Through Fire and Ice
The four young dragons of the now ex-Emerald Squad flew swiftly across the canal of lava, almost not having to beat their wings as the warm heat rising from the boiling lava below filled their wings and kept them in the air. Black ridge lines stood tall either side of them like the insides of a winding snake. They had been following this route for roughly fifteen minutes, keeping their eyes open for anything out of the norm, or more specifically an ice like substance.
"Charditus, are you sure Umbrafor was right about this? I know you told us already but I still can't imagine any Ice being in a place like this." Earthena commented.
"In other circumstances, I would agree with you. However, I think we can agree we have seen enough unusual situations by now that anything is plausible. Which has gotten me thinking admittedly, I don't even think the stuff we are looking for is Ice, more like a crystalline matter that has some composite of ice." Charditus replied.
"Okay leader, we didn't ask for a lecture. Let's just find this golem and be done with it. I'm itching for a fight." Blizarus called out impatiently.
"Remember, Cynder is our primary objective, we'll be avoiding the golem if we can."
"Oh come on, you said we get to fight it." Blizarus grumbled.
"The golem is a dangerous adversary, more dangerous than anything we have face before. Recklessness will only get us killed." Charditus explained.
"Your leadership is going to be the death of us." Blizarus thought to himself acerbically.
"Now Earthena I want you to take particular care, your power is limited and thus we cannot rely on it to help." Charditus added.
"I can take care of myself you know. I'm not exactly defenceless." Earthena countered.
"I'm not denying that fact, just take care."
"Alright I will." Earthena replied in slight irritation.
"Charditus, I see a large cavern ahead, its huge…" Volterra yelled out.
And sure enough, as they turned the corner ahead of them a large gaping hole appeared before them. Stretching from the very top of the cliff and to the flowing lava before, like a gigantic beast spewing lava.
"This must be where all this lava is flowing from…and where the golem resides." Charditus thought cautiously to himself. "This is where the golem must reside, and so where Cynder must be. We do not know what to expect so when we enter remain fully aware of your surroundings. Volterra will oversee lighting so remain close to her. We all ready?"
"Yes." All three replied.
"Good. Squad move in." Charditus replied as the four fell into formation. Him at the front with Blizarus and Earthena slightly behind either side of him, leaving Volterra to fly in between them so all four formed a triangle formation.
They swiftly flew into the mouth of the cavern, with the lava below them temporarily providing light. The cavern was ginormous so flying wasn't an issue and they made quick progress through. It was only half a minute before they found something of interest, a small hole in the ceiling where lava poured out of like a waterfall, crashing into the magma pool below before diverging down two routes, one leading back out of the cavern and one leading deeper in... The flew around the stream of lava flowing downwards and continued their steep descent deeper into the ravine. A minute passed, or what felt like an eternity, the cavern had narrowed slightly, dipping down so that the dragons had to fly closer to the super-heated magma gushing into the cavern deeper below.
Turning a couple corners, they saw a sight most glistening and stunning, a truly colossal cave, nearly two-hundred-foot-tall in places and even bigger in length. Lava covered the floor in a red colouring as it sat undisturbed across the entire floor. Several more lava falls poured in from the sides of the cavern along with several outlets for the lava to pour out it, preventing the cavern from over filling. Many naturally formed black pillars supported the roof, preventing it from caving in. However, the true spectacle was not the lava, but the crystal flooring that suspended itself above the lava, deep blue in colour yet clear like glass, so you could still see the lava bubbling below as the light created still illuminated the cave. It itself was several metres in thickness and easily capable of holding something that weighed a lot…like a golem.
They stared in awe at the sight that beheld them as they silently landed on the smooth crystal surface, which wasn't cold despite its icy appearance. Not haven't seen many sights before in their short working life it was this blew them away. The ferocious heat and light refracted through the solid mass of crystal, displaying some truly beautiful patterns on the ceiling and walls. To say the least they didn't need the lighting as they initially thought.
Charditus's mind though continued to work their gears. "So, the ice Umbrafor foresaw is not actually ice…but instead a crystalline form that acts a lot like ice. And so Cynder must be in here somewhere amongst the hundreds of square metres…"
The other members though instead cited their thoughts into words.
