Starfox and it's characters belong to Nintendo.
Lylus
Stepping out from the staircase, Fox was greeted by a war torn orange sky brimming with vessels and lasers, both Cornerian and Venomian. Smoke and flames either rising from debris crashing onto the surface or a result of an explosion from ships.
The cobalt vixen was nowhere in sight and any attempts at calling her were met with silence. No time in making assumptions with the sound of multiple footsteps approaching the vulpine, growing ever louder by the second. Fox quickly made a run for the nearest building, hoping over an open window and pressed his back against the wall beside him, watching for whomever arrives first. Be it Venomians or Cornerians; it was in his best interest to keep himself distant from either parties. Judging from the sheer size when he came in and the design of the room, it might have been an apartment complex or an office building of sorts.
His ears flickered as they picked up several voices, faint but recognizable in a broad sense. A mix between an hiss notably heard by some reptilians in the Venomian Empire and the ill mannered and rather obnoxious tone by the apes. If that wasn't a clear enough sign of an unfriendly encounter, the mere sight of their attire should be clear enough. A thick red armored flight suit with a large dome-like helmet affixed to the torso.
Going off by they came in running, they may have had just came out from a skirmish with the Cornerians presumably. Fox leaned close to the window and listens in as they stopped to recuperate. Although faint, he could make out something about eggheads and luring them away from a hideout. It didn't require much thought to put two and two together and how much of a concern this brings. A hideout is bad enough knowing they likely have a working base of operations on the planet, but the mention of scientists could mean they may have made a discovery, and more likely not some dusty old broken pots. Fortunately, it also means something more suited to his style.
"A better lead than nothing I suppose..."
Seeing no more reason to stick around, the vulpine stepped deeper inside the building but not before catching the sound of a loud shot going off behind him. Before he could turn around and process as to what just happened, stray bolts struck in his direction as the group hollered over each other and panic firing. His wrist PDA flickers to life as the azure vixen's voice came through.
"Up the stairs, Fox!" Another shot rings out and the screen immediately goes black before the vulpine could even respond.
Without a moment to process, the vulpine immediately dashes out the room and down a corridor of plant overgrowth and rusted metal. Although all the vines and branches proved to be an annoyance to push and pull aside, it did well in masking his person as he could hear footsteps and loud voices closing in behind him. It didn't help that the only source of light was the sun peering through open doors and cracks within the walls. At the end of the hall, he was met with a stairway leading to the upper and lower floors as the azure vixen directed. As the vulpine makes a run up the steps, he draws his staff as he picks up the sound of someone above coming down. Could it be Kursed or more apes? Time was too short to guess.
Footsteps from below growing ever closer, Fox kept the staff pointing towards the steps above him as he continues to run until his eyes caught the sight of a single blaster barrel peaking out from the next flight. Without a moment's thought, the vulpine took the iniative and prepares a fireball before leaping out into the open just as the wielder came into view.
Just as he was about to let loose the flaming projectile, his eyes widened in shock as he caught a glimpse of blue and white fur on the figure's face. His hands jolt to side just as the reddish orb was launched and flies right over the person's shoulder, colliding with the wall behind them and leaving a seared hole for the setting sun to beam in.
Halfway on the steps sat the azure bounty hunter herself, having been spooked from the blast and slipped on the stairs. In her hand was a rifle typically carried by Venomian soldiers; very likely pulled off a corpse she made some ape into.
"McCloud, the fuck!?" Kursed quietly hissed, throwing her hands in the air as to emphasize her vexation.
"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't see you until the last second!"
Grabbing the rifle, the azure vixen merely shook her head as she got up. Now wasn't the time to be scolding the vulpine. Fox could only groan in frustration as he follows her back up where she came from. After a few more flights, Kursed lead him down more plant filled corridors until coming to a stop at an intersection where a large tree had sprouted through the center floor. She slowly scans between the three open paths, watching for movement and listening for any sounds not their own.
"Alright, this way." She gestures for the vulpine before taking the path on the left.
The fighting outside did not seem to be letting up anytime soon with lasers and explosions going off nonstop, unclear as to which side is actually gaining ground.
After pushing aside a screen of the trailing plants, the two would find themselves in a large open area strangely bereft of any walls before and beside them. In their place stood metal railings with more oriental designs under open windows, letting in the cool humid breeze into the building. Some kind of recreation room most likely. As Kursed lead him to the side, a single Cornerian fighter flew right by the building followed by a wing of drones, kicking up a potent gust of wind across the room. From here, they had full view of the conflict going on outside.
"Tell me, Fox. Why do you keep taking jobs for these guys?" The azure vixen asked in a normal tone now that they were outside and far enough to avoid any eavesdroppers.
"Weird time to be asking that don't you think?"
Kursed merely shrugged as she hops over the railing and onto a long spiral staircase, likely used as an emergency exit.
"Curious, really. Heard a lot about what happened with your bunch two years ago so its just weird that you even bother talking to those old dogs."
