-AUTHOR'S NOTES-
Wow, I AM surprised with the response on this so far. After having a rough start with The Theoropolis Saga I thought I might struggle to get at least one comment at all. Thanks for everything so far.
This is the part when I look over responses and bring up any issues that were brought up amongst them. I see that we're getting a few ideas on Spyro's connection with the village, which will somehow get explored just a little bit more in this chapter as well as introducing the sole OC in the fic. I'm prepared to get some heads turned at my decision on this, but what can I say? I seem to be fonder of the unconventional, lol.
Alongside with that, I noted a potential requests to use some OCs from other people in this. However, I don't want to go down that route. Firstly it would help if I understood their previous ways of character development before, and I can be pretty worrying if I portray such characters completely wrong. Secondly, it also worries me if the OC in question is a Mary Sue or a Gary Stu – a character type that I completely despise. I don't want to have Spyro completely fall at the hands of a vicious monster and miraculously gets revived by a giant pink fairy with enormous blonde pigtails that can summon giant fireballs the size of the sun to smite her opponents.
Thirdly – and the biggest concern of all – the time for character development will also be an issue. The length of the overall fic meant that even some of the canon characters needed to be cut out because they felt really unimportant to the rest of the tale. That already meant having to exclude the fairies and most of the Dragon Elders, which made me feel awkward enough in itself, but it also gave me more time to explore the feelings of others as well as develop more climatic scenes.
I hope you understand what I meant when taking the liberty to choose the character roster. I don't want to upset anyone, but I still hope we can be cool after what I brought up, right?
Thanks for your time. And now for your reading enjoyment, here's the second chapter.
Peace out,
-Rexy-
Several minutes passed, and at this stage, not long after coming across Blink, Spyro and Sparx were escorted across the village towards a distant location. As they made their walk, they were keen enough to take a closer look at their surroundings around them.
In spite of the obvious black cloud and the pirate creatures that went around the area, everything looked so peaceful for a village setup. Bearing that feel in mind, they both looked on at one another, curious over the kind of surreal area that they were sent into in the first place.
And then, they were brought into a quiet area towards the south of the village. Standing there was a large metallic building that stood almost like a regular home, but with several electric pylons being embedded around its perimeter. Much of its surroundings were instantly reflected upon its surface.
"Here we are", smiled Blink. "This is the professor's home."
All three of them looked on at the structure of the building up ahead, noticing the metallic structures around them. A close observation saw that the building looked slightly different in comparison to the other buildings, which looked clearly made out of stone.
"There's something about this structure that looks out of place with the rest of the area", Spyro brought aloud his suspicions to the others.
"Yep", beamed Blink. "My uncle and I just moved in two months ago to study this dark aura above the village. So if you see that as different, now you know."
Smiling in response, Blink made his walk straight inside the building, taking gentle footsteps further inwards as he managed to do so. As soon as he stepped through the front door, a spotlight turned itself straight on above his head, illuminating his view as he went inside.
Spyro was almost about to follow him, but before he could do anything, he took a look back at Sparx, whom somehow showed more discomfort about his surroundings than the dragon. Sighing morbidly, the dragonfly soon followed him, hanging his arms on the top of his head.
"Are you sure you're trying to hide something from me?" Sparx leered almost bitterly. "Did Ignitus tell you any more confusing secrets behind my back?"
"No, I'm not", replied Spyro. "I just find it odd that these creatures would live in structures like that. This one in particular doesn't look very safe, personally."
Sparx responded back with a sarcastic chuckle. "Oh, now I see, you think it looks too similar to Cynder's old fortress to become habitable. Well you know, we aren't at the Dragon Temple anymore, so anything can happen, kid."
Sparx's comment was more than enough for Spyro to somehow turn straight towards the building. Surely he had a point with it sharing similar metallic structures to the fortress that they travelled through at Concurrent Skies, although its colors generally looked far less foreboding.
Yet in spite of the structure, the least that the dragon could do was look back at his companion, raising an eyebrow straight in his direction before refocusing towards the building again. For some reason, it may look safer on the inside than it would potentially be out, he thought to himself.
"I suppose I'll take your word for it", the dragon sighed.
Taking a deep yet discreet breath, Spyro made his step through the front door, with Sparx soon following. As soon as they got inside, they instantly triggered a spotlight hanging directly above them, shining down on them like a beam of light omitted from the sky.
