Mission 20 – Path
Fox fell to his knees at the sight of death and destruction in front of him. The Warpstone, once a humorous sentient statue, was reduced to a pile of rubble. His great head lay motionlessly near the base of another mass grave along with his massive arms. Fox could not believe his eyes. Leon had destroyed the Warpstone, their only route to the Krazoa Palace.
"We . . . We need to fly there." Fox rubbed his aching temples. The sound of buzzing flies, the smell of rotting flesh and the sight of disfigured carcasses of dinosaurs were giving him a massive headache, a headache with a magnitude that he had never felt before. "Let's go, I feel like I am going to suffocate here."
"No. . ." a voice muttered weakly in the dinosaur language, ". . . Don't fly."
Everyone raised their blaster at the sudden movement among the pile of dead dinosaurs. Lying among them was a CloudRunner struggling weakly under the immense weight of a dead ThornTail. Jade and Obsidian immediately rescued the CloudRunner, pulling him gently away from under the ThornTail. The CloudRunner was covered in burn marks, and had several deep cuts on his neck. One of his wings was completely burnt off.
". . . Don't fly." The dying dinosaur coughed weakly, opening his eyes. Blood trickled down his beak "I was shot . . . He had lasers."
"Can you tell us how to get to the Krazoa Palace?" Fox said kneeling next to the dying CloudRunner. Fox stroke the dinosaur's head weakly, trying to comfort him, "We need to stop Leon before he brings more harm to the Lylat System."
"The sea. . ." The CloudRunner coughed violently, a few droplets of blood splattered on Fox's fur. The dinosaur stared into Fox's eyes sadly, tears welling up in his eyes, "It hurts . . . I don't . . . I don't want to die."
Fox looked helplessly at Obsidian, who had the most medical knowledge. The young wolf merely shook his head and took out a lethal dose of morphine. Obsidian crouched down next to the dinosaur and injected the syringe into the dinosaur's thigh. The wolf smiled at the dying CloudRunner, "Go to sleep, it won't hurt anymore."
"Thanks . . ." The CloudRunner smiled weakly and closed his eyes. The rising and falling of his chest slowly came to a stop. The dinosaur's head flopped limply to the side, and a small gasp of air escaped his collapsing lungs. Obsidian bent down and checked the CloudRunner's pulse, and shook his head sadly.
"He is dead." The young wolf touched the large burn marks on the dinosaur's chest and neck, "Looks like an anti-air laser cannon. I am surprised that he survived this long with wounds like these."
"He said something about the sea . . ." Fox said with a light sniff. He never liked the sight of death, especially the death of such a graceful creature. "What do you guys think?"
"I think you should get yer hides over here and talk to me McCloud." A thunderous voice boomed. Fox looked over to the pile of rubble that was the Warpstone. He was talking to him as if he was completely normal and nothing had happened to him.
Fox smiled, "You're alive Warpstone?!"
The Warpstone laughed, "Can't kill anythin' that wasn't alive ta begin with McCloud. I'm a magical creature, and though this rock body o' mine was destroyed, my spirit will live on none the less."
Damon walked up, trembling slightly, "Uh, Mr. Warpstone...sir, how can we get to Krozoa palace? Can you take us there still?"
"If ye put me back together, then I'll be happy to send yer to one of those warpstone thingies at Krazoa Palace." Warpstone boomed suddenly, "But you don't have the time! Tricky's Mom and Dad need yer to be quick. Now . . . ye need to find the sea folk, the WaveGliders at Cape Claw."
"But the WaveGliders will strangle us and drag us to the bottom of the seas!" Tricky piped, "They are as bad as the CloudRunners!"
"Aye, they are just a bunch of HighTops with floppy legs and pointy teeth." The Warpstone chuckled, "Nothin' to be afraid of, my young prince!"
Tricky looked a little unsure, and looked up to Fox, who was completely puzzled by this new "WaveGlider" tribe. Fox went over to Slippy and whispered quietly to the toad, "What are the WaveGliders? Are they another tribe?"
"Not just any tribe, another ruling tribe. The EarthWalkers rule the land, the CloudRunners rule the skies, and the WaveGliders rule the seas." Slippy explained, "And as you know . . . they don't like each other much."
"So what are we going to do with the WaveGliders, Warpstone?" Fox asked, stepping forward to speak to the massive stone head. "Are they going to listen to us at all?"
