8

"What!?" Fox exclaimed in surprise causing everyone to wonder what was wrong. "So, the cops are interviewing the witnesses now? Alright, we'll see you tomorrow at the police station for the information. Goodbye, then,"

"What's wrong, dad?" Marcus asked Fox who kept his cell phone back into his pocket.

"That was Sergeant Blake. He said that the reporter whom we met during lunchtime, Angelina, and her cameraman, Barry, just went missing," Everyone became shocked at Fox's words.

"That's horrible!" Fay exclaimed, a worried look shown on her face. "Hey, do you all think this could have something to do with the abduction of Chris's parents?"

"Why would you say that, Fay? Chris's parents have nothing to do with them," stated Slippy.

"Actually, Fay may be right," said Krystal. "It is all linked to the Book of Wrath,"

"Hold it. What exactly is this Book of Wrath?" Falco asked.

"Before that, I apologize if I'm interrupting but, let me sum things up now. To put everything simply, my parents are kidnapped by the Crimson Reapers with a Cerinian artifact called the Book of Wrath. And now Angie and Barry have gone missing or should I say were kidnapped. Plus, correct me if I'm wrong but, would the Crimson Reapers be responsible for these two incidents?" Christopher stated.

"Yes, you are correct," said Krystal.

"But, there are questions which we are thinking of. Why would the Reapers want to kidnap my parents along with Angie and Barry? What is the Book of Wrath? And most importantly, how could a Cerinian artifact still exist if Cerinia itself had been destroyed long ago?"

"I understand everyone's concerns," said Krystal. "However, it is a little late now and I suggest we rest up for the night. Then, I will explain everything about what is going on tomorrow morning,"

"Regarding tomorrow, Sergeant Blake asked us to see him so that he can tell us about the witnesses' descriptions about Angelina and Barry's disappearance," said Fox.

"There are witnesses?" asked Katt.

"This matter will clearly be out of control if we do not act. Especially since the Book of Wrath is involved," said Raiku.

"Hey, Raiku, this makes no sense! That artifact should be destroyed along with the others since Cerinia had been wiped out of existence!" exclaimed Blayz.

"Calm down, Blayz. We all share the same concern regarding the current issue. Given the severity of it, I suggest we listen to what Krystal has to say on the next morning. After that, we will meet Sergeant Blake for the information about the missing people," stated Freist.

"That's a good idea," Fox took out his cellphone while speaking. "I'm going to call him just to let him know what time we're seeing him tomorrow,"

"That aside, where shall the Star Wolf team sleep? The guest room in this house only has one bed," Christopher said.

"My team and I will sleep on the sofas," said Wolf.

"Are you sure about that?" Christopher asked.

"We of Star Wolf always do that every time we stay here," said Panther. "Although it would be much nicer if I could sleep by either one of your sides," Panther looked at Miyu and Hanamura as he continued speaking.

"Watch it, playboy," Miyu raised a fist and glared at Panther. Christopher frowned, wondering about Panther's words.

"Yeah, this isn't a time to play Casanova, Panther. Like what you tried to do Chris's mother,"

"He what!?" Christopher exclaimed as he looked at Panther. "You tried to hit on my mother?!"

"Before you say anything further, Chris, do not worry. Panther did not do "anything" to your mother. Besides, your father "threatened" to kill us if we were to lay a finger on her," said Wolf.

"He was quite the brave person, really. To do such a thing to criminals like us," stated Panther.

Katt sighed and said, "Always the womanizer,"

"Well, my mother's quite pretty so it's no surprise that any men would fall for her," said Christopher. "But, seriously, my mother attracting the attention of a panther? That takes the cake for me,"

Hanamura chucked softly and said, "That's Panther,"

"Okay, let's just go upstairs right now. I'm dying to get some shut eye," said Falco.

"Yeah, I'm sure all of us are tired. Let's rest for the night," Hearing Fox's words, Slippy switched off the monitor and walked towards the group. Everyone then went out of the basement to get ready for a good night's rest.

