The Realms of Chaos

Chapter 14: Falling into Chaos

Rating: PG-13

Author's Notes: The rating was boosted for this chapter and the next one for several reasons, one of them being character deaths. If any favorites of yours die in this chapter and the next one, I am truely sorry. (No, none of the submitted characters can die; only the characters I created.)

This chapter will have more scenes then the average chapter, most of them scenes within scenes, so don't be confused.

"Good morning, Snowflake!"

Snowflake's eyes fluttered open, and they slowly focused on Elora holding a plate with bacon and hash browns. Without rising from her cotton blankets, the white dragon told her boss to leave the plate. The faun left, and soon the smell of breakfast filled Snowflake's rough hide tent. The smell was too good to resist, and soon Snowflake was eating her food quickly while reflecting on what happened last night to herself.

All day the large group of slaves and heroes marched, but unlike Changeling, Wart was very lenient with the march. They went at a fast enough pace to make progress, but they regularly took breaks to feed starving bellies and to quench dry throats. They didn't rob any food from Changeling's extensive pantry, but Robin made herself useful by conjuring up enough food for the slaves. She was proud of Wart for saving many lives, but she still glared at him with a hate that the Lab Pet knew only the Purple Gigas Crystal could cure.

As soon as the sun went down, Wart ordered for the slaves to stop marching. Almost immediately, they hoisted up the makeshift tents and soon the small army of slaves formed a village situation of sorts. Even in the darkest of the night, the sound of laughter and song remained strong. Despite all the happiness and joy, Wart still was boss. He ordered the strongest of the freed captives to train for the upcoming battle tomorrow. The sound of swords, maces, arrows, spears, and fists were drowned out by the elderly and children chatting happily during the night, but everyone was well aware of their presence...

"I wonder what Ripto's doing." Snowflake said to herself. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the sound of Moneybags hollering in pain with Ripto's cruel laughter following answered her question. Smiling to herself, Snowflake picked up her now empty dish and stepped out of the tent.

It was only morning, and already the heat was noticeable. Compared to the brisk chill of the mountains, the reptile found this warm air a welcome change. Soon she found her friends among the freed captives in the camp. Spyro walked through the crowds of people, smiling to familiar faces and introducing himself to newcomers. Ripto, being a sadist by heart, had fun by torturing Moneybags with his scepter. Eledor, Nazza, and Elora were chatting with Robin, reassuring her of Wart's upcoming success. All in all, the large group of freed slaves seemed very relaxed, except for one thing...

"Uh, Wart? How big is Changeling's army?" Wart turned his head to look at a rather peculiar flying penguin with missile launchers on his shoulders. The dragon shrugged at Sgt. Byrd as he made the finishing touches on his sword sheathe.

"About fifteen thousand full-grown fighters, ready to spill their blood for the unspeakable tyrant. You know how big the army is; you were imprisoned in it for quite some time, remember?" Wart said in a monotone. He still didn't catch on to Sgt. Byrd's point.

"Yes, and how many troops do WE have, General?"

"Counting the new people that joined, exactly three hundred and twenty-seven..." His words came out slow and steady as he realized exactly how small his army was compared to Changeling's. At this shocking new information, Wart felt his veins turn to ice with fear. He turned to Sgt. Byrd, sweat pouring down his face. Then, all the stress made him temporarily insane.

"My God! We're outnumbered by over fourteen thousand! We'll be slaughtered, wiped out, eliminated! Changeling's going to wipe the floor with us! There won't be a drop of blood left in our-" Wart was cut off by a slap to the face. The dragon took in deep breaths as the flying penguin calmed him down.

"Get a hold of yourself, Wart! I'll be pleased to announce that backup is on the way!" Sgt. Byrd announced.

"Really? When are they coming?" Snowflake butted in. She was listening in on their conversation, and was very interesting in this shocking turn of events. Several other members of the very lacking army of freed slaves turned their attention to Sgt. Byrd.

"When I was patrolling this morning, I noticed a great army coming towards us from the North. At first, I thought it was Changeling, but then I realized that she's to the South of us. That's when I noticed that the leader of the army was a rather large fellow indeed, with a giant fin running from his forehead to his tail on his back." Sgt. Byrd explained. Snowflake racked her brain for any information on such a creature. Large creature with a giant fin on his back, possibly a sea monster of some sort...

"BANE!"

The camp was filled with cries of amazement as Bane of all people marched into the camp. His silver scales glimmered in the desert sun, making him seem out of place among the rather dull-looking tents of hide. Behind him was a well-sized army of sea dragons, rhynocs, fauns, Breezebuilders, Landblubbers, and other citizens of Avalar. Several gasps rose from the air when some large machines stomped towards them as well. They were none other then Changeling's trashed sea dragon submarines, now designed to be machines of land war. Technicians from Azura City piloted the machines, all of them trained to know every command of the unique machine they commanded.

