"Will you do the right thing in time of need, Jericho?"
Every single time, without fail, that thought came back as he laid his head onto a pillow and tried to rest. The way his name was pronounced. The intensity of the words. The importance his mission held. It all came back at dusk, where his thoughts were rummaging through his head. I got to be doing the right thing… For a better world. It's important. The bastard and the traitor never understood that… All our sacrifices, it's for the greater good.
He wasn't born during that era, but he could understand how fundamentally the world was broken. From all his experiences, both in training and in missions, he saw what the world had to offer, both the best and worst of it. He saw the apes now being reduced to savage scattered tribes, them having lost sapience ever since Malefor fell. He saw towns where epidemics rummaged through its inhabitants. He saw bits of land ripped apart from where it belonged and anchored to the ground with cables. He's seen animals die from unknown reasons. He's seen all the suffering he had to.
He couldn't shake off the feeling of imperfection that everything had, even himself. He was born without anything but The Followers. If it had been Warfang instead, he knew he'd have died off in some way, may it be a freak accident or suicide. He couldn't imagine how people in Warfang recovered from the war. How they didn't understand what Malefor was doing and how they tried to stop it. Maybe the war destroyed part of this world, but it wouldn't had mattered. What comes next will be better for all of us. They were all promised a world shaped by their own will. As life forms greater than dragons, they would rebuild this world. One where there would be no inequality, no suffering, no sadness.
Therefore, he felt unhappy. Because what was promised by Malefor was so close. Thwarted by the ones called Spyro and Cynder. Their names ignited fiery rage within Jericho. He heard their stories through The Great Follower, and how they denied their chance at redemption.
"They chose to save this vile world instead of having their place. Thus, they made us persist in this flawed and scarred universe. They've decided to keep us dwellers in darkness, not realizing that what was to happen was greater than all of us could know. Their peace is an illusion. One that we shall shatter." So were The Great Follower's words about the bastard and the traitor. Their actions condemned the rightful order of things. If nature was to balance itself, it had to make something against Spyro and Cynder.
Is that our purpose as Moonlit Crescents? Greater opponents against the bastards? Maybe… Oh, Jericho, don't bother yourself with those questions. Go to sleep…
He closed his eyes, trying to sleep. But his mind didn't want to stop thinking. He needed calm and guidance.
He carefully exited the tent without waking up Elara, for fear of repercussions, and sat down near the extinguished campfire. Jericho raised his head up, at the Celestial Moons. The smaller one was green, and the larger was cream colored. Zella the Ghoulish, and Adrana the Brighter… He couldn't help but be fascinated with those ethereal bodies. They were always there, ready to greet him with their otherworldly light.
Jericho was aware that there was some sort of connection between him and the Moons. Not only the crescent on his muzzle but his strange fascination for them. My guiding moonlight… he thought. They were as old as time itself, and they would persist to the new world, where their light would illuminate the new land, shining hope onto those that would rebuild it.
In the lack of family, those two moons were his parents, his guardians. Overlooking his existence and providing calm upon their sight. He could stare at them all night, count the craters, track their movement through the night, and wonder what they might look like in the new world. I feel at my calmest during a Night of Eternal Darkness… I don't remember it, but I was born during one. At least that's what The Great Leader told me…
He was also told of the Well of Souls, and how spirits awoke near it as the Night unfurled. Curiosity stung him, but it was considered a sacred place, one not to tread upon without insight. "Insight? What insight?" he asked. He was met without an answer.
Something cracked behind him. He spun around to find an angry dragoness. Oh no, here we go again…
"Could you sleep normally for one single night?" Elara groaned.
"O-oh, did I wake you up?" Jericho tensed, facing the Earth dragoness.
"You left the door opened," she sighed. She was clearly quivering. It's cold…
"S-s-s-sorry," he stuttered, all flustered as he tried to come up with an excuse for his lack of attention.
"If you're gonna stare at the moons, at least don't interrupt my rest. A princess needs her beauty sleep."
"Like Great Malefor you do. You're just another dragon."
"Is that why I have an element and you don't?" She smirked.
"Hey, don't make fun of that! That's why you don't have any friends," replied Jericho with hurtful intentions. That clearly hit the dragoness.
"… Yeah. I don't. Neither do you, 'Leader'. You're only there to rule us because you were chosen to do so. Believe me, I would have guided us to redemption by then, and why you pester us." Every hint of irony or sarcasm faded from the dragoness' voice. It chilled Jericho's blood, as her piercing look stared deep into his soul. He grimly nodded, agreeing with her.
