A/N: Quick note here. First off, sorry for the delay. Without going into detail, I've had some stuff (non-writing related) come up lately that's kept me from writing as much as I like. I'm hoping that will fix itself soon enough though. In the meantime, I'll try to post as often as I can. I totally want to finish the story so no worries there. That aside I just thought I'd mention the length of this chapter. Its basically a chapter and a half compared to what I normally post. For those of you who don't like longer chapters sorry. I sort of hit an awkward moment where I realized there was too much for one chapter, but not enough for two so here we are. Anyway, hope you all enjoy reading.
Aria, Ivarik, Ryn, and Syra stood in stupefied silence as they watched Lyara continue to snicker on the floor before them. The once silver dragoness, now a deep purple hue, couldn't seem to contain herself. While she was no longer cackling madly, smaller bouts of laughter took her every few seconds. Her red orbs were distant and uncaring.
Gingerly, Aria stepped forward. Lyara didn't seem to take notice of her approach, or she simply didn't care. It wasn't until the azure dragoness put a paw on her side that Lyara went silent and still. Her head turned and she faced her friend tilting her head slightly as she grinned from horn to horn. Aria wore a look of sadness; she wasn't even sure what had happened, or what to do.
Lyara's features grew firm a moment later. The dragoness scrambled to rise, her sudden movement making Aria take a step back. There was no predicting what would happen after all. Lyara eyed her cautiously, narrowing her eyes as she began to stalk forward. Aria moved away in kind, a sudden fear gripping him.
A few seconds later, Lyara faltered. She stopped moving forward, and instead shook her head as if trying to rid herself of something. The others looked on, none of them shifting even a single scale.
Her unseen problems not fading, Lyara grew more erratic. The dragoness threw herself to the floor and began to writhe. Her limbs extended and thrusted in random directions as her head and neck swiveling back and forth. After several moments, she let out a cry of desperation. Aria took a step forward, but Ivarik extended a paw, shaking his head when she looked at him. He didn't know what was happening, but he didn't want her anywhere near it.
The dragoness continued to cry out randomly, her talons raking the floor as she tried to rise up once more. Her spasming muscles never allowed her to get far however. Slowly, like a creeping mist, purple energy began to seep from her scales. The others backed further away as the fog slowly accumulated in her vicinity. To their relief, it dissipated before traveling too far. Through it, they could catch glimpses of the dragoness, her scales slowly turning back to their signature silvery sheen. When the mist finally began to fade, they found a heavily breathing Lyara in its wake.
"Lyara?" Aria ventured, unsure of exactly what had just happened.
The silver dragoness tensed slightly as she lifted her head, her gaze falling over each of the dragons. Surprised, she wearily tried to lift herself up so that she was laying properly instead of on her side.
"What are you doing here?" She asked as she struggled, but ultimately succeeded, to right herself.
"It's been a few days now. We came to get you and Taelas." Ivarik answered after a moment. "What happened to you?"
Lyara looked down to her scales as if noticing them for the first time. She sighed in relief after seeing their coloration. Feeling slightly better about the situation, she turned back to the others. "A few days?" She asked disheartened. "What was I doing just now?" She continued.
"Laughing and writhing mostly." Ryn replied stonily. "You don't remember?"
Lyara shook her head. "I'm not really surprised though. I don't even remember coming to this room, let alone anything that happened once I got here."
"So, what did happen?" Aria pressed.
Lyara sighed as she considered her own memories. She found them lacking in places, but there was enough there to piece things together. "Dante decided that something would need to be done should I be able to survive in his new world."
"His new world?" Ivarik asked his voice betraying his discomfort with the idea.
"He believes that convexity will wash over this plane and cleanse it of any who are unworthy. The calamity would forge a new, stronger, dragonkind." Lyara explained.
"That's idiotic." Ivarik snorted.
"It's what he believes." Lyara said shaking her head. "He tried to break the magic that keeps me from absorbing too much convexity. He thought he could simply overload the spell by pushing more energy into my body."
