War of the Regions.
As snow whipped across the desolate landscape, a small band of near invisible creatures sprinted across it. On a mission to gather reconnaissance and intelligence on a small village that sat at a very peculiar location, the creatures knew that time was crucial, and that any misstep-any mistake would result in the failure of this important mission. The village seemed, to a regular civilian, like any other village. A small farming village located on a terrace of a rather large mountain chain. The mountain chain was much different from any other scattered throughout the world: these mountains were only hundreds of years old, yet they were larger than any other chain. To the people living there, this was an unknown truth. The village however, did contain something of immeasurable value. A small, teal-green crystal resided in a well in the center of the village. Discovered by the original pioneers of the village, it was set aside inside the well and became the symbol of the town, but was left alone after that.
The creatures reached a small plateau which sat opposite a valley to the village. Visibility was scarce, yet the mass at the bottom of the valley was unmistakable. A large assault battalion waited at the bottom of the valley. Unlike most battalions, this one was armed to the tooth. Various artillery pieces accompanied the troops, and various aircraft scouted the airspace above for any footholds where artillery could be planted for a better angle on the village. The troops themselves were well armed and trained as well, prepared to destroy any resistance they had the pleasure of encountering. The creatures atop the plateau turned to their leader.
"Sir...we can't possibly protect that village or defeat that many soldiers by ourselves. We should go back and gather reinforcements-to balance the engagement." Most of the creatures agreed, though they refused to voice their concerns, for fear of punishment. The leader stepped forward. A large blue stripe stretched across his stomach, which was an obvious distinction he had when one compared it to the usual red stripe his species bore across their stomachs. He stared at the moving mass thousands of feet below, as if stuck in a trance. Right as one of the creatures under his command prepared to speak, he interrupted them.
"We move to the village and evacuate everyone. We will fight off this attacking army until everyone is safely evacuated and on route to territories occupied by friendly forces. We cannot take any chances-this is a very delicate situation. Prepare to move." He took a deep breath and jumped down off of the plateau, onto the open snowy plain below. He rushed forward, delicately moving from side to side, allowing his footsteps to conceal themselves as snow clumped together inside them. Soon, the rest of the creatures followed, copying the slight zigzag pattern their leader demonstrated. Finally stopping at a small grove of trees, the creatures took cover behind and inside the thick, lush evergreen trees, cautiously assessing the situation.
As they peered out, they could see another large attack force already en route to the village, previously concealed by snow drifts and parts of the village itself. Large, powerful artillery stood in position at the bottom of the trail that led to the village, making final preparations for the barrage of the village. Hundreds of troops marched in orderly columns up to small camps set up around the village, awaiting the final order to begin the assault. Standing in front of the gate stood a group of black figures. Sharp, silver claws glinted through the blinding snow storm, and each wore what looked like a vibrant, red headdress. They were coated in a sleek black fur, which allowed them to move quickly with little air resistance. The leader was easily distinguishable. Gold bands encircled his wrists, and a dark cloak surrounded his frame. The entire valley seemed silent, as if waiting for the command of this one creature. His right hand slowly rose into the air, before falling quickly.
In an instant, a vicious firestorm ensued as hundreds of artillery opened fire, filling the air with screaming explosives. The soldiers surrounding the village simultaneously screamed in unison and rushed forward from their camps, intent of capturing and destroying the village. A miserably weak resistance from the village began to fire upon the advancing soldiers, barely picking off a few of them. Hopelessly surrounded, the villagers began to crowd into their homes, praying for mercy. The creatures hiding inside the trees watched in horror as the full assault began.
"Abort the mission. Get to that village and assists in any evacuation you can. Kill any soldier you find, and if possible, eliminate some of that artillery to clear a path of escape." He turned, looking at three of the creatures nearest to him. "You three, come with me. We're going to stop the Commander up there." He took another deep breath, before growling, releasing his claws. "Move!" At once, the small band of white, cat-like creatures burst from the trees, rushing towards the village. Easily cutting through swaths of enemy soldiers that continued their march towards the village, the creatures appeared as a cloaked blur, hidden except for the red stripes that appeared on their bodies. The black figures at the gates of the village turned, alerted to the presence of a much more determined enemy. The figure with the gold bands grinned, his sharp fangs appearing through his parted lips. He ordered the other figures that stood behind him to repel the small band of assailants, before turning around and heading back inside the village.
