Skylanders Academy: Song of the Hunt
by andresponce2002
Chapter 6) The Old Song
"Sorry, did you just say you were going to kill us!?" Spyro asked in disbelief, taking a step back and stretching his wings defensively, covering his companions behind him.
"No, I didn't." Vixen's dead voice replied. "I said I was going to slay you." She corrected.
"What's the difference?" Spyro asked, tensing up.
"Well, I don't know," Vixen began, taking one of her hands to her concealed chin, as if she was thinking. "I suppose dragon killer just doesn't have the same ring to it."
At that, Spyro froze, not from the cruel cold that seemed to come from the cloaked figure, but out of surprise at what it said. "You… you're a dragon slayer?" Spyro asked, stammering from the cold and growing fright he was feeling.
"Quite right." Vixen replied, casually, as if it weren't that big a deal.
Spyro had never heard of a dragon slayer before. He had never heard Master Eon, or anyone else speak of them and he never found a single passage in any book about them. And yet, there was one standing in front of him right now, only a few meters away, who had just set eyes on him.
"You've got quite a circus show behind you, boy," Vixen said suddenly, noticing Spyro's friends. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to slay them too." She threatened.
"You're not going to do that." Spyro replied, trying to sound brave. However, his voice came out strained, shaky from the cold. If he were Vixen, he would not have been intimidated.
"Oh really?" Vixen asked in an amused tone, taking another step closer to the seven dragons, making the cold Spyro was feeling even worse. "I take it you're going to do something? Other than shake in your little scales, right?" She spat, chuckleing mockingly.
Spyro mustered his courage. As frightened as he was, even if he couldn't explain why, he managed to stay his fear for a moment, a single moment. And in that moment, Spyro called forth his flames, from deep within his chest he released a stream of orange fire at the cloaked figure.
The heat from Spyro's flames overwhelmed the cold he was feeling. As he continued breathing his stream of brilliant fire, Spyro slowly felt more and more confident, less and less afraid. By the time his flames gave out, Spyro was out of breath, but he felt satisfied.
The horrible cold Vixen was emitting had dispersed and where she used to stand, a thick stream of smoke now rose up to the dark gray sky.
"Whoa." Camo's squeaky voice sounded behind Spyro. "That was awesome." He cheered.
"Who was that freak?" Zap demanded. "She was giving off some seriously bad vives. Like, the worst vives!" He exclaimed.
"She claimed to be a dragon slayer." Drobot interjected. "I've never heard of such a profession. The very thought of it makes me sick."
"You and me both buddy." Spyro agreed, grateful such a malevolent presence was not a threat anymore.
"Was that really necessary?" A voice said, spreading cold through Spyro's body as it's words reached his ears. "I was starting to like that coat." She added in a lower voice, sounding like a mutter.
Spyro felt himself start shaking again, for he knew whose voice that was. He didn't want to look at where the voice was coming from, because he knew what he was going to see. But he couldn't help it.
When Spyro turned to look, he saw that the pillar of smoke his flames had created was dissipating, revealing Vixen's strange figure. Spyro noticed the grey cloak previously covering Vixen was mostly burned away. Only enough grey cloth to cover her right shoulder and arm, as well as her back, remained. The tattered cloth was burning slowly, yet it didn't seem to trouble the dragon slayer.
Vixen was tall, a head taller than Master Eon. She was also well built, muscular at the arms. She wore a rusty, blue metal chestplate, above an extremely ragged brown tunic. She wore a yellow rope belt and had slightly puffed cyan shorts. Her arms, legs and mid-rif were covered in tattered greyish bandages, which all had faded dark red stains. She also wore a strange, dark brown bracer, with golden linings on her right forearm. The bracer seemed to have a fine string attached to it, which connected to small black ring on Vixen's pinky finger.
The dragons slayer also carried two swords, both at opposite sides of her hips, tied around her belt. The handles were dark, icy blue and the blade of each weapon was concealed in a black scabbard, which had strange, icy blue carvings that looked like a web of cracks.
She had a canine head, like Wolfgang, the werewolf Doom Raider. But her features were slimer, more angular, more akin to those of a fox more so than to those of a wolf. She had long, triangular ears, which stood on end. Her right ear was missing it's tip, and looked very badly scarred in comparison to her left ear. She also had snow-white fur, which Spyro could only see exposed on her head, left hand and her feet. She had long, greasy, very pale blond hair, which fell over her shoulders and covered her right eye, leaving only her left eye exposed.
When Spyro looked at her eye, he felt a stab of cold. It was sharper and more focused than the cold Vixen's aura seemed to merely project. The part of Vixen's eye that should have been white, was pitch black instead, which outlined her eye against her white fur. Her iris was red, not cherry red like Camo's or Zap's, not fiery red like Bash's or Spyro's. It was blood red, dark and deep, contrasting sinisterly with the blackness that surrounded it. But there was something off, other than the disturbing color scheme.
When Spyro looked at peoples' eyes, he could always see a sort of glint. A shimmering light behind their eyes that showed they were real, that they were alive. I didn't matter who it was, whether it was a friend or an enemy, Spyro could see that light, that proof that they were in fact, a person.
Vixen was not the case. Her eye was dark, glassy and inexpressive. Her pupil, which was a tiny dot of black, loathsome nothingness, was unmoving, undilating in the slightest, like a miniature black hole, staring right at Spyro. Vixen had the eye of a dead person, of a corpse, and it made Spyro shiver just looking at it.
"Now then," Vixen picked up, making Spyro flinch. "I haven't done this in a hundred years, so if you could do me a favor…" She paused, gripping the smoldering remains of her gray cloak, revealing what part of her body remained concealed as she tore off her cloak. "Try not to die too quickly."
When Spyro laid eyes on what the remains of Vixen's cloak concealed, his heart stopped for a second, and blood left his face, leaving behind an expression of pure horror. Because on Vixen's right shoulder, was a purple shoulder cape. At first glance, it shouldn't have been something to scare Spyro. But, as he took a closer look, Spyro noticed that the shade of purple on the cape was the exact same as his scales, that there was a strange leathery texture to the cape itself.
That's when it hit him. Vixen had already killed a purple dragon before him, and she had turned their skin into a cape as a heinous decoration, a trophy.
That made Spyro's heart start to race, he started to breath faster too, hyperventilating. He knees started getting wobbly as he took a step back from Vixen, and then another, all while a voice in his head screamed. "Run! Run away!"
Spyro never remembered feeling this frightened before. Not with Malefor, not with Strykore, not even with Omen.
"Spyro? What do we do?" Drobot called, fear smeared in his voice. Spyro noticed that the coppey green dragon was slowly stepping back from Vixen, shaking and breathing heavily.
"I'm not going to stay idle," Bash declared. "If this creep wants a fight, she's getting one!" At that, Spyro saw Bash charge past him, straight at Vixen.
"Bash wait!" Zap yelled, concerned for his friend-
But Bash didn't stop. He kept charging, closing in on Vixen fast. Spyro noticed the dragon slayer had show very little reaction to the brown dragon's charge, even as Bash got close enough for a melee attack.
Once Bash had gotten close enough, he began to swirl clockwise, getting momentum and swinging his very spiky tail through the air. Then, in a powerful impact, Bash's tail slammed against Vixen's head, getting her off her balance and making her take a few steps back and to the side, disoriented by Bash's attack.
