Chapter 14: Baltimore

November 9, 5:38 PM

"So… I guess this is why they call this the Barren Road…?" Flame asked, looking around him.

"You'd be correct in that my dear sir!" Barley called out as he walked forward in front of them, walking stick in hand. Spyro followed behind, looking around as well. The so called "Barren Road" was just as barren as Barley had promised, with the area around them growing more and more desolate and empty as they continued forward. As they exited Barton Hole earlier that day, the valley was covered with green grass and rolling hills. The farther they got away, however, the grass got thinner, then ceased to exist at all. The ground here was gray, and empty. Husks of trees stuck up from the ground occasionally, blackened by some previous force. The remnants of what Spyro surmised to be Forger structures dotted the landscape, with few solid structures remaining.

The road they were following appeared to be Forger in origin, somehow having survived in a largely traversable state. The concrete was cracked in many places, but it still stretched onwards to the horizon. It was getting late in the day, and a thick cloud cover had now began to form above them. A soft blue light came from the horizon, from where the light of the sun was able to still come through and wrap around the landscape.

There were a few people traveling the road with them, giving them some company in this otherwise bleak landscape. A few groups of people traveled farther ahead of them, and Spyro could see a lone pair of individuals hefting some large packs far behind them. At their walking pace, they all kept their distance, keeping each other… light company. It helped to remind Spyro there was a world beyond all this emptiness.

"So why's this place like this? Why are there no plants, or trees?" Spyro finally asked, walking behind their guide, Barley.

"They say in a last act of desperation the Forgers destroyed this place with a devastating weapon that killed everything around it, and kept anything from ever growing again. This space borders the twin fortress cities of D.C. and Baltimore. One can only surmise that's where they wanted to make a last stand of sorts. The walls were built by them, and survived the war and the tests of time. Yet, no Forgers remain there." Barley said while walking, keeping his eyes pointed forwards.

"Why would they abandon two perfectly good forts then?" Flame asked, confused.

"Who knows, they were possibly killed off within their own walls, or maybe something else happened. Hard to say!" Barley responded back. Spyro turned to Jericho, who had his hoodie and gas mask on again since they were on open road. He remained silent, instead keeping his weapon at the ready for the first sign of trouble.

"We near the gates of Baltimore, now you should all be on your best behavior! We shouldn't have any trouble but those soldiers can get jumpy, especially around Sentinels. They uh, might have an agreement with them but from what I understand nobody's too happy about that." Barley explained, turning back to them for a moment to emphasize the point.

"You can say that again…" Cynder shook her head, all too familiar with it herself.

The gates of Baltimore… it was true, they were finally almost there. After days and days of travel, endless walking and many unsavory encounters… Spyro was finally glad to see the fruits of their labor. They were almost there, and Spyro was just trying to imagine in his head what the gates themselves might be. As they walked, Barley started to talk about Baltimore, and between him and Cynder, the two of them spun up a tale of a city that sounded very interesting to Spyro, very interesting indeed…

Baltimore was possibly the single greatest city on the East Coast. It was known all throughout the land and possibly far beyond. It was one of the last almost nearly intact cities from what they said, with running water and even electricity supplied from old restored power stations. It had a massive port, accepting goods from all over the world, even from across the vast ocean. The city even had its own military force, rivaling any army that could be fielded in the East. Truly, Baltimore was not a place to be taken lightly.

It was ruled by a group calling themselves the New Baltimore Protectorate. Their jurisdiction reached far beyond Baltimore, stretching to a small few towns and settlements beyond the walls of the city, going into the old and bombed out remains of Old Baltimore and along the coast. Its twin city of D.C. was once eyed by the Protectorate as an ample opportunity for expansion, but as Barley explained, a militaristic monk group moved in and has forbidden visitation by anyone outside their order. They have some sort of deep fascination with the Forgers, and have taken it upon themselves to safeguard the city. It wasn't until Barely and Jericho told him that D.C. used to be the capitol city of the former Forger nation that existed here that Spyro began to understand why.

The Protectorate maintained a large military, and even had a massive stockpile of Forger weapons and retrofitted weapons meant to mimic the weapons of old. There was an old military depot that existed here, that remained largely intact when the Protectorate was established. It was a gold mine, and it lead to the quick establishment of the city itself. With the port and protective walls, it was only a matter of time before the city began to establish itself as an icon along the coast. It wasn't long before the eyes of the Dark Master fell upon it either…

It was no secret the Dark Master coveted Baltimore, and some rumors spoke that he even intended to one day have it as his base in the east. Well, even more so then it was now. From what Barley and Cynder said, Baltimore was aware of this and was in the middle of a massive military build-up. They knew, along with everyone else on the coast, that the Sentinels were planning an invasion, and were hell bent on building the means to protect themselves. This… was counter-productive to the FACT that the Sentinels were running their entire east coast operations out of Baltimore, with the city's blessing! It was explained that the old administration had brought them in as a show of good will, maybe in the hopes that they would spare the city. Future administrations thought it was actually a bonus for Baltimore, since the Sentinels were based within their walls, it might help them keep tabs on any build up the Sentinels were planning. The Baltimore public though, was not happy. The most recent administration got itself in power on an anti-Sentinel platform, and hostility towards them was beginning to grow. It was largely felt that their days in Baltimore were numbered, but still, they remained. It was where Cynder wanted to go, and where she figured Vivex would be. It also happened to be the very edge of this known explored realm. Beyond Baltimore's borders lay the Forbidden Zone. It was uncharted and unexplored, full of unknown danger. It was also where New York City resided, and where Jericho was going to go. Once their business was done here in Baltimore, the next leg of their journey would begin. They would reach New York City, Spyro was sure of this. What they found was another thing entirely… they'd just have to deal with that when they got there.