"You don't suppose the Golem created all this now do you? Because even I admit he is a blooming artist…" Blizarus admitted.
"For once you're right Bliz, I do think he created this. If this is what sight-seeing is all about then I can see all the craze." Earthena added.
"Who would've thought…a creature as scary as the golem could create such a thing…" Volterra inputted.
"But how the hell though do we find a dragoness in all this?" Blizarus blurted out, ruining the moment.
"It seems like we have found the right place. And from the sight of it, just like a lot of wild creatures this golem likes to keep its burrow today and clean, perhaps the smoothness of the ice is to allow easy access from one side of the cavern to the other." Charditus explained.
"Alright smart ass, again we didn't ask for a lecture." Blizarus interrupted. Charditus just ignored him.
"Hear me out, this surface here…its clearly been like this for a long, so the golem must want it to be like this. However, I can only presume that if Cynder somehow ended up here, the golem must have used its crystal breath to freeze Cynder here and now somewhere above the surface…Look for any signs of a random breath attack, it is within that we will find Cynder."
"How do you want us to go about? Usual routine of in split off into pairs and search different areas?" Earthena asked.
"Not this time, too risky. That Golem could be anywhere under this crystal platform and despite its thickness it's hard to judge its strength. We stick closely with a ten-metre spread max. If the golem appears though we will regroup at this entrance, we do not want to be caught in the open." Charditus instructed.
Volterra and Earthena did as they're told, moving into position. Blizarus though…remained put.
"Jeez why are you so uptight about this. Even if the golem does show we can take it. I mean you practically blinded the damn thing when we first encountered it. So why are you afraid of round two when all four of us can fight it?" Blizarus groaned.
"Because this is its home territory. And despite its primitive nature I highly doubt it will be happy to see us after last time. Now do what the rest of us are doing and stop complaining. The sooner we do this the sooner we can get out of here. Earthena, can you keep an eye Blizarus for me please." Charditus ordered. Usually Charditus wouldn't have been this strict but in his eyes, he was only doing what was best.
"I am not a baby! For fuck sake Charditus this is what I keep talking about, you don't trust your own damn team." Blizarus roared.
"You know what fine, if that's how you feel you can stay here. I'm trying my best to keep us safe, so that we all come out of this in one piece, but you blatantly keep making things more difficult because why? You're bored. I keep telling you this mission is bigger than all of us and the last thing we need is a mistake. Now are you in or not?" Charditus shouted back.
"Oh, trust me I am, And I'll be there even when you forgot your team mates are actual dragons able to fight and not some damn hatchling…" Blizarus bitterly spoke, shaking his head solemnly as he too fell into position by Earthena's side.
Charditus didn't utter another word, it wasn't worth it. Instead he stood to Volterra's side, who looked rather disappointed and sad at both dragons. And so, in formation, a foul mood formation but as a team nonetheless they began their search, looking into any unusual crystal shapes that may conceal a dragoness within.
Crystal rock after crystal rock they searched, each time keeping sure they were alone and that nothing was lurking below…
Eventually though it was Volterra who found something first. She stared hard into the dark blue glass prism, trying to identify the odd solid shape suspended inside.
"I…I think I found something!" She hollowed out to the rest of them. They all turned their attention and approached the domed rugged crystal prying deep inside to identify the shape. It was small, black and had wings.
There was no denying it…it was Cynder. The position she last took before being re-crystallised was that she tried defending herself from the attack with wings arched forwards and eyes sealed shut, tucking herself in as she awaited the breath of the golem.
"Well done Volterra, now comes the second part. Earthena, you're the expert here on precious stones, what is the best way to break crystal?" Charditus asked.
"Well most crystals have like a grain, like wood. Crystal shapers use this part all the time when shaping their gems, so we just need to find the grain and hit that part with enough force and ta da, one free dragoness." Earthena replied.
