The Realms of Chaos
Chapter 6: Journey into the Depths
Rating: PG for now.
Notes: The writer's blocks have got me again. Ack! Well, seeing as I have nothing better to do, here's some response to the reviews of Chapter 5. (Which is a lot. Whoa!)
Nazza: Thanks, buddy. Hearing that you read my stories with intensive care means a lot to me. (And no, I'm not being sarcastic. :p)
ChibiHeartDragon: Heh, I sure hope you don't end up imploding like you did when I didn't update Stormwing, my spastic sister. ^^
Dawnspirit: Like Bane would ever help someone like Changeling, after how Morphina had treated him. He fights for truth, justice, and the sea dragon way now. :)
Silvermoon: I'll make sure to find a spot for Scott somewhere after the Blue Gigas Crystal is stolen from Kraken.
Moonlight Mistress/Twinkles: Thank you. Responses like this really help me write this story.
Redwalgrl: You're right there. Poor Spyro never saw it coming. As for the whole relationship between Snowflake and Ripto, only time will tell.
Silver Wing: Thank you. ^^
Bob: I like seeing reviews like this.
DarkHououmon: That original idea is the reason why I wrote this story in the first place. Heroes and villains working together often have interesting results indeed. *nods*
C.K.Dragon: Thanks for the character submission! Oh, and the Ripto/Snowflake romance doesn't really sound as strange as the pairings the Spyro games created, like a dragon and a faun (Elora/Spyro) and a cheetah and a bunny (Hunter/Bianca). It's interesting to think of such crossbreeds that would result from those pairings. :p It seems that in the dragon and Avalar realms, species don't really matter when it comes to love. :)
DbKiT: Wart will survive the next few chapters. I have something special in store for him in the later chapters. Thanks for reading. ^^
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The mansion was indeed impressive, and Snowflake wondered how they didn't get lost. Eledor the rhynoc was very pleasant as she showed them the important places of the mansion, including the dining room, the library, the bathroom, and their bedrooms. With each room, the group let out a collective gasp as they saw the splendor of the mansion first-hand. Even Spyro, who was reluctant in exploring a rhynoc's home, gazed at the lavish marble that crafted the bathing room.
"and this is your bedroom. Each of you gets your own beds, but make sure not to tear those sheets. It's a pain to sew them back up." Eledor cautioned as the three of them collapsed into an exhausted heap on their corresponding beds. When the rhynoc saw how tired her three guests were, she smiled to herself and left them to their own devices. Snowflake squealed with joy when she felt how soft the bed was, and she now knew how much she missed good living after spending about a week in the rainforest. Spyro looked at his bed, which was an impressive double-decker bed, and cracked a smile.
"These rhynocs sure know how to live. I wonder where they got all the spare gems? I bet quite a few families are missing their life savings right about now..." Spyro inquired as he started to lie down on the comfy mattress. Ripto glared at Spyro. "Geez, just because they're rhynocs doesn't mean they stole their way into making this mansion. If anyone, it's Moneybags that stole his way to the making of his fancy mansion that's smack dab in the middle of Avalar. These rhynocs are really nice to prepare something like this..."
Snowflake just let herself relax on the bed, letting her friends' conversation slowly drift away. She couldn't help but grab the Green Gigas Crystal around her neck; the feeling of its comforting power pulsing against her fingers helped her think. Obtaining the Blue Gigas Crystal is going to be harder then just walking into some jungle, Snowflake thought. The bottom of the ocean had water, which was something the three of them just couldn't take in as oxygen. She looked towards Spyro and Ripto, who were now in a heated argument of whether or not Gnasty Gnorc was still alive. Spyro was an excellent adventurer, but he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of the sea bottom. Ripto, while he was a magic-caster, probably didn't have the knowledge to adapt them to the waters...
But Eledor might. Snowflake suddenly got an idea. Eledor herself said that she was an expert in magic, and sand and surf surrounded her mansion. If she could find a way to convince Grunge that she was of mage blood, then she can figure out how to get into the ocean without filling her lungs full of water. She rose from the bed and walked out of the guestroom. She ran down the hallways, followed by nothing but the sound of her claws clicking against the marble. Her eyes searched for the energetic rhynoc girl. Since Snowflake wasn't looking where she was going, she felt herself crash into a person and knocked both her and the person down to the floor.
