-AUTHOR'S NOTES-
I see the tale's getting just as much a response as ever. Thanks for the usual support.
Not many questions to ask this time, though I'm pleased to see that the inclusion of Ignitus made someone happy. :D And yes, it's only a matter of time now before the fic is starting to approach the "final act" as I should call it.
So what we were left off with is that Spyro and the group found out that they failed to kill the Sorcerer upon the accidental arrival at his lair. On top of that, he didn't want to go home for the sake of the village. This means that he'll need to keep fighting but what kind of direction will be taken? And why is the Dragon Village deserted? We'll see once we get through the chapter.
Here's an interesting irk I should mention with this. This chapter and the next two were originally going to be two chapters instead of three. However, the original second chapter grew to be so huge it had to be cut in half thanks to the amount of ideas that were placed there. On top of that, for reasons relating more to suspense if anything, the original conclusion for this chapter was re-worked as the introduction in the next one. You'll only know what it is in a few days time. Ouch?
Either way, it's time we went on to this chapter at hand. I hope this gets through okay. Thanks for all commentary in advance.
Peace out,
-Rexy-
It wasn't long since the encounter with the Sorcerer to the East of the Dragon Village. Having known that his power hasn't dwindled since the assault at his lair, Spyro, Sparx, Ango and Red still took the situation to heart and used the unexpected meeting as a foundation for deciding on their next move.
Yet in spite of there already being a black cloud hanging above the village, there still seemed to be another; it could never be seen to any pair of eyes, but more like it could be sensed in the feelings of the people that lived there. It was one that hung on their shoulders like onions to the eyes.
Most of the personnel completely sealed themselves indoors, with most in particular already gathering inside the Professor's lab at one end of the settlement. And there, the mole faced a gathering from multiple personnel from all ends of the village, all of which having far from the most joyful expressions upon them.
He slightly tilted his spectacles and looked upon them one by one from left to right. Hunter, his nephew Blink, Bandit, Ember, Flame, Moneybags and Bianca were all there in the same room, each of them showing a series of grim and disappointed facial expressions.
The Professor somehow knew that they were all there for one sole reason. He witnessed a connection through himself and everyone else that was right under the roof – the obvious notion that everyone had a connection with Spyro, or rather, the incarnation that was left to decay at the mountain peaks.
"I can't believe he's gone, after everything he did for us", Hunter whispered in a corner, his head and his bow both hanging low.
"I can understand you, Hunter", sympathised the Professor. "You both were strong companions since our first meeting in Avalar."
With a sigh and a blink, the Professor went towards Hunter and outstretched a hand onto his shoulder. The cheetah responded with a light glance back, still feeling uncertain over putting the news aside. There, the elder mole released his grasp, knowing of almost exactly how he felt.
Even Ember started to feel increasingly heartbroken, to the point that a stream of tears were gracing her eyes, leaving her to eventually sob into Bandit's arms. The armadillo maintained a sympathetic look as he carefully embraced her and patted her on the back in an attempt to calm her down.
"There now, calm down, Ember. Just because he's gone doesn't mean you can't forget about the good times you managed to have with him", he spoke to her with a softer tone than the usual. "Please, be strong."
In spite of his words, she didn't calm down. Though, a few seconds later, she looked straight up towards his face, showing her blue eyes starting to look significantly more red thanks to her anguish. She gave off a brief sniff from her snout before she attempted to try and speak again.
"How can I?" she asked with her voice starting to croak from her grief. "He was one of the sweetest dragons that ever came here. He always gave me flowers and rings and stuff, and… and…"
The very mention of those aspects in her mind left her to start giving way to a weakness in her knee caps, leaving her to suddenly fall flat on the floor in strain. The sight of her slip left Bandit to crouch down further, still continuing to stroke her as calmly as possible.
"The Sorcerer had to take everything away", she moaned miserably. "It's not fair!"
Bandit, in spite of her decreasing sorrow, was left to shake his head awkwardly. "Firstly, those gifts might have been a figment of your imagination. Secondly, I say we don't assault the Sorcerer. I mean, I don't want to lose you just like we lost him."
