The Legend of Spyro

Warriors of the Fallen

Chapter 4 Oh Look…

"You would think, after traveling for, oh, I don't know A week, we would have found something."

Cynder had to fight from laughing at her partner as they kept moving through the shockingly large forest. The same forest they had been walking through for a little over a month now.

It had not been a dull month, nor an easy one at times. The Knowledge the three of them were passing around was plentiful, and some of the magical techniques that Marshal was showing them were more than exciting, and mastering them was a challenge at times.

Additionally, there were parts of the forest that were so overgrown that travel should not have been possible except for those with magic. There were the occasional oversized hill, small mountain range, and even that one pit to nowhere. Every time they were able to find a stream, always streams never a river, the flow would always teeter out to a small pond, or into an underground tunnel barely large enough for the water to get through, other then the one Lake, which took two days to go around, there had not been any significant body of water they could use as a guide. It was only thanks to the fact that they could see the sun and stars peeking through the tall trees that they knew they were even going in the same general direction at all.

By this point, the only thing they could say for sure was this forest was very, very big and that the animal life in it was either in hiding or was all dead. That was the only major problem, the largest form of game they could find was small game. They had looked several times near the various streams and ponds, but nothing larger than boar had been found. They had been unable to find any bones to try and figure out if there was simply a larger predator nearby.

Cynder knew the two men were worried about not finding anything. But she could also tell they were worried about it in different ways. Spyro was concerned about not finding anything large to eat. Marshal seemed more worried about not seeing any evidence of larger animals even existing. She would have to ask when they set camp what the difference was from the two.

Right now, she just smiled and walked, listing to Spyro rant about their trek through the forest and how empty it all was. Meanwhile, she was trying to use her newly learned Wind Sense. She had yet to get very good at it; she could, at the very least, sense her immediate surroundings, all the way to maybe a hundred feet out if the breeze was pleasant. It was nothing compared to Spyro's Earth Sense.

He'd figured that one out much quicker than any other element, something about feeling where the earth shifted instead of being still made it more accessible. Marshal had said it would make sense that it was easier to see when a static object was disturbed vs. when an ever-shifting current was shifted. When they tested it, Spyro had been able to sense when a songbird had landed on a tree some five hundred feet away. And yet, they both paled in comparison to what their wind dragon companion was able to do.

Marshal's Wind Sense once picked up a storm a day out. He also admitted he was cheating in doing that because he had not been looking for anything, just seeing how the atmosphere shifted instead of sensing the winds' path. When he was actually trying to detect, he got to almost a thousand feet, and all three of them felt that if they had not been in a forest, it might have gone further. But the more things there are to sense, the more magic and concentration it took, the further out you went.

It did not stop them from trying to up it, though. Spyro rarely kept his Eath Sense up; he found it was better to do it in pulses and listing to its returns. His was a problem of limiting the amount of magic he put into it so that he could still understand it when it came back. She continually has to suppress a giggle whenever the spell gets away from him; apparently, her partner has a delicate control problem.

Her problem, on the other hand, was two-fold. She could control it no problem, but the further out she went, the harder it was to summon up the needed wind magic, her other elements kept leaking into the spell matric and making her lose the entire spell. The other side of the coin was that the further out she went, the more overwhelming the information became.

When she sensed, she would see the very air itself, every particle as it bounced around and shifted. She never actually sees anything in the strictest sense; what she would "see" is where the air would bounce off, or move around; everything was a false image. After a certain point, she would start to feel very uncomfortable, almost to the point where she would feel like she was about to be crushed by the very air she was breathing.

Apparently, Ice and Shadow Sense caused similar negative images, while Electric, Fire, and Poison Sense were all about telling subtle differences between things. And don't even get her started on Fear because apparently, that one has multiple different aspects depending on how one naturally formed a spell matrix. Finding out Fear can also count as Sound, Mind, and Vibrations all at the same time was by far the hardest thing for her to wrap her mind around, let alone figure out how to use its version of elemental sensing.

