Part 4
That night, Tails and Darrien sleep soundly in a house near to the doctor's place which was graciously offered to them for the night. Darrien up in a spare bed while Tails sleeps on the floor upon a rather comfortable bedroll, both of them in a side bedroom. The fox dreamt several dreams that night, but the last one stood out to him in particular.
He walks through the thick mist of an early morning on a descending path along a mountainside. Along the walls of this mountain, he sees crudely drawn murals of what appears to be human-like creatures doing various things from hunting large animals to doing other daily activities with others of their kind. Just after seeing these, Tails spots a clearing with several primitive-looking overlanders, humans who had just evolved to the modern species. He keeps walking as if being silently pushed by an unknown force. Tails sees them, children playing and an adult hunkered closely to a camp fire.
He can't help but feel a bit of awe, having never seen a human in a primitive state before but that sight soon changes as he heads down, the mountain path leading off into the forest. As he walks through the forest, he sees wooden and stone housing, similar to Knothole back in its early days. It's here that he sees even more humans, clad in animal hides and roughly-stitched clothing going on about their day, seemingly oblivious to the fox that walks alongside them. Tails momentarily feels like calling out to them but just as quickly seems to realize that he can't, for he's merely an observer here.
Tails walks through the forest, finding another clearing ahead and looming on the horizon is the sight of numerous tall, modern buildings. He continues walking this seemingly pre-determined path, which takes him down into the main stretch of this city. It's here that Tails sees an incredible mass of humanity, many thousands of overlanders walking down the street with a large array of automobiles riding along next to them in the street. He can't help but feel incredible awe here, there were so many and he was able to feel every beating heart, every sense of love no matter how faint.
It was overwhelming to him to see so many of them, able to feel the scope of their existence to the billions. He continues his walk, going from the city teaming with activity to back to another peaceful village, this time, more modern in scope... and then on to a shoddy wooden hutch like the primitive man before. Obvious sadness was held in their hearts this time and it was obvious that these overlanders had not been eating or living well, reminding Tails of the time of war that had previously been known to them 10 years ago.
This time, it was different somehow. He couldn't help but feel, after what he had just seen that none of this suffering was necessary as many others seemed to live well. It was then that Tails caught a glimpse of something sinister, as he walked along this seemingly predetermined path he sees the overlanders slaughtering one another, the bodies of their victims falling down into a large ditch, which was teaming with rotting corpses of the mostly hairless ones.
.oO(They seemed so happy before and then this happened... what's going on?) The twin-tailed fox thinks to himself, seeing the mayhem.
It was then that another city loomed on the horizon, this one under a dark horizon, looking much more bleak with numerous homeless fighting in the streets alongside very run-down hi-rise buildings. It was then that Tails slowly began to make something else out amongst the overlanders. They were not kitsune, but a strange reptilian creature, seemingly hanging off of the backs of the many overlanders. Many, many more of them began to form in the overlander's place with larger, more dragon-like creatures looming over the others.
"It was not just their fault... there was much strife amongst the overlanders by their nature, however, the leaders of humanity were just like puppets, their strings being pulled by an unknown shadow. These creatures you see now are the puppet masters. They are not Earthly in nature, they are a predator race that came from the stars, numbering nearly as many as the humans themselves. They were the instrument of humanity's ultimate downfall... turning what could have been a time of greatness into ruin with their greed and megalomania. Now humanity is nearly extinct and while these creatures have seemed to have faded into obscurity, know that they are still among you... and they will destroy the Mobians just like they have the overlanders." An ominous voice explains.
.oO(I don't understand, I've never seen such a creature... yet they were able to destroy an entire civilization?) The fox thinks as he continues walking along the now badly-cracked path.
Just then Tails seems to stop and he looks to the sky, one particular reptilian creature seems to block the sky, one giant puppeteer with a wicked grin on his face. "Yes, dance my puppets... dance..." It hisses out. "We are your masters, you will give everything of value to us, without ever knowing it was us that created your wars, created debt and poverty. Now your anguish feeds us and we will have more!" The giant calls out with a wicked cackle.
It's then that Tails feels an immense feeling well up in his heart. A feeling of mixed rage and despair.
.oO(They're the reason the overlanders died and they never even knew... and we're next...)
Suddenly the vision fades away into pure blackness, helplessness overwhelming the young fox.
