Roleplay:The Elemental Wars

The spiritual successor to The Fury Of The Elemental Gods!

Plot
The Elemental Clans are ten clans scattered throughout Mobius that are each tied to one of the Elemental Gods. Although they don't always get along, major conflicts outside of their respective territories are rare.

Unfortunately, now their deities have disappeared, all contact being severed between them and the Clans' priests and priestesses. Enraged, terrified and shocked, the ten Clans grow restless. Only a mysterious 11th Clan that worships a being of Nothingness known as Nihlus knows what happened to the Elemental Gods...

Rules

 * 1) Stick to the plot. Do not alter it to revolve around your character, do not change it drastically, etc.
 * 2) Don't throw in new, major plot elements without discussing it with me beforehand. That means no deus ex machina shit coming out of nowhere, and no suddenly introducing powerful, game-changing artifacts/items.
 * 3) No Godmodding. You should all know what this means; no auto-hitting, no random attacks, no constant avoidance of damage, etc
 * 4) No Trolling.
 * 5) No picking random fights with others.
 * 6) Do not just randomly jump into a scene. Either ask, or build up your arrival accordingly (I.E "Suddenly, such and such and such" or "Meanwhile, somewhere else blah blah blah")
 * 7) No controlling other users' characters without their permission.
 * 8) Don't have your character be a part of the Elemental Clans without discussing it with me beforehand. There's a whole blog for making Elemental Clanspeople here. If you're using a character that you've already created to be a member of the Elemental Clans (such as Outback the Hunter, owned by ), then that's fine.
 * 9) You can have your character be an enemy to the Clans, but keep Rules #2 and #3 in mind.
 * 10) Put effort in your posts. I mean it; none of this "Person: Shadow Ball! *uses Shadow Ball*" crap.
 * Acceptable method: (Person: Shadow Ball! *charges up a concentrated ball of shadow energy, and then fires it at Person 2*)
 * Preferred method: ("Shadow Ball!" Person yelled. Cupping his hands in front of him, he began charging up a concentrated ball of pure shadows. After a few seconds he threw the ball at Person 2.)

Current Participants
''Moderators are the peacekeepers of the RP (their names are in green). Listen to them if they tell you that you broke a rule, and don't throw a hissy pissy fit if they give out constructive criticism on how you RP.''
 * green - RP Owner/Moderator
 * Strikes: 0/0
 * green - Moderator
 * Strikes: 0/0
 * green - Moderator
 * Strikes: 0/0

Protagonists

 * The Elemental Clans - played by Ryu and others w/ permission; also anyone can play random villagers/soldiers, but only I get to play Clan leaders/Second-in-commands.
 * The Elemental Gods - played by Ryu and others w/ permission.
 * Razer the Fox - A pyrokinetic fox seeking a familiar face, but most importantly, guidance. (Played by VGNerd)
 * Ajax the Hawk - A pilot and aerokinetic hawk, having crash-landed with no re-collective memory. Nevertheless, he is willing to aid those in need, though may never know if he ever crosses paths with Razer, his friend. (Played by VGN34D)

Antaognists
Those who wish to attack the clans.
 * Rancor the Lynx - played by Ryu; the traitor of the Dark Clan!
 * Nihlic Clan of Nihlus - played by anyone w/ permission. These guys are often traitors to their own clans, and can be seen wielding any elemental ability, not to mention rare and high-powered abilities. These clan members are followers of Nihlus; an entity of uncertain nature.
 * The Eggman Empire - They were sent to do whatever it takes to take down the clans, no matter what. Even if it they are fighting a MUCH greater evil! Played by anyone.
 * The Trolls - played by anyone w/ permission. While their commanders might offer the occasional mission; for many Trolls this kind of warfare is an excuse to cause more mayhem and have some fun off-reservation.

Intro
[Within a foggy, dark place on Mobius, a massive, black-robed echidna with a bone mask covering his face stands before the ten Elemental Gods, restrained by the mist itself]

???: And so it comes that I, Nihlus, the Older Brother of the Elemental Gods, truly a band of over-glorified Chaos beasts with elements instead of the might of Chaos, have taken my younger siblings captive after these many thousand years. It wasn't that hard either. I mean, who set you against each other? Who was that dark little voice whispering in your ears, telling you that your opposite number was out to get you and your clan, causing the infighting that stopped your clans from seeing the truth, and stopped you from remembering or seeing that you had an older brother. None of you can challenge me, although I invite you try. I desire to see your elemental spears in action, to learn their power and how to use them properly. Please, siblings, try me.

Voidstar: You're mad...!! No wonder Ka exiled you!!

