It was like he had stepped into a bad dream...
Like the world was fighting against him...
Like Death had known all along...
The gash along Ezio's back, not deep or wide, but large enough to trail blood was reminding him that this moment was all very real...
And the glowing red eyes from his friend turned enemy in front of him made him want to wake up...
"Cynder?" Ezio said quietly, unsure whether he should fight back or not. She only circled him, hissing softly. Her wings were torn in specific areas, and in some places the gashes had yet to heal. Her eyes were no longer a deep vibrant green, but a crimson red.
The female lunged again, this time missing by only a hairs breadth. Ezio rolled back upwards after his dodge to face her again, teeth barred this time.
Not too the death.
So far she had completely ignored the spear shaft floating gently in the center of the room. Ezio couldn't imagine why. He didn't even give it a second thought. He only prepared himself for the next attack. He heard a scream form behind, and jumped, spinning in mid-air only to be hit full force in the face with a blast of fear attack.
He recognized the feeling at once.
"OH NO YOU DON'T DEMON!" Ezio shouted, throwing off the familiar,sickening feeling of the demon whom had presented himself to Ezio in that clear outside New Warfang, whom just not a minute ago had spoken with him. When the vision of Nova had faded, he found Cynder already in mid-air, flying towards him as if in slow motion.
Ezio rolled, but instead of rolling down towards the ground, he flung himself into the air, rolling so that his back was exposed to Cynder, activating his light element at the same time. He felt the dragoness latch deep into his skin and begin ripping. Ezio unsheathed the Blade. He felt the impact against the far wall, pinning Cynder underneath his well toned muscles. The Blade was held in his tail, quivering at the black (for she truly was black now) dragoness's throat. She froze at the touch of metal to skin.
"You DO know what this is." Cynder lashed out with her teeth, jabbing her neck forwards to grab the Blade, since her forelegs were pinned. Ezio yanked it out of her open mouth. The female was trying frantically to get at it and yank it away from him.
"Hold on Cynder!" She hissed loudly, but stopped short when he withdrew the blade from her esophagus. The blade was poised between his two hands, as if he were ready to break a twig.
"Cynder, if you know what this is, then you probably know something else. Only a purple dragon can destroy this. Malefor imbued some of his power in me, so I can break this just as easily as you." As if to threaten her, he tested it edgily, "I'd hate to think what would happen to the soul inside."
Cynder snarled violently, and went to attack again, but Ezio thrust it out, and pushed the blade to it's limits. Cynder stopped in her tracks and hissed angrily at him. The blade seemed to glow in protest.
"Your a tough dragon Ezio, but you don't have the guts." She said. Her voice hissed for a while, as if the room echoed.
"No, your right, I'd rather not, so I'll make you a bargain. I won't break this, but if you attack me, it will likely break from the force you hit me at." Ezio said quietly, still holding the blade away and bending it violently, "If that means it torturers Spyro's soul, just to save yours, then so be it. He'll thank me when this is over."
Cynder hissed again, and then turned and paced, Ezio still holding the blade. Finally, she turned back to him.
"What are your demands?" She asked quickly.
"Take the shaft." The dragoness almost seemed to look at it in surprise, as if she had just seen it for the first time. Glancing suspiciously at Ezio, she grabbed the lance shaft. The main body of it glowed a bright green. Towards the tip, it turned to bright red, and towards the tail it was bright yellow.
The shaft almost gleamed in response to her touch, but then faded. It suddenly vibrated violently, shaking her entire arm at once, and then jerk towards Ezio. The thing acted as if it had a mind of it's own.
"The shaft wishes to be re-united with it's brothers." Cynder said quietly, looking down at the wildly vibrating rod. She released it, and it flew instantaneously to hover right behind the blade, leaving a foot and a half gap between the two. The blade suddenly glowed red at the aft, and the two stopped vibrating. Ezio took hold of the shaft. Cynder looked enviously at the assembly, particularly at the blade. Ezio felt the most subtle tug towards her.
"Cynder, or whoever you are, I know what you most want, and because I think it will help bring you back and because I think you can still help us, and finally, because I'm not as cruel as you think I am." Ezio extended the blade forwards, and then tapped it on Cynder's nose. Cynder stared wide eyed as a bright purple strand of energy unlatched itself from the blade and flew to her tail spade, where it curled around the blade. There was a breath of wind, despite the fact that they were at least a mile beneath the surface, and then the spirit or ghost or whatever it was imbued itself into her tail spade.