"Now you know... our greatest secret. Their hunger and lust for power is endless. There are good amongst them but they are considered inferior and left for dead. Please, Tails, Fiona, Darrien, Duke, Jex and Kelley. The hybrid kind is our last hope, you will be the only ones who can push them back, and free kitsune and Mobian kind. Their kind is here and in many other places, they must be stopped not just for Mobius's sake, but for the entire universe. They will consume until there is nothing left."
Just as Tails is about to form another question he is sudden shaken awake by Darrien.
"Did you see that?" The rat asks him cautiously.
"Wh-what... oh the dream... so you saw it too?" He questions groggily.
"Yes, those reptiles, I've seen them before. There was one among the raiding party." He says to Tails, rubbing a bit of morning crud from his eyes.
"But there were only Mobians and kitsune in that caravan," Tails says thoughtfully before remembering a detail that he didn't notice before.
"No, there was a reptile there, I thought it was just another Mobian but, I remember catching a glimpse of it getting into the wagon that the dark blue kitsune carried off," Tails says before feeling a bit taken aback. "So that's what all this about, that reptile was the real controller, not the kitsune. They just made it look like that she and our ferret friend were the ones calling the shots."
"Damn, we let him get away," Darrien says with a groan.
"Don't worry about it. I told Genra that I wasn't going to face that kitsune... but now I see that it's necessary. We have to get some answers and those two obviously know something." The fox adds.
"Maybe that ferret will remember something when he wakes up," Darrien suggests.
"I hope so... but we can't afford to wait around to find out, if we don't act soon we may never be able to find them again," Tails says, getting up to his feet. "Let's at least go see if he's conscious."
Darrien nods and looks away for a moment as Tails gets ready to walk out of the bedroom. This catches his attention as the rat is seemingly staring into space. "What's bothering you, Darrien?"
The rat shakes his head and gets to his feet. "It's nothing, let's go." He dismisses quickly before walking up to near Tails.
They thank the elderly lady who lent them the room for the night, who in turn offers them breakfast which they deny in the interest of time. They thank the lady one last time before heading next door to the hospital.
When they arrive they see the porcupine doctor in a tizzy, next to the ferret, who seems to be already sitting up out of bed.
"You shouldn't be moving around so soon, you're going to reopen your wounds!" The doctor tells the ferret who just shrugs it off. The ferret male stares down at the floor before standing up, a gloomy look in his features.
"How could they... how could they use someone and throw them away like they're nothing... I will never forgive them!" He says before trying to walk, although not well, away from the doctor.
"Hold on mister, you're in no shape to be seeking revenge," Darrien says to the ferret.
"I can't just sit around... and let those monsters get away with this." He says before flaring up partially, burning away the bandages from his body.
The doctor jumps back in shock as he looks over the body of the ferret, adjusting his glasses as he sees the ferret's condition.
"Good heavens!" The doctor cries out.
"Huh, what is it!?" Tails asks, stepping forward thinking that he may have been startled by the sudden flare-up.
"He's, almost completely healed. I've never seen any patient recover this fast!" The doctor says, wanting to touch him but knowing better.
"Good, then there's no reason for me to stay here... I have business to tend to." He says as he walks toward the other two.
"No, I must still examine you and make sure your bones have set correctly!" The porcupine says, still a bit flustered.
"Forget about it, I feel fine." He says before walking past the other two, never lifting his gaze off of the floor.
"D-Duke! You still can't just leave!" The doctor exclaims at the ferret one final time.
"You did your job, now it's time that I do mine!" The ferret adds before walking out of the door.
The two other hybrids look at each other for a moment.
"Hey, wait up!" Tails says, following him out with Darrien in tow.
The two walk outside of the cabin, standing just behind the other.
"So you're Duke, we can't let you go alone. We must all face them... Darrien and I have seen what that particular kitsune can do." Tails says to the other.
"You have no idea, I've been under her control for over a month... and that lizard, he's the true leader of the pack. He's had me and many others under a spell... and if one of them can do this much damage, then we have no time to lose." He says before pausing a moment. "I... I can still hear their cries, the look of fear in their eyes as I killed them with my bare hands. I... can't live with that on my conscious... I have to atone and if that means an impossible battle, then I'm all for it!"
"A heroic sentiment... but we don't even know where they are," Darrien adds.
