The Realms of Chaos
Chapter 12: Battle At Castle Changeling
Rating: High PG
Author's Notes: Da Dark One (or Da Dork One, as Nazza calls him) is of none of my concern. He's a brain-dead flamer that wouldn't know good quality fanfiction if it came and bit him in the ass.
Drip.... Drip.... Drip...
Snowflake's eyes fluttered open, and slowly adjusted on the interior of a dismal-looking place. Nothing but mold-covered stones, a small wooden bowl filled with unidentible slop, and rusty, creaking chains greeted her. Raw panic rushed into her brain instantly. She was in a dungeon, and a very well built one at that. Her eyes were greeted with nothing unusual for a dungeon's sense, so she let her hearing and smell do the talking.
Gradually, the presence of other captives became known to her. Moans, groans, pleas for mercy, and dying croaks filled the area around her. Snowflake wrinkled her snout in distaste when the dungeon's foul odor slowly became apparent. Death, disease, rotting flesh, urine, acid, blood, vomit, and sulfuric acid hit her nose in a nasty blend. Tears rolled down her eyes as she tried futilely to rid herself of the horrific smell. At last, she accepted that there was no way to rid herself of this foul atmosphere except for one thing.
She had to get out of here!
She let her eyes roam to a very familiar creature lying on the floor of her prison. Its breathing was slow and somber, like something still in the midst of a dream. Chains were hooked around the creature's neck and legs just like some animal ready to be displayed in a cruel circus. Only when a glint of gold shone from its horns did she realize that she was staring at the still unconscious form of Spyro. Snowflake tried to call out to her friend, but her throat was too tight from thirst. The dragon tried scooting towards Spyro, but she found that she was also bound around the legs and arms. In hopelessness, Snowflake let her head sag to her chest.
"Spyro, Ripto, I'm sorry for getting you into this mess." She moaned sadly.
Drip...Drip...Drip...
She realized that the sound of the dripping was not the sound of some unknown water source, but rather the sound of her own tears hitting the stone floor. The walls were designed so that any sound in her cell echoed.
'I gotta stop being a baby. I gotta be strong, I have to be a hero!' she thought to herself, trying to boost her confidence. The boost didn't work, and soon Snowflake was back to being a sad, lonely creature with only the sounds of her own tears to comfort her.
"Whoa...What happened back there?" Spyro groaned. He slowly rose to his feet, his movements groggy. When his eyes, ears, and nose adjusted to the setting around him, his grogginess turned into a raw anger that Snowflake began to think was common among real heroes like Spyro and her old friend Crystal back at home.
Spyro, despite the fact that he was still sleepy, fought against his bounds with all his might and all of his flame breath. Snowflake watched hopelessly as the purple dragon tired himself out. The chains around his feet were untouched by his dragon breath, and from the looks of it, his struggle only succeeded in making him even more tired.
"These chains were specifically designed for dragons, I bet." Spyro hissed. He started pacing around restlessly. "It's like I didn't even touch them!" He looked down at his chest, down at the now Gigas-less necklace stolen from the Kraken's Cave. His eyes hardened with raw fury.
"That cat is going to pay. She has the crystals, we're chained, and there's nothing we can do about it!"
Snowflake shrugged her shoulders, her chains clinking against each other in a hollow tone. Crystal always told her to look on the bright side of things, after all. "Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe she'll let us off easy, like setting us free after she's done conquering Avalar or-"
"She'll kill us all in front of everyone in Avalar to show exactly what happens to anyone who dares cross her way!" Spyro cut Snowflake off before she could finish. He slumped down on the hard, cold, stone ground, his wings drooped sadly at his sides.
"Let's face it, Snowflake. We're as good as dead."
At this statement, the two cellmates were silent. Once again came the dripping sound, only Snowflake saw that it was coming from Spyro. Poor Spyro. The whole world counted on him winning, and he failed. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and imagined herself in a better place.
"Good, I see that you two are finally awake. It's been five days since she captured us, and well, I was starting to think that she really did kill you..." Snowflake and Spyro's ears perked at the familiar voice. Claws clicked against the stone floor as Wart came towards them with refills to their food. It was more of that brown, gravy-like slop that Changeling fed to all of her slaves. One would expect Snowflake and Spyro to be happy of the dragon's arrival, but the two didn't seem pleased at all.
"You little traitor!" Snowflake lunged as far as her chains allowed her to, her hands groping for Wart's neck through the strong dragon-proof bars. Spyro, who was unable to move as far as Snowflake, growled angrily at Wart in a doglike fashion with wisps of smoke trailing from his nose. Wart took two steps backwards from the two fuming dragons, surprised at their outbursts.