"And?" Ryn asked cautiously.
"I'm fine." Lyara replied narrowing her eyes. She didn't like the insinuation but she could hardly blame him. She forced her features to relax soon after, arguing would get them nowhere, and even she couldn't be certain of the full ramifications. "At least, I think I am." She finished quietly.
"It sounds disturbing." Aria said fidgeting slightly.
"It was, at least, the bits I remember." The silver dragoness answered with a shiver. "While Dante went about his task I passed out, but I'm sure that didn't stop him. All I remember is creeping darkness. The magic must have sealed off my mind until it could cleanse the convexity from my body."
"And what about Taelas?" Aria asked, trying not to sound desperate. "Is he alright?"
Lyara looked at her silently before turning to her onyx talons. "He's alive but…"
"Tell me." Aria said trying to sound confident. "Please, Lyara."
The silver dragoness looked back at her; the sadness still apparent on her face. "He's still the same as he was. I have an idea, but I've never attempted it, reaching him could be difficult."
"What do you mean? What happened to him?" Ivarik asked.
Lyara sighed, she found the memories of the purple dragon distressing to recall. "Dante infused him with convexity. However, it was energy of the darkest kind. Convexity isn't just energy, it harbors emotions, feelings, often those of the user. However, even without a user the energy can have a gradient. What Dante put into Taelas was something that skewed his thoughts, corrupted his mind. It brought something dark to the surface, something that has a hold over him."
"Can he be brought back?" Ryn asked bluntly, posing the question that the others were too afraid to ask.
Lyara took a moment before responding. She didn't want to build suspense, but she had to mull over what she knew. "This sort of occurrence has rarely been witnessed. Naturally speaking, only a purple dragon can sustain so much energy without being torn apart." She paused and looked to her own scales. "Oddities aside of course." She added. "It should be possible, but I can't make any promises."
"I know you can do this Lyara." Aria said from beside her, forcing a small smile. While the silver dragoness appreciated it, she wasn't sure if she shared the same confidence.
"Do you need time to rest?" Ryn asked eyeing her closely, to his surprise, she didn't seem worn.
Lyara shook her head. "All I did was store the energy; it can overwhelm me, but won't tire me. Turning it back on my enemies is what drains my strength. Besides, we shouldn't wait too long. Who knows what Dante is doing in the meantime."
The dragons nodded as they considered the threat. It was Syra who moved towards the doorway first. Ryn and Ivarik followed her as she pulled the gateway open and they started out into the main hallway. Lyara moved to follow, but Aria stopped her with a paw. The silver dragoness turned to look at her friend.
"Do you think you can save my brother?" Aria asked quietly. The question was raw this time. She was expecting the worst. She knew Ryn had already asked, however she couldn't help but ask the question again.
"I…" Lyara stuttered almost as soon as she began to answer. She turned away ashamed that she hadn't spoken with confidence. She knew what it was like to lose a sibling to convexity after all.
"You still like him, don't you?" Aria asked suddenly changing the topic, her voice still soft.
"What?" Lyara asked in alarm, her cheeks flushing slightly. She looked at the ice dragoness who had a surprisingly stern look on her face.
"You have to bring him back so you can tell him how you feel." Aria said mustering a small smirk.
Before Lyara could respond Aria nudged her forward ending the conversation. Lyara's thoughts turned inward instead. Her reasoning may have been strange, but Aria was correct. She could not let things end this way. A small fire burning within her chest, Lyara strode through the doorway to join the others.
The group continued their trek through the dark hallways for some time after that. Syra led the way as she had the best memory of the tunnel layout. Lyara had explained where Dante would be. In her opinion, it was unlikely that the drake had left the focal point.
"What exactly is our plan once we get there?" Ivarik whispered as he stepped away from the blackened corpse of another ape that he'd quietly dispatched. The question had been nagging at his mind for some time. He wanted to save his friend, but he still struggled to think of an appropriate course of action. His eyes went to Lyara without even thinking about it. The silver dragoness felt a faint pressure as the others turned to her as well.
