Hey everyone, I hope y'all had a Happy Thanksgiving and now Christmas is right around the corner. I haven't made up my mind yet if I'll do a Christmas-themed chapter yet but I'm still keeping my options open. Okay, for this chapter, I'm going to shift the focus back to Danny since, and this is kinda embarrassing to admit but I was rushing Neal's chapters along so fast I wound up making an impression in the proverbial brick wall and everything ground to a halt.
Don't worry, I'll get everything back on track just as soon as I can peel what's left of my pride off the wall and figure out just what the hell I'm going to do next.
...
...
Blast it. You know? I like it when hunting season rolls around. I'm not much of an outdoorsman myself but that don't mean I dislike taking a little nature walk every now and then. There's only one thing I hate about hunting season and that's dog season when all these hunters bring dogs into the woods, turn them loose to scare up some deer or hogs and then just leave them in the woods afterwards. I've done had over twelve dogs show up at my house and despite the number of times I've called the owners on the collars no one has picked them up. And I can't call the animal control cause well, they don't operate outside Natchitoches limits.
Thankfully some seem to move on through but I still have roughly three strays around here.
Oh well, on to the disclaimer!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OR ANYONE IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS.
Chapter 34: Lean On Me
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"Thirty-six... Thirty-seven... Thirty-eight... Thirty-nine... Fourty!" Danny counted aloud as he worked on the pull up bar he had created so that he could get his physical strength back up to par. It had only been a week and a few short days but he was already showing marked improvement. He was no longer winded by the slightest exertion, he was gaining more confidance, he was even at the point where a few wolf visitors to Greymarsh had offered to spar with him in unarmed combat. He had even had the chance to clean himself up. His sand blonde hair was now cropped short and his beard and mustache was trimmed short.
Plus, he had already showed improvement in his magical skills as the as yet still incomplete ship hull eight miles outside the village on the beach testified. So far Danny had created the keel and the ribs of the ship but after hearing what had happened with Neal plus the revelation about Eve, he had put things on hold to strengthen himself. To say the discovery of what the Book actually was stunned everyone was an understatement to say the least.
While Eve wasn't able to manifest her actual form (an ability she said that only the original Book possessed) what happened around her was still interesting. First, a procession of venom dragon elders had filed past the room asking questions to various parts of lost dragon lore and Eve answered their questions to the best of her abilities. Second, Darte had come in and, to Danny's surprise, had acted all possessive and protective of him when Eve mentioned that she had once been a dragoness. Then Bianca had rushed Darte out of the room and then proceeded to question Eve about the sealed sections of the Book and how Neal was able to unlock the section on human magic.
Nevertheless, his presence still created a stir among the dragons of Greymarsh whenever he was out and about or in training. More so when he was training as the training area for the city was outdoors and almost right in the middle of the town so that anyone passing by could see who was training and who was simply watching. He gave a glance around the area as he switched positions for a series of hanging situps and noticed a dozen or so dragons, plus some visitors, and even noticed Darte standing slightly to the side of the other dragons watching him with an openly possessive look.
In fact, he thought it sort of cute whenever she growled at one of the other female dragons who either muttered something about him or gazed at him with some other form of expression other than interest or curiousity.
One thing he liked about the venom dragons. They were blunt when they spoke. Venomia naturally had to be more politically minded but as for the rest of them they were blunt, open, and to the point.
Danny had just finished his first dozen of the hanging situps when Eve's Book materialized before him and eagerly started scribbling in a more excited manner than normal.
'Humans! The settlement of Blue Waters is still inhabited by humans!'
The news startled Danny so much that his legs lost their grip on the bar and he fell landing on his back. Thankfully though a thick cushion of some sort of fungus caught him and he righted himself and stared at the Book aghast.
"Truly? How many are there?" The quill started again.
'No idea, but it's enough people that easily occupy every intact building in the city. Neal and the others are being housed in a building close to the Great Tower in the center and are awaiting to speak with the village elders soon about him finding a focus crystal for his magic.' Danny nodded and then glanced over to Darte who had approached when saw Eve's Book appear.
"Danny? What is it?" Danny turned to her with a smile.
"My brother, he found the city of Blue Waters and turns out it's inhabited! By humans! My brother and I aren't the last!" Darte smiled and nodded.
"That's wonderful news. So, what are you planning?" Danny glanced in the direction of the incomplete ship he had been working on and then returned his gaze to Darte.
