The Sky Torcher
Edelweiss rode Black Widow to the dragons' sleep cave. They found Thunder and his friends just starting to wake up. They looked up when Black Widow landed near them.
"Morning you two," said Feathers. "We were starting to wonder if you were ever going to visit us again Edel." The other dragons murmured in agreement.
"Sorry guys," Edel said. "I've had my hands full with the dragons in both the Crystal Realm and the Fire Realm." She dismounted. Wu and Wei both nudged her shoulders. She patted them. "Your riders still in bed?"
"Yeah," said Plowhorn. "It's always nice to have a bit of dragon time. Can't have too much of a good thing." She flapped the kinks out of her wings. The only dragon still asleep was Webbmaster. Edelweiss sat on a tall, flat rock.
"I will admit," she said. "It's still a bit different having dragon riders again. I've become too used to having dragons all to myself."
"You've had dragons all to yourself for about a thousand years," Black Widow said.
"Did you ever ride the Great Alpha himself?" Feathers asked. "You told us you knew him."
"I was never his official rider," Edelweiss said. "I was never worthy of such a dragon. I only rode him occasionally." She smiled fondly. Then she yawned.
"Have there been any more Flamethrowers?" Wu asked.
"No," said Black Widow. "The rest of our group is keeping watch for them though. Avalon is determined to find out who they're working for."
"What about that one who was sleeping in your cave?" Wei asked.
"Scorch? He's still there," said Edelweiss. "He's hoping we'll keep him safe from whoever's controlling them."
"Can Avalon see who their boss is through her mind reading?" Feathers asked.
"She's tried," said Edelweiss. "But all she sees is a big pale shadow."
"Jun says the Chinese saw white dragons as a symbol of death and doom," Wu said. Edelweiss sighed and exchanged a glance with Thunder.
"Which I guess would mean that if she saw this white dragon attack, she won't trust any white dragons," Edelweiss said sadly, running a finger along the white scales on her arm.
"I hope we don't have to fight a big white dragon," said Feathers. She jumped up onto the rock Edelweiss was sitting on. "We had a hard enough time fighting a big grey dragon, that almost took Tom and Thunder." The Night Light nodded in agreement. Edelweiss looked uncomfortable, which Thunder was quick to notice. But at that moment they heard their riders coming. Webbmaster finally woke up as the riders entered the cave.
"Morning Edel!" Jun said.
"Morning riders," Edelweiss said, patting Feathers on her neck. The riders greeted their respective dragons. Tom was the last one in the cave. He looked really troubled. Thunder greeted him happily.
"Something on your mind Tom?" Jun asked. Tom took a deep breath and told them what he was thinking, as he checked Thunder's saddle straps. They all looked shocked.
"So let me get this straight," said D'Angelo. "You want to check on the Fault Ripper?"
"You've been having bad dreams haven't you?" Edelweiss asked. Both Tom and Jun looked at her in surprise.
"How'd you know?" Tom asked.
"Thunder told me," said Edelweiss. "He told me he's been having bad dreams about the Fault Ripper too. Plus he's noticed the troubled look on your face and the slight shadows under your eyes. Dragons are very good at noticing things like that." Tom looked at his dragon, who gave him a look of sympathy.
"I just feel bad about what happened," he said. "I want to make sure he's all right."
"The biggest, meanest dragon that almost dragged you and Thunder into the depths of the fissure?" Jun asked.
"The Fault Ripper wasn't being mean," said Edelweiss. "He was just defending himself. I'm sure he has a softer side to him."
"Causing earthquakes and almost collapsing ICARIS is not what I'd call defense," said Alex.
"He was doing what he was built for," said Edelweiss. "You don't come down on Thunder for shooting lightening, or Feathers for blending into her surroundings. All dragons are going to do what they were built for. It's not their fault you humans don't like it sometimes."
"So let me get this straight," said Eugene. "So blasting dragons isn't cool."
"It's our duty to protect the dragons," Tom said. "No matter how destructive they are. After what happened with the Fault Ripper, I'm starting to wonder if we're doing more harm then good." Just then Alex's tablet started beeping.
"It's the sensors in the Crystal Realm," she said. "They're going crazy."
"Which ones?" Tom asked.
"All of them," said Alex, showing the screen which had a map and blinking red and green lights.
"Looks like the Fault Ripper will have to wait," said Edelweiss. The riders all mounted their dragons and headed out.
They got to the Crystal Realm and looked around. Alex kept her eyes on her tablet.
"Still off the charts," she said. Suddenly there came a faint rumbling sound.
