Star Fox Adventures: A Tale Retold

by Plague Doctor 2035

A retelling of Star Fox Adventures, with elements of Dinosaur Planet. On a planet in the far reaches of the Lylat system, a lone blue vixen pursues a distress call. Little does she know the kind of adventure she will find herself in. Finding friends and allies in an unlikely place, Krystal and Fox must work together to save Sauria from the ruthless General Scales. R&R, appreciated

15. Chapter 15: A Matter of Family

FINALLY, it done.

Just want to give some clarification for this chapter so the timeline isn't confusing. Revallos is roughly in his early 40s and had served as guard captain since before Saffali came to power. I figured this detail would help further clarify the backstory I gave in this chapter.

Finally, I have a hard time explaining this in the chapter, so I figure it would be clear here. The Cloudrunner Fortress in this story is significantly larger than what you see in the game. Think of it as a massive city of sorts. To give you a better idea, take a look at some of the SFA Webcomic scenes taking place in the fortress. My descriptions are not always on point.

Now, back to your regularity-scheduled action-adventure about animals on a planet of dinosaurs.

Saffali sat in her cage, unable to fathom how bad things had gotten. She felt as though she had failed her tribe; for the second time in the past two days. As her mind raced, she failed to notice a familiar figure walking up towards her.

"Hello again, Saffali," A cold spoke in a mocking tone.

"Of course. Just to add insult to injury." The queen thought.

Revallos mockingly grinned at the queen. He could not help but revel in seeing Saffali in this state; his hatred for her burned like brilliantly in the rogue all these years later.

"Of course, you show up to mock me. Why would I have expected any different from the likes of you?" The queen spat at the traitor.

Revallos gave a smile laugh before retorting. "Just savoring the moment, I suppose. Though, the Sharpclaw asked me to operate that lever over there. It seems they couldn't find a ladder." Revallos replied.

"So that's it then? You're the Sharpclaw's servant now?" Saffali asked in a spiteful tone.

"They are a means to an end. Their general promised me the position of king, after he dealt with you."

The queen could not believe what she was hearing. To think a member of her tribe would ever aid the Sharpclaw and sell out his own species. Then again, this particular Cloudrunner had murdered his own brother in a bid to seize power. She shouldn't be so surprised, she realized.

"You will be nothing more than their puppet, assuming they don't just kill you after they are done." Saffali spat.

Revallos looked lost in thought for a few seconds, before he glanced back at the queen. He looked as if he realized that Saffali would be right, but was trying his best to ignore it.

"They know I am useful. "Through my rule, the Cloudrunner tribe will be made stronger than we ever were under you and Regis. Scales will keep his word; he did so with the Red Eyes after all." The rogue countered.

The mention of her late husband enraged Saffali. "How dare you mention his name! Its because of you that he is dead! You murdered your own brother and backstabbed your tribe for your own gain while deluding yourself that it was, somehow, for the betterment of the tribe. You are little more than a delusional traitor and pawn to a monster!" Saffali spat, enraged that this brother monster would dare try to justify the atrocities he committed against his tribe, but against his own family.

Saffali barely even comprehended the fact that the man before her had ever been a respected figure amongst the tribe, let alone the captain of the royal guard in the past. It was nearly impossible to imagine how such a poisonous traitor could have ever held such a prestigious position; and ever wielded such high influence among tribe members. The memories of his service amongst the tribe flashed through the queen's mind.

In times long past, Revallos had been perhaps one of the most honored captains of the guard in the tribe's recent history. The king Cloudunner had appointed his brother to the positions a few years before he and Saffali became mates. Revallos served in the guard with distinction and dealt with any kind of threat to the tribe efficiently. He enjoyed the respect and trust of the tribe. In fact, there was even a time where the royal couple had let Revallos instruct Kyte in flying lessons so many years ago. He had been a kind and humble soul back then. To think such a beloved member of the tribe would ever murder his own brother for more power still baffled Saffali and many others to this day.

Saffali never could figure out why exactly Revallos had done such a thing. It was clear he wanted more power, but at what point at he becomes like this? She had known him for years before that point, and nothing about him had ever suggested him to be capable or willing to do such horrible things. Where had he gone wrong, she wondered. What could have driven such a respected figure to commit acts of high treason against his own family? Were his kindness and loyalty always a façade? Had it once been genuine, but he lost his way at some point? If it was, what had fueled his lust for power; he already wielded much authority and respect amongst the tribe through his position. Countless theories had been tossed around amongst the Cloudrunner tribe about the fallen guard captain, whispered from ear to ear. But no one was certain what the rogue's start of darkness was. Or if he had always been like this.

Saffali shook her head. After all these years, she wanted answers for what he had done. All she knew was that her husband had been murdered in a bid for power. Though it was by Scales' hand the blow was dealt, the rogue was the one to arrange and set up the ambush that Regis was killed in. What could make someone so consumed by greed after a lifetime of loyalty and service? She wanted answers and to see how the rogue could defend himself when pressed with the facts.

After a long silence and a mutual glare between the two, the queen spoke.

"I don't get you, Revallos. You were once a hero amongst our people. Everyone in the tribe looked up to you as a paragon. You were an embodiment of everything a soldier strived to be; you tell me you wanted the power that a king enjoys, yet you had our respect already and wielded vast authority and influence throughout the tribe already. Surely you knew that you risked throwing it all away by betraying Regis and I. Why throw it all away like that; you were second to only the King and I. Did any of it ever really matter to you to him, at any point in your life?" Saffali pressed the traitor, whose smug expression dropped into one of shock and realization. He lost his confident composure for a full minute as if a shocking revelation had struck him. Saffali was uncertain what could be going through the traitor's mind at that time. Had he realized how foolish he was? It hardly mattered; he was long past the point of no return. Even if he came to his senses, the damage had already been done.

After a few more moments, the rogue regained his composure and spoke.

---

Revallos would never admit this, but he was stunned by what the queen had pointed to him. It would be a thousand years before he would ever admit something like this to anyone, but a small part of him realized she was right. In his position of royal guard captain, he already enjoyed a considerable amount of power and influence amongst the whole tribe. It was a step down from what a king wielded yet was still considerable. His actions had cost him everything, he finally admitted to himself.

Regardless, his stubborn nature forced him to push aside the revelation. He had come too far to stop now. He collected himself and addressed Saffali.

"I did because I saw no other way. You and Regis were leading this tribe down a weak path. I had to rectify that before our enemies destroyed our tribe. This invasion proves my point. " He countered.

"Is that what you told yourself? How did you even jump to such a conclusion?" Saffali pressed.

"I had been carrying out your orders for years, fending off threats from the Sharpclaw and whatever else might threaten our home, such as the Bloops. You always kept us on the defensive, never thinking to attack the enemy while they were down. It kept us stagnant. We might have even ended the Sharpclaw's threat if you and Regis had taken the initiative. Even during our skirmishes with the Earthwalkers, which they initiated, you opted to sweep it aside and pursue a fragile peace." Revallos explained.

"You never seemed to understand the value of peace. Is that really what you wanted, needless bloodshed? We lost enough lives to the Sharpclaw and Earthwalkers for years." Saffali responded. "Why would you even think murdering the king would allow you to seize control while I am around? Were you going to arrange an 'accident' for me as well?" Saffali spat, to which the rouge grew silent.

After a few moments, it clicked in her mind what he might have had in mind. If he had planned to her back then, he likely would have told her right then and there what he would have tried only further enraged her. "Unbelievable. Would you have tried to take Regis' place as my mate? You would murder your own brother for hollow reasons and try to seize my affection!? Like I am a trophy? " Safari spat, losing her patience with the rogue.

After a solid minute of silence, he spoke again. "It would never have worked anyways, I will admit." His neutral composure then shifted back to the smug one he often carried.

"My reign will bring a new era of strength to the tribe. Way better than you ever could… and your children will make excellent heirs once we locate them." He said, explicitly adding the last part to furth chastise the queen. Saffali's expression dropped into one of horror before she lost the last of her patience.

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH THEM SO LONG AS I AM HERE! Just wait until I get free of this; you will be sorry." Saffali said, horrified and enraged at the prospect of her children being molded into killers by this monster before her.

Revallos brushed the threats aside. "Oh please, as if you, Kree, or that blue vixen could ever hope to best me." He said smugly. "Now, it's been fun, but I believe I have a Spellstone to find."

And with that, the traitor pulled the lever down and left the royal chamber soon after. Saffali could only sit there, horrified at what would happen if the Sharpclaw or rogue found her children. All she could do now was pray to the Krazoa that help arrived soon.

---

Fox gasped as he woke up, as if from a prolonged reaction to something. He sat up and looked around at his environment. Stone walls and floor, bars and a lock, combined with a filthy excuse for a sleeping cot and a bucket, likely to relieve himself in. It didn't take a genius to realize he was in prison. He shot up and shook the bars, searching for a weak spot. Despite how rusted they were, they refused to budge.

"Figures." The vulpine muttered. He searched his body to see if he had anything of use. Unfortunate for him, his pack was gone, as were his sword and blaster.

"Damnit." He thought before he felt his wrist and realized his PDA and was still present. Going with that, the earpiece was still present on him as well.

"Looks like those scalefaces aren't as smart as they thought." Fox thought before trying to contact his team. He guessed that the Sharpclaw were unaware of what the PDA was, despite their use of technology. He dialed Slippy on the comms and awaited the toad's response.

"Fox to Slippy, come in." There was a bit of static, but he could make up Slippy's voice.

"Slippy here; what do you need?" The toad's voice came from the other end.

"Got captured and thrown in a cell, need a way out. Anything you can do?"

"Captured? What happened? Are you and the others alright?" Slippy asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Scales has more weapons than we thought. He has access to drones and energy shields, and I bet there is more to come. He swarmed us in the courtyard of the fortress. Anything you can do to help from your end?"

"Hmmm… wait, I know. What about the disguise module I have been working on? I programmed it to mimic the form of a Sharpclaw. Maybe you can fool the dumber ones with it?" Slippy suggested.

"Works for me. Send it down."

"On it now, but it will take the PDA a few minutes to install. Give it a bit. While you do that, I will try to conduct a scan of the topography of the fortress, see if Peppy can whip up a map."

