Skylanders Academy: New Horizon
by andresponceb2002
Chapter 12) The Last Straw, Part 1
Cynder groaned from a piercing headache. She held the sides of her head as she tried to get up from the smooth, cold ground beneath her. She slowly opened her eyes as the headache started to pass.
"Where am I?" She wandered as she took a look around her.
Cynder was in a medium sized, circular room. The walls and floor were both made of a smooth, black marmol stone. There were many elegant-looking armchairs, made of brown wood with red cushions around the room's edge. There was one red door, made of carved wood which had a simple silver handle.
"Wherever this is." Cynder picked up. "I need to get out of here." She concluded as she began moving toward the red door.
"Leaving so soooon?" A horrible, disembodied voice asked wryly. "You haven't even greeted your host!"
Cynder then turned around, trying to find where the horrible voice was coming from. When she looked around the circular room, she found it. Sitting back on one of the armchairs in front of her, Omen was staring at her, unmoving. He wasn't there before.
Cynder felt her heartbeat rising and her breath quicken as fear crept into her heart. She slowly took a shaky step back, then another before breaking into a desperate sprint to the red door behind her. However, when Cynder turned around and began trying to reach the red door, she felt a rough wooden hand steadily grab the back of her neck and lift her off the ground.
"Not even a hello? A goodbye?" Omen asked in a mock hurt voice as he turned Cynder to face him. "Come now, where are your manners, young girl?"
"Where am I?" Cynder demanded in as steadily as she could as Omen held her in the air.
"You're in my humble abode!" Omen said simply, lowering his hand so that Cynder could touch down on the ground. However, his hand was still grabbing the back of her neck tightly. "And you are here to help me with a little…" Omen paused and looked to the side, as if he was trying to find the right words.
"Pet project?" Cynder filled in with a scoff, already familiar with the villain's intent.
"Exactly!" Omen exclaimed in a merry voice. "But." Omen paused. "As you know, I still need your purple friend to get it going properly."
"Well, you are out of luck." Cynder began. "You're never going to get him." She said defiantly.
However, Omen's eyes curled up and narrowed. "Are you sure?" Omen asked, slowly emulating a smug smile.
"Yes." Cynder responded quickly. "The Skylanders are going to find you and stop you once and for all."
Omen's eyes remained curled up, still amused. "Oh child." Omen began with a small sigh. "You really haven't learned anything have you?" He asked, making Cynder get small chills. "Your friends can't beat me. Even after all your speeches of teamwork and friendship." He spat in a shriek and mocking voice. "I've moped the floor with all of you, time and time again! And do you want to know why?" Omen asked loudly, leaning in dangerously close to Cynder, making her shrink and close her eyes.
"Because there was only one person who can kill me." Omen whispered. "And I already killed them." He said, slowly leaning away from Cynder. "Besides." Omen picked up. "Your little friend is already going to give himself up by the end of the day anyway." He said, making Cynder's eyes light up.
"Spyro…" Cynder called in her head, concerned for her friend.
"Anyhoo." Omen picked up, suddenly letting go of Cynder's neck. "I have to leave for my meeting with your friend now." He announced. "There's cookies in the jar-" He said, gesturing to a small white jar beside one of the armchairs Cynder had not noticed."So, just make yourself at home, dearie." He said in a mellow voice. "They're raisin, by the way." Omen stated, seamlessly shifting to a malevolent voice.
Then, Omen began to draw a purple ring in front of him, that turned into one of the villain's portals. He then waved innocently at Cynder before crossing the portal in front of him, which shrank rapidly and disappeared after he did, leaving Cynder alone in the circular room.
The moment Omen vanished, Cynder rushed over to the red door across the room. She tried to tug at the silver handle with her paw, but it didn't move. She then tried to use both her paws, still nothing.
"I don't have time for this!" Cynder cried as she backed up from the door and took a deep breath, causing her wingtips and the mark on her forehead to glow white. Cynder then released a steam of lightning at the red door. But, when the impact hit, Cynder's lightning dispersed harmlessly of it's surface, not leaving even a scratch on it's elegant woodwork.
Cynder then looked at the door hopelessly. She then tried looking around the room, taking flight and inspecting the walls, trying to find anyway to get out of the room. But there was nothing, not even a crack on the smooth, black walls.
Defeated, Cynder landed on the center of the room. With despair clawing at her heart, she laid her head down, resing it on her arms as she curled up and tried her hardest to hold her tears back.
"Spyro… everyone…" She whispered. "Please… don't let him win because of me…" She pleaded with her eyes closed, pictureing her friends as she let out a small tear, which streamed down her cheek and fell to the cold stone floor beneath her.
"What are you doing here, Malefor!?" Spyro roared at the massive dragon in front of him.
Malefor stood on the clear isle before the Academy main gates. He was looking down at the Skylanders with a simple smile. Spyro was tensed up and his heart was racing. There was a decent number of fallen Skylanders and Spyro wasn't sure of what would happen if Malefor decided to attack.
"I have come here." Malefor began, lowering his head slightly toward the Skylanders. "To… assist you." He hissed and twitched as he said "assist", as if just saying the word hurt him. "Because, from what I can tell-" Malefor picked up, pointing at Cyrus, who was standing beside Spyro. "You have a little bit of reform program now. So, where do I sign up?" He finished with a mischievous smile.
"What makes you think we'd work with you!?" Spyro demanded, not backing down from the dragon king.
"Your incompetence." Malefor deadpanned simply, keeping a perfectly straight face while Spyro's brain stumbled over the dragon kings words.
"He wants to help with this attitude?" Spyro asked himself, dumbfounded by the dragon king's approach.
"What I always feared has come to pass." Malefor picked up. "You, pathetic excuses for heroes, have failed to protect my daughter." He spat, making Spyro flinch. He wasn't wrong. Omen had taken her away and defeated them… a couple of times now.
"And now, this abomination, Omen." Malefor hissed the villain's name spitefuly. "Has taken her away. And so, it is now your duty as Skylanders and my duty as a parent-" He said, taking a step forward and lowering his head even closer to the Skylanders. "To save my daughter." He stated.
Spyro noticed that Malefor was staring directly at him, almost expectantly. "So, you can either tell me where my daughter is, or I can beat it out of you." Malefor threatened, shifting his gaze from Spyro to Cyrus.