They continued walking through the vast and dead land, seeing nothing of importance or significance. After an hour or two of walking they finally started to see some green again, as well as an interesting sight on the horizon. Buildings, large buildings sat in the distance, with a long black form before them- a wall. It was the walls of Baltimore, Spyro could see them! It was really them!

The traffic on the road had increased as well, with many other roads and paths coming to meet up with their own. Soon, groups of all kinds were huddled around them on this road, all heading in the same direction. They were finally close enough for Spyro to see the walls up close, seeing that they were almost a hundred feet tall in places, cast out of metal and concrete. They looked reinforced, hardened and ready for any assault. Guard towers could be seen standing behind the walls, with guns trained out to the blank wasteland.

The road they were currently on did not in fact go up to the wall itself. There was a small bay that bordered the walls, splitting the land. There was a peninsula on the other side of the small bay, and land that seemed to wrap around in the distance. This small bay looked like it fed into a much larger bay, and then into the sea itself. The road went out, over the bay and towards the peninsula which lay outside the wall. The road did form a T, however, with smaller sections of road breaking off and going right up to the wall. The main gate looked to be located there. Looking at it, it made sense to Spyro to not have the gates to a fortified city rest on land, but rather over the bay, with a series of bridges providing access. It was a very long and narrow bridge too, and it looked to be packed with people, both coming out of and going to the city.

By the time they began out onto the bridge, the traffic was almost shoulder to shoulder. Groups of anthros and creatures walked amongst them that Spyro had never seen before. Different species of squirrel, deer, rat, dog, cat, bear, all walked with them towards the gates. Up ahead, Spyro could see large vehicles mixed into the crowd. Large Forger trucks slowly lumbered with the pace of the crowds, working its way to the front gates too. Each minute that passed they drew closer in, and it made Spyro all the more excited.

A sign had been erected, sitting on the side of the road but plainly visible to any who walked by it. "Welcome to the New Baltimore Protectorate. The gates are still open to free traffic, but Military Police reserve the right to stop and search all who enter our gates. Enjoy your stay." The sign was written just like an old Forger sign might look, but this one looked brand new, freshly painted and built. Clearly Baltimore was a city that did not lack in the talent required to rebuild the old.

Looking out over the bay, Spyro could see many ships coming in from open sea towards the harbor. The ships ranged in size wildly, from small tug boats to massive cargo ships that rivaled the beached carrier they had seen earlier. Spyro saw one nearby, its decks weighted down with crates and other interesting items. From here, they looked like… vehicles of some sorts. The vehicles had long tracks rather than tires that Spyro could see. Instead, what might have been tires held the tracks on. Large, flat and boxy forms rested on top of the main body of the vehicle, with a large gun sticking out of its front. They were just like the old husks that rested outside of US East when they passed through there. Tanks, were they?

"Who ordered the tanks?" Jericho asked, spotting the boat himself.

"Baltimore did. They currently have the largest known stockpile of restored or workable tanks in these parts. Those are fresh from Europe, across the ocean. Strangely enough you'd have a better chance recovering a workable Abrams from Europe then here. There's also other tanks over there that I've never heard of. Different designs from different Forger armies that rival the Abrams. Baltimore has a vested interest in getting all the arms and weapons they can." Barley said, looking out to the ship as it sailed to the harbor. There must have been at least twenty of the vehicles on the deck of the ship, looking almost like Spyro would imagine they'd appear in their Forger days. The rest of the deck was covered in large shipping containers, possibly containing weapons or supplies of some kind. Armed soldiers stood on its deck, patrolling around to keep its cargo safe. Baltimore wasn't fooling around…

They reached the part of the bridge where it split up, one path going left, going right to the front gate and the other that continued forwards to the peninsula. The peninsula was outside the walls of Baltimore, yet the buildings and structures there appeared to be occupied. The road going to it was sealed off by armed soldiers from Baltimore. From here, it looked like the peninsula was being used as perhaps a staging ground for Baltimore's military, or perhaps for some other purposes. It was only accessible from this bridge, or possibly from the walls themselves. It was isolated from all other land approaches, so it made sense to use it for some military purpose. The soldiers were similar to the Eastern Kingdom soldiers, boasting armor made by the Forgers, and weapons of similar nature. One of the guards even had a weapon just like Jericho's, a M23A assault rifle, as Barley put it. The others brandished weapons looking to copy the 23A, but were obvious replicas. Thick gear hugged their bodies tightly, obscuring most of their features. Thick ballistic helmets protected their heads, making them look almost like a Forger soldier. Almost… one could tell it was still scavenged armor and materials. They were damn good scavenge jobs from the looks of it though.

They continued on, walking up to the gate itself. Two large thick metal slabs rested above the twin gates, ready to seal them off at a moment's notice. They were hoisted in place by two large cranes, mounted directly to the wall. The two gates split the traffic up into two groups, one flow going in, and one going out. A platform had been built, post war by the looks of it, right in front of the gate. There was a central guard tower posted there, with at least five soldiers standing watch over the people flowing in and out of the city. Looking off to the side, a large hole had been cut in the wall, and a large Forger artillery piece had been rolled right up the wall, pointing right out. From the looks of things, it was trained right at the bridge, ready to blow it up at a moment's notice. The walls ran almost right up to the edge of the old shoreline, leaving little room for any invading army to move on if they hoped to breach the wall. The wall continued running all the way back to the regular shore, but it looked far more reinforced in that direction. This city was ready for a full on assault, one that seemingly never came. These walls seemed untested, but ready to brave anything even after half a century of resting here.

The thought occurred to Spyro that this massive build-up was meant to fend of the Sentinels, whose base was located behind those walls, not in front of. The irony made Spyro shake his head with a smirk. They got closer to the gates, Jericho visibly tensing. He didn't even realize his hands were still tightly gripping his weapon. He was obviously nervous, surrounded by all of these armed guards.

