Hey everyone, nothing much to say here, just here's chapter 10.
My thanks to V2d12, MysticOTDH, and darklighteryphon for the usual supporting words, and to NoStrikes for adding anew voice. BTW I had to look up empathy...lol. I appreciate the reviews guys, keep em coming.
Chapter 10: Overstaying one's welcome
"You can't go yet, Cindy!"
Tempest, with a grasp on Cynder's shoulder, is dragged into the long hallway of Cubis' home, unable to halt the black dragoness. Even at half power and with a noticeable limp, Cynder is ready to go now. Her green eyes are focused down the corridor, however her vision is not of the cave, but of her daughter. A vision of distress that she cannot get out of her thoughts, and a sickness that once hindered her many years ago.
"Gale is in trouble." she replies, yanking her shoulder from Tempest's paw, continuing to trudge forward.
"I am going home... now."
"You can't even walk, for heaven's sake...what are you going to do against an army of pirates?"
Cynder stops walking, turns to Tempest, and in a voice the wind dragon has not heard from her friend in more than five years, answers with a cold tone of death itself.
"I will kill them all if they stand in my way."
The blue dragoness' eyes open wide, suddenly feeling a fear long since forgotten. However, even she knows the Terror of the Sky would have issues against more than a hundred trained killers.
"I know you have powers that I cannot comprehend, Cynder..." Tempest steps closer to the eggplant purple scaled dragon, and without caution, places a paw upon her friend's shoulder. "...but I don't think even you can handle all of them."
The ground suddenly shakes hard, as the mountain is struck by several cannonballs, damaging the rock around the ice plug that keeps the pirate army out. And at this moment, Cubis runs into the hallway from the forward room, knowing he needs to wake his guests.
"Oh!" he blurts, stunned to see both ladies not just standing in the hallway, but in a kind of stand off.
"Are you okay over here?"
"No." Cynder replies, taking her eyes from Tempest, then focusing them on Cubis. Albeit, she still sees her daughter and the pain Gale feels at this moment.
"I must be geting home."
Cubis is startled by her remarks, and just stares at her as she begins to walk by. Though, realizing something is troubling her, the ice dragon blocks her path with his giant backside and tail.
"That might not be a good idea at the moment. There are over a hundred pirates, all armed with crossbows and hand cannons, ma'am. " the large dragon grunts with a snarky grin, as Cynder stops and turns her angered eyes back at him.
"Now, I am not the biggest fan of yours, and can care less if you die..." he continues sarcastically, moving his rump against the wall to block Cynder's path, then staring her down with a cold pair of icy blue eyes. "...but you have a daughter to look after."
The black dragoness, the same sarcastic grin on her face, simply walks through the Shadow Realm, emerging past the large dragon.
"That is why I am leaving."
"You think killing yourself is a good way to protect her?" Cubis replies with a stern tone, stopping Cynder in her tracks.
The dark purple dragoness looks back at the massive ice breather, her eyes changing the moment she find his. Pure white they become, and her scales become darker than a starless sky at midnight, as Fury takes her over.
"They will only be killing themselves, if they try to keep me from my daughter."
Meanwhile, outside the walls, Blackwing stands over his brother's corpse, Anger influencing his heart.
"Damn weakling..." he grunts, sore at his brother for failing one last time. And though he is mad at him, he still remains loyal to blood and brotherhood. "...I told you, you were not strong enough for this, and you never listened to me."
The black parrot pauses as a volley of cannon fire rattles his ears and teeth. He gazes over at the cave entrance, grinning as the blast breaks another large chunk from the blockage.
"But I will make them pay for taking my little brother...rrk." the bold pirate gives a little uncontrollable squawk after his words, for the first time in years, broken up that this will be the last time he speaks to him. "...go with peace, Terry...I will miss you."
After a moment to collect himself, the black parrot is back to the business that has made him known worldwide.
"GET THAT CANNON LOADED AGAIN...I WANT THAT DOOR OPEN NOW!"
To his shock, a black dragoness emerges from the mountain, through a portal of shadow magic. He is also stunned as the cannons fire at the same moment.
"NOOOO!" he barks, but it is too late.
The black parrot knows who he is staring at, and the gigantic issue that now faces him and his men. And as Cynder opens a massive black hole, capturing nearly every fast moving projectile, Blackwing understands his time may be short.
The sound of another portal, opening directly above his position, only proves he is correct. The pirate covers his head with his metal wing and begins to pray. Once again, to his surprise, he is not killed by the cannon fodder he was expecting to rain from above. But instead, Cynder drops the entire load she sucked into the shadow realm upon an empty area beside the north mountain.