The dragoness sighed as she considered what she knew. She couldn't blame them for looking to her, although she preferred not to be the center of attention. She contemplated what she last remembered. "If this is anything like the first focal point, I'll likely need Taelas' help to remedy the damage."
"We'll need to give you time to help him then?" Ryn asked shifting at the thought of having to distract Dante and a potential horde of apes.
"I know it won't be easy, but I think it's likely our only chance." Lyara answered. "If he can't draw energy from the focal point, I doubt he can sustain that body."
"I guess we don't have any other options." Ivarik shrugged. "It'll be dangerous, but we'll have your back."
Lyara nodded her silent thanks. She'd expected nothing less from them. It was something that made her glad she wasn't alone. She quietly thought back to when she'd almost refused any help on this journey. A shiver coursed down her spine at the thought of what would have happened.
"What about the apes? Once this begins Dante will call them all to his side." Aria mentioned.
"I'll block the entrances." Ryn said. "One way or another, this will end."
Each of the dragons tensed at the thought. Lyara felt a nervous energy coursing through her veins. She was finding it hard to stand still. This plan hinged on her. As long as the focal point remained open Dante would not fall. Her friends were capable, but she wondered how long they could hold out. She wondered how quickly she could reach Taelas.
"No sense in dreading it." Ryn said eyeing her, seemingly reading her thoughts. "Let's end this."
"The chamber is just up ahead; we take a right at the bend." Syra said, nodding her head down the dark passage.
"We're close enough." Ryn added. "Let's charge in, maybe we'll even have the element of surprise."
The others nodded their consent, and together the group sprinted forward in the darkness. Syra still led and was the first around the turn, her sharp talons latching into the stone as she took the corner as quickly as possible.
In the distance, she could see the entrance Ryn had blown into the cavern during their first encounter. Gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes, she leapt through the gap, the others right behind her. When the dragoness landed in the light layer of snow her head turned upward and she belched a ball of spinning fire. The bright blast surged forward before coming to rest in the air, the fires roaring and drenching the cavern in light.
Across from her she saw the broken but menacing corpse of a dragon that was Dante, his hollow eyes unperturbed by the sudden change in lighting. In contrast, Taelas' growled and looked away, the dark mist that emanated from his scales pulsing angrily. The focal point hummed beside them, it's purple light less significant in the now bright cavern.
As Syra took in the scene, she heard Ryn land in the snow, having turned himself back in the direction they'd come from. As he slid to a stop, the dragon slammed his front paws into the ground. A massive sheet of rock slammed across the entrance they'd just come from. With a sweep of his tail the other tunnel they'd originally travelled, was similarly shut. Confident from his display, Ryn smirked at Syra as he turned back to Dante. He expected the dragon would be eyeing them, but he found that Dante was distracted. After tracing his gaze, the earth dragon saw why.
Already bounding across the cavern, Lyara kicked up snow as she dove at Taelas. The purple dragon was still dazed as she crashed headlong into him. While Taelas was still adjusting to the sudden light he wasn't distracted enough to simply take the punishment without dishing any back.
As the two tangled, Lyara felt the male's corded muscles tense. With little trouble he deflected her swipes and began to overpower her. Dante chuckled at the sight as he turned back to the others. "Is this your plan then?" He asked casually.
When he got no answer, he laughed a little harder. "Futile attempts, by insignificant whelps. Still you may have played a role in bringing my trinket back to me. I find myself grateful for another opportunity with her. Perhaps once you are all dead, I'll raise your bodies to keep her company."
Ivarik growled at the thought as electricity crackled around his scales, the energy was intense enough to melt the snow around him. He'd heard more than he ever wanted to from the undead dragon. With a resounding roar, his energy burst forth, crossing the distance in an instant before cascading over Dante's deathly figure. So strong was the attack that even the undead stiffened for a moment.
