WARNING: The one of the scenes in this chapter contains something that some viewers may, no, WILL find disturbing. Just before the imagery appears, another warning sign will appear. Read at your own risk. You've been warned.
Act 2, Chapter 4
Urobos was distraught.
He and Spyro couldn't have been more wrong. This was no victory: It was defeat.
Shortly after Desysto was slain, and the Eradicator was destroyed, Wraith and Elza came running. They told Urobos and the others that Bergan had abducted Prince Cyrus. This revelation left the Deep Shadows shocked and appalled.
Immediately, Grail began arguing with Wraith about it.
"How could you just let Bergan flee with the prince?" He shouted.
"It's not like I did it on purpose!" Wraith snapped. "I've seen his fighting techniques before: I'm barely an even match! Plus, there was limited room for mobility!"
"That's no excuse!" Wraith replied. "As a Deep Shadow, it is you DUTY to defend the royal family at all costs! You, Wraith, have FAILED in that regard! If I was the leader of the Deep Shadows, I would strip you of your status Immediately!"
Wraith was about to shout at Grail, but then Elza stormed up and got in the Dark Grey dragon's face.
"Are you out of your mind?" Elza shouted. "Do you not know who we're talking about here?"
"Of course I know-" Grail began. Elza cut him off, pointing a talon at his scar.
"BERGAN, that's who! You of all people should know what that man is capable of, Grail! He's far more powerful than ANY of us! Even Lord Spyro couldn't defeat him! And as for having Wraith excommunitated, ignoring how insubordinate you sound, you would have to do the same to ME! I may be a mother now, but I'm still a Deep Shadow! I failed to save the Prince too! I WISH I could have done something, but Bergan is TOO POWERFUL to stop! Blaming Wraith for not being able to stop Bergan is like blaming a Hawk for not trying to defeat a Pheoninx in batle! In summary, Grail: YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!"
The others just stood there, dumbstruck. Grail's mouth hung open in shock.
"Damn..." Wraith said, amazed.
After a moment, Spyro spoke up.
"That's quite enough of this!" He shouted. "We'll worry about that matter later. For now, we have to-"
Suddenly, a Space dragon appeared nearby.
"Your Highness! Lord Spyro!" He shouted, distrought.
"What is it?" The Purple dragon asked.
"Something most HORRIBLE has happened! Return to the battlefield and see for yourself!"
Curious, Spyro, Urobos and the Deep Shadows flew back to the battlefield to the West of Warfang.
What they saw shocked and horrified them down to their very cores.
...
WARNING:The following scene contains disturbing imagery! If you have a weak stomach, SKIP AHEAD! If you read the following scene anyway, and later throw up, DON'T BLAME ME!
I'm serious: Don't read it. You've been warned thrice.
...
Shortly after the Spyro and the Deep Shadows left to stop the Eradicator. a horrible event took place. Every single White dragon's corpse gave off a large buildup of Convexity energy, which faded into nothingness. And then, the many White bodies began to shrink, turning into hatchlings.
The entire battlefield was now covered with the bodies of dead hatchlings, most of which were horribly mangled, and stained red with blood. The many dragons and Cats that stood on that battlefield became absolutely disgusted and horrified. Some of them found themselves vomiting at the sight.
And the worst part of all: THEY were the ones who killed the hatchlings. Their deaths were on THEIR paws.
Once Urobos saw this, he became overcome with grief. He roared in despair, his sorrowful cry echoing across the entire battlefield, and beyond.
...
The disturbing imagery has ended. If you read it, and are now disgusted and enraged... you're an idiot.
...
When Urobos finally regained his composure, he ordered the many dragons, Moles and Cats under his command to gather up the bodies and give them the proper burials.
The effort took only the rest of the afternoon, but it felt like eternity. Spyro, Nerona and Grail lent their aid to the effort. Lilith and Tina looked after Aegis, while Elza tended to her still-distraught hatchlings.
And where was Urobos during all of this?
He had returned to the torn remains of the Warfang temple. The Black dragon wandered the few hallways that remained intact, their roofs exposed to the elements.
As he walked, Urobos was stricken with horror.