"I do... I know where she was heading. We'll just have to meet them both there." He says with a sniffle, wiping the remnants of tears from his eyes. "If you go with me, you're practically committing suicide."
"No, if we fight together, we will survive!" Tails speaks up with optimism. "Besides, if we can find out what's controlling the kitsune lady, we can spare her from the reptiles influence as well."
"You really think we can?" Darrien asks the fox.
"We've been through worse odds than this... we were all but helpless in the great war, but we still survived. Now we've been giving the blessings of more evolved creatures to help them in their time of need. I don't know if any of you have had kitsune contacts, but Genra trusts me... no, all of us, to bring this to an end." Tails states before quickly turning around to look at him, sensing another's presence.
"Then what are you boys standing around for? We have lizard asses to kick." The black-haired vixen stands around 100 feet behind them, rapidly approaching them and cracking her knuckles.
"It's you!" Tails calls out in surprise as the familiar voice echoes into his ears from the distance.
"That's right, fuzzy. You think I was going to let you and your boyfriends here hog all the glory? I was among those named in that vision. So, I know now that I was not intended to do this alone... and you've gathered two others right here with you." Fiona calls out to them before bridging most of the gap.
"But how did you even get here?" Tails asks her, still leery.
"You know how, ol' Blackie, the kitsune that was supposed to be watching over me for that fat-ass elephant. He was able to track you over the distance and was more than happy to squeal where you were once his balls were on the line. Not only that, but he was happy to get rid of me by giving me a lift here."
"You mean, you beat him by yourself?" Tails inquires more.
"Of course, that one wasn't shit... even a softie like you could've taken him on if you'd just have fought without hesitation." She replies with a dark chuckle.
"This woman... she is one of us?" Darrien asks as Duke looks on, unimpressed by any of this thanks to his somber mood.
"Unfortunately yes, I don't know how she did it, but she received 'the blessing' too." Tails replies.
"The blessing?" Darrien questions.
"What, you mean you don't remember doing the ritual with a kitsune? I thought that's how all of us got this power." Duke asks impatiently.
"No... I've always been this way, ever since I was a child." The rat swordsman replies.
"So, you're not really a hybrid?" Tails asks, remembering how Genra helped awaken his potential.
"I... don't know," Darrien adds, unable to remember what happened to him in his youth.
Duke sighs and just scoffs. "Whatever, we don't have time for this... let's go!" He says before flaring up his fiery aura, floating up from the ground and zooming off in the distance.
"Well, here goes nothing..." Tails says, charging up his aura and lifting himself off of the ground, soon joining the others in the air. It seems, even Fiona knew how to fly like this, he was literally the only one among them still learning and at first, struggles to keep up with them.
Darrien and Duke are leading the pack, flying with more obvious skill at the front.
"So, what are these reptiles, exactly?" The rat inquires from the ferret.
"They're called 'Alpha Draconians', named after the galaxy they originally came from. They're a mighty space-faring race that has supposedly conquered numerous star systems and are parasitic by their nature." Duke calls out to the other against the wind.
"So ours is next..." Darrien says to himself.
"These lizards have been here since the time of early overlanders, choosing to remain hidden as they do their dirty work so that no one could tell it was them. They're finally so confident that they are winning that they are selectively starting to show themselves.
Darrien nods and looks forward again as they soar through the sky.
"By the way, these things can shapeshift, so don't trust anyone you see around there. Where there's one, there's at least a dozen of them and most of them will be in camouflage." He calls out to the others.
Tails nods, Fiona also being within earshot.
.oO(So what the black kitsune told me is true, they can look like anyone at any time... damn, how are we supposed to fight against something that can do that.) Fiona ponders with a frown.
"We have to 'feel them out'. Genra told me that we will be able to learn to feel their lower frequency simply by being around them as we get used to our new abilities." Tails says back to Fiona, who blinks in surprise.
"How did you know I was just thinking that?" She calls out to him skeptically.
"What? You mean you didn't just say it?" Tails asks her, blinking a bit in surprise.
"Mind your own business, softie!" She retorts with a scowl.
Tails just shakes his head and flies up closer to the other two.
"We're almost there," Duke calls out to them before coming to a stop in mid-air. "We've gotta approach them on foot and can't let our auras leak out or they'll know we're there." He explains before floating back down to the ground. The others following them down, including Tails who loses concentration and falls several feet onto his rear.