After this, Bash slowly took a couple of steps back, still weary of the dragon slayer.
Vixen's head, and her torso were pointing to her left and her hair was blocking her face, making it difficult to see what condition she was in after Bash's attack. However after a few seconds, she started to move, slowly turning back to the dragons.
Her face, was fine. No blood or damage, except for the fact her whole jaw was hanging slack from her mouth, like a zombie's. The sight made Spyro gag in disgust.
Vixen however, didn't seem to alarmed by her dislodged jaw. She looked down at it, raised her eyebrows in an unimpressed fashion and just said. "Huh."
After this, the dragon slayer grabbed her slack jaw and, after a series of disgusting noises of bones creaking and flesh churning, Vixen relocated her jaw to its original spot. After opening and closing her mouth a couple of times, Vixen contently confirmed her wound had healed, despite its severity and very simplistic handling.
"Alright." Vixen picked up suddenly. "My turn."
At that, Vixen griped one of her sword handles, stepped forward with blinding speed and in one single motion, drew her sword and slashed it across Bash's face, creating a strange sound, like glass shattering.
It happened so fast, Spyro had barely absorbed the details. Vixen's sword, was a glowing, icy blue blade. It expelled a faint white mist as it moved through the air. When the blade collided with Bash's head, it shattered, into a million icy shards, explaining the strange sound Spyro had heard.
After this, Bash stumbled backwards, disoriented by Vixen's strike. However, the dragon slayer wasn't done. With her other hand, she gripped her second sword, and in a similar motion to the first, she drew and swung it in one movement, this time slashing upwards, hitting Bash's jaw, creating another shattering sound. Afterwards, Bash fell limp on the ground, knocked out at Vixen's feet.
"Bash!" Camo cried, distress and fright in his voice.
"Hey!" Sunburn suddenly shouted. "What did you do to him!?" He demanded angrily.
"Calm down," Vixen began, raising her arms slightly. "He's not dead, that wouldn't have been fun."
"Oh, so you want fun, huh!?" Zap yelled, sounding just as angry as Sunburn. "I'll give you fun!"
At that, Sunburn disappeared in a blast of fiery light and Zap started dashing towards Vixen, using a slimy substance he secreted to slide with great speeds, in order t to make it difficult for Vixen to keep track of him.
Then, with another blast of flames, Sunburn appeared behind Vixen, knocking the dragon slayer off her ballance and making her stumble forward. Taking advantage of this, Zap used his slime to slide close to Vixen and release a stream of yellow lightning at close range, disorienting her. To follow this up, Sunburn released his own breath attack, creating a horizontal pillar of white and yellow flames, aimed to hit Vixen in the back.
But then, Vixen moved, reacting to the incoming attack by grabbing her purple cape and holding it in front of her, covering herself. After she did this, Sunburn's intense flames simply graced the purple cloak, dissipating against it harmlessly. After this, Sunburn let out his attack, seemingly taken back by Vixen's simple counter.
"So that one teleports," Vixen began muttering in a low tone, apparently speaking to herself, looking at Sunburn while slowly lowering her cape. "And the other one," She continued, still speaking quietly and turning around to face Zap. "Is a water dragon. Alright, I think I remember how to handle you now." She said out loud, smiling. "Want to try again?" She asked, raising her arms, challenging the two dragons.
"Guys, don't do it!" Whirlwind cried. "She's dangerous!"
"We know that!" Sunburn responded. "We're just buying you time! You need to help Bash!" He explained, gesturing at the fallen brown dragon.
At that, Spyro noticed Whirlwind took a hesitant look at Bash, before using her wings to boost herself at the fallen dragon.
"Hey now," Vixen began, her attention now focused on Whirlwind. "Don't think I'm gonna let you do that." She said maliciously. "That one… doesn't have any scales? That's weird." She muttered to herself, giving Whirlwind a curious look.
At that, Vixen moved as if she was about to draw one of her swords from their scabbards. This confused Spyro, because he remembered the dragon slayer's blades had shattered when she swung them at Bash.
But then, to Spyro's dreadful surprise, he saw Vixen draw and immediately throw a brand new icy sword, identical to the other two she had used. This sword flew through the air like a projectile and as Spyro followed it's trajectory, he saw it hit Whirlwind in the side. After this, the sword shattered like the others, but not before knocking Whirlwind out of the air, making her crash on the muddy floor.
"Whirlwind!" Sunburn and Zap cried out in unison as they saw the cyan dragoness fall.
"That's it!" Sunburn roared. "I won't let you keep hurting them!" He declared. At that, Spyro saw Sunburn disappear in a fiery blast, ready to attack Vixen once again.
However, in response to this Vixen turned around, and tensed up her left hand, as if she was waiting to catch something. And then, when a blast of bright flames erupted in front of Vixen, the dragon slayer lunged her hand forward with explosive speed through the dissipating flames.
Vixen then pulled her hand back, for she had caught Sunburn and was gripping him tightly by the neck. Sunburn's face expressed pure shock. His eyes were wide and his pupils were dilated. The red dragon was also gasping for breath and squirming wildly, trying to get loose from Vixen's grip.
"You're not the first teleporting dragon I've faced," Vixen said to Sunburn. "And honestly, you guys get very boring very fast." She finished, squeezing Sunburn's neck hard, making the bird-like dragon's eyes roll back into his head and his body go limp. As if this weren't bad enough, Spyro saw Vixen somehow draw another sword from one of her black scabbards and slash Sunburn across with it, only for the blade to shatter afterwards like the rest.
At that, something inside Spyro snaped. He had been paralyzed under Vixen's terrifying presence, but now, seeing his friends getting hurt, it made a great fire boil within him, unmaking the effects of the dragon slayer's presence. Spyro felt a surge of heat flow through him, making the cruel cold fade once again from his body.
Then, Spyro started running, running at full speed, straight at Vixen. As he did, Spyro lowered his head, ready to ram his enemy and orange flames began to erupt around his horns. However these flames were much larger and more intense than normal. They left a fiery trial through the air as Spyro charged.
Then, when the purple dragon got close enough, he lept in the air and rammed head first into Vixen. The impact created a small, yet intense fiery blast. It was so powerful it not only made Vixen let go of Sunburn, but it sent the dragon slayer sprawling back to crash on the ground.
"Woah." Zap's voice began from behind Spyro. "That was impressive." He said, waking up beside Spyro and entering a defensive stance.
"Yeah, it was!" Vixen agreed, grunting as she tried getting back up on her feet, mere seconds after Spyro's attack landed, shocking the dragons with how durable the dragon slayer was. "That was as good a comet dash as I've seen, kid," Vixen said to Spyro, confusing him by naming his attack for him. "However, I have to say… you walk funny." She said, tilting her head, pointing at Spyro and giving Spyro an analytic look. "You weren't adopted were you?" She asked suddenly.
At that, Spyro's eyes went round. "How in the Underworld did you know that?" He asked, certain he hadn't said or done anything to reveal that information to Vixen.
"Oh well," Vixen started, smiling a disturbing smile which revealed her sharp, yellowish fangs. "I suppose you could say, I'm really good at my job." She answered vaguely. "Now then," She picked up. "I still have to slay you and your friends," She said in a casual, relaxed tone. "So get ready… because this is going to hurt."
