SFA Chapter 19: Discovery Falls

I swear I keep meaning to update this more frequently, then a month passes before I feel the motivation to post the new chapter, rinse and repeat. That and I could not decide how I wanted this chapter to go until now. Also, school, work, and all these games I have to play through and finish eat up a lot of free time as well.

Side note, I can't believe this has racked in almost 8000 views (at the time of writing this chapter) and 19 followers and favorites! I have always intended this story as a fun pass time to write, but I am so happy to see people are enjoying it. I hope I can keep delivering a satisfying story.

One thing I wanted to make clear about this story, though: I actually intend Krystal to be seen as the main protagonist. You will see why I noted that in this chapter, but without spoiling anything, I found it worth mentioning here so it doesn't feel like Fox is getting sidelined as the main character. To elaborate, Fox is typically the protagonist in most fics like this, and I imagined most people reading this saw him as such here. ( or maybe not, it's not like I know what each individual reader is thinking) I will elaborate on why I brought this up more at the bottom of the chapter; I just want to make the character's roles in the story a bit more clear. It's not always easy to in a story like this, with so many perspectives.

As another note, just so people don't feel off-put by the long length of the story at this point (wow, I always thought I would have made this under 100k words max, whoops) I will note we are a bit over the halfway point in the story. I have never liked overly long fanfics, found them tedious, and yet here I am, writing one. In each chapter I wrote, I end up expanding on scenes more than I originally intended to, but the story feels more fleshed out the way, I feel.

But I digress. Don't worry, the story will remain pretty straightforward from here, I don't intend this to be overcomplicated; I personally drop fics that get too crazy as they go on, and it gets harder and harder to follow/ write.

Anyways, back to the adventure.

It had been a few hours since the group had left the temple. By this point, the sun was starting to go down, but it hardly mattered to Fox's group. They had business to attend to.

The young prince Earthwalker had been leading to the Earthwalker end of discovery falls at a breakneck pace for a few hours, barely slowing down. They found the region to be not too far off from the shores of Cape Claw, seeing as rivers in the falls ran off into the ocean. By this point in time, the prince had led them away from the cape and up a riverside. They were coming within view of an ornate stone gate, with a Krazoa head carved into the side. They were on a dirt path by a shallow river, with foliage covering most of it. Before they got to the gate, however, the fatigue from the pace caught up to everyone, especially the prince.

"Tricky… you didn't have to rush the whole way over, ya know." Fox said, through labored breaths. "We really should have taken a break sooner." He muttered.

"Yeah." Krystal chimed in, panting as well. Nearby, Randorn was sitting, having expended most of his energy. He did his best to keep up with the rest of the group. The Earthwalker, meanwhile, fell over completely, exhausted.

"Why did we rush over here, again?" Krystal inquired.

"Wanted to try to get here before nightfall." Fox replied, catching his breath. "That and Tricky seemed excited to come here." He said, looking at the young boy lying on his side. "Why might that be, anyways?" He asked his ward.

After a minute of heavy breathing, Tricky spoke, still lying on his side on the ground. "Mom and Dad brought me here a few times, but I never got to see the hidden chambers and murals my tribe uncovered. I guess I am eager to see those this time." He explained.

"That's all well and good, but wasn't there some kind of situation going on here at the moment?" Randorn spoke up.

Tricky sighed. "Oh right. Probably the Sharpclaw." He muttered. He continued to catch his breath for a few minutes longer, before getting up to get water from a nearby stream. Fox did the same, pulling out a water purifier cup. Kyte looked at her companions and flew over to get some water herself.

After drinking her fill, she glanced at Tricky. "Oh come on, the like over here was too tiring." She said.

Tricky looked up from his drink and shot her a bemused look. "Easy for you to say; you got to ride on Krystal's should for most of the journey, including the trip to the Forcepoint temple." He pointed out. Kyte grew an embarrassed blush.

"Fair point." She said, wondering why she brought it up.

