After the Dragon Legends: The Spited Lords
AN: Here's the first chapter. Took only three day's to bust this baby out, a record for me! If you like it, R&R and favorite. And, before you ask, yes, I got some big inspiration from Dark Souls 3. It's AWESOME! Don't worry, there won't be any great fires dying or anything!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story, other than my OCs and SOME of the original creatures (Silicate, The Knights, Ouruul/The Forsaken Species, Etc.)
Chapter 1:
The Undeathly Toll
There wasn't anything. It was all a darkness, impermeable and fluffy, almost like a comforter of a bed. This was the realm of death, or at least what it was for me. I guess it was a relief from what my last life was. Maybe killing myself wasn't so bad. But then again, I no longer have anything really fun to do.
I floated, drifting through the darkness with no aim or purpose, no movement. I saw endless and countless things, but all were distorted in the haze of comfort. Faint lights shone as I passed what I could only guess were something akin to giant galaxies. Faint light distorted at times, the reasons being most likely a powerful magic or force. Some bodies burned and flared like the empty stomachs of some immense and powerful being.
I drifted close to worlds at times. I saw some creatures, but I saw little of their strange and alien visages, and I remember even less still.
Finally, after a period of time I could not measure, my conscience settled near a world of blue, green, and white. I still saw little of what it looked like, but I almost felt as if my comfort was beginning to strip away from me, as if I was awakening from a deep, lucid dream.
Closer to the world's main continent I drifted, unto a point where nothing that I saw I could understand, and whatever it was, I no longer wished to look upon it's bright bodies. I felt like an infant, struggling to look away from the sun, or trying to move a strand of stubborn hair from it's face.
First, it was a red glow, greater than anything a sun could even come close to. Then, purple light shone from a source "above" me, though direction, to me, had lost all meaning in the universe around me. From this light emerged purple, four-legged figures, all of which floated through the air, as I did. They whispered to each other, though I couldn't understand what they said.
After a very long while of them discussing, I felt the slight sense of motion as the spirits pushed me down. Towards the surface, they drove me, through a small crack that within opened to a great cave. Within, I saw many four legged figures, but none of them were purple or spectral, like the ones that dragged me here. Most were large and varying in color, and two, one an organic green, and another a red with a couple of hints of orange, seemed to be sitting around an item covered in various twigs and sources of warmth. I couldn't formulate what it was at the time, though it was of some sort of orb or egg shape.
The purple specters huddled around me, doing something I could not understand and singing things I could not comprehend. Then, the purple light intensified, and it seemed that the material figures took notice. I then felt as if I was being condensed and miniaturized. My memories began to leave, and I felt as if I continued to lose all that I cherished. Everything around me seemed to get bigger, and the comfort that had once been with me was now completely gone, leaving me feeling as if I had awoke from a dream to find I had no skin. I began to lose memories of my years, starting with the most recent. I no longer knew how I had died, and as time progressed, I knew less and less about my entire life.
I began to writhe and struggle. I attempted to scream, but nothing left my mouth that was discernible. However, some of the specters looked at each other in distraught, seeming to have got the intended message.
Eventually, I could lose nothing less in memories. Then, I felt as if a physical comfort began to take over me, as my vision began to be crammed into the odd stone the red and green figures stared at.
...
Ignitus stared at the Volcano from a cave entrance. He watched fire torch what had once been his home. He watched fire burn where he had once trained Spyro and Cynder. He couldn't forget about the memories he had with that place, and what Malefor had done to twist those memories.
He remembered how a strange creature, seemingly spectral and covered in strange material, had assisted him at the wall of fire. It had saved him from being burned alive, but said nothing once it left him on the green side of the belt. It only turned and phased into the fire, disappearing into the wall of destruction.
As he flew as fast as he could to the caves in which the other dragons were hiding in, he saw a burst of purple energy emanate from the Volcano. He did not know what it was from, but he saw that it halted the process of the Destroyer and it's goals. That nickname was old and he had half the mind to call it it's real name, but he kept his tongue, as he was taught when he was but a whelpling. Either way, he was now happy and proud. Spyro, the new purple dragon did something great. He had saved them all.
