Sorry for a bit of shorter chapter; I am trying hard to publish one chapter of this per week for the next few weeks in order to finish it off. I figured breaking this chapter up would help with flow. I felt the point it ends on is a good way to cap it off before we get to the Earthwalker temple. It would be weird to have everything in this chapter happen and then include actually getting to the temple in the same chapter. Enjoy
A few hours later, they had arrived back in the hollow again. The sun was beginning to set by this point in time. Most everyone was exhausted.
Kyte stretched her wings out front atop Krystal's shoulders.
"Man what a walk. I'm beat." She said.
Tricky scoffed. "You didn't even walk, Kyte. You road on Krystal the whole time." He pointed out.
The girl blushed. "Uh… riding on her is still tiring," she said, defensively.
The adults sighed. Fox took a moment to stop himself from laughing, before addressing the group.
"Well, if that's dealt with, on to business. " Fox stated.
"What bossiness? I thought this is the part where you and Krystal return the spirits and we rest for a bit?" Kyte asked. Tilting her head.
Everyone looked at her.
"What? That's what we've done the last few times." She said, shrugging her wings as best she could.
Fox and Krystal chuckled.
"Well, yes. That's about it." He admitted. "You kids should take five, we'll be back in a bit." Fox stated.
"Five what?" Kyte asked innocently.
Krystal chuckled. "It's a figure of speech. Go play for a bit." She urged.
The kids nodded and smiled. "Let's play hide and seek Tricky." Kyte urged. She flew off of Krystal's shoulder, heading towards another part of the hollow.
"Hey wait up!" The little Earthwalker called as they ran off, leaving the adults behind.
"Well, if it's good, I'm gonna take five myself. Traveling such a distance is not exactly easy on my old bones." Randorn added.
"Of course father. Fox and I won't be too long in the Palace." She replied.
The old vulpine shot at a glance at them, before shaking his head.
"Something in your mind?" Fox said, noticing his expression.
The old wizard shrugged.
"Don't quite know. I know you've made excellent progress in the fight against Scales but I can't help but worry that he's not out of tricks yet. And then there's that business with Drakor…" he muttered. "So much still doesn't add up." He stated, Before shaking his head.
"Sorry. I got a bit carried away. It's best not to jump to conclusions until we know more."
Krystal could only silently nod in agreement. In truth, the revelation by that mercenary they fought in Discovery Falls still gnawed at her mind, but she could figure out nothing more of it right now.
Turning towards Fox, she affirmed their mission. "Let's get to the palace. I'll catch you later, father." She stated, eager to shake those thoughts from her mind. The lack of answers was frustrating…
Randorn waved them off as Fox and Krystal made their way to the warp stone.
As the old wizard watched his daughter walk off, he could not help but smile to himself.
"You've grown strong my daughter. Just a bit more now, and the planet will be saved."
He thought to himself. Eager to rest his old bones, he started heading in the direction of his favorite resetting spot: a cluster of rocks on the far north end of the hollow, near the queen Earthwalker's cave.
As he began heading in that direction, he could not help but reflect on his experiences traveling with Fox and Krystal.
By all accounts, Fox seemed a decent sort. Despite being a mercenary, he appeared to be decent. And Randorn did not have to be telepathic to see Fox was already infatuated with his daughter. His mind-reading powers already confirm that.
"What mischief those two will get into, if their relationship takes off." he joked.
Besides that, he had seen everything he needed to; Krystal's skills were as sharp as ever. Fox was a good fighter too; any doubt in his mind about Krystal's safety was mostly dissipated. While he of course worried about her going on dangerous adventures, he more than knew she could take care of herself now, and that she had skilled people to watch her back in turn. It put him at ease. He could not protect her forever.
The old fox froze when he noticed something approaching over from some nearby trees. The figure was sticking to the greenery as if trying to avoid detection. Using his telepathy, he scanned the area to try to get a grasp on what he was looking at.
When he realized it was a Sharpclaw, the old fox nearly panicked.
"What is one doing so close to the Hollow? How did it get in here?" He wondered.
Only one way to find out. The old vulpine was preparing to approach the Sharpclaw carefully, aiming to disarm it with a sneak attack…
Or at least he would have if not for a certain green cloud runner…
"Hey Mr. Randorn, you hiding too?" The princess's voice rang from next to him. The old wizard nearly did a double fake and gasoed.
"Damn it." He muttered.
"What was that?" he heard the Sharpclaw say nearby.
