Note: Now that I have gotten some more information, mainly the name of the domain of the LightFoot tribe on Sauria, I'm back on track for this story. With that in mind, I might actually get this chapter done this month. Before we move on, I have something to say to six reviewers.
troygroomes9838: Thanks for telling me what the domain of the LightFoot tribe was called. For a brief moment, I forgot what it was called, but you came by to remind me what the name was. As for your review, I do believe that this is my first story that you have left a review on. As such, stay tuned if you want to continue reading.
The White Wolf named Alex: Dude, thanks for saying that. I hope that you like this chapter.
Min: Honestly, I think that you are a troll who is here to say bad stuff about the story. Look, I know that I'm not making the chapters huge, but I'm trying my best to retell Adventures and Assault's stories so that they can fit into the Zero continuity, serving as a prequel to Lucky Rabbit's Foot. Just look through the story and try to find what you like.
Ron: Falling in love with Krystal? You wouldn't be the first, my friend, as plenty of people have fallen for the blue vixen. Trust me, I like her too. Stay tuned for the later chapters.
Yamagata: Well, I imagine that each tribe on Sauria can speak English. I didn't know that Star Fox would need translators for the planet, as they probably didn't need it in Assault. Alright, to be honest, I decided not to use the Saurian language in this story. It would NOT be fun to translate EVERYTHING the tribes of Sauria had to say from English to Saurian. Despite that, I hope that you like the story. Stay tuned for later chapters!
EmperorStarscream/StarscreamPrime: I suppose that I'm taking some cues from Blackbear972/The Other Black bear's comic, aren't I? While it's unfortunate that the comic has since been discontinued, we've got what he gave us to read if we want to see a comic remake of Star Fox Adventures that keeps Krystal out of that gem, among other changes. Stay tuned for the later chapters, man!
Now that I've done that, it's time for chapter seven.
Chapter 7: The SpellStone of LightFoot Village
After a few minutes of traveling on the warp pad, Star Fox and Krystal found themselves in an area that had a huge metal gate. The land itself had fog around it, which somewhat obscured the trees in the land. While Slippy was marveling at his surroundings, Fox, Peppy and Krystal only moved forward, wanting to get their encounter with the LightFoot tribe over as quickly as possible. Slippy followed them, having gotten what he wanted out of the sights to be seen around him. The four walked up to the gate, keeping an eye out for the entrance.
"Man, the LightFoots are more isolationist and paranoid than I remember!" Slippy spoke.
"Well, we aren't usually on Sauria's surface when we come to it." Peppy stated. "When we do step onto the surface, the only tribes we usually visit are the EarthWalkers and the CloudRunners."
"Forget them, we need to get into LightFoot Village!" The amphibian stated.
"Don't worry, we'll find a way." Fox said.
"Like what?" Peppy asked.
Fox looked at Krystal in curiosity, half-expecting her to know how to enter LightFoot Village. Peppy and Slippy also looked at the cobalt vixen, waiting for her to do something.
"Guys, entering LightFoot Village is easy." Krystal spoke. "We just need to find the lock for the gate."
"Well, where is the lock?" Slippy asked.
Krystal went over to the trees and began to look around. While Fox watched in anticipation, Peppy and Slippy watched in confusion. All of a sudden, Krystal hit three trees with her staff, with each shot hitting them in a pattern. Initially, it did nothing, which only made the three members of Star Fox stare at her. However, without warning, the gate that was blocking LightFoot Village opened up. Now that the entrance was open, Fox, Peppy, Slippy and Krystal were free to enter.
Or so it seemed ...
All of a sudden, Fox, Peppy and Slippy were trapped in a net. Slippy had stepped on a rope that caused the trap to go off.
"What the hell?!" Peppy swore.
"We're trapped!" Slippy cried.
"Can you give us a hand, Krystal?" Fox asked.
Krystal was immediately on it, climbing up the tree with Fox's pocket knife. Before she could cut the rope, a voice rang out.
"Stop right there!"
Looking down, Fox, Peppy, Slippy and Krystal saw two LightFoots standing next to the trap-loaded tree. Krystal sighed in annoyance when she saw the duo, recognizing them as the Chief of the LightFoots and an advisor. Fox, Peppy and Slippy, on the other hand, were smiling sheepishly at the LightFoots.
