Preface: After discovering the leaked Dinosaur Planet build last month, my nostalgia for Star Fox Adventures was at an all-time high. I enjoyed the game as a kid, but after revisiting it, I found the story lacking in several ways. I aim to expand upon it.
Another inspiration for this fic was my discovery of the SFA webcomic by Abby Stabby ( Definitely worth a look, it is impressive the amount of effort they put into their comic. it Looks like it was done professionally.) Please keep in mind; this is my take on events; it doesn't automatically make it better than the actual game.
Star Fox Adventures: A Tale Retold
Planet Sauria
In the midst of a lush jungle, a group of Earthwalkers was on the run. A soldier was at the front, clad in battered armor, while his companions flanked him on the sides and at the rear. In the middle of the group was their Queen. To her side, was her son, the prince; who was twitching nervously. They had been moving since dawn. Everyone in the group was exhausted and could feel fatigue setting in. But they had no choice, they had to keep going. They could not let the queen or prince be captured, or their tribe would be likely fall. They had to keep moving. Maybe they could find some safety with the Thorntails if they had not yet fallen to the Sharpclaws.
The Queen Earthwalker was trying her best to hold it together; She knew she had to be strong, for her tribe and her son. She tried maintaining a calm look, but it was merely a facade. She was desperate and scared. She had no idea what they would do. The events of earlier in the day were all she could think about.
The Walled City had been overrun. Earlier that day, the combined forces of the Red Eye tribe and the Sharpclaw launched an offensive on the city. The Earthwalker army, led by King Albada, fought valiantly. But the joint forces of the two enemy tribes proved too much, even for the mighty Earthwalker army. They slaughtered many soldiers, and took the rest of the city captive, including the king. It was likely that Scales had a reason for sparing the king, but the queen knew not what it was. Her husband had forced her and her son to flee the city, to evade capture by the Sharpclaws.
The attack had to have been planned in advance. A large chunk of the Earthwalker army had been sent across the world, to defended their other territories, while another battalion was sent to Krazoa Palace. The queen knew they should have seen this coming. They had left their home vulnerable. With their new technology and the aid of the Red Eyes, Scales had managed to break through the Earthwalker's defenses, and the city was lost.
Now, Queen Thera found herself on the run, with her son and the few soldiers who were able to get out of the city. It was her hope that the Thorntails could provide the relief they desperately needed. She glanced down at her son, who was still shaken by what he had witnessed. She pulled him in close with her snout, trying to comfort the prince.
"Don't worry, Tricky, we will be ok." She said, in an attempt to reassure her son.
Suddenly, the lead soldier had stopped. He looked around, his expression falling into one of panic. He had heard something nearby. Listening, the rest of the group could hear moments in the nearby foliage. The queen's heart sank.
"ATTACK NOW!" A voice sounded from within the nearby trees.
In a flash, a group of Sharpclaw had descended upon them from the foliage, assaulting the Earthwalkers. The Earthwalkers soldiers quickly formed a barrier around the royal family. The Sharpclaw had begun bashing away at the soldiers with their clubs, but the Earthwalkers tanked their blows and retaliated with strikes far stronger than the Sharpclaw could muster. The fighting went on for some time before, with many of the Sharpclaw being trampled under the Earthwalker's mighty blows. Eventually, an opening made its self-apparent, and the lead soldier ordered the group to charge through.
"Stay close, son," Thera told the young prince, as she took part in dashing through the thinning group of Sharplclaws. The savage lizards were sent flying out of their path, and it looked like the royal entourage would be able to escape. But just as they were getting through the group of enemies, a rope was suddenly thrust around the prince's neck, dragging him back.
"Got the prince!" A large Sharpclaw announced as reinforcements arrived behind him.
"TRICKY!" Thera yelled, as she dashed backward and charged at the Sharpclaw who held her son. This, however, would be her undoing.
The queen managed to bash away the brute who held her son, but several more large Sharpclaws descended upon her. She tried to fight them off, but their strength and numbers were too much for the queen to handle on her own. After subduing her, they beat the queen senseless, leaving many violent wounds and gashes along with her hide. She finally gave out and collapsed.