No doubt she would be moving to investigate, so Tamdorn guessed.
He quickly grabbed Kyte and hid her in his coat, wanting to make sure there was not any sort of trap nearby set by other Sharpclaw before releasing her.
"Mmmhhhhh" Kyte's muffled voice sounded fron within his overcoat.
" Quiet down. Sorry princess." The old wizard whispered. He stood completely still, waiting as the footsteps got closer and closer to his spot behind the bush. He could sense the Sharpclaw drawing nearer with every second. Reaching for his staff, he mentally prepared himself to strike. He would only have a bit of a half-second to catch the Sharpclaw off guard.
Once he knew the Sharpclaw was within range, he executed his plan.
Randorn released Kyte and darted out of the hiding spot, hitting the blunt end of his staff quiche into the Sharpclaws chest, dazing her and pushing her to the ground.
"Get out of here, Kyte!" He yelled. The child complied at once, flying off toward another part of the hollow. The wizard did not bother looking to see where she flew, his mind focused on subduing Sharpclaw.
"Her off me!" The blue dinosaur growled.
Knowing SAurian well by this point, Randorn replied back.
"Where are the rest of your soldiers?" he growled. To read her mind to gain that kind of information he would have to drop his guard long enough to focus. Even a split second of doing so could spell death if this Sharpclaw was armed.
He briefly noted her outfit; a simple red tunic with leather shoulder armor and knee guards. She lacked a helmet. On her hip he noted a weathered-looking blaster, like the one Fox used. It was rusted and looked poorly maintained. The old fox seized the weapon from the grunt and pointed it at her.
"There are none. It's only me. I just want to talk." She replied.
Randorn scoffed. "As if I would believe that." He retorted. "All your kind does is kill. I'll repeat my question: where are the rest of your soldiers hiding? You never patrol alone." He noted.
"There are none. Now let me speak!" She barked back, in a hint of fear.
Randorn noted the uncharacteristic hint of desperation in her tone. Not once had he known a Sharpclaw to plead.
He stepped off her and collapsed his staff, but kept the pistol trained on her.
"State your business." He said, curtly.
The Sharpclaw sister herself off and stood up. The old vulpine noted she was a bit taller than he was; taller than an average grunt but shorter than most Sharpclaw brutes. Perhaps over six feet in height.
"I want to talk to the queen." She said.
"Even if she were here, why would I let you do that?" Randorn pressed.
"Because I know she is here. Scales does too. And I have a proportion for her." She said, flatly.
"Surrender to your general I am guessing? " he asked her, curtly. He did not trust a single word from this Sharpclaw. Her kind had been nothing but raiders from what he had known of them.
"Scalies can screw off and fit for all I care. I came on my own: I have valuable info about the spellstones and her mate." She said, bluntly.
Randorn bummed. "Tempting. But how do you know you are not lying?"
The Sharpclaw scoffed. "Because we would not have bothered with a scheme like this to begin with. It's too subtle for Scale's taste; we would raze this whole hollow to the ground and cull the rest. Scales has enough weapons and other new toys to wipe out whatever's left of the other tribe's armies." She said. "Like that pistol, you have trained on me."
Randorn frowned. Thud Sharpclaw was making sense. But he would not dare let himself be distracted by reading her kind until he had backup. Underestimating her, even at gunpoint, could prove fatal; she was clearly a warrior so Randorn could see.
"I see… but I still don't believe your words…" he noted "What proof do we have?
The Sharpclaw laughed. "The fact we are taking right now. You could have killed me and have been done with it. But you know I have valuable knowledge." She pointed out.
"Touché." The wizard thought.
"Besides, I could have easily shot you the second I heard you in that bush. Hell, I could have killed you several times over by now." She said.
"And why might that be?" Randorn near schoffed. The audacity of this Sharpclaw was amusing.
"You left the safety on." She said, a bit of a chuckle evident in her voice.
Randorn frowned. "Oh." He thought.
"You aren't even that far away; I could have charged at ya and taken the gun back after you put away your staff. Do try to stick to weapons you know." She pointed out.
Randorn sighed and lowered the pistol. He pulled out his staff and kept it at the ready. Taking a moment, he finally read her mind enough to confirm her words were true.
"Oh. Whoops." He thought, embarrassed.
"Fine. You'll get a chance." the old fox responded. "But you are staying unarmed until further notice." He said, putting the pistol back in his coat.
"Fine, whatever." The Sharpclaw responded.
