The legend of Spyro. A new beginning.
Chapter 6: living legends.
Cori had seen everything over the cameras that were still operational in the area & was prepping the medical equipment in the hospital to treat the wounded dragons. 'Who'd have thought after all this time my first patients would be dragons?' Cori said to herself as Cynder appeared out of the floor. Before the dragoness could speak Cori started walking away. "Follow me, hurry." She said as she walked hurriedly toward the hospital. "What about Star & Blitz?" Cynder asked following the holographic A.I. "Right behind you, get moving. I'm not losing the first friends I've ever had." Blitz growled as he dashed out the door jumping over Cynder & keeping up with their A.I guide.
After reaching the hospital Blitz & Cynder could only watch & wait as Cori worked the many machines that would keep their friends alive. Neither had expected the enemies to be as skilled as they were, but now that they knew part of what they were up against they would be ready for their next encounter.
Taking to pacing in the lobby, Blitz growled at himself as he slammed a paw into the ground. "I'll stand guard out front. You guard the interior." Blitz instructed as he walked out the automatic doors. 'He blames himself.' Cynder said noticeing Blitz's wings drop a fraction of an inch as he walked away. 'What would Spyro say next time he saw Blitz?' Cynder asked herself as she looked around the lobby.
Outside the hospital was just the same as inside, quiet, deathly quiet. Not even a rustle from the leaves in the slight breeze that blew through the streets or a call from the native wildlife echoed in the silence. It gave the air an ominous weight as Blitz continued to glance at his surroundings looking for any & all signs of hostile forces. 'I should have known that would happen, apes never fight fair even when they have the element of surprise. Instead they attack an ally that isn't prepared for their treachory & underhanded tactics. I swear if they die I will lay waste to this city until nothing remains!' Blitz thought to himself before Star came to mind. Sighing, Blitz ended his mental rant short. 'Great, now I'm thinking like the dark master.' Blitz thought as he walked back into the hospital.
Turning at the sound of the automatic doors, Cynder noticed that Blitz had calmed down considerably. "You know it wasn't your fault, right?" Cynder asked earning a nod from Blitz. "I know, but if I had paid attention instead of being overconfident I could have prevented Star from being hurt & possibly come to assist you & Spyro in your fight. Instead, Star & Spyro are lying injured or near death on alien operating tables being cared for by a human creation that controls the entire city. I'm as much to blame for Stars injuries as the apes are." Blitz stated, his expression serious.
Cynder growled as she quickly placed the scythe like blade at the end of her tail against Blitz's throat. "If that's the truth then tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now? Spyro's injuries at the paws of the bear creature could have been avoided had you paid attention to your surroundings!" Cynder shouted hoping she hadn't pushed the slightly larger dragon too far.
Silence reigned over the waiting room as the two stood completely still. When no answer was forthcoming Cynder lowered her tail blade with & with a frustrated sigh answered her own question. "I shouldn't kill you because no matter what you think it's not your fault. You made an honest mistake & learned from it, you won't let it happen again. Besides, I know Star doesn't blame you at all. Especially after what you did to save her." Cynder stated trying to sound encouraging.
It took several moments for him to respond, but after several minutes of thinking he looked into Cynders eyes. "You learn that from Spyro?" He asked teasingly, though he still sounded a bit upset. "No actually, it just came to me. I honestly thought you might attack me for that shot about Spyro. You know I didn't mean that right?" Cynder questioned hoping she hadn't lost a friend. "I know, you were trying to get me to realize that some things happen for a reason & they're not always good things." Blits answered. 'Something like that, yeah.' Cynder thought as Cori appeared in the lobby through an overhead projector. "Star & Spyro are going to be just fine, though they need to stay here for a while to recover completely until then I have a problem that I need one of you to solve." Cori stated with a concerned expression on her holographic face.
In a very Spyro & Cynder move Blitz & Cynder looked to each other before turning their attention back on Cori. "Which one of us? Both of us would be the best choice if there's a fight but if it's carrying something I would probably be the best choice." Blitz stated. "Neither of us is good for negotiations, you want Spyro for that." Cynder added earning a shake of the head from Cori, she had hoped that wasn't the case but now had to improvise. "Alright then, I need the next best choice for a peace keeper." Cori replied.
Cynder shook her head, peace keeper for her only worked if she was calming Spyro down. "That counts me out, looks like it's up to you Blitz." Cynder said with a worried glance at the black scaled male next to her. "Great, what do I have to do & where do I have to go?" Blitz asked with a sigh. "Back to the portal machine, something has come through with a large group of humans accompanying it. I want you to make sure that the humans are safe & that the thing isn't a threat. After confirming that they aren't a threat bring them back here & if they are a threat... eliminate them." Cori said with a pained look. "Don't worry, I'm sure they're peacefull, but if it's their first time seeing a dragon they might attack out of fear so have these things ready in case I get hurt please." Blitz said with a heavy sigh before walking out the door.