The more they talked about that aspect, the less she understood. Last time they did talk about it, they all agreed they would hold off any further discussions until they spoke to the guardians or was able to do some academic-style research as all three of them were stumped on how that one worked.

Cynder would also admit, even if it were only to herself at times, it was nice to be able to travel for so long with just the three of them. Spyro and herself would probably never become best friends with Marshal. Still, they were gaining a great deal of respect for the guy, even if most of it was from learning just how much he and the others he had been with had figured out with what amounted to zero instruction in magical studies.

Realizing how far her thoughts were going, and identifying the other downside of traveling for so long with so few companions at the same time, Cynder cleared her head and brought her attention to what her partner was saying. More doing a better job of pretending to listen to his ranting.

Apparently, he had gone from ranting about not finding any sentient being for the past month to ranting about the lack of civilization of any form with a mixture of how much he was missing one item or another.

She was trying really hard not to cut him off, it probably would have been with a sharp retort about at least he was able to clean his clothes easily and that if he went anywhere close to asking on the status of her unmentionables, she was going to be "borrowing" his shirt. She was trying hard not to say anything because she knew it would not be a good exchange between them.

Her save came in place of a soft pat on the arm from Marshal and a calm voice in her ear, "Relax, if you dig your nails in any further, you'll start to bleed. He's just letting off some steam. Neither of you has ever gone this long without adult help. It takes some getting used to no longer having that safety net. He'll tire himself out eventually." With that, he walked a bit faster

Immediately afterward, she realized she had been squeezing her fist so severely and that yes, her hand was starting to give off that sharp stinking, telling her she was close to bleeding. As she was subtly trying to shake her hands loose again, she watched Marshal move in front of Spyro, starting to lead their little formation. She could swear he made sure Spyro was looking at him before using his cloth-wrapped feet to toss a stick up for him to grab and start poking bushes out of the way.

She could also almost swear she saw Spyro contemplate something before tossing it away and continue to rant, this time about the forest itself. She could do nothing but do a chuckling sigh as she watched him bulldoze his way through the underbrush while doing this. She decided, with a smile, there was no reason for her to complain, her partner did enough for both of them.

Instead, she went back to practicing her Wind Sense. She barely got her first bit of information back when her smile was wiped off her face as both she and Marshal spun in the same direction. A moment later, Spyro doing the same as he heard what they sensed.

"Screeeeee!"

There are many forms of magic. This is but a quick guide to the most basic forms and terms:

First Types of Magic:

-Natural Magic: This is the magic that uses the energy of the planet, both within the ground and within any creature that lives on it. It is the power of nature and all that resides in it. There are records of rare creatures able to manipulate this unique form of magic, and they are almost always associated with control over plant life. Trying to manipulate a creature's pool of Natural Magic is dangerous and can very easily lead to death.

-Neutral Magic: It is an in-between state of magic, it also exists within all beings, but only the Awakened and the most learned of creatures can use it freely. Has also been called Raw Magic, and Non-Elemental Magic by the less informed. Most examples of Neutral Magic are considered cantrips that require next to no power and rituals.

-Tribal Magic: Commonly mistaken as a branch of Neutral Magic and/or Natural Magic, Tribal Magic varies depending on location, culture, and history. Tribal magic is the most widely seen effect but is rarely seen used type of magic. The common effects of Tribal Magic are what has resulted in the hybrid humanoids seen today. Examples include the Moles, the Dark Apes, and the "Avalon" cheetahs. If you see a human with some form of animal characteristic (ears and tails being most common), their body is likely to be enhanced by a type of Tribal Magic.

-Elemental Magic: By far the most sophisticated form of magic as this branch brings together several more diverse, yet similar in action, magics and is also both the most common and most observed type of magic thanks to his extensive use amongst the Awakened/Dragons:

Fire Magic: Magic, which uses, at its core, Heat for all of its effects. A classic example is a fireball. An extreme version is turning a raging inferno into a fire crystal.

Ice: Scientifically, the exact opposite of Fire, but in practice, it manipulates cold energy. A typical example is a simple ice breath. A different version is in creating solid water sculptures.

