Categories > Games > StarFox > The Saurian Gambit
Chapter 4: The Palace
The ride on Kyte had been rough, yet it was a relief they had made it from the clutches of General Scales. They had neared Krazoa Palace, its looming mass becoming visible through the maelstrom they had been through. A few more seconds of flight passed, and Kyte perched himself upon one of the precipices of the ancient structure.
Krystal slid off his back, and gave him a smile. "Thank you."
Kyte nodded, the Cloudrunner looking a bit nervous even being here. "You're welcome, Krystal. But, be careful. Krazoa Palace is a very sacred place to us dinosaurs."
The vixen nodded, as she glanced to the building in front of her. "I will, Kyte... and thank you again." Kyte gave a nod to her, and lifted off again, disappearing into the night air. Afterwards, Krystal took a look around.
She was on a large balcony-like structure. A set of steps led down to the right; blocked by a row of boxes. She could barely see a continuation of that balcony down below. As far as the level she was on, she could see a door on the far wall of the balcony, covered by a lock.
She wasn't alone on the balcony, either. Two swirling, ethereal masses seemed to drift about, some sort of guardians of the palace, maybe? Krystal definitely didn't want to find out. She pulled the slender key from her bracer, and crept her way forward; the door her goal for the time being.
The guardians sprung into action, their jellyfish-like bodies drifting towards her. Krystal tucked and rolled out of the way, and shot for the door. She reached there easily enough. Krystal then placed the key into the lock, and was pleasantly surprised when it turned open with a click.
The room she went into was tiny; the only object within a squat, silver barrel. The vixen picked it up, almost staggering under its weight. The guardians noticed this and started approaching her, spinning their tentacles around in an attempt to trap her within.
Krystal threw the barrel at them, hoping it would block their assault enough for her to get away. Instead, when the barrel hit the nearest one it exploded; the blinding flash of light and the fireball which erupted picked the vixen up and carried her to the ground with a resounding smack, which knocked the wind out of her.
Wincing, she pulled herself to her feet. The guardians were... gone, destroyed in the explosion. She gave a grim smile at that, and walked to the boxes. They were easily hurdled, and she made her way towards the main entrance of the palace.
The large stone doors were shut, however one of them had a massive hole punched through it. Curious, Krystal approached the hole, noticing black markings around it. That was odd... it looked like carbon scoring from some sort of energy beam. "Who could have done this?" she mused, as she squeezed through the hole.
The entrance hallway was empty, and silent. Even the rain and wind were muted, and she proceeded to shake out her fur... she was soaking wet, and growing cold. "At least this place is warm, at least a little bit." She grit her teeth, and made her way through the hall.
The hall was creepy; the architecture being of dark, grey stone archways with precious few torches to light the way. A skylight above provided a little ambient light, but kept the fury of the storm outside from making its presence known. Krystal shivered a bit, as she made her way through the hall, keeping a close eye for any guardians. She knew she didn't want them to get their tentacles on her.
The stone doors at the end of the hall were ajar, and bright, clean light shone from the room within. Krystal crept up to the door, and pushed her way inside. The chamber she found herself in was large and splendidly adorned. Black marble tile covered the floor, reflecting the light in its own onyx glow. Tapestries and banners were hung upon the walls; and a skylight cast the storm's chaos onto a giant statue.
However, Krystal's attention was drawn to the only occupant of the chamber; a lone Earthwalker curled up on the floor. She could see many wounds upon his body, and he appeared to be in great pain. Swiftly, she crossed the distance to him, settling on her knees and placing a paw upon his snout.
"What happened here?" she asked, concern apparent in her voice.
"My... girl, it isn't safe... for you to be here. The... the Sharpclaw..." The dinosaur rasped out, tilting his head a bit to look at her more closely.
"Were you the one who sent out the distress signal?" Krystal closed her eyes and sighed... something was wrong, deadly wrong. And, she knew she was the only one with the power to do something about it.
The Earthwalker nodded slightly, and continued, his voice gaining a little strength as he went on. "Yes... I did. the Sharpclaw attacked... General Scales, he... stole one of the Krazoa Spirits. They, along with the four Spellstones, are key to making our planet... whole again. We... hid the other five Krazoa Spirits... throughout the palace."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Krystal glanced up, and looked around the chamber. she made out two exits; one on a ledge to her right which was impossible to climb upon, and a set of doors to her left. As if it were on cue, the door slowly slid open.
"Enter the... Krazoa Shrine, girl." the Earthwalker coughed, and nodded toward the open door. "Only the pure of heart... may take the tests. If the Krazoa... find you worthy, then... you will meet your... reward. Come... back to me when you... finish." He coughed again, as he looked to the vixen.