At that, Vixen charged at Spyro and Zap running at great speeds. In response to this, Spyro used his wings to boost himself off the ground to avoid getting into close quarters with the dragon slayer. Meanwhile, Zap used his slime to slide to his left. After this, the blue dragon began to slide around Vixen, getting ready to find an opening to attack.
In response to this, Vixen came to an abrupt stop, standing in place with both dragons surrounding her.
"She's open!" Zap shouted. "Light her up Spyro!" He added as he began using his wings to speed up, sliding even faster than before to catch Vixen unprepared.
At that, Spyro began to call forth his flames. He held his breath, readying as powerful a firebolt as he could muster.
But then, something happened. Vixen moved as if to grab both her swords out of their black scabbards, despite Spyro remembering the dragon slayer already breaking her weapons beforehand. But once again, Vixen pulled put two identical icy blue swords and with astounding coordination, the dragon slayer threw both of them at Spyro and Zap.
The first sword to hit its mark was aimed at Zap's feet. The blue blade landed on the slime-covered ground just between Zap's legs, shattering in an cold burst. When this happened, the slime Zap was sliding on suddenly froze over and caused the blue dragon to lose balance and slip, landing roughly on the ground, letting out a pained groan.
The second sword was aimed at Spyro and it moved too fast for the purple dragon to dodge.
As the balde reached him, Spyro felt the tip of the blade crumble, allowing the rest of the blade to break and hit him with several tiny shards. The attack landed in a very specific spot. It was right between his stomach and his lungs. When this happened, Spyro felt like his lungs gave out, spazzing out and yelling out in pain. This caused all the fire he had been holding his breath for, to just dissipate as the purple dragon let out a harsh, uneven cough.
The second thing he felt was cold, as if someone had poured an entire bucket of iced water over his chest. It felt horrible and coupled with the effect of the impact from Vixen's sword, Spyro fell down, crashing with a low thund on the ground beneath him.
Once he was on the floor, Spyro groaned as he tried to get on his feet. But the pain in his chest and the hideous, biting cold that was slowly gaining more and more ground on his body, made him shiver and shake, only to end up falling back down.
"Spyro!" He heard his name called. He managed to tell that the voice belonged to Drobot.
The coppery green dragon hadn't moved a muscle since the whole fight had started. He looked at Spyro with a frightened, desperate expression. "Spyro, please get up!" He cried.
"Hey, nerd dragon," Vixen called suddenly, getting Drobot's attention. "Are you going to let your fellow lizards die? I don't really mind if you leave, I'm just going to find you latter. There's nowhere in the Skylands you could hide from me." She said in a disturbingly calm tone. "What kind of breed are you anyway?" She muttered to herself, scratching her chin as she did. "Those attachments make it hard to tell."
At that, Drobot took a whimpering step back. He was shaking, head to toes. Apparently, Spyro wasn't the only one affected by Vixen's terrifying presence. But then, Spyro noticed that Drobot slowly started to look around, shifting his head to focus on diferent things across the isle they were on.
Spyro followed Drobot's gaze as the coppery green dragon shifted in his place. He first looked at Bash, laying down on his belly. He then looked over to Whirlwind, who was curled up around her injured side. And then, he looked at Sunburn, who was laying down on his back. All three dragons were unconscious, defeated and for a second Spyro felt like Drobot was going to break under pressure at the sight of his companions defeated.
But, as Spyro looked back at Drobot, he saw that the dragon was no longer shaking, or at least not as violently as before. Drobot then turned to look at Vixen, his lip no longer trembling as he clenched his teeth.
Then, Spyro saw as Drobot let out a loud battle cry, stretching out his wings and raising his head, as if to imbue himself with courage. Then Drobot began charging at Vixen, keeping his body low and moving in a zig-zag pattern.
Vixen meanwhile, looked amused at Drobot's attack. The dragon slayer had done little to prepare a defence, other than to reach to grab yet another sword. Spyro was about to let out a cry of warning for Drobot, recalling the dragon slayer's terrifying accuracy.
But then, Spyro saw as a blue shape suddenly leap onto Vixen's back, making her stumble forward and lose her focus on Drobot.
Upon closer inspection, Spyro was able to identify the blue shape as Zap, who was clinging onto Vixen's back and neck. "Drobot!" Zap shouted. "Do it!" He commanded.
At that, Drobot interrupted his charge, standing a few meters away from Vixen. There, Drobot swayed his head back and then forward, firing two orange laser beams which struck Vixen square in the chest.
Drobot didn't let up his attack, his orange beams burning into Vixen as Zap held her in place. Spyro actually started feeling hope as he witnessed his friends pulling out impressive teamwork which actually seemed to hurt Vixen, making her let out strained groans.
But then, Vixen reached for her back, where Zap was. She took a hold of the back of the blue dragon's neck and then tugged him off her back and then slammed him on the floor. Once Zap was on the floor, Vixen pulled out another icy sword, raising it over her head and then driving it down hard on Zap's chest, making the blue dragon bend over in pain and let out a wounded groan.
"Zap!" Drobot exclaimed, cutting off his laser beam attack out of pure shock.
This however, allowed Vixen to grab another one of her seemingly endless swords. The dragon slayer then drew her weapon and flung it at Drobot in a single motion. The icy blade flew through the air and hit Drobot right between the eyes, shattering in an impact that made the coppery green dragon fall on his back, motionless.
"Drobot!" Spyro shouted, trying to get himself up, trying hard to power through the cold, through the pain, through his fear.
But just as Spyro stood up, he felt Vixen's fist slam against the bridge of his nose. after this, Spyro felt himself fall back down, the taste of iron in his mouth and his vision blurry from his now apparently watery eyes. Then, Spyro felt a cold, stiff hand slowly grab the back of his neck. It felt like a block of ice, was slowly squeezing him and lifting him off the ground.
After a moment, Spyro found himself face-to-face with Vixen. The dragon slayer was looking at him with her sinister dead eye, tilting her head as if to get a better look at him.
She then squinted her eye, and leaned in closer to Spyro, so much so he could smell her breath. It smelled like rotten, buried, decomposing filth and it hurt Spyro's nose to smell. But, after a few seconds of this close-up inspection, Vixen's eye went round as she slowly backed away from Spyro's face.
"You're an Adiaperst." Vixen said simply, a smile tugging at her lips. "How interesting."
At that, Spyro's mind went on a trip to memory lane. The purple dragon remembered getting lost in a cave which had turned out to be some sort of purple dragon temple. In that place, Spyro learned more about his dragon kind than he could have ever imagined. He learned he was an Adiaperst, a special kind of purple dragon, gifted with impenetrable scales. He didn't even know that Adiapersts were a thing among purple dragons, much less that he was one of them.
However, this only made Spyro feel more shock and disbelief. Because Vixen figured out what he wa by just looking a little closely at his scales. How was it possible for this villian to know so much about him if they've never met before?
Before he could get an answer, Spyro saw a s Vixen suddenly looked to her side, facing away from Spyro. The dragon slayer then started sniffing the air like a bloodhound, as if she was searching for something.
"Where did the little green one go?" Vixen muttered, taking a look around, almost forgetting Spyro.
