Hello all! Author here! I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, and the strange shift in story structure that's happened. I'm here to explain that really quickly, and then on to the Chapter.
The arc with Flame and his story will come later on in the fic, as I felt (after rereading my own drafts) that it was somewhat sudden and out of nowhere. So I am going to dedicate a few chapters on developing Warfang in general before I re-start Flame's arc.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and on with the story!
Iglis breathed evenly as he sat quietly on the floor of his room, his legs beneath him in a fashion that was synonymous with meditation. He lingered in a place between sleep and consciousness, his senses cut off from himself so that he could focus completely on the task he was dedicating himself to. He worked to sense the foundations of the city beneath him, the Element of Earth resonating within his very being as his influence probed the ground, all the way down to the building blocks of the city and perhaps even further. He made sure to sense every brick with a sharp eye, the Earth relaying exact dimensions, weight, density and even the age of the bricks laid down to form Warfang.
He searched quietly for a single goal; a starting point from which he could try to attack the fissures in the planet's flesh. The wounds were deep, stretching down to the poor Earth's core. Each crack and crevice threatened the stability of the planet itself, as rock that was no longer melded together was highly prone to breaking back apart. Placing two pieces of broken rock back together did not suddenly make them whole. Sewing together such a devastating faults in the Earth was no easy task, and it required careful consideration, concentration and knowledge of how to properly repair such injuries in rock.
Iglis growled as his senses were pulled back into his body, frustration and anger boiling beneath his focus and severing his connection. The Earth whined distantly as the link broke, the rock and stone groaning as it was once more forced to endure the dangerous cracks and breaks in it's form. Iglis clenched his fists in frustration, lowering his head and his eyelids pressing closed in an attempt to hold in his emotions.
He had no memory of how to fix such issues with rock. He could barely remember how Mortifer was forged, let alone how to manipulate rock, stone and metal to fix damages within it. He lifted a hand and rubbed his forehead. Unlike usual, His mask was missing from his face. Sometimes, the weight of the porcelain mask was more than what he could handle and he needed to remove it for a little more comfort. He may not have liked having his identity open to all, but his own comfort came first. After all, he couldn't focus on something he was sure that he couldn't do if he was uncomfortable. Nevertheless, his lack of expertise on the subject he was trying to focus on rendered his efforts pointless. He couldn't fix something if he had no idea how it worked.
He sighed and stared at the ground. That was the reason why he had not used the Element of Earth for defensive purposes. Summoning it to spring forth or reconstruct into a different form was beyond him. He simply didn't know how to mold the rock and stone on the level he needed to achieve such feats. Fixing the planet was a completely different beast, as repairing something on the level of the World itself required focus and expertise he didn't have. Perhaps he did have it at one time, but it was all lost now.
He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to recall his past. Anything, any memory, any fragment of something he might have experienced. For a moment his mind is a black void, devoid of anything resembling thought. Then it clears and becomes the fog of nothing that he was by now, quite used to. It was like trying to recall a dream that you can only barely remember; details that are fuzzy and feel ever so distantly familiar, but every time that you reach for them they disappear further into the fog. He shook his head and lifted a hand, brushing it through his hair as he let the forgotten memories fade back into wherever they had retreated to.
A knock on the door jolted him from his reverie, and he barely moved to open it. He didn't have the energy at the moment.
"Who is it?"
He called out, only partly expecting an answer. He listened carefully as the sound of rustling cloth echoes through the wooden door.
"Good morning! May I come in?"
Volteer's voice echoed, and Iglis let a faint smile creep onto his face. He nodded absent-mindedly before actually responding, his tired and stressed mind failing to calculate that such a simple physical gesture didn't carry sound enough to answer.
"You may."
Volteer hummed quietly as he made his way towards Iglis' room, the weight of a leather bag on his back helping him to keep from skipping and bouncing not unlike a child. Despite the fact that Iglis' amnesia had rendered any knowledge of Human civilization lost, it was still an exciting prospect to speak with one after so many millennia of their absence and extinction. And the idea of reintroducing Humans back into the modern world, no matter how few Humans it might be, was one that Volteer could spend hours thinking about.
It had taken some time to find a tailor willing to make clothes fit for Iglis, and even longer to convince them that such a job was simply for ceremonial and research purposes. In the end, he had procured a few sets of clothes for Iglis that he was confident would be both comfortable and appropriate for the Human.