Nihlus: Ka? Exile? You are wrong. I was the first of you, the one existent first, as Chaos is with the Chaos Beasts. I was not created, I EXISTED, as did they. Ka may have created you, but NOBODY created me. That is why all of your powers are barely a drop within mine - I am a GOD, you are mere beasts, no better than your genetic spawn. I, too, have beasts at my command, and even my ascot, my alternate side as it were, on my side. Slowly, the Chaos Beasts shall join you in prison, then each of the Nega Beasts, Sol Beasts, and even the entire army of Anarchy Creatures, to prove that I truly am the Ultimate Power within the multiverse, because your "Creator" cannot interfere with the events of the Multiverse, only his own "Realm". Now, doesn't that make you mad. Come on, take it out. Attack me. Fiamme, the hothead of the group, come on, strike me down with that spear of yours, and prove me wrong.

[Fiamme snarls.]

Fiamme: And so I shall!!

''[A large spear of molten rock and fire manifests in her hands. She hurls it with both hands, roaring. It flies like a dart at Nihlus, only for him to catch it with both hands, the spear vanishing in a flash of light.]''

Nihlus: Is that it? I'm disappointed. Maybe if you all attack at once...

Voidstar: Yes. All together now, my brothers and sisters...!

''[All ten manifest their respective spear attacks and hurl them at Nihlus, all at the same time. Within Nihlus's hands appeared A ripple of energy, a mirage-like sword that he used to destroy some of the spears, the others vanishing on contact with him with mirage-like ripples where they struck.]''

Nihlus: Well, too bad. I didn't expect you to give up so easily, but that was your strongest? Your signature? No wonder you came here unprepared for your convocation, purely because I drew you here. You are nothing to my power.

Kyanos: It did nothing...?!

Nihlus: Surprised? It is as I said: I am a god, you are mere beasts in my image.

Celeritas: You are no god; you are a devil!

[Nihlus simply raises an eyebrow, before laughing at the comment]

Nihlus: Actually, I am neither. I am the Master Elemental Beast, and you all represent the Lesser Beasts. Like the Chaos Beasts have their emeralds, I shall decide on a prison for you...with my aspect's help.

''[A black silhouette appears in the mist. They all turn to look at it as it takes on a form similar to Nihlus, but in the form of a giant, uber-haired recolor. He laughs as Nihlus sweeps his hand dramatically.]''

Nihlus: As a God, I have aspects, Gods based on myself that are essentially me with an altered personality and abilities. Presenting my aspect known as Evilagram, God of the Trolls!

All: !!

Evil: Yea, that's right, pathetic fools. Now, the true Elemental God and I have buisness, so be good prisoners, and the mist won't cause you more pain than needed.

Nihlus: The mist is part of my powers. It dampens your powers when I want it to, and restricts you movements too...like now.

Neso: You won't get away with this...!!

Nihlus: And whom shall stop me? You? Chaos and his band of beasts? Chrono? That alien Vitiosis? Trollus, who Evil can control? The Ring beasts? I doubt it. I have taken steps to prevent any of them getting involved.

''[None of them can think of an argument. Nihlus smirks.]''

Nihlus: You see? I am not afraid of you. Goodbye for now, my siblings. [Nihlus strides out, while Evil seems to fade]

The Fire Clan
In the Fire Clan's village, Drakath the Lion, the leader of the Fire Clan, could be seen looking out towards the Red Valley. The second-in-command, Enshoku the Wolf, was standing next to him.

"....sir?" she asked, looking towards him. The lion was silent at first.

"....do you sense that, Enshoku?" he finally said. "That change in the air?"

He did not turn to look at her, his gaze fixated at the valley below them.

"Change?" she asked softly. The lion nodded, his brow furrowed in worry.

"Something is wrong...very wrong..."

The wolf, Enshoku, said nothing. Other than the two leaders mulling over the unusual circumstances, life seemed to continue as normal in the Fire Clan Village. Children were running around and playing, farmers were tending to crops grown in the rich, volcanic soil, and soldiers were ever watchful for danger.

Yet there was no denying that the air was unnaturally tense.

Meanwhile, Razer approached the Fire Clan territory, assuming that he has good terms with them. He was suddenly stopped by a rather sharp pain on his head, sensing something having gone wrong.

"Gah! Geez, what just happened...?! I could've sworn I took painkillers the other day..." He spoke to himself, hearing ringing noises inside his head, but it certainly wasn't a headache, much less a migraine. Regardless, he walked towards the entrance to the area, though he did held his head with his hand as to try and ease the sudden, but temporary pain.

The entrance was currently being patrolled by a male mongoose and a female coyote, both of whom noticed Razer approaching the village.

"Halt!" the mongoose barked out, but his stern expression softened slightly when he noticed Razer gripping his head as if he was in pain. "Traveler, are you lost?"

Razer simply looked at the mongoose. He moved his hand from his head, feeling the pain having quickly subsided. "Well, not exactly lost, though I'm looking for a place to stay for the day. Was trekking along nonstop too so I ended up here."

The mongoose frowned a bit, but stepped aside a pace.

"Very well; we do have lodging room available, I'm sure," he said, starting to walk into the village. "Follow me."

