Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognized characters or gameplay patterns within this fanfiction. Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Eggman, Blaze, and all related characters of such are owned by SEGA. All original character's are owned by me.
Expendable 6.1
Blaze woke up with a giant knot in her back and tail from where she had been lying on it. Katia's chairs weren't the most comfortable, and she had to hold back a groan as she forced herself up. The sun shined through a window onto where her head had been. The wash the previous night had been good for her, she'd thought, but then it was time to head back to the fire district far too soon, back to Katia's home.
The vixen had made no attempt to welcome Blaze in the second time around. She had given a noncommittal grunt as soon as Blaze had walked in through the sticks that acted as a doorway. Blaze couldn't really fault her, she had been busy staring out the window at the time, probably lost in thoughts. Blaze herself was much the same before she fell asleep...or when she woke up, as now.
Katia was still asleep, her body curled up into a ball, her clothes shoved aside, a small blanket tossed to the side despite the chill. Blaze sighed for a moment, looking at the way her breath coagulated in the air before she pushed herself up and went outside. Despite the chill, the fire district seemed to have woken up early. A few sapients were around a small fire, cooking up some meat and vegetables. Chicken, if she could identify it right. She wasn't sure if she should head over there, or if Katia was responsible for food.
The vixen didn't seem very keen on the 'taking care of someone' idea.
A coyote walked up to her a moment later. "You need some help?" he asked. She turned to look at him; he had a golden brown coat, fantastically groomed, and green eyes that pierced out. Similar to Sonic's shade, if she had to be honest. He had a small tunic on, and what looked like some durable leather boots. "I saw you coming out of Katia's home. You're the Exception?"
"I am. Katia showed me around a bit," Blaze explained. The coyote nodded his understanding, his eyes staring straight at her.
"I'm not surprised she didn't show you much more. A fire caller and a lightning channeler found at the same time? Never happened before, in the history of Ikan'Thoa. And as she sits in the fire district, well, here you are. Come on, I'll show you how to get breakfast," the coyote said.
"Thank you," Blaze said easily. "What's your name?" she asked a second later, before realizing she hadn't introduced herself. "I am Blaze."
"They call me Fern," the coyote said. "A combination of the plants I take care of and my 'infernal' heritage." He led her to where they were cooking the chicken and vegetables, small amounts of pepper and salt easily visible. Blaze felt her mouth water; it had been months since her last actual spiced food. Tails and her hadn't been lucky to find any out in the wilds.
"Got two here for ya. Katia forgot to show Blaze how to do the actual day to day!" Fern explained as he pulled up a chair for himself. His tail stuck out behind him, soft and bushy. Close to a fox tail, but much more manageable.
"Of course she did," one of the cooks, a green gecko, said. "Nice to meet ya, Blaze. If you need anything, just talk to any of us," he said.
Blaze nodded as a few ceramic plates were pulled out. "Ikan'Thoa's probably a lot weirder than most places you've been to, as an Exception," Fern grinned. "And since Katia's been screwed over, again, she'll probably take that out on you. Just to let you know."
"Screwed over?" Blaze repeated carefully. The language was wonky now, it almost sounded like a combination of the primal cat tongue, common, and a half dozen other ones that she barely recognized. Like they had taken over one word that meant something and made it mean something else.
"Yeah, Katia been bitched again," the gecko said. "See, she's a lightning channeler so she's not supposed to be here. But her parents were callers, so they dumped her here until she finds someone. Problem is that she's here, so the other channelers won't have anything to do with her."
"You would think that bringing back two Exceptions would at least let her in to the lightning district, but from what I hear the guards were instructed to keep her out!" Fern replied. "Just a mess. And obviously, she's forbidden from any of us, so she really doesn't stand much of a chance."
"What about a non-elementalist? Is that forbidden too?" Blaze asked. Fern stared at her and nodded.
"It's not forbidden, it's just...looked down on. She'd be treated as a second-class elementalist, despite being a channeler. Like a carrier, if anything," Fern explained. Blaze's ears twisted as they heard the sticks around Katia's home be knocked around. The seat next to her, opposite Fern, was quickly taken over by the vixen.
"Exception!" Katia murmured as she stumbled next to Blaze. "I forgot to tell you, we're supposed to head to the meeting hall this morning for assignments. Hi Fern," she said, both eyes closed and looking like she was asleep on her feet.
"Hi Katia. You forgot to tell Blaze," there was an odd tone in Fern's voice when he said her name, as if he was telling Katia what her name was. Hadn't she? Maybe not. She'd told Flora. And Flora had already known who Tails was. He continued, "how to get food. Wake up, fox."