"Traitor!?!" He croaked.
"Yes, traitor. We saw you nodding when Changeling said you set us up. We trusted you, and you go and backstab us! You're nothing more then a big, scaly toad with wings that lives only to please!" Spyro screamed. Spyro's voice echoed down the halls, and for a while, the slaves stopped their moaning and pleas for help. Nothing was heard, save for the sound of an elderly captive dying behind them. Wart lowered his eyes to the food dish he was holding.
"I know of a way to get you out of here. If you are willing to listen to me, I'll tell you." Wart said. His voice was unimaginably hollow. Snowflake and Spyro looked at each other, and then nodded to their scaly helper.
"Okay, the five days while you two were knocked out, I studied the maps of the castle closely. There are several routes out of here, and I happen to know every one of them."
"You...memorized the whole layout of this godforsaken place just to help us?" Snowflake said, her voice filling with a new respect for Wart. Maybe there was a flicker of hope for the two hopeless dragons after all. Wart nodded in delight.
"All I need to do is steal the keys from Laigon, goodness knows how I'm going to do that, and then we can escape this place together!"
Spyro looked at him with a puzzled look on his face. "What about our Crystals, Wart? We need to steal those from Miss High-and-Mighty as well if we're going to get out of here!" Spyro said. Wart's eyes darted from one side of the hallway to the other, and when he noticed that nobody was going to hear him, dropped his voice and smiled to them deviously.
"Already did so. I hid the Blue and Green Gigas Crystals in your food." The two captive dragons looked at the goop, and indeed saw two lumps in the brown stuff. How the little dragon stole the crystals from his Mistress was left unsaid, except they probably could imagine the consequences if Changeling ever found out.
"Keep them hidden until I come back with the keys to get you two out of here, unless you want Laigon to find Changeling's personal property in you two's hands."
Snowflake suddenly remembered that only she and Spyro were in this cage. She looked to Wart, and then asked the question that was plaguing her mind. "Where's Ripto?"
For a while, everything was silent. Moans, groans, and cries of despair became alien to their ears as the two dragons stared at Wart, waiting for his answer. Wart looked hesitant to speak the answer, for his eyes kept roaming to a new spot in the dungeon to stare at. Finally, he spoke his answer, and he said it as if it was too horrible to say.
"Changeling is seeing him personally. She locked him in a room that's just adjacent to the stadium." His eyes locked on Snowflake's, green meeting green.
"She's trying to provoke the radiation of the Red Gigas Crystal, and only she knows what's going to happen to Ripto. I'm so sorry."
No words were spoken between the three dragons. Wart turned to leave. As the little wart-covered creature left, a new sound filled his ears, a sound that Wart had not heard during his entire conversation with his captured friends.
Drip.... Drip.... Drip...
"...Wake up, Ripto...."
Ripto groaned as a strange, new voice assaulted the comfort of his mind. He kept his eyes closed, but from the intense pain in his wrists he could tell that he was hanging from strong dungeon chains. Yep, he was in a dungeon all right; his nose recognized that ever-so-comforting smell of death and disease anywhere. He hoped that the person talking to him would think that he was still knocked out as he kept his breathing suppressed. Ripto's plan didn't work, for suddenly his shoulders were set ablaze by the pain of something hitting his shoulders.
"Wake up, you cretin!" Changeling shook Ripto's chained form, her cat-like claws digging into his shoulders until they drew blood. Ripto opened his eyes with a cry of pain. The worst has happened to him; he was staring face-to-face with Changeling, chained up in a personal dungeon and unable to flee. Ripto felt dejected and hopeless, which a humiliating new sensation for the tyrant that he wouldn't soon forget.
"Why don't you just steal that accursed Red Gigas Crystal from me and be done with it? I'd rather die then see you torture any of my friends." Ripto snarled. When he realized what he said, he felt his heart become heavy. Did he just call Spyro his friend? What was this quest doing to him psychologically?
"I'd love to, gladly, but unfortunately only the true Gigas Holder of that special Gigas Crystal can even go near it. I can steal your dragonish friends' crystals with ease, but I can't even touch that crystal without hurting myself. You see, when Otpir created those crystals, he wanted to make sure that at least one crystal could be untouched by anyone except the person chosen by Incinder, the only Gigas Guardian with the power to do so." Changeling explained. Ripto shifted unsuccessfully in his chains in an attempt to let blood circulate through his hands.
"So, what's the point? If you can't have the sixth crystal, then you're better off just handing those crystals back to us!" Ripto shouted. He hoped that that would do the trick, but a savage growl emitted from Changeling's lips.