Jakko ducks his head out from under his wing, his heart racing for a near death experience, but more so seeing the black dragoness heading towards him.
"Mrs, Cynder..." he greets her with a very cheery tone, hoping the powerful Shadow dragoness will not kill him on the spot. "...I have missed you."
To the great hero's surprise, her enemy bows in respect.
"I did not know that you were a part of this, ma'am," he remarks, true sincerity in his voice, for he had no clue the great Cynder was recovering from a beating, laid out on her by his brother. However, he can see that now, as the black dragones limps directly up to the small parrot. "it appears my brother was even dumber than I thought, taking on the queen."
"I was never his queen, Blackwing." she replies coldly, as this annoying nickname was given to her by the pirate leader, who himself knelt before Malefor.
"No, I suppose you were never his equal..." the black bird remarks with a sarcastic tone, however, his voice turns calm and respectful as he finishes. "...you were better than him, Cynder, and I thank you for ending his reign."
She returns a subtle bow with her head, as Cynder recalled how much it angered the pirate leader, having to take orders. Upon receiving her respect, the black parrot turns his eyes to the frozen block of ice that was his brother. An odd look crosses his face, which he shows to a one time colleague.
"When did you develop the ice element, Mrs. Cydner? Did Spyro teach you that? Is that even possible?" he asks, his sarcastic tone returning, knowing she is not the reason his brother is dead.
"And when did you move out here to the suburbs?" again his voice is drenched in sarcasm, as the black pirate knows exactly where she lives, with her hero husband. "I haven't been to Warfang in quite a while, too many laws that I don't care for, but I hear it is magnificent."
"This is not my home, Jakko." Cynder replies, knowing exactly where this vicious pirate is going with these questions. "And yes, the one who lives here is the one that killed your brother, but that was cause Terry was trying to kill me."
Blackwing's eyes pop open, and he looks back at the small mutli-colored ice tomb his brother rests in.
"That's ballsy Terry..." the black bird grins as he looks back at Cynder. "...first, for going after you, and second, for not telling me who stole from my store."
Blackwing gestures his good wing, and every single pirate stands at ease.
"My apologies, Master Cynder..." the pirate leader backs out of her way, gesturing his metal wing for an old friend to pass. And though she is no longer a friend, as Cynder and Spyro have put a damper on his ability to plunder near any major city, there is still respect for the one time Terror of the Sky.
Cynder may no longer use that name, but to Blackwing, her old name is truth in his mind.
"...I don't want anymore of my vessels to fall from the sky today. I would however, ask that you return what you have stolen from me."
A smirk is given, as Cynder is not about to give it back, but she is also not dishonest, and makes reparations to cover the theft.
"We tried to pay for it Jakko, and he refused ninety three gold pieces."
Again the black pirate shows shock, as nothing in that store had value of more than a hundred, and ninety three is damn close enough to that number.
"What the hell was so valuable that he held it like an oyster with its pearl?"
Cynder, recalling the bracelet she took, describes the thick herringbone bangle to a tee, allowing a sharp mind for treasure to recall this item quickly.
"Well that was the highest priced thing there... I really didn't trust Terry with much more..." he looks back at his brother again, a smug grin on his face for the way the multi-colored bird was. "...he was a thieving bastard."
"I will pay you the hundred you wanted, because I cannot give back what I no longer have..." Cynder pauses, the look of an old friend to show she is speaking the truth. "...it was never for me, Jakko."
"Another charity case, huh?" he replies to her offer, then looks at the burning pile of tinder that once carried his army around the world. "How bout some charity here, you know I'm gonna need more incentive than that, my old friend."
Having picked and sorted truffles with Jacob for the past five years, and never truly having a reason to spend it, as most offer her and her husband almost everthing for free, Cynder is the wealthiest dragon in Warfang. A mountain of gold and silver are at her disposal, and if it takes bribery to end this engagement, than its better that her mountain takes the hit, and not Cubis'. But mostly, it is the feeling deep inside, that her daughter is in danger, which makes Cynder move to a quick solution. She waves a paw before the black pirate, creating a small rift to the shadow realm. The black dragoness then reaches inside of it, removing a giant satchel from the safest bank in the world.
"I will give you five thousand gold pieces for your ships, but no more." she drops the bag, twice Blackwing's size, before him. His eyes open wide with delight, for this is enough to cover the damage to his ships and then some, making this day very profitable for the pirate and his crew.
"Take it and leave us alone, Jakko."
