Hey everyone, I hope you all are enjoying the story. You know something, I checked the stats of Forge Summoner and, to my amazement, I have almost double the faves and follows than any of my other stories! I'm speechless!
Anyway, you know how earlier this week in America was National 'Clean Out The Fridge' Day. Well, I never really did it but for some reason I felt an urge to clean and started with the fridge and tucked away in the back I came across something I honestly never thought I'd see again.
It wasn't any good (having been tucked away for several years) but the memory of it made me start laughing.
The item in question: a bottle of my cousin Ivey's "Poison Ivey" Florida Hotsauce!
Now then, ya'll are wondering, 'Who's Cousin Ivey?' Well, he was, of course, a cousin of mine. He was the oldest son of my Aunt Doodle and was a Vietnam Veteran. He was overseas and was wounded by a booby trap and came home. Anyway, the man had, for lack of a better expression, a cast iron stomach.
The man literally could stomach anything spicy. One of his favorite snacks was minced ghost peppers, habaneros, jalapenos, and chili peppers and that was it. He would mince the peppers, put them in a ceramic cup, stir with a spoon (nine times out of ten I swear the damn spoon dissolved!) And he would sit on the porch and eat it.
He made not only his own hot sauce but even his own ice cream, homemade vanilla with habanero slices called 'Fire and Ice'. One time when I was young, I went to visit my relatives (this was back when I was in High School and my Aunt Doodle was alive) in Florida and my Grandma brought the ingredients to make a big pot of genuine Louisiana gumbo (which everyone loved).
Well, Cousin Ivey got him a bowl and tried it, motioned me over, and told me that the gumbo had no flavor to it and to grab a red bottle with a black label for him. I grabbed the bottle, he mixed some of the contents into the bowl, stirred it around, (grabbed another spoon), took a bite and smiled. He then told me to try it and well, I did.
And not five seconds later I was running for the pond in front of the house, fully committed to putting out the fire in my mouth, Lulu be damned. (Lulu was the name given to the 4-foot gator that had taken up residence in the pond. None of my kin minded her as she kept pests away.)
Well, Ivey apologized to me and in return gave me a bottle of the hot sauce he had added to the gumbo. I never opened it, just stuck it in the back of the fridge and forgot about it.
Until now.
Anyway, enough with my funny stories, on with the chapter!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OR ANYONE IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS. CYRUS IS OWNED BY DEATHRULER862. (THX FOR LETTING ME USE HIM!)
Chapter 32: Dreams and Departure
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Slowly, the clouds that hung low over the Necropolis dispersed, bathing the haunted city in complete sunlight for the first time in centuries. With Necoa's wicked influence gone, the city had seemed to take back some of its lost luster. Though the true beauty of the city would likely never be seen again, just glimpsing the sight before him was enough to make Spyro's heart warm. To make matters even better, he gazed to his right and smiled at Cynder as she lay her head against him and fell into a light doze.
The group had realized, after Necoa had fallen and Neal fell unconscious after being cured, of how tired they suddenly were. Nothing at the moment sounded better to Spyro than perhaps going to his cabin on the Guardian, curling up in the bed and going to sleep but for the moment he was content just to have Cynder by his side.
Still though, watching the sun rise over the mountain behind the ruined city, Spyro wondered where things would go from there. His thoughts drifted to Neal and he remembered the flash of light that had momentarily blinded everyone and then what had happened next was almost indescribable. He still wondered how it was possible.
Neal had been belowdecks with Lyca and Eve watching over him while he slept and recovered. According to the spirit priest, Erin, those recovering from the plague oftentimes took to bedrest to recover from the sickness as a way to recover lost energy. Only time would tell though if Neal had somehow been bound to Spyro and Cynder in some way, shape, or form. He felt Cynder stir beside him and took it as a que to try and wake her up the rest of the way and then coax her back to her room.
Saying nothing, Cynder groggily woke, gave Spyro a small lick to the side of his muzzle and allowed Spyro to guide her to the cabin but as she fell asleep, exhaustion overtook Spyro and he fell asleep right there beside Cynder.
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Spyro suddenly heard Cynder's voice calling out to him and he awoke, expecting dannger, but instead was greeted with laughter. He gazed around and was struck speechless by what he saw. There, under a large tree, lay Cynder, her belly swollen with what could only be an egg. Then, he turned his attention to the hill and saw a young dragon playfully flitting about playing with another child.
