteater can no longer move. He is frozen in his punching position, unable to wrench away for escape or come back for a second attack. Suddenly a pain such as he cannot imagine floods his contiousness; it is like every attack he had ever made was coming back at him.
	"How do you like your own attacks, Slash?" Abolisk asked mockingly. "Didn't realize I can use your own tourture against you, huh?"
	Slash doesn't answer, he can hear the screams of every person he had ever attacked, killed, or damaged in his ears, and each time the voices hit their high point, a pain like someone drawing fire across his body would follow.
	"I think it's time to end, we have buisness to get to," Abolisk said, almost bored. 
	The screams disapeer along with the pain, he seems to be released from the misty figure's hold....or so he thought. The claws on Slash's hands curl back on him; they cut into his wrists and hands, drawing a small amount of blood. The anteater goes flying backwards from one last blast, he slides to a stop at the edge of the platform and lays there, beaten and simply trying to rest.
	"You see?" Abolisk said dully. "Not a chance you could beat me, none at all..." He waves his hand and Slash is fully healed, all the pain of his past attacks seems to melt away, and his claws bend back to their oringinal dangerous position.
	"But why are you coming after usss?" Karma asked, almost calmly despite their predicament.
	"As I have said, I need evil to flourish," Abolisk stated. "You are one of the many that block evil. All of you will have a roll that will hinder my progress...even you," he added, glancing at Slash. "So, I cannot allow you to live. You are working against me...those who dare hold back my power die.
	"But destroying you on my own is too simple, and there is no amusement in it at all. So I have devised a little game: I pick one mortal warrior that I wish to fight for me, and the others I wish to kill fight against it. If even one of my opponents win, I restore all wounds and lost lives and send them back to their time/dimention."
	"And if your warrior winsss?" Karma asked. 
	Abolisk seems to smile. "If my warrior wins," he said calmly, "then my enemies are dead and my rise to power continues, uninterupted."
	"So let me get this strait," Knuckles asked coldly. "We're in your way to more power. You want to get rid of us, so you're pitting us against one warrior of your choice to try and kill us?"
	Abolisk chuckles. "Precisley," he said. "It is the Death Game."

	There is silence for a few moments, then Abolisk speaks again. 
	"I will have you five battle my already chosen warrior. The rules are as I have said. If even one of you lives, all wounds will be repaired; all dead lives restored. But if you die..." He let it hang. 
	"You seem pretty confident we're going to loose," Sonic said hotly.
	"Of cource I do," Abolisk replied. "In every game I have ever played, I have not lost. And I have been playing for millions of years."
	As he spoke, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Karma float to the platform next to Slash.
	"Are you ready?"
	Before they answer, Slash darts forward, trying to catch the shadowbeing unawares. He brings his claws up for an attack...
	And cuts deep into a telephone pole.
	"Ha ha ha," Abolisk laughs mockingly. His body is nowhere in the suddenly appearing scenery, just his cold voice. "Catch me if you can, Slash...
	"You will play in the shadow of your homeland. Begin."
	"No!" Slash hammers the ground angrily. "I almost had them! I almost had the crystals and that...that demon had to take my chances away!"
	Karma ignores the anteater and looks around. He gasps. 
	"It'sss...Ssstation Sssquare! We're on the streetsss!"
	They were, though it was very different. It seemed to be half faded away, no living beings were around, and everything was shrouded in fog.
	" 'You will play in the shadow of your homeland,' " repeated Knuckles. "This is what he means!" 
	"I get it...we have to search for his warrior!" Tails exclaimed. "Man, this is going to be difficult."
	Karma shrugs and walks off, leading the others. Slash mutters, staring at Karma with pure hatred. Suddenly he charges forward, screaming, "He stopped me before, but I'm not letting you get away!"
	Slash cuts at Karma's unguarded back. At the last second, Karma jerks and gets sliced from the shoulder to the side. Eyes blazing, he kicks Slash and wraps his tail around the anteater's throat. He throws him to the ground, stepping on one of his clawed hands to keep him from using it. He leans close to Slash's face until his flickering tounge is brushing Slash's muzzle.
	"Lisssten," hissed Karma, "I have NO TIME for thisss, okay?! Normally I would love a chance to kick your assss, but in cassse you didn't notice, we are in a life or death situation here. In short, I don't have time for your crap, got it?" He glares at Slash, boring deep with his yellow, needle-pupil eyes. "Don't try it or I'll kill you for Abolisssk instead of hisss warrior."
	He releases the anteater, who mutters and slides to the back of the group.
	They continue their search, but it is hindered from the fog closing in all around them.
	"Tails, can you check it from the air?" Sonic asked. The fox lifted into the air and zoomed away into the mist, re-apearing minutes later.
	"It's clearer up ahead," he said, "and I thought I saw somebody, but I'm not sure."
	The five of them approach the clearing of fog, moving carefully. Just as they reach it, movement catches their attention; someone was walking down the road.
	The figure was clad in black. A long black lab coat and black pants of the same material running down to black boots. He was a ferret, walking skillfully and without sound.
	"Um.....hi?" Sonic called out.
	The ferret whirls around, spots the group, and stands still. 
	"Hey" Sonic continues. "Er....who are you?"
	The ferret studies them a moment, then replies, "Dynamos."
	"Oh," Sonic says. "Well, I'm Sonic, that's Tails, Knuckles, Karma, and Slash. You're the first person we've seen out here-"
	"Sonic, eh?" Dynamos whispers.
	"Yeah."
	There is a small flicker on the ferret's face, and the ghost of a smile.
	"You are the ones I have been sent to kill."
	"You're the warrior?" Sonic gasps. "But..."
	"So," Dynamos continues, ignoring the hedgehog. "Five of you."
	Slash walks forward, still angry and wanting to vent his anger on the ferret. 
	"You," Slash yells angrily. "You took away my chances at power!"
	He charges forward, running at the ferret, rage speeding him faster. The ferret waits calmly, black gloves hovering near his waist. With perfect ease, he flips one of his blades from there hidden area on his belt and holds it patiently. Then, with a fluid movement, he flings the knife at the anteater. Slash halts in his tracks with a gurgling, gasping sound-the knife had lodged in his throat. He grasped at his neck, doing more damage with his claws. Suddenly he falls, not moving again as he lays on the ground, claws glinting dully, stained with his own blood.
	"Now four," Dynamos says calmly.
	"Oh god," Knuckles says with horror, staring at the blade in Slash's dead body.
	"You little-" Sonic growls, moving forward.
	"No!" Karma yells. "We can't fight-run!"
	Reluctantly, they follow his advice, twirling away into the mist. Dynamos stares after them, then slowly follows, stopping only to yank the knife out of Slash's throat. He steps over the red-stained tail, leaving the horrid scene of death behind.

