Chapter 9: Return to the Dragon Realms
The sun was just over the horizon when the seven heroes were packed and prepared to leave. The Temples people had given the provisions for the rest of their journey the night before.
"Can someone remind me why we had to get up so early?" Flame said trying to muffle a yawn.
"The faster we can get a move on the faster we can save our world." Spyro said. Flame only groaned. He wanted to save his world, but couldn't it wait just a few more minutes.
Spyro and his friends were on their way to the portal that led to Winter Tundra when they were stopped by several wizards.
"We wanted to give you a parting gift." One of the wizards said. In his hand he held seven gold necklaces which had small pendants. Within the pendant was a miniature orb which glinted in the morning light. The wizard handed each of the travelers a necklace. They made sure to craft and extra large one for Rali.
"The necklaces will protect you from the effects of the barrier rip in your world." The wizard said before stepping back allowing another wizard to come forward. In his hand was a scroll tied closed with a golden ribbon. He handed it to Bianca.
"This scroll contains the spell we used to close the barrier here. You can use it to close the barrier around the dragon world. Be sure to follow it to the letter." The wizard said before stepping back. Spyro and his friends thanked the wizards for their gifts and were about to leave when the first wizard called out to them again.
"Just be wary that the necklaces won't last forever. They will start to work when you get to the land where the magic is most disrupted. Take care not to delay for after a time their light will begin to fade." The travelers heeded the wizard's words and said their goodbyes. One at a time the travelers stepped through the portal to Winter Tundra.
Winter Tundra was much different than when Spyro and his companions had left. The snow had receded greatly and many of the buildings were visible now. The sun shone brightly casting its warm rays onto the land melting the snow further.
From the Could Temples portal the group headed straight to the super portal that went to Dragon Shores. The large portal was still inactive, but with a quick spell from Bianca the portal glowed to life. The image of Dragon Shores appeared in the portal and without hesitation Bianca stepped through with the others following behind her. Once everyone had been transported Bianca took the magic compass out of a pouch that was attached to her belt. The compass's needle spun slowly for a moment until it settled pointing in the northeast direction.
"Before we go close the barrier I think that we should check in with the Elders. They are still waiting for me to return with the orbs." Spyro said as he headed off in the direction of the balloonist. On the way they passed the small theme park that was built on the shore. It was deserted. There wasn't a soul in the park. That was very unusual for that time of year. Normally the park would be pretty full, but there wasn't any except for a few seagulls that sat atop the rollercoaster rails. Spyro wondered if the park was empty because of the barrier tear. That was strange because the park didn't run on magic. It really wasn't that important a thing to dwell on; Spyro's mind turned to more important matters.
Before long the dock where the hot air balloons were used was in sight. Only a few balloons were remaining. A creature who wore a large, scruffy, red scarf was laid out on the dock with a rolled up blanket under his head. He was snoring loudly.
"At least the balloonist is still here." Spyro commented to himself.
The balloonist wasn't much larger than an average gnorc, and he was shaped like one. He wore a leather cap with a pair of goggles on his head. He wore a light blue shirt, brown pants, and large boots. The red scarf covered most of the balloonist's face. No one really knew what kind of creatures the balloonists were. They weren't dragons for sure. Most assumed them to be some tan kind of gnorc that could speak their language.
Spyro nudged the balloonist on the shoulder to wake him up, but he didn't do anything but grunt and roll over.
"Hey, wake up. We want to use one of your balloons." Spyro said hoping to wake the sleeping balloonist. The balloonist mumbled something incomprehensible before slowly rising to a sitting position. He groggily looked from Spyro to the others and then taking a quick glance at a balloon. He then promptly lay back down and went to sleep again.
"Wake up!" Spyro shouted feeling a surge of annoyance.
"We're closed for the day, come back later." The balloonist said in a gravely voice.
"We need a balloon! This is an emergency!" Spyro exclaimed. The balloonist rolled over and opened an eye looking from him to his friends and then back to Spyro.
"None of you look hurt; I don't see any fires, no monsters, and no emergency." The balloonist said.
"C'mon Spyro, we don't have time for him." Ember's voice caused him to look to his left. His friends were already in a balloon and were waiting for him.