The little dragon looked to be about six, maybe seven years old. He had a solid blue body with deep green scales along his belly. His wing membranes and the spines along his back were also a deep green. Most striking however, was the child's eyes. A deep, almost sapphire, blue and they shined with unrestrained confidence and determination.
The other child, Spyro couldn't see clearly, but it was obviously a wolf or some sort of wolf hybrid. Spyro then rose, walked over to his gravid mate, lay down beside her, nuzzled her and then she lifted her head to the dragonling on the hill.
"Cyrus! It's time to go home!"
The little dragon stopped playing, gave a small nod, bid farewell to the other child and trotted down the hill to squeeze in between Spyro and Cynder. He then looked between the two of them and gave a smile that showed unrestrained happiness.
"Mom, Dad, have you decided on a name yet for my little brother or sister yet? Manah says that Uncle Neal and Aunt Lyca are already considering names for her younger brother or sister. They're settling on Daniel for a boy or Evie for a girl. What do you think?" Spyro shared a glance with Cynder who gave a small smile and nodded.
"Your Dad and I have also been thinking about this... how about... Cyrus?" The little dragon broke into a fit of laughter and nuzzled his Mother lovingly, eyes glowing with humor.
"That's my name Momma! You can't have two Cyrus's!" Spyro nodded, a bemused expression creasing his muzzle.
"He's right Cyn. Something else then... How about Nova for a boy-" Cynder's breath caught and Spyro smiled, he knew she would react to having their second child named after her late Father.
"Anyway, how about Nova for a boy and Athena for a girl? From what I've heard Athena is the name of wisdom or something like that." Cynder gave him a look.
"You've been listening in on Neal as he teaches the young ones about human cultures again, haven't you?" Spyro nodded sheepishly.
"What can I say, it's an interesting subject. Besides, he always manages to make the lesson so much interesting for the students they can't help but stay awake, even those that had just come from one of Cyril's lectures." This produced a resonant chuckle from Cynder.
"Still though, maybe not Athena... if I recall correctly Neal said something about her being a huge headache for Zeus so... maybe..." Cynder chuckled and snuggled closer to him, the warmth from her moving to him and he felt his paw move absently to rub over Cynder's belly and she hummed with satisfaction.
"Maybe it would be best to wait until the egg is laid before we go to naming? Besides, it shouldn't be too much longer." Spyro nodded and lowered his head to go back to dozing and sighed.
"No, it won't be much longer at all..."
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(not far from Spyro and Cynder)
Neal became awake almost at once. The first thing he was aware of was an ache in almost every single one of his joints. The second thing he was aware of was the sensation of the bedsheets against his bare skin.
The third was that laying next to him was something warm and furry.
He opened his eyes and refrained from moving but was shocked to see Lyca laying beside him in blissful slumber. As he started to move however, Lyca awoke and gazed into his eyes, a sense of obvious relief flooding through them. Still, Neal managed to get his brain our of first-gear and gave a small smile.
"Morning." Lyca returned the smile and nodded.
"Morning to you as well. I hope you don't mind but, I had to undress you to examine your wounds. Nothing major just a series of cuts and scrapes and some bruises." Neal nodded but glanced to her.
"I remember... I was given the cure for the plague, we faced Necoa, but then... nothing..." Lyca nodded.
"The dragon blood both Spyro and Cynder gave you cured you of the plague but... it also did something else..." Neal gave her a curious look and then turned his head to look at a mirror and nearly shot out of the bed in shock.
He was still human, that much was obvious but his hair had gone stark white and furthermore he felt, stronger. He rose from the bed, heedless of his nakedness and then paused by the mirror. He then heard something happening on the deck but then realized that he was in his room in the aft castle. There was no way he should have heard casual conversation on the deck in here. An arguement or a dice game possibly but not simply talking. Next was the smell, down in the galley he could smell venison stew and some rather choice ingredients and meats being cooked.
He turned back to Lyca who had also rose and hastily averted her eyes as she too was bare. He heard her chuckle and saw her come up to him.
"It was rather cold out and after I had examined you for injuries, I decided the best course was to lay down beside you and use my fur to keep you warm." Neal nodded at the sentiment but couldn't hide the blush appearing on his face. Still Lyca continued.