After Fox had supplied Krystal and Randorn with water, the group sat by the riverbank for a bit, discussing the plan.

"Alright, I imagine we are going in blind here. Tricky, is there any kind of Earthwalker outpost nearby? I can vaguely sense a few brain patterns in the area." Krystal spoke. "Thought we would run into some guards at this gate, honestly.

Tricky thought for a second. "Might be they are further inside, but I think I know the way into the gate."

Krystal nodded. "So we head in through there, see what we can do to help, and find the Krazoa spirit. Should be simple enough."

Fox nodded. "Lead the way, Tricky." The vulpine said.

Obliging, the young prince lead the group to the door of the main gate, searching around for a second before he activated a hidden pressure plate on the bottom.

"And in we go." He said as the quartet walked through. Inside, they were met with a beautiful sight: green, moss-covered stone cliffs, with palm trees atop and waterfalls flowing out of the higher cliff faces, in different areas. Ahead of them, they noted the river broke off into a larger lake, just underneath the waterfalls.
Tricky and the others stared in awe.

"It's beautiful," Fox stated, mesmerized.

"And I thought Cape Claw was nice," Randorn added. Kyte and Krystal were amazed at the beauty of the falls. The group admired it for a bit longer before the task at hand resurfaced in their minds. Or rather, the search for one.

"Normally, there are supposed to be a few guards stationed here. Maybe they are preoccupied in another part of the falls?" He suggested.

As if to answer, a voice from nearby sounded.

"Halt , who goes there?" A deep voice called, from further away. Everyone in the group turned their gaze in the direction of some nearby foliage, as an Earthwalker soldier, yellow with plate armor on his back and head, came into view.

"What are you-" He began, before he got a better look at the group and cut himself off. He stopped and starred for a second, blinking before his face lit up in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment.

"Ah, Prince Tricky!" He said, before looking at the rest of the group, mostly the foxes. "And the heroes who have been after the Spellstones!" He said, still surprised. "And the Cloudrunner's princess, of course." He added in, still surprised Kyte chuckled slightly at his bemusement.

"Pardon my manners, I did recognize you all through the foliage." He stammered, trying to save face.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Tricky said, walking up to the soldier, along with Randorn.

The soldier nodded before he glanced at Randorn and gasped again. "Wait, I remember you from the Walled City before the attack. We feared you were dead." He stated, thinking of Randorn's interactions with the king before the attack.

Randorn nodded. "Forgive me, but I don't reconcile you. Did we speak then?" He inquired

The soldier shook his head. "I was at the main temple when you spoke to the king. I only saw you from afar." He said before glancing at the prince. "I was also one of the soldiers who escorted the queen out of the city, along with the prince." He said, a hint of bitterness in his voice, likely from his failures.

Tricky's eyes lit up, realizing that. "Yeah yeah, I remember you now. Forgive me, but I don't think I caught your name."

"Brawn. Glad to see you are ok, your highness." He added.

"Likewise. Thank you again for getting mom to safety. And don't blame yourself for my capture, it was out of your control." The prince added, hearing the bitterness in Brawn's voice.

"Thank you. But I am getting sidetracked; your friends and you came at the perfect time, we could use your help." He began, his body starting to tremble.

Randorn sensed apprehension in his mind. "Calm yourself, I can tell you are flustered. Just take a minute, breath, and then tell us what we need to hear."

Brawn sighed, and calmed himself for the moment before he collected his thoughts and spoke again.

"It's a mess out there. Sharpclaw has been pressing into our part of the falls for a while. We managed to hold them back, but they have been breaching our defenses. Lately, attacks by the Hookclaw tribe have surfaced in the area as well. I suppose the Sharpclaw have made some kind of alliance with them." He explained.

"What about the Cloudrunner's side of the falls? Anything?" Kyte spoke up. Brawn looked over at her and sighed.

"Haven't had much contact with them."