"Ack! I'm so sorry! Really sorry! I'll never do it-" Snowflake stopped her mindless babble when she saw how she had run into. A male rhynoc dressed in blue wizard robes similar to Eledor's got up from the marble floor and looked towards Snowflake in concern. He was not as tall or heavily built as the rhynocs Spyro would fight against during his travels, but he looked ten times smarter and ten times more intimidating then any rhynoc in the Sorceress' army. A brilliant golden wand, which was much more detailed then Eledor's, was still clutched in his right hand. Snowflake could catch the family resemblance dead-on. She was staring at the one and only Grendor, the only Spyro villain that gave up his evil ways after Spyro beat him once.
"I see you're one of my sister's guests. For someone who had traveled through a large stretch of rainforest, you sure seem energetic." Grendor replied as he got off from the floor. He offered a hand to Snowflake, who was paralyzed on the ground. She took his hand and she let herself be pulled to her feet. "Luckily for me, you're not that fiery little dragon that always flames first and asks later." Snowflake smiled.
"Oh, he's no trouble. He has a lot of spunk and a real spirit for adventure. Avalar couldn't ask for a better hero." Snowflake said. To make sure she didn't miss her chance, Snowflake asked the question that she had originally reserved for Eledor. "Anyways, I was going to ask your sister Eledor if she knew anything about how to get to the Blue Gigas Crystal."
"How do you know about the Gigas Crystals?" Grendor asked. Snowflake then launched into a detailed story, starting from how she found a dying Ripto in the snow and ending when she entered Grendor's mansion. She made sure to tell him about the Gigas Crystals in exact detail along with the Professor's GCT, which helped locate the gems. What she didn't tell him was that the Green Gigas Crystal was hanging around her neck and the Red Crystal was imbedded in Ripto's scepter. After all, she could never be too sure that Grendor and Eledor could be completely trusted.
"Well, you and your friends have come to the right place." Grendor replied. He slowly led Snowflake back to her room, explaining as he did so. "You see, my sister and I have obtained copies of pretty much every surviving text in the history of Avalar and some of the Realms parallel to Avalar. To have such great knowledge makes our minds open to the world, and we have heard of these Gigas Crystals and the twisted Changeling that hunts them down. Not only that, but having such contact to the ocean gave us a few friends along the way."
"You mean you do have a way?" Snowflake asked excitingly. "Yeah. In fact, we know of a sea dragon that will most likely take you to where you need to go. He's a rather suave fellow that goes by the name of Bane. He doesn't live here, but takes breaks in these waters every once in a while away from his exciting world of fairies and zombie-tamers. He will most likely help you; he's always willing to help solve people's problems if they're willing to ask him."
Snowflake liked the idea. She had sea dragons back at home, but they were so few and far in between. The one that she did see was a wizened old creature with greying scales, yet he still had the fiery spirit that he had during his youth. She smiled when she remembered him; his name was Ateryu, and he was her Magic teacher. Snowflake was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't smell the smoke until she heard Grendor shout.
Ripto and Spyro had obviously started a very heated argument when Snowflake was running through the house. Both of them were covered in burns and ash, but neither of them showed any fatigue. Several pieces of furniture, including some drawers and Ripto's bed, had been set aflame. Little patches of fire scattered around the room gave the area an eerie look to it. Smoke trailed out of Spyro's nose and mouth and the crystal on Ripto's scepter was still glowing dully. When they heard Grendor shout, both of them turned their heads to the source of the noise, saw the angered rhynoc. Both of them pointed a claw at each other.
"HE STARTED IT!" Ripto and Spyro blurted at the same time. Grendor didn't know what to say, but just stared blankly at all the damage. Snowflake burst out laughing at the scene, even though she knew that the damage would be very expensive to fix. Spyro glared murderously at Ripto, his sharp teeth bared angrily.
"It was your fault! You're the one that said my people were brainless fire-belching worms!" Ripto glared back. "My fault? Who's the one who struts into my territory like he owns the world and slaughters all my troops without a care in the world?" "Avalar never belonged to you!" "Shut up, you little firefly!" "Tyrant!" "Demon!" "Shorty!"
That infamous insult that Ripto had heard throughout his life suddenly made him go into a fiery rage. The Red Gigas Crystal, fed by his anger, shone brightly on his scepter as he shouted wordlessly and flung himself onto Spyro. The two reptiles wrestled each other until both of them collapsed into an exhausted heap. Grendor stomped out of the room, muttering about insurance and dragons. Snowflake cracked a smile. Finally, after a week in the jungle, everything was right in the world.
