Welcome back to Dragon's Torment. Last time, Dragnarok descended further into the bowels of Alchemilla Hospital, not knowing entirely what awaited him, while back at home, his friends, the rest of the Element Guard, started their search for him. But, I will warn you now, finding him will be the hardest thing they ever attempt. And not for the reasons you may believe. So, what happens next? Read on to uncover...
"Down, down, yet further down. Dark, darker, yet even darker. My history has sent me into the depths of the abyss, and so has this world. It seems these monstrous machinations are based in those actions most heinous committed by my claws, whether by my mind or not. What awaits me as I descend further? And will I ever rise again?"
(Our story resumes in the elevator, where Dragnarok is currently dreading anything that awaits him in the bowels of this hospital as No starts talking again)
No: This actually reminds me of another place I visited once. Way more technologically advanced than this place, but elevators still took forever. Even though they were in space!
Dragnarok: (To himself): Great, now I have to listen to this guy ramble, again.
(As No rambles, Dragnarok zones out for a second, only for a second voice to appear in his mind)
?: Believe me pal, I get how you feel right now. He really rambles when he's bored, which is all the time.
(Dragnarok is startled by the voice at first, but regains enough composure to not alert No to his presence)
Dragnarok: (Whispered) Who are you?
Serpens: Call me Serpens.
Dragnarok: (Whispered) Okay, what are you doing here?
Serpens: Trying to help you. I'm not as strong as my friend here, but I'm hijacking his energy signature to send what I know your way.
Dragnarok: Care to explain?
Serpens: Just know you're going to be hearing familiar voices soon. Know how to beat them.
Dragnarok: What?
(Now No hears this, and joins the conversation)
No: Who are you talking to?
Dragnarok: (Lying, and badly) No one.
(As the elevator finishes its descent, we begin to hear disturbed whispers from some... thing... off screen, but Dragnarok notices something in them, as if he recognizes the speakers.)
Dragnarok: Wait... could it be?
No: What?
Dragnarok: It has to be!
No: What on earth are you talking about?
(As the elevator doors open, Dragnarok rushes out towards the source of the whispers, with No just being confused)
No: What the heck is going on here?!
(As Dragnarok rushes off towards the source of the whispers, we transition to the monitoring center of the Element Guard's headquarters, where Blaze and company are trying to track their missing leader, particularly focusing on Shade, the shadow dragon from earlier, speaking to a dark green Earth dragon with almost tree root like horns)
Rokko: You think this'll end well?
Shade: I have faith in our leader.
Rokko: So do I, but come on Shade. He just vanished, what if he doesn't want to be found?
Shade: This isn't how Dragnarok acts. He's under some sort of psychological stressor. I'm certain of it.
Rokko: (Looking back towards Blaze, then back to Shade) If Dragnarok doesn't turn up...
Shade: Don't even think about it, Rokko. You will go nowhere near Blaze if Dragnarok doesn't return.
Rokko: Come on, Shade. She's going to need a shoulder to cry on if he dies. And if she ends up falling in love with me, so be it.
Shade: She already swore her love for Dragnarok. If he dies, she'd probably take a vow of chastity or something.
Rokko: Yeah. And it's a real shame too, given we'd...
Shade: You will not attempt to court Blaze if Dragnarok does not return.
Rokko: Oh don't act like you wouldn't try.
Shade: You know as well as I do I am already in a committed relationship.
Rokko: Come on, Shade. You tried courting Blaze for years before you started with Tundra!
Shade: (Barely resisting the urge to strangle Rokko.) Look. I was confused in my search for love, and angry at myself for falling for Tundra at first. Eventually I overcame my self-anger and admitted my feelings for him, and we've been happy ever since. You may not understand our relationship, but he is the only person who's ever genuinely loved me for who I am, and not tried to force me into being someone else.
Rokko: Whoa. I... I had no idea...
Shade: My point exactly. (Changing the subject as he spies a Poison dragoness trying to pretend she's not listening in) And besides, I don't think Sizzle would appreciate you trying to court her best friend when you two are pretty committed.