	The remaining four ran, shocked, not knowing where they were going, or caring. When they eventually came to a stop, they found themselves outside the train station building, filled with fog and not very inviting to the eye.
	"My god," Knuckles whispered. "Abolisk calls this fair? It's murder, just drawn out!"
	Of them all, Karma seemed the most surprized. He was in a sort of shock, now that the tense situation had momentarily passed.
	"Not.....posssible..." the lizard hissed. "Ssslash's reflexes and reactionsss should have been fassst enough to take that attack, or at least dodge. That ferret...Dynamos...there's sssomething ssstrange about him."
	"Well, we can't stay around here, he's sure to find us," Tails said nervously, glancing around. 
	"He's right, you know," Knuckles said. "We should get into one of these buildings. It would make it easier to hide."
	"Unless he found us in that building," Sonic grumbled pessimistically.
	"Well.....there's always the train," Knuckles said, pointing to the building before them. "We could take it to the ruins...it's more open, not so many traps."
	Karma nods, agreeing, and leads them into the building. They glance around, but no one is there....apparently and their opponent are the only living beings in the "shadow lands." The train in front of them is still intact, though a little rusty-the doors are brittle and not so safe. The inside is, like everything else, completly void of life.
	"Er......the train's not going to go unless someone starts it." Knuckles said a little oddly.
	"You and Sssonic go up front and sssee if you can ssstart it. Tailsss and I will check the rest of the cars to sssee if it's sssafe. The two of usss should be able to hold him off," Karma said, looking around the little compartment.
	Sonic nods and leaves silently, Knuckles following. Karma strides through the opposite door, walking along the cars with Tails behind him, checking for any signs of an intruder. They reach the end of the train, seeing nothing, and turn back. When they are in the car next to the one they had entered the train in, Karma suddenly stops.
	"What's wrong?" Tails asks quietly. 
	"Sssomeone's in there." The lizard stands, facing the door, tail twitching with a mix of impatience and fear.
	After a few minutes a crash is heard like the sound of metal being pounded in; it comes from the car next to them. Karma slides quietly over to the door, listening. No sound is heard. The lizard shakes his head and presses it to the door.
	"Get anything?" Tails whispered.
	"No, it'sss silent," the lizard hissed.
	"Let me try...my hearing's probably better."
	Karma nods and slinks away from the door. Tails takes his place and presses one ear to the compartment door. His other ear twitches and one of his tails quivers. Karma cocks his head as if to ask, "hear anything?" but at that moment the door opens.
	Dynamos stands calmly, holding one of his many silver blades in his hand. Tails looks up at the ferret with fear on his face and backs up a step. He is too late. Dynamos's silver goggles flash as he snaps the knife down; it finds it's place sunk in the fox's heart. Tails' eyes fly open, but cloud over just as quickly with death mist. Dynamos draws the knife out and allows the body to fall; it lands, blood-stained, near one of the rows of seats. The ferret flicks his eyes over his work, sighs almost with regret, and turns to the lizard.
	Karma is once again in shock from such a quick loss of life to his friend, but instinct takes over-he dives beneath the stretch of seats near Tails' body, using them as a wall between himself and Dynamos' blades. He uses a few precious minutes to regain his sences-and spots what might give him a plan: the battered, rusty door, both the entrance and exit to the train.
	At that moment the train lurches beneath the lizard, slowly gaining speed. Good, he thought, they got the train started. Makes my plan that much more effective. 
	Dynamos flicks the tip of his tail impatiently and fingers one of the knife handles at his waist. Karma takes a deep breath, then jumps from his shelter, careful to angle himself with the door correctly. The ferret is ready; a knife is already in his hand. Slowly, he brings it into position-taking his time, knowing his victem cannot get away.
	But the victem is ready as well. 
	Karma's tounge snaps out, wrapping around Tails' wrist and pulling the once-living body to him. As the knife is released from Dynamos' black-gloved hand, it thuds into the already dead fox-for Karma had used Tails as a shield.
	Dynamos, surprized, doesn't reach for another knife-Karma charges forward, going for a punch. The ferret moves to block, not bothering to grab a dagger. At the last second, Karma dives down, swinging his tail and slamming the ferret's feet from underneath him. Twirling, Karma kicks upward into Dynamos' stomach--sending him through the unstable door and onto the tracks of the moving train. The ferret rolls and disapeers from view-but is undoubtably alive.
	Shaking and breathing hard, Karma moves to a seat near Tails' fallen body, a guardian to the dead hero-the DeathKeeper.

	Sonic and Knuckles slide open the door to the compartment they had left Karma and Tails in. Knuckles gasps and Sonic takes a step backward. Karma is sitting head in hands stained with Tails' blood. 
	"What the hell happened here?!" Sonic screamed out.
	"Dynamos," Karma hissed. He was shaking; his usually bright, tropical colors were darkened with red. Tails, unmoving, was laying on the floor near Karma's feet, with the lizard's tail curled protectivly around it.
	"He.....he got on the train. Killed Tailsss before either of usss could react. Tried to kill me. I shoved him out the door......but he'sss not dead."
	The lizard's voice wavered, filled with grief for Tails and anger for Dynamos. 
	"No, he'sss not dead. But he'll wish he was." The yellow eyes bured like fire, glittering with what could only be his Deevilmort evil. "He'll wish he was. I'm going to kill him."
	
	The train went on to it's destination in silence; nobody spoke or looked at the lifeless companion that had been Tails. Karma didn't move from his position; it seemed he had taken the fox's death as his fault and was now guarding and protecting the body in respect.
	Soon the train began to near their stop; Knuckles went back to the front of the train and slowed it down, bringing it to a halt. Slowly, the three that had once been five exited the train, Karma carrying Tails' body wrapped in his own tail.
	"We're taking his body to the workshop," Karma said with such force that nobody would disagree if they wanted to. Sonic, however, nodded in agreement, still shocked that his best bro was gone. Knuckles said nothing, but lead the way to the building.
	Karma was the first to enter the workshop; he started at the difference. All the tools, even the bits of plane, were still there, but they seemed faded, not real. The lizard moved inside and laid Tails's limp weight onto a nearby table. Knuckles and Sonic followed him in; they too noticed the difference but said nothing. Silence flooded the room; finally Knuckles peirced it, speaking to Karma. 
	"Er......you might want to....you know......wash that blood off."
	Karma seemed to notice his bloodstained gloves and coated skin for the first time-he stared at them for what seemed like ages. Finally he moved off through a door, muttering, "Yesss, I will...."
	More silence followed. Sonic stared uncomfortably at the fox beside him; Knuckles was carefully avoiding the sight. Soon Karma returned, gloves damp but once again white, skin back to it's tropical, bright color.
	"We have to get out of here. Dynamosss will not be long in coming."