Bane lowered his scaly head and a very familiar rhynoc hopped off his head. Snowflake, Spyro, and Ripto recognized him immediately as one of the two rhynocs that let them into their household by the ocean many days ago. It was Grendor, Eledor's brother and the only villain to give up a life of villainy after only one attack by Spyro.

"Grendor!" Brother and sister reunited in a giant hug. Many questions were asked immediately by the slaves, most of them concerning Grendor's shocking appearance. The rhynocian librarian then explained why he arrived here.

"It was Bane's idea, really. He wanted to alert all of Avalar in case a full-fledged war, but I decided to expand on his idea. Since Changeling had an army, why not the good citizens of Avalar as well? Bane went to the sea dragons for help, and I rearranged that large rhynoc army I had back with I had two heads. Soon all of Avalar wanted to help, and there you have it."

"Seems that you've come in the nick of time," Wart began. "You see, we're supposed to fight Changeling's army today and-" Wart trailed off when he noticed the giant sea dragon glaring at him. The mottled green dragon let his eyes stray to the dragon's body, and he noticed faint scars that he had given him when he was escaping the Kraken's cave with Laigon and an imprisoned Eledor.

"...I see you're still mad about that whole 'Try to kill the offending sea dragon' incident." Wart said hesitantly. He backed away slowly, but Bane blocked his exit with his large right claw. Grendor approached the former lackey of Changeling with his wand outstretched. 'Man, I never get a break these days.' Wart thought to himself.

"Tell me, what's a liar and a kidnapper doing in the company of the greatest heroes of Avalar?" Grendor hissed. "Just because I've given up my ways as an evil sorcerer doesn't mean I won't have any second thoughts when I gut you alive!"

"Grendor, put your wand away." Eledor commanded. She stepped in-between the two. Wart whispered a thank-you to her as she told Grendor about everything that Wart did between his capture and now. As soon as she was finished, Grendor apologized to Wart almost reluctantly, for he was hoping to attack the jerk that gave Bane his scars. Bane listened intently, and then smiled.

"This happens to me a lot. Some lackey of an evil person is evil, but then turns out good because he or she realizes that there's a better way to live. I should know, because I was once in Wart's position. Before I was helping others, I was knocking ships over and eating the drowning people!" Bane said in a cheerful tone, although the other people among them didn't seem so happy about that new insight on Bane's life.

Grendor decided to change the subject. "Sister, while you were away, I found this book in the basement." The rhynoc handed Eledor a very worn-out book with a torn leather binding and a golden clasp holding the book together. The book was heavier then it looked, as it weighed about as much as a dictionary. Eledor squinted to read the faded out words on the cover.

"Fire, Water, Nature, Earth, Mind, and Ice. Is this what I think it is?" Eledor exclaimed.

"Yes. This is the most informative book on the Gigas Crystals I could find. In fact, the very creators of the Gigas Crystals wrote the first few chapters themselves." Grendor explained. Eledor immediately opened the book and let her eyes roam across the handwriting of ancient leaders. She sat down and let Wart, Ripto, Spyro, and Snowflake sneak a peek over her shoulder.

"The Crystals of whom the elements have been infused with are now named the Gigas Crystals. Separate, they are as powerful as a very skilled magician is. Together, they could bring an entire world to its knees. There is one Gigas Crystal for every Faun Elder, which brings the count to eight." Ripto, Snowflake, Wart, and Spyro looked very confused.

"Wait...They must've miscounted. I'm sure of it. There can't be eight Gigas Crystals, or else the GCT would've picked them up!" Snowflake shouted. Eledor continued reading.

"Because of the dangerous nature of Life and Death, the Black and White Gigas Crystals can only be summoned when the six Gigas Crystals are brought together. This is to keep one with a greedy heart from obtaining magic most foul." Eledor recited from the book.

"Of course! That's what it said in Changeling's book, only it said 'When the six Gigas Crystals are brought together, you shall obtain the power of Life and Death.' Changeling saw this as a power the Gigas Crystals created, not as two different Gigas Crystals altogether!" Wart exclaimed. Now, the whole camp was listening in on their conversation. People crowded against each other just to get a glimpse of the old knowledge contained within.

"Wait...If there were eight Gigas Crystals instead of six, why didn't any of the Guardians mention anything?" Spyro asked.

"We were kept as much in the dark as you creatures were." Robin stated her hands on her hips. She didn't look particularly pleased about this turn of events, and neither did Grunge and Kraken. Incinder preened his fiery feathers, uninterested at the news. The large stone dragon that Scorch named as Fissure shifted his granite wings uncomfortably.

