"Hmmm...something's not right here." Cynder's brow furrowed as she observed in thought. She couldn't quite place her claw on it, but there was something about the West Gate's guard that bugged her. From atop the nearby garrison, she kept an eye on the patrols as she attempted to nail down what exactly it was.
"Is something wrong, Mistress Cynder?" a lieutenant dragon asked from behind her. Following her eyes, he too brought his attention to the western gate.
As she finally saw it, she pointed, "Right there. The changing of the guard." Two mixed groups of dragons and moles waved down their relief as it arrived, each set exchanging places and the fresh guards taking their posts.
"Hm...they had their backs turned for quite awhile, didn't they?" he noted.
"That, and they left their post before the others had fully arrived. It's a bit too much of a gap for my taste." the black dragoness added. "Oh and...do you see those ten or so powder kegs for the mole cannons? Can we...move those away from the outer walls? I know a certain dragon who once caused me quite a bit of property damage with those..."
With just one twitch of the nose, Spyro sneezed every bit of air that a single spasm of his muscles could pull from his lungs, knocking him right onto his haunches.
"Jeez, buddy, you alright?" Sparx buzzed by his head. "Thought you were gonna blow the whole city down with that one."
"...and I'd Really like to not have to oversee wall reconstruction again." Cynder concluded.
"I'll see to it. I've no idea why that cart of kegs has been left there. The munitions bunker is at least a few streets removed from the wall. I suppose it's likely someone new to the area was pulling it and got lost."
Nodding, Cynder felt his response agreeable, "Thank you lieutenant, I'll let you handle that then." Standing to her feet, she spoke in passing, "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got one more stop on my rounds before I'm done for the day. Alpis is due for officer training soon so I'm going to head down to Grain Storage and show him some pointers with guard management."
Descending to the bottom floor of the same garrison, she found the dragon in question, frosty blue scales and the ripe, youthful demeanor of a growing soldier. If anyone made it through the torturous drill sergeants with their enthusiasm intact...it wouldn't have been him but he'd be a sure second-runner-up. The moment Cynder came through the door, he jumped to his feet and followed, the black dragoness only beckoning once with a tilt of her head.
Grain Storage was clear across the city, over towards the East Gate. Rather than fly the distance however, she chose instead to walk, giving her time to go over various details. His first post as an officer would likely be to manage the guards for a building of his superior's choice, and she knew well that those patrolling the vault holding the city's surplus food would be a prime example. The guards assigned there were of the same caliber and experience as those assigned to the city council itself.
"These are the types of guards you would want to model your own after. There's lesser food vaults spread throughout the city so as to not keep all the eggs in one basket, but this is the primary one that holds half of the surplus, as much as all of the lesser vaults combined. As such, they take their job very seriously. So if you're ever in doubt, they are a quality specimen to study." Cynder explained along the way. "Even the best guards though aren't immune to exhaustion. They can't see everything to begin with, and the longer their shift goes on, the less they can focus on after a point. So your job is going to be to make sure your station has as much coverage and is as efficient as possible, you got it?"
"Yes ma'am!" he eagerly acknowledged with a discipline-tempered tone.
"Now with the war over, there's fewer soldiers which means you'll have to either post them for longer hours, or rotate them more often. If you post long hours, you have more soldiers in reserve, but they'll be exhausted and less effective by the end of it. But if you rotate them too often, you'll be more dependant on having more soldiers and they'll be active more constantly, which can be a problem if something happens and you wind up a few short. So you're going to have to balance those two as well."
The time finally came when they arrived at their destination. The street led them straight to a building that dug into a single-story-high rocky knoll. Two imposing green dragons stood on either side of the gate, of a hefty size for even their kind. There was a faint, almost tangible aura in the air around them, as if their element was only a blink away from coming to their call. Meanwhile Cynder continued approaching with Alpis in tow, now giving pointers about guard attentiveness and sight. As they walked, her eyes remained focused on the guards ahead, continually so until it became unmistakable that they were headed straight to the entrance to the primary Grain Storage vault. At that moment, the guards' attention snapped towards the two, to which she stopped right in her tracks with one wing raised to stop her student as well.
Drawing an imaginary line with her claw, Cynder pointed out, "In this case, this is about how close something can get before a guard's attention kicks in. It will vary a little depending on the surroundings, but among crowded streets and buildings like this, it's usually going to be about engagement distance. Keep that in mind, and always make sure to keep them close enough to help one another. Never underestimate how valuable having a partner is, especially when things start to get dicey, I would know." As she spoke the last bit, her thoughts wandered to that of her own partner, curious to how his day has been.
By the time they began the return trip, she had exhausted most of the advice she could offer. Somewhere halfway back as they reached the central parts of Warfang, she finally released him to return back to the western garrisons. Whether or not he was actually officer material remained to be seen. He seemed to at least pay attention fairly well, but that would be up to his superiors. For Cynder however, there were oddly mixed feelings about that. She was glad to no longer be burdened by those sorts of decisions, but then again, that was what she once excelled at. After all, she once had a major hand in one of the most successful campaigns ever lead across the realms. Considering the circumstances however, that wasn't something to be waved about carelessly.
As she meandered about the city, her thoughts were pushed aside as she passed Warfang's central infirmary, seeing a certain other black dragon just then leaving it. "Vin?" she called out to him questioningly.
Glancing around for the voice, he quickly found her, flicking his wing to wave at her. "Ah, hey Cynder!" The black dragon appeared visibly exhausted, but didn't seem to be hurt, nor did he sound as such.
"What are you doing here? Did Spyro run you two through the wringers again?" she gave a light chuckle as she ended.
"Nah, not today. Tomorrow is probably going to be a doozy though. Volteer wants him to run a gauntlet using only his earth element to move himself." Vin answered, his voice denoting dread while his face showed humor.