Mesmerized by the sight of this bag, stretched out to capacity with coins just trying to burst out, the black parrot thinks hard of his principals. He becomes annoyed, realizing he must pass on the offer, as Cynder will never pay the next bounty he wants.
The one for his brother.
"And what about Terry?" he asks, his voice no longer showing sarcasm or humor.
"What about him?" Cynder returns, her own voice showing she is not gonna back down, knowing what price he is searching for.
"You know happens when you kill a pirate, I don't think I need to remind you, Cynder."
A crooked grin crosses the black dragon's narrow muzzle.
"He came for blood first, so if you are looking for blood in return, I can give that to you just as easily as this."
"You are not the one I want blood from, Cynder..." Blackwing draws a dark purple blade from his side, and Cynder feels the same pull on her magic as before. He slashes at the bag, cutting open a huge hole, allowing the bursting coins to flood out on the ground. "...but I will take it from you, if you decide to interfere."
The black dragoness, seeing the crystal blade of evil magic, shakes her head. Cynder knows he has this dagger, as she gave it to him twenty years ago. A gift from the Dark Master, to the pirate who sided with him. However, she sees it, unlike the last one that entered her back from behind, and the black dragoness gives a former friend a final warning.
"Do you really want to go this route, Jakko?" she asks, her mind still racing with the idea of her daughter in pain.
"You know damn well what happens if I get angry... and trust me, I'm very close to losing my shit on all of you. So I will say this one last time." Cynder's eyes flash white, her scales darkening to the color the pirate leader knows all to well, having seen the black dragon in action.
"Back off now."
Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Spyro curls back up around his daughter, who just finished throwing up again.
"Are you okay, baby?" he asks, his voice as saddened as hers, feeling more and more sick with every second that passes.
"No...my stomach hurts, daddy." Gales replies, gingerly laying down beside her father, so not to press down on her belly any harder than necessary. But still a grimace fills her face as her stomach touches down on the cushions, sending a spike through poppa's heart.
"Izzz zzzhee zzztill vomiting, Zzzpyo?" asks Zaxxon, entering their room with his own grimace, holding the analysis of her tests.
"I don't underzztand thizzz...we have the diagnozzzizzz right, it wazzz a Copperback zzznake. We gave her the antizzzerum. Her temperature izzz normal, and zzzo are her vitalzzz, but yet zzzhe is getting zzzicker."
Zaxxon thinks for a moment, watching as Gale begins to become figgity again. She quickly rises to her feet, her sore paw covering her mouth as she runs over to a small pot and vomits again. Suddenly a grin crosses his face, noticing something about the green bile she is producing, as it looks very similar to another viscus liquid he has been studying for the last five years.
"Wow!" he blurts out, somewhat happily, bringing an angered father's eyes to the mantis.
"Wow!?" Spyro barks, annoyed at the way Zaxxon is showing a smile for his daughter's suffering. "How bout I blast you in the stomach, and I can laugh at you while you vomit uncontrollably."
Zaxxon keeps his grin while looking back at Spyro, for he understands the young girl is not sick, but changing. As he has understood, a dragon will begin to find its power, when influenced by said power, and this time is no different.
"I don't think Gale izzz vomiting, Mazzzter Zzzpyro." he announces as the same toxic smell of Cynder's poison begins to pass his nose. Zaxxon walks over to Gale, placing a hand on her neck, and not her back or belly.
He feels around for a moment before giving a tiny squeeze, and Gale hurls everything she had left inside, collapsing to the ground with exhaustion. However, after a second, or before Spyro could get up and beat Zaxxon's ass for what he just did, Gale rises back to her feet.
"What was that?" her words come out with ease and great curiosity, as she could not control what happened afterward. But, Gale can take a deep breath now, and her stomach is settling faster and faster.
"You muzzzt not zzzwallow your zzzaliva, little one." he points at the vessel given to the young dragoness when she started feeling nauseous twenty minutes ago, or the moment Gale was given her first antiserum shot.
"I know it zzzoundzzz unlady-like and nazzzty, but keep zzzpiting it out, zzzweetie."
Confusion fills her eyes, but Zaxxon's soft hand against her cheek relaxes the young dragoness, whose scales begin to shine again.
Spyro, in total shock, finally finds the strength to stand, and he walks over to his daughter.
"Are you okay, Gale?"
The tiny two tone purple and gold whelpling looks up at her father, the smile he has missed for an hour residing on her face, though the grin goes away as she produces another drop of nastiness.
Zaxxon notices this, and taps Gale on the back.