"Okay and where is this grain?" Charditus inquired, he was still talking strictly since Blizarus left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Erm, give me a moment…" Earthena murmured as she circled the crystal. She was looking for the direction of where the attack came from, because then she will find her grain. "Riiight…here!" She called out, sure she found the right spot.
"Okay, now hit it with all you got, you're the strongest one here physically." Charditus instructed.
"Got it." Earthena chirped, reeling backwards so she could get a run up. She aimed her spiralled horn down and aimed it at the crystal.
"Chaaarge!" She yelled as she sprinted forward like a rhino, and as she did she activated her ability where a rock-hard substance encased her body, increasing her strength and durability and striking the crystal head on. She makes contact but the crystal's irregular shape and the somewhat slippery floor below meant she couldn't get a good hit in. Instead she collided into the crystal at an odd angle, bouncing her horn off to the side and the rest of her came slamming into the crystal, releasing her grip as the rocky substance faded away. She was stunned momentarily, but being an earth dragoness the effects of the recoil didn't last long and soon she was back on her feet.
"This crystal is a lot tougher than it looks, where going to need several tonnes of force to break this beast…" Earthena sighed in disappointment.
Unfortunately for them…the golem had been lurking in the lava below, sleeping in peace, and quiet. Until they started yelling anyway. So, it stirred and struggled in its sleep until its bright blue cold eyes snapped open like an alligator. Immediately it begun stalking them beneath the crystal surface, getting nearer and nearer. The final cry of 'charge' gave it their exact position, allowing it to sneak up right beneath where they were standing.
With one surge the Golem surged out of the lava and thrusted its head into the crystal surface from below. Creating a huge dent and many cracks and surprisingly the dragons above.
"Disperse now!" Charditus yelled, as he, Blizarus, Earthena and Volterra rain in opposing directions away from the impact zone. Once more the golem smashed its gigantic head against the crustal floor, crashing through it, creating a huge hole for it to stand in and breaking the crystal that encapsulated Cynder. As the unconscious dragoness and many crystal fragments got sent sprawling over the floor. The black dragoness landed with a hard thud, but quickly came to a sliding halt.
"Everyone regroup at the entrance." Again, Charditus called out, as he and the two females flew away from the destruction. The ice blue golem was still stood in the lava in the middle of the hole it created, where only its torso, head and arms raised above. It released a chilling scream as its recognised its adversaries, burns marks from when Charditus unleashed his fury remained scorned on its face. It clearly remembered him and boy was it angry.
Meanwhile though Charditus was making hasty work to make sure they all where there. "Okay you two are here, but where in Malefor's name is Blizarus?!" Charditus bellowed.
His question was answered as he refaced the golem. Blizarus was facing the golem…one on one.
"That fool! Volterra I need you to distract the golem, just don't get caught no matter what. Earthena go retrieve Cynder, I will get Blizarus."
With that the three dragons diverged.
Meanwhile though Blizarus has had enough of Charditus. But if he could show he was the strongest, by defeating the golem and saving Cynder all by himself, he would have finally earnt respect from his team. Volterra and Earthena would have to take his side from how awesome he is, and Charditus would have no choice but hand leadership over to him. Then he could treat Charditus the same way he treated him. It was perfect!
"Let's round this up quickly with my most powerful move, the Blizarus Blizzard. There is no way it can withstand that!" He eagerly thought.
The Blizarus Blizzard consisted on circling the target at such speeds that they could not react while at the same time unleashing a consistent beam of ice to freeze the entire target solid. It is surprisingly effective against the likes of trolls and even groups of enemies.
So, he begun circling the golem's torso in a way where its arms and tail had hard time even getting near due to the consistent awkward angles and the dragon's small size and swift speed. And all the while only getting slower due to the ice now building up on it.
"This is perfect, I told Charditus there was nothing to worry about but nooo, we couldn't fight it… but look at me. This is easy!" Blizarus thought to himself arrogantly.
What he had forgotten though was that the Golem was standing in lava, so the warm heat rising from beneath was slowly fading away, literally melting away his plan. And to top it all the Golem was beginning to see a pattern, being able to swing its arms closer and closer to the dragon until one narrowly missed him so closely Bliz felt the rush of air as it passed.