Oh I'll need to see this. "I guess it's a good thing he had today off, then. Do you know what he's been up to?" Cynder inquired.
In a dimly lit tavern, a plate with some twenty fish sat before the purple dragon. As the timer started to tick, Sparx began shouting, "Go! Go! Go! Go!"
"Can't be anything too bad, he's a responsible individual." Vin shrugged. "I just know Sparx got back from his swamp visit, so I think they were spending time together again."
Gesturing back to the infirmary again, Cynder again asked, "What about you? I didn't expect to see you coming out of there."
"Oh, I volunteer there." he replied. "You remember how you can share energy with another dragon, right? Once every few days I stop by and donate my leftover energy to the patients there. I've got some hefty endurance, so there's plenty to share with some others."
"Ohhh, so that's where you run off to! Does it seem to help them much?" the black dragoness curiously questioned.
"Well it doesn't cure their ailments, and some things are...just too far gone." he noted somberly. "It might ease their pain at best in those cases. Although sometimes it gives them just enough to tough it out and make it another day, and maybe that's all they need to heal. Those simply suffering an injury find the most noticeable benefit, but are the ones who need it the least unless it's a serious incident." For a moment, Cynder stepped forward towards the infirmary, then abruptly stopped as she paused in thought. Taking the hint of her want, Vin went ahead and ushered her forward, offering a brief tour.
It wasn't anything extravagant by far, mostly just functional. At the front was a gathering room of sorts for visitors and workers to organize. Beyond that however they then stepped into a great, open room where most of the patients were kept, most of which were a near even mix of dragons and moles, the moles of which a fair number seemed to be present for injury treatment from construction accidents.
A washed-out scent of blood and illness lingered in the air as the two dragons looked around. Conditions weren't the best, but not for a lack of effort as one could tell the place had been laboriously cleaned on a regular basis. There's just so much one can do with so many sick and afflicted in one place. Adjustable curtains were the primary tool to use as a divider between patients when privacy was requested, but most however were content with at least being able to watch their caretakers continue about their business. Most had some form of bed to rest on, but a few key larger patients had to get by with makeshift bedding to accommodate them. Towards the back rested those who were more infected than injured and a door beyond that held those with the most contagious and dangerous illnesses, but in one corner towards the front was a particular area that seemed kept in far better condition than the rest. In that same corner was where the younger patients were kept.
It was rough to see rotted scales and softening horns on the adults, but thankfully the children fared far better. Most just had bumps on the head and rough patches of scales, some with a stuffy nose, and there was that one kid who found out why not to take that dare from your friends to eat food that's sat out for a week. That cheetah baker down the street makes some good pastries but they don't last forever. One small drake called out to 'Vinny', apparently one he had given some help to recently. The black dragon smiled as he patted his head and ruffled his crest, saying he'd be back tomorrow before he turned and left.
Another section nearby held a combination of the elderly and the remnant of those with war wounds, most of which counted for both of those categories. A notable figure among them was one large dragon whose golden scales had over time paled to a sandy shade. Missing both legs, those who spoke to him occasionally referred to him as the 'Great Wyrm,' but most just called him by his name, Voldrik. After tending to a fellow veteran, a few younger patients gathered around him as he told how he would trap apes in the midst of sandstorms in the deserts and dustlands and call down lightning upon them, and how the lightning would turn the sand into pillars of glass. Perhaps a few details were exaggerated, but Cynder found it interesting all the same. She once wondered why she lost so many apes in sandstorms.
When the two black dragons left, Cynder said to Vin, "You seem to rather like it there. Can't say I blame you though...they almost treat each other like family."
"Yeah, once you get past the smell. They enjoy the company and can always use the help there." Vin answered, gesturing back with his head.
"I may have to visit some time. It would be nice to help in some way that isn't just the usual help with the city's guards."
"You could probably be a pretty handy helper to them." the black dragon said. "You have two elements that have the potential to be pretty amazing tools."
"Oh? Use my wind to blow away the stench?" she scoffed. "I suppose if I practice fire more, I can cauterize wounds."
"No...actually I was referring to poison and fear."
The look she gave him was entirely incredulous, but she was too confused on whether to be offended or to mock the suggestion. "I...beg your pardon?"
"I'm serious." His demeanor showed such, continuing on, "If you could focus your poison control, what if you were able to corrode only certain things? Perhaps if someone were afflicted with some blight, maybe you could rot away whatever was causing it? Or if someone was under intense stress, perhaps if you can give fear, maybe you can just as well take it away? Perhaps you could induce a calming effect on patients who need such." Shrugging to himself, Vin then spoke, "Of course I'm just speculating, but...maybe it's something to look into. Maybe those are only individual sides of other parent elements, something unknown like 'Mind' or 'Body' or some such just to throw a few around. Maybe there's a 'Food' element out there."
The image of a dragon spitting out perfectly baked loaves of bread came to mind, Cynder commenting with a chuckle, "That could be either really funny or...really disgusting."
"Maybe Spyro will discover it some day." Vin offhandedly replied.
As Spyro shoveled fish into his mouth, Torin joined in across from Sparx, "Go! Go! Go! Go!"
A/N: Yep, here's another. Just poking around with a few other concepts and ideas, this time focused primarily on Cynder. Here we see a little bit of what sort of stuff she's been up to, along with maybe something she might consider going into later. Thought the cutaways would be a good time to get Sparx in there and show a bit of Spyro giving in to shenanigans for once. Shenanigans he'll probably regret fairly heavily for the rest of the day, but hey, gotta play along once in awhile. Don't know if I'll revisit this chapter's idea much, next may be another hit of training room experimenting or something of the sort. Anyways, there ye go.