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Laigon was the only sea dragon that was loyal to Changeling. He was a very tall and sinuous creature with creamy yellow scales and a hard brown ridge running from the tip of his beakish snout to the end of his finned tail. Brown stripes ran from his bony ridge to his stomach, giving him a feral appearance. Laigon stood on two powerful legs, which were finned like his tail for the ease of swimming. The only article of clothing Laigon wore was a pair of ripped brown shorts and a belt that held his twin scimitars coated with poison. It was no wonder that Changeling gave him the job of guarding the slave caravans under the title of "Slave Master".
Wart stood uneasily out of Laigon's sight, his newly thought-up plan still jumbled in his mind. In order to help the sea dragon city from Changeling's planned attack; he was going to have to sneak an aquatic slave from the caravans without arousing any suspicion from Laigon. Wart winced when he remembered the cruel curved blades that hung casually across Laigon's chest; he didn't want to meet the business end of those poisoned scimitars. Summoning up as much courage and authority as possible, Wart stepped towards Laigon.
The sea dragon pointed a scimitar at Wart's throat, a sneer curling up on Laigon's beak. "What do you want, Wart?" The two dragons were about the same height, give or take an inch, yet Laigon seemed much taller with all that raw hatred he had against Wart. Wart swallowed nervously and tried to sound like the more powerful officer, even though he just looked silly with all those bruises and gashes all over his body. "I have received notification from Changeling herself to release a sea animal into my care for the time being. If you don't move your sorry hide out of my way, Changeling will show you how powerful the Gigas Crystals really are!"
Laigon took an involuntary step backwards; nothing scared him more then being reduced to ash under the Gigas Crystals' power. He growled in annoyance, and filled his voice full of false sincerity. "You may enter the caravans, Second-in-Commander. I'm sorry to have ever opposed you..." Wart ignored him and stepped into one of the wooden wagons that contained all the captives Changeling had captured over her trip across Avalar.
"Vile slime! You let me out this instant!" Moneybags yelled at Wart. The bear, like all the other creatures in the caravan, was weighed down by heavy chains and therefore couldn't move very much. Immediately, he was shut up by a swift kick from Sheila the Kangaroo, who was sitting just behind him with a chain around her furry neck. "Can't you see that this one is on our side? It's Wart!" Wart smiled at this compliment; at least the captives liked him. He twirled a pair of keys in his hands as he looked among the ranks of captives.
"Are there any sea dragons in here? I need one in order to keep Changeling from leveling their city to the ground." Wart said, his voice reduced to a mere whisper when he mentioned that he was stopping Changeling from doing something. If Laigon heard Wart now, Changeling would arrange a Gigas Crystals appointment for him before he could save the sea dragons in time. The caravan remained silent until he heard a faint feminine voice reply "here." Wart squeezed around several captives until he found the sea dragon that spoke up. Wart had to stretch his neck to see into the sea dragon's seaweed green eyes, for she was about two heads taller then him.
"My name's Maryne and I don't want my civilization to be leveled to the ground!" She said, her sea green scales shifting nervously under the heavy chains. Wart studied her, and saw that she was a very good example of a sea dragon with her gilled chest, long slender legs and tail, webbed feet, two small fins coming from both sides of her head, and the fin running from the top of her head to the tip of her tail. Wart then remembered that Changeling had told him that she wanted to break the "captive sea dragon" so she could ride her into battles. A shudder ran down his back when he pictured a smiling Changeling riding an armor-coated Maryne into a lethal battle...
He unlocked the chains surrounding Maryne's wrists and led her out of the caravan, lightly tugging on the chain on her neck so he didn't arouse any suspicion from Laigon or any other horde members. As Wart led Maryne towards his personal tent he made sure to glare evilly at any horde member who looked at him questionly, because everyone in the army knew that Wart was Changeling's right-hand dragon. His tent wasn't that lavish, just a sleeping bag and a table surrounded by a tent, but it was concealed enough to tell Maryne his plan. He set the end of Maryne's neck chain down on upon the table within claw's reach in case she made a bolt for it. Then, he explained in a low voice.