"Good work, men." A large blue Sharplcaw, wearing a red cloak and golden armor, said as he stepped forward. "Tie her up and march her to our camp, I will deal with the prince. And with that, he grasped the prince by his tail, harshly. He began walking off with the prince behind a large group of Sharpclaws.
"Mom, help!" Tricky had yelled.
But the queen could do nothing, she was at the end of her energy.
But before the savage tribe could tie up the queen, they were suddenly sent flying. The other Earthwalker soldiers had turned back and arrived to save the queen. Quickly helping her to her feet, two more of the soldiers helped the queen, up and aided her in walking. They fed her one of the few White Grubtubs they had left in their armor's pouches, giving her a vital bit of energy. The two other troops were about to give chase to the lead Sharpclaw when suddenly an even bigger group of their brutes appeared between them.
Shaking his head, the lead soldier knew there were no other options left.
"There's nothing more we can do, we have to get the queen out of here! Run!" He said, as the four soldiers took the queen and dashed away with every last bit of energy they had.
"But my son! We have too-" Thera coughed up blood before she could finish her sentence.
"I am sorry, your highness! Truly, I am. But we have no choice. We will have to come back for him later." The lead soldier said, tears forming in his eyes.
Thera barely had any breath left to argue. All she could do was run with what little strength she had.
Eventually, the group managed to outrun the Sharpclaws. By the time they had reached the Thorntail Hollow, it was nightfall. They rest in the far end of the hollow, where a few Thorntails who have up were gazing up at the stars. Upon hearing foots coming, the Thorntails stared at the group of Earthwalkers as they came into view, surprised by that they were here at this time, so worse for the wear. One of them recognized the Queen Earthwalker. He came up and addressed the group.
"My Queen, what happened?" The Thorntail asked.
"N-no time... get...the elder.." The queen coughed, barely able to speak.
Without hesitating, the Thorntail told his nearby friend to fetch their Elder, while he began to get food for the Earthwalkers.
While the other present Thorntails helped the wounded dinosaurs to the river to drink, the other Thorntail eventually returned with the tribe Elder. The elder wore a light robe on his back, and hand a tattoo painted on his body. He bowed respectfully to the queen.
"Please, come with me to my cave. I can treat your wounds better there." was all he said to the queen.. He had his tribe members take the other Earthwalkes to places they could rest, while he aided the queen to his cave. He got to work treating her wounds with the medicines and supplies he had present. Thera was silent for most of it, still processing the events of the day.
It all seemed hopeless. Her armies were fractured, her home was overrun, her husband was held captive and her son was just stolen from her grasp. Now here she was, wounded and defeated. What could she even do now?
The elder, however, sensed her unease, noting her trembling body language.
"Queen Thera, I can sense your pain. I know you have been through much, but you need to get some rest."
"But how can I? Don't you see, Bardon? I've failed my tribe and my family. The Walled City has fallen, my armies are scattered, and my husband and son are now captives! What more can I do? It is hopeless," Thera responded, having lost the composure expected of a queen. She was on the verge of crying.
The elder shook his head. "It is not your fault what happened. Do not blame yourself. You need rest; pondering all this will not do you any good."
"But what of my tribe and our world? What can we do?" T
"All is not lost. A hope will present itself." The elder affirmed. "Now please, take this medicine I've prepared. It should help you sleep."
Unable to do anything else, the queen opted to obey the elder's instructions. After she drank it, she slowly felt her body drifting off into sleep.
"Rest now, my queen. A hope will present itself soon. All we can do for now is wait."
(Earlier that day, in the Cloudrunner Fortress)
A long storm had finally ceased to hound the fortress. The whole tribe had been forced to seek shelter inside. During the times such as these, after a storm, bugs such as Fireflies were much more docile. For one young, Cloudrunner, this was the perfect opportunity.