"You hear that?" Tom said. The sounds got louder, then a stampede of Crystal Realm dragons came running through a large gate way in the wall. They all roared in terror.
"Those dragons look terrified," said D'Angelo.
"I'm new to this, but is this normal?" Eugene asked.
"No," said Jun. "What could have startled all these dragons?" But then they all spotted the three Flamethrowers circling the gate way.
"Flamethrowers!" D'Angelo exclaimed.
"Yeah, they keep coming back no matter how many times we chase them back," said Avalon as she and her dragons joined them. "We saw where they've been coming through." She led the way through the gate way, and everyone followed her. They were soon heading to the tall crystal tower with lava pouring out of it like a fiery fountain. More Flamethrowers were circling it.
"That tower, the Fire Realm is leaking into the Crystal Realm," said D'Angelo.
"We have to plug up that hole," said Tom. He urged Thunder forwards, but the dragon wouldn't budge. None of the dragons would get closer to the tower.
"Something's wrong," Edelweiss said. "Something bigger than Flamethrowers." No sooner had she said that then something rose up out of the moat of lava around the tower. The lava rolled off the scales of an enormous white dragon. It looked slightly like an eastern dragon with a slender body and tail, short limbs, a crown of fins around its head, large fangs, and enormous white wings. The white dragon lifted himself out of the lava and circled the tower. He circled once, then landed on the very top.
"That's what I was we were worried about," said Avalon. "He's the one controlling the Flamethrowers."
"They've been scouting the Crystal Realm," said Tom. "Clearing the way for him." The white dragon roared at his minions, who seemed excited. "We have to get them all back to the Fire Realm where they belong." He tried to urge his dragon forwards again, but Thunder roared in protest. Just then the large white dragon flared its massive wings, and started glowing brightly.
"Retreat!" Avalon called. All the domesticated dragons and the Draconinas turned and flew away from the tower. Moments later the white dragon shot four large streams of fire that almost knocked all the riders off their dragons. They dodge the flames as best they could. They just barely made it out of the Crystal Realm alive, and in one piece, but stunned and singed.
They all went back to the sleep cave to catch their breath. After Edelweiss and D'Angelo checked the dragons for injuries, everyone sat down.
"I have never seen a dragon that big," D'Angelo said. "And it commands an entire army of Flamethrowers."
"No way we can defeat that thing," said Eugene.
"It's not about defeating it," said Tom. "We just got to get it back to the Fire Realm and drain all that lava."
"I think I know how we can get it back to the Fire Realm," said Avalon. She looked at Edelweiss. They all followed her gaze. Edelweiss looked confused at first, but then looked shy.
"I know what you're thinking," she said. "And you know I haven't done that in such a long time."
"You can still do it though," said Avalon. "You're the only one I can think of that can take on that Sky Torcher." Edelweiss took several deep breaths to calm herself down.
"What are you talking about?" Jun asked. Avalon looked at the riders.
"Edel's mutated DNA has given her a hidden ability," Avalon explained. "You can call it a super power I suppose." She looked back at Edelweiss.
"You never said anything about a super power," said Tom.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," said Edelweiss. "And I know you guys hate it when secrets are kept. I have two big secrets, and this is one of them. I promise to tell you the other one later." She took a huge breath. "All right I'll do it. But please don't freak out, and don't pester me with questions." They all waited. Edelweiss closed her eyes and concentrated. There came a loud whooshing sound and a strong wind. The riders shielded their eyes from the dust. When the wind and dust settled they looked at Edelweiss again, but she wasn't there.
In her place was another white dragon, just as big as the Sky Torcher but looked slightly different. She had longer legs and slightly thinner body. She had a pair of large golden horns twisting out the back of her narrow head, and a row of golden triangular spines all down her spine from her head to her tail. Her squirrel like feet ended in golden talons. Her iridescent white mother of pearl scales shimmered with gold highlights. Edelweiss spread her large white wings to their full extent. She exhaled a breathe she'd been holding, and a small get of pure white flames erupted from her mouth. She smiled at herself, then looked at the other with her emerald green eyes. They were all speechless.
Tom was the first to find his voice and calmly approached Edelweiss. She lowered her head to his level.
"You can turn into a dragon?" Tom asked.
"That's right," Edelweiss said. Her voice was slightly louder and slightly stronger than it was in her human form.
"So you're like some sort of weredragon?" Jun asked also approaching. Edelweiss narrowed her eyes and curled her lip. Her teeth were smaller than the Sky Torcher's, but still looked strong, sharp and deadly.
