Note: As it's nearing the end of August, I figured that I might as well post another chapter for this story. Also, be on the lookout for the last three chapters of How We Got Here, which will be my last official Star Fox story for a while (this one is an AU). With all that being said, I hope that you'll stay tuned for those. But, for now, let's focus on this one. Before we move on, I have something to say to two reviewers.

Big Bossk Man 92: Well, yeah, there's three to go. I should warn you, they'll get killed in different ways. Star Fox is a mercenary team, so it's a given that someone on the team will be on the list of murder suspects. But, given who the victim was, anyone could be a suspect in the investigation. If Krystal winds up being brought up in the investigation, I'm sure her teammates will help her. I hope you're ready for what happens next.

King Tutanfoxenkhamen III: Actually, Johnston was the one who drugged her. Krystal will definitely be in trouble if she ever gets caught killing one of her attackers. Hopefully, the team will vouch for her. Stay tuned for what happens in the chapter.

WARNING: This chapter will contain minor gore, bloody violence, and mentions of gore. If you wish to read further, go ahead. If you do not want to read this, go ahead and turn back. Read one of my other stories if you want. However, do keep in mind that my stories do contain dark subject matter. It is not meant to offend.

Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter seven.

Chapter 7: Another Murder

At Sargasso, Star Wolf was just watching the ruffians do their jobs. While they wanted to help, they knew that the ruffians could handle it. Sure, they were idiots at times, but they were able to prove that they could do anything. However, that wasn't the only reason the space pirates didn't help their underlings. It wasn't out of pride, as they often did things that forced them to swallow their pride for the greater good. Rather, it was because of the news that had come out and plagued the Lylat System.

Ever since the disgraced former Lieutenant Vicks was found murdered, Star Wolf was intent on finding the murderer themselves. It was not going to be easy, given how they wore gloves to carry out their crime. However, the space pirates felt glad, knowing that someone managed to put an end to one of the perverted monsters who were plaguing Corneria. If the murderer wound up killing an innocent, then it was likely because they chose to kill whoever they wanted. Star Wolf was unconcerned with chasing after a serial killer, as they weren't cops. But, if the situation got out of control, then it was a given that they would intervene.

Despite how horrific the disgraced Lieutenant's death was, Star Wolf was interested in working with the killer. Leon in particular was willing to learn how they had done it. Even if he had to torture them for information, he would not rest until he learned how they killed Vicks. Wolf and Panther only wanted to see how the killer would function on the battlefield. If they were TOO violent, however, then they would turn them in to the police. The space pirates weren't law-abiding, but sometimes they made exceptions.

On Corneria, Randall Grizz was working at The Lazy Goat, having resumed his job as a bartender. There were protests to keep him off of campus, as his crimes had been exposed during the trial. However, the protests failed, as the grizzly bear managed to convince the higher-ups at Corneria College that he was a changed man. No one believed him, so the Dean had a few students volunteer to go undercover for the police. So far, none of them had seen any criminal behavior from him. They didn't abandon their post, however, as some even stayed behind to keep a closer eye on Mr. Grizz.

As The Lazy Goat was ready to be closed for the night, Mr. Grizz was just going to head back to his house. That was until he noticed one of his waitresses walking by. She happened to be a white-tailed deer with beautiful blue eyes. While the grizzly bear wanted to leave her be, he decided that the doe was too beautiful to pass up. He just needed to get close to her, primarily so that he could drag her into the kitchen. Then, the ursid would do what he wanted with the cervid.

Once the waitress was close, Mr. Grizz told her to accompany him to the kitchen. The white-tailed deer refused, so he practically dragged her into the room. Now that she was in the grizzly bear's clutches, she promised herself she would fight as hard as she could. If she didn't, then the doe would have gotten brutalized as badly as Krystal Bodimead, if not worse.

"Let go of me!" The Waitress said.

"Not until I get what I want, sweetheart!" Mr. Grizz said, throwing her to the floor.