"HEY! Get out of there! What don't you people get about the balloons being closed?" The balloonist's voice was slightly tinged with fear as he yelled. He was standing now, but that didn't stop Spyro from dashing into the basket of the balloon. Rali cut the rope holding the balloon to the dock with his teeth and watched as the dock got smaller and smaller.
The balloonist was yelling something, but no one listened to him. The balloon drifted upward steadily in the direction of the Artisan home-world.
"That was very strange." Spyro said to no one in particular. Normally the balloonists would be glad to let anyone use their balloons, but in the case the balloonist clearly didn't want to let anyone ride. Spyro pondered the balloonist's strange behavior for a few more moments until he found that he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation. It didn't matter much since they got their balloon ride anyway.
It was nearly fifteen minutes before the balloon touched down on the Artisan dock. The passengers exited one by one and headed off toward the Artisan temple. As they walked Spyro noticed that the town was strangely quiet. Something didn't feel quite right. There were a few inhabitants walking around going about their lives, but not nearly as much as their normally would have been.
The group made their way up the stone steps of the temple that led to its enormous doors. Spyro pushed the door open which gave a low moaning noise. Spyro walked slowly into the cool building looking for the Elder. He called Nestor's name, but go no response at first. Someone's voice suddenly sounded from the hall to his right causing him to jump slightly.
"You're back!" The voice said. Spyro turned to see Conerr walked towards him with renewed hope sparkling in his eyes. "We were beginning to worry that you wouldn't return in time." The Elder's son said.
"I ran into a few bumps along the way, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle." Spyro said with a slightly smug tone.
"Come, much has happened in the few days you were gone." Conerr said his voice slightly tinged with sadness. A strange feeling welled in the pit of Spyro's stomach. He glanced back at his friends before following Conerr down the right hall to a small chamber; Spyro's friends followed closely behind. The chamber wasn't as elaborately decorated as the main halls and chambers. It only had a few furnishings and one statue of to the side. The ceiling wasn't as high either.
In the corner of the room at a desk sat Nestor. Spyro was slightly shocked at how old the dragon appeared. It was as if he was drained of all his energy and aged many years in just a few days; mourning had taken its toll on him.
"I'm glad that you've returned Spyro. The others… were growing doubtful that you'd make it." Nestor said in a quiet voice. As the purple dragon moved closer he could see the sorrow in the older dragon's eyes, a deep sadness.
"What happened?" Spyro asked slowly. He was afraid of what he might hear. Nestor looked away from the purple dragon and swallowed.
"Cosmos is dead." Nestor said past the lump in his throat. A cold feeling washed over Spyro. His mind whirled as it tried feebly to absorb the news. The young dragon's jaw clenched as he could feel his throat tightening. He heard Ember gasp, and Flame growl. Elora asked quietly how.
"It was the Banished Elders." Conerr said trying to fight against the anger that was building within him. Spyro and his friends each found a place to sit so they could hear the story. Nestor didn't talk much and left most of the telling to his son.
"They took the gem we were working on and fled leaving a total of six dead and dozens injured." Conerr said. Spyro took a deep breath as his mind absorbed the news. He knew that Nestor and Cosmos were close, like brothers. Spyro also had his own memories about the Magic Crafters Elder. Rage and sadness warred against each other inside him. He wanted to rip the banished Elders apart with his own claws, but at the same time he wanted to sit there and mourn.
"Did you bring the orbs?" Nestor asked suddenly after a moment of silence.
"Yes, I have them." Bianca answered unclipping the omni-pocket from her belt. She handed the small bag to Nestor who peered inside to see the shimmering green and gold of the Avalarian orbs. His face brightened and the years placed on him by his mourning seemed to lift causing him to look more like his old self.
"Yes, very well done!" He said to Spyro and the others.
"I also have the spell the close the barrier with." The young sorceress said.
"Really?" Conerr asked.
"Yep, all we have to do is find the barrier tear and we'll be well on our way." Bianca said.
