Chapter 10: Seers
November 7, 1:32 PM
Spyro gave a soft grunt as his paws sank slightly into the sand as he walked. Every step it was the same thing, sand and sun. Every time his paws pressed into the sands, he began to sink in, making it hard to traverse the sandy dunes that made up his surroundings.
Ever since they had left the cold, wet jungles a few days earlier they had entered a grassy flatland. It wasn't long before they entered a desert, a strange desert at that. It was cold, bitter cold here, and the skies weren't the pure blue that he had read about. The skies here were a bright purple, with some blue near the very center of the sky. The sun was shining brightly in the distance, however it's hue was changed slightly purple itself, the bright white sand turning pink in the light. The flat terrain caused winds to get whipped up around them, kicking sand all around the group as they attempted to traverse this wasteland.
There were some other… interesting features within this desert. Tall columns of crystals rose from the ground, forming large towers that dotted the landscape. Many were very tall and narrow, almost like sticks rising from the ground. They were all either a dark purple, light pink or blue, all glowing brightly in the sunlight. They actually seemed to all have the same color, but would shift from time to time. Spyro had noticed that the crystals actually shifted with the temperatures, which varied greatly from hour to hour it seemed like. It could go from bitter cold to mild in a matter of minutes here, and the crystals seemed to donate when that happened. It wasn't a very happy existence to go through those rapid temperature changes… Thankfully it was a rather recent phenomena, or else Spyro would have lost his mind.
"When are we going to get out of this desert…?" Flame asked, trying to keep up but his paws were sinking into the sand much like Spyro's.
"Whenever this God forsaken stretch of land ends…" Jericho responded, trudging along a few feet in front of them. Sparx let out a whine as he hovered by Spyro's head, pouting at their misfortune. Cynder was absent from the group, having flown ahead to scout for water or any other marker. It had been a while since any of them had any water to drink.
A few minutes passed by before Spyro was able to see her in the distance flying towards them. She landed nearby, trying to shield herself with her wings from the high winds.
"I found a reservoir up ahead. We should be able to get some water there." Cynder said.
"Great, let's hurry." Jericho said, moving quicker now that they had a goal to move to. Everyone in the group moved quickly, Flame even flapping his wings in anticipation. After a while, they could see the reservoir where Cynder had spotted the water. Indeed there was water, and it was such a welcomed change of pace. Water had formed a small pond in the sand, strange plants growing around the edges of the water.
"Oh yes…" Flame said as he helped himself to the water without a moment's notice. Spyro joined him, along with Cynder. Jericho knelt down, opening his metal canteen to refill it. He didn't even wait for the canteen to be completely refilled before lifting it up to his mouth to down the water he had just acquired.
"Did this place used to be a desert like this…?" Spyro asked, sated with a throat now fully coated in fresh water.
"From what I've heard, no. Deserts like this only existed far, far away." Jericho said before taking another gulp of water.
"It's all been changed. Changed into something different." Cynder said, looking out at the magnificent crystal towers. Spyro looked out with her, watching as they hummed with energy.
"Really wish we knew what direction we were going…" Jericho said, having pulled out his map to take a look.
"If you didn't rely on maps so much, you'd be able to find something." Cynder said. Jericho turned to look at her, unamused.
"Oh, I suppose you have something better?"
"Well… I would if I could pick up the different air currents. We can't do that out here, not with all this interference." Cynder said, turning away.
"Uh huh. 'Finding something' my ass."
"Couldn't we just fly over? I promise to hold onto you tight Jericho." Flame offered, having plopped down in the sand to rest. Jericho just shook his head while reading the map.
"Good luck trying. The wind currents are too strong here to get above it effectively." Cynder said while looking up at the sky.
"Least those creatures aren't here. You really don't know what they were?" Spyro asked, remembering the strange creatures that attacked them in the jungle ruins.
"No… though I've heard a few stories from travelers. They have talked about creatures like them before. They're mutations in these lands, other than that I couldn't tell you." Cynder said, sitting down herself. There were a fair amount of dunes around the pond of water, giving adequate shielding from winds. Spyro decided to join them, letting his paws sink into the sand, not caring at this point. Jericho continued standing, looking his map over as he tried to hold onto it tightly against the winds.
"Give it up human, you won't find anything useful." Cynder said mockingly, curling her wings tight to her body for warmth. Jericho didn't respond, instead continuing to compare the map to the surrounding landscapes. Cynder just shook her head.
"Spyro, back in the city you said you could see some things we couldn't. What were they?" Cynder asked, changing the subject back to the events in the ruins.
"What? Oh…" Spyro said, turning to look back at the sands. What had he seen? Was it worth mentioning? Spyro questioned if he had really seen anything, or if he was just hallucinating.
"I don't remember." Spyro finally said, looking away. Cynder looked at him for a while before letting out a sigh, turning away. Sparx looked at Flame who shrugged. Sparx gave a low aggravated buzz before flying off, in search of something to curb his curiosity.
"Whoa… would you look at that." Flame said, sitting up. Spyro and Cynder looked at what he was looking at, seeing some clouds forming in the distance. They were low level clouds, hovering above the tops of the crystal towers, the towers themselves rising about a couple hundred feet off the ground. Lightning began to form in the clouds, traveling from the roofs of the crystals into the clouds themselves, turning the dark clouds into a churning purple and blue hue. It was pretty spectacular to witness.