"Sir, sling your weapon. No drawn weapons are allowed within the walls." One of the guards said, motioning to Jericho. He looked at him for a moment blankly before bringing his weapon down and placing it on his back.

"Yeah, yeah of course." Jericho said, walking forward through the gate. The others followed right behind, Barley giving a look of crisis averted. The soldiers watched Cynder carefully as she entered, fully aware of her Sentinel status. Spyro watched as they all didn't break eye contact with her, not focusing on any other people entering the city. They didn't exactly have their weapons trained to her, but they did not let her out of their sights. One soldier stood out amongst all the rest, and it caught Spyro's attention. A lone wolf anthro with blue fur adorned in heavy combat gear watched Cynder closely. His weapon was not drawn, but he looked at her with a stare that spoke more of caution, but of someone who was studying her. It was then that Spyro noticed that one of the wolf's eyes was dulled out, he was blind in his right eye, the result of a scratch to his face. He continued watching them until they cleared the gate, passing them by.

They were now here, within the gates of Baltimore. Spyro looked out, getting his first real look at the city. Behind the gates the area wasn't very impressive. The gates were lined with soldiers, who sat watch within a very destitute part of the city. Two tanks rested nearby, both looking like they were modified from the Abrams, their original turrets stripped and replaced with new ones. Well, new old ones. They looked very scavenged and pieced together, but usable.

The bridge they were on continued forward, trees and empty buildings lining the initial streets. Further in, Spyro could see a large oval shaped building, what looked like an old stadium. It still looked workable, and the buildings were getting larger and larger the further they got on. Eventually, the bridge lowered to ground level, meeting up with regular roads and streets that raced off in all directions into the city.

Before the roads split up, however, there were massive amounts of shacks and huts, merchants and traders wanting to make a quick buck off of incoming people or outgoing people. The streets were packed full of people of various species, Spyro even spotting a dragon or two mixed in their numbers. The area was also lit beautifully as electric lights, still intact from their Forger days hummed with life, the darkening overcast sky doing little to consume these streets. The lights varied from strong oranges to soft blues or yellows, casting brilliant colors across the streets that Spyro wasn't used to ever seeing before. Windows were also lit with the light, creating an interesting pattern of yellow lights that stretched throughout the street. Spyro wished he could have seen his own hometown lit up like this, showing the hidden beauty of these lights and their colors.

The road continued on deeper in, going towards the towering buildings that rested in the heart of Baltimore. Crowds of people walked along the edges of the street, and Spyro even saw a few old Forger cars driving up and down the road. Shops and restaurants that lined the street were filled with life from patrons who flowed in and out, filling the air with sounds of laughter and even the occasional drunk laugh. There was a certain feeling of… merriness in the air, something Spyro wasn't very accustom to. He could even hear… music. Yes, he could hear music! It was coming from a trio of badly dressed fox anthros, who stood next to a small little restaurant. They played for patrons who sat in the outdoor dining area, and their quick beats made the different people cheer and laugh. He could even hear them clapping to the beat, riling up more enthusiasm. It was enough to send shivers down Spyro's spine! He could get used to this…

They passed shop after shop, seeing into the well illuminated and active shops. A very… scantily clad wolf antho even walked up to them, offering them good tips of the… "best place for men to have a good time." Apparently feral dragons were also just as invited. Spyro had to almost drag Flame away from the giggling wolf who quickly turned her attention to the next batch of people walking down the street.

"Man this place is amazing!" Flame cried out.

"Definitely livelier then most places…" Jericho commented, making sure his hood was covering his face well.

"You'll find anything you could want here! It's as close to paradise as you can get." Barley said with a laugh.

"Just make sure you don't feed the locals." Cynder said while avoiding a drunk fox who had stumbled near the group. Spyro gave a soft chuckle as he said something nonsensical before collapsing next to a light pole. Two guards promptly walked up and picked up the fox, yelling something about a violation or something. The group had already moved on by that point.

Eventually, Barley stopped and turned to them as they arrived at an intersection.

"So, who's ready to see the sights?" He asked, clapping his hands together.

"Maybe later, I have some business to attend to in the city." Cynder said, looking around.

"So soon, why not explore?" Flame asked, excited at all the sights in the city.

"Yeah… I have to do this. I'm not going to wait around thinking about this, I'm going to take care of it." She simply said back. Spyro turned to her, about to say something but Cynder cut him off.

"No Spyro, I have to do this. You and the others go and see the city while I take care of this. Rest up, get some dinner. I'm sure Vivex will have heard that I re-entered the city. The Sentinels don't miss much on who gets in the gates. He'll track me down one way or another. Best not let him catch me with Jericho." She said, making Spyro frown and look at the ground. He nodded finally, looking back up at her.

"Alright then. I'll see you on the other side then." Spyro said, looking at her with a solemn face. She smiled and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek softly.

"Don't wait up." She replied before walking away. Spyro's face was frozen, as was his entire body. Flame gave a pouting face, shaking his head.

"Man, she chose you! She was cute too…"

Jericho just shook his head, Barley giving a look of confusion.

"Where can I find a drink in this town?" Jericho asked, looking around.

"Uh… well there are a few options, let me show you!" Barley said, running to catch up to Jericho who had already started walking off. Sparx hovered by Spyro's head, trying to get him to move again. He reached up to his face before finally snapping out of it, turning to see the others leaving, except for Flame.

"Hey, Flame? Why don't you go with Jericho?"

"What about you?"

"I uh… I want to see something in the city, something for myself. Go with Jericho, I want to do this alone." Sparx flew over by Spyro's head, buzzing as if waiting to head with him.

"No, you too Sparx. I want to do this alone." He said, which drew a frown from Sparx. Finally he relented and flew next to Flame's head. Flame looked at him for another moment before nodding turning around. He trotted off, trying to catch up to the human and mouse who had already started off into the city.

