Note: Seeing as MarkNicholsonV2 is trying to rewrite his story, Star Fox: Descent, I have decided to do the same with one of my older stories. After realizing the feedback for it, and seeing that several things about the story hadn't aged well, I decided to do a rewrite of my first major Star Fox story, Love Or Lust. If you may recall, it's a story involving vampires. I'm not the first person to write a Star Fox story involving vampires, and I highly doubt that I will be the last. Be warned, this rewrite might change a few things, so pay no attention to the reviews that predate the rewrite. I hope that this rewrite has better reception than the original version. Anyway, here we go!
Chapter 1: Transformation
Corneria City was shining underneath the moon, with each building being hit with a moonbeam. It was around midnight, so everyone was at home, either fast asleep or doing something personal. There was not a single person out in the streets. That is, there would be no one on the streets if not for a pair of feet walking through the park. Those feet just so happened to belong to a blue vixen with green eyes and additional white fur, dressed up in a blue and black outfit. The vixen wasn't an ordinary person, but rather one of the Lylat System's well-known heroes.
The cobalt vixen walking down the street just so happened to be Krystal Bodimead, a member of Star Fox. Describing what went on in her life before joining the team would take a while, so we'll give the quick version of it. Born on Cerinia, Krystal lived as the Princess of the planet's kingdom. However, that didn't come without its fair share of problems, such as not being able to leave the castle. Despite that, the Queen of Cerinia, Krystal's mother, managed to get her daughter through school, allowing her to get an education. In addition to that, Krystal was born with the gift of telepathy, which makes her able to read minds, detect other people from far away, and transmit messages with her mind. An ability with her telepathy that she rarely used included being able to manipulate the thoughts of others, be it making them share information or compelling them into self destruction.
However, life on Cerinia was not long for Krystal. The planet wound up being targeted by Venom, which led to it being destroyed by Venom's Army, which was under the command of Andross, a once kind-hearted scientist who gave in to his lust for power. Krystal was only eighteen at the time of Cerinia's destruction, with her nineteenth birthday only a few weeks away, but she wasn't given enough time to mourn for her planet, being sent to Sauria. Then, as if fate decided to go easy on her, the cobalt vixen wound up meeting Star Fox, the team she had yet to join, while they were under orders to save Sauria. Knowing that she couldn't save Sauria on her own, the Krazoa Spirits of the planet telling her to do so, Krystal teamed up with Star Fox. From there, they were all able to save the planet, having put the SpellStones and Krazoa Spirits back where they belonged after defeating the evils that plagued Sauria.
A year after the Saurian Crisis, Star Fox wound up having to save the Lylat System from a new threat: the Aparoids. These creatures were a bio-mechanical parasite that could assimilate a living being, so the team knew that they had to be careful. Throughout the battle against the Aparoids, Krystal was able to prove herself as a valued member of the team, helping the innocents and defeating the monsters that were attacking. However, when the threat just kept coming and coming, Star Fox wound up being helped by their rival team, Star Wolf, who were also former allies of Andross and the Venomian Army.
Krystal moaned in pain, cringing as she held her arm. She walked with a limp as she went through the park, trying her hardest to ignore the wound she had. Earlier in the day, the cobalt vixen agreed to go on a solo mission to deal with a criminal gang. While the mission was a success, mainly due to using her telepathy and any weapon she had access to, the vulpine wound up fighting the leader when he refused to go down. The leader struck her in the arm with the stock of his blaster. While it didn't break the skin, it did cause Krystal's arm to fall limp.
Now that it was at night, Krystal was waiting for Fox and the others to come. After the mission, the cobalt vixen sent a message to the Great Fox, saying that she was ready to be picked up. Fox promised that he would pick her up near City Hall, but it would take a while for him to get there. With that in mind, Krystal saw a doctor, deciding to let her check out her arm. The doctor only told the vulpine that her arm was bruised, but it would've been better for her to stay at home until the bruises were gone. She was even given some painkillers to help dull the pain.
Being a few inches away from City Hall, Krystal was ready to contact her teammates on her communicator, telling them that she was where she was told to go.
"Alright, I'm almost there." Krystal whispered to herself.
However, before she could get her communicator out, Krystal felt something weird in the air. It wasn't something malicious, but it definitely gave her a bad feeling. The cobalt vixen tried to use her telepathy to sense for what it was, but nothing happened. Whatever was near, it was throwing off the vulpine's telepathy. She shuddered, feeling unnerved by what was going on.
"Oh dear, I need to contact the others!" Krystal said to herself.
All of a sudden, there was a loud noise in the distance. The noise sounded like a gun, but it was almost rhythmic. It dawned on Krystal that these were footsteps, but they were loud enough to echo. Each step sounded more like a stomp, as if whoever was making the noise was either angry or doing a match. Using her telepathy, Krystal tried to sense for the person behind the noise. However, she couldn't find anyone with her powers. Whoever was doing it, the cobalt vixen had a feeling that it was either an artificial noise, or that the noise was being made by something that wasn't on the same field as the living, like a ghost.