"You're a monster!" The doe shouted. "I heard about what you and your buddies did to that one girl!"

"Oh, everyone knows about it!" The boar said. "But, you know what? You get to be my next one!"

Seeing her chance, the Waitress kicked Mr. Grizz in the side, then tried to run away. However, he quickly grabbed her and threw her to the floor. The doe was not going down without a fight, so she punched and kicked her attacker. This didn't stop the grizzly bear from ripping off her clothes, leaving only her undergarments. With her being half-naked, the cervid tried to cover herself, only to have her undergarments ripped off as well. Mr. Grizz then moved towards her, having removed his pants, which revealed that he had a big erection.

Before anything else could happen, there was a loud bang. Soon after that, Mr. Grizz fell to the ground, unconscious. Once he was down, the Waitress looked up to see her savior, all while putting her undergarments back on. They were wearing dark clothing, a backpack, and a mask that would remind anyone of a creepy doll. She could not tell whether this person was male or female, or how old they were. However, by offering their hand, the person proved to be on the doe's side.

"Get out of here, before the police can." The masked figure said, their voice being distorted.

Getting up from the floor, the Waitress was ready to leave The Lazy Goat. Before she could, the masked figure handed gave her an overcoat, so that she could protect her dignity. When the doe was gone, the mysterious being was free to deal with the unconscious Randall Grizz. The police had likely not been called yet, so they wanted to get the grizzly bear out of the building beforehand. When the masked person had gotten the criminal out of here, then they would do what they wanted. It was all part of their plan. Or rather, part of her plan.

His eyes blurring, Mr. Grizz found himself waking up in a dark room. The room itself looked like it was in an abandoned warehouse, complete with a lack of lighting. When he tried to move, the grizzly bear was unable to. Something was pinning him down. Not only that, but there was something covering his mouth, like a gag. Mr. Grizz tried to speak, only for everything he said to be muffled, his words coming out as mumbles.

"Good evening, Mr. Grizz." A chillingly calm, feminine voice said.

As he was only able to move his eyes, Mr. Grizz tried to look in the direction of the person who kidnapped him. He knew that they were female, but something about the voice felt familiar. Whoever this woman was, she had a slight accent in her voice. In fact, she sounded like someone who the grizzly bear had known. And he did know who she was: a recent victim of his. Unless he could look over to where the voice was coming from, Mr. Grizz would have no idea who his captor was.

"If you're wondering why you can't move,"'she spoke again, "then I'll tell you why: you have been tied to a table, tight enough that your body is paralyzed."

Upon managing to get his eyes to look over far enough, Mr. Grizz saw who his captor was: Krystal Bodimead. The cobalt vixen was wearing clothing that was masking a majority of her body, such as a hair net and a mask. Her choice of clothing made her look like a doctor, although she also had on an apron, and wore paper bags on her shoes. Needless to say, the outfit wasn't what one thought of when they heard the phrase "dressed to kill". That did not seem to matter to Krystal, as she slowly approached Mr. Grizz. The grizzly bear did not have to guess as to why she had brought him to this place.

"I can see that you're not doing so well." Krystal spoke, having no emotion in her voice. "As for me, I have been busy suffering. Ever since you and your accomplices drugged me, took me out to the forests, raped me, beat me, and tortured me, I have been feeling like hell."

Mr. Grizz tried to speak, intent on mocking his captor. However, his mouth was still gagged, meaning that not a single word came out. Krystal knew what he was saying to her, all on account of her telepathy. Looking down at the grizzly bear, her eyes narrowed. The cobalt vixen was now more eager to get what she was going to do done. She hadn't even started using her "tools" yet.

"I gagged your mouth, mainly because I didn't want to hear a word coming out of your putrid mouth." Krystal said. "Of course, hearing you beg for your life would barely make me feel better, considering everything that happened. Now that we're here, I'm going to show you what I'm going to do to you."