They soon brought their focus towards Blink, whom had already made his way deep inside, almost getting hidden in the darkness. He was seen waiting patiently, bringing his eyes around the black and blue metallic structures that graced the halls and ceiling of this peculiar hallway.
The walls and floor themselves had strange cyan blue lines that went in all sorts of directions, turning at a perfect right angle if they ever did so. They shone the brightest among the lights in the room, illuminating every object and being in its sight with its cool midnight color scheme.
Walking further ahead saw them starting to go past several barred doors, assuming that each of them would lead into store room after store room holding unnecessary contraptions. In spite of its colors, the barred windows made them feel a slight bit less welcoming than the lights.
"Uncle!"
Blink was the first to emerge from the hallway into a large and spacious room – a laboratory filled with flowing chemicals to the right, several large machines to the left, and a desk where a smaller mole was working on, all in a faint blue lighting scheme around them.
"Uncle, I've managed to relocate Spyro today", he brashly spoke to the smaller mole. "He seems to be out of the loop, but I hope he could help you out with your experiments."
Instantly, the smaller mole stood up and turned around to witness the dragon. He showed himself to have short flowing silver hair, complete with glasses with a golden rim, black shoes and a lab coat surrounding his body. Upon the sight of him, his face suddenly broke into a joyful smile.
"Spyro, you're alive!" he joyfully replied with an aged voice filled with wisdom.
"Wait, I still don't know who you are", Spyro looked on at the creature with confusion. "Are you this 'professor' that Blink referenced to?"
Before the small mole – the Professor – could even come close to him, he suddenly stopped into his tracks. Thinking about Spyro's remark, he shifted his eyes towards Blink's direction and made a slight pace towards his direction, showing a facial expression with deep concern.
"What's going on?" the Professor asked his nephew. "Why can't he recognise me off the bat?"
"I think he's coming down with amnesia", Blink sighed. "I think it would relate to the incident from six months ago."
"What incident?" Spyro hesitantly asked in reply. "What happened? And what's with the black cloud shrouding the village? And which way is it back to-"
"ONE QUESTION AT A TIME!!!"
The Professor's shout was enough to cause Sparx to struggle to gain his balance, leaving him to suddenly stop hovering and fall straight onto his back, looking confused over the power of the booming voice. All that the aged mole could do in return was blush with an apologetic look.
Spyro was keen enough to raise one of his paws towards Sparx's direction, leaving him to hold onto it as he regained his balance and hovering height. As soon as that happened, he turned back towards the Professor with an equally sympathetic look on his face.
"I'm sorry", the dragon spoke softly while lowering his head.
The Professor nodded, accepting the apology. "Okay, we'll start from the beginning – that incident."
With a quiver in his voice, he made his walk back towards his desk, walking with slightly melancholic footsteps. As soon as he reached the desk, he pulled out a small scroll and cautiously raised it in the air as if he was raising a test tube with a delicate fluid inside.
He opened the scroll cautiously, and there he saw what was written right ahead of him. There, he saw what looked like a bulletin written inside it, along with various drawn images of a dragon shadow encountering a cloaked silhouette inside a spacious arena.
The very sight of the article ahead of him was enough for him to lower his head and look down towards everyone else in the room with a grim look. Sighing, he rolled back the scroll and paced his way straight through the middle of his room, focusing his eyes upon everyone as he walked past them.
"At this time six months ago, the Sorcerer came here and launched a wide scale attack across the village, using his minions to start seeping the life energy from the ground. Carrying the mystical Shadowstone that you used to counter a previous wave from him several months earlier, you confronted him once again."
Spyro looked on at the Professor with curiosity. What was this Shadowstone that was brought into the conversation? And even more confusing still, since when did he run into a fight with a magician? Nevertheless, he maintained a stern expression, while inside he knew that the issue would get perplexing.
"And then, you vanished", the Professor finalised his story with a whisper. "We never saw you again, for six whole months."
"I can't remember anything like that, but I'll take your word for it", Spyro accepted the story, raising an eyebrow slightly.
The Professor reacted with an uncertain yet slightly more positive smile upon him, all before he focused his attention to a giant glass window that was shown to his left. He made his walk there, and as soon as he got there, he observed a clear view of the village around him as well as the mountains and the cloud that hung above.
"And that would also explain the black cloud", he gestured as he pointed up towards it. "The Sorcerer's reign on the Dragon Village has lead to him gaining control of this area. It is to the point that we are in an oppressive society as of now. Goodness knows what would happen next."
