Fox didn't have to tail the fleeing warrior for long before he found what he had been looking for. Built securely near the edge of a sheer cliff overlooking ThornTail Valley, a tall, wooden wall encircled a large encampment, bustling with the same creatures that Fox had fought with in the forest.
Soon after the native he had been following had disappeared behind a sturdy gate in said wall, Fox had taken to scouting the camp out from higher up the mountain. He was currently hidden from view atop a large boulder and peering down over the wall with his H-3D, a powerful pair of high-tech, custom-made binoculars that could enhance the user's vision up to 30 times, and boasted a few other helpful features to boot.
And what he was seeing below wasn't exactly filling him with confidence. As he had guessed, the camp seemed to be built with war in mind. There were small, crude huts and roughly-built fire pits scattered around the campground, likely to provide shelter and warmth to the scaly inhabitants in the mountain's chilling weather. However, Fox also noticed full racks of nasty looking weapons, training dummies that appeared to be very well-used, and tall watchtowers within the wall that overlooked the camp both inside and out. Even the top of the log wall had each trunk sharpened to a dangerous point, while wooden chevaux de frise had been set up outside the circumference of the wall and the entrance gate. It was clear these creatures didn't want any unwelcome visitors.
However, despite the defenses that seemed right at home in a medieval setting, there were some other sights that clearly did not belong among the archaic technology.
Propped up on sturdy towers and keeping watch over the camp were a handful of huge, iron turrets, that looked as though they could swivel freely on their base to aim in whatever direction their operators so desired. Despite the long, tube-like barrel at the front suggesting that their ammunition was ballistic, as opposed to laser or plasma-based, these moderately-advanced weapons still stood out like sore thumbs among the clubs, spears, and sticks that Fox had hitherto witnessed.
And they were only the tip of the iceberg. Propped up near the wooden gate in the tall wall was a group of small, single-person ride-bikes. Though there was only a total of four that Fox could see, nowhere near enough to accommodate every reptilian warrior in the camp, their lack of wheels or treads of any kind betrayed the fact that they were far too advanced to have been developed by anyone native to Sauria.
But most damning of all was what was nestled in a small clearing out towards the edge of the camp. There, a grey and copper ship, shaped like an arrowhead and looking as though it could accommodate about ten or so passengers, was parked on a bare patch of ground. And despite not recognizing the make or design, Fox had no doubt that the ship was built for space travel, which also meant that the reactor within must have been the source of the signal that the Great Fox had picked up.
He had to report this in.
"Peppy," Fox said, contacting the old rabbit again as his gaze moved from one part of the camp to the next. "Do you copy?"
"I copy." Peppy responded after a moment. "What's the problem this time?"
"I've found some kind of war camp on the mountain."
"War camp? Can I assume that's where that native you let go was headed?"
"Yep. And from everything I've seen so far..." He paused for a moment as he zoomed in on an arrangement of large, iron cages, each filled with what looked suspiciously like the bones of ThornTails, among other things. "I'd say that these particular natives are the bad guys."
Fox could almost hear Peppy rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "Fox, son, listen here; you can't just say they're the 'bad guys'. I doubt the situation is as cut and clean as that."
Fox ignored him for now. "I'm pretty sure I've also found the technology that Pepper was talking about, and the source of the signal you picked up."
"Really? What are you seeing?"
"One second, I'll patch it through."
With the flick of a switch, the H-3D began feeding a signal up to the Great Fox, so that Peppy could see whatever Fox saw.
"My…" Fox heard the rabbit mumble as he focused on two of the natives breaking out into a sudden, brutal fistfight. "These are definitely the bad guys…"
Fox smirked. "Oh, I'm sure the situation isn't as simple as that."
Peppy seemed to ignore him. "And, now that I've got a good look at them, I can…"
Fox heard the rabbit ruffling around at his monitor, likely sweeping the glossary that Pepper had provided of all known inhabitants on the planet.
"Yes, alright, it says here that these things are known as Scunj Kxuk uh Jxuhf, which roughly translates into the 'SharpClaw'."
"Just give me the translated version. I don't need the gibberish."
"It's not…" The rabbit huffed. "Alright, copy that. Anyways, it looks like Pepper's sources didn't get much information on this particular tribe. All we know is that they're not too smart and they're not too friendly."
"That checks out. But that doesn't explain where they've gotten all of their new toys."
"You haven't found any clues yet?"
