Here is a long anticipated moment, Jak finally journeys to Spyro's world and meets the guardians! I really enjoyed writing this part and I hope you all enjoy it too!
Ch18: Meet the Guardians
Setting: Dragon Realms Precursor Temple
It was nearing two days since the portal was opened, and the dragons were keeping vigil if not busy. The last time the young dragons disappeared into a portal they were gone for weeks, and the fact that this portal had also disappeared like the last one did not sit well for the guardians. None the less, they made sure at least one person was here in the portal chamber at all times in case any new activity came from it. Currently, Vacu was guarding it, much to his displeasure, his impatience reaching its breaking point. He figured Terrador might be trying to teach him to nullify his own weakness by giving him something that would undoubtedly trigger it. Wise mentor he was, his teaching methods were as rough as one could expect from a guardian if not rougher, seeing how the earth guardian always had the strongest physique of the guardians, even that of their old friend and former leader Ignitus. Vacu just kept scratching runes in the cobblestones underneath his claws as he sat a few feet from the portal, if anything, he hoped he could at least practice his note-taking, for his type format was poor.
"Vacu!"
The sound of his name caused him to jump, and immediately turned toward the staircase where Terrador was walking down toward him.
"Master!" he stammered before hoisting himself up on all four legs, "Nothing to report sir! Everything is just as it was three hours ago!"
"Relax young one," Terrador said calmly as he stood in front of him, "and that's an order." With that Vacu released a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"I didn't think anything was out of the ordinary," the earth guardian said, "I knew I would have heard something beforehand, none the less it is necessary to follow protocol right now."
"So you just came down to check up on me again?" Vacu asked.
"Yes, while your primary task is priority, I do hope you've taking your time down here constructively, as part of strengthening your least developed skills?" he replied. Vacu slightly huffed, Terrador's response completely confirmed his earlier suspicions, at least he wasn't one to mince words, or to run his mouth excessively like a certain electric guardian.
"Yes, it has been tiring master," he replied.
"Addressing our weaknesses is never a relaxing matter young dragon, but it is vital in order to build our stature and improve where we fall short," Terrador explained, "In doing so we not only become a better warrior, but a better being in general."
"I always do my best whenever something is given to me to do sir," Vacu attempted to explain, "Preferrably when it involves being active, but watching a wall wondering if something is going to happen? Well? I'm sure that would drive anybody nuts, not just me! Everyone that has taken a shift on this thing has always dreaded when it's their turn, and are relieved when it's over."
"The guardians, not just the acolytes, have each taken a turn at this post since this started, including myself," stated Terrador.
"Yes I know," said Vacu, "so how do you and the others deal with it master? How do you guys handle being stuck in one place with nothing to do?"
"The answer to that is different for every dragon Vacu, so I can't answer that, only you can," Terrador finished, before he turned his gaze toward the cobblestone spot next to Vacu, where he had been sketching. "Though it seems you have asked a question to which you already know the answer."
Vacu turned toward his sketching area and then returned a nod toward his master, "It helps, though only a little."
"Still the fact that you are using this time to strengthen both of your weak points is commendable Vacu, a viable reason why you were chosen as one of the candidates," said Terrador, which somewhat shocked Vacu, he was not used to getting such praise, especially from his master. He felt that his time at this post was a waste of his time and insane, but hearing that his master commended him for apparently making the most of it was making it actually worthwhile.
"Thank you Master Terrador," Vacu said with a slight bow.
"That being said, I can imagine you must be starving young one," Terrador continued, "Volteer's pupils arrived moments ago with provisions, what would you like?"
"If possible sir, a nice deer would definitely hit the spot," Vacu answered.
"Coming up," Terrador replied before turning toward the stairs again, "Don't worry, you'll only have to stay here a while longer, someone else will be down to relieve you within the hour, until then carry on."
"Yes sir!"
Setting: Wasteland Precursor Temple
The sight of the Holocube clearly overjoyed everyone present, especially Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx, with this artifact the key to opening a controlled door to their world on this end was here. Jak, Calidan, and even Seem were relieved to see that the second apparent artifact they needed was here. It definitely saved what could have been countless days if not weeks or months searching the wasteland if it had not been found sooner.
"Huzzah!" cheered Daxter, "chalk up another win for the trophy case everyone!"
"Does this mean we can return home?" asked Cynder hopefully.
"Indeed black one," said Seem, "everything on this end of the portal has been accounted for, all that remains is for your side to be as well."
"Hey, reaching the halfway point of a goal is a milestone in my book," said Calidan.
"Well Jak, guess this means that trip I promised you will be happening sooner then I thought," Spyro told his green haired friend.
"You kidding?" he asked, "been waiting for it since we first met."
