AUTHOR'S NOTES
I can't believe the commentary on this is increasing so much. Every bit of note has been taken into account for the fic's progression, and so I appreciate every little comment that managed to make its way.
I see the OC commentary from last time ended up facing a bit of a discussion. Sometimes it also worries me that all of a sudden such characters would turn into Mary Sues, yet I was careful to plan Ango's personality as the fic made its progression. It's in this chapter in particular that we get to see one or two disadvantages of having a descendant of a pirate ancestor travel alongside you. There's no way that I would ever plan him to be as much of an active enough fighter to even save Spyro from a minor situation, so there we go.
BrightCat, the commentary relating to the grammar was also pretty well received (makes it even more amazing that you're a fan of the legend that is Turquoise Phoenix as well; I want her back!), and it's been a very long time since I received writing critique in this kind of level so that is really appreciated. :) It's this kind of commentary that I love to be honest, if I need to measure up to the bucket load of writers that have ended up with such potent feedback around here. Though, bear in mind that before I send the fics off I run a spelling and grammar check in Microsoft Word (most rules on grammar seem to be based on British English outside from some of the Americanised spellings; blame my home country if you like, lol), yet I'll still be happy to go through a few more proof-reads for such hiccups alongside them.
I also see you thought about the scenario with Cynder's separation from Spyro in chapter 1. Though I do see what you mean in terms of "what kind of question is that", the way I see it is that she's left there, hopelessly at the steps of the dragon temple, nervous over how far the storm would end up taking him. But I do see what you mean by the dialog portrayed there. Like I said, it's those kinds of moments that seem to make me think more about wanting to do a couple more proofreads before launching.
So yes, in a nutshell I respect all commentary that managed to come through. I just wish I got commentary on a similar level for The Theoropolis Saga though, though this is just as amazing enough. Regardless, thanks very much, and let's move onto the next chapter!
Peace out,
-Rexy-
It didn't take too long for Spyro, Sparx and Ango to finally emerge from the Dragon Village into the wide-open fields ahead. Yet in spite of escaping from civilisation for a brief spell, the scenery around them wasn't quite as pleasant as they were going to expect.
At almost every single turn, there were rocks etched into the ground, standing there, trying to block them from going up any further. Red weeds were placed among the ground alongside several upturned piles of dirt nearby. Yet in spite of that, they were keen enough to go around them and continue their exhibition.
Not long after that, they faced a steep pathway that lead straight up a mountain slope. While Spyro and Ango managed to cope with the ascent, the sudden changes in altitude suddenly started to turn Sparx's face an awkward shade of citrus yellow as well as making him struggle to catch his breath.
"Spyro, are we nearly there yet?" Sparx asked him with a wheezy tone. "My wings are getting tired from all this climbing!"
"Quit complaining", Spyro leered impatiently. "We left the village half an hour ago. Haven't you been used to hovering above the ground already?"
"Maybe I have, but it would be easier if I didn't face sudden altitude changes at the same time", the dragonfly replied with a cough. "What do you think I am; a rock climber? Or even more convincing…" he made a brief pause. "Do I look like a red echidna to you?"
Gasping, he then ended up collapsing on top of Spyro's back, holding onto two of his ridges with his hands, riding on him like a jockey on a horse. The dragon, however, didn't show much concern over Sparx's position – at least he's light enough to carry around, he thought to himself.
About two minutes later, they soon managed to reach level ground once more. Rocks and weeds still covered their whereabouts, but they were not even at the least their most major concern. Something was seen glowing in the darkness, giving off an eerie white and lavender glow.
"Wait just a second, peeps", Sparx blinked as he pointed towards the glowing object.
Quickly, they all came to a stop and observed the object. Its lighting in the shadows wasn't enough to identify it straight away, leaving them to carefully take several steps at a time to get closer at it. The purple light soon started to give way to other shades into it, including varieties of pink, blue and white.
Finally they saw it in clarity – a large stone gateway that blocked the path, with embedded rocks on either side standing, preventing any other means of getting around it. The colors from the light formed an aura in which the lights from it swirled in an anti-clockwise direction.
"This…" Sparx's jaw almost dropped as he tried to look closer at it. "Is this some kind of checkpoint thingy that Bianca and the Professor mentioned?"
"I can see some kind of black aura, so it should belong to the Sorcerer", Spyro made a brief analysis. "Ango, what do you make of this?"
