Okay, thank the Maker that I got this one out finally. I took way too long to write this chapter, thanks to being cold, being in America, and being unwell. All at the same time, in a few instances.

So, a few things to say about this one...first being that my initial plan was to have Sonic escape with the others, but naturally his morality would have conflicted with that. Thus, his plot was changed as I wrote the chapter. Now, though, things might be changing, and yes, there is a reason he hasn't seen anyone else yet.

Second, yes, this is so obviously my incarnation of Emerl, and with him my habit of giving characters different backstories to their original appearances. Currently he has no name in-series (though that will be addressed) and as you can see, he's lacking a lot of what makes Emerl himself, other than the caustic wit. However, this also marks a minor leap in one of my more experimental ideas for how he will become who he is. He'll still be Emerl as many of you know, but I welcome you  to work out what I'm doing with his development.

Thirdly, I felt like things were going too well this chapter - no obvious injuries, and having not been writing in the loop for a bit my view of the world was muffled. Then I remembered that Knothole has been taken over by a giant plant, the majority of the FF have been taken out, Sonic isn't in the best predicament, and their hopes are resting on long-range support and an untested, unstable prototype.

I still maintain that this is the lightest arc thus far.

Chapter 12: Violet Era: Poisoned Cosmos (12)
Chapter 14: Violet Era: Poisoned Cosmos (14)