"If that makes sense to you, then yes," she said.
"She's the perfect challenger for the Sky Torcher," said Avalon.
"But what about draining the lava?" Apollo asked. "Edel can't do that."
"No, but I know someone who can," said Tom, getting on Thunder's back. "D, you take the others and round up all the injured Crystal Realm dragons."
"You can use my cave," Edelweiss said. "If it's undamaged." Tom suddenly took off on Thunder.
"Where's he going?" Alex asked.
"You guys go to the Crystal Realm," said Jun, getting on Wei. "I'll go after him." She turned to Edelweiss. "You should come too, we might need a translator." Edelweiss nodded. They both headed after Tom and Thunder.
Jun found them at the cave exit, looking out at the fissure. Tom pulled out a face mask.
"Tom! You're not going after the Fault Ripper alone," Jun scolded. "You don't even know if he's still alive, and if he is I don't know how happy he'll be to see the two of you. You're going to need back up." Edelweiss landed behind them with a thud, her wings flared. Tom exchanged a look with Thunder. The Night Light seemed to agree. Tom shrugged. Jun looked down into the fissure. "So what's down there?"
"Toxic gases, lava flows," Tom said casually, handing her another mask. Jun put it on and they took off, diving into the fissure. Edelweiss was right behind them.
They went farther down into the fissure then they've ever been. It was very dark except for the glowing lava flows. Soon they reached the very bottom of the fissure. They landed on a large, dark ledge. There were a number of bioluminescent plants, shining in different colors. The riders dismounted and Edelweiss landed. She spotted the crashed remains of the helicopter that she'd flown in on. She went over to it.
"Isn't that your old helicopter?" Tom asked, following her gaze.
"Yes," said Edelweiss. "But I don't need it anymore. It was only a disguise." She flexed her wings, and they turned their attention back to looking for the Fault Ripper.
"No sign of the Fault Ripper," Tom said, sounding really worried. "He would have landed around here somewhere."
"If he's not here, then that means he must have moved," Jun assured him. Tom relaxed a bit.
"Then where is he?" He asked. Just then Thunder roared at them to get their attention. They looked over at him. He was standing in front of a large cave. They all went over to investigate.
"Wow, that's a big tunnel," said Edelweiss. "Looks like the big fellow's been busy."
"It's defiantly a Fault Ripper tunnel," Tom said, thrilled.
"See, all those nightmares and constant worrying was for nothing," Jun said. Tom beamed.
"Yes! This is a huge dragon size load off my shoulders," he said punching the air. He then pulled out a flashlight. "Now all we've got to do is find him, and convince the big guy to help us." He led the way into the tunnel, while Edelweiss waited outside. They tread lightly as they went deeper into the cave. The only light came from Tom's flashlight. Suddenly Thunder tensed up and growled.
"What is it?" Tom asked. He followed the dragon's gaze and there was the Fault Ripper. He was asleep in the very back of the cave. Tom stared at him in amazement as he calmly approached the big dragon. "Hey Mr. Fault Ripper." His voice shook with fear. He looked back at his friends, when he faced the Fault Ripper again the dragon was awake. His large eye was large and pale like a full moon. He got to his feet and growled down at Tom. He was not happy about the intrusion.
"Hey, we're not going to hurt you," Tom said. "We need your help." The Ripper's eyes narrowed. He roared which sent everyone running. He chased them out of his cave, snapping his jaws at their heals.
Tom, Jun, and their dragons ran out of the cave and hid behind the closest boulder. Edelweiss flew up and perched on a taller rock, to get a better view. The Fault Ripper came out and sniffed around for the intruders. Jun turned to Tom.
"Tom, I don't think we can get this dragon to help us," she said. "We'll find another way to drain the lava."
"No, he's the only chance we've got," Tom protested. He heard the Ripper approaching them. He rounded the boulder and roared when he spotted them. They all scattered. The Ripper roared again and gnashed his teeth. He turned to the two dragons who were cornered agains a larger boulder. Edelweiss was about to get between them, but Tom got there first. He ran in front the Fault Ripper.
"Stop please," he begged. "We need your help. The whole Crystal Realm's in danger." The Ripper gave a powerful snort that sent Tom flying. He hit the ground hard. Thunder, Wu and Wei went on the offensive. They took off and hovered over the Fault Ripper. Tom saw this and noticed that the Fault Ripper flinched when Thunder shot lightening at him. The big dragon seemed to be cowering away from the attack.