"I knew I could trust you Spyro, to save us." Nestor said looking at the purple dragon. "And his friends as well because I know that without you all, our little hero wouldn't be where his is would he?" Nestor said looking into the faces of each of Spyro's friends. "Now you must hurry, there isn't much more time."
Back at Dragon Shores the balloonist paced back and forth across the deck fear and worry shining in his blue eyes.
"This is bad… bad, bad, and bad." He said in a slightly shaking voice. He was supposed to stall Spyro and his companions for as long as possible. Keep them at the Shores. He should've just popped the balloons. He wasn't that smart he thought to himself.
"I'll run. That's what I'll do! I'll run to where he can't find me. I'll bury myself in a hole and hide there until Spyro takes care of hi—" As the balloonist turned to run off of the deck his sentence was cut short as a spark of dark-light formed into Shadow in front of him.
"Bury yourself huh? Making your own grave…" The dragon said with no emotion. His eyes glowed with blood lust as he stared down the shaking balloonist.
"I-I swear I tried to stop them!" The balloonist said quickly backing away slowly. Shadow advanced on the balloonist with his fangs bared.
"I-I tried!" Tears began streaming from the balloonists eyes. He was going to die and he knew it. There was no place to run since he was cornered on the dock. He wouldn't have been able to escape Shadow anyway.
"Please!" The balloonist's words fell on deaf ears. With cat-like agility Shadow pounced onto the creature digging his claws into his flesh. Shadow ripped the scarf off of the balloonist revealing a slightly doggish face with a large nose and short muzzle. The balloonist's cries of pain were cut short when Shadow sunk his fangs into his throat.
When the balloonist ceased to move Shadow released the corpse from his jaws. A strange feeling washed over him. He couldn't fathom why he just killed the balloonist. It was like back in Cloud Temples. He didn't know why he killed some of the inhabitants. He knew he killed Gnorc because he was a threat. Shadow studied the blood on his claws for a moment and then looked to the corpse until he felt sick to his stomach.
"What's wrong with me?" He asked himself. He had a feeling that it had something to do with the dark magic he used, but it was ingrained within him. He couldn't get rid of it or stop using it. Shadow teleported away from the Shores to a nearby stream where he proceeded to wash the blood off of himself. He looked into his reflection in the water. He didn't recognize the animal staring back at him.
After studying his reflection for a moment longer Shadow waded out of the water and shook himself. He teleported back to his the abandoned warehouse. Shadow landing on top of the warehouse's dirty roof and sat down staring out at the setting sun. He could feel the land's magic draining faster everyday. Some of the smaller creatures such as gnorcs were really feeling the effects of the barrier tear. Many of them were created by Gnasty who transformed gems into his minions. Since the magic was now unstable some of the magically created gnorcs could no longer hold their form and reverted back into gems. Shadow found this disappointing since there weren't as many gnorcs to practice and/or take his frustrations out on.
Spyro and his friends made their way back to the Artisan balloon docks. Marco, the Artisan balloonist, sat on a smaller dock looking out at the sea that separated the Artisan land and the Magic Crafter land. When he heard footsteps behind him he turned around to see Bianca and the others approach him.
"Ah, it's good to see you again Spyro… and friends." Marco said unfamiliar with the purple dragon's companions.
"It's been a while since I've had any travelers. People have been staying in their houses."
"Why?" Elora asked.
"Aside from the barrier tear, the people are afraid of the banished Elders. The Elders have already warned the people of their return and what happened in Magic Crafters. Now people are too scared to travel anymore."
"I see." The faun said.
"Let me get you all a balloon." Marco said before scampering off down the dock. A few moments later he returned with one of the largest balloons he had capable of holding nearly fifteen people. This was needed due to Rali's large size. Once the balloon landed the travelers climbed in and Marco got out. He waved goodbye to Spyro and his companions as they swiftly drifted off.
"Good luck!" He called out to them.
By now the Artisan home world was nothing but a green dot on the horizon. To the left of the balloon the sandy color of the Peace Keeper land was visible. Somewhere far ahead of the lay the Beast Maker land and a bit farther away from there way the Dragon Junkyard, their destination.
"Are you sure that's where the barrier tear is?" Ember asked as she peered over the baskets edge looking out across the sea.