/Transitioning…/

[Done]

What the hell was he doing...? Spyro had been wandering around for little over an hour now and he had accomplished little, if anything. He had since begun wandering the streets of Baltimore, looking at the different peoples populating its streets. The different sights and sounds were wondrous, filling him with a state of awe. Entire streets were still perfectly paved, buildings still in one piece and their windows as clear as he imagined them to be in the days of the Forgers. Of course, buildings were cracked, paint faded as well as vines and grasses that grew in the cracked concrete. Still, it was a wonder to see.

Even amongst all this, he was still looking, not for pristine buildings or beautiful lights, but answers. He had hoped that coming here to Baltimore might lead him to something... something to help explain exactly he was seeing, exactly what was happening. Ever since his visit to Horren's home, he was convinced there was a lot more to what was happening then just strange visions or different abilities. There was something at work here, and he wanted answers, straight answers. Unfortunately, after walking around the streets, he wasn't sure he was going to find any...

The problem really stemmed from the fact that he didn't even know where he'd look. He didn't know who he'd even begin asking for such a question, or even what his question should be! He knew nobody within the city, and he was now deeply regretting not asking Barley first for advice before going on this foolish trek on his own.

Night was quickly falling onto the city, and Spyro wasn't exactly sure he wanted to be caught out in the darkness. He still had a few more hours of sunlight by the looks of things, but still.

After walking around for a little bit more, he found himself standing at the harbor section of the city. He could smell the sea for a while now, but he didn't really arrive here at the harbor up until now. Large ships were moored in at the docks just further ahead of him. He could see workers pacing up and down the different wooden piers, trying to offload or load on cargo. Old refurbished Forger trucks drove up and down a long road that ran the length of the docks, carrying crates back and forth to places Spyro didn't know.

What was he doing here at the docks? There would be nothing here, no answers. He sighed, continuing to walk, though still training his head to take peaks at the different ships coming in to dock. His curiosity still burned true, that much he couldn't deny. He wondered, how many of these goods were from Europe, or other places he hadn't heard of? How many were just from docks and harbors here in the east?

He looked onto a smaller barge that was slowly coming in to dock. Its deck was heavy with several crates of items, whose contents Spyro could only guess. Like all other ships, this one was guarded to the tooth. Soldiers in black stood guard on its deck, but they weren't soldiers of the Protectorate. They wore no flag in fact, and had no features that could lead Spyro to guess their species. They had no tail, or ears poking out of their large ballistic helmets. Their faces were obscured by large masks that hinted at a possible snout but... it was hard to tell. They wore gear of obvious Forger origin, and carried weapons Spyro had never seen before but guessed they were also of Forger origin.

One of them stepped off the barge the moment it came in contact with the pier, and spoke to a Baltimore official who was standing at the docks, flanked by two Baltimore soldiers. Behind them were a stack of crates, resting on wooden pallets and ready to be loaded up. The two individuals spoke for a moment before the two soldiers boarded the barge. What followed next appeared to be a... strangely tense moment between the two soldiers. The ones defending the barge seemed very cautious of the Baltimore soldiers, and the same was true in reverse. The Baltimore guards walked from crate to crate, opening them up and examining their contents with a flashlight. From box to box they went, checking each one. A soldier from the barge stepped off, walking over to the boxes sitting on the pier, beginning to do the exact same thing. Was this a trade perhaps? A deal being bartered between two different groups? It was obvious they were not of the same group, not with the amount of... distrust that appeared to fall between them.

Eventually the guards from Baltimore seemed to give an all clear, and workers stepped over to the pier to begin offloading the crates from the barge. The soldiers from the barge stepped off, picking up the crates on the pier one by one, setting them on the barge. It was a trade, as Spyro had surmised. He wondered what it was they were trading. Weapons, food perhaps? Might they be other items, if so, what could they even be? Spyro also wondered where this barge originated from, whose flag it flew under. There were no marks or emblems on the vessel... nothing at all. Its soldiers didn't appear to talk to anyone other than the official who stood watch, his arms crossed as he watched the crates swap from side to side.

One of the soldiers stepped out to the edge, holding a clipboard in hand. He was writing something down on it, perhaps counting inventory of what they had just swapped. The soldier looked up, out onto the pier. He looked right up at Spyro, and stopped for a moment. Spyro stopped as well, looking straight back at the soldier. He seemed to... stare for a moment. Why was he staring at Spyro like that? His gaze didn't seem to avert for a few more moments, the soldier leaning down to his shoulder as if to say something to himself. No... he was talking to a little black box, mounted on his shoulder. Was it a radio?

Before Spyro could even figure out what he was doing, he turned around and began speaking to another soldier. Spyro just sat there, shaking his head for a moment. Eventually the two parties concluded their business, the barge unmooring itself from the dock and sailing back into the bay.

The official still stood there, watching the barge depart. It was as if the official didn't trust these guys. The soldier who had watched Spyro earlier stood watching the official too, before turning to Spyro's direction. They were so far out into the water now that Spyro could barely make it out, but he was sure he was looking at him. Why? Who was he? Who were they even? Ugh, just more questions! He hadn't even started answering his own questions! Frustrated, Spyro turned to leave the docks, trying to find something- anything that could help him!

It was some time later before Spyro started to collect his thoughts, deciding he should seek out a library of some form. Some place that stored information, a place where he could begin to ask questions and look for answers whether or not he had someone to ask.

He eventually found a small bookstore on a quiet little street. Its lights were still on so Spyro surmised it was still open. The sign outside said it contained pristine Forger books, along with new works, written by acclaimed Baltimore scholars! That was great, except Spyro knew no Baltimore scholars to begin with! Still, perhaps there was something useful inside.

He opened the door and walked inside. It was... dim inside to say the least. The store was small, quaint. It reminded him of those small shops inside the buried mall, and the shopping center they left the previous day. Though, this one was in MUCH better condition... Its shelves were packed with different books, all categorized and lined up neatly. Small signs told which ones were written pre-war and post-war. The post-war section was... a little skimpy at best. There were a few shelves dedicated to them, but there were FAR more Forger books here than anything else. That was to be expected, of course.