It was nearing midnight. At this time of hour, many of the Lylat System's inhabitants would have already slept in their homes. However, in a small lounge located in an unknown building, three people were sitting on the sofas there instead of sleeping. The trio was seated around a wooden table and each one of them sat on one sofa. The three people were none other than the Crimson Reapers who were contemplating on what to do next.

"Hey, Wayne," said Ramseus, the armadillo. "You sure that book you're holding will definitely help us become real enforcers of justice?"

"But, of course, Ramseus," replied Wayne who had a grim smile on his face. "As I've mentioned before, so long as we listen to what the book tells us to do the plan will continue as arranged,"

"But, isn't there something odd, Wayne?" asked Blane the brown cat who looked serious. "We're being asked by it to kidnap people. It's the opposite of what we've done so far-purging the society of evil,"

"In order to uphold justice, Blane, we must at times do the opposite," stated Wayne who still had his grim smile. "You two understand, don't you? There are people in this world who will uphold justice no matter the cost,"

"If that's really true, we'll go along with your plan," said Ramseus. "So, we need to take in six more people for it right?"

"Yes, once we gather ten people they shall become sacrifices for the ritual in which I will be bestowed the full powers of the Book of Wrath," said Wayne. "And with that power I…"

"…will become the one who will unleash wrath upon all evildoers. You've already told us that," Blane continued.

"Yes, yes, definitely," As Wayne spoke, the Book of Wrath which he was holding suddenly glowed red. "It appears the book has found another sacrificial lamb," Wayne then stated.

"We'll go get that person tomorrow then?" Ramseus asked.

"Yes, for now we rest," Wayne got out of his seat and walked to the lounge's door. "Good night," As Wayne exited the lounge, Ramseus and Blane eyed him. Once Wayne had left, the two turned their attention away from the door.

"Hey, Blane, I know we're in this together but, don't you think Wayne's a bit odd lately?" stated Ramseus.

"You're correct to say that," replied Blane. "Ever since he got a hold of that book, I felt that he was never the same person we knew,"

"Yeah," stated Ramseus. "For some reason, this ritual he talks about gives me a very bad feeling,"

"Yes," said Blane. "Depending on the situation, we may have to do something about it,"

"Like what exactly?"

"We thwart it,"

The morning had just arrived in the Lylat System. In the Star Fox team's house, the team, Christopher, Katt and team Star Wolf had eaten breakfast cooked by Krystal and Hanamura. Everyone was now at the house's living room. Krystal stood in front of the rest of the group who were sitting on the sofas. Raiku, Blayz and Freist were out of their hosts, standing next to them.

"Now that everyone is here I will now explain about the current situation. It will be a long story so, do bear with my explanation," Krystal stated to everyone.

"Don't worry about that," said Ray. "So long as it gives us insight regarding our situation it is fine,"

"Thank you, Ray," Krystal smiled. She then added, "Now, then, to help you all understand our current situation I will first explain about something of Cerinian origin which existed during the time of my home planet. Long ago, there once existed a group of seven artifacts each granting those who possess them a certain power. These artifacts are called the Seven Calamities for their powers are said to be dangerous especially when they fall into the wrong hands," Everyone listened to Krystal intently as she spoke.

"When given to a person, an artifact grants that person a portion of it's power. To further unlock more of it's power, he or she is instructed by the artifact to gather ten people to be sacrificed in a ritual. The said people will be selected by the artifact. Once all ten people are gathered and sacrificed, the artifact's owner will receive the full powers of it. The said powers vary between the artifacts,"

"To simplify the matter in which I am explaining, Wayne of the Crimson Reapers is planning to perform the sacrificial ritual needed to grant him the full powers of his artifact, the Book of Wrath. So far, he has gotten four people, Christopher's parents, Angelina and Barry. If he is left alone, the job of getting six more people will be easy for him and a disaster will clearly occur,"

"But, how is it possible that these artifacts still exist when Cerinia was already destroyed?" Slippy asked.