"Woah!" Calidan halted him, "Are you serious? Your gonna jump through that thing?" he said pointing toward the arch before gesturing toward the dragons. "To go to their world?!"
"You know Jak," interrupted Daxter, "Of all the crazy stunts you've pulled since we've known each other, traveling through another portal," he continued as he got in his face, "to journey to some far off world the likes we have never even seen never mind set foot on, just to search for more Precursor junk that has always been more trouble than its worth…completely…blows all the OTHER ONES AWAY!" His outburst recoiled the audience a little bit, including Jak, who after a moment grabbed Daxter by his waist and put him on his shoulder again.
"Daxter, calm down for once in your life, just look at this way, its only fair, Spyro and his friends have come through one twice to our world already, its time we did the same for theirs."
"He's got a point fuzzbrain," said Sparx.
"Can it glowboy!" he retorted.
"So exactly how do we activate it?" Cynder asked ignoring their spat, "is there some sort of sequence that must be followed?"
"From what I understand," Seem said looking into the book again, "the artifacts must be locked in their proper place on the arch before the eco can be inserted, otherwise it will activate erraticly as it did before. However, opening the portal on this end is no issue, its finding the artifacts on the other end and returning here that is the true concern."
"Quick question," asked Calidan, "why would we even need to find the other artifacts on the other side? If we have all that we need to activate it on this end to send the dragons home, why bother when all we need to open it is by bringing more eco to that end?"
"Because young one, to activate full master control of the arch, we need all four artifacts," Seem explained sternly, "Only with the arch's true potential unlocked can the real alliance begin." Needless to say, her last statement shocked everyone in the room, including the monks, although the Head of Research knew this was coming before the heroes arrived. What Seem was acknowledging was something that had not happened for millennia, yet it appeared a day of providence was about to unfold before them.
"Real alliance?" asked Jak.
"Seem, are you serious?" asked Spyro.
"Do you mean?" added Cynder.
"I think she does," finished Calidan.
"In order to defend against the upcoming Dark Maker threat, the world of the precursors and the realm of the dragons must be united again, history is now repeating itself through forces beyond our control, but as the ancient one said, alliances are the only way to peace," stated Seem.
"You have to understand something Seem," said Spyro gaining everyones attention, "the dragons of my age only just found out about this ancient alliance made by the Dragon Father a short time ago, their knowledge of the event is as much as I know, which isn't a lot, there will be some things they will not completely understand, I don't quite understand them myself."
"Are you saying your people will not seek to offer help?" asked Seem.
"On the contrary," explained Spyro, "I have no doubt that they will, for it's not in a dragon's nature to turn a blind eye to a dangerous threat to life, and if these Dark Makers are as dangerous as we have been led to believe, then we will fight to fend them off just like the metalheads before."
"What Spyro means," cut in Cynder, "is that the dragons that live on our planet today, are not like the ones that helped your planet before, those dragons, our ancestors, came from another world, as we have only just found out. The dragons alive today, they all believe our race has always existed on our planet, only the guardians know the truth, and have kept it to themselves to avoid causing a dissention among the people. Right now our planet is still recovering after a massive threat, and everyone is still on edge from the whole event."
"Your referring to that Dark Master monster you told us about last time you were here aren't you?" asked Jak.
"Yes we are," Spyro stated seriously, "He was by far, the most dangerous threat we've ever encountered in our planet's history. If we add what we know is coming here on top of that, a lot of our planet's inhabitants will likely cause an uproar, so what I'm asking is, how do you plan to forge this alliance in a way that won't upset the fragile peace both of our planets are currently enjoying?"
Seem took in the purple dragon's words carefully, for he did bring up some good points. The news that the monks wished to restablish the union between the two worlds might not be met well by all, particularly the people of Spargus. She was already aware of how weary they were when Spyro first arrived, the only reason he hadn't been shot upon arrival was due to Damas's leniency. Though he had granted Spyro asylum, she wasn't sure if he could extensuate that leniency with the rest of Spyro's kind, or if his subjects would even tolerate it. However, if the upcoming threat was made clear, and if it could be explained to him that the best and safest way to combat it was to begin a new alliance, even if it was with a race of aliens, it could possibly work. However, that also counted on the dragons themselves willing to work alongside the people rather then under them, for this was their world, thus the people would be acting as hosts to the dragons. From what Spyro had said earlier though, that wouldn't be the problem, at least with the guardians that he had mentioned.
"Perhaps its best to build lightly," she proposed, "if you could bring the dragons you call guardians here, to act as liasons for your planet, they could speak as their voice if not you purple one. As for ourselves, I will speak with Damas personally, for we share a mutual understanding in protecting not just our people here in the wasteland, but our planet as well. I will do everything I can to persuade him that allying with the dragons is for the greatest benefit for all of us."