He shook his head and put the binoculars back to his eyes. "Not yet. And I don't think scouting on top of a rock in the cold is going to help m-"
He paused suddenly as his binoculars again passed over the group of iron cages in the middle of the camp. "Wait… wait a minute."
"What is it?"
Fox zoomed in to a particular cage in the middle, focusing on a small, animal-like figure lying among the piled bones. Zooming in closer revealed that whatever was trapped within was a creature similar to the ThornTails Fox had encountered in the valley, except whatever Fox was seeing was much smaller, was primarily orange with a purple back, and had a head that was much broader, with two, bony spikes protruding out near the forehead. It seemed to be asleep, or at least was curled up by the edge of the cage without moving. Fox could at least tell it wasn't dead by the way its sides moved in and out in time with a slow, steady breath.
"Do you see that? These things have a live prisoner."
"I'm seeing it." Peppy responded. "And that's… hold up a minute…"
The rabbit paused for a moment, and Fox heard him sweeping through the glossary once again, mumbling to himself.
"I think…" He said at last. "Yes, unless I'm wrong, that captive matches the description of an EarthWalker. Or, to be a bit more precise, an EarthWalker juvenile."
"EarthWalker..." Fox repeated. "They're the ones in charge of the other tribes, right?"
"Not exactly 'in charge', but yes, they're the most dominant tribe on the planet, next to the CloudRunner tribe."
"I wonder how one ended up here. A kid no less."
"I couldn't say."
"Poor thing…" Fox muttered, focusing on a disgusting pile of mixed slop piled up on a wooden plank near the edge of the EarthWalker's cage, likely the only food that the SharpClaws had been bothered to give it.
"Now, hold on Fox." Peppy said, a disapproving tone in his voice. "I know what you're thinking, and it's a blasted terrible idea."
"Peppy-"
"No 'buts'! I know you can handle yourself against a small scouting party of these things, but I doubt you'll be able to blast your way into a fully-armed war camp, especially with those turrets keeping watch."
"I think you're underestimating me."
"And I think you're underestimating how much trouble your big head can get you into. I swear, sometimes I think you're worse than Falco was."
"Now that's just rude. Come on, Pep, didn't General Pepper say that we should find the EarthWalkers to get more information? If I could rescue this kid, it might be able to lead me to the rest of his tribe."
"That's a fair point, but it's still a boneheaded idea. We have other, less-risky options to get information, so there's really no reason to jump in blasters blazing and meddle in other people's business."
"'Meddle'? Peppy, you can't be serious."
"Of course I am. Son, you're a fine soldier, you just don't have much experience with this sort of thing. In these situations, it's best to use violence and force as a last resort, and only-"
"Hold that thought." Fox suddenly interrupted.
"Did you just… I'm trying to teach you an important lesson here!"
"Shush!" He hissed. "Something's happening."
Indeed, the camp below seemed to have been taken by a sudden, tangible buzz. SharpClaw warriors seemed to be abandoning whatever task or idle standing they had been doing before in lieu of gathering together in a common area, and by following their movements, Fox found the center of the commotion.
Two SharpClaw were standing near a larger hut near the edge of the camp, surrounded by a steadily-growing group of warriors. One of the two Fox recognized as the native he had tracked through the forest, and this one seemed to be in an urgent discussion with a grey SharpClaw of much greater size and stature. From the more-ornate armor and the tall, golden spikes on his helmet, Fox guessed that the large one was of a higher rank; perhaps the commander of the camp.
"This probably isn't good." Fox muttered, noting how the smaller SharpClaw kept pointing to the forest where they had their brawl as he spoke. There was no doubt he was giving a report of their one-sided encounter with Fox.
Fox heard Peppy scoff on the other end. "Can't say I didn't warn you. 'Don't be hasty' I say, but does he listen? No, why would he? I've only been watching his back and taking care of him for years now, but he acts like…"
Fox cut the transmission, though he left the H-3D's channel running.
It's going to be harder to sneak in if they're looking for me, he thought. But I still might be able to manage it if I'm quick.
The argument between the two SharpClaw seemed to reach a peak, as the grey leader suddenly lashed out and struck the smaller one with a punch to the face. The smaller one barely had time to fall backwards and hit the ground before the leader kicked him in the stomach, sending him sprawling. And with that, the grey SharpClaw spun around, looking as though he were barking orders to the assembled warriors.