Ember looked up at Bandit with her wide facial expression. She knew that the armadillo had a valid point – there was no use charging into his lair to avenge Spyro in the event that she would eventually fall herself. Sighing, she lowered her attention to his feet, his toes twitching gently over time.
A similar motion was shown for Moneybags, who ended up focusing his attention out of the window and towards the market bazaar that stood in the distance. The sight of it looking so empty seemed like a foreseeing of the near future if his unconfident expression was anything to go by.
"I'm sorry for having Red bring this news to you. If you want to throw javelins at him, feel free to do so."
"No, we're okay with Red", Hunter clarified his statement towards the bear. "We're actually happy that we managed to find out the truth about Spyro and his absence."
Moneybags raised an eye towards the cheetah's direction. Surely he wouldn't have naturally punched Red after talking with him, couldn't he? Or on second thoughts, it would be completely useless – such violence would never do anything to right any situation at all, no matter how bad it was.
"I just never thought it would turn out this way though", he sighed as he soon looked down.
"Come on, Hunter", Blink replied as he came closer towards him. "Just be strong for us."
Gently, Blink outstretched his hand and placed it upon the cheetah's shoulder. That caused him to look straight towards the young mole's eyes – looking just as hurt as the others, but with every passing moment he looked more prepared to move on to see what the future would bring.
A similar expression was even granted on Bianca across the other side of the room, standing there with her long feet tapping on the ground like a nickel on a table. Looking at everyone's faces one by one was enough for her to result in shifting away from the corner, walking towards them.
By then, most of the group ended up fixing their attention directly to her, even though their feelings showed that they did not want to. For all they knew, she could raise just as much as a sympathetic statement in the room just as much as one that anyone else gave or received.
"While I feel just as upset over this loss, we still need to feel strong for the present. This 'other' Spyro might be the key to defeating the Sorcerer and restoring this land to order once again."
"You may be right, but I'm worried that the Sorcerer will overpower everything", Blink responded, looking increasingly worried. "And then what will happen?"
Blink's concerns were seen equally spreading upon the other personnel around the lab. It can be possible that this different purple dragon could help put things right once again, and thus being able to restore truth and order towards the village that they live in.
But nothing would change the fact that they would never gain contact with the incarnation of Spyro that they knew ever again. That very train of thought remained hanging over their head like chains on a planet with a heavy amount of gravity, unable to be lifted from ground level by even the strongest entity that lived there.
"Did I come in at a bad time?"
The remark caused them all to look towards the entrance, where they saw a dragon shadow make its way through. Some of the smaller creatures somehow showed signs of hope on their eyes as they saw it coming closer and closer towards the main room itself.
And then, the figure showed itself into the light of the room itself. Standing right there was Spyro, yet as soon as they realised that it wasn't the one that they previously knew, faces were soon dropped and lowered towards the floor once again. That left the purple dragon to look back at them with confusion.
"Spyro, I'm glad you could make it!"
The voice lead him to look at the opposite end of the room, where he saw Bianca making her walk towards him with a significantly more optimistic facial expression than what the others could put together at that moment in time. As soon as she got to him, the purple dragon's puzzled stance was enough to open his mouth to ask a question.
"No offence, but what's with all the long faces?" he asked the rabbit.
"Yeah, like I said to you earlier", Sparx remarked as he came through the door, "I've seen happier people at cremations."
Sighing, Sparx folded his arms, looking at everyone, unknowing of the situation that they were brought into. But in spite of his reaction to the situation, nothing could be done to be able to lift any spirits at the current moment in time, at least as far as he managed to know.
The silence was soon broken by the sound of the front door creaking open once again, and another dragon shadow was shown in front of the trio. The figure then stepped inside, showing him to be Red, with Ango hanging onto his back like a child attached to its mother.
"Bianca, come with me", he offered by outstretching his hand.
She looked on at Red with a curious pair of eyes, and in spite of knowing that their ways of magic could be different, his eyes obviously showed that he is worth being listened to. With that in mind, she made her walk outside with Spyro and Sparx soon following suit.
As soon as they got outside, they started looking their way towards a more distant part of the village, far away from any grievers. Quickly, Red looked his way towards the same willow tree that stood as a hiding place – the area where Spyro and Sparx met with Blink for the first time.