"No, I'm afraid I can't let you have them. Just because I can't touch the crystal doesn't mean you can't use the crystal for my benefits." Ripto's capturer stated rather plainly. She looked like she had suddenly become interested in the shape of her sharp claws.
"You scratch my back and I scratch yours. You help me conquer Avalar, and I'll help you rid the Dragon Realms of dragons forever. Think about it. We're better off as allies then enemies."
Ripto wouldn't buy her tricks, not anymore. "Listen, feline. I've been against you for more then a month of pure torture, all of it stemming from you attacking me in the snow for a Gigas Crystal. Well, I'm not helping you. None of your tricks will ever change me."
"Really? Even if I were to explain how you're tied into this whole fiasco? These Gigas Crystals have been around for a long time, Ripto. In fact, they were created many decades before your birth and even before mine and Otpir's by the ancient faun elders that Elora was descended from." Changeling said, her voice a sinister hiss. There was an eerie silence following her voice afterwards. Ripto gave her a confused glare.
"How...old are you?" The Riptoc said, his voice hesitant and cautious. Changeling didn't lash out on him, but instead stated plainly.
"I'm twice as old as you are, Ripto. I'm 47 years old and will continue to live on forever once I get your crystal."
"Then tell me, oh great wise one, what do I have to do with these Gigas Crystals?" Ripto asked in a sarcastic tone. He didn't care about the sorcerer's age; he only cared for the safety of himself and the people that traveled with him. Changeling cleared her throat, and then sat down on a wooden stool that Ripto failed to notice until now. Ripto felt his hands fall asleep. 'She'd better hurry up, I'm growing tired of hanging right here on the wall like some trophy.' he thought.
"Back in the days of when Avalar was ruled by the Faun Elders, the forces of magic became fused into six gems to create the Gigas Crystals. Along with the six elemental Gigas Crystals that you and your friends are familiar with, there was a secret power that was summoned only when the six gems were combined. That power is none other then the power to manipulate the forces of life and death itself. With this power, the holders of the Gigas Crystals were all-powerful in their reign." Changeling explained.
"And...What does this have to do with me?" Ripto asked. Changeling hissed at him for interrupting her story.
"I'm getting to that, you impatient whelp!" She then suppressed her quick to anger temper and continued.
"And so Avalar was safe for several lifetimes with fauns running the Gigas Crystals from the safety of the Diamond Palace. That is, until a Riptoc from a world filled with tyranny stepped into the ring. His name was Otpir the Merciless, and with his skilled fighting abilities he stole the Gigas Crystals from the fauns and then became the ruler."
Ripto's eyes lit up. "Oh! I remember this story! Grunge told us this when we nicked the Green Gigas Crystal from him!"
"However, I bet he didn't tell you your relation to Otpir. I bet you don't know the fact that Otpir's your father, don't you?" Changeling hissed. Ripto froze. For a while, the sensation of his numb fingers faded away as his blood turned to ice.
"Wait a minute. The creator of the Guardians, the radiation, this very quest...is my father?" Ripto then felt like a semi truck hit him. If Otpir the Merciless was his father, and Changeling was the same age as him, then was this sinister creature his mother?
"Don't even think about it, you vile whelp!" Changeling said. She was clutching the Purple Gigas Crystal in her hand, and Ripto paled when he realized that she was now reading every thought that pasted through his head.
"The very thought of me spawning you is enough to make me vomit. I was married to Otpir against my will when I was only a Swiftclaw maiden, yes, but luckily Otpir had many trophy wives of which to serve him. Your mother was a Riptoc also, a fragile little thing that obviously couldn't last long even without me speeding the process of death along."
Ripto narrowed his eyes. "You.... You were the dark magic that spelled the end for Otpir's reign that Grunge mentioned!" Rage pumped through his veins like fire.
Changeling smiled inwardly when she saw the Red Gigas Crystal glow brightly from this new feeling of pure anger. Ripto's emotions were playing right into her hand. 'What a predictable little whelp.' she thought sadistically.
"You killed my father and my mother! You chucked me into a dragon-destroyed world when I was just an infant! You somehow knew that the code 2-2-4-7-5 would bring me back to Avalar to claim my birthright! You knew that I had the Red Gigas Crystal on me back at Winter Tundra! You...You've ruined my life!"
Changeling watched the Riptoc curse her name with a smile; this was the crystal's radiation at work. It won't be long now before the rest of her plan can take place. The Silver Gigas Crystal floated into her hand and she readied herself to seize the magic for herself and use it for her own uses.