"Neal, I... I have something I need to ask you... You already know that dragons have heat cycles, right?" Neal nodded then flushed beet red at her meaning.
"Are you telling me that you're-" Lyca quickly shook her head.
"No, if that were the case I'd be having to beat half the crew back with a belaying pin and put the tails of the other half of the crew in slings. It's just that... Seeing you get plucked off the deck by Pyrite, learning that you had contracted the plague, seeing you cured and then change like this, I had worried... I had worried that when you awoke you wouldn't be the same person I fell in love with, the same male I wanted to be my mate..." Neal gave a smile in understanding, overcame his earlier embarrassment and grasped her in a hug and held her close, suddenly enjoying the intimacy of their contact.
"I'm still the same man Lyca, that's never going to change. I still love you." Lyca returned the embrace and pushed herself more snugly against him, her tail wagging back and forth seemingly of its own accord. Then, she gazed at him, met his eyes, and pulled him into a kiss.
This wasn't like the peck they had shared when flying or even the kiss they had shared in Warfang. This one was more passionate, more intimate. A moment later they broke the kiss, both he and Lyca panting.
"That... was... incredible..." Lyca nodded, still breathless. Neal then rubbed his hands along her fur, marveling at how soft it felt and Lyca smiled and pulled him into another embrace.
"You know? I think I can get used to these changes. For the first time I feel as if my sense are on overdrive. I can hear things I couldn't hear before, smell subtle scents I had no idea were there, and touch... I'm starting to notice the individual feeling of your fur. It's soft yet incredibly strong." Lyca hummed and nodded, then released the embrace and walked back to the bed and glanced at Neal, desire written all over her face.
"Neal... I'm not in heat but... my instincts... they are all but screaming at me to claim you as my mate... and for you to claim me as yours..." Neal glanced to her.
"You're not in any pain are you?" Lyca shook her head.
"No. But... that's just it, my fur almost feels like it's standing on end. I just..." Neal walked over to her and grasped her hands.
"You want this? You're sure?" Lyca nodded.
"I want to know that you are indeed here, with me, and that you are my one true mate." Neal gave her a smile and nodded, Lyca, relieved, lay back onto the bed and Neal lowered himself beside her and kissed her long and deep.
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(below decks, in the galley)
Flame and Ember together, enjoying the smells that were eafting from the kitchen on the ship, nor were they the only ones. Skylar, Terra, Growler, and Toxis were also here and eagerly awaiting lunch. It was the first time in two days they would have had a chance to sit down to a meal without having to worry about undead humans or undead dragons swooping in and attacking the ship.
At that moment, Sparx fluttered in with an embarrassed look on his face and fluttered down to the group. Flame caught sight of Sparx's expression and nudged the dragonfly who sighed.
"Well, in case you're all wondering, I just came from Neal's room and despite the change of hair color, he seems alright." Flame smiled and looked relieved.
"So he's awake then, right? I'm going up there to check on him." Sparx suddenly flew up to him shaking his head.
"No you won't. I said he's awake but that doesn't mean he isn't doing something." Terra glanced to him, a serious expression on her face.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Sparx rubbed his arm embarassingly and coughed.
"I kinda, sorta, flew in through the window when I heard noises from the room and now I wish I hadn't done it. I don't think I'll ever be able to erase that from my mind." Terra suddenly put two and two together and smiled.
"Well, I guess between mates it was bound to happen sooner or later." Sparx gave the grown female an incredulous look.
"Why are you so calm about this?! Neal and Lyca are up in Neal's room making enough noise to wake the dead!" Sparx suddenly realized what he had said and facepalmed himself.
"Now that was horrible. Bad Sparx, bad." He then returned to the conversation with Terra.
"Now then, again, I ask, why are you so calm?!" Terra sighed in annoyance.
"What consenting adults do is none of my concern. Besides, I think both Neal and Lyca are around my age so they surely don't need lecturing from me nor do they need a chatty dragonfly hovering about telling everyone within earshot about what he saw while peeping through a window." Terra sighed.
"Part of me wishes that my mate was here. I could certainly use a partner to wind down with. Alas, he is a banker and had absolutely no interest in coming on this little adventure." Sparx stared at her open-mouthed while Toxis and Growler chuckled to themselves and Skylar was outright laughing. The normally talkative dragonfly recovered long enough to give Terra a sharp glare and then float away indignantly.