"Shut up," Katia murmured as she pulled up a chair next to Blaze. "Not my fault. She left last night to go wash in the courier's area. When she got back I was already asleep."
Fern rolled his eyes. "Right. When's the meeting hall meeting?"
"Quarter morning."
He glanced up, gauging where the sun was overhead. "You have a good while. After eating, you want me to show you around?" he asked Blaze.
"Fern, you know that's not a good idea. They're going to think you two are together," Katia complained. "And then that'll give me even less chance to get to the channeler's area." Her ears started drooping as she said it.
"Don't think like that," the gecko said as he pulled up another plate, loading the meat on it. He passed it over to the still sleepy fox, "think of it like...you have more time to wake up."
Blaze nodded slowly. They did not have coffee here, it seemed. Or any thing with caffeine. No tea, either? She missed her teas. When she got back to the Sol Empire, she was going to find some way to recreate Tails' bail-bag, and she was going to stuff it full of tea for exactly this type of scenario.
Probably not, but it was nice to dream of something nice. A small cup of heated water found its way in front of her. It didn't smell like tea, but it smelled sweet nonetheless.
"What's this?" she asked the gecko. He gave a hearty chuckle.
"It's fon. Take the root of a tyro weed and boil it, strain out the actual root parts. It's not bad. Supposed to wake you up," the gecko explained. Fern looked like he was trying to fight off a grin. Even Katia looked vaguely amused. She noticed that both Fern and Katia didn't get any, so it was probably some hazing thing that the fire district did to newcomers. She gave it a quick whiff, enjoying the sweet smell if nothing else.
Of course, knowing this land, it was liable to be extremely bitter. She took a small sip, and was not surprised when it was bitter. She was however surprised that it was...hot. Spicy, hot. She blinked. It was almost burning her tongue now, as if she'd stuck her tongue into a bunch of pepper seeds. The really hot ones that they don't sell without a disclaimer...
"Yes?" Fern asked, leaning forward, a giant grin on his face. "How was it?"
"Everything you've ever wanted?" Katia asked, seemingly more awake now. Her ears perked, as if waiting for the inevitable.
"Not bad, I have to say," Blaze said calmly. Her mouth was on fire, and drinking more would be a bad thing, but still she drank until the cup was empty. Her stomach wasn't sure what fon was, and had decided apparently it hadn't liked it, so was deciding to drop-kick her esophagus and intestines. Her tongue wasn't much better, feeling as though lava had been dropped on it.
She kept her face calm on the outside. "That's...impressive," the gecko said quietly. "I don't think anyone's drank a full cup. Hey, Claws! The Exception just drank a full cup of fon!" he called to the back.
A bear with one eye looked out of the back covers. "Huh. And she isn't on the ground. We got a strong one now," he said, his voice deep and gravelly. "I think the last one to drink a full cup was the witch."
"You aren't a witch, are you?" the gecko asked. He conjured up a small fireball with more than a hint of concentration in his hand. Blaze shook her head.
"Not a witch," she spoke softly, a small green fire emanating from above the gecko's fireball. The words lit her mouth on fire more, and it took everything she had to not run elsewhere. The gecko looked up at the green fire, comparing it to his skin tone. He gave her a quite nod with a large grin as he seemed to approve of the color.
"Wow. I think you lucked out Katia. Regardless of all the other things, you lucked out," Fern said quietly.
"I think I did too. Spark is such a resnon, and she didn't even know it!" Katia grinned. "Come on, we should head to the meeting hall. Better to get there early than to be late!" she said.
Blaze looked down to her plate, to see it empty and with nothing on it. She blinked, looking down at her own plate to see it was still mostly full. Katia followed her gaze. "Oh...might want to finish first," she said, blushing lightly.
Fern laughed. "Now that's a good idea. Good luck out there Blaze. If nothing else, you're accepted here. Find me out in the gardens if you need anything!" he said, hopping down from the chair.
Blaze watched him go with no small sense of despair. "What Fern said. Always welcome here," the gecko said. "Especially if you can do that. I'm Sticks."
"Blaze," she answered. The chicken was remarkably good, although she hesitated on the vegetables. Most of them were the usual kind, small bits of kale, a bit of grilled squashes as well. She nibbled on them gently. They weren't bad, but definitely not to her palate. It washed away the spiciness from the...fon, quite well.
"If you don't want them, just leave them. The crew will finish it, or they'll be renewed," Katia said. "I'm surprised you don't."
"Cat," Blaze said as her only reason. She could, of course, eat them, but cats were obligate carnivores. Honestly, she probably would eat them, but there was something strange about them too. Had they gone bad at some point and that's what they were feeding her? She doubted it, honestly. This kind of place would have to go food quite quickly.