Not only Dante, but even Taelas' eyes slid to the side as he surveyed the onslaught. The fact that he felt concern for such a monster made Lyara's stomach turn, but she knew it wasn't his fault. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, the dragoness freed her right forepaw and slapped it against his crest. Taelas' attention was immediately back on her, but he flinched instead of striking. Lyara's scales immediately pulsed with purple energy as she shivered at the amount of convexity she'd absorbed.
Pure dark rage and sadness overtook her. Her willpower faded almost completely. The dark thoughts began to overtake her. Knowing she had to act immediately she released the energy without consideration for the damage it might do. There was a pulse of violet power. One moment Taelas was standing over her, and the next he was slammed into the ceiling nearly thirty feet above them. He fell back to the ground with nothing more than a short gasp.
Despite the powerful blow, the purple dragon coughed as he began to rise again. Regaining herself, Lyara did the same. Still flustered by what she'd just felt, the dragoness jumped at Taelas only to find him ready. He grappled her, rearing up on his hind legs before swinging her around and slamming her into the snow.
Lyara coughed as she felt the air forcefully leave her lungs. Within seconds, she felt stinging pain as claws swiped across her crest. Bloody trails were left in their wake. At the very least, the pain served to focus her mind. She rolled away as Taelas' tail embedded into the ground where she'd been a moment before.
He seemed to understand her control over convexity and was avoiding the use of the element. She snarled as the dragon began to charge towards her once more. She ducked and backpedaled as Taelas began a furious array of swipes and strikes. Whether it was luck or skill she managed to stay uninjured throughout. The burning pain in her chest remained as a reminder of the consequences of failure.
After a prolonged series of attacks, she found her opening. She shifted to the side before whipping around, her tail sweeping across the violet dragon's legs. He fell to the snow with a thud. As he immediately started to rise Lyara took her chance diving at him and holding onto him as best she could with her talons.
The two rolled, Taelas doing anything in his power to scratch and claw his way free. The silver dragoness held firm despite it, waiting for their rolling momentum to die. She didn't have to wait long as they landed on their sides, staring each other down. Had the situation been any different, Lyara would have likely flushed and silently remarked on their closeness. Taelas' hind legs kicking her gut did much to keep any such thought firmly out of her mind. Her breath leaving her body the dragoness grit her teeth and reared her head back before ramming her forehead into his.
In that instant, the two fell still. Taelas' thrashing ceased as Lyara concentrated. Her eyes closed. First there was darkness, she could still feel the cold snow beneath her, and her wounds painfully pulsing. Then there was nothing. In the inky blackness, purple light suddenly flooded her senses, and she found herself enveloped in a void. The silver dragoness looked around, after a few moments she found what she was looking for. Taelas hung limply, tangled in a weave of nearly black strands. The dragoness set her jaw and moved towards him.
Dante's glared at the lightning dragon as his body twitched slowly. He couldn't feel the pain, such a sensation was beyond him. However, even his convexity fortified body could not withstand an endless onslaught.
Before he could move, Syra opened her maw and sent a wave of fire towards him. The heat rushed forward and lit up the cavern. As it closed in on Dante, he regained himself and fired off a blast of convexity. The energy pierced the fire and screeched towards the four. With only a second to spare Ryn jumped in front of the other three, slamming his tail and raising a wall of earth. The barrier shattered on contact with the energy throwing each of them backwards in a shower of pebbles and snow.
Rolling through the fluff, Syra steadied herself first. Rising up, she looked to Dante who'd become distracted. Syra's eyes flickered to where he was staring. She found Lyara entangled with Taelas, they lay still on the snow. Their closeness made a fire burn in her chest and smoke puffed from her nostrils.
Her element pulsed as she broke into a sprint. Fire cascaded around her and she leapt to close the distance to the undead dragon. She curled into a ball and smashed into his chest knocking him backward. Bouncing off harmlessly, she landed lightly in the snow, the fluffy flakes melting around her and throwing up wisps of steam.
