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, unfortunately.

Exile 8.1

"We don't have much time," Blaze commanded. "Get as much material as you all can. Tails, you'll have to be the builder. I have no doubt Strike is already with Lightning. We have to assume that the meeting tomorrow morning will not be what we want," she finished.

Tails nodded. "If you can get me the metal, we can do it. Blaze, you and I can probably get the base done fast."

"A boat made of metal?" Katia asked. "Metal doesn't float though. And the storms on the ocean are fierce at best, impossible to sail through at worst."

"You leave the impossibilities to me," Tails said simply. "I'm used to them. And I think I have a trick to make the metal work easier, but...Katia, Spark, between the two of you who has the best control?"

"Katia," Spark said instantly. "I have power, but not nearly as much control."

"I...thanks, Spark."

"Right. Spark, you and I will move the metal. I can get it from the fire district easy enough, do you think the lightning district will let you?" Blaze asked a moment later.

"Lightning district doesn't have much metal. Most of the metalworking is done by the fire district," Spark explained. "But what it does have, I can take."

Blaze nodded. She turned to Tails, "How much do you need?" He never had given her a full estimate, although it's not as if they had much time to talk. She had quite a bit to discuss honestly...and she had a feeling so did he.

"If you can get a few sheets, about so big or so," Tails said, moving his arms to a square of decent size, "I should be good. And some cloth for the sails; metal doesn't sail well."

"I can get that," Katia said. "But what about the others?" she asked. Blaze stared at her; what others was she talking about? Was this something Katia and Tails had talked about at Revianah?

"We can't take the village with us, much as I want to," Tails admitted. "I can double the carrying capacity, but we'll still need food, water, the basics. Fish seems plentiful, and Blaze can boil water easy-"

"Currently don't have fire, may not get it before the morning," Blaze warned.

"And if worse comes to worse, I have an idea. The same idea that I'm planning on using to make it," Tails explained as if Blaze hadn't thrown his idea out the window.

She wondered what he was thinking of. Electricity, variable though it was, didn't quite have the same ability as fire. Admittedly, she thought that of water, too, before Marine had promptly shown her that aquakinesis could be used in any number of things. Almost magnetic, if she did it right.

"Every one should take something out to the area first, before Spark and I take more on an individual basis," Blaze suggested. Tails nodded. "Spark, you know the way? Katia, do you?" she asked.

Both vixens nodded. "Let's split off. Katia and I will head to the fire district, and meet off at the spot. Tails, Spark, stick together."

The two foxes agreed, and ran off to the water district, apparently a shortcut to the lightning area.

Blaze and Katia walked in silence for a bit. The cat could tell that Katia wanted to say something, but was unsure of how to broach it, so stayed silent. The vixen finally started to talk as they entered the fire district, the sun having fully set, and the village of Ikan'Thoa silent and almost abandoned. "Tails is...nice."

Blaze sighed. Hadn't she had this exact discussion with Spark? "He is. Although what kind of nice are you talking about?"

"The kind that says he's really nice? And I'm lucky to know him. Most males would have long since taken Spark or I up on our offer. But no matter what happens to him he just...keeps going."

Deep down, Blaze let out a sigh of relief. Then she paused, and stopped her train of thought. Why would it matter if Tails slept around with them? It's not as if they were together. Why would she care? "That is one of his best attributes. I assumed you had succeeded, considering," Blaze said, gesturing to the blanket, still tied tight around her shoulders. Katia shrugged.

"It's not as big a deal to me as you and he think it is. But if it's such a thing to the both of you, I'll grab something to change. And the cloth for the sails. I was just going to grab my sheets."

"Those will work," Blaze said, her mind going back to the sailing lessons that she had taught Marine. The tanuki had taken them like a fish to water, and had taught Blaze just as much in return, but those first few lessons were all the pyrokinetic knew.

"Do you think Tails can do it? Make a boat in a single night?" Katia asked, sounding a bit worried. Blaze didn't blame her; they were basically betting their survival on the fox. And as much as they knew him, only a few days, anyone who was intelligent would want to place a second bet. Blaze knew much better. She wasn't betting anything. She knew he'd succeed.