Razer simply nodded and followed the mongoose into the village. He led Razer to a medium-sized building; it was nothing fancy, sure, but it was a well-built shelter and the interior was at least cozy, if rustic. There was room for around ten visitors to temporarily lodge.

"It's nothing special, but it's a place to sleep," said the mongoose.

He gave the mongoose an approved nod after looking around the interior of the shelter inside. "Looks cozy enough. Thanks ahh... what's your name?" Razer asked the mongoose.

"Tulekahju," said the mongoose with a nod. "You can just call me Tule, though. And you are...?"

"Razer. Nice name, Tule." Razer spoke before sitting himself down on the bed as to make himself comfortable.

"Thank you," Tule smiled. "I like your name too. It sounds fierce."

"Heh, guess we all have unique names to go for. I'd tell you more about me if you wish, though I should rest myself up first, even if my stay would be nothing more than temporary." Razer responded to Tule, but still gave him a thumbs up.

"Well, you're free to explore the village, but, uhh...don't be surprised if people here seem to be on edge," said Tule. "We're going through a rather dark time, you see."

Razer cocked an eyebrow, upon hearing this.

"'Dark times'? What happened here? It's fine if you don't want to tell me, I can live with that."

"Well...you see, we've lost all contact with our primary deity, Fiamme," said Tule, frowning. "She normally speaks to us through our priests and priestesses, but lately we've been getting nothing; not even our other deities seem to be communicating with us..."

He slowly nodded to Tule. Of course, the name sounded awfully familiar to him, but decides to play it safe for now. "I see... what was the cause of all this?"

"Well that's the biggest problem, ain't it?" Tule shrugged. "We just don't know why she's disappeared..."

"Tule!"

At that point, a rather imposingly-built lion walked into the building.

""Why are you burdening our guest with our troubles?" he asked rather sternly, frowning slightly. The mongoose bowed briefly.

"Apologies, Sir Firestorm, but our guest did ask..."

"Well, fair enough," the lion nodding, turning to Razer now; his expression was welcoming enough, but he was clearly troubled as well.

"Welcome to our village, traveler. A shame the circumstances aren't more favorable, but as Tule told you, we're...dealing with some problems..."

He waved a hand dismissively.

"Please do not trouble yourself with our issues, however. We will get through this, same as we always have...even though we've never dealt with anything like this before..."

Razer simply nodded, his reaction akin to his own so he can pretty much relate.

"Yeah... well, lemme know if things end up going south. I know most of you guys have very important things to do and socializing isn't one of them. I'll let you guys do your job while I rest up in the meantime."

The lion, Drakath, nodded.

"Very well. You feel free to explore the village, though," he said.

Razer nodded to Drakath, though all he could do was lay back on the bed and get himself some shuteye. All the trekking has worn his energy out, so a rest will have to suffice before he can explore the village.

The next day, Razer had gotten his full rest, getting himself up from the bed and stretching his arms. He glances out the window, as to see the villagers outside. Things were much the same as they were yesterday, with everyone going about their tasks as if nothing was wrong. The mongoose, Tulekahju, could be seen patrolling near the village gate.

Once Razer heads outside, he wondered on checking up on Tulekahju, but decides not to as to not interfere with his duties. Instead, he goes to just check out the village so see it's people. His visor goggles just doing it's own thing, just scanning for anything of interest, which has none to show for.

The villagers were going about their usual activities, and for those who noticed Razer, they regarded him with mild yet polite interest, before resuming whatever it was they were doing. But in the eyes of each, there was unease and worry that they were all doing their best to hide. The disappearance of Fiamme had clearly shaken the entire village to its core.

Razer had mixed feelings, the first being nodding to the villagers with a returning politeness, with concern from the others. "Huh..." All he could so was look for any villagers who are willing to take in questions, or socialize with them if able, even if there's not much to go on besides their upmost concerns.

Another fox was tending to a small garden, one meant to cultivate medicinal plants used by the clan. She didn't notice Razer at all, lost in her task.

He took notice of another fox, and simply tapped a finger on her shoulder, as to try and get her attention. "Ma'am?"

So absorbed was she in her work that she jumped upon feeling the tap on her shoulder, a gasp escaping her.

"Who-"

She turned around, staring up at Razer.

"Oh, g-goodness... please don't startle me like that...!"

Razer jumped as well from her reaction, but maintained his composure.

"Oh! My apologies. I see you're doing some gardening work, amid the... things going on. Name's Razer." He said, holding out a hand to another fox as to offer her a handshake.

"Oh... well, these are important plants, to be fair," she said, taking Razer's hand to shake; she seemed friendly enough, but she wasn't doing such a good job at hiding the underlying unease and worry.

"I'm Shageki," she said. "Are you a visitor?"

Razer gave a confirmed nod. "I am, Sha..."

He paused a bit, as if having trouble pronouncing her name properly. Still, all he could do was pat her shoulder, as to get her to calm down.

"Sha.. geh... kay?" He asked, not used to unfamiliar names like this.