Fox then took the chance to speak. "Have you heard the news?" He asked. The soldier thought for a moment before he nodded.

"About the prospective alliance with the Cloudrunners? Yes. A scout from Thorntail hollow reported the queen's degree to us. We were awaiting the final confirmation before we spoke to the Cloudrunners. No word yet though."
Kyte then spoke up. "We just got back from returning the Spellstone to the Ocean Forcepoint temple. Cloudrunner Fortress should be returning to land by now. My mother intends to meet with your queen to finalize it." Kyte explained.

The Earthwalker soldier's face lit up. "Finally, some good news. Excellent work with the Spellstone, by the way." He added.

Randorn then thought of something, a thought he sensed the rest of the group shared but did not want to address. He decided it was better to get it out of the way now rather than later.

"The rest of your army will be accepting of this alliance?" He inquired.

The soldier shrugged, as best he could. "Most of us, yes. Even though many might have reservations, most of us know the practicality of allying ourselves against the Sharpclaw tribe. If our queen declared it necessary, then we respect her judgment." He said simply. "I personally think it for the better." He added.

Kyte and Tricky both smiled at this, glad that this alliance might go a bit smoother than they had thought.

Krystal nodded in agreement but opted to refocus the discussion. "Good, but where is the attack you speak of? It looks quite here to me."

"Another part of the falls, near the main temple sight. It's near one of the main temple sights." He explained.

Krystal knew what they need to do. "We will gladly help, but we might also need your own help after we are done. We are looking for a Krazoa spirit shrine. Could you point us towards it after we are done?"

"Y-yes." He said, sheepishly. Krystal raised a brow.

"Something wrong?"

"It's on the Cloudruner's side," He said flatly. Kyte rolled her eyes.

"Well, that's no problem, I am their princess and my friends here have good relations with them. All we have to do is ask. It's not complicated." Kyte pointed out.

Brawn glanced down, feeling stupid. "Oh, right. Don't know why I thought it would be hard." He stated.

Fox laughed. "We are getting ahead of ourselves, guys. We still have to fight off the attacking Sharpclaw, remember?" He said.

Krystal sighed. "Right, the hard part. Look, let's just get a move on." She stated. She then turned to Brawn. "Lead the way."

He laughed. "I will do you one better. " He said, kneeling down. "Hop on my back." He said.

The foxes obliged, tired from all their walking. After helping one another up, With Fox in the front, Randorn in the middle, and Krystal on the back. Kyte was still on top of Krystal's shoulders, having grown accustomed to riding on her.

Tricky opted to run alongside the soldier but glanced up at Kyte and laughed. Kyte noted this and opted to ask him.

"What's so funny, Tricky?" She asked, as they began to move.

"Nothing." He said, with a grin.

"No really, you have me curious." She pressed.

"Well, it's just, you're still riding Krystal, while she's riding Brawn. Seems like a bit of a paradox, don't you think?" He pointed out.

Fox rolled his eyes but gave a brief chuckle, as did the other's

"I see what you mean, but its not that complicated, Tricky." Fox responded.

Tricky shrugged. "Guess not."

The group continued down the side of the river for a bit, before As they did, Fox figured he should check in with his team. He informed the others and opened the PDA.

"Fox to Peppy, you read me?" He inquired.

"Read you. What's up?" The old hare's voice sounded on the other end.

"Just checking in. Any new reports about Scales?"

Peppy sighed. "Yes, actually. We should have said something sooner, but I wanted to run it by General Pepper first." He explained. This got Fox's attention.

"What is it?"

"As we thought, it seems Scales made contact with an arms dealer for some new ships. Our scanners picked up a few spacecraft carriers and others ships make landfall on Sauria last night. I had ROB pull us out of range, but I am pretty sure they saw us."

Fox sighed. "Doubt our presence would matter to them; they were just making a deal and leaving. Its just business for them. Any word on what Scales bought?" He asked.

"Enough fighters for a small army. Around a hundred or so." He stated.