"I think he has to," Blaze said simply. "And whatever happens, we'll cross when we get there."

The majority of the fire district was asleep, although there was a small fire in the far corner, surrounded by a few other sapients that Blaze didn't recognize. Katia skirted around them, heading straight for her house. Blaze stared after her for a moment, before she shook her head out. She needed to get her head in the game. Where was she going to find the massive sheetmetal that Tails needed?

One of the sapients around the fire looked around, before they saw Blaze and motioned her over. She ignored it, instead heading towards what she thought was the forge, where she'd seen someone be making a large metal rake earlier.

It was decently big, made out of stone blocks intended to keep heat in. At the back was a large kiln, probably for making pottery or for metalworking. But for metal, they had to have it around, either in ingots or the metal sheets that she was looking for. "What are you looking for, Blaze?" Fern's voice called from behind her.

Her ears twitched in shock as she tried to school her face. She turned to look at him; the coyote wasn't in his usual farming gear, instead a simple cloth-worn pants were the only thing he wore, showing off the impressively built chest he had, including a long scar right across his heart. He was barefoot, and it explained his silence. She thought she was silent when walking, but Fern could give her a run for her money.

"Sheet metal. Tails and I...we have to leave."

"I figured it was time. I got a notice to report to the elders at first light tomorrow," Fern said simply, his arms resting against the back of his head. "Sans clothes. Usually that means it's time for an Exception to choose. And as both male and female were called, I'm betting both Katia and Spark didn't manage to nab the fox."

"No, they didn't. I didn't realize they'd do the same for me," Blaze stated quietly. "But...we can't abide by it. And considering we just beat up Strike who was attempting to kill us-"

"Strike was attempting to kill you? Lightning's son?" Fern asked, his eyes narrowing in the quiet light emitted from the kiln. "Usually he only sees channeler's as worth his while. Granted, he's right, most of the time."

"Fern, I need your help. Where's the metal?" Blaze asked again.

Fern sighed. "You really think it'll be that easy to just...run away? You've been doing that for a long time, Blaze. Isn't it about time to relax, let someone else do the work for you, and just...enjoy yourself?" he asked quietly.

Blaze's eyes narrowed, and she stood up to her full height. Fern wasn't that much taller than her, if he was at all. "This village is this far from being burnt to cinders," Blaze whispered, holding her hand out, her thumb and forefinger not even a quarter inch apart. "It has done nothing but hurt, and hurt, and hurt. Everything you see was built not by choice, but by those that think they know better. Except I do know better, because I've tasted the freedom that comes with it!"

Fern stared at her impassively. "Freedom, huh. Wish I could see it...metal's behind the forge."

"You could come with, you know. If we make it big enough-"

Fern shook his head. "I want to, Blaze. I really do. But this is my life. I won't ever have the option of freedom. I fought, and I've burned. Gods I've burned. I'm burnt up, and I'm only ashes now."

Blaze sighed. "Are you really? Or is there one last ember in there, waiting to burgeon into the inferno that everyone says was in there?" she asked. "If you don't want to, I'm not going to keep trying. You're more than welcome to make your own decisions."

"Except I can't, Blaze. We don't have that luxury. We're not Exceptions. Our lives are laid down before us, and we can't deviate. Not all of us are strong enough."

"You know the thing about fire, Fern? Fire never gives up. Even when its only ashes, only embers left, that potential, that power, it's still there. All its waiting for is the right spark. But it can't do it alone, Fern. It needs the air, the fuel, for it to burn bright. But that potential, that possibility, it's always been there. Will always be there."

Blaze turned and headed off towards the back of the forge, where Fern had said the metal sheets were. If the coyote wanted this, if he truly wanted to do something, then he could. All fire callers, all pyrokinetics, could. It was, in truth, the nature of fire. To burn.

The coyote stared at her, she knew. One of the others from the fire, unknown to her but nowhere near as silent as Fern was, came over, slowly pulling him away back to the fire.

The forge was actually small, once she got to the back of the kiln. There were two sheds back here, and both of them wide open. The wind howled around her, chilling her as she felt a small raindrop. That would probably only help her, as much as the pyrokinetic, and the cat, in her hated it.

