Sorry for the wait, I've been trying to strengthen my creative spark, none the less I grant you the next chapter
Ch8: A Change in Scenery
Setting: Dragon Realms Precursor Temple
All of the dragons were working around the clock inside the temple atrium. They examined every part of the sanctuary from the largest relic to the smallest fragment, some clue that could lead to opening the portal again. Cynder was distraught, the sight of the portal closing practically broke her heart, knowing it was the only way to go to find Spyro, wherever he had ended up. She was sometimes actually tired of Spyro always having to be the hero who could save the world, all she wanted after Malefor was for him to be with her, living a life well together. Their last adventure was unexpected, and only laid out the foundation for another one, making her wonder if the cycle would ever be broken, or if they were meant to be adventurers for all time. Just when they thought they had scoped out all of the area, Saphira noticed something small glowing on the floor.
"Hey!" she shouted getting everyone's attention, "I think I found something." She walked over to the glowing object and picked it up carefully with her claws. It was some sort of crystal, shining an eerie purple, though not as dark as the crystals that once powered the Dark Master's weapons.
"A crystal?" Terrador asked.
"Yeah, it appears to be," Saphira answered. Cynder walked over and analyzed the crystal in her talons.
"I've seen dark crystals before, and this is nothing like what I'm familiar with," she exclaimed.
"What do you mean? This crystal isn't domestic?" Jace asked.
"That's my hypothesis," she replied.
"Then we have something that we can work with," said Terrador, "Cynder, did you see anything else prior to Spyro's disappearance?
"I did notice some weird footprints next to Spyro's before coming down here, so something came into the temple with him or before him."
"Tell me," said Chloro looking at the ground a few feet away, "Did the track look like this?" The guardians walked over to his side followed by Cynder, they looked down to see the track, long and two-toed, just like what she saw upstairs.
"That's it," Cynder said.
"Then it appears we have visitors," Cyril added.
"Visitors of extraterrestrial origin no doubt, this is quite a perplexing series of events," Volteer continued. Cynder turned to look at the crystal in Saphira's claws, she was going over in her mind of all the possible uses the fragment might hold.
"Finding these footprints and this crystal fragment in the same room is no coincidence, there has to be a connection," said Cynder.
"I agree," Terrador commented, "It must have something to do with that seal."
"I think this structure requires an immediate concentrated inspection," said Volteer as he walked towards it.
"Volteer we have examined that wall from top to bottom and found nothing on the surface," said Cyril. He saw that Volteer had put his claws on it and was slowly scraping the wall for some unknown reason. His claws went to the left of the seal, and felt it catch onto something that was closed.
"Perhaps the solution isn't present on the outer layer, but the inner layer," said Volteer. He had finally caught everyone's attention and they stepped forward to join him at the wall. Saphira put the crystal in a burlap sack attached to her midsection, which housed some of their inspection tools and findings. Volteer tried to pry open the wall with his claws, but found it difficult as the compartment wasn't budging. He gave one last heave, only for his claws to slip out and scar the section he had been gripping on.
"Ugh, well that was utterly ineffectual," Volteer commented.
"Maybe we should just blast the wall open, maybe the portals on the inside," Vacu suggested with humour.
"We do that and we will assuredly lose the only chance to find Spyro, so no!" Terrador commanded.
"Yes sir," uttered Vacu.
"Always think before you speak young one," Terrador instructed his pupil.
"Maybe the crystal could do something," Chloro advised. He turned to Saphira, as well did everyone else. She reached back into the sack and pulled out the glowing fragment.
"Well it's worth a try," she said bringing the fragment close to the wall. She left it there for a minute and nothing happened. Everyone's spirits were distressed a little, especially Cynder's. Saphira decided to try a different approach and push the fragment to the wall…
Shhooommm
An eerie noise filled the air for a second, catching everyone's attention. They were all wondering the same thing, did it work? Their silent question was answered at the sound of a compartment opening up, and they looked to the section Volteer had gripped on, and saw a small drawer open up. For a moment, they were speechless, until…
"Well well, looks like I'm right" said Chloro, "what do you think of that Vacu?" His fellow student just mumbled to himself under his breath.