"Sha-geh-key," she enunciated for him, not seeming to mind his hand on her shoulder.

"Sha-geh-key." He repeated, hoping his pronunciation was correct. He moved his hand back, having eased her anxiety a little. She nodded and smiled.

"Yes, like that," she said. "So, uhh... what brings you here, anyways?"

"Just wondering about the ah... current situation. You guys seemed pretty worried, which I don't entirely blame of course. It's fine if you don't wish to talk about it, Shageki."

"Mm... we're all trying to keep our hopes up, but... nothing like this has ever happened before," she mumbled, rubbing at her shoulders a bit.

Razer let a slow nod. "I see... guess that explains my head getting a sharp yet quick pain..."

He shook his head a bit. "N-Nevermind, you didn't had to hear this. Still, it seems this isn't some isolated incident."

"Your head...?" Shageki asked, an eyebrow quirking slightly in concern; she was a medic, after all. However, Razer didn't seem to want to dwell further on that, so she ignored it, for now.

"Not isolated? You mean the other Elemental Clans might be going through the same thing that we are?"

"Seems like it. And I never got a word back from my friend too." Razer answered; Ajax had gone on a flight routine but hasn't returned contact with him since.

"Oh, gosh," Shageki frowned, a hand going up to her mouth. "I hope he's okay...!"

"Yeah... he told me that he'll be checking things out. I tried contacting him with not much success, so basically, I wandered myself on here. Anyway--"

Razer was interrupted by one of the villagers, "There's a squad of robots heading our way, and they don't seem friendly either!"

It seems the Egg Squadron were about to invade the village. Though a seemingly small number, they come with Egg Pawns to go for.

Drakath could already be seen drawing his sword, a beautiful blade coated in flames (that somehow didn't burn the scabbard or his clothes).

"Soldiers, to arms!" he barked, and those capable of combat gathered to their leader; Tulekahju could be seen among them.

"Those Egg cowards think us vulnerable; we'll show them we're as strong as ever!" the lion cried, raising his sword aloft, while his comrades cheered. "Keep the village safe, don't let them draw you away from it! Enshoku, make sure the civilians are all accounted for!"

"Yes sir!" came the reply from the halberd-wielding female wolf.

Razer looked back, seeing the Egg Pawns storming in, groaning a bit, "Great..."

He gets himself up as to check it out, his visor letting out a warning that the Egg Pawns, albeit small in numbers, were soon growing more and more over the horizon as they were marching in. Not hundreds, but rather, thousands!

"Oh no..." Razer spoke softly with obvious worry.

"Wh-What is it...? What's wrong?" Shageki asked, eyes widening a bit. Drakath and the soldiers were already heading for the front of the village, getting ready to defend it.

Razer quickly turned around to look at Shageki, who had an urgent look on his face, "Get your people inside now!"

He was no leader, not even a member, yet even he isn't going to stand back and watch. He hurriedly runs towards the battlefield, with already a couple of Egg Pawns being taken down. He ran past the soldiers and jumped up and over the remaining Egg Pawns, seeing an even larger number of Egg Pawns marching over.

The soldiers didn't really notice Razer at first, too busy fighting off the Egg Pawns; weapons were clashing and fiery spells were being flung all over the place.

Once the last few remaining Pawns were easily wiped out, Razer looked on as the second wave made it's approach. He had no affiliation with the clan, yet he refused to stay at the sidelines and watch, especially with the sense of fearlessness in him. There were about 1,000 shown from his visor goggles.

He soon closed his eyes, and clasps his hands together before slamming them down, with a wall of fire being formed as to prevent additional Egg Knights from breaching through.

The Egg Pawns were repelled by the extreme heat, while the soldiers on the other side of the fiery wall looked around in confusion.

"Did any of the battle mages do this?" asked Drakath, frowning. They shook their heads. Tule, however, noticed Razer, and ran over to him.

"Razer!"

"There's more... on the other... side! Bigger numbers...!" Razer yelled out as to inform Tule while trying to keep them at bay, his voice straining from trying to hold them back. He himself knows it was a matter of time before he's exhausted of his pyrokinesis. He was trying his best to maintain focus, as to keep the reinforcements at bay.

"You didn't tell me you were a pyrokinetic!" Tule gasped, looking from Razer to the wall of fire, and back again. Drakath was approaching, as well.

"Friend, the help is appreciated, but-"

The lion sighed; he didn't like the idea of a guest having to get thrown into the clan's issues, especially since said guest seemed to be struggling.

"Battle mages, to me! Help Razer maintain the wall of fire!"

Razer watched the battle mages approaching and aided him by keeping the firewall in place, with him being able to rest easy by getting himself up and catching his breath. He looked at Tule, who was surprised at this.

"I should've told you this before, but, now you know."

Razer never lied, he didn't had the time to inform Tule or Drakath when reinforcements were coming their way.

