The Realms of Chaos

Chapter 10: Outlaws of the Balance

Rating: A very high PG. It's too high for PG, but it's not so bad that it needs a PG-13 rating. What would make the rating go up is if:
A) One of the characters launches into a cursing fit.
B) Someone suffers a very violent death

Author's Notes: Think of the fancharacter submission thing as a privilege, not some way to mold the story into your liking. I'm getting some creators of fancharacters that are being a bit too pushy with the characters. Some of them even want their characters to replace the roles of Snowflake, Spyro, and Ripto! Don't like the way I write my story? Write your own! The Realms of Chaos is my creation, and it goes the way I want it to go! In fact, all of the fancharacters can be easily replaced with one of my original characters just as easily, and I have the nerve to do so with some of you ungrateful types...

It was now morning in the Mystic Mountains. The sun was once again rising in the East, lighting the mountains around them with a heavenly glow. Birds started to stir from their sleep to call forth their greetings to the rising sun. The scene was picture perfect; the type that any photographer would die to see.

Jira took a deep breath of the mountain air as she watched her companions wake up one by one. Ripto and Snowflake were the first ones to wake up, and then Spyro, Spyretta, and Spyrius after that. Scott was still slumbering peacefully near the fire, his bronze scales absorbing the heat, but she could sense him stirring slightly. With a cheerful smile, the faun padded to the fire and conjured food for them to eat. She didn't notice the conversation that Spyro, Snowflake, and Ripto were conversing quietly just a few feet away from the fire.

"I don't trust that Jira. I know she's up to something!" Spyro said to Snowflake and Ripto. The white dragon exchanged glances with the cloaked dinosaur, both of them not knowing what to think of their new companion. Ripto rolled his eyes at Spyro.

"Please, Dragon. Just because she worked for me during our first adventure against each other doesn't make her a bad guy. Sure, she has powerful mind magic capable of making anyone senseless with a thought. She could probably be reading our minds right now..."

"You're not making the situation any better, Ripto." Snowflake said as she popped a piece of bacon into her mouth. She chewed slowly as she watched Spyrius, Spyretta, and Scott converse with Jira about the map. Every question that one of the new travelers shot to Jira was answered with the same "The map is a fake" statement.

"Did you hear the tone of voice when she said the map was a fake? You could tell that she was lying..."

"Snowflake! Why are you taking the dragon's side?" Ripto pleaded, slightly taken back by the way Snowflake was supporting Spyro's theory. At this time, Scott, Spyrius, and Spyretta were done talking to Jira and were watching the three reptiles fight on the matter. Spyro and Snowflake still supported the idea that Jira was not to be trusted, while Ripto thought that they were just being biased just because Jira used to work for them. The mountain faun seemed to have timed her approach, for Ripto was about to send a fireball at Spyro's way when she trotted up to them.

"Good news, my fellow travelers! I'm going to take you through a shortcut that will let you be at the fortress of the Purple Gigas Crystal by tomorrow morning! How does that sound?" The three new team members gave a whoop for joy, Ripto gave Spyro a smug smile, and Spyro and Snowflake gave Jira skeptical looks.

"That sounds great, my loyal subject. In fact, why don't we start now before the purple demon decides to change the minds of our other companions!" Ripto said cheerfully. He then shot a glare at Spyro to emphasize on his words. But instead of cowering or fleeing in terror like Ripto's desired results would be, Spyro merely looked down at the Blue Gigas Crystal hanging from his neck in indifference. As Spyrius and his sister extinguished the flames, Spyro gave a snide comment to Snowflake.

"Something tells me that lizard boy is jealous. He probably thinks I'm moving in on you." Spyro said rather tartly. Snowflake said nothing, but inside of her, her heart leaped. 'Well, that confirms it. Ripto definitely has a crush on me. And here I was thinking that he would never go to first base with a dragon.' Snowflake thought to herself in her mind as Jira led them out of the cave.

They walked from one mountain to the next by means of both natural and artificial bridges, which contributed to bruises on the lizards' unprotected feet. Snowflake trailed in the back, looking down at the GCT in front of her. The machine vibrated in her claws as it tracked a Gigas Crystal, but luckily Jira paid no heed to the bleeps and bloops. The map showed only a little crystal icon among a cluster of upside down V's, so Snowflake really had no idea whether Jira was leading them to the jewel or to an ambush. Ripto and Spyro glanced back at her almost in unison as she tried desperately to figure out where Jira was really going.