"Don't zzzwallow it, zzzweetheart..." he gestures one of his four hands to the bowl, a grin on his face as she show embarrassment. "...itzzz okay, your father will not be mad at you for zzzpitting."
Gale, with a deepening grimace, looks up at Spyro. And seeing a nod from daddy, Gale turns to the bowl and spits. Like before, the telltale sign of Cynder's poison is whiffed by both Zaxxon and her husband, as this drop is released without being diluted with what was in her stomach.
"Why is she producing poison, Zaxxon?" the purple dragon reacts with a bit of anger, as he has been exposed to this same poisons for years, and has yet been able to obtained this element like he has with every other.
"You told me poison is an unnatural element, forced into her by Malefor, and it would never be available to any dragon."
Zaxxon grins at Spyro's rage, recalling this discussion years ago, before he could translate for himself.
"Remind me to zzzmack Zzzmoak in the fazzz when he comezzz back..." he calmly responds, rubbing Gale's head as she promptly spits a few more drops of poison into the bowl again. "...cauzzzz I know I menzzzioned her offzzzpring may take on any traitzzz Zzzynder hazzz."
"What does that mean, Doctor Zaxxon?" Gale asks with a shy and timid voice, looking up at the old mantis from under his gentle hand. He lowers down to her face, noticing the grimace of such a nasty taste on her tongue again, keeping her from speaking nose to nose. However, Gale's eyes say everything, much like Cynder's, and Zaxxon only smiles wider for her.
"You are zzzoo much like your mother, Gale...and thizzz juzzt happenzzz to be a part of her too."
Even with the taste of poison in her mouth, the young dragoness finally smiles, showing off her now green tainted fangs. Her spirit, rising with the thought of being like her mother, shows itself to everyone in the room, especially her grandpa.
"Gale's spirit is much like her mother's too..." Diamond remarks, getting up from the corner of the room and padding over to his little granddaughter. And with his eyes, seeing the aura that had been doused in pain and discomfort now return to normal, the white dragon professes what Gale already knows inside. "...but it is the combination of that and her father's strength and will that makes her special."
Gale responds in the normal, wagging her tail and showing that spirit to her grandfather. But this bright interior light is doused as Blazer, the four guardians, and a blue parrot enter her room unannounced.
"Master Spyro...we may have a serious situation." the largest of all dragons remarks, lowering his eyes down to a somewhat stable Gale, seeing this situation is not as serious as it was a half an hour ago. "Well, other than this one...but it looks like you're managing now. How are you feeling young lady?"
Gale smiles for the guardian master, showing her attitude and demeanor is much improved from the last moment he saw her, when she wouldn't even look up from her cushion.
"I'm feeling a lot better, Master Blaa..." Gale pauses as a drop of poison forms from her saliva duct, and quickly she becomes embarrassed. The young lady does not want to spit in the presence of all these great dragons, but she also feels it is wrong to address the guardian master as master 'Blaa'.
However, her father is not as concerned about his daughter's embarrassment, suddenly realizing the group was keeping something from him, when they first visited the young dragoness who fell ill in the park.
"It is Cynder you came about?" the question need not be asked, as the black dragoness would have been in the infirmary seconds after Gale arrived, since word spread like wildfire throughout Warfang.
Blazer closes his eyes, knowing he lied to the great hero when they last spoke.
"Were still putting things together, but it appears Cynder was involved in an incident at the market." Blazer takes a deep breath seeing Spyro become furious, but it is the fear and concern that takes Gale's expression which makes Blazer speak fast.
"She took a bracelet from the pirate kiosk, then went on to pummel a platoon of canine warriors before taking off towards the North mountain."
Still angered, Spyro shows a tiny smile hearing his wife still has her strong side, something she hasn't shown in a while. But as Blazer continues, the purple and gold dragon becomes more concerned for the fight she may be in right now.
"I am being told by a good friend..." the large dragon points his massive paw at the tiny blue parrot to his left. "...the bracelet was owned by the Blackwing clan...and that it was stolen from a lost dragoness named Rebecca...daughter of Cubis."
Spyro looses all of his anger towards Blazer, suddenly feeling only fear for the last name mentioned. But it gets worse as Blazer finishes his sit-rep.
"And now, there are three pirate dreadnaughts anchored just off the north mountain."
"No." Spyro grasps his daughter's paw, feeling her becoming nervous, as he is now feeling too. He looks down at Gale, who shows her fear with several tears.
"Daddy, that dragon don't like mommy."