"I want you to take a letter to the leader of the sea dragons." Wart started in an even but soft tone. He set a letter down in front of her, which had been written just before he got into the slave caravan. "It's been coated with seaweed elixir so it'll repel water, but I need a fast swimmer to deliver it for me. This letter will warn the leader of Changeling's plans and will hopefully make the city go on high alert. Knowing Changeling's persistent nature, it won't stop her plan but will most likely slow her process down. I want you to take this letter, deliver it to the sea dragon leader, and then come back here."
Maryne looked surprised. "Come back here? Why? Won't Changeling suspect something?" Wart smiled as he shook his head. "If she does suspect something then the blame will go to Laigon. After all, he is the Slave Master." Wart said the words Slave Master like they were curses. "Also, I'm going to need you when I finally stab that slimy cat in the back! Just come back at the dead of night; I'll be waiting for you and I'll 'recapture' you so Changeling doesn't get suspicious. So, are you up for it?"
Maryne considered it, and then nodded her head silently when she understood. Without sparing anymore words, Wart led her out of his tent and headed towards the shore where very many horde members wouldn't spot them. Click! The chains around her neck came off with the single turn of a key. The mutated dragon handed her the letter, and she clasped it tightly in her mouth. Giving her the okay signal, Wart proceeded up the beach away from her. Wart looked around, and then came up with the ultimate distraction to make sure she wasn't spotted.
"HEY! LUG-HEADS!" Wart shouted at the horde members who were too close for comfort. They turned their heads away from the shore just as the graceful sea dragon slid into the water without making a splash. Wart pulled down one of his eyelids as some of the dumb lizardmen started to pick up their hard maces. Even the lowliest horde members didn't like hearing some broken and bruised dragon insult them. "Your mothers were a pack of one-eyed worms!" Wart then fled as the lizardmen chased after them with their mouths shouting obscene phrases. He gave the place where Maryne last disappeared a final hopeful glance before the lizardmen caught up with him and beat the snot out of him.
Changeling will never know what hit her. This thought was the last one in Wart's mind before a steel-plated mace knocked him out cold.
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The rest of the day was uneventful at the mansion. As Spyro and Ripto were reluctantly cleaning the ash from the room, Eledor ran in and announced that it was dinner. The three of them were then led to a very lavish dining room, which a long table practically filled to the brim with delicious food. A week of eating nothing but meager fish and fruit really worked up an appetite for the heroes, and all the delicious food soon disappeared in a matter of seconds. After that, the heroes had walked casually in their damaged rooms and slept peacefully for the first time in a week.
The first rays of sunshine gently touched Snowflake's cheeks. Always an early riser, the white dragon rose from her bed sheets and gave both of her webbed wings a great stretch. She let her eyes focus, and she looked out the window. Snowflake gave a loud gasp. A large sea dragon was waiting on the beach while lying down in a lazy position. Snowflake could spot three shapes dwarfed by the massive creature, and she could tell that it was both rhynocs and Spyro, who had risen from his slumber much earlier then Snowflake. Knowing her duty, she quickly grabbed all of her possessions and went to wake up Ripto.
"Ripto, wake up!" Snowflake whispered to the peaceful form wrapped in blankets. The bundle stirred and muttered something. "...Just five more minutes Crush. Even kings need their sleep..." Snowflake, not amused, shook Ripto firmly. "Wake up, you lump! There's a sea dragon outside!"
At the mention of dragons, Ripto quickly rose out of the blankets with his scepter at hand. He noticed Snowflake and said crossly, "They have water versions of those blasted creatures now? Uh, no offense!" Ripto quickly added when he saw Snowflake's cross look. She just shook her head and shouldered her backpack, Ripto following. The pair walked out of the mansion that gave them temporary shelter from the hardships of their quest and onto the beach. The air was still cold, as the day was still new. Just as Grendor had said, Bane the sea dragon was waiting for them.
"So, you're Snowflake, holder of the Green Crystal." Bane started. He lowered his large head down to her level. A shiver traveled up Snowflake's spine as large green eyes studied her intently. "Your friend has told me much about you, and how you saved one of Avalar's biggest threats from a frozen death." Ripto coughed nervously at the mention of him by this large creature. The dragon took some time to stretch its forelegs before continuing. "My friend Grendor took me that you need to get to the Blue Gigas Crystal. Another creature asked me this; a purple feline by the name of Changeling." The three heroes darted worried glances at each other. Bane laughed heartily.