Krystal walked away for a second, which left Mr. Grizz alone again. However, the cobalt vixen soon came back, dragging something with her. From what Mr. Grizz could tell, it was on a cart, given the screeching wheels which sounded like they needed lubricant. With his eyes focused on the ceiling, the grizzly bear could not tell what was going on near him. Krystal soon stood over him, looking down at him with her eyes narrowed. She had a box cutter in her hands, looking ready to use it.

"This is for what's between your legs." Krystal said. "We'll get to that later, though. For now, I'll use a circular saw for your limbs, a scalpel so that I can make incisions into your skin, retractors for your bones, a bone saw for your skull, and pliers to get certain parts of you out. Of course, that pales in comparison to what I'll save for last."

Krystal walked away for a moment, then came back with some sort of machine. Mr. Grizz couldn't tell what it was, but he knew that it wasn't anything good. He saw the cobalt vixen stand over him again, glaring down with her hypnotic green eyes. The grizzly bear looked up, seeing that they were much different. When he, Vicks, Wedge, and Johnston met her before victimizing her, the Cerinian's eyes were filled with kindness and wisdom. Here, they were filled with hatred, malice, and a desire for destruction.

"I have a stuffing machine with me, so that I could fill the areas I remove your organs from." Krystal said. "But, don't worry, I'll sew them up! Oh, and there's one more thing I want to show you!"

Walking off again, Krystal went to get something. However, there was the sound of a wheel being turned. This time, it was much larger than the wheels on either of the carts Krystal had on hand. Mr. Grizz couldn't see what was happening at first. That was until his eye caught a glimmer of something. It looked like light was reflecting off of glass.

Mr. Grizz watched as a large mirror was lifted on top of him. It reflected him in his predicament, and it allowed him to see more of what was around him. The grizzly bear had been tied to a table, hard enough that he couldn't move. Around the table appeared to be stain-proof carpeting or some other material. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't there for decoration. There were even buckets around the table, clearly meant to collect blood.

"I got this mirror from a nice guy on the internet!" Krystal said. "Of course, when I met him in person, my telepathy told me what was on his mind, so I gave him a reality check. I hope you like the mirror, because I wouldn't want you to miss anything!"

Now that he was reflected in the mirror, Mr. Grizz knew that he would witness his own death. Krystal didn't seem too bothered by it, aside from the fact that she was wearing clothing that would protect her from bloodstains. She approached her captive, looking down at him with pure malice. The cobalt vixen was intent on killing the grizzly bear, and there was nothing that would stop her.

"You get to watch yourself die, Mr. Grizz." Krystal whispered. "For the next hour or so, you are going to see yourself in the mirror, watching as the life drains from your eyes. And it will be the last thing you ever see, as I cut off your fucking limbs, rip out your organs, and stuff you up!"

Walking away from Mr. Grizz for a moment, Krystal got out the circular saw and decided to begin with one of his legs. There was nothing the grizzly bear could do to stop her. As the saw was turned on, he let out muffled screams as the blade made contact with flesh. Krystal moved onto the next leg, using the circular saw again. Unable to stay conscious for much longer, the ursid soon bled to death. His death meant nothing to his captor, who carried on with her task like there was no tomorrow.

The next day, Krystal had stopped at the Great Fox, intent on helping out her teammates. While the team appreciated her help, Star Fox hoped that she would take it easy. Now that the cobalt vixen was pregnant, she had to decide on whether to keep the babies or get an abortion. She had months to make her decision, but it was still an important one. Whatever she decided on, the team would have supported her. For now, there was still time for Krystal to decide on what to do.

An hour later, and there was a story on the news. The police had found another murder victim, who was identified as Randall Grizz. However, he was not in a single piece when they found him, unlike Vicks. An investigator had been with the police, and he was reportedly sickened by what he had found. Mr. Grizz had been chopped to pieces, with his arms and legs being severed. Not only that, but his organs had been put in jars, and his body had been filled with cotton stuffing.