"This firewall isn't gonna keep them out forever, sir," said a male deer while he and his fellow battle mages continued to channel energy into the wall. Drakath frowned, but nodded.

"Then we make the most out of the time we have," he said, before turning to Razer. "Don't worry about not having told us about your abilities; what was that about more of them approaching?"

Razer turned to Drakath. "There's a thousand of them, meaning while they're weak, their large numbers can prove to be a much bigger threat. And they're likely putting everyone to the test as well."

"We'll burn every one of them down!" one of the battle mages cried. Drakath chuckled a bit, shaking his head.

"I admire your spirit; but if what Razer says is true, we're dealing with an incredible threat here," he said. "We need to be smart about this..."

Razer nodded in agreement. "We'll need a way to divert them away from the village and even towards the cliffs. As much as your soldiers want to face them head on, their numbers are large enough to overwhelm them, especially since these types of robots never tire out at all."

"Running them to the cliffs isn't a bad idea at all," Drakath hummed. "Question is... how do we lure them there?"

"We could possibly get them to chase us there?" a soldier suggested.

"Yeah. But we'll have to lead them towards the cliff before they can get near the village. Suppose I should volunteer." Razer suggested.

He looks at Drakath. "Do you have anyone who can fly, in case I end up falling off myself?"

"I can fly," a male dragon piped up; he was accompanied by a Flamma Koskerafi.

"Alright." Razer nodded, glances to Drakath. "Have them lower the firewall, I'll get these Egg Pawns to come and get me by calling them out. They're not exactly bright so when one goes, they all follow suit afterwards."

"Right," Drakath nodded, before motioning to the battle mages. "Lower the wall!"

With choreographed motions of the hands, the battle mages dispersed the wall of flame.

Without any hesitation, Razer stepped in and called out the Egg Pawns. "Hey, Egg-Beats! You're gonna have to go through me if you wanna get to the village! That is, unless you're too obsolete to think straight because you're malfunctioning all the time! And I'll be glad to take you scrap heaps on!"

The Dark Clan
Meanwhile, in the Fearful Caverns, Maliseer and her second-in-command Henge were consorting with the Dark Clan's priests and priestesses in one of the cavern's smaller chambers; they were trying to get some sort of sign of Voidstar's presence. Naturally, there was virtually no signal to go on.

"Surely there must be something?" Henge questioned, frowning slightly. An elderly female weasel was slightly hunched in front of what looked like a small shrine.

"Voidstar couldn't have just disappeared off the face of Mobius!"

"I have sensed nothing," the weasel priestess said, narrowing her milky-white eyes at Henge. "None of us can understand why he's not giving us a sign."

"But he can't just be gone...!" the lynx cried. Maliseer turned her gaze towards the entrance to the main chamber, silent as she ignored the argument.

The Ice Clan
In the Gelid Forest of Artika, Tunndrae Frostwind, the Ice Clan's leader, was walking around, as if trying to find something. She looked troubled.

"This isn't right," she mumbled to herself. "Why can't I sense Kyanos' presence?"

She leaned against a tree, sighing. Close to the Ice Clan village, a female hedgehog was busy engaging in target practice, her face calm and focused as she shot the center of the wooden training dummy with her bow, small shards of ice flecking off the frozen arrowhead as it lodged into the dummy. A rare smile spreads across her lips, as if satisfied with her marksman ability. She nocked another Ice Arrow into her bow, now aiming for the head of the training dummy.

Before she got the chance to fire again, a male pacarana approached her, carrying some kind of small pouch.

"Ark! Mind testing something out for me?"

The hedgehog turned towards him, raising an eyebrow.

"If you're asking me to drink some new concoction-"

He just shook his head, holding out the small pouch.

"No, no, I've got a better idea. Mind passing me that arrow?"

Slightly confused, she nevertheless handed him the ice arrow. He took it and examined it, before tying the small pouch onto it, directly behind the arrowhead. He then handed it back to her.

"Okay, now, shoot this at that dummy."

She smiled a bit, seeming to understand what he was doing, and nocked the loaded arrow onto her bow, before firing it at the dummy. The arrow hit it square in the head, while the pouch broke open at the same time, releasing a large burst of snow and ice all around the dummy.

"Any kind of potion or elixir you can fit into that pouch, you could attach to an arrow and launch it!" said the pacarana, clasping his hands together. "Imagine the possibilities!"

The Water Clan
The atmosphere in the Water Clan village was currently no different than it was in the other villages of the Elemental Clans; seemingly normal, but actually tense and fearful. Two scouts and a Summoner (a slender female dunnart, a slightly curvy female deer, and a somewhat lanky male desman) were pacing nervously in front of the waterfall that hid the entrance to the Golden Cove and the Water Clan village, as if waiting for something. The dunnart was accompanied by her Summon, a Sea Imp.

Finally the desman stopped pacing and turned towards the coastline.

"There! Look!"

His two companions stopped and turned as well, and saw two more Mobians approaching them; a curvy female salamander and a slender female rat.