"I'll just leave you to your constant moon staring contest. Good night," the dragoness sighed as she went back in the tent, closing it.
He didn't bother to look back. It stung far deeper than he thought possible. He was a bad leader to her, but something else hurt. He wanted to be better, but…
The ringing came back in his ears. Slowly, everything started to mute down as a constant pain in his ears rose up. I… I… he struggled to think. A pit gaped open in his stomach as he ran the words back through his mind. As doubt rummaged through his body, his eyes teared up. He raked his teeth together, biting down in hope of calming himself. Elara knew how to hurt Jericho the most, and he wasn't sure what it was.
He, however, suppressed his desires to sob. The pain will go away anyways… If only he had brought up more Calming Clay. He would abuse it further, but at least, the silent suffering would cease. I got to look up… I got to keep going… he pleaded himself, but it was rendered moot. He would not get better until he did something productive. Something to take his mind off the angst.
"I'll… I'll hunt for crystals," he said to himself. He swore he heard Elara reply something.
The deeper he ventured into the forest, the deeper his doubt grew. Maybe this was a mistake. He could had simply just gone back to sleep and have peaceful thoughts the morning after. But it was too late to regret the decision. Crystals were always useful anyways.
The dense trees and foliage almost blocked all moonlight, but he could still see well in the dark, in fact, better than other dragons. In pitch black he could see and distinguish shapes, but everything was in greyscale. However, as he ventured deeper, his imagination began to fill in the blanks. Like unseen foes, it looked like the trees grew eyes and tendrils, wiggling as the cold wind blew over them. Shrubbery started to appear as if wild animals were hiding in it, ready to strike. Leaves and trunks imitated eyes.
He sucked in fresh air before exhaling deeply. His paranoia was slowly starting to raise, and his heart rate followed. Apart from the rustling of the wooden giants, he could only hear his own heart beat get louder and faster as he went. His limbs were lightly shaking as he started to respire strongly. C-c-calm down! He ordered himself, to no avail. He had to get somewhere where his imagination didn't warp his surroundings into twisted organic monsters.
He picked up the pace, not minding the sound his paws made in the dead leaves, to quickly find somewhere where the trees weren't visible. He quickly stumbled into a cave, and he didn't hesitate to get in. Once a quick look revealed it was secure, he fell on his back, his breathing staggered and quick. Malefor be damned…! My body is weak! He reprimanded himself, as such weaknesses could get him, or the other Crescents killed. "ARGH!" he yelled, attempting to take back control of himself.
It took a while before his breathing returned to normal, his worries fading once again into a void. He raised himself up, taking a deeper look at the cave. It seemed like a tunnel kept it going downwards. Out of curiosity, he went through the tunnel, folding his wings and taking care not to graze himself.
It was only when striking pain shot through his left wing that he noticed he had torn the membrane apart between the fingers, the blood already trickling down his back. Now I need those crystals! He tried to ignore the discomfort before he exited the small tunnel, leading into an even bigger room.
In the corner of his eyes shone green and red lights. Finally! He said, as he turned to face the veins of healing and magic crystals burrowing out of the ground. He slowly marched towards them, until he faced a red quartz-like branch of the healing crystals. He jumped to get both of his paws to grasp it, before he pulled, using his own weight to crack it. "Come on…"
Without warning the crystal broke off, sending Jericho backwards, him falling onto his back. He yelped before he impacted the ground, the pain of his wing coming back, burning as ever. "Ow!"
He sighed, observing the crystal he broke off. He now had to focus. Jericho took the crystal with both his paws and emptied his mind, while closing his eyes. He let the tingling energy in his paws slowly course through him and to both his wing and his back, as a soothing rush of healing energy blurred the pain until it was no more. When he opened his eyes again, the crystal was smaller, enough to fit in the pouch resting on his left side. He opened it, sliding the small health crystal into it. He rose up to his feet once again, sighing as he faced the magic crystals. While he always tried to interact with them, they only made him feel disappointed. No spark of an element, or anything. Won't stop me again…
Jericho grabbed a small green crystal and broke it off, now trying to focus again. He felt the energy of the crystal tingle and throb as he closed his eyes, trying to guide its energy to his heart. It smoothly flowed from his paw to his core, yet, there was no sensation that came. No payoff, no climax, no satisfaction.