"In return, I want one of the last two pieces, the haft, the piece of super-strength. Bring it too me, and I promise to free Spyro." he knew she didn't trust him, but he knew that she knew she had no choice. She only nodded tersely, and then turned, lancing into a portal, which nearly stunned Ezio as much as her turning into an enemy.
He took the long way out by finding the handle that activated the lift.
"OK, so let me get this straight, you FOUGHT Cynder?" Kali asked, cocking her head in confusion.
"No, I fought what I think is her bad side coming out, her dark side. Kali, she fought like Cynder does, but that's where the similarities end. She didn't talk like Cynder, she didn't act like Cynder. I think, simple as this, that wasn't Cynder. Think of it like her second personality. It's her evil manifestation of her. That wasn't her." Ezio responded, gazing into the fire, past the grate of the fireplace. The group had returned home, and the first thing Ezio had done was place the lance at the center of the house, and then activate it. The shielding effect had protected them from a lot more than just attacks. Ezio got the feeling the place simply didn't exist, since even normal dragon eyes slid from one house on one side, to the house on the other.
"And you just GAVE Spyro's soul to a complete demon!" Kali said incredulously.
"No, I gave Spyro's soul to something that should keep him safe. As far as I can tell, whatever that thing is, it still has the same goals as Cynder. It's just, unlike Cynder, this evil twin of hers will go through anything to achieve them. She knows we're helping, and thus, she is still aligned with us. However, next time we see her, I fear that she will attempt to either kill me or steal the lance." Ezio said, looking over at the shaft that was jutting straight out of the center of the floor.
"Alright then, so whats next?" Brooklyn asked quietly.
"Well, the tip of the spear was found at the convexity gate. We know that, since it is the spear itself that powers the gate." Ezio said, getting up and grabbing a scroll from the bags in the corner, "Ignitus's maps might have more clues."
He spread the different sheets of parchment across the table in front of them, and marked off their current location, just south and east of the city of Giza.
"We know the convexity gate is off the southern tip of south America, I doubt there is going to be anything there, and we can cross off our current location, as well as Stonehenge. The pieces were scattered 'Far and wide' so we know another piece isn't going to be anywhere close-by." There were concentrations of writings and tips about where the other pieces might be, such as "strange energy reading nearby report of happenings" or "archaeologist discovered suspected piece here". All of the notes were in Ignitus's handwriting.
"Yes, but where else could it be?" Kali said, pouring over the map, Hestia was opposite her, watching intently.
"I think perhaps we should look for ancient structures. Very ancient." She said quietly.
"Close to the beginning of the world, ancient." Kali agreed.
Ezio drew his claw along the course parchment, careful not to scrape it.
"What about the far east?" He said quietly. Kali looked up at him inquisitively, "Well it's got the most hints of an artifact there. And look, Ignitus even suspected what piece was located there."
He tapped a claw on one of the larger notes, spread over china, and pointing towards Beijing.
"Beijing, China? How the heck are we going to find the artifact there?" Kali asked, wrinkling her muzzle in disgust at the work that suddenly lay ahead.
"The same way we found this one." Ezio said, nudging the incomplete spear. It quivered as if it knew what was going on, that it was going to be re-united with one of the other pieces. The lance was prone to strange behavior ever since it was reunited with the blade. Hestia thought the blade itself had a limited consciousness, "We follow the rumors and the concentrations of shadow lieutenants. We leave in two days."
"But Ezio! What about Frost?" Brooklyn said, staring in his general direction.
"I'll ask Blaze to carry Frost for the duration of the journey. Not only is he the strongest, but I don't think he'd mind either." Ezio replied, smiling to himself.
There was a pounding in the stairwell as someone bounded down the steps. Bane entered the room then, smiling.
"Ezio, yur gonna want ta see this lad. We got a great mass o' colored dragons outside, but strangely, they are all bearing the emblem of the Shadow Forces." Ezio leapt up along with Brooklyn and Ion. The group ran to the rooftop, which was now under a high energy shield from the staffs effects. Just as Bane had claimed, there was at least twenty dragons taking up the entire width of the street. Each bore the Shadow Force emblem on their shoulder and wing. Ezio saluted, and the head dragon saluted back. The group on the rooftop glided down together, halting just inside the shield, so the others could not reach them.