Inside the village, chaos blossomed at every corner. Buildings that weren't destroyed in the initial barrage of artillery now sat, flames erupting from any orifice that was left intact. Anyone who hadn't manage to escape indoors or was to stubborn to lay on the ground mutilated or ran in fear from the invading army, clutching to whatever hope remained of survival. Those that managed to hide inside their homes were pulled out by soldiers and murdered on their front doorsteps, without remorse. Amidst all of this, the cloaked figure calmly walked forward, headed straight for the well. His interest for the object residing inside the well was only briefly interrupted as a dying woman fell in front of him, clutching his legs and begging for mercy. Disgusted, he picked her up by her neck and held her by her neck, suspended in midair. He growled and drove his claw through her stomach, pushing through until his claw exited through the other side. Her mouth hung open, gasping for breath. He ripped his claw back through her stomach and hurled her into the nearest burning house, watching as it collapsed on top of her before erupting in a violent explosion. He grinned and continued forward. The cat-like creatures continued up the trail, halted momentarily by the cloaked figures. Intent on rescuing whoever was left in the village, the leader of the courageous band of soldiers stepped forward.
"I'm not entirely sure why your kind enjoys violence and bloodshed so much, but I am sure of one thing. You will not find what you are looking for, and every last one of you will burn in the fiery pits of hell that you have been so happily digging yourselves into this entire time. This ends now." He rushed forward, and his soldiers followed. He split up his squad, ordering a third of them to stay back and hold off the advancing army. Another third was ordered to occupy the cloaked figures. He motioned for the remaining soldiers to follow him, making their way to the village. Finding the village walls to be nearly destroyed, he easily cleared them, running to the one place he knew was the central target of the entire attack. Once he reached the town center, he watched as the cloaked figure reached into the well and gingerly removed the crystal, holding it in his paws. He studied it with a marvelous gaze, as if appreciating it for some value. Finding a small rock, the cat stepped forward and hurled it at the cloaked figure, smiling slightly as the rock smashed into the figure's back, catching him off balance. Enraged, he threw off his hood and spun around, almost shocked to find the cat standing there.
"Thateus, it's a wonderful pleasure to see you again. It seems...unfortunate that you caught me at a time like this, I must admit. However, you must understand why I came, and why I had to bring assistance with me, given the circumstances and the...luxury, if you will, of a crystal like this one. I do wish we had more time to chat, but it seems I must be going, now that I have what I came for." The cat growled and stepped forward. Around them, soldiers chased down whoever remained alive. Burnings that remained upright burned violently. The snow beneath them scattered as a breeze replaced it with a fresh coat.
"The circumstances? You have just committed a murder on a massive scale! This is genocide! This attack is merely your desire to kill made possible by your desire for power! You're nothing more than a deranged monster gone mad. You will pay for each live you have taken today. Put the crystal down, Vex. Put it down right now, so I can kill you without harming it." The cloaked figure chuckled at first before laughing. He slowly bent over to set the crystal down. Right as it touched the ground, a pair of projections shot forward from his body, headed towards the cat. Although they were just images of the figure, they caught the striped cat off guard, lifting and carrying him into one of the buildings, crashing into it. Hiding in the cover of the buildings, the remainder of the squad watched as their leader flew past them, slamming into an already weakened building. Consumed by fear, one of the soldiers burst out from cover, intent on killing the cloaked figure.