"Hah! Like I tell anything so sacred to someone as evil as her! Since you three are noble of heart, I will take you through the shortest route to the Blue Gigas Crystal. However, there is a catch. The sea dragons are very cautious at this time of peril, so they need to have someone that is a friend to their people escort you through the city. After all, the city contains the entrance to the Kraken's lair, which guards the Blue Gigas Crystal." The three of them didn't know what to say. An escort? After the whole Nazza ordeal, they were hesitant of having a new member so soon. Bane saw their discomfort. "Don't worry. Eledor is sure to help you."
"Eledor!?!" Spyro blurted out. He shot a glance at Eledor, the very rhynoc who both housed him and beat the living daylights out of him. His instincts told him that the rhynoc still couldn't be trusted with something as severe as the Gigas Crystals, but he had no choice to comply. Bane nodded when he heard the trio agree with his choice. "Very well then." Bane stretched down his great neck and rested his chin against the sand. "Climb up onto my back and I'll swim to the sea dragon's city."
Snowflake spotted a flaw. "Wait! If you're swimming, then how will we breathe?" Bane smiled, and then turned his head to Grendor. The rhynoc handed the three of them conch shells big enough to cover their mouths with. Bane explained. "They're enchanted shells. Breathe through them and they'll provide you with enough oxygen to survive the trip down to the sea dragon city. Their city is covered with a bubble of contained air, so don't worry about your oxygen supply. Oh, and since I'll be traveling faster then a swordfish, I'll need your loose belongings."
Snowflake handed her backpack with her necklace and Ripto's scepter placed inside the bag to the sea dragon. Bane took it, flung it into the air with a mighty toss of his head, and swallowed the backpack whole. Ripto made a strangled choking sound when he was instantly reminded on how his first scepter got destroyed. Snowflake nudged him, snapping him out of his state of shock. Now that the belongings were "safely" secured, Snowflake, Ripto, and Spyro climbed onto the sea dragon. Eledor had already taken a seat. Bane's scales made excellent handholds, and soon the three heroes found themselves comfortably seated. Bane gave a mighty roar, which would warn anything diving nearby to steer clear, and submerged.
Snowflake almost let go of her shell when she felt the shock of the cold water embrace her. The sun didn't warm the waters yet, so it was as cold and clammy as a dead man's touch. Bane braced all his muscles, and soon was propelling himself through the waters at a very fast speed. Snowflake felt her heart jump as the dragon surged through the water at such a dangerous speed, dodging sharp rocks and debris littering the sea floor. Slowly, the white dragon began to get used to the speed and began to feel how exciting the travel was. They passed by whales, dolphins, giant sea horses, and sea turtles without a care in the world. Snowflake smiled; it reminded her of flying. This was what the wingless sea dragons called flying, and now Snowflake could see why they thought of it as tons more exciting then boating.
Bane started to slow his pace. He had entered a tunnel that was curving upward towards the surface. He whipped upwards and soon broke the water's surface. The four surveyed the surroundings. Bane wasn't on the surface of the sea where the sun would be touching, but instead in a cave filled with glittering purple crystals that possessed a light of their own. Bane paddled to the cave's shore and let his travelers climb off. As soon as everyone was off his back, he coughed up Snowflake's backpack with the two Gigas Crystals still inside. Bane shook the water from his scales and cleared his throat.
"We're still at the bottom of the ocean, fair travelers. This cavern is called the Serpent's Way. It's a very safe cavern trail that's guarded from predators and filled with jewels to light the way. At the end of Serpent's Way is the main gate for Azura City, the hub where many different kinds of sea dragons live. Eledor will be able to get you through those gates, but I don't know how you'll be able to convince the High Chieftain Moss to tell you where the Blue Gigas Crystal is."
Spyro smiled at the sea-adapted dragon. "We're sure to find a way. After all, we did convince a large monster made of plant material to cough up the Green Gigas Crystal, and we did survive an attack by two of the largest breed of lizardmen." He said quite smugly. Ripto rolled his eyes; he knew that tone of voice all too well, especially when the purple dragon was firing insults at him. Eledor smiled to Bane.
"We'll manage Bane. I've been to this city before, and I'm sure they haven't forgotten me after the magic we gave them." She stated. She started to walk down the cavern, the luminous crystals giving her an eerie glow. Spyro, Ripto, and Snowflake followed her. Spyro started a conversation with the rhynoc, and soon all of them were happily chatting while walking down the strange rocky pathway. With that, the four travelers began the quest to gain the Blue Gigas Crystal.