"Well, we're almost here!" Jira announced to her followers. Spyrius, Scott, and Spyretta gave hoots of joy, while Spyro, Snowflake, and Ripto remained suspiciously silent. Snowflake raised an eyebrow to the faun.

"I thought you said that we'd be at the Gigas Crystal by tomorrow morning? It's barely even noon as it is!" Snowflake asked the mountain faun. Jira gave a laugh, her shaggy bushel of hair falling across her shoulders. She then signaled the travelers to stop with a wave of her furry hand. She slowly turned her head to Snowflake, and even Ripto could see a dangerous twinkle in her eyes.

"I don't mean the crystal, dragon. I mean my fortress." She stepped closer to Snowflake until her little deer-like nose was almost pressed to Snowflake's rounded dragonish snout. Without a word, the GCT was snatched from Snowflake's hands by an unseen force and was held up to the dragon maiden.

"What's this?"

Snowflake tried hard to smile at Jira, but instead all she could manage was a rather suspicious-looking smirk. "It's the Gigas Crystal Tracker. The Professor gave it to me to help us track down the Gigas Crystals."

"A Gigas Crystals Tracker? Sounds interesting. Of course, I already know the way to the Purple Crystal..."

The mountain faun narrowed her eyes on the device, and suddenly the same machine that the moleish Professor had spent ten whole days to create with his bare hands snapped in two. Snowflake's companions gasped as the pieces of the once proud device fell next to Jira's feet. Crunch! A heavy cloven hoof stepped on the shards of metal.

"And we don't need some earth chewer's weak devices to get us there!" Jira's tone of voice suddenly changed from the peaceful calm to one of suppressed anger. She stomped on the jagged pieces again and again until nothing was left of the GCT save for a pathetic pile of scraps. The entire group fell silent at Jira's display of anger. None of them had the sense to speak until one of them summoned enough courage to.

"Wait, why would a mountain faun need a fortress?" Spyrius inquired. Again, Jira smiled. She made a sweeping gesture with her hand, and Spyrius fell to the ground in a senseless leap.

"Simple. The leader of the Outlaws of the Balance needs to have some kind of base to keep her legion of cutthroats busy in." Spyro screamed a battle cry and launched himself horns-first at the mountain faun. Jira was quicker. Spyro instantly became motionless, his helpless body floating in mid-air just inches from Jira's hide. She held him at eye-level. Spyro spat at her face.

"You tricked us! I knew you weren't taking us to the Gigas Crystal!" With a snap of her furry fingers, Spyro fell to the ground and didn't get up again. Scott and Spyretta succumbed to the same end when they ran forward to help the purple hero.

"Jira, what's the meaning of this? I thought you were loyal to me!" Ripto whined. The dangerous mountain-climber stepped closer to him. Snowflake screamed wordlessly and tried to rise to protect him when she felt as if ropes bound her. The white dragon struggled against nothing as Jira backed Ripto into the stony wall of the mountain they were climbing on. The Riptoc whipped out his scepter, but Jira paid no heed to it. Suddenly, Ripto was lifted off his feet by that same invisible force Jira commanded and was held at eye level to her. She shook him with her psychic power as she shouted to him.

"Loyal? Why would I be loyal to a stuck-up, egotistical, red-scaled, no-good, son of a skink!" Despite her position, Snowflake found herself wondering what Spyro would say he was conscious enough to hear that insult.

"You have no idea how long I waited in the Mystic Marshes for your recognition. You have no idea how easy world conquest could've been performed had you listened to my plans to concentrate all the biggest weapons on the area that Spyro was currently occupying. Did you listen to a single word I said! NO! Let's spread all the troops out and attack the places evenly! Let's do this the sportmanshippy way!"

Jira threw Ripto down with all the force she could muster. The lizard fell to the stony floor, cracking the back of his head against rock. His vision swam with four images of a murderous faun standing above him. She pressed one of her hooves against his stomach. "Well, I have just the nerve to cut the end of your life right here. I guess breaking a few ribs won't harm a big, strong leader like you!"