"Yeah, just leave it. We'll get it taken care of, and we won't put so much next time. Come back for dinner, yeah?" Sticks exclaimed with a smirk.
"Yeah? What's tonight?" Katia asked. "Don't tell me it's veggie stew again. I couldn't stand it after whatever you added in last time."
"Just for you, Katia, it's veggie stew with extra fon!" Sticks answered. "For everyone else, it's roasted boar and duck skewers. The other Exception got a big one yesterday, and supposedly the courier's and channeler's get an elk."
"Yeah, we got that one," Katia said, puffing out her chest.
"I think you mean she got it, and you stood around and tried not to be attacked by...what was it again?" Sticks asked, leaning forward with a predatory smile.
"Bear," Blaze murmured. It had come out of nowhere and charged at both of them. Blaze had burned it badly, but it switched targets to get a good claw in on Katia. Then the fox had finished it off with a bolt to the neck.
"I wasn't expecting a bear," Katia murmured. "Come on, let's just go..." she said, hopping off her chair, her shoulders slumped. Blaze watched her go for a moment, surprised at how quickly she'd...changed.
"Is she...?" Blaze asked to Sticks as she hopped off too.
"She'll be fine. Katia and I go way back, she knows not to take anything I say seriously," Sticks answered. "Best go with her though."
Blaze nodded and quickly caught up, barely even using a burst of speed to do it. The soil was receptive underneath her, giving her plenty of cushion as she ran the two or three steps to catch up.
"You alright?" Blaze asked. Katia raised herself up, a small hurt smile on her face.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, grinning a bit too wide to be normal. "I wonder where they're going to send us..."
Knowing their luck, Blaze thought, it was going to be somewhere where it had plenty of ways to kill them. Maybe underwater, or perhaps a thousand feet into the sky. She shuddered at the last thought. That was probably what was going to happen then.
-Side T-
Tails woke up softly on the blanket covered floor and layer of leaves. He let out a wide yawn, and forced himself up. He wasn't sure what it'd be like living with another person that wasn't Sonic, but Spark was...different. He still remembered his original thoughts when going through the channeler district.
"This way," Spark said, practically pulling him forward. She marched onwards to another section of gates, this time guarded by two others garbed in bright yellow uniforms. They nodded to Spark and pushed the gates open a bit, just enough for both her and him to pass.
The channeler district was...different, for lack of a better term. The carrier district, the terrakinetics, was mostly dirt and clay for their houses. Simple materials that they can manipulate and use. The pathways were clean and soft, but it was still soil, at its heart.
The courier district, the aquakinetics, was much muddier. They had small areas where children could leap around without getting mud all over, but the roads in general were gently flooded, and the houses were made out of reeds and stronger grasses.
They hadn't gone through the fire district, so Tails didn't know how it looked, but the channeler district was...not the same. It had bricked roads, and Tails could feel the charge emanating from the bricks. The houses weren't clay, but wood and brick in various ways. Did bricks hold a charge? He stepped foot on one, and wasn't surprised to feel the charge try to snake up his body. He pushed it back down, his curiosity sated. Bricks could, in fact, hold a charge.
The area itself was much cleaner, and while it still had soil and dirt on the sides, it seemed simply...clearer. These weren't huts, not really, but cabins almost.
There were a few that had what looked like bar stools on the outside, surrounding a metal plate. A few channelers were around it, their hands on the plate as they channeled into it. There was meat cooking on it, leaving a savory scent that made his mouth water. It had been way too long since his last good meal.
"I'll pick something up later," Spark said as she led him around. "Everyone here is supposed to help you. The other districts, especially the fire, probably won't. My home is just up here," she finished. There was that odd scent in the air again, which Tails pushed back down.
"I do need to back to the Witch's hut to grab my bag," Tails said, thinking of the Miles Electric and his Charger. It was odd, how quickly he'd gotten used to the weight of the devices. It wasn't odd at all though, how dependent he was on them.
"I can do that later," Spark said, a tone of annoyance entering her voice. She led him around to a small cabin on the far side. Sticks, reeds, and bricks held it up, and Tails was almost surprised he didn't see glass for windows. He didn't, and he felt a small chill around him as the wind picked up. The door was made up of a single blanket draped over the entrance, with a few holes that slid into the sticks to keep for stiffness.
The door opened gently, and Tails was surprised at its roominess on the inside, with a large bed on one side, tables and chairs on the other, and a small brick hearth at the back with a small pot hovering over it. There was no fire at the moment, and the chill settled over them both as the wind blew through the windows.
