"The Black Queen Chants The Funeral March, The Cracked Brass Bells Will Ring, To Summon Back The Fire Witch, To The Court Of The Crimson King."
King Crimson-The Court Of The Crimson King
Fox and Kronos had been following the signal for an hour. It had taken them across the wasteland to a skull-shaped cave with Imps guarding the entrance.
"Well so much for a surprise attack." said the vulpine.
To which the Elite replied. "They can't catch us if we split up. I'll distract them while you sneak in."
"Sounds like a plan."
Kronos fired at the Demonic guards and made himself visible. He ran off with the Imps chasing him. When they were gone, Fox ran into the mouth of the cave.
***
The vixen groaned as she opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was Druids chanting and passing out. Her vision was blurry, but as it grew clearer, Krystal saw that she was staring at the top of a cave and worse; a very familiar Koopa holding a knife. She tried to get away, but found that she was chained to a rock.
"Sheesh, settle down woman." said Doug.
"What do you want with me?" demanded Krystal.
"Not me, them." Doug pointed behind him.
Krystal raised her head as best as she could. There were several Druids with their backs to the two.
"Apparently, some Demons can only be brought over with an elaborate ceremony. I think whatever they wanna bring over is pretty powerful. Anyways, these guys said that womens blood works best. I presume that's why they brought you here." Doug explained.
"So they're going to sacrifice me to bring over some foul beast from the depths?"
"I never mentioned killing you, did I? No, they just need some of your blood. And only mortal beings are allowed to draw the blood, so they asked me to do it."
As the Koopa prepared the knife, Krystal took a look at his thoughts.
"Damn, she's a lot like her."
"No Way! She ain't nothing like her."
"But then again there is a similarity to her. Aw cripes, I'm getting reminiscent again."
Krystal wanted to find out about this "Her", but she couldn't. If she pried further he would know that she was in his mind.
"Just who is this "Her" and would she approve of what you're about to do?"
That seemed to strike home with Doug. He put the knife to her throat and leaned in real close.
"Don't ever mention that around me again, you hear. Or I'll slit your neck wide open."
Then he sliced her open hand and gave the bloody blade to a waiting Druid. The Druid took it over to an altar and let a few drops fall onto it, at which point, the black-robed Demons began to chant. A dark, swirling vortex appeared. Doug watched contentedly until he felt someone press a cold metal weapon to the back of his head.
"Unchain her." said the voice of his old friend Fox.
Doug obeyed and unlocked the chains. As soon as she was free, Krystal decked him across the face.
"I guess I deserve that." Doug remarked while rubbing his left cheek.
Fox gave Krystal her blaster back and pointed his handgun at the Koopa. He glanced at the GF-3 pistol on Doug's left hip. The weapon is a Koopa version of the Desert Eagle.
"Your gun Doug."
"Yeah sure." he replied while reaching with his left hand.
"Other hand."
"You do realize that I can shoot with both hands?"
"Regardless, you still have to flip it around."
Doug handed the weapon to Fox, who proceeded to eject the magazine, unload the chamber and all the rounds in the magazine, switch the safety on, and hand the gun and magazine back to the Koopa.
"Damn you thought of everything."
Doug scratched the back of his head. Krystal promptly rushed over, reached behind Doug's head, and grabbed a Zastava CZ-99 semi-automatic pistol that the Koopa had taped to the back of his neck. She unloaded it like Fox had done with the GF-3.
"Well, almost everything."
Fox stared at Doug.
"What happened to you?"
"We've been over this, you wouldn't understand."
"I would if you'd just tell me why."
"Fine, there was a time when I really needed you, but you were off in space somewhere."
That last remark landed on Fox's last nerve. He threw the ammunition from Doug's gun in his face.
"Don't give me that shit! There have been a few times in the last couple years where I needed you."
Fox moved closer to Doug, who now had a shit-eating grin on his face.
"What's the day?" asked the Koopa
Fox didn't reply.
"Ah it's the fourteenth anniversary. Isn't it Fox."
"The fourteenth anniversary of what?" asked Krystal.
Fox had a hurtful expression on his face, indicating that this was something he didn't want to talk about.
"So you haven't talked about it, eh? Don't worry, I won't tell if you won't."
"I know what you're trying to make me do Doug, but I won't do it."
"You remember the asteroid field, huh? Well then let's make this a quick one."
Doug jammed Fox's gun to his head.
"Go on, I know you can."
Fox stood, gun to Doug's head for what seemed like forever.
"No."
"Fine than Fox. Have it your way."
The Koopa knocked the gun away from his head and ran off. Fox turned back to Krystal and saw that the Druids had stopped chanting. The vortex had gotten bigger and had turned blood-red. All sorts of voices and screams could be heard. Then two orange eyes appeared in the centre of the vortex. They seemed to bear into the souls of the two foxes; both felt cold and afraid.
"OUR ENEMIES ARE IN OUR MIDST! KILL THEM!" a thunderous male voice boomed.
The Druids disappeared and several Imps took their place. Fox and Krystal fought them off, but more always appeared. Without warning, the cave started collapsing. The two fled through the tunnels, trying to avoid falling rocks. They were knocked down by the occasional tremor, but managed to get up again. They soon reached the entrance, where they discovered that the cave was sinking into the ground. Luckily, there was an edge still in reach. Fox and Krystal were able to jump up and grab on. However. the edge that Krystal grabbed broke and she fell. Fox caught her hand, but the extra weight made his own hold loosen.
"Fox, we're going to fall."
The cliff cracked even more; any further and they were both dead.
Fox stared into those turquoise eyes and said "I love you."
"I love you too." was her reply.
The cliff broke just as she finished that sentence, but someone grabbed Fox's hand. He looked up and found Kronos holding onto him. Being an Elite, he easily pulled the two up; But they didn't even get a chance to thank him as that voice from the cave sounded again.
"I SEE THAT MY CHILDREN HAVE NOT SUCCEEDED IN DEFEATING YOU, MORTALS. NO MATTER, I SHALL DEAL WITH YOU MYSELF."
A colossal shadowy figure with orange eyes appeared against the red skies of Babel. Above it, a shapeless black blob floated in the skies, turning them dark.
"Back to the ships!" Fox shouted.
"YOU CAN NOT ESCAPE ME!" said the figure, but it fell on deaf ears.
The three ran all the way back to their ships, but as soon as Fox set foot in the area, a ring of fire erupted around the ships and blocked out Krystal and Kronos.
"COME TO ME MCCLOUD."
"Looks like I don't have a choice." he said as he powered up his Arwing and flew in the direction of the figure.
Even in the darkness, the figure could be seen. Aside from his eyes, there seemed to be no shape to this being, whatever he was. Fox fired his lasers, but nothing appeared to happen. He tried a charged-laser. It flew at the figure, passed through, and exploded harmlessly behind him. Fox's muzzle dropped in disbelief.
"This is not happening."
"HEH, HEH,HEH,HEH. YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR ME, FOX MCCLOUD."
The figure then started shooting fireballs at him. Fox dodged all of them, but the figure somehow caused a lightning bolt to strike Fox's Arwing. That took away a good chunk of the shields. The figure continued to fire lightning at Fox while he tried to retaliate with lasers.
"IT IS USELESS TO RESIST!"
The figure disappeared, eyes and all. Then the sky around Fox grew pitch black and his Arwing began rocking inexplicably. Then the eyes reappeared directly in front of his cockpit.
"FAREWELL MORTAL."
The rocking intensified, and Fox flailed about the cockpit in spite of the safety harness. As a result, he accidentally hit the bomb button. The explosion drove away the darkness and replaced it with a new being.
"By the Gods, it can't be you."