On to Chapter 10 and we're off to Munitions Forge!

DISCLAIMER: This has nothing to do with Eragon, How To Train Your Dragon, Dragon Booster or any other stories involving people who ride dragons. Also I do not own Spyro, just my OC's.

So let the adventures continue!


Chapter 10: Into the Heat of Battle

After a long voyage, Troy, Astral, Spyro and Sparx came upon a large cloud of smoke, which Astral explained meant they were approaching their destination. As they dived through the smoke to find a landing site, Troy called out, "So Astral, care to give us a heads up on our next location?"

"If I remember correctly," she replied, "Munitions Forge is an island dominated by Boyzitbig."

"Boy-what's-big?" Troy shouted.

"Boyzitbig," Astral repeated. "It's an unstable volcano that makes life on the surface extremely dicey. Apparently, the locals, who normally live underground, are being forced to mine the metals that Cynder uses to forge her armies' weapons."

"What are the locals called?" Spyro yelled.

"They're a tribe of moles known as Manweersmalls."

"Why am I not surprised?" Troy muttered.

"Right," Sparx sighed. "Do I need to right that down?"

Astral glared at Sparx before continuing, "Ignitus tells me that a shipment of human slaves from the Broken Isles has recently arrived. He thinks the Apes need them to help the Manweersmalls in the mining tunnels. And rumour has it that Cynder is keeping Terrador somewhere in those mines."

"Well," Troy said. "We do know she's using him to power the last of the crystals needed to open this portal, so we must free him before she gets the chance."

Soon the group found a beach to land and looked up at the massive volcano on the horizon.

"Boy is it big!" Sparx gasped.

"I can see why they call it that," Troy agreed.

"Boy, it's big," Spyro said. "But no time for sightseeing, guys."

"Right," Astral nodded. "It's time to get serious. Let's go!"

"Ohhh… not again," Sparx groaned as Troy and the dragons set off.

Immediately, they ran into a troop of Apes, who tried to attack them. Astral immediately fired her Vine Crush orbs, but the moment they started to grow, they shriveled up. "I guess it's too hot for the Plant element."

"Stick to Fire and Water," Troy suggested. "Spyro and I can handle this."

Astral nodded and fired a stream of flame at the Apes, driving them back. Then Spyro shot some Ice Shards at each Ape, freezing them in place. Troy then swung out his sword, smashing the frozen Apes to pieces. With the threat over, they entered a tunnel and soon encountered a small mole with a long white moustache, a walking stick in one paw and a helmet with a candle on top.

"Man, he is small," Spyro whispered.

"Again, good name for them," Troy agreed.

Suddenly the mole spun round and held his stick above his head like a weapon. "What's that?" he cried out in a thick French accent. "Who's there?"

"Whoa, calm down," Troy cried, raising his hands. "It's just us, Troy…"

"And Spyro," said the purple dragon.

"And Astral," added his sister.

"And the former god of Tall Plains, Sparx," the dragonfly finished.

The mole sniffed the air for a bit and then relaxed. "None of you carry the stench of Cynder's beasts, so you must be friends."

"We are," confirmed Troy, kneeling down to the mole's height. "And who are you?"

"I am Mole-Yair, leader of the Manweersmalls," the mole replied, then he sighed. "But I'm not much of a leader any more. Those of my people, who aren't mining for Cynder, are holed up in the caves, sacred out of their little wits, waiting for Boyzitbig to blow…"

On cue, a sudden tremor shook the ground, almost knocking Troy and the dragons off their feet. "Which shouldn't be long," Mole-Yair continued. "If you guys would help, perhaps there is something I can do for you?"

"I don't know," Spyro said. "We're here to rescue a big friend of ours."

"Is he a mighty dragon?" Mole-Yair asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Because I know where he's being kept," the Manweersmall leader said, triumphantly. "In the mines near a large labour camp, where my own brother, Exhumor, toils away. We can help each other."

"Tell me, Mole-Yair," Troy asked. "Have you heard any news about where the humans are being held?"

Mole-Yair thought for a moment, then he said, "Oh yes, now that you mention it, there were some news about some humans just arrived. While I was hiding underground, I heard those filthy Apes mention that they were being kept in the labour camp too."

"Well, which way do we go?" Astral asked. "What should we do next?"