	"But-" Sonic began, looking helplessly at Tails's body.
	"We'll leave him here. It'sss what he deservesss...he'll be away from the action, and hisss soul will be able to ressst in peace. We can't do anything elssse for him...except win this ssso-called "game" of Abolisssk's."
	"He's right," Knuckles agreed. "If we fall apart now, we can't win and get back Tails'-and Slash's-lives."
	"Right," said Sonic heavily.
	They turn and leave the workshop one by one, letting Tails rest peacefully, disturbed no more.

	Out on the grounds near the train station, a mist seeps over the faded mockary of the ruins. Within the billowing, forboding mist comes the one warrior of Abolisk. He seems not to notice the slow, throbbing pain in his stomach from the guardian lizard's kick, nor the cuts and bruises he recived from falling out of the moving train. He walks calmly, flipping one of his shining silver daggers from hand to hand, ignoring the stain on the end of it that almost screamed, "murderer!"
	Slowly, the ferret came to a stop within the misty shrouds about him. He looked around, searching for a clue as to what happened to the remaining three. The goggles flashed as he turned his head and sniffed. There was fear here, he knew. He could sence it, almost smell it, pointing the way to his victems. He moved forward, knowing exactly what must happen.
	The mist around him seemed to swirl, spiraling around him like a tornado. A whisper seemed to flow from the movement. Even knowing who it came from, it cluched at Dynamos' heart...for the voice was Abolisk's, evil sounding to all. 
	"Three more to go," it chanted, over and over, growing softer and softer until it had died away completly.
	"Yes," the ferret muttered in reply. Three more to go until this stupid job was finished and he'd be free of the debt to the Dark One. Three more lives to pay with...
	He walked steadily on, never loosing his trail, never faltering against his thoughts and emotions, only thinking about the next life that would be sealed with his blade.
	
	At that moment Dynamos' victems where walking through the forest, treading on crunching leaves and not sure where to go. Karma did not want to be in the forest; some instinct had told him not to go in their at any cost. But Sonic and Knuckles had entered the forboding, shadowy wood, and Karma had no choice but to reluctantly follow.
	They had been traveling for an hour on the random paths, trying to come up with a plan, but only seeing the two dead corpses already lost to them over and over. Everyone seemed to be nervous; Knuckles and Sonic were both gazing over their shoulders every once and a while, and Karma's tounge was flickering in and out faster and more often than usual, almost as if he is trying to taste the air for danger.
	The lizard was becoming increasingly more nervous; he was sure they were being followed. His sences were different from the other two, and he was aleart to every sign of movement. The slitted yellow eyes noticed every shadow, every twitching branch, every wind-blown leaf. He began to slow down, falling behind the other two, becoming more aware of the surroundings.
	"Yo, Karma, you coming?" Sonic called back. The guardian started; he hadn't even noticed that he had stopped in the middle of a clearing. 
	"Er....you go ahead....I have to check sssomething," Karma replied in his usual hiss.
	The hedgehog shrugged nervously. "Suit yourself...but don't you think we should stay together?"
	"I can take care of myssself, you know that," the lizard replied somewhat angrily.
	"Okay, okay!" Sonic shrugged again. He went ahead, not looking back at the lizard, scanning the path in front of him. Knuckles followed after a quizzical look at his fellow guardian.
	Karma stood, alone, in the middle of the clearing. He closed his eyes for a few minutes and listened. No birds. Edgy, the lizard looked around again. Mist was crawling in, the same one that had surrounded Slash's dead body. And--off to the side, a movement, so tiny that it was hardly noticable. The soft crunch of boots on a leaf, then silence again. The pupils of Karma's eyes narrowed until they were almost too thin to see. The hunter was obviously experianced in the woodlands-And, Karma thought, I already know who it is.
	Fear washed over his mind, but he pushed it away-it would be no use to be afraid, it would only distort his reasoning and instinct. Instead, he concentrated on finding the location of the hidden enemy. Suddenly, a prickling sensation in his mind screamed at him to turn around--and, taking a deep breath, he did so.
	Dynamos was not two feet away, face serious and casually flipping a knife from hand to hand, almost mockinly. 
	"Very good," he said softly. "You aren't as bad a woodsman as I thought you'd be...pity I must do this, really."
	Karma's mind was whirling with too many thoughts and emotions to count. He was still fighting back his fear, trying desperatly to grab hold to his intelligence, his reason. One side of him wanted to attack the ferret, to ruthlessly take him down and avenge Tails' and Slash's cruel deaths. But he knew he'd be dead before he would get anywhere, with the blade shining silver in Dynamos' hand.
	And now the ferret was bringing it up, cluched in his fist, to stab into the lizard's chest. It was then that something in him screamed, "Out! Out of range!" Without knowing what he was doing, Karma had leaped back a few paces and was already running to get away.
	Dynamos brought the blade slashing down into air, fooled by the lizard's leap. That was the second time the guardian had evaded one of his attacks. The ferret sighed; Karma would have made an interesting partner or opponent, had things turned out differently.
	Dynamos re-aranged his grip on the dagger and aimed carefully. Then did Karma realize something about Dynamos' blades-they were not steel, yet they were the same metal that had once made up Slash's claws.
	The lizard had no more time to think about the odd similarities, however, because then, with a smirk and a neat flick, Dynamos had released the blade.

	Knuckles was becoming worried about his fellow guardian. Karma hadn't returned for quite some time, and furthermore the feeling that he was being followed had left him. He shared his thoughts with Sonic, who nodded, agreeing.
	"You think we should go back?" he asked nervously.
	"I don't know. Karma said he'd catch up, but-" Knuckles was interupted by a chilling scream that weaved it's way through the trees towards the two. Both knew the owner of the sound and were instantly running back the way they had come.
	"Dammit, Dynamos was after him," Sonic cursed, urging Knuckles on faster. "That's all it could be."
	Within a few minutes they were back at the clearing where Karma had parted with them.
	The lizard was in the middle of the clearing, sliver knife lodged in his lower back. Surprizingly, he wasn't dead yet-he was kneeling on one leg, one hand draped across his knee and one hand on the ground for support. His eyes were closed, trying to force back his pain, and he is breathing hard, whole back heaving as he fights his body to breath air.
	"Karma!" Sonic shouted, moving forward.
	The lizard's eyes snap open. His tail spazzes as he yells, "Sssonic, Knucklesss, down! Dynamosss!"
	They instantly obey, without questioning. As they hit the ground, something goes whirling over their heads, jamming with force into the earth, point down.
	"Damn you," came an annoyed and angry voice behind them. "That would've been a perfect kill!"
	The ferret comes into view behind Knuckles, already fumbling for another knife. Then several things happen at once.