"Death..." He said to himself. "So much death. Why? Why must beings who are so young, be forced to die so suddenly?"
Urobos became enraged. "I shouldn't have allowed Spyro to launch the attack! We should have fled Warfang when we had the chance! But there's no changing that, now.."
Next, Urobos's thoughts turned to Cyrus.
"Oh, Cyrus...I sent you away from the battle against Desysto in the hopes of protecting you. But now I find out that I was leaving you exposed: Bergan could appear and abduct you at any time. I'm sorry, Cyrus.."
And then, Urobos thought of the rest of his family.
"Just what kind of man am I? My son is being possessed by an Ancient Evil, My dauther-in-law is trapped in the Underworld once again, and all three of my grandchildren are either abducted, missing, or turned evil. I could have prevented ALL of these things, and yet I didn't."
Urobos sat on the floor, overcome with grief.
"So many dead or suffering, all of them far younger than me...I have failed as a Father, an Elder, AND a King."
The Black dragon held his right paw out, summoning his sword.
"And this is the price I must pay for it."
Urobos lifted his sword with both forepaws, ready to impale himself...
Suddenly, someone struck Urobos across the face, causing him to drop the sword.
"STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" The attacker bellowed.
Urobos jumped to his feet and turned, ready to strike back. To his surprise, he found himself standing before a clearly-enraged Black dragoness.
"Cynder?" Urobos asked, astonished.
"Yes." She sneered.
"What are you doing here?" Urobos exclaimed. "Shouldn't you be in Glenhaven?"
"Spyro contacted me a good while ago." Cynder answered, sneering. "He told me what had happened, so I came to lend my aid. And it seems it was a good thing, too: Once again, I find myself preventing another Black dragon from making a terrible mistake."
Urobos looked away.
"It would not have been a mistake." He replied solemnly.
"What has come over you?" Cynder demanded. "For the past half-year, you have not been yourself."
"All my life, I've had to watch beings younger than me die, no matter how much I try to prevent it. Everyone who gets near me suffers. I may as well be the one killing them."
Cynder rolled her eyes.
"You have become a fool." Urobos glared at Cynder.
"What?"
"For many years of your life, you have proven yourself to be a great man. In your youth, your family saw you as the wisest son of Hyperion, and a natural candidate for the throne. During you first tenure as King of Clan Capricorn, all other Clan Leaders paid you respect and admiration. Your people willingly obeyed your every command, and still do. And even when you make mistakes, no one held a grudge against you, at least not for very long. But now? You have been reduced to a wimpering old sot, who blames himself for everything. This is a trait that I wish I did not pass down through my bloodline."
Once again, Urobos looked away.
"A wimpering old sot.." He repeated. "A fitting title."
Cynder spoke again, this time calming down.
"You mustn't blame yourself for what's happened in the past, Urobos. Events have taken place beyond your control. Bergan is the one responsible for the deaths of those hatchlings, not you. If he hadn't corrupted them in the first place, this day wouldn't have happened. And mustn't try to end your life. How would your people react to that? 'The once-mighty Urobos, killing himself like a coward. Pathetic.' And then there's your grandchildren to think about: They need you. Cyrus needs you to rescue him, Tyrrany needs to be found, and Rune needs to be freed of his curse. Without their grandfather to help them, they're doomed to suffer. Would you leave them to their fate?"
For a long time, Urobos was silent.
"Urobos?"
After a while, the Black male looked back at Cynder.
"I just wish there was something I could have done to prevent all this."
"We all do, Urobos. But we couldn't . None of us could: Not even me or Spyro. All we can do is move on, and try to defeat the Victiumirti. Two are dead, but Five more still remain." The Black Male sighed.
"I suppose you're right." He said. He unfolded his wings and prepared for flight.
"Where are you going?" Cynder asked.
"To find the Deep Shadows and Spyro." He answered. "We need to get the remaining dragons and nondragons to Glenhaven."
Cynder nodded, getting ready to fly after him.
As the two Black dragons flew across the sky, Urobos tried to put a smile on his face. But underneath that smile, Urobos was lost in thought.
Thought of the night his wife died...
...
It was six years after Runileon's death.