Spark sat him down on one of the chairs, before she nodded. "I'm getting food. Don't leave," she said as she ran out. If he wasn't best friends with Sonic, he might have been impressed at her speed. Even for someone with their own penchant for speed, she was surprisingly quick. He wasn't sure though if that was just her speed, or if she was using her kinesis to empower her speed. A question for later...
The floor was mostly wood covered, except for around the fire. He shivered a bit, before he got up and put some wood into the firepit. He twitched his tails, hoping for some static. It took longer than he would have hoped, but he managed to catch it using just a bit of energy, and by the time Spark came back the fire was roaring, warming up the cabin significantly.
"I don't have two beds," Spark said as she came in, "but I do have an extra pillow." She acted as if she wanted to say something else, but she fought back the urge down.
"That's fine. I can take care of it," Tails said. He grabbed his bag, grinning as he took out the Miles Electric. Spark's eyes widened at it, and her hands instinctively reached for her crossbow. "It's just a computer," he said, reverting to common for the last word. "Games, other things...like a translator," Tails said, showing her the screen as he read off what it said.
"That is incredible...what a piece of sorcery..." Spark muttered. "And the image changes?"
"It can. Here, a map of this place," Tails said, showing the general height map. It wasn't the best at scanning exact specifics, but it was enough to get the general gist of where places were. He turned most of his attention to it, trying to turn off his brain enough to sleep.
"Ikan'Thoa. Our village's name. Get some rest, Exception. Tomorrow's a bigger day," Spark said. She gave a quick look at him, and she tilted her head a bit. He found that smell again before she attempted to undo her top in front of him. Tails shut his eyes and turned around, grabbing the blanket from his bag and starting to stretch it out. There were other smells on it, of him, of Blaze, of the desert...Sparks' nose also seemed to smell it.
"It smells of the sand. Of heat. The other Exception, too. Are you sure you two did not mate?" she asked. She didn't sound annoyed though, more...wary.
"Certain. We had to sleep on it out in the desert. There was a sandstorm coming, and we didn't have any other way to hide from it."
Spark let out a small sigh of agreement, and hopped onto her own bed. Tails sighed as her grass skirt landed next to him, even though his back was turned. There was a time to be subtle, and a time when subtlety went out the window, and Spark had long since passed that second one. He rolled out the blanket, turning off the Miles Electric. He grabbed the pillow she'd given him and did his best to ignore the scent on it, and the one emanating in the air.
This was going to be a long night, he thought.
He wasn't wrong. It had been a long night. He looked around to see that Spark was already up, her skirt and top picked up off the floor. He shook his head at the thought, trying to get it out. He left the Miles Electric in the sun, charging. He did see metal out here not long ago, and he could probably arrange for some to be taken, and from there set up a makeshift communications tower again...
He grabbed his Charger, the device that gave him an immediate electrical boost. In a world of elementalists like this one, he supposed he'd need the advantage, just in case. He stuffed it in his fur, a set of tangles that make a makeshift pouch on the side of his hip. The blanket that was the door was already peeled back, flapping uselessly in the slow wind.
The sun was bright and low, the air cold and chilly with a small bite to it. He saw a few other channelers walking around, carefully making sure to stay on the bricked path, small sparks emanating from their bare feet or their shoes, if they were wearing them. Most weren't, it seemed. It was easy to tell the hunters apart from the others. Most jobs had simple clothes, whereas the hunters were much more varied in their outerwear. The gardeners wore not much, about as much as he usually did, whereas the cooks had basic aprons on.
He slowly walked over to the cookhouse, seeing Spark off in the distance, feeling the sparks generate from the brick. Was that why the channeler district used brick for their roads? It wasn't the most conductive material, but it could store electricity like makeshift batteries. It wouldn't do in high amounts, but in smaller amounts...
His eyes widened. That's why they had it as a road. It wasn't intended to be a conductor. It was intended to be an insulator! The brick would hold the charge instead of discharging to the earth below, but only if there was an initial charge to begin with. It couldn't generate its own.
The cookhouse was a U shape, with the cooks in the middle surrounding a large square. Spark sat on one side, chatting conversationally with one of the cooks, a raccoon with a black apron on. His ears perked forward to overhear as he walked over. "-weird. I think he's not into girls though. I dropped everything and he didn't look! Not once!" Spark was saying.
The raccoon nodded her head. "I think that's called -", she said. Tails blinked at the unknown word. What a time to leave the Miles Electric behind. "Least he's not trying to hurt you."
"I don't think he can hurt much. Can fight well though, but on purpose? No," Spark shook her head. She gave a quick glance over, "Here he is now," she muttered. "Exception! Here!" she shouted.