He opened his eyes again to notice the crystal didn't even get smaller and threw it to the ground in anger. It shattered into pieces. … Why! He growled, being jealous of the other dragons' ability to use them. Especially Elara, which described the feeling as amazing.
The dark blue dragon crossed his arms and pouted, waiting for something to happen. But something caught his eye. A large piece of the green crystal flew off and illuminated some rocks. But, the shape of one of them was… Different. He decided to investigate.
The shape in question was like a small table, strange markings and runes engraved into it. It was made of what looked like obsidian, as it slowly distorted the air around it, making everything look wavy past it. Jericho's mood went up as soon as he recognized the object. An altar! He screamed in his mind, glee overtaking him. While he couldn't do sacrifices, the sight of one of those otherworldly objects filled him with happiness. Maybe Elara would be impressed this time!
The altar was smaller than the usual ones they found, thus seemingly required less flesh to activate. It was rare to see one like this, and Jericho always tried to activate them, as they only required a few puddles of blood.
He took his dagger in his right paw before laying the left one on the altar, as he hovered the dagger over it. He briefly shook his head, trying to focus. Do it for Malefor…
He groaned as he sliced part of his palm with the dagger, blood soon following as it poured into the altar. Strangely, the blood started to evaporate on it, at it boiled and steamed, even though the altar was cold. He closed his eyes, focusing on reducing the pain coursing through his paw. "Great Malefor, I make this bloodletting in your name. May in your cursed downfall you wait dreaming of a better world."
After what felt a while, he opened his eyes. He withdrew his paw as soon as he saw what appeared on the altar. It was some strange sort of long cylindrical object engraved with runes, ending with a spike protruding through. It looks like a syringe… While it was potentially tempting, he wouldn't stab himself with it. Not now, at least.
He took the syringe-like object in his paws, feeling the weight of it before putting it in his pouch. As soon as the object was taken, the altar seemed to stop distorting the air around it, as the runes glowed red, before it crumbled into rubble, the previous altar being reduced to a pile of rocks, a sign that his sacrifice was accepted. Thank you, Great Malefor. He turned back, but not before healing the gash on his paw with one of the crystals on the way, picking up a few more crystals for Elara.
He went through the tunnel again, being careful about his wings this time around. As he exited the tunnel and the cave, he looked up to see where the moons were. That's how he guided himself at night. Alright… Over here, north. Therefore, I'll go West.
It didn't take long for him to find the camp back. He reached the tent and went inside, making sure to close it this time. Elara herself was back to sleep.
Jericho dropped his pouch as he curled up into a ball, resting his head on his tail. He closed his eyes, slowly drifting to the world of dreams. May the moons guide me to starlight…
"I really don't know, Spyro… That's the third one this month. It has to be related," Cynder said.
"I know, I know… We just have no leads. Nothing."
As Spyro looked over the profiles of the missing dragons, he couldn't help but feel like there was something bigger going on. "Right… Let's resume. All the dragons that disappeared are below the age of 30. They are all males of various elements and were last seen during the night. It just doesn't make sense. We never see any trace of fighting or blood. No strange behavior before disappearing. We never found any body or trace of them after… It can't just be them walking out of Warfang and getting lost… Are they?"
"Hmm. Maybe. We'll keep an eye out on a few. Maybe it's just strange behavior. Maybe they just go somewhere else, maybe travel, maybe… Ah, I really don't know, Spyro. It has to make some sense one day. It's strange we didn't find anything yet." The purple dragon nodded.
"I guess we'll see…"
Suddenly, Cynder turned her head. In the doorway a small light grey-reddish dragon stood. "Oh, Withe- I mean Ares! What are you doing up so late?"
"… There's something under my bed, mom." The slender dragoness stifled a small laugh.
"Oh, poor Ares. Let's take care of this monster, shall we?" she said with a smile. Ares got excited as they both left the room, leaving Spyro to focus again on the cases in front of him.
Maybe we could send a decoy, albeit it would be dangerous. Maybe it has to do with that strange altar we found nearby Warfang. People maybe get curious or- Hold on…
He reached into a drawer, searching for a folder containing anything related to what appeared to be occult, ancient or unusual. He put it on the desk, flipping through the loose pages to reach an article on the altar. There was a photograph of it. Thank the moles for that invention… Makes clues easier to track down.