"Oh, it's simple enough," Mole-Yair replied. "But you've got to hurry. Boyzitbig is getting more and more unstable by the minute. You must clear these caves before we can help your friend."

"And you're asking him for directions?" Sparx said. "Wow, talk about the blind leading the blind."

"Forget him, Mole-Yair," Troy sighed as he got to his feet. "We're in!"

The group set off down the tunnels and soon they came across some Manweersmalls working on the walls, their tiny ankles chained to a gem by an energy chain. The dragons easily smashed the gems, freeing the prisoners who quickly tunneled down into the ground. Further down, the mines split into two tunnels, so they divided into two groups; Troy and Astral went down the left tunnel and Spyro and Sparx went down the right. They each faced Apes and Fire Beetles, but they also rescued some Manweersmalls. They regrouped in a large cave where Mole-Yair was waiting for them.

"You did it, you did it," the Manweersmall leader cheered. "A thousand thanks." Then he surprised them all by grabbing Spyro's head and kissing his cheeks.

"It was no big deal," the purple dragon mumbled, pulling back.

"Hey, no problem, Mole-Yair," Astral giggled.

"Well, you did your part, now I will do mine," Mole-Yair said. "Your friend is being kept in the centre of the volcano, past the labour camp where my brother, Exhumor, is working. Find him and let him know we're friends, and he will tell you how to proceed."

"How will we know 'Exhumor'?" Troy asked, exaggerating Mole-Yair's accent.

"Yeah," Sparx agreed. "All you Man-are-we-smalls look the same to me."

"Oh you will know him, trust me," Mole-Yair chuckled. "He's the most cantankerous, hardnosed Manweersmall around. Whatever you do, don't get on his bad side."

"Come on, guys," Astral said. "Let's get going."

"Oh, one more thing, Astral," Mole-Yair called out as the group set off. "There are some rumours going around about some dragons your age being held captive. I thought you ought to know."

"Thanks, we'll keep our eyes open," Troy replied.

Down the mines they went, battling angry Apes, swarming Fire Beetles, deadly Magma Worms and massive Buffalo Beetles. Soon, they reached a clearing where a large bell hung over a platform. A long pull hung down, and Troy and the dragons came up to it.

"What's a bell doing in a volcano?" Troy wondered out loud.

Spyro sniffed at the pull and held out a paw to touch it. Then Sparx decided to be annoying again.

"I bet you can't ring that bell," he buzzed.

"Why would I want to?" Spryo asked.

"It doesn't look very sturdy," Astral agreed.

"Oh, you're scared," Sparx said.

"I'm not scared," Spyro scowled.

"Oh, the big special dragon is scared of the mean old bell," the dragonfly teased. "I didn't know that, I'm sorry… oh no, I'm sorry baby… why don't I get your pillow laid out?"

"Forget about it," Troy called out. "We have more important things to do."

But Spyro was angry at Sparx's mocking and didn't hear Troy. The dragon bashed the bell pull, which made the bell ring. Suddenly a crumbling noise rang out over their heads. Troy, Astral and Sparx leapt off the platform, but Spyro, still dazed from his charge, couldn't react in time as, moments later, the bell came crashing down on top of him.

"Oh no!" Astral gasped, running up to the bell.

"Now look what you did!" Troy yelled at Sparx.

"I didn't know!" the dragonfly cried out. "Spyro, can you hear me? Are you okay buddy?"

Troy struggled to lift the bell up, but it was no good. "It's too heavy," he groaned. "I can't lift it up. He's stuck in there."

"Spyro," Astral called out, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Please be okay, little brother. I know I only met you days ago, but… you're a good friend and I don't want to lose you after finding you again. Spyro, I… I love you."

"Hey, listen," Sparx sobbed. "Forget about those cracks I made about your fatness, and your being purple and stupid and fat, alright? Just get out of there. Please Spyro, don't be dead."

Suddenly the bell shook like it was kicked by an invisible giant. Troy, Astral and Sparx jumped back as the bell shook again and again, and then blown apart by a burst of green energy… coming from Spyro's mouth!

"Spyro," Astral cried out, running up and grabbing him in a hug. "You're alive!"

"I sure am," Spyro beamed. "I heard everything you said to me, and I love you too." Then he looked over at his brother. "Sparx, did you say something?"