"Be sure to inform him of the situation; I get the feeling I will need you guys on standby if things go any further south," Fox noted.

"On it. Contact me again if you need anything else in the meantime. Slippy out." And the toad hung up.

Fox was going to just sit around while the disguise was installed when he heard a set of heavy footsteps coming his way. He glanced down the hall and recognized the shape of General Scales approaching his cell. The general stepped in front of the door to his cell, a smug look on his face.

"Enjoying your accommodations, Fox?" He asked, catching the vulpine off guard. He had no idea how the Sharpclaw could know who he was without outside communication; he had never identified himself to them, nor did Fox imagine news of the Lylat Wars would have any way of reaching Sauria.

"Oh yes, I am aware of who you are. The famous Fox McCloud, hero of Lylat, savior of Corneria. Your fame precedes you." Scales recited in a mocking fashion. "I am aware of your mission here; I would imagine my stunt with the Spellstones would not go unnoticed." Scales went on.

"Where are my friends!?" Fox demanded.

"Oh, they are alright, for now. They will be as long as I have use of them. The same goes for you." Scales said cryptically.

"What do you want from me?" Fox demanded, getting tired of the tyrant's rambling.

"You have the information I might be interested in 'learning.' Namely, about Corneria, and a few other tidbits. We will discuss it later." Scales replied simply.

"Won't tell you a damn thing, you monster." Fox spat back.

"Don't be so certain. I have ways of extracting information. Know that if you don't talk, I will make you beg for mercy." Scales threatened.

"I am not afraid of you," Fox responded.

"Not for yourself, I am sure, but maybe you will be for your friends once I am done with them. Starting with that girlfriend of yours." Scales sneered

Fox lost his temper. "If you even think about touching her or the others,I assure you I will-"Fox began before he was cut off by the tyrant banging the bars.

"Save it for later, I other business to attend to. Know that you have a few hours to comply before I have your friends executed. Think hard on that, outworlder." Scales said menacingly. And with that, he left, not caring about the vulpines' banging on the bars.

Fox huffed in anger, sat down, and checked his PDA. The disguise had finished installing into his PDA.

"Good. Now all I need is an opportunity. Hopefully, the grunts aren't as smart as their superiors." The vulpine thought. He waited for a few minutes before he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Not wasting a second, he activated the disguise and assumed the form of a Sharpclaw grunt, yellow and clad in hide armor. Though he looked a bit scrawnier compared to the other grunts, he was sure he could make it work long enough to get himself out.

A Sharpclaw grunt had been patrolling around the corners before coming up on Fox's cell. He stopped at the site of what he thought to be another Sharpclaw in the cell and looked confused.

"What are you doing in there? You are supposed to be outside, helping. Not locked in a cell. How did you do this to yourself?" He asked, dumbfounded.

Fox mimicked the brutish voice of a Sharpclaw as best as he could. "I was cleaning the cell but forgot my keys. Let me out before boss sees this." He begged, falsely. He did his best to act embarrassed.

The grunt sighed and took out his keys from his hip. "Ok, but be more careful next time. If boss saw this, he would scar your sorry hide for being so dumb." The Sharplcaw said, not even bothering to realize how this cell block was supposed to contain one of the most valued prisoners in the fortress.

As he opened the door, Fox walked out calmly. The vulpine considered knocking the Sharpclaw out but figured he could get some information out of him first. Improvising as best as he could, he spoke to the grunt.

"Thanks, but do you think you could show me where the other prisoners are? The boss said to check on the prince, but I forgot where he said to go." Fox said in a faux embarrassed voice.

The grunt rolled his eyes. "You need to get your head out of the clouds. I will show you, but you need to step up your game. The boss will not tolerate any of this." He sighed before walking off further down the hall and signaling for the disguised vulpine to follow.

---

Tricky could not believe his luck. Not only was he prisons of the Sharpclaw again, but he had been thrown into a cell with a group of Cloudrunners, including children. His reception was mixed, to put it simply. Some of the Cloudrunners in this cell and those near hated or distrusted him, while others were more lenient towards him. At least one female Cloudrunner adult had been kind to him, as had some of her children.

His cell was larger than others in the fortress, made to accommodate several adult Cloudunners. It mostly consisted of a stone floor and metal bars. Inside, several other commoner Cloudrunners were bickering about the prince, as well as what to do. Tricky had been trying to work with them, but no one was certain what to do.

"What are we going to do? Our soldiers have been defeated, and we don't have any way to fight back against the Sharpclaw's new weapons. Any ideas?" A member of the fortress guard asked.

"I don't know; maybe we are just doomed." A younger adult Cloudrunner, Fi, replired before being batted over the head by the wing of a mother Cloudrunner.

"Don't say that. Losing hope is exactly what those monsters want. We have to stay strong, for our families and our children." The mother, Ullia, responded, gesturing to her young son and daughter, who had been bonding with the Earthwalker. Tricky and the two other children played games together to pass the time, which the Ullia approved.

Tricky figured he should speak up and offer a solution to help calm the others. "I am sure my friends will bust us out of here any minute now." He said firmly.

An elderly voice spoke up. "Oh, what would a child, let alone an Earthwalker, know? Your city fell before ours did. At least we-"The elder, Cahir, spoke before Ullia hit him over the head.

"Shut it, Cahir. No one wants to hear your racist rambles." She said.

The guard nodded in agreement. "I may not see eye to eye with his kind, but that was just cruel, old man." He said, glaring at Cahir, who grumbled and turned away.

Tricky had been hurt by the statement but took comfort in seeing some of the other Cloudrunners come to his reference. Suddenly, he felt a pair of wings wrap around him, followed by an affection nuzzle.

"There, there, young one. Just ignore him; he does this all the time." Ullia said in a motherly tone. She had been the nicest to Tricky since he had been thrown into the cage.

"Thanks." He muttered softly. The rest of the CLoudrunners were surprised at Ullia and her children's kindness to the Earthwalker, but she had a reputation for being nice amongst the tribe, even to strangers.

After a bit, the group heard a pair of footsteps approaching, followed shortly by a pair of Sharpclaw grunts. The lead grunt smiled, mocking at the caged flyers, and gestured for his partner to come forth.

"Enjoying the cage?" He asked mockingly.

"If you think this will stop us, you are wrong. It's only a matter of time before we get out of here." The guard, Gauis, said sternly.

"Oh sure, believe what you want. Rest assured, all of you will know the new meaning of suffering very soon." He said, not noticing the other grunt sneaking up behind him.

"You won't be leaving this cell anytime soo-"The grunt was cut off as the other Sharpclaw took his club and knocked him out with a hit to the back of the head. The dinosaurs gasped in shock, not expecting this. Their shock only grew when they saw the Sharpclaw manifest into a vulpine in a flash of light.

At the sight of the vulpine, Tricky shot up and ran to the cage door.

"Fox! You're ok." The prince said happily.

"Of course I am. I am nothing if not resourceful." Fox responded. "Glad to see you are ok."

Tricky then turned to the Cloudrunners. "See, I told you my friend would save us."

The elder, Cahir, nodded. "Well then, looks like you proved me wrong, Earthwalker."

Ullia then spoke up. "Hold up; you're Fox Mccloud; the rest of the tribe and I have heard about you."

Fox was surprised. "How did you hear? I thought you and the rest of your tribe have been stuck up in this fortress since it left the surface of the planet?"

"Some of the scouts caught wind of your and Krystal's exploits and told us about it when they got back to the fortress after the queen sent them back with the Spellstone." She explained. "Krystal, in particular, has come to be held in high regard amongst our tribe after Captain Kree informed us she rescued from the Sharpclaw Galleon." Ullia explained.

"I see. Now, how about I see about freeing you all?" Fox said, taking the keys from the Sharpclaw and opening the cage. The moment he did, Tricky ran out and nuzzled his legs. Fox could not help but smile at this. "It's good to see you too, buddy," Fox said as he patted Tricky's head. The rest of the Cloudrunners followed out one by one, with the children going first.

"Thank you, Fox." Cahir stated.

"Indeed, we owe you for this." The guard added.

"Thank me later after we kick Sharpclaw out of the fortress. Now, can you see about freeing the others? I need to see about receiving my weapons." Fox stated.

The guard nodded. "Agreed. I will search the prison for the rest of the surviving guards. I believe the Sharplcaw should have your weapons near the dungeon exit." The guard then turned to Cahir, Ullia, and her children. "You lot, stay close. We are going to need to move fast if we are to free the other guards down here."

The male chick, Kanan, spoke up. "You really think Cahir can keep up?" He asked before being met with a glare from Cahir and his mother.

"Kanan, be polite." Ullia scolded.

"I was a guard once. I can handle myself, thank you." Cahir said in a stern tone.

Fox listened, then glanced at Tricky. "Tag along with me for now; I might need your help to locate Kyte and Krystal." Tricky nodded.

As the Cloudrunners piled out and began sneaking down the hallway, taking the cell keys with them, Ullia stopped and looked at Fox. A mischievous smile then crossed her beak.

"By the way, me and the other ladies in the tribe were wondering something." She began.

Fox raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Ullia blushed. "The guards told of stories about Krystal and you being an item. Being a heroic couple, helping those in need and the like."

Fox's face fell into an embarrassed expression. While he was no stranger to such tales being spun about him, being a widely recognized hero to Lylat, it felt strange the Dinosaurs of Sauria were already going around and spreading tales of him and Krystal being in a relationship.

Before he could respond, the female chick, Telia, spoke up. "Is it true? Are you two really in love? Thats such as cool romanace you two have!"

Fox was even more dumbfounded.

Ullia hurried her daughter away. "Telia now is not the time for this gossip." She said before, immediately contradicting herself. "But, seriously though, is it true? Are you really an item?" She asked as if forgetting the dire situation they were in.

"No, we just met. Don't fall for such gossip, lady."

Ullia shrugged. "That's too bad." A dumbfounded expression then took hold of her face. "But we have more important things to do, now don't we?" She said sheepishly as she hurried off with her kid close by her. But not before Fox shot her a glare as if to say: "Really, lady?"

Fox shrugged at this and looked down at Tricky.

