Trapped In Time

I'm dying.

I'm still not fully sure of how it happened or what is happening to me, but it's all I feel: darkness of a never-ending void that consistently reaches out for me like a deadly swarm. Faint hazes mix in with the overall shade of blue that encompasses my consciousness, sending mixed messages of fear, nausea and unrelenting confusion through my body. My senses seem to fail over and over again, and still it seems as of my life is hanging by a thread…

Like a hail of hammers and anvils, the rain seemingly-forever clatters down hard all around with such unrelenting fervor that it made me feel both energized and drained to listen to it. It doesn't soak or even touch me, though; my form has been somehow sealed in this tiny prison…this ethereal crystalline structure holding me mostly frozen at the very top of this gigantic, monolithic palace known only to me as…Krazoa Palace. My memory feels, too, as if it was being terribly drained by my captivity.

But it started the hour I received the muffled distress signal…

The world known as Sauria had been reached; such a multi-faceted planet that contained nearly every sort of ecosystem that one could imagine. From active volcanoes to snow-covered plains, the planet was truly diverse – but I found myself barely paying attention to all of that, having reached a rather conspicuous beach-like location that seemed relatively peaceful, yet threatening in its own way. The daylight allowed me to see clearly the nooks and crannies of the immediate area, while the watery waves seemed to overlook the entire inlet. I ran in a light jog down the artificially-built path to the side, which led to one of the beached areas on the east side of the area.

I closed my eyes as I did this; it could be felt inside, before the feeling shifted to every part of my body: something was wrong. For protection, I unsheathed the object I held with me. The form was that of a majestic golden staff that featured grooves running along its length, as well as a sort of half-blade curvature on the opposing end and a smaller base. The weapon was much older than my eighteen years; in fact, nobody really knows for sure from whence it was truly forged…and for what purpose. However, such contemplations were better kept for when I had a moment of peace, and that moment was not now. Just up ahead on the beach-side, I heard the voice of an avian creature – a clear but panicked squawk that sounded out to me like a cry for assistance.

Without wasting time, I leapt down from the upper artificial ledge and looked upon the scene unfolding before my eyes. What I saw at first was an orange-red feathered and large bird, presumably of the male persuasion, thrashing about in midair just about ten feet from the ground. While watching from behind a large jutting natural structure nearby, my eyes narrowed as I caught a glimpse of the assailants. Surrounding the ground underneath the distressed creature were several reptilian creatures, covered on their torsos and heads by what looked like bronze battle armor. Their backs were turned, but I could see that the reptiles – one of which was of a paler colour and noticeably larger than the yellow ones – were attempting to attack the semi-airborne creature with their clubs. Whatever the avian had done to get the attention of these brutish fiends, their reaction was clearly not something that could be allowed to continue. I think the flying creature spotted me before the lizards did, but whatever the case – my cover had been blown. With no use for subtly, I unleashed the full power of my staff as the creatures charged me with their primitive melee weapons at the ready. I waited for a second while my staff began to glow with a light-reddish energy, before a multitude of crimson orbs hurled through the air from its tip at the attackers. One of them went down immediately from this, and the other took one, then two of the hits and still kept coming – although he collapsed before fully reaching me. The final and larger one blocked my staff swing with his own sharpened club, but I immediately rooted my staff in the ground, then hoisted myself up and kicked him as hard as possible in the armored chest with both feet. Right after, another fire blast took neat care of both the final guard as well as several feet of sand around him shot up multiple grains.

When the crisis had been solved, I retracted my staff and re-sheathed it while watching the creature flit over to the whitish sand beside me. With what appeared to be a hint of a smile on his yellow beak, the bird gave me a one-armed salute that I suppose was common for his race.

"Kyte of the Cloudrunner tribe, at your service…" The avian spoke up, looking me in the eye as if observing my reactions. "You're quite the brave one for standing up to that little band of Sharpclaw." His language was that of Dinoese, the language of Saurian natives – a language which I was fluent in myself. It was strange, really…it's not something normal to learn, and yet, I had done so at any rate.