Vixen's commentary made Spyro suddenly become aware of the fact that Camo was missing. The little green dragon had disappeared since the beginning of the fight. "Did he run away?" Spyro thought to himself as he scanned the area, indeed finding no trace of Camo. As things were now, Spyro wondered if it was for the best that Camo had run away, seeing as neither he or the other dragons could deal any lasting damage to Vixen.
Then, Spyro saw Vixen sniff the air again, closing her visible eye as if to focus. After a few seconds, Vixen's eye opened suddenly, indicating she had found something. "Wait here." Vixen then said to Spyro.
At that, Spyro felt Vixen land a heavy punch, right in the area between his stomach and his lungs, right where she had struck him with one of her swords. The blow made Spyro's lungs give out again, sending waves of cramp-like pain through his chest, making him let out a sharp, uneven exhale as the air was driven out of him by Vixen's punch.
But then, Vixen punched him again, in the same spot, sending another wave of pain through him. And then, Spyro felt as a third blow landed with almost surgical precision, on the exact same spot as the last two, making Spyro let out a pained, yet breathless gasp.
After this, Spyro felt Vixen's cold hand let go of his neck, allowing him to fall on the ground, where he laid, in too much pain to move and with black spots slowly popping in and out of his field of vision. The horrible sensation made him feel drowsy, like he wanted to pass out.
Spyro then saw Vixen take a couple of steps around, turning and shifting her head, as if she was searching for something she had lost sight of. Spyro deduced she was looking for Camo. However, remembering the small dragon's ability to camouflage, Spyro felt a small spark of hope at the thought of Camo escaping to get help.
Spyro noticed Vixen started to step away from him, turning her back to him as she walked over to Bash, who was still knocked out, in search of Camo.
"Spyro," A very low and very shaky whisper sounded beside Spyro. "W-What are we going to d-do?" Camo's voice asked, sounding terrified. Spyro couldn't see Camo beside him, and figure the green dragon must still be invisible.
"Get out of here, Camo." Spyro whispered back, keeping his eyes on Vixen, who was now focused on Sunburn's fallen figure, still turning her back to Spyro and Camo. "Go get help, quickly, before she notices you."
"I heard that!" Vixen suddenly declared, making Spyro freeze as panic began to spread through him.
The purple dragon heard his green friend let out a frightened whimper as Vixen began walking toward them in a brisk pace. Once she was standing but a foot away from Spyro, the dragon slayer came to a stop. She then kneeled down to what would have been Camo's eye level and slowly stretched out her left arm in front of her, reaching out for Camo.
Neither Vixen nor Camo made a sound, leaving Spyro listening eagerly, hoping with all his heart that Camo could escape.
"Where are you?" Vixen asked the wind, leaning in closer to where Spyro had heard Camo's voice come from. "Where. Are. You?" She repeated, slowly and in a creepier voice, attempting to unnerve Camo into revealing where he was.
And to Spyro's very dreadful surprise, Vixen succeeded. Spyro heard Camo let out a panicked cry. "Stay away from me!" He screamed, suddenly letting up his camouflage and trying to run away, using his wings to flee up into the air.
But Spyro already knew what was going to happen. He had already seen Vixen handle this before with his other friends. The dragon slayer griped one of her sword scabbards and like she had done before, she drew her sword, only to launch it with terrifying accuracy at Camo.
Spyro tried getting up and turning around, putting all his strength into it. "Camo!" He shouted as he managed to see the precise moment when Vixen's sword hit it's mark, causing Camo to plummet back down to the island. "No!" Spyro cried, trying to get on his feet.
Before he could stand, Spyro felt one of Vixen's feet stomp on his back, forcing him back down. "There you are!" Vixen said cheerfully as she stepped over Spyro and walked over to Camo.
Vixen then picked up Camo by the back of the neck, just like she had done with little green dragon hung rather limply from Vixen's grip and was giving her a pleading look, with watery eyes. The dragon slayer gave Camo a wide smile as she pet him with her free hand, making him squirm.
"Oh, I love forest dragons." Vixen admitted in a mellow tone, petting Camo's head softly, almost innocently. "Their bones make such funny noises when they break." She added, suddenly moving her hand from Camo's head to one of his wings, gripping it tightly.
Spyro then felt his heart start racing, because he felt like he knew what was about to happen. He saw tears start to trail down Camo's cherry eyes and that he started whimpering. "No, no, no… please don't… please…" He begged, hanging his head.
Spyro tried to call forth his flames, desperate to try anything to help his friend. But, when Spyro opened his mouth to launch a firebolt at Vixen, nothing came out, except a harsh cough that made his throat sore. The pain in his lungs prevented him from breathing fire, which made Spyro wander if Vixen's punched were calculated.
And so, Spyro was left powerless as he saw a cruel, deranged smile spread through Vixen's face as she started putting pressure on her hold on Camo's wing. Then, Spyro saw the dragon slayer jerk Camo's wing in a quick, violent motion which was followed by a gut-wrenching snapping sound. It made Spyro shut his eyes close.
Spyro then heard a scream of agony, hideous and prolonged. The screaming then regressed into ugly sobbing, after Spyro heard a low thud, indicating Vixen had dropped Camo.
At that, Spyro opened his eyes, black spots shifted around his field of vision, but he could make out his surroundings. He looked over to where Camo previously was. There, he saw the green dragon, curled up in a ball with his face buried in his arms, letting out pained whimpers and sobbing, leaving his broken wing stretched out, probably out of fear of causing himself more pain by moving it.
At the sight, Spyro felt a volcano erupt inside him. "You monster!" Spyro roared, in rage and in regret as he saw his friend wounded so horribly. He tried calling his flames again, a deep burning desire to burn Vixen off the face of the Skylands feeding his flames.
"Monster?" Vixen asked in an almost genuinely offended tone as she shifted her focus from Camo to Spyro.
At that, Spyro took his chance and shot a blazing fireball at Vixen. The projectile hit the dragon slayer right in the face making her let out a pained groan. However, she recovered rather quickly and the biting cold that kept clawing at Spyro's whole body made him unable to launch another attack at Vixen.
Because of this, Vixen walked over to Spyro, grabbing him by the neck once again. This time however, she didn't pick him up. Instead, she turned him over so that he was laying on his back. Then, Vixen loomed over him, holding him in place.
The dragon slayer then leaned down, getting her face closer to Spyro's, making the purple dragon feel uncomfortable and frightened. "I'm not the bad guy here," Vixen whispered. "I'm no more of a monster that you, dragon." She added, hissing the last word derisively, the stench of Vixen's breath hurting his nose again, making him turn his head to the side.
"But now is not the time for that conversation," Vixen picked up, leaning away from Spyro's face. "Right now, I want you to tell me… do you think you can escape? Do you think someone is coming to save you?" She asked.
Spyro then looked up at Vixen. The dragon slayer was patiently waiting for an answer. She looked down at him expectantly.
Spyro's mind then started to race, his subconscious desperately looking for scenarios where he could get away, where he could escape Vixen. He thought hard, thinking about if maybe someone passed through this place, they could call help or maybe one of his friends could get up, hit Vixen by surprise and knock her out. Maybe, just maybe, Vixen might just let them go.
