Apex wasn't sure where this ranked on his list of all-time best/worst days, but it was absolutely on the list.
On the one paw, Null was having a terrible time. Running into Teneris was absolutely not something either of them had expected, and Null hadn't taken it well. Apex could understand his anger. He'd be angry too, if his father - wait no. Apex was pretty sure he would be the exact opposite of angry if Dolus just up and disappeared for ten years. But Null's situation was very different from his own, and Teneris leaving had made Null's life harder than it needed to be.
On the other paw, Cynder and Spyro were asking him to join them on a mission. Him! He was so excited he could barely contain it. He was walking down the street next to one of the two saviors of the world.
But we left Null behind. We left him behind and now he's going to be in trouble. We're a terrible friend.
He couldn't shake a feeling in his gut that he'd done something wrong.
Still, walking through the streets of Warfang was utterly new to him. He hadn't been paying attention earlier, but now that the sense of urgency was gone he could marvel at the sheer amount of people here. The sights and smells and sounds of the city were like a thousand different adventures happening right in front of him. He wanted to chase down every loose thread, learn everything there was to know about every person here; find the source of every new smell and try new foods. He wanted to climb every building just to see what the view was like from the top.
"Are you hungry? It's about lunch time, so I was thinking we might pick something up while we wait for Spyro."
Apex looked up at Cynder and opened his mouth to answer, only for his stomach to do that for him. He waited until it stopped complaining that it was empty, then spoke. "I'm pretty much always hungry."
"Hmm. I know that feeling." Cynder nodded. "Wind dragons tend to have a fast metabolism. Add in your active lifestyle and the fact that you're still growing and your metabolism is going into overdrive to feed your development. What sort of food are you hungry for?"
"Something with meat, otherwise I'm not picky. I don't really know what all my options are." Apex shrugged.
"Then let's go with pizza. I know a good place. This way." Cynder led Apex down the street and towards a large opening. Before Apex knew it, they were in the plaza.
It was a glorious sight, all those people moving in seemingly random directions. Dodging around the sets of tables and benches around the edges and milling in strange ways. Except it wasn't random, he could see the patterns of movement after a while. Like wind currents swirling and shifting around a central disturbance. That central disturbance was an enormous statue of Spyro and Cynder, regally standing atop a podium of white stone. A plaque on that podium declared them the heroes of the realm. Cynder grimaced at the sight of it, shaking her head and turning towards one of the many storefronts ringing the plaza.
A sign above the storefront declared it Mo's Pizza - which meant almost nothing to Apex but Cynder seemed set on heading inside. She pushed through the door and nodded to a mole standing behind a counter. "Mo, good to see you."
"Cynder! How fares one of my favorite customers?" The mole was stout like most of his species, with a well-groomed mustache adorning his face.
"I'm doing well. Just need to pick up something for my young friend here to eat. Could we have a meat lover's pizza?"
"One meat lover's coming right up!" Mo leaned back and shouted into a back room. Now that he was listening for it, Apex realized he could hear movement and talking back there. Mo returned his attention to Cynder. "It'll be with you shortly. Take a seat."
Cynder led Apex to a small table against one wall, where she sat down on a cushion put there for that purpose. Apex sat opposite, wrapping his tail around his paws.
There was a delicious smell coming from that back room, and it was all Apex could do to keep himself contained as his stomach rumbled. He looked around, taking note of the lamps that didn't emit smoke and the cool breeze coming from a vent in the ceiling.
"Why is it cooler in here than outside?" Apex asked.
"The moles, geniuses that they are, have set up an internal cooling system in most of the buildings in Warfang. It uses ice-element crystals as a power source, somewhere under the city, and they pipe it into buildings to keep the temperature comfortable," Cynder explained, "That said, most dragons tolerate hotter temperatures better than cold, so it's mostly for the more mammalian species." When Apex gave her a blank look, she elaborated. "Moles, cheetahs, atlawas, and other warm-blooded species. Ones with fur, usually. Arthropods, like dragonflies or grublins, don't like it much, since they're cold-blooded."
"Wait, there are grublins in Warfang?" Apex furrowed his brow.
"Grublins are surprisingly easy to rehabilitate if you can get them away from their leaders. They tend to be impressionable, so they see violence and then do violence. There's a whole tribe of grublins that have been integrated into Warfang's society, although they tend to live under the city in the sewers because that's where they're more comfortable." She paused, seeing Apex's confusion. "No species is totally evil. There are cruel members of any intelligent people, but they aren't the norm. Dragons aren't exempt just because we're longer-lived."
"...Huh." Apex looked down at the table. "I hadn't… thought of it like that."
"Most people aren't ever given a reason to. And it's hard to think that way. It takes a lot of effort to put yourself in the shoes of someone who lives a completely different life to you, especially if they've been antagonistic towards you in the past," Cynder said with a soft smile, "Part of what we're doing - that's Spyro, Teneris, Nos, Wormwood, Ida, Zepha, and I - is trying to encourage people to put effort into empathy. That's not to say that the others are necessarily antagonistic to our goals, but they don't have the same life experiences we do."
We're so callous. How could we do this? Stupid. Stupid!