"Thank you Seem," said Spyro. However, unlike the rest of the group, Calidan was skeptical.
"And if you can't persuade him? What then?" asked Calidan.
"Then we will fight this upcoming battle on two fronts, rather then united, and doom ourselves to our own personal fears," she warned.
"Swell," Daxter said dryly.
"Although, given Spyro's recent introduction to Damas," Seem continued, "I believe that outcome is most unlikely, for if he believes you are trustworthy enough to allow sanctuary, even if temporarily, it is most likely he can be assured further. His people will hopefully follow soon after, for unlike most other kingdoms, they actually respect and believe their king."
"Of course," scoffed Calidan, "anyone will believe anything he says as long as they are under his heel." His statement caused most of the party to turn toward him scornfully, except Cynder, who had already had a similar conversation with him.
"What did you say?" Jak snarled.
"You heard me," said Calidan without regret.
"Are you saying Damas is some sort of tyrant who bends his people's will to his own?!" shouted Spyro, "I have only met him briefly, but I can tell you he is nothing of the sort! His people follow his rule not because of fear, but of respect like Seem said."
"That's not what I've heard," said Calidan.
"Then you've been hearing wrong," stated Jak getting in his face, "Though I can't say I'm surprised, you make judgement calls from probably only hearing tidbits of information rather then the full story, must come from living in a hole!"
"Oh now your gonna take jabs regarding my living status?! I thought you said you were better then that!"
"I am! But all bets are off when you start insulting someone I respect! Do you even know about respect?! Hasn't anyone ever taught you that?!" Calidan eyes looked like they could pierce right through Jak, everyone was on edge, including the monks. It was clear another fight was about to break out…
"ENOUGH!" shouted Seem, her voice echoed throughout the temple, alerting if not scaring everyone to make sure they were paying attention. "This childish bickering will cease right now! I will not have the likes of you two 'boys' defiling our sacred halls with a pointless brawl! Be separate! Both of you!"
"Fine by me," Calidan growled immediately turning away and walking toward the edge of the chamber, and sitting down on the edge with arms crossed silently. Jak just snorted and walked back over to the group still seething. The dragons and Sparx still at him with shock, giving how quickly Jak and Cal's attitudes changed toward each other after the talk they had leaving Haven.
"Apologies for that," Jak said to Seem.
"As well you should," replied Seem sternly, "We have no time for a petty conflict when a real one is right in our midst."
"Agreed," he replied dryly.
"As I said, I will confer with Damas, he has always been a grateful listener to our insights, and whether or not he considers or acts on them is a weigh of the scales."
"Perhaps I can help with weighing them in our favor," said Cynder, "I can aid you as the first act of making a mutual pact."
"You black one?" asked Seem.
"Cynder," Spyro asked concerned, "I thought you were going to come back with me and Jak to the realms. We could use your help."
"I know you could purple boy," she told him, "but I can tell I'm needed here now, someone from our world should stay and help Seem better prepare her for speaking on our behalf."
"Didn't take you for being a diplomat Cynder," commented Jak.
"I'm not as experienced as Spyro or the guardians, but I'm a fast learner," she said with a smirk. One that both of the guys returned, believing her.
"I like her," commented Seem, before turning from the boys to Cynder, "I would be honored to learn all I can from you." Cynder smiled accepting her comment.
"Guess that means it's just the four of us then," Spyro told Jak, referring also to Sparx and Daxter.
"Well then let's do it," said Jak, "besides, I'm in need of a place other than here to cool off right now." He finished spitefully with a short gaze toward Calidan who still had his back turned. Spyro looked at the lone wastelander concerningly, before turning back to Jak getting his attention. Realizing now wasn't the best time to discuss the heated tension between the two men, he simply nodded in response.
"Seem," Spyro began turning toward the monk again, "we're going to need something to tie us together, just to make sure no one gets lost during this trip."
"I believe that won't be a problem," she said, turning toward her fellow monks, of whom the one on the left pulled out what appeared to be a tether of golden rope from the bag around his waist. Apparently, Seem had already anticipated this and was prepared in any way she could be.
"I like her too," said Spyro smiling.
"We may just get along after all," said Cynder. Seem smiled accepting her comment, believing that the rest of her kind could be the same.
"Then I believe it is time," she said turning toward the monks, "begin."
The monk on the right reaches into the bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out the Quantum Reflector. The one holding the Holocube walked passed the Head of Research, and both of them walked over to the arch with both artifacts. All were still unsure how they would be attached, but hoping being within proximity would trigger something, and it did.