"Those WaveGliders know a way into the Palace, a secret way from under the Ocean." Warpstone said with roaring volume, "And if ye want to save Tricky's Mom and Dad quickly, ye need to go that way."
Fox held out his hands, "Okay, but how do we contact them, I've been to Cape Claw plenty of times and I never saw any sea dinosaurs."
The Warpstone concentrated all of his energy, and slammed the fist of one of his arms, causing it to crumble into another pile of stones. The ground shook from the blast, a minor earthquake. A small cave crumbled open between the waterfall and the large cave the Mother ThornTail used to live.
The Warpstone spoke, "Inside you'll find the call yer seekin'."
"Damon, go in there and get that please." Fox said, nodding towards the cave casually. Fox then turned back to the Warpstone, "I'm glad you're still okay you big lug. When this is all over we'll find a way to repair you."
Damon was standing at the mouth of the cave, shivering a bit; but was determined to prove himself. He began to walk in, noticing the cave was lit in a gloomy blue fashion. He looked up and noticed in the hall he was walking in the walls and ceiling was lined with glowing blue gems. They were small little pebbles, but there were enough of them that it looked like a sea of twinkling little stars, and it created the illusion of a well lit night. The rooms ambience was bright enough as if the full moon were out, allow Damon to see normally, instead of relying on his nocturnal vision.
He looked down at his feet; the smoothed plain rock gave way into an ornate tiling. He looked up and realized he was in a large rectangular room. He walked to the center of the room and suddenly the doorway behind him slid shut with a panel. The doorway in front of him did the same. The walls to his left and right produced spikes and the sound of gears rotated, causing the walls to move a row of tiles closer. Damon fell onto his tail in fright. There was a larger buzzing noise and the walls moved another couple spaces closer. He looked behind himself, and realized he was sitting on a green tile. There were four red tiles in a cross shape with the green one in the middle. He scuffled off of them, and on to the blue tiling of the rest of the floor. Suddenly one of the red tiles glowed, and a small chime filled Damon's ears. Then another tile lit and chimed. A small sequence formed, and then the green one was the last to chime. The room fell silent while Damon watched. He observed the walls for a moment in hesitation.
"Umm..." he said hesitantly to himself, "Okay, I'll try it."
He stepped on the first red tile, he immediately flinched. There was small soothing chime to signify he was correct. He continued to step on the tiles in succession. He then brought his foot down on the green one and there was a large buzz, and the walls geared forward, Damon stared fearfully as the walls surrounded him, he only had one chance left. He realized his mistake when he looked at his foot. He was standing on the uppermost red tile instead of the green. He whimpered as he removed his foot. The tiles began lighting again. Damon took a deep breath and watched with intensity. Then he began following the sequence. When he finished he delicately brought his foot down on the green tile. He let out a sigh of relief when more chimes sounded and the walls rolled back into place. He exited the room shaking, knowing one more false move might have cost him his life.
He entered the next hallway, wishing the next room would simply contain the item he needed so he could leave. The next room was similar to the first, except the floor's tile arrangement was random colors. Damon cautiously took a step in, when nothing happened he stepped the rest of the way. Suddenly there was a whooshing noise and Damon fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder. It was bleeding, and there was a large gash.
Damon slowly retraced his steps gripping his injured shoulder. Straining his eyes, he saw that the walls in this room were dotted with small holes, and within each hole was a metallic glint. The hybrid gasped in horror, realizing that he was surrounded by hundreds of razor sharp arrows. He wanted to turn back, but the door once again closed, trapping him inside. The young hybrid began to sob and fell to his knees.
"Why me. . ." Damon whined, gazing at the grid of colorful tiles in front of him. Fox on the other hand would have solved this puzzle in no time. He felt weak, stupid, and helpless. He curled into a little ball, gazing at the tiles.
Damon looked at the puzzle. His heartbeat and breathing slowly returned to a normal rate as the surge of adrenaline slowly wore off. The young hybrid gazed at the six rows of tiles, assorted in random colors. The tiles were too large to jump over, therefore they must form some sort of path that he could cross. He remembered stepping on a red tile first, and that did not trigger a trap. However, the trail or red tiles did not lead to the other side of the room. He knew that the blue tiles would trigger the traps, since that was the second tile he stepped on, which left the yellow and the green tiles unknown.
