Right-o. This is the ending I had envisioned. this is the first chapter,
basically just the setup of the game for those of you that forgot all the
stuff that happened in this majorly cool game. (If it's possible to
forget.)
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Fox McCloud, captain of the StarFox team, walked slowly up to the Krazoa Spirit Release Pad, eyes glowing with the presence of the sixth and final Krazoa Spirit. His mind still raced in an attempt to place that mysterious voice... his whole body trembled at the thought of General Scales as a number-two man, maybe even lower. He knew he had heard that voice before... he stopped at the edge of the Release Pad, knowing the identity of the voice had to be important. Fox placed a fist on each of his temples as he closed his eyes, trying to focus his mind on the voice, the voice of Scales'... superior. Fox shuddered again.
He looked up over the ledge of the altar before him to try to clear his mind...that girl. Rain blurred his vision ad it fell into his eyes. He knew that by releasing this Krazoa Spirit, he would also be freeing her, and his heart leapt at the thought. He still remembered the first time he had see her... he had figured she must be some kind of priestess from the look of her outfit. Still, he was not complaining... no, not in the least. He couldn't help but notice how little of her chest was concealed by her top, the perfect curve of her hips, the elegant grace of her legs... He also couldn't help but wonder what sort of reward he may receive for saving her.
'It had better be good,' he thought bitterly. The tests of the Krazoa had been simple in concept, but hell to complete. He mentally scanned through them again. He didn't know what sort of test this girl had had to complete to gain the first...
'It will be a good conversation topic over a few drinks later,' he thought with a small smile. For the second Krazoa Spirit, he had had to fight and defeat all the SharpClaw the Krazoa had thrown at him within the time limit. That one had not been particularly easy, but with the way the Krazoa had taunted him after he had failed the first time he had found it simple to complete the task, thankful, not for the first time, for how reckless his anger could make him.
For the third spirit... God. He still trembled when he thought back on that one. He had had to literally face his deepest fears in that room, and try not to panic. He didn't know how many times he had tried that challenge without success... enough times that he could make it through the Shrine as easily as he could fly his own Arwing. That test had terrified him -- he still had not completely recovered from it. Nightmares haunted him still.
The fourth challenge had been the test of strength... it had also been painfully easy. After competing with that monster in the LightFoot village, the SharpClaw had seemed weak as a scarab.
The fifth challenge, that of intelligence, knowledge. Not so much knowledge or intelligence, he felt, as just memory work. That one had been easy, but completing it within the time limit had been the difficulty of it. Fox had had to attempt that one three times before completing it, once to learn all the lands, once to see all the items properly, then the third to place them all in the correct area.
As for the sixth - suddenly, the joy that had been swelling inside him at the thought of freeing this woman was popped violently by the claw of Scales and his employer. The voice was ringing through his mind again. Images he had retained from that moment flashed once again through his mind.
He was ready to challenge Scales... he knew he was. Why weren't the fates letting him? Fox had the General on several occasions, but somehow, something always drew him away from challenging, be it Tricky, Prince of the EarthWalker tribe and official StarFox Team member, or a SpellStone.
So much had happened since he had been assigned to the re-assembly of this place, this Dinosaur Planet: Four SpellStones, two Force Point Temples, six Krazoa Spirits... so many challenges, so many places, so many people. Though he still loved flying his coveted StarFox Team Arwing, he couldn't imagine how he had stayed cooped up all this time, never bothering to see and understand the planet he was defending.
He thought fondly of Tricky, and wondered what other people - rather, personalities - he had lost because he had never bothered to meet them, never bothered to know them. He had never truly regretted anything, the only exception being the not-so-warm farewell he had given his father before he had left on that mission... that final mission. Now, whenever he thought of all the planets he could have seen and never did he felt the now- familiar pang of regret. Still, he had never believed in dwelling on the past, so whenever these thoughts managed to creep into the open he tried to banish them as best he could.
