Call of the Ancestors

Chapter 12: The Homefront

They wandered. And wandered. And wandered even more.
It felt, as per usual by now, like they had walked for hours on end. Which, admittedly, they had been.

Sethelis was walking just behind Miarko and his more or less forced tag-along, keeping her sole eye trained on the pirate at all times. This however didn't make her inner Captain wanting to ask their captive probing questions; "Elmira. What were you doing out here, days of journey away from the closest trace of civilization?" To which she got a groan and a "Sightseeing, of course. No what am I saying? I was picking flowers for my good ol' grandma. And she has been dead for 10 years!" As a reply.

Sethelis knew they'd have to force everything out of Elmira, as that pirate is… Annoyingly resilient when it comes to sharing information with the Authorities. But for once, the Shadow dragoness decided to try another tactic, so she walked up next to Miarko, glancing over to the red dragon. "Yes, Sethelis?" He asked her, despite seeming more focused on just putting one forepaw in front of himself at a time. She leaned in closer, allowing herself to whisper; "Maybe you can coax something out of her? We both know she prefers you." Only to get a snort from her partner's nostrils. She was well aware of Miarko's nationalistic streak, but sincerely hoping he could put that aside for just a minute or two and line up that charm of his.

After looking quietly at the Fiery dragon for a minute of unbroken quiet she knew he gave in; "The things I do for you and this Mover be damned job…" the male said before slowing down to the point of walking right next to Elmira, letting Sethelis take lead.

She didn't exactly hear what they were talking about. Possibly Elmira didn't want anybody else to hear?

"But then why would she even talk at all? It's illogical, she knows Miarko will share whatever she tells him with me." She thought to herself, only to suddenly halt upon hearing Miarko snarl some rather rude curses, another of the soldiers calling a "After her!" along with the zapping of electricity as the quickest member of the squad hurried after the pirate, hot on her trail.

Sethelis turned around, noticing how Miarko was bleeding from the side of his head, and had what looked like a sharpened stick jammed into his foreleg, causing him to being unable to run. And Elmira was bolting into the woods, the rope laying cut on the ground. It seemed she had been working on it for some time. Probably used her claws if nothing else.

She went to check on Miarko who simply growled at her; "Get that damned traitor. She isn't getting away this time."

Elmira felt… Scared, smug and overall pumped full of adrenaline as she ran as fast as her two legs could carry her through the woods, dodging lightning which flashed past her in bright spots of yellow. Her pursuer was persistent to say the least, alas she vaulted over a fallen old tree, causing the scrawny yellow dragon to stumble, giving the pirate some space.

She had marks on her wrists where that damned rope had been, luckily they hadn't thought about removing her claws, allowing the pirate to scratch away at it for a few hours, slowly getting loose. Nor had they noticed how she had managed to slip a sharp enough rock into her closely shut palm during a quick break a few hours back.

She had pulled off many escapes in her past, and this had by far been the easiest one so far. A quick escape? Only one pursuer? Injuring the one responsible for her capture? It had perhaps been one of her most successful as well. She laughed again as the electricity bolts being fired at her continued to miss and hit the trees and rocks around her as she ran by. But despite the pirate looking like she was on the verge of slipping into the fauna ahead of her quick assailant…

She felt herself slip.

On a root, landing snout first on the ground, and as she was scampering to get up she felt a paw onto her back.

"Pfeh! And you think you'll stand a chance, goldie?" She said, snorting as she placed her hands onto the ground, starting to push herself up from the dirt. However, she suddenly started grunting and groaning in pain, twitching and sparking as she was shot with a blast of pure electric element into her back.
Soon enough the pirate was hauled atop the Electricity dragon's back. He was beaming with pride over having caught the infamous Skav as he carried her back to the others. It seemed that Elmira had managed to deal quite the nasty blow to the Captain prior to her escape, and the DOW were certainly not going to make the same mistake again. Now they secured the Scav under bitter silence, tying her arms and legs together, as well as gagging her to stop her constant snide remarks.

"Bugger." Was all Elmira thought to herself. She had been…

THIS close to escape. She could however not do much more than to roll her eyes and grunt to herself as she laid bound atop the back of a sturdy fire dragoness, in the middle of the line of DOW soldiers. She wasn't getting out of the mess this time. She just knew it...