After launching the projections at the cat, Vex had turned around, holding the crystal once more. He lifted it into the air, grinning as it slowly began to rotate and float in midair. In the sky above them, the clouds slowly began to gravitate to the crystal, forming a cyclone above it, with the eye of the cyclone parting to allow a red beam to inch towards the crystal. Hearing the footsteps of the approaching soldier, the figure turned around in time to launch his claw forward, in and through the neck of the lunging soldier. Coming to such an abrupt and violent stop, the soldier's legs flailed beneath him as he raised his arms to his neck, in a failed attempt at releasing the claw that was lodged in his neck. He gagged once, coughing blood out and onto the ground. Vex grinned and lifted him up, examining the dying hulk in front of him. Faint wisps of darkness surrounded his claw before solidifying into pure energy and blasting the cat off his claw and onto the ground, tens of feet in front of him. The cat's body sagged into the snow, lifeless.
Overcome with anger and sadness, the rest of the squad revealed themselves from cover and went to their dead comrade. One of the cats, a younger one in particular, stood, shaking with rage. Turning towards the figure, he screamed, running forward. Instead of turning to fight him himself, Vex sent out two more clones. Determined to kill the figure, the clones rushed forward, penetrating into the cat's body. Finding shelter inside him, they found and fed off his own rage and hate, magnifying it until it consumed him altogether. From the outside, darkness surrounded and engulfed him, despite his screams and attempts to escape. It rose up into the air before gliding forward and finding the cloaked figure, feeding him the darkened energy, strengthening him, leaving nothing of the former soldier. Deciding against engaging the figure, the remainder of the squad turned to the rampaging soldiers in the village, moving to defend the remaining civilians.
Ignoring a faint ringing noise in his ears and a dissipating dizziness, Thateus slowly stood, catching the eyes of his dead, mangled squad member. A burning feeling of sadness was soon replaced with pure hatred and anger towards Vex. He walked towards him, seething with rage. Vex grinned and turned, creating two more clones. As they lurched towards, they were obliterated by Thateus, who continued forward. Any more clones that were created were destroyed almost instantaneously. Realizing that this was a battle he would have to fight, Vex lunged forward towards the cat. Lacking power but making up for it in agility, Vex was able to catch Thateus off guard and hurl him, using darkness, across the town center. Almost immediately after hitting the ground, Thateus regained balance and lunged forward. Unable to comprehend the sheer speed he moved at, Thateus crashed into Vex, throwing him forwards and through one of the few remaining buildings. Thateus stood, panting. Blood trickled down his chin from his mouth, but he ignored it, turning to look at the crystal.
He stepped in front of it, slowing reaching to grab it. As he touched it, thunder boomed and surges of electricity crackled from the now swirling cyclone. The cloaked figure attempted to stand as well but fell onto one knee, gripping his side. He watched in horror as Thateus took the crystal and plunged it towards himself, into his chest. Upon contact, electricity and fire violently flared around him, erupting into a vortex that launched into the eye of the cyclone. Grinding his teeth together to try and fight off enough pain to stay conscious, Thateus screamed and shoved it forward, completely shattering the crystal into his body. The once calm red beam raced towards the ground, hitting Thateus directly in the center of the vortex. For an instant, everything seemed to move in slow-motion for the cloaked figure. He watched as the fur that covered Thateus slowly and almost gracefully flowed as the wind violently pushed it. He could not hear anything, but he could see Thateus was screaming, his head thrown back as he yelled in horrendous pain and agony. He could only gasp as an explosion pulsed outward from Thateus, annihilating anything and everything that seemed to get in it's path of destruction. Reaching the outskirts of the village in a mere second, the explosion continued outward, engulfing all of the soldiers, the artillery, and eventually the aircraft as well.
And then, in an another instant, it had vanished. The entire mountainside, which was, mere moments ago, a vicious battleground now lay silent, with only the whispering sounds of the snow brushing up against anything that was strong enough to withstand the explosion. It is ironic that war, the most violent and expensive of practices, is also the only one that truly reveals the nature of those who fight in it. Sometimes, it takes the most taxing of wars to create the strongest of bonds between nations, between people, between brothers. This war is no different. Waged across all stretches of land, sea and sky, this single war created a union that has withstood the test of time. Yet, this war was not one fought between men. No, this war happened long before the dawn of man. This, is a War of the Regions.