"There they are, Chief!" The LightFoot Advisor said. "They're the thieves who stole our SpellStone!"
"They aren't from Sauria," Chief LightFoot spoke, "that means that they're agents of the SharpClaws!"
"We aren't allied with the SharpClaws, you dolts!" Krystal shouted.
"Nor are we the guys who stole the SpellStone of your tribe!" Fox said.
Chief LightFoot and his Advisor didn't listen. Instead, they continued to glare at Star Fox and Krystal.
"Chief," the Advisor spoke, "not only are they thieves, but they're liars!"
"We'll show them what we do to thieves and liars!" Chief LightFoot shouted.
Before anything could happen, Krystal smiled, sensing something approaching her and her allies. Out from the horizon came a CloudRunner. Said CloudRunner was glaring at the LightFoots on the ground, which scared them. Before he could attack them, he floated near Krystal, gesturing for her approval. Krystal nodded, allowing the CloudRunner to fly towards the LightFoot Chief and his Advisor and peck the ground that was around them.
"Call him off! Call him off!" The Advisor LightFoot cried.
"Only if you agree to help us!" Slippy shouted.
"We'll help you," Chief LightFoot cried, "just call off the bird!"
Krystal looked down at the CloudRunner and gestured to him.
You can leave, my friend! The cobalt vixen sent a telepathic message to the CloudRunner. The LightFoot tribe has agreed to help my allies! After all, the whole planet will be destroyed if we don't save it in time!
The CloudRunner only nodded, flying off shortly after. Once he was gone, Krystal freed Fox, Peppy and Slippy. The cobalt vixen climbed down the tree after she did so, still holding Fox's pocket knife. She then approached her allies, still holding the knife.
"Thanks, Krystal!" Slippy happily said.
"Don't mention it." Krystal stated.
Fox approached Krystal, his hand held out.
"Here's your knife, Fox." Krystal said as she handed the pocket knife to Fox.
"You've got some sticky fingers, Krystal." Fox said as he took the knife from her.
"Yeah, I didn't even see her take it out of your pocket!" Peppy stated.
"There are plenty of things about me that I never discuss with anyone." The cobalt vixen stated.
Now that they were freed, Fox, Peppy and Slippy approached Chief LightFoot and his Advisor. The two LightFoots glared at the three pilots, still not trusting them. Despite being attacked by a CloudRunner, the two had retained their brave faces, having some arrogance in them.
"Since none of you are thieves, explain why you are here!" The Chief spoke.
"We're here to get your SpellStone, Chief." Peppy stated.
"I knew it!" The Advisor shouted. "They're working with those SharpClaw scum!"
"No," Fox said, "you misunderstand, we're not working with General Scales and his army. We're just trying to save Sauria from destruction by bringing the SpellStones to the Force Point Temples and returning the Krazoa Spirits to Krazoa Palace. My team and I aren't entirely fond of what's going on, either, but we're saving this planet because it's our job. Now, please, hand over your SpellStone."
Chief LightFoot and his Advisor looked at each other for a moment, pondering on what their decision would be. All of a sudden, they laughed, acting as if they heard a joke from a comedy routine. In response, Fox, Peppy and Slippy glared at them. As for Krystal, she facepalmed at the LightFoots' stubbornness. The cobalt vixen was no stranger to the tribe, so she figured that they would be like this. However, the fact that they were like acting like children, even when Sauria was at risk of being destroyed, frustrated her. Before she could say anything, Slippy spoke up.
"Just give us the SpellStone, you bozos!" The toad shouted.
"Slippy!" Fox and Peppy said in unison, surprised at the amphibian's attitude.
"C'mon, guys, we have to get it from them somehow!" The youngest male stated.
The LightFoots stopped laughing, only glaring at Star Fox and Krystal.
"As if we would give our SpellStone to strangers like you!" Chief LightFoot spoke. "It's too important for us to give away!"
"We understand," Peppy stated, "but it's also important for us to save your planet with! If we need to bargain with you for it, we will!"