Earth: Possibly the most simple in understanding, this type of magic modifies the earth itself. Commonly seen is the creation of rocks or blasting substantial raw energy. Rarely seen is the manipulation of steel and lava, but it has happened before.

Electricity/Lighting: This is one and the same, the modification of a current of energy to do one's bidding. Generally seen as simple bolts of lightning. Has been known to pump extra energy into one's body and increase reaction times and speed.

Shadow: While technically the absence of light, this form of magic operates more in the realm of Void, as in nothing is there at all. It is the second strangest piece of elemental magic for this reason and very versatile because of it. Two common examples include shadow travel and Shadow fire. A difficult to learn and use model is known as Shadow Mind, as in jumping the Void between minds.

Poison: By its name, this form of power should be simple, but in practice, it manipulates the building blocks of life itself. Most known is the acid spray, not well known is Antidote.

Wind: The very manipulation of the Air itself. A typical example is Tornado Breath. The most knowledgeable practitioners are capable of Gas Manipulation.

Fear/Adio/Mind/Vibration: The last example is the most complex among the Elemental Magic. By definition, it should be four separate types, and yet if one can use one form, they can likely use all four. Fear/Mind works similarly in manipulating one's mental capabilities through sound injected magic or complex magic spell matrixes respectfully. While Audio and Vibration both work through vibration, one is the vibration of air, and the other is the vibration of solid objects. All four require specific matrixes to be used and an exceptional understanding of each part. Fear/Sound is considered simple, though rely on one's ability to know their natural magic matrix, while Mind/Vibration is more complex and often requires more power for all but the simplest of spells.

-Aether: Has been mistaken for Elemental Magic before, primarily when used by the "Purple Dragons." At its core, this magic is power, drawing from the very celestial bodies themselves and shaping it with one's spirit. For the previously mentioned Purple dragons, this is a power source for them, allowing them to use almost any form of magic they wish. The only specific uses of Aether Magic, beyond use as just a power source, are that of the Convexity Breath, Convexity Portals, Dark Aether Corruption, and Light Aether De-Corruption. More applications may exist, only those that are Purple Dragons would know for sure.

-Dark Magic: A form of magic that has been likened to evil. There are many versions. The most known is the manipulation of a soul/spirit. It is, by its nature, corrupting. The more one uses it, the more they will want to keep using it. Besides Aether Magic, it is also said that it is the most powerful of magic, but only in that its spells consume everything, from both the caster and the target.

-Light Magic: Also known as Holy Magic and has also been mistaken for Light Aether and Natural Magic. These kinds of magic have been known to do similar things. The difference is generally down to where the power comes from and what it can do. As stated previously, Natural is from the planet; Aether is from the stars, while Light is said to come from the energy within one's spirit. The exact possibilities of Light Magic are just as unknown as Aether Magic. The most well-known example has been the classic Heal spell. Confirmed cases of Light Magic specialists are incredibly rare; cases of people able to instinctively use Light Magic to some degree, less so. Either way, the capabilities of users of this magic vary vastly from person to person based on anything from age to location on the planet making precise study difficult.

Now Terms:

-Spells: A simple word to quickly give meaning/names to everyday uses of magic

-Spell Matrix: The "science" behind a spell. Commonly represented in written works, mathematical figures, gliffs, and equations used to explain how a spell does what it does. In practice, it is used to describe how one goes about using a spell.

-Magic: A powerful energy that is both malleable and resistant to change. It can be used in an infinite number of ways.

-Casting: When one shapes their magic through a matrix and performs a "spell."

-Cantrips: A low-powered spell that can theoretically, be cast without worrying about running out of magic

-Rituals: The act of using objects, locations, words (written or spoken), and drawn gliffs to channel magic into powerful spells over an extended timeframe instead instantly like most spells

-Gliffs: A series of shapes, when drawn together, used to represent how magic "flows."