Damon's eyes followed the trail of green tiles, which was the only trail that led to the other side of the room. The hybrid smiled and stood up. The green tiles must be the one he should follow. He stepped on the green tile on the first row. Another whooshing noise came from the dark, and Damon yelped in pain. An arrow flew past his abdomen, gashing his side, and shattered on the thick rock door behind him. The hybrid collapsed to the ground and began to cry in despair.
"I can't do this Fox. . ." Damon whimpered, curling into a ball, "I can't do this."
Damon gazed upwards to the ceiling, and saw the little sparkling gems. Their light was no longer blue, but red, green, yellow as well. The difference between their colors was subtle, since they were all nearly white. "Holes with arrows inside . . . colored tiles. . . The gems . . . they are in a pattern!"
Damon lay on his back and gazed at the iridescent gems, which formed six large bands on the ceiling. The first band was red, and was closest to Damon. Then, it was green, yellow, green, blue, and finally yellow. The colored gems were all arranged directly above the tiles. The young hybrid smiled, and stood on the red tile on the first row, then cautiously stepped on the green tile on the second row. It worked, Damon solved the puzzle.
He carefully walked to the yellow tile on the third row, the green on the forth, the blue on the fifth, and the yellow on the last. Both doors of the room opened, and the colorful tiles dimmed. The traps were deactivated.
"Fox, thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself." Damon smiled, walking through the arched doorway. Inside was a dome-shape room, with a short pillar in the middle. On the pillar was a beautiful blue conch, dotted with sparking gems and engraved with elegant patterns. This was the Call of the Sea, the conch they needed to find the WaveGliders. Damon carefully picked up the shell and placed it in his backpack. Instantly, the exit was sealed by a life force gate. The pillar in the middle of the room shifted, revealing an entrance to an underground cave. A LightFoot jumped out from the crevice, snarling at Damon.
Damon drew his blaster and aimed it at the dinosaur, his arms shaking profusely. The LightFoot looked insane, his body smeared with dirt in various places. It was clear that the dinosaur had been trapped inside the underground cave for a long time, and probably lost his mind. Damon felt sorry for the LightFoot, "Don't come any closer . . . Or I'll shoot you."
"Give me my treasure!" The dinosaur snarled in his own language. Lunging at Damon, slashing the young hybrid with his claws, "I found it! I keep it!"
Damon kicked the LightFoot away and fired a stray shot at the dinosaur. The laser blew a small smothering hole in the wall. The young hybrid gazed fiercely into the LightFoot's eyes. "I don't want to hurt you!"
The LightFoot growled, snapping his jaws. "You stinking thief, give me my pretty shell! Or I kill you!"
"How do we get out of here?" Damon eyed the life-force seal. This was the first time the young hybrid had seen one, and he had no idea how to break the seal. The hybrid fired another stray blast at the dinosaur, "Tell me!"
"When you or I die, the seal goes away!" The LightFoot lunged at Damon again, "And I kill you first, stinking thief!"
Damon skillfully dodged out of the way, barely escaping the dinosaur's snapping jaws. The hybrid dropped his blaster and immediately attacked back, locking his arms around the LightFoot's skinny neck in a restraining hold. The two rolled on the ground, wrestling each other.
"Die you stinking thief!" The LightFoot dug his claws into Damon's arms. The dinosaur was a lot stronger than the underdeveloped hybrid, but Damon was trained for unarmed combat in the military. The young hybrid's arms tightened around the LightFoot's neck, despite the dinosaur's sharp claws.
"Ah you are killing me!" screeched the LightFoot, rolling helplessly on the ground with Damon on his back. He flailed around trying to get the hybrid off him, "Can't breathe!"
Damon didn't know what to do. He didn't want to strangle the LightFoot, but releasing the dinosaur may mean his own death. "Promise me you are going to do everything I say, or I'll strangle you."
"I promise! I promise!" The LightFoot stopped struggling and lay down, defeated. "Don't kill me. . ."
Damon slowly released the LightFoot and stood up, allowing some time for the dinosaur to recover. The hybrid picked up the blaster, but he was suddenly knocked to the ground by the LightFoot. Just as the insane LightFoot was about to clamp his jaws around Damon's neck, the young hybrid fired his blaster.
The LightFoot's eyes widened as a surge of excruciating pain surged through his stomach. The dinosaur covered his abdomen, writhing in his death throes. Damon gazed sadly at the dying dinosaur, "You made me do it."