"The ice is melting... however just a little more then, it will be enough to charge straight into and smash the entire thing to pieces…" He contemplated to himself.
However, his concentration snapped as the golem swung its erratic arm once more, this time due to hit its target no matter how he turned. Or…it would've done if Charditus didn't intercept and tackle the dragon out of the way, causing the giant arm to miss its target once more.
"What the hell Char?!" Blizarus roared.
"You're welcome, now go help Earthena and retrieve Cynder. I'm going to help Volterra." Charditus snapped back.
"I was able to kill the bloody thing until you intervened. Now I have to start over." He grumbled.
"No, enough of your antics. For once in your life just obey instructions!" Charditus yelled back, and if that wasn't bossy enough Char gave him a shove over to get him moving.
"Fuck you, I have enough of your bullying and enough is enough." Bliz hissed, even though this was highly unlike him Bliz was showing some real emotion.
"I don't mean to interrupt but- Eep! I need some help." Volterra squealed.
"How many times have I told you this isn't about just us anymore?" Charditus yelled back.
"But your wrong. This is about us, it's about all of us. Have you forgotten that? Have you forgotten it is us three who had stuck with you even though you treat some of us like shit? Have you forsaken your own friends because you didn't trust them?" Blizarus yelled back. "This one time I will do what I am told, but after that…who knows…maybe I will leave!"
"It's because of your head strong actions that we keep getting hurt. Do you think of your friends when you drag us all into your messes, then must rely on us time and time again get you out? And you don't even learn from your actions, or even thank us each and every time we save you…so which of us has the bigger fault?"
Blizarus didn't respond, instead he just turned his back on his leader and took off, heading for Earthena. Charditus also went to help Volterra…tensions were sure to be very tight after this…
Charditus quickly got his mind back into the mission once he saw Volterra barely ducked under a swipe from the golem's hand.
"How are you holding up Volterra?" Charditus asked, taking to the sky.
Volterra was breathing heavily, this amount of dodging and twisting movements were taking a toll on her fragile body. "Not too good. I'm sorry but a little help would be nice right now…" She grunted.
This small moment…a tiny lapse in concentration was just enough, she didn't even have time to scream as a beam of crystal breath swarmed her, pushing her to the ground below and freezing her solid in the crystal just as Cynder was. Unable to move.
"Volterra! No!" Charditus breathed shocked. He clumsily landed nearby without a care of his own being as he begun futilely bashed and scratched the crystal in hope of freeing her but to no avail.
"No! No! No!" He yelled in fury and heart-broken anguish. How could he let this happen? The one dragoness you truly loved… The golem retracted his breath momentarily and aimed it at Charditus.
As much he absolutely despised leaving her he had no choice, if he wanted to help her now he would have to come back. So, with a lot of regret he dashed around to the side of the golem as the breath crystallised the ground behind him, giving chase and inching closer and closer to the dragon's tail.
And it would have reached him too if it weren't for a perfectly timed ice beam from Blizarus striking the Golem right on the eye, freezing it solid and temporarily rendering it useless, earning a howl of pain from golem as it halted its attack upon Charditus.
Before Volterra was frozen solid, Earthena was battling to get Cynder free. A large chunk of crystal had trapped Cynder's tail blade under its heavy weight, Earthena struggled on her own and desperately hoped someone would come and help her shift the heavy crystal off. Her prayers were answered when she saw Blizarus hastily approaching to assist her.
However, before he did though she felt the crystal shift slightly and with one final shove she lifted the damn crystal high enough she could slip the tail from under.
"Finally…" She grunted, taking two seconds to catch her breath. She was distracted however when she heard Blizarus yell at the Golem.
"This is for Volterra you asshole!" He screamed before unleashing a blizzard of ice upon the golem's face, scoring a perfect hit on its eye.
The golem turned to face him once more, revealing its one good eye. Only to get struck there by the hail of ice as well, rendering the entire golem temporarily blind.
The golem in response wailed even louder in fury, releasing random bursts of crystal in the lucky hope he strikes his increasingly annoying foes. And unfortunately for Blizarus the golem somehow managed to track his location and was readying its breath to bet rid of the annoying ice dragon.