"These special Gigas Crystals have no Guardians or Holders, or else we would've detected them." Behind her, several other Guardians chattered in agreement. Kraken started muttering under his breath about "hidden prettiesssss".

"But, if they don't have Guardians or Holders, how can they be Gigas Crystals at all?" Snowflake asked. This whole month of recovering Gigas Crystals from magical Guardians taught her one thing; Gigas Crystals had a large monster to protect them, and a person that was able to command the magic within.

"The Guardianssss and the holderssss were Optir'sssss creation. The Gigassss Crysssstalssss have been around ssssince before I wassss even born!" Kraken hissed in reply. Considering that the Kraken is the older brother of the aged High Chieftain Moss of Azura City, that was saying a lot.

"And the Holders were created so that no one could the same as Optir, which is collect every one and be the Holder of them all." Grunge finished. Wart muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like "but that didn't stop her from trying!" But other then that, they let the discussion end.

Eledor was about to close the book, when Snowflake noticed something in the binding. The dragon quickly snatched it away from the rhynoc's hands to look at something scribbled on the inside of the binding. The sun caught the light of elegant cursive written in silver ink. When the white dragon read the words on the binding, she almost dropped the book in shock.

To my granddaughter,

You will probably never find this book, but my heart still goes out to you. By the time you read this, I will already be gone like the last of the Elders. The thought of never seeing you grow up brings tears to my eyes, but I must keep strong as I write this. As I write this, the Riptoc menace is tearing at the Diamond Palace doors for the Gigas Crystals.

The reason you are of Mage blood is because of me. And because of my powers, I had to leave my family, my children, my home, and you just to escape them. What I did was wrong, for now I'm going to die here in a world I wasn't born in, surrounded by creatures I'm not familiar with, guarding a magic I can't bring myself to worship, facing a danger I would never dream of existing.

Fate will bring you here. The elders themselves said it would. I am very sorry I had to bring you into such a vile twist of events. I shall always love you and my daughter Tide.

"Snowflake, are you all right?" Ripto asked. The dragon said nothing as she held the old book. Her numbed fingers let the book slide out of her hands and onto the hot sand. 'It couldn't be. It's impossible!' Snowflake thought frantically as she took a peak at the name of the person who wrote a pledge to her those many years ago, telling her that it was more then luck that brought her into this world of Gigas Crystals, giant monster guardians, and the people that protected sacred gems with their life.

The signature at the bottom of the binding was that of her deceased grandmother...

Only several miles south of the camp filled with freed slaves and recruited soldiers, Changeling's army sat. Morning was different for the bloodthirsty beasts. Instead of cheerful conversation and the sound of laughter filling the air, the atmosphere buzzed with curses, insults, and the sound of a weaker lizardman getting beat up by something larger then it.

Changeling watched the action in front of her with boredom. She knew that the army of her runaway slaves was just to the north of her, and she didn't care. As much as she felt tempted to, armies always battled for the Gigas Crystals in the Blood-Soaked Plains in front of the Diamond Palace. It was the law, and Changeling felt it was best to follow it. Slaying Wart's new army seemed too easy; she wanted a challenge to go with her world domination.

Beside her, the new Second-in-Command rubbed his scimitars with his specially designed poison. A devilish grin crossed his lips as he watched the sunlight dance off his lethal blades. He couldn't wait until the moment that his scimitars sliced through the flesh of his enemy. Laigon's mouth watered as he thought about the after-battle feast he would have. His species of sea serpent always ate their fallen opponents and since they were immune to the poisons of their weapons, they often ate while their victim was still warm.

"May I murder the little slime ball now?" Laigon asked, referring to Wart in the cleanest possible way before his mistress. Changeling let her gaze fall upon Laigon. She looked to the north and grinned.

"Of course. We'll make it a formal invitation, a one on one battle. If Wart refuses, he dies right where he stands." Changeling explained. She put her fingers to her lips and whistled shrilly. Almost instantly, a large dragon covered in chain mail landed in front of her. The black-scaled beast lowered its horned head to the ground, allowing Laigon to climb onto its back. Without any further hesitation, the dragon launched itself into the air and towards the camp.

"May the spirits of my ancestors guide my blades through the stomach of my foe." Laigon chanted to himself as the dragon glided effortlessly across the sands of the desert. Finally, after only a few minutes, Laigon spotted the camp ahead. He instructed the dragon to fly just above the campers' heads as he shouted an invitation to them.

"Betrayers and runaways! I come looking for the little bastard of which you call Wart!" Laigon shouted. Wart ran out of the camp in an instant, his sheathed sword banging on his back with each step. Laigon brought the dragon down to ground right in front of the former Lab Pet of Changeling.