He suddenly felt something strange inside of him, almost like a warm breath through him, and he opened his eyes. Right at that moment a bright flash of lightning and a loud thunderclap made him jump. For a split second he saw something purple before his eyes, almost as though a sheen scarf had flown past his eyes. The Krazoa Spirit was moving inside him, to remind him of his duty.
He looked up and saw the girl again. He remembered his goal and stepped on the Release Pad, a slight feeling of apprehension rising in his throat. Releasing a Krazoa Spirit was in no way painful or harmful, but it was most certainly uncomfortable. He closed his eyes, willing the Spirit out. He fell to his knees as the effort of the magic sapped his energy. He felt a burning sensation in his chest as the Spirit took over, throwing his arms to his sides and thrusting his chest out. The Spirit joined the others, circling the captive woman at the height of the altar.
Fox eagerly ran up the front ramp to the altar and the woman. A few moments later, just as he was wondering if it had worked, a flash of blinding mauve light caused him to throw his hands up to shield his face. As he cautiously lowered them, squinting, he heard a loud laugh, a shriek and a dull sound of collision. Instinctively, he whipped out his staff. The woman was standing three feet forward to his far left, her back to him. He quickly noticed the steaming black spot where had been standing just moments before. He ran to her, shouting 'Get back!' and threw an arm out protectively in front of her. She jumped back and threw him to the right as another ball of flame hurtled down toward them.
'Miss, just get out of here!' He didn't know where she could go, but anywhere was better than here. He pushed her slightly with the length of the staff. She scowled at him.
'My staff!' Her hand shot out and snatched it from him before he could think twice.
'Listen lady, I...'
'Krystal!' she called crossly over the noise of the rain and the crash of another flame.
'What??' he called louder. He didn't hear a word over the din.
'My name is Krystal!!' she called again, leaping left as the flame barely missed her. 'Not 'lady'!!'
'Fine, fine, Krystal,' he said as patiently as he could, given the circumstances. 'Introductions later, yes?' She nodded quickly to show her agreement.
Just as he turned to start up his Arwing, Krystal leapt on his back and pinned him to the ground, licks of flame just barely skimming the tips of their ears. He turned his head to look at her and was shocked to discover that by doing so their noses were inches apart. He drew a short breath as he also noted her breasts pressed against his upper back. He stayed motionless, staring into her eyes when suddenly another fireball crashed to the ground mere feet away. Their heads both shot to the side at the sound. They quickly turned to each other again before both leapt to their feet and scrambled for the shelter of the Temple.
'Going somewhere?' a familiar, menacing voice called out. The voice! Fox would now know the owner of the voice! Fox spun around, only to see a blur of flame coming straight for him. He grabbed Krystal's upper arm and pulled her down as the flame flew over their heads, slamming into the gateway, sending debris flying everywhere. Still clutching her arm, Fox ran clumsily forward, praying the falling rock would not hit him or Krystal. Fox decided prayer wasn't enough when a small chunk of rock collided with the back of his head, knocking him down for a moment. He quickly recovered, however, thoughts of Krystal driving him on. Bricks and chunks of rock still fell on both sides and he ran blindly, rain and blood dripping down his face and into his eyes.
'Hey!' Krystal shouted. "Hey, you! You're hurt!!' She tore her arm from his grip and he turned to face her. He saw she was tearing a strip of cloth from the bottom of her skirt, making the front considerably shorter. He hoped she wore undergarments, as the scenario currently playing in his mind was not the ideal beginning to a healthy relationship. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards her, dabbing the back of his skull with the cloth. He winced in pain and she tutted, muttering something about men and weakness. She casually pulled him back a few feet as a fireball landed inches from his boots, singeing a few of his whiskers. He slowly raised two fingers to pinch out the flames, and next he knew the barrage of flames had ceased.
With a jolt he remembered that one of the first fireballs had hit the exit. With dread, he turned to see a mass of rubble. He knew he would never make it through that, and the Warp Pad would have been taken out too, given the size of the blast. He looked to Krystal for ideas, but her eyes were fixed on the sky in terror. He followed her gaze and the bottom dropped out of his stomach.
