Chapter 13: The Guardian of Death
The demon stomped the ground and boulders erupted from the ground. With a mighty slash, it sent the boulders flying towards the team like a car moving at top speed. They dodged the boulders and counterattacked. Spyro and Cynder climbed up the demon's legs and reached its chest. They began punching and slashing at the chest until pieces of flesh was ripped off from the bones. Spyro punched the sternum so hard that it cracked and Cynder blew poison into the cracks but before they could go for another attack, the guardian threw them down and the wound regenerated.
"Not bad for a few mortal dragons. It has been a while since someone last fought me with such vigor and power," the guardian said.
"Glad you said that," Spyro said as he wiped away the blood from his mouth.
The guardian tensed itself and charged all so suddenly that it caught the two dragons off guard. The dash bashed them so hard that some of their bones broke. Spyro and Cynder slid back a bit before stopping.
"Hunter, Sven, you're up!" Spyro yelled.
The two nodded and attacked the guardian. Hunter fired three fire arrows at the same time and three of them embedded into the guardian's skull. Sven saw a stalactite above the guardian and using the guardian's disorientation as an attack chance, Sven fired at the stalactite a few times and it fell onto the guardian with a loud crunch. Hunter lit three more arrows with fire and shot them at the guardian's legs. Sven threw an incendiary bomb and lit up the entire left leg. The guardian roared in pain but ignored the pain and got up again. It swung the sword and sent a shockwave hurtling towards the two Hunter leapt in time but Sven was knocked back and part of his combat armor tore and broke.
"Damn, I didn't see that coming," Sven muttered and got back onto his feet.
He primed a grenade and threw it as high as he could. It sailed towards the guardian's abdomen and exploded right in front of it. The guardian doubled over in pain and Hunter used this chance to fire 5 arrows stuck with explosive sacks. He lit them and fired all shots. The shots hit the guardian's head and exploded, cracking the tough skull.
"Beat that," Hunter smiled.
"Very impressive, mortals, I've expected that from you all. Now, let me show you what true power is," the guardian said.
It slammed the ground and earth engulfed its body like and armor. They tried to hit it but the armor took the brunt of the attacks and protected the guardian. Spyro shot a stream of fire in an attempt to superheat the earthen armor and turn it to glass. It worked but that drained him of all his energy. Hunter slashed at the glassed armor at the leg and cracked it into a million pieces. Before the armor could regenerate, Spyro and Cynder attacked the exposed area and splintered the bone. The guardian moved and tried to stomp on them but Spyro iced the ground with his ice breath and the guardian fell onto the ground with a loud boom after slipping, sending a large dust cloud rolling. The guardian leapt up so suddenly that a small shockwave knocked Spyro back. Cynder spun and threw a tornado at the guardian. Spyro lit the tornado up with his fire breath and the fiery tornado burned the guardian. The earth armor prevented it from further damage and the fire extinguished. The guardian punched the ground and the ground fissured. Fire pillars erupted from the cracks and nearly hit all of them.
"Come young dragons; unleash your full fury on me. If you continue attacking me like that, you will never succeed," the guardian boomed.
It was as if the guardian wanted them to beat it. Spyro didn't need telling twice and his body had a blue aura around him. Cynder's body had a black aura and the two stood their ground, poised to strike and baring their fangs. The two dashed in unison and leapt into the air with wings spread wide open. In a blur of motion followed by a flash of light, the two dragons flew at the guardian with their horns pointed straight. The guardian brought up its sword and blocked them but the push was so great that the sword shattered into pieces and the two dragons caught the guardian right in the chest. They drilled right through the guardian and blood splattered everywhere. The two dragons turned around and came in for another pass, this time at the head. The skull broke and the two punctured right through the head. The guardian fell to the ground in a pool of blood.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Hunter whooped.
The two dragons landed, panting after the aura had dissipated. They smiled at each other and the two dragons embraced each other.
"How did I do?" Cynder asked.
"You did well sweetie," Spyro said.
The guardian groaned and got up again, its wounds healing. They poised to strike again but the guardian held up its hand and they stopped.
"You all have fought well despite the injuries you have suffered. Take this as a training session for your fight with Argus may be as hard as it can get. If all goes wrong, you may be fighting Malefor as well," the guardian said.
"You knew all along?" Spyro asked.
"I know everything, Spyro the dragon. I know what is going on and I don't wish anything to happen to this world again. Darkness is rising and it is getting stronger by the moment. I will teach you your new moves as promised and perhaps it may help you in battle," the guardian said kindly.
The guardian tensed and opened its mouth as if it were roaring silently. Spyro felt energy coursing through him. Cynder felt something in her along with Hunter. Sven, however, didn't feel anything.
"Hey, am I the only one not getting anything here?" he asked irately.
The guardian was done and he kneeled down on one knee.
"All of you will get different things from me. Spyro, you have been granted the power of light which allows you to shoot light beams that are very effective against evil. Your fury will have you engulf the place with divine light that disintegrate evil beings in a wide area. A super blast from your light breath will pierce through a straight line of enemies. Cynder, you have been granted the power of air that is very powerful. Your air breaths will launch air blades that can cut through enemy like a sword. Your fury will rain down air blades from the heavens in a wide area. Your super breath allows you to launch multiple air blades that bounce on walls. Hunter, you have been given the ability to fire magical arrows. Just pull the bow back and an arrow should appear. Magic arrows can seek enemies and explode upon contact but it will cost you your inner strength. You can launch multiple shots at the same time but it will be unguided. Sven, you have been given a shield that will defend you from any types of attacks that your enemies might use. Your shield has magical properties and they will project a defensive aura around your companions to increase their protection. Added to that, your shield can be used as a bashing weapon that will set your enemies on fire should you manage to hit them," the guardian explained about the things he has given them.