The SharpClaws reacted instantly, scattering as the leader finished giving his orders. As they scurried around the camp, arming themselves with weapons from the racks and garbing themselves in furred armor and helmets, Fox tried to keep track of as many as he could from his vantage point, trying to get a feel for their movements and how they were planning to defend the camp. From everything he could see, their movements and tactics seemed sloppy and rushed, and they were leaving a number of clear vulnerabilities that he could easily exploit. He didn't believe he would have too hard of a time getting in and getting out quickly.
However, he quickly noticed something that made him falter in his plans. A small group of about four SharpClaw were making a beeline towards the iron cages near the middle of the camp and the prisoner within. And as Fox zoomed in closer to this group, he noticed that one of them was carrying a bundle of chains and heavy cuffs in his arms.
"Oh, blast it…" He muttered.
He reestablished communications with the Great Fox again. "Peppy, I think they're trying to move the prisoner."
"I see it." The rabbit said. "That's likely for the best. If you're still set on rescuing this kid, you'll at least have a chance to cut them off once they're outside the camp now."
"But they might be taking him to that spaceship. And my Arwing is miles away; there's no way I'll be able to follow them."
"I'm sure we can track it from up here if that's the case."
"I don't want to risk that! I'm headed down there."
"Fox, for goodness sake, be reasonable."
"No, I'm not losing this chance. That kid might be our only lead."
"Fox-"
But Fox had already cut the transmission again and was climbing back to his feet. Tucking the H-3D in his pack, he leapt from the top of the boulder and down onto solid ground, beginning a deft descent down the mountainside. He slid down an inclined slope of loose gravel until his feet touched level ground, and immediately began sprinting in the direction of the walled camp, running like a cheetah in hunt despite the cold snow underfoot.
His eyes began scanning the perimeter of the approaching wall, looking for the best way he could scale it quickly. He quickly found the answer: a tall, dead tree that looked too old to be used for lumber, so the SharpClaw had likely not bothered to cut it down. And that tree's old boughs just so happened to be hanging right above the tall, wooden wall; making it easily accessible with a quick, simple climb. Child's play.
However, as Fox began making towards that tree, his ears perked up as he heard a loud shout in what could only have been the strange, dinosaur language. He turned his gaze to one of the tall watchtowers within the camp to see that the SharpClaw lookout within had caught sight of him running through the snow, and was now shouting down to the rest of the camp, no doubt warning them of the coming intruder.
"Adkhitoh! Adkhitoh!" It called, cupping its hands around its mouth and leaning out of the tower.
If that was how they sent messages through the camp, than Fox didn't have anything to worry about.
The mercenary got to the old tree and leapt up onto its trunk, climbing up the side of the old wood with remarkable ease and speed. In no time flat, he was near the top of the tree, balanced on one of the old boughs and peering over the wall like a ninja.
From there, he saw that the camp was in clear disarray, likely due to the fact that the lookout's words of warning had predictably not yet reached every ear, and many were still trying to follow whatever orders their commander had given them beforehand. He also noticed that none of the iron turrets on their towers seemed to have been manned yet, so they'd likely be of no concern. Perfect for him.
He bounded off the tree and over the wall with a swift jump, falling down into the camp and skillfully landing on his feet with nothing but a soft grunt. He was inside.
And unfortunately for them, a pair of nearby SharpClaw noticed his dramatic entrance. Before they even had a chance to raise their weapons in defense, Fox had leapt forward and attacked with a wicked, aerial roundhouse to the side of one of their heads. Immediately after he landed again, he dashed over and battered the second warrior twice in the stomach before ending with a meaty uppercut to the jaw. The two reptiles fell to the snow unconscious, despite the pain that shot up Fox's arm as a result of his fist connecting with the SharpClaw's thick skull.
Right, no punches, he reminded himself, already making his way deeper into the camp towards where the prisoner had been kept.
Whatever resistance he encountered from the SharpClaw was scattered and disorganized. Many of them seemed to not yet be searching for any intruder, and as such he was able to easily dart past, slipping out of sight between the scattered huts far from their notice. And what few did notice him were of no trouble at all. Most seemed so surprised by him that he was easily able to dispatch them with a few, solid kicks to their heads before they had a chance to fight back. And those few that did manage to throw a swing or two were so sloppy in their tactics and fighting skills that they were similarly of no consequence.