"I'm going to need your help to assemble what help we can so that when Neal decides to head on to Dante's Freezer we'll be right there to back him up." Darte thought for a moment but then nodded.
"Straight forward enough plan. I guess I'll let Mother know of this development and see if Ash wants to send anyone with us or if he'll be coming himself. At that moment Bianca appeared and shook her head.
"It won't do any good, Venomia and Ash have left for Warfang." Darte sighed but then nodded.
"I suppose she finally decided to accept the offer to reintigrate into dragon society. Still though, I have a feeling she has a list of conditions with her." Goro arrived and chuckled.
"That would explain the young dragon trailing behind them and loaded down with boxes. They're probably full of scrolls." Darte nodded to the ape wizard.
"Mother does love her scrolls. Me, I can never get the hang of it, dipping my claw into ink and then writing with it. Either my claw goes too deep into the ink and stains my paw or I push too hard and punch a hole through the paper." Goro nodded and then turned to Danny.
"It seems we have a plan then? Good. You can continue your training while asea and plus, heading for Dante's Freezer is, well, fortuitous." Darte glanced to the old ape curiously.
"How so?" Goro smiled.
"My grandson- What are you looking at me like that for? Yes. I'm old, I have grandkids, I spoil them rotten when I get the chance. It's a grandfatherly obligation to spoil your grandkids. I like to think I'm getting my wayward son back for all the grief he caused me growing up. Anyway, back on topic, my eldest grandson, Ivahn, is the leader of a small village on an island just off of the Freezer. Thankfully they are not making themselves obvious or Axian would have iced the place over a long time ago." He turned to Danny.
"If ever there was a place to begin building an ape resistance against Malefor and his minions, it's there. Ivahn was the one grandchild who, unlike his siblings and his father, clung to my every word and became a mage, however, do not discount his abilities in combat. Many have done so, and none have survived." Danny nodded.
"So he's a battlemage then? Or a spellsword?" Goro turned to him.
"I do not follow... What do you mean?" He then frowned.
"They aren't insults are they?" Danny quickly shook his head.
"No, they're not. In human, that is, in my world's mythology, humans who wielded spells and steel were called battlemages, spellswords, or arcane knights. In the stories I've read, only the strongest of warriors can learn magic and only the most athletic of mages can learn to wield swords. It's a very prestigious title." Danny refrained from mentioning that they were classes of warrior in the Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age games. Still, if his grandson was like Goro then there was no doubt he was strong. Danny gave a nod to them and then sighed.
"Alright then, I guess the first thing to do is finish the ship I was working on and then I suppose Eve can mechanize it. That just leaves sailing it to Blue Waters and then to Dante's Freezer." At that moment, the quill in Eve's Book started tapping and then writing when she had gotten their attention.
'You can mechanize the ship just as your brother did. However, the spell may need to be a 'little bit' more complex since it's just the four of you. However, since I know the route to Blue Waters, I may be able to assist in more than the usual method.' Darte looked to the Book curiously.
"How so?"
'Simple. I control not only the engines but the steering as well. Plus, since you are creating a more 'modern' ship than Neal chose, I can also control some of the weapons. I just can't reload, aim, or fire them.' Danny sighed.
"So you could turn the turrets but we'd still need a crew to fire them... Something tells me to avoid hostile ships until we get a proper crew." Goro nodded.
"I believe that is the most prudent thing you've said yet. In any case, I concur, no point in tiring ourselves fighting needless battles when our comrades need us." Danny glanced to the ape mage and then gazed around to Darte and Bianca.
"Eve, I believe I have the basis for the ship. Can I finish creating it today?" The quill started.
'Unfortunately no. You will need help to finish it, much like Neal did. Though, unlike him, you won't need as much help. Going by pure guesswork, I would say that Goro and Darte have enough mana to finish the ship. You just need to get it off the blocks and into the water.' Danny nodded.
"Sounds easy enough. Darte, do you and Bianca wish to join me? I know that Goro's going along but I just figured I'd ask." Darte gave him a flat look and scowled.
"After everything that's happened? There's no way I'm staying here. Sure, it's home but if I have to go out in the woods one more time to gather herbs because Mother either keeps stealing them or Ash keeps destroying them, I'm going to go crazy. I had no idea my Mother was so... so..." Danny chuckled.
"Persistant? Invasive? Grandchild crazy?" Darte glanced to him and nodded.
"That and more so. Still, I suppose it's my own fault for seemingly going all possesive every time you're around. How can anyone look at me and not think I'm interested in you?" Danny put on a hurt expression.