Sven noted that the shield was exactly like the military tactical bullet shield except it was lighter and had a blue aura. Hunter pulled back the bowstring and saw a magical arrow appear out of thin air. When he let go, the arrow flew straight without arcing and exploded on a wall far away. He gave a satisfied nod.
"Nice," he said.
The guardian returned to its throne and sat there with his sword regenerated and by his side.
"Go, mortals, for the world is in danger. I have given you these gifts so use them wisely. Until now, farewell," the guardian said and his eye sockets went dark.
It was once again inert, waiting for the next ones to reach his arena. The four went on their way and headed for the exit. Sven looked at his watch and noted that it was already evening.
"Look at that, we've been fighting that thing for hours," Sven muttered.
"But in the end, it's all worth it," Cynder smiled.
They found themselves in a large cavern with great vegetation growth along with small beams of sunlight penetrating through small holes in the cavern ceilings. The magic river continued running through the place and wildlife seemed to thrive.
"An underground forest? Nice, this way I can get me some meat to eat," Sven licked his lips.
"Well, I guess we should call it a day and rest. I feel that this is only the starting point of our journey," Spyro said.
On the surface, the three young dragons and the vixen decided to call it a day as well. They set up camp in the forest and stayed for the night. Ravager had purchased a few cans of beans and dragon chow from a passing merchant but he still didn't know how to open a can with his claws or teeth. He bit on them and pounded them with a rock but the lid refused to open.
"You're just being stupid, Ravager. Why can't you just use a sword to open it?" Ignitus asked.
"I've seen mom and dad open cans with their teeth and claws before. Doesn't give me a reason to not try," Ravager grunted as he struggled to open a can of lima beans.
Collette shook her head and took the can from him. She stuck out a sharp claw and skillfully pried open the lid before handing the can back to Ravager.
"If you refuse to use the sword but don't know how to open it with your claws, bring a can opener next time," she said.
"I'll keep that in mind," Ravager said.
Collette took a seat on a log and sighed. She looked at the full moon for a while before staring back at the campfire.
"Aunt Collette, why are you sighing?" Fiona asked.
"It's nothing…you kids won't understand. It's about Wolfenstein," she said softly.
"You mean the Clan Governor of the Wolf Clan? What about him?" Fiona asked.
"I'm just worried for him. I hadn't seen him for quite a while and I fear that he has been killed or something. Truth is, I love that wolf even if he seems a bit evil and mean. Wolfenstein is actually suffering but he wanted to be tough, refusing to show any emotions that will make him look weak. All he wanted is the best for his clan…to keep them out of the political snares of this world after what happened during the Civil War. I don't blame him; he has been through a lot. He is rather hostile to Spyro because he was Spyro forced the Wolf Clan to be under the control of the Council. Spyro has good reasons to do so but Wolfenstein saw it as imperialism. That is why he never liked him. Initially, I helped him get what he wanted but after that, I regretted doing so because…well, it's too shameful to talk about. I wasn't proud for what I have done. Even after I rejected him, I feel that my love for him is still in my heart," Collette narrated.
She gave a small bitter chuckle and continued.
"Hell, who knew love could be so painful. It's a bitter sweet thing but if it is sweet, it really is; if it's bitter, it really will be. I don't encourage love between couples if they don't like each other or are in conflict with each other emotionally. In my case, it's duty that sets us apart. He prefers to stay out of politics while I am tasked to help govern the country," Collette said.
"Wow that is indeed sad. Somehow, I do feel some pity for you," Fiona said.
"Nah, I don't deserve any pity after how I've betrayed Spyro and help provide Wolfenstein with the things he wanted through deception. That is what I'm not proud of," Collette smiled weakly.
She grabbed a can of beans and opened it, eating the contents straight away.
"We better get some rest, we have a full day ahead of us tomorrow," she told the dragons.
The next few days, they spent time resting and pushing forth to reach the Waldreich Mountains. Since the surface team was faster, they were a few days ahead of the team underground. Slowly, they became weeks faster as the underground team had to go through a series of winding tunnels and caverns. Collette led the dragons to Skyrim, the final pit stop for their journey after a few months of travelling. On the mountain city, they could see the Waldreich Mountains afar. Mist blanketed the bottom so only the peaks could be seen.
"Skyrim will be our final pit stop because after that, it will be a straight walk to the Waldreich Mountains. Get whatever you can here before we leave tomorrow. In the mean time, I'll have a talk with the Dragon Council," Collette said.
Ravager saw human merchants selling things and he took the chance to buy some things like a bottle of juice.
"Hey, aren't you Prince Ravager? What are you doing all the way out here in this cold place?" the merchant asked.
"I have my reasons. So, how is business here?" Ravager asked as he popped open the bottle cap and drank the juice.
"Pretty okay though most of our customers are dragons. Still, I enjoy the calm atmosphere here and the serenity. If I could buy a house here, that would be great," the man said.
"I'm sure you'll get your chance," Ravager said lamely and continued drinking.
"I better pray that your father is kind enough to convince the Dragon Council. They don't really like warm-blooded mammals here," he said.
Suddenly, they heard a loud boom coming from the mountain base. After a while, the sirens sounded when artillery shots pounded the city.
"What the, who is behind all this?!" the merchant exclaimed and hid in his shop.
"I don't know but I have a feeling that the apes are behind all this," Ravager growled and took out his sword.
"For whatever reasons they are attacking, I don't think I will like it. Just keep them away from the city," the merchant called out from the shop.
A/N: What do you think of the new gifts Spyro and his team got?