"Hey, don't look at me. I wasn't the one who spread these tales. But at least you are getting some recognition." He said with a slight chuckle.

"Let's just get a move on," Fox said.

With that, the pair slipped through the hallways of the dungeon, passing by another row of empty cells. It was likely that other prisoners were being detained across the fortress. They would have to find them once they got out of the dungeon. Before long, the duo came around a corner to the main exit, where a few bird more cages were situated, and alone Sharpclaw was asleep at a desk. Fox and Tricky peaked out from the corner, and Fox saw that his weapons and bag were kept on the desk as if just tossed there without a second thought. Very foolish of the Sharpclaw, but convenient for him.

"Wait here; this will be quick," Fox said as he activated the disguise from his PDA again. He walked out from behind the corner casually, trying not to alert suspicion from the guard. Though he is hardly mattered, seeing as he was asleep.

The disguised vulpine banged on the desk, waking up the guard. The snoozing Sharpclaw shot awake, trying in vain to pretend he had been the whole time.

Fox, using his best Sharpclaw impression, spoke. "The cells are secure; there are no breakouts or anything," Fox said, almost sarcastically. He could easily just grab his weapons and kill the Sharpclaw, but he felt like having some fun, seeing as how the guard was caught asleep on duty.

The grunt scratched his head. "Er, that's good. Please don't tell the boss I was asleep." He asked sheepishly, not even considering how suspicious the apparent guard's sentence was. "Look, just take these to the ship on sky docks." He said, gesturing to the weapons.

Fox smiled inwardly. "Sure thing." He said smugly before grabbing the grunt's head and shoving it into the desk, knocking him unconscious. The grunt's body slumped off the desk and to the ground. Fox could have just killed him, but he saw no point. The Cloudrunners would toss him in the prison later. He then dropped the disguise and retrieved his weapons bag.

He searched through his bag and found everything as it was. Apparently, the Sharpclaw did give much thought to its contents. Smiling, Fox signaled the prince to come over.

"Everything there?" Tricky inquired. Fox nodded in response.

"Doesn't seem like many guards are present down here. The Cloudrunners will free any other prisoners down here; let's go find our friends."

And with that, the duo exited the dungeon and left for the courtyard.

---

The vixen sat in her cell, trying to think of a way to free herself. She had read the minds of her guards, including a large green brute and two yellow grunts, and had at least found that her staff had been tossed near a desk in the entrance. She also found that she was in the secondary dungeon of the fortress. It seemed to her the Cloudrunners had need of a second dungeon, though she was unsure why. That aside, she could not find much of a way to free herself without the other guards attacking. She did not have the physical strength to overpower a brute in full armor, though maybe she could take the grunts, seeing as they were poorly trained and fought crudely.

The cobalt vixen sighed. It's not like a solution would just present itself.

To her side, the Sharpclaw grunts had been engaging in some banter, to the annoyance of their prisoner and the brute.

"So would you consider this imprisonment or confinement?" One grunt asked.

"I think it's closer to being incarceration," The other grunt replied.

The brute, and Krystal, groaned collectively. It would appear that the lesser Sharpclaw had no idea what the definition of the word 'redundancy' meant. They would banter on for a bit longer before the sound of footsteps approaching them alerted the pair. Another grunt had arrived and was carrying some keys with him.

"Boss wants the prisoner moved to the main dungeon. Says something about executing her friends." The grunt said, gesturing for the brute and the others to get into position. He began opening the cage. At this, the vixen knew she had her chance to escape.

Planning out her movements, she remained still as the guard ordered her to freeze, and the brute came in to grab her. Then, with lightning-fast speed, she disarmed and kicked him away, trying to avoid a direct confrontation, then dashed out and overpowered the guard's grunts, who were no match for the skilled vixen. Stealing one of their clubs, she whacked one in the head before kicking him into the cell. The other two were swiftly dealt with before the vixen grabbed the keys off one of them, kicked the other two into the cell, and locked it.

"It's been fun, but I got to run." She said, tossing the club aside and running down the hall, leaving the caged Sharpclaw to recoil in anger.

It was almost too easy to escape. The Sharpclaw had been foolish to throw her into a cell without any kind of restraints, the vixen mused. And then to walk in like that, knowing how dangerous the vixen was. The grunts truly were fools.

"Idiots. How is it they conquered the planet again if Scales has creatures as dimwitted as that composing most of his army?" The vixen wondered as she snuck down the hall and towards her exit. Along the way, she noted a trapped Cloudrunner, caged in one of the other cells.

"Miss, please let me out." A young male Cloudrunner had pleaded with her. Krystal, of course, let him out when she got close to his cell.

"Thank you. By the way, you're Krystal, aren't you?" The Cloudrunner asked, recognizing the vixen.

Krystal nodded. "Yes, but how did you know. I have not met many Cloudrunners aside of the royal family and a few soldiers."

"Some of the soldiers who returned to the fortress with the Spellstone told us about you. Great bit of work on the surface, I must say." The male went on. "Think you can work your magic up here? We could really use your aid."

"Of course. Now, where are the others?"

"Scales had most prisoners sent to the main dungeon, while others were held captive around the fortress." The Cloudrunner commented.

"Looks like we have our work cut out for us. Just stick close to me for now until I find my staff and locate my friends; they can help us further." The vixen explained. The orange flyer nodded and followed her down the corridor until they came upon the entrance. It was a simple layout, just a wide, stone room with a ramp leading out of it. The Sharpclaw had set up a desk to the side, where a grunt sat, bored out of his mind. Two other grunts stood guard at the ramp.

The duo was hiding around a corner of the entrance to the cell blocks. Krystal had no options for stealth; she would have to make a mad dash for the staff. With it, she could easily dispatch the grunts.

"Wait here." She told her companion as she sprinted out of hiding and towards the desk. Within seconds, she had managed to grab her staff, left on the desk by the grunt, and extended for combat. The grunts standing guard tried to apprehend her, but she easily parried their blows and killed them. The grunt at the desk was dispatched just as easily with a fire blast to the face before her could even grab his club from the floor near him.

"All clear." Krystal announced to her companion, who was now walking out of hiding.

"Great. Now, what do we do?" The Cloudrunner asked.

The vixen thought for a moment. The drones were still swarming around, and Fox, Tricky, and the royal family were likely still captives. She would need to free them, then figure out the rest from there.

"You said the others were in the main dungeon, right/ Can you tell me where that is?"

"Near the main courtyard, around the main palace."

Krystal nodded. "Ok, I will be fine on my own. I need you to stay out of sight but work on rallying any guards or other Cloudrunners you can find. The royal guard captain likely evaded capture; try to get into contact with him. If you find him, tell him to meet me in the main courtyard." The vixen finished. The flyer nodded in agreement, figuring he might know where to look for Kree, and the two then preceded to exit the dungeon. They parted ways as they got outside.

Around her, Krystal noted the lush environment of the Cloudrunner Fortress. She found herself in what looked like a housing area, full of stone structures with openings wide enough for the flyers to live in. Higher above, on an elevated point that overlooked the rest of the fortress, she noted the balcony of the royal perches. She believed that's where the queen was being held.

Having her target, the vixen preceded to walk through the fortress. After some time, she noted a Sharpclaw patrol marching in the direction of her route, flanked by some drones. She kept out of sight as they passed, trying not to draw too much attention. As the patrol passed her, she noted a few Cloudrunners in chains being marched by the Sharpclaw. It was composed of a Captain and a number of drones.

Krystal clenched her fists as she hid out of sight. She wanted to save them but knew that she would have to take them by surprise. She stayed hidden behind a pillar and spied on them, gazing specifically at a brute.

A brute had been bringing a child towards a captain. This child was orange with green eyes and wore a regal collar and pendant around her neck. She was squirming within the brute's grasp but was met only with cruel mockery.

"Looks like one of the princesses. Take her to the boss; I am sure he will have something in mind for her." The captain said, with a hint of sadism in his voice. The vixen read his mind and could tell that they did not intend to spare her; she would be used as meat for the rest of the Sharpclaw once her mother gave them what Scales wanted.

Krystal had enough. She planned her targets and opened fire on the group of drones circling them from above with her fire blaster, destroying most of them. With quick reflexes, she stabbed the brute in the face with the sharp end of her staff, eliciting some blood. The brute winced in pain and lost his grasp on the child, who fluttered off.

"Run!" Krystal yelled to towards her. She froze the captain's feet with her ice magic and ran towards the grunts marching a group of guards. With ease, the vixen killed the grunts with her fire blaster and managed to free the three guards from their restraints, which she froze off.

"Care to help me?" The vixen asked.

"Gladly." One of the Cloudrunner guards replied. All four turned their attention towards the captain and the brute, who had recovered from the slash to the face but had a bleeding cut across it. The brute drew an axe while the blue and wearing silver armor while the captain brandished a sword and an energy shield. Apparently, he was a member of Scales' elite, seeing as he was gifted with this advanced weapon.

"You will pay for that, outworlder." The brute said.

The captain activated his shield and readied himself. "Nice moves, lady. Well then: let's dance." He said smugly before engaging Krystal.

The Cloudruuners attempted to pelt him with fire blasts, but he blocked and dodged the blast before moving towards the vixen, who parried a blow from his sword. The guards, meanwhile, opted to deal with the massive brute, who was swinging widely out of them.

To everyone's surprise, the brute drew a few throwing knives from a pouch and attempted to toss them out the Cloudrunners with surprising precision, aiming for their wings. The guards barely dodged this and were trying to pelt him with fire blasts. The brute, however, either tanked these blows or dodged them before countering his assault.

The captain, meanwhile, was engaged in a fierce duel with the vixen. He proved a skilled combatant, striking at Krystal with precise blows and the kind of finesse not commonly seen amongst Sharpclaws. Krystal kept on the defensive, blocking his blows and looking for an opening. After a few blows, she jumped back and readied a flurry of fire blasts, but the captain blocked them with his shield. She quickly changed tactics and switched to her ice blast, circling the captain in an attempt to create an opening. She kept up the ice flow as the captain attempted to follow her movements, blocking the blows with his shield.

This, however, was just what the vixen wanted.

