Hello, and welcome the the 11th chapter of this amazing tale. I can't be more grateful to some of my really awesome friends that I've made here, and you peoples of the planet Earth have helped me through difficult times, and I really appreciate it. I know that I put in the ships, these are final, and if you don't like them, nobody is telling you to read this story. The relationships will not happen right away, but will present by the end of the story. Enough of me rambling, let's get on with the chapter, oh, and Ireland time is 7 hours ahead U.S. time, where a lot of my readers come from, and here it's like 3 in the morning. My buddy DarkraizerGx1 gave me some more info on Date's family so extra, extra, read all about it!
Mangle, Foxy, Date, Latch, Ranger, and Redford slowly made their way up the steep canyon. Even with his injuries, Redford was doing fine, while Foxy progressively got worse, and passed out before they made little ground, and Freddy and the rest of the guide met up with them only a kilometer away from the bottom. Freddy used his team badge to warp Foxy and Redford home, so Brittany, the deer animatronic doctor could fix the two up. For the three ribs he ended up breaking, he underwent surgery to remove the bone fragments, and was given painkillers, and it was it was revealed that the blades of Puppet's bagh nakas were laced with poison that was now tearing its way through Fox's battered body. They gave him the antitoxin, but he had to stay in the hospital for a week, because they didn't know if the antitoxin would work, so he needed to stay to see if it was working. Foxy was pissed that he was out of commision for a whole week.
MEANWHILE
Mangle, and her new found friends made their way up the canyon with Freddy and the others, since the rest of their badges were at the guide. The trek was quite, and Mangle was worried about Foxy, she tried to focus on something else, so she asked, "How did you guys get together, and to the guide?"
"Well, I was sick of the stupid humans in a human town called New York City, so I moved to remote animatronic country, and saved this guy's life", Latch briefly explained, pointing towards Ranger, "Date came a along a couple of years later, when we were ambushed by a group of bandits in the mountain ranges to the far northwest. How he got here is a tale for him to tell you, if he wants to."
"Sure, why not", Date said behind his cloak, "I was born in Japan, in the far east like I said, to my mother, Li-ang, and my father Lord Angkar, ruler of the Gao kingdom. I myself his eldest son, and then there are my younger twin siblings, Kirito, my little brother, and Tikal, my little sister. My family and my father's kingdom believe that the sun is the source of the life energy so most of the technology and energy is solar based, since the sun contains infinite power. My family is in charge for a reason though, my ancestors and the rest of my family are expert swordsmiths, and forged some of the finest weapons around, like the guandao that Latch carries, I made it myself. We posses another ability, but so few can actually use it that it nowadays it is more myth and legend than anything. It was said that some of my ancestors could utilize the power of the sun to forge their weapons to be finer than anything, and that they were unstoppable, and that is why they that my family rules."
"Anyway, I left home because a friend of mine went missing. I was on a sightseeing trip of the kingdom, and I tried to escape from the guards for the second time, and she helped me because she thought they were kidnappers, and I was some peasant boy they wanted to enslave. After we got away, I hung out with her for a while, and we became good friends, maybe even a little bit more than that. She showed me around the most fascinating city i've ever been to, and everything was fine until that dreadful day came. An unnamed, unknown army invaded the city, and kidnapped her and a few other people from the city. I faintly remember her know, she's been gone so long now, but she was a white fox, with a crescent shaped scar across her left cheek. I started looking all around the world for her, and haven't turned up anything yet, but I still got hope."
"I also left because of the peace, since the Gigas kingdom, has stopped trying to take over our kingdom. I left with my kitana, a gift my grandfather made especially for me, still nothing special besides the sentimental value, but it's a good weapon
Mangle was quiet as she digested Date's entire tale, she was speechless except for a faint "Wow" that she managed to get out. The rest of the walk was just the guys telling funny little stories about some of their misadventures, like when someone stole Latch's headphones, and when Date tripped down a flight of stairs, and activated a trap that almost got them killed, or when Ranger accidently bit Latch, the stories flowed like water, and the whole group was laughing really hard.
When they were cutting through Ilex Forest, close to the guide, Mangle asked Date, "So would you mind forging me a bow?". She was skilled in archery, but left her bow at her old guide, and was pretty sure that it was just gone.