"You won't have to bargain with the LightFoots, Mr. Hare!" Krystal spoke up. "They don't have their SpellStone, the SharpClaws took it!"
"Figures," Fox looked at her, "but where did they take it?"
"Perhaps we should ask him!" The cobalt vixen pointed over to a SharpClaw soldier who was trying to capture a LightFoot.
"Get him!" Slippy shouted.
The SharpClaw had little time to react as Fox shot him in the shoulder. Attempting to stop the bleeding, the Saurian grabbed his shoulder, covering the wound. However, he found himself surrounded by Fox, Peppy, Slippy and Krystal. The four glared at him, with Krystal pointing her staff at his chest.
"You creeps, get away from me!" The SharpClaw shouted.
"Not until you tell us where your buddies took the SpellStone that belongs to this village!" Fox spoke.
"What makes you think that I'll tell you, mammal?!" The soldier scoffed.
"Because we need it!" Peppy said, cracking his knuckles.
The SharpClaw snorted and looked over at Krystal. He looked somewhat surprised to see her.
"Aren't you engaged to the General?" The soldier asked. "What are you doing with the other three?"
"Since you're not going to tell us where you took LightFoot Village's SpellStone, you've given me no choice." Krystal stated.
All of a sudden, the SharpClaw got a headache. It came out of nowhere, almost as if he had just gotten punched in the face. The soldier could feel something surging through his mind. It was a psychic force that he didn't understand, and it was rooting through his memories. He then gasped, knowing that it was Krystal who was the cause of his headache. Worse, the memories that she looked at contained the information the cobalt vixen and her allies needed.
"You! You didn't!" The SharpClaw screamed.
Krystal ignored him, looking at Fox with her staff still pointed out.
"The SpellStone has been taken to the Walled City." She stated. "And, given what we know about the Krazoa Spirits, one of them might have chased after the SpellStone when it got stolen!"
"You evil bitch!" The SharpClaw got up from the ground, ready to attack, only to get shot in the head by Slippy.
"Krystal, you're engaged to the leader of the SharpClaws?" Peppy asked.
"Is that really important?" Krystal said to him. "Besides, it's part of a stupid arranged marriage that I want out of."
"Never mind that," Fox said, "let's just move on!"
"Right, let's head back to WarpStone." Peppy said.
"No need for that," Krystal told them, "LightFoot Village has a path to the Walled City."
"Let me guess, it's on the other side of the village?" The hare asked.
"How brilliant of you, Peppy." The cobalt vixen sarcastically stated.
Fox, Peppy, Slippy and Krystal began to walk through LightFoot Village, occasionally keeping an eye out for an enemy. Krystal used her telepathy to scan the area, but she found that no SharpClaws were present. With that in mind, the cobalt vixen knew that the village was clean of any threats. However, the same could not be said for the Walled City. She remembered reading one or two books on Sauria, including the one she owned, and seeing how the Walled City was once home to the EarthWalker tribe. Now that she heard that the EarthWalkers were forced out of it by the vicious RedEyes, Krystal dreaded having to face them. Worse, King EarthWalker, Tricky's father, was in the company of those monsters, alongside the SharpClaws.
Upon reaching the other end of the gate that surrounded LightFoot Village, Fox, Peppy and Slippy got ready to enter it. As for Krystal, she sensed something approaching them. Sure enough, Chief LightFoot and his Advisor came up to the four.
"None shall pass!" Chief LightFoot shouted.
"Why not?" Slippy asked, more annoyed than curious.
"You must partake in our tests, first!" The Advisor stated.
"No offense, guys, but your tests would only distract us from saving Sauria from destruction." Fox said. "Now, do us a favor and move!"
"Partake in our tests and you will be granted access to the Walled City!" The Chief said.
"Krystal," Peppy sighed, "could you please open up the entrance to the Walled City? This stopped being tolerable minutes ago."
Aiming her staff at the blocked entrance, Krystal destroyed it with a beam. Once that was out of the way, Fox, Peppy and Slippy walked through the entrance, with Krystal following them. The moment the four were gone, Chief LightFoot and his Advisor stood dumbfounded.
"We should build a stronger roadblock next time." The Advisor said.
