Fox was utterly shocked and devastated by what he just heard. "LightFoot Village!? But that's crazy!"

Krystal sighed. "I wish I was joking, Fox, but no. The LightFoot tribe really does have a shrine that leads to a Krazoa spirit. I was hoping we would avoid the LightFoot Village, but we need those Krazoa spirits."

Fox groaned. "That one LightFoot we dealt with yesterday was already a pain, and now we have to deal with the whole tribe!?"

"I hate this too, but if we don't get the Krazoa Spirits back, Sauria will fall apart, even if we get all four SpellStones back. I'll try to negotiate with the LightFoot chief and see if I could convince him. But if we end up having no choice but to fight them, then so be it."

"Somehow, I'm kinda hoping we would end up fighting them. The one we encountered yesterday could use a good thrashing."

"I will gladly prepare for a fight with them, but I refuse to instigate one. The LightFoot may be hostile, but if we find a way to get on their good side, we could avoid potential conflict. I don't want you to recklessly pick a fight with them either."

"I understand, Krystal, but still… that punk from the other day…" Fox sighed in contempt. "Let's not waste any more time. We'd better get going."

"Good."

As soon as Fox, Krystal, and Tricky walked towards the stone archway close to the entrance to LightFoot Village, they briefly spotted what appeared to be an injured LightFoot child. Normally, when she saw someone hurt, Krystal would rush to their aid without hesitation. But aware of the experience that she and Fox had with the LightFoot from yesterday, she hesitated. "Fox, stay back. This may be a trap."

Fox stayed back. Krystal then started to think that if a LightFoot really is outside the village, then this may be a good opportunity to sneak into it. She had an idea. "Fox, I need you and Tricky to wait here while I sneak into the village and attempt to negotiate with the LightFoot chief. If I end up needing your help, I'll use my telepathy to notify you. Otherwise, I want you to leave this to me." Krystal then activated her invisibility power as well as her cloaking of body heat and attempted to sneak into the LightFoot village.

Fox and Tricky watched carefully, and it seemed like Krystal was going to make it, but then, out of nowhere, LightFoot warriors started jumping out of the trees, and stomping on some part of the ground. Fox then started to hear someone cry in pain. It was a woman's voice. This could only mean…

"Krystal!" Fox drew his staff and immediately started charging at the LightFoot warriors but another group of them started attacking and stomping on him too. Fox and Krystal lost consciousness almost instantly.

Fox and Krystal wearily started to wake up. They were barely opening their eyes, and what they saw was a bit blurry. It appeared to be two pairs of large three-toed feet. They blinked a few times and then after a few more blinks, fully opened their eyes and saw a group of LightFoot warriors standing before them. They also struggled to move, but to no avail, and realized that they were tied up to a large totem pole. They were horrified. It seemed the LightFoot warriors surrounding them were planning to execute them.

Two very specific LightFoot warriors stood before the vulpine duo. One was yellow-scales and had fins on the side of his neck, decorated in war paint. Krystal instantly recognized him. He was the LightFoot Chief! The other one began to speak aloud and point at Fox. "That's the one!" he shouted. "That's the stinking beast that took my treasure!"

Fox immediately caught on. He shouted, "Hey! You're that LightFoot jerk we met yesterday!"

Krystal yelled, "And you're quite the stinking liar yourself! Now, untie us at once!"

The LightFoot soldier shouted, "Silence! You are in the presence of Chief LightFoot! So, hold your tongues, you insolent thieves!"

Chief LightFoot stepped forward, saying, "That's right. And we show no mercy to thieves!"

Fox protested, "Thieves!? What are you talking about!"

Chief LightFoot continued, "You took our treasure. And gave it to the stinking SharpClaws!"

Krystal shouted, "I hate the SharpClaws! I would never give any treasure to the likes of them!"

The LightFoot soldier told the Chief, "Don't listen to them, Chief! Kill the stinking pigs!"

Fox protested at the LightFoot soldier, "I didn't take your treasure. You gave it to me."

Chief LightFoot hissed, "Let me show you what we do to thieves!"