The Noonday sun shined brightly through the glass windows of the Dragon Temple, bringing a sense of activity and warmth into the stone of Warfang. At the moment, it was safe to interact with Iglis. Today was a Sunday, and it wasn't very often that the young Dragons who were students of the guardians stayed over the weekend. Those who did were usually far, far away from both Iglis' room and whatever might reveal the Hunan's presence in Warfang. Thankfully, Terrador and Cyril were surprisingly good at hiding any evidence that Iglis existed at all.
Well, besides the newspapers retelling the story of Iglis' night destroying the caches of Moon-Silver.
Volteer's mood dropped into quiet contemplation as he recalled the large header of a story that was on the very front of the newspapers in Warfang. "Strange Happenings on the Street" was the title of the article published. It recalled the various events that had followed in the wake of Iglis' work, as well as the few statements it could get from the Guard and witnesses. Even the witnesses were few, a testament to Iglis' skill in stealth and quick work. But even with the lack of information and short time frame of the events, a couple citizens had managed to see some of it. Most of the guard claimed they didn't know what happened, chalking it up to the work of an extremely skilled vigilante of either Dragon or Cheetah blood. The latter they hypothesized was making use of advanced tools and equipment to achieve Iglis' feats.
The witnesses on the other hand told a very different story. They claimed they had seen a shadow in the night, wielding the Elements as though it was second nature and moving like a ghost rather than a living being. The few who'd watched out their windows claimed that they had seen feats of combat only told about in storybooks.
The statement of the head of the Moon-Silver operation before he was taken under the Guard's custody was even more alarming. The Cheetah named Thorne had claimed that whatever he saw, whatever it was, it wasn't Cheetah, Dragon or Mole. Instead something entirely different. He claimed that all he could recall in the chaos was bright, blinding flashes of Electricity that sent him flying and flames so hot that it blurred his vision and forced him into unconsciousness. He claimed that he had been traumatized by the events, despite his previous criminal record claiming that he had seen far worse.
It was Thorne's testimony which finally put a name to Iglis' unseen deeds.
"The Shadow of Warfang", they had called him.
At first, Volteer was alarmed at this tiny hint of publicity that Iglis had garnered. He worried that the reveal of Iglis to the public prematurely was enough for cause a panic, perhaps even an uprising against the Guardians for withholding the information and allowing a Human to run rampant in Warfang. Terrador had argued that putting a good deed and scary name to Iglis' deeds was enough to win over the common folk, to prove to them that Humans were just as good-hearted in nature as the stories told.
"Give them a public defender," Terrador had said, "And the people will rally in support of Iglis. We were raised on legends of Humans being forces of good, and if we present him that way then they will be quicker to accept his existence."
The scaly equivalent of eyebrows on Volteer's forehead scrunched together in thought. While the idea wasn't entirely truthful with the many people in the city, it was better than outright hiding Iglis' presence entirely and simply announcing him as if he was an artifact to be put in a museum. Volteer didn't know how the general public would react to such a thing, but he knew his reaction would be confusion and skepticism. A long lost species, having been extinct for many thousands of years, simply resurfacing as if they had never been gone in the first place? If someone didn't know the context, then it would seem like some grand scheme that had been kept hidden from the public. And no common Dragon, Mole or Cheetah was fond of a government that hid things from the populace.
Volteer was gently pulled out of his thoughts when he saw the door to Iglis' room in the distance. Iglis' room was a fairly unassuming one, with a simple wooden door, a metal handle and no window to see inside with. Within, it was fairly plain with a bed, a dresser and an added mirror that Iglis had requested. For a moment Volteer wondered if the Human was even awake. Normally, Iglis relegated himself to being active during the night when the chances of him being seen, discovered or witnessed were fairly low.
The Yellow Guardian once more dismissed his active thoughts as he approached Iglis' room. He quickly summoned a jovial smile and rapped on the door with a claw, the sound echoing through the wooden door. For a second, there was no answer.
"Who is it?"
Iglis voice asked, a little distant thanks to the distance and door between Volteer and himself. Volteer's smile widened into a genuine one as he responded.
"Good morning! May I come in?"
He asked, waiting for an invitation. There was a rustle of movent before the Human's voice echoed out again.
"You may."
Volteer nodded with a smile before lifting a paw and opening the door, the hinges squeaking a little as it opened. Opening doors was not particularly difficult for Dragons, often because many door handles were designed to open after being twisted downward. Anyone could twist a door handle downward, after all.