"What do you want, Laigon?" Wart shouted, his voice dripping with venom. Laigon smirked as he stepped off the large dragon. The freed slaves all watched the sea serpent cautiously as if suddenly he would regain control of them any minute now.

"I want only to fight you. It'll be a very even one on one match. You refuse my offer, and I kill you right here." Laigon hissed. At the sound of the death threat, Snowflake, Spyro, and Ripto rushed out to meet Laigon, but Wart held them off.

"No, this is between him and me." Wart said to his friends. He turned his attention to the sea serpent in front of him. "And what do I win if I beat you?"

"You win nothing except your life. This is a fight to the death. The winner is the one with the soaked blade, or blades in my case. I win, you die. You win, I die. What do you say?" Laigon answered. At the sound of this, several people in the camp pleaded for Wart to back down. This made the sea serpent very amused. 'So, the little traitor is popular with the slaves. Heh, that means that they'll be even more crushed when I murder him...' Laigon thought to himself.

Wart ignored them as he considered the deal. He rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmmm...I fight you, I have a chance of dying. If I back down, I die anyways." The green dragon shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, you have a deal."

Laigon smiled, hiding his dark thoughts. 'You've just signed your will, Toad.' "Okay, we'll fight right here at this very spot. You have five minutes to mentally prepare yourself for-"

"Oh, I don't need to prepare, Laigon. I've been waiting to fight you since the day you sneered at my higher rank." Wart retorted.

And so, the arena was made. The same dragon that brought Laigon to the camp was the one to create the crude battleground. It hovered a few inches off the ground as it dragged a claw through the grit, drawing the line between the crowd and the combatants. In less then a minute, a perfect circle wide enough for decent fighting space was made. The occupants in the camp soon surrounded the battleground. Bane, since he was much taller then the other creatures in the army, was a convient seat for Snowflake, Spyro, Ripto, Eledor, and Grendor to use.

Scorch landed right near the sea dragon and folded his wings against his chest. "Do you think Wart stands a chance against that big blowhard?" Scorch asked Bane. The sea dragon said nothing, but instead kept his eyes riveted on the arena in front of him.

The crowd parted, revealing Laigon. He walked proudly into the circle, ignoring the boos and death threats issued by some of the more abused slaves. The sea serpent also ignored the burning sensation in his tail when Spyro launched a fireball at him. When he was fully in the battle ring, he launched an insult to his opponent, who was still standing in the crowd.

"What's a weak little dragon like you going to do to me? You're an egghead not fit for fighting; I'm a fighter fit for killing creatures that get in Changeling's way." Laigon pulled his scimitars free from his belt and juggled them in the air several times to prove his point. The light shimmered off his blades unnaturally, reminding Wart that he wasn't fighting a normal creature with normal weapons. He was fighting a monster mad with jealously with poisoned blades to serve his every whim.

And yet, Wart wasn't afraid. He was tired of running from his fears, so now he was going to face them. Bile rose to his throat and sweat beaded on his forehead, but Wart refused to back away. His clawed feet made unique marks in the sand as he stepped towards the sea serpent and into the arena. His friends watched as Wart unfolded his wings and called out a taunt to his opponent.

"All the creatures I've seen you slaughter were innocent creatures running for their lives, dying elderly gasping for their final breath, and young children just because they sneezed while you were talking. Changeling never ordered you to kill those people, and yet you did so just to watch the blood run down your blades. You're no fighter; you're a butcher. I'm here to show you the difference."

Wart unsheathed his weapon, a sword that once owned by his father. It was a simple but strong blade that was both durable and light. Spyro in particular noticed how much Laigon's beautifully curved scimitars outclassed Wart's simple sword, for he lowered his head as if he was already attending his friend's funeral.

"You call that a fighting blade? That little toothpick isn't fit for chopping vegetables!" Laigon joked. And suddenly, without warning, Laigon launched himself at Wart with his blades outstretched. The dragon was caught off-guard, but he dodged the sea serpent without a mark on his body. Wart tumbled through the sand, a bit shaken but otherwise okay.

"You jerk!" Wart shouted as he regained composure. "You were supposed to give some sort of a signal before you start the fight!"

"Signals are for nerds. A real fighter is prepared for anything!" Laigon dove again for Wart, but this time Wart was ready for him. The dragon held up his blade like a shield, and the scimitars bounced off the tempered steel. Venom flew off the Slave Master's blades when the three blades clashed against each other.

"Heh, so you do have a little fight in you. I thought the only thing you were good for is testing potions and DNA." Laigon said casually. Clang! Another attack was blocked by Wart.

"Thanks." Wart commented sarcastically. Clink! Laigon was becoming frustrated by Wart's ability to block his moves. "My Dad was one of the better fighters in the rhynoc army, and he taught me most of what I know!"