Princess Kyte had slipped out of the palace, after informing the guard captain of what she was doing. She had spent a bit of time capturing these Fireflies, as they were her and her family's favorite snack. After eating her fill, she had caught a few more and placed them within a container, to bring to her mother, the queen. Her mother had been very stressed lately, in light of the escalating war efforts. Kyte had hoped bringing her a tasty snack like this would alleviate her mood, even if just a tad.
Grabbing her container, she was just about to fly back to the royal perch, when suddenly, she heard something from behind her. SHe barely had time to see a weird, green energy blast hit her. It was a strange blast, the likes of which Kyte had never seen before. It stunned her, and she fell to the floor, barely able to move. That was when she abruptly felt a large, scaly hand grabbed hold of her.
"Well, what do you know? It worked like a charm." Came a fierce voice from behind her. Straining to turn her head, Kyte found herself face to face with a very tall, muscular green Sharpclaw. He was adorned in a leather tunic, and armor. On his head, he wore a horned helmet. One of his hands was missing, replaced by a metal claw. Kyte froze when she realized who this was.
"I am so sorry to interrupt your bug-collecting, Princess." Scales sneered, sadistically.
Panic shot over Kyte as she desperately tried to struggle out of his grasp. But it was of no use, she could not break out of his iron grip.
"Try all you want, runt. There is no escape from me." Scales retorted, taking delight in watching the young child struggle. The misery of others was what he enjoyed most about his campaign, especially the torment of his hated enemy's daughter.
Behind him, a galleon suddenly surfaced, hidden by the storm clouds. It quickly docked nearby, and two more Sharpclaw walked out, a sack in one hand. When they got to their general, they gave him the sack, and he shoved the princess into it harshly.
"Let me out of here!" Kyte's shouted from within the sack.
"Oh, that all depends on your mother's cooperation." Scales replied, taking the princess back aboard the galleon.
"You two, throw her in the cage. The rest of you, get us moving!" Scales barked orders at the rest of his crew, as they did what their boss ordered. Scales glanced at the Cloudrunner Fortress' main section, where the royal family resided. He noted the extravagance of the winged tribes' home.
"You all have so much, for centuries, while my tribe had almost nothing. Well, that won't be the case for much longer." He then thought of his infiltration mission." It's pathetic, really. How easy it was to slip into the fortress-like this. This technology my 'benefactor gave me has proven quite useful." He thought, noting the ease he snuck up on the princess and had taken the Walled City. He had made use of the optic camo is belt granted him. It was one of the many powers this device granted Scales.
As the galleon flew away, he decided to pay the princess a visit. Walking down, he found her locked in the cage, near his office.
Kyte glanced up at him, fear evident in her eyes. She could not believe how quickly things went south that day. One moment, she was enjoying her favorite snack. The next, she was at the mercy of a cruel tyrant.
"How are you enjoying your stay with us, 'your highness'?" Scales mocked.
"Just you wait, my mother will send an army to save me. Then she will destroy you!" Kyte shot at the tyrant.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so certain. Your mother had better choose her next actions carefully if she values your life. Know this: if she crosses me again, she won't even recognize your remains after my men are done with you. " Scales retorted coldly, ensuring his threat was understood. Kyte backed away in her cage, her heart racing.
With that, the tyrant walked back to his quarters. Kyte was left alone and terrified. She decided all she could do for now was to get some sleep. As she tried to get comfortable, she hoped that her mother would send someone soon. And that they could find her in time.
(Several days later)
It was a dark and stormy night on the planet Sauria. In the areas surrounding, All the within the immediate area were currently seeking shelter from the torrential downpour. To call the weather less than ideal would have been an understatement. But, amidst the downpour, a spacecraft was beginning to make landfall.
Its pilot, desperate to land, had little choice but to set her ship down in a jungle area, near a couple of makeshift structures she could not quite make out. She had hoped that they were inhabited so that she could seek aid from the occupants.
That was the best plan she could think of right now. Sighing, Krystal got out of the pilot's chair and exited her ship. The vixen grabbed her staff and raincoat on her way out. Under her coat, she was adorned with a tribal skirt and breast wrap, which covered her mostly. It was a modification of her usual attire; since she found that what she usually wore on her homeworld would draw her too much unwanted attention(with many males drooling over how scantly clade she was).