Bane watched them disappear into the cavern, their happy chatter echoing off the stony walls. He smiled sadly to them. "I wish you luck, little ones. With all the fouls things stirring in and out of the sea, you're going to need it..." And he slid silently into the waters without making a ripple.
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The sun was now in the position for noon. The sands and surf were beginning to warm up under the bright rays of the sun. Changeling took no notice of this change of weather. Her purple fur glowed in the yellow light, making her look like an imposing godly figure. A scowl was fixed on her face and the tender pink scar across her left eye seemed to glimmer. In her right hand was the two Gigas Crystals in her possession, their contained light glowing angrily as if protesting their capture. Her most trusted advisors, Laigon, Crystal, Dark and Wart, all awaited Changeling's decision. Her tail flicked across the sand as she studied the dangerous-looking machine just in front of her.
"I must say, I'm quite pleased with all of you." Changeling began calmly. The machine was twice as tall as her and was built in the shape of the average sea dragon. Its scales were made of waterproof metal. Claws as tough as diamond clawed the sand in front of it. Its serpentine head looked through strengthened glass eyes and had a torpedo launcher hidden inside its mouth. Its wings were slick and streamlined, with powerful propellers attached to both wings. Its back, which was shielded by its wings, held a cockpit that could hold three passengers. It took nine and a half hours of constant toil to make with the plans Changeling had, but everyone knew that with a whole fleet of these monsters she could do massive damage to anything in the water. Laigon looked pleased with himself. Crystal was fascinated. Dark was emotionless. Wart disguised his displeasure by cracking a smile.
"Crystal, hand the troops copies of these plans and tell them to build enough machines to house the whole army. They will work the whole night if they have to, and tell them that they won't rest until their machine is finished." Changeling ordered. The two dragons complied and were soon heading back to the camp where the rest of the army was. When the Crimson Scale was gone, Changeling began to explain her plan.
"By noon tommorrow; we'll launch the attack on the sea dragon city. Everyone better be well rested by then, for there will be no delays! Anyone who does so much as complains about a sore back will have to answer to me. Any questions?" Changeling said as she paced back in forth in front of Laigon, Dark, and Wart. Wart quickly shot a claw into the air. He had no idea if Maryne will have delivered the letter by then. He had to stall for time. Trying not to choke up, he took a deep breath and expressed his complaints.
"Milady, what if the sea dragons have defenses that can deflect our blasts?" Changeling raised an eyebrow and the bruised and battered creature, for he wasn't in the state to state flaws of her plans to her. "They don't have defenses. The sea dragons are too peaceful. How dare you try to spot a flaw in my plans, Toad!" Laigon chuckled loudly at Changeling's insult; Laigon loved nothing more then seeing the dragon be ridiculed. Wart cleared his voice.
"Well, we can try to be sure. We can send just one machine out to scout and find weak spots in the defenses. One machine won't be spotted so easily, and since these machines can send messages to each other the scout can send coordinates of all the weak spots, thus rendering the sea dragon city to dust!" Wart then realized that his plan could be helping Changeling instead of helping the sea dragons. He waited for his mistress to answer. She rubbed a claw under her chin, signifying that she was in deep thought. Finally, she found her decision.
"Good job, Wart. You're finally starting to think like your mistress. Okay. A scout will be sent right now. Since you thought of the idea, you will go." Changeling answered. Wart couldn't believe his luck. The dragon felt his spirits lift at the thought of saving a city from being destroyed by vengeful vessels. However, this feeling didn't last long...
"And Laigon will go with you." Wart's spirits suddenly fell. He slowly turned his head to Laigon. The murderous sea dragon was smiling, flashing two rows of sharp serpentine teeth. He patted his two dangerous blades in a form of blessing his good luck. Wart tried to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth. "Dark, you are Slave Master temporarily until this mission is over. If possible gentlemen, capture a hostage to beat a question out of. Good luck to you both." And with that, Changeling and Dark strode off to finish their own matters. Wart never felt so alone.
"Well well well. Looks like you and me are partners now..." Laigon hissed, his eyes gleaming evilly as he surveyed Wart like a piece of meat. The sea dragon then climbed up onto the sea dragon and sat in the cockpit. Wart, crestfallen by his bad luck, relunctantly followed...