"Indeed," Chief LightFoot said, "one that's strong enough to withstand a blast from that Cerinian's staff."
Walking into the Walled City, Fox, Peppy, Slippy and Krystal came across a Krazoa Shrine. Upon seeing the Shrine, Krystal used her telepathy to scan it, looking for the Krazoa Spirit.
"Is there a Krazoa Spirit in that thing, Krystal?" Slippy asked.
"No," Krystal stated, "it must have fled. We'll find it after we free King EarthWalker and get the SpellStone."
"Right," Fox said, "I almost forgot that we were looking for Tricky's father as well."
"The boy will be happy to see him again." Peppy added.
"With that in mind, we need to keep on moving!" Krystal said.
Star Fox began to follow Krystal through the Walled City, looking for King EarthWalker. While Fox, Peppy and Slippy were looking around, Krystal was using her telepathy to locate where he was being held. After a minute or so, the cobalt vixen stopped in her tracks. In response, Fox looked at her.
"Do you know where he is?" Peppy asked.
"Yes," Krystal answered, pointing to the left, "he's being held in that corridor. I must warn you, it's heavily guarded."
"A heavily guarded cell is something we're used to, Miss Krystal." Slippy told her. "Besides, those SharpClaws aren't as advanced as we are."
"I know that," the cobalt vixen said, "it's just that I want to free him."
"We'll let you free King EarthWalker after we take down the guards, okay?" Fox spoke to her.
"Sounds like a plan!" The Cerinian said as she cracked her knuckles. "But, there's something I want the three of you to do for me!"
From within a cage, King EarthWalker was asleep. Standing around the cage were three SharpClaws, who had their weapons out. All of a sudden, there was a sound in the distance. In response, the SharpClaws got ready for battle, charging towards where the sound came from. However, the three brutes were taken down by shots from blasters. King EarthWalker watched in awe, feeling somewhat horrified at how brutally his captors were taken down. The Saurian was in such shock, he didn't notice a familiar blue vixen standing near his cage.
"Hello, King EarthWalker!" Krystal cheerfully greeted, holding her staff.
"Kxudb 0ei, Krystal!" King EarthWalker greeted. "A ted'k bden nxuk kxejo SharpClaws neict xulo tedo ke mo av 0ei xutd'k uhhalot ad kamo!"
"You're just lucky that we got here, sir!" The cobalt vixen said. "0ei'ho nocsemo."
"No?" The EarthWalker asked.
Fox, Peppy and Slippy stepped out into the open, moving towards the cage. King EarthWalker only glared at them.
"0ei kxhoo?!" He shouted at them.
"Ted'k nehh0, kxo0'ho desk nehbadw veh Scales!" Krystal told him.
For a moment, King EarthWalker looked at Krystal. After that, he looked down in shame. The Saurian knew who the three standing before him were, as they had been to the planet before for a mission or two. Upon calming down, he nudged for Krystal to destroy the cage that was holding him. The cobalt vixen complied, firing a beam at the cage. When that was out of the way, she stood next to Star Fox, taking a bow before King EarthWalker.
"What did you do to get him to call down?" Slippy asked.
"I told him that you weren't enemies, but I did it in the Saurian tongue." Krystal stated.
"We figured, it just sounds better coming out of your mouth." Fox said.
"None of us have even spoken to King EarthWalker before, do we need a translator?" Peppy asked.
"No," Krystal said, "he speaks in your native tongue, gentlemen."
Facing Fox, Peppy and Slippy, King EarthWalker spoke with the three.
"Seeing as the three of you aren't working with the SharpClaw," he stated, "I shall thank you for your heroics."
"You're welcome, your majesty!" Slippy stated.
"Now that I'm free, do you know the whereabouts of my son, Tricky?" King EarthWalker asked.
"He's in ThornTail Hollow, sir!" Fox told him. "If you go there, I guarantee that you will find your wife and son waiting for you!"
"I can't thank any of you enough, especially Krystal!" The Saurian said as he ran off. "Take care, my friends!"
"You too!" Krystal shouted back.
Once King EarthWalker was gone, Peppy got out his watch and checked the time on it.