"Me? No," Sparx said, clearing his throat. "I was just talking out loud, thinking of my day I gotta do."

"Oh," Spyro replied. "I just thought I heard something from you before I blasted my way out of here."

"Oh, funny," Sparx muttered. "No, must have been hearing things."

Troy suppressed a giggle while Astral whispered, "You heard him too, right?"

"Definitely," Spyro sniggered.

"By the way," Troy said to Spyro as they set off down the tunnels again. "What was that you did?"

"I don't really know," Spyro admitted. "When the bell crashed over me, I felt the tremors of the ground flow through me, until I just wanted to let it out."

"It must be the Earth element," Astral pondered. "Terrador always said that's how he felt when he used it. He's the Earth Guardian after all; maybe he'll train you to-"

"Shh," Troy hissed suddenly. "I hear voices up ahead."

He and the dragons crept up to a cave entrance and peeked round. They saw a large station with two raised podiums on either end. There were train tracks in the middle, running to another tunnel and on the platform, next to a mighty steam train, three Apes were talking. One of them was wearing a conductor's hat and scarf and waving a shovel over his head.

"Come on, ya worthless waste of flesh, let's go," he shouted. "We gotta hop on Steam and get back to that flea-bitten dragon. The crystal should be almost ready and the volcano's right on the brink."

The other two Apes climbed onto the train's caboose, while the Conductor leapt on the train and set it off down the tracks.

"That train must be going deep into Boyzitbig," Astral surmised.

"Come on, guys," Spyro cried out. "We've got to catch them."

But as they dashed out, the Apes on the podiums and the platform spotted them, and each pulled a lever next to them which caused a massive door to close over the tunnel that the train just passed through.

"Now what do we do?" Astral groaned.

"Easy," Troy said. "There are three levers and three of us, so…"

"I get you," Spyro smiled. "Let's do it."

Astral ran up the nearest podium, Troy darted to the platform and Spyro dashed off to the further podium. Troy was blocked by a Large Ape who threw sticks of dynamite at the human. Ducking most of the attacks, Troy then grabbed one stick and flung it back at the Ape, seconds before it exploded. With the Ape dead, Troy pulled the lever and watched as one of the bolts on the door slid back.

Spyro meanwhile used his new Earth Shot to knock the Small Apes off the podium, before pulling the lever there. Astral however was struggling with two Medium Apes who easily knocked her down. Angrily, she opened her mouth to shoot out flames… but instead a beam of light blue energy shot out, hit one of the Apes and froze him in front of her. Astonished at this, Astral swung her head round to shout down at Troy, but just as she did so, the Ape she hit flew straight into the one next to him and they both fell off the podium.

Troy gasped in astonishment. "Astral, what was… how did you do that?"

"I don't know," she breathed. "But I think… that was the Psychic element!"

"Psychic?" Spyro asked as he joined Troy on the platform. "I've never heard of it."

"It's an incredibly rare element," she called down. "It gives you the ability to move objects and enemies with your mind. I guess when I thought about turning to Troy, my powers must have decided to fly the Ape the same way." She then pulled her lever, and soon the door slid open.

"The next question is," Troy wondered, "how do we catch up to that train?"

"Maybe this can help," Spyro called out, pointing to a large rail cart lying on its side by one of the podiums. "But how do we get it on the tracks?"

"Allow me," Astral said. She then shot another Psychic Beam at the mine cart, then she lifted her head and turned it to the tracks behind her. The rail cart rose into the air, drifted over their heads and landed gently onto the tracks. Troy then sat in the front seat of the cart while Spyro and Astral sat in the back.

"Wait," Sparx cried out. "You don't know how to drive this thing."

"How hard can it be?" Troy asked, shrugging as he grabbed the handles. "It's on rails."

"Oi, famous last words," Sparx groaned.

"Let's go for it!" Troy pushed the throttle down and the mine cart set off into the tunnel, in pursuit of the train.


And I'll stop there.

So Astral has learned the Psychic element. My thanks go to D. J. Scales for suggesting it. Now I'll introduce a new OC for training her.

So, next episode, some new characters appear, Troy finds his mother and friends at the labour camp and the group faces Steam in the centre of the volcano; plus a shocking twist in the story. Wait and see