This display of blocking attacks continued for quite some time. The Slave Master was more then a little irritated that any advance made on his foe resulted in his scimitars blocked by the dragon's sword. Spyro smiled; Wart wasn't outclassed at all, but rather perfectly matched. Laigon had the better weapons and skills, but he just wasn't as calm and collected as Wart was. Every time an attack was blocked, Laigon became more frustrated.

Finally, after a few minutes of such display, Laigon roared with anger and slashed downward with both scimitars outstretched. Wart was ready for him; with a quick stroke of his blade, both of Laigon's scimitars went sailing into the air. They buried themselves in the sand inches away from Bane's feet. For a moment, the sea serpent was completely vulnerable.

"Go ahead. Pick them up. Unlike you, I let my opponents have a second chance." Wart growled. The crowd watched as the serpent was humiliated in front of the creatures he once tormented. A sneer appeared on the serpent's lips.

"Wart! Look out!"

Wart saw Laigon leap at him with both of his scimitars outstretched for his flesh. The dragon panicked, but he saw that he couldn't block Laigon's attack without snapping his blade. As a last resort, Wart outstretched his arm holding his sword blade and closed his eyes as if waiting for the end.

"ARGH!"

Wart felt a heavy weight fall on his outstretched arm. He slowly opened his eyelids, and was disgusted to see Laigon transfixed on his blade. The sea serpent's head flopped uselessly forward and leaked crimson blood onto the sand. Numbed fingers dropped both scimitars into the sand, where they fell into the growing puddle of blood. His wild brown eyes, usually filled with hate, were now clouding with death. Despite all this, the sea serpent was still somewhat alive, as he slowly raised his head to meet Wart's eyes, and said his final words.

"Y-You.... Will p-pay.... For thissssss...." The sea serpent hissed, his voice as soft as a kitten's mew. Laigon tried to rise again, but the last of his life left him. With a strangled gurgle, the yellow Slave Master became limp and fell backwards to the ground, Wart's blade still embedded in his stomach. More blood fell out of his body, and soon a crimson pool of the sea serpent's life force surrounded his body. Wart's eyes watered from the smell. He couldn't bear to look at the corpse as the slaves cheered.

"Wow, you've driven that sword so far through his body that it's stuck in his spine! How did you do it?" Spyro said after he had the nerve to step closer to the body. Wart half-heartedly shrugged. The Lab Pet still couldn't believe that he killed someone in that manner. He turned his head to once again look at the crumpled body of Laigon.

"Bury him."

"What? Are you nuts? That jerk doesn't deserve a decent burial! I say we leave him out for the buzzards to pick his bones!" Ripto suggested. The other slaves agreed with hushed tones. Moneybags, still halfway out of his mind, had the gall to poke Laigon's body repeatively with a large stick.

"You heard what I said! I murdered him and stained the sand with his blood! The least I could do is make sure that his body got a decent burial..." Wart snapped at the Riptoc, delirious by the fact that he was now a cold-blooded killer.

The last-minute funeral was performed right there where Wart had slain Laigon. The one responsible for the Slave Master's death was also the one responsible for Laigon's grave. Wart dug a very deep but crude hole right where Laigon had fallen. The freed slaves, Bane and Grendor's army, and Wart's close friends all watched as the dragon gently placed Laigon's limp body and covered the hole. The dragon held up Laigon's poisoned scimitars into the air and let them catch the sunshine with their shiny surface.

"I know you weren't the nicest of sea serpents and I know you tried to kill me, but no one deserves to die the death that you suffered. Maybe, if Fate was kinder to both of us, we've would've been friends. Friends...." And with his words, Wart took the twin blades and sunk them point first into the sand, creating a grave marker.

"What an honor. It's such a shame that Laigon was not the guy to have acknowledged such an act of kindness..." Snowflake said as she patted Wart on the shoulder. While this gesture was somewhat cheering, the dragon still couldn't smile. He looked into the horizon, just spying the faint image of the Diamond Palace. Diamond Palace; the place where the Gigas Crystals rightfully belonged.

"Laigon's death is the first death of many that we'll see today. Let's just hope we'll live through this nightmare..."

After Laigon's funeral, Wart and Bane's combined army began marching again. It took half the day, just like Wart had said, but as soon as the sun was in its afternoon position, the sand had faded away and revealed a beautiful marvel.

Everyone in the army gasped as they stood there in awe. In front of them was an extensive area of flat land covered in thick grass. The emerald blades swayed in the hot desert air, making the plains look more like a haven of peace then the sight of many gruesome deaths. This was the Blood-Soaked Plains all right, but what was strange was the ground beneath the scenery. Instead of rich brown soil, the ground was crimson red. It was eerily symbolic; the ground beneath many wars and battles was stained red with the ancient blood of the dead.