"This is definitely the Sorcerer's sacred energy. I'm sure I will be able to unseal it to continue our journey."
Bringing his arms back, Ango made his walk towards the arch, hoping to make contact with the energy itself. It in itself started to grow brighter and brighter as he got there, even getting to the point that the light given off from the aura was soon reflected onto his body.
Finally, he stopped in front of it, still looking on at the giant object with wonder. A chilled air surrounded it, almost being potential enough to freeze his fur on end. The aura itself even channelled itself with a strange whooshing sound that would sound almost sensitive to the untrained ear thanks to its low bass frequencies omitted from it.
He would almost try to send his hands straight towards it, but before he even managed to touch the aura… he suddenly froze in place. There, he felt a strange presence that caused his eyes to twitch and shiver in place, almost as if it was consuming the dark energy inside his body.
"Ango, why did you suddenly freeze like that?" Spyro asked cautiously.
The dragon's question was enough for him to look down at his position and gradually repent. When they both locked eyes with each other, Ango's eyes were shown to be almost completely pale in color, leaving him to have some obvious concern over what was behind the aura.
"I have a bad feeling about this gateway", the kid frowned. "Something's telling me that we shouldn't go past it. Perhaps we should try going back."
"What?" Sparx squealed in place as he looked bitterly towards the view of the Dragon Village from below. "We spent half an hour just trying to climb this thing, and now you're telling us to do down??"
"I have my reasons for it. Trust me on this."
"And I have my own for doing anything other than to climb a mountain, thank you very much. Heck, I could even take up stand-up comedy in that time!"
"Sparx! Ango!"
The bickering between the pair was enough for Spyro to make his dash between the pair with a trace of impatience being shown upon his eyes. First he managed to place his head directly between the two, instantly blocking them from landing any fisticuffs onto one another.
First, he brought his tail from behind and whacked Sparx towards the other side of the clearing. And then he rammed his head into Ango's chest, leaving him to just flinch and fall to the ground, clutching onto his stomach. Having seen the results of the break-up, he looked back towards the dragonfly maintaining his glare of irritation.
"Sparx, don't argue with the kid", the dragon bossed the dragonfly. "If he has problems with the door, that's fine."
"Whatever you say, chief", Sparx responded weakly as he raised his hand in the air.
Just as quickly as Sparx dropped his arm again, Spyro focused his attention towards the kid. "Ango, what do you think is wrong with making our way to the Dragon Temple?"
"Nothing's wrong, it's just that I think there's something more suspicious about this gate."
Continuing to hold onto his stomach, the kid managed to make his stand back onto his feet, and carefully made his walk towards the door. The eerie colors that formed around the gate were left to be untouched, with its frequencies and auras bound to give shivers down the spine of any living creature that would approach it.
"This mystical energy looks more lethal than I imagined it to be. I'm not saying that I can't unlock it, but there's something about it that doesn't feel right."
"Damn straight!" exclaimed a distant male voice bearing what sounded like a New Mexico accent. "You've just come looking for trouble."
The voice caused them to look around all directions, trying to locate the physical form behind the voice. They saw leafless trees rustling on occasion, as well as footsteps that were almost too fast for them to be able to trace, complete with strange long and narrow footprints, with three toes being made out on each.
And before anything could happen, a rumble was felt onto their feet. They looked below, and saw several cracks show upon the ground. Before they could react with running from them, they were left to fall straight down with the rubble, making their way inside a deep pit.
Upon recovery, their eyes were still met with darkness. In fact they could have remained to struggle their way through had Sparx not steadily floated down and acted as a light that extended for at least a couple of feet ahead, the dragonfly himself looking puzzled over these recent events regardless.
"Okay, who turned out the lights?" he growled bitterly as he questioned the darkness.
"I did."
The voice caused them all to look towards their left at the same time. Darkness still enveloped the entire area, but a blur was still clearly made out – a small shape that had two legs and two arms, just like every other creature that resided back at the Dragon Village.
Its radiant green eyes shone within the darkness, almost like a piercing pair of car headlights. It arched out its arms and legs, posing as if it was auditioning for a part in a spaghetti western movie. Its defined status almost looked mouse-like in structure, at least according to the eyes of the trio.
"That shadow", Spyro tried to identify the creature. "He looks like a small Atlawa."
"A what did you say, pardner?"
