Note: Welp, I feel like I'm back on track with this story. I mean, we all get writer's block, but we manage to overcome it. Before we move on, I have something to say to three reviewers.
Mongol: I don't know what to tell you to do in order to relieve your boredom. I'm sure that you'll find something to do so.
EmpressLoveSiren23: Thanks, stay tuned for this chapter.
Ron: Well, yes, Krystal has to save Sauria with Fox and Tricky. I had her scold Tricky as a way of adding humor to the story.
Now that I've done that, it's time for chapter five!
Chapter 5: The SpellStone of CloudRunner Fortress
Fox and Krystal rode Kyte to CloudRunner Fortress, waiting for their destination. While doing so, Krystal spoke with the Princess of the CloudRunners.
"Kyte," the cobalt vixen said, "I am deeply sorry that I was unable to help you when the SharpClaws attacked your temple!"
"It's okay, Krystal!" Kyte said. "However, I'm glad that you and your new friend are able to help!"
"How did this happen?" Fox asked, interrupting their talk. "When did this happen?"
"You don't have to tell us if it's painful to talk about!" Krystal stated.
"No," Kyte said, "I'll tell you everything!"
Two hours ago, the CloudRunners were merely minding their own business. That was until one of them heard an explosion. Alarmed, Queen CloudRunner had her soldiers go on the defensive against the attackers. Unfortunately, the attackers were an army of SharpClaws led by General Scales. One by one, the CloudRunners were captured by their enemies. Before the Queen confronted the SharpClaws herself, she spoke with Kyte.
"Go get Krystal," she told Kyte, "have her come to the Fortress and beat these SharpClaws back! If she has an army with her, have them use the WarpStone to come here!"
"But what about you, mother?!" Kyte asked.
"Don't worry, my dear, I'll be fine!" Queen CloudRunner told her daughter.
She was only met with a single nod from Kyte. After that, the Princess of the CloudRunners flew out of the Fortress, desperate to find Krystal. She only hoped that her friend was in an area she recognized. In addition to that, Kyte hoped that Krystal had allies with her. The CloudRunner tribe, along with Sauria itself, needed all the help it could get.
After Kyte told Fox and Krystal what happened, the two vulpines became determined to fight off the SharpClaws.
"Kyte, was it?" Fox spoke. "Don't worry, we'll teach the SharpClaws who are attacking CloudRunner Fortress a lesson!"
"Really?" Kyte asked.
"Yes," Krystal told her, "we've beaten back SharpClaw forces in Thorntail Hollow, SnowHorn Wastes and the DarkIce Mines, so it should be easy!"
"Well then, hold on!" The CloudRunner said as she flew down, moving closer to their destination: CloudRunner Fortress.
"Let's kick some SharpClaw ass!" Fox shouted.
"I only hope that Queen CloudRunner is okay." Krystal said.
"I'll fight the SharpClaws while you free the prisoners, okay?" The orange tod asked.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" The cobalt vixen said.
Kyte flew closer to the entrance of CloudRunner Fortress, landing safely. After that, she let Fox and Krystal off of her. Once they got off, the two foxes got their weapons out, ready for battle.
Meanwhile, the SharpClaws had caught Queen CloudRunner. General Scales was now holding her by the neck, extracting information from her.
"Tell me, where is the SpellStone?!" Scales shouted.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Queen CloudRunner lied.
"Lies!" The SharpClaw roared. "You're the Queen of the CloudRunner tribe, so you should know where it is! Reveal its location and I'll make sure your impending torture is quick and merciful, fool!"
After a second, Queen CloudRunner glared at Scales and gave a sly chuckle.
"I'm the fool?" She spoke. "Look who's talking, General! You honestly think that you can rule Sauria? Someone will stop you, and your reign will end as quickly as it began! Like many tyrants before you, you will fail!"
Scales growled as he threw the Queen into a cage, with one of the SharpClaw soldiers closing it. After that, two of the SharpClaws picked up the cage and began to carry it away.