If the Blood-Soaked Plains were a thing to gape at, the Diamond Palace was something purely magical. A large castle sat at the very end of the grass, shining brightly in the sun. True to its name, the palace was made out of solid diamond reinforced by the magic of the Faun Elders. The result; the building looked as fragile as glass, and yet stood up against the harshest of elements. The palace was a glittering marvel that seemed too beautiful to even be real. Some of the fighters in the army, including the three that had collected the three Gigas Crystals during their journey, found themselves wondering if they were even looking at something solid and not a mirage.

"These beautiful plains weren't always called the Blood-Soaked Plains. They were mostly known as the Emerald Plains at some time, before the Gigas Crystals and before all this bloodshed..." Heads turned, and realized that the solemn voice belonged to Bane. The dragon twitched his tail behind him like an irritated cat.

"It's sad to see a land born in peace now used to conduct battle. It's enough to make a sea serpent ill!" Bane said, stomping a large fin to the ground to prove his point. Sgt. Byrd landed on one of Bane's broad shoulders.

"Speak of the devil, here comes Changeling..." Sgt. Byrd whispered into his ear. The penguin pointed a wing to the left of them, and they saw a sight that they were prepared for. Fifteen thousand monsters ready to fight for Changeling, and the evil creature herself standing in front of all of them. She silently signaled to one of the monsters behind her, and soon a quadruped dragon ran up to her with a saddle on its back. Changeling mounted the beast and directed it towards the army of freed slaves and recruited fighters.

"I didn't expect for you to get this far, my slimy reptiles. You've escaped my castle, recruited enough fighters to almost match my own, crossed the desert, and even killed my newly appointed Second-in-Commander. I'd give you a round of applause if I weren't so irritated right about now!" Changeling hollered. Spyro found that this was a good time to mock the villainess.

"Well, that's what you get when you underestimate your foes, Changeling." Spyro mocked. The dark-furred cat pointed a filed claw at him.

"If I didn't have such powerful will power, I'd be strangling the breath out of you right now, you purple salamander! Remember that I have imprisoned you like a circus animal once, and I can just as easily do it again!" The force of her voice drove Spyro back a few steps, but he still held his ground. He growled several insults under his breath as Changeling turned her attention to Wart.

"You have two hours to prepare your army, Toad. If you are even a second late, my army will be instructed to slice you to bits. I'll be waiting..." And with that, Changeling and her beast of burden darted across the grass and dunes to prepare her army. Only the wind greeted the ears of the reptiles afterwards.

"Geez...She's a bigger bitch then I imagined her to be." Grendor spoke rather uncharacteristically as they stood knee deep in grass. Wart looked back to all the slaves, rhynocs, sea dragons, fauns, and Avalarian fighters and took a deep breath. Then, he shouted to the army with a voice that carried over the plains.

"Okay! We have two hours to prepare, so I want all the fighters to fine-tune their body and weapons! This is the moment we've been waiting for, everyone! Changeling and her goons have kicked us around like broken down animals for way too long, and now she wants to do the same thing to every last citizen in Avalar. Will we allow this?"

"NOOOO!" The army cheered. The loudest cheers came from the slaves and the Gigas Crystals holders, who knew just how mean the villainess was in terms of cruelty. Wart felt very good inside; only a month ago, he was the hated lackey of Changeling that never got so much as a pat on the back if he did something right. His spirit taking control of his voice, the dragon prepped the fighters on.

"Then clean those blades, nock those bows, polish those shields, and rest those muscles! We're going to show that cat just what happens when you kick around an Avalarian!"

Eledor looked down once again at the old volume of Fire, Water, Nature, Earth, Mind, and Ice. The rhynoc realized exactly how valuable this book was. The only piece of truth among the fragments of lies spread about the Gigas Crystals. As she flipped through the pages in search of any information on the Emerald plains, she spied something very weird written near the back on the book, where the index should've been.

If you manage to fail on your quest,
And soon suffer the most dire loss.
Avalar would then suffer its death,
And turn to the Realms of Chaos...

Tiddy tiddy boom. Tiddy tiddy boom.

A single snare drum played by Scott sounded through the air, playing the beat of which the army now named The Peacekeepers would march by. Soon, the melodious sound of the snare was followed by the sound of over thirty thousand feet marching across the ground. Fifteen thousand fighters all armed to the teeth marched in rhythm to the beat. The sun glistened on their armor-wearing bodies like a thousand gems.

In the very front was Spyro, Ripto, Snowflake, the original three Gigas Crystal holders that started this quest, and the unofficial leader of the army, Wart. All four of them were armed with lightweight leather armor, for scales doubled as a natural armor. Wart lifted up the visor on his head to look at his three friends and whispered the plan to them as they slowly marched to Changeling.