Fox groaned. "Not good. Did you run this by Pepper?"

"Yes, he authorized the usage of any weapons we deem necessary, but his forces are still spread too thin to do anything meaningful right now. Technically, it was just an arms deal, and the war is classified as a local conflict still. He can't divert any manpower, but he has increased our payment for putting down the threat. He trusts our team can."

Fox looked at Krystal and smiled. "Probably. We fought through hundreds during the Lylat wars, I am sure we can deal with this." He said. "Although, it might be smart to call in a few old friends for help." He added.

"Perhaps. I will look into our old contacts. Maybe we can fish out Falco or someone." He muttered.

"Any extra pilots will come in handy. Just get back to me when you can. Fox out." Fox said as he hung up the call, turning to his companions.

"What happened?" Krystal inquired.

"Scales bought some new ships from a Venomian arms dealer. Seems he's escalating his campaign." Fox noted. Frowns collectively appeared on everyone's face. Fox figured he should say something to alleviate this.

"Mostly smaller craft and such, though. Rest assured, I think our my-our team can handle it, Krystal. We've dealt with far worse in the past than a few sparsely trained lizards in dime a dozen craft." He said with confidence, wanting to bolster the other's confidence. "And besides, we are calling in a few old friends for help." He noted.

"Former members of your team?" Krystal inquired.

Fox nodded. "We will see who responds. For now, though, we need to stay focused on the mission. Our teammates in the Great Fox will monitor their movements."

Kyte and Tricky, who had been listening in to the conversation, exchanged a worried glance. Both recalled from the attack on the fortress what Sharpclaw aircraft could do. What scared them most was there was still so much they did not know about these crafts; how they worked, what else they were capable of. Kyte grew nervous, fearful of another attack like what happened to her home happening again. She starting shaking a bit.

"Krystal, you don't think they'll return to level my home, will they?" She asked, nervously.

"Yeah, and the Walled City or Thorntail Hollow, what if they turn their attention towards those places?" He said, nervous as well.

Fox mentally berated himself for bringing these subjects up in front of the children. Sure they had seen a lot, but it was still worrying. They were still kids, after all. Fox never was very good with children. Krystal, meanwhile, pulled Kyte into her lap and started comforting her.

"It's alright, Kyte. It won't come to that. We will keep that from happening, right Fox?" She said, giving him a look that screamed 'what were you thinking, saying that near them?' Fox nodded.

"Like our said, my team has fended off far worse than what these Sharpclaw can throw at us. I promise both of you, we will keep your home safe. We've made it this far, right?" He assured them.

Tricky decided to roll with that and accept that his home would be ok, even if worry lingered in his mind. He nodded. Kyte meanwhile had calmed down, thanks to Krystal's comforting. Randorn remained silent up to this point, soaking up the scene in front of him.

Part of the reason he came with Fox and Krystal, other than to help on their quest, was to observe how she had grown, what Fox was really like, and how the two worked together. Sure, he could, and had, read Fox's mind and knew he was a decent soul at his core, but even reading a person's mind could only tell you so much. Seeing how he reacted to others and applied his thoughts and emotions into his interactions with others, was perhaps even more telling than reading his memories. In some regards anyways. It was evident to him that Fox's mercenary mindset clouded his judgment at times, such as his regards to the children's emotions. The trauma of this war was something they struggled with, and it was clear Fox was to used to this kind of thing to realize that, at least at first. Regardless, it was comforting to know his better nature would surface when needed. The same could be said about Krystal.

Randorn watched as she comforted the young girl with the tenderness often exhibited by a mother and the concern she expressed for others. He had been worried that her experiences alone after Cerinia's destruction, would have hardened her. Yet the opposite was true; they had strengthened her empathy for others. The help she had brought to this world, of her own volition, was commendable. Randorn knew he could not be prouder of her.

He stayed silent as the group moved forward, internalizing his thoughts. He would tell Krystal how proud he was, of course. But at a better time. For now, though, he would have to prepare himself for battle.