"Now let our friend go you overgrown mother fucker before I shatter you bloody heart into fragments. Trust me when I say I can do that." Blizarus yelled
It opened its gaping maw and unleashed once more it's terrifying crystalline breath directly at him.
"Move it Bliz!" Earthena suddenly yelled as she made a mad dash for him.
"Aaah shit…" He suddenly spoke as he realised the situation.
He was suddenly lurched sideways as Earthena crashed into him.
"Thanks, Earthena…" He breathed, recovering from the sudden hit that also saved him. He went to regain his footing so he could get back to the action, but found he was unable to move one of his hind legs or his tail.
He checked behind and saw a sight he wished didn't happen. They were trapped in the crystal. "Aaah crap…" He tried viciously tugging at it but to no luck. "Hey Earthena when you get a moment think you could break me free?... Earthena?" He asked once more, looking around to make sure she was there…but she wasn't.
"No…Surely no…" He panicked, staring back into the crystal that held him. And sure, enough deeper within was the familiar form of Earthena, frozen in ungraceful glory. "Come on Earthena don't do this to me! You're tougher than that…Aren't you…?"
It was then Charditus's words burned in the back of his mind. "It's because of your head strong actions that we keep getting hurt…" He remembered. "Was it true what he said…that this mess…Earthena…Volterra…and now me trapped here…was because of me?" He sadly thought, as the truth began to dawn on him.
The golem was still struggling to removing the large amount of ice surrounding his face and eyes, it was screaming and even punching his own face to crack the ice. It had scrambled out of the hole it had created and was now rampaging around the cavern…and unfortunately in its blind rage it had smashed through several pillars that held up its home. A mini earthquake begun shaking through the earth, as many huge rocks descended from the ceiling, crashing onto the crystal floor below…it wasn't long before the whole cavern caved in, golem and dragons still inside.
Charditus raced back over to Blizarus.
"Give me your hand!" He yelled.
"No, it's too late for me." Blizarus countered sadly.
"It isn't too late, as soon as I free you we can free the others. Now give me your hand!" Charditus yelled, refusing to give up.
"Not this time, just take Cynder and leave us." Blizarus defied.
"Why are you saying all this? Where is the stubborn dragon I need now?"
"Right here…at least a part of him is. But you were right…this entire mess, Volterra and Earthena was because of me, I am clumsy, and for that I'm sorry. I also would give a better goodbye but now is not the time. You must do what you can to finish the mission, save the world…It's too late for me…" Blizarus sighed sadly, but ultimately he had made his choice.
"This isn't just about the mission though. You were right Bliz, I was so focused on the mission I forgot who I was. I forgot who my friends where. And that's why I need to redeem myself by getting you lot out of here."
"Why are you being the stubborn one this time? You won't be able to help us if your buried alive too so get going. The longer you take the less time you'll have, isn't that how you play it? Mr safety, get the job done without distractions?" Blizarus smiled, getting back some of his cheek.
"But…" This time Charditus was the speechless one, tears forming in his eyes.
"Now get going boss, even if the three of us die here it wouldn't be the end, nothing can stop us forever! Remember our slogan? Emerald Hearts forever?" Blizarus happily sighed.
"Of cause." Charditus whispered, bringing a smile to himself. "I would never forget that."
"Good, now go. Don't make me regret another damn thing before I die! For crying out loud, this is hardly dignifying enough." Blizarus yelled.
"I…I will." Charditus whispered at last. He quickly turned away to find the black Dragoness.
"Last thing Charditus!" Blizarus called out once more.
Charditus turned his head once more. "You're aren't half a bad leader. Okay that is all. Now go, I got one more thing to do." Blizarus commented.
Charditus gave him one final soft smile along with a few more tears. He had never cried before, but he was glad he had a good reason to cry for the first time.
"Goodbye…Blizarus." He whispered, jumping over the crystal mess over to the still unconscious dragoness. The entire cavern had begun shaking more violently as more boulders begun to dislodge from the ceiling and came crashing down onto the floor below. Any moment and the entire cavern would collapse on all of them.