Hopefully, I am not lusted after here, like so many other places," She thought.
She surveyed the condition of her ship before she left it: beaten, worn, running low on fuel. She had done her best to upkeep it, yet the endless travel it had endured for the past few months to its toll on it. Besides that, Krystal had little money to refuel it, only scraping by due to selling a few treasures she found in her travels here and there. And that was only when she could find a station to refuel at, as her stops at any kind of civilization were few and far between.
It had been several long months. Her homeworld, Cerinia, had been destroyed, though, by what, she was uncertain. All she knew was that the planet's core had gone unstable and imploded in on itself. She would never forget that day; the sight of her homeworld exploding still burns vividly in her mind. Since then, she had drifted from planet to planet, desperately seeking answers to what had happened to her world.
Luckily for her, her way of life was not much different than that of other worlds within the Lylat system, in some regards at least. Before its destruction, Cerinia had an advanced society, having schools, businesses, and space travel well established. They didn't have the modern buildings of Corneria, however. Rather, their structures had been constructed out of a mix of stone and metal, using ancient building techniques. Their society seemed to blend advanced techniques with ancient traditions and secrets.
Perhaps one of the greatest feats of Cerinia, however, was their discovery and use of magic. Under the guidance of the Krazoa race, the Cerinainas had found ways to harness these mysterious forces. Some could channel it through their bodies, while others found methods of constructing weapons infused with magic abilities. As for their attire, the Cerinians kept to their ancient traditions. Most preferred to wear robes or tribal-looking garments, as their ancient ancestors had.
Yet, regardless of their tribal looks, the Cerinians were still well versed in many subjects and work fields, as any advanced society would be. Krystal, for instance, had been taught many subjects in school, including literature, maths, history, and science. Adding to that, her father, the wizard Randorn, arranged for her to be instructed how to fly a spacecraft. She had even been taught in self-defense classes, specifically with her staff. Her people had access to advanced weapons like guns, but many natives preferred the magic-infused weapons that were abundant on the planet, hence Krystal's use of the staff. In her mind, it could prove much more versatile than any blaster.
Her search had most recently brought her to Sauria after she received a telepathic distress call. Being of kind nature and having no other leads to follow, she ventured to Sauria. Little did she know the kind of adventure that would await her here…
She had traveled for only a small amount of time before she came upon the structures she had made out during her landing. They seemed to be made of stone and had some strange symbols on them she didn't recognize. She stopped at a clearing and surveyed the area. It appeared to be some kind of war camp. Weapons were stacked on racks, banners barring a symbol (the Sharpclaw emblem) were set up, and there seemed to be several soldiers around, each adorned in some kind of armor. These soldiers were reptilian yet seemed to walk upright, coming in many sizes and colors.
"If this is a war camp, my presence would likely serve as cause for alarm for them," Krystal thought. "I must consider how to approach-"
Her thoughts were cut off as a surprised yelp sounded from behind her, followed by a number of the natives running up to her. A patrol of them seemed to have returned and spotted her.
"Ok, play it cool. Show no signs of aggression."
"Nxe uho 0ei, nxuk te 0ei nudk"(Who are you and what do you want?) A tall blue one in metal armor, likely the leader, asked her.
"What?" Krystal asked flatly.
"Nxe uho 0ei, nxuk te 0ei nudk." The leader repeated, clearly starting to lose patience.
" I do not understand," Krystal said, raising her arms to show she meant no harm.
"Vehwek kxaj. No uho nujkadw kamo, zijk bacc xoh udt ro tedo nakx ak."(Forgot this. We are wasting time, just kill her and be done with it) The leader said, signaling for the others to attack.
Krystal could sense their intent through her telepathy and panicked slightly. " No, no, wait. I don't mean-" she said before a small, yellow Sharpclaw went for her with his club.
"So much for diplomacy." Krystal thought has she drew her staff to block the attack. Blocking with ease, she parries the blow and sent the Sharpclaw reeling backward. Realizing these creatures would not let her leave peacefully, she readied for battle.