He heard gasps behind him. He assumed it was due to the horrific, bit perhaps relieving ongoings outside of the cave's mouth. However, he realized that was not all it was. A dark green drake tapped him on the back, and he turned around to see Terrador, and behind him a purple light had appeared, shinning on the egg of a couple who was in the cave.
Ignitus's eyes squinted in slight confusion. He approached the egg cautiously, then turned to the parents and said, "Your hatchling is touched by the Ancestors."
A faint white mist floated out of the egg, quickly turning purple and floating into the light. The whispers from the light began to dim, but the light remained. The red fire dragon, the sire, said nothing, only cautiously looked at the egg, while the green mother swept the small nest along with the egg out of the light and towards them.
Suddenly, the egg jostled, causing the twigs atop it to fall. Slight cracking sounds began to emerge from the egg, and the parents quickly sat near the egg, eagerly awaiting the hatching of their egg. Ignitus sat down as well, along with Terrador, a couple of other dragons, and Hunter. Other dragons watched from a distance. The egg began to splinter, and soon a red and silver little tail stuck out of the egg, coated in a clear fluid. The scratching noises continued as the egg began to move more violently. The hatchling wanted out, that much was obvious.
A crack appeared in the egg. Quickly, it spread across the surface, and the egg crumbled, a sticky clear fluid flowing out.
"Mrew?" A sound emanated from a male red and silver hatchling that stood where the egg had been. He was covered in clear liquid, a few pieces of membrane and eggshell still here and there.
The collection of dragons felt their hearts melt. A few said "Aww!", or "He's so cute!". The hatchling looked at his parents and blinked. He then struggled to shake the liquid from itself, but when he realized that the substance was sticky, he began to try to nibble at it.
The mother grabbed the hatchling by the scruff of the neck, to prevent any struggles from the hatchling, and then she began to lick the hatchling clean. At first the hatchling resisted, but when the mother gripped tighter with her claws, the hatchling looked up at his mother and did it's best to squeak
The mother halted her cleaning, only to set the hatchling down, though with a tail border around him, and nuzzle the now somewhat clean hatchling. At first the little thing seemed confused, but he quickly returned the affection and began to purr. The father joined in, and the hatchling nuzzled him, too, raising his little claws and hugging his father's muzzle.
He then looked over to the other dragons, along with Hunter, and he slinked over as best he could. The mother was going to grab him before he went too far and hurt himself, but she held back when the hatchling hugged Hunter. The cheetah responded by patting the hatchling on the head. The hatchling began to purr.
The hatchling yawned, and then laid down and tried to sleep. However, the mother moved him to a spot on his father's back, between his wings. The hatchling gripped to his father's scales, readjusted himself, and promptly fell asleep, still purring. The mother rose and moved towards Ignitus.
He spoke, "Congratulations, Tonaphyr. You and Rignis are the proud parents of both a blessed hatchling, and the first hatchling known to hatch after the Year of the Purple Dragon." She nodded, then looked over to see Rignis tending to the hatchling's comfort. "What do you think the light meant, Ignitus?" She asked.
He shook his head. "I don't know," he said, "Whatever it is, I do know that you child will be a great leader in this new age. How, I don't know, *sigh*, but he will change our futures in some way or another." Ahe said. He then looked back towards the cave entrance, through which revealed an island, atop were pieces of the old Dragon Temple, floating back into it's place on the body of the Earth. "It would make sense that the Ancestors touched your hatchling."
Tonaphyr's eye crests perked. "Oh? Why is that?"
Ignitus was solemn and serious. "He is the first of this generation. Of course he would have a huge power in the world."
Tonaphyr shook her head, "Not one important enough for the Ancestors to bless him."
Ignitus growled in frustration, "Well, I don't know what he will do. Whatever it is, he has power you need to make sure does not go sour." Tonaphyr looked away, slightly frustrated, then walked away.
"I wonder why the Ancestors have spared that old dragon for so long. He's a good dragon, but he gets on my nerves!" she thought. She looked at Ignitus, then back at her mate and her new hatchling.