"Ouch!" He calls out, rubbing his now sore backside.
"Idiot..." Fiona just scoffs at him with a roll of her eyes and walks up with the others, who are now walking out of formation up to what looks like a checkpoint. Tails quickly catches up and walks up next to Duke who suddenly stops and looks back.
"Remember, keep your aura suppressed so they don't figure us out.. and Tails, you look like a kitsune with those two-tails, so get up here in the front and tell the gate guard that you are bringing in new Mobians for recruitment." He motions.
The twin-tail then takes the lead, putting a stern expression on his face. They then walk up to the checkpoint and Tails takes the lead as advised.
"Just bringing in some new recruits." Tails states, swishing his tails.
The apparent dog Mobian and another twin-tailed fox, a real kitsune then begin to look over them. The kitsune steps up and looks squarely at Tails.
"Funny, I don't remember seeing you around here." He calls out, sniffing in his direction. Before Tails has a chance to comment the kitsune continues. "Yes, a sweet smell but I can tell he's nice and strong, the kind Contessa seems to like to bring in. He must be one of her play-toys, let them in." He motions to the dog, both of them stepping aside before getting back in the way of the other three.
"You others, however, don't belong out walking around freely... to the pens with them." The kitsune then orders, a couple of other mobians seeming to phase in, rapidly grabbing the arms of the others.
"Why you..." Fiona growls before Duke looks back to her. "Don't fight it, they have us fair and square." He says with a wink back to her who then tries to calm down as they are lead into the encampment.
Tails watches as they are taken away and notes in which direction they were taken in. He looks around the camp as he walks in. He sees numerous kitsune, mostly those with no more than two tails like he has but one particularly large tent catches his attention as he sees a gold and jewel-clad lizard step out from it, this one much taller and imposing than the one he caught a glimpse of before.
.oO(That must be what they truly look like, they're a lot bigger than what I saw. It's easy to see that they're not Mobian in their true form.)
"What 'chu looking at?" The Draconian calls out to Tails who quickly realizes he was staring.
"Uh, nothing sir." He replies before walking off, quite nervously.
"That dumb bitch is lettin' the fuzzballs walk around without control collars now, I'm gonna hafta 'ave another talk with 'er." He grumbles.
.oO(I think I felt what Genra was talking about, but the power I sensed from him was actually rather weak. Could it be that aside from their mind-control technology and potent appetite for negative emotion, that they really aren't that strong of a creature?)
"Hey, the mistress' tent is that way." A random kitsune guard corrects the wandering twin-tail who is quickly awoken from thought.
.oO(They expect me to go to her, I guess I'd better do it. I just hope the others will be okay) He thinks to himself a bit more before finding himself in front of the biggest tent of all in the encampment.
Tails stands at the opening of it, seeing what appears to be Mobians kneeling at the sides of the opening. Taking a gulp of apprehension before stepping in, he then notices the large dark blue lady kitsune laying on her side with two other lesser kitsune tending to her.
"So, you've come..." She states to Tails.
"You were expecting me?" Tails asks out of curiosity.
"You may have my guards fooled, but I know you and the other hybrids are here... I had, however, expected you sooner." She says before sitting up and motioning the other multi-tailed beings away. "Leave us." She then stands, her six tails swaying seemingly at random behind her.
Tails silently curses himself, now finding him alone with this considerable foe and begins to really hope the others find a way to make it to him before it's too late.
"So, you are a holy type, or so they say... something I never thought I would get to see with my own eyes." She says, looking at him with her purple eyes.
"What do you mean?" He questions.
"Don't you know? Your energy type is legendary, making up less than 1% of all kitsune throughout history. Holy energy is both revered and feared in our society because it is fabled to have no limits and now I get to see it with my own eyes." She says with a slight grin.
Tails stands, at a loss for words, trying to figure out just what she is up to.
"Join us..." She states simply before adding. "You will become a part of the greatest army in the universe."
Tails scowls a bit. "You're representing a species that murders innocents by the billions. I'll have nothing to do with that."
"Ahh... so you know about them as well." She adds with a narrowing of her elliptical pupils. "Perfect."
"I'm willing to bet that there's much you don't know about them. They are the greatest warrior race in history, weak by themselves, but their brilliance has led them to become the catalyst of the greatest victories in the entirety of known history." She continues on.