"Oh my, it's 6:11!" The hare cried. "We should really eat dinner!"
Upon hearing that, Fox and Slippy got out some rations. The two cooked them, having built a fire with their equipment. Once everything was ready, Star Fox ate what they made. While Fox, Peppy and Slippy ate whatever was out, Krystal only ate the vegetables, bread rolls and canned fruit cocktail. Her allies took not of this, noticing that she wasn't eating any meat.
"You aren't eating the meat we cooked, Krystal, are you okay?" Slippy asked.
"I'm fine, Slippy, I just don't eat meat." Krystal answered.
"So, you're a vegetarian?" Peppy asked.
"I hope that there's nothing wrong with that." The cobalt vixen said.
"There isn't," Fox said, "but you should've told us."
"Sorry, I'm quiet about stuff like that." The Cerinian said.
"You're fine." The three told her.
Hours later, Star Fox had sent up a campsite. They found a safe place to do so, Krystal having used her telepathy to find it. Once they found it, Peppy got out some sleeping bags, handing them to Fox and Slippy. Krystal only lie on the ground, despite an offer to get a sleeping bag of her own. Shortly after everyone fell asleep, having chosen where they would lay. However, Fox sat up and looked at his communicator, having headphones on so that he wouldn't disturb the others, especially Krystal.
"I wonder if we have any messages." He said to himself.
Looking through his communicator, Fox saw that a message had been left an hour ago. Clicking on it, the orange tod was greeted by a familiar voice: Falco Lombardi. The message was, no doubt, sent from Zoness, where the pheasant went for one of his missions. Fox only sighed as he heard the message play.
"Hey Fox, this is Falco!" Falco's voice spoke. "You're probably wondering why I'm calling you. Well, that's because I found out that they're trying to clean up Zoness! I never thought that I would see the day when the planet got restored, but I'm on it! I am a little bummed that the workers said that it would take some time, but at least they made some progress, am I right?"
"Falco," a feminine voice moaned, "who are you talking to?"
"Go back to bed, Katt!" The pheasant sighed in annoyance.
There was a brief moment of silence, then Falco came back.
"Yeah, if you couldn't tell, Katt's with me." He spoke. "Of course, she uses anything as an excuse to get close to me. I blame myself for comforting her when we were younger. Anyway, I'll come back when I get finished on Zoness. Until then, take care!"
Once the message had ended, Fox turned his communicator off and lie down. As much as he hated to admit it, the orange tod missed Falco. Despite how much of an arrogant, overconfident blowhard he was, the pheasant was still part of the team. Fox then thought about Star Fox's allies as he slept, and how he wanted to speak with them again. Hell, he began to miss Star Wolf, except for Pigma. Given Pigma's track record, including betraying Star Fox, one could wonder how even Wolf O'Donnell, Leon Powalski and Andrew Oikonny could stand him. Then again, the four of them were working for Andross.
When morning came, Fox found himself going through the Walled City with Peppy, Slippy and Krystal. The three mercenaries followed the cobalt vixen down each corridor, with her using her telepathy to detect for any threats. So far, there was no sign of the fabled RedEye tribe. As far as Star Fox was concerned, they hoped that they wouldn't encounter a RedEye. Out of all the tribes on Sauria, theirs was arguably the most dangerous. With that in mind, whatever General Scales and his fellow SharpClaws freed the RedEyes for wasn't good.
Upon entering a new room, Peppy stopped in his tracks, breathing heavily. Fox went over to him in concern, putting his hand on the hare's shoulder.
"I'm fine, Fox, I just need to catch my breath!" Peppy said breathlessly.
"We should probably take a break." Slippy suggested.
"Good idea." Fox said, turning to Krystal. "Hey, Krystal, can we take a break? Peppy needs to catch his breath."
"We can take a break, guys." Krystal stated, taking her backpack off. "Oh, and I've got a water bottle with me, Mr. Hare!"
"Krystal," Peppy spoke, "you don't have to give it to me. I'm fine, I really am!"
"Oh no, I insist!" The cobalt vixen said as she handed her water bottle to him.
