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

Heroes

 * 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.

Villains

 * Those who wish to attack the clans.


 * The Trolls - played by anyone.
 * 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 can members are followers of Nihlus, the alternate version of Evil, God of the Trolls.
 * Emrys Vaugn - Played by Saren, The Lord Serpent is seeking power, power that only the clans might have; to that end he's willing to employ any method he can.

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.

Yet somewhere on the borders of the village, a thirty-seven year old human male of Egyptian descent with dark brown hair kept at a medium length with an unkempt look, he was 5'8" and weighed a little over 167 lbs. With a few tattoos on the right side of his face, hazy blue eyes and his left eyebrow studded with three silver piercings. One thing of note was that he had a gold and a silver ring worn on his left pointer and middle fingers, with both resembling a snake eating its own tail.

As for attire he was wearing a simple brown cloak as a small cloud of gunpowder seemed to follow him, particles dropping from his skin it seemed. "Hmm, this should be the place..~"

It was not long before the man was spotted by a couple of soldiers, guarding the entrance of the village.

"Halt...!"

The three soldiers swiftly approached. They seemed to be quite suspicious of him.

"What business do you have here??"

The man stopped, looking at the three with a deceptively peaceful expression on his face. "Be at peace, for I am but a humble aspect of fire~" He spoke, opening his eyes to reveal slits like that of a snake.

The three were about to draw their weapons when the man spoke. The female raccoon narrowed her eyes at him.

"An aspect of fire, huh...?"

While she seemed suspicious of him, the male badger seemed to take a different approach.

"Wait...guys, could this be one of our deities...??"

The male hedgelynx crossed his arms.

"He's not any of the Primordials, that's for sure...none of them take a human form."

"Surely the priests and priestesses would know," said the badger. "But he is still an aspect of fire itself; we should give him the respect he deserves. It's not often at all than an aspect or Elemental crosses dimensions to travel to Mobius."

At that point, the badger got down on one knee as a sign of respect.

"Please forgive my friends, Great Aspect. Things are incredibly tense here; our primary deity has completely vanished, and our priests and priestesses are unable to contact her..."

With a finely crafted smile, Emrys waved off the badger's bowing. "There is no need to bow, after all, it is only healthy to regard such claims with suspicion unless given proof.. As to your primary deity... I myself have not received any contact from her recently either."

Emrys spoke, his voice laden with honey as he weaved his web of lies and deceptions. "But, if I may have an audience with your leader I will be more than happy to prove my claims..~"

The badger rose to his feet as he listened intently to the man, looking somber when he claimed that he had no contact with Fiamme either. But he seemed to brighten up some.

"Y-Yes, of course, Great Aspect! Sir Firestorm would be glad to have an audience with one such as yourself!"

"Excellent my good friend, lead me to this Sir Firestorm~" Emrys chuckled. The badger nodded and motioned for Emrys to follow him back to the village, with the raccoon and hedgelynx following, as well.

It did not take them long to reach the village, and the badger led Emrys to a relatively burly lion.

"Sir Firestorm...there is someone who wishes to meet you."

The lion turned towards the badger and Emrys.

"Hmm? Yes?"

"Greetings, I understand that you are the leader of this clan...? Firestorm is it..?" Emrys spoke, offering a polite bow to show respect.

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...!"

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.