The room becomes quiet, as everyone knows the feud between Cubis and Cynder. But, before the uncomfortable silence can become louder, a fast moving cheetah enters the room with a shocking piece of information.
"Master Terrador..." the young scout reports to his superior, and the head of Warfang's defense department. "...all three ships have been taken out of the sky with what looked like a frost blast from the north mountain itself."
"Are you sure?" the large dragon challenges, for dropping three large vessels is no easy task.
"We cannot see the base of the mountain, but we can tell these ship did not make soft landings, Sir."
"I think the five of us need to investigate, Master Blazer." Terrador remarks adamantly, knowing their city is possibly in danger, and feeling it is now the guardians responsibility to stop this threat.
"I cannot leave the city limits, Terrador..." he begins, but stops seeing a grin on the green dragon's face.
"Not you, Master..." His rock solid stare turns to the great hero of Avalar. "...Spyro."
The purple dragon looks at the Earth guardian, then at his daughter, whose grimace is getting larger. He can tell she is now holding a great deal of poison in her mouth, unable to spit it out before the room of impressive dragons. Daddy opens his wing out around Gale, blocking everyone's view so the young lady can feel less embarrassed to clear her mouth of this nastiness.
Gale spits out another dose she cannot stop producing, and Spyro shakes his head no.
"I cannot leave Gale like this..."
"See...I knew you were smart, Spyro." Garnet's voice startles everyone, and they turn to see the large Earth breather walk into the room, his son standing upon dad's back.
"If I left Joey in the infirmary alone, Tempest would tare my head off and roll it down the street."
The green dragon places his son down on the ground beside Gale, where he quickly becomes upset seeing her sour expression. However, having a great relationship with the dragoness born a minute after him, Joey does not show his sad emotions. Instead he goes after her with a joke, hoping to enlighten her mood.
"Do you always have to grab all the attention?" he mentions to her alone, as the adults begin talking around them about the issue at hand.
Gale grins at her best friend, showing off the poison dripping from her fangs.
"I could bite you on the neck, and then you can have all this fun."
Joey, as a joke, lifts his chin and offers his neck. However, to both, it is not a joke, as Joey would gladly take the bite if it meant Gale would feel better. Or maybe just allow him to stay with her in this room. The tiny dragon is strong in many ways, but not when it come to seeing his friend, his sister, in such a bad way. And as the children comfort themselves, the adults plot choices for the best plan of attack.
A choice that Terrador takes no time in making.
"Garnet, can you take Spyro's place?" he asks, and the earth breather, nearly Terrador's size, looks down at his boy. He knows Joey is his responsibility, but Spyro, his brother, is more than adequate in Tempest's eyes to babysit. A fact that is proven when Spyro nods his head and places a paw on Joey's head, before being asked.
Garnet then looks up at the earth guardian, and one of his teachers, with a grin that kills most of the tension in the room.
"I really don't know why we are so concerned though, my wife is with Cynder...and when those two get together..."
"Heaven help those pirates." Cyril breaks in, as the snobby blue blood dragon has been the brunt of many of the mischievous pair's jokes.
Even Volteer relaxes a bit, realizing the twins of terror are together, and how nothing gets by these two powerful dragoness, not even a lightning master.
"I too feel sorry for what will happen if they go after Cynder, cause Tempest will go absolutely crazy on them, and you know how crazy that Tempest can be..." Volteer stops as Garnet grunts, staring at the yellow guardian who critiques his wife aloud. "I don't mean crazy, like she's mentally unstable, Garnet...I meant that she can go nuts at times, and...wait...no. What I mean is she gets out of control when she's angry and, ahhh...no, that's not right either..."
"You're never gonna get it right, you idiot, so quit now." Cyril whispers to his friend, hoping he will stop, but it's Volteer.
"I don't mean to say Tempest is crazy, but she goes crazy at times... You know what I mean, Garnet... right?" he asks timidly, and the green dragon steps closer, staring at the powerful guardian with daggers.
"No, Master Volteer...please, explain it to me again."
Spyro lowers his head, as he knows Garnet has improved on his sarcastic talents, having been married to the queen of tease for five long years. The purple dragon tries so hard to hold back his smile, as does everyone else in the room, but they cannot as Volteer becomes even more nervous, and of course, talkative.
"What I meant was..."
What we know now, other than Volteer not knowing when to hush...Gale has the ability to take on all her mother's traits, even the unnatural, something Spyro cannot. But seriously, does he need more power? Cynder is rich and Blackwing is kinda her friend...but does this friendship continue? Or is everybody gonna be Kung Fu fighting?
Stay tuned.