Ripto was in the middle of a very offensive insult when Changeling jabbed the point of the Silver Gigas Crystal in his chest. "What are you do-" Ripto's question was cut off by the burning sensation of all the power of the Red Gigas Crystal surging near his heart. He choked with the pain as Changeling manipulated the magic, feeding it with all of his blind fury. Ripto blinked confusedly at the cat furry until he felt his skin tighten with the feeling of a new sensation. A sensation that he dreaded the most.
"The Silver Gigas Crystal...You can-" "Yes. Thanks to my genius, I can now use it to shut off and provoke the radiation of the other five Gigas Crystals. And you, my gullible Ripto, had the intelligence to become so angry that I can properly feed the magic of your special Gigas Crystals' radiation with the power of your rage and fire. And Otpir said to me with his last breath that you would be too smart to fall for such a trick! HAH!"
Ripto let out a wordless cry of fury, but it soon turned into a deep, low growl...
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As Changeling was torturing Ripto about his crystal, strange things were happening in a room on the opposite end of the castle in one of the tallest towers. It was a strange and spacious room, filled to the brim with furniture covered with containers filled with strange chemicals. Smoke billowed out of the windows as foul and strange things were mixed together by skilled hands. For a while, the only sound was that of a stirring rod clicking against a glass beaker. A warty hand raised a reddish liquid into the light...
"Geez, Wart. Spyro, Ripto, and Snowflake are in danger and you're mixing up wine!" Eledor said, her hands cuffed around her horned nose to block out the sweet smell of very strong wine. Wart, lost in his scientific work, blinked confusedly at Eledor before snapping out of his trance and explained.
"This wine will be bait for us to use to get Spyro and Snowflake out of that cage. I saw Changeling walk into Laigon's room with the keys in her hand, and I heard her talking to him about guarding them while her plan went into play." He poured the wine into a larger beaker. Wart held the beaker to his face and swirled the alcoholic beverage for good measure, before setting it down and pulling out a test tube filled with a light blue liquid. He poured the liquid into the wine, holding his nose as the chemicals mixed.
"You know about Laigon's addiction to wine. That's his weak spot. I hand this wine to him, and the keys to Spyro and Snowflake's cell are ours." He motioned to Eledor to come closer, and he held the near empty tube to her nose. She examined it with her eyes and then smiled at his craftiness.
"That's Elixir of Sleep! One drop of that stuff is enough to knock out a full-grown chimera unconscious for several hours!" Eledor exclaimed. Wart nodded.
"Yep, but since this stuff has a strong smell, I have to mix in an ingredient to Laigon's specialized wine that always makes his mouth water." The little dragon exclaimed, his eyes drooping from the smoke of the sleep potion. He then took out a stainless steel knife from a cabinet, held his arm over the beaker, and dragged the blade across a convient spot. Wart didn't even wince as his crimson blood dropped into the wine mixture. Eledor gagged.
"Laigon drinks blood!?!" she asked. Wart nodded solemnly. He kept watching the drops of blood fall into the beaker and squeezed his wound for good measure.
"He's a carnivore. Nothing tastes sweeter on his tongue then the blood of the fallen. That's why he takes all the slaves along on adventures such as this. When one of them dies, he has an instant snack. You saw him while we were arriving here, munching on the body of Fenre like some animal!"
Eledor remembered. Fenre just wasn't as faithful to Laigon's words as the other slaves. He tried escaping from his bounds while he was pulling a slave caravan, only to be trampled by the dragon behind him. The large wooden wheel of the slave caravan ran over his fallen form, crushing his spine in the process. Laigon, as soon as he saw the accident, pulled the corpse from under the caravan's wheel. And then, in front of the eyes of Wart and his comrades that he brought with him during the Mystic Mountains quests, tore through Fenre's supple flesh and lapped the blood of the dead faun like a dog under a facet. He ate savagely, and even the dragon and lizardmen slaves cringed at the sound of Laigon crunching through Fenre's blood-soaked bones to get at the marrow.
"Done." Wart announced. His blood had clotted, leaving only a slight gash on his arm, and there was absolutely no scent of the sleeping drug in Laigon's drink. The dragon examined the drink before adding more wine to fill the beaker up all the way. Then, he gently poured the wine mixture into a fancy wine bottle before sealing it. "Now let's see if this plan will work or not."
Eledor and Wart stepped out of the labs and into the hallway. Only the sound of a lizardman patrol was heard. Without another sound, the dragon and the rhynoc darted towards Laigon's room. Wart, knowing the layout by hand, darted down hallways like a shadow, Eledor following behind. Soon, they stopped at a door hand-carved by scimitars so that it looked like the door was consisted of bones. Wart looked to Eledor, their uncertain fear reflected in their eyes, and then he opened the door.