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 Earth Clan
The Troll Moonbase was remarkably quiet, considering the nature of it's inhabitants. For once, there was no dank airhorn music filling the air, nor any crude jokes flying from room to room at the top of the occupants lungs. No, most of them were out in Mobius, following missions that few understood. For the hedgehog in the hooded jacket and his pajama-clad companion, the quiet was frustrating, as neither knew what awaited them in the so-called "throne room". After a moment, the doors slowly opened themselves, and the duo entered. A deep voice rang out in the metallic room. "Thank you for coming, Reaper." The hedgehog pair knelt as their leader stood and moved away from the throne. "I am sorry for keeping you back for so long." The self-proclaimed True Lord of Mobius was not the most impressive figure in the world, a simple white and orange Shadow-lookalike dressed in a formal but comfortable style, but as Reaper stood and looked at him, the aura around this hedgehog was one of power. He was no simple Troll. The doors closed behind them, and even the faint humming of machinery was blocked off by the impressive soundproofing this room had. "It was no issue, my liege," he began. "It gave me time to help Anne build her strength." The sickly female waved slightly, and Reaper could feel her telepathic nudging. "Now, Lord Rageik, can I ask what we have been called for?" The demon nodded. "It is a mission of great importance to me, personally. I would have dealt with it myself, but the Clans have other duties for me to attend to." He gestured, and a hologram of a sword rippled into existence. It looked like a plain katana at a distance, but Reaper's trained eye spotted the telltale amber markings in the blade, and the tiny gemstone finery that made up the tsuba. His eyes widened, and Anne's shock filled their telepathic bond. "A relic?" she mumbled. Rageik simply nodded. "Yes, it is. This sword, Trizaterrador belongs to my brother, Hades. He was forced to abandon it at the end of the War, when he fled underground to Asphodel to avoid being sealed. It is imbued with a powerful connection to the element of Earth, so when he located it, he immediately asked me to retrieve it. Unfortunately, until now the Earth Clan has been well-guarded, and there has been no method for you to get in." Rageik paced and gestured once again, changing the image displayed to an image of the Earth Clan's armory. "The Clan is in on edge with the disappearance of Temblor, but at the same time those that are most aware..." "See the least." Reaper finished. He understood the basic premise. "Anne is to be my support?" The thin girl raised her head and smiled faintly as Rageik nodded. "Her ability to influence moods over long distance, plus your telepathic bond, makes her an ideal assistance for this. Do you believe you can retrieve it for me?" Reaper raised his head and lowered his hood, revealing the hybrid quills and orange marks that Rageik's blood had given him. "I accept the task." Anne's excitement flowed, but he could feel her annoyance at his terms. "Sorry, we accept." Rageik chuckled, and the hologram disappeared with a final gesture. "Then good luck. For the return of our people." "And for the rise of the True Lord of Mobius." Reaper replied. The traditional farewell of the Everaith Clan always felt clunky to the Power Hedgehog, but he used it in deference to the people that adopted him. With that, Rageik turned and walked back towards his throne and holographic desks, plotting another step in his constant war. Reaper knelt once again, and the familiar weight of Anne climbing onto his back reassured him. "To the Ruins of Sephazer we go, then. Chaos Control." In a blink of light, the two were gone.

The Ruins of Sephazer, located on the Mobian continent of Soumerca, were the home of the Earth Clan of Temblor. Despite the disappearance of their deity, the stoic clanspeople hid their distress well, and life seemed to resume as normal there. The priests and priestesses had given up trying to contact Temblor, and instead turned their pleas towards other deities of theirs; but unfortunately, they too seemed to be silent. Not even Sephazer himself, for whom the Earth Clan's home was named, was able to provide answers. The entrance of the Power Hedgehogs was as silent as they had hoped. Neither of them had ever ventured into the Ruins, so it was a rough coordinate Chaos Control. Not an ideal method, but one Reaper was accustomed to. Hunched down in the rocky outcroppings, Reaper felt Anne's warmth slip from his back. He turned, and watched as she slowly pulled herself into a meditative seating position, legs crossed and back straight, even with her eyes closed. A slight shudder ran through her body, and Reaper almost considered giving her his jacket there and then, but it hit him, as it always did. Anne was opening herself up to the world psychically. Instead of rushing in, he let her explore and gather information for him. No words were needed, not with this bond. She shared his vision, and their thoughts were joined through her combat meditation. Instead, he settled into a passive guard stance, and hoped that she wouldn't detect trouble nearby. Close to the entrance of the Ruins, a couple of soldiers were patrolling the outside of it; a male groundhog, a female shrew and a male stag beetle. They had no knowledge of the presence of Anne and Reaper. Reaper could feel the soldiers through Anne's strength. She wasn't directly focusing on them, not yet. Her meditation needed time to build in strength to influence them into making mistakes. Finally, she picked one, the groundhog. A slight smile crossed her face, and she nodded to Reaper. Instantly, he began to move, his stealth training taking over. Anne began to focus on the groundhog, bringing her telepathic might on his head. Reaper moved in the same direction, and could feel the meditation falter. He knew her plan, and summoned a fan from hammerspace to his hand, and prepared himself for a stealthy strike.