He wrapped his two front talons around her waist and started beating his wings hard.
Crunch! A pillar of rock stabbed into the ground in front of them, as hot gas hissed through the cracks.
Charditus managed to get himself and Cynder into the air, and without hesitating he headed for the exit, constantly readjusting to get a better grip. The additional weight also made manoeuvring a lot more difficult, so slowing down and turning became a dangerous choir, but regardless he nimbly dodged the falling debris, only small bits bouncing of his thick dragon hide.
The golem finally removed the ice that plagued its face, now free it searched around to find where its prey and hunter has gone.
"Over here you mother fucker! That's right I'm ready for more!" Charditus could hear Blizarus yelling, despite the circumstances Blizarus was proving to be a resilient spirit once more.
The golem turned its heard to the source of the noise, clearly having not seen Charditus, so in fury and anger the golem stormed over, where it spotted the grinning dragon half stuck in crystal.
"Come on, hit me already. Make me die with dignity!" He yelled back once.
So, with one more shriek, the golem unleashed one more beam of crystal upon the dragon, with certainly a lot more force and power needed, relishing in the satisfaction of freezing the dragon that had caused so much annoyance and the destruction of its home.
Charditus didn't hang around anymore, he was already half way up the exit tunnel. He didn't care what or where the golem goes now. His team was gone, there was no tiptoeing around it. And the only thing to do was to honour their last wishes and put a stop to the madness that was the world.
He raced up the tunnel, as the lava below bubbled and shook in excitement from all the tremors.
He reached the section with the single magma flow, but to his unneeded annoyance the ongoing activity had even affected the lava here, as it was pushing out faster and more violently in larger quantities, like a curtain covering most of the cavern exit. It was like Boyzitbig all over again.
"We must be underneath a lava lake!" He quickly thought.
There was only a slither of the exit squashed up against the wall by the rain of lava, it would require a lot of expert flying and a level-headed mind to pass through. So taking a deep breath and pulling Cynder closer to himself he angled himself as close to the wall as possible. He then surged forward, timing it so when he passed through the slit his wings were folded slightly to decrease the chance of skimming the lava. Success! He zipped through before spreading his wings out fully once more to balance himself out. The red dragon didn't stop to celebrate though, the cave was still crumbling down, and each second passing brought it closer and closer to fully collapsing on top of them.
Twenty seconds later, Charditus shot of the cavern opening like a red and black cannonball. He was heavily breathing and exhausted but he couldn't stop, not until he was safely a top of the cliffs. Straining his wings one more time he flapped higher and higher up the cliff face, at this point he didn't care if there were orcs waiting for him at the top of the ridge lines, he needed to deposit Cynder before both fell into the molten river below.
Two moments later he was at the sharp cliff edge, over the rim of the cliff and simply released Cynder, who fell onto the black ground with a slight thump. To be honest Charditus wasn't far behind, he moved slightly to the side before his aching wings finally gave out, sending him back to the ground as well.
For a moment, he didn't move, simply too exhausted to do so. And the realisation of the loss of his team finally begun sinking in, he simply sobbed on the spot, no sound, no action. Just tears and emotions pouring out.
"Good bye Volterra…Earthena, Blizarus…Maybe someday I will see you again…maybe someday soon…"
He just laid there for five minutes, letting it all out and regaining his spent energy. He knew he had to get going soon…but he just wanted to lay there…just a little moment longer.
Wishes though rarely come true.
Charditus felt a disturbance in the air, but before his could react a shiver went down his spine as an icy breath struck him in the back, forming an icy prison that ensnared the red dragon. Charditus begun to panic as he felt himself unable to move, his wings, legs and tail trapped.
"The golem didn't just find me, did it?!" He whimpered.
However, he wasn't sure whether to be relieved or even more scared as he heard a female voice.
"Got him Umbrafor, the culprit has been caught and the package secured." Saphira gloated.