"Here's the plan. We meet up with Changeling's army. She's planning on cutting us down with sheer force, but I'll issue a challenge for her. I'm going to challenge her to a sword fight before the war starts." Wart instructed. His friends were shocked at Wart's new change of heart. The steady tiddy tiddy boom of the snare drum echoed through their bodies as they try to talk him out of it.

"Wart! You've been out in the sun too long! You can't challenge Changeling; she'll cut you down like a ripe tomato!" Ripto shouted. Wart frowned down at his reflection in his blade. He could still catch the hint of Laigon's blood on his blade, and he knew that no amount of cleaning would ever remove the fact that he had killed someone in cold blood that day. He looked into Ripto's eyes, and a cocky grin appeared on the dragon hybrid's face.

"That's okay...because I don't plan on winning." Wart said solemnly.

"...You're committing suicide? But Wart-" Snowflake was cut off immediately.

"No 'but's! The sword fight is a distraction! You run to Diamond Palace as fast as possible while Changeling and me are killing each other! It doesn't matter whom wins, because the outcome is the same. Either way, you'll be at Diamond Palace before that tyrant..."

"Sounds good to me." Spyro said with a broad smile on his face.

"Spyro, don't encourage him! This plan is a load of-" Snowflake's statement was cut short when the snare drum stopped. Both armies were standing within a few feet of each other. The Peacekeepers on one side of the Emerald Plains, and Changeling's Fiends on the other side. Once again, Changeling rode towards the army of once tortured creatures with the same dragon beast of burden carrying her.

"So, are you ready to lose?" Changeling asked. Wart swallowed the rising bile to his throat and tried to make his voice as confident as possible.

"No. In fact, I want to issue a challenge to you that you can't refuse. How's about you and me settle scores with each other before the war?" Wart asked. Changeling cocked her head to one side in amusement.

"Hmmm...You must've discovered the sweet nectar of bloodlust. I bet killing Laigon made you feel good, my scaly punching bag." Changeling hissed. Wart nodded in response. Changeling then smirked. "I guess I can't refuse a challenge. Army, the war will wait! Watch as me and Wart battle for the last time!"

Just like in the battle against Laigon, the large group of battle-ready creatures formed a ring around Wart and Changeling. Against Changeling's back, the hollers of her followers cheered her on. Against Wart's, his friends screamed cheers and chants to back him up. He turned to Spyro, his face a mask of confidence.

"You and your friends Snowflake and Ripto will wait at the very edge of the battle ring, but keep at least a few bodies between you and the Diamond Palace so that Changeling doesn't get suspicious. When I shout 'You're going to drag us all down into chaos!' you run like the devil himself is pursuing you. Don't look back! Understand?" Wart explained to Spyro. The dragon only nodded.

"Good. Best of luck." And then Wart walked towards the center of ring, just like before. He knew that while being scratched by Changeling's weapons wouldn't kill him like with Laigon, Changeling was a more skilled fighter. The dragon swallowed more rising bile down his throat when Changeling chose her weapon; a beautiful but deadly blade dyed turquoise by magic. Changeling approached Wart, her face a fatal sneer.

"What gives you the gall to do this stuff to me? You betrayed me, you've protected Azura City against me, you've freed all my slaves, and killed my best Slave Master!" Changeling made the first attack, but Wart was able to block the attack with his blade.

"What gave you the gall to lie to me and my family, change me into a monster, and treat me like a sack of dirt?" Wart then countered her attack. Changeling cried in pain when Wart nicked her right arm, but then she launched an attack of her own and drove her sword right through his tail. Both crowds gasped and cheered as the person they cheered for got hurt and scored hits.

This exchange of banter continued just as long as the battle against Laigon did, only instead of blocking attacks, Wart was exchanging them. He was a whole different person now; all the pain suffered during his stay with Changeling fueled his body with an energy he never believed to exist. His blood was now staining the ground around him, but Wart refused to give in. He wouldn't give up now.

On the other hand, Changeling was a lot more skilled in fighting then Laigon was. She knew all of Wart's counters and all of his strikes. If Wart gave her a little scratch on her arm, she would drive her blade through a body part that would both draw blood and cause extreme pain. She had about thirty more years of experience then Wart did, and it showed.

"Why don't you just take a dive and let me win, Wart? It will save you the pain..." Changeling observed. Changeling had only a few scratches on her body, but Wart looked worse for the wear. One of his ears had been ripped clear off his head, the tip of his tail was chopped off, and his wings were beyond repair. The dragon winced as he moved his pounding head to look into Changeling's eyes. His neon yellow eyes narrowed.

"And give you the satisfaction of defeat? I don't think so!" Wart then dived forward, a battle cry rising to his lips. His blade did its first real damage; it embedded itself into Changeling's long tail. In self-defense, the cat slashed wildly with her sword. Both crowds screamed in horror.