	Knuckles and Sonic both scrammbled up, aldrenaline pulsing through their veins as Dynamos comes toward them. He had another of his five silver knives in his hand and was pacing towards them menacingly. Sonic sped forward towards the ferret, but he seemed to know what the hedgehog was going to do and easily avoided the attack. They were instantly engaged in battle; Sonic could only dodge Dynamos' attacks, and the ferret did not have enough skill to stop Sonic in a high speed mode. Knuckles was about to join the fray when a soft hiss of pain reached his ears, unnoticed by the two battlers.
	It was Karma. He was still half-kneeling on the ground, tounge hanging out limply and whole body drooping, as if the fire keeping him alive was being slowly put out. The knife was still lodged in his lower back, on the left side of his spine and just below the rib-cage. Glancing over the wound, Knuckles saw that it had jammed deeply into vital organs, and thought he didn't want to admit it, he knew that the lizard would be dead within a matter of minutes.
	"Karma!" the enchidna shouted, reaching his fellow guardian. Karma opened one yellow eye and looked weakly at his friend. 
	"Get out of here."
	"What?!" Knuckles shrieked. "But you're injured! We gotta get you out of here so we can-"
	"Knucklesss, don't argue! You know asss well asss I do that I will be dead within a few minutesss. I can't ssstop that. But I will use the lassst of my life to it'sss full extent."
	"What?" Knuckles was confused, among other emotions. The terror that Dynamos was after them, already loosing two of their company, and now having to abandon a third in his death throes.
	"You and Sssonic ssstill have to live."
	It began to dawn on Knuckles what the lizard was planning to do.
	"You can't!"
	"I have to," the guardian lizard said fiercely. "He'll ssslaughter you if you ssstay here!"
	"But you'll be giving up any chance of surviving if you do!"
	"I have no chance. Hisss blade hasss dug too deep."
	Sorrow welled in the guardian enchidna's heart. "Karma, you're a true friend."
	Karma gave a weak smile, using the enchidna to help him stand up. Then he hissed, "Now take Sonic and run! Don't ever come back to the forest. And good luck."
	Knuckles nodded silently, backing away from the hero making his last stand for his companions. He called to Sonic, who rushed up, a small slash across his shoulder.
	"What about Karma?" he asked.
	Knuckles didn't answer, but started off at a run. Sonic repeated his question, to which Knuckles replied, "he's staying here."
	Sonic started. "What?!" he shouted. He made to move back for the lizard, but Knuckles grabbed his arm.
	"No, don't!"
	"Knux, are you crazy?!" Sonic shrieked. "That's Karma!"
	"I know. He's..." Knuckles stopped for a second, then continued. "He's paying for our lives with his."
	Realization dawned on Sonic. "He is?"
	Knuckles nodded, still running as fast as he could away from the clearing. 
	"My god," Sonic mummbled. Then, "we have to get out of here."

	Karma stood in the middle of the clearing, waiting. He was rewarded for his patience; within a few minutes Dynamos came out of the band of trees and began collecting his scattered daggers from his short battle with Sonic. After thrusting them in their usual place at his belt, he came to the lizard. The ferret felt something like admaration for the lizard; he was one of the rare few who fought to the last.
	"Aren't up to loosing, are you?" he stated calmly.
	The lizard said nothing. Pain was welling up inside him, but one of the first lessons he had learned in his Deevilmort childhood was to ignore and overpower pain, and he had kept that lesson to the last. He would not let his murderer see him suffer.
	"You're quite brave of heart and mind," Dynamos continued. "Very surprizing, because I know that you are a Suganamo lizard, and I know the old history of Deevilmort." Karma flinched at the name of his old home but that was all.
	And now the lizard was begginning to panic. His mind, or at least part of it, was becoming clouded. He was dying. Angrily the lizard forced it back. He would not let it overcome him-not yet, anyway.
	Dynamos stood in front of the lizard, quickly becoming bored. He sighed, then said, "Are you dead yet? I want to get this cursed job over with and get back to my life."
	Karma did not listen to the ferret at all. His right hand was inching behind his back to his wound. He felt the handle of the the dagger and grasped it. Tightening his grip, he pulled it from it's embedded position in his flesh. His mind screamed, but his face was suprisingly emotionless. He repositioned his grip on the dagger and hid it behind his back.
	Dynamos was now becoming irritated. "Hurry up, will you?" he said. "Or should I slip another of my toys into your heart?"
	Karma's instict rushed in. He had never used bladed weapons much, prefering his tail or crystals, but he knew what to do anyway.
	Painfully, but quickly, he swiped the silver dagger up, slashing with accuracy and drawing a bloody line up Dynamos' chest and slicing a scar into his muzzle.
	Dynamos jumped back with a surprized shout and clamped one black glove to his face. Karma's blow had been weak, so the cuts were shallow, but they still hurt.
	"God damn you!" he yelled, staring at the guardian. This lizard was far more than he looked-he was the only one of the five to have landed a blow on him, and the only one to survive such an attack as the knife in his back and still be fighting.
	Anger was building in Karma's mind, and he was coming dangerously close to the deadly evil of his species. He spoke with a cold tone in his hiss.
	"You have been working with the evil that izzz Abolisssk. You have killed to of usss already," Tails' and Slash's bodies flashed into his mind as he spoke, "and you are sssoon to claim my life asss well. I cannot deny that." The lizard was quiet for a moment, his only sound his harsh, ragged breathing. More pain, more anger. He could not fight either anymore. He looked down at the ground. 
	When he looked up it was as if Dynamos was looking at another person. Karma's eyes burned with hatred, and he looked enough like Avadon, Deevilmort's fallen, deadly leader, that it was frightening. 
	The lizard raised the silver knife still in his hand. Wrapping his other hand around it, ignoring the skin that was opened and the blood that spilled out, he snapped the dagger in half with a quick wrench. He dropped the broken blade to the ground and stared at Dynamos, eyes boring into the ferret's, then spoke. 
	His voice was nothing but evil. "No, I cannot deny that. But by the cryssstals you will sssuffer for what you have done!"
	Dynamos backed up a few paces, and instantly knew his mistake. He had messed with the wrong people. For the first time, fear crept into his mind. The feeling only grew as he saw the flames flickering and swirling around the guardian's feet. With a burst, liquid-like fire exploded from the ground around the lizard, enveloping him, rolling at least fifty feet into the air before streaming down in all directions like a waterfall.
	Dynamos had not stopped to watch it all; as soon as he had seen the flames at Karma's heels he had turned and fled as the lizard had done just a little earlier. Fear was ripping through his mind, and he was begging the flames to die. But they were DeathCrystal flames, and would not disapeer until their master was gone.
	Then, at last, the flames began to fade. They melted away, still rolling out in all directions. Everything withing a hundred yard radius was burned black, a mark of the lizard's final stand.