"Does this means I get a pass for the-" Cyrus began, gesturing at Malefor's face. "Burning your face business?" He asked in a quiet voice.
"If you assist me in finding my daughter." Malefor began. "My hatred for you can be… diminished." Malefor stated simply.
"That works for me." Cyrus replied, shrugging calmly.
"Kaossandra." Eruptor's voice sounded from behind Spyro as he addressed the sorceress. "Are we really going to allow the bad guys to help us?"
Spyro didn't take his eyes of Malefor, while he waited for Kaossandra's response. The sorceress took a while to speak, but when she did, it was with a steady voice. "We have all seen what Omen is capable of." Kaossandra began. "It is clear he is the greatest threat we have ever faced. He has overpowered us, through Enumat he now commands an army and he now has Cynder, which leaves him one dragon away from completing his goal." She explained. "We cannot afford to turn down a helping hand, regardless of where it comes from, if it truly wants to help."
Silence hung over the air behind Spyro. Kaossandra had spoken quite clearly and laid it down how it was, leaving no room for even Eruptor to argue.
"Wise words, sorceress." Malefor said. "So, boy-" He continued, looking at Cyrus once again. "Speak. What information do you posses?"
Cyrus took a deep breath and spoke out loud for everyone to hear. "Omen's new lair is located in the Outlands in a place called Maraino Castle. There, he has Enumat, the Knights of Solitude and the One-Eyed Legion protecting his ritual chamber. And that's where he will be keeping Cynder." He explained.
Something had always nagged at Spyro's mind, a question he never had a chance to ask. He figured now was as good a time as any to ask. "What is Omen's ritual, exactly?" He asked Cyrus. "Why does he even want to do all of this?"
Everyone kept quiet, as if they too wanted to hear the answer to the question. Cyrus then resumed. "You know how the Skylands are just one realm among many that exist, right?" Cyrus asked trying to lay down a foundation for his explanation. "Well, Omen, I think you can all deduce, isn't from around here. That pile of trash he uses as a body? That's not even what he really looks like." He said, surprising Spyro. He for one though the concept of garbage fit the villian quite well.
"And that cage that he uses as a head? It's actually a miniature dimensional rift. It's what allows him to interact with this world." Cyrus continued explaining. "He told me, he found a way into the Skylands during the peak of the Great War, where the balance of good and evil was being constantly tipped back and forth, which allowed him to send a tiny piece of himself here. Appearing in this period allowed him to go very easily unnoticed while he built up his strength." Cyrus explained.
"The ritual he aims to complete, requires a dragon linked to each of the essential elements from this world." Cyrus continued. "Once he gets these dragons, he can tear the very fabric of this world apart and create a rift between the Skylands and whatever infernal place he comes from, which will let his true form cross over here. And then…" Cyrus paused and darkened. "Nothing will be able to stop him."
"Wait, his true form?" Jet-Vac suddenly asked, making Cyrus turn around to face him. "What is that supposed to mean? That we've been fighting a projection of Omen all this time?"
"Yes." Cyrus answered simply. "His true form is much more powerful than his host body here, but it's in his world and he can't come to the Skylands himself without the ritual." He continued. "That's why we need to get the Knights of Solitude and Cynder away from him and destroy his ritual chamber, that way he won't be able to cross over himself and become more powerful than we can handle."
"Okay, So the plan is-" Spyro began. "We go to Maraino Castle, we push through Enumat and his cyclop goons, rescue Cynder, release the Knights of Solitude and destroy that guy's ritual chamber?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Cyrus responded with a sideways nod.
"So where is this Maraino Castle?" Malefor asked eagerly. "We must move to rescue Cynder at once!"
"Listen, pal." Eruptor interjected. "We care about Cynder as much as you do, maybe even a little more." He said, making Malefor give a low growl. "But we can't just charge in blind."
"Since when do you give level-headed advice?" Pop Fizz asked confused.
"Since always! Shut up!" Eruptor responded, offended causing Pop Fizz to give a quiet giggle.
"Well, before we get to that." Kaossandra stepped in. "We need to tend to the wounded Skylanders here." She said, looking at the Skylanders knocked out by Omen's assault on the Academy. "We suffered greatly from that monster's attack. Besides, we need time to properly prepare ourselves for this battle."
"Ugh, you are all wasting time!" Malefor complained. "My daughter's safety is at risk here!"
"Your daughter will be fine." Cyrus said. "Omen will not hurt her until he gets his hands on Spyro."
This made Malefor roll his eyes and growl again, but he did not speak further.
"I'll get what remains of the Healing Elixir from the Relics Room to help the wounded Skylanders." Kaossandra stated. "Meanwhile, you all better start to set differences aside and think of a way to defeat that living trash mound." Kaossandra said as she turned around and headed into the Academy.
At that Spyro turned his head to Malefor, who stared down at him. He wasn't eager to work with the sworn enemy to his dragon kind, but he was much more willing to work with him than against him. So with a deep breath, Spyro spoke. "Malefor. I told you this once before, a long time ago." He began, remembering his previous encounters with the dragon king. "I told you, we didn't have to be enemies. I still believe that can be true." He paused, gauging Malefor's reaction to his words. "Do you?" He asked, expecting the worst.
Malefor did not answer immediately. He kept his eyes on Spyro and lowered his head, getting closer to the Skylander. "I told you this once before, a long time ago." Malefor repeated Spyro's words. "You are brave, boy. I simply can't bring myself to take that from you. But, you're a fool as well." Malefor added. "I'm not about to forgive you for taking my daughter away from me and setting her on the path I specifically did not want for her." He snarled, actually making Spyro shrink and take a step back from the massive dragon. "But." Malefor picked up. "For her sake… I'm willing to tolerate you."
Spyro was actually taken back by Malefor's reaction. He was expecting a few more insults, maybe a fireball or two, but never toleration. He just didn't know how to react, he was actually unable to move, so he just stared blankly at Malefor, unblinking.
"Ok, you'll have to stop that. And never do it again." Malefor commanded suddenly, a nervous expression in his face as he quickly glanced away from Spyro.
"Dude, you're creeping everyone out." Cyrus whispered to Spyro's ear, snapping him out of his shocked state.