"Oh wow…" Spyro said, watching the electricity dance from one tower to the next, then up into the clouds. Thunder softly rumbled in the distance as the clouds passed over them, the cold fading away.
"Sucks that sights like this are in such an unforgiving place…" Spyro commented, watching the clouds pass overhead.
"Well maybe that's what makes it so beautiful." Cynder said.
"If it doesn't kill you first." Spyro said, sighing. Cynder just shook her head.
Jericho walked back over, folding his map up to slip into his jacket pocket.
"Anything interesting?" Flame jokingly asked.
"If you like sand, then yes." Jericho said, refilling his canteen in the water.
"So Cynder, is there anything like this back where you came from?" Flame asked.
"No… well a little bit. It depends where you are. Most places are boring, like where I grew up."
"Where did you grow up?" Spyro asked, curious.
"Well, if you must know, I grew up in Kansas City. It's near the border lands, and still has a lot of old human structures left. It's even kept its old namesake from humanity's time."
"Why'd you come this way then?" Flame asked. Cynder remained silent for a little while, using a talon to trace something in the soft sand.
"I came this way because I thought I could become something better. I thought I could become a Sentinel, but that remains to be seen." Cynder said, still staring down at the ground.
"What about you Jericho? Where'd you come from?" Flame asked, sensing Cynder was sensitive of the topic. Jericho just grumbled at him as he was writing something down.
"Oh come on Jericho, you have to have grown up in an interesting place…" Flame said, putting pressure on him.
"Yeah, it was. Will I tell you, no, I won't." Jericho simply said.
"Uh oh, looks like the human is too scared to say anything of his past." Cynder mocked, leaning back slightly, stretching. Jericho looked up for a second before smirking then looking back down.
"How funny, she's got a sense of humor. Didn't know you guys could have one." Jericho shot back.
"Come on Jericho, just tell us, we won't tell anyone." Flame said once again.
Jericho sighed, closing the book he had been writing in.
"Fine, I grew up in a small human settlement in Ohio."
"Human settlement? There were other humans there?" Spyro asked, turning to Jericho.
"Yes… that's what the name would imply. It was one of the many survivor colonies there. It was hidden well within the forests, so it was pretty peaceful there."
"You think of it often?"
"I try not to."
"Why not…?"
"Well, if your home was burned to the ground, you'd try not to think of it too much now, would you?" Jericho re-opened his book, continuing to write.
"Oh… I'm sorry. Guess that forced you to leave, huh?"
"Uh huh. I've been trying to travel northeast ever since."
The group fell silent for a bit, a certain awkwardness forming after that. Flame tried to lighten up the mood a bit, trying to think of something to stir the conversation to.
"Hey Spyro, what do you think the other orphans are up to back home?" He asked, turning to his friend.
"Probably the same stuff they did when we left. I do wonder what's happened since we left." Spyro said, looking down. While his home wasn't… the most exciting place, or even warm hearted place he could think of, it was a place he called home. It was a place he was so familiar with, and he wondered if the Sentinels were still there, or if the gorilla gang was still hunting for them.
Off in the distance, a low pitched howl caught all of their attention. They all froze, looking up. Jericho grabbed his weapon, staying low with the group, hidden in the dunes.
"Is that…?" Flame asked in a whisper, turning to the others.
"Sounds like the howl from the ruins."
"Are we being followed?" Cynder asked, taking a peek over the dunes.
"We probably are." Jericho said as he placed his little booklet into his jacket as well.
"If it's what scared off those creatures, might it be helpful…?" Spyro suggested.
"Perhaps, but I wouldn't bet anything on it." Jericho replied.
There was another howl, louder this time, but still far off in the distance. It came from another direction from the first one. Were they surrounded?
A buzzing sound roused their attention now, a yellow dragonfly cresting over the high dunes and into the middle of the group.
"Sparx, there you are!" Spyro said, seeing his friend return. Sparx looked excited, buzzing with anticipation as he tried to get their attention.
"What is it Sparx, did you find something?" Spyro asked, seeing his friend so excited.
Sparx nodded, flying off passed the dunes.
Spyro looked at the others who shrugged and got up. They gave chase to Sparx, leaving the small water pond to see what the little guy was so excited about.
They returned to the open sands, passing in-between the massive towers of crystal as Sparx led them for several minutes. They could see something far off in the distance, blending in with the dunes at first but after a while it became more tangible, more visible. They raced towards it, attempting to make sense of what Sparx had found. It wasn't until they were within a hundred feet could they truly make out what they had found.
The tail end of what Spyro could make out to be some sort of metallic craft jutted out from the sands. It was hard to see exactly what kind of craft it might have been, but when they got closer, Spyro could see rotors on top of it, suggesting it was a helicopter similar to Jericho's Osprey. Unlike his Osprey, this craft had no wings, and the rotors were on the rear of the craft. There appeared to be another set of rotors buried under the sand where Spyro would guess the front of the craft would have been. What an odd design, to have two sets of rotors on the front and end of a craft…
"It's an old chinook aircraft…" Jericho commented, seeing the crash. The craft was beaten to hell, that was for sure. Parts of the hull had been ripped off, exposing the interior of the craft. They could see the frame of the craft with different parts lying all around the site in the sand. It looked like the front had actually snapped off from the main section, tilting slightly upwards in the sand. Well, whatever was still exposed to air was tilted upwards.