Responding with silence, the vulpine simply gazes up at the fighting and just stares for a brief moment before brushing past the azure vixen and swiftly descends the stairway as the question lingers in his mind. Though he accepted this job out of kindness for his father figure, looking at the Cornerion army logo plastered upon their mighty vessels wasn't the same anymore. What he once felt proud for the people he once served now only brought betrayal and indignation.
He was only doing this for Peppy. No one else...
It did not require a psychic to see that what she said bothered him greatly. Kursed could only ponder as to what exactly happened years ago that led the former hero into the man she is working with now. Nothing so far has offered any hints on her familiarity with the man but it clear that he ended quite a few relations on a bad note. Very much likely the very woman she just happened to remind him of being one of them. Or perhaps it was the other way around.
The thought was quickly put on pause as an bolt of energy whizzes by from behind her person and straight out the window. Her mind was busy in contemplation that she hadn't realized the Venomains catching up to them. Wasting no time in turning to face her attacker, the cobalt vixen dove to the side as a barrage of blaster fire came through the door and quickly follows the vulpine.
Realizing what was going on, Fox kept his head low as he looks over the railings. Being only two stories up, the vulpine stepped back for a bit before making a leap off the stairs. With a short thud, he landed and rolled across the ground before sprinting off behind the closest building. As expected, the shots were now being directed towards his person. Staff drawn, it was only fair that he should return the Venomian hospitality in kind as he peeks his head slightly out and fires away balls of fire in their direction, being sure as to keep his face obscured in the shadow. Having drawn their attention away, Kursed was able to descend the rest of the way down and reach the tod while picking off a ruffian or two.
"Seriously, whatever you found down there, it better be worth the trouble we're in!" Kursed tosses the rifle aside after expending the entire pack and resorting to her pistol once again.
With the Venomian troops already descending the stairway, their time here is spent and any longer would bring more than just a small rag-tag squad of insurgents. The barrage gradually lessened in intensity as some of the troopers were reloading, offering the foxes the small window they needed and immediately made a bee line out across the ruins. The road out of these ruins is nothing short of bumpy with every turn, being forced to take a different path upon coming across an ensuing firefight. With every stop, its to hide from the sights of Venomians and Cornerians alike. All while being chased.
At last, they would escape the chaotic maze of metal and conflict only to fade into another of greenwood and uncertainty. The sounds of warfare grew faint, but they refused to cease their hasty retreat and ran nonstop until the fiery tinted sky had once again been replaced by a blackened sea of stars. After being sure they had lost their would be pursuers, the foxes stopped and took shelter inside an opening beneath a large tree with nothing but the many roots around them to serve as walls and a bed of grass for floors.
Feeling as her legs were beginning to give out, Kursed immediately dropped down against the smooth wooden interior, exhausted from today's undertaking. Across from her sat the vulpine in a similar state. Although difficult with the darkness, small pockets on the walls allowed rays of moonlight to shine through and display bits and pieces of his person. Sprawled against the wall, chest heaving back and forth, and the sound of heavy breathing easily caught by her ears.
For the time being they were safe from pursuit, hearing only each other's gradually softening breaths and nature's symphony filling the darkened jungles with their native melodies.
"So... Now what?" Kursed finally breaks the silence in the air.
With the exhaustion subsided, the vulpine gazes out through the small openings for any signs of Venomians before reaching for his wrist PDA, prompting the holographic map. They had not deviated too far from their next destination along the coastline and getting there should take no longer than a day and half as long as they do not run into anything. On the other hand...
"I say we should find those apes and their hideout." As expected, the azure vixen raised an eyebrow at the offer.
"... Any reason why you want to go find a site that is likely packed full of angry apes and lizards with blasters, tanks, and whatever antiques they pulled out of a war museum?"
When she said it like that, his suggestion would come off as absurd at best to any sane person. Seemingly impossible odds and the tod share a close history for better or worse, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that his mindset is more hardened to such situations. Even amongst other mercenaries and the like.
"From what I've picked up overhearing from a few of them, they seemed to found something big and if I was a betting man, its not old pots and vases."
"Look, I know part of the job is to blast a few monkeys and smash their property, but don't you think this little skirmish is gonna keep them riled up for a bit?"
If there were any Venomians near, she could pick up their thoughts but even then, it was like finding a needle within dozens of haystacks. On top of that, avoiding the more unsavory images and intentions left bare for her to see.
"If we find that base along the way, we'll see what we can do. Until then, I need some shut-eye. You got watch tonight."
Hours go by and the watch had yielded nothing short of boredom as the hours trickle by with no one in sight. Occasionally, one of those bug-like creatures would wander by in search of sap but all in all, it was relatively peaceful. A little too peaceful for his liking considering the fighting they had escaped. Thankfully, the sound of critters is a good sign that nothing threatening is lurking about. Pulling up his legs to his chest, Fox rests his head against the root as it was becoming increasingly difficult to resist the urge to shut his eyes for even a moment. Exhausted would be an understatement as how he is feeling right now.