"…Who?" I raised an eyebrow and asked my question in his own language, anxious to know just what it was that I had rescued him from.

"Quite the nasty bunch…they're led by a central source, their leader known as General Scales." I listened to Kyte as he informed me of the Saurian civil war that was currently raging against the Sharpclaws, as well as their twisted General and his various dark deeds. Before long, I had heard enough – I was beginning to formulate a few ideas of what the distress signal may have been caused by. Finally, he asked me one more thing. "Who are you?"

I was about to walk away, but I then turned back to face him, and spoke. "My name's Krystal." With disregard for my species, that of a vixen with cerulean fur that glimmered like the bluest of skies, I seemed to fit in fairly well with the natives of this planet. I was clad in very little; only a loincloth, breastplate, shoulder shields, as well as sandals and wrist and anklets which overall left most of my body exposed. It was a choice that allowed me increased combat mobility; I had a feeling that something like that would become quite useful. "I came here searching for a distress signal…Take me to this General you speak of…I have a feeling that something along the way may point me in the right direction."

I felt so strong then…

And yet, any semblance of that feeling had thusly fled me now in my crystal captivity. Ever since I'd arrived at Sauria, I had felt entire waves of mysterious energy slowly coursing through my staff, like nothing I had ever felt before – I wish I had any idea what it means. Time will tell…but there's something so familiar about this whole place, although I just can't place it. As the rain continues to beat down on the stones of the imposingly-large rooftop, I'm reminded so much of the further events that led me to where I am now.

The torrents of rain beat down like there was no tomorrow…

And still I rode on Kyte's sturdy back through towards the dangers that lay ahead. It was difficult to impossible to see very far ahead of me thanks to the rain. The Cloudrunner sensed the danger just moments before I did, and he swerved down to the right just as a large fireball – a threatening chunk that burned brightly leaving a trail behind it – whizzed past and nearly nicked at my ear. All this time, I had been holding my staff extended and at the ready, but the second fireball from up ahead came too fast to react to. It was definitely the closest of calls, but it managed to wrench the staff right out of my grasp.

I cried out and grabbed for it again, although to no avail as it whirled towards the ground somewhere far below. That weapon meant everything to me – no! Now I had no defense mechanism except for my own ride, and so I squinted to get a better view of what awaited just in the near distance.

I identified the large object there to be a sort of high-flying floating galleon, made of primitive wood but with some decorative designs and mechanisms adorning the surface area of the ship. What happened next was shrouded to be in a blur of exhilaration and endangered excitement as Kyte swooped through the hail of fireballs that headed straight for us, retaliating with what seemed to be blasts of mystical energy from his own beak. Without a method at the moment to defend myself, I stayed my ground and allowed him to take the offensive. From what he had told me earlier, this was the galleon of the supposed General; whatever the case, all I could do now was to investigate.

Thanks to Kyte's intrepid sense of direction, soon the blasters on either end of the galleon had been evaded and he had managed to find a smooth place to land right on the ship's surface. The avian delicately set down at the edge of the ship, and I carefully leapt off to the deck below. With a warm smile on my features, I thanked him for his assistance and watched him swoop away and fly off. The ship's main deck was semi-crowded by the occasional crate that slid back and forth on the wood depending on which way the ship tilted. The surface was lit by some old-fashioned lanterns that lent an eerie sort of shading to the entire area, and up by one of the steadfast locked doorways was a small hanging cage. Upon closer examination, I found that it encased a young Cloudrunner, who apparently had no chance of escaping. I tried my best to free him while alone here, but to no avail.

Suffice to say, a brief expedition down into one of the unblocked passages of the ship led me to a small storage room where a fancy golden key stood out amongst the clutter. After looking left and right to ensure that nobody saw me, I took the key – just had a gut feeling that it may have come in handy.