"He remembers," Tom realized. "He's afraid of us, just like we were of him. Thunder stop!" He ran between the dragons again. Thunder, Wu and Wei stopped firing and landed next to Jun. Tom looked at the Fault Ripper, right in the eye. "I'm so sorry we hurt you. I never imagined that a dragon as big as you could be afraid. But you probably have nightmares too." The Ripper paused, listening. He seemed to relax a bit. Tom held a hand out to him. "I promise, we won't hurt you or any other dragon again. And right now the dragons could really us you." He waited. The Fault Ripper took a deep breath and pressed his large snout into the boy's hand. Tom beamed again. He turned back to his friends as Edelweiss came down from her perch. With the Fault Ripper and Edelweiss on their side, Tom felt a lot more confident. He and Jun got on their dragons. The two titan dragons were right behind them as they all took off.
As they headed back to the Crystal Realm; the Fault Ripper turned to Edelweiss.
"So what exactly do they need my help with?" He asked. Edelweiss explained to him the problem with the Sky Torcher and Flamethrowers.
"Apparently, they want you to create a tunnel to drain the lava while I wrestle the Sky Torcher," she finished. The Fault Ripper looked a bit surprised.
"You think you can defeat him?" He asked.
"I guess we'll find out," Edelweiss sighed. "I'm Edelweiss Dragonborn by the way."
"Brimstone," the Fault Ripper said, smiling at her. She smiled back at him.
"This'll be fun," she said, and sped up.
Back at the Crystal Realm; D'Angelo and the others were attending to the injured dragons. But they were soon interrupted by the Sky Torcher and Flamethrowers. The big white dragon perched on a large crystal and held himself tall. The riders and dragons stared helplessly at them. Then they heard loud roars coming from another direction. Tom flew passed his friends on Thunder, followed by Jun, Wu and Wei.
"Don't worry, the Calvary has arrived," Tom announced. Edelweiss and Brimstone flew over them then hovered next to them. Everyone cheered.
"With the Fault Ripper fighting on our side, we might actually win," said D'Angelo excitedly.
"His name's Brimstone," Edelweiss informed them.
"He's not going to fight," Tom said. "I promised we wouldn't hurt him. He's just going to drain the lava. The rest of us will deal with the Flamethrowers, while Edelweiss gets the Sky Torcher's attention. Hopefully she'll get him to go back to the Fire Realm, then the Fault Ripper can collapse that tunnel." Edelweiss turned to Brimstone.
"You ready for this partner?" She asked, hyped. Brimstone smiled back at her.
"Oh yes ma'am," he said. Knowing their assignments; the riders charged at the Flamethrowers, while Brimstone went to the lava fountain. The Sky Torcher flew at the riders with his teeth bared, but was knocked off course by Edelweiss ramming into him with the force of an avalanche. The Sky Torcher roared in outrage as he saw who'd hit him. Edel gnashed her teeth and landed on a tall crystal. She roared a challenge at the other dragon and he flew at her in a rage. Edelweiss met him in mid air. The two white dragons became a tangle of wings, teeth, claws, and fire. They made such a racket that it caught everyone's attention. Edelweiss grabbed the Sky Torcher's around the neck and flung him into a near by crystal, but it barely phased him. She then blasted him with her white flames, which he dodged. He fired back and managed to singe the tip of her wing. Edelweiss roared at him, ignoring the pain. She charged at him again, but he was ready for her. He moved aside and managed to get his jaws around her throat. He bit down hard, making her scream in pain.
"NO!" Jun screamed. The Sky Torcher dug all four sets of talons into her sides and flew towards the ground fast. Edelweiss struggled but his grip was too strong. They hit the ground hard, and the Sky Torcher pinned Edelweiss down. She moaned in pain, but she wasn't out yet. She used her back legs to fling him off her. The Sky Torcher rolled away and Edelweiss got back on her feet. She took the opportunity to spot a way to the Fire Realm.
"Edel, this way!" Tom called to her. Edelweiss looked to see him and the other riders and dragons hovering at the entrance of a canyon. She saw the Sky Torcher running at her again. She roared and took off towards the canyon, and her opponent was right behind her. He fired at her, which she dodged. The riders led them into the canyon. They all kept dodging the Sky Torcher's fire blasts. Edelweiss would occasionally fired back over her shoulder to kept the Sky Torcher from getting too close. Soon they reached a dead end. The Sky Torcher suddenly put on a burst of speed and sideswiped Edelweiss into the wall. They both tumbled to the ground but got back on their feet. They flew at each other again. The Sky Torcher got Edelweiss's head in his talons and pined it to the wall. This stunned her long enough for the Sky Torcher to latch his jaws around her throat again, and threw her with all his strength into the opposite wall. She hit with a nasty thud then crumpled at the base of the wall. She didn't get back up again.
