Aria watched as Valas strode past her to confront the towering figure of Cassius. She could see the rage in the purple dragon's eyes. It was somehow different from the general anger he'd been exuding before. Deciding she couldn't afford to ponder it, she rushed across the grass to where Ivarik still lay, thoroughly battered.
Her path to him was clear, it seemed that the still battling dragons around them were keeping their distance. After several catastrophic explosions no drake wanted to stray too close to Cassius or anyone he fought. While far from ideal, Aria was happy to have even the slightest bit of breathing room in the ongoing carnage.
She cringed as she drew near to Ivarik. There was never a doubt that the lightning dragon would lose his battle. He'd thrown himself at the enemy giving her a chance to escape. Guilt washed over the ice dragoness as she reached down and tried to pry her friend from the earth.
The last blow Cassius had dealt had left an impression in the dirt. Ivarik groaned as he felt himself being wrested. Aria hesitated as she gingerly continued to get him standing.
"Why did you come back?" Ivarik mumbled, his senses slowly coming back.
"You can't just toss me away." Aria commented as she continued to support his weight.
"Funny, I remember doing just that." Ivarik argued.
Aria frowned at him as she started to walk, pulling him along under her wing. "You're an idiot, you know that?" She scolded halfheartedly.
"But I'm your idiot." Ivarik chided as he coughed. His whole body ached with each step, but he refused to let Aria see that. Beside him, the dragoness could only give the slightest of smiles, moisture already in her eyes.
"I have to admit I didn't expect this." Cassius spat as he glared at Valas. The dragon who had once towered over him was now not quite large enough to match him.
"I was thinking the same thing." Valas growled, looking the dragon over. "What happened to you Cassius?"
"I've been given a gift." Cassius announced proudly. "The gods saw fit to give me their power. They've seen my potential."
Valas stood silently for a moment, contemplating the twisted entity that now stood before him. "I never should have left you there." He said quietly, a hint of regret in his voice.
Cassius snorted at the comment. "You leaving made little difference Valas. You never believed in our cause anyway. Still, I didn't think you had it in you to turn traitor."
"My allegiances were to Xranik." Valas grunted. "He had plans in mind, but when those two came along, it all faded away. Don't you see that you're nothing more than a pawn?"
"They are our leaders!" Cassius snapped. "Have you never believed in a cause? Had faith in something bigger than yourself?"
"Perhaps when I was young…" Valas offered. "And stupid."
"Watch your tongue." Cassius snarled.
"You're nothing more than a child playing at concepts you don't understand. Easily swayed, and even more easily fooled." Valas grunted. "Behind all that corruption is still the whelp I knew before. Loud mouthed, inexperienced, and eager to prove himself by any means necessary."
"And who are you to chastise me?" Cassius roared. "You're an outcast, a dragon lucky enough to be given a chance, only to squander it! You're nothing more than a failure, too scared to grasp what was in front of you, and too proud to fully align yourself with anyone else! I've become more than any other, I have become the talon of the gods! My legacy will live on while your body feeds the worms."
"Self-appointed titles mean little, boy." Valas growled. "Come then, you'll find you're still the hatchling that cowered before me not so long ago. And that is what you fear the most."
His eyes no more than slits, Cassius' maw opened wide as flames cascaded forth. The white-hot fire surged, burning anything green to a crisp. Still, Cassius watched in irritation as the lightning dragon dashed to the side of the elemental onslaught.
The purple dragon immediately turned to spit another stream, but a bolt of lightning cracked into his gut. Cassius flinched, but as the next two blasts collided with him, he fully staggered. A few seconds later, the mass that was Valas flattened him.
The two dragons crashed into the earth, their bodies making the ground quake. Valas wasted no time, brandishing his claws as he sliced the younger dragon's scales. With a furious roar, there was a violet light and a beam of convexity surged from Cassius' lips.
The barrage hit Valas square in the chest. The force alone sent him into the air leaving him to drop into the earth. Valas laid still for a moment. He sucked in air yet his heart refused to beat faster, as if his lifeforce itself had been drained. Ignoring the tightness as best he could, he stood anyway. A growl on his lips, he spat a lightning bolt at the ground near a recovering Cassius. Dirt and mud leapt up, spraying across the purple dragon making him curse, his wings coming forward to shield him from the shower of debris.