It's definitely something monstrous! Krystal thought to herself. It has to be a ghost or something, because sensing something that's dead is not as easy as sensing something that's alive. Gee, this reminds me of when we heard news about how there had been multiple disappearances around Corneria City, which were all solved when the victims were found with holes in their necks. And several of them were in the CDF, no less! That settles it, I'm telling the others what I heard! Chances are, we'll go searching for the -!
"Hey good lookin'."
Upon hearing that voice, Krystal stopped thinking to herself and turned around. Standing near her was a hyena dressed in denim clothing. He was a few inches taller than the cobalt vixen, to the point where he could knock her down with little effort. The feline's brown eyes glared to the vulpine's green eyes, full of malice and lust. He was muscular, but it was only showing on his arms and legs. Krystal only scowled at him, knowing what he wanted from her.
"C'mon, babe, don't be like that." The hyena said. "I haven't even told you what I want from you yet."
"You don't need to," Krystal said, "because I have a feeling that your actions will speak for you."
"Well, you're right about that." The feline said, getting a smile on his face. "In fact, I'm not letting you get away from me."
"I'm not going down without a fight, buddy!" The cobalt vixen said.
The hyena only chuckled, reaching into his pocket. Readying herself, Krystal watched as he took out a knife, flicking it open. After that, the feline charged at her, his knife held out. Seeing her chance, Krystal dodged and kicked the knife out of his hands. Before the hyena could retrieve it, she kicked him several times, with each kick landing on his chest and head. The cobalt vixen then followed with a punch from the arm that wasn't bruised, knocking the feline to the ground.
I might have injured one of my arms, but it doesn't mean that I can't use the other one! Krystal thought to herself.
However, the hyena got back up, wiping the blood off of his face. Seeing that, Krystal braced herself for another attack. Before anything could happen, the footsteps from earlier started up again. This time, they were closer, as if whoever they belonged to, or whatever they belonged to, was carefully approaching. Despite hearing the noise, Krystal did her hardest to ignore them, getting in a defensive stance.
Great, that accursed sound is back! She thought to herself. Death, if you're making that noise, at least come and kill me so that the creep in front of me will be framed for murder!
"Scared, are we?" The hyena spoke. "Well, you should be, because I'm not going to go easy on you!"
Krystal only stood her ground, waiting for the guy to approach her so she could take him down. The hyena was coming towards her with his hands outstretched, intent on strangling her.
Then something else happened ...
Before the hyena could attack Krystal, he found himself thrown back with a single punch. Much to Krystal's surprise, a familiar face was standing in front of her: Wolf. The cobalt vixen let out a sigh, dismayed to see her unexpected savior.
"I could've hit him, you know." Krystal said, trying not to sound rude.
"Is that the thanks I get?" Wolf snorted. "I just figured that I would keep that bastard from forcing himself into you, so, you're welcome!"
"Thanks." The cobalt vixen said, feeling bad for what she said.
All of a sudden, the hyena got up and began to charge at Wolf. Before Krystal could warn him, Wolf smiled at her. Without warning, the lupine's single-working eye glowed an odd yellow, looking almost like a citrine. Raising his blaster, he shot the hyena in his chest, leaving a hole where his heart used to be. The feline collapsed to the ground, letting out a gasp. As he lay on the grass, blood gushed out of his body, leaking out onto the sidewalk.
Once the hyena was dead, Krystal began to back away from Wolf. Upon seeing how his eye glowed yellow, the cobalt vixen put the pieces together. As she was unable to sense the one-eyed lupine earlier, that was a sign that there was something wrong. In fact, the vulpine's telepathy was unable to detect his heart, which meant that it wasn't beating. There was even a strange aura coming off of him. Wolf was not like how he was during the Aparoid Invasion, and everything about him told Krystal that he was not alive.
"Surprised?" Wolf asked.
"You!" Krystal spoke. "All of those corpses with holes in their necks, that was your doing!"
"Not by myself," the one-eyed lupine stated, "Leon and Panther fed on a few on them."
"You're vampires!" The cobalt vixen cried. "Children of the night! Oh my, I need to tell the others!"
Wolf wasn't cowed when Krystal said that. Rather, he stepped over to the cobalt vixen and took her hand.
"Calm down, my dear." Wolf calmly said. "Fox doesn't need to know about this."
"He will!" Krystal said. "I'm going to tell him the moment he gets here!"
"You won't have to, seeing as I saved your life." The one-eyed lupine said. "In fact, you owe me a little something."
