Team Charlie: In pursuit of Tenuem
It was Dynamo's turn to keep watch. Nyxis made the executive decision to take shifts after PT's injury. The dragon sat in a tree overhanging the campsite, his legs curled to his chest.
"Are you alright Dynamo?" a distorted voice asked. The dragon looked up to see Omicron standing on the branch, not seeming to be worried about falling. He sighed.
"I'm fine." Omicron didn't sleep, so he was always awake to keep the others company during their watch.
"You do not seem fine." Dynamo shook his head and looked up at the starry night sky.
"I'm just thinking."
"About what?" Dynamo looked back to the shrouded creature.
"What happens after all this?" He looked down and sighed. "I've been giving it some thought, and I want to stay in Warfang." Omicron walked over and sat down next to him.
"I may not know him that well, but Commander Axos seems very understanding. I have no doubt that he will support you no matter your decision." Dynamo was about to say something when a smell caught his attention.
"Do you smell that?" Omicron asked. Dynamo nodded and sniffed the air. His eyes widened and he pressed a button on his right gauntlet. A small mask slid over his lower jaw.
"Omicron, if you have lungs, hold your breath."
"Why?"
"There's some sort of pheromone in the air." Dynamo looked around, his radar scanning for any life forms.
"Where is it coming from?" The dragon shook his head.
"It's hard to nail down, but I think that way." He pointed West into the forest.
"Should we go investigate," Omicron asked.
"We can't leave in the middle of our watch."
"That thing won't come back. It knows we'll be on high alert." Dynamo knew that he was right.
"I guess so." Omicron nodded and leapt off the branch, almost floating to the ground below.
"Do you want to take point, or should I?" Omicron asked as Dynamo climbed down.
"Your choice." Omicron chuckled and turned.
"I am hungry, so I'll go first." It took Dynamo a second to realize what Omicron had just said, but the shadowy being had already taken off to the trees before he could ask what he meant. Dynamo tore off in pursuit.
"What do you think it was?" the bipedal dragon asked as he pulled up next to Omicron. He shrugged.
"It's something alive, but that doesn't really narrow it down."
"It may actually."
"How so?" Dynamo grinned. Being the head of the Tritas Science Ops team had its perks.
"Lesser reptiles like wyverns produce pheromones, but so can insects."
"So, its either a reptile or insect?"
"Poison dragons also release pheromones. My guess is its either them or wyverns."
"Why is that?" Dynamo grinned under his mask.
"No insect you'd find here is big enough to spread their 'scent' that far." Omicron nodded.
"Look," he said in his warbly voice, "up ahead." He stopped and pointed forward. In front of them was a massive wall of tree trunks stacked side by side.
"Poison dragons?" Omicron asked. Dynamo gulped and nodded.
"Poison dragons." He had read about them. Rather than integrate with the other dragon cities, they remained nomads and tribesmen who were hostile to any visitors.
"Shall we press on?" Omicron asked. Dynamo shook his head.
"We need to go." He turned and ran smack into a wall of lime green scales.
"Oh, you two aren't going anywhere," the dragon, now clearly a female, hissed. Dynamo kept his fear hidden. He knew he would need every trick in the book to get him and Omicron out of this mess.
"We were just checking out what was over here, Miss. We mean you no harm, so if you would just let us on our way we can—"
"I don't think I can do that." She lunged forward with lightning speed and struck Dynamo over the head with the flat of her tailblade, laying the dragon out cold. She poised over the dragon with her tailblade to his throat and looked at Omicron.
"You flee, he dies," she growled. Omicron just sighed and raised his gloved hands in surrender.
"Take me to your leader."
Approximately Midnight:
Dynamo groaned as his eyes slowly opened. As he awakened, he slowly took in his surroundings.
"What the hell?" he asked himself as he glanced around. He was chained by his wrists and ankles, suspended in the air over the dirt floor. The only light was from a torch that was situated to the wall just outside the black iron bars of his cell.
"Good, you're finally awake," a warbled voice spoke. He knew that voice.
"Omicron?"
"Yes, Dynamo, it's me. Listen, this is important. I'm being held in a cell in a separate building from you."
"Why would they do that?" Dynamo knew better than to question how Omicron was communicating with him.
"They always do that for those they plan to hold captive and those they plan to kill." Dynamo's stomach dropped out.
"Which building am I in?"
"The killing one." Dynamo cursed under his breath.
"Why?"
"You appear to have put up a fight when we were captured." Dynamo sighed. "How are you going to get out of this?" Dynamo shook his head.
"I don't know."
"Don't you have some sort of magic like everyone else?" Dynamo chuckled awkwardly. "You're kidding me, right?"
"No." Omicron sighed.
"Listen, Dynamo," he began. "Normally, I would just let you die in this situation, but you've grown on me." The dragon was intrigued.
"Go on."
"I have a way to get you out of here, but it will hurt."
"A little pain beats being dead." Omicron scoffed.
"Sure, a little pain." Dynamo's eyes widened.
"Wait, what—" He roared in agony as what felt like acid began to flow through his body. It felt like his innards were on fire. A bolt of pain split his skull, blinding him. It lasted for only a few seconds and then was gone.
