A/N: And now for number three. This will probably be the last one I post for, at the very least, two weeks. Do you know how stupid long it takes to get all the dialogue down properly? For just these three chapters it took me three nights of starting and restarting the game. And to think these chapters only encompass about the first 10 minutes of the game. ….this is going to be a long fic.
Chapter Three: The First Spirit.
Krystal felt herself being pulled by the energy surrounding her to a different location. The sensation of traveling through nothingness was a little weird, but she dealt with it.
Her feet touched cool glass and she could sense the air around her again. She had reached her destination. Krystal opened her eyes to find herself in a room very similar to the one she had just left. Just in front of her was a door. Stepping off the platform, she left the warping room behind and entered the shrine. In this room was a ladder leading to a ledge above. Grasping the rungs, she climbed upwards until she reached a stone floor again.
Now she faced a room with geysers of fire and more floating brain things. The geysers turned on and off so, timing her approach, she was able to make it through safely. In front of her now was a pit containing the brain thing and beyond was a door blocked by a seal of some kind.
Avoiding the monster, she approached the door. Upon further inspection, she realized what it was. It was a Life-Force Door, meaning she had to defeat a certain amount of enemies for the door to open. She had never fully understood how these seals were accomplished but opening one was simple enough.
Just a few feet away was an explosive. Using it, she killed the brain thing, opening the door. Entering the new room, she was once again faced with a pressure switch and flame throwers lining the wall. She sighed in annoyance. Why did everything always have to be deadly? She stepped on the switch, opening the door at the other end and, making sure her timing was right, she dashed across the room to the closing door.
When she entered this newly opened room, she spied what she had been looking for; the first Krazoa Spirit. Slowly, she approached it, hoping for the best.
"Test one: the test of observation." The spirits mouth moved but its voice did not seem to originate from there. It echoed from all around her as well as in her head. It was a little bit unnerving but she stood her ground. "Watch closely where I hide. When the urns stop moving, you must show me which urn I have hidden in. Find me three times in a row and I will be yours to return to Krazoa Palace." As the spirit finished, Krystal smiled. She had always been good at these games.
Six urns appeared around her and the Krazoa spirit floated over to one of them. Turning back to her, it lowered itself in and the urns began to move. Left, right, left again, across the room. Krystal's fast eyes were able to keep track of the urn that contained the spirit. After each time she found it, the urns moved faster and in more erratic patterns. They were becoming increasingly hard to follow, but somehow, she managed.
After she had found it the third and final time, the spirit vanished. What's going on? Wasn't she supposed to take it back to Krazoa Palace now? A sense of panic began to rise within her.
From behind her, Krystal heard the Krazoa Spirit's eerie mumbling again. She turned around to face what appeared to be a glass mirror. Suddenly ripples appeared, originating from the centre. Slowly, Krystal walked forwards as the Krazoa Spirit began to emerge from the rippling glass. Her mouth slowly opened in awe as the Krazoa and she drew closer. All of a sudden, the spirit rushed at her and entered her body. She gasped at the sensation of the spirit entering her body and filling her mind. She was lifted off her feet and suspended high in the air in the middle of the room with her arms spread wide.
The Krazoa Spirit began to subside until it was just a passenger in her body, along for the ride. Krystal was gently lowered to the ground where she fully became herself again. She had done it! She had successfully passed the Krazoa's test and was now able to return the Krazoa Spirit to the Palace.
When she had finished rejoicing she turned towards a mirror where she saw something that slightly shocked her. The whites of her eyes were now a deep purple. The shock subsided quickly. It was probably just the presence of the Krazoa Spirit.
Once again, she felt the energy and light envelop her body and she was transported back to Krazoa Palace. The old EarthWalker lay outside the door and, remembering his words, she approached him again. Seeing her approach, he smiled. Krystal knelt down by him again.
"The shrines keep the spirits safe from harm, but their powers are useless. Only when the Spirit has been released back into the palace can it be used to stop this war." Krystal took that as a subtle hint that she was now to release the Krazoa Spirit in her body into the palace. At one edge of the room were a small raised platform and a doorway high up on the wall. Perhaps that platform would rise up if she stepped on it.
When the platform had reached the hallway, she stepped off and continued down in the direction the hallway led. The hall branched off in two directions. One was sealed so it was obvious she could not choose that way. They other way, however, had a statue of a head of a Krazoa Spirit built into the wall with a mirror of rippling glass behind it and there was a glowing platform in front of it. Slowly, Krystal stepped on to the platform.
Suddenly she dropped to her knees in pain. The Krazoa Spirit was trying to leave her body and she felt like she was going to be ripped apart. Without warning even to herself, she flung her arms open and the Krazoa Spirit left her body. Krystal opened her eyes to see the spirit sink into the statue. She dropped her arms to her side and stood up slowly as the mouth of the statue began to open. She took a few steps back and a beam of purple light and energy burst forth from the mouth of the statue. She was breathing heavily, but she smiled. She had set the Krazoa Spirit free within Krazoa Palace.
Evening her breathing and using her paw to wipe some sweat from her brow, she began to turn back the way she had come. When she took her first step, a sound caught her ears; breathing. It was raspy and harsh. A footstep followed and Krystal whipped herself around to face whoever was there. Spying her assailant she cried out "It's you…Aaaaahhhhh!" He knocked her backwards into the beam of light and she was flung towards the other end of the hall. As she was flying, she lost consciousness.
When Krystal awoke, she found herself unable to move. She opened her eyes and looked around without moving her head. She was trapped inside a crystal! Outside of the crystal, she could see the sky and the rain so she knew she must be outside. Since she could see none of the Palace, she assumed she was at the top.
An image whizzing by outside caught her eye. As she followed it with her eyes, she realized it was the Krazoa Spirit she had freed. It was now circling the crystal she was trapped in. Panic began to set in. How could she get out? Would she be trapped in here forever? There was no one to realize she was missing so how was any one supposed to know what had happened to her?
She began struggling, or at least trying to. She could hardly move a muscle. When she tried to open her mouth to cry out, she found she was unable to.
After about ten more minutes of struggling, she finally stopped, resigning herself to the fact that she could not free herself. But who out there could help her? She had no friends of family to miss her, no one who would come to try to valiantly rescue her. Will I ever be freed? she thought before slowly lapsing into deep unconsciousness.
End of Chapter Three
A/N: Once again, thank you to Ninjafoxshadow for reviewing. Maybe I'll get more reviewers over time, but for now, oh well. Look forward to Chapter Four: Enter Team Star Fox