"Sure, i'll get started on it the day after tomorrow, because I have to rest and gather the materials to make a bow, and then the day after tomorrow, I will do it. It will take 18 hours straight, but i'll do it for ya." Date said with a smile. He already found his match with his old friend, but he liked Mangle because of how nice she was.
"Thank you for being willing to put in so much work just for me." she replied, happy he said yes.
"No prob, Bob", he replied as he sprinted ahead, ready to sleep in a normal bed for the first time in three days. Mangle first went to check on Foxy when she got back, and saw him sleeping in the hospital bed, his bandages covered chest rising and falling slowly, along with the occasional beeps of the heart monitor. She smiled when she saw him, he looked cute when he slept, and she left him soon after, going to bed after talking to a nurse who told her that he was going to be fine. The next morning, which came much too early in Chica's opinion, came with one of Freddy's speeches.
"As you all know, we successfully found and liberated one of Team Venom's bases as they now call themselves. Foxy and Redford both were injured but the injuries are not life threatening. These foes are dangerous and with one weak magic spell, there leader was able to break three of Foxy's ribs. Stay on high alert everyone, we don't know their motives and who is apart ofthem and who isn't." Freddy told his people
"Wait a minute" Mangle said, the crowd parting as she slowly meandered to the front of the room. "They talked briefly about something called the 'Suit of Argus', I don't know what it is, i've never heard of it, but it seems important, and they need all the oils to power it" Mangle told the small group, a couple of gasps from some of the older explorers.
Freddy had a terrified look on his face. "Some of you may know about the Suit of Argus, but for everyone, here it goes. In the beginning of the animatronic creation, chaos and disorder were rampant, and the world was a place of crazy non-sense, so the ancient gods created the Suit of Argus. This armor suit gave its wearer the ability to control all other animatronics and the capability to destroy any whom they wanted. The Ancient Oils were used to power the suit, and when it was destroyed and sealed away, the gods used its oil as a means to keep time steady, and so that the suit could never again be used, and its great and immense power abused without time being disrupted, and people becoming aware of it. If it is revived, and it's new users the members of Team Venom, then we and all of animatronics and humans are very, very screwed." Freddy saw some of the faces in the crowd turn sour with worry so he quickly added, "We will not let that happen though, we will protect this world, and all of it's inhabitants.
Everyone felt theirs worries be abolished by Freddy's inspirational speech. They got to work soon afterwards, Mangle went to the top floor and was waiting for Bonnie and Chica to pick a mission, when she heard Foxy's gruff voice yelling at someone from the basement. Mangle went to see what was going on, and saw Foxy arguing with Brittney the deer animatronic doctor. She sat on the stairs, and watched for above.
" I gotta go, everyone is going to work, I gotta go to" he said passion blazing in his voice.
"You heard me this morning Foxy, you cannot go out today, you know that we have to test if the antitoxin is working because if it isn't you go, and we gave you the wrong one, since this is a strange toxin, then you will die." the doctor told him bluntly, and probably for the tenth time today.
"But I gotta make she that she get through the day OK, I will never let something like what went down in that desert go down again!" he shouted, " I really like Ms. Mangle, and I will not stay in bed until I know that she went out to work, and got home safely. I may not have the courage to tell her know he said,but believe me, i'll tell her someday." he finished more calmly.
"Ok, fine, you've worn he down you stupid fox, but I swear to God, if you die, you better not haunt me." She told him with a surprising seriousness.
Foxy ran to the stairs, but Mangle couldn't move. Her cheeks were bright red, and Foxy's were even redder when he saw her sitting on the staircase down to the basement.
"How much of dat did ya hear lass?", he said hoping for the best.
"I-I heard the whole thing,", she replied, much to Foxy's dismay., "but I want you to know that I share the same feeling, I've just haven't know how to tell you. I know that love at first sight is stupid, and that I shouldn't be falling for you after just a couple of days, but it's how I feel, and evidently, it's how you feel as well"
Foxy's awkward frown and blushing were replaced by a big goofy smile, " I love ya lass" and he kissed her on the lips. It wasn't long, but for the both of them it was special. Two were even more red now, but they had to go meet Bonnie and Chica to go exploring, so they left the basement steps, and headed up. Bonnie won rock, paper, scissors, and chose a mission to go rescue a baby giraffe animatronic stranded far north in the subpolar mountains. To save them some time, they went and talked to Carl, the eagle, who took the four to their frozen destination with ease.