"Thank the ancestors," said Cynder walking over to the drawer. "Saphira can I have the fragment?" She nodded to her and reached out her paw to pass it on, until Sparx flew between them.
"Woah! Hold on here!"
"Sparx, what are you doing?" Cynder retorted.
"Remembering what happened last time since you have apparently forgotten, eerie ruin, spooky settings, weird magic, add that all together and we have a whopping planet hop with a side of extreme danger. Everything about this place is just screaming bad news and you want to pull another Spyro and disappear? Come on I thought you were the smart one!...supposedly," he said that last part under his breath.
"I know this looks like another interstellar transport set up, but the bottom line is Spyro is missing, and the only chance we have to get him back is right in front of us, so we must take this opportunity," Cynder explained.
"I admire your tenacity Cynder, second only to Spyro, but acting rashly is not the best course of action right now, we can't lose anyone else to this portal," said Terrador.
"Perhaps we don't have to," said Cyril, catching everyone's attention. "Saphira, remember that special package I gave you?"
"Affirmative sir," she responded. She placed the dark crystal on the ground and then begun reaching into the other side of her bag to dig something out. Everyone watched with utmost curiosity. They watched as Saphira pulled out an interesting package, it appeared to be some elongated object wrapped in burlap cloth. To their astonishment, they watched as Saphira unwrapped it, illuminating the whole chamber with its shine. They were in awe as they stared at another mystic gem.
"You brought another mystic gem?" Terrador exclaimed, "but how and when?" he asked because he had already brought a piece of the gem Ignitus had given them, and the rest of it was still in the temple chamber back in Warfang. Plus Ignitus was far away at the White Isle, he couldn't have made the journey here that fast.
"Believe it or not, this is the original one Ignitus gave them," Cyril said.
"What?!" everyone exclaimed.
"I thought that gem disappeared," said Cynder.
"Or so one might think young one," Cyril stated.
***FLASHBACK***
The guardians were ecstatic to see Spyro, Cynder, Sparx, and Hunter return from their interstellar journey. They had showed up in the middle of a field on the outskirts of Warfang, in the wake of a blinding light originating from space and impacted their planets crust.
"It is a great relief to see you all again, and unharmed," said Terrador.
"More or less," commented Spyro.
"Where did you get those coverings by the way?" asked Volteer, referring to their armor given to them by the Underground.
"A little gift from new friends," Cynder answered.
"And before you ask where we've been, let me just say," Sparx started, all eyes on him, "you can talk to Spyro because I prefer to go to bed and forget this whole fiasco!" He flew with everyone shaking their heads.
"As you can see he is relieved to be back too," stated Hunter.
"Quite, there will be time to tell us of your adventure, but for now, let's go home," said Terrador.
"For ancestors sake yes," commented Cynder. The young dragons started their trek back to Warfang with Hunter right behind them. Terrador and Volteer followed in tow, with Cyril about to join them. However he halted when something appeared out of the glimmer of his eye. There was a glowing object illuminating close to where the party had crashed down. He walked over to it to inspect, and to his surprise he saw before his feet the mystic gem. The very gem that was the source of their way home had made its way back with them through the portal. He was astonished by his find and picked it up in his paw, wondering what to do with it now.
"Cyril!" called Volteer, "are we returning sometime tonight?" Cyril nearly jolted at the sound of his fellow guardian, he knew they were expecting him as well, though he thought it was best this should probably remain secret for now, a surprise for later. Since they already had an additional mystic gem residing in the temple courtesy of Ignitus, this one should probably stay out of the city.
'It should be safe here, what harm can it do?' With that final thought he clawed away some of the earth beneath it and placed the gem into the hole. He threw enough dirt on it to make sure it was concealed, and patted it down flat.
***FLASHBACK END***
"I figured it was best to leave it concealed until further notice," Cyril said, "In the wake of any more extraterrestrial activities."