Growling almost bitterly, the rat shadow made a closer step towards Spyro, walking around with long intimidating feet. It soon came to a stop several footsteps later, holding onto what looked like a stick in one of its hands, only just viewable to point out its silhouette in the darkness.
"You're messing with Bandit, the most cunning outlaw from out of Cliff Town", boomed the shadow. "And we're not letting you out of the Dragon Village without a good reason for it."
"That's the thing", Spyro attempted to compromise. "We're trying to locate the Dragon Temple. Once we get there, I will recruit some warriors to help take care of the Sorcerer."
"That's preposterous. I know of a dojo, but a temple doesn't exist around here."
The shadow was left to shake his head at the mention of a temple. Meanwhile, Spyro didn't look too convinced, as he leant himself forward slightly, focusing straight ahead at the rat creature with his eyes focusing cautiously at him and his teeth starting to clutch tighter.
"That wasn't what Bianca said!"
"So, you seem to know that magic rabbit back at the village", the shadow chuckled deeply as he spoke. "Even with that in mind, the fact remains that you're planning to cross the border and into dangerous territory. We will make sure that you don't."
"Wait", Sparx suddenly hovered up, quivering slightly. "Did you say 'we'?"
The shadow cackled in response. And it wasn't long until it suddenly raised both hands in the air, clapping them with a loud snapping sound omitted from them. And just like that, two blurs were seen going towards both sides of the creature before forming more clearly as soon as they started to stand still.
A state of heavy breathing was felt from both creatures, both of them leering straight ahead towards Spyro, Sparx and Ango with illuminating eyes that penetrated the darkness. Smoke was also noted to arise from their nostrils, almost blurring their view to some extent.
"He's got a pair of accomplices with him!" the kid excitedly shouted at the top of his voice. "What are they going to do?"
Quickly, Ango took a tight grasp onto a nearby rock, looking closer at the pair of shadows. But in spite of getting a closer view, the postures still looked uncertain over what they would do. Amidst the blurs, Bandit made his step forward, still unable to have crucial details made out right in front of them through the hazy black mist.
"Stay back if you know what's good for you, kid. Otherwise…"
Almost snickering in place, he raised a hand to his neck and used it to imitate the sound of a knife slitting it. But regardless of the threatening move, Spyro's expression showed no fear, leaving him to crouch down with his claws almost digging into the dirt spewed beneath them.
"I'm not going back", Spyro stubbornly confirmed his next move. "We came this far for a reason, and we're not going to back down now!"
"Suit yourself", Bandit cackled once more. "Prepare to become a grilled sheep sandwich, kid!"
As quickly as he finished speaking, Bandit raised his hand straight into the air. And there, the two shadows took sidesteps away from the rat-shadow and started to make their run straight towards Spyro, Sparx and Ango, thundering across the ground at an extremely brisk pace.
In spite of them coming closer and closer, the wind surrounding them alongside the darkness and their motion blurs made things difficult to be able to identify what kind of creatures there are. At best, all that could be made out were short legs and ridges down their backs.
"What are those things coming towards us?" Spyro asked his companions, looking puzzled. "I can barely see their faces!"
"Let me help you out for once, buddy!"
Determined to show assistance, Sparx climbed up to the top of Spyro's head and held onto his horns, before ending up in a sitting position, his tail section being sent straight down the dragon's forehead to act as a headlamp upon him. The powerful yellow and white light intensity only seemed to make things difficult for him to see.
"Careful!" the dragon growled towards the dragonfly. "I'm almost blinded!"
The remark caused Sparx to look at his position and saw the effects of his tail upon Spyro's head. Sighing, he then pushed his tail up further, allowing for a clearer field of view around the dragon's eyes – much clearer than when he faced the darkness beforehand.
And so, he started to make his charge towards one of the shadows – the one to his immediate right. Showing concern of the type of life-threatening creature that it could be, he ended up lowering his head down to the point that the tips of his horns were pointed horizontally - almost causing Sparx to slip and fall.
"That's it!" Sparx cheered as he re-positioned himself. "Keep heading forward and bash them!"
"Do you really think I'm strong enough to attack them, especially after what happened with Cynder?" Spyro asked Sparx as he clutched his eyes closed as he went closer towards the shadow.
"Just go by instincts, pal! I know you can do it!"
And so, Spyro kept running, increasing his speed drastically over time, still aiming for the left shadow. Getting closer and closer left him with a facial expression showing an increase in confidence, knowing that he would make any form of collision upon the incoming shadow.