"You killed me . . . You murderer." The LightFoot muttered, blood seeping his claws, "You stinking thief and murderer . . ."
"You made me do it!" Damon broke down and began to tear, "I didn't want to do it. . . I didn't want to do it."
"Kill me. . . Don't leave me like this." begged the LightFoot, holding his abdomen. A stomach wound would take hours to kill, and the dinosaur was just beginning to feel the pain. "It hurts . . . It hurts a lot."
Damon hesitantly pointed the blaster at the dinosaur's head, but he was unable to pull the trigger. He could see that the dinosaur was in pain, but he couldn't bear the guilt of murdering. At the end, he dropped the blaster in front of the dinosaur and walked away, hiding behind the pillar.
Damon could hear his blaster fire, then silence. He began to cry, tearing profusely. He didn't want to see what happened to the LightFoot. Although he knew the dinosaur had shot himself. He continued to cry, until his intercom rang.
"Damon! Come in!" It was Fox, and he sounded desperate.
". . . Yes?" Damon sniffed as he answered, "Is it Fox?"
"Damon, what happened? Are you okay?" Fox asked, "I am sorry for sending you in, please tell me you are alright."
"I am fine. . ." Damon answered, "I've got the conch, and I am coming out now."
"Be careful." Fox warned, "McCloud out."
Damon stood up and gathered himself. He peered out from behind the pillar, and saw the LightFoot lying motionlessly on the ground. The life- force seal had disappeared and Damon was free to leave. The hybrid reached down to the dead LightFoot, and retrieved his blaster from the dinosaur's limp claws. He sighed, and exited the chamber.
StarFox stood on the beaches of Cape Claw. Leon's pillage and destruction had reached these parts of the planet. The trees were scorched, and bloated corpses of dinosaurs floated in the crystal clear water, with gulls feasting on their bodies. Leon had defiled the planet.
Fox took out the blue conch and blew, ringing out a deep, soothing note. The note slowly faded into the ocean, unanswered. The fox blew into the shell again, as hard as he could. Another note rang out, and disappeared into the waves. Fox blew it the third time, and a colossal creature broke the waves to answer his call. The majestic WaveGlider approached the beach, gazing down at Fox.
"Wow. . ." Slippy exclaimed, "He is big. . ."
"Who are you?" said the blue-grey WaveGlider with a deep rumbling voice, his massive head meters away from Fox. With a quick snap, the dinosaur could swallow the vulpine whole. "The Call of the Sea was stolen from us long ago. . . Are you the thief?"
"I am Fox McCloud, leader of StarFox." Fox replied with a smile, "And I come to return your sacred conch."
"Hmm. . . You are the one who saved our world from destruction." The majestic creature let out a rolling laughter, his voice bouncing off the cliffs. "You seek more from us. . . What is it that you seek?"
"I need your help." Fox said as loud as he could, "I need to find the secret passage to the Krazoa Palace from under the ocean. The royal families of the planet are held captive there."
"Ugh! Birds and lizards. . . They steal our fish and poison our waters, why should we help them? Let them die." The WaveGlider eyed Prince Tricky, who was hiding behind Fox. "I am afraid I cannot help you."
"But you have to! Mom and Dad . . . The whole planet needs your help!" Tricky yelled, "Everyone is dying!"
"So you are the lizard prince? A big mouth you have, for such a small lizard. . ." the WaveGlider bared its teeth, causing the young prince to dart behind Fox again. The dinosaur laughed again, "So what if everyone dies? They cannot reach us in the sea! Go home, lizard prince, I cannot help you."
"How can you say that?" Krystal shouted angrily, confronting the WaveGlider. "The only reason why this planet is so easily conquered is because of people like you!"
The WaveGlider roared angrily, "How dare you! You insignificant little beast, I should eat you now for this disrespect!"
Fox instinctively pulled Krystal back and held her behind protectively. "Listen, we don't mean to offend you, we just need help so we can save dinosaur planet. Will you help us or not?"
There was an awkward silence as the massive dinosaur stared at the small beings, thinking over their request. "Alright," he said ominously, "Fox McCloud, I will take you, and you alone to see our great king. The secret path to the Krazoa Palace is sacred, and matters like these are out of my control. Step on my back and we'll be on our way."
Fox gulped, giving Krystal a quick hug. "I'll be back soon."
Krystal smiled, "We'll be waiting for you."