Inscriptions on the rear of the craft read MARINES, similar to Jericho's Osprey, but was even more faded since the sand had been whipping against the wreck for who knows how long.
"I wonder what you have hiding my friend…" Jericho said, walking over to the craft. The Chinook's rear door was open slightly, allowing for Jericho to pull it down by force to expose its troop bay. The door landed softly in the sand, and Jericho slowly made his way inside. Spyro followed right behind, peering down into the compartment. Sand had filled some parts, especially where the craft had split in two. There was enough room, however, to make it all the way to the front. Near the front Spyro could see a set of bodies, sprawled out against the floor and walls. They looked like human bodies, and the bones and tattered clothes suggested they had been here a very long time.
Jericho knelt down over the bodies, inspecting them for any gear he could take. Spyro looked at the bodies, noticing that their armor was very similar to Jericho's. Spyro noticed on all the bodies there was a name tag, just above the chest. He could barely read the tags, but some were still very legible. It was interesting since the soldiers they had found in the mall were different then this soldier's uniform, as well as the one Jericho was wearing. Were there different types of soldier? Why was this soldier's gear so similar to Jericho's?
A flash dominated Spyro's vision, showing the helicopter full of soldiers suddenly springing to life. The soldiers were all upright, and very much alive. Each of them stood in the troop bay, all holding on as the aircraft was seemingly sailing through the sky. It was hard to see outside, but he could tell there was movement. He could see one soldier in particular, seeming to be the one in charge. Spyro could see a nametag on his chest, reading out the name "Collins" very clearly. Collins… that was a name Spyro hadn't seen on any of the bodies yet.
Suddenly something rocked the aircraft, causing it to jolt, throwing each of its occupants into the air before the scene suddenly went to black, fading Spyro back to reality.
Spyro looked up, seeing that Jericho had stopped, sighing as he hadn't found anything of value. As Jericho stood up, Spyro noticed something about Jericho. He had a name tag too, he hadn't even noticed it until now! "Garrison," it read. Looking around, Spyro didn't see a "Collins" amongst the bodies. Maybe he got out… hopefully. Collins and Garrison, they seemed important to Spyro for some reason.
"Hey guys, you might want to see this!" Flame yelled from outside. Jericho turned, moving back with Spyro towards the entrance. They emerged, just as the soldiers had in Spyro's vision. He saw Flame and Cynder looking at something in front of the downed craft, over a dune. Jericho and Spyro both walked to the top of the dune, peeking over.
They could see an impact site, though one that looked to have been eroded over time. In the center of this site they could see a hill, rising to dominate the nearby terrain, but not by too much. On top of a hill there rested a formation of rocks that had been parted due to sheer force, forming a circle at the top of the small hill. The site seemed to move farther out, now that Spyro noticed it, seeing the circular formation expanding well beyond the helicopter site, suggesting there was once a massive crater here. Now, there sat a formation of rocks being recovered by the sands.
In the center of the hill they could see a massive metallic cylinder protruding from the sands. The massive metal cylinder was surrounded by various beasts, the likes of which Spyro had never seen. They had taken a definite interest in the cylinder, for which Spyro couldn't blame them. It was so huge, at least ten feet across and thirty feet tall! Well, that's how tall it protruded from the sands .No telling how much of it was buried deep within. There were no marks or traits denoting it from anything except a metal canister lying in the desert.
As for the creatures themselves they varied in size and shape, though they looked to be either feral or anthro in nature, lacking any fur. One form seemed to be common amongst them, if not the most common and base form. It looked feral at first, but was large and standing slightly upright. They resembled a gorilla almost, resting on their haunches while perching their upper body up by their two massive forearms. Two large hands pressed into the sands, their actual fingers being massive compared to what Spyro had seen on other creatures. It almost appeared as though they were deformed… yet… natural at the same time. A long reptilian neck came forth from the top of their bodies, coming to a long, almost featureless muzzle. The only real features on their face were two beady eyes, that looked back at them, unblinking and lacking any pupils. It was slightly unsettling to look at. Their skin was a mix between scales or regular thick flesh, it was hard to tell. The only thing Spyro could see is that all of them shared the same deep blue color, almost like a pure blue. The creatures turned, noticing the group. They let out soft wailing or howling sounds, similar to what they had been hearing. Were these the creatures they had been hearing this whole time?
"Oh my… they're Soul Walkers…" Cynder said, seeing the creatures.
"Soul Walker, what's a Soul Walker?" Flame asked.
"They're rare creatures, and… very mysterious. They're said to be pure in nature, able to read the thoughts and feelings of one's soul. They can even read the souls of the dead, and are said to catalogue the memories and thoughts of someone through their soul. Their only goal is to create an infinite record through them. I can't believe we've found some…" Cynder said in an astonished voice, never peeling her eyes from them for a second.
"Where… would they keep such a record?" Flame asked, confused.
"That's just it, nobody knows." She responded, shaking her head.
"Are they… hostile…?"
"Not unless you attack them. They don't care about conflict; I don't even think they eat. They just… huddle around both the living and dead, gathering information. I've never seen one before…" Cynder said, watching with great fascination.
"What's that they're hanging out around though…?" Jericho asked, turning attention back to the metal cylinder jutting out from the sands.