Eventually, the group arrived at a massive stone gate, similar to the previous one. Ahead of them, they saw a group of Eathwalkers was gathered around the gate, before a leader, who was brown with more ornate armor. They seemed to be in a frenzy at something.

Fox and the others dismounted quickly, and ran up to the group, being met surprised gazes. The captain glanced over at them and spoke, as his soldiers cleared the way. "Ah, Brawn, I see you, brought guests, in the nick of time too." The captain noted. "The heroes of Sauria, as well as the prince, Cloudrunner princess, and of course the traveler who aided us before." He said, refereeing to Randorn. "Good to see you are ok."

"Thank you." The wizard. "I believe you were in need of assistance." He said, wanting to get to the point.

Fox and Krystal nodded, as Kyte stayed behind with Tricky. She caught a few gazes but ignored them, not wanting to draw too much attention.

"Yeah, we have a problem…" He said as loud banging sounds came from the stone wall behind them.

"As you can see, the Sharpclaw are trying to get through. The Hookclaws were diverted towards the Cloudrunner side of the falls, but we will cross that bridge later. We managed to push them out of this area, as they recalled some of their forces a few days ago for some reason, but now they are on the offensive again. And are almost through." He noted.

Everyone drew their weapons, in response. The captain smiled.

"Glad we are on the same page. Brawn, please keep the prince and his friend safe, we will deal with this." The captain said.

"Shouldn't we discuss tactics first?" Fox said, switching the safety off his pistol.

"We did before you got here. We will hold the line, can you and your friends take front?" The captain asked as the other Earthwalkers formed a perimeter, and Brawn took the children a bit further back.

Fox nodded.

They got ready, with Krystal taking center stage. Randorn began charging up a spell in his hands, an ice one. Fox looked shocked to see such ability only briefly before he shook off the shock and focused.

Sure enough, the stone wall was shortly blown to pieces, by some sort of explosive device. A Sharpclaw captain, with plate armor and blue scales, took center stage. He activated an energy shield, followed by several other Sharpclaws doing the same. The Earthwalkers gasped in shock but held their positions.

From here, the Sharpclaw charged in, armed with both archaic weapons, like axes and swords, as well as some enhanced ones. Specifically, what looked like electric enhanced axes and shock batons. Seemed like the Sharpclaw had been rushing the production and deployment of their new weapons, but the integration into their armed forces was haphazardly executed, lacking in uniformity.

"Guess the Sharpclaw just grab what they want and run with it." Fox thought to himself. Regardless of their poor structure, they were still a threat. His thoughts were interrupted as the Sharpclaw before him releases a battle cry, and about a few dozen grunts, armed with archaic clubs, charged in.

Noting the idiocy of their tactics, Fox opened fire with his pistol, aiming for their heads. Though some managed to dodge or block his attacks, he managed to down several of the grunts, as more poured in. It seemed like they were acting as cannon fodder more than anything.

Following Fox's example, Krystal shot at them with her staff's fire blaster, while Randorn shot bolts of ice and fire from his hands, similar to what Krystal's staff could muster. Fox began to wonder why they were wasting their troops like this when they shielded troops behind them.

As if to answer his question, a grunt lobbed a barrel he had on his back over towards his group. A hissing sound told him it was about to go off.

"EVERYONE GET BACK!" Fox yelled as he dash back, along with Krystal and Randorn. The Earthwalkers present retreated out of the blast range. With a loud bang, the barrel exploded.

Fox realized this was exactly what the Sharpclaw wanted. They were pushing back the defenders and paving a way for their shielded units.

Of course, now that they knew what the Sharpclaw were doing, it hardly took a genius to know how to counter it.

Thinking fast, Fox noted another grunt lugging in an explosive barrel, escorted by several other grunts. He aimed his pistol with precision and shot the barrel, briefly catching the Sharpclaw's shocked faces as they were lost in the explosion.