She smirked, taking some pride in knocking such a large enemy into the ground. Her eyes quickly flitted back to Taelas and Lyara. They almost looked like they were asleep, their lids closed, and their bodies unresponsive to the mayhem around them. Temporarily distracted by the sight of Taelas entangled with another dragoness, Syra didn't notice Dante's head snap back up.
Convexity washed over her, the energy stung, as if her scales were set aflame. The concussive force of the blast sent her spiraling backwards through the air. Faintly, she heard Dante loose another blast. She figured it was headed for her, and she closed her eyes expecting the end. Instead, she heard a shattering explosion as the entrance to the fortress interior became open once more. The rock sheet Ryn had raised being reduced to no more than rubble.
Syra didn't comprehend much more as she landed roughly on the ground and her very bones seemed to vibrate from the impact. The cold snow felt good on her scales, silently she wondered if smoke was coming off her. Her eyes cracked open as she heard scrambling nearby. She expected one of her friends to be approaching, but as her head lolled towards the noise her blood ran cold.
Only a few feet away, a quickly moving undead ape was charging forward. In the distance behind him she could see others, some quick, and some slow, all making their way across the fallen barrier.
Before she could begin to pull herself up, a spike of ice crossed overhead, close enough to graze her scales. Aria came up next to her as the spike pierced the charging ape sending it on a short but painful flight back towards its brethren.
"Get up!" Aria growled as she conjured more ice and flung it at the approaching apes. She aimed mostly for the quicker ones, but they were keen to her plan now and dodged the projectiles. Behind them, they heard another blast of electricity. Dante's roar echoed off the cavern walls making them cringe.
Almost immediately after, another sheet of stone covered the hole the undead dragon had made. It was of course Ryn's work, however he could do nothing about the apes that had already made it inside.
"Hold them!" Ryn shouted from across the room. The girls didn't bother looking back, they knew he was addressing them. From the emerald dragon's direction, they heard the sounds of sundering earth and crackling electricity. He and Ivarik would keep Dante at bay. Their tasks set, Aria and Syra rushed forward, the scarred and broken faces of their foes being the only thing to greet them.
Lyara approached Taelas with some caution. The dragon was held aloft by a dark webbing, his underbelly exposed, his head hanging to one side, eyes shut. The strands pulsed and held him taught like a fly in a web. She grimaced at the sight, considering what she should do.
She'd been here once before, when they'd first met. Back then he'd simply been paralyzed by convexity. An inner personification hadn't existed at that time. What she saw now was the part of him that had been suppressed. Convexity was seeping through his every thought, highlighting his failures and shortcomings. The drake she saw before her was akin to a whelp, weak and scared. She was so caught in her thoughts that she nearly jumped when he spoke.
"Who are you?" The purple dragon asked in a meager tone.
"Me?" Lyara asked tilting her head. She hadn't expected him to not recognize her. "My name is Lyara." She said rather mechanically.
Taelas studied her for a moment, his eyes were barely open, he seemed as though he'd doze off at any moment. Still there was a glint of recognition, and his head bobbed slightly as he seemed to remember. "You should leave this place Lyara." He replied in a downtrodden voice.
"Only if you come with me." The silver dragoness answered simply. She reached a talon forward and plucked at one of the strands. It resisted her for a moment before she manipulated it between her talons and snapped the thread. It disintegrated as it fell away.
"You don't know what you're doing." Taelas said seeming to take little interest in her work.
"A bit ironic coming from you." Lyara snorted as she continued to manipulate threads.
"I'm not worth the trouble!" Taelas shouted. His sudden change in pitch made the dragoness look up. She peered into his eyes and saw fear, something she hadn't ever expected to see from her purple friend.
"I think I know what is-
"You don't understand!" Taelas yelled cutting her off. "I deserve this, it's my punishment." He continued in a whisper. "I wanted this. I wanted all of this and now everyone is suffering because of me."
"What are you talking about?" Lyara murmured in genuine confusion. There was no answer. Deciding not to waste time, she plucked another thread and this time felt some convexity flow into her body. It wasn't much now, but she had to be careful not to become overwhelmed. There was silence for some time as the dragoness went about her work.