Fox fell to his knees at the sight of death and destruction in front of him. The Warpstone, once a humorous sentient statue, was reduced to a pile of rubble. His great head lay motionlessly near the base of another mass grave along with his massive arms. Fox could not believe his eyes. Leon had destroyed the Warpstone, their only route to the Krazoa Palace.
"We . . . We need to fly there." Fox rubbed his aching temples. The sound of buzzing flies, the smell of rotting flesh and the sight of disfigured carcasses of dinosaurs were giving him a massive headache, a headache with a magnitude that he had never felt before. "Let's go, I feel like I am going to suffocate here."
"No. . ." a voice muttered weakly in the dinosaur language, ". . . Don't fly."
Everyone raised their blaster at the sudden movement among the pile of dead dinosaurs. Lying among them was a CloudRunner struggling weakly under the immense weight of a dead ThornTail. Jade and Obsidian immediately rescued the CloudRunner, pulling him gently away from under the ThornTail. The CloudRunner was covered in burn marks, and had several deep cuts on his neck. One of his wings was completely burnt off.
". . . Don't fly." The dying dinosaur coughed weakly, opening his eyes. Blood trickled down his beak "I was shot . . . He had lasers."
"Can you tell us how to get to the Krazoa Palace?" Fox said kneeling next to the dying CloudRunner. Fox stroke the dinosaur's head weakly, trying to comfort him, "We need to stop Leon before he brings more harm to the Lylat System."
"The sea. . ." The CloudRunner coughed violently, a few droplets of blood splattered on Fox's fur. The dinosaur stared into Fox's eyes sadly, tears welling up in his eyes, "It hurts . . . I don't . . . I don't want to die."
Fox looked helplessly at Obsidian, who had the most medical knowledge. The young wolf merely shook his head and took out a lethal dose of morphine. Obsidian crouched down next to the dinosaur and injected the syringe into the dinosaur's thigh. The wolf smiled at the dying CloudRunner, "Go to sleep, it won't hurt anymore."
"Thanks . . ." The CloudRunner smiled weakly and closed his eyes. The rising and falling of his chest slowly came to a stop. The dinosaur's head flopped limply to the side, and a small gasp of air escaped his collapsing lungs. Obsidian bent down and checked the CloudRunner's pulse, and shook his head sadly.
"He is dead." The young wolf touched the large burn marks on the dinosaur's chest and neck, "Looks like an anti-air laser cannon. I am surprised that he survived this long with wounds like these."
"He said something about the sea . . ." Fox said with a light sniff. He never liked the sight of death, especially the death of such a graceful creature. "What do you guys think?"
"I think you should get yer hides over here and talk to me McCloud." A thunderous voice boomed. Fox looked over to the pile of rubble that was the Warpstone. He was talking to him as if he was completely normal and nothing had happened to him.
Fox smiled, "You're alive Warpstone?!"
The Warpstone laughed, "Can't kill anythin' that wasn't alive ta begin with McCloud. I'm a magical creature, and though this rock body o' mine was destroyed, my spirit will live on none the less."
Damon walked up, trembling slightly, "Uh, Mr. Warpstone...sir, how can we get to Krozoa palace? Can you take us there still?"
"If ye put me back together, then I'll be happy to send yer to one of those warpstone thingies at Krazoa Palace." Warpstone boomed suddenly, "But you don't have the time! Tricky's Mom and Dad need yer to be quick. Now . . . ye need to find the sea folk, the WaveGliders at Cape Claw."
"But the WaveGliders will strangle us and drag us to the bottom of the seas!" Tricky piped, "They are as bad as the CloudRunners!"
"Aye, they are just a bunch of HighTops with floppy legs and pointy teeth." The Warpstone chuckled, "Nothin' to be afraid of, my young prince!"
Tricky looked a little unsure, and looked up to Fox, who was completely puzzled by this new "WaveGlider" tribe. Fox went over to Slippy and whispered quietly to the toad, "What are the WaveGliders? Are they another tribe?"
"Not just any tribe, another ruling tribe. The EarthWalkers rule the land, the CloudRunners rule the skies, and the WaveGliders rule the seas." Slippy explained, "And as you know . . . they don't like each other much."
"So what are we going to do with the WaveGliders, Warpstone?" Fox asked, stepping forward to speak to the massive stone head. "Are they going to listen to us at all?"