They days carried on and nothing much happened. Finally, after the last agonizing hours of the final and last day of wandering… They could see that they were in familiar lands.
Sethelis felt a visible smile grow upon her snout, wider and wider until it was a outright grin. And for a dragoness who normally wasn't known to show much emotion other than when she was angry this was big. The towering floating islands of Warfang with its shining marble walls gleamed in the sunlight, like a jewel.
It's pearly white wall reflecting it to the point of almost hurting if one were to look for too long.

"Soldiers of the Defenders of Warfang. We made it!" She called out clearly and loudly, earning sighs and cheers of relief. She looked over and despite his wounds even Miarko looked relieved. He had gained a slight limp on his left side due to the injury, and since they had ran out of red gems on their way it was probably the most relieving for him to know they were back in their beloved Dragon City.

Sethelis could not even describe how she felt in that moment when she spread her wings for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Relieved? No. She finally felt free.

The warmer southern breeze against her wing membrane was… Almost to the point of exciting. But her moment of simply looking at the stunning view was interrupted by Terron who spoke up; "Ma'am? We know the view is pretty and all. But we all just really want to get back to HQ and take a few days off." To which she nodded. "I'll hear with the Directors, and make sure to commemorate each and every single one of you." She started flapping her wings, taking to the air, the others following suit.

"Not only did we uncover a full scale Anointed military operation, but we also caught a villain of top priority." She said, mainly to herself. This was.. Good. And with that, the dragons flew towards the DOW Tower's iconic silhouette in the distance as the sun was slowly setting, sending it's golden rays of light over them all.

Sethelis and Miarko stood outside the familiar twin doors of the Directors at the top floor's receivement room. She glanced over at him, noting that his wounds had been healed. Except for a scar left upon his leg.

"You okay?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

The ruby red dragon replied "Never could have been better. About to turn in a important assignment and Elmira's under lock and key, and with a dozen heavily armed guards."

Seth nodded, "Ready to go all professional?" She then asked, nudging him slightly with a wing, to which the Fire Captain shrugged.

"Ready or not, whichever the case, I'm buying us both dinner later."

Sethelis answered as she raised a paw to knock on the wooden door into Cynder's office: "Deal. If I get to pick the place."

They knocked.

Once… No reply. The two looked over at each other, and Sethelis knocked again. No reply, Miarko took charge instead, as Sethelis moved aside, taking the scroll cases of their respective reports on the mission into her paws as she stood back, Miarko knocking much harder than she had, triggering a small flinch out of his shadowy partner. "

Miarko, I-" She started in a hushed tone...

But instead she got interrupted as they could clearly hear some rummaging and the Madame Director calling out; "Coming! Give me a second…"

Cynder sounded… Distracted.

Once more the Captains looked at each other, Miarko's look saying one thing which was accompanied by his characteristic almost smug smirk and Sethelis' face expressing a blatant hope reality was otherwise.

As the Fire dragon reached for the door with a paw, preparing to push it open, Sethelis did at first stop him. They waited for a short time, a few seconds, rather, before they lightly nudged the door open.

Within were the two Directors, obviously.

Cynder sat behind her desk, and Spyro was facing the window, turning around just as the two Captains stepped inside, closing the door behind them.

"Ah, Captains." The dragoness said, nodding towards the two in acknowledgement.

Her face had healed decently since last they saw her, it seemed like Red Gems had once more worked their healing magics, albeit it was now apparent that Elmira's attack had left a permanent scar running across her snout and forehead. Not too disfiguring.

In fact, Sethelis had almost anticipated worse. "We've got our reports of the mission to the Vale, ma'am." She informed, and the purple Hero stepped forth looking intrigued.

"May I?" He asked, before grabbing the case in which Miarko's report was sealed away. He got the parchment out onto his Co-Director's desk, and started reading. His brow furrowing deeper by the sentence.

Cynder however looked almost twice as troubled upon having the revelation of that Congeria's power had evolved into actively possessing people now rather than acting through one single person.

"This is bad…" The two murmured, almost in perfect unison. Seth then took word, looking over at Miarko.

"I haven't reviewed Miarko's report, but in mine you will find something interesting regarding our trip home." She noted, before going back to her formal silent stance. The two Directors looked up towards their Captains, Spyro having some sign of relief upon his snout. "Miarko, it says here that you later proceeded to escort Elmira to the Warfang city dungeons. I assume everything was taken into account and that no harm befell the pirate on her way there?" His grayish purple eyes boring into the Captain's.

