Planet Eilaela Retold (story): Difference between revisions

''Whack.'' Once again, Raven hit the training dummy with enough force that a real enemy would have hit the opposite wall. She was only fifteen years old, yet the fierce combat training required of her made her stronger than many twice her age. For years, she would spend her days at school, and her nights on the training grounds. She wanted nothing more than to be a famed Sol Guardian, like her idol Blaze the Cat. How could she ever rest if she wanted any chance of being like her?

Every once in a while, she had to admit that it was nice to pop back over to Earth. It was quiet, grounded. Less exciting in some ways, but uniquely comforting in others. Lest she forget, a helpless little fox named Vultro also lived on Earth. There was no way that she was going to let him go more than a ''few'' days without checking on him.

Though she liked to act tough and pretend that all that "emotion" stuff didn't matter, deep down she really valued the friendship she had with Vultro. She didn't have many friends in this life. Friendship was what made the sleepless nights of training worth it.  

Vultro seemed unusually excited today as she strolled into his little cave. "Hey, Vultro. What's up?" she said as she sat on a large rock. "Well... I have an idea. A really cool idea." She braced herself for whatever he was about to reveal. "Hit me with it, bud." Vultro's wide and somewhat awkward smile grew. "I want to go to space!" Raven took a moment to process this statement. She cleared her throat. "Space? Like, outer space?" Vultro nodded. "Yeah!" He scurried over to her side. "I want to go to space, and I want to build my own spaceship too!" Despite wanting to roll her eyes, she just stared at Vultro and blinked. "Yeah... yeah, you should. Could be cool." She doubted if a thirteen-year-old could even draw a spaceship, let alone build one. Yet alone build a ''working'' one. But she would never shoot down something Vultro was this excited about, so she let it slide.

"I'm gonna go to Techtown, I'm gonna find an engineer, and I'm going to do it." Raven let out a chuckle. "Sounds great." Vultro smiled. "Yeah! I'm headed there this afternoon!" Raven returned his smile, something she was trying to be better about.

''That was three years ago'', Raven thought to herself. She could not believe that she was now sitting on the very ship Vultro had dreamed of making that day. Not only that, but the damn thing was hurdling through space without a single problem... at least so far.

"Alright guys. We should be arriving at Ethos within the hour!" Vultro said. Wreck sighed to himself. "Finally." Despite Vultro's giddiness, the voice was grating to his ears. "Frankie," he mumbles as he turns to his partner, "''Now'' will you tell me what I'm doing here?" Frankie chuckles. "Just a bit longer, sweetie." Wreck rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair, throwing his arms up behind his head.

Cyncatia is standing next to Vultro, looking out the front window of the ship. Her triangular ears twitched as she stared out into the vast emptiness. Finally, Vultro's words register with her. "Vultro, didn't you just say we're almost there? At Ethos?" Vultro looks down at the dashboard, only to look up again in concern. He thumps on one of the radar displays with his finger. "What the..."

"What's going on?" she asks. Vultro points to the radar scanner. "The radar is saying Ethos is right there in front of us... but it's not. I looked away for a minute, now it's gone." Cyncatia stares at the radar for a moment. "How strange," she says. The ship begins to shake, and she looks back out the window. As if out of nowhere, the horizon is now completely filled by a strange-looking, green and brown planet. "Vultro!" she yells as a fireball begins to form around the ship.

Raven, ears perked, jumps out of her chair. "Vultro, how did you miss that giant planet? It's a ''planet''!" Vultro is looking around frantically at his instruments. "It's not on the radar Raven, it wasn't even there a minute ago! Ask Cync!" Raven exchanged a concerned frown with Cync, who could only nod silently. Raven calmly turned back to her seat, throwing down her bag.

She fiddles around in the bag for a moment and looks up again. "Look, I have the Sol emeralds," she admits. "Tell me right now. Are we crashing?" Vultro continues to fiddle with the landing controls, trying to prepare the ship for a proper landing. "Vultro Zeridia!" she barks. "Tell. Me. Right. Now. Are we going to crash?" "Yes! I mean, probably!" he snaps back after a beat. "I can't get the landing sequence to activate!" he yells. Vultro shut his eyes, full of fear and regret for bringing his friends along to die. ''I guess this is it...'' he thinks as he awaits the inevitable.

Jenara has always been incredibly interested in the world of magic. Her mother, a very powerful sorceress fox, would teach her little spells and incantations every weekend.

The most fascinating spells were of Chaos Magic, the magic harnessed from Chaos Emeralds. "Chaos magic is too dangerous," her mother would tell her every time she asked. "Even the passive energy spells can be trouble." Jenny would ask every week, regardless of how many times mother said no. This went on for what seemed like years, with her always getting the same response. "No, too dangerous." Eventually, she stopped asking.