"Is it an aircraft?" Spyro asked.
"No… it's not any model I recognize." Jericho said, trying to get a better view.
"Hey, what's that there?" Flame asked, pointing at a piece of debris near Jericho. Jericho knelt down, picking up the piece of broken metal lying on the ground. It was charred, but there were still some markings still readable.
"HADES?" Jericho looked at the emblem, well, what was left of the emblem on the piece of metal.
"HADES, what's that?" Spyro asked, confused.
"Not sure, I think it was an old satellite network back during the war. Guess it fell back to the Earth after nobody was around to care for it…" Jericho said, tossing the metal plate aside.
"Think this is what the soldiers were after here?" Spyro asked, remembering the note.
"Perhaps, but why would they want an old satellite?" Jericho watched the creatures now, the creatures inherently fascinated by the group now as they began to move towards them.
"Um…" Spyro said, backing up a bit.
"Don't worry, they're harmless." Cynder said, watching the creatures gather around them. It was strange, seeing creatures without a mouth of any kind. They also lacked nostrils of any kind, just having a pair of eyes that looked right at them. They gathered around the group, before one walked up to Spyro. Spyro grunted a bit, feeling a little nervous as the feral creature stood on its hind legs, standing before Spyro. Jericho turned to Cynder, who looked back with a bit of worry on her face as well.
"They… shouldn't be hostile…" She said, watching the creature. It brought its hands around Spyro's head softly, letting them rest softly against his scales. Spyro clenched his eyes, not expecting anything less than a blow to the head. He felt a pulse of energy, and he could have sworn he heard a soft majestic male voice reverberate throughout his head, saying "Calm yourself."
What? Who said that?
Spyro suddenly felt himself separated from reality, clenching his eyes and reopening to find himself in a strange state.
Jericho, Cynder, Flame and Sparx all sat around him, silent and still. They were covered in a soft blue hue, the color extending to the whole world around him, creating a sterile and silent environment. Confused, Spyro continued to look around until he saw the Soul Walker that had been embracing him standing before him, upright.
"You, Seer of dreams." Spyro heard that majestic voice again, coming from nowhere, yet everywhere at the same time. It… felt like those dreams he had, the omens. Was it… them, talking to him? The creature looked at him with its pure eyes, never ceasing its gaze from Spyro for a moment. It also struck Spyro that the creature was the only creature not frozen like all the others.
"Me…? Are… are you talking to me?"
"One who sees. One who journeys. Seer of dreams." It simply responded back before turning towards the metal rod inserted into the desert. The voice was so majestic… yet the creature had an interesting staccato as it talked, as if it were… straining to find the correct words.
"What… what is this? How are you doing this…?" Spyro asked, walking towards the creature as it stood before the satellite. It sat silent for a moment before turning to Spyro slightly.
"We do not create. Seer creates. We record. We watch. We have watched."
"You've… been watching me?"
"We watch all."
"What is this thing…?" Spyro asked, turning his attention to the satellite as the Walker stood before it.
"Weapon. Death. Changing."
Spyro's vision snapped, the scene before him changing and shifting rapidly, showing the metal rod out of the ground, showing it encased with more parts, forming a giant metallic structure radically different than the one currently resting in the desert. He could see the panel Jericho had held in his hands only moments before now resting on the side of the satellite, proudly displaying the word HADES and USAF.
Suddenly the background changed, now consisting of a black sea, encompassing all. Small white dots were strewn across this black existence, looking almost like a night sky. It was only until he thought of that when he realized he was indeed looking at a night sky, but not from Earth. He could… see the Earth, yes, he could see it! He could see all of it! He could see a magnificent globe of beautiful green and blue sitting across the lower parts of his vision. It was just as the books had described and shown it! He could see… the satellite, HADES now. It was resting in this blackness, along with many, many others. He saw as it circled rapidly in the night sky before a beam of orange gathered at the front of it before being cast down to the Earth. The others followed suit, beams of orange light raining down on the Earth. Clouds of dust were kicked up, churning with orange and black smoke on the surface, visible from this high up. Were these the beams he had seen…? Was it these satellites? Was it HADES?
Suddenly the scene changed, showing the satellite falling from the sky. It fell quickly into the atmosphere, glowing a bright orange itself as a ball of fire engulfed it. It slammed into the ground, coming to rest exactly where they had found it. The scene faded, returning his view back to the normal, er, subnormal frozen existence with only the Soul Walker and himself.
"Weapon…" Spyro said softly, looking at the deformed rod, it looking NOTHING like what it had when it sailed high in the sky.
"Weapon. Death. Life."
"If… if this was built by the humans, why was it… firing at them?" Spyro asked, confused now more than ever. This thing was of obvious human origins… but… he had seen those beams, striking against the fleeing humans.
"Corrupted. Evil. Bridge, of two worlds."
"A… bridge?"
"Seer can see. Seer can bridge worlds."
"Bridge… worlds?"
"World changed, consumed by another. Other world bridged."
This world, these lands, they had indeed changed. Were these… the changes the Soul Walker was talking about? How could… two worlds be bridged like this? What other world was he even speaking of?
"I… I still don't understand…"
"Seer creates bridges. Seer can see bridges. Can use bridges to understand. Seer must understand." The creature turned to Spyro, looking at him deeply. Were these visions… part of those bridges? Was he truly able to… make sense of this all?