"Look at me." Taelas said sternly after a few moments. The dragoness obliged him. She hadn't been trying to ignore him, but she'd been focusing on her work. "For so long I wanted a way to prove myself. To show that I was worthy to be called a purple dragon. Worthy to be Spyro's son."
"You are exactly that, Taelas." Lyara answered her lips pursing into a small smile.
"I'm not!" The purple dragon cried. "I couldn't stop your brothers in Warfang, Ryn's home was sieged, my friends have been hurt, and worst yet I couldn't even keep control of myself!"
Lyara stared at him quietly for a moment. He seemed on the verge of tears, but something, perhaps a small vestige of pride, held him back. She went back to her work plucking more strands as her scales tinted further towards violet. Taelas didn't continue, he didn't seem to have the heart to do so.
"You're overthinking things." The dragoness said finally breaking the silence. The purple dragon opened his mouth of argue, but she cut him off. "I haven't known you for long Taelas. I'll admit, when we first met, I thought you were hard headed, eager to throw yourself into any situation. When you came to help me confront my brothers in Warfang I thought you were an idiot."
Taelas looked away and sighed, as his assertions were seemingly confirmed. "But I never thought of you as a failure." Lyara continued. When he turned to look at her he found a soft smile on her lips as she plucked at another strand. "Reckless perhaps, but never a failure. You've leapt into every situation you've encountered, helped in every way you could. Whether you realize it or not, you're proving yourself as we speak."
"How can you say that?" Taelas asked still not convinced.
"Because I know it to be true." She answered as she stepped back.
Taelas looked at her curiously and then to the strands that still held him. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"This is as far as I can take you." She answered. "To break the hold entirely, you'll have to do it yourself."
"Do it myself?" He asked wiggling slightly against his restraints.
"Too hard for you?" She asked tilting her head.
"I don't know how." Taelas muttered.
The dragoness sighed as she turned around. Taelas felt a pang of fear as she moved a few paces away. He almost called out to her, but held himself back. A second later, she turned on heel and planted herself on the ground staring at him, her red eyes glittering.
"Just as you've come this far, you will push through this too." Lyara said easily. Her voice was calm and soothing. "You don't seem to realize it, but you've accomplished much in a short time."
Taelas didn't answer. His silence prompted the dragoness to continue. "You don't believe me?" Still no answer came. "You tangled with a cult, helped save a village from destruction, stood up to so called gods." The dragoness scoffed. "Any normal dragon would have hesitated at least a little in the face of such things."
The purple dragon didn't respond and Lyara silently cursed to herself. She could break the last barriers at any time, but it seemed unwise to drop a downtrodden dragon into what was inevitably happening around them. Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind.
"Do you know what is happening right now?" She asked drawing his attention once more. Taelas looked at her inquisitively, but no guess came forth.
"Outside your mind, our friends are fighting Dante." Lyara clarified. The statement brought a spark to Taelas' purple eyes. He twisted slightly at the thought, the strands stretching to hold him. It was more of a reaction than she'd gotten so far, and the positive stimuli pushed her forward. "While you mope in here, they are risking their lives out there. What would they say if they could see you here? What would your sister say?"
Taelas stopped suddenly, and Lyara grew still thinking she may have said the wrong thing. She stood up once more and paced a few steps closer. Taelas watched her, she couldn't tell if he was enthralled or simply in a daze.
"They need you Taelas." She said quietly. She looked away to her talons, shifting them up and down. "I need you." She whispered under her breath.
Whether he'd heard her last statement or not was unclear. Regardless, the purple dragon's muscles flexed. His forelimbs snapped forward one at a time, the black strands snapping like string. Taelas' tail swished freeing it before he drew the blade around himself, cutting through the rest of the prison. He landed roughly, but stood immediately craning his neck he gave a murderous roar. The sound was so forceful that Lyara felt herself shiver from the sheer volume.