As they walked through the freezing forest, appropriately called Frostbite Forest, they occasionally heard a faint chuckle of laughter, and Foxy swore he heard something moving through the trees. Besides the crazy off putting noise, the place was magical. The snow was still falling somewhat hard on the undisturbed forest, whom many dared not go into, since the place had a notorious reputation of swallowing up people, and they being gone for ever. They eventually got to a densely packed area of trees, which formed a black canopy over Team Starcross. As they went through the tree tunnel which was about a kilometer from the start of the canopy, they again heard the same chuckle. When they got out, Foxy's hook and eyepatch, Bonnie's bowtie, Chica's 'Let's Eat' Bib, and Mangle's favorite red bowtie were all missing
They all heard the laughing again this time,a lot louder, and Foxy shout at it, "Hey, get back here ya little shit!" Running as fast as he could towards the voice, because nobody steals from the great Captain Foxy. Mangle soon joined him, running close behind, zig-zagging in and out of the old snow covered pine trees. They ran for miles, and they were both starting to get out of breath when Foxy sprinted at max speed, and caught the creature who stole all their things. The little black and brown cat tried its best to squirms it's way out of the scary fox's hands. He was missing an eye, a hand, which the kid didn't realize he was holding, and a whole lot of fur.
"I believe ya got somthin' that belong to to my friends and I lad. Do ya want to give it back like a good boy, for are ya gonna have to learn the hard way?" Foxy asked in his pirate tone, the small brown, black, and grey, looked at him back in the eye, and responded, "Yes sir" he responded, giving back the items. As Bonnie and Chica caught up, the snow started falling harder and harder, and they knew that they didn't have much time left before they had to call it a day, so they went to the described location where the deer said that he broke his leg, and he was really grateful when they got him, and gave them $5000 dollar reward, $4500 of which went to the guide for "reasons", but they didn't care, they were just glad to help. The real issue was when they were on their way back, and the snow was so high, that they could barely make push their legs through the massive drifts. Luckily a certain thief cat was able to help them back to his den, only a couple hundred meters off the time worn track.
They were gonna just use their badge, and go home the easy way, but an awful forgetful fox who led the group, (*cough cough Foxy cough cough), so they had walk the whole way back.
Just relaxing at the cat's small base Foxy started talking to the cat thief.
"So lad, I'm gonna take a wild ass guess, and say that ya live alone,, and that you make your livin, by being a petty thief.", Foxy asked.
"Yes sir, I live here by myself, and my name is Elliot." the cat told Foxy, having no real reason to lie to the fox man now. If he wanted, he could easily take him to the police, so why lie?
"Well, Elliot, i'm Captain Foxy, overthrown by a one man rebellion, but that's another story, and not one for right now. Anyway, my friends and I here are apart of an adventure team, and even though you're too young, and our team is at max capacity, but you can live with us still." Foxy offered, not seeking the counsel of his team members.
"I think I may have to take you up on your offer old man" the little cat responded.
" Don't disrespect me little man, or I will kick your butt.", Foxy said, serious enough to convince Elliot to lay off.
"Yes sir" Elliot quickly replied.
"That's better" Foxy said, the serious face melting into a smile. "Sorry though, he said facing towards the injured deer, but, uh, looks like we're hold up here until this storm blows over."
" It's ok" the deer said with a pained smile, his leg still hurting.
"My mom and dad taught all of us kids medicine, and how to take care of yourselves, so I can probably patch you up", Chica said with her usual cheery self.
"Well then, I guess that's a night" Foxy said, laying down on the rug that covered most of the room.
I hope that you people enjoyed the 11th chapter, and wow, this one is by far the longest chapter, like 600 or so more words than any other chapter written for this story. As always, leave a review, or PM me, and I'll see you cool foxes in the next chapter.