Bianca and Red held hands as they made their way towards the tree, with Spyro and Sparx walking on opposing sides of them, equally curious over the discussion in question. And it wasn't long until they would be able to hear about the village's current situation.
Five minutes passed after they settled under some of the higher branches of the willow and listened to Red's explanation on the reaction of the entire village right after he left Spyro and his companions to locate what would eventually be the vortex that led back to the Dragon Temple.
They learnt that not long after he managed to make his mark upon the village, one by one, the villagers struggled to take in the shock of the reality that happened. Chaos ensued across the immediate area, and then, the village soon fell into silence - just like a ghost town.
The emptiness was shown upon the entire bazaar ahead. The only creatures that never seemed to care less were the soldiers that Spyro and Sparx encountered upon their entrance there – an enemy force that have plagued the village with its vile hunting instincts.
"Now I understand", Ango recapped the statements provided from the Elder's mouth. "Red managed to spread the news about what we found on the mountainside."
"This makes sense, and I can understand their grief just as equally", Spyro nodded with an assuring glare.
"Yes, Red made a very brave decision on his part."
Bianca looked on at Red with a reassuring glance, taking a hold onto his back as she ended up doing so. The Dragon Elder would have liked to smile back, but the reality of the reactions of everyone was enough for him to just stand in place, almost hypnotised by the sight of the emptiness around the village streets.
"And now that the Spyro we knew may never come back, I'm starting to doubt we could stand a chance to defeat the Sorcerer", Bianca showed her concerns, thinking about the reactions of her peers.
"I'm equally as concerned", Red muttered towards her softly. "I've witnessed the Sorcerer's power, and even with the finisher to overcome him, I'm concerned it might not be enough."
Spyro quickly blinked in Red's direction. What is this stated "finisher" move that was brought up? Was that the same kind of technique that Ango brought up as well in their first encounter with him? And if so, how was it supposed to cooperate with the Shadowstone alongside it?
The questions were enough to puzzle over him. But the answers were all he needed if he ever had to save the village on his own accord. Taking a look down towards the ground, the sign of the dry gravel underneath his feet was enough to see that life was withering away, part of it by the Sorcerer, and part of it by its own accord.
Looking up towards the sky he saw it getting darker and darker, now plagiarising the entire area with a dull shade of indigo. The hopeless atmosphere was more than enough to give him the urge to locate whatever he can to defeat the Sorcerer… but where to start?
"Over here!"
The familiar voice was enough for Spyro to jump up, startled. "Cynder? Ignitus?"
Everyone looked straight towards the end of the alley, where a series of footsteps were heard – fast paced running steps. A shadow was seen making its run straight towards the scene, coming closer and closer, clashing the ground with a gentle clopping sound among it.
And around the corner, there came Cynder, with Ignitus steadily following her from behind. She made her stop directly in front of the group, skidding to a halt and reclaiming her breath as soon as she stopped. Not even the amulet inside her mouth was enough to block her breathing as she regained her composure.
"What's that you've got in your mouth?" enquired Spyro as he saw the amulet.
The black dragon's eyes widened as she fixed her eyes down towards her snout. And there she witnessed the amulet in her mouth and its chain hanging down to the ground, like a pendulum in a grandfather clock. She knew that now was the time to unearth her findings.
Calmly, she dropped the amulet onto the floor, revealing the fire and ice dragon pattern on its front. Spyro's focus on it led him to think back to the same fire and ice dragon panel he saw at the Sorcerer's lair, and by that, he knew the exact identity of this sacred treasure.
"I can't believe it!" Bianca blinked at its familiar markings as she picked it up. "That's… that's…"
"That's the Shadowstone!"
Red's comment suddenly left him to reach out for the amulet and suddenly snatch it straight from Bianca's hand, his eyes widening with wonder as soon as he attempted to match his eyes with it. The distinguishable pattern of the fire and ice dragons easily showed its identity right from the word go.
And having been able to sense the pattern, he gave off a wide smile as he took a faint clutch towards it, as if he faced a treasure that had been lost for a very long time. His actions left Bianca to look back at him with an understanding yet disturbed facial expression in return.