But slowly, Spyro realized, there might actually be no way for him to escape this time. The more he thought about ways to escape, the faster he started to panic, because every thought that crossed his head ended in the same place, with the same words. "You are going to die." The thought made Spyro really lose control. He began breathing rapidly, unevenly, cold sweat accumulating on his temples.
Vixen clearly noticed this, because she was smiling, a cruel, amused smile. "You know now, don't you?" She asked slowly. "You know what's going to happen."
Spyro did know. Despite his impenetrable scales he felt in his now panicking heart that Vixen was going to kill him.
"I gotta say," Vixen started up, slowly leaning back down close to Spyro. "Adiaperts are a real bother to slay," She stated. "The impenetrable scales make things, difficult." She entonated, giving Spyro a miniscule spark of hope. "Unless you're me of course." Vixen muttered quickly, instantly snuffing out the flicker of hope she had given Spyro.
Then, Spyro saw Vixen ball up her right fist. She then extended only her pinkie finger, the one that had a black ring which was connected to the brown and gold bracer on Vixen's forearm. After this, Vixen did a quick flick of her wrist and then, with a sound like spring loaded trap activating, a silver blade ejected from Vixen's bracer.
The blade was thin and looked extraordinary sharp. It was like an arm-mounted short sword, it's blade was smooth and it shimmered slightly, in a very good shape for a hundred-year-old weapon.
Shortly after this, Vixen spoke up again. "I don't know why no one else seems to know this trick." She said, slowly tracing the tip of her blade across Spyro's scales, making the dragon stay very still, his lower lip trembling and closing his eyes as he tried turning his face away from Vixen. "The eyes are always vulnerable, always." She stated.
"Hey, come on, look at me." Vixen said softly, patiently as she grabbed Spyro's face and forced him to face her.
Spyro then felt Vixen move her hand over to his right eye. Then, Using her fingertips, Vixen forced Spyro's eye open, causing the purple dragon to let out a whimper when he saw Vixen slowly trace the tip of her dagger from his scales to hover a few centimeters above his exposed eye.
"Come on now," Vixen began, giving Spyro a disturbing look. Her dead, black and red eye fixated on him, unflinching in the slightest. "I want to hear you say it." She said, moving the tip of her blade a hair's width down closer to Spyro's eye.
At that, Spyro really realized what was going to happen. He started to feel himself tear up, his heart hurt. He was never going to see his friends again. He was never going to play another match of sheep ball again. He would never find his parents and, with a heavy heart he realized, he was never going to hold Cynder in his arms ever again, the picture of the violet dragoness' smile flashing before his eyes.
And so, as tears of pure terror trailed out of his eyes, clouding his vision further, Spyro said the words Vixen wanted to hear. "I… I don't want to die." He said between whimpers.
"Ohhh yesss." Vixen hissed, baring her fangs in a twisted smile. "I love it when they beg." She sighed as she pulled her right arm back, raising her blade, ready to bring it down.
But then, Spyro saw something strange happen. He saw a ball of green and black flames crash violently against Vixen's chest, creating a small cloud of smoke as the projectile connected with the dragon slayer. After this, Spyro felt Vixen's weight suddenly be lifted off him. So, taking his opportunity, wiping his tears of his eyes and lifting his head, trying to get a look at Vixen.
The dragon slayer was slowly getting up from the ground, a few feet away from Spyro. She was grumbling something that sounded like "Why, you little…" as she moved her left hand to grab one of her sword scabbards as she shot a murderous glare at someone or something behind Spyro.
But then, Spyro saw another bolt of green flames shot from behind him, hit Vixen once again, this time on her left forearm. When the projectile hit its mark, Spyro saw Vixen's forearm burn slowly. He also noticed that the dragon slayer's hand was now missing, devoured by the green flames.
"Ah," Vixen entonated simply, not apparently minding her burning arm. "An Infernus. How annoying." She said in a plain tone.
Then, Spyro saw Vixen use her silver blade to slice off her own forearm, all the way down to the elbow. With a disgusting slashing sound, Vixens smoldering lump of a forearm fell to the ground, creating a very small thud before being incinerated by the green flames.
"Stay. Away. From him." A slightly raspy, extremely angry voice entonated slowly.
Spyro instantly recognized that voice. Through his fright and the pain from Vixen's previous blows, Spyro managed to smile.
After Spyro heard slow, careful steps approach him, he saw a familiar face loom over his fallen figure. It was the face of a dragon. He had angular features, sharp golden horns and indigo scales. A blood red "A" was over his left eye.
"Heya..." Spyro said weakly, giving Cyrus as strained smile.
"Heya..." Cyrus responded, returning a small, yet warm smile as he looked down at Spyro, his green eyes glistening.
Afterwards, Spyro felt Cyrus slowly pick him up, lifting him by the shoulders and then letting Spyro's weak body rest on his side. Spyro's vision was still dotted with black dots and it took him a great deal of focus to remain awake. He felt dizzy, like he was going to throw up and was subconsciously stopping himself from doing it.
"Oh that's rich." Vixen spoke up suddenly. "The little dragon need his big brother to step in and save him."
At that, Spyro's eyes went round from surprise. He noticed Cyrus did the same thing, equally taken back by Vixen's remark. "How in the Underworld did you know we're brothers?" Cyrus demanded.
"Isn't it obvious?" Vixen replied. "Did you two not know you were brothers?" She asked, a confused tone in her voice. "You walk funny too." She added in a mutter, pointing at Cyrus with her remaining hand.
Spyro felt a wave of anger wash over him, mainly because he and Cyrus actually didn't know they were brothers until almost two weeks ago.
"How, did you know that?" Cyrus repeated his question, sounding angrier, but still speaking slowly.
At that, Vixen let out a hum, af if she was analyzing something. "Well firstly, you both walk funny." She said simply.
"What does that even mean!?" Spyro and Cyrus bellowed at Vixen.
After this, Spyro let out a pained groan and reach for his chest with his paw. Apparently, the damage from Vixen's blows still hadn't worn off.
"Secondly," Vixen picked up, raising her hand defensively. "You two have the same horns." She stated.
That confused Spyro, and made him almost instinctively look over at Cyrus' horns. He also noticed the indigo dragon looked at his own horns. Spyro didn't noticed what information Vixen had gathered to assume he and Cyrus were brothers just from their horns.
"You can't see it? Really?" Vixen asked in a way that sounded like she was talking to a child. "Look closer, they have the same length, the same curves, and they all have five lines each." She explained.
As she did, Spyro tried to focus through his blurred vision. He slowly began to notice that the details Vixen had listed down were indeed present on Cyrus' horns and remembered those same details on his own horns from times he had seen himself in mirrors or in pictures. Spyro felt stupid for looking over the subtle details even through he and Cyrus had met several times.
Spyro had searched for information about his dragon race, about his family, for so long. He had read books, asked questions, consulted the wises people he knew and had to get stranded on some tomb to learn any real details about who he was.
Meanwhile, Vixen had figured out pretty much all of it after knowing Spyro for less than half an hour. It made him feel like an incompetent. It made him feel disappointed in himself.
"In any case," Vixen picked up suddenly, making Spyro focus on her. "I'm not equipped to deal with an Infernus," She said, waving her self-mutilated left arm in front of the two brothers. "So I'll be leaving now." She declared.