"So let me understand what's happening", Spyro began to recap. "At some point or another, I confronted some 'sorcerer' and went missing, leaving the village vulnerable to succumb to his power."
The Professor turned back to Spyro and gave out a gentle nod, ensuring that the dragon has understood the gravity of the situation. Almost maintaining an expression of false confidence, the dragon took a step forward, knowing that he could attempt to do something about it if possible.
"If that's the case, I could help you out, but I can't do this all by myself."
"Why not?" asked the Professor, focusing on the dragon and supporting his glasses at the same time.
"I don't feel that I'm up to my maximum strength yet. I need to recruit some help."
Spyro paused for several seconds. With that remark he made, he saw it as his chance. Any way away from this village and back in the direction to the Temple would easily assist him in any shape or form, whether it is to escape or actually recruit the "help" from back there.
His face looked insecure as he continued to think more about the situation. How did the people know him, and how was he seen as a potential savior for the village? Still holding self doubt, he took a further approach towards the Professor, making sure not to mark the metallic floors with any potential footprints.
"And that brings me to my next point", he bravely commenced. "Do you know which way it is to the Dragon Temple?"
The Professor gave off a quick blink. "Dragon… temple?"
Quickly, the Professor jumped on the spot and instantly turned his way towards Blink, whom also was seen with an equally curious expression. Together, they went into the furthest corner away from the entrance from the hallway and huddled together, their expressions almost looking as confused as each other's.
"What's all this about a dragon 'temple'?" Blink hastily asked his uncle, confused of what was going on. "I know of there being a dragon 'dojo' along a passageway west out of the village, but I'm not sure that's what he's looking for."
"If that's the case, then I have an awkward feeling about this", the Professor sighed, shaking his head. "What kind of location did he find anything of the sort?"
"I might have an answer on that."
The remark caused everyone to turn straight towards the nearest corner to the window panel – right in the direction of the voice. And there, they saw a tall shadow standing firm, shifting long feet and looking down at the ground with what looked like a short and stubby nose.
The figure then stepped straight into the light, revealing it to be a furred creature just like the moles and the soldiers – or more specifically, a rabbit. Silky white furs graced her body, with her long ears hanging down as if they were nothing more but a head accessory.
Blonde hair graced the top of her head, blending in with her sapphire blue eyes and shoulder-less shirt, cloak, skirt and boots that all sported a maroon and gold color scheme around them. The sight of her was enough for the moles to look at her with both relief and bewilderment on their faces.
"Bianca?" the Professor identified the rabbit. "I thought you were meant to guard the west exit out of the Dragon Village."
"Don't worry, Hunter's doing everything he can while I visit you guys", she smiled gently. "I managed to overhear the return of one Spyro the Dragon to the realms, so I thought I could check it out."
With a graceful smile on her face, she made a gentle walk towards the dragon, her ears gracefully roaming down her back like pigtails as she walked. As soon as she reached him, she crouched down to his level and gently stroked his head with a touch to rival a potential mother.
"And you must be the 'man of the hour'", she breathed with awe.
"Thanks", Spyro nodded insecurely, "but I don't even know who half the village is."
Blink quickly walked behind her and tapped her shoulders. "Bianca, we think he's got amnesia after his last encounter, but he might come to accept this place again."
A stern look was then shown on her face as she looked on at the young mole. "Somehow I doubt your hypothesis. But whether his memory has been inflicted with damage or not, I'm sure I can find a way to guide him to the Dragon Temple."
"There IS such a thing?" Blink exclaimed with a questionable tone.
"Yes. Though you might not have seen it, I am sure that it is around here somewhere. But it won't be there that he will get the help though."
Blinking gently, Bianca lowered her head once again, her facial expression showing the same expression of concern as shown upon her peers. She was then left to pace to the left slightly, maintaining her expression, with Spyro and Sparx fixing their eyes upon her as she walked.
"What do you mean by that?" asked the dragon.
"The way to the Dragon Temple is a long and perilous path, just like that you faced to get to the Sorcerer six months back", she attempted to remind him. "All that I can tell you is that it is heading out of one of the exits from the village, but the Sorcerer's magical energy has made things difficult to get around."
"Hey, you look like some kind of mystical voodoo lady, right?" Sparx grinned broadly while folding his arms. "Why can't you evaporate his spells with your little hocus-pocus?"