"I… I need to rest Dynamo," Omicron gasped. He sounded exhausted. "Good… Good luck." Dynamo felt a presence that he hadn't detected before withdraw from his mind. He felt truly alone now.
Approximately Six Hours Later (Sunrise):
Dynamo was awoken be something banging on the bars of his cell.
"Wake up!" a stern feminine voice ordered. Dynamo looked up to see a massive female poison dragon standing on the opposite side of the iron bars. Behind stood an unfamiliar male poison dragon and the one who knocked him out last night. The big one was the only not wearing armor.
"Do you wish to get a closer look Matriarch?" the male asked.
"Indeed," the lead dragoness said. Dynamo remembered that poison dragon societies were matriarchies, although he had no clue why he was remembering all this now. The cell door opened, and the three dragons stepped in. The Matriarch stepped up and stood at eye-level with Dynamo.
"Last night must've been crazy," the chained dragon joked, grinning underneath his mask. The Matriarch slapped him across the face with her tailblade.
"Watch your tongue! You are in our custody, creature!" the Matriarch hissed.
"Never did catch your name," Dynamo said. The Matriarch growled and raised her tailblade.
"My name, you say?" She seemed more annoyed than intrigued. Dynamo nodded.
"You could at least grant me that before you execute me." The Matriarch faltered slightly.
How does this thing know? she thought.
"Nightshade," she said. "I am Matriarch Nightshade." Dynamo nodded.
"Pleasure to meet you, Nightshade."
"And what would your name be?"
"Dynamo." She pondered that for a moment.
"A rather odd name, but it seems fitting." She gestured to her two guards. "Take him outside and begin." The two guards nodded and stepped forward. They undid Dynamo's chains and cuffed him. They led him to the end of a long hallway and threw the door open. The bright sunlight burned Dynamo's eyes, but he slowly adjusted. He saw what must have been the entire village looking at him as he was led to a wooden stage in the center of the public forum.
"All this for me?" he asked. The male smacked him with his blade.
"Silence creature!" he snapped. Once they reached the top of the stage, Dynamo was forced to his knees. As he looked out over the crowd, he saw Omicron's shadowy figure standing in the front row, flanked by to guards.
"It is tradition for the Matriarch to spill the blood of this tribe's enemies," Nightshade said as she stepped in front of him. "Your death will be swift and painless. Have you anything to say or ask before I end your life?" Dynamo looked to Omicron.
"You'd better pull through on this Omicron!" he called. The shadowy figure chuckled and nodded. Dynamo had no clue what Omicron had done to help him, but he trusted the walking shadow nonetheless.
"Have you any final requests?" Nightshade asked. Dynamo looked up at her.
"I ask that you remove my helmet, so that you may associate my name with my face." Nightshade nodded and the female guard stepped forward. Dynamo shook his head before she could get close. "I would like you to remove my helmet, Matriarch." Nightshade sighed.
"Very well." Dynamo released his helmet's strap and allowed the poison dragoness to remove it. Her eyes widened when she saw his scaled face. She quickly regained her composure.
"Is there any next of kin or family we should notify of your passing." Dynamo froze at that. Tears began to run down his face.
"No," he choked, "I'll be seeing them soon." Nightshade looked down at him.
"I am sorry about them, Dynamo." She raised her tailblade. "Goodbye." She drove it down towards his face… and it froze. Dynamo looked up at the blade and his eyes widened.
"What the—"
"Dynamo?" The dragon whirled around and gasped. Standing behind him was an Avian and a muscular black dragon.
"Mother? Father?" The two nodded. "Am I… am I dead?" His mother laughed and shook her head.
"No, but you do not have much time." The black dragon nodded.
"Your friend has given you an amazing gift, my son." They stopped as Dynamo began to cry again.
"Why should I use it to save myself?" His mother's eyes widened.
"Dynamo, what's wrong?" she asked tenderly, stepping closer to him. Dynamo sniffed and looked up at her.
"I miss you. I want to see you again!" His mother sighed and shook her head. She put her arms around her son as he cried.
"It is not your time yet," she said softly. "Your friends need you." His father draped a wing around both of them.
"We never got a chance to tell you this," he began, his deep voice somehow sounding gentle, "but we are so proud of you." Dynamo looked up at his father.
"I miss you." His mother smiled as tears began to well up in her eyes.
"I know, baby. We miss you too, but we can't stay. You have a job to do." Dynamo nodded.
"Goodbye," he said, his voice breaking. He embraced his parents.
"Don't say goodbye Dynamo," his father said. "We have always been with you." Dynamo smiled and sniffled.
"I know, Father."
"Dynamo," his mother said, "before you go, we have one thing to ask."
"What?"
"Why were you brought together with your friends?"
"Because the world depends on it." His mother nodded.
"You all are the last bastion of hope this world has. Evil is knocking at your door. What are you going to do?" Dynamo closed his eyes. He knew the answer. He opened them again, only this time, they were red.
"Fight!" He felt a storm of energy burst forth and heard the Matriarch gasp.