"Oh, sorry." Spyro said, shaking his head wildly, getting into focus. "Now then, anyone have any ideas as to how we're going to this thing?" Spyro asked, looking around his companions.
"Well, since Cyrus is our current informant." Jet-Vac began. "I believe, we should listen to his input." He stated.
"Psssh, Whatever." Eruptor grumbled as he crossed his arms and looked away.
"If the boy truly knows what he says he knows." Malefor began. "Then he should speak."
Everyone then looked at Cyrus expectantly, waiting for the indigo dragon to speak. However, he remained silent, glancing between everyone rapidly while remaining motionless. Spyro knew exactly what was going on, mostly from experience. Stage Fright. So, when Cyrus glanced at Spyro, the purple dragon gave him a soft smile and a thumbs up. "You got this." He mouthed.
At that, Cyrus gave a small smile back before swallowing hard and speaking up. "Very well then." Cyrus began. "I just want to warn everyone that this is going to be quite difficult." He stated. "There will be many challenges once we reach Maraino Castle. But… I actually have a little bit of a plan." He said, smiling a little wider.
"Ok, here's what everyone has to do."
Enumat was contemplating the landscape. He had his arms crossed over his chest and had a wide grin on his face.
"Man, this is the best promotion ever!" Enumat started with a small chuckle.
The hulking cyclop was looking down at the ash-covered, barren field and darkened sky before him. The whole area before the huge castle Omen had brought him and his legion to was not outstanding from the rest of the Outlands, but this particular patch of land did have a couple of small hills and boulders before the castle walls. The castle itself looked like something out of a ghost story. It was really big, much bigger than the Main Hall Enumat had before his promotion and was actually big enough for all of his boys to fit inside without piling everyone on top of each other, which was a huge improvement. The particular tower Enumat was standing on was rather close to the main gate to the castle, like a watch post.
"Welp! I think I should stop procrastinating." Enumat acknowledged. "I gotta keep the eye on the boss' dragons!" Enumat stated as he began to head to the prisoner's cell, whistling to himself as he went. "Maybe I'll punch something on the way there, my hands are getting sore."
Stealth Elf gave out a low groan as she opened her eyes sluggishly. She felt she was laying down on the cushions of a couch and as she began to lift herself off her back, she noticed she was in the Academy common room.
"Hey, Elfy." A warm voice spoke from behind Stealth Elf.
She turned her head to look behind her, trying to see who had called her. "Spyro?" Stealth Elf called her friend's name as the purple dragon walked over to her. "What happened?" She asked, grabbing the back of her head, which pulsated with a light, throbbing pain.
"You got knocked out." Spyro explained. "And…" He paused, looking down, his expression darkening. "Omen... He took Cynder."
"What!?" Stealth Elf asked suddenly, making Spyro give a panicked jump.
"Don't worry though!" Spyro said comfortingly, raising his paws to simer Stealth Elf down. "We have a plan, and some new allies!" Spyro announced.
"New allies?" Stealth Elf inquired. "Who are they?"
Spyro swallowed hard and looked to his side after the question. He then kept silent as he fidgeted with his paws, clearly not wanting to tell Stealth Elf something, which made her concerned and press Spyro harder.
"Spyro. Who are they?" She demanded.
"Cyrus and Malefor." Spyro whispered quickly.
"Cyrus and Malefor!?" Stealth Elf shouted, feeling like she wanted to pass out again.
"Yeah, they wouldn't have been my first call either." Spyro said with a nervous chuckle. "But we need any help we can get and well, they stepped up."
Stealth Elf gave Spyro and incredulous look. "Spyro. Are you sure, they aren't going too, oh, I don't know, backstab us!?" She asked concerned.
"I'm sure." Spyro answered with an unwavering tone, giving Stealth Elf a confident look.
She wasn't eager, she wasn't sure this was even a good idea, but, reluctantly and with a long sigh, acknowledging their situation, Stealth Elf spoke. "If you trust them." She began. "I'll try to do the same."
"Thanks, Elfy." Spyro said softly, giving her a wide smile and a quick hug, which startled Stealth Elf, making her unable to hug back in time before Spyro pulled away. "Now. We actually need you to come with me." He stated. "We have a plan we need to fill you in on!" He said, before taking flight and flying out of the common room.
"Augh, speed demon." Stealth Elf scoffed at her friend leaving her behind, before getting up and walking to the Academy gates, which she opened slowly, revealing an unexpected scene.
Despite being warned of their presence by Spyro, Stealth Elf was still surprised by the sight of Cyrus and Malefor beside Eruptor, Jet-Vac, Pop Fizz, Spyro and a few other Skylanders. The villains were acting peacefully enough and didn't seem to pay her any mind. Malefor was standing on the isle before the Academy, probably due to his size while Cyrus was speaking to Jet-Vac and Pop-Fizz.
Stealth Elf couldn't help but frown and clench her fists at the sight of the indigo dragon. She began to try and walk further away from him. But then, Cyrus seemed to notice her and called her name, suddenly flying over to her, making her reluctantly stop.
"What do you want?" Stealth Elf demanded, not eager to speak to Cyrus.
"We will need you for the plan." Cyrus stated. "You'll be playing a rather important part." He explained.
"What will I be doing?" Stealth Elf asked, turning around, crossing her arms and looking at the indigo dragon.
"You can teleport, can't you?" Cyrus asked. "Can you teleport anyone else along with you?"
"Two people." Stealth Elf answered quickly.
"How far away can you teleport?" Cyrus asked, just as quickly.
"About thirty meters." Stealth Elf responded.
"Awsome. Goodbye." Cyrus said with his usual, fake-looking smile, before taking flight and leaving Stealth Elf exasperated.
"Jerk." Stealth Elf whispered as she resumed walking, trying to locate Spyro.
After a few wandering looks, Stealth Elf managed to find the purple dragon speaking to Sprocket over at the Portal Gates. She then moved to try and speak to him, however, she saw as Cyrus flew over and landed beside Spyro. And just like that, she was suddenly not so eager to go speak with her friend.
However, Spyro turned around and noticed Stealth Elf. "Hey, Elf! Come over here!" He invited cheerfully, as if the sarcastic jerk beside him wasn't so much trouble. "Did, Cyrus fill you in on the plan?" He asked.