"How… how can I make these bridges, understand them?"
"Seer must connect. Understand." The creature turned away from Spyro, instead motioning towards the crashed helicopter nearby.
Spyro turned to it as well, feeling… something coming from it. It was… a certain energy, similar to when he had seen all those other visions. Spyro… could… he could feel it. He closed his eyes, concentrating for a moment. He opened his eyes, seeing the helicopter rising from the ground, in flight now. He could see the craft darting through the sky, its two massive rotors spinning to keep it aloft. Sand and winds pelted the aircraft, almost making it impossible to see. Suddenly, something bright and orange came down, impacting hard off to the side of the craft. The impact smashed into the helicopter hard, causing it to spin out. Spyro watched as the craft collided into the ground, kicking up loose bits of sand that had accumulated on the ground. The craft was silent, resting on the ground while the winds continued to slam into the aircraft. It was resting… right where it had been left, right next to the impact site where… HADES had come down. Their proximity to one another couldn't be a coincidence… it must have been the satellite that downed the craft. Spyro could… he could see someone alive in the craft! Who was it? A lone human crawled from the wreckage, stumbling a bit as he shook himself off. He looked in amazement at where the rod was, unable to believe it, so it seemed. He didn't say anything, only grabbing what he could before sprinting off into the desert.
Spyro did manage to see his name tag though… it was Collins! Collins had survived the crash, and was sprinting madly into the desert. He was also carrying something, tucked away in his hand. What was it? Spyro couldn't see what it was, Collins was far too gone now. The scene faded, returning Spyro to the same twilight he had started in. After all that information, he still knew nothing else new…
"Seer must create bridges. See bridges."
"What… what does this weapon have to do with the bridges? I can see the bridges… these visions but I don't even know what any of them mean!" Spyro asked, still wondering what the satellite had to do with anything.
"Weapon corrupted. Created bridges." The Soul Walker simply responded, turning back towards the satellite. Spyro could see flashes coming from the satellite, like visions again. Images came from the flashes, showing the beam firing, the beam striking and destroying… but… there was definitely something else happening where the beam struck. What… what was it…?
Was this… the bridging of two worlds the Walker spoke of…?
"Soon… world will be consumed. Soon, purge."
"Purge of this world, for another?"
"Ultimate purge, soon."
"Can… can it be stopped?"
"Seer must find key. Key to death. Life." The creature turned away from Spyro, walking away into the desert. The other Soul Walkers joined him, walking off into the distance. Spyro watched, breathing in deeply as the blue color faded, and the others regained their ability to move. Time itself seemed to continue.
"What the, what happened to them, where'd they go?" Jericho said, turning his head quickly.
"Hey Spyro, how'd you get over there so quickly, I thought you were standing right next to me!" Flame said, surprised at how Spyro had moved several feet from the last place he remembered.
Spyro didn't respond, instead looking at where he had seen the Soul Walkers walk into the distance.
"Uh… Spyro?" Cynder asked, confused herself as she walked up to him. Jericho just scratched his head, completely surprised at their strange disappearance. Spyro seemed unfazed, which confused the entire group as they looked around to see where they might have vanished too. Only their distant cries could be heard.
Spyro turned, walking towards the remains of the satellite buried in the sand. He pressed a claw on it, looking it over.
"Weapon… Find the key, key to… what?" Spyro asked softly.
"What was that?" Cynder asked, standing by him.
"Oh, uh, nothing." Spyro simply said in response. Cynder raised an eyebrow at him.
"Jericho, do you know anything else about HADES?" Spyro asked.
"Nothing really other than the name. My father talked about it briefly."
"I see." Spyro looked at the satellite one more time before walking away from it, disembarking from the dune.
"Well great, where to now?" Jericho asked, stepping down himself. Spyro looked in the direction the Soul Walkers had gone, seeing it lead straight ahead, the direction they had been going. There… was something over there. What might it have been?
"We should go this way." Spyro said, turning to the group.
"That way, are you sure?" Cynder asked.
"Only one way to find out. There's not much else to go by here…" Spyro said. He lied in a sense, he did have a hunch to go off of.
"Alright well let's head that way. Let's hope there's a nice play to stay for the night over here." Jericho said, rubbing his arms as the temperature had begun to fall once more. Spyro nodded, walking with him.
They continued walking for a while, following Spyro as he lead them through the barren wastes. Crystal towers sparked with energy all around them, clouds passing overhead to accept the bolts of lightning shooting up from the crystals.
Eventually they reached a fissure in the ground, a massive crack that was easily a hundred feet across and going down as far as the eye could see. Sparx buzzed over it, looking down and whining a bit. Spyro peered down, seeing a faint orange light far down the crevice. The light must have been originating from something miles below the surface, far beyond the range of Spyro's vision. A mist like essence floated through the crevice, teeming with energy it seemed like.
"Whoa, would you look at that…" Flame said, peering down himself.
"Careful not to fall." Cynder said while walking alongside it. Spyro smirked, continuing on with the others as they followed the crevice. It headed in the general direction Spyro was heading, and he could feel that they were getting closer to something…
As they walked, Spyro noticed that the and was beginning to thin, that large blackened rocks rising from the sand or just flat solid rock surfaces were more common than any sand dunes. They were obviously reaching the edge of the desert. The temperature also seemed to not be shifting as much anymore, instead reverting to a constant mild cool. It was a welcomed relief from the bitter cold they had seen in the forest and desert.