There is more to each term and type of magic, which will be explored in later chapters…

-The Science of Magic: Somewhere to Start

Spyro could have sworn he knew fast. After everything he had been through, all the fights, battles, and people he had met, he was sure he had seen the limit of speed. And yet, their reaction to hearing the distinctive scream of a dreadwing was immediate and as one. But that was not what was forcing him to redefine speed.

What was forcing him to redefine speed was how quickly the three of them moved towards where the screech had originated from. Even with all the trees and bushes in their way, they ran through the forest at speeds he never thought should be possible. Part of that he knew was because of the magic all three of them were pushing into their body to help speed them up. The other part was probably adrenalin.

Either way, at the speed they were going, they would be reaching the origin point of the sound in no time. In fact, almost as soon as Spyro thought that he noticed Marshal suddenly stop and hide behind a good bolder.

Seeing no reason not to, both Spyro and Cynder follow the older man's example and hid behind the bolder.

When they looked around said obstacle, Spyro was both relieved and saddened at what he saw.

A few hundred feet in front of them was a small clearing, with three decent sized dreadwings armed from head to tail, two ginormous dreadwings with what's best described as cargo netting full of chopped up carcass hanging underneath them. And with them, there were five small apes and two medium-sized ones. Strangely while armed and armored, only the medium sizes were in what could be described as war gear, the little ones looked to heave only a harness, some knives which seemed to be for carving and a crossbow, with ammo for said crossbow on their backs.

"It's probably just a hunting patrol."

Spyro looked to Cynder, who had wisped to the two of them and nodded in agreement. The fact that the smaller ones also seemed to be chopping up small deer added weight to the statement.

Spyro looked to Marshal, who was staring hard at the hunting group. "Something wrong, Marshal?" Spyro also spoke in a whisper.

Marshal shook his head before he responded just as quietly, "No. Just thinking."

The smile formed on Cynder's face seemed to almost bee predatory, "If you're thinking, 'let's kill them and loot their supplies. I'm game."

Spyro's and Marshal's heads snapped to the female in the group, Marshal seemed stumped, and Spyro had to fight to keep his chuckle quite as he realized what was going on, "You just want to kill some apes." He shrugged, "That works for me. But I won't say no their supplies too. Some actual meat will definitely help us."

Marshal's head jumped between the two of them as both of the legendary couple's smile became pure predatory before sighing, "Fine. Just remember, we'll have to be careful."

Spyro waved off Marshal's statement, "A missing patrol might raise some alarm and make the army they are apart of probably shift to find out what happened to them. Right?"

Marshal chuckled and shrugged, "That works. So, After you?"

Spyro smiled, took a step back from the boulder, crouched down and with a might pulse of earth magic launched himself into the air to come down with a sharp crack of a lightning kick at one of the medium apes before finishing it off with a hard thrust of his sword into the small gap between the breastplate and the helm. For Spyro, who had once fought off apes with nothing but elemental magic and his fists, taking these guys out adequately armed was as easy as walking in the forest. Pun intended.

Before Spyro shifted to take out the dreadwings, he noticed Cynder and Marshal rush in with the wind at their heals. And while Cynder used an acid-coated sword cut off the other medium ape, Marshal simply bashed in the small ape's bodies with wind infused punches.

Spyro hid his smile as he lunged at one of the normal dreadwings, ice in one hand and flame on his sword. It felt good to be back in the fight again.

There are many "dark creatures" throughout the world. Some are simple creatures which are as threatening as a predatory animal. Others are so dangerous you don't want to engage, expect with masters in magic or with armies at the ready. As a reminder, the danger levels are determined by two categories, Rank (can also be equated to age and training) and Power (raw ability):

-Soldiers (S) are weaker than lieutenant (Lt), who are commonly less able than sergeants (Sgt), who are lower than Captains (Cpt), who get beaten by Commanders (CC), who get outclassed by Generals (Gen)

-Normal (D) are trained, but loose to Advanced (C) who are experienced fighters, yet are lower than Elites (B) which are highly capable warriors, and yet still get defeated by Epics (A) who are some of the strongest and considered the hight of standard forces but still pale in comparison to Legendaries (L) who are the rare few that can take on any of the lower tears (even a Solder of this category, though rare, can cause significant issues for those of higher Rank) with ease because of training, ability, experience, or straight power.