Upon my return trip to the main deck of the ship, I stood at a clearing between the crates to the side and gazed up at the heavy black gate above the stairway just ahead, behind the cage; I was surprised when it slid open, but kept my composure. Inside of the darkened room roared a raging fire that licked at the threshold in a way that I was surprised didn't catch flame to the entire ship. Inside of the room was a large side-facing silhouette that soon turned to face me before running and finally leaping to the main deck of the galleon. The impact of his large footclaws against the wood caused a slight quake through the entire area, but I nevertheless managed a good, long look at the imposing nearly seven-foot and emerald-scaled form that now stood before me. The form was that of a large lizard, clad in a blood-red armor tunic as well as shoulder shields and a smaller helmet. However, a feature that very much managed to stand out was that of a metallic claw attached to one of his natural claws. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that this one was somewhat crocodilian – but no matter the case, he was one hundred percent Sharpclaw.

"General Scales…" The lizard introduced himself with his back to the flames, gesturing with the artificial claw to his chest, possibly in case I didn't understand the tongue. "Ruler, tyrant and dictator of Dinosaur Planet. What brings one such as you to my world?"

So here it was; and just as I'd feared, I wasn't at all ready to face such a force. "I'm not here to fight you…" After being told the stories of him – stories of massacre and enslavement – I was feeling ready to do so, but I withheld. "I'm here because of a distress signal."

"A distress signal?" The General echoed my words mockingly, "This whole planet is in distress!" The last part was practically spat from his deadly jaws just before he turned to walk back to the fiery room. There was something about this ominous tyrannical leader that sent chills down my spine, as if every move he made spurred on waves of anger within me; perhaps it was his general stature, and perhaps it was the way he walked. Spurred on by the moment, I remember that I pointed an accusing finger and spoke harshly.

"The Cloudrunner told me of you…the evil General!" Immediately after, I regretted saying it – but that was an emotion that I wisely kept inside. I expected an immediate attack, but instead the large lizard simply turned back around and chortled like a demon listening to the pleas of a lost sinner.

"My girl, I am not evil…you see, I must control this planet through fear." He then did something that I admit I didn't expect – and yet, I fully should have. He reached his longer steel claw right into the cage that housed the baby Cloudrunner, and shook it about inside while the poor youthful creature squawked out in pain and obvious anguish. After a few moments, Scales retracted his claw with a new fatality added to his list of crimes against the planet's safety. "Otherwise, the tribes always try to fight against me…to defy my rule. Impudent fools…" When I heard this and saw the horrific action that he had done, my eyes narrowed in anger. I rushed like the wind up the stairs to attack, forgetting for a moment that I had lost my staff and therefore my most valuable combat asset.

Just as such a realization gripped me, so did his rough and powerful claw around my throat. "You dare to challenge me?" The lizard growled confidently. What happened next is so much of a blur now that I try to recall it. He had me by the neck like some sort of strangled chicken, and I struggled to break free of his grasp – and then the squeeze came. Obviously, it wasn't enough to kill me…but it felt as if I was close to passing out while he forced me back along the deck of the galleon. How could I possibly forget the twisted and triumphant smirk of assumed victory on his cruel jaws as he forced me back along the deck of the galleon? The wind whipped my face and tangled my neck-length hair as he lifted me up…and above the side of the galleon. "Nobody can defeat General Scales!"

All I remember next was my panicked scream as the monstrosity brutally tossed me over the edge, to my apparent – or so it would have seemed at the time – doom. Then there was the relieving sensation of my premature landing as Kyte swooped from below at what couldn't have been a better moment and rescued me. The next thing that the General would see was me riding on Kyte's back, safe and sound. "Bad luck, General. Maybe next time." I said it with a bit of a smirk on my face, and he scowled back with a formidable anger in his glare.

"This is not over!" Scales yelled from the side of the galleon, with a slash of his claw into the air. I mentioned to Kyte that we had to find the source of the distress signal – but after we were a good ways away, it was as if I could feel the thoughts within the mind of the Sharpclaw leader thanks to…a certain ability which I had learned I possessed. There were many things spiraling around in that busy mind, so there was nothing that he seemed to focus on too much. However, several of the thoughts within his mind drifted back and forth, seeming to dwell on one central source: something known as the spellstones…whatever those could have been.