"NOOOO!" Snowflake broke the bonds of Jira's spell, ran forward, and tackled the faun. The traitor didn't see it coming. Fur and scales blended together as the two women fought against each other. As they thought, Ripto watched with the last of his strength, a hand placed over the bleeding wound on the back of his head. Of course, fighting on a somewhat narrow path that ran next to a cliff that was over a thousand feet high above the ground wasn't a very safe choice, and soon Snowflake found herself with her head dangling over a thousand foot drop. Jira wiped some blood from her mouth.

"You fight well for a dragon, girl. As much as I want to drop you and your annoying friends to their doom, every intruder of the Mystic Mountains must be brought alive to my fortress. And if you didn't have to open your big mouth and find a fault in my plans, your little group of scaly freaks would've made it to my fortress without a fight." Jira said. She climbed off the dragon's body and let her rise into a sitting position.

"Of course, now I'm going to have to do it the hard way now. Goodnight, Snowflake Laterose!"

Suddenly, just like last time, the world went black. Only this time, Snowflake's last thought wasn't that of terror, but one that was filled with the bitter sense of betrayal...

"Tell me again why you dragged me out here, Wartface?"

Wart pretended not to hear Nazza's comment as they cooked a rather meager breakfast over a fire just as the sun was moving slowly towards its noon position. They had been marching since Changeling had forced them to sometime after Wart made his decision to bring Eledor, Elora, and Nazza with him to grab the Purple Gigas Crystal for their master Changeling. After a day and half a night of rock-climbing, the troop had fallen asleep underneath a protective barrier put up by both faun and rhynoc. Without lighting a fire to reveal their position, the team members had used each other's bodies as their only heat source.

Nazza and Elora weren't pleased with their new position. Marching over rocks and always keeping one eye over their shoulders in case of any marauders didn't seem much of a step up from being whipped by Laigon while being fed scraps unless the Crimson Scales or Wart brought them food. Eledor, on the other hand, didn't want to stay behind while those lusty male rhynocs were around in the horde to hurt her. Besides, she enjoyed Wart's company much better then anyone else in the horde.

"Look, it was a lot better idea to bring you, Elora, and Eledor with me then some random shmoes from Changeling's horde. After all, you three hate her as much as me, not like those overly loyal lapdogs called lizardmen." Wart stated plainly as he took a bite out of some still cold stew made out of fish and leftover meat. Elora nodded silently as she took a bite out of her breakfast; even Nazza could see Elora's coat get shinier and meat return to her bones.

"Still, aren't these mountains full of crazed psychic freakos that are liable to jump us at any minute?" Nazza retorted. The blue wolf glanced around his surroundings every five seconds as if a rock or a twig would suddenly turn into a yawning abyss that would swallow them all. Wart said nothing, but he felt a shiver crawl up his spine. Nazza had a point; this place was too quiet. A cold wind blew, as if whispering that their fears were becoming reality.

"We need to get moving." Wart commanded, partly because he found comfort in hearing his own voice in the silence of this haunted mountain range. The others agreed. Nothing seemed better then getting out of the strange land that had currently engulfed them.

"Really? That's a shame. We really want you to stick around more..." A mountain faun materialized out of the stark wasteland behind Wart's back. A shiver went up the twisted dragon's spine as he felt the icy cold touch of pure steel behind his back. He felt bloodless lips press to his ear.

"Make one move Ugly, and you'll be breathing out of your back from now on." Wart took heed of the faun's warning as he saw his friends being bound before him by a group that consisted of humans, dragons, and a few renegade monks from Colossus. Nazza had lashed out with his teeth and claws only to be overpowered by numbers. Eledor had even given two of the intruders black eyes before she too fell to the attacks. Wart made a growl to his capturer.

"What did we do to deserve this kind of welcome? We have no riches, no food besides overly salted swill, and none of us are royal in blood!" Wart shouted. He was partially lying, for Elora was very well known throughout all of Avalar and was often considered a princess among her people. Luckily, Laigon's abuse on her body gave her a disguise of sorts, as none of the fauns' lackeys took any notice of her as they brought out ropes to bind her with. He forgot the knife in his back when he saw his friends being tied up like pigs ready for a Hawaiian luau. He hissed, his voice resembling an angry viper. How dare they hurt his only friends. He took a step, but then he felt the dagger dig deep enough into his back to draw blood. Wart's eyes closed; his will power must overpower whatever his heart says for now.