"Put her with the rest of the CloudRunners and make sure they don't escape!" Scales told them. "Then, go looking for the SpellStone!"
A SharpClaw soldier ran up to the General, looking exhausted.
"General, we have company!" He said. "I think that they might be allies to the CloudRunner and EarthWalker tribes!"
"Well," Scales said as he smiled, "then we'll give them our signature hospitality. Move out, men!"
Back at the entrance of CloudRunner Fortress, Fox, Krystal and Kyte were about to split up. Before doing so, Krystal spoke with Kyte.
"While Fox is fighting the SharpClaws," the cobalt vixen spoke, "and while I'm freeing the other CloudRunners, I want you to keep an eye out for certain things and inform us on them. Is that understood, Kyte?"
"Understood," Kyte said, "I'll stay out of sight of the SharpClaws that want to capture me and I'll inform you and Fox if anything happens!"
Kyte then flew away from Fox and Krystal, allowing them to prepare for any incoming attack.
"Ready, Krystal?" Fox asked.
"Ready, let's go!" Krystal said.
The two then split up, with Fox going left and Krystal going right. Once he was by himself, Fox kept an eye out for any SharpClaws that he had to fight. The orange tod didn't have much time to do so, as he heard someone approaching the room he was in. The vulpine hid behind a vase, seeing three SharpClaws walk into the room. Seeing his opportunity, Fox opened fire on the SharpClaws, killing them. Once they were dead, Fox ran out of the room.
However, Fox then found himself in a room with more SharpClaws than he expected. In addition to that, there was one in the middle who was dressed differently than his fellow SharpClaw. In fact, he was taller than the others. Fox only held his blaster out, intent on fighting the villainous creatures in front of him.
"You!" The SharpClaw in the middle spoke. "Who are you, boy?!"
"I'm Fox McCloud, leader of Star Fox, and you?" Fox responded.
"General Scales, leader of the SharpClaw tribe." The larger male stated. "I'd suggest leaving, Fox, before we show you why we're the most feared tribe on Sauria!"
"Not a chance," the orange tod retorted, "I'm saving Sauria, even if I have to beat all of you monsters!"
"Very well," Scales said, "get him, my loyal soldiers!"
The SharpClaw soldiers surrounded Fox, who still had his blaster out. As he fought them, a familiar voice rang in the orange tod's head.
Fox, get out of there! Krystal telepathically screamed.
Krystal, get out of my head, I got this! Fox thought to himself, hoping that his thoughts would reassure her.
No, you're outnumbered, get out of there! The cobalt vixen's voice echoed into his thoughts.
Fox didn't listen to Krystal's telepathic warning. Rather, he wound up overwhelmed by the SharpClaws he was fighting with. Before he could manage to beat one, the orange tod received a hit to the back of his head. After that, the vulpine slowly slipped into unconsciousness, his vision blurring out. However, he could hear banter from his attackers.
"Lock him up, men, and make sure that he doesn't escape!"
"Yes, General!"
"We'll keep him locked up in the dungeons of this place!"
Meanwhile, Krystal had freed nearly all of the captive CloudRunners. Before she approached any of the cages, the cobalt vixen had fought off SharpClaw soldiers, usually blasting them with her staff. Now that all the SharpClaws that were in her way were dead, the Cerinian moved over to a cage that was near the wall. In the cage was none other than Queen CloudRunner, who was looking down in sorrow.
"Queen CloudRunner?" Krystal calmly greeted.
The Queen looked up and saw the cobalt vixen standing before her.
"Krystal!" The CloudRunner said. "Krystal, I'm happy to see you! Did you bring help?!"
"Yes," Krystal answered, "Kyte brought me here with an ally I have made recently. His name is Fox McCloud, and he has a team with him."
"Oh," the Queen spoke, "that's wonderful news! Can you let me out of this cage?"