"What's stopping me from burning you to a crisp?" Cyrus asked, a malevolent edge in his voice.
At that, Vixen looked to her side and took her remaining had to her chin, as if to emulate thought. "Your brother probably." She said wryly.
At that, Spyro started to feel his eyes close. He tried to force himself to open them, but he only managed to do so halfway. He felt his weight shift, like he was falling down, no longer able to balance himself against his brother's body.
Spyro's senses began to dull out. The cold, the pain, the fear he was feeling, it made him shut down slowly.
"Spyro?" He heard a voice call his name. It sounded distant, distorted. "Spyro!?" The voice called again, sounding more distressed. "Brother!?" The voice shouted, Spyro thought he heard panic in it's resonance.
And so, Spyro closed his eyes, and darkness enveloped his vision. But, only a few seconds from losing consciousness, Spyro heard something strange. He heard a woman, singing. The song he couldn't make out, but the voice, it made him feel one last stab of cold, one last taste of terror before his whole world faded away.
Spyro was feeling drowsy. He could feel himself laying down somewhere, pressed against a soft surface. He felt tired, drained of his strength. So, through the darkness, Spyro felt his consciousness fade, only able to hear the distorted sound of several, oddly familiar voices in the distance before he slowly returned to the wall of sleep.
But then, from the darkness, Spyro saw an image flash into existence before his eyes. It was the image of white fox, walking slowly on all fours at him. The creature was large, much larger than a normal fox and its fur was as white as a winter meadow. It glistened in the pure darkness that surrounded Spyro's vision. Then, Spyro noticed that the white fox started to pick up speed, walking faster, getting closer to him.
As the white fox got closer, Spyro noticed something. The creature had no eyes, it's eye sockets were empty, like a skeleton's. There was a thick, tar-like fluid dripping slowly from the empty sockets, tainting the white fur on the fox's face. Spyro started getting a really bad feeling, chills slowly crawling up his spine.
Then, Spyro saw the fox, open its mouth, baring its teeth. They were a hideous rotten yellow and each one was sharp, jagged and pointy, like a tiny butcher's knife. As the fox's mouth hung open, Spyro saw the same tar-like fluid that streamed out of the fox's eye sockets drool out of the its mouth, tainting the white creature's fur further.
The creature was so close now, Spyro could hear it let out a disturbing sound; a ravenous, rabied growl.
Spyro was breathing hard, he could feel his heart racing, he felt like he wanted, needed to run away. But, even as the horrifying white creature got closer and closer, Spyro couldn't even move a muscle, he couldn't even scream. He tried, he tried moving, but his body stayed still, paralyzed.
Then, Spyro saw the white fox, jump up, leaping through the air with its jaws open wide, snarling ravenously as it came down and closed its jagged teeth around Spyro's face.
Spyro woke up screaming.
He was covered in cold sweat, he could feel his heart pounding against his chest and he had no idea where he was.
"Vixen!" Spyro's subconscious screamed in terror as the purple dragon looked frantically across the room he was in, trying to get a hang on where he was.
"Spyro!" Someone called, sounding distressed.
Spyro quickly turned his head towards where the voice had come from. When he did, his breathing started to very slowly becoming steadier.
Cynder was standing a few meters away from him. She looked frightened. Her body was tense and she looking at Spyro with wide eyes. She had her wings raised defensively.
"Spyro?" Cynder called slowly. "It's me, you're alright." She said softly, lowering her wings and loosening up the tension in her body, but still keeping a worried look on Spyro.
At this, Spyro slowed his breathing further, he remembered Cynder, she was his friend, he trusted her.
After a few moments Cynder spoke again. "You are at the Academy, you are at home." She stated, making Spyro take another look around the room he and Cynder were in.
He noticed the many flags and posters hanging on the metal walls, as well as the familiar furniture on the room. Spyro then lowered his head and he saw he was standing over a white circular bed, his bed. He was in his room. He was in his home.
"Spyro?" Cynder called again, making Spyro focus on him. "Are… are you alright? How do you feel?" She asked tentatively. Spyro noticed she walked over to him, slowly, stepping lightly.
Spyro then remembered, he felt awful, he almost died. He felt cold, he felt pain and he felt afraid. "Vixen!" His mind screamed again, making his heart race and his breathing become heavy. Spyro started whimpering and shutting his eyes closed, hugging himself desperately.
"Spyro!" The purple dragon heard Cynder's voice call, sounding distressed.
Then, Spyro felt something strange. He felt Cynder suddenly take a hold of him, wrapping her arms around his back. The violet dragoness then rested her head on Spyro's shoulder and spoke in a soothing voice. "Shhh, I'm here… you're with me." She soothed as she held Spyro.
Spyro's heart was still hammering against his chest, he was still taking uneven breaths but, slowly, very slowly, he felt himself calm down. "What do you feel Spyro?" He heard Cynder ask warmly, making the purple dragon start to focus.
Little by little, he realized he wasn't actually in pain, the ghosts of Vixen's blows faded under Cynder's gentle touch. The memory of the cruel cold emitted by the dragon slayer was replaced by the sensation of warmth that spread slowly through his body whenever his scales met Cynder's.
Then he remembered. He remembered he was with someone he cared about, someone he cherished being with. And so, Spyro extended his arms and wrapped them around Cynder as he rested his head on the crook of her neck, hugging her back desperately.
"I… I thought…" Spyro stammered, trying to steady himself. "I thought I was never going to see you again." He said as he closed his eyes, allowing a couple of tears to trail down his face.
"Well, I'm here now," Cynder responded, moving one of her paws from Spyro's back to his head, where she began to slowly caress him. "And you're here with me." She soothed.
Spyro felt himself relax, he allowed himself to let go and enjoy Cynder's warmth. The two dragons held each other in silence. They cherished their tender moment, making each other smile from the pleasant warmth they shared.
However, after a while, Spyro and Cynder let each other go and looked at each other's eyes. As Spyro gazed into Cynder's cerulean blue eyes, he felt himself blush. Every time he looked at her eyes his heart skipped a beat.
Cynder must have noticed Spyro's blush, because she let out a small giggle, innocent and shy, which made Spyro chuckle back.
But the, Spyro noticed Cynder darkened up. Her expression slowly changed from a blissful smile to an almost regretful frown.
This concerned Spyro, and hi voiced as much. "Cynder? What's wrong?" He asked.
"Spyro," She started slowly. "I think, you'll want to go to the common room," She stated. "Master Eon says there is something really important he needs to talk about." She explained.
"What does Master Eon want to talk about?" Spyro asked, mildly confused.
But then it hit him, like a truck. "The others," Spyro thought. "Cyrus," He added, his mind racing after wild thoughts on what could have happened to his companions after their encounter with Vixen.
"Cynder, please tell me," Spyro said, putting his paws on Cynder's shoulders. "How are the others? The other dragons I was with?" He asked.
Cynder took a little while to answer, looking to her side as she did. "I think it would be best if you saw them yourself." She said. "You all got here in pretty rough shape."
At that, something clicked in the back of Spyro's mind. "How did we get here?" He asked himself. "Did Cyrus carry us back? Did my other friends find us somehow?" He wandered silently. However, Spyro felt it would be better to just hear the answer to those questions from Master Eon since Cynder had said the portal master had something urgent to discus. So, Spyro shook his head lightly, clearing his thoughts.
