X - The Return Home
(Yeah I know, sudden time skip, big deal! I'm just too lazy to write out Cynder's whole time there. I'd eventually run out of ideas and well… it'd kinda get boring… I'm almost done writing this anyways, this books only got a few more chapters in it before I start Spyro's story, so bare with me, but anyways, thanks for reading!)
Week 36 - Day…?
I've been here for about 36 weeks now, though I'm unsure on the exact day anymore. Things have been going great, somewhat... I've been here in the Kleinn doing the same tasks over and over. We've escape attempt after escape attempt but they clearly never worked. I'm unsure of hat Spyro and the others are doing. I'm sure they've gotten ahold of the other two shards by now. And all the need now is mine… Though for, I can just pray that I can stay alive until I know I'm going home… For once… I regret everything… I really do… I need to tell that to Spyro… Just to make up for everything… I've rambled on enough now…
I sighed as I put the book I had been writing in down and looked out of the cage. How could I have gotten caught up in this mess? I have a mission to do and well… Spyro and the others have been all the way ahead of me so far now. I still have mine thankfully but… That just makes me a high-value target for them. I'm not sure what to do anymore but wait at this point… It was just after midnight now and I shook my head a small bit, going to sleep with a pretty full conscience. Neztal has been there to guide me through any of my hard endeavors, so I truly was alone on this. Gallnayis and I were the last ones in the cage now. Tresdorna had been relocated to another cage somewhere on the other side of the Kleinn. Gallnayis was the only one I could rely on at this point.
"Gallnayis… Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" I turned my head to him. He was looking up at the night sky that was full of stars. I joined him by his side.
"I don't know young one… But one thing's for sure… we have to keep moving and following with the group. We can't let our minds be taken by the ancestors…" He looked away. "All we can do now is wait for something to happen.
I rested against his side, exhausted still from today's tedious activities. I looked up to the sky with him and sighed gently before my head perked at the sound of armor rustling outside the cage. I got up and looked out to see a group of wyverns gathering around Captain Kardesh. I haven't ever noticed it before, but the spear he carried, it was magically infused with loads of power, and upon the tip of the spear...thats when I saw it. I quickly turned my head to Gallnayis and flagged him over with my wings before turning back to face the mass of guards.
"What is it Cynder?" He said as he approached and sat next to me.
"Gallnayis...there's...a Crystal Shard inside the head of Kardesh's spear!"
"Oh… OH! This.. is this is some news but… But how do you plan to get it, Cynder?"
"That's simple. Just have to wait for it. These wyverns...they seem to be grouping up for something. But...what is that something?"
"I don't know Cynder…"
"Well… Whatever it is, they are clearly armed and ready for something." We sat there at the border of our cage, onlooking the guards before there was a loud roar and blast of lightning into the sky. At first, I thought that it may have been Volteer but… He hated the cold. That's when the guards started to run towards the entrance of the Kleinn, a nearly none staying behind to watch. I waited for something to happen before the sound of the lock being unlocked from our cage gate and I looked over to see Tyrfang unlocking it. He poked his head in and yelled out.
"Come on! There's been an attack on Draknor and we need to get out! The guards can't handle whoever it is!" He quickly ran to the other cages, unlocking them as well. Gallnayis and I made our way out of the cage and looked around. Gallnayis looked to the entrance of the Feral Kleinn while I looked towards the entrance of the Kleinn.
"Cynder come on! Going that way is suicide, we have to go out through the transport road!" He insisted.
"I can't Gallnayis, I have to get the shard! If we both get out, meet me near Warfang, now go! I can handle myself out there!" I quickly began to run towards the entrance and Gallnayis tried to stop me, but he went on his own way back towards the transport road. With every step I took, I was on my way home, freedom at last, but I wasn't homebound yet. I saw the mass of guards running toward the city of Draknor and I began to follow suit, yet I quickly stopped to look over the sudden appearance of dead wyverns on the ground. The undead was attacking. Which could only mean… Domorah. I looked along the bodies of the undead and wyverns, trying to see if there was any available armor when I spotted an armored drake on the ground, dead. I quickly took off her armor and put it on myself, making it fit just right. I felt like a Dragonknight in this armor, and I felt great! I quickly ran toward to entrance of the tunnel I had come down and I saw more and more guards bunched up, holding off the horde of the undead all around the city. I looked towards the Palace to see a large hole in it, which was where all the guards were trying to get to, yet the undead just kept coming and coming. I had to head there next, hoping to find Captain Kardesh in there.
I ran past all the guards, looking at them as some of them shouted at me to come help, but then told them that I had specific orders to come help at the castle defence and they left me alone, I found a spear along my way to the castle and I ran faster, placing the spear on my back, it wasn't long before I finally reached the entrance of the Palace, looking around there were masses of bodies piled up in the interior halls of the castle, undead and wyvern alike. I stood on my hind legs and held my spear in my paws, looking around for a moment. It was oddly silent now, it seemed the onslaught of the undead had stopped for the moment, though I kept my guard up, surveying my area before approaching the grand hall where I had first been. I saw Lord Berkut laying on the floor, dead, under the towering body of Domorah, holding, soon turning his head to me.