She peered in one, seeing a variety of tools. She grabbed a hammer, knowing that Tails would probably need it. All the others were useful farming equipment, but nothing that they could use. At least, not that she could see a way for them to use them.

The other one was where she hit the jackpot. Thirty small metal sheets of various sizes and thicknesses sat there, and along the wall, completely with various writings saying which one was which. She still didn't understand the written version, but that's because Ikan'Thoan wasn't actually the same as the primal cat language she had learned in the Sol Empire. Just similar enough to get by.

She grabbed a few, and was unsurprised by their weight. She hoped for something like lightweight steel, but it appears they only had a heavy metal like iron. It was difficult to tell in the dark, and the flames still weren't answering her. She could hold maybe five for a few minutes before she would have to let her hands rest. Hopefully that'd be enough. She grabbed a full five, before holding them over her back. They weren't as big as her, but they certainly felt like it. The edges were cold and sharp, as if they hadn't cared that metal cooled on its own would form that way.

They probably didn't.

"Found the sheets?" Katia's voice called out as she left the storehouse. Blaze nodded, and pointed to the sheets. Katia came into view from around the forge, a long flowing dress on her shoulders, and a mass of cloth and fabric under her arm. At least, Blaze thought, she was decent now.

"Show me how to get there? We'll meet Tails and Spark there," Blaze asked. Katia nodded as she grabbed a large sheet of metal on her own, wincing a bit as she cut her hand on it.

Blaze hoped it wouldn't take too long. She gave a quick look to the small fire, dying off in the distance. There was no one around to tend to it, anymore.

—Side T—

The walk through the water district made the fur on the back of Tails' neck stand up. There was a chill in the air, more noticeable here due to the lane of water, partially frozen in the middle of the pathways. There was no one around, as if everyone had just...left. There were no sounds, other than the wind, and the sound their footsteps made, quiet as they were.

Spark appeared to be deep in thought, her head down as she made carefully measured steps. Tails wasn't sure if he needed to talk to get some measure of sound other than wind and them, although his own head was running a mile a minute.

Metal needed to be warm to be moldable. One of his absolute favorite ways, back in his lab, of molding metal was to use electrolysis through water, using the power of the Chaos Emeralds. He had a small tank for it setup, and it imparted not just heat but also galvanized other metals to join to it. But that was in water; could he do the same, using the electrokinesis that he had, in the open air?

"Reveniah is the flower garden for mating," Spark said quietly as soon as they crossed into the lightning district. Just as the water district, there was no one here, and no lights around. The brick underneath their feet gave a charge helpfully, but Tails, as he'd always done, pushed it back down.

"Katia told me that, too," Tails answered. "But nothing happened. Though she tried."

"I'm surprised she didn't succeed. She's..." Spark trailed off for a moment, as if trying to work up the courage to say the words.

Tails thought she knew what she was going to say, and wasn't sure how best to cut her off. But Spark also knew the most detail on various stories. If anyone knew of the Blooming Tides, or who 'The Anomaly' was, it would be her.

"We fought," Tails interrupted, "a lot. Doubles and doppelgangers. Earth and dirt elementals. For a supposedly peaceful place, it was far from it. But...then something weird happened. We were gathering ourselves, and Katia fell into a small trance. It was after she told me about...brainshifting. And what Lightning does to the both of you."

"He does it to everyone. Strike, too, has been learning it. Like most of Strike's things, I was his favorite learning target," Spark said tonelessly.

"I think I do it too. Unconsciously, that is. It's the only reason I can think of why I know words long before they're ever spoken."

"Or if they're fairly strange, such as 'arrhythmia'. It does make sense, but if it's out of your control, it's out of your control. We'll have more time to work it out, later."

"Alright," Tails agreed. He didn't want to hurt anyone, particularly if his subconscious decided it wanted to. Especially if his subconscious wanted to use a particularly dangerous technique like overriding the targets' mind. "Afterwards though, she fell into a trance, and started talking. The words made no sense, as they were all in Common, you know, the language that Blaze and I are native in-"

"Did her eyes roll up in her head, or otherwise do something strange?"