	Karma himself was kneeling again, hands wrapped over his stomach. At last he could give in. He no longer had his evil rage with him; it had left. A final act of the crystals to their one kind master numbed his pain and gave him peace. He fell onto his side, only his eyes showing that he was alive. But the usual bright color was dimming, and he was loosing his battle for life.
	His last thought was a peaceful one: he selected a memory from months earlier. His first meeting with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and the friendship that began then. It filled his mind with happiness, and all his troubles and regrets left with his final breath. 
	Thus came the death of Karma, last of the race of the DeathCrystals.

	Dynamos had escaped from the wave of fire, but had payed the price for defying the guardian's rage. His tail was ash-black from it's tip to halfway to it's base, and he had a burn on part of his left leg and the lower left quarter of his back, the same spot that Karma had been stabbed, ironically enough. When the fire subsided, he had hobbled out of the forest and sat down on a large rock, rubbing his injured leg. He soon was upright and searching for herbs to lessen the pain and heal the wound, cursing himself all the while. He had been to cocky; did he really think they couldn't fight back?
	He sat back on his rock, holding the herbs he had selected to his burns. The last one-Karma, they had called him-had been a feirce fighter. It was obvious he was in the line of the Crystal guardians. Dynamos felt the cut on his muzzle. Yes, he had fought back quite well-he would have that scar for the rest of his life, and though fur may eventually grow over the burns, they would be there as well. He had been slightly interested in the strenght the lizard held on his crystal elements in his final minutes, as well-he thought the hold on them would have weakened, but he supposed the rage and pain the lizard held had given him the strengh.
	It was then that Abolisk came.
	Dynamos almost didn't notice the shadowbeing at first, he was fixed on his thoughts and injuries.
	"Well, well," Abolisk said in front of him. "It seems my little warrior has been outsmarted."
	The ferret started and jumped to his feet rather painfully.
	"Don't let it happen again, Dynamos."
	"Yes...sir," Dynamos replied nervously.
	Abolisk did not leave, as Dynamos supposed he would do, but stayed to frighten his warrior.
	"I see you have some unusual feelings about you," Abolisk said with an air of unconcern-but powerless as Dynamos was to the superbeing, he was no fool; Ablisk was angry at him.
	"Well?"
	"I....I serve you, Abolisk, to seal our debt," the ferret said hastily. "I-"
	"YOU CANNOT FOOL ME!" the superbeing roared, swirling into a mist made of shadows. "Let me see what is really in your head."
	"No, you can't, you-" Dynamos began, almost begging. But the mist was already circling his head, and seconds later he seemed half asleep, trapped in his mind with a living monster.
	Abolisk was walking through his mind like Sonic could run-with practiced ease, but the shadowbeing was cold and cunning.
	"You are not with me," he hissed. "If you had the power to destroy me you would. Pathetic."
	"They have a bond greater than I have ever seen!" Dynamos shouted in his head. "Four of them were loyal friends to the last-that last one sacrificed himself in order to get the other two away, and practically killed me in revenge. The other one...he was strong, and had a determined heart and a cunning mind. You want me to destroy these beings?!" The ferret had risen to a shriek in his mind.
	"You cannot defy me," Abolisk said, almost lazily. "The bond of our debt binds you to me. You cannot betray your promise, and you know the penalty if you do."
	Yes, he knew. The spiritbeings had powers beyond comprehention-they alone could rule the spiritworlds-and they alone could use the tortures worse than death...eternal tortures. If he broke his debt to the shadowbeing, he would be breaking the Spiritlaw and would soon after be experiancing them. Why had he been so foolish a few years before? Greed had overpowered him then...and now he had to pay with five lives. Suddenly this once little task seemed impossibly huge. 
	Then the spiritbeing in his mind began to open memories of the past events. They were burned into Dynamos' deepest nightmares-even years later, when the memories of the game had been taken from his mind, these would still visit him. 
	First came the anteater that he had killed. But it was not from Dynamos' view-it was from Slash's. The ferret was pulled into his first victem's mind; he felt the pain of the knife lodged in his throat, the terror and realization that he was dying, and the final hatred for...the figure in black staring back at him in total calm, the one who had thrown the knife. Dynamos snapped back to his own mind, shaken. But Abolisk was enjoying this.
	Next came Tails' final moments. When he had looked up into the silver goggles and never saw again, a knife in his heart.
	Finally, the one Dynamos had most recently experianced, the one he had just killed, Karma. He saw himself through the eyes of the lizard, fighting back his pain to protect his friends.
	"You see?" Abolisk asked. "You must finish them off now."
	But the memories had only made anger flare up in Dynamos' head-at Abolisk, but especially at himself.
	"Not convinced? Perhaps you wound like to see them right now?"
	Fear flooded through Dynamos' thoughts like ice. No, he thought desperatly, not the spiritworld....don't show me....
	Abolisk senced the moaning terror and chuckled. Then he gave the ferret one of his own memories, of a place more terrifying than the worst of a murdered victem's. 
	The Hall of the Souls. It was in the spiritworld, Abolisk's homeland-and the realm of death.
	There were many spirits there. But three figures caught Dynamos' eye in particular...the three he had killed, Slash, Tails, and Karma.
	They looked almost like their physical bodies, but seemed to be made of smoke-they were misty, transparent, and grey. They were chained to something almost invisible, trying despretly to break their bonds and get away from their eternal torture, calling for help when there was none, screaming, cursing, crying, pleading--
	"Stop it!" Dynamos screamed in his head, hating the vision. To think he had condemed them to that...
	"If you aren't careful, you'll join them," Abolisk warned. He let the screaming fade away, along with the memory. But it would never really leave him; he would always see the tourtured souls in his dreams. It was the memory that plagued him the worst, for the rest of his life.
	Dynamos almost wimpered inside his head. He didn't have the right to send them there!
	"Get out of my head!" Dynamos cried in terrified rage. "I can't do it! I can't send them there!" 
	But the spiritbeing still had one more torturous vision for his warrior. 
	Abolisk painted a picture in his prisoner's memory of the Hall of Souls, with Dynamos right next to the other three. The superbeing felth the rush of fear from the ferret, the screams of horror and the curses hurled at him from his warrior's own head. Abolisk laughed evilly, then disapeered, leaving Dynamos utterly alone and frightened, seeing things forever in his memory no living being was ment to see.

	Sonic and Knuckles had run as far from the woods as possible, trying to escape the nightmare they had become trapped in. They had gotten far enough to only see the fire that rose into the sky before dipping down unseen. Without speaking, they had turned around to watch what they knew had been the final moments of their friend. Now the shock was settling in, the realization that another person was gone.
	"I can't belive it," Sonic said in almost a whisper. "We're the only ones left..we've been here, what, a day?" 