This altar was seemingly made of granite and imitated the shape of a chopped tree trunk, down to the bark-like exterior and roots. Any attempt to move it were inconclusive, as it weighted far more than expected. So, it was left in place, with moles guarding it. Usually altars are made for the sacrifice of other beings… We're not savages, so there is no way we're trying that. Maybe something else?
Then it hit him. The missing person cases started as soon as the altars showed up. Oh no… What if…? The thought sent a chill through Spyro. What if there were some others doing the sacrifices? Rogue dragons? Apes? Spyro linked the photographs together, looking at them side to side.
Cynder came back into the room, looking over Spyro's shoulder. "You think they're related?"
"It would make sense. But who would do those things? What cruel beings would go to the point of kidnapping and murdering young dragons?"
"Oh, Spyro…" Cynder sighed. "Many, many beings. Remember the pirate ship, was it called Fellmuth Area? Where they almost made us fight to the death for entertainment?"
"I do… But still. Avalar has been at peace for twenty-four years. And out of a sudden, we get a spike in missing dragons. Ever since we got in the detective field of work, this case has been the one that we can't resolve…"
"Spyro, dear…" Cynder said, laying her head on Spyro's shoulder. "It's fine. We'll manage to close this one soon."
"We need to do it soon… If this story goes out to the public, it'll create another big scare, like the last Night of Eternal Darkness."
"And are you going to sleep anytime soon? Ares is scared without you."
"Uh… Give me a few, I'll be with you all soon," the purple dragon blurted. It may have been 25 years since Malefor's defeat, yet he still retained his awkwardness. Cynder sighed before heading upstairs.
We tried putting offerings on it to see what would happen, but it didn't do anything… If we ever catch the person that does said sacrifices, we must see at what end…
Spyro yawned, putting his head on the desk, overlooking the photograph, before his eyes slowly closed. He would of course never join Cynder and their son tonight.
"Mh…" Jericho groaned as he shook through sleep paralysis, almost biting his tongue. He slowly stirred back to the land of the living, colors fading back into view as he noticed he was in the tent. Good… Tethys didn't drag me out this time, he thought with a small smile. In fact, the bulky dragon would be joining them any day now. Well, no point in oversleeping… He rolled on his stomach before raising up, standing on all fours. He slid on his pouch and knife scabbard.
He got out of the tent, noticing Elara was next to it, laying down into the grass. "Oh hey. Sweet dreams?" she asked. Her usual demeanor was back.
"I had one where I got eaten by a thousand sharks," Jericho joked.
"Sounds pleasant. Anyways… Saw you ventured out for crystals. Got some for me?"
"A few. And more," he said as he got out the few red and green crystals out of his pouch, pushing them to Elara. "Here you go. Should be enough for you."
"You make for a good delivery boy."
"Thanks. I also… Found an altar." Elara's interest rose up threefold, her now staring at Jericho. "Oh? You marked it?"
"Better yet, I activated it. It was so small that a few drops of blood did it. And it gave me some syringe-shaped artifact."
"Ooohhhh. Could be an injector! Show me."
He sat down on the ground, retrieving the strange syringe-like artifact, placing it in his paws. "Right, so, an injector?"
"I heard Odyss mention those. They apparently inject you with a magical stimulant that makes you, well, it depends on the type. You, uh, stick it into your shoulder or chest, pointy end first. And hope it doesn't kill you."
"Right… You'll be happy either way, so let's try it," Jericho gulped at the thought, as he flipped the syringe towards him, taking in a deep breath.
He jabbed the artifact into his left shoulder, the needle tearing through scale, skin and muscle before Jericho felt something more than pain.
The effects were near instantaneous. A surge of energy coursed through his body, his heart rate raised through the roof as light flashed through the corners of his vision. It looked like everything went faster. Jericho felt like he had to run instinctively to burn off the energy.
He withdrew the injector from his body, the effects dissipating as quickly as they appeared. He felt woozy, him almost dropping the artifact. "How'd it feels?" asked Elara with curiosity.
"Wooooow… F-f-felt like I was in a rush." He said, head swaying from side to side. "Uh… Wanted to run. Really fast," he said as spit drooled out from his mouth. The green dragoness just nodded, swiping the injector from Jericho's paws. She wanted to try it, but in another situation.
"Seems like you had some fun. I'll keep it thought. Remember, I'm the Scribe."