"What brings you here, Wart?" The sea serpent said, spitting out Wart's name as if it were a bad-tasting medicine. Laigon was standing at the other end of the room, both of his scimitars unsheathed. The key to Spyro and Snowflake's freedom sat in front of him on a rather simple table furnished with only the stinking fur of some poor creature that Laigon happily skinned alive. Wart tried not to let his eyes wander to the hideous battle trophies hung on the simple wooden walls as he walked nonchalantly up to Laigon.
"I've come to congratulate you on your fighting prowess. Without you, we never would've caught that slimy Riptoc and his reptilian friends." Wart lied, his voice full of false pleading and sincerity. He held out the wine bottle in front of him, letting the sun illuminate the red drink inside. "And what better way to celebrate is to drink on your good fortune?"
Laigon considered this, rubbing his yellow scaly chin with his dirty claws. Finally, he complied. He let Wart come closer and let the little dragon pour wine into two golden goblets stolen years ago from some unfortunate fairy family. Laigon and Wart sat down at the table, both of them watching each other warily. Finally, Laigon broke the forming silence. "You drink first. After all, a wine brewer has to sample his wares first."
Wart waved a hand in Laigon's direction. "No, I've already tried it. Its bitter sweetness is enough to intoxicate the biggest dragon. You go first."
A scimitar was pointed at Wart's direction. "I said drink the drink!" Laigon hissed. Wart was surprised; considering how much Laigon loved to get drunk, he thought that Laigon would be the first to drink. Despite his fear, the dragon smiled and grabbed the goblet. He raised the drink to his lips. The dragon let the wine into his mouth, but he dared not swallow the concoction. Wart flashed him a fake smile of satisfaction, which gave Laigon the permission to drink.
"Yeah, that's good drinking." Laigon said after he chugged down the entire contents of the goblet within two gulps. Wart lifted the goblet to his mouth, but instead of sampling more of the wine he expertly spat all the rust-tasting wine into the cup in the most inconspicuous way possible. He turned his head to Laigon. The sea serpent had already flopped uselessly against the table, drool forming in a puddle near his mouth. Eledor gave a whoop of satisfaction.
"Remind me to wash my mouth out when we get back, preferably with the antidote of the Elixir of Sleep so as not to risk anything." Wart said. He wrapped his claws around the keys to the slaves' cells, watching Laigon's fallen form warily as if the sea serpent was going to spring from his sleep at any given moment.
A sudden earthquake shook the castle. Wart and Laigon's goblets splattered to the floor and created a stain in the fur carpet. Eledor and Wart gripped the table as dust cascaded down from the ceiling. Laigon slid out of his chair and fell into the wine puddle, but his sleep was not disturbed at all. When the shaking subsided, both of them rose to their feet.
"Do you think that could've been...Changeling?" Eledor said. Another earthquake, one that was much smaller in comparison to the first one, sounded and then another. Wart cringed when he suddenly realized the truth. Those weren't earthquakes at all; those were footprints of something big. The first earthquake was probably none other then the rumbling of the giant monster tearing free of its former prison from the foundations.
"Changeling did mention the radiation of the Red Gigas Crystal. Do you think it's capable of-" Wart's voice was cut off abruptly when a loud roar shook the castle. The two creatures flinched when they somewhat recognized that roar...
Wart and Eledor never ran faster in their lives. Whatever was happening, Snowflake and Spyro had to get out of their prison and had to get out of it now!
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Snowflake and Spyro were very gladdened to see the dragon and his rhynoc friend run towards them with the keys to the cell in his hands. Slaves stirred from hungered sleeps as they heard the ever-so beautiful sound of their freedom clinking together and rushing past their cells like a mockery of their current position.
"Sorry we called you a traitor, Wart. I guess doing time in the stony lonesome does things to people's minds." Snowflake said as the warty dragon twiddled the key in the lock. The door swung open with a loud creak. Moving like a shadow, Wart darted to Snowflake's still form to free her wrists, ankles, and neck from the chains. Snowflake gratefully rubbed the sore areas
"Hey, Wart!" Wart turned his head momentarily from Spyro's chains to see Nazza in the opposite cell alongside Elora shouting his head off for attention. They looked worse for the wear, but otherwise they were okay.
"Anytime you feel like freeing us would be helpful!" Wart ignored the wolf until he freed Spyro. As the dragon let circulation flow through his sore wrists, Wart walked up to Nazza's stall.
"Look, I'll come back for you after we rescue Ripto from whatever Changeling has done to him. Cross my heart, hope to die." The blue wolf looked at the white and purple dragon standing behind Wart, and then wordlessly agreed. Freedom had to wait. For now.