Valas wanted nothing more than to take advantage, however he couldn't seem to muster himself quickly enough as the foreign energy still coursed his body. Such a power would be the end of him were he not careful.
Ryn ripped a barrier of earth up in front of his snout. He could feel the heat of the flames on the opposite side. With a growl he snapped his paw forward, the solid slab careening forward.
A moment later it was blasted to pieces as Nelos crushed it with nothing but his horns and reckless force. Unperturbed, the fire drake bounded forth, purple fire bursting from his scales spontaneously. Ryn moved to grasp the earth once more, but winced as his gut screamed at him in protest. The mud caking his wound was holding him together but did little to stem the discomfort.
Left in a vulnerable state, the dragon was helpless to stop his charging enemy. The wind left his lungs as he was tossed for a short flight. Immediately, he felt a searing pain on his scales and rolled to douse the fire that had clung to him.
Finally squashing the persistent heat, he twisted to find Nelos already approaching him once more. The drake gave an amused grin before spitting a burst of fire at him. Ryn's eyes widened as he pulled another barrier forth to shroud himself. It didn't prove to do much as the resulting explosion tore through the earth and sent the green dragon tumbling backwards with the rubble.
As he tumbled, Ryn felt his aggravation surge. To be kicked around in such a way irritated him beyond belief. The next time his talons touched the earth he firmed them, holding his stance as he slid a few more inches. A snarl on his lips, the earth dragon reached out for what he could find. The chunks of destroyed barrier all around him suddenly stopped, defying the gravity that tugged on them. Nelos found his smirk wiped away as Ryn silently flung the fragments back at him.
The earth dragon watched with satisfaction as Nelos desperately dodged the first few projectiles only to get clipped and eventually pelted by the rest of the cascade. While it would hardly put him down, it was a start.
Not wanting to pass up his opportunity, Ryn focused himself. After a brief pause a spear of rock jutted forth. The still recovering fire dragon hardly had time to react as he jerked his body away from the deadly shard. Despite his efforts, there was a sickening squelch as it pieced his crest. To Ryn's annoyance, he'd managed to move just enough for it to miss his heart.
Still, he was now held in place. The earth dragon gathered himself once more, meaning to finish the job. He took in a deep breath only to be caught in a fit of coughing, as the muscles in his flank spasmed. A wave of pain coursed his body as he struggled to stay standing, the taste of blood on his tongue. Through teary eyes, he watched as Nelos, unbridled fury in his eyes, cracked the tip of the shard from the stem and pulled the remaining chunk from his chest. The nearly purple dragon spat it onto the ground and turned back to Ryn, murderous intent radiating from him.
Ryn watched as a purple light, unlike the previous flames pulsed near his enemy's throat. A grim realization dawned on him as he knew what was coming. Fruitlessly, he struggled to move, finding his body unwilling to comply.
As Nelos loosed the blast of convexity Ryn shut his eyes. What he was met with was not the death he expected, but a disorientating tumble. As he bounced across the grass, he cursed with each collision that sent a new wave of agony through his body. When it thankfully ended his eyes snapped open to find Syra beside him. She was already staring at him.
"Are you alright?" She asked quickly, already beginning to rise.
"Not dead at least." Ryn answered making the dragoness frown. She could tell by looking at him that even he was on his last leg. "I'll deal with him." She said turning around to face Nelos, who was thankfully slowed from the exertion of using convexity.
"We'll take him together." Ryn said, pushing himself further upright.
Syra looked back at him, a small but nervous smile on her lips. Ryn couldn't help but return it. Then, in that instant she was gone. There was a flash of purple and the dragoness catapulted away, entangled with some new foe.
"Syra!" Ryn called out desperately.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Nelos asked, drawing the earth dragon's attention.
Not waiting for an answer, Nelos loosed a massive blazing wave of violet fire towards the earth dragon. It was nearly the size of a fully grown dragon. Staring it down, Ryn felt a similar feeling of dread crash down on him. With Syra's arrival, he'd almost been willing to believe he could survive this. As the fire closed in another shape moved into his vision.
Ryn didn't dare to think he could be saved again. The figure was hard to see against the intensity of the fire. It was an adult dragon, that was clear. When white hot flames spurted from its mouth Ryn began to put the pieces together. The colliding fires crashed and exploded, a wave of heat surging over the earth drake.