"Is that a city in the distance?" Jericho asked, taking a knee as he pulled out a set of binoculars. Spyro walked up with him, trying to squint to get a better look.
Indeed, there were some square-like structures far on the horizon, their silhouettes suggesting they were crumbling ruins. The area around was a harsh black, little vegetation outside of small plants growing from cracked rock. The rocks here almost looked volcanic in nature, as if they had been exposed to intense heat.
"Yeah, we should definitely head this way. We may not reach the city until dusk…" Jericho said, lowering his binoculars.
"Well a city will offer better shelter then the desert…" Cynder said, shrugging.
"Hey maybe we can find an old bed!" Flame said excitedly.
/Transitioning…/
[Done]
After hours of walking, they finally reached the outskirts of the city. Spyro would use the term "city" lightly, as these were more ruins than anything else. Just as with the earlier terrain, everything was stained black. The ground, rocks and every building near them was charred black. Plants were growing, however, small mosses and grasses could be easily spotted growing from the cracked rock. The air smelled of burnt wood, though they couldn't feel any heat or smoke. These ruins looked old, as old as any Forger city. How long ago would this city have been burned in fire?
There were little tall structures remaining, only husks of structures and in some cases nothing at all. The further they got in, they could see that the ground was slowly beginning to go downhill. Standing here, at the tallest point before it began to go downhill they could see straight across to the other side where the land began to come back upwards. They could see all the way across the city, suggesting that the city was built into a bowl, with the heart of the city at its base. However, the closer to the center buildings were, they were more and more devastated, leaving almost nothing left towards the city. Had the city been hit with something? Was this bowl something artificial?
"Man, this isn't the city I was hoping to find… I doubt there's anything of use left." Jericho said with disappointment as they looked around the burned, charred buildings.
"Man… not even a scrap of food left. No cans either." Flame said sadly, looking at what might have been a small shop at some point, its insides having collapsed and crushed whatever was inside long ago.
They continued walking through the city streets, moving towards the apex of the bowl, each of them being silent, just as the city was. Spyro turned to Cynder, seeing that she hadn't said anything so far.
"See something Cynder?" Spyro asked.
"Uh… no. I just… feel a little strange is all." She shook her head slightly before walking onwards.
"Think there's something wrong with the air…?" Flame asked, worried now.
"I feel fine…" Spyro said.
"Me too…" Flame responded, looking a little anxious.
"I feel fine myself, let's just get through here. Maybe there's something we can use here." Jericho said as he walked with them.
There were thick clouds rising from the ground here, obscuring the lowering sun as it was entering dusk. The entire area was cast into an orange hue as the sun was beginning its descent across the horizon. Soon it would be night, and Spyro wasn't sure staying the night here would be the wisest of decisions. Something about this place, it struck him as off. It wasn't like the mall, or the forest, there was something else here. Cynder could feel it too, so Spyro wasn't imagining things…
Another question lingered in his head, why the Soul Walkers would come this way. Were they were? He couldn't hear their signature wails, perhaps they were after something beyond this city?
Looking up at the sky, Spyro could see that they were still a ways away from the city center, but he could feel something drawing him in from there… He tilted his head, looking at the city's center from where he stood. It was obscured by more ruins, making it hard to see just what was at the center of it all.
Spyro's head hurt… and he could feel… something again.
A flash of light obscured his vision, changing his view for only a few moments. In those brief moments Spyro could see a bright light coming down from the heavens, striking the Earth right in the heart of the city. He could see fire, and destruction…
Was that it? Was it one of those beams from HADES? Could it have rained so much destruction…? If so, why was he… drawn to the epicenter like that…?
Bridge of two worlds… The Soul Walker's conversation was coming back to him, making him grunt in frustration as he struggled to make any sense of it all. The land here was so changed, so devastated. It was probably related to HADES, and what it could do…
They continued on, hoping to clear the city, or at least find a safe place to sleep for the night. Their last night in the desert was really rough, and it if wasn't for the outcrop of rocks, they wouldn't have slept at all.
Jericho held his rifle close, looking at the ruins as they began to slowly sink into the downhill section of the city. Buildings resembled their former selves less and less, only walls and frames sitting nearby. The ground was more uneven, the paved road they had walked in had crumbled to pieces and turned to dirt. A taller structure sat nearby, its base cut in two and forcing what was left of the building down. The top half of the structure had collided with another on the opposite end of the road, crushing it. It rested snugly just above the path, a few rocks and pieces of debris falling onto the group as they slowly passed over it.
More vegetation was beginning to grow the closer they got to the center, slowly growing over the charred and blackened stone and brick. Spyro looked around, feeling more and more uneasy here. His heart was racing, and he began darting his eyes from window to window, imagining he was seeing more of those shadows. They weren't there, however. Spyro took in a deep breath, trying to relax. Why was he so unsettled? Looking around he could see that Flame and Cynder were behaving the same way, Flame erratically scanning the structures as they walked. Cynder closed her eyes at one point, her face speaking of one trying to focus and gain concentration, a distracted mind. Sparx even hovered erratically, looking like he was going to faint one or more times. The only person behaving normally was Jericho, calmly walking with them as with his usual calm demeanor. They scanned the buildings normally, his rifle kept calmly in his arms. Why was he not being affected?