With the thoughts of fighting and running subsided and for the momrny, not a priority, his time in the temple came forward. As cliche as it sounds, the sight of such discovery continues to shower the tod with more questions than one can normally handle. One thing is for sure, the Krazoa have been here before, having once resided in this world where it's former inhabitants worshipped the spirits like those of Sauria do now. Whatever large-scale event that occurred here had caused the six spirits to seemingly abandon this world to begin anew on the planet of dinosaurs.
His experience with the Krazoa spirits is not one easily forgotten. Even Krystal's during their bonding where the two opened their memories to teach other. Through both the good and the bad, they shared their thoughts and minds, growing closer as the days went by. Her bygone days with her tribe in Cerinia before it's destruction to befriending the dinosaurs after first stepping onto Sauria. With such nostalgia, Fox could not help but smile at such fond memories.
Looking over to Kursed, the cobalt vixen had been resting soundly, having slightly curled up and facing his direction. Her expression unlike the typical scowl she wears had significantly softened to the point the vulpine could not help but smile at how oddly cute it is. Outside of her charming personality, the hunter is rather attractive; beautiful even if one were to be so bold. What kind of upbringing did this woman go through to end up like this? From the company Kursed keeps, it's apparent she does not entirely enjoy her job but a honest one just seems out of her reach for some reason. Poverty? Lack of opportunity? Useless pondering for sure, but what more can he do to pass the time?
Watching the woman, a familiar warmth slowly crept it's back. The very same that he felt back at the hotel and farther back. Much as he wanted to embrace this comforting feeling, guilt became the only obstacle denying the vulpine this privilege. Her aura was not like the gentle, albeit stubborn vibe given off by Krystal, yet this woman shares other notable traits with the azure vixen that he could not deny save for the one missing nail to the coffin.
Her tattoos...
Whether or Kursed possesses these marks, what then? Pursuing any form of relationship would only serve to brand her as nothing more than a rebound, much less if the bounty hunter is even interested in a wash-out like him. Fox did not wish for that. Using a woman's heart merely as a tool for coping through his loss. It will only end like before; this time likely with a blaster involved. Kursed had already went through a bad relationship once. He did not want to do the same for her.
His ears perked up at the sound of yawning from the azure vixen as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. For a split second, it felt as though his heart had suddenly stopped. Body stiffened in a pose like one attempting to hide themselves in plain sight. Unsurprisingly, it drew a puzzled gaze from her drowsy face.
"Fox... What is wrong with you? You look like you seen a ghost or something."
After a rather questionable explanation, at least what she could make out from the bits of stuttering, Fox was already fast asleep and the bounty hunter on watch. He was not in a talking mood for sure.
Not even an hour goes by before she could sense that something was wrong with the tod. Low muttering, constantly tossing and turning, short rapid breaths, and beads of sweat forming across his face. Most peculiar though were the tears trailing down his face. It became painfully clear that the vulpine was experiencing a nightmare; a grievous one at that. Not wanting to risk the chance of him screaming and waking up the entire planet, Kursed quickly and quietly knelt beside the man and took his hand into her's while reaching to cover his mouth.
Immediately, Fox quickly tightened his grip as if holding on for dear life, causing the cobalt vixen to jump slightly. What followed next was simply just a depressing and pitiful sight for mercenary.
The poor tod had calmed down somewhat but in return, he quietly wept as nothing but hushed apologies were able to escape his grieving lips. Just who is he apologizing to that warrants the need to bawl his eyes out? Her best guess would be the very person mentioned before sharing her resemblance. One word though amidst the sea of tears and sorrow struck her curious.
Krystal.
A name. For once, a clue she could use without the odds of deception behind it. As to who exactly this person was might yield more insight. Still, watching this weeping tod is disheartening enough; even she is not downright inconsiderate. Rather than covering up Fox's mouth and thus silencing the vulpine, she instead reaches just a bit higher and gently rests her hand upon his forehead.
"This is how you're suppose to do it, right? Bah, come on Kursed..."
"Shhh... It's erm... Alright, Fox... You can uh stop crying now..." The azure vixen whispered in as soft a tone as she could muster.
While her attempt at comforting the man was crude at best, it seemed adequate enough for Fox to finally cease his weeping; a soft smile even forming across his lips. Letting out a sigh in relief, Kursed could only sit there and watch the vulpine resting soundly for once. In a way, his predicament is reminiscent of her own experience after her relationship ended.
Betrayal, Outrage, Regret, Grief, Abandonment...
Months and months of fruitlessly trying to mend the tear a former flame had torn. Like two peas in a pod. In this case, two broken souls in a tree. Nevertheless, she agreed to listen and offer some kind of aid. No way to tell how it will turn out, much less if she will even see him again once this is all over.
The moment cobalt vixen pulled her hand off of the man's forehead, the wrist PDA attached begins to emit a low ping sound as the device springs to life before Runaeh in her seat was projected once again.
"I am glad that one of you are still awake. Terribly sorry that I am calling so late." The white vixen spoke in a hushed tone.