HUUUMMM
Everyone watched as the arch began to glow, and as it did, so did the artifacts. To further astonish them, they lifted out of the monks hands and floated to opposite ends of the arch. The Holocube floated to the left and Quantum Reflector to the right. The stones at the base seemed to shift metamorphically to fit their shapes, and then the artifacts floated into their new pockets. There was a locking sound, and the hum continued to fill the chamber. Everyone watched as the arch seemed to emit some sort of ethereal glow, surrounding its entire body.
"I'm thinking that's supposed to happen right?" asked Sparx.
"This is the first time this has ever occurred in our lifetime, even the book doesn't describe how its activation appears, but I do believe it is working," said Seem before turning toward Jak and Spyro. The monk holding the golden rope also walked over to them and handed it to Jak. "Now would be the time to tether yourselves to each other warrior."
Jak nodded and took the rope, he began tying it securely around his waist. Once he finished, he moved onto Spyro and tied it around his midsection, with a slight yank, he tested to see how secure it was. At the same time, Seem gestured Cynder to stand back away from the arch, who agreed wholeheartedly knowing what was about to happen. Calidan watched everything out of the corner of his eye. The two monks who had brought the artifacts to the arch backed away to rejoin the Head of Research.
"Now, for the final piece," said Seem turning toward the rope monk once more, who nodded to her and reached into the pocketbag around his waist and pulled out the fuel for their trip. They all gazed upon a small eco crystal, glowing with a familiar purple aura that was foreboding to all.
"Dark Eco?" Jak asked, voicing his and Spyro's unspoken question.
"Indeed," replied Seem.
"So that's what that was!" exclaimed Cynder, catching everyones attention, "that looks just like the crystal that originally powered the arch that sent me and Sparx here!" The monks were shocked more then everyone else, including Seem.
"You have Dark eco on your world?" gasped Seem.
"No," said Spyro, "it was brought there, before I fell into the portal, there were these strange dark purple aliens who originally activated it, apparently using a dark eco crystal like you have there. I tried to fight them off, but unfortunately they escaped through the portal before me, and I got sucked in soon after, ending up here." His story astonished Seem, as well as her fellow monks, who appeared to be murmuring to each other in response to his story. Calidan just continued to listen from a distance.
"Then it appears you will have additional business on your world then just these other two artifacts," said Seem, "during your search, find out what you can about these aliens, any clues they might have left behind. For while we might be seeking to rebuild a union between our worlds, it seems someone or something may have already beaten us to it, though not for the better."
"Playing detective huh?" said Jak, "fine, anything to leave with more answers then questions." Seem then took the crystal from the monk, holding it by its embedded base, and handed it to Jak, who looked at it questionally.
"Break a piece off Dark One," she said, "store the rest away on your person so you can make your way back, I'd do it myself, but as you know I cannot touch it without harming myself."
Jak then nodded, and took the crystal into his hand. He gripped a shard with his other hand, and with a strong tug, he broke it off with a 'chink'. He then unzipped his side bag where the communicator always was and put the rest of the crystal inside, and began zipping it back up.
"Wait, take this with you too," Seem halted him, handing him the golden book. "Trust me, you will need it right now more then I do." Jak nodded before taking the book and putting it in the bag, and then zipped it up.
"Now just like the artifacts," Seem explained one more time, "bring the shard in contact with the arch, and it will open once again."
Jak walked up to the arch with Spyro walking by his side. Daxter wearily stood on Jak's shoulder while Sparx buzzed right behind him. Everyone watched as they approached the arch, Jak reached out to the left side pillar with the shard, and set it in contact with it. The hum grew even stronger, startling them, followed by a dull crack and glow, and the dragon and the warrior looked right in front of them as a small drawer emerged from the arch wall. The same way it did on the other side. Spyro nodded to Jak, who then went and dropped the shard into the drawer. It closed, and then the real show began.
HUUUMMM…WHIIIRRRRRR
Jak and Spyro backed away from the arch slightly, with Daxter clinging to Jak's shoulder and Sparx clinging to Spyro's horns. The rest of the party stood back near the edge of the chamber, hoping to stay out of its range. While the others including Calidan watched with shock, Cynder watched concerned. Finally, a familiar blue streak lightning occurred within the arch radius, connecting all together in a near blinding show. Eventually the shine gave way to show a familiar blue spinning vortex within the arch. Jak and Daxter looked at it with shock and awe, while Spyro and Sparx looked at it with uncomfortable familiarity. Everyone behind them watched with anticipation, until Seem spoke to them one final time.
"Now you two! Jump!"
The two of them looked at each other with a show of determination before Spyro said, "You ready for your first portal jump?"
"Not my first actually," he replied, "but my first to your planet that's for sure."
"Sparx," Spyro told his brother, "You hang on tight this time alright?"
"Don't worry about me bro," he stammered, "Did this before, I can do it again."