She walked up to the two, and the father seemed to be playing, as best as he could, with his new son. Tonaphyr laid down next to the two of them.
"Rewr!" The hatchling said, stumbling over to his mother and nuzzling her. She nuzzled back and then looked over at Rignis.
"Have you thought of a name?" she asked.
"No." he responded. "But, why is he silver?" She looked at the hatchling, who was now curled up on around his mother's paw. She observed the silver features on his back. "I... don't really know. But I thought... maybe we can call him Naverus?" She said.
Rignis's eyes brightened. "Sure! That sounds like a great name, Tona." he said.
"Good!" said Tona. She then nuzzled Rignis. Naverus then got up, and his parents looked at him.
"Mrow?" Naverus said. He was then stuck in between two dragons nuzzling him. He returned the affection and began to purr.
Meanwhile, Ignitus stared out of the cave, and began to talk Terrador when he emerged from the deeper part of the cave. All the while, though, he stared out towards the Volcano and the Burned Lands.
...
"Have you seen him, Cynder?" said a voice. A voice responded. "No!".
"Where could he be?" Spyro thought. When he and Cynder looked at the Volcano, when it erupted, Malefor had apparently teleported, or tried to escape, at least. The two had been searching for the vile dragon for nearly half an hour by now.
Cynder suddenly bellowed, "THERE HE IS!" She sped off towards the lip of the Volcano, where a speck of silverish-purple was visible. Spyro followed closely behind, a grim expression on his face.
However, when they arrived, the scene was much more horrific than they had anticipated. Instead of a live, fighting or flying purple dragon, they found the evil lord pierced through in multiple places by the stone spikes on the lip of the mountain. Blood oozed from the wounds, and the expression he had was one of shocked pain. He was hardly recognizable, as his scales and skin looked as though they had already decayed for nearly ten years. No element could do this, not even shadow or convexity. Niether dragons could explain it; It made no sense. Spyro had to look away, as the scene was absolutely horrible. Malefor was a disgusting and vile dragon, but this kind of death was one no one was ever worthy of. Even Cynder looked shaken from the brutality of it.
"Come on, Cynder. We need to go. I-I can't look at this for much longer." Spyro said. Cynder looked at her old master. How had this happened? She shivered at the power behind whatever brought the Dark Master to such a low state. "Yeah. Maybe we should go." she as she turned away from the deathly sight.
The two dragons then took flight, flying low to the ground. When they reached the Belt of Fire, they were barely able to skim over it. They then recovered and began their journey to Warfang, or at least what remained of it, flying at a rather slow pace, as both were tired, injured, and still shaken from the sight they had witnessed.
...
About 30 miles away from Warfang, a hill shuffled. Leaves and plants rustled as the earth beneath them stirred. Then, part of the earth rose, breaking and snapping any roots attached to both chunks of earth. The moving earth, shaped as a great ape arm, reached to the other side of the hill. It scooped through plants, splitting trees, and a ding not very different from a church bell rang. The arm pulled from it's earthen sheath a great Claymore, the sliding from it's sheath sounding more like immense plates of iron grinding against each other. The arm then thrust the monstrous sword into the earth opposite to where the sheath was located. The arm pulled up, allowing the great, hulking monolith of a humanoid to sit up, and then stand. It's skin looked so dry as to be akin to chalk, and veins of red ember laced it's skin, pulsating as though it were veins transporting the essence of destruction itself. As it stood up, it's great height was revealed. A staggering height, where the creature stood easily at 90 the earth and plants slid off of it's body, more of the giant's visage was open. The creatures face was covered in a dark veil, and over it's head sat a chainmail hood. Plate armor protected the chest, back, shoulders, and thighs, but the legs and arms were still left exposed.
The great creature moved it's head to stare into the distance at a city of sandstone-colored stone. The embers laying in it's skin seemed to burn brighter, igniting any last bit of plant matter on it's body, reducing them to ash that blew away with the wind. The creature unleashed a great roar, loud enough so that the citizens of the far city would hear the challenge the great, ancient beast had declared, and long enough that their hearts would fill with dread.