Now that I have the time to reflect on those words…

It's very odd how I got myself into this mess…but I'm still trying to get myself out of it. This crystalline object that now entraps me…I don't know what it is…but even if I could move, I don't think I would have wanted to. It feels as if whatever it is keeps draining my energy…making me feel weak…weaker by the hour, or minute. I cough a little from whatever this process is that I'm being put through, and it's difficult for me to imagine if I'll ever get free.

And then I arrived at the palace…

The sight of the majestic Krazoa Palace was that of a much larger place than I had expected. I couldn't fathom the sight of the bottom of the palace or the top of it from where Kyte and I were soaring, but the avian seemed to very skillfully center around an exterior torchlit pathway before he landed us both on it. Just as I did before, I dismounted my new companion and I listened to what he had to say in regards to the palace as well as its various dangers.

After Kyte flew off again – hopefully, I wouldn't be requiring his assistance much like the last time – I surveyed the immediate area and gathered for myself a pretty good idea of the danger that he spoke of. Hovering and partially-translucent jellyfish-like creatures with pulsating membranes that made their insides visible were scattered around this outside area, and I would soon find out that they were all around a lot of the Palace as well. There were multiple Saurian creatures that I identified as Earthwalkers around various parts of the palace, and while I made contact with several, they didn't tell me much that I wasn't already trying to find out.

To get inside was a bit of a task for me; I used the key from Scales' galleon to unlock a nearby chamber (While I'm not much for egos, nobody can say I'm not resourceful), then used the explosive barrel inside to blast a hole in an already-weakened wall somewhere down at the next level. Upon entry to the Palace, my sight was exposed to many majestic golden hallways that led through multiple tricks and traps that whoever it was in control of the palace had devised.

Along the way, I took notice of the occasional circular hole to the sides that would periodically spew a horizontal jet of flame out into the hallways. At first I feared having to traverse these paths, but somehow as I walked on through, the fiery jets would halt and stop in their tracks as if somehow honouring my presence. After they let me pass through, the jets started up again like nothing had happened at all. It would be a mystery for another day.

Whatever the cause, I continued running through the passages until a certain room and the occupant within was brought to my attention. This area was more of a billowed-out square shape, where a wounded and seemingly-elderly Earthwalker lay on his side near the center of the room. My eyes went wide at the sight of this and I broke into a jog, before getting down on one knee. My presence was evidently not construed as a threat to the Earthwalker, and so he began speaking before I got a chance to do so.

"The Krazoa…need your help…they are dying…" The strained, hurt voice was a bit difficult to understand, but I nonetheless listened closely and relayed my response.

"Was it you who sent out the distress signal?"

The Earthwalker confirmed my suspicion and informed me of the war that was currently raging on, as well as the role of the Krazoa Spirits. Another aspect that the dinosaur went over with me involved the Krazoa Tests. The Krazoa would have to be returned to their rightful places in the palace. But in order for this to happen, he or she who finds them would have to take a test to prove worthy. He told me to go through the door to my right, which had previously been blocked up. The door opened by itself as I began my slow stride to it, and there was a strange glow emitting from inside. For some reason, the glow made me smile; I'm still not sure why. I went into the room. There, I saw a strange pedestal – I had a feeling I was supposed to get on it. I did, and the next thing I knew, a flash of slowed light led to the transition, and from there, I was in a totally different room. I went down the passage, and climbed the long ladder. I don't really remember what happened up to the point where I reached the final room of the strange shrine; it's almost like a veil had been dropped over my mind at this point. But when I saw the Krazoa Spirit, it looked just as I'd imagined: bluish and translucent, in a mask-like shape with tentacles protruding out the back like long waves. It told me I must pass the Test of Observation in order to prove my own worthiness. It hid in one of five urns as they shifted. I'd played this as a little kid – very easy. I correctly guessed its location a few times without difficulty.

When the test had concluded, I eyed the spirit warily – for a moment that seemed to almost be a sort of mutual feeling between us. Much to my surprise, it then rammed straight ahead and right towards me – no, not like that at all. Not just towards me…the mystical spirit seemed to vanish inside of my body and kept its presence inside as I felt my world fading back into Krazoa Palace from the shrine.