"You are the leader of this group." It was no question. The dragon, an Ice one by the looks of him nodded.
"That I am. Major Whiteout, sir. We are the local garrison." Ezio bristled.
"I was under the impression that Malefor used only shadow dragons." Ezio growled.
"Aye, we were shadow dragons, but no more. When you grabbed that piece of lance that protects you now, Malefor flew into a fit. During his rage, I felt a tremor in the force that bound me too the Dark Master, and as such, I seized the advantage. When the entire garrison heard, we all resisted Malefor, and because so many of us did, we were able to free each and every dragon. The ones whom claimed allegiance of their own free will are now dead, and we come to you now to beg your forgiveness and your allegiance, for we wish to end this war and return to our families.
"I must warn you, we are on the losing side."
"Hardly. You have survived this long, mostly intact. It is amazing that Malefor can destroy an entire planet, but he cannot bring a squadron of young dragons too their knees. Malefor's hold is weakening, and we believe his days are numbered. Why else would he be so angered by a stolen ancient relic?" ezio had to admit that he had a point. Bane tugged on his wing.
"How are we going to test the truthfulness of his words?" Bane whispered in his ear.
"I shall handle that." And with one deft movement, he stepped outside the shield. Bane gasped and made to stop him, but Ezio just barely swept his tail outside before Bane could grab it. Whiteout smiled at him, his teeth brilliantly white, and then held his paw out to Ezio, to shake. Ezio smiled back and shook the Ice dragons hand warmly, and then lifted the shield to allow the group in.
"Your news brings warmth to my heart, Whiteout. What news of movements from Malefor's troops do you bring." Ezio asked as the lead the group, Bane fuming, indoors.
"We get a messenger dragon whom relays orders from Malefor to me. Malefor cannot keep open enough portals long enough to communicate with everyone, so he only uses portals to communicate in emergencies. The remaining colored dragons are living in labor camps now. Most are content to simply be out of harms way, out of the wars, but they do not know better. Zeus has been imprisoned for free will, and revolt, after he saw what was happening to his people. He did not stand a chance against Malefor. Most of the resistance died in the fight, and the free creatures hopes have been stamped out." He said, finding the kitchen and settling down, "I also have good news regarding reinforcements. There is a large host of support creatures out in the surrounding valleys, numbering in the two hundred mark. They have their own transportation in the form of some ancient C-47's. Just enough to carry them all."
Ezio nodded, smiling now, "Perhaps if we gain the next piece, we can free even more of our brethren." Whiteout nodded slightly, popping open the ale the mother brought him, "I want to leave a small contingent here until the end of the war, to make sure the family is kept safe. They have done for much, and I would not have their hospitality go unrewarded. And your food and drink shall be paid for in full. I do not doubt that it will feed your entire family for several months."
The human nodded her head, grinning from ear to ear, "I would not have it unless you insisted."
"I do."
"OYE! WHATS ALL THE BLODDY NOISE DOWN THERE!" Blaze roared from the top of the stairs. Ezio swore under his breath and went to the first steps, peering up to the second floor.
"Reinforcements. From the local garrison." Blazes mouth hung open, then he smiled.
"About bloody time. Tell Bane to be nice for once, we don't want to scare them away with excessive swearing."
"I heard that you cu - "
"BANE!"
"Sorry, sorry."
"Blaze, how do you and Frost feel to a trip to Beijing?" Ezio said laughing. Blaze perked up.
"What China? Do I have to lug Frost all over the place? She's gained weight since her injuries."
"Blaze, I'm going to castrate you!" Frost called from the bedroom.
"Unfortunately, you will have t lug her and her baggage around. You know females, always have to bring everything." Ezio said, grinning even more.
"AND you Ezio! Say yes Blaze."
"Yes Blaze, Ma'am!"
"I'm going to freakin' kill you Blaze!" Ezio laughed as the fire guardian ducked a slow moving Ice spike and returned to the room.
Bags packed, good-byes said, hugs given. It all felt rather normal when Ezio left that small town, as if they were all going away on holiday.
And yet, when they all got out of town, faces were grim, and nothing was said unless it needed to be said. They rendezvoused with the support teams in the valley outside the town, the large C-47 transports idling in the sand. Katana rushed about barking orders as a forecasted sandstorm ripped in from the south, making visibility close to nil. Ezio only watched as the young commander rushed about. She wasn't efficient, but she got the job done quick enough, and by early morning, they were ready to go.