One time, the week of her twelfth birthday, her mother sat her down. "It's time," she said. Jenny's eyes lit up. Her mom sat down behind her, holding her arm up. "Stick out your pointer finger, honey." Jenny did so, and her mother began to guide her arm into a strange series of arcs. A bubble-like purple shield appeared around them. "It's a protection spell," she said quietly. "Your first taste of Chaos magic." Jenny giggled. "I hope you never need to use it. I also never want you to be in danger." She had a hint of concern to her voice, though she tried her best to mask it behind a smile.

She slowly opens her eyes to see Raven diving into her seat, strapping herself in and securing her bag. Wreck straightens up in his seat and checks his seatbelt, looking over to make sure Frankie is safe. It takes only a few moments to figure out what's happening. We're crashing. As if her mother was still behind her, her arms begin to form a magic symbol in the air. A purple bubble expands to cover the entire ship, as the ship plummets towards a murky body of water.

Raven and Cyncatia are the first to surface, the latter surfacing in the form of a dolphin. "Vultro? Where's Vultro! He can't swim!" Vultro's hands barely break the surface, thrashing towards Cyncatia. He scurries onto her back, coughing up water. "Thank you, Cync." Raven looks around for the rest of the crew. "Where is everyone else?"

A short distance away, Wreck and Frankie both submerge from the swamp. "Yuck, so much for a surprise date..." Frankie said under her breath. Wreck blinks and shakes his head. "''This'' was your idea of a date?" Frankie frowns. "We were supposed to be going to-- You know what, just forget it. We've got more important things to worry about right now, Wreck!"

"Where are we?" Cyncatia asks as she scans her surroundings. There are low trees, slippery rocks, and lots of murky swamp water. She notices Vultro staring at what's left of the ship. "Wherever we are, our way out of here is... busted," he said. "So much for a warm Ethos welcome," Wreck said. "This isn't Ethos," Raven said. "I actually have no idea what this place is," Vultro added.

Jenny is the last to surface, joining the rest of the group. She takes a moment to catch her breath. "I... uh... I hope everyone is okay." She tries to catch her breath as she treads nearby. "I think so," Raven says quietly. She looks down at her now soaked bag, still slightly open, and her eyes go wide. "Where is it?" she yells as she rummages through the bag. "Where's what?" Wreck asks. "The silver emerald!" She dives under the water, but the murky swamp water stings her eyes. She resurfaces, coughing, and spins in circles trying to find it. She yells in frustration. "Gah! The silver Sol Emerald is gone!"

After a few deep breaths, she grits her teeth. She collects her thoughts enough to tread over to Vultro. "I knew I shouldn't have brought these." She rummages in the bag and pulls out the green emerald. "Vultro, this place gives me bad vibes. I want you to hold on to this until we get the silver emerald back." Vultro's concerned expression intensified. "Wouldn't it be more safe with you?" he asked. "Like I said, I just have a bad feeling. If something happens to me or this bag, then they'll all be gone." Vultro nods, placing the emerald in his pouch. He puts his hand on Raven's shoulder. "First, we have to try and fix the ship. Then, we'll find the emerald. I promise." Raven nods silently and sighs.

Vultro and Cync turn around, heading towards dry land. He climbs off and surveys the area. Even on land, there's nothing but trees and muddy pathways in every direction. He pauses to think. Suddenly, the group is disoriented by a blinding flash. "Wh-What was that?" Vultro asks. Wreck gulps nervously. Vultro looks at the group and notices something missing. After a moment, it registers. "Raven? Raven!" he yells. "Where did Raven go?"

"She was right here next to us!" Cyncatia said as she spun around. "How did she disappear?" Vultro shakes his head. "I don't know." Suddenly, a distant scream echoes through the forest. "Raven?" Vultro yells. "That sounded like Raven's voice!" In a panic, he turns to Frankie. "Where that scream came from?" he asked. Frankie closes her eyes. "That way," she says, pointing towards a muddy path.

The group heads in the direction of the scream. They approach a cliff face, with a large cave opening in front of them. "I hate to say it... but if I had to guess, the echoes of the scream mean she's in there," Frankie says. Vultro shakes his head in disbelief. "Alright. Wreck, you stay out here and stand guard." He nods silently. "We'll be right back." Frankie, Vultro, and Jenny enter the cave.

The entrance is faintly illuminated by the light outside, but it's hard to see very far. "Man, this is creepy," Vultro says. Frankie steps further into the darkness, before stopping dead in her tracks. "Guys, something's not right here," she whispers into the darkness. "What do you mean?" Jenny asks. "I am hearing some really weird sounds, and footsteps that aren't ours." She goes silent. "Frankie, come back, I can't see you," Vultro says. No response. "Frankie?" he asks. A second blinding flash fills the cave as the group cover their eyes. "What the...?" Vultro says as he opens his eyes again. "Hello? Frankie?" He steps forward towards where she was standing, but there is nothing there.

"First Raven, now Frankie. What the hell is going on here," Jenny says. "There's a branch in the cave over there," Jenny says. "Maybe we should split up." They collect their thoughts for a moment. "Alright. Jenny, come with me," Vultro says. "Cync, go get Wreck."