He knew the identity of the voice.
And his worst suspicions were realized.
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Fox McCloud, captain of the StarFox team, walked slowly up to the Krazoa Spirit Release Pad, eyes glowing with the presence of the sixth and final Krazoa Spirit. His mind still raced in an attempt to place that mysterious voice... his whole body trembled at the thought of General Scales as a number-two man, maybe even lower. He knew he had heard that voice before... he stopped at the edge of the Release Pad, knowing the identity of the voice had to be important. Fox placed a fist on each of his temples as he closed his eyes, trying to focus his mind on the voice, the voice of Scales'... superior. Fox shuddered again.
He looked up over the ledge of the altar before him to try to clear his mind...that girl. Rain blurred his vision ad it fell into his eyes. He knew that by releasing this Krazoa Spirit, he would also be freeing her, and his heart leapt at the thought. He still remembered the first time he had see her... he had figured she must be some kind of priestess from the look of her outfit. Still, he was not complaining... no, not in the least. He couldn't help but notice how little of her chest was concealed by her top, the perfect curve of her hips, the elegant grace of her legs... He also couldn't help but wonder what sort of reward he may receive for saving her.
'It had better be good,' he thought bitterly. The tests of the Krazoa had been simple in concept, but hell to complete. He mentally scanned through them again. He didn't know what sort of test this girl had had to complete to gain the first...
'It will be a good conversation topic over a few drinks later,' he thought with a small smile. For the second Krazoa Spirit, he had had to fight and defeat all the SharpClaw the Krazoa had thrown at him within the time limit. That one had not been particularly easy, but with the way the Krazoa had taunted him after he had failed the first time he had found it simple to complete the task, thankful, not for the first time, for how reckless his anger could make him.
For the third spirit... God. He still trembled when he thought back on that one. He had had to literally face his deepest fears in that room, and try not to panic. He didn't know how many times he had tried that challenge without success... enough times that he could make it through the Shrine as easily as he could fly his own Arwing. That test had terrified him -- he still had not completely recovered from it. Nightmares haunted him still.
The fourth challenge had been the test of strength... it had also been painfully easy. After competing with that monster in the LightFoot village, the SharpClaw had seemed weak as a scarab.
The fifth challenge, that of intelligence, knowledge. Not so much knowledge or intelligence, he felt, as just memory work. That one had been easy, but completing it within the time limit had been the difficulty of it. Fox had had to attempt that one three times before completing it, once to learn all the lands, once to see all the items properly, then the third to place them all in the correct area.
As for the sixth - suddenly, the joy that had been swelling inside him at the thought of freeing this woman was popped violently by the claw of Scales and his employer. The voice was ringing through his mind again. Images he had retained from that moment flashed once again through his mind.
He was ready to challenge Scales... he knew he was. Why weren't the fates letting him? Fox had the General on several occasions, but somehow, something always drew him away from challenging, be it Tricky, Prince of the EarthWalker tribe and official StarFox Team member, or a SpellStone.
So much had happened since he had been assigned to the re-assembly of this place, this Dinosaur Planet: Four SpellStones, two Force Point Temples, six Krazoa Spirits... so many challenges, so many places, so many people. Though he still loved flying his coveted StarFox Team Arwing, he couldn't imagine how he had stayed cooped up all this time, never bothering to see and understand the planet he was defending.
He thought fondly of Tricky, and wondered what other people - rather, personalities - he had lost because he had never bothered to meet them, never bothered to know them. He had never truly regretted anything, the only exception being the not-so-warm farewell he had given his father before he had left on that mission... that final mission. Now, whenever he thought of all the planets he could have seen and never did he felt the now- familiar pang of regret. Still, he had never believed in dwelling on the past, so whenever these thoughts managed to creep into the open he tried to banish them as best he could.
He suddenly felt something strange inside of him, almost like a warm breath through him, and he opened his eyes. Right at that moment a bright flash of lightning and a loud thunderclap made him jump. For a split second he saw something purple before his eyes, almost as though a sheen scarf had flown past his eyes. The Krazoa Spirit was moving inside him, to remind him of his duty.