"Dax, whatever happens don't release your grip ok?" Jak told his furry friend who had wrapped himself around Jak's shoulder strap.
"Oh sure, like I'd love to add freely falling through a space portal to my list of experiences," said Daxter sarcastically, "lets just get it over with." Both heroes braced themselves and counted to three.
"One…Two…Three!" They ran in synchrocity, and jumped into the portal disappearing into its maw. The rest of the party looked on as they vanished from their sight, and then only a moment later the hum began to subside, and the blue vortex disapparated from the arches maw. Cynder walked up to the arch afterwards staring at it for a brief moment.
"See you soon," she whispered.
"They will return," said Seem walking beside her, "I have faith."
"As do I Seem, always," replied Cynder.
"Especially to the one you love," said Seem, causing Cynder to go slightly wide-eyed, turning toward Seem who was smirking at her. Cynder then grinned with a sigh, she wasn't surprised Seem had noticed how she and Spyro were around one another. The monks were nothing if not insightful, she had learned.
"Should have guessed you would have noticed that," she said looking away shyly.
"You two don't exactly seem to keep it discreet, no offense young one," replied Seem.
"We try, but it's kinda hard when everybody pretty much already knows," answered Cynder.
"I see," said Seem, "although it is not my place or wish to gossip about the affairs of others, I would like to say, you and Spyro make a lovely pair."
Cynder blushed, her usual reaction when someone always complimented her on their relationship. No matter how many times she heard it, it never got old to her, or to Spyro for that matter. It began with the guardians in Warfang, and it appeared to continue here.
"Thank you, our mentors have told us the same thing," she said lightheartedly, "they have even said our destinies are intertwined."
"I would agree with them," replied Seem, before returning to the primary task, "I would like to hear even more about them, in preparation for Damas, as well as their arrival here."
Cynder returned to a more adamant attitude before saying, "Agreed, I can tell you everything you need to know…however there is one more thing to take care of." Seem watched as she turned toward the back of the chamber with a stern glare. She followed her gaze, and returned the frown at the figure still sitting there. Seem knew then there was another reason for Cynder choosing to stay behind.
"You think you can get through to him?" Seem asked.
"I've been doing it bit by bit since we started," Cynder replied, before finishing with a hiss, "and I'll keep doing it until he gets it, even if it hurts." Both females kept their glares at Calidan, the lone wastelander with the most rebellious attitude they had ever known, still sitting down with his back to them. His fate however, still remained undetermined.
Vacu continued feasting on the deer his mentor had brought down to him. Having been stuck down in the chamber for over three hours was really starving him. The bits of meat filling his stomach really hit the spot. All he had to do now was wait a few more minutes for someone to come down and relieve him. He also couldn't wait to rub in Chloro's face how Terrador had complimented him, a little bit of a bragging right as payback for how he had shown him up in activating the portal earlier. He knew the competition between the both of them would be fierce, until such time when Terrador had to step down as guardian. That's the way it was for all the acolytes, as it had always been since the dawn of the dragon age. The real major problem was filling the role of Fire guardian, and with Ignitus gone and taking a new greater role in the world, it fell to the guardians to choose his replacement. Steps had already been made in selecting appropriate candidates, but they had yet to meet any of them face to face. All of this on top of what was happening currently was quite a handful for all of them combined, quite an aftermath after ending the Great War.
HUUUMMM
The odd noise filled the chamber, causing Vacu to pause, and observe the whole room. His curious gaze turned toward the portal again, wondering what was going on. To his astonishment, the portal seal began to glow, causing him to jaw drop the meat out of his mouth. Then for the second time he saw the seal split in two, along with their adjacent walls, revealing the same blue spinning tunnel.
"Oh no…oh boy…oh boy…oh boy!" he sputtered as he stumbled over his feet trying to reach the staircase. Once he reached it, he roared, as loud as he could, sending the signal to the surface, in hopes everyone above ground would hear it. With the signal sent, Vacu turned back to the portal, and ran into the middle of the chamber in a defensive stance. Whatever was coming out, he was ready for it, at least in his mind. He would show whatever aliens that would dare come to his world what a dragon was made of. He noticed the portal didn't have the vacuum force it used to have, which was fine by him, though it was curious to ask why this time was different. The tunnel continued to hum, though its volume was picking up. Vacu continued to watch, until something spat out of the portal…
Jak and Spyro kept a hold of each other as they flew through the tunnel. Sparx and Daxter clung on to their respective partners with dear might, keeping their eyes closed the whole time. The two heroes merely squinted as the tunnel appeared to nearly blind them, but up ahead they could see a shining yellow light as opposed to the blue light surrounding them. Believing this could be the exit, they braced themselves as they approached it…
Both of them flew out of the tunnel, making impact with the ground. This caused both of them to tumble a considerable distance, Jak more then Spyro, who eventually skidded to a halt on his stomach. Daxter unfortunately broke loose of Jak upon the impact and tumbled even further then both of them, but eventually skidded to a stop, ended up on his face and his feet in the air above his head. He stayed like that for a brief moment, before his feet fell to the ground, and he pulled his face off the ground like a plunger. He shook his head to clear it before venting again.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I WILL NEVER EVER TOUCH ANYMORE..." he stopped when he looked ahead of himself, a set of large paws were only a foot in front of him, complete with talons and light green scales. His anger quickly gave way to terror, as he stuttered his last words looking up, "stupid…precursor…crap"
He finished as he set eyes on the head the paws belonged to, a dragon that easily dwarfed him as much as a metalpede dwarfed a wastelander. The dragon eyed the ottsel with curiosity before bringing his head down to his level, causing Daxter eyes to go even whiter with fear.