"Those WaveGliders know a way into the Palace, a secret way from under the Ocean." Warpstone said with roaring volume, "And if ye want to save Tricky's Mom and Dad quickly, ye need to go that way."
Fox held out his hands, "Okay, but how do we contact them, I've been to Cape Claw plenty of times and I never saw any sea dinosaurs."
The Warpstone concentrated all of his energy, and slammed the fist of one of his arms, causing it to crumble into another pile of stones. The ground shook from the blast, a minor earthquake. A small cave crumbled open between the waterfall and the large cave the Mother ThornTail used to live.
The Warpstone spoke, "Inside you'll find the call yer seekin'."
"Damon, go in there and get that please." Fox said, nodding towards the cave casually. Fox then turned back to the Warpstone, "I'm glad you're still okay you big lug. When this is all over we'll find a way to repair you."
Damon was standing at the mouth of the cave, shivering a bit; but was determined to prove himself. He began to walk in, noticing the cave was lit in a gloomy blue fashion. He looked up and noticed in the hall he was walking in the walls and ceiling was lined with glowing blue gems. They were small little pebbles, but there were enough of them that it looked like a sea of twinkling little stars, and it created the illusion of a well lit night. The rooms ambience was bright enough as if the full moon were out, allow Damon to see normally, instead of relying on his nocturnal vision.
He looked down at his feet; the smoothed plain rock gave way into an ornate tiling. He looked up and realized he was in a large rectangular room. He walked to the center of the room and suddenly the doorway behind him slid shut with a panel. The doorway in front of him did the same. The walls to his left and right produced spikes and the sound of gears rotated, causing the walls to move a row of tiles closer. Damon fell onto his tail in fright. There was a larger buzzing noise and the walls moved another couple spaces closer. He looked behind himself, and realized he was sitting on a green tile. There were four red tiles in a cross shape with the green one in the middle. He scuffled off of them, and on to the blue tiling of the rest of the floor. Suddenly one of the red tiles glowed, and a small chime filled Damon's ears. Then another tile lit and chimed. A small sequence formed, and then the green one was the last to chime. The room fell silent while Damon watched. He observed the walls for a moment in hesitation.
"Umm..." he said hesitantly to himself, "Okay, I'll try it."
He stepped on the first red tile, he immediately flinched. There was small soothing chime to signify he was correct. He continued to step on the tiles in succession. He then brought his foot down on the green one and there was a large buzz, and the walls geared forward, Damon stared fearfully as the walls surrounded him, he only had one chance left. He realized his mistake when he looked at his foot. He was standing on the uppermost red tile instead of the green. He whimpered as he removed his foot. The tiles began lighting again. Damon took a deep breath and watched with intensity. Then he began following the sequence. When he finished he delicately brought his foot down on the green tile. He let out a sigh of relief when more chimes sounded and the walls rolled back into place. He exited the room shaking, knowing one more false move might have cost him his life.
He entered the next hallway, wishing the next room would simply contain the item he needed so he could leave. The next room was similar to the first, except the floor's tile arrangement was random colors. Damon cautiously took a step in, when nothing happened he stepped the rest of the way. Suddenly there was a whooshing noise and Damon fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder. It was bleeding, and there was a large gash.
Damon slowly retraced his steps gripping his injured shoulder. Straining his eyes, he saw that the walls in this room were dotted with small holes, and within each hole was a metallic glint. The hybrid gasped in horror, realizing that he was surrounded by hundreds of razor sharp arrows. He wanted to turn back, but the door once again closed, trapping him inside. The young hybrid began to sob and fell to his knees.
"Why me. . ." Damon whined, gazing at the grid of colorful tiles in front of him. Fox on the other hand would have solved this puzzle in no time. He felt weak, stupid, and helpless. He curled into a little ball, gazing at the tiles.
Damon looked at the puzzle. His heartbeat and breathing slowly returned to a normal rate as the surge of adrenaline slowly wore off. The young hybrid gazed at the six rows of tiles, assorted in random colors. The tiles were too large to jump over, therefore they must form some sort of path that he could cross. He remembered stepping on a red tile first, and that did not trigger a trap. However, the trail or red tiles did not lead to the other side of the room. He knew that the blue tiles would trigger the traps, since that was the second tile he stepped on, which left the yellow and the green tiles unknown.
