The first tutorial

"The style you use is crude, archaic, and obvious, but you got the job done." Ignitus said as he addressed Spyro. They were now standing in the room with the statue again. "Not bad, considering you haven't been taught anything about what it means to be a dragon." Spyro smiled. "Thanks… I think…?" Spyro's smile was replaced with confusion. "But if you're going to have a chance against Cynder and her army, you're going to need to learn a lot more." "Oh goody… school." Sparx sighed. "Unlike any school you've ever known, young friend." Ignitus grabbed their attention again. "Now… it's time to unleash the true dragon within you." Ignitus turned around, and he placed his paw on an octagonal tile on the wall that was outlined with a glowing yellow light. He pushed down, and it slid into the wall, creating a grating sound like stone against stone.

Ignitus turned back to Spyro. "Each of the guardians is master of an element." As Ignitus said this, the statute in the middle of the room, slowly began to sink into the ground. "I, as you may have surmised, am master of fire. Pay attention, and you may be someday too. Let's begin." By now, the statue had finished sinking into the ground, and a stone platform covered the void it had left behind. "Cool! So your gonna teach me how to use my fire, right?" Spyro looked excited when he said this. "No. You must first learn the basics of combat."

"but I can already fight with my claws!"

"please Spyro, just pay attention."

spyro looked away from Ignitus with a scowl on his face. "how about this… if you sit through, and listen to, my lectures on basic combat, I'll teach you some fire moves, O.K.?" spyro continued scowling, but he plopped his butt down on the ground and listened. Ignitus gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you! Now, the first move I'll teach you, is the, quick claw double strike." Spyro seemed intrigued now. "I'll show you the move, then I'll tell you how to do it." Spyro nodded.

Ignitus pulled his right paw back, and swung it in front of him, then he swung his left paw in front. Spyro recognized this move from when Ignitus attacked the intruding apes. "now, what you want to do is, swing your right paw back, and swing your hip along with it. You want to keep your back legs stationary, and your shoulders loose. Then, you swing your paw up at an angle, then quickly switch to the other paw and do the same thing." Spyro followed the instructions, and while he didn't do it inherently fast, he still did the move with little to no problems. "good, now try doing it faster this time." this time, Spyro performed the move without any problems, and, he did it wicked fast. "ah! Fast learner I see. That's good." Spyro seemed pleased with himself. "now, can you tell me what move that was called?" Spyro suddenly became anxious. "uh… was it… quick claw… strike?"

"close… that was the, quick claw double strike."

"oh…" Spyro felt dumb.

"it's O.k., most kids that try that move, don't even get that close to naming it!" Spyro smiled again.

"now, the next move I'm going to show you, is the, power claw strike." Ignitus pulled his right arm back, his elbow bent, and moved his left shoulder forward. Then, he quickly extended his arm up, and brought it down with force. "instead of being quick, like the last one, this attack is used for its power. It is a little slower than the other attack, so it's easier to dodge, and it should only be used against one or two stronger enemies, as opposed to the quick claw double strike, which could be used with any number of enemies. Oh! And the power claw strike also temporarily knocks off your center balance, so you should work on your recovery time." Spyro waited for a moment to see if Ignitus was done speaking, and he tried to perform the move, but he tripped over his own paws and landed on the ground with a small thud.

"are you O.K. Spyro?" Ignitus seemed concerned. "I'm fine" Spyro answered, annoyed. Before Spyro could try the move again, Ignitus said, "calm yourself. The move will only be harder if you are frustrated. Take a minute, and breath." Spyro stood there, relaxed his muscles, and his expression softened. "now… try again." Ignitus was very supportive, and Spyro appreciated that. This time, when Spyro performed the move, he did it almost perfectly. Spyro tripped forward slightly after the move, but he caught himself before he hit the ground. "Much better! Would you like to try it again?" Spyro performed the move again, and he did it flawlessly this time.

"Perfect! Now, for the third move." Spyro's attention came back to Ignitus. "This one is called, tailspin." Ignitus moved into the center of the room, and he spun in a 360, flicking his tail out. Ignitus stepped back, and gestured for Spyro to enter the center. "With this move, you want to crouch down, and move the front part of your body to the right, and keep your paws stationary. Then, use your paws to throw yourself to the left, while using your wings to make it more clean. Make sure you move your tail along with your body, and use your back paws as pivot points. Spyro tried the move, and he tripped. He tried it two more times, and the same thing happened both times.

"Maybe I should have started you off with an easier move… how about charging?" Spyro groaned loudly. "Please, just follow my lead?"