Thinking fast, she quickly changed directions and managed to catch the captain on his backside, as he had been too focused trying to match the direction Krystal was stepping in. She managed to catch him off guard and partially freeze his body. At best, she had bought about a second before he broke off the excess ice, but this was all she needed.

The vixen quickly stabbed his shield arm with the sharp end of her staff, causing the captain to grasp in pain and drop his shield, which deactivated and fell to the floor. Krystal blasted it with her fire blaster, destroying it. The Sharpclaw, however, recovered quickly and blocked the incoming blow from the vixen's staff with his sword before adopting a new stance.

"Impressive skills, outworlder, but I'm not done yet." The captain taunted before reengaging the vixen.

He proved surprisingly fast without his shield, striking at the vixen with a series of quick swipes. She managed to block them all, but the last swipe was aimed at her midsection. She barely managed to dodge the blow by sidestepping it. As she regrouped, Krystal knew she would have to adopt a new tactic. Though she had been reading his mind to get an advantage on his tactics, his reflexes made him hard to predict and counter all the same. She would need a new approach.

Thinking fast, she charged magic within her staff and planned her assault. She charged towards the captain, baiting him with a false attack in the hopes of creating an opening. Her bait worked as he readied himself to block her staff, but instead of hitting him, the vixen, with viper-like reflexes, instead vaulted over him and landed behind him, then hit him in the back with a magically charged blow from her staff.

With a burst of blue magic emitting from the blow, the Sharpclaw was sent flying a few feet and landed on the stone ground harshly, dropping his sword in the process. Though his metal armor likely absorbed most of the blow, he still felt the impact of the charged blast. Before he got back up, the vixen stood over him, on his back, with her staff to his head. She flicked off his helmet and spoke to him.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" Krystal mocked the captain.

"Oh, save it." The captain said simply.

Krystal had enough of him and opted to read his mind using her telepathy. Focusing, she found several important bits of information; finding where Kyte and her mother were being held; however, the next few pieces of information the vixen found stunned her. The Sharpclaw had amassed a small squadron worth of spacecraft, including fighters and transports. The captain did not know where they were docked currently, but he had known the Sharpclaw were building more in a base in the Golden Planes.

"I have to tell this to Fox and his team." Krystal realized, knowing that they were the only ones who could hope to counter such a threat.

Besides relevant information, the vixen had detected a horrific amount of vile musings and intentions within the Sharpclaw. Namely, he intended to use the rest of the royal Cloudrunner children as food for him and his fellow captains and his intentions on executing some of the prisoners for fun. The rest of the thoughts in his head were downright sociopathic.

Not willing to let such a depraved creature live, Krystal finished him off with a fire blast to the head.

She left his body where it was and glanced towards the guards she had freed, where she found that the guards she had released had defeated the brute, who was lying on the floor dead, covered in scorch marks. They turned to Krystal when they saw her approaching them.

"Thank you for freeing us, outworlder. And great job on defeating the captain." One guard spoke.

"Thanks, but we need to move. I found out where the queen and Princess Kyte are being held." Krystal spoke before realizing something. "Wait, where is the other princess?" She asked, glancing around

Suddenly, a young voice called to her. "Over here."

Glancing up at the rooftop, the group noticed the younger princess, who was beginning to fly down towards them. In an instant, the guards got closer to her, checking her for wounds.

"Princess Riji, are you ok? Did they harm you?" One guard asked. It became apparent to Krystal that this guard had likely been assigned to the heir's protection before the attack on the fortress.

"I am fine, thank you," Riji spoke before turning to the vixen. "Thank you so much for saving us. My name is Riji; I am one of Kyte's sisters. The guards told us that uncle Kree, and you had saved her." Riji began, to which Krystal knew she was about to bombard her with questions.

"How did you do it? Are you here to save the fortress? Are Kyte and my siblings ok? " The young girl went on. Krystal playfully rolled her eyes. The girl seemed about eight and had much on her mind. Of course, she was hyper. Before Krystal replied, a guard spoke up.

"Princess, take it down a notch. Krystal just got here. We will find your siblings and mother soon." He began, trying to assure the young girl. Krystal knelt down to her and placed her hands on the princess' shoulders.

"Don't worry, young one. I already know where the rest of your family is. I am on my way to free them now." The girl's expression lit up, and she hugged the vixen with her wings, to which, After Riji had let go, Krystal spoke again, this time addressing the guards.

"Captain Kree was sent to scout for other guards when the queen, Kyte, my friends, him, and I arrived here. Do you know where he might be now?" Krystal asked, wondering if Kree had been captured or not.

"Didn't see him amongst the prisoners. I would imagine he might be in another part of the fortress." One of the three guards spoke up. "Perhaps we should try to reunite with him; he would be the one to lead the counterattack."

The guard who spoke then glanced at the princess. "The soldiers spoke highly of you, from what Kree informed us. Could you take the princess back to her mother? It's too dangerous for us to fly her around, with those metallic things flying about." The guard explained, referencing the drones.

Krystal nodded. "Of course, you can count on me. But if you see Kree, tell him to meet me at the royal perch; that's where the queen is being held. I plan to free her and my friends, then to find Kyte and the others." Krystal informed the guards.

"Understood. You outworlders seem more familiar with the Sharpclaw's weapons than we would be. The attack here proved that much. Just do what you can, and we will try to regroup with your party later. Though, I feel as though one of us should accompany you." One guard said. Krystal nodded in agreement, and one of the guards volunteered to join. The group went over any other details they might need to discuss the plan and then departed. The other two guards finished their conversation and began to depart, but not without saying goodbye.

"Good luck!" One guard spoke.

"And please take care of the princess; she is a bit hyper." One added, being met with an eye roll from Riji. With that, they flew off towards another end of the fortress, disappearing behind some buildings.

Krystal sighed and then glanced at her ward and the third guard. "So, what is your name, anyway?" She asked him.

"Cain, at your service." The guard introduced himself. "Now, I believe we should be getting a move on. More Sharpclaws could be showing up here soon." The guard spoke, getting the group to the point. All three nodded in agreement and went on their way.

After about a minute of walking, the youngest spoke to Krystal. "Excuse me, Miss Krystal, but could I ride on your shoulder? I am feeling tired." She asked politely.

Krystal smiled. "Sure." And with that, the young flyer perched on the vixen's shoulder, akin to how Kyte would. As the child settled on the vixen's shoulders, the trio continued to walk through the fortress, being on the lookout for any Sharpclaws they might find.

After a bit of walking, Cain spoke up. "I could always fly you over to the main palace, you know." He stated.

Krystal, of course, had considered that, to begin with. But she had her reasons for staying on foot.

"Maybe, but first, we should find Kyte; she isn't very far. They have her near the market area, along with some of the other prisoners." Krystal explained. "Though, I probably should have mentioned that from the start." She noted, embarrassed.

"It's fine. The market is just a bit further ahead, but I imagine there are more Sharpclaw ahead." Cain replied. He pointed Krystal in the direction of the market, and the trio continued their walk there.

Eventually, they came across the Cloudrunner marketplace, where traders from other tribes would come to sell their wares amongst the Cloudrunners and vise versa. Several wooden tables were lined out across the area; an open plaza, with a stone floor with the Cloudrunner crest in its center. More buildings were around the area, with blue roofs, and the same stonework is seen across the fortress.

At the center, Krystal noted several Cloudrunners caught in nets.

Cain, Krystal, and Riji hid at the corner to one of the gates. Only about seven yellow Sharpclaw grunts, each in hide armor and wielding clubs, were flanked by a small group of drones. Krystal used her telepathy to sense the thoughts of the nearby enemies. After searching their minds, it seemed they were rounding up any hiding Cloudrunner commoners and examining them to use as slaves.

This made the vixen's blood boil. She glanced back at the plaza and gasped when she noted something she had not seen initially.

Princess Kyte was sitting in a birdcage on a desk attended to by a grunt. A mixture of fear and sadness was evident on her face. Krystal, and Riji, gasped when they recognized her.

"Kyte…"

"Sister! We've got to help her." Riji shouted, but Krystal calmed her down.

"And we will, same as the others there. Just got to think of a plan." Krystal said, examining her surroundings.

"You think we can take all of them by ourselves?" Cain asked.

Krystal laughed. "Of course. The grunts are pathetically weak, and the drones aren't that durable; they can be downed in a single hit from a fire blast. They are built for quantity, not quality, after all." Krystal noted.

"So, what's our plan?" Cain asked.

"Need you to create a distraction. Aim for the drones with your fire breath; then I will mop up and deal with the grunts." Krystal explained to Cain. She then glanced at the child.

"Riji, you stay here and keep out of sight."

"But I want to help too." She wined.

Krystal shook her head. "You will be by staying safe. Return to me when the coast is clear." She said. Riji thought for a moment and then nodded her head. The trio was about to sping their attack when they heard a shout from the plaza and heard a Sharpclaw grunt running in with an orange Cloudrunner chick in his grasp. Krystal did not recognize him, but Riji did instantly.

"Teba! Krystal, they have one of my brothers!" Riji said, panicked.

"Not if I can help it!" Krystal replied firmly, signally for Cain to begin his diversion. Within seconds, Cain was airborne and was fluttering high above the plaza. Within another few seconds, he began pelting the group of drones with his fire breath, downing many of them. Krystal quickly joined the fray as Rijij flew off her shoulder, and ran into the plaza, dispensing several fireblasts. With impressive accuracy, Krystal wiped out many of the remaining drones while Cain finished that remained. This left the grunts, who were caught completely off guard. They each charged at Krystal, but she dispatched them with ease, some with her staff, others with the fireblasts. While she dealt with the group of four, the others were attempting to get behind her, only to be roasted by Cain's fire breath. He divebombed one of them and lifted him off high into the air before flying him away and tossing him onto the hard pavement elsewhere. In the chaos, Teba had been freed and flew out of the fight.

This left only one grunt left, who dropped his weapon and surrendered. Krystal, enraged beyond belief at their cruelty towards their prisoners, walked over to him and held her staff to his neck.

"Please, I didn't mean to hurt them. I was just following orders." The grunt stammered, trying to justify his actions.

"Didn't mean to hurt them? Then why did I sense you taking pleasure in your actions? How is following orders an excuse for enslaving innocents?" Krystal demanded.