"Frances Roslin the Bat." That's what it said on her report card, but no one called her that except for her parents. Everyone she knew called her Frankie. The daughter of the rich Cyrus and Elena Roslin, she lived a pretty sheltered and quiet childhood. She would never be allowed to stay out late, or to stay over at her friend's place. Most of her days would be spent studying at the library, just to have an escape from home.  

As Raven regains her consciousness, she begins to hear a muffled voice come from behind her. Her hands are bound behind her back, and the room is almost entirely dark. She shakes her head and listens again to what the voice is saying.

"Where are the other two?" the voice says sternly. She can see it bend over and sweep the floor nearby, as she slowly starts to surmise who the figure is. Raven smirks to herself. "That's none of your business."

The figure scoffs. "Hah! Those are just a bonus anyway." It reaches out its hand and the five emeralds begin to float around it, glowing in different colors.

"Shoten... crystal?" Raven whispers to herself. A loud rumbling occurs that shakes the entire cave. A cold, emotionless voice comes from the darkness nearby. "Metal Raven, I've secured another prisoner. My sensors show volcanic activity is starting. We may want to evacuate." Metal Raven scoffed in agreement. "Tch. Yeah, the boss wouldn't like the prisoners dead." Frankie appears out of the darkness, being thrown to the ground by the unknown figure.

"Frankie," Raven says quietly. "I'm glad to see you." Frankie, barely awake, struggles to respond. "Mist... Raven, that's... Mist..."

"Speak up Frances! Something you want to tell the class?" Mist says mockingly. "What are you going to do, stop me?" Raven frowns and squints. It's dimly lit, but she can just about make out the familiar ears of Vultro in the opposite corner. She stares through the darkness at him.

"Whoa! A metal clone of Raven?" he bursts out. "I thought she was making that up." Raven sighed. ''Here we go again,'' she thought. Metal Raven's head snapped towards Vultro in one robotic motion. He looks over at the bag in her hands and notices an unfamiliar object poking out of it. It appears to be a lime-green crystal, with a webbing of blue cracks running through it. "Say, what's that thing?" he asks. "I've never seen a gem like that before." ''He's really hamming it up this time,'' Raven thought.

Mist chuckles to himself, stepping forward into the dim light. He reveals himself to be a strange, featureless creature with pale grey skin. Even without visible eyes on his face, Vultro could feel his glare. "Do you really think we'd tell you anything about that crystal?" He pauses and attempts what Vultro assumes is a smirk. "You should have heard Frances before."

The creature morphs into an exact copy of Frankie, down to her large bat ears. "Let me go!! Just wait until my friends find you!" he says as he closely mimics Frankie's voice. Mist laughs to himself. Vultro's eye begins to twitch in anger.

Metal Raven stifles a laugh. Mist looks over to Metal Raven, and pauses. "Behind you!" he yells in not-Frankie's voice. Jenny flips over Metal Raven's shoulder, and swiftly snatches the mysterious crystal from Raven's bag. "How dare you make fun of my friends like that!" Jenny says. Metal Raven growls and leaps towards Jenny at a blinding speed. "Vultro, catch!" She quickly tosses the crystal towards Vultro before being pinned against the wall by Metal Raven's lunge.

Vultro jumps and catches the gem out of the air in his left hand. As he looks down at it in his hands, still angry, it begins to glow green. He begins to feel a surge of energy enter his body. "What's happening?" he asks as he feels more and more energy flow through him. "Uh oh..." Mist muttered. Suddenly, a brilliant light fills the cave, sending a shock wave through the room. Everyone except for him is knocked off of their feet. As the light fades, Vultro is now floating in the air, his fur a shining purple color.

He looks down in awe at his transformation and then looks back at the crystal with a big smile on his face. "Whoa!" he yells. "Guys! Guys! I'm just like Super Sonic! Ha ha, look at me! What the heck is this thing?" He turns around, only to be met by a sucker punch straight to the gut. "Super Sonic, you are not..." a menacing voice says as he falls to the floor.

Vultro drops the crystal, and his fur fades back to normal color. The mysterious figure picks up the crystal and inspects it, and Vultro just barely manages to look up at him. The figure appears to have both the angular face of a wolf, and the distinct large ears of a Fennec fox. He stands as tall as Raven, with a mixture of brown and gray fur.

Jenny, now free from Metal Raven, suddenly gets a tap on her shoulder. She jumps and turns around to see Wreck standing next to her. He signals her to stay quiet, and points towards Mist in some sort of rehearsed code. She nods and smirks as he tiptoes towards Mist. He glances at Jenny and gives her a signal. He suddenly dashes towards Mist, and Jenny dives towards him as well. Mist turns to block Jenny, and Wreck gets behind him to sweep his legs out from under him.

"Raven and Vultro were taken," Jenny said. "We have to get out of this cave," Wreck says as he begins to untie Frankie. "It's okay Frankie, you're safe now."