"Excellent work Saphira, the rest of you get ready to move Cynder, I wish to have a word with our traitor. Infernius, Saphira with me." Umbrafor ordered. Like a flock all 9 dragons descended upon our protagonists. Two of the dragons, from Ruby squad went either side of Cynder, ready to her up on Umbrafor's command, while the rest of the four stood around doing nothing, like usual.
However, Saphira, Infernius and the much larger Umbrafor went around the frozen dragon to face him head on (his head was still free).
It was a sight Charditus wasn't happy to see, not after everything else. He had to act quickly.
"What are you doing Umbrafor? I got Cynder for you, so why are you doing this to me?" Charditus demanded.
"You did get Cynder. I admit it is commendable…I apologise for my behaviour yesterday, how I talked and how I acted. I was not myself, instead I was acting on behalf of my leader." Umbrafor said, calmer than before but still with authority.
"Your leader?" Charditus asked surprised.
"However, the fact remains. You specifically defied my last orders. You told your team the one thing I told you not to do, and thus proving my final suspicions correct. And yes, I did hear you back at home when you blatantly lied to me. Though I cannot lie back to you, that would be hypocritical of me. I knew you would betray me, I had just hoped for better really." Umbrafor sighed.
"So…you're just going to kill me here and now?" Charditus grimly asked.
"Perhaps..." Umbrafor replied.
"Allow me master, I can make quick work of this one." Infernius eagerly spoke, even though he never acted or shown it he had a twinge of jealousy and hate of Charditus. Many of the other dragons liked the idea of bloodshed of one of their own. So, they grinned and shook their head.
"Now hold on Umbrafor." Saphira spoke out. "Charditus doesn't deserve death, we have got what we want, on that part Charditus has delivered. Remember though we got those Warfang guards you call upon to arrest him. They should be along in half an hour."
"…very well Grace we will have it your way. He will instead freeze here until they arrive., by then we will be gone for good from both you Charditus and those insufferable people." Umbrafor spoke.
"But I want to kill him Umbrafor. I deserve to. And many of those here agreed he needs to die." Infernius countered.
"Enough Infernius, my decision is final. Charditus has paid with the loss of his friends and he can spend the next many years thinking about like I said he would, now we leave."
"Wait…what do you know about the death of my team mates?" Charditus said with urgency, noting the word play Umbrafor used.
"I suppose you deserve to know. I knew your team mates would perish in all this, and that you would alone would succeed. I couldn't bare losing any of my troops, so instead I risked the lives of my enemy…you, it was simple but effective strategy, and all it required was focusing my powers to full capacity, and through this I could see a fragment of the future. All we had to do was wait for you to resurface." Umbrafor admitted without remorse.
"You knew they were going to die? But…how…why didn't you tell me! I could've done something." Charditus said in hysterics, losing self-control as he realised the truth. "You wanted them to die…they were the innocent ones. I was the loose cannon as you said. So why didn't you let me die instead of them?" His voice grew cold, and his growl raised in volume.
"Because losing everything you love is a more serving punishment…no one is innocent as I have said, defies me and gets away with it. Don't mistake my remorseless for enjoyment. There was no joy in knowing their deaths. However, it needed to be done, heed this as a final warning, stay away or we won't be a merciless to you as the golem was to them." Umbrafor shook his head.
Abruptly, Charditus felt his body increase in temperature, as energy clustered together getting more reactive by the second. Charditus unleashed a wave of energy, not a fury but his special ability. The Ice barely contained the main force of pressure as it shattered into crystals. A gentle heat wave passed over the other dragons.
"The golem may have killed my only friends…but it was you who sent them there to die…this was never about retrieving Cynder, this was about sending us to our deaths!" Charditus spoke hatefully.
"On the contrary! I was killing two birds with one stone, I was getting rid of you, yet I also needed a least one of you alive to bring Cynder back. For as you know she is the only one who can help us get Spyro back, and now since we have her our agreement is over. You can now be free as you wanted…in twenty years." Umbrafor spoke, raising his voice to match that of the angry dragon, still covered in flames.