Two more Sharpclaws lunged at her, but Krystal side-stepped them and effortlessly knocked each out cold. These Sharpclaw attacked clumsily and were thus no match for a trained and agile fighter such as Krystal. Growing fed up, the leader stepped forward to challenge Krystal. He drew a sword and shield from his back and slashed at her. The blow came a bit faster than his lackeys had attacked, yet Krystal still managed to block it. Expecting this, though, the leader bashed Krystal to the ground with his shield.
"So he has some training." Krystal thought.
The lead Sharpclaw aimed his sword down, intending to stab the vixen. But the blue fox managed to roll out of the way and regain her footing. Realizing she might have to use deadly force, she readied the fire blaster in her staff and jumped back to give herself some range. In an instant, she released a flurry of blasts.
The Sharpclaw leader, thinking fast, blocked most of it with his shield. He then pushed forward through the flurry and tried to strike the vixen again. After the two traded blows a few more times, a loud call sounded from behind her. Realizing they would be calling for backup, the vixen tried to think of a way out. But before she could, a large group of Sharpclaws had already made their way to her.
"Damn it. Need to find a way out." Krystal thought.
She opted to break away from her duel with the leader and preceded to backflip through the air. Twisting her body with the reflexes of a viper, she landed and jumped off a Sharpclaws head. Catching the crowd off guard, Krystal used the opportunity to bolt back the way she came, aiming to get back to her ship. Ignoring the heavy downpour, she dashed for her ship.
"That could have gone better," Krystal thought.
When she arrived back at the clearing she landed in, she froze. Several of the creatures she had encountered earlier were rummaging through her ship, clearly trying to see if anything of use was on it(Though Krystal doubted that they would find anything, as she had few belongings onboard.) Drawing her staff, she readied herself to rid her ship of the intruders before she suddenly heard a loud call behind her.
Looking behind her, she could vaguely make out several shapes running in her direction. They were following her from the war camp! Unsure of what to do, the vixen panicked, knowing there were too many of them to take on alone.
But before she could devise a plan, she suddenly heard a loud squawk from above and then noticed that several flying creatures, each one orange and wearing a metal helmet and armor, had descended upon them. Preparing herself for the worst, the vixen was surprised when they started attacking the bipedal creatures instead of her.
"Their species must hate each other." Krystal guessed. Suddenly, one flying creature landed in front of her and seemed to yell: "Kxoho aj de kamo, eiknehtcoh. Semo nakx mo. (There is no time, outworlder. Come with me.)
Krystal looked confused. "What?"
The winged creature pressed on." Jkef mojjadw uheidt udt wok ed m0 rusb ."(Stop messing around and get on my back!)
Krystal was unsure what he was saying, but it seemed to be urgent. She had little time to ponder it though. Without warning, the creature seized Krystal and thrust her upon his back.
"Well, ok then, better than dealing with those creatures," Krystal replied, almost sarcastically.
In an instant, they jetted out of there, leaving Krystal's ship to fall into the hands of the Sharpclaw, much to her chagrin.
Souring up high into the air, the creature preceded to fly above the storm clouds. Barely able to see anything, the blue vixen was at least happy to finally be able to get out of the rain for a bit. Her flyer turned his head back and addressed her. "Je nxuk noho 0ei teadw tend kxoho, eiknehctoh?"(So what were you doing down there, outworlder?)
Sighing, Krystal focused and preceded to read the creature's mind. Not wanting to violate his privacy, she opted just to pry into his memories of his native language until finally, she got it down.
"Are you all right?" The creature asked again.
"My apologies, I just was a bit shaken from the experience," Krystal replied in his tongue, much to his surprise.
"Aw, I had not expected you to know my language so fluently, outworlder. You are full of surprises, to say the least."
"That's thanks to certain gifts I possess. But, please, tell me: how did you find me?"
"My patrol saw you landing that metal bird of yours from the skies above and figured we should investigate. We watched you fight your way through the Sharpclaws down there with much skill and grace. Very impressive, I might add. And now, you prove yourself already able to speak our native language. To say this was unexpected would be an understatement." The creature explained.