"GAH!" Wart screamed as he felt steel penetrate the webbing of his right wing. Changeling smiled at her handiwork; his wing was sliced right down to the bare foundations. Wart knew that now he was unable to fly and never will. The dragon hybrid hissed in pain, and then locked blades with Changeling. Their snouts were inches away from touching.

"You were always weak, Toad. You were nothing more then a large guinea pig to me. No one is worth listening to if he believes the lies that a villain makes!"

Changeling then pushed Wart backward with all her might. The dragon gave a feeble flap with his shredded wings before falling on them, cracking all the bones inside of them. Despite all the pain rushing through his body, Wart was able to shout one thing. "You're going to...drag us all down into chaos!"

"That's the signal!" Spyro whispered to his arch-nemesis and the snow-white dragon. Snowflake, Spyro, and Ripto then slowly crept around the large lizardmen surrounding them until nothing but a large field separated them from their goal. Giving one last parting look to their friend Wart, the three reptiles ran as fast as their legs could allow to their final goal; the Diamond Palace.

Time seemed to freeze. Wart turned his head to watch the three reptiles run for their lives and temporarily let his guard down. Changeling caught the opening, and with a quick movement of her arms, plunged her large sword into Wart's unprotected belly. A scream rose from the throats of some of the freed slaves, including Eledor, Bane, Grendor, and Nazza.

Wart suddenly felt a strong, stinging pain in his stomach. He slowly looked down, almost dreamlike, at the large sword blade sticking out of his stomach. The little dragon swayed slightly, almost confused at the large gaping hole in his body. Changeling sneered at her former lackey, but her sneer disappeared when the dragon lifted his head to meet hers.

"Thank you...for releasing me..." Wart's eyes were not filled with pain and confused disbelief, but rather they were calm. The dragon had accepted of his fate, and had meddled with Changeling's plans for the last time. With a final sigh, the dragon slid backwards off her blade and was dead right before his body hit the ground.

"See what becomes of you when you get in the way of-" Changeling cut her taunt off when she noticed that Wart's corpse was smiling. A shiver traveled down her spine, and she temporarily went insane.

"STOP MOCKING ME!" Changeling's bloodstained blade rose into the air, ready to disembowel the body in front of her...

"Keeeeeeeaaaaar! This is for Wart and my stolen crystal, you fiend!" Changeling flew several feet off the ground when Scorch's talons hit her with a sickening thwack. The cold-blooded murderer sailed across the arena and tumbled into her horde. Taking this moment of confusion in his own hands, Scorch lifted the limp body of Wart with his claws and carried him away from the slicing blades of the horde.

"KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" Changeling screeched. The army that the cat commanded immediately sprang into action. What was once an area where only two people thought became a melee of slashing blades. Snarls, growls, and grunts filled the air to make the music of war.

But the Peacekeepers were ready. Bane, now the new unofficial leader of the Peacekeepers, shouted commands to his followers as he slashed at battlers with his claws. The sea dragon machines held their own against the battle with their lasers and missiles. Moneybags, delirious from a month of captivity, slashed and clawed at anybody who got near him.

There was no denying it. The War of the Gigas had just begun...

Changeling wiped the blood off her mouth with the back of her right hand. She stood at the very edge of the carnage, away from all the bloodshed that she caused. The cat started to rise to her feet.

"Well, I did accomplish one thing today. I did kill that-" Changeling stopped herself when she looked into the distance and at Diamond Palace. She saw the faint outlines of three creatures running for their lives towards the building. Changeling hissed like the feline she was; it was the three reptiles that had stolen her Gigas Crystals in the first place.

"So, Wart. You had to sacrifice yourself to buy them some time, eh? Well, it's such a shame that you didn't help matters at all..."

Changeling picked up the three Gigas Crystals lying in the grass next to her and put them back in her containment pouch and then reached for her sword. And then, with a holler that was inhuman, Changeling dashed after her prey. She snarled at them even though they were too far away to here, her lust for power temporarily making her insane.

"You can't run forever, maggots! The death of your warty friend isn't going to help you! I'll kill you all; I'll make sure of that!"

End of Chapter 14

The next chapter is none other then the very last. Yes, ladies and gents, The Realms of Chaos is coming to a close.

Please, no flames just because your favorite character died. If you loved this story's last 13 chapters and only hate it now just because Laigon and Wart kicked the bucket, you shouldn't even read this! I don't exactly see J.K. Rowling's books being burned because Sirius Black is dead!

Chapter 15 will include the legendary Gigas Crystal of Life and the Gigas Crystal of Death. It will also be the very last chapter. I had fun spending an entire year writing this story, and I'm sure you're all very sad that this story will soon end...