And then his horns felt something. He felt them graze the creature from its chest, leaving him to crawl almost directly underneath it. By instinct, he lifted his head up into the air, causing the shadow to be sent soaring, landing on its back several meters from the dragon.
"That one was sent towards the other side of the chasm! How…?"
"No time for questions!" Sparx hastily shouted before Spyro could finish his sentence. "Go for the other one at the other side!"
Sparx pointed straight towards the other side of the chasm, where the other shadowed creature was seen making its way towards the dragon. And there, the same situation began again – a simple charge with horns pointed towards the target, ensuring that he would strike it again.
The horns struck the chest, yet Spyro found difficulty trying to lift it above the ground as the creature managed to take a grasp upon his back. Its claws dug deep into it, inflicting an expression of pain upon the dragon, lucky not to have shed blood by the incident.
"Their claws!" Spyro struggled to exclaim his experience with his accomplices. "This one's trying to dig into my spine!"
"I'm coming!!"
Ango's triumphant shout caused both creatures to pay attention towards the way that Spyro came from – the kid was seen running his way towards them just as fast as he did at the market chase; heading there with his hands clutched together, hoping to do whatever he could to further assist the situation.
"Ango, wait!" Spyro called out with concern. "We need you to unlock the-"
Ango didn't listen to Spyro's words. By the time the dragon was close to finishing his sentence off, the kid was already on top of his back, trying to tear away the monster with his own two hands. A faint white glow surrounded him as he tried to pull him further and further away.
And then he finally did, sending both himself and the shadow rolling among the ground towards one of the walls. There, the kid brought his attention towards the shadow – unable to look into its face without Sparx's assistance, but still looking confident nonetheless.
"Never underestimate the descendant of a pirate!" he chuckled excitedly.
But before he could even try to make any form of damage towards it, a set of flames were instantly sent from the shadow's mouth towards the kid, almost burning his clothes and fur had he not suddenly jumped out of the way and towards another part of the clearing.
The kid soon managed to lose the creature by hiding in a rock, and as soon as the shadow left the area he started to make his way back towards Spyro. And he could have been there had he not felt a sharp sting crack across his back, like a giant bee fighting over a Queen.
"Yeowch!" he screamed with pain, soon clutching his teeth together afterwards. "That armadillo's trying to get me from behind!"
The mention of the species left Spyro's eyes to widen. "This 'Bandit' character is an Armadillo?"
"Just attack him, quick!"
Sparx pointed straight towards the distant shadows of Ango and Bandit, at that point there being a chase from those two. The kid's screams for mercy as he tried to escape from what looked like a whip made out of leather was enough to cause an avalanche if the mountain peaks were not so dry.
Gritting his teeth tightly, Spyro then made his way towards the pair. Yet in spite of his running speed, Bandit was able to run at an elegant speed, with his pace almost matching with Ango whom at the time managed to run further away from the whip and its lethal cracking.
"He's too fast!" Spyro exclaimed as he struggled to keep up with the pair.
"There's no such thing as too fast when you're around", encouraged Sparx. "Just do what comes naturally!"
Spyro looked on at Bandit's silhouette ahead. There he noticed that he just seemed to keep running faster and faster – a speed that almost seemed too impossible to lower his head down and approach him with his head. There had to be another way, he thought to himself.
Maintaining a cool composure, he then kept up his running speed, gradually getting faster and faster towards the armadillo's shadow. By the time, he was able to catch up with Ango, being able to send his whip directly towards the ground and almost cracking his feet.
But before he could even do anything else… he felt a burning sensation on his back. He looked behind him, and there, he saw what happened – Spyro breathed fire onto him! The burning sensation was enough for him to come to a stop and performed a side-roll on the ground, allowing for Ango to make his run far away from the scene.
"That's one major inferno, senor!" Bandit jumped at the sight of what looked like a singed cape on his back. "What are you trying to do to me?"
Spyro was left unable to answer the question, but rather reflecting on his previous action. "That was… fire?"
Spyro suddenly stopped in his tracks, quickly looking on at the tips of his snout as he did so. Traces of smoke were seen making their rise into the air above, almost exactly like the barrel of a revolver right after shooting several bullets in point blank precision.
The sight left Sparx to make his way over there, looking on at the sight for himself. There, he dropped his mouth and hovered lower and lower towards the ground, his face still looking almost too unsure to be able to take in the situation ahead. Looking more perplexed, he placed one of his hands on his chin and proceeded to turn around.