Spyro didn't expect to find anything he was looking for amongst old books, so he wondered what the new ones might have for him. He paced back and forth through the small isles, looking at different philosophical works, theories on their world and papers written on the Forgers. Most weren't exactly books, but scrolls or loosely bounded sheets of paper. The quality varied greatly between the paper as well, going from high quality paper to very old and tattered sheets that were hardly worth anything.

A few pieces caught his attention, mainly the theories on their new world, and the sacred energies of the dragons. Spyro selected one book, and set it down on the shelf to open. He used his talons to carefully flip the pages, wishing he had thumbs... It was a light book, but gave overviews on theories and different ideas as to why dragons were the only creatures in this world to be able to breathe elemental energy, while no other creature could. It also asked the question of why dragons were also one of the only intelligent quadruped creatures- ferals. All other intelligent life took the form of anthropomorphic creatures, walking on two legs and having a humanoid structure. Creatures walking on all their legs were called ferals, and were almost always wild and non-intelligent. There were a few exceptions, of course but dragons were the most famous example of a species exclusive to that. There wasn't such a thing as an "anthro dragon". Their only examples were of the Sentinels, and as the book explained, there were very high suspicions that Sentinel soldiers have had their bodies altered or changed by the Dark Master to take on an anthro form.

"Hello there, are we looking for something… unique…?"

"Oh! I uh…" Spyro was startled by the new voice, the young dragon almost dropping his book! A short wolf anthro with long hair stood behind the counter, looking at him. She smiled at him before walking out from behind the counter and coming over to Spyro. He watched in silence as she slowly made her way to him.

"I see you've taken interest in some of our books on dragons, quite interesting, aren't they?"

"I… I guess so, yeah."

"Dragons are quite fascinating creatures. You, are a quite fascinating creature."

"Well, thank you. I uh, well, I don't get to see much of my kind that often…"

"Not surprising, you and your kind tend to spread themselves out over these eastern realms… Tell me, what can Elena do for you today?"

"Well, I just had a few questions, they're nothing really…"

"Questions, questions, everyone's got questions. Answers are what people need nowadays, not questions." She turned, waving her hand dismissively. She almost didn't seem to want to cooperate before turning back around to face Spyro, a small smile on her face.

"Well, then can you help me out? I'd like some answers of my own…"

"Well then dragon, ask away." She clasped her hands together, preparing for everything he had to offer her.

"Well, I was wondering about some… things that have happened in this world. I have… some questions about the origin of this world." He HAD originally planned to ask her about the strange dreams he was having, and the absolutely CRAZY one he had the previous night… but something told him this question would be a much better one to ask.

"Ah.. origins of the world you seek. Those are... harder to find then others." She rubbed her chin softly before turning around, letting her fingers glide over the different books that sat there.

"Surely there has to be something. There aren't any books, or records of the time back then? Why can't anyone remember what happened back then?"

Elena walked over to a shelf nearby and slowly went through its contents silently. Eventually she found a book, and slowly pulled it out. "Book" would hardly be the term Spyro would use... it was very worn and beat up. Its cover looked very hastily put together, and most of the Forger books looked to be in better condition than this one.

"This book was one of the very first ever written in our time period. This... New Era, so to speak." She handed the book over to Spyro, who clumsily grasped it in his paws. It was then he noticed that along the spine of the book there were metal rings, made especially for a dragon's paw. He slipped them in, it was a perfect fit. It was a dragon who had written this book. He used his free talon to lift the cover up, revealing its contents to him. It was... written in partial draconic script, as well as English. The first few pages seemed to be... very garbled. They were almost as if someone was posing questions, rather than actually writing anything. The author asked who he was, and where he was. He talked about... wandering around endlessly and without a goal for some time... at least before finding these discarded pieces of paper.

"What is this?" Spyro asked, seeing not much there on the pages.

"It was one of the very first, if not the first book written you see. It was written by a dragon, as you might have guessed. One of the founders of Baltimore no less..."

"He talks about wandering around endlessly, unable to remember anything. All he sees is... destruction, and emptiness." He looked up at Elena, hoping for some clarification.

"The world of humanity ceased to exist around... fifty-eight years ago no less. Our world was birthed at the same time. So abrupt was the ending and beginning that nobody remembers a thing." She reached over, pressing one of her hands on the pages of the book.

"This book here, was written fifty-eight years ago as well. The dragon in it at the time was around... oh say... forty years old, maybe older or younger it's hard to tell."

"But, that doesn't make any sense, how could he already be that old, and yet he wrote this book at the same time as when this world began?"

"You don't miss much dragon. Yes, that is quite interesting, isn't it? No less than that, many creatures share the same story. In this book, the dragon writes about his experiences in this new world. He found himself one day amongst other dragons, none of them able to remember a thing. None of them knew who they were, or where they had come from. They began to wander aimlessly for years, before this dragon gathered up several hundred of his kin, along with several thousand other anthros and founded this city we stand in today."

Spyro looked back down at the book, reading more of the words. Every creature the dragon encountered, every person all shared the same story. None of them knew who they were, or where it was they were. All of them were taking knowledge and stories from what they found, from the old world of humanity.

"It's almost like, the world had flashed into existence in a second... Suddenly they were all here and everything was different, but how can that be? The Sentinels talk about how humanity destroyed themselves in a war, and other's I've talked to say that it was us who killed off humanity. Where do any of these stories even begin to meet up?"

"Tell me dragon, more or less, who do you believe?"

"I... don't know who to believe."

"It's good to have doubt in those who cannot remember dragon. Memories might as well be as valuable as any sword or bullet. Especially in this world."