"No big deal. What do you got for me?"
Waving her hand, Runaeh's image was pushed aside as a screen of various text was pulled to the front.
"A course it took some time, but I was able to decipher the wording Fox had sent and set up a working translator. It is not perfect but from what I found, it appears to be very loosely based on the Saurian language."
"Thats good. Least now we got something we can work with... Runaeh, I need you to look into someone for me."
The arctic vixen pushes away the wall of text as she comes back on screen. "Hm? May I ask for what reason, Kursed? Have you found something of note?"
"Just someone by the name, Krystal. Anything about this person and her affiliations."
For a brief moment, Runaeh seemed uncharacteristically quiet as she disappears from view. Minutes go by before the arctic vixen returns with her usual demeanor.
"Krystal. No family name of any kind. A former member to both Star Fox and their rival, Star Wolf. Her background is scarce with only information of her time as a mercenary up to her disappearance shortly after achieving victory in the Anglar Wars with the later group. According to rumors, she was involved in sabotaging Star Fox's plans which later aided Star Wolf in confronting the Anglar Emperor. Even more so, personal relations with one of their members by the name, Panther Caruso as an attempt to further cast salt upon the wounds. Whether or not these rumors were true remains a mystery as neither Fox and his team nor the Cornerian government speak of the matter."
"So that's what sealed the deal..."
"After her disappearance, talks of potential suicide were up in the air but such gossip quickly died down along with any mention of the woman. Through all of my search, there is one thing of note I find rather odd..."
Eyes narrowed, Kursed leaned over with much intrigue. "What did you find?"
"There are no images of this Krystal. Not even photos."
Is it possible that the Cornerians had erased every picture of her? Were they really that shameful of this person to resort to expunging every portrayal? Nevertheless, not only aiding your former rivals to rise in fame and fortune, but also getting with one of their members would had devastated any normal man to the point of suicide. It is a miracle that man is even standing now after the all of this.
"That will do. Thanks. I'll tell McCloud the translator is up in the morning."
Runaeh offers a short nod before the hologram shuts off.
Sensing that there was not a soul within the area, the cobalt vixen takes in a deep breath and slowly shuts her eyes. Instead of diving straight through and attempting to breach Fox mental barriers again, she opted to instead tread as close to the walls as possible in hopes that with him in a more peaceful state of mind, a thought or memory may slip out for display. The man has to pay for her generosity somehow.
Like freely floating down a river, Kursed felt herself gently pulled into the vulpine's conscious. As the invisible force stops, her eyes open and the azure vixen finds herself standing before a wall of rippling water that seems to stretch endlessly. Looking around, all else she could see was nothing but white as if inside a blank canvas. Extending her hand inside, she was surprisingly able to reach half way into the rippling before it was forcefully pushed out, leaving rings to flow outwards from the center.
"Weird... Never had that happen before."
While this mental barrier matches in shape and form to that of the one residing within Runaeh's mind, the fact she was able to partially reach inside rather than touching a solid wall is puzzling. It would be safe to assume that someone else with psychic powers like the arctic vixen and like her, had put up this mental wall for the tod. Perhaps this Krystal character.
Although the rippling had made the wall blurry with any attempts at making out anything on the other side near impossible, she could have sworn something at moved at the corner of her eye. A large shadowy figure amidst the veil, stood before her on the other side with an eerie bluish glow. By far was the figure humanoid, resembling more like some kind of sea creature with what looks like tendrils coming out of it.
The place echoes with every step as the azure vixen slowly backs away from the wall. Although safe on the other side, she could not help but feel unease. Out of all the teachings of the mind, this was not like anything she seen before. Kursed kept a hand gripping her blaster, for what good that will do before turning tail and run before the paranoia could take root.
Pulling her head back, Kursed was breathing heavily as she finds herself back to reality in the same position as before. The experience left her lightheaded for a moment before quickly shaking it off in time before Fox began to stir from his slumber.
Eyes slowly drawing itself open to the sight of Kursed's face, his sight hazy, leaving him with a blurred image of the bounty hunter. His mind still in the process of waking up, he reaches out with his free hand towards the azure vixen. To him, all he could make out was...
"Krystal...?" He muttered before his vision adjusts itself and realizing not only who is sitting before him but also what he is holding in his hand.
"You're off a few letters there, Fox. Sorry." Kursed pulls her hand off the man's forehead, though kept her grip.
Before the vulpine could jump in panic, the hunter brought a finger to her lip and let off a shh sound. She remained disturbingly calm as he slowly sat up and pulled his hand back.
"I... Got a lot to explain, do I...?"
"Oh, you got a lot alright. Do you know how much of a sleep talker you are?"
The tod could only shake his head at the embarrassment he brought upon himself. Cat's out of the bag now and who knows how much had escaped his lips so forging a fake story was out the window.
For the next half hour, Fox goes on to unfold the tale of very woman who played the role as both lover and tormentor without going into too much detail. From the very first meeting on Sauria to times of her apparent passing. While digging up the old memories was heart rending, he had already shed what tears he had left for tonight and the pain it carried was greatly lessened.