"When Grizz's body was recovered," a newscaster said, "the police had to deliver his body to the CDF, who pieced it back together, but were unable to place the organs back inside. The killer had not only stuffed his body up, but also seen the areas where the organs were removed. Police are still searching for the killer, so let them know if you see anyone who you believe to be responsible."

Turning the TV off, Star Fox was left in utter horror. Not only had one of the four infamous criminals been killed in a brutal way, but another one had followed. Unlike the first kill, this one was methodical, as if the killer had taken their sweet time while committing their crime. With that in mind, the team did not know whether the killer was a deranged vigilante or a sadistic murderer straight out of a slasher movie. It didn't help that they could've been anyone, from a former teammate to a citizen Star Fox occasionally spoke to. From there, the news story was paving way for a murder mystery.

"The killer basically turned Grizz into a morbid teddy bear!" Slippy said, sounding like he was going to be sick.

"Or a poor man's mummy!" Peppy said.

"But, alas, he deserved his death." Krystal said.

"Krystal," Fox said, "no one deserves to be dismembered, dissected, and stuffed like taxidermy, no matter who they are! That's just sick!"

"To each their own, I guess." The cobalt vixen said.

Getting up from the couch, Krystal walked out of the main room, entering the elevator. Falco decided to follow her, thinking that she might know something about the murder of Randall Grizz. While he didn't want to upset the cobalt vixen, the pheasant was a little suspicious. He was also worried, considering how much different she had been acting. While the avian understood why she would have been like that, he never assumed the vulpine to act so callous towards someone's death. Even if Mr. Grizz was one of the men who had violated her, Krystal would never say something so jaded and dark.

Upon entering the docking bay, Falco saw Krystal standing next to her Arwing. While the cobalt vixen was about to enter it, she was also holding her hand on her abdomen. Clearly, she had just felt the babies in her womb, and was in pain from feeling a kick. Falco felt as though it would be impossible for them to kick, as it had barely been a month since Krystal had announced her pregnancy. As such, the pheasant found that odd. However, that did not stop him from speaking to the Cerinian.

"Krystal, do you have a minute?" Falco asked.

"If you want to speak, make it quick." Krystal said. "I really have to take care of something down on Corneria."

"It's about your attitude as of late." The pheasant said. "You're acting like you don't care about the fact that a serial killer is on the loose."

"The killer is only targeting criminals, so I wouldn't say that they're a serial killer." The cobalt vixen said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't give them a right to eviscerate someone and turn them into a taxidermy statue!" The Zonessian said.

"Falco, Vicks and Mr. Grizz were two dangerous criminals, even before they got to me." The Cerinian said. "If they continued to live, then more casualties and rapes would happen. Jail is not an option, as they would get out and continue on their crimes."

"Are you okay?" The avian asked.

"I'm perfectly fine, Falco!" The vulpine said. "I just haven't been feeling like myself recently!"

"I'll say!"

Krystal didn't say anything, only climbing into her Arwing. Before she could sit down, something fell out of her backpack. The cobalt vixen was quick to catch it, but Falco caught a glimpse of it. It was hard to make out at first, but it seemed to be a white mask. Not only that, but it looked like the face of a doll. As Krystal left the Great Fox, Falco started to suspect that something was up. It wasn't like her to have something like that on hand.

"Why would Krystal have a mask?" Falco asked himself. "Does she know something about the murders?"

Note: Oh, Falco, you have NO idea. Maybe Krystal should be more careful with her stuff, especially since her mask fell out of her backpack. Which one of the disgraced CDF soldiers is going to die next? Will someone piece together who the killer is? How long will it be before something bad happens? Can Star Fox find the killer?

Before anyone asks, this is not a Krystal Appreciation Month story, especially since I started the story back in May. I've never considered Krystal Appreciation Month to actually be appreciative of her. Rather, with a few exceptions, it's always been a month to draw porn of her and make dirty stories with her. I wonder if anyone who has drawn or written any of those has read this. If they haven't, boy are they in for a surprise.

Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!