	Knuckles shrugged-in this shadowy version of their homeland, time seemed endless and un-measurable.
	"What are we doing wrong?" Sonic asked the sky, half angrily. "I mean, so he can sling knives. So what? We've fought stronger things...I mean, we've gone up against everything from Eggman to Chaos!"
	Knuckles kept his silence. What had they been doing wrong?
	The enchidna found himself talking out loud. "You know, there's almost a pattern. I mean, if we look at everything that's happened..." he trailed off, shuddering at the memories of the past day. The guardian took a deep breath, then continued. "Okay, first Slash. We didn't really know that Dynamos was our opponent then, and we didn't know what his abilities were either. So he caught us off guard there. 
	Sonic nodded, sitting back wearily on the grass and staring blankly into the sky.
	"Then Tails....we weren't there, but Karma said that Dynamos attacked before him or Tails could react. Again, we were caught off guard. And finally Karma. We were running away, went into the forest. Karma sent us ahead and got attacked."
	"Karma knew he was there, though," Sonic said. "Remember? He didn't want to go into the forest in the first place. And then he was all watchful, and sent us ahead out of harm's way."
	"True," Knuckles agreed. "But we were once again playing the defencive."
	Sonic jumps up, an idea hitting him. 
	"You know, you're right! Each time we got attacked and lost one of our number was because we weren't fighting! Dynamos just keeps coming after us, but we haven't fought him back yet."
	I suppose we could try making him go on the defencive," Knuckles said. "Force him to protect himself and not attack us. With two of us, we should be able to beat him...I hope."

	Dynamos seemed to be in a trance for what passed in these strange, mocking lands as two days. By some twist of time, Abolisk had erased the need for food or sleep, so there was no need to worry about forging for food or finding a safe camp, and the ferret didn't. He wandered aimlessly, not seeming to notice the tracks, trails, or other surroundings about him, or the unusual twist Abolisk had given the world that connected places and landmarks to others in a way unlike its true world. He also failed to notice the two shadows following him for almost half a day.
	Sonic and Knuckles had caught up to the ferret and had been watching him curiously, wondering about his strange behavior. Dynamos was walking as usual, face blank and staring at nothing. Unknown to the two trackers, he was in fact going over the memories Abolisk had givin him of the Spiritworld. 
	About noon Knuckles pulled Sonic aside and had a hurried conversation. 
	"What do you think is wrong with him?" the enchidna asked, glancing off in the direction of the ferret from behind a dune. They had somehow ended up on the beach; they weren't sure how they had gotten their from the forest but they didn't much care either. 
	"Who cares? I say we take him now, before he snaps out of it."
	"No, I don't think so...not yet. Something's different about him."
	"So?! He killed three of us!" Sonic's voice rose to a whispered shriek. 
	"Sonic, shut up!" Knuckles hissed. "He'll hear us!"
	Knuckles was partly right. The shriek broke the ferret from his horrid memories and he was instantly suspictious. He straitened up and walked on, limping slightly from his burn. Knuckles' and Sonic's discussion was halted as they hastily rushed after Dynamos.
	The ferret was positive that somebody was following him now. His trackers were fairly experianced, but he could still occationally hear the snap of a twig or see a slight scuffle of sand. After an hour, he sighed and stopped. He could tell the other two were behind him.
	"Come out," he said calmly. "I know you've been following me." 
	He turned and saw no one. He smiled slightly, despite everything that had happened. "Afraid of me attacking you?" he asked the wind. "Very well then." He unbuckled the belt with it's four shining daggers and one empty space and dropped it to the ground, then walked a few yards from it. 
	"There. I am unarmed and not about to attack. I have no other hidden blades. You may come out."
	Sonic decided to risk the danger their might be and walked into the open from behind his dune. Knuckles was a little more cautious, but soon came out a few feet from the hedgehog.
	"I suppose you want some answers," Dynamos said quietly. "I am perfectly willing to give them to you."
	There was silence. Dynamos viewed each of his final opponents through his silver goggles. "Nothing?"
	Suddenly words burst forth from Knuckles's mouth, formed by anger. "Why the hell are you doing this?! Do you just like to kill or something?!"
	Dynamos shuddered. "On the contrary, I hate doing this. It is a terrible thing, knowing you are sentancing heros to the spiritworld under Abolisk's reign. But the Spiritlaw binds me to it, and I cannot refuse."
	"What?" Sonic asked, confused. "You don't want to do this? But then...why do you..."
	"I suppose I should explain everything from the begginning," Dynamos said slowly. "It is the least I can do for those I will kill."
	Knuckles shuddered at this statement, and he could almost swear he saw the ferret grimace as well.
	"The real reason this has all started is because of...well....this," Dynamos said, almost sadly, walking back to his belt of knives. He reached down and drew one from it's place, but did not move to attack the others. Instead, he walked over to them and placed the knife in Knuckles' hand. The metal shone silver, unlike anything the enchidna had ever seen before. Knuckles' eyes widened in surprise, staring at the metal that was both beautiful and deadly.
	"It is Spiritmetal," Dynamos said, taking the dagger and placing it with the others, then walking away from it again, weaponless. "A metal more rare than both powergems combined. It is only found in the realm of the dead, and only the spiritbeings can create it. It cuts far easier than most earth-based metals, is stronger, and is almost impossible to destroy." Seeing that neither the hedgehog or the enchidna had said anything, Dynamos continued. "Your first friend that I...." Dynamos could not bring himself to say the word "killed" so instead avoided the topic. "The anteater. I was surprised he had it as well, it is extreamly hard for a mortal to get."
	"Woah, woah, back up," Sonic said, confused. "What about Slash?"
	Dynamos looked surprised, but it was hard to tell-his goggles hid his eyes and made it hard to see what he was thinking. "You did not know? The anteater's claws were made of Spiritmetal. You didn't think they were common steel or some other such metal, did you?" Dynamos chuckled slightly, then continued. 
	"The spiritbeings have powers beyond what you or I could ever imagine. The realm of the dead is ruled by them, for they are the only spirts that truly live. When you die, you go to this realm, the Spiritworld, and remain there for the rest of your days. Usually it is a good place, a happy one...but ever since Abolisk took rule of it all, it has become a place of torture and fear." Dynamos looked at the ground, then said softly, "it is where your three friends are being punished for fighting Abolisk's might."
	Sonic felt cold anger rising in his mind, but said nothing. Knuckles, too, was angry, but curious as well. He asked almost calmly, "What does this have to do with us?"
	Dynamos stared at the enchidna for a minute, then said, "The law of the superbeings is what started this all....that and my lust for what I could not have."
	"The law.....what law?"