The groundhog stopped and put a hand up to his left temple, groaning. "Guh...my head...!" His two companions stopped and stared at him. "Bundok, are you okay?" asked the shrew? "I-It feels like something's crushing my skull...!" Reaper was in mid-air when he heard that, and immediately launched an Air Slash from his fan, aimed at the feet of the two that were left, and transitioned into an Aerial Ace towards the beetle without touching the ground. A second fan rippled into existence as he accelerated further, appearing as a shadowy blur surrounded by air currents. Not expecting the sudden attack, the shrew and the beetle were knocked off their feet. The groundhog, Bundok, had fallen to his knees, overwhelmed by pain. The beetle was trying to climb to his feet as Reaper rushed at him. The hedgehog didn't even slow down, simply slamming foot-first into his target, and using that to launch himself into the air again, leaving the groundhog to suffer Anne's psychic grasp while he prepared himself to knock the other two out. As much as stealth could work, making the Earth Clan flinch into believing the Wind Clan sent an assassin would be just as worthwhile. Reaper's foot collided directly with the stag beetle's horn, causing him to stagger back, dazed; the horn was connected to his skull, after all. The shrew scrambled to her feet, her hand grasping wildly for the hilt of her sabre. "INTRUDER FROM THE WIND CLAN!" she called out, managing to climb to her feet. "INTRUDER FROM THE WIND CLAN!" It seems she had fallen for Reaper's planned ploy. He sighed, although he sent Anne an excited pulse through their bond. As he expected, he felt nothing in response, her focus was on keeping Bundok suppressed until he passed out. "Oh, be quiet," he growled. Another Air Slash flicked towards the shrew, followed by Reaper's feet as he launched himself, foot-first, with another Aerial Ace. By no means was this his most advanced combat strategy, but the fact that he was still yet to touch the ground worked nicely for that "airborne assassin" feel. By this time, Bundok had collapsed, unconscious. The stag beetle had recovered from Reaper's kick to the face and picked up his quarterstaff, which he had set by the village entrance. The shrew was able to counter the Air Slash by charging her blade with Earth energy and cutting the blade of wind, but she most likely wouldn't be able to stop Reaper's Aerial Ace. Reaper felt Anne open back up. The touch was faint at first, but it quickly expanded to cover the lands of the Clan. Anne's battle coordination was starting to work it's magic. Reaper could feel her plucking at threads, picking targets and causing tiny little sensory distortions for those preparing to fight. Nerves, tension, fear. Things she sought to create for him to exploit. He let his body go rigid as he slammed into the shrew, but pushed himself into the air not with the impact, but with an Aeroblast to the ground at their feet. His hood threatened to slide off, but he tightened it as he sailed back into the air, fans in his hands and ready to strike. Reaper's foot slammed directly into the shrew's sternum, causing her to rocket backwards and into a nearby wall. She hit it hard, collapsing into a heap on the ground. "Polvere...!" The stag beetle hefted his quarterstaff and got between the shrew and Reaper, bracing himself for the hedgehog's attack. Reaper started to spin, slowly at first, but rapidly increasing in pace. Finally, just as he seemed to blur, a pair of silver darts flew from his figure, straight at the beetle. Reaper stopped rotating at that moment, and launched an Air Slash directly behind them, accelerating the folded, thrown fans even faster. The darts were coming too fast for the beetle to try and deflect them with his weapon; he had no choice but to try and bear the brunt of the assault using his thick, armored forearms. Bundok was still unconscious, while the shrew, Polvere, was struggling to climb to her feet, breathing raggedly. Reaper timed his movements with the fans, launching himself directly behind them with an Aerial Ace, but cut just short of the beetle's arms. Instead, he slowed enough to be distinct, and rolled into an axe kick. The beetle still had his arms shielding his face, and didn't quite