Upon being handed Krystal's water bottle, Peppy swallowed his pride and unscrewed the lid. After that, the hare drank its contents. To his surprise, the water was ice cold, as if it had been kept in a freezer for quite some time. Once he got a drink, the lepus handed the water bottle back to Krystal. The cobalt vixen put the container in her backpack, storing it until further use.
"That water is really cold, Krys." Peppy stated.
"It's from the SnowHorn Wastes," Krystal said, "it never gets warm."
"Maybe we should get some, Fox!" Slippy suggested.
"After we get done with the mission, buddy." Fox said to him, speaking with Krystal next. "So, Krys, what's our next move?"
Krystal didn't say anything, she only stood still. The cobalt vixen looked frightened, as if she had just witnessed a murder. Fox looked puzzled, not knowing what was going on. As for Peppy and Slippy, they showed immediate concern.
"Krys?" Fox asked.
"Are you okay, Krystal?" Slippy asked.
"What's wrong?" Peppy asked.
"Everyone, listen to me very carefully: don't move!" Krystal stated, her voice trembling with fear.
"Why?" Slippy asked.
"Just trust me when I tell you not to move!" The cobalt vixen gasped.
"Krystal, please, just tell us what's wrong." Fox calmly said, taking a step forward.
"Fox, no!" The Cerinian wailed. "Look out behind you!"
All of a sudden, Fox heard a roar. When he turned around, he saw a massive beast charging towards him. The beast in question was a Saurian with green scales and blood red eyes. The reptilian creature didn't seem to have any rational thought, having the mind and instincts of a vicious monster. It was also rather big, even if King EarthWalker and Queen EarthWalker dwarfed it by a few feet. It didn't take much for Fox to find out that this violent creature was a RedEye.
"Looks like we've got another fight on our hands!" Slippy cried.
"Yeah," Peppy said, "I was just hoping that we wouldn't have to fight one of these guys!"
"Don't worry, we can bring him down!" Fox said as he got his blaster out.
Fox, Slippy and Peppy began to fight with the RedEye, firing their blasters at it. However, the crazed Saurian dodged each round fired. It swung its tail at them, knocking over Slippy. Fox and Peppy stood their ground, not letting their foe triumph over them. That was until the RedEye tackled Fox. It opened its jaws at the orange tod, intent on biting down on him. The vulpine struggled to close its jaws, even though he knew that the Saurian would break loose and kill him.
However, the RedEye didn't manage to break out of Fox's defensive grip. Rather, the beast was impaled by Krystal, who practically rammed her staff through it. The cobalt vixen screamed in rage as she threw the hostile off of Fox, firing a few beams at it. Once the RedEye was dead, Fox, Peppy and Slippy approached Krystal. The Cerinian was barely standing, kneeling down as she held onto her staff.
"So, that RedEye was what you were warning us about." Peppy said.
"I'm sorry if I didn't specify what it was!" Krystal said. "I was dreading a fight with a RedEye!"
"It's okay, Krystal, let's just move on." Fox said as he helped her up, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
Throughout the Walled City, Star Fox and Krystal looked for the SpellStone. Every so often, they wound up fighting a RedEye. While Krystal killed some of them, Fox, Peppy and Slippy weren't slouches when it came to bringing down the vicious Saurians. However, they all agreed to not kill every RedEye that came their way. As such, Slippy wound up using a stun gun on the RedEyes that weren't killed. Once they were down, the Saurians were left to rest.
Once every hostile was out of the way, one question remained: where was the SpellStone that belonged to LightFoot Village? Fox, Peppy and Slippy were following Krystal down a corridor. The cobalt vixen was using her telepathy to look for the SpellStone, occasionally looking around in order to find where the signal was the strongest. After a while, she stopped in front of a massive gate. Fox came up to the Cerinian, seeing the gate.
"Do you think that the SpellStone is behind that gate, Krystal?" Fox asked.
"I'm sensing it in there, along with King RedEye." Krystal said.
"King RedEye?" Peppy asked.
"Those crazy beasts have a King?!" Slippy asked.
"Well, every tribe needs a leader." Krystal stated.
"Let's just go in there," Fox said, "we need that SpellStone."