As he walked in, Volteer found himself confronted by a strangely calm sight.
Iglis sat cross-legged in front of the single window of the room, the sunlight bathing his form in a golden sheen. He lacked his usual coat and mask, as well as the black upper shirt he had been wearing previously. Nevertheless, there was a sense of quiet calmness in the room. Volteer could scarcely form words to describe the feeling that filled him upon seeing the image of Iglis sitting in such a calm and, dare he say, regal manner.
It was as if he was gazing upon a painting; one meant to convey and realize the magnificence of that race lost so many millennia ago. Painted by only the greatest of artisans with only the most expensive and fine paints and upon a parchment that was made from the greatest of papers, and in turn the greatest, oldest and wisest of trees. Even then, said painting only managed to capture a fraction of the proper weight that such a scene held. An ancient being, ruminating on some of the oldest secrets known to intelligent beings in the Dragon Realms. Communing with the soul of the Elements themselves, reaching into the Universe for answers to further questions and receiving only the most important ones.
"Is there something you wished to discuss, Volteer?"
Iglis' voice broke Volteer of his reverent thoughts, and he quickly shook his head of them as Iglis turned in his spot, facing the yellow scaled Dragon. The tone Iglis spoke with was not impatience, but instead genuine curiosity. So far, the few days Iglis had stayed in Warfang had been uneventful beyond the night Iglis destroyed the Moon-Silver. And Volteer had yet to ask the Human how he felt on the matter.
"Ah! Well, there was not something in particular I wanted to speak about. I've come to bring your new clothes, actually!"
Volteer said with a smile, reaching over his shoulder and shrugging off the bag with a movement of his wing. He then grabbed the bag with his teeth and gently set it on the dresser before standing back. Iglis stood from his place on the floor, his expression one of slight surprise.
"Already? I was under the impression tailor made clothes take quite a long time to make. Doubly so if one is missing the correct measurements."
Iglis said, with some disbelief in his voice upon learning that the clothes he'd requested had only taken around two days to get. Volteer gave him a wide, proud grin as the Human lazily stepped over to the dresser.
"You quite underestimate the tailors of Warfang, my friend! Though I did have to hop through some loops to get the tailor to dismiss the biological oddities... And-"
"Volteer."
"Ah! Yes, I'll leave you to try them on."
Volteer said with a smile as he turned and headed back through the door, content to let the Human try on the new fashion that he'd brought. Iglis gave the Guardian a grateful smile as the door closed, and Volteer proceeded to sit next to the door and wait patiently for the Human's opinion.
Iglis smiled as he opened the leather bag, watching as a few of the outfits Volteer had brought spilled out. He let out a single breath that bordered on a chuckle as he gently pulled the rest of the clothes out and laid them out on the dresser. Even after only a few days of spending time with the Guardians, he could tell that Volteer was easily the most excitable and exuberant one of them. He appreciated the friendship the Dragon had tried to strike up with him, and he was more than willing to accept it. After all, being a stranger in a strange land was made a little more tolerable with friends to help the journey.
The Human stepped back as he beheld the full image of the four outfits. They were made of a kind of cloth, most likely of cotton or something similar. Nevertheless, they were in pristine condition and seemed perfectly made to fit him.
One outfit was more akin to robes than everyday clothes, consisting of a thin long sleeve undershirt with a connecting hood, a loose sleeveless shirt that went over the undershirt and a cloth belt that extended into four long coattails, two in front and two in back. The rest was a simple pair of pants. The sleeveless over shirt was somewhat like a crest sash, bearing a pattern of white embroidery over the front. Though he didn't recognize the pattern.
The second was a white version of the first, with black embroidery instead of white. Though as he held the clothes in his hands, it seemed the white one was slightly lighter than the black set.
The third was a simple set of everyday clothes, with a dark grey shirt and pair of dark trousers that were paired with a long set of socks. This also bore a second, black shirt and a third blue one.
The fourth was more similar to proper robes, with a heavy set of hooded cloth and an equally heavy pair of pants and a shirt. The entire set was a muted grey, and was long and thick enough to hide his overall body structure. The robes looked to be made more of a fur than cloth, as the edges bore the hints of being furred before the fur was removed. And it's heavy nature suggested it was more like leather than cloth.