Urobos was in his early twenties. He had recently married Anna, and the two were expecting children. The Dark Red dragoness had yet to produce her eggs, but they were almost ready.
On one particular night, Urobos and Anna were lying together on their shared mattress. They were both on their sides, so that they may look into each other's eyes, and their tales were intertwined.
"How many do you feel inside you?" Urobos asked his mate. Anna chuckled.
"Why don't you feel for yourself?" She asked.
The Dark Red dragoness grabbed one of Urobos's forepaws and placed it on her belly, just above the eggs inside her. The Black dragon felt something hard underneath Anna's flesh, but he couldn't tell how many there were.
"I still don't know." He said, frowning. Anna laughed.
"There's three." She said, smiling. "Three Black dragons are sleeping inside me." Urobos chuckled.
The Black dragon reached up and pulled his mate closer, so that he may kiss her.
"Thank you." He said once he leaned back.
"For what, Urobos?" Anna asked.
"For making me such a happy young man." The Black dragon answered. The Dark Red dragoness laughed.
"Your welcome, Urobos."
…
Urobos was excited. He was entering a new stage of his life: Fatherhood.
To Black dragons, raising children was one of the greatest responsibilities imaginable, outside of preserving order in the dragon realms. No Black dragon was allowed to have children unless they were deemed ready by their father. After years of waiting, Urobos was finally deemed ready. And now, he was days away from getting one step closer to being a father.
To celebrate the occasion, Urobos asked his father permission to travel with Anna to Faeshrine for a few days. King Hyperion approved of this request, but assigned several bodyguards to protect them, two of which were Deep Shadows: Ashton and Grail.
Ashton was a Space dragon, and somewhere in his mid-thirties. He had a Dark Red Hide and a Black underbelly. He had thick, brown mane, two bronze horns which pointed like Lightning bolts on the top of his head, and Poison green eyes.
Grail was a few years younger than Urobos, but twice as mature in tone. Ever since he joined the Deep Shadows, he kept a ridiculous watch over the Prince, never letting him out of his sight most of the time.
Urobos didn't mind this, though. After all, Grail was only doing his job. And he could order Grail to give him some space when need be.
When Urobos, Anna and their entourage left for Faeshrine, they ran into no problems. The two royal dragons enjoyed their stay in the Magic city, taking in the sights and speaking with the many people who respected the Black dragon.
But on their trip back to the Floating Plains, tragedy struck.
…
It was late at night in the Tarune forest.
Urobos, Anna, Ashton, Grail, and the rest of the entourage were making there way back to the Floating Plains. The thick forest canopy made flight extremely difficult, so the dragons had to travel on foot. It would have been too dark to see as well, but luckily the Dark dragons were able to see perfectly in the darkness.
Urobos and Anna walked in the middle of the entourage, the Dark Red dragoness walking close by her mate. Asthon and Grail led the entourage, while two Space dragons were at the very back. At least a half a dozen other dragon guards sandwiched the two Royals.
"How much farther, Ashton?" Urobos asked.
"If we keep traveling nonstop," The Deep Shadow answered, "We should reach the edge of the Forest by sunrise."
"Ah, Good."
After Urobos said this, Anna sighed sadly.
"Is something the matter, Anna?" Urobos asked, concerned.
"Nothing." The Dark Red dragoness replied.
"It doesn't seem like nothing." The Prince responded. "What's bothering you?"
"I just wish we could have waited till morning to return to the Floating Plains." Anna said. "There's something eerie about the forest at night."
Urobos chuckled.
"Afraid of the dark, are we?" He chided. Anna glared at him.
"I am not!"
"It's okay if you are, Anna." The Black dragon responded, smiling. "We're all afraid of something." The Dragoness's glare weakened.
"I guess the dark forest thicket frightens me…a little.." Urobos pulled Anna closer to him.
"Well, you don't have to worry, Anna." He replied. "I'm here for you."
The Dark Red dragoness smiled.
"I know you are."
After this conversation ended, the entourage continued on its way. Little did any of these dragons know, they were being followed.