He soon closed one of his eyes, and fixed the other onto the amulet, which settled with a gentle glow that shone around it. As if he felt a strange and fuzzy feeling inside him, his face soon cracked itself into a smile, remaining that way as he raised his jaw to address the others.
"Spyro – I mean…" Red suddenly burst into an abrupt cough. "The Spyro I knew wore this to transport back and forth between the Shadow Realms and deflect the Sorcerer's energy."
"I know", the purple dragon nodded almost impatiently. "I've heard about that stone from Ango. But how are we supposed to use it now?"
"This may be what is needed for defense from the harshest of his powers", the Elder began to clarify. "It also feels slightly weakened since leaving its original owner, but I'm sure with a new owner, you will gain power behind comprehension required to defeat this monster."
Red's words rushed around the area with a stream of encouragement, yet for Spyro he still looked unconvinced. All he could do was take a closer look at the stone for itself – just a natural amulet that didn't give much of a meaning on how it would handle shadow magic. Blinking cautiously, he looked back at Cynder, Sparx, Ango and Ignitus, as if to ask what would happen next.
"Go on, Spyro", smiled Ignitus. "If fate requires you to don the stone, feel free to wear it."
Taking Ignitus's words to heart, Spyro was left to turn back towards Bianca and Red, both of which showing confident glances back. His eyes were then brought to the Shadowstone, reflecting almost eerily in the darkened skies above, yet radiating with what felt like a ray of hope.
He then took a deep breath and made his walk towards Red, whom crouched down and placed the chain and amulet around his neck. As soon as it was secure, he stood back up, leaving the purple dragon to look at the stone from its new angle, blinking with a shaky experience as if… nothing really happened.
Spyro looked down at the amulet, still looking confused. "I don't feel any different. Are you sure this is the right stone?"
"Red's eyes look very convincing", blinked Bianca. "I'm pretty sure he hasn't been much of a liar since his return to the dojo."
True to their word, Red showed a glance filled with determination. While they weren't as painfully obvious as Ango's glances of innocence, they still showed enough peace to show that he can be trusted – a look that soon settled down the other personnel around him.
"Even with that in mind, I still need to make sure you know the final technique required to eliminate the last of his power", he twitched his mouth confidently. "It's a hidden Dragon Kata technique that I would like to call the 'Banish Technique'."
The very mention of its name was enough for Spyro to step forward, increasing his curiosity significantly. "You mean I could use it to make him disappear?"
"Not exactly. It will be able to reverse the effects of his magic. If it's strong enough, it could even reverse the effects taken hold in the Dragon Realms as well."
The dragons looked on at Red, curious over his hypothesis. How can a technique be so powerful that it could reverse everything that the Sorcerer ever did to the place – all the suffering caused by whatever intent that has resided in the interiors of his own mind?
But in spite of the large scale of it, both Spyro and Cynder continued to look on at Red, looking more hopeful that that could be a working power that would make everything perfect in the end. The black dragon herself ended up showing more enthusiasm, looking increasingly intrigued as she stepped closer towards the Elder.
"You know, that sounds promising", she looked back with an overjoyed glance. "I'm sure we'll be able to work with that. But how do we pull the trick off?"
Red clicked his fingers gently before he informed both dragons of the technique. "Just touch the possessor of the stone and send both front legs forward as if you are pushing something. That's all it takes. The magic of the Shadowstone can be conducted through any living being."
Smiling gently, Red took a hold of his staff and twirled it gently like a conductor's baton. In the meantime, Spyro brought his attention straight back towards the Shadowstone and its position around his neck. The metal touching his stomach felt cold, yet that wasn't all he felt.
A warm surge suddenly started to fill his body – one being able to provide enough stimulation to refresh him; a power surge as refreshing as several hundred cold showers. Cautious to feel his feelings, Cynder linked one of her legs around one of Spyro's, and felt the warmth channelling through her body as well.
It felt like the beginning of life, all over again.
"Thank you Red", Spyro responded with a warm tone in his voice. "I'm sure I have what it takes to defeat the Sorcerer!"