"You're trespassers, and trespassers must be brought to Jira the Outlaw. Oh, how big a promotion Fenre will get!" The faun, who Wart assumed was named Fenre, hissed delightfully. 'Outlaw? Oh Rhynocs, he's an Outlaw of the Balance! Why am I always the one suffering from the bad luck?' Wart thought to himself.

"Yes, oh yes. Jira will love to have the royal boot-licker of Changeling's to bend to her will." Wart winced at the insult but said nothing as Fenre ordered some rather grimy-looking human males to drag Nazza, Eledor, and Elora closer to him. There was a muffled whine when Nazza's captor dragged his body over a jutting piece of rock. The Outlaws of the Balance paid no heed to any cries of pain from their bounty.

Rope dug into Wart's painful blemishes, and the captors paid no heed to his scars as they bound his fragile wings. He was thrown to the ground just inches from Fenre's hooves. It felt like deja vu to Wart; Fenre reminded him somewhat of Changeling when she was in an abusive mood. He always knew what to do in this position, so he just buried his snout into the dirt to reduce the swelling as Fenre glowered down at him.

"I hope you had a good rest, because we're not making the trip easy for any of you!" And with those words, the four misguided creatures found themselves half-led, half-dragged to their new destination, unsure of what their fates will be.

"See? What did I tell you? But did you listen? Noooo..."

Spyro was making an ass of himself to Ripto as Jira's goons dragged them closer to the Outlaws' settlement that was carved into the mountain face. Each step was more jarring to the bones then the last, especially with Ripto's new head wound. The mountain fauns seemed to know how to make a hike rough for their captured bounty for they seemed to make each hoof step kick up a flying shard of sharp rock at the heroes' feet.

Snowflake flinched as she felt stone cut through her scales, cloaking her feet with a thin stream of blood. Ripto and Spyro didn't look much better, considering the bruises Jira gave them beforehand. Ripto gave her an apologetic look before looking straight ahead. Snowflake stole a glance from a watch that Eledor had given her shortly before her capture and didn't seem surprised at the fact it read 3:45 p.m.

Jira remained the icy female that she always was, but she seemed so confident that her plan would be a success that Ripto seemed nonegotistical in comparison. Her sly smile, her way of walking superiorly in front of them, and her cruel eyes glaring down at her prizes could only be compared to one person; Changeling herself.

"We're here, my companions. My headquarters." Jira said rather icily as they stopped at a rather imposing structure. It was carved in a way so that people would mistake the base as ancient ruins long forgotten by civilization. Everything seemed to be crumbling into dust, from the irregular slants in the rock that served as windows to the large stalmites that framed a large hole in the mountain that served as the main entrance. Sounds of people doing menial labor echoed faintly inside.

"I can tell that you're impressed. That witch Robin has no idea that her worst enemies are hiding right under her nose. She has to create a law that all ancient buildings must not be tampered with. Well, that's her loss, isn't it?" The six reptiles said nothing, but Jira could hear their rather venomous thoughts as if they spoke them out loud. Without another word, they entered the fortress.

In a mass contrast of the crumbling outside, the interior of the base consisted of the finest technology the Outlaws of the Balance could come by. Mountain rock became smooth marble tiles beneath their feet as they examined all the gadgets that a mixture of human, dragon, rhynoc, and faun used to map out the entire world of Avalar underneath their fingertips. Typing, bleeps, and bloops filled the base as many of Jira's troops plotted out the location of everything in Avalar. Spyro stole a look from one of the monitors, and saw a large mass of red dots condensing through the mountains. His eyes narrowed; even though he had no idea how he could've guessed, he knew that those dots signified Changeling's army.

"With the combination of our psychic power and this wonderful technology, we know more about Avalar then anything else on the Earth!" Jira announced. She led them down a hallway away from all the action, where the tiles faded away into mountain rock again and the spectacular florescent lighting became swinging light bulbs on wires. The sound of water dripping filled the air, making the place seem more like a cave then ever.

"Now, to take you to where we place all the intruders of the Mystic Mountains before they carry out their tasks..."

"Fenre's got some new intruders, Jira!" An energetic faun nearly collided into Jira as he scrambled across the rock. Jira took no notice of it, and was very ecstatic about the news about new victims. She quickly commanded him to bring them forward. Fenre obliged with ease and soon some nameless humans started dragging in four rather bruised and battered creatures. Spyro, Ripto, and Snowflake recognized them immediately.