"I would have loved to Sparx, but my magic just isn't strong enough to break down the doors. Though, now that you joined in the conversation…" she paused for a few seconds. "What happened to your voice?"
"WHAT?" Sparx screamed, raising his voice up by an octave and a half. "This voice box comes naturally, just so you know, young lady!"
Showing a slightly tense facial expression, Sparx hovered his way directly towards Bianca with his fists raised into the air, but before anything can happen, she quickly clapped her hands together. That summoned a brief thunderbolt onto Sparx, temporarily paralysing him and sending him down to the ground.
The sight of it left Spyro to shake his head with disbelief at the sight of it, before walking towards the dragonfly and using his paws to push him gently as he waited for his wings to start flapping again. It wasn't long until his eyes were fixed back towards Bianca and the moles, however.
"So, how can we break down those doors?" he asked her, seeking for more answers. "Is there another way?"
"Bianca might not be strong enough", Blink began to reply sternly, "but I've heard of a strange myth that dates back to the days of the pirate ancestors. Do you see these monkeys walking around in the village?"
Spyro nodded with confidence. "Yes, we were chased by a few before we met you."
"Okay. It was claimed for them to be descended from an army of pirates that were faithful followers of an ancient dark entity. The power from them can be enough to bypass these magical checkpoints that Bianca brought up."
"We can't even befriend any if they keep chasing us. Is there another way to it?"
"You know", Sparx commenced to speak weakly as he started to flap his wings and gain some height again, "we could stun them and make them do our bidding, but even then they could refuse. This is sounding worse than facing my mother's 40th birthday party."
Scowling, he made his way towards a distant corner, assuming that he is a force that couldn't really be associated with cooperating with creatures resembling past enemies. All that he would do is leer towards his own reflection, knowing that the struggle back home had just gotten worse.
Cautiously, the Professor approached the dragonfly, trying to look on at his facial expression. But before he could even look at him in the eye, Sparx quickly turned away, trying to hide his distressed facial expression from the elder mole. In a state of reactive thought, he turned towards the others, raising his glasses back up his nose.
"You know, there might be a solution to this, though it could be far fetched."
Clutching his hands tightly, he made his walk towards the other end of the room. Finally he made his stop underneath a wall with all sorts of cuttings from various past scrolls, most of the more distinguished showing drawn shadows of a smaller soldier-like creature. The largest in the set showed it running away with what looked like a raw fish in its possession.
"In my time studying these creatures, I came to find out about a young descendant that actually managed to befriend some of the residents", he informed the personnel while looking on at the cut-outs. "It even managed to steal food from the market and give to the poor on most occasions that I saw it."
"So you're saying that he could be our chance at opening these gates?" asked Spyro.
"I would assume so", the Professor nodded in spite of being able to maintain a smile. "Spyro, if you want to reach this Dragon Temple or whatever, I would see to you being able to recruit this creature and use him to help you out."
"And what if he refuses?"
"If he refuses, just mention who you are and he could help you out. That's as much as I can tell you."
The Professor's comment felt very confident, the dragon thought to himself. Breathing in, he looked straight towards Sparx, whom ended up giving off a slight tremble in return before raising his hands in the air as if to say 'the strategy might work'.
Taking in the words into account, he knew that it was time to put the words into practice. He looked towards the archway that lead straight towards the hallway that he initially came from and made his walk towards it, ready to tackle the brave wide world outside once more.
"Good luck with your journey", waved the Professor. "I don't know what exactly you seek from this temple, but I hope it will help you well in seeking for the Sorcerer."
"Thank you sir."
Spyro's nod of affirmativeness was enough to see him heading out the door in upbeat spirits, ready to do whatever it takes to make his way towards the Dragon Temple. And as soon as he turned around, all that remained was the trace of his shadow among the walls.
Blink and the Professor locked their hands as they saw the dragon make his departure from the area, though the latter somehow showed an insecure facial expression. If he really did guess right that Spyro had amnesia, would he really have what it takes to aid the village after all?
Only time would tell as far as they concerned - for as far as they and Bianca knew, he won't be able to get far without the assistance of the fabled "pirate kid". And whether he would be able to encounter him as securely as possible or as roughly as possible would remain firm in the hands of fate.
As soon as they left the door and arrived back out into the open, Spyro and Sparx found themselves back towards the streets of the village. The cobbled stones beneath their feet and the towering structures of some of the homes nearby once again started to add to their unease of their location.