Spyro began to pant, his wings flapping slightly as he was so anxious… Just… so anxious…
He looked up, seeing that they were getting closer to the epicenter. There were little buildings here. Well, honestly there were none. The ground was flat, only small rocks and remains of concrete remaining here. Soft black soil sat here, curling around their talons as they pressed into the dirt for support. Spyro could see there was a hole in the Earth where the center was, smoke rising from it softly. The hole was fairly wide, around a hundred feet large. There was… something glowing inside.
Cynder and Flame began to pant, stopping just short of the hole.
"What's the matter you guys?" Jericho asked, walking up to the hole to get a look inside. Spyro tried to make his way over as well, feeling a force keeping him back. He wanted to see though… he wanted to see what was inside…
He looked over the edge, seeing a massive orange crystal embedded in the hole farther down. He could see as veins grew from the crystal, reaching into the rock and pushing themselves forward into them. The crystal was like a tumor on the Earth, with powerful energies pulsing from it. Spyro gasped, stepping back as the force of the energy physically shoved him backwards. He could feel his limbs going numb, something overtaking him. Jericho reached over to Spyro, his form launching high into the air in Spyro's view. He could see Jericho flying upwards, washing away with the rest of the color in his vision. It wasn't long after that when Spyro blacked out completely.
/Transitioning…/
[Done]
Darkness… just as before. Where was he? What had happened? All Spyro could see… was darkness. There, he saw something there, a light. What was it?
He could see… something, that was for sure. It was a room, a large room. It was a large circular room, dimly lit. In fact, there was barely any light at all inside the room. The only light inside was what came from outside… from a massive hole in the roof. It was night outside, so only a soft blue hue came into the room.
Looking all around, Spyro could see the room was held up by massive metal braces, with flat panels lining the walls, all of the same dull grey color. There was a circular platform in the center of the room raised slightly above the main floor, with a form resting on top.
There was someone there… on the pedestal. Who was it? What was it? The image was getting clearer… he could see a head, body, wings… It was a dragon! A dragon sat on the platform, looking down. It was hard to make out much on the dragon, only of his silhouette in the moonlight. The dragon just… sat there. Why was it sitting there on the platform like that? Finally, the dragon lifted its head up, looking at Spyro. The dragon opened up his eyes, revealing two bright yellow eyes that glowed intensely. They bore into Spyro's mind and soul like something he couldn't ever imagine… Suddenly, a piercing image of the gemstone invaded Spyro's mind, as well as a loud wailing sound.
Spyro awoke with a strong gasp, his body going from completely rest to chaotic motion in a split second.
"Calm down! Spyro calm down you're alright!" Jericho yelled, running over to hold Spyro down as he thrashed around.
"J-Jericho…" Spyro said, finally calming down as he realized he wasn't in danger. Jericho slowly released his limbs, standing up over him.
They were in a room, an old rotting bedroom by the looks of it. The walls were burned somewhat, and the wood was falling apart. The room was sealed though, and Spyro noticed that he was laying on something soft. He was… on a bed! He sighed at how the fabrics pressed up against his scales, having missed that feeling.
Flame, Cynder and Sparx were here too, laying nearby on the floor. Jericho had laid out a blanket for them, their bodies softly resting on its fabric. Spyro sat up, looking at them.
"Don't worry, they're fine." Jericho explained as he sat down on a wooden chair.
"What happened…?" Spyro asked, rubbing his head.
"You all collapsed whenever you looked at the gemstone. I had to carry you guys over here to the nearest sealed building." Jericho explained, pulling off his gasmask and setting it down on the floor next to him.
"I just… felt such a rush of energy… then suddenly I blacked out. I don't know what happened." Spyro said.
"You guys just need to rest. There was something about that gem, about this place really that was driving you guys to act strange."
"You… didn't feel anything?" Spyro asked, seeing Jericho shake his head.
"No, didn't feel a thing. I put on my mask after you guys collapsed, thinking there was something in the air. Still, I felt fine the whole time, maybe it only effects you guys." Jericho suggested, crossing his arms.
How strange.
"Well… at least we're safe in here… I feel normal again too." Spyro said as he looked around the room again.
"Guess so. Probably was something in the air here." Jericho suggested. Spyro just shook his head, unsure of it all.
"I don't know. I just want to leave this place… It's… just too much. I can't wait to leave these 'Forgotten Lands.'"
"You and me both. The sooner we clear this place, the better off we'll all be."
"Do you even know where we are?"
Jericho just shook his head, sighing. He opened his sack, retrieving his map.
"From what I thought… we were going east, towards Richmond. I guess we've somehow found ourselves in… Charlottesville. At least, that's what one of the signs outside read."
"And… where is that?" Spyro asked, having never heard of the two places.
"About 50 miles west and north of Richmond. We're way off."
"North is good though, right?"
"It's good if it's north in the right direction. If we had cut across to Richmond, we'd be clear of this place by now. Also, it runs along the old I-95 corridor, which would have taken us right into Baltimore. Cynder also says Richmond's a big trade center, so it would have been easier to procure transport. Now… we're going to have a much harder time going forward." Jericho explained. Spyro frowned, hearing how far they had deviated from their original course.
"How… hard is it going to be to get to Baltimore now?" Spyro asked, still curious of their prospects.