"Yes, but be careful", frowned Ignitus. "Your maximum power hasn't even been restored yet in spite of these additions."
"I know, but there's no time like the present. If I wait any longer, then the whole Realm will be under darkness! I'm not letting that happen."
Clutching his claws tightly together, Spyro brought his focus straight towards the mountain peaks ahead of him. They stood up in front of him like an overlook of destiny, with the peaks giving off a faint glow that were almost reminiscent of the lights of the North Pole.
Calmly, he took a step towards it, with his eyes focusing closer towards the structure. A goal was set straight into his mind – to harness the power of the Shadowstone, return to the Sorcerer's lair, and save the village from becoming a cursed and lifeless expense.
The thought remained fixed in his mind as he turned back to everyone and looked at them one by one. Sparx and Ango were with him every step of the way. Cynder and Ignitus, two others that he knew from the temple, were there to stand by his side when he needed them the most. And Bianca and Red, arguably the two most hopeful personnel in the village, still showed a set of wishful glances back at the dragon as he looked on at them, ready to set off on his journey.
"Are you with me?" Spyro asked as he brought his attention to Sparx and Ango.
The kid nodded with his hands placed together as if he was performing a prayer. "I'm ready to grant my input."
"Me too", smiled Cynder as she walked next to him. "All for one!"
"And one directly in the stomach!" Sparx punched the air as he reached the purple dragon's head.
Confidently, all three of them went straight towards his side, with Ango and Cynder standing on opposite sides of the dragon and Sparx making his way directly above his head, each of them given a boost of confidence that made them feel ready to tackle the situation ahead.
Looking behind, they were left to meet their eyes with those of Red, Bianca and Ignitus. The guardian's expression showed that the wing damage would leave him unable to join them; those on the others showed that they had to remain in the village for the sake of its own strength.
Having to accept their thoughts, Spyro turned his head straight back towards the mountain, and then towards the northern exit out of the village. And just like that, he made a careful and steady run straight ahead, with the others following him in a straight line.
Ignitus raised his head into the air, smiling gently. "May the ancestors look after you. May they look after us all."
Ignitus's statement echoed across the village, reflecting back upon the hearing range of Spyro upon the others like a brilliant shard of sunlight. To him and Sparx, it was recognised as the same remark made when he initially went to Convexity to combat Cynder.
And now, they were ready to embark on another equally powerful situation, ready to take whatever moral skills they learnt from that venture and the current one and apply them into saving the village from the growing wrath of the Sorcerer and his gruelling power.
Together, they all went straight through the exit and right ahead to the plains that surrounded the perimeter. The trace of red weeds there were still as disturbing as ever, yet now to the point that they could almost slow them down; coupled with the dense rocks, it felt as if they were once again heading into clear and sudden danger.
Yet they all knew that it was all for the better cause. Aside from Bianca and Red, every single civilian had thrown away themselves into defeat. And for their case, it felt as if the black cloud that hung above them was growing significantly bigger in size.
But in spite of seeing that event for themselves, they knew that they had to move on regardless of their attitudes. Maybe the incarnation of Spyro as they knew it wasn't able to stand up to this danger at all, but maybe this one – the one that appeared out of nowhere – can help them out, whether it was his destiny or not.
The route back up the mountain was just as tough to climb as the previous two ventures, as reflected in the eyes of Sparx and Ango. The former ended up once again struggling to adapt to the sudden changes of altitude and the latter started to show nerves as he went further and further up, his hands shaking slightly with every rock he clung onto.
They reached the junction where they were at to combat Bandit, Ember and Flame a while beforehand, and at the sight of it they knew that they were moments away from coming face to face with the Sorcerer once again, though this time it was for the final destiny of the village.
They went up the passageway that they took through the first gateway that he unlocked, but before anything else could be done, the gateway-like energy was shown in front of them again, this time blocking their way through the narrow canyon-like passageway like a precautionary barricade.
"Open sesame!" Ango cried as he outstretched his arms.
Confidently, the kid went towards the gateway and slipped his hands inside them as if he was about to don handcuffs. And just like the previous attempts to open portals like that, his hands glowed with a strange eerie white color all around them, giving him the feeling of losing his own hands to sedation.