"So if you can breathe fire again…!"
Sparx's eyes instantly lit up as he looked further up ahead. There, he saw some of the large fallen branches of some of the leafless trees, littered among some of the walls and the ground. Looking at them left him with nothing more than a face showcasing a very positive expression.
"Quick! Do us a favor and light up the area!"
Spyro reacted with a brief nod before he started to make his way towards them, one by one. And one by one, he spewed out the same type of flames from his mouth that singed Bandit's clothing, this time completely igniting the branches to form small torches upon the ground.
Eventually, five of which were lit, giving him room to see more of the clearing around him. Though he could now make out everything that were 25 meters away from the burning wood, all that could be made out was several tall rocks in the middle of the clearing and a steep passageway back up to the higher level. But in spite of seeing so little, his face gained a very sudden boost of confidence.
"My power!" the dragon jumped up with his face still showing surprise. "I can't believe it's starting to come back!"
And as if he had just overtaken someone in a running marathon, the dragon made his run towards the steep slope. By the time he got there, he already noted that Ango started to make haste up there himself, climbing up there as elegantly as a squirrel in a busy autumn day.
Then, he followed suit, climbing his way as calmly as possible until he managed to reach the top. Finally he was out in the open air again. He maintained his confident smile as he turned back towards the archway, yet when he did so, his eyes were focused straight towards Bandit – now illuminated in the daylight.
He was a brown armadillo, with a ten galleon hat gracing the top of his head, a sky blue shirt and matching backpack on his back, and a red neck scarf that covered his chest in conjunction with a black belt clipped around his waist with a gold buckle etched with the image of a star in a circle.
"Wait a minute", Bandit gasped with his jaw dropped as soon as his eyes were fixed on the dragon. "It's you! You're that dragon that hooked me up with Ember!"
"Great, another strange animal thinking that you did something for them", Sparx looked down moodily. "Are you really sure you didn't visit this place before?"
"I mean it", Spyro confirmed his presence while walking closer to Sparx. "I haven't encountered this area before, and I certainly don't know who this Ember is."
"What??" a figure shouted with an ear-piercing high-pitched squeal. "After all this time that I spent chasing you, worrying for your safety?"
The shout left Spyro to suddenly turn towards his right. And there, he saw the two shadows that he saw chase off before, now slowly being exposed into the light. One of them stood further ahead from the other, instantly being the first of which to be displayed in full detail.
It was a pink dragon that stood on all fours, with graceful purple spikes that went down her back, horns that curved to some extent, a pointed mouth, deep purple eyes, and wore a heart shaped locket around its neck. The posture made it obviously feminine, but before Spyro could even come close to a conclusion, it suddenly went towards him and lashed its heart-shaped tail towards him, slapping him straight across the face.
"Ow!" Spyro winced, reacting with a sting on his jaw. "What was that for?"
"You don't even know me anymore, don't you Spyro?" sulked the pink dragon. "I'm Ember, and you just made me very mad that you completely forgot about me!"
"Ember, calm down", reassured a young male voice from behind her. "Spyro hasn't been here in six months, so if he's out of the loop, then he's out of the loop."
"What do you know, Flame?" she hissed at him back, still facing the purple dragon. "Your mom and dad haven't left the village for long periods of time, so what kind of experience do you have?"
"I don't go by experience. Rather, I would go by looking at creatures' feelings."
Ember looked behind her, and ended up seeing Flame for herself – a red-orange dragon that looked almost just like Spyro in anatomy, but he had straight horns and significantly less ridges going down his back, along with copper brown eyes shown in place.
"What is this feeling thing you're trying to refer to?" Ango tried to ask him.
"I can see in Spyro's eyes that he feels very insecure about this place", replied the red dragon. "Given that he hasn't approached this area in a while, I can understand."
"Just out of question, what have you been doing all this time?" Ember asked as she walked up towards Flame. "The last we heard, you went to fight the Sorcerer and never came back."
"That's something that I doubt I would explain right now", responded Spyro with a perplexed tone. "The more I think about it, the more confusing it can get."
"And the more my mind starts to think about dancing fairgrounds and pixies!" exclaimed Sparx, twitching his fingers. "Man, I need somewhere to sit down."
Blinking cautiously, Sparx ended up hovering down towards the ground and found himself a sitting position on a nearby rock. His tail section was left to hang there, as if he was awaiting a doctor's appointment. The confusion was left to rotate around his head, much like the self-described fairgrounds that he managed to bring across.