Damon's eyes followed the trail of green tiles, which was the only trail that led to the other side of the room. The hybrid smiled and stood up. The green tiles must be the one he should follow. He stepped on the green tile on the first row. Another whooshing noise came from the dark, and Damon yelped in pain. An arrow flew past his abdomen, gashing his side, and shattered on the thick rock door behind him. The hybrid collapsed to the ground and began to cry in despair.
"I can't do this Fox. . ." Damon whimpered, curling into a ball, "I can't do this."
Damon gazed upwards to the ceiling, and saw the little sparkling gems. Their light was no longer blue, but red, green, yellow as well. The difference between their colors was subtle, since they were all nearly white. "Holes with arrows inside . . . colored tiles. . . The gems . . . they are in a pattern!"
Damon lay on his back and gazed at the iridescent gems, which formed six large bands on the ceiling. The first band was red, and was closest to Damon. Then, it was green, yellow, green, blue, and finally yellow. The colored gems were all arranged directly above the tiles. The young hybrid smiled, and stood on the red tile on the first row, then cautiously stepped on the green tile on the second row. It worked, Damon solved the puzzle.
He carefully walked to the yellow tile on the third row, the green on the forth, the blue on the fifth, and the yellow on the last. Both doors of the room opened, and the colorful tiles dimmed. The traps were deactivated.
"Fox, thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself." Damon smiled, walking through the arched doorway. Inside was a dome-shape room, with a short pillar in the middle. On the pillar was a beautiful blue conch, dotted with sparking gems and engraved with elegant patterns. This was the Call of the Sea, the conch they needed to find the WaveGliders. Damon carefully picked up the shell and placed it in his backpack. Instantly, the exit was sealed by a life force gate. The pillar in the middle of the room shifted, revealing an entrance to an underground cave. A LightFoot jumped out from the crevice, snarling at Damon.
Damon drew his blaster and aimed it at the dinosaur, his arms shaking profusely. The LightFoot looked insane, his body smeared with dirt in various places. It was clear that the dinosaur had been trapped inside the underground cave for a long time, and probably lost his mind. Damon felt sorry for the LightFoot, "Don't come any closer . . . Or I'll shoot you."
"Give me my treasure!" The dinosaur snarled in his own language. Lunging at Damon, slashing the young hybrid with his claws, "I found it! I keep it!"
Damon kicked the LightFoot away and fired a stray shot at the dinosaur. The laser blew a small smothering hole in the wall. The young hybrid gazed fiercely into the LightFoot's eyes. "I don't want to hurt you!"
The LightFoot growled, snapping his jaws. "You stinking thief, give me my pretty shell! Or I kill you!"
"How do we get out of here?" Damon eyed the life-force seal. This was the first time the young hybrid had seen one, and he had no idea how to break the seal. The hybrid fired another stray blast at the dinosaur, "Tell me!"
"When you or I die, the seal goes away!" The LightFoot lunged at Damon again, "And I kill you first, stinking thief!"
Damon skillfully dodged out of the way, barely escaping the dinosaur's snapping jaws. The hybrid dropped his blaster and immediately attacked back, locking his arms around the LightFoot's skinny neck in a restraining hold. The two rolled on the ground, wrestling each other.
"Die you stinking thief!" The LightFoot dug his claws into Damon's arms. The dinosaur was a lot stronger than the underdeveloped hybrid, but Damon was trained for unarmed combat in the military. The young hybrid's arms tightened around the LightFoot's neck, despite the dinosaur's sharp claws.
"Ah you are killing me!" screeched the LightFoot, rolling helplessly on the ground with Damon on his back. He flailed around trying to get the hybrid off him, "Can't breathe!"
Damon didn't know what to do. He didn't want to strangle the LightFoot, but releasing the dinosaur may mean his own death. "Promise me you are going to do everything I say, or I'll strangle you."
"I promise! I promise!" The LightFoot stopped struggling and lay down, defeated. "Don't kill me. . ."
Damon slowly released the LightFoot and stood up, allowing some time for the dinosaur to recover. The hybrid picked up the blaster, but he was suddenly knocked to the ground by the LightFoot. Just as the insane LightFoot was about to clamp his jaws around Damon's neck, the young hybrid fired his blaster.
The LightFoot's eyes widened as a surge of excruciating pain surged through his stomach. The dinosaur covered his abdomen, writhing in his death throes. Damon gazed sadly at the dying dinosaur, "You made me do it."