"Not really." Stealth Elf answered unenthusiastically as she reluctantly approached the two dragons.
"Really?" Spyro asked surprised, tilting his head and then turning it to Cyrus. "Well, I guess we can fill you in together!" Spyro suggested in a jolly tone.
"That would be great." Stealth Elf said, trying her best to not sound sarcastic and pop Spyro's bubble.
"Alright, so." Spyro began. "Since Omen has Cynder in this place called Maraino Castle, which is guarded by Enumat and the Knights of Solitude, we're going to need to split up a little bit to maneuver around Omen and all his baddies." He explained.
"The best way to do that." Cyrus picked up. "Is to draw as many of them out of the castle as we can and then have a small group sneak in unnoticed."
"Which is where you come in." Spyro interjected, pointing at Stealth Elf. "With all of your cool ninja training and your teleporting, combined with Cyrus' knowledge on the inside of the castle, we can find Cynder and shut down Omen's ritual while Enumat and his goons are distracted!"
As Stealth Elf ran the plan so far through her head, she concluded it was rather solid. However, she was not very happy about having to go behind enemy lines with Cyrus of all people. So, she voiced her concern, as innocently as possible. "Will anyone else be going with me and Cyrus?" She asked.
"I will!" Spyro announced making Stealth Elf feel slightly relieved. "Us three will sneak inside of Omen's castle to rescue Cynder and ruin his plans!"
Stealth Elf was convinced with the plan so far, but then, she noticed something didn't fit in. "How will we draw Enumat and his cyclops out?" Stealth Elf asked.
"They will answer to the king's call." Cyrus said cryptically, making Stealth Elf give him a confused look.
"Yes. They will." A rough, gravelly voice said behind Stealth Elf as a large shadow loomed over her.
She turned around and tilted her head up at Malefor, who was smiling sinsterly at them. "You'll draw them out?" Stealth Elf asked in a small voice as the dragon king focused his eyes on her.
"Do you doubt me, child?" Malefor questioned with a low growl, which made Stealth Elf unconsciously take step back and start shaking slightly, which in turn, made Malefor give a small chuckle before walking away, making Stealth Elf exhale with relief.
"He's funny." Cyrus said with a small chuckle of his own. "Anyway." He picked up, turning to Stealth Elf. "If what you told me about you capabilities is true, then we can all get into the castle from a rather safe distance. The trick will be navigating through and finding Cynder as well as leaving. This is because the castle is quite large and has magic in place that allows people to enter through magical means, but prevents them from leaving, like one massive trap." Cyrus explained.
"So, once we get inside, we won't be able to just teleport out or use our badges." Spyro added. "So, we'll need to be careful about how we move around in there while everyone else buys us time by drawing the One Eyed Legion and the Knights of Solitude out and keeping them busy."
"Alright." Stealth Elf began, nodding along to the dragons' explanation. "So, once we get this done, we rescue Cynder and trample all of Omen's lackeys, right?"
"That's the plan." Spyro stated. "We also have a little bit of a time limit." He added. "Omen will be waiting for me on Breathless Hollow until the end of the day, so that means we have to get this done before sundown".At that comment, Stealth Elf unconsciously took a look at the sky. The sun was starting to fall and she guessed they only had a few hours before sun down.
"Okay, so when do we leave? And how will we get to Maraino Castle?" Stealth Elf asked.
"You all have your Relay Badges, don't you?" Cyrus asked. "Using the coordinates I have for Maraino Castle, you'll use them to reach the clearing before the castle walls so you're friends can create a proper distraction. Then we'll use your teleportation to get in from there."
"Who's going to do the distraction?" Stealth Elf asked.
"Omen wounded a lot of you guys." Spyro began. "Even with the Healing Elixir, we were unable to heal all of you, so, only Eruptor, Jet-Vac, Pop Fizz will be in charge of the distraction."
"And Malefor?" Stealth Elf asked. "How will he get there? Aren't Relay Badges a little small for him or something?"
"He can use undead magic." Spyro stated. "It lets him reach hidden places and allows him to cross through great distances quickly because of his connection to the Underworld." He explained.
Stealth Elf walked herself through this plan. It really seemed to be their best shot at getting Cynder back and at defeating Omen. She wasn't sure about the parts where they worked alongside villains, but she guessed she had no choice. So she took a deep breath, flushing her concerns out.
"Alright." Stealth Elf began. "Whenever you're ready."
Spyro was standing on the Portal Gates beside his friends and Cyrus. He took a deep breath. This was going to be their most dangerous and important mission since their battle against Strykore and Kaos in the Core of Light. Just like then, the stakes were quite possibly the entire Skylands' safety. But this time, it was different, more personal. Omen had taken this too far when he took Cynder, when he tortured Cyrus, when he brainwashed the Knights of Solitude.
"Everyone, has their Relay Badges ready?" Sprocket asked out loud as she input the coordinates Cyrus had given her for Maraino Castle on the Portal Gates' monitor.
"Everyone is ready." Spyro stated. "Whenever you are Sprocket." He said with a firm nod.
At that, Sprocket returned the nod and made the final preparations to send the Skylanders away.
Spyro wasn't going to allow that monster to keep getting away with this. He was going to make sure to stop him, no matter what. Then, Spyro felt the Gates send him across the Skylands in an intense flash of white light.
After a few seconds, Spyro felt as he touched down on solid ground once again and as the white light of the Portal Gates dispersed, he was able to take a look around himself. The landscape was familiar to Spyro. The ash covered ground, the dark grey sky, the sharp boulders sprouting out of the ground here and there all across waving hills was immediately reminiscent of the Outlands. They were here.
All of his fellow Skylanders were standing around him. Spyro looked around, trying to find a particular person. After looking over to a hill nearby, Spyro spotted Cyrus, looking at the horizon beside a large jagged boulder. Spyro walked over to him, lifting small tufts of ash under his paws as he trotted over.
"Cyrus?" Spyro called as he approached the indigo dragon. "Where is the-" He was about to ask about the location of the castle, but as his eyes wandered to where Cyrus was staring at, he was stunned by the answer to his question.