"Su-sure…" Jericho replied as he regained his whole head, shaking off the lightheadedness. "I don't mean to use it anyways… A bit too extreme," he explained. "What is even written on it?"
"Right, let me see… 'Stimulant Injector'. Didn't expect anything else," Elara said as she manipulated the artifact, before putting it in her own pouch. "Could definitely make things more interesting."
"If it's pranking Hallimede like you once did, I'm out," Jericho said as he put his paws up.
"Pffttt. It was great though. Never seen a dragon that red." Her smile was as wide as Jericho's tail crescent.
"And never have I seen one choke the lights out of you. Maybe swapping his crystals was a bad idea, wasn't it?" I really had to put my negotiation skills to the test that day…
"Aw, was fun. I'll do it again." Jericho just rolled his eyes after a long sigh. "I'm not going to cover for your murder, Elara, you got me?" He looked at her with laziness.
"Like it'll ever happen. You'll probably kill me before that." The only reply Jericho gave out was a groan.
"Anyways, Tethys will be here soon. You think he got us some flesh?"
"Would expect it…" His body cringed at the thought. Come on, you should get used to it already!
"… I have a question though. What scares you so much about seeing gore and guts?" She had to have noticed Jericho's reaction. He laid down next to her.
"I just… It's like, all of this belonged to someone that used to be alive, and maybe had thoughts like I do."
"They're inferior, you know that. Remember that they will be alive in the new world. We're just… Advancing the clock for them."
"I just dislike the thought of killing… I don't know why it's easy for you all." She sighed.
"This is why I doubt your leadership, Jericho. I fear that when the time comes, you won't do what's necessary. But… I understand. At least partially." Jericho's eyes lit up. It was the first time in a while where Elara gave him a small break. "I guess you're more sensitive than others. But unfortunately, as a Crescent, it's a bad trait to have. I hope you'll manage to… Become numb, if you know what I mean."
"I do…" Jericho said as he nodded with a bit of sorrow. She was right. He was oversensitive to every event, and it displeased him. If he tried to block his mind, his body would follow suit. It was unfair. He needed to, as Elara put it, shut off his feelings and become numb.
"Am I interrupting the two lovebirds?" A gruff voice said.
"Tethys!" Jericho and Elara exclaimed. They both got up to stare at the dragon.
His ruby-red scales shone in the light, as his pale red horns refracted the lights on his wings, where said pale red sew them together. However, the most striking feature were his bulging muscles, easily towering over both the dragons.
"No, we were just having a deep philosophical discussion about birds. Anyways, what's up?" Elara asked.
"Nothing much, Elara. I however brought up some plump mass for our needs. I'm only here for the sacrifice though, then I'll be going to Munitions Forge, to collect some weapons the Followers are taking an interest in." Indeed, he was carrying a large canvas bag. Fluids were dripping from the bloodened end of it. It almost made Jericho gag.
"Okay… G-g-good. Where from?" Jericho demanded, with a bit of shakiness in his voice.
"Met up with The Manipulator on the way. He had already bagged one and was waiting for us."
"So that means we'll be able to activate the greater one we found. We just need Jericho's authorization," Elara said.
"Well… Since it's already d-d-dead, yeah… We can."
"Gotcha, Sir Stutters." Jericho just growled under his breath. He couldn't control his stuttering. He got up, inspecting the bag. Something dead was inside it, obviously. And rotting. Jericho sighed, searching into his pouch for the map. He unfolded it in front of the dragons, pointing at a location.
"Here's a greater altar. Since we have nothing to do today, we can…"
"Alright, let's go," Tethys said. "Should be Southeast." Jericho and Elara replied with a short nod.
As they walked into the forest, Jericho realized that his imagination was too excited at night. What looked like eyes were just regular leaves, tendrils were branches, and… Wow. I seriously need to calm down.
"So… What do you think we'll get out of it?" asked Tethys.
"I'll need to transcribe what's written on it first," replied Elara. The dragoness was practically jumping in her walking, happy to be so close to the forest. No wonder she's an Earth dragon. And I'm nothing. "Perhaps it'll be a sword."
"Or ice cream!" Tethys said.
"As long as you share," Jericho joked.
They kept walking until they reached the entrance of a cave. The tree next to it was marked with a circled cross. "Yep, altar ahead. I'll go first," Elara proposed. Both male dragons nodded. Elara quickened her pacing, going into the cavern first. Jericho soon followed suit, with Tethys at the back, dragging the bag. As they progressed deeper into the cave, Tethys breathed out a small fire wisp, the light following his head.