"I tell you. That gravy runs faster then my friend's nose when she's got a cold. What's in that stuff anyways?" Snowflake said, trying to lighten up the mood as she wiped the Green Gigas Crystal clean on her skirt as she ran with Wart, Eledor, and Spyro. Wart smiled but didn't say anything. He was too busy leading his three followers through hallways and passageways to the source of the growing sound of monstrous footsteps.
The sound of footsteps became so loud that the four heroes had to cuff their ears with their hands in order to block out the sound of the deafening sound. Their claws clicked against the stone uselessly as they ran through the castle, taking all the routes that Wart instructed them through. Wart was about to lead them into a large hallway with red carpeting when a scaled foot fell down in front of the arched doorway, blocking their entrance. All four of them paled when they found out where Ripto was.
Changeling cackled with glee as she sat on the shoulder of a monstrous beast, instructing it with the Silver Gigas Crystal. Spyro immediately recognized the monster; he fought against it in the Dragonfly festival a while back. It was Ripto all right, but his frail form had been pumped up to create a large, hulking monster with sharp claws and teeth. The scepter with the Gigas Crystal had been transformed into a giant club to better fit the monster's great size. Ripto's lower lip was framed with sharp, orcish teeth designed to render anything that got in his mouth to shreds. His once clawless fingers and toes were now equipped with long, fiendish nails blackened with castle dirt. The remains of his sorcerer's clothing hung around his body in tatters, covering the monster enough to make him decent but obviously showing how the clothes couldn't take the abuse of their wearer's new size change.
"What has that monster done to Ripto?" Snowflake cried out. She tried to dart towards Gigas Ripto and his controller, but Wart and Spyro held her back. She struggled and pleaded against the two dragons, but their grip was strong. Eledor watched hopelessly as the female screamed and tried desperately to claw away from their hold.
"Get a hold of yourself, Snowflake! It's not like he hasn't done this before!" Spyro shouted to her. "Remember the Dragonfly ceremony?" She slumped against Wart and Spyro in defeat at this statement. She started to cry despite herself.
'This quest softened me up. I shouldn't be such a baby.' she thought to herself. "I know, but what can we do? Changeling's controlling him; there's no way we can stop them."
"Oh, I'm not too sure about that." Wart said. He looked down the hallway, watching the two monsters enter a double-door entrance designed to fit a monster twice Gigas Ripto's size. "They entered the giant battle arena for a reason, you know." He turned towards them, his right hand balled into a fist. He punched his out-stretched palm in a form of aggression that he really didn't understand. "Let's show Changeling what we're really made of!"
"Hey, that's my line Wartface!" Spyro shouted, but he did it in good humor. Without another word, the four ran down the large red carpet and towards the double doors to face their new challenge. It took the strength of all four of them, but they managed to push one of the large doors open to face Changeling and Ripto.
The doors led into the most spectacular arena the two of them had ever seen. The large battle arena was designed like the Roman Coliseum, complete with the millions of rows of seats for the spectators to watch the carnage in. Only this battle arena seemed to be the Roman Coliseum from hell. Cracks, chasms, abysses, and pits dotted the battlefield like holes on a sponge. Jagged rocks poked out of the ground like broken glass, giving the battlefield a mountainous look to it. When Snowflake, Eledor, and Spyro inspected closer, they saw dark blotches of dried blood scattered across the battlefield. This wasn't a battle arena; it was an area of slaughter.
"Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up." Heads turned, and sure enough, Changeling stood before them, Ripto snarling behind her. She smiled maliciously as they watched their friend in horrified awe. "To think that all this time I tricked all of you into thinking that I was none the wiser on Wart's betrayal."
Wart froze, still as a statue. "You...knew?" He croaked dryly to her. He felt his whole world crashing down on his shoulders. Changeling turned over the Silver Gigas Crystal in her hand as she explained.
"Warriors Against Raging Tyrants, the missing torpedoes, the theft of the Blue and Green Gigas Crystals. Whatever crime against me you did, I knew you did it. Do you really think I'm stupid enough to just leave the Blue and Green Gigas Crystals, freshly collected, on a table just for you to take without me being none the wiser? I wanted for the holders to die in a fine display, and you helped me Wart. By being a traitor, you've helped me in a way that you couldn't when you were loyal. Thank you Wart. When your friends are dead, you'll be lucky if you mutate into something with legs when I'm through with you."