As the dragons walked onwards, something unexpected happened. Several Arrows silently flew out of the Forest canopy and struck the two dragons at the back of the entourage, impaling them all along their backs.
As these two cried out in pain, the others turned around to see them fall to the ground.
"What in the world?" Urobos shouted.
Before anyone could aid their weakened comrades, a storm of arrows came flying out of the canopy from all sides, hurtling towards the group.
"AMBUSH!" Grail bellowed.
Immediately, the Space dragons tried to teleport clear across the forest to get away. However, they found that a massive Blue barrier had appeared around them all, blocking their escape. Despite blocking the dragons, the barrier allowed the arrows to fly right through it, hurtling towards the dragons.
Urobos, thinking quickly, used his Memory element to create multiple psychic shields around his comrades, as well as himself and his wife. As soon as the Black dragon did this, several swears echoed across the forest canopy.
Suddenly, over a dozen and a half Cougars jumped into view, passing through the barrier with ease. Most of them had their Arrows fixed on the dragons, while a few of them were wielding wooden staffs and chanting some strange spell.
As the Cougars chanted their spell, the dragons found that their magic vanished. Urobos's psychic shields dissolved into nothingness. Immediately, the reason was made clear: The chanting Cougars
"KILL THEM!" Ashton bellowed.
The dragon guards leapt into battle. Urobos, meanwhile, stood in front of Anna, his wings outstretched to shield her from harm.
The area became filled with the sounds of roaring, chanting, clawing, and arrows flying as the two groups battled each other. At least four of the Cougars went after Urobos, ready to kill him and his mate.
For the most part, Urobos was able to keep them at bay. He clawed at them if they got too close, usually attempting to shatter their crossbows. He didn't allow himself to get cocky: one false step could spell disaster.
As the Black dragon defended Anna, more Cougars jumped into the area from out of the Forest. Some of them landed in front of Urobos and Anna, while others landed behind them. Immediately, The Black dragon turned around in an attempt to strike at the rear attackers. However, this left him completely exposed.
Several Arrows pierced Urobos's wings and back. He roared in pain. An instant later, he suddenly felt light-headed.
"What….?" He mumbled, disoriented.
The Black dragon fell to the ground, unable to move.
"UROBOS!" Anna screamed.
"Anna.." He said weakly.
There was only one explanation for his sudden state: The Arrowheads were dipped in poison. The Black dragon struggled to use what little of his Water and Pain elements remained at his command to cleanse himself of the Poison, but he was still too weak to lift himself off the ground.
After Urobos as deemed unable to fight, the Cougars ignored him and lunged at Anna.
Urobos watched in horror as the Cougars assaulted the Dark Red dragoness. She tried to fight back as best as she could, but the Cats overpowered her, slashing and clawing at her allover her body.
"…No…" The Black dragon muttered weakly. "Leave her alone…."
But they didn't. The Cougars continued their assault, horribly wounding the dragoness. As Urobos witnessed the event, something within him stirred.
"I said…." He stated, beginning to shake.
"Leave…"
The Black dragon began to give off a faint, purple aura.
"…her…"
Suddenly, Urobos's being was filled with energy, which exploded out of him.
"ALOOOOOONE!"
In a split second, Urobos was back onto his feet, snarling in rage. All of the other beings in the area, Dragon and Cat alike, looked at the Black dragon in astonishment.
The Black dragon was pulsing with Convexity energy. Purple lightning cackled across his body. His eyes glowed a Deep Purple. The Poison within him was now nonexistent.
Immediately, he teleported to the Cougars surrounding Anna, who now lay on the ground. The Black dragon opened his mouth, annihilating the Cougars with Convexity blasts. The Cats screamed in agony as they dissolved into nothingness.
Suddenly, several other Cougars started shooting arrows at Urobos from across the area. This was a mistake. The Black dragon destroyed the arrows with Convexity blasts, and then teleported over to the attacking Cougars. He slaughtered every single one of them.
Soon, all of the Cougars were dead, and the Blue Barrier faded away.
With the fighting ended, Urobos began to calm down, the Convexity energy fading away. Ashton and Grail ran up to the Prince.
"Are you alright, Urobos?" Ashton asked.