However, Fox knew that it wouldn't be this easy for long. Word of his presence was certainly already spreading throughout the camp, and soon he'd have to face the SharpClaw when they were assembled and prepared to fight. At that point, their sheer numbers would invalidate any advantage he had with his superior gear and combat prowess.
Thankfully, he didn't believe he'd be there long enough for that to happen. He was already drawing close to the cages in the center of the camp, and soon he'd have the objective in hand. How he was going to get out of the camp with the young EarthWalker in tow… well, he'd figure that out when he got there.
Another SharpClaw stepped into his path, this one with a spear in hand and a nasty growl in his throat. The warrior's first lunge with the spear was vicious and surprisingly precise, but Fox was still able to slide down underneath the attack and leap back up with a counterattack prepared. However, as his foot shot forward towards the SharpClaw's stomach, he found the breath being knocked out of his lungs as the warrior suddenly swung the wooden spear sideways and bashed the side of the shaft into Fox's gut. Fox fell backwards from the blow with a grunt of pain, his landing only being partially cushioned by the crusty snow.
Lying on his back, he opened his eyes just in time to see the SharpClaw raising the spear high above his head, ready to plunge it deep into Fox's heart. He didn't have time to move out of the way.
Survival instincts kicked in, and with a speed that would make a cowboy blush, Fox had drawn the blaster at his side, flicked off the safety with a thumb, took aim, and fired. A red flash filled the air, and the SharpClaw's face twisted into a permanent grimace. The spear slipped out of his limp hands and clattered to the ground below, while he crumbled backwards with a cindering hole burned through his breastplate and into his chest.
Fox let out a sigh of relief and his head fell backwards as he gave himself a brief moment to catch his breath. His abdomen was still stinging from the savage blow, and it still hurt a bit to breathe after having the air knocked out of him.
However, he didn't allow himself anymore time than he needed, and he quickly forced himself back to his feet. Eyes falling down to the dead SharpClaw, he let out a defeated sigh.
Sorry, Peppy, he thought. I didn't have a choice.
Shaking his head, he turned his body and mind back towards his mission. He could see the iron cages just past some more of the small, wooden huts, and he immediately started to sprint towards them once again.
However, as he stepped into the clearing where the cages sat, he saw with a sinking heart that the cage that contained the EarthWalker prisoner was already open and empty. As his head shot back and forth across the clearing, he soon noticed that the group of SharpClaws he had seen earlier were already making their way back into the camp. A closer look revealed that one of the larger ones did indeed have the prisoner in his clutches, and seemed to be trying to clasp chains onto the young EarthWalker as he ran. Despite that, the EarthWalker was struggling furiously, trying his best to bite, kick, and headbutt his captor, all while shouting angrily in his odd dino talk.
Good kid, Fox thought, even as he began giving chase.
However, he was quickly stopped as another SharpClaw stepped into his path. Fox turned to the side, intending to slip past the warrior to avoid wasting more time fighting. Unfortunately, he was stopped by the whistling sound of a falling axe, which he was only barely able to dodge by flipping backwards gracefully. Eyes turning upwards as he landed on his feet, he saw that there was now a group of three SharpClaw warriors between him and the kid, and each of them were growling and baring their teeth while raising their weapons high.
"I don't have time for this." Fox growled.
Deciding they had given him reason enough, he drew his blaster once more and took aim at the largest and meanest-looking SharpClaw. With a single, red flash of light, the warrior fell to the snow while his companions jumped backwards in shock. Seizing the opportunity, Fox dashed between them, jumping over the fallen body and giving chase to the captors again.
It was here that Fox realized his fears were confirmed, as it appeared as though the SharpClaws were heading towards the ship out near the edge of the camp. If they reached it before he could overtake them, he'd likely lose the kid forever. Not only would that make his mission harder in the long run, but it just felt wrong to him to leave a child in the clutches of these savages. He had to stop them.
Thankfully, it was clear that he was much faster than the reptiles. Already the distance between him and the four captors was quickly closing, and though he could see that they were coming close to the copper ship, he could also see that he was about to catch up to them. They were so close. He just needed-
A low boom filled the air, mere seconds before a deafening blast suddenly assaulted his ears. That blast was immediately followed by a shockwave that blew him backwards onto the ground. He could feel the breath being knocked out of his chest once again, and a sharp stab of pain flared up in his gut as the impact aggravated the bruise that the last SharpClaw warrior had left.