As the lunch came out, Flame turned to Ember who seemed to take everything in stride, even chuckling along with Growler and Toxis as Terra continued her wistful thinking.
"After lunch do you want to head onto the deck with me?" Ember gave him a glance and nodded deeply, smiling at him.
"I'd like that. Now that the fog is gone, the view of the sea would be incredible." There was a chuckle near them and they turned to see Captain Gregory seated at a table and he eyed the young dragons.
"There'll be plenty o' time fer that once we're out to sea. As soon as the crew have something in their bellies and Neal can tear himself from his cabin long enough to repair the damaged engine, we are going to get underway." Flame looked disappointed but then, all of a sudden, there was a whistling noise and then a spirit appeared at the door of the hatch.
'Excuse me, but, is Neal available? Father Erin, Sir William and Pyrite wish to bid farewell to him.' Gregory looked to the spirit.
"We're still a ways out from being fit to sail." The spirit shook his head.
'No no, not that, you see... even since the Betrayer's death, the compulsion to remain here has grown weaker and weaker. Father Erin says that, for the first time in a long time, we may just have a chance to cross over. Some of us have already gone but most of us have remained to say farewell.' Flame looked to Ember and when she nodded, he shifted his gaze to Gregory.
"I'll get him. Might as well get Spyro and Cynder while I'm at it." Gregory nodded and the young fire dragon left the galley at a quick pace and headed for the aft castle.
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A few moments later, Flame had reached the door of Spyro and Cynder's room and knocked gently. A few moments later, a rather ragged looking Spyro opened the door and gave Flame a curious look before yawning.
"Something wrong Flame?" Flame shook his head.
"The spirits are leaving the city. They said they wanted to say goodbye to us and Neal before they crossed over." Spyro paused for a second and then nodded before looking behind him to Cynder who was also awake and then back to Flame.
"Alright then, let's go get Neal. I imagine he's probably as exhausted as we are, if not more so." Flame chuckled wryly.
"Not according to Sparx. Still, we should at least give him some time once we knock." Spyro gave him a curious glance as the three dragons started down the corridor to the room and once there Flame knocked and waited.
After a moment, there was a voice on the other side. It was Lyca.
"Yes, what is it?" Spyro and Cynder shared a glance and Flame chuckled.
"Is Neal awake? One of the spirits came onto the ship and said that the others wanted to bid farewell to us. Now that Necoa's gone for good they are finally able to cross over to the other side." Then Neal's voice came through.
"I'm up. I'll be right out." His voice then dropped to a whisper.
"Lyca, have you seen my pants anywhere?" Flame bit back a laugh, as did Spyro and Cynder and moments later the door opened revealing Neal and Lyca, both dressed though rather haggard looking. Neal gave the three dragons a glance and noticed their expressions and sighed.
"What's so funny? You know you two are the reason I look like this, right?" Spyro and Cynder recoiled momentarily then noticed Neal's expression as he embraced both of them.
"I cannot thank either of you enough for what you did. I am alive because of the two of you. Plus, it appears that the change of hair color wasn't the only change I went through." Lyca chuckled from behind him and came forward and wrapped an arm around him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek and then gave a sidelong glance at Cynder.
"I can certainly second that. His hearing, sight, smell, touch, strength, agility and certainly his... endurance has improved considerably."
Neal spluttered and gave an glance at Lyca who playfully stuck her tongue at him and finally Spyro and Cynder started laughing. Neal huffed and gestured to the pair of dragons and glanced to his mate with a flat expression.
"See what you've done? You've made the natives restless."
This one-liner made Spyro and Cynder laugh even harder and now even Flame joined in as Neal sighed and made an effort to appear indignant but even he couldn't stop a smile from appearing and then nodded.
"Alright, enough comedy, let's get on deck." Neal then turned and started off towards the deck. Still chuckling to themselves, Spyro, Cynder, Lyca, and Flame followed suit.
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Outside, Neal was stunned by what he saw. Lining the docks and even filling the streets of the city were the spirits of hundreds, if not thousands, of humans and even four or five dragons. Among them, the undead Pyrite also stood, resolutely awaiting whatever judgement should befall him. As Neal came down the gangway to the dock, he was met by Father Erin and Sir William who inclined their heads to him in a respectful manner.
"Father Erin, Sir William, my comrades tell me the time has finally come for you all to cross over." Erin gave a small nod.