Moments later, the flash expanded further, and then it got to the point that it was bright enough to engulf the entire area and almost blind everyone that was around him. Before it could take much of a serious effect, the lighting around in the area soon restored itself to its natural order.
And just like that, the gateway had gone. The passageway through to the lair was shown to be clear once again, with the only trace of purple being a distant glow from further up the passageway, faintly illuminating a nearby leafless tree positioned directly ahead of them.
"It's time!" beamed Spyro. "The Sorcerer will be sorry when he sees us again."
Cynder responded with a devious chuckle. "We're all for it!"
And so they all continued to make their run straight up the passageway, up towards the other side of the clearing. Their speed gradually increased over time; though they knew what was going to be at the other side, a set of tension was shown starting to contract over their body as they were left unknowing of exactly what would happen.
Finally they reached the end of the clearing, and towards the same crumbled platform that marked the edge of the mountainside. The sight of the lilac void and the lair standing in the distance was enough for them to instantly feel a trace of fear at the sight of the location.
"This looks like it", Spyro began confirming the location. "This is the strange Convexity area again!"
"Don't worry about what it looks like", Cynder glanced back at him. "All it can tell us at this state is if he has some connection with the Dark Master, not what our destiny is."
Cynder looked straight on at Spyro with a secure facial expression, knowing that they were to make their way towards a different kind of setup than what can be normally anticipated. This may not be to see their final destiny, but rather to see what kind of connection it could have with the purple dragon's entrance to the area.
But regardless, the steep drop that led straight down towards the ground was more than enough to show signs of fear when trying to figure out a way to get straight back towards the same area where they fought the Sorcerer for the first time. However… a crack was heard to his right, causing his expression to suddenly perk up at the sight of it.
He quickly looked to the right and saw a furred tail vanish down the cliff. "Ango, wait!"
It was easily too late for Ango to stop by then. He had already jumped straight down towards the abyss, floating down with his arms and legs outstretched and his clothes and fur flapping in the air resistance that was grafted from directly underneath his body.
All that the others could do was follow suit and try to catch up towards the kid, embracing whatever kind of perils that would wait from down below. Luckily for them, a bridge of light was shown right underneath their feet, leaving them to land comfortably upon it and look ahead at the situation ahead – exactly the same situation as shown when they first came there.
"Not the rising rocks again!" gasped Spyro as he saw the burning boulders rising from beneath once again. "I don't want to face another concussion to the head."
"Then DON'T, Spyro!" Sparx brashly shouted from his right. "For the love of God, it's not rocket science!"
And so, Sparx pointed his arm forward, before taking a hold upon Spyro's horns once more. And there, all four of them made their dash along the bridge of light again, once again dodging any falling rocks randomly heading straight towards their direction, trying to damage them.
At one instance, they made a leap from one end of the light bridge to a hexagonal platform. However, aside from the way they got on, they were unable to find a way to keep getting closer towards the gateway to the Sorcerer's lair… until a strange shadow suddenly crept above Sparx.
"Yeeeargh!" he screamed as he looked straight up at the shadow's bearer.
His scream gave everyone clear attention as they looked up towards the sky. And there, they saw a strange white flash, coming faster and faster towards them. Finally it showed itself as clear as possible – the sight of what looked like a round marble rock, coming down.
A strong electric pulse was enough to paralyse just about anyone that would touch it, yet in spite of its intimidating status, Cynder was ready to take action. Quickly she rushed towards Sparx, claimed him in her mouth and made a leap towards the lair in the distance, curiosity arising on how whey would land and if they would land.
"Nice save, ma'am", he said with a tone of gratitude as well as wonder.
"I'm only doing my job, little one", she blurrily remarked while continuing to hold onto him with her mouth.
Before she could even fall, she opened her wings and brought herself into a glide across the wide open space. And not before long, she ended up finding a set of stairs cast off into the distance, leaving her to bring her feet ready to make a secure landing towards them.
As soon as she landed, she looked back, and there she saw Spyro following suit with Ango riding on his back. As soon as they landed as well, they looked on ahead, straight towards the gateway directly at the top of the stairway, standing almost untouched.