Once back in the Palace's majestic room, I called upon the new advice of the wounded Earthwalker to guide me where to send the spirit. While my vision was at first slightly blurred from it, all my senses seemed to be increased tenfold from the spirit's powers taking a hold of me and keeping me safe from harm.

It was odd…there was something…another mind presence? Other than a twinge in the back of my head, I felt nothing of the sort. It was good to be cautious, although something was wrong…

Nevertheless, I headed up towards the bluish-lit pathway up ahead. There was an elevator there to take, but with the spirit-guided increased abilities, I didn't feel the need to utilize it. Instead, I made a quick leap that took me all the way to the upraised hallway entrance. With my wits about me, I rounded the corner and 'deposited' the spirit to its righteous location in the steel mask just to the right, on my knees as if in servitude to their power. But when I stood straight up again while observing the ethereal beam that the mask blasted out into the hall beyond, I should have known that something was terribly wrong…

Then like a springing beast from the corner behind the pillars, it hit me.

In the second before I was knocked into the beam, I got the most fleeting glimpse of my attacker…

And now…that's all I remember from recent events…

How long has it been? Hours? Days? What has felt like entirely too long, in any case. Without a sound, I can feel that my stomach growls; it feels like I hadn't eaten in forever. While I can see the rooftop fairly clearly at the moment and can hear the consistent torrential rain upon the stones, all my senses feel…sickened, as if I would never feel normal again. S-So cold…

But now…the Krazoa spirit circling me – the spirit force which I now feel so betrayed by – seems to change directions in mid-swoop. I don't have time to get a good look before it plunges right into my crystal prison. All is silent for just one moment that seems to last forever, but then…

Out of nowhere, the sensation rips through like a thousand blast points in my body. My muscles strain and my back arches, yet I can't make but a sound. It's like a million points of blinding spiritual energy blasting their way through my very being – the intense, forceful and mind-numbing agony is largely indescribable on its scope and lack of comprehension as it rips through my imprisoned body.

What's happening…? There's someone…someone who has any way to assist me…I don't know where on the planet they are, but nonetheless, they're somewhere closer than I thought…

"Help me…" I try to scream, but feel too weak to even manage that. And yet, I pray to some higher power that my plea has been somehow heard. "I…I'm dying…" I seem to nearly mumble this, but then it seems to come as a realization that it just may be very true. "Please…please, stop…" It's painful in itself to plead for my safety from within these bonds, but I have no alternative option. "Don't hurt me…"

Surprisingly, the Krazoa Spirit seems to heed to my wishes…perhaps even understanding. From there, I felt no more agony. Yet, the crystallized binding left me growing weaker with each moment. Eventually, the world around me begins to grow darker…until all I see fades to black.

-

When my vision returns to me, all that can be seen at first is the rainy landscape of the Krazoa Palace rooftop. Much to my own amazement, I felt the blood-rushing sensation of my feet touching solid ground of the rooftop once more, free from the crystal. The area for the most part is a total blur in front of my eyes, and all seems hazy and distorted; however, I find myself looking up at an empty crystal up there where I would have been. Okay; now I'm not quite sure exactly what's going on, but I don't have time to contemplate my predicament before the bluish Krazoa Spirit form appears suddenly over the rooftop, accompanied by the same type of nutty, droning laugh that I remember from earlier when I had been pushed into the beam.

With an intensely menacing deviation about it, the spirit flicked its tentacles about as it approached me, who was readied for action yet defenseless on the rooftop. It hovered there in front of me for several seconds while not doing anything in particular – but when the strike finally came, I was ready for it. I dodged to the side just in time to avoid several tentacles that stretched out like spears for me. The spirit bounces right back, slashing at the rooftop with its appendages quite insanely. Sweat trickles down my forehead amidst the rain as I defend myself down on one knee. After moving away from another strike from the tentacles, I make my mistake – letting my guard down.

