StarFox: HailFire Corruption

Chapter 1: Simulated Fear

        The rusty dust flew in the air each time a hurried step was taken. A black wolf with sleek platinum hair was hurtling through the outside of an abandoned Katina fortress. His name was Demian. His breath could be seen in large orange puffs from the rusty air. He breathed deeply, but was trying to keep from breathing in the intoxicated air. He was beginning to tire and his lungs filled with the rusty dust. He was tempted to cough terribly, but resisted to. The chase was on and he couldn’t afford any distractions. His enemy was too dangerous for anything less than total concentration. He had to find a way to get the advantage.

        Demian looked from left to right as he ran past large masses of destroyed Cornerian and Wolfen fighters. Taking a chance, he leapt upon one wing of a crumbling Wolfen ship and ricocheted off it into the air. He glimpsed around his surroundings before he fell back down to the rusted earth below. His attacker was miles away, but was charging through quickly, merely crushing the ships as it tanked its way. Nothing was getting in its way, it seemed.

        The wolf came to a sloppy fall, rolling to his side and stopping against a Cornerian fighter. Hastily, he scuttled onto his feet and began to run again. His eyes stung with sweat and rust. He rubbed at them furiously with one paw as he sprinted around the outside of the fortress. Within just seconds, he found himself running down a bridge, but came to sliding stop. His heart was beating profoundly. The bridge was broken and he had skid off the edge, one hand clutching the broken side of the bridge tightly. He looked down and it seemed bottomless, large pieces of debris tumbling their way down endlessly. There was no sound even when they were no longer at sight.

        Taking deep gasps, Demian swung his other hand to take grasp of the edge and pulled himself up hurriedly. He lied on his front for a short moment, panting forcefully with his eyes firmly shut. No time to rest. Bleakly, he strained himself to get back on his feet and pivoted on one foot to look at what was almost his end. Snarling, he looked forward. The other side of the overpass had two paths, one leading up onto the fortress tops, and the other going inside the fortress. The roars of his foe were beginning to get louder, closer.

        On no, Demian thought to himself. Time to choose, Demian! No time to think now!

        Taking another chance, Demian stepped back then dashed forward, leaping upward once he touched the edge. The distance was steeply far,  his fear was giving him visions of falling. Must push the visions away. Will make it. Will have to make it. No other options. His legs dangled in the air for a few seconds longer until he hit the other side. Up along the fortress tops it is, tumbling in a rusty cloud of a mess.

        As he got back up, he coughed deeply from inhaling a large amount of rust. The monster was getting closer. He had to run. Run no matter what. Sweat mixed with blood ran down his hairline and then down his soil smeared cheeks as he ran. His foe could be heard leaping over the bridge. No time to turn back and look. He could see that there was a sharp turn ahead. It was leading to a higher level. The level was much higher.

        Demian let out an aggravated groan, taking out a short rod which was latched to his belt. Spinning it three times to one side, the rod extended out to be seven feet long. Hopping upward, he pushed the rod forcefully upon the grimy floor, pushing himself higher so that he was on the same level as the next floor. He spun around on the pole halfway, catching a glimpse of a shadowed figure running towards him, tracking dust behind itself. Rushing, he pulled the rod upward and it went back to its original length. He landed onto his side on the higher level, clouds of dirt scattering in the air around him. Blinded, he began to crawl forward, not realizing that there was a steep slope down and he started to slide down on his front, face first. Forcing his eyes open, he let out a yelp from what he saw. He was falling into a hole made by decay into the fortress!

        Shouting on the top of his lungs as he tumbles down the large gap and comes plummeting down in a looping fall. When he hit the bottom, he landed on his front with a loud thunking sound on top of an old broken bed. Its drapes fell from its old frames and then onto him. A muffled groan came from him as he rolled onto his back, stiffly.

        Ugh…what luck I’ve got on my shoulders…ow.

        Rollin off the bed and hitting the floor, Demian dragged himself from under the musty curtains and leaned against the wall, breathing painfully, his ribs crushing against his lungs. He needed just a few moments to rest and then he would start running again, he thought, but before he could stand up to move on once more, fragments from above crashed down onto the floor. Jerking his head upward, he could see that the creature was plunging towards him. His eyes widened largely from the sight and darted one way abruptly, being missed by just a hair. His breathing became quick and his eyes still wide. He could not get up onto his feet. His fall completely battered every bone in his body.

        His attacker turned to look at him, its glowing red eyes looming over him. Its claws lowering towards him. It had features of a black chimera engulfed with blue fire. Its head was of a lion with a long flowing dark mane. Its body of part goat from behind, and that of a tiger’s from the front. Its tail long and armored with scales like that of a lizard’s. All the features mixed together and then enlarged greatly on this ghastly beast. Demian tried to move back away from it from great fear, but he was far too tired and injured. The chimera swiped at him with one of its massive claws. Yelling to a great extent in pain, Demian slammed into a wall. As he slid back down to the fortress floor, he began to think it was the end. He was a goner. He was beginning to give up.

        “Letting yourself give in to your pain, Demian?” said a teenage voice from somewhere inside the room. “That’s not like you.”

        Demian tried to see where the voice came from, but his eyes were being blinded with dust and his own blood. His vision was blurred in a dark red mess. The roars from the monster could still be heard, nevertheless. Rapidly, a hand grabbed onto his arm, but he could not see who it was. The being lifted him up and made him lean against the wall and forcing him to support himself with his pole. He groaned, reluctantly letting his comrade assist him. Weakly rubbing the dirt from his face, he tried to open his eyes again and saw a golden furred raccoon standing before him, gripping a lance in one hand. Demian lowered his head down.

        “Kaiser…” Demian said in a raspy, painful voice, blood running down his muzzle.

        “Don’t talk and let me handle things,” Kaiser said firmly, leaping towards the chimera and stabbed it by its throat. It seemed phased then suddenly vanished in thin air. Just like that as if it were nothing.

        Unexpectedly, the whole area became blue. Robotic sounds of machinery and a feminine voice on the PA system came on. The area became a normal Cornerian training room. Demian was no longer injured. He was normal once more when it came to health, but he felt completely embarrassed with himself inside. He ran a hand over his face and growled at himself.

        “Simulation has now been shut down,” a female orange feline said through the PA in another room. “Training is over for today. Please leave the training room as soon as possible, you two. Nice job tracking Demian down, Kaiser. Tough luck, Demian. We purposely made you that Chimera’s target so that we could test Kaiser’s scouting skills.”

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