The leader of the attack growled, and signaled in for more brutes to appear.
Likewise, the Earthwalker captain shouted an order in response.

"Now's our chance. Get them while they are disoriented." He shouted, as the Earthwalkers broke formation and began charging. The foxes took the cue and stepped forward. Fox dashed forward, shooting down a few more grunts before pulling out his sword. Picking his target, he went for the leader.

Krystal, meanwhile, followed the todd, pelting the shielded Sharpclaw with a flurry of blasts, staggering them. She and Fox used this tactic to create an opening. Vaulting over the brute's heads, Krystal used her staffs quake power to throw them off their feet.

This was all she need. She and Fox dispatched a brute or two before the others recovered. The two began to engage the leader, who had drawn a sword. Around them, Earthwalkers were bashing the other Sharpclaw and sending them flying.

Randorn, meanwhile, had circled around most of the crowds, focusing on the remaining grunts. A brute was leading him, towering over the old fox. He was green in color and wore plate armor. He laughed at the frail-looking fox before him, conveniently ignoring the ice blasts lodged in some of his grunts' faces.

"This won't take long."

Randorn smirked. "Indeed it won't." He said as he drew his staff from his coat. The grunts attacked him, but he disarmed and swiftly dispatched them one by one, with a quick stab or ice blast to the torso.

The brute growled and jumped into the fight. He raised his ax and tried to hit the old fox, but his blows were dodged with ease or blocked. He kept throwing his blows, but Randorn blocked each with ease, toying with the brute.

Before long, he grew tired of this, and parried the blows one, coming at the brute with a counter-attack. He managed to land a blow on the brute's shoulder, knocking off some of the armor.

The brute groaned in pain and had enough. He charged the wizard but was met with a swift blast of ice to his feet, tripping him. Randorn calmly walked over to him.

"This is for the Walled City." The wizard said quietly, before stabbing and finishing off the brute, with the Sharp end of his staff.

Shortly after this, Randorn glanced around and noted the fighting beginning to break off, Fox and Krystal having driven off the lead Sharpclaw, along with the Earthwalker soldiers.

"Fall back! Fall back!" He heard the leader yell

He watched as the remaining Sharpclaw followed suit. Randorn briefed a sigh of relief. He noticed Fox and Krystal walking over to him and was greeted with a smile.

"Well, that was easy," Fox noted, with a laugh.

"Yeah, all it took was one of their explosive barrels to backfire on them and then their whole plan falls to complete pieces." Krystal chimed in, with a laugh.

"As if they stood a chance," Randorn added, allowing himself to be a bit egotistical in regards to his own skills. He shook off the feeling soon after, but he knew he had what it took, despite his old age. Wiping the floor with the grunts did help boost his self-confidence


A bit after the attack, the captain did a headcount. Everyone was still well and accounted for; the Sharpclaw attack had failed miserably. Though the captain noted it was just a scouting party. The group had reunited with the children, who had been taken away from the site of the battle, so they would not have to witness it. Leaving the soldiers to their tasks, the captain gathered Krystal's group around and addressed them.

"Thank you all for your aid. Because of you, no Earthwalkers were killed. At most, only minor injuries were sustained. We are grateful for you being here."

Fox nodded. "Glad we could be of service."

"Like wise." Krystal added in.

They talked more for a bit, relaying the information about the alliance and the attack on the fortress to the captain, as well as the new of Sharpclaw fighter craft. After they were done, they decided to rest for the night. Before they could break off, however, Tricky came up with an idea.

"Oh, guys, I have an idea." He proclaimed, getting his group's attention. Everyone was gathered around a stone structure by this point, used by the Earthwalker's for shelter.

"Why don't we see some of the murals of Sauria's history while we are here? My mom used to tell me about them all the time, but I've always wanted to see them." He proclaimed.

This piqued Randorn's interest. "That sounds fascinating, I would be down for that." He stated.