Opening up the gate, Fox, Peppy, Slippy and Krystal saw that the area it lead to was almost completely empty. However, King RedEye was near, given how he could be heard moving in the distance. There were also several fuel tanks, which Star Fox noted could have been left behind by those who visited the planet. After a few minutes, King RedEye stepped out. He was massive, being much larger than the fellow members of his tribe. On the Saurian's head was the SpellStone of LightFoot Village, which his prey saw.
"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Fox asked.
"Way ahead of you, Fox." Peppy said. "We're going to have to rip the SpellStone off of King RedEye!"
"But how are we going to beat him?" Slippy asked.
"We'll trick him into eating those fuel tanks!" Krystal stated.
"Good idea, let's do it!" Fox shouted.
King RedEye lunged at Fox, intent on biting down on him. However, the massive Saurian bit down on a fuel tank, making it explode when he threw it into his mouth. Once he was dazed, Krystal fired a beam from her staff, which loosened the SpellStone. Peppy and Slippy were next to trick King RedEye, moving out of the way in order to make sure that the beast bit down on the fuel tanks they were next to, allowing Krystal to loosen the SpellStone some more. Once it was her turn, the cobalt vixen picked up the fuel tank she was next to.
"Hey, King RedEye," Krystal shouted, "you're nothing but a monster! I don't even care if I go to Hell for doing this, seeing as I don't have much to live for! Eat me! Eat me, you creep!"
"Krystal, no!" Fox screamed, his eyes widening in terror.
"What's she doing?!" Peppy cried.
"Don't do it!" Slippy yelled.
King RedEye lunged at Krystal, only to get the fuel tank in his mouth. After that, the cobalt vixen launched herself up to the Saurian's forehead, making a grab at the SpellStone. Before the fuel tank exploded, the Cerinian jumped off of the massive beast. While she was able to come out unscathed, the explosion knocked her on her back. Upon opening her eyes, Krystal saw Fox, Peppy and Slippy standing around her. While the hare and the toad were relieved, the orange tod didn't look happy.
"Hey guys." Krystal said.
"Krystal, have you lost your mind?!" Fox spoke. "You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"At least we got the SpellStone." The cobalt vixen stated.
"Yeah, but it's not worth your life!" The orange tod said. "I get that we need it, otherwise Sauria will die, but you didn't need to risk your life for it!"
"My life is not important compared to that of a dying planet, did you not consider that?!" The Cerinian shouted.
Fox, Peppy and Slippy were taken aback by Krystal's words.
"What did you just say?" Fox asked.
"Saving Sauria is more important than saving myself!" Krystal said. "I should've died when I got the SpellStone off of King RedEye!"
"Krystal ..." Slippy spoke.
"Where did you get those horrible words from?" Peppy asked.
"It's from me being the last member of my race, the Cerinians!" The cobalt vixen spoke, having tears in her eyes. "Not only have I lost my home planet, but I've lost my friends and family! They've been sent to planets that they might die on! I want to call Sauria my new home, but I can't! I just want to join my fellow Cerinians in death!"
"Krystal," Fox carefully approached her, "your life matters as much as anyone else's. Without you, the Cerinians would go extinct. Sauria might not be your place of birth, but you've been given a roof to live under in ThornTail Hollow."
"But I feel like I'm not welcome here sometimes!" She continued, her voice slowly breaking. "I've lived on Sauria for four months, and I still feel like a freak and an outcast here! I just want to return to Cerinia, but I can't! I miss my mother, my sister, my brother, my friends, my teachers, the scenery and the atmosphere of the planet! I just -oh!"
Krystal couldn't hold on to her pain anymore, as she curled up into a ball. The cobalt vixen began to cry, sobbing mournfully. Feeling bad for her, Peppy wrapped his arms around the Cerinian. He rubbed her back, hoping that it would make her feel better.
"There, there," Peppy calmly told her, "it's alright. You might have lost your home planet, but you can find a home somewhere else. You've lived on Sauria for four months, which is impressive."
"I just want my family back." Krystal sniffled.
"I understand," Fox spoke, "you're not the only one, Krys."
"I know," the cobalt vixen said, "Cerinia wasn't the only thing that Venom's army ruined."