He looked up and saw the girl again. He remembered his goal and stepped on the Release Pad, a slight feeling of apprehension rising in his throat. Releasing a Krazoa Spirit was in no way painful or harmful, but it was most certainly uncomfortable. He closed his eyes, willing the Spirit out. He fell to his knees as the effort of the magic sapped his energy. He felt a burning sensation in his chest as the Spirit took over, throwing his arms to his sides and thrusting his chest out. The Spirit joined the others, circling the captive woman at the height of the altar.
Fox eagerly ran up the front ramp to the altar and the woman. A few moments later, just as he was wondering if it had worked, a flash of blinding mauve light caused him to throw his hands up to shield his face. As he cautiously lowered them, squinting, he heard a loud laugh, a shriek and a dull sound of collision. Instinctively, he whipped out his staff. The woman was standing three feet forward to his far left, her back to him. He quickly noticed the steaming black spot where had been standing just moments before. He ran to her, shouting 'Get back!' and threw an arm out protectively in front of her. She jumped back and threw him to the right as another ball of flame hurtled down toward them.
'Miss, just get out of here!' He didn't know where she could go, but anywhere was better than here. He pushed her slightly with the length of the staff. She scowled at him.
'My staff!' Her hand shot out and snatched it from him before he could think twice.
'Listen lady, I...'
'Krystal!' she called crossly over the noise of the rain and the crash of another flame.
'What??' he called louder. He didn't hear a word over the din.
'My name is Krystal!!' she called again, leaping left as the flame barely missed her. 'Not 'lady'!!'
'Fine, fine, Krystal,' he said as patiently as he could, given the circumstances. 'Introductions later, yes?' She nodded quickly to show her agreement.
Just as he turned to start up his Arwing, Krystal leapt on his back and pinned him to the ground, licks of flame just barely skimming the tips of their ears. He turned his head to look at her and was shocked to discover that by doing so their noses were inches apart. He drew a short breath as he also noted her breasts pressed against his upper back. He stayed motionless, staring into her eyes when suddenly another fireball crashed to the ground mere feet away. Their heads both shot to the side at the sound. They quickly turned to each other again before both leapt to their feet and scrambled for the shelter of the Temple.
'Going somewhere?' a familiar, menacing voice called out. The voice! Fox would now know the owner of the voice! Fox spun around, only to see a blur of flame coming straight for him. He grabbed Krystal's upper arm and pulled her down as the flame flew over their heads, slamming into the gateway, sending debris flying everywhere. Still clutching her arm, Fox ran clumsily forward, praying the falling rock would not hit him or Krystal. Fox decided prayer wasn't enough when a small chunk of rock collided with the back of his head, knocking him down for a moment. He quickly recovered, however, thoughts of Krystal driving him on. Bricks and chunks of rock still fell on both sides and he ran blindly, rain and blood dripping down his face and into his eyes.
'Hey!' Krystal shouted. "Hey, you! You're hurt!!' She tore her arm from his grip and he turned to face her. He saw she was tearing a strip of cloth from the bottom of her skirt, making the front considerably shorter. He hoped she wore undergarments, as the scenario currently playing in his mind was not the ideal beginning to a healthy relationship. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards her, dabbing the back of his skull with the cloth. He winced in pain and she tutted, muttering something about men and weakness. She casually pulled him back a few feet as a fireball landed inches from his boots, singeing a few of his whiskers. He slowly raised two fingers to pinch out the flames, and next he knew the barrage of flames had ceased.
With a jolt he remembered that one of the first fireballs had hit the exit. With dread, he turned to see a mass of rubble. He knew he would never make it through that, and the Warp Pad would have been taken out too, given the size of the blast. He looked to Krystal for ideas, but her eyes were fixed on the sky in terror. He followed her gaze and the bottom dropped out of his stomach.
He knew the identity of the voice.
And his worst suspicions were realized.
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