"You didn't think to tell us of this Cyril?" asked Terrador.
"It didn't seem very relevant at the time given the circumstances," Cyril answered, "the important thing was that Spyro and everyone else were fine."
"Very true, but surely you must have thought knowing about this was important as well?" asked Volteer.
"It was to be shown at the appropriate time Volteer, and now is the appropriate time," he said turning to Cynder, "Cynder if you mean to enter another portal, then this will light your way in and way back as it did before."
"I thought the energy in these gems was only temporary," she said.
"No gem ever runs dry Cynder, it only regrows and regenerates, if given time," Cyril explained. Saphira went and handed over the gem to Cynder, who accepted it with thanks. Meanwhile, Saphira picked up the dark crystal fragment she had placed on the floor again, and walked over to the drawer in the wall. She was about to insert the crystal into the drawer before turning toward the party behind her again. They nodded, giving her the clear to activate it.
"When you insert that Saphira, get as far away from the wall as you can, so you don't get sucked in as well," warned Cynder. Saphira nodded, and then inserted the crystal into the drawer.
SHHOOMMM
The echo filled the chamber again as the power from the crystal fed into the portal. The drawer closed quickly, and then the real action took place. Saphira dove to cover by the wall, while the rest of the guardians and their pupils took cover by the wall as well. The Seal of Mar broke into two pieces again, opening up to reveal the blue swirling vortex underneath. Cynder, standing by herself, looked at it with uncomfortable familiarity, knowing she was about to make another jump across space.
"Hold on!" Sparx called grabbing onto her horns.
"Sparx! What are you doing?!"
"Hitching a ride, dangerous interstellar travel or not, my brother is out there, and I'm gonna make sure he comes home, so whether we like or not, I'm going," he argued. Cynder was about to swat him for his reckless move, but had second thoughts upon hearing his reasoning. She knew she couldn't talk him out of it, after all family was family. So she turned toward the portal again, picking up the mystic gem in her maw. The suction of the portal began to pull once again, causing the guardians and the students to grip tight to their footholds. Cynder on the other hand braced herself, and jumped forward spreading out her wings, allowing the force to pull her along. Then in the blink of an eye, she and Sparx disappeared into the portal.
Setting: Spargus Arena
The crowd was utterly silent at what they had just witnessed. This purple alien who had come to their planet through mysterious means was tested through the usual Spargus initiation, and passed with flying colors! He had destroyed the entire metalhead swarm while barely breaking a sweat, though there was some slight sweat considering he was fighting above a lava pit. Not only that, he took down the ferocious ram-head with one attack, and it appeared the dragon could have gone another round. Spyro took some slight breaths, he had used a considerable amount of energy during the fight, but none the less he was feeling strong, knowing he had passed the Spargus test. Jak and Daxter just stood relieved, they had no doubt their friend would have passed the test, but were glad it was over nonetheless. If Damas was surprised, he hid it well, this alien was clearly more powerful than he originally thought. Given his performance, he had no doubt he would be useful to the city, though he was still far from trusting him completely.
"The trial is complete!" Damas announced to the crowd, catching everyone's attention. "This outworlder has proved himself worthy of survival, and having passed his first trial, per our traditions, he is granted passage to our city."
Spyro breathed a sigh of relief, believing he had now satisfied the king. However, the crowd seemed hesitant to their king's decision, and were whispering among themselves. Damas then turned to look down directly at the dragon.
"Spyro the dragon, come!" the king ordered, Spyro didn't hesitate to follow his order, and spread his wings to fly up to the platform in front of the throne. He was still a stranger to these people, and he knew there would be a lot of work ahead in order to gain their trust. He landed on the platform and immediately turned toward his friends. Jak and Daxter gave him a thumbs up, which he replied with a smile and a nod.
"Your bravery and cunning have earned you your first battle amulet alien," Damas said pointing toward the amulet piece sitting on the bench in front of Spyro. Spyro walked up to it to examine it, it looked like a round orange medallion the size of his paw.