The Sharpclaw desperately tried to come up with a defense, stuttering like mad. But he was knocked out by the vixen with a blow to his head. She figured it better to let the Cloudrunners take him, prisoner, to know the pain he inflicted on them.

She then whistled for Riji, who fluttered over to her immediately. Hovering by the vixen, the duo quickly ran over to Kyte, who was still on the table, staring in awe at Krystal and her sister.

"Krystal, Riji! I can't believe it's you!" Kyte said, to which her sister landed near her.

"Kyte, thank the Krazoa you are ok!" The younger princess replied.

"It's good to see you too, Kyte. Now let's get you out of that cage." Krystal said, taking a key off a nearby Sharpclaw and opening the cage, freeing Kyte.

The two sisters shared a hug before their brother, who was freed in the attack, joined them.

"Kyte, Riji!" He said joyfully.

"Teba!" The sisters said, giving a joint hug to their brother. Krystal smiled at the three young siblings. They each shared a hug for a solid minute while Cain landed nearby. He and Krystal got to work freeing the captives, who all thanked the pair in turn.

After a few minutes, everyone was free and accounted for. The group of Cloudrunners then turned to the vixen, and an older male Cloudrunner stepped forth to address her.

"First, you save one of our princesses; then you come to the aid of the entire tribe. You truly are a friend to us, Krystal." He said.

Krystal smiled. "Ok, I appreciate it, but that's enough thank you's for now. Let's think about getting you all to safety." Krystal began, turning to Cain.

"Do you have any shelters you could take them to?" She asked the guard.

"They were likely overrun. We need to regroup with the other guards and soldiers. Hopefully, the captain has rounded up a few guards by now." Cain noted.

"Well, then you're in luck.." A voice sounded from above. The large group looked up to see Captain Kree with a group of about six other soldiers flanking him, hovering just above the plaza. The incoming group landed just in front of the captives, and Kree stepped forward. Before he could even say anything, three young voices rang across the plaza.

"UNCLE!" Kyte and her siblings shouted as each of them fluttered over and bombarded their uncle in hugs. He nearly fell over from the impact of the three young children tackling him. The whole crowd laughed in laughed at the sight of their mighty captain being buried in hugs, though most were smiling at the heartwarming sight of a family reunion all the same. Krystal smiled as well, glad she could help make this happen.

"Kyte, Riji, Teba, it's good to see you all too," Kree said, gathering his nieces and nephews into a hug with his massive wings. "It's nice to be able to hold you all again; I would be lying if I said I didn't panic after the fortress got hit," Kree replied, maintaining the hug and glancing over to Krystal, who had begun padding over towards them.

"Krystal, it's good to see you again. Good work freeing yourself and the others, especially my nieces and nephew here. You've done that tribe a real service."

Krystal had heard this several times over by this point but was still happy to hear it all the same.

"Yes, but we're not done yet. We need to regroup with the others and free the rest of your family." She noted.

"And kick out Scales and the Sharpclaw. And put Revallos in his place while we're out it." Kree added.

"And that, yes," Krystal said sarcastically.

Kree spoke up again. "Some of the guards came into contact with Fox after he freed some prisoners from the main dungeon. He's on his way to the royal perches, along with Tricky. We should meet them there." Kree noted.

"Indeed. Once we regroup, we can plan a counterattack. But let's not waste any time." Krystal said, ready to get to the point.

Kree nodded, released his nieces and nephews, and then turned to his soldiers. Though he was the crown guard captain and not a military commander, command over the situation defaulted to him in the event of an attack on the fortress itself, per the Cloudrunner's standard procedures.

"Men, women, you know what is at stake here. These monsters think they can invade our homes and slaughter our loved ones. Well, we will show them. Thanks to the help of the outworlders and your brave efforts, we are on the verge of freeing our people from these monsters. I will go with Krystal to rescue the queen; I need the rest of you to get the commoners to safety and to focus on freeing the other soldiers. Once we all regroup, we can plan a counterattack." Kree said, in a grandiose speech.

"Get these citizens to safety, then focus on search and rescue. We need to get the innocent out of harm's way before we begin the main attack. Now go!" Kree said that the soldiers saluted with their wings and began escorting the commoners to another part of the fortress, likely still within their control. Kree turned to Krystl and his family.

"Let's go." He said, gesturing for Krystal to get on his back while the children took flight and followed them. After Krystal was on, they took flight and made their way for the main palace.

---

Fox and Tricky were nearing the royal perches by now, making their way through the main courtyard and towards the sky decks just in front of the royal chambers. As the name implied, the sky decks were a massive open space in front of the main palace, with a large enough space that one could likely park a large ship in front of it. The main palace overlooked this area. The palace was made up of vivid stonework and had several lavish pillars in front of it. In its center, a large gate opened towards the royal perches, where a large platform was present, along with several perches for the other members of the royal family. It seemed to have many updrafts circulating throughout it, leading Tricky to believe the Cloudrunners used this location to practice flight or to take off easier.

Fox and Tricky made their way across the Skydeck, noting the surprising lack of Sharpclaws. Along the way, they made a note of a ship parked on one end; seemly left there. Fox was surprised to see it parked so haphazardly but shrugged. It was of little importance right now and would have to be looked into later.

The duo was approaching the gate when they were alerted to the sound of flapping. Turning around, they gasped in surprise when they saw Kree and Krystal, surrounded by Kyte and two Cloudrunner chicks.

When Kree sat down, the vulpine ran up and hugged each other. "Krystal!" Fox said, running up and hugging the vixen. She returned the gesture, and they held their embrace for some time.

"I was worried about you, Fox. Scales threatened to kill you and the others if I did not tell him what he wanted." Krystal responded, shedding a single tear. She did her best to suppress it, but the thought of some of her only friends getting murdered shook her more than she realized.

"I got out, though, same as you. And I see you already freed our friends." He said, gesturing to Kyte and Kree.

Tricky, meanwhile, was busy being introduced to Kyte's family. "It's good to see you're ok, princess." He had said.

"It's mutual, Trick. Now, let me introduce you to my siblings, Riji and Teba." She said, the two other chicks. They looked over the Earthwalker with curiosity; apparently, their mother had not been very big on installing hatred of the Earthwalkers into them.

"So you're an Earthwalker? Never met one of you before." Teba noted.

"Yeah, thought you would be bigger. Though it's good to meet you." Riji said. The awkwardness Tricky felt at meeting the heirs of his enemy clan seemed to be lost on the younger chicks. Tricky just rolled with it.

"Haven't hit my growth spurt yet, I guess." He shrugged. The children talked amongst themselves while the adults spoke.

"Alright, good to see you two are alright as well. Thanks for freeing the other prisoners, by the way, Fox." Kree said to the vulpine

Fox nodded. "Just doing my job."

Krystal admired his professionalism. She was about to speak further before she noticed a familiar ship on the other side of the Skydeck. After a moment, she gasped and recognized it had her own.

"Fox, I think that's my ship over there!" Krystal said, alerting him to the ship he had found a moment ago. "What's it doing here?"

Fox was caught off guard. "Your ship? What are the odds? Maybe they used it as a makeshift transport to get additional troops here? I mean, they can't have that many shuttles currently, right?" He guessed.

Krystal shrugged. "We will look into it a little bit."

Fox agreed. "Now, I take it we have a queen to save." He said.

Kree nodded and gestured towards the royal palace. As far as Krystal could tell, the Sharpclaw had deemed the queen secure and recalled forces to help deal with the freed Cloudrunners. Kree led the group through the gate and into the royal perches, which seemed to lack guards at the moment.

Queen Saffali was sitting in her cage on the main platform, crying. She gasped in surprise when she heard the footsteps approaching. Turning her head, a smile formed on her face as she saw who was coming.

"Mother!" The royal heirs shouted in unison before fluttering towards her cage and landing just in front of it. The other three group members were helped onto the platform by Kree. The queen smiled down at her children, who were each looking up at her.

"My darlings, you are a sight for sore eyes. I am relieved to see you three are ok." She said. She noted that two were still missing but would have to address that in a moment. She was just relieved to see any of her children were out of harm's way by this point.

"Your highness," Fox said, getting her attention. She turned to the vulpines and Earthwalker prince.

"Good to see each of you. We will talk in a bit; please try to get me out of this cage." She said, eager to be free. Fox and Krystal couldn't blame her for wanting to be free. They got to work on breaking the lock on her catch through a mix of ice magic and blaster shots. After a moment, she was freed, and the queen walked out of the cage.

The instant she did, she opened her wings and embraced each of her children. "My darlings, I can't tell you enough how worried I was about each of you." She said, with a tear rolling down her face. Her children returned the gesture, wrapping their wings around their mother and nuzzling her as well.

Tears began rolling down Kyte's face. "Mother, Riji, Teba... I was so worried about all of you." She began, choked in tears. "When I was captured, the Sharpclaw told me they would kill each of you. I-I thought it was the end... t-that I would n-never-" Kyte stammered through tears. Krystal could sense thoughts of anguish within the young girl; she did her best to hide it, even while in the fortress, and though she was relieved to see most of her family safe again, the experience of being recaptured and seeing her home like this was still daunting too. However, the vixen knew this was a matter of family and was best left to her own. There was only so much the vixen could do for her.

Saffali hugged her daughter tighter while her sibling nuzzled their older sister. "There, there, my darling... everything will be alright."

"Yeah, it was harrowing, but we are almost through it. We just got to find Ezra and Tesa, and our friends will handle the rest." Teba said, trying to comfort his older sister.

Kyte thought for a moment and smiled. "Yeah, that sounds good. And then this nightmare will be over." She said, wiping the tears from her face.

"Just hope we don't have to see that traitor's ugly face, though." Kyte added, reflecting on how her traitorous uncle was still at large."

"Don't worry, my dears; he won't so much as glance at you while I am around," Saffali interjected.

After the embrace ended and she let go of her children, she turned to her brother. "Once again, you have done well. Where would we be without you, Kree?" Saffali complimented.

"Just doing my duty. I am just glad to see you are ok, Saffali." He said in response. "But let's not forget the help our friends here gave us. Thanks to them, many Cloudrunners are now free, and we have a shot at retaking our home." Kree explained. The queen perked up at this. Her children stood aside for a moment, letting their mother address the vulpines.