Kursed kept her gaze locked with his as her mind processes the tale. Suffice to say, the two had long a history together. The man's skills could only be matched by the love and care he had for this Krystal character. A shame the later did not seem to share his sentiments for long. Fortunately for her, those skills did not die with the woman.
Her telepathy on the other hand, struck the hunter more intrigued than ever. Another blue vixen who also happens to share similar abilities as herself. Perhaps a possible family member long forgotten?
"Creator, you had yourself a one of a kind girl, Mr. Hero."
"She was..." Fox turns his gaze outside, softly smiling in reminiscence.
Making better progress now that the man seemed just a bit happier at the mention of that woman's name.
"Even so, I doubt she'd really want to see you in this sorry mess. Believe me, after a break up like that, someone is bound to wish for the worse for either of ya for a while."
"Don't tell me. Experience?" Kursed shrugged, shaking her head at him with a smug across her lips.
"Oh good, so you were paying attention. But yeah, do I still want the bastard to fall in a ditch? Not as much as I did before. Do I want to see him all mopey as you? A course not. With the history you have with her, I get the feeling that deep down, she still gets a kick out of the good times you both had. At least just a little."
The vulpine rolled his eyes at her attempt at consolation, though the effort was still very much appreciated. Even if from the lips of a bounty hunter. Finally speaking of his old flame had released from the vulpine a great amount of weight on his shoulders. To Kursed, it was simply good to see the man getting progressively better like a rain cloud finally beginning to fly away and relieving Fox of it's downpour.
"So... There you go. A chunk of my life story."
A course, the azure vixen seemed miffed for a brief moment, knowing full well of what the vulpine is expecting from her before shrugging it off.
"Fine whatever. Like I said before, the guy I knew dated back then was a piece of work. Spoiled, entitled, smug, you name it. Didn't help that he came from a rich family with his dad being some celebrity or something."
Kursed let out a soft chuckle as she continued to describe the man. A vulpine like Fox and a war veteran with a knack for trouble throughout most of what she could remember of their time together. From meeting for the first time at a training academy to the very end of the conflict. The man was a glory hog, trying at every opportunity to make a name for himself.
"You two were Lylat War veterans? Didn't take you for the army type."
"Heh... Then I'm doing something right."
Her usual confident smirk gradually trickled down as the tale goes on, her voice started to become more somber and distressed; seemingly about to break down at any second.
"Though, can't say I didn't enjoy the run while it lasted. After a while, he turned a complete one-eighty and stopped acting like a typical rich show-off after a few doses of reality. Helped me became a slightly better person if you can call it that. After the war was over and we finally left the military, he just... Disappeared off the face of Corneria after two years. Not even a good bye or anything..."
With what little light offered by the moon, Fox could see the cobalt vixen's eyes brimming with anguish as she turns away, gazing out with her legs pulled up towards her chest and resting an arm over them. No tears were needed to understand how much suffering her recollection bears. By far, he did not expect to see this side of Kursed.
Someone so dejected; so replete with grief hidden underneath a cold hard shell.
A part of him wanted to reach out and offer solace for they are both wounded souls whose hearts were once torn. It was only proper to return the favor for her willingness to listen and provide succor.
"Fuck... Look at me being all sappy... Not exactly looking like bounty hunter material." She let out a weak chuckle.
No better comfort for the azure vixen right now than to leave her to her moment in silence as Fox silently gazes out through one of the holes and into the dimly lit jungle.
Kursed let out a long sigh as the almost irrepressible urge to bawl finally subsides. Bringing up the man, even if a little stretched and exaggerated, left the hunter with the very same heartache that trailed behind it yet at the same, alleviated from telling her tale to him. Thinking back, it was almost hilarious how she offered to help the vulpine cope and move on when she herself has yet to truly do the same.
"Hey, Fox..."
"Hm? What is it, Kursed?" His ears perked as he turns to face the cobalt vixen.
The grief that once enshrouded her face was almost completely cleared away and in it's place, a soft smile sat underneath. Not of Krystal's he had imparted on the azure vixen, but a genuine smile from Kursed herself. While rather quick to recover after nearly having an emotional breakdown, the sight of her content and in better spirits easily lightened the once somber atmosphere.
"Lets just watch each other's backs, alright?" She gets up and walks over to the vulpine with her hand extended to him.
"Sounds like a plan-"
Just as he reaches for it, the ground suddenly quakes as the sound of thundering and continuous explosions go off at a far distance from them, followed by what sounded like a chorus of reverberating roars from creatures neither of them have ever heard before. Not even the bellowing Red Eye King was able to send the hair raising chills like whatever these creatures were. Chills that for a moment, left the two frozen in place with their heads fixed in the direction of the roaring.
After mustering up the courage to stand, the foxes immediately packed their gear and rushed out from the safe confines of the tree and towards the source of the pandemonium that was underway. Not a single word was spoken as they rush through the darkened jungles, pushing away branches and vines and leaping across rocks and hills.