The soldier then cackled, "Yeah! You ain't lyin' your way outta this!" But then in an instant, Krystal sent a thoughtwave to emanate from the LightFoot warrior, "Ooux, oei'ho weddu ro tout veh jiho! Jxumo kxuk xudtadw mo khoujiho ke oei je kxuk kxo jkadbadw SharpClaw seict rcujk oei ke jmakxohoodj tatd'k nehb, rik kxaj nacc ro olod rokkoh! (Yeah, you're gonna be dead for sure! Shame that handing my treasure to you so that the stinking SharpClaw could blast you to smithereens didn't work, but this will be even better!)" Krystal caught him having that thought, and used her telepathic powers to make it so that everyone could actually hear it aloud, causing the Chief to react furiously to her fellow LightFoot soldier.

The LightFoot Chief shouted, "You did what!?"

The soldier stammered. "I… uh… it's not what you think! I.."

The Chief shrieked, "You lied to us! You put our treasure in danger of being taken by the SharpClaw just to get rid of an outsider!?"

"It wasn't like that! I was going to fight the SharpClaw tooth and nail to get it back! I swear!"

The Chief wasn't going to have that. He shouted, "Guards! Take FangFoot away! I'll deal with him tomorrow morning."

Two more SharpClaw soldiers grabbed FangFoot by the arms and dragged him away, as he shouted, "No! Stop! Please! Let me explain!"

Fox laughed at the sight of the very LightFoot that tormented him yesterday getting his comeuppance, and shouted at him, "How do you like them apples, FangFreak!" He then turned to Krystal, saying, "Thanks, Krystal. You really saved my bacon there."

Krystal replied, "You're welcome, Fox. But, what is, 'bacon' by the way?"

"I'll tell you a bit later, but 'saving my bacon' basically means 'saving my life.'"

The LightFoot Chief and a few of his other warriors untied Fox and Krystal from the wrists, setting them free. "Alright. So, you have shown to us that our treasure was given to you and you didn't steal it." said the Chief. "But now, we want it back."

Fox started saying, "We didn't give it to the SharpClaw, but unfortunately, we don't have it with us either."

Chief LightFoot leered at Fox. "Hmm!?"

Krystal continued, "You see, your majesty, we used it as a key to unlock the door to the Ocean Force Point Temple in Cape Claw. If you go to the entrance to a temple there, you'll find two statues of Krazoa Spirits, whose mouths have orange jewels in it. The jewels are keys to unlock the gates to the Temple. And they each have to be put in the mouths of each Krazoa Spirit statue to enter the Temple."

"And what business would you have at the Temple?" asked the chief, suspiciously.

"We want to return the SpellStones and the Krazoa Spirits to their rightful places so they could help to restore this planet. And that includes the Krazoa Spirit here in LightFoot Village. The planet is falling apart and we seek to prevent that from happening."

The Chief thought for a moment. He then turned to one of his warriors. "SwiftFoot. Go to the entrance to the Temple in Cape Claw. Report back if you see our treasure there."

"Yes, your majesty." replied the soldier and took off in an instant.

The chief turned back to the two foxes. "I sent SwiftFoot to the temple. Until we hear back from him, you'll be in our custody. If you're telling the truth, we will grant you our mercy and allow you to leave. But if you are lying, we will execute you both."

Krystal replied, "Very well. We accept your terms."

The Chief LightFoot looked peculiarly at Krystal. "You accept our terms without a moment's hesitation. And so fearlessly too. Maybe you are telling the truth." He then called to his warriors. "Take them to one of our huts and keep an eye on them. And if they try anything funny, make it hurt! Don't kill them, though. I don't want to regret that choice if they are telling the truth."

Fox and Krystal were sitting in one of the huts in LightFoot village, located on a series of wooden structures suspended over a huge lake. Fox felt distraught at the rough reception they were receiving. "This is awful. I suspected that the LightFoot were a bunch of jerks but that they would try to murder us right then and there!?"

"The LightFoot have always been reclusive and untrusting of outsiders, and General Scales and his SharpClaw soldiers has only made them even more so."