Charditus didn't reply. Instead getting ready to exhale a storm of fire upon those who crossed him. However, he didn't get a chance. Grace was already to pounce, she exhaled another blizzard of ice upon the dragon, dousing the flames, reducing his body heat back down and freezing him back in place, this time though not even his face was able to move, he could only stare straight on, unable to do anything to those in front of him.
"Why thank you for being loyal, if only you were like this all the time…then we could've put our differences aside. I knew you would unleash your ability, so I prepared for it. Like it said you are mentally weak, and so because you refuse to control your emotions you let anger take control of you. Anger only makes you clumsy, and so because of that you allowed yourself to be outsmarted. This is what I've been trying to get you to avoid, emotions only blind you from seeing the truth…heed this lesson along with my warning, because this is where we part ways." Umbrafor finished.
"Now everyone, we are finished here, it's time to head north, past the volcano. I have foreseen Spyro's arrival and so we must be there to prepare for his capture, this may be our only chance for a while... using my special powers to see into the future as drained me, so I won't be able to use them for a while. Soon though everything will fall into place and we can carry out our master's wishes. All units were moving out now." Umbrafor commanded. And like a multi-coloured flock of birds they flew off with Cynder in their clutched. Leaving Charditus alone to de-freeze in the lands where hope burns. However, one thing not even Umbrafor had foreseen, was that Charditus didn't use his special power, he had created a fury. He still had his ability and when he felt he was safe he once more heated his skin up, melting the ice from the inside out, it sizzled and bubbled, turning back to a liquid. This combined with the constant heat from outside made short work of the ice, and soon Chard could move again, wriggling to further loosen the ice and the heated water begun dripping down to the ground, collecting onto the rock like a warm puddle. A few moments later and he had done it, as the last of the ice simply slipped off him.
He stepped forward and gazed up onto the north, and despite all the rising smoke and ash he could just make out the shapes of wings and bodies flying off into the distance. And he be damned if they were Wyverns and not Umbrafor and his minions.
"I'm coming for you Umbrafor…and you'll pay for everything you had done to me…Volterra…Blizarus and Earthena. I'll make sure everything these fifteen years you had been working for are snatched away just like you did to me. You have taken everything from me so I have nothing to lose. And because of that I am not afraid, not now, not every again." Charditus spoke taciturnly.
He then turned once more and took a drink of warm puddle behind one, the pureness of the water was blissful for his throat, as he greedily lapped the water up. He then halted for a moment as a thought crossed his mind.
"Those dragons did like slightly exhausted, and knowing Umbrafor they won't stop unless they had it all planned before. The only thing north of here is Concurrent skies and then the ocean. And since they aren't too distant they won't stop until they have arrived at their location…then they will rest, leaving them very much tired and thus not up to full strength perhaps I could somehow take advantage of that though…" He spoke quietly to himself, formulating a plan. "And if what Umbrafor says is true then for whatever reason Spyro is meant to come. Perhaps if I could somehow get to Spyro before-hand, we could formulate a strategy to outsmart them all and recover Cynder. Then with their help combined I will be able to take down Umbrafor and the entire Sentinel regimen. This is no longer about the mission…this is about us."
He jogged forward and whipped his wings out, he ran to the cliff edge and at last second jumped back into the freedom of the skies. North for Concurrent skies.
I apologise now if some parts don't seem to make sense, but I have been through and tried editing where I could. Regardless I hope you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless.
I know how long some of you have been waiting for Cynder, well here she is…not quite fully awake yet and in the hands of the enemy but at least we've found her. And fates are set to collide within the chapter or two, where stories combine into one. Both dragons have lost everything, and both dragons have their plans, but what will happen when both meet. Will they fight or will they join? Only next chapter will show. Expect a lot of questions to be answered along with some new ones.
If you're enjoying the story thus far and aren't already following/favouring, then why not hit the button? Its ten seconds but it means a great deal to and will only improve the story and get it out there. On a different note, I would like to thank all of you so far who has done the above, this story wouldn't be possible without your continuous support.
And lastly, if you could spare some time, I would love if you could leave some reviews stating how I could improve, the story can only get better with your feedback. Again thank you all, and until next chapter Farewell.
BlueDinosaur99