"You mean you're not?" Darte coughed and blushed and looked away and sighed.
"Perhaps a little bit. Still though, I want to get to know you better before anything happens between us. For now, just friends." Danny nodded.
"Right. Well then, let's get out gear together and head to the ship. Once that's done and we're underway it's nonstop to Blue Waters and beyond."
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(meanwhile, on the forest route to Warfang)
Ash couldn't help but glance to Venomia and for the almost millionth time wondering why she was smiling so. Ever since they had left the village she had been quiet with the exception of that smile on her muzzle. He had thought of bringing it up before now but didn't want to do it in front of poor Hemose who was being forced to carry all those Ancestors-damned scrolls that Venomia liked to write. Now that the young aide was behind them a bit, Ash took the chance and leaned closer to his mate.
"You seem pleased with something. May I enquire, my dear, what has got you in such a chipper mood?" Venomia gave him a glance then, reaching into one of her own bags, produced a small bundle of herbs that Ash immediately recognized and coughed.
"Aren't those-?!" Venomia stuck her tongue out at him and gave a short nod.
"These are the last herbs in the local areas of the village. I made sure to hold off on swiping these until the growing and flowering season of the herbs had ended and they started to wither and lose their effectiveness. Darte will have no choice but to either give into her instincts or lock herself some place that she can't get out and wait for the cycle to end." Venomia sighed.
"I still haven't told her... I just... I want to know that my daughter's future is secured before I allow my strength to wane and this damnable disease to take me." Ash grew concerned and glanced over her.
"Have you been feeling any better? Or has it gotten worse?" Venomia shook her head.
"It's good some days but bad most of the time. Ironic, really. A venom dragoness of my power and experience made next to useless by a disease that mainly affects hatchlings. I can barely call upon my power anymore. The least I can do is ensure that when the last of my strength fails me and I'm gone that Darte will not only have allies among the other dragons but a reliable mate as well." Ash nodded.
"I've seen how the human, the Forger, looks at her when she goes protective. He's intrigued by her, I might even go so far as saying he's smitten with her. They just, haven't admitted to one another that they find each other interesting or their company pleasing." Venomia nodded.
"It might be rather, pardon the pun, draconian, of me to force her into this but she is my eldest daughter and the only one with the skills needed to become a worthy leader in my place. Her brothers and sisters are all too obsessed with exploring and starting their own villages and families to care about our species as a whole, but Darte does. I hate myself for putting her into this position but at the time I thought I would have had longer." Ash nodded.
"How much time did old Neuros give you?" The venom Matriarch heaved a dramatic sigh.
"Most likely, I am going to my grave. Warfang will be a one-way trip for me. I shall not return to Greymarsh." Ash gave a small resigned nod and glowered.
"I must be cursed, something I did growing up or during the war. You're my second mate to die." Venomia nodded.
"I know, but, don't you still have her son?" Ash scowled angrily and his brows furrowed.
"Flame is not my son. Those were the last words she spoke to me, a confession of her own weakness, and a truth that my brother probably thought I shouldn't know." Venomia gave him a wayward smile.
"You still love him like he is your own though, right?" Ash coughed and glanced down to the ground and Venomia's smile turned into a smirk as she nudged him with her hips and wrapped her tail around his.
"Thought so. You may deny it sometimes, my love, but underneath it all; the scars, the scales, the fire, you still have a heart capable of love." Ash gave a sigh and nodded.
"I suppose so. Still, what if Darte decides to go with the Forger on his quest?" Venomia chuckled.
"Ash, I anticipated she would. Despite where they are going, I think a cruise on the ocean is just the most romantic idea. I have no doubt the experiences they share will bring the two of them will grow even closer together." Ash nodded and then chuckled.
"Alright then, besides, I haven't actually gotten the 'over protective of daddy's little girl' sneer down quite yet. The human already has my approval, I just don't want him to know it yet." Venomia laughed at that and then smiled.
"Makes me wish I had more time. I'd give anything and everything just to see what kind of children will grow from their pairing." Ash then frowned.
"There's still a chance that she might go her own way and decide on another mate." Venomia dismissed this with a shake of her head.
"She won't. I haven't told anyone this but, I had... I... well I guess you would call it a vision last night. I saw Darte, and the human, standing at the edge of the village and, just beyond the gate, a group of five dragons, no longer than one of the human's arms, fluttering about playing with each other. Best of all, Darte... she was smiling." Ash felt a tear coming to his eyes and then glanced back to Venomia as well.