Mo arrived with a wide metal plate at that point, carrying it above his head as he approached. Sitting on the plate was a circular dish composed of a large circle of cooked dough with melted cheese and all kinds of sausage and sliced meats on top. Apex could smell tomatoes, and spices that he couldn't identify in the mix. The mole set the plate on their table, and Cynder immediately twisted to reach a paw into a bag on her flank. She fished out a small pawful of gems and set them in Mo's hands.
"Thank you, Mo. Keep the change."
The mole nodded, then headed back towards the counter.
Apex stared at the enormous meal in front of him. He had to swallow to keep himself from drooling.
"Go ahead and eat," Cynder said with a laugh, "It's for you, after all."
He immediately began to dig in, pulling a triangular wedge from the dish as a whole and scarfing it down in moments. The mix of melted cheese, spicy meats, tomato sauce, and freshly cooked dough was one of the most amazing things he had ever eaten. He didn't even hesitate before pulling another slice from the pizza and eating that, too.
"If it's okay," Cynder began, causing Apex to pause mid-chew, "Could I ask you a couple of questions about what has happened to you?"
Apex nodded.
"Null said you fired purple lightning at the revenant. Was that the first time that's happened or…?" She left the question hanging.
"Y-" Apex swallowed to clear his mouth and speak clearly. "Yeah. That was the first time anything like that's happened. I don't really remember, though. There was just… a haze. I was half asleep, but Null was in trouble, so I acted on instinct."
I saved him.
"I see." Cynder nodded slowly. "This is a weird question, but bear with me. Have you been feeling… different from usual? More aggressive? Angrier? Discontent? Like someone's… watching you?"
"A bit more irritable, but otherwise I feel fine." Apex shrugged.
"Have you hurt anyone you didn't want to?"
Apex opened his mouth to say no, only to pause. "...One time. Me and Null found a giant purple crystal in a cave near our village. It was deep, deep underground. When we got closer I started feeling… weird. Then I blacked out for a moment. When I came to, I had tackled Null out of the sky and into the crystal. There was dark purple lightning arcing everywhere, so I think a bolt hit me? I don't really know. We got out of there as quickly as we could."
"Hmm… And Null negates magic…" Cynder stared into space for a bit, frowning. After a moment, she refocused on Apex. "You healed from dire injuries at a rapid rate, right? Broken wings, acid in your eyes, things like that?"
"Yeah, and I grew another set of wings." Apex nodded. "Why? Are they related?"
"They might be…" A contemplative look came over Cynder's face. "How are you feeling now? Are you happy with yourself? With what you've done?"
No. I'm awful.
"As long as Null is safe, I'm happy," Apex said.
Cynder looked at him for a little bit, then nodded. "Alright then. Sorry if I got invasive, I was… curious."
"Eh, it's not like I have anything to hide." Apex shrugged.
Yes you do.
"It was just… important that I ask," Cynder explained. She picked up the last piece of pizza - her first, Apex realized with a hint of guilt - and took a bite. Once she was done eating, she wiped her paws clean with a piece of paper on the table and stood up. "Come on, we should go wait where they can see us."
Cynder left the pizzeria with Apex close behind, and she took him to lay in the shade of the massive statue. This close, he could see a detail that hadn't been visible from afar. A dragonfly, to-scale rather than larger than life, hidden behind Spyro's horn. Cynder climbed up onto the podium the statue was on, sitting in the minimal space that the statue didn't take up. When Apex asked her if anyone would complain, she had a simple answer.
"The statue's of me, they'd better not."
And so they sat in the shade of the statue of three heroes, even though one was much less recognized than the other two. Heck, Apex only knew Sparx existed because Null had told him that some accounts of the war mentioned Spyro's brother from time to time. No details attached, but the mention was there.
Funny, Apex had always envisioned that the brother of the purple dragon would be taller.
Speaking of the purple dragon, Apex could see him through the crowd now. His golden horns were just taller than most other adult dragons, and given that a significant amount of the population weren't dragons at all, it was easy to spot him through the mass of people. Beside him was an earth dragon, brown-scaled with dark green highlights and wearing metal armor on his head and torso.
"Don't tell the guard about what we talked about," Cynder said suddenly, leaning down to whisper to him
"What, why?"
"I'll explain later. Just don't tell him about the purple lightning or the healing."
And just like that, she returned to lounging.
Sparx reached them well ahead of the other two dragons, buzzing right up to Cynder. "Hey, I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be climbing on public property."
"Really? That idea had never crossed my mind." Cynder hopped down, raising one brow as she looked at the dragonfly. "Could you perhaps tell me who this is a statue of?"
"You, Spyro, and I…?" Sparx looked at her like she had lost her mind.
"Right, so I belong on the podium."
Sparx opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. Then it seemed he had an idea, only to frown and scowl at Cynder. "You know, sometimes I really don't like how clever you are."
"I'm going to have to express my disagreement with you there, Sparx," Spyro said as he got closer.
"It would seem you've been outvoted," Cynder said, smirking. She turned her attention to Spyro and the guard. In a moment, her relaxed attitude was replaced with a serious facade. "Thank you for coming with us, Mica. I do hope we haven't interrupted anything important."