Iglis took a step back and put a hand on his mouth as he debated which outfit to wear. At first, he was somewhat drawn to the simple shirt and trousers, as they appealed to his desire to a simple day shirt and common wear. But his mind quickly reminded him that something like it would easily get him exposed as Human, and his mask would do little to help the problem. He looked over at the heavy robes and immediately dismissed them, as moving around in them would be cumbersome and hot. Especially in the Sun.
The white and black light robes seemed like the best choice in between the two, as the coattails helped to disguise his leg structure which differed heavily from a Cheetahs and other races. The cloth and hood would also help to hide his upper body structure, making him look more like an unrecognizable mass than a proper body. He rolled the thought over in his head a few times before deciding that they would be the best choice. After that, he simply went with his preference for darker colors and chose the black set.
It didn't take long to put the black robes on, but he did have a slight amount of difficulty with the cloth belt. At first he didn't know if the cloth belt went over the sleeveless sash like outer shirt or inside of it. With a bit of fiddling, he learned that the outer shirt could be put inside or outside of the belt, but he found a compromise by folding the bottom of the shirt under the bottom of the belt so that it covered the front of that as well.
Iglis looked down and nodded before looking over at the mirror. He smiled as he found that the entire ensemble looked fairly nice on him, or at least he thought so. The hood was wide enough to hide the entirety of his head if he wanted to, and the sleeveless outer shirt could be worn without the inner one if it was a hot day, or perhaps even exchanged for the simple black shirt in the third set of clothes. With a nod, he reached over and lifted his mask, carefully slipping it onto his face before pulling the hood up.
And just like that, he was once more a mysterious ghost that no one could properly explain.
Volteer waited patiently as Iglis presumably tried on the clothes that he'd brought. Though patience for Volteer often devolved to borderline unhinged smiling as he bounced excitedly on his paws. He wondered what Iglis would look like in the new outfits, and he wondered if they would be ceremony worthy when Iglis was revealed to the public.
Ancients knew that when he was brought into the light, the people would either rejoice or riot.
Volteer jumped a bit as Iglis' door opened ever so slightly. Though the jolt was more out of excitement rather than fear or surprise. The yellow Guardian looked over in anticipation as Iglis' visage peeked out of the crack in the door.
"You may come back in."
Volteer nodded as Iglis opened the door the rest of the way. The Dragon sauntered back into the room, closing the door with his tail as he entered. Volteer spared a happy grin as Iglis moved to the other side of the room and gently readjusted the robes, in a way that conveyed that he was pleased with the selection of clothing.
"So, how do you like it?"
Volteer asked, somewhat innocently. His tail wagged a little behind him as he waited for an answer. Iglis, who was now bearing his signature mask, looked down at himself before nodding. Volteer couldn't help but feel the mask made Iglis seem a little inhuman, perhaps even monstrous if he wanted to exaggerate. But maybe that's what he was aiming for. Volteer shrugged mentally; it wasn't his place to judge the Human's preferences.
"They are quite nice. I must say, the tailorship is exemplary. I'm assuming I cannot commend the maker, given I am still a secret?"
"Quite so."
"I figured, but did not want to assume."
Iglis said as he lifted one of the coattails to inspect it. The two stood in some silence as the Human continued to scrutinize the outfit, and Volteer admired to the striking image that Iglis presented in the dark outfit.
"So, how is the progress on revealing my presence?"
Iglis asked, breaking the silence as he reached up and gently removed his mask and hood. Volteer's mood dropped a bit and he sat quietly down, prepared for a lengthy discussion on the subject.
"Terrador is still trying to find a way to convince the Council to accept your existence and grant you citizenship. He is, as he has told me, trying to avoid making the whole thing seem like a government secret. He wants to avoid making the common people nervous, or worse, terrified of the things we might be hiding."
"Are you hiding anything?"
"Not that I know of."
"Then take solace in the fact that you have nothing to hide. Though the public will not think so."
Volteer nodded solemnly at the words, knowing that in his mind they were but a cold truth, and an even less comfortable comfort. Iglis didn't seem bothered by the words that he'd said, his next words coming as he quietly adjusted his right sleeve.
"I presume the Council that you speak of does not yet know of my place here either?"
"Actually, they do. Well... We assume they do. Terrador tried to tell them that you are here, but they accused him of madness and told him to take a night off his duties."
Iglis snorted coldly, a sound that was strangely unnerving coming from the Human.