Rokko: Good point.
(Now we transition to Blaze checking with a light blue Wind dragoness who appears to be examining a particular map)
Blaze: Anything, Twirl?
Twirl: Nothing quite yet. I've dispatched APB's to each of our ally nations to keep an eye out in case Dragnarok shows up.
Blaze: Excellent. (Noticing Twirl seems distracted) You okay?
Twirl: (Sighs) Not really.
Blaze: What's up?
Twirl: It's Blitz. Let's just say... things aren't going well with us right now.
Blaze: What do you mean?
Twirl: Well that... spark just hasn't been there for us in a long time.
Blaze: You think your relationship is dying out.
Twirl: She insists it isn't, but... I can tell the feeling isn't there.
Blaze: Then tell her. Maybe you two can work something out.
Twirl: You're probably right. But, it can wait until we find Dragnarok.
(Now as the team starts working out their own emotional baggage, we transition back to Dragnarok, who has finally found the source of the whispering, but No has caught up to him as well)
No: I wouldn't go in there if I were you.
Dragnarok: Or what? You'll just ramble about space elevators some more?
No: You'll forgive me if I ramble when I'm bored.
Dragnarok: Are you ever not bored?
No: No! Why do you think I'm liking this! This is the most excitement I've had in a long time!
Dragnarok: I'm not even going to ask. If you need me, I'll be on the other side of this door.
No: Alright, don't say I didn't warn you.
(As Dragnarok pushes through the doorway, the whispering stops, much to his confusion)
Dragnarok: Hello? Guys? I know you're here. Blitz? Tundra? Rokko? Sizzle? Leroy? Twirl? Shade? Hydrar? Bloodtar? Where are you?
?: Finally, he has arrived.
?: Took him long enough to get here.
Dragnarok: Blitz! Shade! Thank the Ancestors you're here!
?: We've been waiting for you, Darkblood.
Dragnarok: What are you guys talking about? It's me. Dragnarok!
?: Dragnarok? He died during the Injustice Wars.
?: Then you took his place.
?: The real Dragnarok has been dead for years and is never coming back!
Dragnarok: What are you guys talking about?! I'm right here!
?: Claim that all you want, Darkblood, you won't fool us!
?: You took our leader from us...
?: And now you will pay!
(With that, the shadows in the room subside as 9 giant dragon heads, each appearing to resemble the other members of the Element Guard, sans Blaze for some reason, appear from them, all revealed to be attached to one grey body.)
Dragnarok: (Looking upon this beast in horror) What... What are you?!
Ztilb: (Revealing more jagged electric spark like horns) The very people you despised!
Edahs: (Showing the jagged spikes of pure shadow on it's neck) Now brought together to finally exterminate you!
Lriwt: (Showing jagged feathers along it's neck) One against nine, you stand no chance!
Ratdoolb: (Revealing a leech-like tongue as he speaks) Prepare to die, Darkblood!
(With that, each of the nine heads start trying to attack Dragnarok with their elemental abilities)
Yorel: (Showing it's head is covered in metallic hooks on chains) Take this, monster!
(That specific head of this creature then flails about, sending the hooks on it's head straight at Dragnarok, who manages to dodge, while the sea serpent looking head and the decayed/nearly skeletal poison head start breathing their elements at him. As he dodges, a dark green head with rocky armor protruding from it starts slamming itself into the ground near where he stands, attempting to flatten him, as a white head with what appears to be a beard made of icicles tries to freeze him)
Ardnut: You will not escape us!
Okkor: You have avoided our wrath for too long!
Rardyh: You will face justice!
Elzzis: DIE!
(The heads continue their attacks against Dragnarok, who is refusing to fight them for some reason, until No shows back up again)
No: What are you doing?! You have to fight back!
Dragnarok: I can't! Those things are supposed to be my friends!
No: Really?! Your friends are horrifying monsters who all share one body?! Man, even I know that's not why you're holding back! But let me tell you something, you can't do that in this world! That thing is not a conglomeration of your friends! It's just a monster, and you need to destroy it if you want to have any chance of getting out of here alive!