"You again? Why must you keep following us?" Sure enough, when Fenre captured Wart, Eledor, Nazza, and Elora, they were closer to the Outlaws of the Balance base then Jira was. Now, the three Gigas Crystal-collecting heroes were face-to-face with Changeling's second-in-commander, the wolf that abandoned them at the Ruins of Mist, the rhynoc that Wart and Laigon captured in Kraken's Cave, and Spyro's main squeeze that had waved them off when they had left for the quest many weeks ago. For a while, none of the teams spoke. Scott was the first to speak.

"Elora? What are you doing here in the midst of these foul creatures?" Scott asked to the disheveled faun. Wart snorted indignantly despite his position.

"I have you know that if you knew why we were in these mountains, you wouldn't call us foul."

"Hah! Everything you do is foul, you retrid pile of Riptoc cra-"

"Snowflake! You shouldn't call Wart names!"

"No! Wart is controlling Eledor like he's controlling Nazza!"

"SHUT UP!" Jira's voice rang true through the squabbling group of bound creatures, stopping a fight before it even started. Suddenly the arguments ceased, which was a good thing too. Most of the bound creatures looked ready to burst from their ropes and draw blood. She stepped in-between her bounty and Fenre's, surveying the creatures with narrowed eyes.

"I'm going to tell you why all ten of you are here. Unless you want me to knock you unconscious again..." The teams quickly made noises of disapproval.

"Good. Now, as you all probably know, the Purple Gigas Crystal is found within these mountains, and I bet you know that a Gigas Guardian by the name of Robin is guarding it. For as long as that crystal has been there, Robin has been the ruler of the creatures of the Mystic Mountains. She uses the crystal to signal authority and is always the one to pass laws. We of the Outlaws of the Balance plan to stop her reign of bigotry once and for all."

She stopped for a moment to see if her explanation was registering in her audience. She then continued. "The reason why you're here is because of the Crystal's prophecy. Just as that Green Gigas Guardian rang that only mage blood can be the correct holder of his crystal, and the Blue Gigas Guardian cried that only true heroes can touch his treasure, Robin's Crystal has some special rules to follow. Only a dragon born from outside the mountains with slyness, calm thinking, and a heart of gold can be the crystal's true holder. That's where you all come in."

"But I'm not a dragon..." Ripto choked out. Nazza, Eledor, and Elora said the same thing. Jira ignored their complaints.

"Of course you four aren't dragons! But you're cavorting with dragons in a way that I am disgusted to see. Some of you are even falling for dragons; a low act that even the most irate commander would commit! And I can't abide dragon lovers!" Jira's words struck home as she broadcasted her disgust into the minds of those responsible. Ripto flinched, Elora lowered her head in shame, and Eledor couldn't help but feel bad.

"That is why you're with the dragons to do the same tasks as the dragons, or else I cut your throats like the slimy dogs that you are."

"If you knew exactly what creatures filled the spots, why isn't the Gigas Crystal in your hands?" Spyretta commented. Jira pretended to be more interested in the color of her nails then the question the dragon female asked. The tone of her voice chilled their spines when she said, "Simple. Every dragon I've sent to Robin's hideaway is dead." Her statement alone was enough to rile up every single one of the bound creatures.

"I don't care if I'm a dragon or not, I'm not working for you! I'm not throwing my life away!" Wart hissed. Everyone else agreed with him. Spyrius and Spyretta hissed negative comments to the faun, Snowflake and Spyro shouted insults and threats, Scott threatened to run her through, and the non-dragons supported their friends in the din. Fenre, forgotten by the uproar, silently slipped away from the fight as all the captives' voices rose to a frightening level. The faun couldn't take it anymore; with a shout, she used her psychic powers to launch a bruising blow at the captured creatures. That stopped the complaints. None of the ice was in her voice when she spoke again.

"Well, if that's how you ten like it, then I have no choice but to throw you into your cages. Guards!" Five burly rhynocs materialized out of nowhere from her calls. They scooped up the robes tied to them and slowly dragged them down the hallway into a darker and damper part of the mountain base. The ten heroes were reluctantly led to their pens, which were nothing more then simple holes in the walls with no windows and very strong steel bars creating the door.

"By morning, we'll see how gung-ho you are about not following orders!" Jira's last words echoed through their minds as she left them to their own devices. With that thought on their heads, the misguided creatures were trapped with no hope of ever escaping...