"They're...they're gone, right?"

The rat nodded, although her expression was still a bit grim.

"We found no traces of Nihlic Clan forces around here. But we have no idea what they're capable of; they could just be hiding."

The desman let out a whine in response, starting to fidget a bit.

"Please don't say that...!"

The rat tapped the male's snout rather sharply, frowning.

"Would you rather I lied and said there were no chances of Nihlic forces coming here, and then we find them attacking us in the middle of the night?" she said, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I'm trying to be realistic here, Rasto. And realistically, we all need to be full alert."

The desman backed up slightly, rubbing his nose.

"I-I know...I'm sorry..."

The rat sighed and crossed her arms.

"All of us are on edge, there's no denying that. We just...need to stay calm and keep ours wits about us, yeah?"

She offered a smile as the other three Mobians nodded in response.

"Good, that's what I like to see."

The deer looked up towards the sky; the sun was starting to sink towards the horizon, and the clouds were drenched in colors of pink, blue, purple and orange.

"It's getting late," she said, a slight breeze making her shiver slightly.

"I guess we should think about getting back inside and finding out who's gonna do a night shift."

The female dunnart then stepped forward a bit.

"Uhh...I can probably take the night shift for a few hours," she said, her Sea Imp Summon at her side. "I'll have Bubbles with me, after all."

"If you'll be alright with that, Sulama," said the rat, smiling.

"I'll have someone come out in three hours and trade with you, okay?"

"That'd work out fine!"

The sun had now disappeared below the horizon; Sulama and Bubbles were standing near the waterfall, an oil lantern sitting next to the dunnart. She yawned and stretched, a bit wearier than she though she'd be. She hoped that someone would swap places with her soon...

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea...I'm getting really tired."

Sulama sat down next to Bubbles, who was now curled up a bit, apparently having dozed off. The sound of footfalls approaching their location didn't really catch the dunnart's attention at first, having thought it was someone come to relieve her of the nightwatch.

"Thank god, a replacement. Now I can get some sl-"

As she happened to look up, she saw a rather foreboding figure standing not ten feet from her, carrying a sword that glowed dimly. Grabbing the lantern and quickly climbing to her feet, Sulama held the light out towards the stranger, eyes wide. Bubbles had sprang up as well, chittering angrily.

"Wh-Who's there?! Who are you?!"

The figure said nothing, but started to walk towards the Water Clan Summoner with a strong and purposeful stride. Lantern light fell upon the stranger's face, revealing him to be a Mobianized Typhlosion wearing a chestpiece, pauldrons and gauntlets crafted from obsidian. The sword in his hand had muted flames dancing around the blade, and he grinned at Sulama, his sharp white teeth being illuminated by the light.

"Well, well, well," he purred, eyes narrowing slightly at the dunnart. He strode closer to her, looming; he was a good foot taller than her.

"I didn't think the Water Clan would be smart enough to have guards on watch, but even still, I'm disappointed; only one meager girl and her pet? That's all they can afford to send out?"

"S-State your name," Sulama said, doing her best to keep calm; the shaking of the hand holding the lantern betrayed her true feelings.

"Oh, yes; we must be formal, eh?" said the Typhlosion, thrusting the blade into the earth and then leaning on it.

"I am Sedrick. And you are...?"

"S-...S-Sulama," the dunnart stuttered, ears drooping slightly; the predatory gleam in Sedrick's eyes was unsettling her deeply.

"Why the stutter, Sulama? Surely you're not afraid of little old me, are you?"

At this, he straightened up and leered down at her, chuckling a bit. Bubbles hissed threateningly at him, to which he glared at the Sea Imp.

"Stuff it, you abomination!"

Sulama motioned for Bubbles to stand down, prompting another chuckle from Sedrick.

"So it IS your pet, hmm?"

The dunnart looked up at the Typhlosion, trying to maintain her calm.

"Bubbles is my Summon," she said, frowning. "She's not a pet. But either way, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We're not taking visitors from strangers at these stressful times, especially not with reports of Nihlic Clan members skulking around."

The Typhlosion gasped a bit, feigning a rather dramatic look of hurt. "Skulking? Is that what you think I'm doing?" he asked, a hand to his heart.

"Oh, no no no, there's nothing skulkish or sneaky about my intentions, girl..."

His voice had taken on a decidedly sinister snarl as he ripped his blade from the ground, the metal igniting into flames.

"I'm here to make sure you heathens know your place; beneath the feet of Nihlus and his children...!"

As soon as Sedrick had grabbed his weapon, Sulama stepped back towards the waterfall, but in one swift motion, he had lunged forward and grabbed ahold of her arm, tossing her to the side and away from the entrance to the Water Clan village with frightening strength. She hit the ground hard, letting out a pained gasp and rolling onto her side. The Typhlosion had turned towards her now, raising his blade as if to swing at her. From behind, Bubbles had leapt, landing on Sedrick's back and starting to claw at his head. He let out a furious roar.