Afterwards, Spyro let go of Cynder. "Well alright then," He began. "Let's go."
Spyro and Cynder flew through the air, heading toward the Academy courtyard. After a short trip, the two dragons arrived at the courtyard and made their way to the blue gates of the Academy. Spyro used his paws to push the heavy doors open, allowing him and Cynder to step into the common room.
Inside, Spyro saw a large cast of familiar faces. He saw Master Eon and Kaossandra standing on the common room balcony looking down at Sunburn, Zap, Bash and the rest of his new friends. They all seemed not to have noticed Spyro and Cynder had entered the room.
"Guys!" Spyro called, relieved to see all six dragons safe and sound.
At that the six dragons and the two portal masters turned around and when they laid eyes on the purple dragon they called his name in joy. "Spyro!" The called in unison
"Hey everyone." Spyro responded in a friendly tone as he walked over to them, Cynder following him closely. The Skylander then focused on his fellow dragons. He looked for one of them in particular. "Where's Camo?" He asked, not finding the little dragon.
At that, the other dragon's faces darkened slightly, which made Spyro feel a little worried. Then, the dragons stepped to their sides, revealing the scrawny figure of a small green dragon. Spyro noticed that Camo's left wing, the one Vixen had broken, was bandaged up and in a cast. The dragon himself looked slightly down in comparison to his usual childish cheerful self, but he smiled back at Spyro, his bushy tail wagging very slowly behind him.
"Hey dude," Camo tried saying with some energy.
"Hey," Spyro responded, giving the little dragon a smile. "Are you okay?" He asked caringly.
Camo then absentmindedly looked over to his broken wing. He gave it a sad, empty stare, but he let out a sigh and replied. "I'll be fine, don't worry." He said, forcing a smile.
Spyro felt really worried about his friend, but he decided not to press further, he had things to discuss with Master Eon. While Spyro made his way through his dragon friends, he noticed a couple of things. Sunburn, Zap and Bash seemed to have gotten out relatively fine in comparison to the others they had cuts and scrapes, as well as nasty frostbite where Vixen had hit them with her swords. Drobot's helmet was bludgeoned where Vixen had struck him, but outside of that, the coppery dragon seemed fine. Whirlwind had white bandages covering her sides, where Vixen had stuck her. Spyro guessed the lack of scales made the odd dragoness more vulnerable than the others.
Then, Spyro found himself staring up at Master Eon and Kaossandra. The two portal masters looked at him with grave expressions. They glanced at each other in silence before looking down at him once again.
"Spyro," Master Eon started. "I need you to focus and tell me what you remembered happened before you woke up here today." He stated, giving Spyro a serious look.
Spyro took a moment to call back the memories of what had happened. He did so reluctantly, because they were all extremely unpleasant. But, after a low sigh, Spyro spoke up. "We were in this town, near the Outskirts." Spyro started explaining, catching the portal masters' interest. "We were about to return to the Academy when out of the sudden, this… thing, this monster, came out of nowhere and tried to kill us." He recalled. "She said her name was… Vixen Reynald." Spyro shivered as he said the dragon slayer's name.
After this, Spyro looked up at Master Eon and Kaossandra. The two of them had pale faces, their eyes wide wis disbelief.
"Spyro," Kaossandra called. "Are you sure she said that name?" She asked. "Vixen, Reynald?" She said the name slowly, as if trying to make sure Spyro wasn't making something up.
"I'm sure," Spyro replied. "She also said she was a dragon slayer," He added. "Do you know her or something?" He asked.
"We do," Master Eon confirmed in a somber tone, lowering his head as he did.
"Who is she, then?" Someone behind Spyro asked.
The purple dragon turned around to see Drobot, step up closer to Master Eon. "She was one of the most formidable fighter I've ever seen. And the most terrifying being I've ever encountered." He stated, looking up at the portal masters, desperate for an answer.
"She had these weird swords." Zap spoke up. "She seemed to have an infinite amount of them, and whenever one of us got hit by one…" Sunburn paused, looking down at his paws. "I… couldn't move… and I felt like I was never going to feel warmth again." She said in a shaky, voice, slightly shivering himself.
"Why does she want to hurt us?" Whirlwind asked suddenly. "Did we do something to her?"
"No, you are not a fault here," Kaossandra stepped in. "But the story behind why she seeks to harm all of you, is a long one, as well as a very ancient one." She stated.
"A long time ago," Eon began, making spyro and the others listen in carefully. "During a time, even before the Great War, before Skylander Academy was even built, there existed a group of people, called the Dragon Slayer Coven." He said, closing his eyes, as if an unpleasant memory returned to him. "These people, had intense, burning hatred for dragon kind. They banded together and began slaughtering dragons in masse, showing no mercy or restraint in their hideous deeds." Eon said, speaking in a somber tone. "They killed dozens, hundreds of dragons, and there was no way to stop them. They did not listen to reason and could not be bribed by gold or comfort. All those monsters seemed to want was to send dragon kind as a whole, into extinction."
"Vixen in particular was very noted among the dragon slayers," Kaossandra began explaining. "Because of her methods of killing. While most of those monsters used special magics and enchanted weapons to slay their prey, she figured out a much simpler method of dealing with her victims. Paralysing them and then stabbing them through the eye socket." Kaossandra explained.
"This modus operandi," Eon picked up. "Earned her a title among her fellow dragon slayers. Vixen Reynald, the Eye Gouger." He said, frowning and looking down as he said the dragon slayer's name.
At hearing that, Spyro felt his stomach drop and his blood go cold.
"However, they were stopped," Kaossandra picked up. "Vixen and the dragon slayers met their match, when a strange breed of dragons from a distant land came to our aid." She said, slowly shifting her gaze toward Spyro, giving him a tiny smile as she did. "The purple dragons, the strongest and bravest of them all, pushed back the merciless killers. Then, with our help-" She gestured at herself and at Eon. "-We managed to banish them all into the Outlands, where they've rotted away in their putrid malice for over a century. Afterwards, because of their heroic actions, the purple dragons became the guardians of the Core of light and since then, dragons lived in peace with rest of the races of the Skylands for years to come." She narrated, making Spyro a small, smile tug at his lips.
He felt pride and wonder from hearing his ancestors save the day like that. He always imagined that his ancestors did something similar at some point, and he day dreamed about the details. The actual story however, was more amazing that what Spyro's imagination had come up with.
"But now one of them is back," Sunburn interjected suddenly. "One of them found her way back here, and she set her eyes on us." He said, making Spyro somber up.
"How many of them were there?" Drobot questioned, making Spyro and the two portal masters focus on him. "And why do they hate dragons so much?"
"The hatred these people bear toward you is hard to justify, as well as to identify a source for." Eon began. "They weren't particularly eager to explain themselves or their actions," He said, answering Drobot's second question. "As for your first question, young dragon, there used to be twenty of them."
"Twenty!?" Camo exclaimed in a frightened tone. "You're saying there's twenty of those psychopaths roaming around in the Outlands, making their way here!?" He asked, terrified at the thought of multiple people like Vixen being in one place, a feeling Spyro could relate to.