"Yet again, you come to our aid Krystal. But we owe you thanks as well, Fox." She said, bowing gracefully. The vulpines both returned the gesture.

"Now, we have little time to waste. Two of my children are still unaccounted for. I need your help to find them." Saffali stated. "As well as that, Scales is likely in the treasure room, searching for the Spellstone. He had to be stopped, but Revallos is still out there as well. I know that he needs to be dealt with, but my children and the Spellstone should be the priority. Please find them." Saffali pleaded.

"Don't worry, queen, you can count on us. It's about time we brought that bastard down a peg." Fox replied.

To his side, Kyte began pondering something. After a moment, she spoke up. "Mother, I think I know where Tesa and Ezra are. They weren't among the captives when I was captured; I think I can retrieve them." Kyte stated. Her mother, however, looked unsure.

"Kyte, my dear, I don't want to put you at risk; please tell us and remain with your other siblings," Saffali replied. Kyte pouted.

"But mother, it's not far, and there are other matters to attend to. There shouldn't even be any Sharpclaw over there. Just let me find them, please." Kyte pleaded.

Her mother looked unsure, still. She knew Kyte had a point, and many problems on hand needed to be dealt with. But at the same time, she was uncertain about letting Kyte out of her sight again.

At this, Krystal spoke up. "Your highness, if I may, I believe your daughter will be fine. She can handle herself, and it shouldn't be any trouble for her if what she says is true. Perhaps we should let her handle this." Krystal stated, knowing they had little time to lose in dealing with Scales and the Sharpclaw. If Kyte could handle this task alone, it would prove helpful to the others. She should be safe, as she knew the fortress well and could likely outmaneuver any enemies in her way, given her flight abilities.

After another moment of hesitation, Saffali caved in. "Alright, but come right back here. Understand?"

Kyte nodded. "I promise, I will be quick." She stated.

"Good. Now, the rest of you, I believe we should get a move on." Saffali urged, leading the group out of perches and towards the sky docks. While everyone was there, they discussed their plan of action.

The children, including Tricky, were to follow the queen and remain at her side as they relocated towards the other guards. Krystal and Kree would accompany them towards a previous point Kree had instructed the soldiers to gather in another part of the fortress. Fox was directed towards the treasure room to deal with Scales. Back up would be sent his way eventually, but he had proven a capable fighter and could likely handle the tyrant and his minions on his own. Krystal had offered to join him, but Fox convinced her she was needed elsewhere. He had dealt with all sorts of nasty characters before; this was no different to him.

Kyte, meanwhile, was bid good luck and safety by her other siblings and directed to lead them to the rally point when she located them. If there were any signs of trouble, she was to turn back and get help. Before they went about their ways, Krystal asked Fox to look into her ship.

"Don't know if we have time for this, Krystal." Fox had stated. "That being said, I think I have to look into transporting it back to the Great Fox. Give me a second to scan it into the PDA and send the data to Slippy. He makes something of it."

Krystal sighed. "Works for me. At least it's back in my hands again. I know we are pressed for time, but it's a relic from home. Thank you, Fox." She said, to which the todd blushed slightly. He scanned the ship and sent the relevant data back to his team to sort out. With that, they finished and prepared for his confrontation with Scales.

"Good luck, Fox. And… be careful. I don't want to lose you again." Krystal said a bit awkwardly. Fox hoped he wasn't reading into her hesitation to much.

Fox noted her brief pause but decided to leave it at that for now. "Thank you, Krystal. You do the same."

"Keep your head in the game, Fox. Don't get distracted by your feelings."

The Cloudrununer family bid him good luck as well. They also waved off to Kyte and made sure she knew what she was doing.

"Yes, mother. I will be alright. I will see you soon." She had told her mother. She knew her mom wanted to protect her, but she had to prove herself somehow. She couldn't just rely on others to do everything for her. And she knew exactly where to look for her siblings. It should be a breeze.

With that, Kyte bid everyone luck ad took off.

---

Kyte flew throughout the fortress, searching around for her other brothers and sisters. She knew that the others had to be around here somewhere. Then, the realization hit the young girl: if they were to hide anywhere, it would be where they hid from the guards after some of their more mischievous pranks, near the statues in one of the lesser courtyards, near a large Cloudrunner monument.

Upon realizing this, the young princess changed course and fluttered towards the secondary courtyard. It was located in the eastern half of the fortress. Though Kyte spent most of her time in the central area of the fortress, seeing as that's where the main palace and royal chambers were, the siblings would often come here to play or hide. It was also a typical meeting area for other members of the tribe, which was why the royal siblings liked it so much; they could mingle with the commoner kids and other tribe members, disconnected from the seclusion of the royal palace.

When Kyte arrived, she took note of her surroundings.

The park she found herself in was a grassy area, with a large statue of Cloudrunner in the middle and high walls with emblems on them. Several structures were overlooking the area, each with a blue roof and lavish stonework and accents. These were likely the living quarters for the common tribe members. To access the park on foot, one would have to use the main ramp from the rest of the fortress in its back. This area was built as a monument to a great Cloudrunner hero but as a commonly used spot for recreation among the tribe.

Kyte gazed around, looking for one of the spots she and her siblings often hid in. Sure enough, she found it. Near the corner of the park, a few pink flower trees blossomed, and a large pile of pedals was under it. She could make out the orange wings of some of her younger siblings sticking out of them. Not the most ideal place to hide, but it worked, seeing as the younger princes and princesses were still free.

Kyte fluttered over and spoke up. "Guys, it's me, Kyte." She announced. In an instant, two small orange Cloudrunner chicks hopped out of the piles of flower pedals and ran out to hug their older sister. Each one had a different shade of orange for their primary scale color, while their wings were a lighter, yellowish-orange. The girl had green eyes, while the boy had blue. Each wore a piece of jewelry around their neck, just like Kyte did.

"Sister! You're ok!" The younger princess, Tesa, said.

"Kyte, thank the Krazoa, it's you." The younger prince, Ezra, stated.

All three siblings hugged one another and rejoiced. "I am happy to see you both; I was beyond worried when I heard the fortress had been attacked," Kyte stated, in between her hug.

"We could say the same about you. We were worried sick after we heard you got captured. We feared what that monster, Scales, would do to you." Tesa stated, relieved her elder sister was alright.

Kyte shook her head. "It was scary, but my new friend, Krystal, and uncle Kree saved me. I think you will like Krystal; she's nice." Kyte began before remembering their situation. "But I will have to tell you more later. Teba and Riji are already safe with mother, but we need to get a move on; the traitor is in the fortress, and mother warned he has the Sharpclaw out to find us!" Kyte said.

The younger Cloudrunners looked unnerved. "That's not good," Ezra stated.

Tesa rolled her eyes. "You don't say?" She retorted.

"Thanks captain obvious, now let's get out of here," Kyte added before turning around. But just as the three siblings were about to take flight, a large shadow suddenly appeared over them, followed by a deep voice.

"Leaving so soon?"

The three siblings stopped in alarm and glanced up quickly to see a massive Cloudrunner in armor and a red cloak with the Sharpclaw logo landing just in front of them. It took the younger two a moment to piece together who he was, but Kyte recognized him almost instantly, based on her previous sighting of him. They each gasped in shock at the Cloudrunner who stood before them.

"Hello, kids," Revallos said cordially. It was clear to the siblings that he was trying to come across as polite, but the siblings had been warned by their mother about him. Kyte, in particular, had been told of the many horrible things he had done that led to him being exiled. To the point, the mere sight of him ignited the young girl's anger.

"It is good to see you, Kyte." The rogue stated cooly. Kyte shot the rogue a glare.

"The feeling isn't mutual. Mother told us all about you; you are the traitor who helped the Sharpclaw take over the fortress." Kyte spat. Her brother and sister were glaring at the rogue, knowing full well who he was.

"That was just a necessary evil to bring about a new era for the tribe. But the siblings didn't believe any of it. I tried to ensure that they did not harm the commoners." Revallos replied calmly, attempting to save face.

"You lie! They hurt many innocents at your behest. You nearly got our mother killed! And it's because of you; father is dead!" The elder princess shot at the rogue, who looked unfazed.

"Yeah, you are evil, like the rest of the Sharpclaw!" Tesa shot at Revallos.

"Get out of here; we want nothing to do with you," Ezra added.

Revallos shook his head. "Oh, save it. Once we are done here, you will learn your place. Listen to me when I tell you I can make each of you stronger than your father ever would have. If you just give me a chance, I can show you what true strength is," Revallos proclaimed; at this, the royal siblings lost their tempers.

"SHUT UP, YOU LIAR!" Kyte said in a fury.

"YEAH, GET LOST!" Tesa yelled

"YOU'LL NEVER BE FAMILY!" Ezra added.

Revallos had a slightly hurt expression but brushed off the feeling quickly. "Enough of this. You are coming with me one way or another." He said, beginning to formulate a plan to apprehend his nieces and nephew.

"No way! Just get lost! You are no uncle of ours!" Kyte spat at the rogue, rage flying through her.

Revallos shook his head and started walking towards the siblings, likely trying to apprehend them. The siblings started to back away slowly. As they did this, Kyte glanced at the ground and had no idea. As she stepped back with her brother and sister, she whispered to them: "Be ready to fly."

She figured she could try to distract the rogue. And she knew just how to.

"What makes you think you would be a better ruler than mother?" Kyte asked, hoping to get the rogue rambling.

Revallos stopped briefly and sighed. "It's simple, young one. That's because I-"but he was cut off as his eldest niece threw a rock at his face, which caused him to flinch in pain.

"Ow, not funny-" he began before he reopened his eyes and saw the three siblings fluttering away. He rolled his eyes in response.

"Oh, brilliant. I really am losing my touch." He sighed before taking flight and pursuing the fleeing children.

---

The chase was beginning to get frantic. The three siblings, each quickly flyers in their own right, were having difficulty shaking their twisted uncle off their tails. After fleeing the park, they had tried flying through the fortress structures, barreling in and out of the enclosed spaces. Such maneuvers had bought the siblings some time, seeing as they could fit through the smaller spaces the adult could not reach. Kyte and her siblings stayed in a group, not wanting each other to get separated and picked off.