"MONGREL!! GET OFF ME!!"

He staggered around, trying to dislodge the angry Sea Imp from his cranium, before his free claw found its way to her throat, grabbing on tight and causing her to screech.

"NO!! BUBBLES!!"

Sulama, still a bit dazed from being tossed, managed to climb to her feet, just as Sedrick flung the Sea Imp at her. The collision sent them both onto the ground with a thud.

"Weak. You're weak! You worship a pitiful god who's naught but a speck compared to Nihlus!" Sedrick snarled at her, starting to approach once again. With a growl, he drove his fiery blade downward, aiming to impale Sulama. With a gasp, she managed to roll out of the way just in time, feeling the heated air gust against her shoulder. The sword became embedded in the ground, and a bestial snarl ripped from the Typhlosion's throat. Abandoning his weapon, he turned on Sulama, who had just managed to climb to her feet; Bubbles was at her Summoner's side once again.

"Tenacious little whelp, are we?" he hissed, advancing towards her, his claws sparking with electricity. The sight of the electricity seemed to scare the dunnart, and Sedrick grinned, relishing her fear.

"Oh, you like my electricity? It's just one of the benefits of being a Pokemon; I get to choose from more than just one Element!"

He suddenly charged at her, the burst of speed not giving Sulama time to react properly. An electrically-charged fist drove itself just below her ribcage, causing a wheezy yelp to escape her mouth. The electricity coursing from his balled fist into her body paralyzed her, and caused her to collapse, unable to move. She coughed up a bit of blood; Sedrick had struck her hard.

"Hmph."

Gazing at Sulama's crumpled form, the Typhlosion finally gained a satisfied smirk, striding over to the spot where his sword was embedded in the ground; the soil within a one foot radius was scorched and smouldering. He wrenched it from the ground, his ears perking slightly; frantic, indistinguishable voices were coming from the waterfall. With a faint growl he turned away from the Golden Cove and beat a hasty retreat; despite his prowess in battle, he would be no match for multiple, combat capable hydromancers and hydrokinetics.

Besides, he would be foolishly going against his superior's orders if he stayed and fought.

The Electric Clan
Things were even more tense within the Electric Clan's village. Not only had the younger brother of the clan leader, Voltassa Stormdriver, gone missing, but there were claims of Egg Army activity dangerously close to Electric Clan territory; these claims came from traders attempting to trade goods with the nearby city-state of Chun-Nan.

"You're just trying to pull my leg," said a male cat, crossing his arms. "There haven't been any Egg Soldiers around here in about five months."

The female ferret shook her head. She was one of the soldiers that had accompanied the trading caravan to Chun-Nan.

"I'm not at all. There were a couple hanging around in Chun-Nan. Had the Eggman logo on the back of their outfits. They didn't engage us, thankfully."

The cat started to pace a bit, crossing his arms.

"Great...just what we needed now; Egg Soldiers potentially sniffing around the village," he muttered, shaking his head. "As if our leader's kid brother going missing wasn't bad enough..."

"Calm down, Jonowych," said the ferret, walking towards him. "Like I said, those Egg Soldiers didn't engage us; they didn't even notice us, so I see no reason for them to suddenly show up here."

"Still... it wouldn't hurt to have more soldiers patrolling the village for now," a male numbat piped up. "Just to be safe."

"We should see what Lady Stormdriver has to say about all this first," the ferret said.

The Wind Clan
In the Wind Clan village, the villagers were all too concerned about their deity, Khazri, having vanished without a trace and without cause of this. They were looking at each other with concern. None of the Wind Clan's other deities seemed to be responding to the prayers of the priests and priestesses, either; the spiritual lines were dead silent.

To make matters worse, it seems black smoke had billowed from the skies, with something ahead spiraling out of control. It surely wasn't Khazri, but it seems to be descending dangerously towards the village, maybe outside of it if they're lucky enough. Instead, it sounds a bit like a faint sound of an airplane making it's imminent crash landing.

And it seems the deity's disappearance isn't the only problem they were facing. An explosion, loud or seemingly quiet if they were far away enough, was heard.

The airplane ended up crashing quite close to the village, close enough to make those outside back towards the nearest buildings for cover, just in case any shrapnel came flying towards them. A tower of thick black smoke rose up from the wreckage, and everyone just stared at it.

"First Khazri disappears, now this," a female hawk muttered, picking up the incense stick she had dropped in a panic when the plane had crashed. Already, some soldiers and medics were making their way towards the wreck in order to locate and help any survivors.

The airplane, which happens to be a fighter aircraft, was up in flames, which was split in half and debris were scattered around. There was also a parachute that was used, but also ripped away. The male hawk was found laying on the ground face-down, obviously unconscious with injuries shown. He was miraculously alive amid the injures sustained. It's as if he was attacked by an unknown, hostile force.

The soldiers approached the unconscious hawk, and the one in front directed his comrades to search the area for more survivors, while he knelt down in front of the hawk.