Before Krystal could break away and run, she found herself being pulled closer to Wolf. She was unable to move, giving the one-eyed lupine the opportunity to do what he pleased. The cobalt vixen let out a pained cry as she felt his teeth on her neck. She closed her eyes, knowing that this was the end. By the time Wolf was done, the team would find her drained to a husk. Her body began to shift as she felt Wolf's aura on her.
However, after nearly a minute, Krystal felt Wolf's fangs leave her neck. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was still standing. Wolf was a few inches away from her, wiping his mouth off. The cobalt vixen rubbed her neck in pain, glaring at the one-eyed lupine.
"Did you think I was going to drain you?" Wolf spoke. "As much as I want to bring Fox down, I realize that turning you into a husk would only lead him to me."
"And I just wanted to get back to the Great Fox, before you hit me!" Krystal stated.
"Well, fate had different plans." The one-eyed lupine said. "Now that I have bitten you, I only have this to say: Welcome to the Club!"
"I don't want to be a vampire, Wolf!" The cobalt vixen said. "Reverse this, now!"
Wolf only sighed and approached Krystal. Worried about what he would do, the cobalt vixen tried to use her telepathy on him again.
Does it work?
Upon hearing Wolf's voice in her head, Krystal's eyes widened.
"Well," she said, "I can use my telepathy on you again."
"And now that you're a vampire, you have to obey the typical rules." Wolf said. "Sure, it's no secret that you must avoid sunlight, crosses, and garlic, but there's another one for you to keep in mind: You must remain grateful to whoever turned you into a vampire, no matter who they are."
"I don't want to feed on blood, though." Krystal said.
"Avoiding blood is not an option," the one-eyed lupine told her, "so it's either feed or starve to death."
Upon seeing an Arwing coming down to Corneria City, Krystal realized that it was Fox. With that in mind, she covered up the bite on her neck. The cobalt vixen was so eager to see Fox, she nearly forgot that Wolf was behind her.
"Before the imbecile lands here," Wolf said to Krystal, "I want to tell you this: Your conversion to a vampire isn't just an invitation, but also a punishment for the actions by your team at Sargasso!"
"We we're just doing our job!" Krystal said.
"My team was doing the same." The one-eyed lupine said.
As soon as he landed, Fox hopped out of his Arwing. The moment he got out, the orange tod didn't speak to Krystal. Rather, he engaged in a conversation with Wolf.
"Wolf, what are you doing here?!" Fox spoke.
"Relax, Pup, I'm heading back to Sargasso in a few minutes." Wolf spoke. "I was just helping out Krystal with something."
"Is that true?" The orange tod asked, looking at Krystal.
Krystal struggled to speak for a moment. The cobalt vixen was now in a conundrum: If she lied, she would be betraying Fox's trust. However, if she told the truth and exposed herself as a vampire, something bad would happen to her. The vulpine could feel it
"Yes, he helped me out." Krystal lied, despite some of her lie being true.
"Well, I'm glad to see that you're okay." Fox said. "Head to my Arwing, I'll be with you in a minute."
Krystal did so, sitting behind the pilot's seat. After she did that, Fox only glared at Wolf.
"If I find out that you did something horrible to Krystal, I'll make you pay!" He said.
"You have my word, Fox, I haven't done anything to her." Wolf lied.
Rolling his eyes, Fox only walked back to his Arwing, not wanting to put up with Wolf for much longer. Climbing into the ship, the orange tod began to fly off of Corneria. Setting a course for the Great Fox, he was unaware that Krystal was sensing something odd. The cobalt vixen smelled something sweet, almost like it was a plate of brownies. She didn't see anything like that, so she came up with her own conclusion in her mind.
Maybe Fox is wearing a really powerful deodorant. Krystal thought to herself.
Once they got back to the Great Fox, Fox helped Krystal out of his Arwing. After that, the cobalt vixen went to her room, deciding to get ready for bed. The moment she got her nightgown on, the vulpine went to the bathroom, brushing her teeth. Getting out of said room, she went back to her room, climbing into bed. Her body didn't feel the need to rest, as it was practically undead. Not wanting to draw suspicion to her, Krystal closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, in spite of what her body told her.
Falco was outside of Krystal's door, watching the vixen lay in her bed. To the pheasant, something felt wrong. Krystal's eyes were closed, but she didn't seem like she was sleeping. Even if the cobalt vixen was trying to sleep, it didn't look very convincing to him. In fact, by looking closely, Falco could see that there was something odd on Krystal's neck. It looked like she had two moles, but they somewhat resembled holes.
What's with those weird markings on her neck? Falco thought to himself, hoping that Krystal wouldn't hear him with her telepathy. And why did Wolf help her out down on Corneria City? Something about this doesn't feel right.
Note: Oh, Falco, you have no idea how right you are. Anyway, that's it for the first chapter. I hope that all of you are doing well, and that this rewrite has better reception than the original story. Until next time guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!