"I somehow do not find such a thing unsurprising. I suspect they would think themselves insane if I appeared before them."
He said, crossing his arms as he turned back to the window and gazed out of it into the sunlight bathed city. Volteer nodded subconsciously, a similar scenario playing out in his out head when Terrador had told him of the Council's refusal.
Some silence fell over the room, with Iglis staring out of the single window in his room and Volteer looking partly at the ground in thought. The small room was devoid of sound for a few seconds, with the only ones being the breathing of the two and the noise of Volteer's tail slowly sliding across the stone as it moved back and forth.
Then, Iglis drew in a quick breath before speaking.
"Volteer, how would you feel about a friendly bout of sparring?"
Volteer was taken aback by the words, especially as they sounded as if Iglis was frustrated by something.
"I-I wouldn't be opposed to it... But I must say that I believe you would have me outmatched in every way possible. Why do you ask?"
Iglis turned back to the yellow Guardian with a neutral look, his pale blue eyes glinting with thought for a second. He then turned fully back to the Dragon, lifting both of his hands to gesture vaguely as he spoke.
"When I was... Trapped, I was adept with my abilities. I could utilize the Elements at will and with enough skill to defend myself. But after I arrived here, I find that my skill... My abilities, if you will, have been dampened. I believe if I face enough of a challenge, I might regain some of my former power."
Iglis went quiet after his small explanation, and Volteer took a moment to process what Iglis was saying. The Guardian narrowed his eyes as he thought, the idea of a Human losing their power almost unfathomable to him. It was like the twist in a fairly tale book, where the shining prince was revealed to be the great enemy all along.
"I... I suppose such a thing is possible. I've heard stories of Guardians who hadn't practiced their Element in some time lost their abilities. And... Spyro is the greatest example of it."
Iglis tilted his head.
"Spyro?"
Volteer's eyes widened as even he realized that he had accidentally compared the Human to the Purple Dragon.
"Ah. Spyro was an... Old student of ours. Of Cyril and Terrador and I, I mean. He lost his abilities after he overstretched his limits, and it took great work to reawaken them. He claimed that he had dreams that helped to unlock them, though I am doubtful that the same method will be available to you."
"I see."
"A-Anyway, I'd be happy to help you recover your powers."
Volteer gave Iglis a nervous smile, trying to ignore the fact that his words were more stuttery than usual. Iglis stared at him for a second, and the yellow Guardian felt a bead of sweat move down his neck. The Human then nodded and crossed his arms.
"I understand. If you do not mind, do you think we could proceed to the training areas? I would appreciate being able to recover my strength as quickly as possible."
The yellow Guardian looked nervously at him for a second before lifting a paw and pointing at the window, in which noonday sun still streamed through.
"I wouldn't be sure that is wise. It is still daytime. Someone could very well see you."
The Human didn't seem at all worried, much less at all intimated. Iglis simply turned and looked out the window for a moment, gazing at the city of Warfang.
"Indeed they could, but I do not see them spreading anything but rumors. To see a figure from myth and legend sparring with a Guardian during broad daylight would bring confusion and doubt to any mind."
Iglis looked at Volteer somewhat expectantly, his blue eyes staring right at the yellow Dragon. Volteer glanced down at the floor without moving his head, thinking about the scenario vividly. After a second, the Guardian made a noise of noncommittal.
"I wouldn't be so quick to assume observant people would simply brush off such a sight... But you have a point. At the moment, the image of you would only spark more rumors."
Iglis nodded, his arms still crossed. Volteer looked back up at the Human and saw a strange, almost childlike glint in his pale eyes. As if the Human was giddy at the idea of being able to move and spar with him.
"So you see my point. What is the harm in letting a single oblivious individual perceive my figure? With these clothes, they would be more likely to mistake me for a Cheetah than to recognize me as Human."
Volteer once more sent a glance to the floor before returning to staring the Human in the eye.
"To be truthful, it would be beneficial for your existence to be somewhat believed in, but too much information might make the people in Warfang nervous at the fact something they don't understand is lurking in their home."
The Human remained quiet for a moment before nodding, and Volteer watched intently as he waited for Iglis' retort.
"You argue a significant point. But I would still ask of you this favor."
Iglis said simply, the sentence more of a plead than a request. Volteer sat quietly for a second, inspecting Iglis absent-mindedly as he turned the words over in his head.
Eventually, he relented.
"Very well, but we must be careful."