"There's the door!" the kid pointed at it, almost geared to see its interiors. "It's time we showed him what we're made of!"
And so, they knew that their time had come to tackle the situation. Cynder quickly released her grasp on Sparx, and with Spyro right next to her, they made their way straight towards the door themselves, long shadows being cast as they went closer towards it.
Almost as if he wasn't quite alert enough to notice them in their ascent, Ango made his chase up there in a similar motion, with Sparx hovering from right behind him. In spite of them being meters away from the dragons, they knew that it wouldn't be long until they got inside and faced what there was on offer.
Whether it would be the Sorcerer himself standing in the next hallway or a completely different surprise would be of no concern until they went deeper and deeper inside the gigantic marble structures. What was of concern was being able to traverse this area, locate their opponent regardless, restore order and escape from the area alive.
The passageway inside was shown to be just as bright yet eerie as they first approached it. The marble walls glistened gently with an almost unearthly reflection cast upon them, almost as if they were made out of a rare form of precious metallic alloy.
Even the floors and ceiling matched a similar gesture, which showed the groups' reflections cleanly as they went further and further along it, with no trace of a single shadow cast anywhere – nothing but unearthly bright colors portrayed at the most randomised moments.
The room itself stood for several stories high, where one figure in particular ended up standing on a balcony that hung over a large double door. A familiar staff ended up being held upon its grasp, leaving there to be almost no guess upon the creature's identity.
"You've just ran into another trap, you foolish creatures", boomed the Sorcerer's voice. "Are you ready to face your worst nightmare?"
Calmly, the Sorcerer made its way towards the edge of the balcony, looking over at the large door. The sight of the stone relics that ended up resting upon the door were enough for him to cackle with a set of delight, even if he knew that his time would be coming.
And just like that, he clapped his staff firmly upon the ground; a powerful bolt of thunder echoed across the room, making its way straight in front of Spyro's head and causing a smoked dent upon the floor beneath. This left him to make a split-second reaction by stepping back.
The entire group made its stop, looking straight on at the crack that then formed upon the ground. But unlucky for them, they saw it starting to expand in size, with the floor starting to become more sensitive to walk on over time and assumingly contracting the curse launched to it.
"I will never give in that easy to you. This realm will remain under an order of darkness, whether you like it or not!"
Quickly, he raised his staff into the air, allowing for a dark set of lightning to spark among it. And then it touched the crack, making it grow increasingly wider, soon advancing to the point that the entire passageway felt as if it was no longer traversable.
Finally, a set of holes were formed alongside the cracks. And with that, the floor completely ruptured below. Before the group were able to make their way straight towards the steps that took them towards the door, they were left to fall their way with the crumbling ground.
All that they were able to hear clearly was the sound of the Sorcerer's maniacal laughs as they went deeper and deeper into the pit that was beneath them. And finally, they landed cold and hard upon the floor, with all sights of any light sources completely vanishing from their viewpoint.
The darkness continued to surround the group, even through their recovery after the fall. The rubble that crumbled with them were felt eerily on their feet, as if they were giving in the indication that they were fighting their way through a ruin that appeared out of nowhere.
Soon after they stood up one by one, they were soon rejoined by Sparx, whom hovered his way down as if nothing ever happened to him, thus acting as a short range light upon arrival. The rocks were much clearly seen, as was a small yet clearly identifiable corridor that led their way straight through this foreboding basement level.
Carefully, they made their walk through this dark passageway, hoping to find a way out. It almost looked as if it was going to last forever, yet that was until something soon started to shine like a spotlight inside Ango's eyes. Quickly he jumped up in his place and faced the others, shaking gently.
"We shouldn't give up now. The Sorcerer's going to pay for what he's done!"
In a complete change of personality, Ango made his rush towards the end of the room, where a door with curved markings upon it can only just be seen. In spite of his over-arrogance, all that the others could do were to follow him, even if it did mean having to rush into another trap.
And just like that, they were. Several beings emerged from the floors and walls, each of which arriving in a puff of black smoke. The similar dark colors around them and sharp pincers that graced their bodies were enough for them to react at the familiar enemy type with feelings that almost resembled irritation.