Day faded into night, and no hope was given to the group of ill-fated heroes. The pens were arranged two to a cell, with Snowflake and Ripto, Spyro and Scott, Nazza and Elora, Wart and Eledor, and Spyrius and Spyretta all paired up together with only a few rocks and each other to keep them company. Conversation had carried on, although lightly, throughout the day until one by one they had fallen into a state of miserable silence. Jira had ordered them not to eat until she picked them up in the morning to climb up to Robin's roost, for she believed that the hungrier they were, the easier they would comply with her mission. Stomachs growled, and slowly hope slipped through their fingers.

A clock in the middle of the room struck midnight. None of the captured creatures cared one bit, except for Snowflake. With a flap of her powerful wings, the female launched herself shoulder-first into the bars for the twenty-fifth time in a row. Clang! Scales hit metal with no effect. Ripto sighed in defeat as Snowflake nursed her swelling purpling arm.

"Let's face it, Snowflake. We can't get out of here. Spyro's tried burning the bars, Nazza's tried biting the bars. Hell, I tried my strongest magic on these bars! Nothing can open them!"

"That's not stopping me from trying!" Snowflake said, and once again she launched herself at the bars. She tried everything, from biting to scratching to kicking the bars with her feet. Ripto watched her pathetic display until all her energy was spent and she flopped to the floor, her body covered in self-inflicted bruises.

Snowflake made a whimpering noise like an abused puppy. "It's no use. We're going to die, and it's all my fault. We can't get out of here."

"Actually, I think that Eledor and me can open these." Wart stated rather plainly from across the room. Snowflake lifted her head, her tongue wanting to lash out at him but couldn't find the strength to. Wart's bumpy tail was slung over a bar near the lock, and he was slowly twiddling the tip inside the lock's mechanisms. Every once in a while, he made growls of disapproval as his tail found a new obstacle to overcome.

"What do you know, you freak?" Snowflake heard Spyro's voice call out. Wart ignored him, but instead kept hearing the clicks inside the lock. There was a snap, and a smile spread to his lips.

"You were right, Eledor. This isn't an ordinary lock; these locks control some sort of magic barrier that make these bars unbreakable except those who have the keys. No wonder none of Ripto's magic was able to work." He pulled his tail out of the keyhole, rubbing it thoughtfully.

"Well, I've broken enough wards to make these bars normal again. Eledor, do your stuff!"

Eledor stepped forward and pointed her wand to the door. Wart scooted out of her way in a hurry. Silvery chants filled the air as the rhynoc recited runes of breaking and destruction. With a sparkle, her wand fired a beam on concentrated magic. Bam! The resulting blast sent Eledor flying backwards into a rather soft warty landing pillow. With a clang, the barred door slid across the rock floor to a stop. The rhynoc sat dumbfounded until she heard a rather hurt voice behind her.

"Well, that was smart of me to stand behind you..." Wart said sarcastically as he rose. Eledor helped him up, but Wart denied that there was any bruising. Eledor jumped out of the cell and peered around. Nothing but the sound of cavern water dripping and her companions breathing was heard.

"Do you think they suspect anything's amiss?"

Wart was already undoing Spyretta and Spyrius' lock. "With all the racket Snowflake and Spyro were creating, you'd have to pull a bulldozer through this place before they notice anything's amiss!" He said as the barrier became unlocked and Eledor was able to destroy it. With a repetition of unlocking and blasting doors, all ten of the heroes were free. The group chattered excitedly about the escape, and most of them saw Wart in a new light. Snowflake shook his hand in a form of a friendly salute.

"For Changeling's lackey, you sure came in handy, Warty." Snowflake said.

"One problem; how are we going to get out of here?" Scott said as he peered down the hallway. The cells had only one exit, and it was down the same hallway that led through the large control room that they all saw earlier. They knew that Jira just didn't make everyone retire to sleep in the wee hours of night; there had to be nightly guards. Spyro chuckled as he nudged his old friend in the shoulder as he walked past.

"It's easy; Eledor and Elora will create some barriers and we charge our way through this blasted place without stopping."