"I...I assume that everything was according to the book, Director," said Miarko, lightly cursing under his breath, "I made sure that she was under guard and was unharmed during my trip with her down there."

"Good. I know most people in this city, admittedly both you and me included, wants nothing more than to see her punished for her crimes, but bureaucracy has to have its course. Luckily she will not be our problem for now." He said, sighing.

"Then, whilst both of you had made very detailed accounts of your stay in the North, I wish to ask a few questions regarding the commandant-" Only for Cynder to interrupt him. "Was there anything out of the ordinary? Did he behave strange?"

And once more Sethelis turned to Miarko. She herself isn't much of a people's person, so sometimes defining… Strange within someone of military doctrine is more of Miarko's thing than hers.

"He...he was the one who tried to have us killed," Miarko responded, nodding, "Beyond that? I didn't really notice anything terribly out of the ordinary...what makes you ask, Director?"

Cynder looked down upon her documents on the desk, collecting them up from the unusually disarranged surface. She cleared her throat before reading up a few sentences, all describing how people in command at different military outposts and such had all started to behave strangely.

"... So all in all, after what our informants from the 18th has told us, and from your own accounts, it appears this was the first time Congeria had managed to fully take the mind of someone with authority. I'm no expert on religion and thus I can only assume things. But you two might need to go and hear with the Guardians, they are of the older generation after all, and thus a little more… Pious than others."

Sethelis looked over at Spyro whom in turn nodded. "Thank you for the reports, now dismissed."

Sethelis saluted, "Director, Madame Director." She formally stated, awaiting Miarko to do the same, afterwhich the two left the heroes to their own devices.

"The Guardians?" Miarko asked, looking over at Sethelis for an answer, "Why them? Why now?"

Sethelis thought to herself, beating her wings as the two landed upon the Dragon City's finely cobbled streets, having flown down towards the streets from atop the DOW's floating little plaza. "I suppose they are the closest thing to priests in the worship of The Ancestors. So I suppose they would know Congeria best?"

"I suppose you're right, but...I don't know. I've never had to report to them in the past," he responded, shrugging.

"Oh, we won't have to report to them. I think." Sethelis admitted in return, rolling her one eye. "They are not a part of our organisation, but they still hold general authority. And from what Spyro has said, they're kind enough. I do not know of their new addition, though." She said, a tone of annoyance clearly there.

"New addition?" Miarko responded, raising an eye ridge. To which the Shadow dragoness was seen looking genuinely surprised.

"You're saying you didn't know?" She rhetorically asked at first, the two taking a turn to the left, following the main street.

"The Guardian of Fire, Ignitus, was killed in the fighting against the Dark Master's troops. They only recently announced his successor. Some dragoness from down south named Ifrit."

"You don't sound very pleased about her," The Fire Captain said with one eye ridge raised.

"I still do not know much about her." Was the Shadow dragoness' simple response. "Must've been trained in secret or something, and as you may have figured, I like knowing things in advance. But she is a big question mark, haven't made much of a public appearance, nor has she addressed anything as of yet. I suppose we're her first real thing on the job."

"Ugh," Miarko said with disdain, "I'm no good with first impressions, especially with my superiors. Hopefully this goes over well…"

"You? Bad first impressions?" Sethelis asked, giving the Fire dragon a nudge with her wing. "If anything, you'll be the one to shine here." She stated seemingly confident in his innate charisma. "I can confirm that personally."

"Don't compliment me too much," he said, laughing lightly, "You might stroke that ego of mine even further."

"And that isn't a good thing?" She teased, chuckling lightly to herself. They were coming up on the big impressive building that was where the four Guardians resided, the gates opening autonomously as if handled by a magic spell when the two approached up to the doorstep.

"... Say, you're a non-believer when it comes to the Ancestors. Care to fill me in about the… Eh… Maker?" She then inquired, glancing upon his pendant.

Miarko looked down and nodded at the pendant, "I was raised differently than most people that I know. I don't know why but my parents just...rejected the Ancestors. I guess I never really questioned it. I was raised to believe in nothing, but...well, my education and my intellectual studies at the Academy just taught me to think differently. So, I started believing in the Prime Mover," he said, winking as he corrected her, "Do you really want to know about a god you don't believe in?"