And soon enough, they reached the altar. This one was larger, almost Tethys' length and height. Made from a blue metallic material that resembled Jericho's scales. Red runes were inscribed into it, which Elara studied. "Right, let's read… So. It reads 'For the premise of a greater world, offer your flesh to a greater being'. Sounds creepy. Anyways, you know what to do, Jericho. Have at it." The dark blue dragon nodded. "First…" He reached for a Calming Clay stone, crushing it in his paw before inhaling the powder, so he would stay calm. Jericho observed the bag. "Give it to me," he ordered Tethys, which dropped the bag in front of Jericho. The dark blue dragon took a few deep breaths, before reaching into it. He felt cold squishy things inside. He pulled on what he could get a grip on and out came the carcass of a small dragon, its throat ripped out. Is that…?
Jericho ignored his thoughts to put the body upon the altar, before he sat before it. He got his dagger and turned his head to face the other dragons.
"Alright… Repeat after me. The Sepulture of Great Malefor."
"Whenever you're ready, we are," replied Tethys.
Okay… Okay. Let's do this. He took in a deep breath, before starting the sacrifice, his voice booming.
"In the name of Great Malefor, we offer this flesh for your great return."
Jeircho positioned the body on his back, before pointing the dagger at its chest.
"In the name of Great Malefor, we offer this flesh for your great return," repeated the two others.
"For your downfall is not the end, for this world is unworthy."
Jericho stabbed the body with the dagger, slicing down towards the belly.
"For your downfall is not the end, for this world is unworthy."
After he was done cutting open the carcass, he dove his paws into the wound.
"As dusk overtakes this rotten world one last time, you shall emerge from your prison."
Jericho grasped whatever he could find in the body, pulling it to gut the dragon.
"As dusk overtakes this rotten world one last time, you shall emerge from your prison."
He managed to get several parts, like the intestines, lungs and heart onto the altar itself. The flesh started to heat up, before the blood itself boiled, filling the cave with the smell of copper.
"And as you destroy this current world, we shall usher in the new one."
Slowly, it seemed like the flesh sunk into the altar, as if something was pulling it from below.
"And as you destroy this current world, we shall usher in the new one."
Steam and smoke came out of the body as it was consumed, the smell not too different from cooked meat.
"Shaped by your will and command, you shall lead us to greater existence."
The smoke burnt at Jericho's eyes, and he closed them.
"Shaped by your will and command, you shall lead us to greater existence."
He laid his paws on the body, following its consumption.
"So, Great Malefor, take this mass as your fuel. Take our sacrifice in your name."
As soon as his paws reached the stone, they started to heat up. He withdrew them quickly.
"So, Great Malefor, take this mass as your fuel. Take our sacrifice in your name."
The Leader opened his eyes once again. The body had completely disappeared.
"Ode to Malefor."
"Ode to Malefor."
"… We're done," said Jericho.
"Well that was… Something. What did it give us?" Elara asked with enthusiasm. Jericho moved to the side, looking at the object.
It was some sort of metal-like cylindrical handle, seemingly the one of a sword. Its cross guard had the shape of a crescent, not unlike Jericho's tail tip. "So… A sword without the whole sword part," Tethys sighed.
Jericho put his hands on the handle, withdrawing it from the altar, which started to crumble before fading into dust. The artifact was heavy and engraved with those strange runes only Elara knew how to read. It felt however nice to hold, for some reason. He however noticed there was a cut in the grip. Hmm… Maybe it's where the blade is?
Trusting his intuition, he swung the grip. The sword deployed from the cut, swinging into place as it locked forwards. "Hey, that almost got my head!" Elara growled.
Jericho inspected the blade. It was made of blue metal, which was very matching with his scales, strangely. It was straight, with a pointy tip, and sharp on both edges. "It looks like an oversized spring knife," Tethys remarked. "With a meaner bite," replied Jericho.
He gently put the blade on the ground, letting Elara look at the runes. "Right… Let's see," she said as he reached into her pouch, pulling out a small book. "Those runes are more complicated. Thank Malefor I'm here, huh?" she grinned. To Jericho and Tethys, they were just gibberish. Jericho looked and found himself unable to read anything.
"Okay… It's a phrase engraved in the blade. 'For in Moonlight He shall rise again.' Huh… That's referring to Malefor, I think. Eternal Night, that kinda stuff. Where Gaul almost succeeded in summoning Malefor." Jericho nodded.