"Umm," he said. Daxter on the other hand could only do one thing.
"YAAAAAHHHHH!"
"AGGGGGHHHH!"
The both of them screamed and retreated in their own comical ways, Daxter ran like the devil back toward Jak, while the dragon retreated backwards on his paws. Jak was just picking his head up until Daxter ran right into it full speed, latching around Jak's head like a vise, and also obstructing his vision.
"Monster! MONSTER! Jak! Save me! SAVE ME!"
"Daxter!" Jak cried muffled through his body as he pried him off with his hands. It was a struggle as the frightened animal's grip was near death. But eventually he pulled him off with both hands. "What are you doing?!"
"MONSTER!" he pointed frantically behind him, causing Jak to look up. He then went wide-eyed at the sight of the light green dragon, he was larger then Spyro or Cynder. Realizing what had happened, he knew immediately what was going on. He turned to Daxter with a slight grin.
"That's not a monster Dax," he said, "it's a dragon, we're here."
Daxter's panic seemed to subside, with his mouth wide open at Jak's statement. A groan caught their attention to the left behind them, and they turned to see Spyro picking himself up. He shook his head slightly as he did, causing Sparx to fall to the floor. The dragonfly took his turn in clearing his head, before turning up toward his purple brother.
"Ugh, are we here? Is the ride over?" he asked him.
"I think so," replied Spyro, as he untied the rope around his midsection freeing him from Jak.
"Spyro?!" A voice at the far end of the chamber caused him and Sparx to look ahead, and to their joy they saw Vacu near the back of the chamber, looking at them astonished.
"Is that really you?" he asked.
"Vacu!" Spyro immediately jumped up onto all fours, tossing the rope aside and ran right toward him. Sparx buzzed up and followed behind, while Jak and Daxter watched from a distance. The light green acolyte's face broke out in a grin as he walked forward to meet the purple dragon halfway. As they met in the middle, the greetings continued.
"You're back! I am…well…both relieved and astonished! I expected aliens or something else to come out of there, but you," Vacu began, "wow, seeing the both of you are a sight for sore eyes!"
"It's good to see you again too," said Spyro.
"Many should already know from experience," Sparx cut in, "we may disappear from time to time, but we always come back."
Both dragons nodded at his statement, until the sound of rustling came from behind them. They all turned to see the rest of the dragon party descend from the stairs. The guardians were in front and the acolytes in back. Terrador halted the group as they exited the stairs, they had arrived just in time to see the portal close once again, and the doors slide shut on it reforming the seal.
"Vacu! Are you…" he began before seeing who was at his feet. "Spyro?" The other guardians and acolytes moved around him to see hearing what he had said, determined to see if it was true.
"It is Spyro!" cried Volteer.
"Your back!" shouted Cyril.
"What happened?!" followed Jace.
"How did you?!" followed Chloro.
"Where is Cynder?!" ended Saphira.
"Everyone! HOLD ON!" Spyro yelled, gesturing them all to calm down through his body language. It seemed to work, because they all silenced themselves. Sparx let out a breath of relief now that the mob mentality had been silenced.
"Whew, good one bro," he commented.
Spyro began again, "It's good to see you all again too, yes I'm back and don't worry I'm fine. Just took a bit of a trip that's all."
"From what Cynder described it was much more than just a trip young dragon," said Terrador.
"Though we really shouldn't be too surprised," added Cyril, "You and your lot seem to have a knack for traveling through portals don't you?"
"Can't argue with that," agreed Spyro shrugging his shoulders.
"Also sir," said Vacu, "they didn't come alone." He nodded his head toward the portal, the guardians followed his gesture to see to their continued shock, a bipedal creature of light colored flesh, green hair, and blue attire. He appeared to share in their shock, as did the orange furry creature around his neck.