Krystal opened the cage, allowing Queen CloudRunner to get out of it. After that, the cobalt vixen found herself pulled into a hug by the winged Saurian. Before they could hug for longer, Kyte flew into the room.
"Krystal! Krystal!" The Princess of the CloudRunners cried.
"Kyte, did you find anything?" Krystal asked.
"Fox has been captured by the SharpClaws, and they've locked him up in the dungeon!" Kyte stated.
"Blast, he didn't listen to my warning!" The cobalt vixen said. "Looks like you'll have to take me to the dungeon, Kyte!"
"What about my mother?" The CloudRunner asked.
"I'll be fine, Kyte, go help the others!" Queen CloudRunner said as she began to walk out of the room.
Kyte let Krystal on her back, flying out of the room with the cobalt vixen. The two began to move to their next destination: the dungeon of CloudRunner Fortress.
Back in the dungeon, Fox was inside a cell. He took out his communicator, intent on sending a message to the Great Fox.
"Peppy, I've been trapped by SharpClaws, I need your help!" Fox spoke into his communicator.
No answer. However, there was a bit of static, followed by muffled speech. After that, Slippy appeared on the screen.
"Hi Fox!" The toad greeted.
"Slippy, where's Peppy at?" Fox asked.
"He's down on Corneria." Slippy said. "Anyway, I heard that you were trapped in that dungeon, so I'm going to send a SharpClaw disguise to you! The SharpClaws will think that you're their ally when you use it!"
"I just hope that Krystal and Kyte don't get the wrong idea." The orange tod said before hanging up.
After that, a SharpClaw outfit materialized in front of Fox. The moment he saw it, the orange tod put it on. He then fired his blaster at the prison bars, destroying them. Once they were gone, Fox got out of the cell. Before he could leave, he saw Krystal enter the dungeon with Kyte.
"A SharpClaw?" Kyte spoke. "A SharpClaw is in the dungeon? What have you done with Fox?!"
"Kyte," Krystal said, "that IS Fox."
"My disguise isn't convincing, is it?" Fox asked.
"You might fool the SharpClaws, but not me." The cobalt vixen stated.
Fox then walked closer to Krystal and Kyte, looking embarrassed.
"Sorry I couldn't get Slippy to send an extra SharpClaw outfit for you, Krystal." Fox stated.
"It's fine, Fox." Krystal told him. "In fact, knowing that Scales is here, my plan has gotten better!"
"What plan?" The orange tod asked.
"I'll pretend that a SharpClaw captured me so that we can retrieve the SpellStone from Scales!" The cobalt vixen told him.
"Good idea." The older male said.
"And I'll help my friends and family beat the SharpClaws who come at us!" Kyte said, ready to fly out of the room.
"Do that, Kyte, and be careful!" The Cerinian said.
Meanwhile, General Scales had been carrying the SpellStone of CloudRunner Fortress with him, being followed by one of his SharpClaw soldiers. The two walked through the hallway, not noticing that someone was standing in front of them. When he saw something, Scales stopped in his tracks. Standing in front of him and one of his soldiers was another SharpClaw, who looked a tad smaller than the others. Next to the SharpClaw was Krystal, who was being held with a rope.
"General," he spoke, "I caught this girl for our tribe!"
"Krystal," Scales said as he approached the two, "I figured that we would see each other again. Little did I know, one of my men would bring you to me."
"Actually, I gave myself up." Krystal said. "You were right, no one can stop you and your tribe."
"I never make a mistake." The SharpClaw told her. "Come now, we need to get you ready for the ceremony."
"Before we leave, General, I've got something to say!" The SharpClaw holding Krystal said.
"What is it?" The leader of the SharpClaws asked.
Without warning, the SharpClaw removed his armor, revealing that he was Fox. Krystal then took the ropes off, taking her staff out. After that, Fox and Krystal fired at Scales and his soldier, intent on getting the SpellStone away from them. However, Scales looked at the soldier and spoke to him.