They had to contend with flying like this for some time, narrowly avoiding the rogue's talons. They had a few close calls and were certain he could catch up to them easily if they fled to open-air, given their smaller wingspans and Revallos' better flight speed. The chase continued through the living quarters of the fortress instead.

"Can't outrun me, kids. The traitor had called. Best give up now."

"Never!" Ezra shot at the rogue.

"Ezra cut the chatter and focus on flying." Kyte reprimanded her younger brother.

As Revallos was gaining on them, the children saw a crevice between two buildings ahead of them that the adult couldn't fit through. Kyte directed her siblings there, taking the lead.

"Hang on." She called as they each went vertical to fit through the crevice. All three siblings managed to escape into the narrow space as Reavallos nearly slammed into the wall.

"Damn it." He muttered in frustration.

On the other side, the siblings had gotten through without incident and now hovering low to the ground and within the shadows of the buildings to avoid detection. Around them, they noticed several Sharpclaw going about their business, setting up weapons racks, and so on. The siblings remained quiet as they navigated to the rally point in the other part of the fortress.

After a few more minutes, the siblings stopped and entered a large structure, likely the guard barracks. Like the other buildings of Cloudrunner Fortress, it too was made up of light stones but lacked much decoration. They were getting closer to the spot their mother had told Kyte to regroup at. They decided to rest for a minute, feeling tired from the frantic flying.

Ezra briefed heavily. "Well, that was close." He said between breaths."

"Yeah, things got a bit intense for a second there." Tesa agreed.

Kyte, for her part, was still catching her breath. After a few moments, she spoke again. "Yes, but good flying back there; I think we all have gotten better." She mused.

"Maybe, but I think I did the best," Ezra said with a mischievous smile.

Tesa shook her head. "It's not a competition, Ezra."

Kyte stepped between them. "Stay focused; we are in the middle of fleeing for our lives. Let's just get back to mother and the others." She reasoned, to which her brother and sister nodded. After a few more moments of rest, they started flying through the halls again, looking to use the side exit.

"We sure gave that idiot the slip," Ezra stated.

"Yeah, he never stood a chance." Tesa agreed.

"I'll say he will never be able to catch up to us now." Kyte chirped happily as the three walked through the halls.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." A familiar voice sounded from nearby in an amused tone. The siblings each stopped dead as Revallos walked out from around the corner of one of the nearby stone pillars.

"Crap," Kyte said, in a rare display of vulgar language. "How did you find us here?!" Kyte inquired, panicked.

"I knew Kree would be calling the tribe back to this area; it's been standard procedure for our tribe since I held his position." He explained before narrowing his eyes. "You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?" Revallos asked, almost mockingly.

Ezra spoke bluntly. "Well, yes." The young boy could be oblivious at times, and this was no different.

His sisters each shot him a glare, and the adult Cloudrunner's expression briefly flashed to an unamused look. The rogue then rolled his eyes.

"What else should I expect from a child?" After a moment, he

regained his composure and spoke.

"It's been fun, but I've had enough of these games. Now, are you going to come quietly, or do I have to do this by force?" Revallos inquired, readying himself to assault the siblings.

The siblings panicked. In their minds, they tried to think of a way out of this. Sure they could split up, but then one of them would likely be caught by the rogue. They could simply try fluttering away past or around him, but Revallos was faster and could close the gap between them quickly. They had few viable options and little time to consider them. But before anyone could do anything, a voice rang in the background.

"Get away from them, traitor." Kree's voice boomed through the barracks.

The four Cloudrunners glanced behind them and saw Kree and Krystal had entered the room. Krystal likely sensed the children nearby and had warned Kree of this.

Revallos' calm expression changed to one of anger. "So, here we are again, Kree. Figured I would run into you again, sooner or later."

"Seeing you is an insult to my eyesight." Kree spat.

The rogue then glanced at the cobalt vixen.

"I've heard of your little friend here. Proven quite the nuisance to the Sharpclaw; I've heard no shortage of reports about your antics. I must say, I am impressed; you show impressive resolve." The rogue complimented the vixen, but she merely growled at him in response.

"Save it, you bastard." Before she spoke, she signaled for the siblings to flee. All three of them did, fluttering quickly pst the rouge and out the way Krystal had come. Revallos ignored them.

"Deal with them later."

Krystal read the rogue's mind, wanting to know what drove him to be the way he is and his intentions. After scanning his mind, she found no shortage of delusions and malicious: Thoughts of power plagued the rogue's mind, promises of grandeur and a brighter future for his tribe were only muddied by his pride and the horrible things he had done to achieve this. From scanning his memories, Krystal could see that Revallos held a lust for more power for some time, well before his brother's murder. The vixen sensed that he had once been able to keep it in check but lost control. Krystal was even more shocked to learn he indeed had a small amount of remorse for his actions and something akin to caring for his younger family members, but it was overshadowed by his lust for power and his unwillingness to change.

Krystal needed no further evidence as to what the rogue indeed was.

"Do you really believe all these lies in your head? That your actions are for the better of your tribe?' Krystal spat.

Revallos was not fazed, having been told of the vixen's telepathy from the reports he heard.

"You call them delusions, yet I know them to be true. Under my rule, this tribe will be made stronger than ever before." Revallos defended.

Kree scoffed. "You are little more than a delusional fool and a traitor. You murdered your brother for power and lied to yourself that it was somehow for the betterment of our tribe. Even when approached about this, you still deny what you are. You will never admit it, but we all know the truth: you're little more than a monster and a coward who creates lies to justify his actions!" Kree spat at the traitor.

Revallos brush off the accusations, "I tire of these charades. Surrender, and I will spare you." He said, adopting a battle stance.

"You are a fool if you think you can handle us both," Krystal said, grabbing her staff and readying for battle. Kree adopted a battle stance as well.

"Oh, we will see about that. Shall we begin?" The rogue taunted. He took flight and fluttered back a bit, putting distance between him and his foes.

Kree took flight after him, keeping his distance to try and predict how the rogue might attack. On the other hand, Krystal readied her fire blaster and attempted to read the traitor's mind. Doing so, she was able to predict his next set of moves. She knew that he would try to draw this fight outside and readied herself for that.

Kree pursued Revallos, flying through the massive barrack hallway, whose ceiling was elevated to allow easy flight throughout the structure. Kree attempted to spit fire breath against the rogue, but Revallos dodged it and, by spinning to the side, then abruptly stopped mid-air. He did this just long enough to pull in behind Kree, who had been on his tail and fluttered forward, attempting to claw at the captain with his talons. Kree shrieked briefly as Revallos landed a slash across the captain's back, sending him tumbling down to the floor. Kree landed harshly,but quickly got back up and got out of the way as the rogue attempted to divebomb him with his talons.

"Cheap trick, Revallos, but it will take more than that," Kree shouted as he took off again, flying back towards Krystal. The vixen, meanwhile, had been aiming her staff and began shooting fire blasts in Revallos' direction after Kree had gotten out of her line of fire.

Revallos, however, had been quick and managed to dodge the blasts. He circled back towards Kree and shot a fire blast at him, but the captain dodged the attack and countered with one of his own. Revallos spun out of the way and attempted to slash the captain again, but Kree dodged him and countered with a slash of his own across the rogue's left wing.

Revallos shrieked and fell to the ground briefly before getting back up. He took to the air again but was met with another blast from Kree. He barreled out of the way and had begun flying in the direction Krystal and Kree had entered from. The vixen, having read his mind, attempted to stop him.

"Kree, cut him off!" She shouted. With extreme speed, Kree flew up and attempted to stop the rogue mid-air as he was barreling right towards the captain. Krystal tried to stop the rogue by aiming for his wings, but he proved difficult to hit and had evaded her blows. As he got close to Kree, who was centered within his flight path, the rogue turned vertical and barely managed to fly past Kree; swings and then resumed his flight path. Within a few seconds, he was out of the barracks.

"Krystal, get on!" Kree shouted urgently, fluttering to Krystal's location and allowing her to climb on. The vixen got on the Cloudruner quickly, and, within seconds, the pair was taking off after the rogue.

"He's going for the queen and her children! Hurry!" Krystal shouted, to which Kree increased his speed.

---

The duo was hot on the rogue's trail, as they could see him soaring through the fortress at a breakneck pace, trying their best to keep up with him. Krystal informed Kree that he knew most of the tribe would have been gathered at this end of the fortress, as this had been part of a contingency plan put in place by the tribe and used for a long time. As the chase continued, the rogue's target came into view, to the horror of the duo.

Just ahead, a large part of the tribe was gathered in a courtyard with a Cloudrunner statue in the center of it. It had a large patch of grass surrounding the statue, similar to the park Kyte had found her siblings in. This particular courtyard was close by the edge of the fortress, with the vast sky visible. At the opposite end of the courtyard, a stone platform was visible, on top of which the queen and her children stood. Just in front of her, there was a large crowd of Cloudunners of different sizes and ages. Though the exact details vary from individual to individual, they each were a different shade of orange and had other markings across their bodies. Amongst them, Prince Tricky, who had been brought here for safety, stood out like a sore thumb. He was standing near a group of other Cloudrunner children.

Queen Saffali appeared to be in the middle of a speech, but Krystal could not hear what she was saying.

It hardly mattered, though, seeing as the rogue was barreling straight for her.

Kree knew this and did his best to keep up, but the rogue had proven faster than even the mighty guard captain. Several other Cloudrunner guards saw Revallos and attempted to intercept him, but the rogue evaded them quickly, either barreling out of the way or flinging them out of his path with his talons. The crowd gasped as they noticed the infamous Cloudrunner flying right for their queen, and all ducked out of the path. Saffali gasped and fluttered out of the way as he attempted to grab her by the neck with his talons, missing her by half a second. Thinking fast, he yanked Kyte away from her siblings with one of his talons before she could react.

The other royal siblings had also fluttered out of the way, retreating behind a group of guards in the crowd. Saffali joined them, having not noticed her eldest child had been caught until it she was in safety. She gasped in horror and nearly lunged for the rogue, but two guards stopped her and positioned themselves in front of the queen and her other children. Saffali shielded her remaining children with her wings and glared at the rogue. This would be the last time she let him put her children in danger.