	"The laws the spirtbeings use to rule those below them fairly," Dynamos replied, staring off into the sea turned black from Abolisk's twisted universe. "It was once fair....the superbeings would help mortals below them by giving supplies, advice, and the like, in exchange for one task," he explained. "Abolisk has used them to distort the minds of his followers. He gives them something of value in exchange for one 'simple little task'. But the things he asks for are evil and full of darkness. I heard somewhere that he changed a whole race of people from their usual kind selves to followers of him."
	Knuckles was begginning to understand. "And he tricked you?"
	Dynamos nodded. "Yes, he tricked me. He bribed me. He told me I could have this metal in exchange for a little job that would come later. I was greedy, and I agreed. But nothing good has come of it. I must pay for my eagerness with five lives in this stupid challenge...I must be his warrior."
	Sonic interupted. "Why don't you just take the metal stuff and break off the deal?"
	The ferret shook his head. "It's not that simple. I have to do what he says. I am bound to the Spirit's Law of Debt. If I break it, there will be eternal suffering that I must endure until Abolisk's fall....and that will be never." 
	Dynamos was inching over to his belt of knives. "I wish I hadn't made such a foolish decision," he said sadly, "but there is nothing I can do about it." He picked up the belt and buckled it back to it's original position around his waist. "So now....we fight."

	Both Knuckles and Sonic were instantly on their guard, watching the ferret across from them on the sands. The shining silver blades looked more deadly than ever, perhaps because now both Knuckles and Sonic knew they were weapons of Abolisk. Dynamos looked confident but ill; he knew that once he killed these two he would be free of his debt, but not of the sickening knowledge that he had killed five lives, the most precious thing in the world, for a few pieces of metal made by evil. All the same he drew one of his daggers and held it calmly, waiting for the first person to make a move. 
	It came within a matter of seconds. Sonic and Knuckles charged at the same time, both fueled by anger at the ferret. Sonic sped forward ahead of his guardian partner and curled into a spindash attack; Knuckles followed close behind with his right arm raised for a dangerous punch. Dynamos started at the attack but reacted quickly. He threw himself down into the sand on his back to avoid the whirling spikes of Sonic's spindash, then kicked upward into Knuckles' stomach, throwing the enchidna over his head to the sand behind him. With cat-like grace, he flipped over from his back to a half-kneeling position and let out a wild slash with his Spiritmetal dagger. His aim was true; he heard Knuckles thud into the ground and roll, pierced by the blade. Dynamos quickly jumped back from his kneeling position and was just in time to avoid another of Sonic's spindashes. He stood and observed the scene that had changed so rapidly.
	Sonic stood only a few yards away, quills bristling with anger. Knuckles was laying on the sand, groaning. Fortunatly for him, Dynamos' wild attack had not been deep, nor damaged anything vital, but the enchidna now had a long gash running down his back to his leg. It was bleeding rapidly, and Knuckles was finding it harder to use his injured leg. 
	Dynamos' insticts told him to go for the weaker one first, and he did. He dashed forward, moving toward his one target, keeping his thoughts focused on his task. He raised the knife as he neared the wounded enchidna, who had just stood up and would be too slow to stop the ferret. Despite everything that had happened, everything he had done, Dynamos smiled-it would be a clean kill, one more life towards his freedom from the Dark One. 
	Knuckles turned to see the ferret charging at him, silver blade raised. He let out a yell and let his fist swing instinctivly towards Dynamos' face. It did not block the ferret's attack, but it saved his life-Dynamos jumped back to avoid the punch, and in doing so his jab with his dagger moved from Knuckles' heart to weakly stabbing the enchidna's shoulder. Knuckles roared with anger and punched with his un-injured limb, surprisingly connecting with the ferret's body and hurling Dynamos back towards the sea. 
	Dynamos landed in the sand, rolled a few times, and came to rest at the water's edge, standing quietly. Once again they had suprised him-he had never seen a creature fight so hard. He drew a second dagger and was just in time to meet Sonic's anger fueled spindash. He crossed the two daggers in front of him and made a wide slash in an X-shape, effectively catching the hedgehog's attack and throwing him back, at the same time injuring him. 
	Sonic uncurled, groaning, from his spindash position. If he had not had any spikes Dynamos' counter would have killed him, but the spines on his back had succeded in taking some of the damage and making it harder for the blades to get through to their goal: flesh. 
	Sonic expected to feel hard, cold metal sinking into his heart at any second, but was surprised: Dynamos wasn't attacking him at all, on the contrary he was going after Knuckles. The enchidna was ready for his attacker, however, and was getting used to his weak leg. He braced himself for the attack to come, knowing the ferret had the upper hand. 
	The ferret charged forward again, a knife in each hand, not worrying about Sonic for the time being-the hedgehog was sure to be pre-occupied with his injuries. Dynamos' face was entirly serious as he made for Knuckles, prepared to end the enchidna's life with one attack. He brought both of the knifes together, and, reaching Knuckles, made an upward double-slash that would have gone from the guardian's stomach to his face. But Knuckles reacted quickly and leaned back, dragging his injured leg with him. Dynamos, annoyed, split his hands apart and slashed downward at his victem again. Knuckles jumped over a few paces to the left, once again avoiding the attack, and countering with a punch, sucessfully hitting the ferret in his shoulder. Dynamos rocked back a few paces, and in the time it took him to recover, Knuckles' hand darted out and grabbed one of the silver knives at his opponent's belt. Dynamos, noticing his loss, cursed at the enchidna and dove forward, his two blades flashing. 
	Like Karma, Knuckles wasn't particularly skilled with any kind of bladed weapon, but he knew enough to use his stolen weapon to block it's brother's blows. Dynamos attacked ruthlessly, slashing with both of his daggers, knowing Knuckles could not block both at once, and again and again cutting gashes in the guardian's legs and arms. The sand was covered in blood from the ferret's slicing knives, and the sea foamed red where it met land. Unfortunatly for Abolisk's assassin, Knuckles was protecting his neck and chest too well, but Dynamos figured it was only a matter of time until his opponent would be weakened too much to go on. He was right. Knuckles' earlier damaged leg crumpled beneath him; he let out a cry and collapsed, dropping his stolen Spiritmetal weapon. Greedily, Dynamos snatched it up, them turned and moved to deal the final blow to his fallen opponent. 
	However, the fight had taken too much time, and Dynamos had completly forgotten about Sonic. As he turned to kill the fallen enchidna, Sonic made a clumsy tackle and knocked the ferret to the red-stained ground. The hedgehog weakly jumped back and attempted a spindash, but the cuts on his back seared with pain and he stopped. Dynamos smirked; so they were finally weakening. He calmly stood up and waited for Knuckles and Sonic to regroup and try a second double attack, placing both of his knives back at their place at his belt. 