With a brief, almost unconscious listing of his various parts, he at least knew that he had no major injuries that were immediately detectable. Though his ears were still ringing from the blast, he managed to climb back to his feet only a little unsteadily. After forcing down a small surge of bile with a gulp and a deep breath, he turned to see that the spot where a small, wooden hut had been standing was now a flaming crater in the ground.
Muscles now tense and nerves on edge, he spun around to search for the source of the blast. Almost immediately, he saw that one of the iron turrets on its tall, wooden platform was now manned with a SharpClaw warrior, and it was already rotating on its base to take aim at him once again. It seemed as though he had underestimated how quickly the SharpClaw could get the huge weapons up and running, and given the destruction that only a single shot had left, he had also underestimated how powerful their ballistic ammunition was.
However, given the fact that the cannon had not yet fired a second shot, it also seemed as though it took a while for them to prepare each round. That being said, Fox still didn't want to wait around and find out what happened when their aim was true, so he quickly spun around and tried to put some distance between him and the iron cannon.
Luckily, it appeared as though he wasn't the only one who had been affected by the blast. Up ahead, the four SharpClaw that had been escorting the prisoner were currently chasing the young EarthWalker around in the snow. It seemed as though he had slipped from their clutches after the explosion, and was frankly giving them a run for their money with how much they were fumbling and tripping over themselves in their attempts to catch him again.
However, Fox knew that it was only a temporary delay. It wouldn't be long before they caught him again, and by then they'd make sure he wouldn't slip away again before they could make their escape. Fox needed to catch them now if he wanted-
Another boom filled the air, and this time Fox was prepared as he swiftly leapt to the side, taking cover behind another wooden hut. Milliseconds later, the flaming cannonball struck the ground far too close for comfort and left a sizable crater in its wake. Though the blast still knocked the vulpine off balance and left another painful ringing in his ears, he still managed to keep himself on his feet this time.
"Blast it!" He cursed as he peeked around the side of the hut towards the turret. That thing was going to cause him problems. The best case scenario he could foresee was that it would keep him preoccupied long enough that the SharpClaws would escape on the ship with the EarthWalker in tow. At worst, it would end up hitting its mark while he was fighting the kid's captors and leave them all dead. He needed to get rid of it.
Or…
His head turned to the SharpClaw captors. They had finally caught the kid again, and were currently forcing chains onto his legs and neck despite his furious struggles. However, he also noted that, though they were close enough to the ship that they could make an easy sprint for it once they got the kid under control, they were far enough away that they (specifically the kid) probably wouldn't be hurt if the ship were to sustain… an accident.
He grinned to himself as a plan quickly began to form in his mind. Jumping out from behind his cover, he raised his blaster and took a few shots at the faraway turret. The red lasers were scattered and imprecise, either pinging harmlessly off the cannon's thick hull or sailing past it into nothingness. However, Fox wasn't intending to do any damage to the turret, at least not yet. Instead, a grin pulled at his lips as he saw the cannon pivot slightly on its base and make slight adjustments to the trajectory of the barrel, certainly lining up a clear shot as Fox stood motionless in the snow.
"You'd better have good aim, scaleface." He muttered.
With another boom, the barrel of the turret flashed bright as a flaming cannonball came rocketing out of the muzzle, flying high up into the air before arcing downwards; directly towards where Fox was standing.
Calmly holstering his blaster, he instead pulled another device from off his belt: A small, hexagonal disc with a bright blue button in the center. He raised the device to his chest, and with a press of the blue button, Fox's body was suddenly enveloped in a glowing hexagon of blue, flashing energy. As the cannonball struck the reflector, it stopped in its tracks as suddenly as though it had been frozen in time.
Fox only knew he had a split second, so he quickly angled the reflector upwards just a hair, skillfully lining up the perfect shot that only the leader of Star Fox could have mustered. With that, the hexagonal field flashed white as the kinetic energy that had propelled the cannonball through the air was reversed, and the explosive projectile suddenly flew up and away from where Fox stood, allowing him to deactivate the device and turn to watch the cannonball's trajectory.
The flaming ball appeared to hang in the air for just a moment in the air before it soon came careening down: Right on top of the copper ship. With a boom and a brilliant explosion, the spacecraft was instantly reduced to piles of flaming scrap, and the fleeing SharpClaws had one less option of escape.
"Bullseye." He said with a grin and a quick pump of his fist.