"They could at least care if we're trying to stop the SharpClaw and save this planet!"

"As far as I'm concerned, they don't believe us. They aren't easily swayed by baseless promises because they could easily suspect them to be traps. After all..." Krystal then clutched her shoulder. "...I know how that feels. As soon as the earthquakes on Cerinia started, I should have broke tradition and started reading the Venoman solders' minds. That way, I would have saved Cerinia and everyone on it..." Tears started to form from her eyes.

Fox embraced Krystal, comforting her. "You have learned from the past. That will stop you from repeating it. We're not gonna let that happen to this planet. We'll make sure of it." He then gave Krystal a moment to cry as her own complacency in the destruction of her homeworld broke her heart more than anything else.

But Fox's comforting words did succeed in giving her some solace. "You're right, Fox. I am a warrior of the Crimson Sun. I will never lose hope no matter what happens."

"That's right! Anyway, what was that trick you pulled off earlier? That outright exposed the intentions of that LightFoot jerk from yesterday?"

Krystal smiled. "Part of telepathy is the ability to make one thoughts public and allow the surrounding people to hear them. It could be used to cause someone to blurt out their true intentions without their lips actually moving."

"Well, good work leaking out his motives. That'll teach him to put a target on my back for the SharpClaws."

"You're right!"

Almost instantly, Chief LightFoot arrived at the hut that Fox at Krystal were at. He spoke, "SwiftFoot returned. He spotted the jewel and another one like it in two Krazoa statues in that temple in Cape Claw. He tried to take our treasure back but he couldn't remove it from the statue. It was stuck there. But on the upside, it means that the SharpClaw couldn't take it either. You're telling the truth. We will release you both. Now, scram!" Then Chief LightFoot walked off.

Fox called to the chief, "Hey, wait!" But the chief didn't listen. He just took off. Fox and Krystal decided they had to come forward to him.

Fox and Krystal walked across the bridge to Chief LightFoot's throne in a hut on the far side of the village. They meant business. As they approached the chief's throne, two LightFoot guards held their spears positioning them to block the vulpine duo's access to Chief LightFoot's throne. Chief Lightfoot groaned, "Ugh! Not you again. We know you didn't take out treasure. So, just go away."

Fox and Krystal pushed the LightFoot guards' spears out of the way as they approached, while Fox replied, "Sorry, but we still have business here."

Krystal added, "We know you have a Krazoa Spirit in this village. We must return it to Krazoa Palace."

Chief LightFoot then replied, "Is that so?... Well then, maybe I could help you, eh? You see, we keep a secret from the SharpClaws. Under our village is a mighty chamber. Some say it was built by the Krazoa. Do you wanna see for yourself, maybe."

Krystal answered, "Indeed, your majesty. The fate of Sauria depends on it."

"Not so fast! Only if you complete the LightFoot tests will you be allowed to enter."

Krystal said back, "Very well, if it…"

Chief LightFoot interrupted, "Oh, no no no no no! We know you have Krazoa powers, girl. You won't be taking the tests. Both of the LightFoot tests will be taken by your little boyfriend!"

Fox stammered. "What!? Me!? But I…"

"That's right! And the girl will be forbidden to help you!" shrieked Chief LightFoot in malicious glee. Then he and the surrounding LightFoot soldiers laughed a cacophony of mockery and ridicule.

Krystal then said to Fox, "Just take the tests. Then we will have the last laugh."

Fox sighed. "Okay, I accept."

"Very well," said Chief LightFoot. "We have two tests. The first is the Tracking Test. There are four Totem Poles here in LightFoot Village. You must activate all of them in two minutes and thirty seconds."

Fox computed into his wrist-mounted PDA to set up a timer to two minutes and thirty seconds. "Okay, just a minute here… Okay! I'm ready."

"Good. Now, let the Tracking Test begin!"