"By the ancestors," gasped Terrador.
"An alien!" added Volteer.
"Is he a friendly one?" asked Chloro.
"Alien?" whispered Daxter, "did he just call…" Jak clamped his mouth shut. Spyro sighed, knowing that he was now going to have to do for Jak what he once did for him.
"Come on, it's time we all met", he said before walking over to Jak.
"This outta be rich," replied Sparx. All the dragons followed Spyro over to Jak, and the purple dragon stood in between them.
"Everyone, these are my friends from the distant planet Elorin, Jak and Daxter. Guys, these are the dragon guardians, my mentors, Terrador guardian of Earth, Cyril guardian of Ice, and Volteer guardian of Electricity, as well as their pupils, Vacu, Chloro, Jace, and Saphira." The purple dragon pointed each of them respectively as he said their names, hoping not to confuse Jak anymore than he already probably was.
"Umm, greetings," Jak began, "it's a privilege to finally meet all of you."
"The pleasure is ours sir," said Terrador with a grin.
"So you're Jak!" exclaimed Cyril, "Spyro, Cynder and Hunter told us all about you, and their adventures on your world. Rescuing them all from a tyrant's prison, defending them against swarms of alien monsters, and even destroying their leader, at least that's what we know in short."
"All true," said Jak nodding, "Our planet probably wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for their help."
"I don't know about that Jak," said Spyro, "from what I saw before and up to now, you probably would've handled it well on your own."
"Maybe, perhaps if things were reversed, I would have helped save your world instead," he commented.
"Guess we'll never know," the dragon chuckled. Watching the exchange of friendly banter intrigued the guardians. Despite the differences in species, they seemed so alike, as was what was told about them when the young dragons told of their Elorin story. It seemed the old saying held true, iron sharpened iron, no matter where it originated from.
"Hehe," chuckled Terrador, "You two seem to share much, in terms of personality anyway, no wonder you got along so well."
"Yes indeed," added Volteer, walking up toward Jak and kneeling down to his level, "though I must say your kind is quite peculiar, bipedal, flesh-covered, long ears, and with an outcrop of fur on your head." Jak and Daxter gave the yellow dragon perplexed looks, they were not used to being analyzed out loud like some sort of specimen. Everyone else was watching with somewhat irritated expressions, since they all knew Volteer acted like this every time he came across something new.
"I can think of multiple species in our lands with attributes that match, appendages from the imps, hair of the apes, 'though most unfortunate there', dexterity of the attlawas, yes now that would more fitting, even the…"
"HEY!" Volteer immediately shut up, hearing a loud squeaky voice echo through the chamber. Everyone turned to pay attention to Daxter who had a rather irritated look on his face, "are you gonna play analysis all night and keep babbling, or is someone actually gonna help us around here?!"
The dragons looked at the little orange loudmouthed ottsel stunned, as they weren't expecting him to shout. Spyro and Jak could only shake their heads, they should have expected as much from Daxter in terms of first impressions. Sparx was really trying to restrict himself from laughing out loud, thinking to himself, 'this is even more rich than I thought.'
"I say," said Cyril, "the orange animal talks."
"Yeah," added Vacu, "he screams too."
"Only when scared out of my wits by an overstuffed beast who likes to poke his head in my personal space!" Daxter yelled to him.
"OVERSTUFFED?!" shouted Vacu.
"Oh no," said Spyro wincing, especially since the earth acolyte angrily stomped in front of the duo causing them to slightly retreat.
"How would you like to see the inside of my stomach you little furball?!" Vacu threatened, causing Daxter to immediately duck behind Jak "then you'll see how overstuffed I can really be!"
"VACU!" yelled Terrador, causing everyone else to cringe, "you will not speak like that toward guests! Understood?!"
"He started it sir," said Vacu cringing at his masters tone.
"That does not excuse acting like a hatchling young dragon! You are a guardian candidate now, so act like it!" ordered Terrador. It looked as though Terrador's compliment from earlier had been rescinded, he was back down the totem pole, all because of one outburst.
"Huff, yes sir," exhausted Vacu as he retreated behind him, Terrador keeping a stern eye on him the whole way, before turning toward Jak again apologetically.
"I apologize for my student's outburst," said the earth guardian.
"No problem, I also apologize for my friend," replied Jak, "Daxter has always had a big mouth and short temper, has gotten him in trouble with pretty much everyone and everything we meet."
"Thanks a lot partner," growled Daxter, "What is it with everyone and everything threatening to eat me?"
"You make it too easy," Jak replied, which earned him a glare.
"Perhaps we should get back on a more friendly note," recommended Spyro.
"Really bro?" whispered Sparx, "I was enjoying the show." That earned him a stern glare from his purple stepbrother, letting him know there was no time and place for that. Sparx immediately backed off with a mock gesture of surrender.
