Zoids: Zi Chronicles
Prologue
The planet and its inhabitants
Zi was the oldest planet in its system, and the only bearing life, as strange as that life was. Massive mechanical life forms that called themselves Zoids dominated the planet as humans dominated Earth. Zoids were truly alive, by all means of the word; they had a soul, were sentient, communicated through their roars, clicks, and hisses perfectly, and reproduced sexually, producing egg-like pods that hatched into baby-like versions of the adults.
Some of these babies were born with variants to the standard, such as armour colour and weapons present, but all started out at a fraction of the size of their parents. Even such massive beasts as the Death Saurer and Mad Thunder began as infants no larger than a Godos. Several young Zoids were known to be born looking nothing like their parental counterparts, and thus, new Zoids came to be.
Zoids were on every continent, from what was called the Dark Continent in the north all the way to the shores of the desert wastelands that abounded the southern lands. Zi had divided itself into four continents by means of geological disturbances; the Dark Continent was isolated by a sea of ice kilometers thick that served as a proverbial land bridge to the Hellbey Continent. Hellbey was a land of rolling hills with few trees and little running water, but was flooded thrice a year by torrential rains, producing kilometers of miniscule islands. Stranded Zoids with no way to get off the islands often perished during the rainy seasons.
But not all lands on Zi were so lucky as to have rain. South of the mountains that marked the border of Hellbey was the desert continent of Landschalgen. This unforgiving arid wasteland stretched from the Pontiac mountains southeast to the Geratern Ocean, the ocean that stretched itself out to all other parts of the world. Landschalgen sported a thousand-kilometer field of meteorite craters known as the Crater Wastes. Very little survived a trip through Landschalgen's Crater Wastes unless it moved extremely fast; the heat soared to hundreds of degrees Celsius on cooler days and mirages abounded en masse, often fooling wise Zoids into believing they were surrounded by glorious water, when in fact, they were on the brink of death by dehydration.
But the wind strewn hills of Landschalgen did end; its western border was a sheer cliff face several thousands of kilometers long. At the bottom of the cliff, the great river Tanje flowed, and a forest sprung from the shores, stretching to the north, west, and south all along it until it dumped into the ocean over a ferocious falls. Spots of forest were cleared, and several massive rocky monoliths spotted the landscape, and this was where most Zoids were found other than the Dark Continent. This was Landhaven.
The history of Zi
Zoids roamed freely and without wanton purpose for several hundred years, minding their own business and living in tightly-knit herds dominated by Alpha males and their mates. But then, one evening in the year 0837, a Dark Horn, Gojulas, Redler, Shield Liger, and Konig Wolf came together with the same idea--establishing a governing system to pull the world into evolutionary stability.
The five Zoids formed the first ever meeting of the Order of Communion, or OoC. They marked this day down on the Gaia Cantata, a massive monolithic wall of stone stretching parallel to the Landschalgen Cliff all the way up the continent and down again, that recorded their history vigilantly.
Once the OoC was formed and they began issuing their orders for regulation throughout the land, the stability of the ecosystems seemed to slowly collect itself, tightening considerably. Zoids in dispute came to members of the rapidly growing organization to help end their feuds, and large-scale conflicts virtually fell off the planet.
Unfortunately, destiny has a way of asserting itself into the lives of its pawns. Nothing anyzoid does could ever change that.
0922
A Valley in the Hellbey Continent.
Destiny was working itself out, nestled between two hills, as it hatched with straining effort from an egg pod. A grey head, fairly heavily armoured for an infant, with two drill-like horns whirring slowly and a third that was but a nub. Destiny was certain to have its way as the infantile Mad Thunder was brought into the world, crying its displeasure to the winds.
0956
The shores of the Tanje
As the waters rushed by, ever flowing with utter inconsideration, another such egg pod bearing the face of destiny was shattered open. The long neck and gun-laded shoulders of the youngest version of the Ultrasaurus were then revealed to the world, grating out a roar of might for such a small Zoid.
1002
The middle of the Dark Continent
A red egg pod shuddered violently as lightning lashed the boiling red skies above. With a final tilt, the pod crashed over, exploding into millions of points of light. Left in its place on the ground was the quiet, peaceful form of the most powerful infant yet to grace Zi--the Death Saurer.
1128
The Doman Crater in Landschalgen, the Barrenflak Region
At the North end of the valley stood Thasmus, the 206 years old Mad Thunder that was the first of its kind. Its horns barred the air with drilling whirrs that sent out electrical jolts. Down at the south stood the resolute figure of Thorden, 174 years of age, the first Ultrasaurus to walk the Zi. Both Zoids had a mate ready to bear eggs, and both thought the Doman crater a suitable nesting site for some ungodly reason (probably the sheer size of the two Zoids and the space they'd need to fit into to berth the egg pods).