Maraino Castle was enormous, definitely larger than Kaossandra's old castle. It was made of gray stone bricks and was situated on the center of the gargantuan island and across a long, ash-covered field from the Skylanders. It had two massive towers, joined together by a huge arching bridge. The top of these towers were decorated with spiky purple tiles and white, jagged spikes. There were also no windows on these towers, which Spyro found quite strange. Blocking any other details of the castle and standing tall before the Skylanders, stood the imposing outer wall, which had a massive metal gate below a small watchtower which had a lookout window facing the Skylanders and was similarly decorated to the two massive constructs behind it.
As the rest of the Skylanders walked up the small hill to join the two dragons, they all gasped in astonishment at the view of the castle.
Spyro swallowed hard at the view of the castle. "Man, Omen really knows how to pick these places doesn't he?" He joked nervously.
"He has a good agent." Cyrus explained simply, making Spyro give him a sideways glance. "In any case. That, is Maraino Castle." He stated, pointing at the imposing bastion in front of them. "Omen must have Cynder held in one of those towers-" He gestured at the conjoined structures. "Stealth Elf will have to get us in near the outer wall-" He gestured at the impotent grey barrier. "While you all-" He gestured at the Skylanders. "Keep the bad guys entertained while we go inside and find Cynder."
"Question!" Pop Fizz said, raising his hand above his head.
"What's your question?" Cyrus asked, turning his gaze to Pop Fizz.
"Where's Malefor?" Pop Fizz asked simply.
The realization hit Spyro suddenly. The undead dragon king was nowhere to be found.
"Oh, great!" Eruptor shouted, flinging his arms in the air. "So the bad guy didn't show up! What a surprise!"
"He'll show up." Spyro began. "He wouldn't just leave Cynder here."
"And how do you know that?" Eruptor questioned, looking at Spyro expectantly.
"He doesn't trust us to get her out ourselves." Spyro explained simply, making Eruptor give out a low grumble and cross his arms, but stop his arguing.
"Alright, now." Spyro picked up, turning his head toward the sky over Maraino Castle, noticing the sun was starting to get closer and closer to the horizon, signaling their dwindling time. "Elfy, Cyrus? Where do we go in?" He asked, looking at the layout of the outer wall, trying to figure out a good access point.
"If her teleportation range is thirty meters." Cyrus started up. "The best way to access would be through the right flank of the wall. Over there." Cyrus stated, gesturing at a small jagged boulder that had two large spikes which was positioned a fair distance away from the wall on the right side of the structure.
"Right, then let's get going!" Spyro exclaimed, eager to get the plan underway.
"Wait!" Cyrus interjected. "We can only go inside once your friends draw the One Eyed Legion out." He stated. "It's the only way we'll be able to go around unnoticed."
"Oh, alright." Spyro said, deflating slightly. He then turned to his other friends. "Guys, do you have any idea of what you're going to do when the bad guys come after you?" He asked concerned.
"Uhhhh." Eruptor began shakily, giving worried glances to Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz. "We'll improvise." He said simply after a nervous chuckle.
"Well alright." Spyro said, turning around, gazing at Maraino Castle. "Everyone knows what to do. So, let's get going." He said, taking flight toward the spot Cyrus had recommended.
The purple dragon was then followed by Cyrus and Stealth Elf, all three figures traveling silently, trying to remain unnoticed by potential scouts as they got ready for their infiltration.
Eruptor was sweating bullets. He hated this plan. He hated his part to play in it, he hated the idea of Cyrus going with his friends inside the enemy base and he hated having to wait on Malefor of all people to make the whole thing work. And as Eruptor walked through the ash-covered meadow, slowly up to the front of the imposing grey brick wall and iron gates beneath the looming watchtower in front of him, Eruptor could simply not bring himself to do more than sweat. He felt like lightheaded.
"It's alright chap." Jet-Vac said suddenly as he walked beside Eruptor. "We've gotten out of worse." He spoke in what Eruptor assumed was a reassuring voice, but the small squeaks and the occasional egg dropping from the senior Skylander's rear made his words very ineffective at soothing Eruptor in the slightest.
"Uh, Jet-Vac, no to sound pessimistic or anything." Pop-Fizz interjected. "But when have we ever gotten out of something worse that this?" He asked, gesturing at the massive bastion in front of them.
"Stry...kore?" Jet-Vac suggested meekly as the three Skylanders came to a stop a few meters away from the massive iron gates to the castle.
As all three of them panned their heads to contemplate the structure before them, Eruptor just couldn't keep it in anymore.
The magma Skylander bent over and hurled out a small puddle of bright gooey lava, which made the other Skylanders give disgusted exclamations and step away from Eruptor and his fiery puke.
"Sorry." Eruptor managed to say as he straightened out and recovered. "But does anyone else feel that this whole plan is a bust? I mean, how do they expect us to call any sort of attention out here?" He asked gesturing at the massive gates in front of the Skylanders.
"Well…" Jet-Vac began slowly as he turned his head over to the looming watchtower above the gates in front of them. "I might have and idea." He said as he drew his vac gun.
Eruptor watched as Jet-Vac aimed his weapon up the tower before speaking. "You and I are going to shoot it at once, since Pop Fizz can't throw that far.." Jet-Vac stated. "That ought to bring at least a few of them out… hopefully." He added in an undertone.
Not being able to think of a better plan, Eruptor raised his arms and aimed at the tower. "Do we aim at the top or the middle?" Eruptor asked.
"The middle." Jet-Vac answered. "We can do the most damage that way." He explained.
At that, Eruptor took aim for the middle of the tower, a certain spot he thought looked a little worn down in comparison to the rest. "On three?" Eruptor suggested.
"On three." Jet-Vac agreed.
Then, both Skylanders slowly began to count up to three in unison. "One… two… three!" They both shouted as they fired their attacks at the tower.
Eruptor saw as his projectiles and Jet-Vac's shot all the way up to the tower and crashed violently against the worn-down spot Eruptor had noticed. Apparently Jet-Vac had noticed this spot as well. After a loud bang and a fiery blast, Eruptor saw as a large hole was now gaping on the middle of the tower. But then, Eruptor heard something crack. He focused on the tower to notice that there was now a large web of cracks that were spreading out form the hole the two Skylanders had created. After a few seconds, Eruptor saw as the tower began to slowly crumble, tumbling down.
"Uhhh, guys?" Pop Fizz began. "Isn't that gonna fall down?" He asked concerned.