Spyro and Ango, however, looked at each other, understanding that they still had a pathway to make regardless of the situation that they were in. And so, they both looked upon Bandit and the dragons, both of them sharing the same stern facial expressions together.
"That's still the least of my concerns right now", the purple dragon reminded the others. "What concerns me though is making my way past this checkpoint."
"As I said, none can do", leered Bandit. "The Sorcerer set up that barrier for a reason, and that was to stop anyone from coming in this direction. Flame, Ember and I have also been instated here to stop the Sorcerer from coming into the village."
"That's the point. I don't know how powerful the Sorcerer's magic has developed during his takeover of the village, but I want to take a closer look into it."
At the sound of the dragon's response, Bandit's facial expression soon became stern. "If that's the case, I'll let you through but don't say I didn't warn you, Spyro. We lost you six months ago, and we're not going to lose you again!"
Bandit outstretched his hand towards the dragon, placing it securely around the marks that were left behind from the encounter. Blinking gently, Spyro looked back at the armadillo, with his eyes obviously showing that his goals are still set in stone regardless of the warning.
In the meantime, Ango made his walk straight towards the gate, placing his hands straight towards the eerie lights that surrounded it. He allowed them to get absorbed inside, slowly yet instantaneously, almost as if they were sinking in a mud bath of epic proportions.
"Everything will be alright. I am pretty sure that Spyro knows what he's doing."
"Great", Sparx unenthusiastically muttered, letting his head and arms drop. "Do we really need a psychic to try and make this a lighter place? It would be easier if you get a good sense of humor every now and again, okay?"
"Sparx, don't distract him while he opens the gateway", Spyro glared at him arrogantly. "Just leave him to his own devices."
As if to say 'whatever', Sparx glanced back at Spyro, bringing his fists down as low as he can go while giving out a broad growl from his teeth. In the meantime, a sudden burst of light was shown from directly the other side of the area, right where Ango was seen trying to break through the arch.
"It's working! I think we've got a way through!!"
His remark caused everyone to surround him as if he was holding a newborn puppy in his hand, except that instead of that, his hands omitted a spark of white light within the portal, gently dissolving the contents of the arch like bits of sorbet on a hot summer day.
Finally, a last burst of light surrounded the area, instantly engulfing the portal in its entirety. And at that response, the light around the arch completely vanished, leaving a clear way through, deeper and deeper into the mountains ahead. Though it showed a dark passage ahead, Ango smiled back at his success with hope in his eyes.
"Okay, you've just opened up a way through to a darker part of the Dragon Realms", remarked Bandit. "Don't say I didn't warn you in going through there, though – it's your funeral."
"It still doesn't matter", replied Spyro. "I have a mission to undergo in there, and that's final."
Bandit, no matter how insecure he felt about the entire situation, was left to bring up one of his hands, patting it on Spyro's back, thus encouraging the brave decision made. Knowing that he now had the confidence of a strange armadillo behind him as well, the dragon made his way through the arch first, making sure to smile back at Bandit, Ember and Flame before he ventured deep inside, taking his companions with him.
"Good luck, Spyro!" she waved him off using one of her front paws and her tail simultaneously. "And if you see any gem stones, please bring one back for me, will you?"
"Ember, why did you ask for that?" Flame rolled his eyes directly at her. "You know you're more crazed for Bandit now."
"I know, but I still see him as an old friend. I never knew I'd miss him so much until now."
Sighing deeply, Ember brought her head down, thinking much about her statement. Her tail gently twitched as various thoughts crept onto her mind – various fantasies that involved her receiving all sorts of attention from the dragon as if he was a gentler variation on a chauvinist.
Those thoughts were soon settled when Bandit came to her side, stroking her head gently. And that touch was enough for her to look on at him, then at the gate, and back again. His expression might as well have said everything, she thought to herself. Maybe Spyro had a reason for doing what he was doing, and whichever happened, she had to accept the decision that was made.
The path beyond the gateway was nowhere near as bright and scenic as the passageway that led to the top of the summit. Instead, the walls obscured almost every trace of natural light to the area, and the narrower path added to a claustrophobic feeling as they walked further and further.
The red weeds that littered the ground remained in place, stuck between the rocks, though some of which were close enough to slowly turn into varying shades of crimson and purple. The stale scent that erupted from them was enough to turn Sparx's face a bright shade of lemon yellow, looking more and more fearful for these surroundings as he progressed further with the other.