	It wasn't quite what he expected. Knuckles moved forward, alone, his leg a little better without his opponent bombarding him with attacks. The enchidna ran forward, limping, and made a few punches at the ferret's face, which Dynamos easily avoided by jumping backwards. He was dimly aware that Sonic was several yards behind him, waiting. 
	So they're trying to herd me into a pincer movement, Dynamos thought. Well, let them think they've accomplished it. Though he hated the job that Abolisk had set before him, the heat of the battle was getting to him, and he felt as if no one could stop him. 
	Knuckles continued his barrage of weak punches, driving Dynamos into what they thought was a trap. Sonic waited, carefully watching for the perfect opening. Dynamos soon gave it to him; he dodged right into the small waves washing up on the beach. Sonic was instantly after him, running at a speed no one could match, even when he was injured. Dynamos saw the attack coming and braced himself, turning their trap into his own. 
	Sonic rammed into the ferret, sending him flying towards the dampened sand. Sonic cheered; he thought he had won. But Dynamos was controling his fall; he hit the sand and rolled. Grasping one of his silver blades and leaping up from the ground, he hurled it with almost perfect aim into the body of the blue hedgehog. Sonic gasped, cluching the dagger handle in his stomach and collapsing backwards, laying in the shallow waters of the ocean that was half red and half black. 
	"No!" Dynamos cursed angrily. His rolling leap had thrown his aim off; the hedgehog couldn't have been dead, only greatly injured. He ran towards the body to retrive his blade and end the life of the famous blue hedgehog, but found something blocking his path-a something that was Knuckles. 
	"You killed him?!" Shrieked the enchidna, maddened by rage. His wounds were forgotten, his reasoning lost. 
	"No, he's not dead," Dynamos began, but his words were lost as Knuckles, with a roar, threw himself at the ferret.
	Dynamos found himself being bombarded with punches stronger than he would have thought the injured enchidna could have dealt. The spikes on his knuckles drove deep into the ferret's flesh, causing great pain, and the force of each blow was like a sledgehammer. With some effort, Dynamos threw the guardain off and dove for Sonic's body, yanking the dagger out. He was just in time; as he grasped the farmiliar weapon, he heard Knuckles behind him, and turning drove it deep into the enchidna's chest. Knuckles let out a scream that tore at Dynamos' ears; all at once he could see the Spiritworld memories before his eyes and the screams of the ones he had condemed to torture whirled through his mind. 
	Gasping, Dynamos dragged the blade out of Knuckles' chest, dripping red. But he was still attacking, punching with anger like fire, refusing to give up. Panic edged into Dynamos' mind, growing stronger and larger by the second. He wasn't giving up, he wasn't dying, why wouldn't he stop, why wouldn't he leave him alone?! His mind screamed, terror such as he had never felt before grew at the sight of the angered enchidna, and instinct rushed in again for the ferret: Kill it!
	Dynamos thrust the dagger into his enemy's chest again and again, desperatly, no longer to keep his debt to the Dark One but simply to protect himself from the maddened onslaught of the guardian. Blood dripped down the blade onto Dynamos' black gloved hands, it covered his black labcoat and changed the guardian mark on Knuckles' front from white to red. But Knuckles, though weakening, was still punching as hard as he could, spikes on his knuckles digging deep and doing plenty of damage, screaming the names of all the ones the ferret had killed. 
	Dynamos noticed with a start that he was weakening as well; his mind seemed foggier and farther away than usual, and it was harder for him to jab the blade into his enemy.
	Knuckles was becoming weak as well. Only one thought flashed through his head: I'm going to die but so is he. I'm taking him with me.
	Soon Knuckles collapsed, feeling as if he had lost connection with his body. On the sand a few feet away, the ferret had the same feeling, but much stronger. Suddenly, both he and Knuckles focused on a black shape forming above them. It got bigger and more solid looking, then seemed to envelop them all. There was a flash of white light, and seconds later, nothing at all. 

	Knuckles' eyes snapped open suddenly as he realized that he was alive. At first he thought it was a dream, but seconds later found himself floating in the space-like universe he had started in, before the "game."
	"What?" he said, shocked. "What happened?"
	The shadows once again swirled into Abolisk's form. He spoke in a bitter voice. 
	"What happened?" he said angrily. "You won."
	Knuckles' eyes widened in surprise. "Won?" he said, startled. "But that means that I...."
	Abolisk answered the question immediatly, already knowing what it was. "Killed Dynamos? No. You were both dying, but I knew that he was more likely to go first. I spared his life; he followed the Spiritlaw faithfully and therefore had no right to be punished." Abolisk sounded angry by this as well. "I have erased his memories of this period and sent him back to just before I came to him. He will not remember any of this." Abolisk seems to smile for a minute, then says, "But for failing me, he will keep the memories of the Hall of the Souls...it will never leave him."
	"Well, what about your promise?" Knuckles asked sharply. 
	"Very well," sighed Abolisk. "You are already healed, and so is the hedgehog," he said, pointing. Knuckles looked in the general direction and saw Sonic, uncontious, floating in the universe-like area with all of his wounds still intact. As the guardian watched, the blood and gashes faded away into perfectly normal flesh. Sonic's eyes snapped open a second later, staring at Knuckles. "What happened?"
	"You won't belive this," Knuckles said, almost happily, "but we won!"
	Sonic let out a huge whoop of joy, much to the annoyance of Abolisk. He sighed, waved one transparent hand, and instantly the shadows around Knuckles crumpled together, formed solid masses, and seconds later were the three fallen heros, Slash, Tails, and Karma. 
	"Oh my god....we're alive!" Slash said, shaken. Knuckles stared at him; he had never seen the anteater truly frightened until now. The usually intelligent eyes were now blank and frightened looking, he had lost his smirk, and his whole body seemed to be drooping. The other two were the same-afraid, nervous, and very aleart to everything. 
	"Enjoy your stay in my little hall?" Abolisk said evilly. The three of them cowered, afraid of the evil that had tortured them even in death. Abolisk chuckled, waved his hand, and instantly they were back to where they had been before he had summoned them: Tails in his workshop, Sonic, Knuckles, Karma, and Slash at the pool, all in their real world. 
	Slash was instantly running away as fast as he could, escaping from a danger only he, Karma, and Tails could really understand. When he was out of sight, Karma demanded to know what happened after he told them to escape. Knuckles and Sonic explained everything down to the last detail, from their reasoning to the fight with Dynamos. Karma was glad that they had defeated the ferret, and told them so. Then they parted ways, everyone going back to their homes and daily lives. 
	For several weeks each of them lived in terror; who knew if Abolisk would come back and bring his anger down upon them in revenge? But as the weeks progressed and nothing happened, they began to relax and return their lives to normal. But even with relative peace, it would still be months before the three once-dead heros could erase the haunted look from their eyes, or the memories of the horrid world under the Dark One's rule...

The end