"Fair. Well, I guess we'll keep it for now. Might make for a good trophy," Tethys said. "I mean, how are we even supposed to hold swords?"
"Get some rope and tie it to your tail," the dragoness smirked. "Like a scorpion."
"No one is going to try that anytime soon…" Jericho said. "Let's fold that sword and get out of here. We're supposed to do more scouting on altars, and I believe that in the forthcoming days, we'll get news from Hallimede for the Warfang part and Tarvos from the Followers."
"I saw Hallimede while recovering the body. After all, he's the one that provided it to me. He's trying not to blow his cover since Spyro and Cynder are on them."
"Bastards," Jericho growled under his breath.
"After the war they thought detective business was their thing to do, even though they would have a lifetime of gifts, money and everything for, eh, 'saving the world'. They couldn't just go in their tower and leave us alone, could they? They must be the 'heroes'," Tethys sighed.
"Whatever they are, they will be the first ones to fall as Malefor rises," the blue dragon said. "I promised their heads to the Great Follower. Whatever it takes," he said as he picked up the blade, trying to fold it back. He couldn't, and almost cut himself with it. "Anyways, let's go. Back to camp."
The campfire was lit once again, as Jericho sat by it, still holding the blade they were rewarded with. He couldn't help but feel like if it was important to him.
He held the blade over the fire, seeing if anything would happen. Indeed, the blade heated up, but nothing else. In fact, it didn't warp or discolor. "Sturdy stuff," he said out loud, getting Tethys' attention.
"I don't think it's made for us."
"Right, then who? It's way too large for a mole, and I doubt apes even use those kinds of swords."
"Tie it to your hands," Tethys joked.
"No way. It makes for a good trophy though…" Jericho said as he put the blade down next to him, still observing how it refracted the fire. It's too much of a coincidence that this sword resembles my scales so much… Maybe…
"Still staring at that sword, o great Leader?" Elara joined in. Much to Jericho's displeasure. He groaned, laid his head back and rested in the grass. He couldn't handle pressure for long, and the sacrifice took most of his energy away. "Can't leave me alone, can you?"
"No, just wondering what's next. We still must hear from our runner, Tarvos. Reckon he'll be here anytime soon?"
"It takes a week to go to the Iridescent Dunes, so he'll be back, what, four days from now if I'm counting right," Jericho answered. "Depends if his wings fell off from his tricks."
"We're all jealous of him, aren't we?" Tethys said.
"It's not everyday we see an air dragon with such mastery of flight…" Elara dragged on. "Ooohh, if only I was born as Air, and not casted down to Earth…"
"At least you two have elements…" Jericho pouted.
"I'm sure you'll find yours. I mean, you've got the colors of an Ice dragon!" Tethys encouraged Jericho, in vain.
"Well… I didn't breathe out a single ice cube ever since I was born, so…" Jericho lifted his paws up, shrugging. "Maybe it'll come, but I haven't felt anything. I was never trained either, so figures… Even tried a magic crystal yesterday. Nothing. I guess it'll awaken when it does… Still, 17 years and nothing. When did you guys even discover yours?"
"Normally there's a practice that regular dragons do that stir their elements… What was it called? The Boundless Emergence? Ah, forget about it. I learnt how to spit rocks at 12."
"And my flames appeared at 11."
"So, I'm basically really late on throwing up water chunks…" Jericho said, a bit of envy and disappointment stinging at him. It's not fair…
"It'll come. You ever heard of a dragon without an element?" Tethys asked.
"Nuh-uh," the female replied. "It'll happen, Jericho. Only Malefor knows when."
"Hopefully soon…"
He rested in the soft grass, looking as the sun trekked through the skies, indicating the passing time. Time moved quickly. Too fast for Jericho's liking.
"Oh, Tethys? Weren't you supposed to go to Munitions Forge?" the dragoness chimed in.
"Yeah, just preparing a few things," the fire dragon replied as he checked his own pack. "Making sure that I have enough supplies. Should take a few days."
"It's hot there…" the leader thought out loud.
"Either way, see you around, Tethys. Keep listing and marking all the altars you see, alright?" Elara asked.
"Yeah. See you around," Tethys waved goodbye before slowly taking off, heading southwest.
"See you around, Tethys…" Jericho whispered. Now, he was alone again, with Elara.