Wart was shaking like a leaf, but not with cowardice. After all the trouble he did to help his friends, the thought of him being the one leading them into the meat grinder was not discouraging; it was disgusting. Wart glared at Changeling with a newborn fire in his eyes. "I'm not afraid of you anymore! You can take your chemicals and go inject yourself! Maybe then, you can mutate into something with a heart! I hate you, and you can go rot for all I care!"
There was a stunned silence. Even Ripto, in his brutish form, seemed momentarily shaken. Only Changeling remained calm. She gave Wart a minor shrug. "Fine. If that's the way you want it." She held out Wart's Purple Gigas Crystal and used its power to levitate herself onto Ripto's shoulder. "I'll just crush you to bits along with your friends! It's been nice torturing you, Wart!" Just then, Changeling's Silver Gigas Crystal began to glow. Ripto instantly sprang to life by the commands of his controller. Ripto emitted a frightening wail before charging towards them, sending shards of rock flying with each step.
"No prob. I've beaten this form once, I can beat it again." Spyro shouted to his comrades. Wart and Eledor didn't pay any heed; they were too busy climbing onto safe ground inside the bleachers to care. The purple dragon began to charge towards the monster, his horns outstretched.
"Keeeeeeeaaaaar!" A giant bird with feathers made of fire sliced Spyro's back with its talons, knocking him aside. Spyro rolled against the rocks like a rag doll until regaining his posture. His eyes widened. "No...Is that...the Red Gigas Guardian?" But he knew the answer to his question already. There was no denying it; the giant bird definitely looked intelligent enough to qualify as a Guardian. Incinder the Red Gigas Guardian gave another screech before it sent itself into a dive. Talons outstretched, it sought its target; a stunned, purple dragon.
"Ssstay back!" Kraken's massive head hit Incinder, sending fiery sparks everywhere. Spyro then realized what he had to do. "Of course! Guardians can only be beaten by other Guardians! Grunge and Robin didn't need to be fought because fighting wasn't the requirement for the gem!" Spyro inquired out loud. Kraken could only roar in agreement as he spat his acidic ink onto Incinder's outstretched wing. Just then, a plan formed in the dragon's head.
"Snowflake! You go after Ripto. Leave Incinder to me!" Spyro shouted to the white dragon. Snowflake gave Spyro a skeptical look.
"Are you nuts, Spyro? Ripto would only crush me flat! I don't have any natural weapons like you do, and it's not like I have any kind of sword..." The white dragon yelled back. She dodged a club swing by the monster that used to be her friend as Spyro shouted back his answer to her.
"You don't need a sword or any kind of weapon! You need to use your Gigas Crystal!" Spyro stopped speaking for a moment as he dodged a fireball from the giant phoenix. "Like the Guardians, monsters created by Gigas Crystals can only be defeated by Gigas Crystals. If you want Ripto back to normal, you must defeat Changeling's magic with magic of your own. Have faith, Snowflake! I know you can do it!" The purple dragon shouted.
Snowflake was moved by the heroic dragon's wise words, and soon she was rushing towards Ripto, Green Gigas Crystal in one hand, and a rock shard in the other. Spyro gave her a final look of confidence before focusing all his energy in dodging Incinder's attacks and keeping the phoenix distracted enough for Kraken to score more hits on him.
"Please, Honey. Have you even fought giant monsters before? Rock shards just don't cut it girl!" Changeling mocked as Snowflake dodged another swinging club attack. Gigas Ripto snarled in anger, flashing yellowed fangs, as the white dragon maiden dodged claw swipes and club swings. Snowflake smiled; fighting monsters was easier then her friend Crystal made them out to be. However, this feeling of confidence soon turned to pain as a fireball hit her right between the wings.
Snowflake never really was a fireproof dragon. The flume of whitish-blue fire was enough to burn her scales until they blacked and started to peel. Snowflake screamed, but even then she could hear Changeling laugh mockingly at her pain. Before she could fall on her face, Snowflake brought out her feet and caught herself on the large rock shards. She turned to face Gigas Ripto and Changeling.
"Awww, did the dragon forget about the magic of the Gigas Crystal?"
"Yes, but I know that I should learn from my mistakes." Snowflake said heroically. She turned to face the cat and her monster, a confident smile on her face. She tossed the rock shard away for it to shatter against the ground, and held out the only weapon that really mattered; her Green Gigas Crystal.
"And I know that the only way to fight magic is to use magic of your own!"
Snowflake dug her claws into the battlefield floor and began to concentrate on the Green Gigas Crystal's power. She blocked out everything from her mind, including the sound of Changeling ordering Ripto to torch the annoying dragon once and for all. 'What did Grunge say this crystal could control?' she thought to herself. 'Let's see...plant life, animal life, the planet itself...'