see Reaper coming at him with an axe kick. He moved them away just as Reaper's attack was about to hit him. Reaper didn't pull his punches, either, and simply slammed into the beetle. Reaper's foot collided with the beetle's chest, although he was a good deal brawnier than Polvere was; regardless, the attack staggered him and made him stumble backwards. Reaper didn't bother slowing down the assault any further, instead transitioning to a blur of rapid punches and kicks, all the while hovering just off the ground with a pillar of air. As tempting as it would be to simply fly on his own accord, he needed to keep the appearance of manipulating wind. Unable to recover, due to how swiftly Reaper was attacking him, the beetle was slowly forced backwards from the assault. Polvere had finally gotten back to her feet and stumbled towards the two; she was breathing hard and painfully. Slamming the blade of her weapon into the ground, she made shards of stone erupt below Reaper, hoping to hit him. Reaper simply sighed, and stopped throwing punches for a moment. And then he pushed the air currents around him outwards, a defensive use of Whirlwind to throw the rocks, and those attacking him, away. "I'm here for something your clan has in it's vaults. If you're going to try to stop me, then you're going to need more than this," Reaper taunted, taking the time to refresh his energy and check Anne's scan. Sure enough, he could feel the Earth Clan start to swarm, like an angered cloud of bees. He smiled, and cracked his neck. If these three fighters could last this long, perhaps he'd be forced to draw his scythe and reveal the truth if the full clan came out. The stones were blasted away and scattered on the ground around Reaper, while the shrew drew her weapon out of the earth. No longer being attacked repeatedly, the beetle was able to steady himself, although it was clear he was battered. He readied with quarterstaff, seeing that Reaper appeared to be distracted, and attacked with a forceful jab. Reaper sighed, and reached into Hammerspace once again. However, instead of calling upon his fans again, a new weapon emerged. A long oak shaft, with a wickedly curved blade at the end. Idly, he used the scythe to deflect the quarterstaff jab. "Since you are willing to fight to the death, how about I grant it?" With the dark hood pulled down over his head, and the long scythe in hand, Reaper's appearance touched towards the otherworldly. "Please, bring your best." Although it was clear the beetle was quite battered, he refused to step down, brandishing his weapon in both hands after Reaper parried his blow. "I will not allow you to cause any further destruction...!" Reaper snorted, and spun the scythe in a rapid set of spirals. "You should rest. I'm out of your league." And with that, he began to launch Air Slashes from his spiraling scythe.

The beetle twirls his staff, aiming to try and block the multiple Air Slashes. He manages to block all but one, which catches him across the shoulder, making him stagger back a bit. The shrew staggered towards her companion, clutching the hilt of her weapon tightly. "Whatever...it is...you've come here for," she wheezed out, trembling slightly. "You're not...going to get it...Wind Clan scum!" The groundhog was still unconscious. Reaper smirked, and slowly reigned in the rapid spins of his scythe as he began to prepare for something stronger. He could feel Anne's telepathic nudging about their mission, but this guard team needed to be dealt with. Even with her warnings, he could feel her push energy through their bond, expanding the size of the forming Aeroblast to something beyond anything Reaper had used before, leaving it resembling a small tornado circling around his body.

"I'd suggest you surrender."

The beetle and shrew's eyes widened in fear at the sight of the growing Aeroblast encircling Reaper.They might very well die if they tried to stay and fight that; the shrew was already on the verge of losing consciousness from her wounds. The beetle backed up, towards the unconscious groundhog, before hefting him up and supporting him on his shoulder and arm.

"B-Berugu, we can't surrender!" the shrew wheezed, looking over her shoulder at the beetle.

"Polvere...we can't fight that..."