In its wake, he looked upon his grandfather, Kalim. The fire dragon was soaked in blood and gore. He'd clearly wasted no time tearing into those around him. The sight made Ryn sick. He could see the subtle fire of life in his elder's eyes. His grandfather wasn't bothering to hide his attraction to battle and war. Kalim didn't take note of his grandson's contemplation. He instead eyed Ryn with a look of something between pity and disdain.
"You were trained better than this." Kalim scolded, turning back to Nelos who was already readying himself for another confrontation. Ryn felt his anger well within him as his lip twitched, his fangs poking through. Ignoring his relative, he turned to find Syra only to realize she had disappeared in the throng of battles around them.
Syra's back hit the ground jarring her entire being. In a desperate gambit, she spat fire without caution, the flames quickly spreading across her enemy. Tark snarled as he reluctantly pulled away from the dragoness.
In a fit, Syra scrambled to stand. No sooner did she do so that Tark was upon her once more. The mostly purple dragon came at her in a flurry, his talons seeking to rend her scales from her body. Syra ducked and dodged the blows, she was nimbler than her bulky adversary, a small blessing, but one she would gladly take. When she found an opening, she braced herself and sprung her back legs out to kick the dragon aside.
The result was far from what she expected. A vibration slid up her extremities making her shiver as the solid dragon barely moved. Awkwardly she stood there, paws still pressed against his side, Tark staring her down with a firm scowl.
Before either could move however a pillar of rock reached forth battering the dragoness' back thigh. The force pushed her back, as another pillar smashed into her chest knocking her through the air.
By some feat, Syra landed with all four paws on the ground. The breath having been forced from her lungs, she heaved trying to bring in precious oxygen. Her chest ached, her leg was numb, and the stab wounds from her encounter with Faye still stung. Still there was little time to consider such things as another dragon rushed towards her. The only difference between this one and the previous were the flecks of brown scales on his hide, otherwise it may as well have been the same dragon who she was already fighting.
Syra leapt upwards, Crak skimming the ground beneath her. She landed and immediately spun, her tail finding Crak's face as he came around to attack her once more. The whip knocked him several feet away. Ignoring the newcomer for now, Syra turned back to Tark, fire already pouring from her maw.
The crimson dragoness spat a fireball before she could even see the enemy. The searing sphere exploded midflight against a chunk of earth. Already knowing what to expect, Syra growled and launched another barrage of fire at the cloud of dust that had sprung up. Tark burst through only to be engulfed in the bombardment emitting a pained roar.
On instinct, Syra dove to the side. As expected, Crak's tail slammed into the earth shattering the ground where she'd stood. More fire lurched forth, catching the dragon in the torrent. Meaning to fry at least one of them, Syra didn't let up, she tensed her legs to stabilize herself only to be greeted with an overwhelming pain.
Her wounds were finally catching up to her as between one crushed thigh and another bleeding pierced leg she stumbled, the stream of fire fizzling to an untimely end as her breathing grew heavy. Almost before she could register it, the very earth beneath her shifted like water. In the blink of an eye the dragoness was snapped into the air, as if someone had pulled a rug from under her.
Before her, she could see a mostly recovered Tark smirk and slap the earth. Knowing what was coming made little difference as a column of rock jutted out catching her abdomen. Sailing backwards, Syra coughed blood as she was bashed once more in a different direction, no doubt by another pillar or slab. The elemental columns were blunt, an intentional choice she imagined as another bashed her into the air. She floated, almost peacefully, for a moment before Crak leapt up and somersaulted, his tail sending her into the dirt with nothing more than a dull thud.
The dragoness didn't even have the energy to whimper as she lay there trying to breath, her body bruised and broken. She was somewhat surprised she'd lasted as long as she had with such wounds. As she watched the two approach her, she couldn't even muster the energy to be scared. She was tired, she ached, just grasping onto consciousness was an effort. Somewhere in her clouded mind her subconscious screamed in fear, but she barely registered it.
"You! Dragon, you don't get to just turn your back on me!" Nelos howled, thoroughly enraged by Ryn's sudden disinterest in their confrontation.
The green dragon's eyes flitted to him for the briefest of seconds before turning back to where Syra had disappeared scanning for any sign of her. He pressed forward, his pace little more than a walk as that was all he could muster. Nelos ground his teeth in the face of the simple act. He took a step forward only to be cut off by Kalim.