"Thank you, but might I ask a few questions?" Krystal asked, clearly still confused by the whole situation she found herself in.
" Of course."
"Who are you, what were those creatures, why did they fight you and me, and where are we going?"
The creature began to explain how he was Cloudrunner, a member of one of the ruling tribes of Sauria. He elaborated that those creatures were Sharpclaws, an evil race hellbent on ruling the planet. Speaking on, the Cloudrunner explained that they were on their way back to Cloudrunner Fortress to inform the Queen Cloudrunner of what had happened. Speaking further, he explained that they saw how skilled Krystal was, having monitored her fight from the trees, and, seeing as she opposed the Sharpclaw, wanted to save her from them. Finally, the Cloudrunner explained that he wished to have her speak to the queen, personally.
"Guess I don't have much choice. Maybe this queen will be able to answer a few questions for me." Thought the blue vixen
After a few hours of flying, Krystal noted that they had arrived at a massive, lavish fortress situated in the mountain tops. It was extravagant. Striking architecture and beautiful pink-leaved trees adorned the place, with many emblems located across the walls. Krystal could hardly believe her eyes.
"It's breathtaking." She said, memorized by the beauty of their home.
" I am glad to see that you like it, outworlder. We Cloundrunners worked hard to build and maintain this fortress. It's been our home for centuries." Stated the Cloudrunner she had flown on.
Landing, the Cloudrunner she had ridden on, had instructed Krystal to follow him while he signaled for the others to leave them. Instructing her to stay close, she took note of her surroundings. They found themselves in a courtyard, where many Cloudrunners were going about their lives. Some looked at Krystal funny, having never seen a creature like her before. More and more gazes fell on Krystal as she walked, with several Cloudrunner children particularly awed at her.
Krystal could hear their thoughts as she passed." What is that creature? Why is it blue? What is it doing here? Is it here to help us? What are those weird garments she's wearing?" These thoughts continued onward for some time, causing Krystal to sigh.
"Better than a bunch of hounds drooling over me like a sex object." Krystal thought to herself, thinking back to her last stop at a refueling station.
"All of you, go about your days. This is royal guard business." The soldier announced, causing most of the gazes to shift away from the vixen. He continued leading Krystal through the courtyard.
Eventually, the soldier that had carried her here had taken her to some regal-looking perch.
"Wait here until you are summoned. And please don't wander off. We've already drawn a lot of attention from the rest of the tribe." And with that, he walked in, leaving Krystal outside the perch area.
Waiting, the vixen tried to prepare herself to address royalty. She wanted to ask many questions but knew she did not pry into any tribe's business. "Just ask your questions and get out. Hopefully, they can help me locate the distress signal. Besides that, though, I still need to look into recovering my ship. Where to even begin with all this?" Krystal pondered, feeling she was in over her head.
"Please, come in," The soldiers voiced sound. Krystal took a deep breath and proceeded to enter.
Upon entering the royal perch, she noticed a large Cloudrunner adorned in a blue robe and wearing regal-looking jewelry. On the top of her head, she was wearing a crown of some sort.
Bowing respectfully to the queen, the queen then spoke. "Greetings, offworlder. On behalf of my tribe, I, Queen Safalli, welcome you to our world." The queen said in an elegant voice, not mixing a beat.
"Greetings, your highness. My name is Krystal; I landed in this world not long ago. I was hoping not to draw too much attention to myself at first, but it seems I wasted no time in running into trouble." Krystal responded.
"Lovely name, my dear. " The Queen said before speaking on. "Yes, my guard captain here told me how the Sharpclaw had attacked you, despite your attempts at diplomacy. That is not surprising, though. They are savages who attack and kill anyone who gets in their way. Already, they have subjugated much of the planet."
"They sound like monsters," Krystal replied.
"Indeed they are. Now I have a few questions for you. " The Queen spoke on. "What brings you to Sauria?"
Feeling this was her chance, Krystal explained how she was chasing a distress signal that led her here and her quest for answers regarding Cerina. The Queen was saddened to hear the fate of her world.