They walked down a nearby alley, where market stalls were graced from end to end, all of which having ursine-like creatures serving behind the counters. In spite of their friendliness towards them, all that they could do was maintain neutral expressions as they kept walking.
It wasn't long until they left the alley and found their way to a nearby deserted road. Once there, they both came to a stop and looked upon one another with raised eyebrows. The thoughts of the conversations with Blink, Bianca and the Professor remained fresh in their minds.
"Wait, so you're actually accepting that you once lived here?" Sparx asked Spyro, twitching his tail cautiously.
"No, I'm not", the dragon shook his head. "It's all that I can do if we need to go home."
Making a further pace towards the middle of the village, they brought their eyes towards the other walking villagers that went around. Most of which were the same bipedal dragons that they found before, walking around, trying their best to hide their fear from their peers.
"Still, these people sound like they're in danger because of this 'sorcerer'", said Spyro. "I can't just stay at the temple with the regret of not being able to help them, whether they know of my existence or not."
Blinking with a look of concern, Spyro looked straight down to the ground below – a dirt-covered ground with the occasional pebble etched into it. It didn't take long until he soon looked on at Sparx, thinking about the situation and what would feel more important – helping everyone and failing to find a way back, or going home and failing to save everyone.
"You know, this sounds kind of strange", shivered Sparx, folding his arms grimly. "Are you sure you haven't been here before? Everyone knows your name, but you don't know them."
"That's what I'm concerned about as well", Spyro replied almost nervously. "I've never been to this place in my life, so how can they know me like this?"
Lowering his head down, he reacted with sitting down, taking a closer look at the surroundings around him. Not even the pleasantness of the market square was enough to calm him down in spite of it trying to act cheery to the civilians regardless of its murky color scheme.
"I can't be in some strange farfetched version of a past life, can't I?" he quickly jumped to an irrational conclusion.
Sparx instantly shook his head while pointing a finger in the same motion. "Hey, if it was a past life, then we could expect you to mature from a dragon egg in six months, can we or can we not?"
Sparx had a point, the dragon thought to himself. What are the possibility of being another purple dragon in a realm like this, facing an untimely death, and almost instantly getting reincarnated as another purple dragon, maturing in six months and going on to fight Cynder and potentially the Dark Master in that time?
Obviously he knew to himself that it was all too impossible. Everything that he faced from his time in the swamp to his time fighting Cynder didn't add up to the possibility of having grown out there in a world like that. Hesitantly, he brought himself onto the ground, lying down horizontally, his face looking increasingly perplexed.
"This is getting too confusing. I need to find answers no matter what the cost."
Sparx nodded back at him as if to say that he would support him in his decision. Carefully he acted as a guiding light as the dragon stood back up, still unsure about the surrounding area – as he quoted, a place where everyone knew his name, but he didn't know them.
"STOP! THIEF!!"
The shout left the pair to look straight to the direction of it. Right there, they saw a figure zooming straight through a nearby archway, holding what looked like a baguette in one of its hands. It ran off, cackling slightly as it made its dash straight down the distant alley.
Not too far from them came another bear - one larger than the other merchant bears that they passed. A fez graced his hat, along with various multi-colored gypsy clothing around his body including a waistcoat, wide pants, a blouse and flat shoes among other garments.
"Come back from the hands of Moneybags!" the bear spoke with what sounded like an Arabic-Russian accent. "That's the last time you're running off with one of my sandwiches!"
The bear's scream was enough to know that they couldn't stop him in his tracks regardless of his struggle. With that, they looked at each other and gave off a confident nod, ensuring that before they locate the kid, they would at least assist a village resident nonetheless.
They both went in a different direction – up a canopy that led to the roof of a shallower building. After reaching the top, they observed the scene from below and brought their eyes down to another creature that resembled a former minion of Cynder, though it looked significantly younger and more innocent, as well as sporting striped pants, a dark waistcoat and a red bandana over its head.
"Is that the pirate that Bianca brought up?" Spyro asked Sparx with a hopeful glance.
"You're not getting away that easy, you stupid ursine!"
The shout from the kid was enough to send nerves straight down the chasing bear's spine. With that, he clutched one of his fists tightly and started to run significantly faster, attempting to catch up closer and closer towards the kid with every stride he made.