"I wish that I could have seen it." Venomia nodded.
"Oh but you will, my mate. The human, Danny, may take your place as Champion, but rest assured you will still protect the village, and our daughter. Ash, promise me you will?" Ash glanced to his mate and nodded.
"I shall protect them with my life." Venomia nodded and with a sigh sunk against Ash as they kept going forward, their pace slow enough now that Hemose could catch up to them easily.
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(back at Greymarsh)
Danny watched as his completed work bobbed gently in the cove that led out to sea. He had always thought of himself more a pilot than a sea captain but now to see something that he had created, along with help from Darte and Goro who were, likewise, watching the ship before them in awe, he felt joy and eager anticipation.
The ship was a more modern version of warship than Neal had created. As he only had one dragon, Darte, going with him, there was no need for a large ship. Instead, he had settled on the design of a Torpedo Boat Destroyer (TBD).
The ship, listed in the Book as the USS Bainbridge, was the prequel to the legendary Clemson-class 'four-stacker' destroyers. The original design had also had four smokestacks but this had been altered so that a 'flying bridge' forming a runway for a single aircraft could be added. Instead, the ship had a single stack that was fitted to the runway which covered three quarters of the ship. Other changes included the room where Eve's Book would be placed so that the ship could be mechanized, the conversion of the aft bridge into the living quarters, the expansion of the forward turret (Turret A) to house not one, but two five inch guns, plus the creation of 'blisters' or 'barbettes' along the side to house the torpedo tubes.
Since the ship was steam powered, Bianca managed to work a little of her own magic and, to Danny's amazement, she animated a series of shovels, pokers, chains, and even a few pairs of gloves so that these objects could do the work of an engine crew. Once Goro saw this he nodded and smiled.
"I think we might not have to worry about a crew until we reach Dante's Freezer. Once I recover, I can use a similar spell to animate a few items to be able to control the weapons." Danny nodded to that and then turned around to look for Darte but she had gone.
Glancing to Bianca, the rabbit mage sighed and pointed to the ship and Danny went aboard thinking that she had simply wanted to explore the ship but then thinking of Bianca's sigh, he started to worry.
As he descended into the hold, he heard a muffled growling noise coming from the forward compartment where their supplies had been stored. Danny approached the hatch slowly, lofted the locking bar and opened it to find Darte casting fearful glances this way and that. Scattered around her were multiple herbs that seemed familiar to Danny yet, unlike those, which had been a vibrant green, these were dry and brown.
As he cleared his throat, Darte turned to face him, her expression one of horror and pain.
"Get out! Danny, please, lock me in here!" Danny glanced at her as if she were mad.
"Whatever for?" Darte angrily stomped on one of the dried herbs and to Danny's amazement it disintigrated into dust with a 'poof' and Darte hung her head.
"She did it again! Mother... she stole the herbs... These... these are all that's left and they aren't holding it back! The season for collecting them is over and these few that remain don't have any effect on me whatsoever! Danny, please, unless you get out of here and lock me in here, my instincts are going to take over. I... I don't want that... I don't want anything to come between us..."
She gave him a glance and Danny could tell she was holding back tears. It was obvious she was in pain but she also didn't want to hurt him. Slowly, an innocent idea came to his mind and he smiled, closing with Darte and embracing her around her neck.
"I'm not locking you in here, Darte. You're strong, you can fight it, I know you can. To lock you in here, I'd have to be a cold, heartless bastard, which I'm not. I'm going to stay right here with you until you can get control back. If anything happens, it'll be alright. Cross each bridge when you get to it, never regret." Darte lay down on the floor of the compartment and Danny took a seat next to her and slowly started rubbing her scales. She managed to glance to him and gave a small smile.
"Just like last time, I feel the urge receeding... Stay with me, just like this? I can't explain it, but your scent... I find it... comforting..." Danny nodded to her and lay down as well, not objecting when she folded a wing over him and wrapped her forelegs around him. He returned the hug around her neck and smiled as Darte stuck her head under her wing and playfully nuzzled him. He smiled and nodded.
"I'll stay with you, just like this, for however long you need me to do so. I never leave a hurting friend alone and I'm not about to leave you now. Just lean on me, and I'll never let you fall."
As the two lay together, they were unaware of Bianca standing in the door and smiling to herself before walking away. She reached her cabin and entered and then gazed out the porthole wistfully.
"She found her true mate, her soul mate. I wonder... is mine still out there, somewhere?"