"That's because they were lead by Andross!" The orange tod said, anger showing through his voice. "That bastard is the same man who killed my parents! When I went to fight him, I wanted to make him suffer for everything he had done! I couldn't kill him by myself, though, I had help from my father's spirit!"
"I hope that Andross had a slow and painful end for what he did to your family!" The Cerinian said, her eyes having tears of rage.
"Come now, Krystal, we've all lost something to Andross." Slippy spoke up. "But, he's dead now, which means that all the lives that were lost are now avenged!"
"You're right," she said, wiping her eyes, "we should be thankful that Fox put an end to that monster. Even if Andross is not dead, I'm sure that Fox can put him down for good."
"But, for now, let's get this SpellStone to the Ocean Force Point Temple." Fox said as he put the artifact in his backpack.
"And then we can gather the last one, along with the remaining Krazoa Spirits!" Slippy said.
"You ready for that, Krystal?" Peppy asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be!" Krystal said, brightening up.
"Then let's get to that Temple!" The hare said.
Fox, Peppy, Slippy and Krystal then went back to the entrance to the Walled City. Upon meeting up with Chief LightFoot, they told him about how they defeated King RedEye. Impressed with their bravery, he gave the quartet the SpellStone, seeing that they needed it. After that, Star Fox and Krystal went to WarpStone, having him teleport them to Ocean Force Point Temple. As they traveled there, they made a quick count of what they had left to gather: One SpellStone and three Krazoa Spirits.
Meanwhile, at Dragon Rock, Scales had received word about the SpellStone of LightFoot Village. A SharpClaw soldier had told him that King RedEye had been defeated. In addition, the SpellStone had been stolen and some of the RedEyes had been killed. In response, Scales killed the soldier, using his claws to decapitate him.
"Dammit!" Scales roared. "Our efforts are proving to be futile! Not only does Krystal want to hinder the plans of my tribe, but she's working with three alien mercenaries?! And, to think, I'm in an arranged marriage with that vixen!"
"So, they keep beating us." A voice echoed into the area.
"My lord," the General spoke, "I'm not sure how they're doing it, but Krystal and her allies are beating us back! As we speak, they've collected three SpellStones and three Krazoa Spirits!"
"Steady yourself, Scales." The unknown figure calmly told him. "Need I remind you that I've got a SpellStone with me?"
"Right," the SharpClaw stated, "the last SpellStone rests with you. Krystal and her allies will never get it as long as you're alive!"
"Let's hope so." The entity said. "Now, double up your remaining army! There's only so much room left for error, and you must succeed in your mission!"
"Understood," he said, "I won't let you down, sir!"
After that, Scales gathered his fellow SharpClaws. Upon having them together, he began to lay out a plan with them. The General knew that he had little time to work with, as his master made it clear that failure was not an option. Once the plan was laid out, each SharpClaw formed into a squadron, being sent out to stop their enemies. No matter what happened, the SharpClaw tribe knew that they would stand victorious. But, something told them that fate would turn its back on them.
Note: I think that this might be one of the longest chapters that I have written for this story. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy. Given how the Walled City is an area I did the LEAST amount of research on, I made it as short as I possibly could. As for the Saurian dialogue, I never thought that I would use it. If any of you are curious about what it translates to, I recommend using the Saurian translator that's online. As another note, I was given a point of advice by someone on DeviantArt on how Krystal just seemed to, for the most part, ignore how she was the last Cerinian. In response, I added a part where she felt sorrow for her home planet, and her people. When you think about it, Krystal's not all that different from Fox, given how they both lost their parents. However, Krystal lost her home planet, so she lost more than Fox did. One more thing that I should mention is that I feel that Krystal's telepathy isn't really focused on in some stories.
If you're reading this, Plague Doctor 2035, I'm sorry if I was rude to you. I understand that everyone has their own take on the story, so I'll leave yours alone. However, one thing that I have to talk about in your story is how you had Krystal get knocked out by a SharpClaw she could've sensed with her telepathy. I mean, why not have her fight Scales instead of being knocked out and locked up with Fox? Other than that, I hope that you continue on with your story.
Until next time guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!