"Fine…"

Ignitus crouch down to the ground, and pointed his horns forward. Then, he kicked back his hind legs, and charged forward. He then used his hind legs to skin to a halt, and he flicked his horns up quickly, and powerfully. Spyro performed the move before Ignitus could tell him anything else about it, and he did it perfectly, first try. Looking satisfied with himself, Spyro proceeded to try the tailspin again. This time, he took a deep breath, and imagined himself doing the move perfectly in his mind, then, he made sure his body was in the right position, and… he performed it perfectly.

"Well done, young dragon! I will say, you do not give up easily, and that's encouraging." Spyro smiled. "So! Can you teach me some fire moves now!?" Spyro was very excited, and his smile was so big and adorable, Ignitus couldn't bring himself to disappoint the little guy. "Very well…" Spyro jumped up in the air. "Yes!" Ignitus rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"O.K., now I'm going to teach you a move called, flamethrower. Now, close your eyes…" Spyro did as he was told. "Now, breath in, and then breath out. Feel the heat in the air, feel the power of the sun, and imagine standing on scorched stone, basking in the heat of magma, and feel embers falling onto your body,… and accept it. Become one with the fire." Spyro stood still for a moment, breathing nice and evenly. As he concentrated, smoke began to emerge from his nostrils when he exhaled. "Now,… take a deep breath, and release the fire within you." Spyro took a very deep breath in through the mouth, and when he opened his jaws again, a great blaze of orange and red fire, blasted out of his jaws. Spyro was able to keep this current going for a good ten seconds, before stopping and gasping for air.

"That… was… AWESOME!" Spyro seemed really excited, until he remembered the first time he had ever used fire. "Wait… I was able to use fire before… without having to do any of that…" Ignitus sighed. "Fire can be used if your anger becomes… unmanageable… but relying on anger to fuel your fire, is a very unwise decision."

"Oh… why?"

"Because… controlling the element of fire, is a big responsibility. Fire is dangerous. It is not like the other elements. Fire is alive, it breathes… and spreads, enveloping everything in its path, whether you wish it to, or not."

"So… are you gonna teach me how to make fireballs?" Ignitus looked surprised. "Was that the first thing you ever did with fire?"

"Yep!"

Ignitus seemed regretful. "No… if I taught you how to shoot fireballs… you're too ambitious, and impulsive… fireballs can create small explosions, and I fear you may not be able to wheeled this power responsibly. In fact… I fear I may have taught you to much already."

"Ah, come on! I'm not dumb, and besides… if you don't teach me how to shoot fireballs, I'm just gonna try to figure it out on my own… and I don't think you want that." Spyro smiled deviously, and Ignitus sighed heavily. "Very well." Spyro didn't jump for joy this time, but he was definitely satisfied with himself.

"But before I teach you that move, I must first show you something important." Spyro looked curios. Ignitus turned back to the wall with the octagonal button used to bring down the statue, and he pressed a different button below it. This button had a blue glowing ring around it. When he pressed it into the wall, several small circular platforms appeared around the outer ring of the training area. On these platforms, there were gems that came in three different colors. Red, green, and blue.

"What are those?"

"These are spirit gems." Ignitus moved over to the closest gem, it was green. "A gift from the ancestors. A gift that speaks across generations. A gift that empowers you with the spirit of the past. Strengthening you with the wisdom of the ages." Spyro looked at Ignitus confused. "And… what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means they can strengthen you. Physically, spiritually, and mentally."

"Oh… I still don't get it." Ignitus sighed. "Dragons have magic. They are magical, yes?"

"Yeah"

"magic is a part of our elemental abilities, and it can run out."

"What!" Spyro was surprised. "Now now. Our elemental abilities do come back if we wait, but green spirit gems can speed up the process of 'elemental regeneration' by a considerable amount."

"Elemental regeneration?" Spyro asked. "Yes, that is the technical term for it. It refers to the amount of time it takes for your elemental abilities to come back after you use them."

"O.K…" Spyro was beginning to understand it. "So, how long does 'elemental regeneration' take?"

"It really depends."

"Depends on what?"

"It depends on how much you use your element, how much you've practiced, and how much spirit energy you have." Spyro looked at Ignitus like he had just made a bad joke. "Oh, sorry. Spirit energy is bestowed upon a dragon by blue spirit gems. It increases all of your abilities, physically, spiritually…"

"and mentally." Spyro smiled as he finished Ignitus's sentence.