Revallos, however, looked unfazed. He stood his ground, remaining on top of the stone platform, in full view of the panicked crowd. He gazed out his surroundings; panicked commoners, furious guards starring him down, as well as an angry queen glaring at him. To top it off, Krystal and Kree had landed just shy of him, and the vixen had her staff pointed towards him.

"Let's see how long this works."

"Greetings, my beloved tribe; I have returned." He said mockingly while Kyte struggled in his talons. The crowd jeered at him but made no move to intercept him lest they endanger the princess.

"Release my daughter and surrender, Revallos! We have you surrounded." Saffali shouted at the traitor, with an apt amount of venom in each syllable. She rarely lost her cool in public, but it was clear to everyone that she was seething in rage by this point. Krystal, meanwhile, began probing the rogue's mind for an opportunity to strike. Anything she could use to her advantage would work.

Revallos rolled his eyes. "Yes, but we've done this dance a few times. We both know you would never do anything to risk your precious daughter's life." Reavllos said, strengthening his grip on Kyte's neck.

Krystal could sense the rogue's thoughts: "Even if I dislike doing this to her, it's the only way." The vixen's hatred of the rogue jumped further. To the bitter end, it seemed, he would justify his actions to himself.

"Let Kyte go now, you bastard!" Krystal shouted, nearly shooting the rogue in the wing with her staff's fire blast but relenting at the thought of hitting Kyte.

Revallos shook her head. "It's simply: surrender, and I will spare the princess, as well as the rest of you. I will warn you now: if you thought the Sharpclaw's initial assault was bad, wait until you see what's coming. They could wipe this fortress off the map if they so wanted to." The rogue said, trying to convince the tribe to submit.

Worried murmurs spread amount the crowd. Krystal had read his thoughts and had found more information about the Sharpclaw starfighters being built within the Golden Plains base; his threats had the merit to them.

Some Cloudrunners, however, were defiant.

"Shut it, will you? We all know you are just stalling for time." A female voice, Ullia, shouted from the crowd. The guards were starting to close in on the rogue as she spoke.

" You are nothing but a fool, Reavallos. You were a proud warrior once, but now you are little more than a pawn in Scales' games." An elder, Cahir, shouted from the front of the crowd.

The rogue said nothing, but it was clear from the expression on his face that the insults of the crowd were getting to him. He ran on pride and delusions, Krystal knew.

She also was aware that she could use this to her advantage.

"Enough, you all will submit to me. Saffali has made you weak; it's why you lost to the Sharpclaw so easily. Through my leadership, you will be made stronger than ever." Revallos reiterated. But the tribe was having none of it.

"Liar. Even when the evidence is right in front of you, you still ignore it. We will never submit to you." Saffali spat as her guards encircled him. He attempted to tighten his grip around the princess' neck, but Krystal had other plans in mind.

Seeing that he was becoming unfocused, Krystal took her, saw her chance, took aim with her staff, and blasted one of his wings. With precision, her shot found its mark, and the rogue gasped in pain, losing his hold on Kyte, who bolted to her mother and was met with open wings.

The rogue was about to pursue her but then was stopped by the guards.

"Surrender, you're done." One told the rogue. Before anything else could happen, a group of Sharpclaw appeared nearby. In a flash, the plaza was thrown into chaos. Cloudrunners, including the royal siblings, started to flew, while guards and soldiers engaged the Sharpclaw.

Revallos, seeing his chance, lunged for Krystal, but she sensed this and dodged the attack.

"Fast reflexes, girl, but that won't be enough to save you from me."

Revallos tried to claw the vixen slash the cobalt fox, but she sidestepped and dodged the attack. Predicting the would go for her again, she readied her ice blaster and, just as Revallos was coming in for another blow, Krystal sprayed the ice blast into his face and wings, partially freezing. This was enough to cause the rogue to lose focus and crash painfully to the ground, many yards into the plaza. By this point, the plaza was beginning to fill with Sharplcaw engaging the guards.

This bought the vixen a few moments of respite; with them, she glanced around and noted the fighting going on. She could see that Kyte's family, including her mother, had fled the fighting to safety, along with the rest of the non-combatants.

She was alerted to the sound of flapping nearby as Kree, who had fended off a few Sharplcaws, landed near her.

"Get on; the rogue is going to let up that easily." He said, gesturing to the disgraced former captain, who was regaining his bearings quickly.

"What about the Sharpclaw?" Krystal asked.

"The guards and soldiers can handle them; now get on!" He shouted. Krystal complied.

Nearby, they saw Revallos take to the air, prompting Kree and Krystal to take off after him. Revallos attempted to flee but glanced back and saw Krystal and Kree hot on his tail.

"Let's finish this, then." He growled.

Despite his threats, he opted to stay on the defensive and attempted to put some distance between himself and the duo. He shot several fire blasts at Kree's wings, but the captain managed to spin through them and dodged the blasts. Krystal returned the favor and answered him with some fireblasts of her own, a few of which actually landed on the rogue.

"Arrgh!" Revallos groaned as the fireblast scorched some of his exposed skin. "That strike will be your last." He growled back before circling and attempting to claw the vixen of the captain.

With shocking speed, he had managed to scrap Kree's wings, causing him to recoil and spiral through the air out of control.

Krystal fell off her friend but, with her trained reflexes, managed to land another shot on the rouge's wing, throwing him off balance. He spiraled out of control for a bit, scrambling to regain his balance. Kree, meanwhile, had managed to recover and caught Krystal on his back.

Seething in anger, the aggression in the rogue's attacks increased. He began shooting fire blasts from his mouth at an increased rate and was trailing after the duo in a fit of rage.

Several more times, the rogue attempted to slash at the vixen, as well as Kree. His attacks, and movements, were becoming increasingly wild, so much that Krystal, despite reading his mind, was still having a hard time countering them. The rogue conducted his attempt and briefly got lucky as he landed another blow on Kree's tail, drawing blood. The captain shrieked in pain but kept his balance enough to keep Krystal from falling.

Krystal gritted her teeth. "Bastard." She muttered.

"Krystal, we need a new plan of attack; his movements are becoming more erratic," Kree noted.

"Yes, but maybe we can use that to our advantage," Krystal replied, an idea forming in her head. " Take evasive maneuvers; he is exhausting himself as his attacks grew more desperate; he can't keep this up for long." She explained, to which Kree understood what she was getting at.

Revallos, meanwhile, was coming in for another attack. "Can't... keep this up... forever, Kree. Best... give up!" He said through panted breaths. He was about to come in for another slash with his talons, but Kree banked out of the way. The rogue repeated his attacks, starting to lose any sense of strategy, but these too failed.

After a few more tries, he figured he would change his tactics and get in close and finish this with well-aimed fire breath.

He fluttered in as close as he could, trying his best to keep pace, but his previous wounds were wearing him down. The pain of his crashes and scorch marks shot threw him, but he fought through the pain as best as he could. Finally, he found himself in the perfect position to land a hit.

Krystal, however, predicted as much.

In a split second, the vixen took her staff and shot the rogue on the exposed parts of his body, specifically his neck and both wings.

Revallos spun out of control like mad, falling through the air for several seconds before he managed to regain his bearings.

Kree, however, knew he would not relent and dived down at him, aiming for the rogue's face with his talons.

The captain cut Revallos across the face in a quick slash, drawing a nasty gash mark and taking out one of his eyes.

"AHHHHH," Revallos shrieked in fury and pain at this, trying to work through the pain desperately. He was beginning to flap his wings more slowly, clearly at the end of his rope.

Krystal and Kree watched him, knowing he could no longer put up a fight. Kree considered simply killing him there but figured he would make the rogue an offer. He flew closer to the rogue, taking a moment to notice his surroundings and see they had somehow circled back above the plaza area, where more fighting was going on below. About seven guards saw them from below and noted the frenzied rogue. At his sight, they flew up and surrounded him, cutting off any escape points for Revallos.

Kree and his passenger flew closer to Revallos with the guards at this flank and hovered just a few feet away.

"It's finished. We both know you can't take much more of this, traitor. So, I will give you two options: surrender, and we will spare you, but you will be interrogated and confined to a dungeon for the rest of your miserable existence." Kree stated.

"And what might option two be?" Revallos asked in a tone that indicated his contempt and scorn. Krystal didn't even have to use her telepathy to tell that he knew that he was beaten.

"We give you the death you deserve," Kree responded, barely concealing his contempt for the rogue by this point.

"I would rather die than be confined to that dungeon. Do you worst." Revallos spat.

"Very well," Kree said flatly. Kree spat a fire breath out within a few seconds, aimed directly at the rogue's face.

Revallos' body went limp and fell to the ground below like a rag doll before landing in the center of the plaza, catching the notice of a few Sharpclaw.

"Serves him right." A guard near Kree muttered.

"Take that, Scales!" Another shouted.

"That's for the king, you bastard!" A young female guard said triumphally.

Kree let his guards have their moment. He would be lying if he didn't find at least some catharsis in putting an end to the rogue.

"Been wanting to do that for years." He murmured.

"Don't blame you for a second," Krystal replied.

Kree then turned back to his guards. "Men, women, the traitor may be dead, but we still have a job to do. Now, let's kick those bastards out of our home!" He shouted, followed by a cheers agreement from his troops.

He and the others, along with Krystal, flew back down to aid the fighters in the fortress. Krystal, however, was briefly distracted.

"This is a larger threat than we knew of. That rogue was little more than a pawn in some grander scheme." She dwelled on the info she had sensed in the rogue's mind before her own shifted back to Fox.

"Please be careful, Fox. There is more to Scales than we know."

Author's Note: Well, damn, this took a while to write. Inbetween the length of this chapter, all the different ideas I had for it, and three major projects, this has been a beast to write. And there is still more to come. The Scales fights would be in this one, but I figured it better to make this the chapter that dealt with Revallos. Now that he is out of the way, the focus can be centered on Scales and such.

I will admit, I was never huge on creating OCs for this story. As I mentioned earlier, I never thought I would have given Kyte's family so much focus, but it just kind of turned out that way.