"Why did we have to go through that door, Spyro? This place is scaring the crud out of me!"
Clutching his eyes, he quickly hovered towards Spyro's back and took cover on his neck. Clutching onto two of the ridges down the back of his head, he looked around the rocks and saw the red weeds turning purpler in color as they went on, complete with various darkened shards littering the dry ground.
"Honestly, I'm seeing more dead stuff than you'd find at a funeral out here", the dragonfly frowned, almost looking as if he was about to cry. "I don't like this place one bit."
A further walk up the path led the amount of dark shards to increase in quantity, and the red weeds starting to look more like indigo weeds. The occasional bone was also seen, cleanly picked away by whatever predators might have found this unsafe location to be their home.
"This definitely doesn't feel like the way to the Dragon Temple", Sparx continued to speak fearfully as he turned towards Spyro. "I can't even see any familiar surroundings of that and the nearby swamp."
"The flying stick is right", mimicked Ango. "This doesn't feel very positive in its energy. Are you sure you wanted to get through that gateway?"
Spyro almost instantly replied with a simple nod, though not necessarily an upbeat one. "I just wanted to find a way back to the temple no matter what the cost. Still, I didn't imagine that the path would be like this."
Before Spyro could proceed to talk further, he suddenly felt a sliding sensation from underneath his front legs. And before anything else could even happen, he was left to slip down with his chest landing with a thud. There he saw a crumbling set of ground, with him hanging over the edge from the chest up.
"My footing!" the dragon reacted, almost falling from the crumbling platform.
"Hang on to me!" Ango called out as he edged closer.
Quickly, Spyro brought out his tail and wrapped it around Ango's leg. Then, they both assisted each other in bringing themselves up onto firm standing ground again. As soon as that happened, the dragon looked down, and saw that he was on a sensitive crumbling cliff side.
He looked ahead. And there, he saw several islands and bridges of light shown right ahead of them. Rocks encased in fire were seen spitting out from the purple void that surrounded the scenery ahead, almost as if they were bound to erupt an entire scene filled with chaos.
"It looks like…" Spyro paused for several seconds, trying to regain his composure. "We've reached the end of the world."
"Hey, wait a second", blinked Sparx. "Doesn't this place look familiar to us?"
Sparx pointed towards the scenery, and in a blink of an eye, Spyro realised that the dragonfly might have a point. The familiar swirling patterns along with the similar rocky structures ahead could only mean one thing – it felt as if he had almost definitely been in a place like that before.
And in that place he faced a brave battle, right in the center platform as portrayed in the scene ahead. While it hosts something completely different than a portal that led to the Dark Master, it still held a vicious structure enough to still recognise it as a place that remained etched into his mind.
"Convexity…"
The very mention of that word was enough for Sparx's eyes to widen in place, before he looked straight towards Spyro's eyes. He saw that they meant just about everything to him – the incident that occurred there just a short while before they made their arrival to this strange area.
Visions of fighting with Cynder as a giant black dragon that stormed the skies with fear and pain was enough for him to shake in his legs. Though he knew that he managed to survive the encounter, the memories that remained behind were too rough for him to try and raise his mouth to speak.
"What kind of flashback are you having with this?" Ango asked him with an over-exaggerated expression of concern.
"It's too hard to explain. All I can say is that I fought a black dragon at a place like this."
Ango looked on at the dragon. Though he didn't explain it in full detail, the kid was happy to nod back with a reassuring gesture upon him. Spyro saw into his eyes and his understanding, feeling firm in knowing that he was able to see into his feelings regardless of whether they were spoken or not.
"But… what if this Sorcerer is similar in power?" he pondered as he thought about the village's scenario once more.
With an expression mixing calmness and nerves, Spyro focused his attention towards the open area ahead. Though he was unsure about what kind of power the Sorcerer might have formed to generate this area, he knew that no matter what the cost it had to be approached if he needed to continue. And yet, the urge to tackle it increased as all of a sudden, a burning rock shot out from the void, straight towards the group.
"DUCK!!!" Sparx exclaimed with dread.
In response, the group all managed to get around the rock and jumped straight down the cliff, heading their way towards the lilac void that was underneath them. It almost looked as if they would be consumed by the intense light energy that was underneath them.