That was going to make things much simpler. Already he could see that the SharpClaw captors, despite having finally gotten a hold of their prisoner and successfully clasping the kid in chains, were standing motionless before the flaming wreckage, understandably shocked by the sudden destruction of their escape craft.
However, at least one of them recovered much quicker than Fox had expected, and immediately began shouting at the others and gesturing at them to follow him. With the young EarthWalker slung over one of their backs like a struggling, angry knapsack, they began racing away from the flaming wreckage, looking as though they were now headed towards the gate at the entrance of the camp.
Fox was about to follow them, however he was almost immediately waylaid by another SharpClaw warrior. This one swiped at Fox with a heavy, wooden club, but once again, the strike was clumsy and Fox was easily able to sidestep it before spinning around and kicking the warrior in the back of the head, sending him to the ground.
However, despite another SharpClaw out of commission, Fox noticed that there were more warriors emerging from parts of the camp and converging around his position. The explosions from the turret and the destruction of the ship had no doubt drawn their attention, and now he likely had the rest of the camp quickly moving to surround him. He had to slip away somehow if he was to have a chance of catching the captors, or even of surviving.
Luckily, he had at least one good option left, and that option had just fired another explosive round with a dull boom. Spinning around with lightning-fast reflexes and unclipping the reflector from his belt again, Fox activated the device just in time to stop the next flaming cannonball in midair milliseconds before it blasted him into ash. Just like before, it hung motionless against the blue field of energy before suddenly being launched away with a flash of light. This time however, the projectile was headed back to sender, and with another resounding explosion, the turret that had both hindered and helped Fox so much was now a flaming pillar of burning wood and twisted scrap metal.
And the SharpClaws that had been surrounding him certainly noticed it, almost all of them stopping in their tracks and turning to look at the destroyed sentry in surprise, giving Fox a brief moment to dash away. There were only a few SharpClaw in his way, and they were still so surprised by the turret's destruction that he was easily able to incapacitate them with a few, well-placed blaster shots before they even saw him coming.
Once again, the athletic mercenary sprinted through the camp as fast as his feet could possibly take him until he reestablished visual contact with his target. The four SharpClaw were gathered around the group of four ride-bikes near the entrance of the camp, evidently preparing the machines to make a speedy getaway, while other SharpClaw warriors were helping to open up the large, wooden gate to give them access out. The largest warrior, whose scales were a dull blue shade, was currently forcing the young EarthWalker into a cramped storage container near the back of one of the bikes despite the child's continued efforts to fight back. The struggling EarthWalker even managed to lash out at one point and bite the blue SharpClaw's hand, earning a cry and an angry curse from the reptile. In response, the warrior reared back and backhanded the child across the face, who yelped in pain.
That creep! Fox thought, tempted to raise out his blaster again and dispense a bit of quick justice for the abuse. He restrained himself however, as the risk of hitting the kid with a stray laser bolt was too high.
With one final, forceful push, the large SharpClaw secured his prisoner into the container and forced the lid shut, trapping the kid within. They were almost ready to make their escape. Even still, it looked as though Fox still had time to cut them off before they could get the bikes moving, so if he could just-
A feral roar filled the air, causing Fox to slide to a stop and spin around. The grey SharpClaw who he had guessed was the leader of the camp was standing just behind him, armed with a massive battle-axe and a bulky, solid steel shield. And now that he was standing so close to the snarling warrior, Fox realized just how massive the ugly reptile was, standing almost three heads higher than the vulpine, and arms and chest practically bulging with over-bloated muscle.
Fox quickly glanced over his shoulder. The four SharpClaw were still trying to prepare the bikes, but they could finish at any moment and be gone before Fox had a chance to stop them. He didn't have time for a brawl with this chump.
The grey SharpClaw threw himself at Fox, swinging the axe in a deadly arc aimed right at Fox's skull. Fox was able to slide backwards to dodge the blade, but he noted how the grey warrior seemed to wield the weapon with much more balance and precision than most of the other SharpClaw Fox had encountered thus far. He seemed to be very well trained, as opposed to the other lackeys Fox had hitherto encountered.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, Fox drew his blaster and aimed at his opponent, firing a duo of red laser bolts. However, much to his surprise, the SharpClaw quickly raised his shield and deflected the shots, leaving nothing more than a couple of black marks on the metal buckler. Not only was he much stronger and much more adept with his weapon, but this warrior seemed to have a clearer idea of how to defend himself as well. That made him dangerous.