"But how long does elemental regeneration take, on average?" Spyro wanted to get a rough estimate. "Normally, it only takes about, five to ten seconds, but if you use up all of your elemental magic at once, it will take about, fifteen to twenty five seconds."

"Oh! That's not long at all!" Spyro seemed very confident. "Now Spyro, you must know that in the heat of battle, waiting for your elemental powers to regenerate, can feel like an eternity. It also physically exerts your body, and puts a strain on you. That's why you should make sure you mix your elemental attacks with non elemental attacks."

"Using your elemental attacks can overwork your body if you are not careful." "How so?" Spyro asked. "If you use your elemental abilities too much, your body will be overworked. When your body is overworked, your body will prevent you from using your elemental abilities as a way to recover. The more overworked your body is, the longer your elemental regeneration will take. If you are too overworked, elemental regeneration can take anywhere from one to five whole minutes."

"What!" Spyro was starting to see the downfalls of these powers. "But as long as you keep a steady 'exertion ratio', you should be fine."

"Well then, what's a good 'exertion ratio', whatever that is."

"Exertion ratio, is the technical term for how much you use your elements, vs, how much you use your physical abilities. A good exertion ratio is two elemental attacks, for every seven physical attacks."

"Two to seven!? Man, physical attacks are more important than I thought." Spyro thought for a moment. "If your in battle, and your elemental regeneration takes a few minutes, how much will green spirit gems speed it up by?"

"Green spirit gems don't actually speed up the process of elemental regeneration, but rather, they give you something to use as, fuel, for your elemental attacks, as a pose to your physical capabilities. While you are using this alternate form of elemental fuel, your elemental powers will be strengthened, and it gives your body time to carry on the process of elemental regeneration."

"But you must be careful that you do not mistake green spirit gems for anti-mag gems. Anti-mag is short for anti magic. Anti-mag gems can cause a temporary stall in your elemental powers. This reaction between anti-mag gems and elemental powers is called, elemental suspension."

"Anti-mag gems?" Spyro looked confused again. "Don't worry. Anti-mag gems are much more uncommon than green spirit gems. They are also a much darker shade and can only really be found underground." Spyro nodded, despite not really understanding what Ignitus had just said.

Ignitus realized that he'd probably said way too much in such little time, so he tried to simplify it. "O.K., All you really need to know right know is that, green spirit gems will bring back your elemental abilities, as well as strengthen them. Red spirit gems are attracted to wounds and will heal you, and blue spirit gems increase something called 'spirit energy'."

"O.K."

"So, you should know how to absorb the energy from these gems."

"K."

"To do this, all you need to do is break them."

"What! Realy?"

"Go on. Give that crystal a whack."

Ignitus stepped back a little, Spyro swung his horns into the crystal, and it shattered with surprising ease. The tiny shards of the crystal then went up into the air and started floating around Spyro's body. This only lasted about two or three seconds before all of the crystals were absorbed into his body, and once it was done, Spyro felt more power than he'd ever felt in his life, which wasn't actually saying much.

"Whoa… I feel great!"

"Yes, and now for the fireball attack."

"Oh, yeah."

"Assume your previous position, and feel the fire." Spyro closed his eyes and within seconds, there was smoke emerging from his nostrils again. "Now, instead of letting it all out gradually, hold it in till you can't anymore, then forcefully launch the fire within you out all at once."

A few seconds went by before Spyro suddenly opened his jaws and a ball of fire shot out and slammed into the door on the opposite side of the room. Interesting enough, the fireball didn't damage the wooden door. Ignitus looked behind him at the balcony door for a moment before saying,"that's enough training for now. Follow me." Ignitus pressed down the two buttons on the wall and the statue rose and the crystals went back down. He then proceeded to walk back into the other room with the green pool, and Spyro followed.

Once they got their, Ignitus gazed into the pool, as if he were looking for something. "So what's with the pool big guy?" Sparx asked, breaking the awkward silence. Ignitus rolled his eyes. "If you must know, some dragons have the ability to see visions. The thoughts, memories, and dreams of others… and to see what's happening in places far, far away. I am one such dragon, and in this pool the visions come forth."

"Oh really, is that so? O.K. What am I thinking now?" Awkward silence. "What am I thinking now?" More awkward silence followed by Ignitus rolling his eyes. "O.K., now? Now? Now, now, now, now, now?" Ignitus sighed.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, Sparx. It takes time, reflection, patience." Sparx shrugged his shoulders. "What I do see in the pool of visions is that Volteer, one of the Guardians, is being held on Dante's Freezer." Spyro smirked. "Nice parody."