Several things happened at once. Changeling let out a wail as a massive earthquake of monstrous proportions flung her off Ripto's shoulder. She skidded across the rocks, the Silver Gigas Crystal tumbling out of her hand. More cracks formed in the arena, and Spyro had to scramble onto Kraken's slimy back in order to avoid a fissure that formed at his feet. Wart, Eledor holding onto him, launched into air shortly before a rock came crashing down on where they were seating. Incinder cawed confusedly as it watched the scene in front of it. Gigas Ripto growled and buried his staff into the ground to remain steady. Only Snowflake remained still, perched on a boulder with her body luminated with green light.
"Snowflake! Changeling doesn't have control over Ripto anymore! Now's the time to strike!" Wart shouted at her. Snowflake complied, and then closed her eyes, just like she did when she had led her friends out of the Rainforests of Mist. She reached inwardly to the nature power within the Gigas Crystal just as Changeling started to inch closer to her namesake crystal.
Green light surrounded Ripto's monstrous form just before Changeling could pick up her crystal. The evil cat summoned her magic as well, but a large form made of leaves blocked it.
"So now all the Guardians are against me..." Changeling hissed as Grunge blocked her from using her magic to control Ripto again.
"Let me help you, Ripto. Changeling did something bad to you. I will make you better again!" Snowflake coaxed to the monster. Ripto advanced closer to her, his body still glowing with her magic. Grunge turned his head to watch the display in concern. The scene looked like an illustration from a fairy tale. A lone dragon maiden, her skirt torn from more then a month of hardships, standing before a monster crafted from both a nightmare and her dearest friend.
"You don't have the strength to reverse my radiation, dragon. Give it up." Changeling hissed. She was now on her hands and knees, blood flowing freely from her mouth. The Silver Gigas Crystal was clutched in her bloody hand, along with the sack filled with her ill-gotten Yellow and Purple Crystals. Changeling never looked worse; the earthquake tore her fur and cloak in many horrific ways, making her look like a creature that had risen from the pits of hell.
"That is where you're wrong, Changeling." Snowflake commented. Her eyes were still on the slowly advancing monster in front of her, but her words carried towards the Swiftclaw in a way that Changeling couldn't imagine possible. "I do have strength. For a full month, I've been proving my strength by facing monsters, battling lizardmen and sea dragons, adventuring through jungles, oceans, and mountains, and to help the very villain that terrorized this world without caring about the consequences. You have been mistaken. I'm not the weak one, you are."
The giant Ripto monster gave a strangled cry as Snowflake's magic reversed the effects of Changeling's evil magic. The cat screamed in rage as all her handiwork was undone slowly but steadily in front of her, reducing the monstrous creature into a more familiar shape. Soon all that was in front of the white dragon was a tiny form wrapped with green light and tattered clothes. Everyone, including Spyro, watched in awe as Snowflake sprinted across the rocks to catch Ripto as he fell. Both of them landed in a heap on the sharp rocks, but Snowflake ignored her wounds as she clutched the fallen form like a child.
"Snowflake...Wha...happen...?" Ripto croaked, hardly able to talk. Blood was flowing from his nostrils and his breathing was shallow from the sudden transformation. Snowflake stroked his head scales like a mother soothing a child.
"Nothing happened. Just rest now..." Snowflake cooed, and sure enough the Riptoc lapsed into a peaceful coma. Tears started to fall from the dragon's eyes, and she didn't even notice the large phoenix standing behind her, its wings fanned out behind her as if in a form of protection. Kraken and Grunge lifted their heads in unison and wailed a mournful tune that, in a place filled with slaves and bloodthirsty overlords, sounded as beautiful as a church's choir.
In a world filled with blood, ruin, and monsters, nothing could be more powerful in the love shown between a white Tylian dragon and a small, wronged Riptoc from a world not his own...
End of Chapter 12 (Three more chapters to go!)
Did I tell you how much I hate fighting scenes? I hated writing this chapter as much as I hated writing the chapter with Bane fighting the sea monster machine and the chapter with the Kraken battle. I also gave what most of the fans wanted; Snowflake/Ripto romance.
For those of you who've actually had the patience to beat Enter the Dragonfly with 100 should be able to recognize Ripto's monster form. I actually found that game fun, but you needed to have played it on the Gamecube or the X-Box to fully enjoy it.
The PS2 version is sluggish, glitchy, and loads a lot slower then the other versions.
Difference between my Otpir and Darkeiya's Otpir:
My Otpir: Ripto's father
Her Otpir: Ripto before he became evil.
If anyone says that she copied off of me or that I copied off of her, I will laugh heartily at the fool.