Here are a quick list and a simple summary of the "common" dark creatures danger levels:

-" dark" wildlife: The simplest of creatures, also referred to as monsters at times and often mistaken for regular predators. Make no mistake, though; they are classified as dark because of an endless thrust for sentient blood. Depending on size, region, and numbers, most prepared sentients should be able to handle these beings. Only the most giant and most dangerous breeds pose a threat to even the weakest village. Danger level - S/D

-Elementals: A bit of an oddity amongst this topic as these beings can work both ways. In general practice, they are commonly seen as wild in magic rich locations of the world and as support/specialist with dark armies. Danger Level - S+/C+ (Note: the strongest elementals have been recorded to need a full squad of A-ranked fighters)

-Apes: An apes strength is determined by its size, armament, and age. Smaller and younger means it's weaker, Larger always means stronger, older means tricker and armament always equate to ability. In general, Danger levels:

Small = S/D with more heavily armed/armored going up from normal to advanced to as high as elite (no epic or legendary small apes have ever been encountered);

Medium lightly armed = a group of Lt/D, a squad of S/C, or a Sgt/D, the most heavily armed Medium apes has been equated to a squad of S/A, a Lt/B, or two Sgt/C (the only epic medium apes to be recorded was the Dreadwing Master and the Ape Assassin, no other medium ape has reached this level or beyond);

Large = Lt/B, Squad of Sgt/C, or CC/D at the weakest point. Large apes are the only group of apes which no squad of soldiers should ever face without backup from stronger forces unless the soldiers are cauterized as an epic or legendary and even then would heed to only engage with an advantage and only the most lightly armed and youngest of large apes. All large apes are considered to be at least Advanced in power when they first cross the category from medium to large, but will quickly advance up the chain from there. Large Epic (A) class apes are ordinary amongst the larger groups of apes, and it is recommended that only CC/B and above fight these creatures.

Ape Generals = While rare, these creatures have been recorded. These beings are the largest, oldest, most heavily armed, and most powerful creatures of the apes. Only engage with either full squads of Epic (A) level forces up to Commander. If a General can fight, recommend an Elite (B) or above for safety. The only exception to this is if Legendary (L) level forces are present. The strongest ape to be recorded was the Master General and Ape King Gual, who was considered to be of Legendary Power.

-Grublins = Individually S/D. Almost all Grublins are low powered, easy to kill creatures. The problem comes in that there is never just one. The creatures, generally summoned/created, multiply quickly and will eventually overwhelm all but the strongest of Legendary fighters

-Trolls = Lt/B, Sgt/B, or Capt/C. These large lumbering creatures are dangerous primarily because of size. A certain level of power is needed even to harm them, which is why the lowest level of danger is lieutenant and sergeant elite levels. Anything weaker and only the most powerful of attacks, those which will drain a creature quickly, will be able to harm it.

-Ghouls = The undead has the largest range, which is similar in category to apes ranging from S/D to CC/B depending on size and armament (the only Legendary Undead Ghoul is considered to be the Ice King of Dante's Freeze0r). Thankfully these creatures are rare and region-locked. If you encounter these creatures outside of the record and know locations, report it immediately.

-Orcs = Lowest record strength Sgt/D, strongest record strength Capt/B. These creatures can always be found not far from their Grublin cousins. They act as the backbone of any Grublin force and, as such, have a wide range of power and strength dependent on region, age, and armament. It is hypothesized that the strongest an Orc can become is equivalent to a CC/A, as they lack the mental power to become any form of General and are not diverse enough to gain the power to become Legendary, but this has never been confirmed

-Wyverns = Normal Wyverns can be considered an S/C, but these creatures will rarely leave their nesting areas. The Dark Variant, however, are Wyervns which have been corrupted and used as mounts by Grublins and are considered to be Lt/B when first turned and can get as strong as Capt/B if left alive long enough. It is possible for Dark Wyverns to bread and is believed that doing so would create stronger creatures, but neither Grublins nor their mounts have shown any interest in seeing if this is a fact.