Fox dashed out of Chief LightFoot's throne hut and started the timer on his watch. He ran across the bridge and climbed up the ladder to a nearby hut, then ran past the hut across another bridge to a stone platform and spotted the first Totem Pole. He used his staff in a small switch in the pole and activated it. Small wooden wings emerged from the sides of the pole. He briefly checked his watch as he dashed to find the next pole, and saw that only fifteen seconds had passed. So far so good, he thought.

Then, Fox dove into the water below and hurriedly swam to shore, around the plateau where his and Krystal's execution would have taken place. As he dashed around the plateau, he spotted the second totem pole. He then jumped across the stream of water to another island in the lake and used the Rocket Boost to reach land above. He then spotted the third Totem Pole, then used his staff to activate it. He then turned around and spotted some platforms above the water leading him back to the second Totem Pole. He jumped onto the first platform, then hopped to the second, then the third, then activated the second Totem Pole. He checked the timer again, and saw that his remaining time was one minute and thirty-five seconds. He then dashed to the far end of the village and dashed along a path of land that led him to a giant stone pillar where the fourth and final Totem Pole was located. He saw a climbable stone wall before him, and climbed it with all his strength, enduring every straning moment of the climb. He knew what was at stake if the Krazoa Spirits were not returned. He ignored the possibility of his muscles tiring out. Finally, he made it to the stone pillar, then activated the last Totem Pole. Checking his timer again, he saw that he had only one minute and five seconds left on the timer. He turned it off and returned to Chief LightFoot.

When he got back to Chief LightFoot's throne, Chief LightFoot laughed, "Well done, Fox. You have completed the Tracking Test. Very good." Then Chief LightFoot laughed again.

Fox said, "Heh. It was child's play."

Chief LightFoot then smirked, "Maybe, but the next one certainly won't be!" Then laughed menacingly again. "Follow me!"

Chief LightFoot led Fox and Krystal to another part of LightFoot village where there was a large wooden structure resembling an angry LightFoot face with two massive arms extended, on top of a small hill, with a small pit right in front of it. Chief LightFoot told Fox, "Here, you'll face our second test. The Test of Strength! Come forth, MuscleFoot!" A big large and muscular LightFoot appeared before Fox. Chief LightFoot pointed at the wooden statue with the big arms. "You see that statue over there? With it, you and MuscleFoot must push at it until either of you falls into that pit! Whomever gets pushed into the pit loses! Win against MuscleFoot, Fox, and you pass the Test of Strength! Unless you'd rather chicken out."

"I'll do it."

"Good!"

Then Fox walked over to the left hand of the wooden statue while MuscleFoot walked to the right. Then Chief LightFoot shouted, "BEGIN!"

Fox started pushing on the hand of the statue with all his might, and he kept pushing and for a few seconds, it seemed like he was going to succeed in beating MuscleFoot and pass the Test of Strength. But after that, something seemed off.

Even as Fox kept pushing the left hand of the statue, Fox quickly noticed that the statue was now pushing in the opposite direction! Now, he was the one being pushed! He struggled to push harder and harder with all his might but to no avail. And then…

"AAGH!"

Fox was knocked into the pit. And it hurt. All the surrounding LightFoot denizens were jerring and laughing at him. Krystal facepalmed in dread. Tricky cringed and looked away. Chief LightFoot hissed at Fox, "Pathetic!"

Fox got up still rubbing his butt in pain, and then snapped, "Just gimmie another chance! I'll get him this time!"

"Good. I'd love to see your epic failure again!"

Fox stepped back up to the wooden statue and attempted a rematch with MuscleFoot. Only to end up being pushed into the pit again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again. The jeering of the other LightFoot warriors surrounding him was starting to bring him to his breaking point. Chief LightFoot laughed, "What a pathetic display! Each new attempt sloppier than the last! What an incompitent git!" He then howled like a madman.

Fox was getting furious. "You people are sociopaths, you know that!? The planet is falling apart and none of you give a…"

But then, immediately, Krystal rushed over and clamped his muzzle shut, preventing him from letting out his infuriated rant. She then said, "You'll have to pardon him. He does tend to get rather impulsive at times. We'll be back in just a moment." Krystal then carried Fox off to a more vacant part of the village.