"You must complete two more trials to earn your full citizenship, all the while, the city is free for you to wander, but take to heart these 3 guidelines, or else find yourself banished to the desert," he said sternly, causing Spyro to give him his full attention.
"One, you will follow the commands of your king until such time he is unable to perform his duties, Two, you will report any and all threats to the city, and Three, you will show respect to any and all of your fellow wastelanders, we strive to follow all of these rules to the letter to eliminate the prospect of corruption to our fair city, for in the unforgiving wasteland, we band together to survive, and a divided house will be laid to rest in the merciless desert."
"I understand sir," replied Spyro.
"With that, another round of arena trials has been concluded, until next time my fair citizens, we exit and return to our lives," Damas concluded. The Spargus citizens occupying the arena stands vacated their seats and headed for the exits. Though some took another look back, for they were still feeling uneasy about their king letting an alien into the city. Spyro took flight once again, flying up toward the platform where Jak still stood. He landed and Jak soon congratulated him.
"Way to go Spyro!" he said holding his hand up. Spyro grinned and slapped it with his paw, and shook it, as they did in their last goodbye.
"Like I was going to let a bunch of metalheads get the best of me," said Spyro.
"If you ask me, that battle was over before the fight even began!" Daxter added. Spyro reached out his paw which held his new medallion.
"Can you hold onto this for now, until I can find some way to keep it on me?" Spyro asked Jak.
"Sure thing buddy," he replied taking the medallion from his hand and inserting it into his side bag. Suddenly Packer flew down and flapped right in between them.
"I see you continue to surprise in the most unexpected areas, but don't let yourself get cocky or you'll be buried out here!"
"Consider it noted, good to see you too Packer," said Spyro.
"Quite, though where are the others? You seem to lacking your usual menagerie," Packer asked.
"I…came by myself this time," Spyro explained.
"Oh well, at least I'm still dealing with one blabbermouth instead of two!" Packer added, leaving Spyro to realize he meant Sparx. Jak and Daxter shot him a glare for his comment, but he didn't even notice.
"JAK!"
Jak turned his head up to look at Damas, who still stood on top of the arena throne. "I will need you on a new mission, meet me in my throne room for the full details." He nodded, but then immediately turned to Spyro, he knew he couldn't wander the streets by himself, despite the kings recognition. He quickly thought and requested aloud, "Can Spyro accompany me?"
His question caused the king to turn toward him bewildered. "I believe its best he remain with me, he is still a stranger around here, and I'll take full responsibility for him."
Spyro felt a welcome sense of relief, he as well didn't think he could roam the streets of Spargus by himself, he had already seen the citizens take of him, it reminded him too much of Haven City. The last thing he wanted was to make a bad impression, especially because these citizens didn't seem to be pushovers. Damas appeared to be stagnant, Jak hoped he was thinking it over, rather than drag out a decline of Jak's proposition.
"Very well, he may accompany you, but keep him under your watch at all times," Damas ordered. Jak bowed his head in respect to the king, as he exited the arena throne. Spyro immediately turned to Jak, feeling like he was being fortified against.
"Under your watch at all times? Have I not proven to him that I can take care of myself? Or does he still not trust me yet?" Spyro asked his friend.
"I'm inclined to think the latter, but he has given you free passage into the city, so that's a welcome relief," said Jak.
"Well I best follow him, as his personal advisor he may need my wisdom to determine his next motion," Packer bragged before flying up toward the arena throne and behind the curtain in back.
"Advisor?" asked Spyro bewildered.
"Don't ask please," Daxter said dryly, "let's just go see all high and mighty before his feathered advisor molts his feathers!" he finished that last sentence with disdain. They all turned toward the exit to leave the arena. They both walked through the hallway and out into the open area of the city. The arena steps lay at their feet, and they started walking down the steep decline onto the sand below. Already, citizens were staring their way, the sight of the purple dragon making them feel uneasy. Spyro could feel the eyes on him, and was feeling nervous. Now that he had revealed his strength to them, they were more on edge, but he was more determined than ever to prove that he meant no harm to them. As they set foot on the sand they walked side by side, heading for the palace. Spyro tried giving a friendly nod to some citizens as they passed by, though they retaliated with a growling snare, causing him to retract and focus ahead. They reached the palace door, and Krust and Bore were awaiting them. However, they blocked the entrance with their guns.