-Dreadwings = On their own, these creatures are ranked as a Sgt/B level threat. No Lt under elite should engage these alone, and no solder under Epic should engage period. Even the weakest of Dreadwings requires experience and power to defeat. When paired with an Ape rider, the power rankings quickly increase. Like their riders, there are multiple sizes of dreadwings. Unlike their rides, their power level does not vary as greatly. The strongest dreadwings are generally the largest dreadwings, but only because the larger a dreadwing gets, the harder it is to damage, let alone kill. These creatures do not get stronger with sizer or age, only tougher to kill. No Dreadwing has been recorded above a Capt/C's ability to handle, and the only Epic level Dreadwings recorded have been those specially trained by equivalent level riders.

Please note these are not the only types of dark creatures in the world, there are rare types which are not covered here, Golems are the most well known. However, everything under the Rare is categorized on a case by case bases. Even creatures of the same type can not be ranked the same. Using Golems as an example, they can vary depending on a multitude of different factors to include: Size, Age, Location, Experience, Previous battle damage, elemental affinity, Summoner, time of day, time of year, location of celestial bodies, body components, etc.

Future chapters will discuss more detailed information; first for the common dark creatures. Then will go into how to determine rank and power levels for those creatures. And then ways of doing the same for rare and all other creatures as well.

-Power Levels Vollum II: Hostile Life - Chapter 1 Intro to Dark Creatures

AN: DONE! That first part and the ending, good heavens did those cause me issues, except the "book" part, that got added at last minute. I couldn't for the life of me figure out where to go with this. At what point and how did I want to bring some aspects in, and where did I want to end this. Those are to figure out sometimes.

For those of you wondering, imagine this forest as the size of the Amazon Rain Forest, with smaller trees and less above groundwater, and then double it (it would be about the size of the continental US). It'll never fully be revealed, but initially, they started traveling at the very edge of this forest and went through its "widest" areas. They have been, essentially, going the wrong way for the past month. Sucks when you can't get birds-eye views, doesn't it? And no, they never fully travel through this thing because apparently, that would take 5-7 Months! These three have actually been moving faster than an average human would because they are technically able to cheat thanks to a mix of magic and inhuman endurance.

Also, yes, the explanation on magic and power level is so that I can not only throw specific terms around and not contradict myself too much but even so, I can provide explanations on certain things.

For example, I conder Spyro and Cynder to be Capt/A level fighters at this point in the story (both this one and Double-Jointed dragon). This is because that while Cynder has "general" training, it is not useful for where she is in life, and Spyro was never trained to lead. The Rank is very much about the ability and experience needed to lead. Neither of the couple has the need significant experiences in leading large groups of fighters, thus the Captain. In this story, Marshal would be marked at a CC/B because he has led and is experienced in that, but his power suffers when he's leading because he's yet to be able to get experience in unleashing his power while leading at the same time. If based purely off of power, all three would be strong Epics. On a scale of 1-10, 1-3 would be Normal (D), 4-5 would be Advanced (C), 6-7 would Elite (B), 8-9 (Spyro a 9.5 and Cynder a 9.2) would be epic (A), and anything over 10 is legendary (Gual I would say was a 12 and Malefor was a 20). Legendaries are at the top of their tier and sometimes just plain super-powered (Spyro when in Full on Purple dragon mode).

Power isn't everything, which is where the Rank comes in, its also kind of like anime; Numbers are bs. None of these truly scales appropriately, but it helps me to provide a base to go off. And remember the explanation in magic, as there will be times a lower level in one type of magic can defeat higher levels of another, which is why this gets complicated really fast.

I do apologize if things are hard to read in the explanation areas. If it is and you have ideas on improving it, please let me know.

Also, sorry for the delay on this. I actually completed this a few weeks ago but wanted to wait so that I could give it a good proofread at least once before I posted it. And that's all I got for now, so until we meet again, Happy Reading!