As the webbing began to disintegrate into particles, the purple dragon looked at her. The fire was in his eyes once more. Lyara simply hoped it was a product of renewed vigor and not simple rage at the circumstances. Either would serve, but only one would last. Despite that she smiled at him, happy to see his energy restored. Suddenly, it felt as though the wind was rushing around her and she closed her eyes as the noise deafened her senses.
Lyara's eyes snapped open as an explosion rumbled through the cavern. Mere inches away she saw Taelas' eyes opening as well. His scales had returned to their pristine violet hue. The foreboding mist that had been emanating from his body had ceased. While she took in his appearance, she realized just how close their snouts were. A sharp pain in her skull made her remember the methods she'd used to enter his subconscious. In a flurry, the dragoness pulled away and began to rise, trying her best to suppress her blushing scales.
Taelas didn't seem to notice as he rose as well. He surveyed his surroundings as quickly as he could. Lyara hadn't been dishonest, his friends were fighting for their lives. In the distance, Aria and Syra were entangled with several apes, some shambling corpses, others spry and constantly striking at different angles. Each had visible wounds, but they were still standing.
Ryn and Ivarik stood before the far more menacing figure of Dante, each looking haggard. The massive undead dragon noted Taelas and gave a snort before firing a blast of convexity at the earth and lightning dragons. The blast flung them across the cavern, but despite the assault they both stood once more after some struggling. When Dante tried to focus more fully on the purple and silver dragons, he found himself assaulted by spire of rock that rose to meet his skull.
Taelas moved to join the assault, but felt a tug on his tail. He turned to find Lyara panting. Her efforts to free him were quickly catching up, her scales were already tinting towards violet and she felt an aching across her body. "We need to fix the focal point." She said between breaths.
"But-
"Taelas, trust me!" She said desperately leveraging as much authority as she could. She felt the purple dragon resist for less than a second before moving closer to her.
"Come on then." He said allowing her to lean heavily on his side as she made their way closer to the pulsing energy.
Aria watched as her brother and Lyara moved further towards the focal point. A wave of relief washed over her. She felt her legs go weak and she nearly fell. Another ball of fire launched just over her horns. Behind her, she heard an explosion and felt the heat tinge her scales.
"Pay attention!" Syra growled as she turned to face her next enemy.
Aria's lips twitched into the smallest semblance of a smile before she turned back to her foes. Her friend was right, they were still in danger after all. Doing her best to put her brother out of her mind she turned to the ape before her with renewed energy.
Her wounds no longer aching, Aria leapt at the unfortunate enemy and crashed back through the crowd. Before they'd even landed a pulse of cold emanated from her body. The ape beneath her immediately went still and turned a shade of blue as crystals of ice crept across its fur. Around her, ice burst from the ground in every direction, the shell incasing several unfortunate creatures.
Before she could revel in the victory, one of the quicker creatures bashed into her. Aria tumbled and felt the undead clawing at her body as she did. Unable to stop the assault, she cried out as she felt claws tear across her hide. As they came to a halt, she kicked at the creature with her hind legs. The blow only managed to stagger it slightly, but it was enough for the ice dragoness to conjure her element.
A spike of ice formed and shot forward catching the creature in the neck. Despite the gruesome wound it only served to knock the adversary over. In that moment, Aria rose and latched her teeth around the ape's wrist. Ignoring the foul taste, she wrenched her neck around, tossing the creature into the air with all her might.
As soon as the ape had left her grasp, she called to her friend. At the call of her name, Syra whipped around and spat a ball of fire at the airborne creature. After another earthshaking explosion there was little left than remnants.
Silently, Aria and Syra drew close once more, their backs to each other. Around them, apes were slowly growing nearer. The two gritted their teeth as they faced the crowd. Syra's eyes scanned for an opening, but she found none. As she watched, her attention was quickly drawn to something else. An ape near the front of the bodies suddenly crumpled, falling flat and staying still.