Tails thought back to it. "Yeah, they went almost pure white."

"Might've been a prophecy. Katia's parents were well known fire diviner's. They weren't strong enough to ever become an elder, but they were the best at divining the future. They only did it in times of severe need, though, and they had a success rate of nearly three quarters. For a while, even the elders supposedly respected them. I wasn't here for that."

"She doesn't know that, does she?"

"No, she doesn't. It was made forbidden to talk about it in her hearing, and the elders ensured it. It's one of the reasons Water and Earth keep her placed in the fire district; they hope to bring it out again."

"I don't think she can do pyromancy though. It was...different. But she mentioned things in Common I'd never heard of. 'Seek the Blooming Tides'-" Tails said, carefully watching the way Spark shuddered. So she did know what they were. "You know what those are, then?" Tails asked after a moment. "Katia mentioned only the basics, but only if I pushed her for them. What are they?"

"Don't ask me. Not yet. Wait until we leave," Spark murmured. She pointed to a small shack. "We store the metal plates there."

"Is it dangerous? These...tide things?" Tails asked, deliberately avoiding the name altogether. "Would Plague know, you think?"

"She might. You go talk with her. I have a few questions for you, but they can wait," Spark said, looking away. Tails tilted his head quizzically, but understood. They were running low on time, and with only a few hours left until sunrise...they had to be quick.

"Before you go, take this. In case you beat me to the beach. Blaze should know how to work it," Tails said, fumbling for the bail-bag he kept on his waist. He pulled out the Miles Electric, before he thought better of it and untied the entire thing, handing it to her. Spark looked at it, before she nodded and clipped it on her waist the same way he had. Then the vixen shot off into the night, small sparks jumping off her fur, just enough to show where she was. Tails' eyesight was good, but even it had trouble tracking her in the dark. She'd be fine.

He spun his tails and sped off to the witch's hut. He flew above the village, spotting the strange pattern embedded into the village walls, and the district changes. The brick of the lightning district fell in line with the aquifer of the water district, falling in line with the roads of the earth district. As if everything was just a single giant pattern, an odd shape that Tails knew must have had some deep significance. What it was though, he wasn't sure.

He didn't bother knocking or announcing his presence as he entered the witch's hut. The hedgehog was on her bed, writing something down in a small leather bound book. She looked up, "Prower. I was hoping I'd get a chance to talk with you before you leave."

"I meant to ask before, but we didn't have the time-"

"The elders are like that. Blaze knew the story though, as I had to tell someone who could tell you. I doubt she remembers the full story."

"She has a good memory. Start at the beginning, and I'll tell you my story afterwards. How do you know my name?" Tails asked. He sat down on the other bed, staring at the hedgehog.

"I know it because I was there when you were born. I knew Rosemary and Kilo Prower. They were both brilliant scientists in the field of interplanar travel. I worked with them for a good while; almost the entire time Rose was pregnant with you, actually."

"That was at least fifteen years ago. You don't look old enough to have been working with them."

"I'm not. Time...doesn't function here the same. It's not a one to one, like it should be. The Sol Empire and the Chaos World, what we named our homeworld, they're one to one. Here...isn't. Time moves slower, here. I'm not sure by how much. It re-snaps the instant a connection is made, I know that much."

Tails gave her a soft smile though. He finally knew their names. Were they kitsune like him? Multi-tailed, or was he just...odd? Or was he kitsune at all? "What were they like?" he asked.

"Your parents? Wonderful sapients. Your mom always had this energy about her, going from project to project with a swiftness that I've never seen before or since...except you, here. Your dad was much more grounded, researching each project in depth before he passed on it. It gave them many unique discussions where they'd only have to say half a sentence before the other would answer. It gave us hell trying to decipher them," Flora answered quietly. Her eyes were staring above him, trying to drag forth the memories that had long since been buried. "You have your looks from your father, the bright blue eyes, the yellow fur...your mother was more greyish. She had four tails. She never did explain to me what the significance of that was. Your dad had just the one."

His mom was a kitsune. His dad wasn't. That would explain a lot. Or would it? He'd have to do some genetic tests on his own and see if he could find any others out there to back up his claims.