The raccoon winced. It had been right in her ear, Tails knew. "I have a name. It's Tails," he said as he sat down on one of the chairs next to the vixen.
"Ha! Tails. I like it," the raccoon said. She smiled at him, "I'm Thief. The eyes, you know," she said, pointing to the mask around her eyes. "What can I get started for you?"
"The Exception will have the basics. Heavy protein, he'll need it," Spark ordered for him. Tails stared. He'd just said his name, and she still was calling him 'Exception'? She'd call him by his name, darn it. He'd make it happen, at some point. It might take a while, but eventually he'd prove he's capable of having an actual name!
"Sure, whatever 'Tails' wants," Thief grinned. "You talk with Spear yet?" she asked Spark. The raccoon reached out underneath the counter to grab a small cut of meat, some kind of brisket if his nose was right, piling it onto a small square of metal.
"No, not yet. I'll do that. Exception, make sure to be here at quarter morning," Spark said, running off towards the guard's. Tails watched her go, watching her tail flick around. Was she doing that on purpose?
"Ignore her. She's softer than she thinks she is. How did you sleep?" Thief asked. She reached down for a ceramic plate as small sparks jumped into the meat, browning it instantly. It was a thin cut, and the scent of actual meat filled the air around him.
"Not the best, not the worst. Smells really good though!" Tails grinned. Thief shot back her own, plating the meat with a few vegetables and fruits.
"Perfect. I'm guessing she hasn't told you how things work around here?" Thief asked. Tails shook his head as he took a bite. The meat was, despite it's short cooking time, wonderfully warm and filling. "Not surprised. Each person has a job, and is expected to be at that job each morning. Me, I'm a cook. Spark's a hunter. That's what you will be. Hunters go outside Ikan'Thoa and either hunt stuff, as their name implies, or some other rule for the elders. I've only heard a few of the things Spark's had to do."
Thief was talking fast and it took everything Tails had to keep up. "Ikan'Thoa?" Tails asked after a moment. He hoped it wasn't some other basic term he was expected to know. Spark had mentioned something about that. But he'd been tired enough, and distracted enough, that he'd forgotten what it meant.
Thief shot him a surprised glance. No luck on that front, he supposed. "It's our name. Of the village as a whole, that is. Is it true then, that you came from up north? Towards the elemental mountain?" she asked, leaning over. Most of his side of the cookhouse was empty, so Thief must not have much to do, he thought.
"Further," Tails answered after a moment. "We came from...not sure how to explain..."
Thief nodded. "The villages size is about one thorm. Can you guess?" she asked.
"A lot. A lot of those. Hundreds, if not thousands," Tails answered after a moment. They had crossed...almost a thousand miles, if he was right. Maybe a bit more. Those stretches where they could cut loose and run definitely helped, he thought.
She stared at him. "When did you start? Two winters ago?" she asked with more than a hint of surprise.
"About five days. Maybe a week."
"You crossed the Great Desert, the Lost Jungle, the Misty Mountains, the Earthen Plains, and the Elemental Mountain in five days. Maybe seven," she repeated.
"Further, actually. We started a few thorms north of there, but yeah that sounds accurate," Tails said. Thief's jaw dropped.
Spark came running back up, "Come on, Exception. The elders are waiting for us. We get a cho'ro!" she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from his empty plate.
When had he eaten? His stomach was full, so he must have, but it didn't appear to him that he ate that much. Thief stared at him as he went. Tails didn't think much on it. Spark was back to herself, it seemed. She had a small quiver of bolts on her hip, next to her crossbow. She was pulling him along, although he wasn't fighting it hard.
They crossed the courier district fast enough, small sparks leaping from her bare feet and legs into the water. He wished for his shoes again as the mud splashed onto him. It was wet and clammy beneath him, but didn't have the scent of grime and bacteria that it should have. Did the aquakinetics have some way to make it cleaner? The earth district passed them by easy enough, a large market already starting to form despite the early hour. Tails hadn't checked the time, but knew it wasn't even ten yet.
The meeting hall stood tall in front of them as Spark slowed down. "Good luck, Exception," she said as she pulled him in.
In other news, I should stop listening to music while writing. At least stop listening to the Majora's Mask soundtrack. It...explains a lot of this arc and the next one.
Also, more friendly friends! AKA more OC's. Sorry all. This is very OC-heavy bloom. It calms down a bit at around arc 8 though. Also also, in good news I actually have more reviews than chapters for the first time in my life! Rather exciting for me. Thank you all for reading, and I hope that you enjoy it! Until Next Time!