"Spyro, I want you to come with me to Dante's Freezer…"

"And help you save Volteer?"

"Ah… yes… yes…"

"This is gonna be so, AWESOME!"

"But wait, I haven't even told how we're getting there."

Spyro looked curiously at Ignitus. "We have wings, do we not?" Spyro unfolded his wings to look at them. "Uh, yeah…"

"so… what do you think there for?"

"Wait, are you saying I can… fly?"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Sparx exclaimed. "Maybe you've been hang'n in those caves a little too long, old man. Spyro can't fly. We all know that."

"Yes, well…" Ignitus began again. "Technically, Spyro can't fly… yet."

"Wait, what?"

"You're too young to fly. Your wings have not fully developed. You couldn't possibly sustain your own weight in the air."

"Oh! So I suppose you can fly?" Spyro seemed irritated.

"Actually… yes, I can, and I'm going to fly you to Dante's Freezer, myself."

"Oh great… a piggy back ride… isssss meh fave-ret."

"Come on… I need you to follow me to the balcony so we can get going."

"Uuugh, fine."

Once they were outside, Ignitus closed his eyes and stood still for a moment. "What, do you have to meditate before you can fly?" Spyro asked mockingly.

"What? No… I was just enjoying some fresh air."

"Oh."

Ignitus sat down for a moment and said, "well… hop on." Spyro climbed atop Ignitus's back and held on. Then, Ignitus stood up and unfurled his wings. "I haven't flown in a real long time, so I might be a little rusty." Ignitus beat his wings, and dust fell out from the folds as he steadily increased speed, and then, he launched off of the balcony.

Ignitus fell for a good 20 to 30 seconds before suddenly arching forward and skating right past the tips of viciously sharp stone stalagmites. "Whoa!"

"Are you O.K.?"

"yeah! I'm great! This… this is AWESOME!" ignitus snickered.

"Ah, yes. I remember the first time I got to fly… the cool fresh breeze, the wind flowing through my wings… sometimes I forget to just, take it all in.

A short while after that, Cynder had arrived at the temple with her patrol. It was clear that even if Cynder did not believe Ignitus would have stayed in the temple, she wasn't taking any chances. She had arrived with 25 to 30 apes riding dreadwings, and 20 apes on foot. In addition, she had 20 to 25 dragons with her, but they looked like lifeless drones, completely dead inside, and were stone faced. Their will had succumbed to Cynder's savagery long ago. They were all wearing a black and white marble stone necklace with a blue gem and a sickly green gem embedded in them. Moreover, they were clad in weathered black and silver steel armor, veiled in spikes.

Now that she was in broad daylight, Cynder was everso slightly easier to see, and yet, she remained cloaked in inky darkness. Wherever she went, a cloud of black smog would collect around her, as if the very forces of nature wished to shield her dominating presence from its vision. Cynder was watching the sky from the temple balcony, when a large ape appeared behind her without a sound. "What is it?" Cynder asked despite not checking to see who was there. "We've searched this temple high and low, but we haven't found any sign of Ignitus, or the purple dragon."

Cynder remained silent for a moment as she speculated. "Do you know how strong a dragon's sense of smell is?"

"what?" The ape was clearly caught off guard by the question.

"I said… do you know how strong a dragon's sense of smell is?"

"Well, uh… no, not really… Why?"

"I recognize Ignitus's scent. And I can smell a young one too. They were here."

"Well, their not here know."

"Perhaps… but I know we're their heading. They think they can save Volteer. Their going to Dante's Freezer."

"I beg your pardon, but… how do you know, for sure, that their going to Dante's Freezer?"

"The scent of Ignitus is strongest near the pool of visions, and around the training area. This means he was able to locate Volteer using the pool, and he undoubtedly taught the purple dragon how to use his fire breath."

"Well… how do you know Volteer is the one they're after?"

"Their scent trail is heading in the direction of Dante's Freezer."

"So… do you want us to send troops after them?"

"No. You do remember why I kept Volteer at Dante's Freezer, don't you?"

"To keep him in a place that doesn't align with his element in an effort to make him weaker?"

"Yes, that is one reason… but I was referring to the curse."

"Oh, you mean the undead human army?"

"Yes. And that is why I don't want you to send troops. Why sacrifice my army, when I can just let the undead take care of them for me? But just in case they do find Volteer… I'll go ahead and set up a little… get together… for them and Dante."

"You mean your gonna set a trap?"

"Yes, you nitwit, a trap."