'Yes. The curse is lifted, the traitor is defeated and, thanks to young Spyro's attack, her phylactery was also destroyed. She can never rise again to torment the living.' Neal nodded and then turned to Pyrite.
"What of Pyrite? What is his fate?" Erin shook his head.
'I do not know. We know now that neither he nor his knight were involved in the attacks but unlike Sir William here, Pyrite's soul was not sanctified. His fate, Neal Foster, as the last surviving human in this place, and the descendant of Archmage Gartome, lies with you.' Neal nodded and turned to Pyrite who still looked downcast. Neal came forward and stood before Pyrite, gave a small smile, and rested a hand on the undead dragon's snout.
"Pyrite, Defender of Grandis Fortunae, as the last human alive in this city, your fate lies with me. You failed in your duty to protect this city and its people in their time of greatest need, however, you have aquitted yourself well by standing up to Necoa, even at the cost of your life, both then, and now when you stood against her for the last time. I, Neal Foster, do hereby find you innocent of the crimes originally leveled against you and, on the behalf of all humans, forgive you. Go now, and join your brethren with the Ancestors and rest in peace."
Pyrite looked up at Neal in utter shock as he said these words. Then, from within the undead body, a solid blue light formed and grew stronger and stronger. The body of the dragon shuddered violently and Neal had just enough time to get away before the body fell flat on the dock, a vibrant blue hued soul bursting forth from the corpse with a mighty roar that did well to nearly deafen him.
Smiling, Neal gazed up at Pyrite who was now free of his undead form and smiling broadly. Furthermore, all the damage done to him had been healed, his throat now intact, he soared high into the sky, roaring and yelling as loud as he could. When he finally alighted again, he was beaming happily and bowed his head.
'Thank you Forger. I can finally speak again. All I needed to be free of my curse was for a human to forgive what my kind had done to the human race. Necoa... she wasn't always like that however, she was a good dragoness once. I will not shed tears for the creature she became, but I will forever mourn the beautiful spirit that she once was. Maybe if I had been more attentive to her, balanced my my duties better...' Neal nodded.
"Hindsight is always twenty-twenty. Looking back, we can see where we have erred and going forward we can look out for similar instances. We all have our share of mistakes. It is when we stumble and fall that we remember that we are not perfect." Pyriite nodded solumnly but then returned his gaze to the spirits behind him and sighed gustily.
'It is time. I shall leave this world to you, Forger, and to those who bravely stand by you. I long to rest, to sleep undisturbed.' Erin came forward and nodded.
'As do we all, Protector.' He turned to Neal.
'As for this land, as High Priest, I only ask that, given the horrors that occured here, that no civilized land try to build upon it. This land has been poisoned by bloodshed and by evil for too long to support life as we know it. Those who try shall find naught but dispair.' Neal nodded.
"I shall certainly spread the word, Erin." He turned to the other spirits.
"The least I can do is give you all a proper sendoff. I don't know how the people here did so, but in my world, for those who have stood against evil for so long, a salute is called for." Erin nodded, curious as to what he intended and Neal looked over his shoulder to Gregory.
"Captain Gregory! Have the gun crews man the starboard guns!" Gregory looked curiously at Neal but nodded and passed the word along. Neal then galnced along the lines of the spirits and noticed that most of them wore armor and surcoats and nodded to them.
Standing before the fallen warriors and citizens of Grandis Fortunae, Neal snapped to attention and gave a sharp salute to them just as a rolling broadside salute fired from the gundeck of the Guardian. The spirits, those without helms at least, smiled openly and slowly, they began to ascend towards the sky, their forms disolving into specks of blue light that winked out as they touched the clear blue sky. Pyrite and the other dragons followed, flying upwards, spiraling the cloud of spirits, roaring triumphantly until they too faded from sight. Neal lowered his salute and touched his right eye and gave a small smile at the tears he had shed.
"Rest in Peace, souls of Grandis Fortunae, human and dragon alike. For there is no enemy to the fallen, now, we stand on the verdant fields as one, once foes, now comrades, united in death." Neal turned to see the everyone behind him also weeping slightly and he gave a short nod.
"Let us leave this land in memory of the dead. As soon as I repair the engines, let us be onward to Blue Waters!"
The crew, as well as the dragons gave out cheers at that as Neal once again climbed up the gangplank and went below to the Guardian's engine room.