"Unfortunately, I do not know," Krystal answered. "To be honest, I find it hard to believe that the Book of Wrath would still exist even though it along with the other artifacts were sealed tightly,"

"Speaking of the book, last night, you said that the Reapers got their powers from it. How could Ramseus and Blane get their powers if Wayne is the book's holder?" said Katt.

"Allow me to answer your question," Raiku stated. "Normally, only the holders of the Seven Calamities will be granted their powers. However, the Book of Wrath is a special case. This was evident during our time in Cerinia. The previous owner of the book had two followers whose loyalty to him was so strong that they too were blessed with powers by the book,"

"And these powers are the same as the ones currently possessed by the Reapers?" asked Hanamura.

"Indeed," replied Raiku. Raiku then turned his head down slightly looking concerned "To think that history would repeat itself," he added upon doing so.

"History?" Fox asked. Hearing this, Freist began to speak.

"When our home planet was still intact, my clan along with the ones whom Raiku, Blayz and Krystal were affiliated with fought against the wielders of the Seven Calamities. It was a difficult battle. However, we triumphed and as Krystal mentioned we had the artifacts sealed right after the war ended,"

A look of surprise was seen on everyone's except Krystal, Raiku, Blayz and Freist's faces. "Wait a second, Krystal fought the Seven Calamities?" Falco said. "Well, that's new to us,"

"I apologize that you all were never told about this before. I did not do so as I never thought we would ever have to deal with the Seven Calamities ever again. Until now that is," stated Krystal.

After a few seconds of silence, Fox said to Krystal, "You don't have to apologize, Krys. Whatever comes our way we'll just deal with it together as a team,"

"Yeah, besides, it's not our fault that one of the Seven Calamities resurfaced," Blayz stated.

"What matters is that we fight the Reapers without hesitation," said Wolf.

"Yeah! With our efforts combined, we can do this! No problem!" Fay exclaimed in an upbeat manner.

Hearing the responses she is getting, Krystal smiled. "Thank you, everyone," she then said. "In that case, we shall do our best in fighting this threat,"

"Since that's how it is, I would like to know if there's anything that I can equip myself with in order to fight against the Reapers. I may know how to fight but, I don't think my hands alone will be enough to assist all of you," said Christopher.

"Do remember that we are fighting against users of Cerinian magic. If you are planning on using a conventional weapon, the chances of you keeping up against them are very slim," said Raiku to Christopher. "Perhaps, the best thing that you can equip yourself with is magic itself. However, the process of learning it will take some time and while you learn, the Reapers will have already successfully carried out the ritual,"

"I don't necessarily need to know how to use magic. So long as I have a weapon and help all of you foil the Reapers' plans, that is enough," Christopher replied.

"Christopher's right. As Fay said earlier, if we pool our efforts together, we can fight the Reapers no matter what equipment we have," said Hanamura.

"I know of a prototype weapon that Christopher could use," Everyone turned towards Slippy as he spoke.

"Slippy, are you referring to the recently developed Plasma Blade?" said Ray. "That would be a perfect weapon for Christopher given his fighting prowess,"

"Is that a type of bladed weapon?" Christopher asked.

"That's right, Chris. Once we are done talking with Sergeant Blake at the police station, we can head to the Cornerian Army HQ and tell Peppy to authorize the use of the Plasma Blade. Oh, and of course, we should tell Peppy about the Reapers,"

"Sounds like a plan," said Fox. "Well I guess we all can head over to the police station now and…" Fox's cell phone rang as he spoke. "Excuse me," he then spoke as he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Fox! Get your team to the city center now! We have a situation!" Sergeant Blake spoke from the other side of the phone.

"A situation? What is it?"

"It's the Reapers. They're attacking the city center!"