"I don't care how great you think they are, I won't have anything to do with the universe's greatest parasite." Tails retorts.
"You don't understand, it's not like that at all. You've seen but a minor glimpse of their greatness. You don't realize just how successful they are as a species, they take so-called greater civilizations and bring them to their knees from the inside. This technique has allowed them to propagate sections of entire galaxies and have wealth beyond imagination. Even the greatest of kitsune conquerors has to have respect for that kind of ability." She drones on, this much only aggravating Tails.
"Mobius will be their greatest mistake, trying to take us over will be their undoing. You should not feel anything but pity for such a great threat to all that is right in this universe." Tails says with growing confidence.
"Oooh... I see... you really think you can make a difference, don't you? You've been letting that idiot fill your head with absurd ideas. Freedom is but an illusion and your continued existence is only because others let you live. You should know your place." She says with a frown.
"My place... what would you know about my place? I'd wager you'd never done anything of your own volition in your whole life. You're not one to lecture me about my place... because not even I know what that is and I am the only one that truly determines it." He strikes a stance.
"I see... I was hoping I could convince you with words but it's obvious someone as thick as you can only learn from force." She says as her deep blue aura begins to swirl around her. "Let's see just how well that attitude serves you." She says before a blinding flash of light encompasses them, when it fades the two appear to be standing in the middle of a rocky field with several massive crystal shards, each one containing a fearful looking hybrid or kitsune. Duke, Darrien, and Fiona were all there, trapped in these shards, alongside Genra.
"You win, you all go free... you lose, they all die." She says simply which causes Tails to flare up with his sparkling white aura.
.oO(No, she has all of them... I must win, I have to find a way to beat her!)
Within a blink of an eye, she is suddenly within inches of him and gives him a blow to the gut, taking his breath away and stumbling back, ending up on his rear.
"Ugh!" He cries out as he doubles over in pain.
"Hah, one blow and you're already on the ground. Is this really the legendary power of the holy aura? Disappointing..." She says beginning to slowly walk up to him confidently. Tails struggles to get back to his feet, panting heavily from the blow. He tenses up and charges up, his bright aura flickering violently around him.
"Let's try that again." He says and right as he's about to attack the other she suddenly vanishes from view. "What?" He questions in surprise, looking around to find her right as he feels a sharp blow to the back of his head, the tall kitsune vixen standing confidently behind him. Tails hits the ground and slides a short distance, muzzle down in the dirt.
"Child's play, I feel like I'm fighting a wee baby... but then again you can't be more than 20 years of age, can you?" She says mockingly to him, turning around to face him as he once again struggles up to his feet and flares his aura once more.
"That's right, it's your move, come at me!" She taunts him.
He charges right at her and lands a sharp kick to the side of her head with a raised leg. She does nothing to stop and seems to not feel a single bit of the force behind it. She backhands him and knocks him away with ease.
"What the matter with you, do you not realize that you and your friend's lives are on the line? Your strikes and your energy have no ferocity. What makes you think you can stand a chance if you don't even attack me with everything you have!?"
Tails quickly regains his composure and strikes out at the vixen again, this time missing her entirely as she quickly side-steps the blow. His fist barreling into a large rock next to her, shattering it to pieces. He recoils, looking to his hand surprised by the lack of pain in it.
"Yes, now you begin to see... strike at me with all your fury or I'll turn your friends into dust!" She says holding a ball of dark blue energy in the direction of the encapsulated kitsune and hybrids.
"Don't you dare!" He calls out, just to see her launch the ball of energy. Tails' heart stops for a moment as he looks onward toward the others, hesitating for a moment before charging at the ball of energy, getting behind it and managing to pry it off of its course, slapping it away with his tails as he does a quick spin.
"That's right, a kitsune's tails are their strongest feature." A voice suddenly echoes in his head, as Genra speaks to him telepathically. "Remember what I taught you... she can be beaten if you truly believe it in your heart. Our lives are in your hands now."
She cackles out and launches out several more balls of energy toward him and the crystals. Tails feels something within him changing, growing more confident. "I can beat her!" He calls out, beginning to effortlessly bat away the incoming energy with his arms and his tails.
Having used the distraction to get behind him once more to get behind him, this time, the fox notices it and manages to block in what would've been a devastating blow to the back of his neck. She turns, looking to her eye to eye as he struggles to hold off her attack before she ultimately jumps back and holds a grin.