It would seem she would not have to wait long for her chance, as both she and Randorn saw a group of Earthwalker soldiers clad in black armor approaching from nearby, behind them all was the queen. Princess Kyte was perched on the queen's back.
"Well, this should be interesting." The old vulpine thought.
When the soldiers got near, they glared at the Sharpcalw and then looked at Ranodrn.
"What's going on here? What is this Sharpclaw doing here?" one of the Earthwalkers pressed.
"She claims she wanted to speak with you. I just finished integrating her; she's unarmed." the old fox said, taking a step back, as the Earthwalkers surrounded the Sharpclaw. The wizard looks to the queen
"What is the queen doing here? It could have been dangerous." He pointed out.
The queen heard this one. "I wanted to see this with my own eyes. I lone Sharpclaw being sent here is not something we usually expect. Kyte said you had subdued her." she mentioned.
As she did, Kyte looked to Randorn. "I told Tricky what was up, he got help," she explained.
"Good girl." Randorn said. "Where is he now?"
"In the queen's safe spot back in the cave." She replied.
Randorn nodded. "Good. run along now Kyte. We'll catch up in a bit." he stated. "Oh and sorry about hiding you in my coat; I had to keep you out of harm's way," he said.
"It's fine. I understand," she said, before flying off to go join her friend, which left the adults with the Sharpcalw.
"State your business, Sharpclwa." A soldier sneered at her, venom bearly concealed hatred seething into every syllable.
She looked at them unfazed. "My name is Fang. Allow me to save you the fromatlaie: I come here to pose an alliance. I have valuable info you will want, and a plan to remove Scales from power."
The Earthwalkers all looked in surprise but shook it off. This seemed to pique the queen's interest.
"Why should we listen to you, Sharpclaw? After everything your kind has done!" The queen spoke up, overriding anything the soldiers might have said.
The blue Sharpclaw frowned. " Look, I know what my tribe has done to yours. I take no pleasure in it. But I want to-"
"Wesal your way out of punishment now that the tyrant you enabled is losing ground?" She spat back.
Fang shook her head. "No. I have no defense or justification for what he's done. I hate it, okay? I didn't even take part in his campaign, I was only a guard! It was only recently i became a soldier."
The queen looked unamused. "You served him all the same." She retorted, coldly.
Radnron could sense desperation and frustration in the Sharpcalw's mind. Even if he read her mind, he felt it better to let Fang speak her part herself. He had no personal reason to vouch for this Sharpclaw.
"I can help you recover the spell stones and your mate! " the Sharpclaw shouted.
The queen grew silent. Her soldiers, as well as Randorn looked over at the queen expectantly.
"Go on…" the queen said, incredulously.
"If I tell you, do I have your word you will at least listen to me five minutes to talk?" The Sharpclaw urged.
The queen sighed. "Yes. I always keep my word. But first, you tell me where my mate is and where the Scales is hiding the Spellstones"
The Sharpclaw sighed, in relief and nodded.
"Your mate is still alive. He's being held in the Walled City, at the Earthwalker royal temple, in his chambers." She stated. The Spellstone is there too, but I don't know where exactly. "
Randorn noted the queen's expression lightened some. He sensed relief in her mind.
"What of the other remaining Spellstone?"
"Dragon Rock. I don't know exactly where they are keeping it but I know Scales placed there to keep it out of enemy hands. He has it under heavy guard is what I know. "
The queen huffed. "Alright; we'll see if your knowledge holds merit. But how would you know all this, if you were a guard?"
The Sharpcalw hesitated. "I deserted the armor a few days ago, while on patrol. To keep this brief: I bribed a "BribeClaw" as you would call them to give me that blaster your fox friend took from me. I killed the officer whom I served under, stole his documents, and fled before anyone noticed. " she explained, bluntly.
The queen looked at her cautiously.
"I had no loyalty to that bastard; he beat me and the other grunts whenever he felt like it. That's how you're treated if you are on the lower end of the food chain in Scales' army." She confessed
The Earthwalkers looked unsure.
"Now will you hear me out?" She pressed.
The queen gave a long sigh. "Fine. I will keep my word. Now speak your mind."
The Sharpclaw seemed elated. "I want to end this war. No, this whole conflict. And I think we have a chance to do so now…" she said, with a hint on anxiety in her voice.
"How do you purpose that?" The queen asked.