"Out of the way!" Nelos bellowed.
"You're a few centuries too young to be giving me orders whelp." Kalim growled, his own temper rising.
"Die then." Nelos spat. His jaws snapped open and a violet beam of energy coursed forth. Kalim thought to move, his muscles tensed in preparation. Just as he was about to spring, a thought crossed his mind. His grandson stood behind him. Reluctantly, he grit his fangs as the energy engulfed him. Behind him, Ryn watched in shock as the fire dragon held firm against the onslaught.
When it finally ended, smoke rose from the Kalim's scales. Ryn could feel the life being drained from his surroundings. Despite any feelings he might have had prior, he felt a pang of guilt. Kalim was faster than that, he knew why his grandfather hadn't dodged. Cursing under his breath, he turned to approach Nelos readying himself to continue the fight.
"You're a little slow, elder." Nelos chided as Kalim gingerly began to shift. His scales felt as dry as a desert, and his body struggled simply to support him. As a sudden exhaustion was chipping away at him, he silently loathed his aging form. An idle wish for youth crossed his mind, but he quickly batted it away. He was more than a match for one insolent drake.
"You're a little weak, whelp." He countered, unwilling to give the younger dragon any satisfaction.
"Enough!" Nelos cried. "I will not be mocked!" He screamed as fire erupted around him. The flames burned any remaining life away as they swirled like a storm in his vicinity. With a cry of rage the fires burned forth.
Once again, Kalim didn't move. Ryn watched from nearby, knowing that this time the raging purple dragon had likely done himself in. As the fire closed in it bent, seemingly having a mind of its own. The swirling flames gushed past Kalim as the older dragon wrested control of the element away from the younger dragon. The volatile heat rebounded and Kalim sucked in air before adding his own flames to the existing cacophony.
A white-hot inferno swallowed up the purple drake. Ryn had to avert his eyes from the light, finding it painful to view directly. The heat was enough to make him feel like he was standing on the sun. Gradually, the intensity lessened, but the wildfire remained, completely encompassing the space that Nelos had been occupying.
"I'm going." Ryn said, after not registering any further movement.
"How cold." Kalim commented, his eyes sliding to the earth dragon. "I saved your life. Have you nothing to say?"
Ryn didn't look his way. "Thanks." He muttered; the simple word nearly as painful as any of the wounds he was sporting.
Kalim snorted, as if he'd already expected such an answer. As Ryn took another step there was a low, but piercing, hum. The green dragon's brow furrowed; the sound made him take pause. He was too late to understand what was happening however.
He turned, a warning on his lips as a focused beam of convexity shot forth from the wildfire. Kalim didn't even see it approach. He could only muster a grunt as the energy cut through his chest, a hole suddenly appearing in his body.
Ryn watched, frozen, as his grandfather stumbled and finally collapsed in a heap. He turned to find Nelos appearing from the fire. His scales were mostly blackened, fire clung to his body and Ryn couldn't tell if it was his own or if he was simply burning and didn't care. The fire dragon had a deranged demeanor, seeming to have finally snapped. As he stumbled forth, a twisted grin grew across his lips.
"You're slow elder." He snickered to himself.
There was no response this time, Kalim was still, far too still. Ryn watched wide eyed as the scene unfolded. Nelos' cackling drowned out the battle as the earth dragon found himself immobilized. Ryn wasn't sure how much time passed before the blackened drake gathered himself in some capacity. The lapping of flames caught his attention before anything else. As fire poured forth to engulf his fallen relative a wall of earth sprang up, halting the deadly heat.
"You must have a death wish!" Nelos jeered as he watched his attack fade away. He turned harsh eyes upon Ryn who leered back at him, unbothered. The earth dragon was hardly thinking, hardly even aware, he simply acted.
Nelos opened his maw, flames trickling forth. Before he could launch the assault, a pillar of earth rose slamming his jaw shut. The fire he'd already conjured burned his mouth as he reeled from the blow, coughing and sputtering all the while.
After a few seconds he snarled as he brought his attention back to Ryn who was already moving closer. He took a step forward, but found the ground unsteady, crumbling beneath his weight. He tripped, but didn't fall as another pillar of earth bashed his flank.