The tower was indeed falling down, and seemed to be heading toward them. This triggered Eruptor's flight or fight response. The stubby magma Skylander suddenly turned around and began running hurriedly away, leaving his friends behind.
"Hey, Eruptor!" Pop Fizz exclaimed as he and Jet-Vac also began to run away. "Don't leave us behind!"
However, Eruptor didn't stop running, he merely peekd behind himself and saw his friends running away from the crumbling tower that was about to crash on top of them. Then, with a thunderous sound and a mighty impact that made Eruptor stumble to the ground, the watchtower crashed onto the ground, just beside the Skylanders, kicking up a massive cloud of ash as it did.
Eruptor coughed harshly as the ash settled on top of him and he tried to get of the ground. As he did, he tried to get the grey ash of his back before searching for his friends. "Guys? Where are you?" He called, his vision slowly becoming clearer as the ash began to settle revealing the fallen tower to Eruptor's side.
"We're alright!" Jet-Vac's voice answered. "Just stay where you are! Wait for the ash to disperse!"
Eruptor heeded his friend's advice. He stayed in his place, looking around through the slowly dissipating ash. After a few moments, Eruptor could see clearly enough to spot Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz standing a few meters away from him.
"Guys!" He called, waving his arms at them, trying to get their attention. The two Skylanders reacted to Eruptor's call and spotted him rather quickly, hurrying over to him.
"Well, that was a mess." Jet-Vac said in a down tone as he reached Eruptor. The ash around them had completely dissipated by the time Jet-Vac continued. "Do you think that called their attention?" He asked as he turned around to look at the iron gates.
"I don't know." Pop Fizz interjected. "Cyrus or the guys haven't signaled anything" He said, making Eruptor glance over to the jagged rock to their left, the one Stealth Elf, Spyro and Cyrus were hiding behind, waiting for them to draw the bad guys out. "And well, nobody is answering." Pop Fizz picked up, gesturing at the still closed iron gates.
Eruptor was about to give out a stressed groan, but, a loud metallic noise interrupted him. Eruptor noticed that, with a sonorous scraping, the huge iron gates had started opening, slowly sliding apart. However, the gates only opened partly, only enough to allow a couple of people to cross through side by side.
Eruptor got his guard up, followed by his fellow Skylanders as three shadowy figures crossed through the narrowly opened gates. After the three figures crossed out to the ashen meadow, the iron gates behind them closed once again. Eruptor could hardly make the figures apart, because they all seemed to be made out of pure darkness that swallowed the dim light that shone over them, they all also had their heads hanging low, making their eyes barely visible. Swallowing hard, Eruptor conjured images of the Knights of Solitude.
However, these featureless figures were more humanoid. They walked on two legs and all three of them were rather tall. But, Eruptor could make out a couple of features that set the figures apart. They were all walking in a triangular formation. The one that was leading the formation looked rather familiar. It was slim in figure and had a strange headwear. The figure's eyes were round and expressionless, glowing with a crystalline brown light. The figure's hands were also glowing, however they glowed a dim golden light and Eruptor noticed that the fingers ended in sharp claws.
The two figures behind the leader were actually a little taller and much burlier. They also had a single bulging eye, which glowed a vibrant green. Another distinguishing feature these figures had, was their equipment. They had spiky, golden shoulder pads and chest plates for armor. They also had similarly decorated morning stars, which they wielded with both hands. The gilded equipment shone in sinister contrast to the perfect darkness of the one-eyed figures' bodies. However, Eruptor also found those figures familiar. He was almost sure he had seen those two cyclops before.
"Those aren't too many bad guys." Jet-Vac began while he got into battle stance as the three figures silently lined up side by side in front of them, with the leader in the middle, all still with their heads down. "I guess we'll just have to show them we mean business." He said while he lifted his vac gun at one of the one-eyed figures as he positioned himself to Eruptor's right, while Pop Fizz did the same on his left.
Then, with a disturbingly sudden movement, the three figures lifted their heads in sync, their empty, glowing eyes fixated on the Skylanders. The disturbingly coordinated motion, trademark of the Knights of Solitude made Eruptor get goosebumps.
"Alright you creeps!" Eruptor shouted, trying to shake off his nerves. "Who wants some!?" He dared boldly, making his friends take aim at the figures.
Then, as if to answer, the two one-eyes figures broke into a sudden sprint, charging at the Skylanders dragging their gilded weapons behind them, ready to do swig them at the Skylanders.
"Uh, oh." Eruptor said simply as he tried to back away from the charging figures, firing his flaming projectiles at them as he did.
As Eruptor fired, so did Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz. The three Skylanders launched a barrage of projectiles at their charging enemies, but, to their unpleasant surprise, they did almost nothing to wound them. The many projectiles that clashed against the figures' gilded armor and dark features seemed to have no effect, as the two enemies simply forged through and were now close enough to swing at the Skylanders with their shining weapons.
Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz were quite a bit faster than Eruptor. They managed to jump out of the way of the incoming swings. However, Eruptor himself, was a little slow to react. As the two figures got close enough, they came to a sliding stop, swinging their morning stars upward from behind them.
Then, Eruptor felt two spiky metal spheres crash against his face, lifting him off the ground out of the sheer strength behind them. The magma Skylander was knocked off his feet and flung several feet through the air, landing roughly on his back, kicking up a large puff of ash as he did.
"Man, I really felt that." Eruptor groaned in pain as he tried to get up and see what was going on.
The first thing he saw was a golden ball coming down on top of him. So with a frightened yelp, Eruptor rolled to his right, narrowly avoiding the falling morning star swing from one of the one-eyed figures. Eruptor then hurriedly tried to back off, releasing firebolts at his looming enemy. However, the flaming projectiles crashed almost harmlessly against the figure's body. Then, with a quick sideways swing, the figure slammed it's morning star against Eruptor's side, knocking the Skylander to the ground once again.
"Okay, that's enough!" Eruptor roared as he got on his feet once again and released a stream of searing magma from his mouth. The stream, fell short in front of him, but it created a large puddle of red-hot lava, which was enough to make the one-eyed figure in front of him to back off and give Eruptor a breather.