(With that in mind, Dragnarok actually gets a good look at this creature, and is finally able to see past the voices of his friends, and see the monster he's really facing. And only now does he realize Serpens' message.)
Serpens: Just know you're going to be hearing familiar voices soon. Know how to beat them.
(Now, with that in mind, Dragnarok realizes what he has to do, and leaps right onto the sea serpent looking head, which draws the attention of the ice-bearded head, releasing a stream of ice at Dragnarok, only to freeze the head he was standing on solid, destroying it as it hits the ground. Now seeing what he has to do, Dragnarok lands on the rocky armored head, prompting the decaying Poison head to spit a stream of poison at it, dissolving it entirely. Dragnarok continues to leap about on the heads, drawing each one's attention to another, and knowing he had to use them to destroy them. First having the hooked head sever the Wind head with a hook, getting blood from it on the ice-bearded head, attracting the leech tongued head to it, draining the blood from and out of it. This attack brings the shadow-cloaked head over in anger, as shown by how it rips the leech-tongued head clean off for attacking the other head. This process brings the hooked head back into the fray, which the electric spined head starts fighting, using it's own hooks to slash it's throat, until only two heads remain. Dragnarok knows what he has to do, and leaps onto the shadow-cloaked head, prompting the electric spined head to start charging up an attack)
Ztilb: This is where you DIE!
(However, the burst it charged is stronger than anything it can handle, and when it is released, Dragnarok leaps off the shadow-cloaked head, which is itself incinerated by the light of the burst, while the electric spined head explodes from the sheer charge like Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark. As the explosion subsides, Dragnarok lands on the floor, with a bit of blood and chunks of head still on him, which he brushes off in disgust)
No: Okay. That... was... AWESOME! I haven't seen anything so exciting in years!
(But Dragnarok doesn't hear No at all, instead focusing on what appear to be spectral auras floating around the room, each originating from where a head of this hydra-like beast used to be)
Dragnarok: Um... what is happening here?
(Suddenly the auras fly from the room and into Dragnarok. Once all the auras have been absorbed, their energy coursing around him like Thanos with a completed Infinity Gauntlet, Dragnarok lets loose a furious blast of each of the beast's nine elements in rapid succession, littering the room in ice, water, burn marks, poison puddles, and literal blood.)
No: What the hell was that?!
Dragnarok: The other reason I wasn't fighting. (Looking at the burn from the bloody beast earlier) Melee does no good against them. They just get are angrier from it. And I haven't been able to use my elemental abilities since being freed from Darkblood's influence. But if the state of this room is anything to go by, I just got them back. Mostly.
No: Well, that ought to be helpful going forward. Since if I'm remembering this place correctly, there's a lot more where they came from.
(Just as No says that, a door opens, with a light behind it)
Dragnarok: That must be the way out of here!
(As Dragnarok runs towards the open door, we transition back to the Element Guard headquarters, where two very familiar dragons have appeared)
Spyro: Blaze, we got your call. What's going on?
Blaze: It's Drago. He's vanished.
Cynder: What?!
Spyro: (Panicked as well) Please tell me you've got a lead on his location!
Cynder: We've already lost him once, we can't lose him again!
Sizzle: No need to worry. We're trying our hardest to find him.
Bloodtar: But we can't say with certainty that we know anything about his location.
Hydrar: What my brother is trying to say is we haven't found him yet. But we're looking.
Tundra: Rest assured, Dragnarok will be found.
Leroy: Eventually.
(As Spyro and Cynder join the search for their son, our tale ends for today)
Well, that was a long one. Now we've had our first real boss fight of this story. Now I don't know for sure what parts of the Element Guard backstories I've put in here will stay canon by Yami's standards, I'm just working with what I have and what I think makes sense. Yami, if there's anything I need to change, let me know. Anyways, Dragnarok has the majority of his abilities back and is now leaving Alchemilla hospital, so what awaits as we press on through Silent Hill? And who is this mysterious Serpens? Tune in next time to find out! Same time... same channel... same horror...