"Who do you believe?" Spyro turned to Elena now who smiled and pressed one of her fingers against her chin, as if in thought. It appears Spyro had caught her off guard.

"I believe that maybe there's credence and truth in all the claims. There's a bigger story in there, you have to look harder to find it. More or less, I think that something is... wrong with this world."

"Wrong, what do you mean, wrong?"

"Well dragon, look at the book you had earlier. In it, there are all sorts of theories on this world, how it works and who the true heirs of it are. There's no doubt that it's you, dragons. You can breathe elements, and draw power from an invisible network of energy left there by your own ancestors. No other creature can do that as well as you can. The way in which your kind is born and lives off this world, and then returns to it... is unlike any other." Her smile of optimism quickly soured into one of pessimism, her hands clasping together softly.

"That... said... I do think that dragons have some severe limits. Your kind relies on those gemstones for your very survival. Without them, your kind can simply not exist. You're also hunted by other creatures in this world, who prey on your soul, and your soul alone. It's also fascinating that as well as your kind can take raw energy from our world, and make it your own, that you're so limited to just one element. Just... one. With all the crazy theories on your kind, you'd think you'd be able to do just about anything you want! You'd think that your kind should be able to bend the world to your desires, but you can't. Don't you find that fascinating dragon?"

"I... I do..."

"This infrastructure, this world's raw energy was meant for dragons. Though I feel like it wasn't meant for these kinds of dragons... Though that's just what I believe, no less."

"If it was meant to be like that, then why is the world the way it is right now?"

"Who can say? Nobody can remember. Now, if someone could remember those times, you'd be able to give yourself all the answers in the world. I'm surprised you dragons can't remember anything."

"Why do you say that?"

"Tell me dragon, have you had any strange dreams lately?"

"Well... maybe..."

"In those dreams, were they yours, or perhaps those of someone else...?"

"A... it's hard to tell sometimes..."

"You dragons can absorb so much of the world around you. Did you know memories are some of the most powerful forms of that raw energy? They say memories are imprinted right into our souls... and if someone could properly see the energy around us, they could tell you everything that's ever happened in this world. Instead your dreams are as murky and cloudy as all of ours."

"Are memories that pure, that powerful?"

"Well it all depends. A memory is only as good as the eyes viewing it. It can be murky, and distant, hard to recall or even false. A right set of eyes can see through all of that, and see truth that might be there."

"I guess dragons can't do that…" Spyro said lowly, looking down at the floor. Elena frowned, placing a finger on her chin as she turned to him. Spyro thought about telling her about his dreams, about what he'd seen… but he thought against that for the moment.

"Do… you think there's something else to it, more then just seeing the memories?" Spyro asked, finally sensing an avenue in which to pursue his question.

"What do you mean, young dragon?"

"The dreams, the memories. If someone could see it, what would it be like? Would they just… see the visions, or be able to live them out?"

Elena looked at Spyro for a few moments before smiling. She turned around and walked over to her counter, running her soft paws over the wooden surface.

"Well, it's hard to say dragon. If someone could see them, I think that maybe they would live them out no less. It'd certainly be a connection to this world unlike any other. It wouldn't be so much seeing something like a simple picture or a scene, but I do think it'd be more like tuning into the world around them, and creating a whole other reality for them to explore."

"It sounds like you'd know what it's like." Spyro smiled at her answer, sensing something behind it.

"Well dragon, many of us can't see these dreams too well, but that doesn't mean we don't get glimpses of something larger. Even someone who is blind can reach out and feel a picture. They can't exactly see it, but they know it's there. What about you dragon, are you able to see, or are you blind like the rest of us?"

"I… well…"

"Hah! It's all right dragon you don't have to answer that. This has been a most… interesting conversation dragon. It's always nice to speak to one of your kind, it's too bad you just keep to the northern part of the city, if at all. There aren't nearly as many dragons in Baltimore as there used to be." She frowned, turning around to the dragon again.

"What about the dragon in this book? Didn't he help found the city? What happened to all those dragons?"

"Many of them left for their kin in the mountains. As for this dragon, he left long ago. He started traveling the east coast, looking for more of his kind."

"Where would he be now?"

"Hard to tell you dragon. I think he left for another continent across the sea, find more of his kind. He seemed to be on a mission of some sorts, possibly rallying the dragons together. Who knows, he's probably still there to this very day."

"Would be interesting to meet him…"

"I'm certain you will one day dragon. You dragons find each other one way or another." She smiled warmly at him, making Spyro return the kind gesture. She took a quick glimpse outside, seeing that the clouds were turning darker with each passing moment that dusk fell upon them.

"So it appears the day is late. I must retire dragon, it has been a most interesting conversation."

"It has… Thank you so much Elena for your time." He gave a low nod to her, and turned to leave.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name dragon."

Spyro quickly turned, very embarrassed that this entire time he had been speaking to her he didn't even give her his name!

"It's Spyro, I'm… Spyro, the dragon." He said, trying to hide his embarrassment. She smiled and bowed to him, tipping her dress somewhat.

"Nice to meet you Spyro. May you one day find all the answers you need."

"Thank you Elena. Maybe one day I'll see you again and tell you if I have," he said while returning the bow to her.

"I look forward to it Spyro. Well I must be off. Have a… unique night." With that she turned and walked back behind her counter and faded into a doorway sitting behind it. Spyro turned again, and looked out to the streets.

/Transitioning…/

[Done]

"Think you can handle that jug there dragon? We have no cups for your kind." The bartender said, leaning over the counter to talk to Flame, who swung his head back defiantly.