"I'm with you Spyro, I'd like to learn more about your alien friends," said Saphira, before turning toward Jak, "Its Jak right? Or should I call you blue boy?" All the acolytes laughed at her statement, the guardians on the other hand did not, especially Cyril, "Saphira!"
Jak could only shake his head in rebuttal, he did not expect hearing that. Spyro and Sparx on the other hand actually chuckled, for they did see it coming. Jak turned up to face the blue dragoness and asked, "Let me guess, your one of Cynder's friends?"
"Yup, her best actually, which brings me to ask where is she?" Saphira asked.
"She stayed back on Jak's world for the time being, there was something she needed to tend to there," said Spyro.
"Really? Not that I doubt Cynder can take care of herself," began Terrador, "You left her to remain on an alien world?"
"I assure you she's in good hands," Jak told the guardian, "the monks that helped reactivate the portal are acting as her hosts, and they are completely benevolent toward your kind, in fact, they are seeking to rekindle the alliance with you."
"Rekindle the alliance?" gasped Cyril, his shock was shared by all of the dragons in the group.
"That's why we are here Cyril," said Spyro, "Jak's world is in danger again, and the crisis is even worse this time. A vile alien race called the Dark Makers is converging upon it, and if their ship reaches it before we can destroy it, they will consume everything."
"Oh dear," said Volteer. The shock on their faces gave way to terror, as Spyro explained the situation to them. Jak and Daxter waited in anticipation to see how they would respond.
"Perhaps it would be best if you started from the beginning young ones, so we know what is going on entirely," Terrador said to both Jak and Spyro.
"Of course," replied Jak.
"Lets head up top first," said Volteer, "The fresh air accomplishes wonders, plus my students should hear about this as well." The electric dragon then walked over to the two outlanders and bent down to lower his wing. Jak and Daxter looked astonished, could he really be… "Well come on, climb aboard strangers."
Jak nodded with a smile, he never believed he would actually ride on a dragon before. Then again he had never met any others beside Spyro and Cynder, and they were as young as he was. These full grown dragons were giants to him, never mind Daxter, and unlike most giant creatures he had come across, these beings were benevolent and intelligent. Though they had a mission to accomplish, Jak could not wait to see this new world that had only been described to him by his dragon friend's stories. As they climbed aboard the electric guardian, a certain dragonfly had something to say…
"Well look at this!" Sparx said holding his fingers out like a camera, "someone should be taking a picture of this, a dragon giving a ride to an alien! Now this is a historical moment if I ever saw one, next thing you know we will meet up with a bunch of talking…"
"SPARX!" everyone yelled. The dragonfly hushed, looking around at all the stern glares he was receiving from everyone in the room. He let out a breath and said one last thing, "sheesh, no one ever wants to hear the commentary."
"Oh sure they do," said Daxter, "just not from you."
"Hey! Same could be said for you fuzzbutt!"
"Can it bugbrain! I've learned a few moves from my time in the desert, and I'm not afraid to use them!"
"Is one of them flying?" Sparx taunted flying a little higher in the air, "because I still have that home field advantage."
"Grrrrrr!" Daxter angrily growled. Watching the exchange, the guardians and their acolytes were less then enthused. From the story the dragons told, Jak did have his own loudmouthed sidekick like Sparx was, and unfortunately they were now witnessing it. For Vacu however, at least the loudmouthed rats quarrel was with Sparx and not him, last thing he wanted was to get on Terrador's badside again.
"Oh dear me," sighed Cyril, "as if one was bad enough."
"We did warn you," whispered Spyro.
"Doesn't make it any less annoying young dragon," replied the ice guardian.
"AHEM!" Volteer yelled to get everyones attention, "enough with this petty squabble, we should be off now! Adventures to elaborate, strategies to organize, invasions to thwart, notes to share, and then some!" He rambled on as he walked toward the staircase with a baffled Jak and Daxter on his back. Sparx huffed out his frustration and slowly followed behind. The acolytes were still feeling shocked and perplexed from the whole exchange, but finally started following the electric guardian to the stairs. Terrador, Cyril, and Spyro were left behind momentarily.
"Volteer's tongue will be more extensive then ever now," said Cyril with worry, sensing his colleagues apparent interest in the aliens arrival, "if he were to get into an argument with those two…"
"Cyril," Terrador stopped him immediately before he finished, "I think its best for everyone that you never finish that sentence." Spyro sighed exhaustively, hearing their whole conversation made him think one thing, 'this is going to be harder then we thought.'
If there's anything Daxter does well, its give a hilarious first impression! Hehe Like I said, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it, brace yourselves there's more to come and events to unravel, stay tuned!