I cry out inanely as the laughter resonating all around seems to grow louder by the second – much louder, until it becomes all that I can tangibly hear. With darkness – the same malevolence that I witnessed in the hallway of the Palace – in its eyes, the Spirit closes in and my senses once again seem to fail…

-

Once again, my eyes open to the sound of the familiarly-muffled sweeping rain outside of my crystal captivity. A quick check with my mind's eye confirms that the brief experience of relative freedom was just but a dream. The time so far into this living nightmare? I'd guess about five days, give or take. I sigh inside, though none would be able to see it – but my thoughts become suddenly diverted when I hear something that sounds impossibly sweet: another voice.

"Wow, she's beautiful…"

Alright, didn't really expect that one…I blush slightly, not really noticeably. The voice seems to be that of an adult male. With a deep straining motion, I finally manage to open up my eyes after some mild trouble in doing so. "What…what am I doing?" The voice then asks to himself, just as I get a glimpse of what he looks like. The form is definitely that of a golden-furred vulpine, who appears to be clad in a more casual type of flight suit of some sort. From this angle, it's somewhat difficult to tell, but lost in my thoughts I barely manage to see him walk away. However, the vulpine – quite a handsome one, even told from up here – then takes his second look…perhaps making sure that I would be remembered.

It was now that I manage to look down at him, into his eyes – and for a moment, I can swear he's doing the same for me. In this instant, I know in my heart that this was the one whose presence I had felt earlier. Yet, when I blink for what seems like just a moment, he's gone – just like that. I've no clue if he's coming back, or if he'll give me a second thought at all. All I know is…

That was four days ago.

More spirits have thusly appeared circling me since then, and they continually – I don't know of any other way to phrase it – they continue to suck the life right out of me. In this cramped space, it feels that my energy is being siphoned for the usage of a higher power…and every day, I grow progressively weaker. It's gone to the point where I've come to my realization: I've lost whatever fight I tried to put up. Just as I couldn't save Cerinia, why did I even bother to try and make a difference now? My body is frozen in ethereal paralysis from the neck down, and I can only move my head. I can feel inside that I'm now at the very edge of life, death and everything in between…but this wasn't how I wanted to end up…no, not at all.

These thoughts run through my mind like bullets before the form below reveals himself to me up here. His visage had been out of my thoughts ever since the apparent Krazoan betrayal, and yet here he was to refresh my mind very quickly. With a grim smirk across his reptilian features, General Scales observed my predicament. Right now, I'm beginning to get a feeling that perhaps he had something to do with this…

"Such a pathetic waste." The lizard scowls, almost as if taunting me in some abstract way. "The one whom I have to thank for my newfound…advantages has done a great favour…the tribes are marching under my control now, and no…dissenter shall stand in my way. As cause for worry, there is only one who…"

He'll save me…

"Fox McCloud…" Scales answers as if reading my thoughts, providing me just the name that I required to have. "I think not…I will deal with him. I have something that I know he will need…and I will destroy him. It won't be long now, not at all…soon, your body will be nothing…alas, goodbye…" I can barely see him as he narrows his eyes triumphantly, "…Krystal." It comes as a shock to me how he could know my name, although his inside sources were most likely much more efficient than I'd originally given them credit for. Whatever the case, I feel far too weakened to think about it right now as he leaves for what seems to be a portal device native to this Palace on the far end of the rooftop. I know inside that he is right…and that agony will be the end result.

Except for the never-ending rainstorm, all is silent for the next day. What Scales predicted is coming true. Every time I try to take a breath, my chest is hit with stabbing pains. My sight through the crystal is completely gone. The only shred of life left in me is my hearing. That, and the hope that Fox – I think that's his name – will somehow rescue me. All last night – Or was it the day? – I was slipping in and out of consciousness. It seems as if there's no hope for me…none at all. Perhaps best to simply accept the inevitable and wait…

CCCCHHSSMM!

The unmistakable noise of a starfighter's boosters shoots through the atmosphere, as well as a familiar voice. He's returned! Despite the sight blockage at the moment, I know it's him; I know it's Fox. I wait out the next few minutes in silent hope, but the reaction that then comes is something completely different than what I had been expecting. I can hear the six benevolent Krazoa Spirits circling around me – what's going on?