"Ah… How wonderful to finally meet you Cynder… Come closer so that I may get a better look at such dashing young Black dragon-like yourself…" He turned his body and stepped closer to me, to which I started to step back from him, my back soon hitting the wall, my spear pointed at him.
"Stay back Domorah!" I shouted at him, yet he just kept coming closer and closer before Captain Kardesh came rushing in and stabbing the necromancer dragon on the side.
"Take that, you vile Westerner!" He yelled out as he drove the spear deeper into his side, to which Domorah began to pull away and he growled out to the Captain, throwing his head to the side to smack Kardesh in the side bluntly.
"You'll regret that Drake!" The necromancer dragon roared out and unsheathed his large claws, looking at the Captain as he began to rush at him. I stood back as I watched the fight take place, swipes of the claws and tail and stabs of the spear towards the necromancer, not much was connecting but it soon all stopped when Kardesh took a bad hit to the side, those poisoned claws digging into his side as he soon fell down, wobbly and shifty a bit. He looked over to me, shaking a bit before throwing his spear my way. "T-take it, and get out of here!" He growled to me and I caught the spear in my paws before making my escape. I looked back to see if he what would become of him, though it wasn't too pretty to watch let's just say that. I ran as fast as I could, now both spears in my paws. That was my first moments face-to-face with Domorah. He looked so horrible in person all his skin and scales were rotting away yet he still looked so alive… I looked back once more to see if Domorah was following me, but luckily he wasn't. I sighed a bit and flew back to the west in hopes of getting back home and telling everyone about my conundrum.
I flew for about an hour or two, no one else in sight but just me, and the ocean under me. Being in that camp for so long kept my body rather… weak. Every flap of my wings drove me closer and closer to exhaustion, and soon it would be too much for me to bare. I could feel myself dropping altitude and before long I hit the water, and I hit it hard. "C-can't… keep flying… Ugh… Waters… Take me home…" I said into the air before I drifted unconscious. I wasn't sure where I was going, but one thing's for sure, I hope to drift on home.
It must have been a long time, but I was soon awoken to the feeling of something pecking at my stomach. I groaned and lifted my head, shooing away the seagulls pecking at my stomach. I shook my head softly and groaned again, looking around at my surroundings as I soon stood up. I felt my back, feeling both spears on my back still. At this point, I wasn't completely sure if I still had that first shard on me still. I started to panic that I had lost it in the ocean. I felt on my body, placing a paw on my satchel and digging my paw into it before sighing softly. It was still in there, thank goodness the guards weren't smart enough to take it off. I still had my armor on, and it still fit me so perfectly. I sighed and sniffed the air a bit and waved my tail gently. "Home… Home!" I smiled a bit and looked around, soon starting to walk my way towards the grassland, and before long I saw home, Warfang. This leads me to believe that I had landed near Warfang, lucky me. I began to make my home, sighing out in relief when I approached the gated wall. I dragged my paw along the wall before I looked inside, flicking my tail around softly. I saw everyone in the city gathered around the main square. Cyril was standing in the middle of the crowd, spouting some speech. I decided to make my way in, stepping in slowly and carefully before I felt someone grab ahold of my tail and pull me back outside. "Hey watch- Oh!" It was Gallnayis. "Oh thank gods you made it out alive…"
"It was a bit rather hard to make it out but sure enough I did." Gallnayis nodded his head softly and looked back a bit. "I was also able to bring a few others along for the ride." He motioned his tail a bit and a few other dragons stepped out into the open, and, a wolf.
"Satoshi? Narzel?" They were both indeed there, Narzel came floating up to me and gave me a big ol' hug, squeezing me tightly.
"Oh, it's soooooooo good to see you again Cynder! You look awful though… What happened to you?"
"It's a long story Narzel."
"Well, either way, it is indeed great to see you again Cynder." Satoshi came up and pat me on the head, he had his katana with him this time. "We have come all this way just so we could finally get to see Warfang. And I must say, the Dragonlands are quite lovely."
"Yeah, I agree with you there. Beautiful fields all around!" I smiled at the wolf standing before me. I turned back to the inside of the gate and looked at the crowd still in there, though they were all waiting for someone to come and speak to them. I looked back to my newfound friends before nodding my head a bit. "Okay… I know this may sound crazy… but I'm going to need full support from you guys…"
"Do not worry Cynder… whatever happens, we will be with you!" The others nodded.
"Thanks, guys. Here's the game plan… Well… it's not so much of a plan more or less just a way for me to retrieve the other crystal shards. We can't let them finish the Crystal… it could mean the end of us all!"
Gallnyais looked into the crowd a small bit and nodded his head, soon perking a bit as he pointed toward the main stage. This prompted me and Satoshi to stick out our heads and to see what it was. "Cynder… is that..?"
"Yes, Gallnayis… that is the nearly completed Crystal. They only need two more pieces of it… And fortunately… they won't be able to get the other two… not while I'm still alive." I stood up on my hind paws and pulled my Spear off my back. It was rather easy for me to do so nowadays considering I was put through those rough weeks of having to do so. I sighed and looked back at them before nodding calmly. It was… Going to be tough… but it had to be done. Whatever punishment or judgment I face, whatever they throw my way, just… Whatever happens. I'll be ready for it, we all will!