It was hot.

Sonic was dangling over a river of lava, with only his grip on Caliburn preventing his and Percival's fiery deaths.

So, yeah, it would be pretty hot.

Caliburn had just proclaimed Sonic a true knight after he had risked his life to save Percival. Which was cool and all, but Sonic didn't do it because he liked dangling over a pit of molten rock. He actually hated dangling over a pit of molten rock, and from the looks of it, Percival did too. She was holding onto Sonic's hand so hard that he may have lost circulation in his fingers. But she wasn't dead, which was something. They weren't dead. Yet.

Sonic looked around for a way out of this mess with little success. The cliff face was sheer, and a good part of it was covered with lava. Not a handhold in sight.

"Great. How am I supposed to get up now?" Sonic muttered. Then, a bit louder, he said "Hey, anybody see a foothold or something we could use to get out of here?"

"Well, I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment with holding you two up!" Caliburn replied.

"Wait, Sir Sonic, I have an idea!" Percival shouted. "I still have my sword, so if you took it, perhaps you could climb up!" Sonic thought about it, but then shook his head.

"I don't think that's gonna work, Percival!" he said. "If I take your sword, then how are we supposed to hold onto each other?" He gave Percival an apologetic look. "Sorry, but I'm not dropping you after all this. Any other ideas?" Percival thought for a bit, then her eyes lit up.

"What if you lifted me up a little, and I could climb onto you and then climb up?" Percival suggested. "If I can't reach the top, I could surely do the same for you. I still have my sword, after all." That was the best idea they had, and Sonic's arms were starting to burn, so he decided to go with it.

"You know what, Percival?" he said, "That's a good idea. Let's give it a try. Oh, and see if you can use your sword as a climbing tool." Percival looked at him and nodded. She stretched her arm as high as she could, and crammed her sword into the rock beside Sonic's pelvis. Sonic braced himself, and pulled as hard as he could as Percival "walked" up the wall. They had to stop a few times so Percival could move her sword higher or adjust her grip on Sonic's arm, but it was working. Bit by bit, Percival was getting higher and higher.

After about thirty minutes of this, Percival had climbed as high as she could go. As in, she was basically standing on Sonic's head, and she still couldn't reach the edge of the cliff. Now it was Sonic's turn to climb. His arms felt like jelly and he was sweating like a hog, but he could do this. On the count of three, Percival pulled, and he ran up the wall. He ran up so fast that he pulled Percival up with him, and the two of them landed in a heap on the side of the cliff. Caliburn lodged himself into the ground beside them.

At first, Sonic and Percival were too stunned to move. They'd done it. They'd survived. They were safe. The two lay there, fighting to get their breath back. After he'd gotten the air back in his lungs, Sonic wiggled himself out from under Percival and sat up to face her. Percival was still gasping like a fish, so Sonic decided to wait until she calmed down to say something. Which is exactly when Caliburn opened his big mouth.

"Sir Percival, are you quite all right?" Percival flinched at the question, but then collected herself.

"I'll be fine." Percival turned gratefully to Sonic and Caliburn. "I cannot thank you enough for saving me. I owe you both my life." She got on one knee and bowed her head. "If there is anything I can do to repay you, please tell me, and I will do my best to fulfill your wishes." Sonic chuckled, shaking his head. Percival looked up, confused.

"You don't need to repay us." Sonic said. His face turned serious. "But I do need your help." He stood up, took a moment to gather his thoughts, and then continued. "I know you're a Knight of the Round Table, and I know that King Arthur means a lot to you. But he isn't a good person, or if he was, he isn't anymore. The scabbard of Excalibur has turned him into a monster. He's hurting the people he's supposed to protect, and that's not what a king is supposed to do. If I'm going to stop him, and if you have any hope of getting the King you knew back, I need you to help me. So, can you?" Sonic held out his hand. Percival hesitated. Sonic could see the conflicting emotions flit across her face. But determination won out, and she nodded and grabbed his hand. He pulled her up and smiled.

"What can I do to help, Sir Sonic?" Percival asked. Sonic chuckled again.

"Well, for starters, I do actually need your sword." Percival nodded, frowning.

"I have heard that you are collecting the swords of the knights you've defeated," Percival said, "But I do not understand why. Can you explain this to me, Sir Sonic?"

"If I have all the Sacred Swords, I can defeat King Arthur. Your sword happens to be one of those, so I need to borrow it. I'll give it back as soon as I'm done, I swear." Percival seemed satisfied with that answer. She handed over her sword.

"I suppose this is where we part." Percival said. "I wish you good luck on your quest. And thank you again for saving me." Sonic scratched the back of his head.

"Thanks, and again, it was no problem." He turned to go, then looked back over his shoulder. "See you around." Sonic zoomed off to the horizon, ready to face whatever came next.