My self-imposed question becomes answered when the spirits all change their routes nearly all at once, before plunging systematically right into the very core of the crystal. The feeling that then runs through me is indescribable in full; it's not a painful one, though. It feels almost as if all my power and hope is being returned to me in one gigantic flash that engulfs me like a giant tide, and my eyes suddenly jolt open with full visibility to the outside world. While I feel like smiling, Fox's panicked shouts from down below are less reassuring.

"What's going on? I thought you said this would save her!" He watches helplessly as the Spirits exited the crystal and blasted off in formation towards a larger Krazoa statue just ahead on the rooftop. I can see mini-explosions all around me, but I'm still unprepared for the shatter; when the crystal suddenly bursts and my body is swiftly exposed once more to the rainstorm, I immediately feel myself falling over the deep pit below me…falling…

No.

My descent stops just as soon as it started, as I grabbed onto a strangely-familiar object above the pit at just the right time. The vulpine brings me closer to the circular edge with this object of his, then I manage to grab onto the ledge which is all that lies between me and…certain oblivion. I try several times using all my strength to pull myself up, to no avail – after the draining experience, it seems like I'm just not strong enough at the moment. At first, I felt like giving up – but now, I see Fox's outstretched hand that reaches for me like a raft out to sea. Just before my strength gives out, I manage to grab it. From there, the two of us finally manage to look each other in the eyes – perhaps it was originally unintentional, but it happened nonetheless. Whatever I felt inside of me at this moment were feelings that I can't quite place…but they exist nonetheless. Even the rain seems now like it's become lighter around us, if only briefly.

However, as he pulls me up and I get to my feet again, it seems rather clear that feelings of dread are mutual between us while the gigantic head of the rooftop's eerie Krazoa statue actually lifts up and begins to hover ominously over the perimeter of the roof. Without any further ado, it speaks.

"I am reborn…the mighty Krazoa God!" The voice is so similar…and then the laughter comes which I instantly recognize. It's the exact same laugh that I remember from my dream as well as lower in the Palace…hey, wait…

"My staff!" I can't help it – I cry out like that and grab the mystical weapon from Fox's grasp once he pulls it out. I can honestly say I didn't expect to be re-united with my staff right about now, but it was a coincidence that I was quite willing to accept.

"Hey – wait! Well, thanks for nothing. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be standing here at all!" While I didn't intend to hurt his feelings or to just plain make him mad, I silently know that he's right; that he saved my life. But I can't worry about that now. It is mine after all...I can feel the staff's energy coursing through me as if I had just been revitalized anew.

"My staff…" I repeat, getting the proper grip on the ancient weapon and allowing a bit of a smirk to slide across my face, "You're back." Nothing that was done now could stop righteousness from making its play; the one who had caused this much chaos was bound to pay. Thinking only with this mindset, I lifted the staff onto my shoulder and began releasing fire blasts in rapid succession at the menacing form up above. From out of the corner of my eye, I could see Fox doing a bit of a double-take before turning and jumping into his fighter. I continue to fire the blasts even as he takes off to pursue the presence. Soon they blast off into space and out of my sight, although I'd stopped firing a bit ways ago. Now, it was silent over Krazoa Palace; silent except for my ragged, exhausted breathing as I gently leaned against a metal support beam to the side of the rooftop's upraised section.

Some time later…

In all honesty, the Sharpclaw are not an inherently bad species. The dark influence that General Scales poisoned them with seems to have dissipated…for now. I don't yet know just what happened to the mysterious reptile General, but I know that those that remained were kind enough to allow me temporary use of one of their dropships, from which I used to swoop upwards to where Fox and his crew made their temporary residence.

As they say, the rest is history. Why did all this have to happen? Will the tribes of the beautiful planet ever be truly safe from threats so long as evil walked? It was an inquiry that brought up many more questions than clear-cut answers…but time would tell, and I knew right then that my adventures with Star Fox would go beyond anything that I expected before…

THE END