"You have my condolences, Krystal." Queen Safalli had said.
"Thank you"
"Now, regarding your distress call, I believe it may have originated from Karzoa Palace. Not many places in this world could send a message to you through the way you received it."
"Krozoa palace?" Krystal asked, confused and a bit surprised. On her homeworld, the Krazoa had been well-known historical figures, having helped the ancient Cerinians build their advanced technology. But much info had been lost about them to history. Krystal was a bit shocked to hear they had a presence on this planet.
"It is our world's most sacred location. It is home to the mighty Karzoa spirits, the creators of our world." The Queen explained, "If a distress call sounded from there, though, I dread to imagine what might have been causing for it."
Krystal was unnerved at the thought of that but pushed the feeling aside. "Could you perhaps aid me in getting there? I lost my craft to the Sharpclaw."
The Queen pondered for a moment. "Forgive me, but that might be a difficult request. My forces are spread thin right now. Already, I have many of my guards trying to track the galleon of General Scales, the Sharpclaw's ruler." The queen said, a bit of sadness evident in her voice."
Krystal could sense the sadness within the queen. Wanting to help, she pressed the queen: "Why so much focus on his galleon?"
Queen Saffali hesitated before divulging the information, seeing no harm in telling the blue fox. " That bastard, Scales, has recently kidnapped one of my children, my eldest. Her name is Kyte. He seeks to use her as leverage over me." The queen's expression fell as she explained." I can't imagine how scared she must be." The queen's composure fell for a moment before she regained it.
Krystal was saddened by what she had heard. Suddenly, an idea formed in her head; perhaps the queen could aid Krystal if the vixen helped her. Besides, it was Krystal's nature to assist those in need, after all.
"Your highness, if I may suggest something." She began. "Let me help you rescue your daughter. I can't just stand ideally by while an innocent child suffers at the hands of a tyrant."
Krystal could sense a feeling of hope surge through the queen. Already confident of the vixen's skills and kindness, she would take any chance to rescue Kyte from Scales' clutches.
"You will? Thank you! Is there anything we could do in turn?"
"All I need is a lift to Krazoa palace," Krystal stated.
"I can see to that." Turning to her guard captain, the queen gave him a set of orders." Captain Kree, I want you to take Krystal and go after Scales' Galleon. With her aid, you should be able to rescue Kyte. After this is done, take Krystal to the Krazoa Palace, then return Kyte to me."
Captain Kree nodded in response. "It will be done, my queen. My soldiers have already managed to pinpoint the galleon's location. I should be able to reach it, now that we know its location." He went on" Unfortunately, it seems that the galleon is passing through a deadly storm. It might be dangerous to send a larger group towards it."
Krystal interjected. "With my help, you should be fine. I possess certain abilities that could prove useful in pinpointing the galleon's precise location." Krystal explained, feeling it better to leave as soon as possible.
Thinking it over for a moment, the captain decided that a single boarding party should be enough. They needed to rescue the princess as soon as possible. If they waited for the storm to pass, the galleon would likely be long gone by that point. And they would then have no idea of where the princess would have been imprisoned from then on. It was now or never.
"Very well. I will prepare to leave out once." Kree stated.
Turning to the queen, he bid her farewell. Fluttering away, he left Queen Saffali and Krystal alone. The queen took the opportunity to thank Krystal again. But before she let her go, she bid Krystal one final warning.
"Be careful, young lady. You are indeed skilled, from what I heard, but Scales is a very formidable opponent. No one on this planet has managed to best him in single combat yet." The queen warned.
Krystal was undaunted. "Don't worry, your grace. I have fought all kinds of mighty opponents before. Besides, if I play my cards right, we can slip in and out of the galleon undetected."
And with that, the blue vixen left to find Kree. Locating him in the nearby courtyard, she mentally braced herself as she climbed aboard his back.
"Hang on tight," Kree said as he proceeded to take off. And with that, the duo was soon soaring away from the fortress. Intent to save the young princess, they heard off.