The fire dragoness looked at it curiously. In their time fighting the monsters she'd never once seen something of the sort happen. While it was odd, she didn't truly think much of it until another fell to the snow in a similar manner.
"Aria?" She asked, hoping that the dragoness was seeing the same thing.
"They're, dying?" The azure dragoness questioned as if not believing what was happening. As more figures began to succumb to the unknown ailment Aria's eyes widened. She turned to the focal point to find Lyara and Taelas before it. Neither moved, but the energy well itself was beginning to waver.
"They're sealing it." Syra sighed with relief as she followed her friend's gaze.
"We've still got one glaring problem however." Aria said looking to the imposing figure of Dante.
Dante snarled angrily as he felt the convexity fueling his body waver. He already knew what was happening. He cursed the dragoness; she was working far faster than he could have expected. She'd likely been studying the focal point while she'd idled about in the cavern in the previous days.
The undead dragon turned towards the focal point and the two drakes that stood before it. He opened his hideous maw, energy humming in his throat. However, his shot went wide as a pillar of earth crushed several of his ribs causing him to tip to one side. The blast carved a swath through the rock. Taelas and Lyara didn't even seem to notice.
As Dante fell to the ground, he heard a crackling and looked up to get his bearings. Above him, Ivarik flapped his wings before loosing electricity. The energy snapped forth and pulsed across the undead dragon. His defenses already weakening, Dante roared as he reached a massive paw forward and slapped the lightning dragon from the air.
Ivarik bounced away through the snow. Not content to simply let him fall, Dante unleashed another blast of convexity at the still skipping drake. Before it could make contact however there was a flash of blue as Aria collided with Ivarik midflight. Together the two tumbled to the side, the dragoness' tail being the only thing to catch some of the attack.
With surprising speed, the massive dragon rose up once more. He needed to find an opening to stop Taelas and Lyara. He fired a quick shot of convexity at the lightning and ice dragons. Before they could recover, the ground beneath them shattered and they were sent tumbling away once more.
His rage apparent, the dragon turned on Ryn and Syra. His red orbs were slits as he bellowed another blast of convexity in their direction. Ryn was quicker however and a solid wall of stone jutted forth catching the beam. While the outer most layer crumbled the wall held firm. When the blast ended, Ryn smashed his tail against the rock sending scatter shot at the undead.
"Hold him." Syra commented as she gathered her energy. Ryn nodded and slammed the earth once more. In response there was a quake, and Dante suddenly became a few feet shorter as he sank into the earth. He immediately wrenched a paw from the rock but his other three were held firm. The undead wanted to break free of his holds. If his energy was not quickly draining, he would have done just that.
As the focal point steadily closed, he felt his control over his body weaken. Pain began to radiate from his injuries, a feeling he'd not known for some time. He saw the edges of his vision growing dark.
Suddenly, there was a burst of light and he felt heat lather his scales. He roared, although he did not register it as panic began to set in. Syra's flames singed his scales turning them to charcoal, his broken and dry body acting as perfect kindling. The energy that had coursed his veins was nearly gone. Before Dante hit the ground, darkness blotted out even the fire dragoness' element.
As the undead crashed into the ground the focal point shut itself entirely. The cavern grew eerily silent. Lyara sat on her haunches, her heavy breathing, the only thing that disrupted the quiet. Taelas looked at her with some amount of disbelief. She tossed him a tired smile between breaths. She looked to be a few seconds from passing out, but her eyes shone brightly, displaying her joy.
There was a sudden scampering that drew near. Taelas nearly planted his face into the snow as his sister jumped onto his back and wrapped her forelimbs around his neck. His first instinct was to shake her off, but it passed long before he acted. He stood quietly, supporting her weight. Her snout was buried into his scales and she was hiccupping softly. Taelas had no doubt that tears would soon stain his hide.
"I thought I'd lost you." She whimpered softly.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to come back." He answered quietly grinning to reassure her even though she wouldn't be able to see.
She only answered by wrapping him tighter in her embrace. The others looked on, the reunion warming them despite the frigid cold.