"Scorpions, now?" Spyro reacted with an expression of annoyance.
"Remember what Red taught us!" Cynder looked on at him more confidently. "Let's see what we can make of this!"
Spyro looked back at Cynder and gave off a devious nod straight back at her. Right there, they locked their inner front legs with each other's and looked eye to eye at the rampaging scorpions that ran their very way directly towards the two young dragons.
The scorpions then charged, leaving them barely enough room to try and embrace their attacks. And just like that, it looked as if their claws were enough to instantly grab onto their faces in a matter of seconds, ready to tear them apart in an instant massacre.
However, that never happened. Instead, a bright white aura surrounded both dragons, which instantly reflected the assaulting scorpions away from them. Those that fell could only look up and see exactly what kind of magic they would end up pulling off as a result.
And just like that it was shown. Both dragons pushed their outer front legs together; an arch of white light was shown right in front of them, sent straight towards the remaining scorpions around them. It instantly sent them flying directly across the area, leaving them to land with their backs against the marble walls with bone crunches included.
As soon as they slid down, they were left to vanish in a black puff of smoke one by one, the sight of the onslaught causing the others to flee into the background. As they saw the creatures vanish, expressions of success were shown upon the dragons' faces. They now know that if they could tackle an onslaught of scorpions, they would be more than ready to tackle the Sorcerer as well.
"Woo!" Sparx instantly applauded the dragons' teamwork. "You two need to become a romantic couple after that!"
Cynder's natural reaction to the comment was a slash across his chest. "Not now, Sparx. We've got a realm to save first and foremost!"
Growling with a face showing half-determination and half-irritation, Cynder released her grip from Spyro and stormed through the opened doors first, her footsteps ringing among the ambience the hall granted. That left Sparx to show a bamboozled look back at her, rubbing the back of his head with one of his hands in the process.
"Hey, excuuuuuse me princess", he wittingly replied, shrugging with his free arm.
Blinking gently, he was left to just hover gently towards the room ahead, looking increasingly curious over Cynder's anxiety to see what was ahead. And just as steadily as he got through, Spyro and Ango made their pursuit, both of them equally as focused to see what was inside.
And there, they saw a strange structure – a twisting staircase that lead straight towards a higher part of the lair. By that time, Cynder was already halfway up there, using her horns to knock down any incoming scorpions on the way up there, leaving them to fall to their doom and disappear in black smoke.
At the sight of her enthusiasm, the others started to make their way towards the stairs, equally rushing their way up there, ready to see what was right at the end of it all. The eerie lighting was enough to send shivers down their spine in spite of them feeling increasingly warmer further up the top of the stairwell.
In the meantime, the Sorcerer ended up showing directly in front of Cynder's path, standing a good 40 steps away from her at the time. Its trail of smoke from behind was enough for her to focus and charge her way directly towards the blurred figure behind it.
"Your time for defeat is nigh."
It raised a pair of ghostly hands towards her, but before it could even do anything, it completely vanished into thin air, leaving her to suddenly jump straight through it. Looking slightly distressed, she was left to just keep running further and further up the stairs, to the doorway at the top.
Spyro continued to make his run as well, being lucky enough to use his horns to knock over any scorpion creatures as well. Yet in spite of his enthusiasm, one of which – a smaller one – got rough enough to climb onto his face and tried to block his field of view.
Quickly he performed a side roll and made a continuing dash further up the stairs, with the scorpion by then having fallen off his face and ended up clinging onto his horns like a falling bandana. And it was there that Sparx ended up taking the time to end up bringing back his arm as he hovered backwards, poking it in the eye as he did so.
And then, it released its grasp, skimming the bandana above Ango's head as it fell further and further down the stairs. Having witnessed that spectacle, the least they could do was keep charging, knock any more scorpions out of the way and continue their plight to the top.
And finally they did, and right there they found that the stairs united with the long corridor of light that extended from the door with the runes from earlier, right into the Sorcerer's lair. A cackle of energy was heard from inside – potentially the sound of him, victorious from his vanishing trick.
There was no turning back. But even if there was, they were ready to make their assault.
-end of chapter-