"We need to be careful!" Ezio yelled to the Time dragoness over the roaring wind and engines as they prepared to leave, "Not many planes fly the skies right now. That's his territory."
"No it's not, he's just borrowing it! For every cubic foot of air he's stolen, we'll make sure he pays for with his blood! I tire of this underground running Ezio. And now that we have even the slightest edge, I get the feeling that his reign of terror is ending! It's time we pushed home our advantage!" She replied. The first two cargo transports took to the skies with a dull rumble from the twin radial engines, vibrating the air and sand around them.
"If our shadowy friend gets her claws around that last piece, and if there's not an entire legion in Beijing, we might be able to pull this off. We don't have much of a choice, we HAVE to pull it off!"
"ENEMY CONTACTS!" Someone roared from above as shadows raced through the air above them.
"Time to go girl! If you get separated from the group, head east until you see the great wall, then follow it to our rendezvous! I'll cover your retreat!" And with that, Ezio curled his wing claw around the shaft of the lance, and vaulted into the air. He couldn't see a thing, so he flew upwards and burst through the cloud layer, sand streaming in his wake and from his wings, the sun glittering off the many particles of miniature glass. A full flight of six shadow lieutenants were around him, including the mysterious dragon whom had attacked them during Spyro's fall.
"How many times, Ezio, before I finally get to sink my teeth into your flesh?" He roared above the wind and the retreating craft. Three dragons had split off, following the group, and were already engaged with Ion, Kali and Bane, whom were covering the retreat of the others. Ezio could hear Bane laughing, reveling in the fight. But he had little time to dwell on the dilemma that his friends were in. A beam of fear was shot from his nemesis, followed shortly by a broad wave of shadow.
How on earth was he able to master two elements? Ezio didn't care at the moment. The shots were meant to take him down in the first volley, to incapacitate him so that they didn't need to waste time and energy. Ezio barrel rolled around the fear, and miraculously, it struck one of the lieutenants that had snuck up behind him. The shadow attack was easily dissipated with a counter beam of his light. At last, he used gravity to slam into his opponent, drawing him in a full one hundred and eighty degree spin and flung him into the third assailant, letting him get hit by the dragons oncoming shadow attack. The second dragon had recovered form his friends fear attack by now, and was rushing at him. Ezio blocked the first melee strike, dodged the second, and then delivered a full blow on the third, diverting his foes oncoming fist to the chin.
The strange dragon had recovered now, and was rushing at him from beneath, as he had lost altitude after being flung by the purple legendary creature. Ezio dodged and gripped his enemies back, launching himself off the general. And into the third dragon's stomach, propelling them both downwards. Ezio and the creature broke the sandstorm beneath and ten feet from the ground, he let go of the flailing shadow dragon, whom slammed into the ground, unconscious on impact. The general and the second attacked were right behind them. The first, Ezio dodged and the second he was also somehow able to slip by, getting only a grazing blow. However, the second dragon had already thrown a punch after missing the first time, and the two collided in mid fight. The general didn't seem to know whom he was fighting, and slain his comrade in mid-air, with a tail spade across the throat.
Upon seeing his mistake, he wrinkled his nose in disgust, threw the corpse to the ground. Ezio was breathing hard, but he didn't show it, as he was hidden in the twisting weather.
"EZIO!" The dragon screamed, "Old friend! I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do! Spyro was Malefor's charge, but you are mine! You swore an oath to Malefor, and you betrayed us! You will pay for your insolence!"
Ezio snarled back at him, making it so that the wind carried his voice all around the dragon, "I swore on my own blood you whelp. I swore when I had no choice! It is no oath unless you mean it. Fealty is not given, it is earned! I swore a much greater oath to someone whom had so much passion that a flea like you couldn't possibly comprehend it! I know not whom you are, but we have met before. If you were enemy in some previous life, I would remember. But then this means you are friend. You swear to kill me? I swear not to do the same to you. But by the time I'm done, you'll wish I had."
And with that, Ezio spat, and turned, flying through the sand till he had put a good one hundred miles behind him, and then broke through the clouds.
His friends were nowhere to be seen. It was still early morning, so Ezio turned towards the sun which was just rising now above the cloud of dust and debris, and warming his face.