This made Sethelis nod. "In fact it does, we may be of differing faiths, but he proof that the Ancestors are actual real and clearly more sinister than previously thought beings has made me… Reconsider. Besides, learning is what I love most." She replied at the two continued inside, being met with a servant.

"We would need a audience with a Guardian, any element works just fine." She addressed, before following up with their names and who they were. The servant nodded and said, in a dry voice: "I will notify one of the four masters and make sure one of them address you shortly. Feel free to take a seat." To which Sethelis went and sat down upon one of the offered cushions.

"So…" She started, looking over at Miarko once the servant had gone.

Miarko nodded as he sat down, "The Mover...it's hard to describe. Instead of Ancestors denoted to a specific sphere of influence and having their paws at work at all times, think of something that is content to let their work, these Realms, develop under its own power. No Mover influence, nothing. That is the short of the Prime Mover. An absent god that oversaw creation then let it develop on its own, without the need for influence from other gods."

Sethelis seemingly had a hard time wrapping her head around the concept, as she asked in turn; "Then if they do not oversee their creation, do they not care?"

"That is for us to find out," Miarko said simply.

As they were about to continue their discussion, their talk got interrupted by the dry-voiced servant again, whom cleared his throat. "Master Cyril and Master Ifrit will see you by the Pool of Visions." they addressed before opening a door leading further in.

Sethelis got up and Miarko followed, the two walked (or limping, in Miarko's case) into what looked to be the heart of the building. There was a green swirling pool in the centre of a round chamber, and at its center was a tall blue Ice dragon whom they both recognised at Cyril, the Guardian of Ice, and next to him was a smaller dragoness, her frame very feminine yet strong. She was clearly well built and looked like she had seen her fair share of combat, having burns here and there despite being a dragon of fire, her scales having a flaming pattern over her entire body only disrupted by said burns, as well as her chest plates whom all were a deeper earthy brown.

She was intensively staring into the green waters.

"Ah...Master Guardians?" came Miarko's voice.

Cyril looked over, the Ice Guardian looked practically as if he hadn't aged a day since the Dark Master's second defeat. "Ah, you two must be the Captains we have been hearing so much about." He exclaimed, giving the two a nod of acknowledgement.

Sethelis bowed slightly. In a manner which made it pretty apparent that she was unaware if one should actually bow or not. "Guardian Cyril, miss…?" She asked, looking over at the Guardian whom had her back turned.

Cyril shook his head; "She is in a vision. We cannot disturb her right now. Ifrit will most likely come to at any moment now." He reassured, before sitting down on his haunches; "Anyhow, any trifling matters I can help you two with?"

"We were sent by Director Spyro and Director Cynder," Miarko replied, "Regarding the...Congeria Situation," he finished in a hushed tone.

Cyril's look went from a friendly smile to a seriousness one would rarely expect from the Ice Guardian. "Ah, I see." He started, his voice now lowered slightly. He then proceeded to tilt his head in curiosity. "Say… What is it you require? Spyro and Cynder has reassured us that they had the situation under control, we have of course promised to aide in what ways we can."

Sethelis in turn explained that Cynder sent them to, as the Madame Director herself put it; "Go and hear with the Guardians".

"In essentiality, we need to know everything there is to know about Congeria. Any sources that are reliable or possibly something we can use against her?"

"Of course, let me just see what my fellow Electricity Guardian has stored-"

A crash.

"For Chaos!"

Miarko and Sethelis were hit from behind, knocking them over. Two figures came to stand in front of them.

Three new forms emerged from the skylight above. Landing swiftly near the Guardians, taking offensive stances.

Miarko's eyes quickly caught the insignia of Congeria on their cloaks. And their eyes...glowing?

"Assassins."

AN: Oh boy! It's a two-parter! Both Mike and I are hoping that you are enjoying what we're putting poor Miarko and Sethelis through, believe me when I say that they are not!

Yes you heard me right, I, Hawk, am informing you that this chapter is only part one, so the trouble has just begun. Stay tuned for part two!

As always, we appreciate any and all feedback! Reviews are always read and responded to when we can get to them.

See you next time!

-Mike & Hawk