"You said you were working on the same project. Was it that project that led to you, here?"

"It was. We were experimenting with one of the legendary Chaos Emeralds. Do you know-" Flora trailed off, leaving the question unasked.

Did he know of the Chaos Emeralds? That was a silly question. It wasn't 'did he know of them' as much as 'how much of them had he managed to decipher'. "I'm more than aware of the Chaos Emeralds. My friends and I use them all the time; sometimes for power, other times as agents of miracles."

"Then you know how chaotic their power can be sometimes. We thought we had a good hold on it, and we had experimented a lot before we did any of the final tests. Your dad, actually, stayed within the Sol Empire for a week before he came back."

Tails nodded. That was one of the biggest reasons they needed a Chaos Converter whenever he plugged in an emerald as a power source. The output wasn't the same, and it changed chaotically. The converter made it safe by holding in the patterns, acting as both a battery and a capacitor for the emerald. Put in an emerald into a converter, and there will be a constant current output.

But to know his dad had gone to the Sol Empire, even if it was for only a week...the interplanar experiments worked.

"You were only...two or three, I think. You were young. Once Kilo came back, we made plans for another journey, again into the Sol Empire. This time we wanted to send over multiple sapients, and see if we couldn't start a conversation."

"Then the Kukku army attacked, wasn't it?" Tails asked instantly. Flora blinked, before she nodded. "They were after the Chaos Emeralds. They figured you had at least one, and the other six had to be around-"

"Six. There's only six emeralds."

"Seven. The seventh was hidden beyond the Special Zone. Seven emeralds. Once all seven are put together, my friend, or myself, can ascend to another form," Tails explained.

"Huh. We were knocked around by their first bombs, and all of us were pushed through the portal while it was configuring. I was sent here, several years ago. I was searching at first for your mother and father, but...I think they were sent to other worlds. How bad did our world fare after the Kukku Army got their wings on the emeralds?"

"Not too badly, because they didn't. I found them first," Tails said. He started to explain his side of the story; of waking up alone on Cocoa Island, dealing with the Kukku army, and heading to Westside island. From there, he talked about meeting Sonic, and then the Death Egg. Eggman, and the Angel Island. Knuckles. The words flowed quickly, and he summarized as best he could. Before he knew it, an hour had passed.

And he barely had gotten to the ARK, and to Shadow. And he wasn't even halfway. How much had he really gone through?

Flora was still listening intently, even though he could tell, somehow, that she was trying not to cry for him. And to think, he hadn't even gotten to the point he was at now. It would take another hour, if not more, to tell the rest. And he was already running low on time. "I'd like to finish the story, but I can't, not now," Tails started. Flora blinked, before she nodded. She jumped off her bed, quickly gathering a few spices and flowers. "Have you heard of the Blooming Tides?" he asked.

She stared at him thoughtfully, "Not as much as you'd like. It's an old story. Spark would be able to tell you more." She handed him some of the herbs and spices, "Here, take these. They should act as healing agents, for a while. I'd also suggest to take a water courier and an earth carrier, if you can."

"Fire, earth, water and lightning? We're missing air," Tails grinned. At Flora's blank stare, he chuckled. "Just a cartoon I used to watch, ages ago. We don't know any, but I have a feeling the Elders are going to try something in the morning."

Flora's eyebrow raised, "The Choosing, then. I was wondering why I'd been told to get so many of the fertility plants ready. Makes sense, if it's the Choosing. You think Lightning will try to kill you?"

"Strike certainly will try. He's already tried once."

Flora nodded. "Be careful then, Miles Prower. I'll hold off on things. Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope I don't see you again. You deserve to be free; far away from this place."

"I'll come back. If only to save you. After all, if you survived this long, I'm sure the others did, too," Tails said. Flora stared, before she gave a soft smile and nodded her agreement. There was a tightness to her eyes, as if she was lying and fully aware of it, but lying entirely for his benefit.

The beginning of the Exile. Who's ready for another 9 chapters of this!? Exile's a 10 chapter arc, and just as with Exertion, extremely dark.

It is a winter arc, after all.

Until Next Time.