"Get the SpellStone out of here!" He told the soldier.
The SharpClaw nodded, picking up the SpellStone and running out of the hallway.
"Fox, go after him!" Krystal spoke.
"What about you?" Fox asked.
"I'll be fine, don't worry!" The cobalt vixen told him.
Fox ran after the SharpClaw soldier, hoping that he wasn't too late to stop him. Luckily, the orange tod saw the Saurian loading the SpellStone onto an odd vehicle. The vehicle in question looked like a motorcycle, but it had no wheels and it was floating. With no time to spare, Fox got on one and chased after the SharpClaw. The Saurian tried to outmaneuver the vulpine, but the latter remained on his tail. After a few minutes, Fox rammed into the SharpClaw, knocking him off. After that, he retrieved the SpellStone and shot the Saurian in the head, killing him instantly.
"Alright, I better head back and get Krystal!" Fox said as he ran back into CloudRunner Fortress.
Back in the Fortress, Krystal was fighting with General Scales. Moments earlier, the cobalt vixen had shot the SharpClaw's dagger out of his hands. Now, the two were fighting barehanded. In fact, the Cerinian performed a flip kick, hitting her larger opponent in the chin. Before Scales could attack, Krystal punched him in the gut. However, he didn't go down from the attack. In fact, he was still standing.
"Give up, Scales, I don't want to fight you!" Krystal said.
"I wouldn't want to fight me neither!" Scales stated. "In fact, I'd like the both of us to stay alive in time for the reception!"
"Look," the cobalt vixen said, "I just want the SpellStone of CloudRunner Fortress, so that I can help to prevent Sauria's destruction!"
"I cannot give it to you!" The SharpClaw told her. "My master would not tolerate it if my plans fell apart!"
"I figured that you weren't the only threat to Sauria." The Cerinian said. "Now, tell me who your master is!"
General Scales did not say who his master was. Instead, he threw a punch at Krystal. The cobalt vixen did her best to dodge, but she received the punch in her arm. The Cerinian cracked her knuckles, preparing for battle again. That was until Fox came up to them, approaching Krystal.
"Krystal, are you alright?" Fox asked.
"I'm fine, Fox, thanks for asking!" Krystal said.
"I got the SpellStone!" The orange tod stated, holding the SpellStone in his arms.
"Good to know!" The cobalt vixen said.
As the two foxes spoke, General Scales began to exit CloudRunner Fortress. However, he didn't go unnoticed by Krystal.
"Wait, we're not finished here!" Krystal shouted.
"Krystal," Scales spoke, "we will fight again. However, here's my advice: improve your combat skills! The next time we fight, I won't go easy on you! After all, we're expected to be united in the ceremony!"
Before Krystal could go after Scales, Fox grabbed her shoulder and looked at her.
"Ceremony?" Fox asked.
"I didn't want to tell you this until later, but I have been put into an arranged marriage with General Scales." Krystal told him.
"Arranged marriage?" The orange tod spoke. "Why not marry the guy if he wants you to be his?"
"I don't want to do it." The cobalt vixen looked down. "My father only set it up because Scales let me have some fruit when we were younger. Throughout all these years, I thought that Scales would forget about it, but he hasn't. I've only spent four months on Sauria, but I don't want to go through with the arranged wedding, knowing that not only Sauria was in danger, but that I would be married to someone who is working to cause chaos on the planet."
Fox only smiled, pulling Krystal into a hug. The cobalt vixen hugged him back, blushing.
"Come on," Fox said, "let's get this SpellStone back to its rightful place!"
"Yes," Krystal said, "then we'll move on to finding the remaining SpellStones and the Krazoa Spirits who need to be returned to Krazoa Palace!"
Note: I admit, this story is REALLY hard to write in some areas. It's not easy to come up with changes to the script of a game that used to be its own thing before it got altered. However, I hope that those who are reading this aren't mad at me for making mistakes in the story. Until next time guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!