Krystal stood up, and nodded at him before making her way to the door. The chamber it opened into was ornate, gilt with gold and jade. The damage the Sharpclaw had done was apparent; gashes in the walls and scrapes on the tiles marred the beauty of the room. However, the raised dias in the center of the room was unmarked, and it shone with a pure, golden light. Somehow, she knew she had to step on it... so she did.
The golden light filled her vision, the room around her fading into its glow. Krystal blinked, and found herself in an entirely different chamber. The tile and trim was unmarred, and looked as if nobody had been inside it for quite a while. Slowly, the vixen pushed past the chamber, and into the first room.
The room was a simple box, and plainly adorned. A ladder was set at one corner, and extended upwards... Krystal guessed maybe forty feet or so, and ended at an upper level. She crossed over to it, and climbed up.
The upper level was where the test began. The 'entryway' was well-protected; a solid wall of flame blocking any access. She sat there a moment, puzzled. However, the flames disappeared abruptly, and the vixen approached the opening.
The flames came back with a solid whoosh as she closed within a foot of the opening. The heatwave from it pushed her back, wincing and cringing... she was surprised her fur hadn't smoldered. After another moment, the flames subsided, and she was free to go.
Krystal grit her teeth, as the first challenge had passed. However, she knew there were more to come, and the second one would be far more difficult. A pit stretched out in front of her... about eight feet deep and fifty across. Entry and exit were easy; ladders were placed at either end of the pit. Yet, another Guardian lurked inside it, its tentacled, jellyfish-like form patrolling the narrow 'hallway' diligently.
She knew she could roll into the pit easily enough, but she was weaponless. She knew the fire blaster in her staff could take care of it with ease, but she didn't have that on her. Krystal would have to evade it as best she could.
The vixen took a deep breath, and ran towards the edge of the pit, tucking into a roll as she cleared the ledge. The Guardian chittered and began to float towards her, as she ran forward. The ladder was in sight, she just had to reach it.
Krystal ran full-force towards the end, grabbing the ladder as the Guardian made its chase. She started to climb it, the chittering sound from the Guardian growing louder. It was right on top of her.
She reached the top as she felt something dig into her thigh... the pain of several needles slashing through her leg as one of the Guardian's tentacles whipped around her. Krystal pulled away, the Guardian releasing its grasp as she gave some resistance. However, that was only the beginning.
Just as she felt the blood flow down her leg, the pain started. An agonizing bolt of it shot up and down her leg, freezing her in place. Scrabbling, she managed to pull herself up on the ledge, and out of reach of her assailant. Yet, the pain continued, and an icy numbness also set in. Her mind raced, knowing she had been poisoned by the Guardian.
Krystal winced, as she forced herself to her feet. She stumbled forward, around a bend in the corridor. This time, there were more flame jets to deal with, shooting across the floor at random intervals. However, she could see past the hall... there was some sort of large chamber behind them... she was almost there.
Limping, she timed the flame jets, and managed to push past them fairly easily. She still hurt, but she needed to get past... if she didn't, she may die here, and the hope of the planet may die with her. Finally, she found herself in the main chamber of the test...
The chamber was quite large... easily the size of a Kokli field on Cerinia. A moat of water surrounded it, except for the entrance... at the opposite end, a corridor made of pillars led to another pool of water, somehow facing out from the far wall. It was strange to her, but she knew what she had to do.
As she made her way in, an apparition appeared before her. It was composed of some sort of head; an elongated face with 'hair' made out of tentacles. Krystal crouched defensively... however a voice flowed into her mind.
"Have no worry, Krystal. I am a Krazoa Spirit. You have proven yourself worthy of transporting me to the Force Jewel, where with the others, we can help rebuild Sauria."
"However, you cannot physically carry me. I must prepare you for the Possession Ritual. There will be no pain, and the toxin of the Wraith will be pushed out of you once we meld. You must take me to the shrine in the palace in order to release me."
Krystal nodded, and stood still. Without warning, the Krazoa backed up a little, then rammed into her full-force. She was forced to her knees, a strange, tingling sensation flooding her body. The pain and numbness in her leg instantly faded, as a bright flash flashed before her eyes.
She blinked once again... she was back in the original chamber. All was silent, as she crept from the chamber and back into the main room. The Earthwalker was still there, nodding to himself. "I see you carry the Krazoa within you, my girl." He shook his head toward the other end of the room, where one of the walls appeared to fade into nothingness, revealing a corridor beyond it. "Through there, you will find the shrine for the Krazoa. You must release the Krazoa into the shrine, and let it be placed into the Force Jewel."
Krystal nodded, and slowly turned toward the new corridor. She was ready to help the denizens of Dinosaur Planet any way she could, staff or no staff. Onward the vixen continued, unaware of what lay beyond.