Heart racing, conflicted reasoning, assumptions thrown into the air with little to no evidence to back them up. Fox ran and ran, knowing full well that he is essentially running straight towards the gaping maw and into the belly of the beast. Why though is the question. The sense of heroism left buried years ago, clawing it's way out at the sound of conflict with the possibility of rescuing people in danger? Even if there are, will it be Cornerians whom he had protected for so long and now cast aside, or Vemonians who would rather shoot him than accept his aid?
Trailing behind the vulpine, Kursed clung the side of her head as a sudden surge of thoughts quickly overwhelm her own with screams of hysteria and cries of agony. The hundreds if not thousands of voices, although jumbled together into a muddle of words, had a few constants with even more as they drew closer.
A fatal mistake... A call to flee... Monsters...
Amidst the sea of what she assumed to be Venomians, there were minds completely alien to her. Neither thought nor an unfamiliar language, but something different entirely. Instead, they were bits and pieces of a thick buzzing haze that quickly begins to grow and blot out not only the voices, but somehow also dulling her senses. Already, her body feels as though they were shutting down, causing the cobalt vixen to occasionally lose her footing and almost trip over various objects.
Eyes growing heavy, any second now she could drop out cold if this haze continues to fester unopposed. Without further hesitation, she quickly and forcefully closes herself off from picking up any open minds and with it, the plaguing haze. Immediately after, her senses began to return to normal as if nothing had happened.
"What... The fuck... Was that...?"
Whoever or whatever owner of these excruciating thoughts belonged to, it was no longer safe to make full use of her telepathic abilities without risking picking up one of them by accident. Diving into even few dozen heads was taxing enough, but it was now like traversing in a sea with mines scattered all throughout.
The roaring grew louder now with the sounds of blaster fire being vaguely heard underneath as the pair could now see large fires and explosions through the trees. Among them, shadow figures varying in size scurrying around burning buildings and machinery; the larger ones likely being the source of the terrifying sounds. This could be the very hideout Fox had overheard from the fleeing ruffians.
Even from where they are, Fox shuddered at how their mere size alone was similar to that of the common Red Eye. Less to be feared if he were in his Arwing, but on foot and seeing the gaping maw lined with rows off flesh tearing teeth up close was an entirely different experience. And he may have to experience it once again.
Upon reaching close enough to see the shadowy figures in better detail, the pair laid prone behind some thick trees for a moment to breath after the seemingly long trek. The only obstacle left between them and the conflict ahead was a large open field with patches of tall grass where another river, larger and violently rushing a mix of water and froth, splits them from the other side. Their only safe way across was a mossy stone bridge, wide and seemingly sturdy enough for a pair of large trucks to cross.
Holding up her binoculars, Kursed winced at the sight of these new creatures attacking the very people she had ran from earlier. Venomians attempting to fight back with an assortment of weapons and combat robots with varying results. The beasts however, reptilian in appearance, were diverse in shapes and sizes. Some taller than a small building, others shorter yet still easily towering over even an ape rebel donning one of those bulky combat loaders. Winged or grounded, bipedal or quadrupedal, it is quite an assortment. The smallest among them drew the most concern as they could be seen either hounding lone Venomians like wild animals or picking up and cutting them down with their own weapons.
Nothing but pandemonium playing out before them.
"Kursed, what are we dealing with here?"
"For starters... You got what you wanted. We found their hideout. Problem is..." She hands the binoculars over to the vulpine.
"Its full of huge dinosaur looking things... And armed to the teeth."
Taking a look for himself, Fox could only grimace as his eyes scan across the flaming encampment, watching surviving Venomians being dragged away someplace unknown. As ferocious as these creatures were, them taking prisoners is puzzling. By their beastly appearance alone, one would think that they would lack the intelligence for such actions, let alone wielding a blaster. This attack isn't the result of some miscreant provoking hordes of wild animals, but an organized bandit raid.
To Fox, a closer inspection of these creatures revealed to him similarities they share with the common Sharpclaws. Four fingers, three toes, and standing hunched over. The resemblance ends there where their claws were slightly longer, eyes lacking any form of pupils, scales a fiery red, snouts more pronounced like that of the winged cyborg dinosaur he fought for the last spellstone. Most notably their complete lack of attire.
Not wishing to share the same fates as either food or would be captives, he motions for his azure partner before pushing himself off the ground and making a turn back into the jungle. Before even taking a step, the two foxes found themselves under the ravenous golden gaze of dozens of reptilian eyes, closing off all paths but the open field. Kursed, frozen on all fours could only dart her eyes left and right, silently swearing to herself over being caught in such in a vulnerable position compared to the vulpine who was in a low crouch. Were it not for wanting to avoid having her mind flooded with the haze and the racket, she wouldn't have to deal with being caught off guard.