"That look in your eyes, I like it... it suits you well." She calls out to him, noticing his now vertically-slitted eyes with a look of great resolve buried within. Tails wastes no time in lashing out at the kitsune again. She tries to make another quick dodge but is choked up by a sudden change in Tails' form, successfully delivering a punch to the core of her chest and causing her to slide back.
"That... actually hurt." She says aloud, rubbing the spot between her breasts with a hand. "Don't get cocky, it was just a lucky hit!" The dark blue kitsune calls out.
"I don't think so!" He comes up, nearly upon her as he lashes out with growing speed. His aura brighter than ever as he comes up, giving an uppercut to her jaw, spinning around and grabbing her by the throat with his tails; ultimately slamming her to the ground behind him with his tails wrapped firmly around her throat. The vixen clearly struggling as he lands just beside her.
"Let my friends go..." He demands to her.
"You still... haven't won this." She says to him from her choked position upon the ground.
"Have it your way!" He says before looming over her, she desperately tries to kick out of the grasp, even resorting to wrapping some of her own tails around his.
"If she escapes now, young one, she will kill all of us... use the techniques that I've shown you to end this now." The ominous voice from his dream says once again to the young twin-tail telepathically. Tails hesistates with her one the ground, which quickly is changed as she pries her way back up, beginning to loosen his grip with her own efforts.
"Do it now!" He hears once again in the familiar voice before Tails pushes all his power forward toward his fists and begins a sudden assault to her muzzle, chest, and belly with punches of incredible speed. The blows each strong enough to break a Mobian's bones and physically shaking her with each thrust. The blows rapidly land around 30 times before he stops, looking a bit on in horror as she spits up blood and lets her drop to the ground from his tails.
She lies gasping and cringing in pain before somehow managing to get back to her feet, struggling much less than he would've expected. Tails gets a concerned look on his face.
.oO(She can still get up, what do I do now?) He thinks to himself with no immediate response.
Her aura flickers a bit in an unstable manner before blowing Tails back away from her with a powerful gust caused by it by a loud crack of an invisible explosion.
"Damn it, I used my best attack and she can still stand..." He says aloud to himself. "Wait, there is one more."
"So, you can be brutal when the time comes... you shouldn't have been able to even strike me, but yet, you far exceed the power of a class 2 kitsune... but I needn't worry, you still don't have what it takes to finish me." She says before being caught by a fit of coughing. "Well then, come at me and I will show you what I can really do!"
"I don't want to..." Tails looks away, letting his aura begin to fade down.
"What!? You'd dare power down in front of me, do you take me for a fool!?" She calls out to him angrily.
"This battle is pointless... it doesn't prove anything," Tails says. "It's very difficult to put my hands up to a woman like this, even a strong one like you. So I'm stopping this battle right now." The comparably short hybrid calls out.
"Fool lay down your arms and you're all goners!" She calls out before charging at him once again, full speed when suddenly she stops, coming to a screeching halt just before him. Something having just caught her attention, the look in his eyes once again. His body may have refused to move but his demeanor was solid. She looks down into his eyes, seeing the look of a truly confident man.
She steps back and lets her own aura fade, staring into those orbs of confidence and fidelity.
"What's the matter, weren't you going to kill me?" He says to her, holding his firm gaze.
She then shakes off the effect the gaze seems to have upon her and calls out angrily. "No twin-tail can ever mock me!" She says as her power spikes violently, the very ground beginning to shake beneath them with rocks of the surrounding area breaking and being pried up by the force of her aura.
Her power sends a shiver down Tails' spine and it's then that he realizes that if he doesn't go with everything he's got now, he'll likely get vaporized by the other's power. He tenses and flares his aura as brightly as he can, it in turn pushing against the vixen kitsune's, the two auras seemingly locked in a dance for domination as the residual damage around them grows.
"I don't care how strong you are, I will stop anyone that threatens my friends even if it costs me my life!" He calls out, his fur itself beginning to glow white at its tips as he pushes deeper for power than he ever has before.
It's then the vixen lashes out at him with a snarl of fury. Going for the twin-tails' throat with her claws but it misses quite profoundly as Tails jumps up into the air and begins to curl up and spin, Sonic-style. His spin quickly grows to incredible speed and launches out from mid-air against the blue kitsune.