Kyte perked up. "Yeah, that sounds like it could be fun. Mother told me many stories about it, but no other Cloudrunner has seen this mural for a long time, seeing as, well…" He noted, her voice trailing off. The other knew she was referring to the Earthwalker and Cloudrunner tensions.

Fox change the subject back to the murals. "Alright, if you want to. I am sure the captain could show us if he is not busy."

Tricky nodded and bounded off. With that, he located the captain and convinced him to take his friends to see the murals. The captain groaned but had no other duties at the time. Between that and the fact it was a request from his prince, he sighed and obliged. He collected the group and lead them a bit further into the territory, where they found entered a massive stone temple, covered in foliage. From here, he hit a pressure plate in the entrance that activated some torches, which began to illuminate a massive hallway, which the captain lead the group down.

Eventually, the group came into a large room, with carved stone floors and walls. On the wall of it, was massive mural, composed of different colors and images.

The group starred up at the mural in awe.. It depicted the Krazoa, colored in blue, fighting a large dragon-like species, most of which were painted red, though the paint was faded with age. Beneath the dragons and the Krazoa, the group noted what looked like Sauria carved into the center of the painting. To the side of the Krazoa depicted, different Saruian natives were depicted, though the lack of Sharpclaw was evident. This might confirm a hypothesis that they were a newer species to Sauria.

"This…" Krystal stuttered, a bit shocked. "It reminds me of some murals we had on Cerinia."

"Indeed. I uncovered some like it. Tell us, what is the story behind this one." Randorn said, intrigued.

"Countless centuries ago, the Krazoa came to Sauria, from a world far away from ours. It is said that they were fleeing a great war, waged against the Kamerian Dragons. We have few details about the war itself, such as why it started or how long it lasted, but we do know it ravaged both species' homeworlds. The Krazoa who came to Sauria wanted to start anew. The dinosaur tribes who exist today were still around in a capacity back then, but not as we are today. The Krazoa gave us sentience, and taught us many advanced concepts that shaped our society." The captain explained.

"Each tribe reacted differently with the information, but to keep this brief, we carved out our own paths and lifestyles, adapting our instinct and skills as such. Some tribes, however, believed their primal instinct was a better and more 'true' way to live and rejected the Krazoa, the Hookclaws and Redeye tribe being the most prominent to do so. But anyway, we came to worship them, and erected Krazoa palace in their honor, as a place they could inhibit and watch over us. They introduced their magic to us, but we could not wield it ourselves. We could, however, learn to harness it into many of our structures and temples, such as the warps you see around the world." He noted.

"Does that include the Warpstone?" Krystal asked.

"Indeed, but his construction is shrouded in mystery. The Krazoa built him long ago, but how, no one knew. But anyways, their introduction of magic was not without consequence. When they infused the lifestream of the world with magic, so that it might flow throughout the planet, they inadvertently caused it's core to go unstable. As such, they quickly constructed the Spellstones and had the Forcepoint temples built to house them, to keep the planet stable."

"Maybe they should have removed the magic, instead of risking such a thing?" Fox pointed out.

"They could not reverse it, but the Spellstones held the planet together for thousands of years. And the planet's ecosystem is much lusher and fuller of life and made possible many wonders Sauria; such as the magic of the Warpstone and Krazoa Palace, as I noted. But I digress."

"But what of the Kamerians? Has Sauria had contact with them before?" Krystal asked, wanting to know more.

The captain nodded. "You could say that. They did try to attack us centuries ago, but we fought them off, with the Krazoa's help. We have not heard from them since then. I suppose they gave up their grudges, but there was one thing." He said solemnly.

This caught the group's interest.

"A very powerful Kamerian named Drakor lead that assault. He was said to have been massive, and unfathomable powerful, physically. He kept fighting, like a demon, long after his fellow Kamerians were driven off. He sought the total annihilation of Sauria, out of some deep-seated hatred for the Krazoa. But, after a long struggle, he was beaten and imprisoned, deep within the planet. He has since been forgotten by most. He proved difficult to kill, so a trap was engineered to imprison him, though the details have long since been forgotten.