Inch by inch, the reptilian creatures converges on them with muffled snarls and teeth bared. The tod tries to match their pace as he slowly backs up, helplessly watching as the distance between him and the azure vixen grow larger. Much as he wanted to reach for his weapon and at least try to give her an opening, the odds are simply not in his favor. Ideas were thrown about, each a hefty gamble in itself and every second spent deciding is one less before Kursed could be dinosaur food. Although silent, her face was a mixture of impatience and panic building up.
"Hurry the fuck up and do something..."
One quick glance between the binoculars in his hand and the azure vixen, Fox raises the device and hurls it towards the nearest reptile without a second's thought before turning tail and running off into the field. Without even checking if they were distracted by the attempt, Kursed kicked off the ground and bolted off behind the vulpine, feeling something grabbing onto her wrist but quickly sliding off. Looking back, they could see the dinosaurs running on all fours and gradually closing in towards the two foxes. Drawing their weapons, they each fired off a few shots at those closest.
As seen from the ape's attempts, their tolerance to plasma damage is both impressive and frightening as they manage to keep up just a moment longer after taking almost a dozen bolts before finally dropping dead. Not even the staff's magical fire seem able to put them down any faster.
With the bridge drawing closer, an idea came to Kursed as she reaches over her shoulder and into her back, rummaging through it's contents. Fox for sure is not going to take too kindly for what she is about to do. In her hands now were a pair of small grenades picked off from a Venomian corpse back when they were escaping the town.
"Pick up the pace, McCloud! Jump when I say jump!" She holsters her blaster and holds up the explosives in each hand to the vulpine.
Eyes widened as the bounty hunter switches on and cooks the grenades, he wasn't exactly sure what she intends to do as those things will likely outrun the explosion but the moment the azure vixen tosses them ahead of him, a couple of guesses quickly came to mind.
"Jump!"
Watching the grenades land, he leaps a good six or seven feet over them before diving and rolling across the grass bed. He watches as Kursed follows up draws her weapon again and does the same just as a pair of explosions goes off one after the other behind her, leaving nothing but black smoke. Unsure if it caught the rest of their pursuers, the foxes quickly got up and kept their weapons trained at the rising fumes.
Seeing as there was nothing burnt corpses and pieces scattered after the smoke dissipates, the two exchanges looks between the dense treeline, the burning hideout, then each other. The chase had left them more exhausted than before. Bodies hunched over, chests heaving back and forth, and beads of sweat trailing down their faces, their legs finally gave out and the two fall on their backs. Quenching some of the fatigue from their canteens, Fox turns his head towards the bridge as he could hear the rushing river violently splashing against the stony structure and the banks with foamy waters. The two was just a few feet away from the mouth of the crossing.
"We're going back there, aren't we...?" Kursed struggled for a moment to roll over and sit up on her knees.
"No real choice. Better chances in there than out here. You good to go?"
Offering just a short wave, the azure vixen pushes herself up to standing after taking another gulp of water. Even pouring a bit over her face. Fox followed suit as he use his staff to keep himself balanced.
"If we hurry, the bigger beasts might not notice us."
Looking back at the carnage behind them one last time, they started jogging back towards the treeline, occasionally dropping underneath the tall grass at the mere sound of large flapping wings and reptilian roars. Fox gazes across the trees, scanning for any more of the Sharpclaw look-a-likes that may be lying in wait while Kursed kept watch of their rear for the larger creatures.
Halfway across the field after one of the winged creatures flies over the foxes, they were just about to come out and continue their tiresome trek when Kursed notices something at the hideout that causes the azure vixen to squint her eyes. One of the larger dragon-like reptilians was flying quickly towards their direction; more specifically, being forcefully pushed by something behind it.
"Oh shit... Get down!" She muttered in a loud whisper to the tod before dropping on her stomach.
Before even turning to see what seemed to spook the azure vixen, his ears quickly picked up what sounded like a blaster cannon rapidly going off. At least ship grade at that as a few long trails of a purplish white bolts of energy flies over the two. What followed soon after was the very dragon impacting the ground before them and skidding across the grassland along with it's assailant.
A towering humanoid robot unlike any Venomian mechs they have seen before. Unlike the bulky and boxy frame the apes heavily utilize, this one was slender and more rounded with strange tribal-like markings adorning the arms, back, and the long skirt around it's waist. To push the uncanny resemblance to a normal person even further were the inclusion of thick cable bundles between the joints imitating muscle fibers. Just from looking at it from behind, it is as if they were staring up a giant knight in armor. With a jet pack.
Yanking what looks to be an up-scaled blaster with a large short spear mounted to the side out from the belly of the beast, the tip now stained with darkish blue blood, the mech turns around and stares towards the base as if searching for any more of those things. With it's front in view, the mech's overall doll and tribal-like appearance is clear as day with more markings can be seen across the entire torso. In it's other arm was a pointed oval shield large enough to cover the entire upper body.
It's head, resembling a vulpine wearing an open faced helmet and a plated mask, turns it's gaze downward towards the two foxes and immediately, the blackness in the visor would flash a pair of bright teal eyes.