"Gonna meed some medics here," he called out, and was approached by a female mink and male ferret. The three of them carefully rolled the hawk onto his back, making sure not to move his head and neck around too much.

It seems he was alone with no other passengers with him, yet the injuries were quite serious combined with the damage from it. And given that there was only one seat from the cockpit, it was evident that he was indeed the only survivor with no obvious casualties.

"There's no other bodies, sir," said one of the returning soldiers. The head soldier nodded.

"Noted; get back to the village and prepare a stretcher," he said, gesturing towards the village. "Medics, stay with me for now."

Ajax had simply moved a finger, almost like a reflex as to indicate he's still alive. Still, with the injuries quite severe, it'll be a while until he's fully recovered.

"He's still alive, thankfully," the ferret muttered as he carefully checked Ajax's upper body for injuries.

Ajax's upper body showed significant signs of burns, bruises even, some around his head and face as well. It's evident enough that this was anything but a regular plane crash. The other soldiers were now returning with the stretcher, and laid it down next to Ajax.

Ajax was still motionless overall, hearing nothing but high-pitched ringing noises. In his mind, he was trying to recollect the last moments he saw before he was attacked, almost like a surface-to-air attack that left him fighting for survival. He was completely unaware of being taken to the medical bay.

"Quickly now, but don't jostle him around too much," one of the medics directed after Ajax was carefully lifted up onto the stretcher. The stretcher was then lifted up, and he was being carried into the village.

"Ra... ze..." Ajax muttered quietly, as if trying to say something, but it's barely audible. Meanwhile, the soldiers were surveying the damage of the aircraft outside, seeing if there are any clues.

"Could've been an attack from the Eggman Empire," one of the soldiers mused. "Can't think of anything else that'd have the weaponry to do this kind of damage do an airplane..."

"Oh, great," another muttered. "Just what we need; those guys possibly sniffing around the village..."

Upon closer inspection, while the attack was indeed from the Eggman Empire, there was... something more than that. It was from an Elemental attack, albeit from an unknown source. So it seems the airplane was attacked not once, but twice, not just by the Eggman Empire, but from another, unknown hostile force.

"Hang on... take a look at this."

The soldier knelt down next to one of the chunks of metal; the damage didn't look normal here.

"What could've done this...?"

The other shrugged.

"I don't know, but I don't really wanna stand around here and play detective. We should get back to the village."

As hours pass by from having those injuries treated, Ajax had eventually opened his eyes, the lights were pretty bright and unable to grab his bearings.

"Razer... is that you...?" Ajax muttered out, while looking around a bit to see where he is at.

"Ain't nobody here called Razer, hon," came the reply, from a female mink who was busy preparing some kind of mixture.

He looked around in confusion and to the mink. "Who are you, and where am I?"

He winced a bit in pain from moving around a bit, seething in pain a bit.

"Ah-ah-ah! Don't try to get up now," she chided, going over to him. "Name's Adiere, but you can call me Addi."

"Addi?" He asked before looking around again. "How'd I get here anyway..?"

"There was a plane crash by the village, and we found you by the wreckage," she said as she went back to preparing the mixture. "Can you remember anything about what happened?"

"Was on a regular flight routine, and suddenly, I was attacked on both sides here and there. Next thing you know, was plummeting down before I blacked out. That's all I could remember." Ajax answered, not being able to describe who attacked him after a near-fatal accident.

"Hmm... sounds like short-term memory loss," she mused. "You're in the Wind Clan's village, by the way; can you remember your name?"

"Uhh..." Ajax was trying to think of his own name, yet since the accident, it seems he's forgotten his own name!

"I think it... starts with an 'A'?" It seems he's clearly forgotten his own name, trying to think hard yet it seems his memory was awfully foggy. Temporary loss, but for who knows until he can remember again, especially after an accident.

"Well, that's not good," Adiere tutted, shaking her head. "But not unexpected for short-term memory loss..."

She poured the mixture she had prepared into a small glass and brought it over to Ajax.

"Here, drink this; it'll help with any pain," she said, handing the glass to him.

Ajax grabbed the glass and drank it up. It had an unfamiliar, bitter taste, but still enough to alleviate the pain before handing the glass back to her. "Aah... nothing I've tasted before, but at least the pain's alleviated."

"That's what it's for, hon," she smiled, taking the empty glass back from him. "Now, I gotta go check on some other patients; don't try and move around too much, got it?"

"...right." Ajax responded; all he could do was sit back and wait. He wasn't sure how or why he's unable to remember his own name. Maybe within the next day or so, he'll be able to tell Adiere his name.

"So." Ajax was then approached by the male ferret that had been at the scene of the crash; he sat down near the hawk.

"You were the one flying that plane? You're, like, an actual pilot?"

Ajax gave a confirmed nod. "I am, yes."

"Whoa... what's it like?? Being up in the air like that?" the ferret asked, eyes wide with curiosity.