Their wants weren't conducive to a peaceful negotiation. Thorden gave a mighty bellow that echoed across the lands and fired his four massive shoulder-cannons, each sounding off in tandem with a resounding blast, and connecting with Thasmus with a Zi-shaking explosion. But Thasmus stood firm, and charged at a fair speed for such a massive beast.
Thorden bellowed once more and fired every weapon on his body; missiles, lasers, cannons, the lot. Most if not all of the shots connected with Thasmus, sending up clouds of sand and smoke that tainted the skies. But Thasmus was deterred not, and charged through the smoke with his horns whirring viciously, and before Thorden could react, both drilling members plowed into his hide, one striking his Core and obliterating it instantly. With a mighty roar, the Mad Thunder announced its victory to the lands, tearing gashes in the fallen Ultrasaurus's sides as it crashed to the ground with utter finality.
Their battle went down in history as the Battle of Barrenflak, one of the greatest clashes of history thus far.
1129
A cavern in Landhaven
The Order of Communion had just officially declared that Thasmus, the Mad Thunder who had slain Thorden, their only Ultrasaurus member, was evil, vain, and expendable. A few days later, a massive task force was sent to put Thasmus out of commission permanently.
1131
Landschalgen
After two years, the task force sent by the OoC had finally found Thasmus. He had already ravaged the task force, crushing some Zoids underhoof, drilling others into nothingness. After a few hours, only one Zoid from the force remained--a Death Saurer by the call Kaarkahn.
Kaarkahn bellowed his rage to the winds, flinging his head back and gathering energy through his Charged Particle Intake Fan, a ball of scattered ions gathering into his gaping maw. Before Thasmus could respond, the Charged Particle Beam struck his frill, driving the massive beast back through the sand for a kilometer.
But Thasmus stood strong, and as the beam faded, took up a charge, his horns spinning mightily, his voice pealing the skies in anger. Before Kaarkahn could gather the strength to leash another beam, Thasmus was upon him, his horn digging into the black Zoid's armour.
Kaarkahn bellowed his anguish to the seven winds, and brought his jaws down upon Thasmus's shoulder, the red fan on his back spinning for all it was worth. Thasmus furiously realised his predicament and tried to back away, but no avail; Kaarkahn was going to finish him once and for all, even if it meant he would die as well.
There was a mighty flash, and the Charged Particle Beam erupted through Thasmus's side, burning into the desert sands with splendid glory. Then all at once, Thasmus's core died and exploded furiously, a ball of flames writhing around both Zoids, incinerating them instantly.
All that remains to this day is a patch of scorched earth and a small, cracked crater; the only remnants of the Battle of Deities. The OoC declared the 243rd day of each 526 day year Kaarkahn Memorial Day in remembrance of their saviour who defied his inheritance of evil and saved the very Zi from it.
1262
A cavern in Landhaven
The Order of Communion's weekly meeting had been on the topic of a tribe of Konig Wolves calling themselves Flehrny. The Flehrny tribe had been ravaging wharves where peaceful Zoids like Whale Kings and Whale Sharks rested, blasting through their hulls and devouring the circuits inside. While predation was a natural risk of any world, especially Zi, their attacks were on respectable members of society like Schrombehn the Knor, and Kehftaht the Geln. Both of these Whale Kings had helped transport the task force that led to the fall of Thasmus a hundred thirty one years before.
With a swift decision, it was called to order that war would be enacted upon the Flehrny Tribe.
1279
The Hellbey Continent
After a bloody fifteen-year war, only four Konig Wolves remained, and they were now faced with the entirety of the OoC's army, which was led by a powerful Berserk Fuhrer. The Flehrny Tribe stood little chance, but stood strong nonetheless, and that day went down in history as the Stand of Flehrny. But, nothing as of yet had won against the OoC, and it seemed that nothing would.
After the Stand of Flehrny
Everywhere
World Peace… a beautiful, if often fleeting thought. After the Stand of Flehrny, Zi was submerged in peace, prosperity, and downright joy. Zoids everywhere were neighborly; the OoC had hundreds of valuable members. Death Saurers walked alongside Leo Strikers easily, the small blue Zoids having nothing to fear of.
But destiny, as always, had a way of fouling everything up.
1763
The Dark Continent
An egg pod larger than most and glowing furiously shuddered once, then twice and thrice. With a mighty explosion, the pod was gone, leaving in its place a four-legged wyvern with great wings whose wrists were tipped with blazing red saws. The Gilvader threw its violet-horned head back and cried its rage to the winds, its eyes already ablaze with fury.
1771
A cavern in Landhaven
Two Death Saurers watched on with awe, delicacy, and parental patience as their first, and unknowingly last, egg pod slowly hatched. The head that peeked up from the shells was cobalt blue, with glowing golden eyes and glinting golden fangs.
Thus the first blue Death Saurer was brought into the world, bearing upon his breast the same comet-like streak of blood red that Kaarkahn had bore so many years before.