Using the time he had bought for himself, Eruptor looked around, trying to see what was going on. He saw that the leading figure had stayed in its place since the battle started. It was simply staring at Eruptor in perfect silence, which slightly crept him out. Then, Eruptor looked over to his friends. He saw they were having just as hard a time as him. The figure they were fighting was swinging it's morning star around as it chased Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz. The two Skylanders were trying to fire their projectiles at the figure, but similarly to Eruptor's situation,, they were not doing much. On the other hand, the figure was swinging it's gilded weapon in mighty overhead swings so powerful they blowed up small clouds of ash as the Skylanders narrowly avoided the attacks.
Then, Eruptor was drawn back into the heat of the moment when his own figure jumped over the puddle he had created, its morning star tensed up behind it, ready to land between Eruptor's eyes. So, quickly rolling out of the way, Eruptor avoided the figure's mighty ground pound which kicked up a huge cloud of grey ash, which obstructed Eruptor's view of the figure and his friends.
Eruptor raised his arms and aimed at the cloud of in front of him, but didn't fire. He wasn't sure if he would hit his friends, he couldn't bring himself to take that risk. So, frustrated, he shouted. "Show yourself!" As if the virtually inanimate figure would respond.
However, to Eruptor's surprise, it did. The figure jumped out of the ash cloud with blinding speed, tackling Eruptor and slamming the long hilt of it's gilded weapon against the Skylander's face, knocking him to the ground. Once Eruptor was on his back on the ash-covered floor, he could feel the figure press the hilt of it's weapon across Eruptor's face, preventing him from getting up. The figure's empty glowing eye was fixated on Eruptor, not showing any emotion on sign of conscience as it tried to squeeze the life out of him using its weapons hilt.
"Get off!" Eruptor shouted, trying to lift the figure's hilf off his face using both of his arms. But it was no use. It was almost as if Eruptor wasn't even struggling. The hilt kept slowly pressing against his face, making him unable to move and it was really starting to hurt. "Get off!" Eruptor repeated as he started kicking and squirming, still unable to get the figure off him, barely making it react at all to what he was doing. If anything, the more Eruptor struggled the harder the figure pressed, all while it's vibrant green eye remained expressionless, still fixated on Eruptor.
So, in frustration and despair, Eruptor let go of the golden hilt with one of his arms. "Get off!" Eruptor shouted at the top of his lungs while he swung his smoldering fist right at the figure's face.
Then, after Eruptor felt his fist slam against the moist surface of the figure's eye, the Skylander felt as the pressure on his face was suddenly relieved and he then saw as the figure on top of him bent back and stood up, it's head and arms twitching uncontrollably as it took several steps back from Eruptor, clawing desperately at it's head, which now had thin streams of smoke emerging from it. Despite looking like it was in great pain, no sound came from the figure
As Eruptor got up, knocking the figure's weapon off him and rubbing his pained face he came to a conclusion, which was strengthened by the figure's reaction to having it's eye damaged. "That's their weak spot." Eruptor said with a mischievous smile. "Alright tough guy, how do you like this!" He shouted as he fired two firebolts aimed at the figure's head.
Even if it wasn't intended, the timing was perfect. Just as the figure started to compose itself and lower it's hands, Eruptor's firebolts crashed against its face, causing the figure to bend over and start to convulse once again.
"Rule of three I guess." Eruptor said as he began to charge toward the twitching figure. With a powerful jump, Eruptor leaped into the air due to the height difference between him and the figure. Then with a flaming uppercut, he magma Skylander ran his fist through the figure's face, getting its hands out of the way and reaching its oversized glowing eye.
Then, as Eruptor landed on the ground. He saw as the figure slowly began to fall backwards to the ground. When it landed on it's back, it kicked up a small puff of ash while it remained unmoving, thin streams of smoke still emerging from it's now closing green eye. however, after a few seconds, something strange happened to the figure. It's black body began to shimer under it's golden armor and suddenly, the darkness that covered it began to dissipate slowly, like mist, revealing something that made Eruptor gasp. He had seen this cyclop once before. When he first met Enumat, the purple cyclop had two bodyguards. Two heavily armored, burly cyclops. By the looks of it, they had received a promotion, Omen style.
Then, something came into Eruptor's mind. "The guys!" He reminded himself.
At that, Eruptor looked around for his friends. He saw that their situation had not improved. In fact, as Eruptor saw the remaining figure slam it's golden weapon against Jet-Vac's ribcage, sending sprawling back onto his back as he landed roughly on the ashen ground, the magma Skylander concluded things were going a little worse for them.
So, Eruptor fired two projectiles at the figure's back, trying to shift its focus from his friends to him. As the two firebolts connected with the figure's back, Eruptor assumed he had succeeded, for the figure slowly turned around and stared vacantly at him.
"Guys!" Eruptor called as the figure began to slowly walk toward him. "Their eye is their weak spot! Aim for their eye!" He said as he released another firebolt at the figure's head, aiming for the eye.
But, to Eruptor's surprise, the figure used it's morning star to knock the fiery projectile out of the way, before charging at Eruptor with a sudden burst of speed. However, before it could get close enough, the figure came to an abrupt stop.
"Don't turn your back on us!" Jet-Vac shouted from behind the figure, which then began to slowly turn around to face the senior Skylander.
Taking his chance, Eruptor jumped into the air once again. With another flaming uppercut, Eruptor struck the figure's eye, causing it to suddenly swing it's morning star frantically around it with one hand, while it covered its eye with its remaining hand.
As it slowly calmed down, the figure was struck by an explosive potion, courtesy of Pop Fizz. The attack was then followed up by Jet-Vac, who fired a blast of air from his vac-gun at the figure's eye which caused the figure to suddenly go stiff and slowly tumble backward and fall roughly on its back. Then, just like the other, the darkness over the figure began to shimmer and disperse, revealing the green cyclop beneath.
"Well, that was… memorable." Jet-Vac said between exhausted breaths.
"That's one way to put it." Eruptor said as he exhaled sharply and looked over to the last remaining figure. "And it's not even over yet."
The Skylanders all then slowly turned over to face the last figure, the leader. The slim figure looked at the Skylanders vacantly. Then, it set it's hands to its sides. As it did, the golden glow on the figure's hands got significantly more intense. And then, the figure began to take slow, steady steps toward the Skylanders.