She puts her arms up defensively and is pushed back a great distance from the other's attack. smashing through the tall rocks with a cry of frustration. His aura nearly cutting into her own as he struggles against her in the spinning attack.
.oO(If I let up even a little bit, they all die!) Tails thinks to himself as he continues his assault which grows even stronger, his aura arcing out definitely as he drives her back with sheer force.
He finishes his roll, breaking out with a defiant double kick to her torso which sends her flying back at incredible speed, smashing through the rocks much quicker and burying her into the side of a small mountain.
Tails pants and falls to his knees, feeling incredibly drained after putting so much force into that attack.
"So this is the power of the Mobian hybrid..." The half-rubble laden vixen says to herself amidst she says weakly, brushing the rubble from her and weakly standing up, her ears and six tails which had stood proudly, now falling away. "Still just a baby in scale and yet he can fight evenly with me, a class 6 kitsune. What Itan told me about them was true, I should have listened." She says before falling down onto her front-side in the rubble.
It's then that another flash of light engulfs the area before fading away once again to see them both standing in the tent as if nothing had just happened.
A brief moment passes as the two look at each other shocked before the vixen falls to her knees silently, looking to the floor.
"I don't know what just happened..." Tails shakes head.
"You're free to go, I can't stop you." Contessa, the dark blue kitsune says with a hint of shame.
Indeed Tails hears some commotion outside and he turns to run out into the daylight and find out what's going on.
"There he is, he's still alive!" Darrien points to Tails, while the others all run up near to him.
"What's going on? We were fighting with the guards and then suddenly they just let us go without putting up a fight." Fiona says to Tails
"That Draconian is gone, though, we can't find him anywhere," Duke adds.
"She must've told him telepathically to escape while we locking horns," Tails says.
"What do you mean, I didn't hear any commotion beside our own, nor did I feel any real power signatures up here." The rat hybrid tells Tails.
Tails then turns around and peer back into the tent with nobody apparently present in it. "I'm not sure... somehow we fought, but it was like it never even took place."
"Yeah, like that makes any sense." Fiona quips with a roll of her eyes.
"Let's get out of here before the guards change their minds," Darrien adds beginning to power up and float into the air, with Fiona and Duke doing likewise.
"You go ahead without me... I will meet you back at that village." Tails says before walking back into the tent.
"What is he doing?" Duke questions.
"Who knows, he managed to survive whatever happened in there, he should be fine," Fiona says dismissingly and with that, they fly back off toward the village.
Tails then walks back toward the tent, looking around cautiously, still able to feel the presence of a kitsune.
"I know you're still here..." Tails calls out.
"Why didn't you leave when you had the chance?" Her voice calls out.
"Because as long as you still intend to follow those alien reptiles, my job here isn't finished." He explains.
Suddenly the vixen and the two servants reappear at the side of the tent. "So, you're still not content with what you've accomplished..."
"Come with me, there's no need for you to stay here..." He offers to her with an outstretched hand. "Face it, you have no future with the Draconians, they're merely using you to their own end." He explains, looking to her once again, this time with a lighter expression.
"So be it, but know that I will come and go as I please..." She replies to him.
"Fine then... and you should probably bring your eh, friends, along with you. They're not safe here either."
"I had thought of that before." She says, looking to the smaller males at either side of her.
"Alright then, I'm sure you'll know where to find me." Tails adds finally before stepping out and flying away, heading back toward the previous village to the south.
A moment passes before the kitsune and her smaller servants step out of the tent.
"Mistress, are you really planning on accompanying that hybrid?" One of the males besides her ask.
"Holy aura or not, I must find out his secrets." She explains before powering up in her deep blue aura and picking them both up with it as she flies on in the direction of Tails, trailing a considerable distance behind.
.oO(Those moves he used, it looks a lot like Ken o odorimasu. How could he know something like that? The way he carries himself, his techniques and the intensity of his power; he reminds me of someone long past...) She ponders idly to herself as she flies along before a surprised look comes over her features as a familiar image enters her mind. .oO(Genra!? Could it be that he's still alive?)
She remembers about the rouge kitsune scientist that was banished from the capital city of their dimension for his 'radical ideas' of creating genetically perfect hybrid kitsune. It's then that she realizes Tails must be his work and is the key to finding him.