Jericho sighed, looking back at his map.
"I'm not sure… There aren't any old major roads between us and Baltimore. Also, this map doesn't even tell me of any new geographical landmarks… I have no idea if there's just a huge lava lake between us and Baltimore. It's impossible to tell."
"Well, as long as it's away from a place like this…"
"I guess so. It'd probably still be a lava lake." Jericho said sarcastically while looking over his old map, joking about their shitty luck. Cynder and Flame began to stir now from the renewed talking. Cynder picked her head up, groaning as she rubbed it softly.
"What happened…?" She asked.
"Guess we all passed out near that hole… Jericho brought us here." Spyro explained, turning to her. Cynder rubbed her head, still a little delirious from the whole episode.
"Man… what was that thing? I kept… hearing strange things from it…" Flame said, shivering a bit.
"I don't know…" Spyro said. He was lying of course. He had… a good guess as to what that place was. It looked like the epicenter from a HADES strike… but where had the gemstone come from? Was it… one of those bridges the Soul Walker had told him about?
"This whole place just reeks of cursed. It's just like that mall, and the forest we were in earlier. I can't wait to get out of this place." Cynder said, shaking her head.
"Are there any places that aren't cursed…?" Flame asked.
"I'm afraid not too many Flame." Jericho said, folding his map back up.
"Ugh…" Flame said, flopping onto the floor in frustration. Spyro could relate… this whole place was just insane. He was beginning to miss their old rotting hideout back home.
"Hey you guys hear that?" Flame asked, hearing a flapping sound from outside.
"Yeah… I've been hearing it off and on for the last half hour. We may have been followed…" Jericho said, pulling his rifle up.
"Who would follow us out here?" Cynder asked.
"I hope it's not those weird zombie-husk things from the forest…" Flame whined.
"Shut it… I think they're getting closer…" Jericho said, pulling up his sack, moving away from the walls. The group sat silent, in a ready position as they tried to pin point where the sounds were coming from. They hadn't heard the sound for a few moments… a few long agonizing moments… Had it gone away?
Suddenly, the wall in front of them burst open, throwing pieces of wood and debris across the room. The blast knocked Jericho off his feet, sending him skidding across the small room until he hit the opposing wall. Spyro was thrown back a few feet, bringing his forepaws to shield his face from the intense heat. Cynder and Flame ducked down, trying to avoid the intense bright light from the impact. The dust finally settled, allowing Spyro to see just what was happening.
"There, get them!" He heard, seeing a dragoness swoop down from the outside world. She was about their size, maybe a few years older than them. Even so, it didn't diminish the threat she posed as she came into the room. Two more dragons swooped in as well, being too large to fit inside of the room, however. One used his massive tail to mash the roof away from the building, exposing them completely to the outside world.
Jericho got up quickly, pulling up his rifle to return fire. The dragoness saw this, quickly leaping over and smacking the weapon from his hands. Jericho yelled, grabbing his arm where her spiked tail had struck him.
"Human! I should have known one of you would be here…" She said coldly, standing over him as she subdued him.
"Hey, what're you doing?!" Spyro asked, cautious as what to do as more dragons circled overhead.
"Get off of me! Get your paws off me!" Cynder yelled, another dragon subduing her immediately. She opened her muzzle to fire a bolt of energy at him but he quickly stomped on her throat, pinning her to the floor.
"Cynder!" Spyro yelled, seeing this.
"See, I TOLD you there was a Sentinel around here… Good work." The dragoness said, still holding Jericho to the floor.
"Good work, it seems your excellent reconnaissance has paid off… " The large dragon said as he continued to pin down Cynder. Flame and Spyro backed to one of the walls, unsure of what to do.
"You there, surrender now unless you want a broken neck…" Another dragon said, approaching them.
"What's this all about?!" Flame asked, pinned to the wall with fear.
"You are all trespassing in sacred ground… not to mention having a Sentinel and… Human in your party… This'll be interesting to hear for sure. You guys better have a good excuse…" The dragon said, moving to clamp an elemental bracelet onto their necks. Spyro grunted as he felt the collar snap onto his neck. Son… of a bitch. He JUST finished getting one off!
"Get them up, we're taking them back immediately!" One said, obviously being the leader as he released Cynder, only to have her get collared by another dragon and put on her feet to be taken back to wherever it was that they were going.
"Great… what now Spyro…?" Flame asked as he turned to his friend.
"I'm not sure… We'll… just have to see what happens…" Spyro admitted, tapping at the new elemental collar on him. They were quickly ushered into the air, forced to fly with the other dragons to… who knew where. Another dragon picked Jericho off of the ground while another tossed his gear into a nearby sack to be carried by another dragon on his back.
The dragoness who was the one who caught them walked by Spyro, shaking her head as if in disappointment. Spyro just sighed, not knowing what to do now. It was… up to these dragons to release them. At this point, Spyro wondered if they were going to reach Baltimore at all.
End of Chapter 10
A/N: Yeah I know it's been a while and I hate leaving you guys with little to no information. Sigh, I've just had a rough past few months and it's been really difficult for me to sit down and focus on writing. I am still writing, however and coming up with new concepts for my story.
I do however have unfortunate news for those of you who like my other story, The Malefor Chronicles. I'm going to put an announcement on it soon, as I know some of you have asked me about it.