"You killed me . . . You murderer." The LightFoot muttered, blood seeping his claws, "You stinking thief and murderer . . ."
"You made me do it!" Damon broke down and began to tear, "I didn't want to do it. . . I didn't want to do it."
"Kill me. . . Don't leave me like this." begged the LightFoot, holding his abdomen. A stomach wound would take hours to kill, and the dinosaur was just beginning to feel the pain. "It hurts . . . It hurts a lot."
Damon hesitantly pointed the blaster at the dinosaur's head, but he was unable to pull the trigger. He could see that the dinosaur was in pain, but he couldn't bear the guilt of murdering. At the end, he dropped the blaster in front of the dinosaur and walked away, hiding behind the pillar.
Damon could hear his blaster fire, then silence. He began to cry, tearing profusely. He didn't want to see what happened to the LightFoot. Although he knew the dinosaur had shot himself. He continued to cry, until his intercom rang.
"Damon! Come in!" It was Fox, and he sounded desperate.
". . . Yes?" Damon sniffed as he answered, "Is it Fox?"
"Damon, what happened? Are you okay?" Fox asked, "I am sorry for sending you in, please tell me you are alright."
"I am fine. . ." Damon answered, "I've got the conch, and I am coming out now."
"Be careful." Fox warned, "McCloud out."
Damon stood up and gathered himself. He peered out from behind the pillar, and saw the LightFoot lying motionlessly on the ground. The life- force seal had disappeared and Damon was free to leave. The hybrid reached down to the dead LightFoot, and retrieved his blaster from the dinosaur's limp claws. He sighed, and exited the chamber.
StarFox stood on the beaches of Cape Claw. Leon's pillage and destruction had reached these parts of the planet. The trees were scorched, and bloated corpses of dinosaurs floated in the crystal clear water, with gulls feasting on their bodies. Leon had defiled the planet.
Fox took out the blue conch and blew, ringing out a deep, soothing note. The note slowly faded into the ocean, unanswered. The fox blew into the shell again, as hard as he could. Another note rang out, and disappeared into the waves. Fox blew it the third time, and a colossal creature broke the waves to answer his call. The majestic WaveGlider approached the beach, gazing down at Fox.
"Wow. . ." Slippy exclaimed, "He is big. . ."
"Who are you?" said the blue-grey WaveGlider with a deep rumbling voice, his massive head meters away from Fox. With a quick snap, the dinosaur could swallow the vulpine whole. "The Call of the Sea was stolen from us long ago. . . Are you the thief?"
"I am Fox McCloud, leader of StarFox." Fox replied with a smile, "And I come to return your sacred conch."
"Hmm. . . You are the one who saved our world from destruction." The majestic creature let out a rolling laughter, his voice bouncing off the cliffs. "You seek more from us. . . What is it that you seek?"
"I need your help." Fox said as loud as he could, "I need to find the secret passage to the Krazoa Palace from under the ocean. The royal families of the planet are held captive there."
"Ugh! Birds and lizards. . . They steal our fish and poison our waters, why should we help them? Let them die." The WaveGlider eyed Prince Tricky, who was hiding behind Fox. "I am afraid I cannot help you."
"But you have to! Mom and Dad . . . The whole planet needs your help!" Tricky yelled, "Everyone is dying!"
"So you are the lizard prince? A big mouth you have, for such a small lizard. . ." the WaveGlider bared its teeth, causing the young prince to dart behind Fox again. The dinosaur laughed again, "So what if everyone dies? They cannot reach us in the sea! Go home, lizard prince, I cannot help you."
"How can you say that?" Krystal shouted angrily, confronting the WaveGlider. "The only reason why this planet is so easily conquered is because of people like you!"
The WaveGlider roared angrily, "How dare you! You insignificant little beast, I should eat you now for this disrespect!"
Fox instinctively pulled Krystal back and held her behind protectively. "Listen, we don't mean to offend you, we just need help so we can save dinosaur planet. Will you help us or not?"
There was an awkward silence as the massive dinosaur stared at the small beings, thinking over their request. "Alright," he said ominously, "Fox McCloud, I will take you, and you alone to see our great king. The secret path to the Krazoa Palace is sacred, and matters like these are out of my control. Step on my back and we'll be on our way."
Fox gulped, giving Krystal a quick hug. "I'll be back soon."
Krystal smiled, "We'll be waiting for you."