Just having come out of being smacked around by the two cyclops, Eruptor was not in optimal shape to fight what he safely assumed was an even more powerful enemy. But he wasn't going to stand down. He couldn't afford to fail today, so he raised his arms and took aim, ready to give his best, and his last.
But then, a strange, unworldly sound came from behind Eruptor. The sound was followed by a huge draft of air which clashed against Eruptor's back and almost knocked him off his feet.
Trying to get a sense of what was going on, Eruptor tried regaining his balance and turning around, to where the whole rukus had come from. When he did, he jaw fell limp as his eyes went round.
Emerging from a massive, red, swirling portal, Eruptor saw a huge winged shape fly toward him. He saw as in one fell swoop, Malefor landed in front of the Skylanders and with a swift motion, he opened his fanged jaws and snapped them around the figure the Skylanders were about to face, devouring it in one bite.
After slowly swallowing, the undead dragon king spoke in a smug voice as he licked his lips "Savory."
Eruptor slowly began to back away from the massive dragon before calling his name. "Malefor! You came!" He shouted with an unexpectedly relieved tone.
"Of course I came." Malefore began, turning his head toward Eruptor. "Did you really expect me to leave something like this up to you? Hah! Don't make me laugh." He spat as he turned his head toward Maraino Castle.
"Huh, Spyro was right." Eruptor sighed. "Well, at least he's here to help." He grumbled as he walked closer to the iron gates he had distanced himself from during his fight against the figures.
"Well, your highness?" Eruptor began as he noticed his fellow Skylanders walk up to him. "What are you going to do?" He asked Malefor.
Malefor stayed silent and still for a couple of seconds. Eruptor didn't press further because he didn't want to end up in Malefor's stomach. And his patience was rewarded when Malefor answered as a dangerous smile curled up his lips. "I'm just going to knock on their door."
At that, the huge dragon swayed his head back and held his breath, before swaying it forward and releasing a huge fireball, several times larger than Eruptor himself. The massive flaming projectile crashed against the iron gates. With a sonorous and smoky blast, the fireball blasted the gates open, revealing the inside of Maraino Castle.
"That should call their attention." Malefor said simply, standing proudly in his place.
Inside the castle Eruptor could see many large animal fur huts, scattered across a huge courtyard inside the castle before the entrance to the main bastion, from which the two massive towers rose up. The bastion itself was decorated menacingly, with several white jagged spikes emerging outward from the grey walls around the purple gates that would allow entry to the bastion keep. He guessed Spyro and the others would have to sneak inside rather quickly.
Then, Eruptor noticed that several small cyclops were starting to poke their heads out from the large huts, scanning the area with their individual, bloodshot eyes. After a couple of the one-eyed enemies noticed the damage to the castle gates, they yelped in surprise before putting their heads back in their tents and remaining silent for a couple of moments. Afterwards, from each of the many huts across the spacious courtyard. dozens upon dozens of cyclop began to emerge, roaring a shrill battle cry as the waved their weapons in the air while they charged at the Skylanders.
Eruptor felt his knees wobble slightly. "Those are a lot of cyclops." He said in a meek voice.
"They shall make a filling meal." Malefor said maliciously as he lowered his head and smiled, baring his cruel fangs.
"No use in trying to back down." Jet-Vac began. "This is the final push. We might as well give it our all." He said as he raised his vac-gun at the charging cyclops.
"Yeah, they want some? They can come get it!" Pop Fizz shouted as he began mixing several ingredients into a large beaker, which had a clear, transparent liquid inside. As the ingredients began mixing in the beaker, a strange green glow began to emanate from the liquid.
Eruptor then looked to his right, over to where the jagged rock his other friends were waiting behind. He smiled as he saw Stealth Elf and Spyro, rearing their heads and hands to wave at him, signaling they were all ready.
Not wasting any more time, Eruptor face the incoming horde of cyclops, standing his ground as they approached, waving their pickaxes, their spears and maces at him and his friends. But he didn't step back. He raised his arms and took aim, ready to fire.
As the cyclops got closer and closer, he couldn't help the anticipation. "Light 'em up!" He shouted as he released a volley of firebolts at the cyclops that were leading the charge. He had learned from his previous fight and aimed at the big, bulging eyeballs on his enemies' heads. As his projectiles hit their targets, the cyclops struck were knocked back into the ground.
The magma Skylander then saw his friends join in on the attack, firing their attacks the the cyclops, cutting their charge short. As all three Skylanders released their volley of projectiles against their enemies, they managed to cut down a few of the charging enemies, however, most of them were still going strong and were now getting really close to the Skylanders.
But then, Malefor's voice sounded above Eruptor. "Ah, poor amateurs." He said degradingly. After that, the dragon king took a deep breath and released a huge stream of blazing orange flames, that scorched all the cyclops getting close to the Skylanders.
After Malefor's flames died out, Eruptor could see he had cut down plenty of enemies in one attack. He was about to feel relieved, but he saw that there were still many cyclops on the field and they were now spreading further across, making taking too many of them out like Malefor had just done, more problematic. Eruptor also saw that more cyclops continued emerging from the huts inside the courtyard, almost as it the fur constructs had a cartoonish storing capacity. Then, he saw as several wizard-looking cyclops, wearing white and purple robes and wielding giant magnifying glasses were lining up on the tall, grey walls around the castle.
"Everyone!" Eruptor called. "Those ones can fire lasers!" He said, recalling his first encounter with the wizard-looking cyclops back when they were first going to Winter Keep a while ago.
"It matters little what they can do." Malefor began. "I shall cut all of them down!" He said with a villainous laugh as he fired another massive fireball at a small formation of robbed cyclops on the left side of the wall, blowing up part of the grey construct along with the one-eyed enemies.
"Man I don't think I realize how glad I should be he's on our side now" Eruptor thought to himself in concern as a small drop of sweat traveled down his temple.
Eruptor then looked at his friends and at his new ally. He then looked at the many incoming enemies. "We're ending this." He thought to himself. "We're ending this today!" He declared to himself as he got into battle position, ready to keep on fighting.
"This is the last straw!"
Author's notes
Well... that took a while didn't it? The second to last chapter. We're almost there everyone. The last chapter will come out soon, so keep an eye out!
-I still don't own Skylanders Academy
-One chapter left!
- WARNING... WARNING...
BOSS BATTLE INCOMING