The drake was tossed through the air only to land roughly. Through spinning vision, he looked up to find Ryn nearly upon him. The earth dragon's eyes were still wide, as if he were surprised. However, there was a fury and focus there that Nelos hadn't ever seen matched. It chilled him despite his burnt body.
Ryn stopped before him, silently staring into his soul. Nelos matched his gaze. Whereas Ryn kept a quiet and deadly aura around him, Nelos slowly began to crack. He laughed, at first it was hoarse, offbeat and sporadic. But steadily it grew into a maddened guffaw.
As the corrupted dragon spasmed on the ground convexity steadily drowning his mind a thought suddenly took hold inside him, kill. His throat glowed violet. The energy formed at his fangs. Nelos felt his power gather, then suddenly, there was nothing as he felt himself lifted up from the ground.
Ryn watched as the fire dragon's body went limp, several spikes of earth skewering him in the air like some sort of gruesome monument. He turned away from the grizzly scene, the sight of his quickly fading grandfather breaking his otherwise firm demeanor.
Syra's hazy vision snapped back into focus as lightning crashed down around her. Thinking some other dragon was about to finish her off she lay still, having no desire to prolong her suffering.
Only when she didn't feel any pain did the cogs in her mind begin to turn. She heard her name being called. Before her, Crak and Tark leapt away from the electrical onslaught. Following immediately after them was a golden dragon, her father.
The fire dragoness felt herself being shifted, her head cradled and turned so that she could see her mother. The sight of Azshea in tears made her blink and shiver, her body finally deigning to react. She coughed as she lifted her head of her own accord, her bones immediately chastising her.
"Are you alright?" Azshea asked desperately. From the way she spoke the words, Syra could tell it wasn't the first time she'd asked.
"I'm not sure." She answered. For a brief moment she attempted to get her legs under her, but they almost immediately rejected the idea and Syra collapsed once more.
"Rest." Azshea said looking around. "We aren't going to let anything happen to you."
"But father…" Syra mumbled, looking to find the golden dragon.
"He's more than capable." Azshea said firmly, looking to where Aegis was confronting the two earth dragons.
Aegis charged his foes, images of his fallen daughter goading him forward. Lightning snapped from his scales and in the blink of an eye he'd closed the distance to them. Lifting a massive paw, he swiped at Crak, batting the dragon across the dirt with near deadly force. Turning to a stunned Tark, Aegis let loose a burst of electricity smothering the dragon. When he let up there was nothing more than a blackened husk.
He crinkled his snout at the sight, far from pleased at having to take such measures. Still, he knew he had no choice. A roar from his side alerted him to Crak's approach. Enraged at his brother's sudden demise, he leapt through the air haphazardly at Aegis.
The lightning dragon didn't think. He snapped his body around, tail catching the earth dragon's neck. There was a sickening snap as the dragon's body stretched out before going limp and spiraling past before thumping into the earth. A deep scowl on his face Aegis turned from the scene and made his way back towards his daughter and mate.
Spyro hesitated as he opened his wings. In the distance, Cynder was already chasing after Arum who was still hurtling through the sky. The purple dragon turned to his son, an unspoken question on his lips.
"Go." Taelas prompted, not taking his eyes off of Sol, who hardly seemed concerned by the sight of his brother being flung away into the sky.
Spyro nodded. "Be careful." He said before launching himself into the air to join his mate in her fight. Taelas watched him go from the corner of his eye. His attention was still fully on Sol.
"You must have quite a bit of faith in your skills." Sol said, smirking at the young purple dragon.
"We're more than a match for you." Taelas retorted.
"Your arrogance knows no bounds child." Sol chuckled. "You haven't even seen two decades and I have seen more than two hundred. Those scales will not save you. You are nothing before us. You've already failed, you just don't realize it."
"Lyara, are you ready?" Taelas asked, scowling at the large white dragon. When he received no answer, he looked to her, a flash of concern in his eyes. She didn't glance at him; she didn't even react in the slightest. "Lyara!" Taelas shouted jarring her from her thoughts. The dragoness jumped, but still, she said nothing, her eyes distant.
"Leave my poor sister alone." Sol said. A shiver ran down Taelas spine as he realized how close his voice was. Turning back, he found Sol's crimson eyes mere inches from his own. "She's been through so much after all." The dragon muttered, feigning concern.
Taelas braced his muscles meaning to leap backwards. As he did violet light shone forth flooding his vision.