~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~
Deep within the depths of the sea, a creature stirred from its sleep. Pure red eyes filled with malice flickered open and scanned its waters with its excellent vision. No, its cavern of air-exposed treasures wasn't disturbed by any intruder. When it spotted no threat, the creature stretched its flexible spine and gave a mighty yawn, which unsheathed the many rows of daggerlike teeth from its mouth. It smiled to itself as it slid two of its slimy appendages across its greatest prize; the Blue Gigas Crystal imbedded in a pedestal. It was none other then the powerful Kraken, Guardian of the Blue Gigas Crystal.
"Sssoooo, did ye have a nissse ressst?" Kraken asked humorlessly to a bobbing figure floating just above his head, its body touching the surface that separated Kraken's lair from the air-exposed cave that protected his gold. It was a female sea dragon, with golden scales and ruby red fins. Her right claw was outstretched, and it waved in a mockery of the life it once had. Kraken grinned when he remembered the fight the sea dragon had put up; claiming that she wanted the crystal to protect her kingdom from attackers. Kraken saw through her lies. Everyone always wants the jewel for the same reason; to sell the jewel for unimaginable wealth. When Kraken saw her lies, he didn't spare her. He remembered how the dragon struggled under the water as he crushed her gills, prohibiting her from taking in water as oxygen. Soon, the dragon had given up and let the sea claim her final breath.
"Kraken'sss ssstomach growlsss. I mussst feassst." Kraken hissed. As fast as inhumanly possible, Kraken stuffed the dead body into his mouth and ate. The water around his mouth turned a dingy red as rows of teeth stripped the body of its meat. Finally, when Kraken was satisfied, he spat the sea dragon's skeleton out. The dragon skeleton fell apart and settled among the remains of Kraken's other food around the Blue Gigas Crystal. An outstretched bony claw touched the Blue Gigas Crystal, and Kraken quickly swatted it away from his prize as if the claw had the power to steal it from him. Kraken wrapped a tentacle lovingly around his cursed prize.
Suddenly, when he came into contact with the crystal, a scene unfolded in his head. A white dragon, a purple dragon, a female rhynoc, and an orange lizard were walking down a cavern towards the city that contained the sea dragons. They were all land-walkers since they all breathed through lungs and had no gills on their body. Kraken flashed his blood-red teeth; the white dragon and the red lizard had Gigas Crystals. Which meant that if they came into his lair, Kraken would be able to add two more lovelies to his collection. He began to think about how the three exotic creatures would taste against his tongue. It'll be a real feast!
However, he saw something else following the three travelers. The two holders of the Gigas Crystals were being followed by ghostly figures that only Kraken could see with his mind. One shape was a large reptilian creature made of dead leaf litter with glowing red eyes, and he was closely guarding the white dragon with the blue skirt. Another shape was a large bird with feathers made of fire and with slitted purple eyes filled with malice, and he was following the short orange creature in the wizard's robes. Kraken hissed at Grunge and Incinder. Those two guardians could never amount to anything, and since the Gigas Crystals bound them they made sure the holders of their crystals would be protected. "Foolssss, you are. You jussst gave 'em your lovelies! You wassste none of Kraken'sss time!"
Consumed by his visions, Kraken pretended to talk to the four travelers. "Come to me, prettiesssss. A watery grave awaitsss you!"
~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~
End of Chapter 6.
*pretends to be a movie preview man* What will happen to Snowflake, Ripto, Eledor, and Spyro? Will they be able to receive the Blue Gigas Crystal from the crazed Kraken, or will Changeling beat them to the punch? Find out in the next installment of "The Realms of Chaos"! *drops movie preview man act*
Chapter 7 will come shortly, if writer's block does not seize my creative side again. It might be as early as before Valentine's Day (I have a fic planned for that holiday. A nice romantic story!) or might come as late as, well, the length of the last delay. :S
Remember that I won't accept anymore fancharacters until Kraken loses possession of the Blue Gigas Crystal by either Snowflake or Changeling. Who will get it? Nobody knows...(Except me, but I'm not telling before you read the outcome!)
Remember to review! (And no flames! Constructive critism I'll take, but flames just show how immature you really are! And Da Dark One must never be taken seriously, for he is an ass that insulted my best friends just because they like Spyro and my story just because its in the Spyro section!)