Yet, in spite of that, the kid was able to make several nimble turns around the canopy, turning with precise accuracy while being able to maintain the grasp on the sandwich. Just as it made one turn in particular, it brought its eyes to a mountain of fruit on another market stall; he leered at it, knowing that this might be his chance.
"Take that!" he exclaimed joyfully.
And so, he leapt straight towards the top of the fruit pile, before running on the spot. This in turn caused a horde of fruit to fall straight down towards the ground, all rolling in the direction that the kid came from – straight towards the unsuspecting bear.
With a facial expression filled with shock, Moneybags quickly jumped over some of the first few apples, yet he struggled with some of the thicker patches, leaving him to suddenly slip and fall onto the ground. This allowed for one of the apples in particular to land inside his mouth like a fruit in a roast pig.
That soon followed with some of the remaining apples to end up falling their way on top of the bear, instantly burrowing the bear almost completely. As soon as that happened, the kid jumped back down to the ground and turned back at the pile of apples, now mostly on top of Moneybags save for a squirming arm and leg.
"Help!" he screamed, his shouts being completely muffled by the pile of fruit. "Help me out of this mess!"
The kid smirked with a victorious snicker. "Never thought I'd see you get smothered in apples. Makes a fine Sunday lunch!"
The boy continued to run around the market square, knowing that he managed to lose Moneybags to the point that he could almost be able to unable to catch up with him. Whomever he would give the sandwich to, no one would know – no one, except for himself.
But in spite of his eagerness to go closer into the village, Spyro and Sparx followed the kid among the rooftops, all before they finally managed to find a location hanging above a straight path leading back near the giant willow tree. Carefully they both ascended down towards the canopy, hoping to take a closer look at the kid's actions in the process.
"Here he comes, Spyro!" Sparx shouted from above almost too excitedly. "Get ready to block him off!"
"But he's running too fast!"
Spyro's remark was right – for a thief, he seemed to run at a blistering speed among the ground, leaving behind a dust trail behind. But if he was what they would need to progress far out of the village, they knew that the time to act was now, no matter what the circumstances.
And so, he jumped down from the balcony and focused his attention straight to the kid ahead. Soon enough, the kid ended up locking eyes with this dragon that appeared from out of nowhere, dropped the sandwich and tried to stop on the ground using his heels.
"Yikes! What the…"
No matter what his best efforts were, he was sent into an uncontrollable stop, instantly rolling upon the ground like a bowling ball for several seconds. A trail of dirt was left behind on the ground as he moved and finally skidded to a halt directly on his chest.
From his position, he looked straight up at Spyro. The first sight of his neutral-looking purple eyes were enough to make him shake on the spot, knowing that he might have run into trouble in some shape or form. Quickly, he picked up the sandwich, sat up and used the food item to defend himself.
"Are you… are you… please! Don't hurt me!"
"I'm not going to hurt you or anything", Spyro attempted to plead with the kid.
"Yeah, it's not like he did the same to any more of these monkeys around here", Sparx backed up his statement. "Besides, he's too weak to even light a candle right now."
Sparx's remark caused the youth to suddenly blush on the spot. There, he ended up sighing, still trembling and holding onto his hands for comfort. He then fixed his eyes steadily upon the pair, and as time started to pass, his nerves slowly started to calm down to the point that he started to feel less like he just left the door of a refrigerator.
"It still doesn't change the fact that I've seen you from the sidelines, fighting all sorts of monsters", the kid blinked with awe. "You're Spyro, the savior of the Dragon Realms, aren't you?"
Spyro tentatively nodded, his front legs starting to tremble. "Yes, but to be honest with you, I've never been here before."
"You can either trust him or not, pal", Sparx glared at the kid deeply. "Some absent-minded professor thinks that he's got amnesia from fighting a sorcerer."
"Well, I can see what you mean."
The kid gave off a gentle glance back towards the pair, before suddenly taking a step forward. Outstretching one of his thick yet underdeveloped arms, he touched Spyro's back and maintained his curious facial expression as he continued to stroke gently upon him.
He then proceeded to do the same for Sparx, but it didn't last long as he suddenly started to burst into a ticklish laugh after five seconds. Blushing slightly, he then turned back towards the dragon, placing his arms down towards his side as he can as if he was treating a pair of vases.
"Somehow, I can understand the feelings inside you", the kid spoke understandingly. "I sense that you want to venture to a Dragon Temple, right?"
Spyro's eyes widened once more. "How did you know about that?"