"I think I got it. I don't need a dragon cup for me." Flame lifted up on the cup, grunting as it was super hard to handle. The bartender just rolled his eyes. Flame struggled, trying to walk on his hind legs so he could get the cup back to his table. Eventually he succeeded, joining Jericho and Barely as they sat at their table, near the end of the tavern. Sparx sat on the table, slowly looking all around. He wanted so bad to take off and explore, but Flame advised against it…

Barely had shown Jericho this nice tavern, which was… fairly reputable… for the most part. It wasn't a fancy place, but they'd serve you a good beverage if you offered good money. Figures of all kinds hobbled through the bar, carrying their own drinks, laughing and burping. More than one patron was passed out on the table, another patron happily helping himself to whatever he had in his pockets.

Flame just smiled, lifting up the mug of rum to his face to drink. Back home, he wasn't able to get any alcohol, it was so rare they wouldn't sell it often to anyone too young. Here? They didn't care, it seemed to be in abundance!

"Careful there, hate to see that mug crush you." Jericho smirked, watching the dragon try to lift and drink from the mug. Flame just stuck his tongue out and sipped more from the mug, almost spitting it right out. It was CLEARLY the first time he had seriously drunk any of this stuff.

"Man, what's in this?" Flame asked, setting the mug down.

"Nothing that won't kill you." Jericho simply said back, lifting his own mug to his face. He had to carefully lift his gas mask up under his hood to take a sip. Thankfully their table was up against the wall next to a very dusty window so… they were out of the way and not the center of attention. Jericho preferred things that way. Barely just shook his own head, drinking from his own cup while sitting beside Jericho. Sparx flew over to Flame's cup, leaning his head in to sniff its contents. He stuck his tongue out in disgust, flying back to his perch earlier. Flame grimaced down at the mug before shrugging off his concerns and taking another big swig.

"I know a good inn we can stay at tonight, it's nice and quiet over in that part of town." Barely suggested, setting his cup down.

"Good, I am just wondering how we're going to leave to the north. How many gates are there to Baltimore?" Jericho asked, turning to their guide.

"A few, the main entrance we came in isn't the only gate but it is the most frequented. There is an actual gate that goes to the north but since nobody would ever dare to head that way, it's been sealed shut. The gate hasn't opened since the days of the Forgers, so I wouldn't suspect it'd be easy to open it. I believe there are other smaller gates across the city, but none close to where you'd want to go."

"Tell me about this north gate. There isn't any service exit, or way to cut through that section of the wall? This place is crawling with Sentinels, the quicker I can slip passed them, the better…" Jericho said, trying to keep his tone down. A few heads turned their way from nearby patrons at the word "Sentinel", but their attention quickly shifted away as the sounds of the tavern drowned out their conversation.

"I've been to the north gate… There might be old service tunnels that you might be able to use. I've never been in there myself. It uses a different design then the gate we came in, there's an old abandoned depot connected to the wall there. I think there's also an underground tunnel that was built there. I've heard of people using it to try and go north. Curious idiots…"

"Could you show me how to use the underground tunnel?"

"I can try, yeah. It's been years since I've ever been over there and I can't say I've actually been in the tunnel itself. I've only heard from other traders and smugglers who've used that path. You'll just have to evade the guards, they don't like anyone using that entrance."

"Well that goes without saying…" Jericho picked up his mug, taking another sip. Flame took another swig of his drink before setting it back down, shaking his head. The taste was too much for him, he'd have to take a break! He scooted the drink back for now, and looked around the room. There were… a few eyes who were coming their way. A few glances, here and there. Jericho and Barely hadn't been exactly talking aloud, but there appeared to be very curious ears, listening in on all the different conversations around for details that might interest them. They seem to have caught some of their attention…

Jericho seemed to pay it little mind, picking up his cup to take another sip. He was scanning the crowd though, cautious. Barley picked up on it too, but tried to play it off. Flame gulped a bit, hoping that it wouldn't go any farther.

The sounds of someone getting up from a table next to them caught their attention, causing their heads to drift in that direction. A large wolf anthro wearing a large dark coat and hat stood up, turning towards them.

"Someone here ,trying to run from the Sentinels…?" His voice was deep and dark, and laced with alcohol.

"What business is it to you?" Barley responded, being almost half the wolf's height. Jericho remained silent, taking another sip.

"I'm not talking to you short stuff. You there, with the mask, I'm talking to you!" He slammed his hands on the table, bringing more attention to them. Others stood up, walking over as well. Jericho still remained silent, turning to Barley who hesitated for a moment.

"Sounds like he's pissed 'em off good, and he's trying to hide in here! We should turn him in, maybe they'll give us one of those fancy rifles they got!" Another dog anthro said, his voice much higher pitch and scrawny compared to the wolf standing before them.

"I'm not interested in any Sentinel gun… that rifle of yours is nice. Where'd you get it? Hey, answer me!" The wolf said, motioning to Jericho's rifle. Jericho reached over, grabbing the rifle's barrel as it rested against the table.

"He probably don't even know how to use it, thing's a fake!" One onlooker said.

"Nah, look at it, that's a real forger rifle! He musta killed a Baltimore Guard for it, they're the only who got it!"

"I'll add it to my collection, that's what." The crowd was getting more riled up, and Flame could see the bartender stepping back and grabbing a radio. Trouble was here, that was for sure!

"It's not important where I got it. Sit down and enjoy your drink, friend." Jericho finally said, picking up his mug to take another drink. The wolf seemed annoyed now, slamming the table again.

"Why you wearing a mask anyway, what're you hiding there, 'friend'?" He growled, using his arm to knock all their mugs and plates to the floor.

"Jericho…?" Flame asked, alarmed now as he backed up towards the human. Jericho just motioned for him to calm down, looking back up to the wolf.

"Nothing that interests you. Now why don't you just sit back down, none of this concerns you."

"Why you little shit, I'll turn your body in to the Sentinels myself!" The wolf grabbed a weapon from his hip and drew it, moving to aim the large revolver right at Jericho. Jericho moved quickly, dropping the mug that was in his hand and reaching for his own side arm located on his side. He drew the small pistol with lightning reflexes, much faster than the wolf was able to draw his own weapon.