"How?!" Dynamo looked up and his jaw dropped. Standing in front of him was a ten-foot copy of himself, only this one was full armored. It had the nondescript helmet and even his mechanical left arm. This avatar, however, had black smoking armor that contained a glowing red energy. It struck the tailblade with its massive right hand and it bounced off Dynamo's forehead as if it was made of plastic.
The Matriarch withdrew her tail with a look of shock on her face. "What is this?!"
"This is a power long thought dead!" Omicron said, an edge of confidence in his voice. "This is the power of the Archetype!"
"If that did not kill you, then this will!" the Matriarch launched another barrage of attacks at Dynamo with talons, horns and her tailblade. Much to Dynamo's shock, the avatar deflected every attack with its right hand. The Matriarch leapt back.
"I do not know what this is," she said, infuriated, "but you will die here today!"
I need to get out of here, Dynamo thought. As if it could here what he was thinking, the avatar moved behind the bipedal dragon and raised its left hand. Dynamo closed his eyes as it brought its hand down… and broke the cuffs. The cuffs, however, did not just break open, they shattered into a million pieces. Dynamo rubbed his wrists and rose to his feet. The guards surrounding him dropped into fighting stances.
"Do not move!" one shouted. Dynamo grinned. Apparently, he could control this thing, and it was fast.
"You cannot take all of us," another guard said.
"He does not need to!" Omicron spoke up. A black ring began to form around Dynamo and the shadowy figure. "We will be seeing you!" With that, Dynamo lost sight of the world around him as darkness claimed his vision.
XXXXX
"Any sign of them?" Spyro asked. Cynder shook her head. Nyxis materialized next to them.
"I've checked everywhere around here and still nothing." Spyro pounded the ground.
"Great! PT's concussed and Dynamo and Omicron are missing!" Cynder planted a kiss on Spyro's cheek.
"They'll be fine." A look of worry crossed her face. "That Omicron guy seems powerful… and a little psychotic."
"What was that?" The three yelped as Omicron and Dynamo appeared out of nowhere.
"Where have you two been?!" Spyro asked angrily.
"No time," Dynamo said. He looked over his shoulder before turning to Omicron. "Is she still following us?" He nodded.
"She is nothing if not persistent."
"Wait," Spyro interrupted, "who's following you?" He got his answer when the female guard from the poison dragon village flew out of the trees.
"You will not escape!" Dynamo stepped in front of the others.
"What is he doing?!" Spyro asked. Omicron held up a hand.
"Trust him." They watched as Dynamo clenched his fists. Spyro's eyes widened as crimson flames enveloped him. The group's shock grew even more when the armored avatar appeared next to him.
"MAGIAN'S RED!" They all turned to see PT stumble out of his tent and assume a rather odd fighting stance.
"Go back to bed, PT!" Spyro called.
"Okay Mom!" the human slurred before clumsily falling through the open flap of the tent. Cynder gave the purple dragon a concerned look, which was met with a shrug. The two turned their attention back to Dynamo.
"What is that thing?" Nyxis asked.
"I'll explain later," Omicron said dismissively. He pointed to Dynamo. "Just sit back and watch."
"You think that is a challenge for me?!" the female poison dragon roared. She lowered her horns and dived straight for Dynamo. Dynamo closed his eyes. The avatar crossed its arms over its chest and stood still. As the dragoness got within striking range, it moved like a blur. It struck the dragoness in the side with its right hand and she slammed into Dynamo, but instead of pounding him into the ground, she slammed into his chest and dropped like a stone, Dynamo not even moving an inch.
"She just hit him and glanced off!" Nyxis exclaimed. "She weighs probably twice as much as he does!"
"That thing in front of him has something to do with it," Cynder said, pointing to the massive avatar in front of the bipedal dragon.
"I will not let you win!" the dragoness said as she struggled to her feet. She launched into another spree of attacks at lightning speed, and the avatar moved with the speed to match.
"Look," Cynder said, "it's only using its right hand." The others looked and sure enough, the solid black left arm was behind the avatar's back while the black one with red cascading between the plating was a blur as it deflected blow after blow.
"You have only blocked, fool!" the dragoness said. "That means you cannot attack! And it will take a hell of a lot to bring me down!" Dynamo smirked.
"I will only have to strike you once." The dragoness faltered.
"What?" She got her answer when the avatar's left arm finally moved. Its fist struck the dragoness square in the chest… and it shattered like glass. The dragoness went flying and carved a gash in the sea of trees. Dynamo turned back to them.
"Go get some crystals," he said as the avatar and aura around him faded away. He turned and strode down the massive gap he had cut through the forest. The others just watched as the bipedal dragon moved with a confidence they hadn't seen before. Omicron crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled.
"I can't wait to see where this goes."
PT1: What's up everyone?! I get it's been a while, but there is something important I've been meaning to ask—
Dynamo: DATA TIME!
PT1: *facepalms* Yeah. If you want, recommend a character for me to put a bio of on my profile.
Spyro: Yeah, man. That page needs something other than that cursed profile pic.
PT1: Oh, you be quiet. But you guys heard Dynamo. Leave your recommendations in a review or PM me, whichever's easier! That's all for today!