"Before I answer I want you all to understand the lengths I went just to get here; I've already committed treason. Scales have marked me for death. There is a bounty on me right now. I am risking everything for this.." She stated. "I have nowhere else to go, okay?"
She got a huff of respect from one of the Earthwalker soldiers. The queen's expression did not change.
"I propose we work together. I've been building up an alliance among the slaves and grunts of my tribe. We aim to unseat Scales." She stated.
"Why would you want to do that? I know how your officers treat you but I thought he enjoyed popular supper for decades now?" The queen replied, flatly.
The Sharpclaw growled. "Amongst those with strength yes. I don't think you Earthwalker understand: life under him is hell for those who don't live up to his standards. Only the strong have thrived under him, anyone else is simply a tool for him to use and dispose of. " she said, Amherst. "Look, I Ike what the soldiers have done to you and the rest of the tribes, but the rest of us are little more than slaves. He inflicts the same misery on those he conquers on to us! We are sick of it." She confessed.
Randorn could sense feelings of pity among the Earthwalkers.
The queen's stoic face softened slightly but
The Sharpclaw hardened her guess.
"Look, I just want this war to be done. The slaves look up to me; I want to end this ceaseless bloodshed." She confessed. "I think this is our chance to end it.
At last the queen spoke. "Fair enough then. I suppose you could have killed me easily. So, say I agree to this alliance, then what will you do?"
The Sharpclaw smirked. "I've been planning this for months. I have allies among to the lower-ranked grunts and even some officers even. Scales is losing ground; he's getting desperate to regain control. Your outworlder friends have done a good job of ensuring that." she added. "We're gonna stage a revolt of the abused and enslaved lower grunts and steal the more advanced weapons off the higher-ranked soldiers and guards." She stated "
"What then?" The queen pressed.
"Assuming we are successful, we will support your forces in the coming offensives I am sure you are planning. With our help and the weapons we plan to steal, we can drive a death knell to Scales' campaign. I've already gotten many people on board with the idea. The plans been in work among Sharpclaw ranks for months now."
Zoria looked on with mild interest. "Alright. But how do we know we can trust you to keep your word?"
Fang smiled.
"It's simple: you don't. But I do suppose the fact we are talking now counts? I mean, I am sure we Sharpclaw would prefer to just kill you and take what we want instead of negotiating, right?" She pointed out.
"Scales has the firepower to raze this whole place to the ground. That pistol alone could kill several of the soldiers. Abd yet here I am, taking to you and giving you a a golden opportunity to put an end to all this." She said, bluntly.
The queen nearly laughed at her audacity. "Sharp tongue. I can respect that. But I do dipole you are right…" she admitted, bitterly.
"Fine. You'll have your chance. I'll vouch for among the other tribes if you provide the aid you promise."
Fang rolled her eyes. "I already told you where the spellstones are. Just send your outworlder friends to fetch the stones. There are no turrets in the Walled City to county their spacecraft' She stated.
The queen sighed. "Fine, but I must ask: why are you so willing to betray your own kind?"
The Sharpclaw scoffed. "Betrayal implies I had any loyalty to our oppressors. If this succeeds my mind will be freed of tyranny. Any who still supports our tyrant's evil will be dealt with. I am done living under the boot of a dictator. We grunts are nothing but their slaves! We have no loyalty to our abusers! Need I say more?" She asked.
"No, I understand now…"
The queen finished.
The queen seemed content with that. "Very well then. I will consult the Thorntail elder. You will be permitted to rest in the hollow for a time until further notice. But you shall remain under supervision and unarmed at all times. Got it?"
Fang nodded.
Randorn stayed silent.
"Quite the turn of events," he thought, as the old wizard turned and looked at the Earthwalker soldiers exchange glances. How was he going to explain this to Fox and Krystal?
And that's that. Hopefully, I get the next week out next week
I will be honest I am kind of shifting my interest from adventure stories like this to more parental relationship/adoption-focused stories. Or stuff that at least features that. Those are more wholesome and easier to write for me since its more character-focused rather than adventure-focused.
I have so much written for both Zelda and Star Fox i wish to share. You will see it in the future,
Plus that's kind of more popular I noticed. My dragon adoption story, Kindness of Strangers, is my most popular story. This one is decently popular but lacks the tracking that one has plus this one, while I like it, had gotten way too long.
I think it's time to focus on paying off things and wrapping it up. It's been going for a few years by this point ( of note for the future I wrote this chapter in early January 2024, and published on Jan 6th)