BANG! The hand gun went off, hitting the wolf in the gut and causing him to fall over onto the table. The crowd yelled and gave a loud roar, many of them reaching for their own weapons to engage Jericho. Flame grunted, leaping from his seat onto the floor and sprung to action. He opened his muzzle and unleashed a jet of fire to keep the crowd at bay, and hopefully carve a path for them to escape to the door. Jericho holstered his pistol and brought his rifle up now, firing single rounds at people who he saw drawing a weapon. One body after another fell from the crowd, weapons falling from their hands. Patrons fled from the tavern, leaving only a few left who remained to challenge Jericho and Flame. Flame darted behind an overturned table, hearing shots ring out from one of the drunk bar goers. Jericho stood behind their table, firing more rounds, making the others flee.

"Come on, let's get the hell out of here!" Barley yelled at them, seeing that there was a break in the people shooting at them. Jericho nodded, kicking the table and dead wolf away before sprinting towards the door. Flame, Barley and Sparx quickly followed, the dimly lit but very awake streets of Baltimore greeting them. Onlookers yelled out as they fled from the tavern, and it was only a matter of time before those other bar goers tried to follow them.

"The guards'll be here any minute, we gotta split! They'll lock us up without a second thought!" Barley said urgently, making the others nod quickly. It wasn't long before some of the members of the crowd spotted them.

"There he goes! Get him!"

"That rifle's mine!" Another yelled, whipping the fleeing crowd into frenzy.

Barley ushered them on, pointing them to a dark alleyway. It wasn't long before they heard the yells of guards and the blowing of whistles.

"Can we ever go to a place that doesn't try to arrest or kill us?!" Flame yelled out behind Jericho, who sprinted after the quick little mouse.

"I don't think so! You picked the wrong traveling group then!" Jericho yelled back, going around corner after corner in an attempt to ditch their pursuers.

"Come on, across this street! The guards'll have their hands full with those drunks back there!" Barley said, pointing to another set of streets they could use to put between themselves and the crowd that was no doubt making their way through the mazelike alleys.

They finally reached a small parking lot quite a ways from the tavern. It was quiet there, with few people around at this time of night. One single street lamp near the empty lot kept it illuminated with a soft orange glow, making it a perfect spot to rest for the moment.

"Maybe… maybe it wasn't such a good idea for you to have that weapon Jericho…" Barley said, trying to catch his breath.

"What the hell'd they want anyway…?" Flame panted hard, shaking his head.

"They wanted the gun, or Jericho. People hate the Sentinels, but some people aren't against selling others out to them. If you're wanted by the Sentinels, there are people who'll sell your soul to them… without a second thought. The gun was just an added bonus." Barley explained, plopping down against the wall of a small building at the edge of the lot.

"You there, stop where you are." A gruff voice came from the darkness, making the group jump and turn that way. A trio of soldiers emerged from the black of the night and approached them. Two of them had their rifles drawn and ready while the third, and likely leader, stood in front with his weapon holstered. It was a wolf anthro, with a scar on his right eye. It was the soldier from the gate.

"There's been an incident at a nearby bar, involving quite a few individuals stirring trouble. The bartender described three of them as… a red fire dragon, a short mouse carrying a cane and a single unidentifiable hooded figure." He looked over all three of them, his gaze finally coming to rest on Jericho.

"Uh oh…" Flame said lowly. The soldier had his arms behind his back as he approached Jericho, a cautious type he seemed to be but an aura of calm and confidence surrounded his figure. His voice was low, almost monotone as he spoke, like a soldier.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" He asked Jericho, who stood silent for a moment before answering.

"We were minding our own business when that large wolf confronted us. I acted in self-defense." The soldier looked at him before starting to circle him slowly. He finally stopped and faced him again.

"I don't appreciate trouble makers in my city. Your story checks out with the bartender, but I know new arrivals when I see them. We're watching you, all of you. We're not like other cities that are lawless and up for grabs. Keep your nose clean, and we won't have any issues."

"Yes… sir. Point taken." Jericho said, not wanting to cross the soldier.

"I'm glad we see eye to eye then, stranger." The soldier turned, going to leave but he stopped and turned halfway to face them again.

"You entered with a Sentinel, didn't you?" He asked them, making Barley and Flame nervous.

"That's right, we did." Jericho answered back.

"Sentinels are nothing but trouble. They're vile, and only care about conquest. Their hearts have all been tainted by that Dark Master of theirs. You'd be wise to choose your friends more wisely. They might just get you killed." With that, the soldier turned and began walking away. The other two soldiers looked at Jericho for a moment longer before they too turned to leave. As they once again faded into the black of the night, both Flame and Barley took a collective sigh of relief.

"Man, who was that?" Flame asked.

"That's Captain Horris… He's a very high ranking Captain, probably one of Baltimore's most esteemed. He's also not very friendly to Sentinels… Or… anyone who causes trouble in Baltimore. We're luck he let us off like that."

"I can tell…" Jericho said as he looked off in the direction that Horris had left.

"So… now what?" Flame asked.

"I'll show you guys the inn, maybe we can lay low there for tonight, move out in the morning." Barley said, standing back up.

"Well lead the way, let's get away from that place."

"Agreed. We should try to find Spyro first. I'd hate to leave him out in the dark." Jericho said, walking back to the street.

"I just hope he hasn't got into as much trouble as us!" Flame said, trying to catch up. Sparx had finally found a nice perch to rest on before seeing them leave again. He gave an annoyed buzz before taking off to catch up.

End of Chapter 14

A/N: Hey guys, NewLegend1 again. Thanks so much for your support and reviews, I read every single one of them and love every single one of them! Even if I don't respond… (because I'm baaad at that lol) Still, I do read every single one you guys do and I always love hearing what you guys have to say =3 Another chapter down, and another chapter is on its way. Until next chapter!