The ride on Kyte had been rough, yet it was a relief they had made it from the clutches of General Scales. They had neared Krazoa Palace, its looming mass becoming visible through the maelstrom they had been through. A few more seconds of flight passed, and Kyte perched himself upon one of the precipices of the ancient structure.
Krystal slid off his back, and gave him a smile. "Thank you."
Kyte nodded, the Cloudrunner looking a bit nervous even being here. "You're welcome, Krystal. But, be careful. Krazoa Palace is a very sacred place to us dinosaurs."
The vixen nodded, as she glanced to the building in front of her. "I will, Kyte... and thank you again." Kyte gave a nod to her, and lifted off again, disappearing into the night air. Afterwards, Krystal took a look around.
She was on a large balcony-like structure. A set of steps led down to the right; blocked by a row of boxes. She could barely see a continuation of that balcony down below. As far as the level she was on, she could see a door on the far wall of the balcony, covered by a lock.
She wasn't alone on the balcony, either. Two swirling, ethereal masses seemed to drift about, some sort of guardians of the palace, maybe? Krystal definitely didn't want to find out. She pulled the slender key from her bracer, and crept her way forward; the door her goal for the time being.
The guardians sprung into action, their jellyfish-like bodies drifting towards her. Krystal tucked and rolled out of the way, and shot for the door. She reached there easily enough. Krystal then placed the key into the lock, and was pleasantly surprised when it turned open with a click.
The room she went into was tiny; the only object within a squat, silver barrel. The vixen picked it up, almost staggering under its weight. The guardians noticed this and started approaching her, spinning their tentacles around in an attempt to trap her within.
Krystal threw the barrel at them, hoping it would block their assault enough for her to get away. Instead, when the barrel hit the nearest one it exploded; the blinding flash of light and the fireball which erupted picked the vixen up and carried her to the ground with a resounding smack, which knocked the wind out of her.
Wincing, she pulled herself to her feet. The guardians were... gone, destroyed in the explosion. She gave a grim smile at that, and walked to the boxes. They were easily hurdled, and she made her way towards the main entrance of the palace.
The large stone doors were shut, however one of them had a massive hole punched through it. Curious, Krystal approached the hole, noticing black markings around it. That was odd... it looked like carbon scoring from some sort of energy beam. "Who could have done this?" she mused, as she squeezed through the hole.
The entrance hallway was empty, and silent. Even the rain and wind were muted, and she proceeded to shake out her fur... she was soaking wet, and growing cold. "At least this place is warm, at least a little bit." She grit her teeth, and made her way through the hall.
The hall was creepy; the architecture being of dark, grey stone archways with precious few torches to light the way. A skylight above provided a little ambient light, but kept the fury of the storm outside from making its presence known. Krystal shivered a bit, as she made her way through the hall, keeping a close eye for any guardians. She knew she didn't want them to get their tentacles on her.
The stone doors at the end of the hall were ajar, and bright, clean light shone from the room within. Krystal crept up to the door, and pushed her way inside. The chamber she found herself in was large and splendidly adorned. Black marble tile covered the floor, reflecting the light in its own onyx glow. Tapestries and banners were hung upon the walls; and a skylight cast the storm's chaos onto a giant statue.
However, Krystal's attention was drawn to the only occupant of the chamber; a lone Earthwalker curled up on the floor. She could see many wounds upon his body, and he appeared to be in great pain. Swiftly, she crossed the distance to him, settling on her knees and placing a paw upon his snout.
"What happened here?" she asked, concern apparent in her voice.
"My... girl, it isn't safe... for you to be here. The... the Sharpclaw..." The dinosaur rasped out, tilting his head a bit to look at her more closely.
"Were you the one who sent out the distress signal?" Krystal closed her eyes and sighed... something was wrong, deadly wrong. And, she knew she was the only one with the power to do something about it.
The Earthwalker nodded slightly, and continued, his voice gaining a little strength as he went on. "Yes... I did. the Sharpclaw attacked... General Scales, he... stole one of the Krazoa Spirits. They, along with the four Spellstones, are key to making our planet... whole again. We... hid the other five Krazoa Spirits... throughout the palace."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Krystal glanced up, and looked around the chamber. she made out two exits; one on a ledge to her right which was impossible to climb upon, and a set of doors to her left. As if it were on cue, the door slowly slid open.
"Enter the... Krazoa Shrine, girl." the Earthwalker coughed, and nodded toward the open door. "Only the pure of heart... may take the tests. If the Krazoa... find you worthy, then... you will meet your... reward. Come... back to me when you... finish." He coughed again, as he looked to the vixen.