"Spyro, that's reckless and dangerous! If we do that, Jira will keep hunting us until we're back into her custody!" Eledor shouted. Many of the others agreed, especially Ripto. They suggested many other methods of escape, from disguises to blasting a new way out of the mountain with Ripto and Eledor's magic. The mood was quickly spoiled when Wart interrupted.

"Well, Spyro's idea is the only option we have." Wart's voice was now very somber. He tried to smile as he explained what had happened.

"Those barriers that I've unlocked had an alarm system hooked into them. When I opened them, Jira was notified." Suddenly, the others felt their blood turn to ice. Jira knew they had escaped; they were in big trouble. Snowflake, despite her depleted energy, had to be restrained to keep her from strangling Wart.

Without another word, Elora and Eledor began casting the barriers with their restorative magic. Runes and chants strung together as the females protected their friends from harm like Jira's unconscious spells or any of the others' weapons. The other eight stood together so tightly that most of them felt claustrophobic as a magic shield spread around them. Just as the reflective barrier was finished, they could hear the patter of several faun hooves running towards their position. Just as Fenre's face appeared in the hallway, Spyro gave his word.

"CHARGE!" With Spyro in the lead, the band of heroes charged with as much energy as they could muster. Fenre gave a pathetic squeak before he was trampled underneath their feet. Elora gave a wordless cry of joy; the barrier was acting like their own battering ram. Confused fauns that happened to be standing in their way were knocked aside like toys.

The team slowed as stamina slipped from their bodies. Snowflake, who was already being helped by Spyretta due to her injuries, fell behind as her exhausted body fell in a useless heap to the floor. She watched the others run ahead helplessly as she lay on the stony cold ground of the Outlaws' headquarters. She was so tired that she didn't even hear Jira stepping behind her.

"You are the most annoying dragon that I have ever captured." Jira hissed. Snowflake didn't even move as she felt Jira pick her up by the scruff of her lizard like neck.

"I guess it won't make a difference if there's one less dragon in Avalar."

Jira flashed Snowflake her famous smile, and then placed her free hand onto Snowflake's chest. At her touch, an icy cold feeling spread through Snowflake's veins. The dragon screamed as she knew what spell Jira was performing; the elimination spell. Jira was killing her! She hopelessly struggled underneath her grasp, but to no avail. She knew that in less than one minute, the spell will take her last breath. She closed her eyes and let a tear drop fall to the ground. 'It isn't fair. I'm not supposed to die yet.' Snowflake thought to herself as the ice slowly spread to the final reaches of her body.

The ice suddenly melted from Snowflake's veins as Jira gave a sudden scream and dropped her to the floor. Snowflake looked up in surprise to see the faun batting away fire that was already spreading through her fur. Another fireball sailed into the faun's belly and ignited on impact. The dragon turned to see who was firing the fireballs. Her heart never felt lighter as she saw the very person she had expected to be there for her.

"That's for betraying me, ever so loyal Jira!" Ripto said as he stepped as heroically as he could manage to the burning faun. Jira didn't even have time to shout an insult before the fires spreading across her body silenced her forever. With a thump, Jira fell forward, leaving only the smell of burning fur in her wake. Snowflake couldn't pry her eyes from the burnt corpse as Ripto helped her to her feet. She tried to say something, but she found that she didn't even have enough strength to form words underneath her tongue. She cursed herself mentally for her stupidity of wasting all her energy on breaking an unbreakable door.

"Did you really think we'd leave you like that to be killed by that crazed faun? Come on, that purple pest and the others have cleared the way for us. We'll take it slowly the rest of the way." Without another word, Snowflake and Ripto walked down the hallways of the now deserted headquarters of the Outlaws of the Balance, leaving Jira to be buried by her own lackeys when they returned.

After all, the Purple Gigas Crystal was only a short walk away...

End of Chapter 10

Do you want to know why this chapter took so long to write? A mixture of writer's block, STAR testing, and forgetfulness, that's what!

Let's just say that something bad happens in Chapter 11 that will probably throw a wrench in the hero's process, and it will also bring out Robin and the legendary Purple Gigas Crystal. I'm not saying anything beyond that, though.

Oh, and before anyone asks, the story ends at Chapter 15. I just figured it out. I plan Chapter 15 to be one of those grand finale chapters, though. So don't miss it!

Yes, I know Ripto is slowly becoming out-of-character. Before anyone asks, it's probably the fact that he's been hanging around the likes of Snowflake and Spyro for quite a few weeks.