"It's something in my blood that makes me able to sense the feelings of others. I know you feel uneasy just going here. That's not surprising considering what happened six months ago."
Spyro's heart skipped a beat. What was done to depart from this unknown village six months ago; he thought to himself. He somehow knew that somewhere down the line, an answer to that question needed to be found in any shape or form, no matter what the cost.
Regardless, looking on at the youth meant that he found something that will bring him one step closer towards his ultimate goal of a way back to the Dragon Temple. The kid's eyes showed enough innocence upon them to know that somehow, in spite of this kind of species being a common adversary, he could be trusted.
"I'll be happy to help you out on your journey no matter what the cost", beamed the kid. "If you want a name, my name is Ango."
"Uh…" Spyro looked on at the kid nervously. "Hi, Ango."
"And a top of the morning to you, pal", saluted Sparx, obviously showing more confidence.
The sight of their responses left the boy to look back at them with confidence, knowing that he had just been accepted as a potential accomplice for the pair. Optimistically, he made his walk towards the Northern end of the area, where a gate stood directly in front of him.
"Still, now that we're here, I feel that we can be able to get through this together", he winked with his fists clenching. "I see that you wanted me because the Professor told you to. And I can be fine to go down with that, as long as the Sorcerer gets to leave this place alone."
Confidently, he looked back towards Spyro and Sparx, quickly disposing of the sandwich in a nearby haystack and jumping up and down as if he faced multiple birthdays and Christmases all at once. The least that the pair would do in return was look back – sure it was nice to have some optimism, but it does sound like a complete change of mood in comparison to the other personnel they met so far, they thought to themselves.
"Well, what are you waiting for? The way to the Dragon Temple is this way, isn't it?"
The kid pointed straight beyond the gate; right at the mention of the temple, Spyro and Sparx went up to him and looked straight on at the sight ahead. A mountain slope graced the area above, standing more or less like a steep cliff than a peak aiming towards the tallest parts of the area.
They even managed to sense a sight of a black mist that came from one part of the cliff, enveloping over their viewpoint like a bridge that looks as if it wasn't meant to be treaded across. But in spite of that awkward sight, Ango placed his hands down his side and looked ahead with a broad smile.
"Wow, he sounds like a better compass at this area than me", Sparx remarked, showing an annoyed look. "You know, I'm starting to feel a little tense with him."
"Why?" asked Spyro, concerned over his companion's remark. "He could be our only help to get to the Dragon Temple."
"Yes, but I have a bad feeling about his species as well", the dragonfly reminded him with a shiver. "He could be a spy for all we care. Are you always so naïve to trust these before you get to really know them?"
"It's not like we have a choice. We either must follow, or we stay put. And if we stay put, we may not see, Cynder, Ignitus or the others again."
Spyro's words soon sank into Sparx's mind. It was there that he started to realise the gravity of the current situation. If he does stay behind and tries to get along with the personnel of this strange looking village, he assumed that his actions would come with a price.
No longer would he be able to make contact with Cynder, Ignitus and the other dragons back at the temple. No longer would he be able to return to Tall Plains and reclaim his place as a potential god. And no longer would he be able to return to the two most important non-dragons in his life.
"Now that I think of it, I might not see mom and dad either", he whispered, almost looking heartbroken.
The thought left him torn. Should he trust a kid whose species is coincidentally the same as that for the soldiers that he and Spyro countered when journeying to Cynder? Or does he stay put and never see home again? In the end, he came to a conclusion, lowering his head with a growl in his throat.
"Okay. I'll stick by your decisions this time, but don't come crying to me if he turns out to be a traitor to you."
Spyro's natural reaction was a roll of the eyes and several steps ahead in advance. "Sure, I'll bear that in mind if I get trapped in quicksand or something like that."
Spyro's sarcasm left Sparx to scratch his head, curious over his decision. Maybe the dragon could see some good in the kid, and maybe he means what he actually says. The innocence shown in his eyes, coupled with his determination, were proof that he could be trusted.
Even with the species being a concern, the dragonfly caught up to the pair, and together they all left the village and made their way straight towards the wide open space of the surrounding fields ahead. Whatever dangers they would come across, they would all stand together and face them in their stride.
None of the trio knew what dangers in particular would arrive. None of them even knew how they would make their assault if any. But if there's anything they do know, it's the words of Bianca as they heard them – the way back to the Dragon Temple would be considered to be a brutal challenge.
-end of chapter-