Krystal stood up, and nodded at him before making her way to the door. The chamber it opened into was ornate, gilt with gold and jade. The damage the Sharpclaw had done was apparent; gashes in the walls and scrapes on the tiles marred the beauty of the room. However, the raised dias in the center of the room was unmarked, and it shone with a pure, golden light. Somehow, she knew she had to step on it... so she did.
The golden light filled her vision, the room around her fading into its glow. Krystal blinked, and found herself in an entirely different chamber. The tile and trim was unmarred, and looked as if nobody had been inside it for quite a while. Slowly, the vixen pushed past the chamber, and into the first room.
The room was a simple box, and plainly adorned. A ladder was set at one corner, and extended upwards... Krystal guessed maybe forty feet or so, and ended at an upper level. She crossed over to it, and climbed up.
The upper level was where the test began. The 'entryway' was well-protected; a solid wall of flame blocking any access. She sat there a moment, puzzled. However, the flames disappeared abruptly, and the vixen approached the opening.
The flames came back with a solid whoosh as she closed within a foot of the opening. The heatwave from it pushed her back, wincing and cringing... she was surprised her fur hadn't smoldered. After another moment, the flames subsided, and she was free to go.
Krystal grit her teeth, as the first challenge had passed. However, she knew there were more to come, and the second one would be far more difficult. A pit stretched out in front of her... about eight feet deep and fifty across. Entry and exit were easy; ladders were placed at either end of the pit. Yet, another Guardian lurked inside it, its tentacled, jellyfish-like form patrolling the narrow 'hallway' diligently.
She knew she could roll into the pit easily enough, but she was weaponless. She knew the fire blaster in her staff could take care of it with ease, but she didn't have that on her. Krystal would have to evade it as best she could.
The vixen took a deep breath, and ran towards the edge of the pit, tucking into a roll as she cleared the ledge. The Guardian chittered and began to float towards her, as she ran forward. The ladder was in sight, she just had to reach it.
Krystal ran full-force towards the end, grabbing the ladder as the Guardian made its chase. She started to climb it, the chittering sound from the Guardian growing louder. It was right on top of her.
She reached the top as she felt something dig into her thigh... the pain of several needles slashing through her leg as one of the Guardian's tentacles whipped around her. Krystal pulled away, the Guardian releasing its grasp as she gave some resistance. However, that was only the beginning.
Just as she felt the blood flow down her leg, the pain started. An agonizing bolt of it shot up and down her leg, freezing her in place. Scrabbling, she managed to pull herself up on the ledge, and out of reach of her assailant. Yet, the pain continued, and an icy numbness also set in. Her mind raced, knowing she had been poisoned by the Guardian.
Krystal winced, as she forced herself to her feet. She stumbled forward, around a bend in the corridor. This time, there were more flame jets to deal with, shooting across the floor at random intervals. However, she could see past the hall... there was some sort of large chamber behind them... she was almost there.
Limping, she timed the flame jets, and managed to push past them fairly easily. She still hurt, but she needed to get past... if she didn't, she may die here, and the hope of the planet may die with her. Finally, she found herself in the main chamber of the test...
The chamber was quite large... easily the size of a Kokli field on Cerinia. A moat of water surrounded it, except for the entrance... at the opposite end, a corridor made of pillars led to another pool of water, somehow facing out from the far wall. It was strange to her, but she knew what she had to do.
As she made her way in, an apparition appeared before her. It was composed of some sort of head; an elongated face with 'hair' made out of tentacles. Krystal crouched defensively... however a voice flowed into her mind.
"Have no worry, Krystal. I am a Krazoa Spirit. You have proven yourself worthy of transporting me to the Force Jewel, where with the others, we can help rebuild Sauria."
"However, you cannot physically carry me. I must prepare you for the Possession Ritual. There will be no pain, and the toxin of the Wraith will be pushed out of you once we meld. You must take me to the shrine in the palace in order to release me."
Krystal nodded, and stood still. Without warning, the Krazoa backed up a little, then rammed into her full-force. She was forced to her knees, a strange, tingling sensation flooding her body. The pain and numbness in her leg instantly faded, as a bright flash flashed before her eyes.
She blinked once again... she was back in the original chamber. All was silent, as she crept from the chamber and back into the main room. The Earthwalker was still there, nodding to himself. "I see you carry the Krazoa within you, my girl." He shook his head toward the other end of the room, where one of the walls appeared to fade into nothingness, revealing a corridor beyond it. "Through there, you will find the shrine for the Krazoa. You must release the Krazoa into the shrine, and let it be placed into the Force Jewel."
Krystal nodded, and slowly turned toward the new corridor. She was ready to help the denizens of Dinosaur Planet any way she could, staff or no staff. Onward the vixen continued, unaware of what lay beyond.
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