"Damas asked for us, let us pass," Jak declared.
"The alien is not allowed inside," Krust stammered.
"Damas allowed me to accompany Jak, and insisted I stay with him," replied Spyro.
"You will speak when allowed too alien!" Bore roared pointing his gun at Spyro's head.
"HEY!" Jak yelled pushing the gun away, "Like he said he's with me! If you're looking to start a problem, take it up with Damas, though I don't think he'll be lenient given that your breaking rule#3!"
"The alien is not a citizen of Spargus yet," said Krust.
"The alien has a name!" yelled Jak, "It's Spyro! And like I said, take your animosity to Damas, because I don't think he'll be pleased!" The two of them gave each other a blank stare and retracted their guns. Jak turned to Spyro and gave him a nod gesturing him to move forward. The both of them entered the elevator, and the door shut in front of them.
"Less we see of them, the better," Jak commented, which Spyro responded with a nod. The elevator approached the top and was starting to slow down. Once it came to a halt, Spyro took in the new surroundings. It was a large chamber, and it seemed to rise up and collapse at the tip far above his head. There were large windows that surrounded the room on all sides, and there was a small walkway which led toward the north end of the room with water channels surrounding them. At the end of the walkway, Spyro spotted Damas sitting on the throne, with Packer sitting right beside him. They stepped off the elevator to walk ahead, and as soon as they did, it started descending again. They watched the elevator leave for a moment, and then Jak approached the king swiftly but calmly, bowing his head in respect, with Spyro following his lead.
"Good of both of you to come immediately, time is of the essence," said Damas.
"I'm honored that you accept me your majesty, and I promise I will not hinder your trust of me," Spyro replied.
"We're ready for whatever you have," finished Jak.
"Not too far from here, there is a nest of metalpedes, they have been pestering our wasteland forces sporadically," Damas said standing up and walking toward them, "I want you and one of my spies to drive our Gila Stomper into the heart of the nest and eliminate all the eggs and creatures you find inside."
"So were eliminating more metalheads?" asked Spyro, "I'm sure it won't be a problem your highness, I've already proven I can handle them."
"Beware purple dragon, these desert metalheads are unlike anything you have faced, caution is well demanded."
"I suggest you listen to his royal highness!" squawked Packer, "It's what kept you alive so far."
"Can it beaky! We can handle a few metal mongers, so where is this spy were tagging along?" asked Daxter.
"He's on his way here now," Damas answered pointing with his staff toward the elevator, which was now lifting itself again. They all turned toward to see the lift reaching its end, wondering who it would be. Once it reached its peak, the figure revealed himself, and it was to their shock!
"Well well, I heard there were newcomers around, but I never would have guessed it was you cherries!"
"SIG!" Jak, Daxter and Spyro cried together.
"Hey boys! great to see all of you still fighting the good fight," their old Haven city friend greeted them.
"Sig, I heard you were dead!" Spyro exclaimed.
"Well happy to disappoint you," Sig replied.
"Not at all!" Spyro said with a shake of his head.
"What are you doing here?" Jak asked.
"What's all this spy talk we heard about?" asked Daxter.
"In order, I'm earning my keep, and the next part is a long story," he said feeling hesitant, "I'll tell you later."
"Well, now that the reunion is over, you have business to attend!" Packer squawked, "time to go!"
Damas followed up, "Indeed, it is best to take care of your mission now, before…"
SHHOOOMMM!
A blinding flash assaulted their eyes, causing them to close them shut. The light was so intense it nearly gave them a headache. The light started to die down, allowing them to slowly open their eyes again. Damas immediately turned to the window, and saw it for the second time today, a blinding light from the south side of the wasteland.
I can't say much yet, just brace yourselves, because the climatic scenes are just around the corner, I'm already working on the next chapter now.