"The boss gave me the rest of the day off. Said if Spyro was coming to get me it had to be important," The earth dragon said, "If I might ask, what's the plan, exactly? All I've been told is that I need to verify something."
"Right. First, meet Apex." Cynder tilted her head towards Apex. "He arrived in Warfang earlier today with some rather dire news, as well as some good news. Apex, this is Mica. He was part of the group that the revenant… killed."
"Hi." Apex stood up, and immediately Mica's head snapped to look at his wings. "Yeah, four wings."
"...How?" Mica asked in bewilderment.
"Skin condition." If people were going to keep asking him questions he didn't have the answer to, he might as well take a page out of Null's book and make up absurd nonsense. "The good news is that the revenant's dead. Or at least, it might be the same one."
"Sk- wait what?" Mica scowled. "You didn't kill a revenant. Especially not the monster that killed the others."
Apex shrugged. "It was a weird skeleton thing with stone armor. It screamed. I don't know what else to say."
"Right, that's why we've asked you to verify it," Spyro said, before Mica could muster another denial. "If we could take this skyward?"
Mica frowned, but nodded. He took off, leaping into the air and taking flight quickly. He'd clearly done many take-offs in crowded areas before, based on the ease with which he did it, but Apex could do better. An instant updraft caught Apex's wings, taking him up above the city in an instant. He hovered for a moment, and was joined immediately by both Spyro and Cynder, who used the same technique to instantly gain height.
"Lead the way, I'll speed us up once we leave city limits," Cynder said, using wind magic to ensure her voice carried.
Apex nodded, then looked up. Sun was on the right so South was… this way. It wasn't exactly south, but it was close. His internal compass was pretty good, so he was reasonably sure he was facing the right way. All he needed to do was start flying.
As soon as they were past the city's walls, he heard Cynder say, "Sparx, you're going to want to hold on."
And then the wind around them warped, the air forming into a tunnel as they were propelled across the landscape.
Apex laughed out loud at the sheer speed. Mountains and forests blurred below them, details impossible to make out, both from motion blur and height. The exhilaration was unparalleled by any experience he could remember. Frictionless flight, crossing immense distances in moments.
I'm scared. Null… he's going to fall…
Apex almost missed the spot he had to stop them at, he was so excited. "Stop! It's here!"
Just as they went from normal flight to frictionless super-speed, they slowed back to normal flying speeds. Apex circled the area for a moment, searching for the spot where he'd fallen through the trees. He found it after a few moments, then plunged through the treeline. He halted his descent just above the ground with a gust of wind, then landed softly next to the crater where he'd hit the ground.
Spyro and Cynder descended a moment later, Sparx finally detaching from one of Spyro's horns. He shook himself, brushing his antennae back. "Not as bad as I was expecting."
"I can cause turbulence next time if you'd like," Cynder suggested.
"Please no." Spyro grimaced. "I'd prefer not to have any hiccups in the wind tunnel. Ever."
"...Yes, I'd have to agree," Cynder said with a sigh.
"Can you show me how to do that?" Apex asked excitedly, "Because that was the fastest I've ever gone while conscious and it was a rush!"
"Not today, but you seem like an eager learner and I'd quite like to teach you." Cynder smiled.
It was at that point that Mica crashed through the trees, landing roughly on the leaf-covered ground. He grumbled to himself, scowling at everything. "Damn wind dragons and their tricks. Always ignoring gravity…"
"Anyways, this is the revenant." Apex padded over to the bipedal body on the ground. Its skull was exposed, since it was about to unleash its scream when it died, and the center of its chest was blasted away all the way to the cavity in its ribcage. He made up a lie on the spot, to avoid mentioning the thing Cynder had warned him about. "We got lucky, something had already blown up its chest when it got to us. Null - my traveling companion - managed to get to the crystal in its chest to kill it."
"...Holy shit…" Mica looked at the revenant, eyes widening. He tugged at the stone shell around its head, pulling some of it into a half-unfurled position with his magic. "Yeah, this is the face I see in my nightmares. Same teeth and everything. I'm amazed you survived. Damned thing moved through earth like it was water. Killed Clay before we even knew it was there."
"It was slow and sluggish when it came across us," Apex said, "Maybe something happened to it after you…"
"Saw all my squadmates die? Yeah probably." Mica prodded it, then stomped hard. Its skull shattered under his paw. "Least it's dead now."
"Let's get back to Warfang, then." Spyro was staring at the revenant, his eyes flicking over the revenant. He was clearly seeing something that Apex couldn't, focusing on the hole in the revenant's chest and the gray crystal within. He shook his head, then looked at Cynder.
Cynder nodded, and with an updraft all four dragons returned to the air. Another wind tunnel took them back to the city, and Mica left with hardly a goodbye. Cynder and Spyro shared a meaningful look, then Spyro looked down at Apex.
"Your friend should still be at Teneris' house. We need to talk to the two of you together," Spyro said.
"Are… are we in trouble?" Apex asked warily.
"No, but we need to talk or a lot of people could be."
A/N:
More character establishment and setup. Not much to say here.