"I'm fine.." The Black dragon said, panting heavily. Suddenly, he gasped.
"ANNA!"
Immediately, he ran over to his mate, shoving the other dragons away.
"MOVE IT, YOU FOOLS!"
The Dark Red dragoness was being looked over by several of the Dragon Guards. She was lying on her side. She was covered almost completely in various stab wounds, and was bleeding profusely. She was barely breathing.
The very sight of her in that state brought tears to Urobos's eyes.
"BY THE ANCESTORS!" He screamed.
Immediately, Urobos set to work, using his Water and Pain elements to heal Anna as best as he could. The dragoness struggled to look up at him.
"..Urobos?" She asked, weakly.
"I'm here, Anna!" He reassured. "I'll save you and the children!"
Tears flowed out of Anna's eyes.
"..They're dead…"
"What?
"Two of our children….They're dead.."
"No…" Urobos said, incredulous. "How can that be?"
"The Cougars…they stabbed my belly multiple times… I could feel two of the eggs get pierced right through…"
Urobos started to cry harder.
"..No.." He said again. "This can't be happening.."
Anna cried harder as well.
"I don't have long for this world either…"
"NO!" Urobos shouted. "That's not true! I won't let you die like this!"
"There's nothing you can do, Urobos…"
"Of course there is!"
The Black dragon began working at a frantic pace, healing every single wound he could find. But alas, Anna wasn't getting a single bit better.
"The damage has already been done.." She said solemnly. "My fate is sealed…"
"DON'T TALK LIKE THAT!" Urobos exclaimed. "You'll get better! And then, we'll try again to have children! And we'll be able to raise them, just as we always wanted to with the last three!"
"Urobos…" Anna responded. "One of the eggs is still intact."
"What?"
"By some miracle, the egg escaped damage…. Could you do me a favor, Urobos?"
"Of course! What is it?"
"Use your sword to cut it out of me."
Urobos was flabbergasted by the request.
"Madness!" He replied. "I would never harm you in such a way!"
"Urobos, please…" Anna responded, getting weaker. "I'm going to die soon anyway. I don't want to drag my only remaining child with me."
Urobos thought for a moment. And then, he summoned his sword into his right forepaw.
"Alright." He said, crying again. "I'll do it.. For you."
Urobos used his free forepaw to gently push Anna onto her back, revealing her belly. He then placed his forepaw on her underside, using his Pain element to remove the dragoness's ability to feel the pain from the injury he was about to inflict. At the same time, a few of the dragon guards helped Anna look away.
Reluctantly, Urobos drove the tip of his sword into Anna's belly, piercing her flesh. He then sliced a small hole in her, struggling not to vomit at the sight of the flowing blood. Once the cut was large enough and deep enough, Urobos placed the sword down and pulled the flesh open, revealing Anna's pocket of flesh within her.
Inside that pocket of flesh, Urobos saw three eggs, two of which were shattered. The Black dragon reached into Anna, firmly grasped the single surviving egg, and pulled it out of her. He then sealed the wound on Anna's belly, not wanting to look upon its hideousness.
Urobos then presented the egg to her.
"Here it is, Anna." He said sadly. "Our single surviving child."
The Dark Red dragoness turned to look at the egg. She smile weakly.
"Thank you, Urobos." She said.
"Is there any name that you wish for me to give him?" The Black dragon asked.
"…..Bane." Anna answered. "Name him Bane."
"I will."
Anna struggled to place a forepaw on her mate's foreleg.
"I love you, Urobos." This statement made the Black dragon's tears flow even harder.
"I love you just as much, Anna." He said.
Anna smiled, laying her head down on the ground.
"Goodbye."
The dragoness shut her eyes. She would never open them again.
Urobos sat on the ground before Anna's body, holding his son's egg in his forepaws. He roared in Grief. He then placed his child's egg on the ground and embraced Anna's body, overcome by sadness. Ashton, Grail, and the other dragons around them only stood watch, not daring to speak to the broken-hearted Prince.
Urobos's pain would never leave him after this night. Even when he tried to put a smile on his face and the faces of others, deep down, he was a broken man.
And he would only continue to suffer, even in the present day.