"New toy I take it...?" Kursed slowly stood up with her hands raised.
"Not like any other monkey made machine I se-" Fox cut himself off mid sentence when his gazes up upon the mech's shoulder.
With the blaster-spear out of the way, he could see a hauntingly familiar marking. A simple swirling pattern surrounded by four points. Hands raised, his legs started to tremble and his mind thrown in flux as the tod stared with a mixed emotions. Confused by the sudden change of behavior, Kursed looks up and her eyes widened.
"Why does that thing have the same...?"
"Krystal...? Is that...? "
The robot kept it's gaze at the two before shooting up over their shoulders. Behind them, more dragons and a horde of the lesser reptilians were stampeding over towards them. It immediately got on one knee and lowers an open hand to the foxes as a woman's voice reverberates out of the machine in a language completely alien to Kursed yet to Fox, vaguely familiar. From her tone, she sounded urgent and demanding.
If the voice didn't convince them, watching the mech firing it's blaster over them surely cemented the immediate danger as the two quickly climbed onto the hand which was large enough to hold a third, maybe a fourth, person and held onto one of it's fingers.
Hearing the roar of engines powering up, the foxes feel a sudden push downwards as the mech launches itself off the ground and flies off. Looking through the gap between it's arm and torso, Fox could see around a dozen more of those dragon creatures spewing out balls of bluish fire at them as they gave chase. The constant swerving to avoid the projectiles made holding on difficult as they could hear and feel the machine gradually picking up speed.
The sky darkened as the fiery orange tint gradually died and replaced with the cloudy night sky once again which would have made the pursuing dragons more difficult to see were it not for the bright fire they spew. In front, the tod was unsure to as to where exactly the robot was taking them until a bolt of lightning flashing from the clouds ahead, briefly revealing rows of thick trees rivaling that of most tall buildings, followed by the sound of thunder ringing into his ears.
The thing intends to lose their pursuers through the trees. In a storm.
"Oh, thats not good..."
Waving over to the tod, Kursed holds up her damaged wrist PDA. "Those things broke my comms! Get Runaeh on and-" Another sudden swerve interrupts the azure vixen as the mech turns and raises the front of it's shield to block a fireball before returning fire.
Before long, the foxes could feel tiny droplets sprinkling upon them before quickly becomes a downpour. With the mech turning forward again, Kursed felt her grip on the mechanical hand more difficult to maintain due to the rain and after the sudden turn, knocks her off the appendage. Sliding across wet metallic palm, her lower half already dangling off the edge as the azure vixen desperately claws for anything to grab onto.
"Kursed!" Fox desperately tries to reaches a hand out towards the hunter while struggling to even hold on himself.
Watching her fingers slipping, her hand so close in view, and the fear in her face, the vivid image of that exact moment back in Krazoa Palace flashes before his eyes. The shock of achieving the outcome neither intended nor forseen as he watched the spirits forcefully entering and leaving her body, shattering the crystal prison, and about to fall to her death. And in the process, an old foe brought back from the dead.
Like before, he immediately reaches for the staff, now extended, and holds it out for the azure vixen just as her grip was about give way. Grabbing onto the ancient weapon, Kursed desperately holds on as she tries to climbing back onto the mech's palm. Like before, their eyes were locked but more important matters fortunately took precedence than repeating that scene again.
"Easy now, Kursed..."
Upon pulling herself all the rest of the way on board, she reaches her free hand over and offers the vulpine a soft pat on the shoulder and tired but appreciative smile.
"Thanks..."
"You said we'll watch each other's back. Gotta make good on that." He retracts and slips the staff back into his backpack.
"Yeah. Looks like we lost those lizards. This thing hasn't made any sudden moves and I don't see any more fireballs."
Looking out into the storm to confirm her speculation, the azure vixen. Neither dragons nor a fireball in sight. Either the mech had managed to lose the winged creatures through the trees or shot them down. Before any moment, awkward or benign could occur, a loud hiss would emanate from the center of the mech's chest as it pops out and slides upwards to reveal the cockpit. The two would find themselves being carried closer until it was inches away from the torso and sheltered from further rainfall by the hatch over their heads.
Standing at the edge, the woman was rather tall compared to any Cornerian or even a Lylatian in general with an athletic physique as seen through her pilot suit which was predominantly a dark purple with tribal motifs all over and bearing the same white four pointed swirl on the left side of her chest. Any facial features was kept concealed by a full cover helmet with a polarized visor.
What stood out for him especially was the ornate tribal clothes and accessories that were almost one hundred percent similar to what Krystal had once wore. Bracers, greaves, pauldrons, the detailed tiara with a bright blue gem embedded on the helmet, even a loincloth that stretches all the way down to her shins; all gold and silver with similar patterns engraved into each piece. Although masked from head to toe, the exposed tail whose fur is slightly darker than that of his old flame offered him almost a certainty.
This woman standing before him is a Cerinian.
Note: Phew, finally got the chapter down after almost a year. Terribly sorry about that.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story so far.