"Here we come, Nova."
"He'll be fine Hestia. He's been through much worse." Katana reassured her friend as they flew steadily east, the massive sandstorm beneath them obscuring anything on the ground leading them. They had been navigating by sun all morning.
"I still worry about him. I know first hand a purple dragon has issues with being noticed. I'm not a legit purple dragon, I only control one element, but I still know that alone, a situation can easily get out of hand." She sad, glancing over her shoulder in the direction they had come from, hoping to see a dark magenta speck on the horizon.
The group had flown mostly silently through the day, the groups taking short naps, keeping watch, and running escort, different dragons landing on the aircraft in mid-air.
The quiet was starting to get to the Time Guardian.
"And I hate this endless stretch of a storm. Why hasn't it ended yet?" Hestia growled at the dark swirling mass of particles beneath them.
"It was a big cell that had . We probably won't get out of it till were over the middle east, maybe even not then." Katana barrel rolled over the dragoness slowly, positioning herself in front of the Convexity female, "And calm down. We'll make it."
"I know, but three at once?"
"We'll make it."
Hestia nodded, "This silence is starting to get to me. I don't think I can bear it much longer."
Katana smiled at Hestia then, and then rolled, flying inverted and looked towards Blaze, whom had let Frost rest in the doorway of a nearby C-47.
"Blaze! When was the last time you had a good romp?" Blaze smiled at her.
"Back in that old house, with Frost." Frost turned red, but only smiled. Katana face-pawed.
"Let me rephrase this then. Blaze! Your it! Everyone else! HAVE AT HIM!" The response was immediate, but it was certainly welcomed. Ion and Brooklyn glanced at each other, then smiled, and dove down on top of the Fire Guardian, whom did an emergency combat roll too the left. Hestia laughed.
"Brilliant!" And she dove in after the others, whom were now taking part in the fun as well. Even Frost would occasionally lob a snowball at a passing dragon.
The next couple of days continued like this. For a lot of time they were over the Indian Ocean, their silhouettes reflected back at them by the calm waters, and their eyes straining for their destination on the other side. Finally, Ion's eyes spotted the coast beneath them as they flew during darkness.
"The country of Burma. Our last stop before the peoples republic of china. We want to avoid Myanmar to the north and west pilot, so try to avoid that country. They're going through political unrest right now." The pilot nodded at her, half turning, and then angled a couple degrees too the north.
"The plan was that any of us got separated, we were too meet up in the town of Dunhuang, on the very far western edge of china, and ditch the aircraft there. If Ezio survived, which is likely, he'll be there, or he'll show up. We wait three days, and if he's not there by then, then we'll move onto Beijing."
Two hours later, the non-flying creatures were strapping on parachutes, and the load-masters were shoving small pallets out the back, equipped with large drogue chutes. Frost was shrugging off Blaze by now, whom insisted that he carry her. It had been about three weeks since she had been nearly killed, and she was feeling well rested and finally ready to go back to action.
"Honestly Blaze, I can take care of myself. Now lay off." Blaze shrugged as she dived out of the world war two era aircraft, which was now shuddering with low fumes. Katana was shouting at the pilots.
"How long until the craft run out of fuel?" One pilot shrugged, and his co-pilot spoke up.
"About another hour, half an hour after that before they come down ballistic and slam into the south Russian countryside! The super constellation will probably end up lasting three hours!" He said, backing towards the open door, "But that's not the point. A plane, whilst it'll fly a long time, will actually only stay in the air for about ten minutes before it plummets to the ground!"
"I can't let that happen, you go ahead, I'll keep her in the air till she runs out of fuel then fly back. We can't let these fall into shadow force hands. Go now, I'll keep her goin'!" The pilot saluted her then dove out of the aircraft backwards.
Katana watched as the remainder of her friends flew to the tiny mountain village in the distance. It was actually nestled in among the lower peeks of the Nepal mountains, so the surrounding jagged areas were very rough and untamed. There was a bright flash of white as the moon reflected off of a lake nearby which Katana knew to be Lop Nur, the beginning of the great wall of china. And in the distance she could see the ancient monolith standing tall and proud, a testament to time and mans accomplishments.
She felt proud to be part of one of those accomplishments.
"And when man faces destiny, destiny ends, and man comes into his own."