Randorn looked as if he was contemplating something. After a minute, he spoke. "This story you give us, it… how should I put this? It answers many mysteries we wondered about on our homeworld, Cerinia." He spoke, catching the gazes of the others.

"You see, on Cerinia, we had records of a great war the Krazoa fought, against the Kamerians. From what we gathered, the Kamerians sought to usurp the Krazoa's power and build an empire across the stars. This was back when the Krazoa was a physical species, as opposed to spirits, or ghosts if you want to describe them as such." He stated. "We believe Cerinia to have been the Krazoa's homeworld. It sounds as if those spirits that fled came here to Sauria. We had records of missing spirits for a long time, but it seems we have our answer now." The wizard explained.

"It sounds as if Drakor wished to achieve the dream of a Kamerian empire when he attacked Sauria." Krystal noted. "It's weird to think, though, what the Kamerians once did." She said.

The captain raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Their kind has been peaceful for a long time now. I guess they gave up their warlike ways at some point."

At this, Fox spoke. "Come to think of it, all this talk about Kamerians reminds me of something." He stated. "Come to think of it, the name Drakor rings a bell."

All eyes were on him as he explained. "Cornerian intel had it that someone named Drakor was working for Andross during the Lylat Wars. After Andross' death, the Cornerian Army pried into Venomian intel within from captured bases. They had mostly been wiped dry, but a few bits and pieces of information were recovered. Intel on Drakor was sparse, they did find out that he had been discovered by Andross' forces on a remote world. Whatever became of him, though, was lost on the data we couldn't recover, though. I only found this out after the war from Pepper. He warned us in case we ever discovered anything more about him." Fox said.

Krystal and the dinos present recoiled in horror. "That means he could still be out there!" Kyte realized, panicking slightly. Krystal walked over and brought her in for a hug, to calm her down. Tricky managed to calm himself a bit more but was still pretty shocked. This salvation that a Kamerian dragon from so long ago, hellbent on Sauria's destruction, could still be out there was, of course, alarming.

The captain looked displeased. "That's troubling. But we will have to look into that later." He added. "We don't know anything of his whereabouts."

"Let's hope it stays that way." Fox noted, a part of him hoping this 'Drakor' would never resurface and just remain a story to be scared of, as opposed to a tangible threat. A foolish thing to think of, but he went with it regardless.

"Anyways, thank you for showing us this. But maybe there is more to see?" He said, hoping to shift the group's focus away from that worrying prospect. He felt there was nothing more to do on that matter, and that it was best to move on.

The captain obliged, and began to lead the group elsewhere in the temple, hoping to put Drakor out of their minds.

Little did they know, that a figure was watching them in the shadows.
"Go figure, they learn this now. Its funny, to think just how relevant this little history lesson is. But they just don't know it yet." The reptile mused to himself. He refocused his attention on tailing the others, making sure the helmet is boss had given him kept his thoughts from being detected by the Cerinians.

He had his orders and intended to follow them. For now, though, he would continue to tail the group.

Boom, we have lore and backstory galore. This chapter was pivotal, so I had to make sure it came out the right way.

So, as I noted at the story of the chapter in bold, I would elaborate a bit more here. With the backstory, I gave about Sauria, the Krazoa, and the Kamerian Dragons tying into the plot, I felt it had more relevance to Krystal than it would to Fox(I know, captain obvious). As such, it felt more fitting to have her has the main protagonist of this story; it would have felt weird to give the more personal conflict of this story to the deuteragonist. Were that the case, it would have made Fox more of a supporting protagonist than anything, and I don't like that trope. This way, the focus and lion's share of the development is on Krystal. That being said, of course, Fox is still important to the story, being the deuteragonist and all. I just felt I wanted I should elaborate on this down here, for clarity reasons.

Anyways, until next time.