"Come on Edel!" Jun called.
"Get up!" Called Alex. But their white dragon just lay there limp. She was still breathing, so she wasn't dead, but she was clearly winded. The Sky Torcher advanced on her and was about to go in for the kill, when there came more loud roaring. The Fault Ripper and many of the Crystal Realm dragons came to the rescue. This distracted the Sky Torcher. The riders and their dragons cheered and went to join their allies. Edelweiss managed to get back on her feet again and went to stand beside Brimstone. The Flamethrowers came to their white dragon's aid. Brimstone and Edelweiss stood their ground as the smaller dragons started blasting. The Sky Torcher started to get overwhelmed. Edelweiss and Brimstone readied themselves for one last final blow. Tom got Thunder to blast a spot on the wall, then he turned to Brimstone.
"Think you can hit that?" He asked. Brimstone nodded then turned to Edelweiss.
"Got anything left in you?" He asked.
"Yes sir," said Edelweiss. "Where's Avalon and the others?"
"They stayed behind to take care of the injured Crystal Realm dragons," Brimstone explained. Edelweiss nodded then went into a fighting stance. Brimstone took off and went into a high spinning dive towards the spot. He drilled a large tunnel into the wall and disappeared. Edelweiss started blasting the Sky Torcher again, and with all the other dragons blasting him, he started to retreat into the tunnel. Edelweiss ran at him and snapped her jaws at him. He dodged it but it made him back up more. Brimstone came out of the tunnel and helped Edelweiss push the Sky Torcher back into it. He roared in protest, but saw that he was now outmatched. He retreated into the tunnel with all his Flamethrowers, back towards the Fire Realm. When they were all through the tunnel, Brimstone blasted the tunnel making it collapse. The dust settled and everyone took a moment to catch their breath. Then they all broke into cheers. Edelweiss and Brimstone smiled at each other. They raised their heads up high and each shot a stream of flames into the air, making a large fiery X. They then turned to the riders and their dragons.
"I can't believe pulled that off," said Jun. "And without hurting a single dragon."
"It's all about the balance," Tom said. He turned to the two titan dragons. Edelweiss was panting heavily and sat heavily on her haunches.
"You okay Edel?" D'Angelo asked.
"Oh, I'm fine," Edelweiss assured him. "That fight just took a lot out of me." She shook her head and laid down.
"Thank for your help guys," Tom said to both titan dragons.
"Don't mention it Tom," Edelweiss said, and Brimstone rumbled in agreement. "Hopefully we've seen the last of that lot."
"But if they do come back, looks like the Crystal Realm dragons can hold their own," said D'Angelo. They all looked over at the Crystal Realm dragons, who were gathered around the two titan dragons. They seemed to agree. Suddenly a few rocks that had been shaken loose during the fight collapsed, revealing a smaller tunnel. The riders and their dragons went to investigate.
"Look, the Fault Ripper's drilling must have revealed a new cave," said Jun. Tom went inside. At the back of the cave he saw a large boulder, and on the boulder was a large metal cylinder. It had red markings on its sides. Tom got closer and picked it up. He turned it on its end and saw the dragon symbol stamped into it. Tom felt goosebumps on his arm. He carried the item back outside.
"Look what I found in there," he told his friends. They all gathered around to get a better look. "Another clue. This could hold the answers to my connection to Thunder." He looked at his dragon, who looked just as excited as he did. Edelweiss slowly got to her feet. She winced as she moved. Her body had many bruises forming and there were a few bite marks and scratches.
"Well, I should do something about all these aches," she said. D'Angelo went over to her with his first aid kit.
"I've got something for those," he said, pointing at all the nasty bruises. Edelweiss looked at him, then lowered herself back down to his level. D'Angelo pulled out ointment and put it on her bruises. She flinched slightly, but relaxed a bit as the ointment soothed the pain enough so she could get to her feet without feeling anything.
"Thanks," she said.
"You going to turn back into your human form?" Alex asked.
"I'll wait until I get back to my cave," Edelweiss said. Brimstone came up beside her and let her lean on his shoulder.
"I say you've earned a long break after that fight," he said. Edelweiss nodded in agreement as they lead the way back through the canyon. The riders and the other dragons followed them. Tom took the mystery puzzle box with him.