Or at least, it would have, if Fox hadn't taken down much more intimidating foes in the past with much greater ease. All it took was for him to dash forward and aim a punch towards the grey SharpClaw's face. Predictably, the SharpClaw raised his shield, preparing to easily block the careless attack and likely return with a deadly counterattack. Unfortunately for him, the obvious feint proved fruitful, as Fox instead raised his blaster again and angled it downwards, firing a precise shot into the grey SharpClaw's exposed legs. With a cry of pain, the huge warrior dropped his armament and fell to the snow, clutching his injured knee.
Fox easily could have finished him off now that his guard was down, but he frankly didn't see the point. The big brute wouldn't interfere with Fox's mission now.
Instead, he spun back around and resumed chasing the fleeing captors. With a jolt of panic, he saw that they had gotten the machines up and running and the gate in the side of the wall was already wide open. Fox could see that the blue SharpClaw, whose bike contained the young prisoner in the back, was leading the bunch. Instinctively, he raised his blaster and took aim at that SharpClaw, intending to knock him off his bike with a single, good shot, though he hesitated for just a moment. Once again, the worry that he might accidentally hurt the kid in the crossfire tugged at his conscience, so instead, he holstered his blaster with a curse and shot off again, sprinting as fast as his legs could take him.
With a mechanical whoosh the blue SharpClaw's bike took flight upwards and began to hover a couple feet above the ground, and the other three bikes quickly followed suit. The blue SharpClaw barked orders at the others and gestured towards the gate, and with a rev of the engine, the thrusters at the back of his bike flared to life and he was off.
"No!" Fox shouted, watching helplessly as the SharpClaw, and his young prisoner, disappeared through the gate and flew off into the snowy mountainside.
However, the mercenary's despair lasted for only the briefest of moments as he instead turned towards the other three SharpClaw by on their bikes, darting by on their own bikes.
There's still time! He thought.
Drawing his blaster once again, and now without fear of hurting the young hostage, he took aim and fired a volley of shots. One of the blaster bolts hit its mark and struck the engine at the back of one of the SharpClaw's bikes, earning a cry from the reptilian soldier as the back of his machine suddenly burst into flame. Quickly losing control, the machine and its rider careened through the air until they crashed into the side of the wooden wall, barely missing the second SharpClaw as he flew through the gateway following the leader's trail. However, it did force the SharpClaw behind him to veer his bike to the side and slide to a stop, so as to avoid colliding into the flaming wreckage.
This was exactly what Fox wanted, as he finally reached the SharpClaw on the bike and leapt towards him like a striking viper. With a grunt, Fox kicked the warrior with a powerful, flying roundhouse, causing him to fly off his bike to the snow below, before the mercenary jumped up onto the seat of the bike and took a quick look over the bike's controls. After a confirmation that the instruments didn't appear to be too complicated, especially for an accomplished pilot like himself, he took a firm hold of the handlebars, and with a rev of the engine, he was off like a speeding bullet.
Despite the other SharpClaw trying their best to push the heavy gate shut before Fox could get through, they were far too late to stop him, and he soared through a crack in the gateway and into the cold mountain air. From here, he could see that the two captors were already making their way down the snowy mountainside back towards ThornTail Valley, and without hesitation, he veered his bike to face them, and with a roar of the thrusters at the back and a rush of cold wind whipping at his face, he shot off in pursuit.
Here I come, you scaly freaks! He thought, eyes focused squarely on his target and face hardened into a terrifying, determined glare. They had no idea what was coming for them.
Author's Note: Yada yada, I'm sorry this chapter took so long to come out, yada yada.
This chapter was a lot of fun to write. I don't think I've ever written anything that was so focused on action as this chapter was, and despite my worries that it might end up feeling a bit bloated with not as much substance, I still hope it was fun to read.
And hey, despite the large gap in between chapters, I can at least say I wasn't totally idle in that time. I don't know how many of you noticed, but I did actually take the time to go back and rewrite a couple of the earlier chapters. Many of them were first written when I think I was still very green, and though I don't believe any of them needed major changes, I do think that some improvements were necessary to make them easier to read. As of now, only the Prologue and Chapters 1 and 2 have been touched up, but I might end up looking over some of the chapters after that as well, at least at some point. I don't know, we'll see. Feel free to let me know what you think of them, if you even notice any differences.
Anyway, thank you all so much for viewing and reviewing, and I hope to catch you later.
Yours truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman.