"There used to be twenty," Kaossandra stepped in, trying to calm Camo down. "Almost half of them were killed before we were able to send them off into the Outlands. Once there, it's almost certain that the remaining number dwindled even further. I doubt any of the others will make their way back to the Skylands." She stated, speaking steadily, showing little to no doubt in her words. "However, we really didn't expect for any of them to live this long. A century is quite the stretch of time even for hate-driven, magical beings."
"So what are we going to do about this one?" Bash asked, drawing attention to himself. "She's the main problem right now, so how are we going to deal with her?"
At that, there was silence. Apparently everyone hadn't thought that part through just yet.
"Okay but first," Camo began, breaking the silence. "Who's we?" He asked, turning to Bash curiously.
"Um, all of us?" Bash responded in an obvious tone. "We were going to sign up to become Skylanders, remember?" He asked, reminding Spyro of his friends' desire to become heros.
"He's right," Sunburn spoke up, turning to Master Eon and Kaossandra. "We do wish to become Skylanders."
"Y-You do?" MAster Eon stammered, a little taken back. "All of you?" He asked, gesturing at the six dragons.
"Yes, we do," Sunburn answered firmly. "If you'll have us."
At that, Eon and Kaossandra glanced at each other, strange, uncertain expressions on their faces. After a few moments, Kaossandra turned to face the six dragons, speaking out loud for all of them to hear.
"If you all truly wish to become Skylanders," She began, giving out a low sigh before continuing. "Then you must know, Vixen Reynald will come for you." She stated. "The only thing I can promise you if you follow this path, is that you will never, face an enemy more relentless, more cunning or more merciless than a dragon slayer."
At that, silence fell over the room once again. Spyro could notice that the six dragons were giving each other nervous glances, as if considering their answer carefully. They looked at their injuries, their grim reminders of Vixen's might, and then, Spyro felt them look at him. He felt partly responsible for their decision in becoming Skylanders, so he assumed they took him into account in their consideration for their decision. Spyro didn't know how to feel about that.
The silence stretched out for a while, but after a while, Spyro noticed that the six dragons composed themselves, slowly, one after the other.
"I…" Sunburn started, a little shakily. "I can't let a monster like that run around unchecked. I can't let her hurt anyone else, I wouldn't forgive myself." He stated.
"I wanted to become a Skylander for a long time," Drobot picked up. "If I can't stand up to someone like her, then, I might as well give my dream up." He said, swallowing hard but keeping his composure.
"I owe quite a lot to the Skylanders," Bash stated. "I think, if I join up, I can finally pay them back."
"I've never belonged anywhere," Whirlwind started in a small voice. "But, here I feel like I could finally belong, like I could finally have friends and make a difference." She admitted, speaking a little louder, more confidently.
"Honestly, I don't know if fighting someone who's bent on the genocide of my species is a good idea." Zap started, chuckling mirthlessly. "But, then again, the genocide of my species doesn't sound like a good thing. So, I guess I'm saying that, yes, I'm not about to let that hag go killing and hurting people for the heck of it."
Then, last but not least, Camo spoke up. "I've never really done anything with my life," He admitted. "I've always been scared, and frankly, I still am, I'm scared of her." He said, the implication of who Camo was referring to was clear to Spyro. "But I can't bring myself to run away this time. Not this time." He said, trying his best to speak firmly.
After all the dragons finished speaking, Eon and Kaossandra looked at them in silence, apparently surprised by their resolve. Then, with little warning, the two portal masters turned around and walked a few steps away from the balcony railing.
Spyro heard the duo whisper for a short while, he guessed they were discussing what to make of the new volunteers. However, after a while, the two portal masters turned around and looked down at the six dragons serious expressions on their faces.
"Well, seeing your resolve and the threat of Vixen looming over you all," Master Eon began, "Kaossandra and I believe it is best for you all to begin your training at once."
"Wait a second," Zap interjected suddenly. "Are you really gonna let us join? Are we really going to become Skylanders!?" He asked, excitement growing in his voice.
"Whether you become Skylanders or not," Master Eon began, slowly smiling and turning over to Spyro. "Will depend largely on how good a teacher you train under." He said, winking at Spyro.
At that, Spyro felt a surge of energy, like he was suddenly revitalized.
"Spyro?" Kaossandra picked up now. "Would you be willing to spearhead the training of these six dragons?" She asked, giving him a serious stare.
"Yes." Spyro answered quickly and a little loudly. He could feel himself shaking slightly.
Spyro then noticed the six dragons started smiling and shuffling energetically, apparently just as eager as Spyro to get this show on the road.
"Well in that case," Master Eon began, "You have quite a lot of training to do, don't you?" He said, smiling down at the six dragons.
"You guys are lucky," Cynder's voice came from behind Spyro. "He's a really good teacher." She said, giving Spyro a friendly nudge on the shoulder.
"I can back up that statement." Drobot said energetically.
"Alright!" Zap exclaimed, standing on his hind legs and raising his arms over his head. "Let's do this!"
"Yeah!" The others cheered in unison.
Spyro could feel a wave of anticipation wash over him, it made him start shaking. But it wasn't a frightful shiver, more like he had so much energy pent up he could barely keep himself in place. He was going to become a teacher, he was going to train a new team of Skylanders. It was like an abstract dream he didn't know he had came true. It made him feel funny, tingly inside which in turn made him smile broadly.
Then, a loud sound interrupted the fanfare. It was the sound of the Academy gates opening. This made everyone fall silent and turn their heads toward the Academy entrance.
When Spyro did this, he let out a small gasp. The purple dragon saw a familiar face, one he had really hoped to see again.
"Cyrus!" Spyro called, giving his brother a warm, wide welcome smile.
"Hey Spyro." Cyrus replied softly, returning a gentle smile. "It's been a while."
Vixen was walking, slowly but steadily through a large, flat isle. The ground beneath her feet felt strange as she walked over it. The green grass felt completely diferent to the grey ash she had walked over for almost a century. It was smoother, yet steadier than the ashen soil of the Outlands
Vixen then looked at her left arm, the one the Infernus boy had damaged. She smiled to see a dark, tar-like substance bubbling on her wound. Limbs were always slow, so she didn't worry about it.
Right now, Vixen's mind was focused on one thing, or well more accurately, eight things. The purple brothers and the other lizards that accompanied them. She had to find them again, she had to slaughter them all. So, she sniffed the air, getting back their scent. After a few seconds, Vixen found them, she smiled broadly, showing her jagged fangs to the world.
And so, out of joy, Vixen started singing. Singing her favorite song. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust"
"Rest now my weary prey
Your blood my iron will rust
For your petty life you better pray
Because your death is only just"
"The big ones scream, the small ones cry
The smallest crack, but they all die
For all their sins, in blood they'll pay
Until then, I shall not rest today"
"Ohhhhh, I've missed this!" Vixen howled, adrenaline running through her veins. "The hunt is on again!" She cheered, gripping her purple trophy of a cape tightly.
Author's notes
Hello, chapter six! Everyone be ready for more chapters, and also, maybe longer chapters... maybe longer. But more chapters nontheless!
- I still don't own Skylanders Academy
- Enter Vixen! The terrifying villian from another age. (Is she too scary? Should I tone her down a little?)
- Spyro and his new friends are all together and their training is about to comence and now, with a brand new villian to face, the adventure really begins!