But all of a sudden, a white bridge of light was shown right underneath them, acting as a way to land for them. And as soon as they got there, they started to make a safe landing, leaving them to start exploring the scene directly around them. Several rocks were still seen being sent in their direction, however.
"All of these rocks", Spyro starred at them wide-eyed. "Where are they coming from?"
"I'm no genius like I said earlier", replied Sparx, "but it is best that we try to escape from those and make our way through here before anything bad happens."
Quickly, they all made their run along the bridge of light, trying to escape from the rocks. Some of which only just skimmed above their heads, only leaving for traces of warmth to end up coming around them. Some of which were unlucky enough to try and singe their tails if they came close enough.
It wasn't long until they soon made their way towards a large circular platform in the middle of the area, moving around like a fairground ride without the seats. Cautiously they all jumped on one by one before starting to approach another bridge of light at the other side.
"Come on champ!" Sparx brashly shouted as he went further ahead.
Sparx's comment was enough for Spyro and Ango to start pacing their way further and further ahead, running along the light bridge as if it was an archway that led to a distant yet heavenly location. In spite of that, it still felt cold and hard upon the feet as they ran further and further along it.
But then, they felt an eerie warmth and glow from behind. Quickly, Ango turned behind him as he ran, and there he saw the bridge start to crumble apart as if it was made entirely out of Tetris blocks. The pacing in which they fell also increased, leaving him to jump in his place as he witnessed them.
"Spyro, the platforms are caving in!" the kid screamed as if he was being strangled by a yeti. "Run faster!"
"I'm running as fast as I can!"
Spyro looked behind him as he ran, also managing to witness the crumbling state of the bridge of light. Taking a deep inhale, he focused his attention back forward again, looking straight towards the other end of the bridge of light – the safer and more secure end.
Running faster and faster from the crumbling platforms, he soon made his way right past Ango and straight towards the giant platform. With determination, he made a flying leap straight towards the platform for himself, soaring as graceful as a bat in the air.
And then he landed safely on both feet. As he did that, he turned back and saw Ango catching up. As soon as he reached the tip of the bridge, he made a flying leap himself, sending one leg forward and his other leg behind him. And then, he too managed to land safely, breathing heavily as he landed.
"There's no going back now", Spyro frowned as he looked back at the remains of the bridge. "I think we have to just keep running!"
Sparx soon appeared by his side, his face mixing certainty yet tension. "Damn straight, pal. If there's any way away from this place…"
The dragonfly breathed in gently as he looked away from the crumbling bridge of light, towards a scene to his direct right. And there, there stood a giant white spectacle right ahead of him – a tower that stood almost just like Cynder's lair, but obviously had safer stone markings placed upon it.
Yet its ghastly platinum appearance was enough to shine upon the group's eyes with fear being circulated around it. Several bolts of lightning crashed above it, allowing it to shine nothing more than a giant diamond right in the middle of this mysterious and unearthly void.
"It might just have to be through this door here", Sparx pointed on at it, almost frozen in place. "That's the only hypothesis we can make of it."
The towering gates shimmered gently in the uneasy environment, glowing upon their eyes with a glare that could almost freeze their souls into place if it could. Yet, it didn't come close to intimidating Spyro, as he walked his way straight towards the gate with his eyes showing a deep amount of curiosity.
"Dragons first, I'm guessing?" the dragonfly twitched his eyes in response.
A bright purple thunderbolt appeared above their head, illuminating a brief flash around the area and following almost immediately with a thunderous crack that rang around the empty void for several seconds. And with that flash, the building was illuminated in an eerier glow than the usual.
Regardless of its structure or the surroundings that were around it, Spyro showed no fear as he went up the stairs, his footsteps echoing gently in the almost empty void that was around him, and his claws clashing with the metal as if he was wearing horseshoes upon his feet.
As soon as he reached the door, he turned back and saw Sparx and Ango making their approach, both of them looking as if they want to see the dragon get through the area with them, yet both of them didn't look any close to as confident as their purple comrade.
All they knew was that if this was going to be an obstacle between them and the Dragon Temple, it had to be traversed. It was a feeling that remained on Spyro and Sparx since the plight to Cynder – not a single path that leads to an ultimate goal is considered to be as peaceful as generally implied.
Bearing that feeling in mind, they all went through the door together. Obscured by the darkness that was inside, it was soon assumed that if it was to be considered a checkpoint on their journey to the temple, then this thick darkness would have to be approached with extreme caution.
-end of chapter-