"Yep; that's where the compass is pointing." Bianca said absently. She was worried about having to perform the barrier closing spell on her own, and she wasn't sure if she could do it. She fished the spell scroll out from her small pack and unfurled it. Her eyes pored over the thick paper as she tried to memorize the spell. Bianca hardly noticed as Hunter sat down next to her slight concern showing in his blue eyes.
"Worried?" He asked quietly.
"A little…" Bianca answered.
"Don't worry too much, it can cause premature wrinkles." He said with a small grin on his face. Bianca looked at him glad to have him with her. She leaned onto his shoulder and gave a small sigh.
Bianca wasn't the only one who had things on her mind. Spyro gripped the rim of the basket tightly as he looked out towards the Dragon Junkyard. He knew that he would have to face Shadow, and it wasn't going to be an easy fight. He had never faced anyone with dark magic as powerful as his before and it cause fear to settle in the pit of his stomach. The black dragon disturbed him, the way he just incinerated Gnorc, those wild yellow eyes. Also the fact that he had a dream about him before they met left his mind reeling. Spyro knew that he would also have to do something about the banished Elders, but they weren't an immediate threat right now. Just the mere thought of them and how they killed Cosmos caused a small snarl to cross his face. A voice broke him from his troubled thoughts.
"It'll be alright Spyro. We've faced bigger and badder before." Sparx said seemingly able to read the purple dragon's thoughts.
"I know, but… it'll be different this time. I can feel it."
About half an hour passed before the balloon touched down onto the muddy bank of Junkyard Lake. Since the compass was pointing off into the direction of the forest there wasn't a need to land on the portal platform in the middle of the lake. The heroes disembarked from the balloon's basket and tied it to a sturdy old tree. The magical turbulence was stronger here, but the charms from the wizards in Cloud Temples kept the disturbance from bothering the group. The magic compass's needle began to shake, but it continued to point in relatively the same direction. As usual Bianca took the lead heading towards the thick forest of the Dragon Junkyard.
The sun was sank lower and lower into the sky as the day wore on. The travelers were tired and their feet ached. As usually it was Flame that complained first, but everyone was too tired to ignore him and agreed that it was time to take a break. The group searched their packs for the food that they had brought with them and began to eat ravenously.
"So… do we have a battle plan?" Flame said between mouthfuls of bread. "I doubt that the tear will be left unguarded for us to go and fix."
"How will we have a plan if we don't know what we're up against?" Elora said after a gulp of water.
"I think that it's a safe bet to assume that we'll be up against those shadow beasts again." Hunter said.
"God I hate those things." Flame said with annoyance.
"Well… at least we know how to beat them now." Ember said. The group stayed quiet for a few moments longer as they finished their meal.
"I'm sure Shadow will be there." Spyro said in a serious tone.
"That black dragon you were talking about?" Rali asked.
"Yeah; out of all the enemies we may face he'll probably be the most dangerous. I saw what he could do." The group remembered the pile of ashes on the throne in the main temple of Cloud Temples. They gulped.
"I don't think that we have anything resistant to dark magic do we?" Spyro asked. The group shook their heads no. With a sigh Spyro stood and said that they should get a move on.
The trek continued deeper into the darkening forest. The sun was nearly half way below the horizon. If the group didn't make it to the barrier tear tonight they would have to set up camp.
Shadow could hear the approach of the enemy. He could hear the sounds of their voices and the steps of their feet as he pressed his ear against the cold ground. He spread his psychic power so he could get a general idea as to how close they were. They were closer than they thought. Shadow rose stiffly and looked around the dark warehouse. Shadows covered nearly every wall. The black dragon's eye's blazed white and a blast of dark-light radiated from his body throughout the building. Shadow's returned to normal as he panted slightly. Red eyes began forming in the shadows of the building. At first there were only a dozen pairs, and then more and more appeared. Soon it seemed that the walls were covered in nearly a hundred pairs of eyes and were writhing and undulating with the bodies of many shadow beasts. Their black bodies oozed from the walls like dripping ink and gathered down on the floor. They stood in a semi-circle around their master waiting for orders. He told them to wait.