As he came to the portal generator Blitz sighed at the number of humans that had come through the gate. 'Alright, let's do this the easy way.' Blitz thought as he slowly dragged the heavy metallic looking creature away from the pale skinned humans. "Now I just wait for them to wake up & find out if they might be friendly." Blitz said to himself as he laid down on the strange rock like ground watching the humans for any sign of movement.
Almost four hours later the first to wake were Catherine & Professor both of whom failed to notice the large black reptile watching them with a slightly interested look to his eyes. "What just happened? Where are we?" Professor questioned with a hand to his head while the other collected his rifle. "I don't know soldier, but if I had to guess I would say we were teleported to another habitable world, considering we're still alive." Catherine stated before spinning around at the sound of laughter. "Why would something teleport you somewhere that would kill you." A voice asked rhetorically.
Turning to find the source of the voice Professor & Catherine's eyes widened though Professor took a defensive position in front of the unarmed scientist. "I don't know what that weapon is supposed to do, but if I meant you any harm would I have got your attention or just eaten you all while you were unconscious?" Blitz asked not moving from his spot between the metalic thing & the two awoken humans. "It has a point soldier." Catherine stated earning a grunt from the creature. "Not it, he; my name is Blitz." Blitz stated with a bit of annoyance in his voice.
Catherine nodded at his introduction. "This is going to sound crazy but, are you a dragon?" Catherine questioned, curiosity obvious in her voice as she looked over the reptilian creature in front of her. "I am, if you don't believe me try touching one of my scales." Blitz offered with a sharp toothed grin.
As Catherine stepped forward Professor stepped in front of her still on the defensive. "I don't think that's such a good idea ma'am. This creature could be luring you into a trap." The soldier stated his weapon at the ready. "Noted soldier, what would you suggest we do then?" Catherine asked looking over the size of the creature claiming to be a dragon. "I doubt anything we have could bind him & if we tried it would probably only make him mad." Catherine finished as she turned her eyes back on the Professor. "He seems to be intelligent, so I say we try to strike a deal, he doesn't harm us & we won't harm him. Sound like a good deal?" He responded, earning a nod from the dragon. "Alright then, now that we have that out of the way." Catherine said walking around the soldier.
As she approached Blitz, Catherine slowly & cautiously raised a hand to the reptilian creature's neck taking one slow step after another. Not wanting to startle her by speaking Blitz remained silent & quietly allowed her to approach.
As her hand came into contact with his neck Catherine gasped as if she expected him to be an illusion. As her hand moved to the side of his face Blitz found himself humming at her soft touch. It was almost like a mothers touch as she ran her thumb over his cheek.
Before he realized what was happening he found himself leaning into her gentle hand with a look of content, that is until he realized what he was doing & slowly pulled away from her, clearing his throat as he moved. "Sorry, that's never happened before." Blitz said with a slight purple color to his facial scales. 'What the hell was that?' Blitz mentally yelled at himself.
Catherine grinned, in all her years she had never thought that a creature of human mythology would turn out to be real, nonetheless be a big softie. in fact after his answer she had expected to be incinerated on the spot. she was glad however that he turned out to be peacefull. It would give her the chance to study his species as well as question him since he could speak english, though that would have to be put on hold since the other members of their expedition had begun to awaken.
Looking around as the members of his group started to awaken, Professor quickly marked the dragon with a yellow dot as a cautionary target hoping that no one on the team was a shoot first ask questions later type of marine. Though as luck would have it the rookie of the team stood up before spinning quickly around & blasted a single shotgun shell into the creature.
growling in pain as the pellets ripped through his right wing membrane & imbedded themselves into his scales, Blitz clawed at the ground, barely restraining himself from lashing out at the human that injured him, though his eyes held a look that spoke of sheer hatred for the foolish human.
After tackling the soldier & ripping the shotgun from his hands Professor pulled him close to his covered face as his visor depolarised. "What the hell was that? Yellow means caution you dumbass, you may well have just gotten us all killed!" He yelled before turning his attention to Blitz. "I'm sorry for this idiots actions, will you allow the medic on my team to take a look at you?" Professor asked as he tossed the shotgun to Catherine.
Blitz turned to look at the human with a pained expression. "No, I'll live until I get back to the medical area." He answered with a slight growl as he stood up. unfortunately his luck had become worse, not only was he injured, but now the metal creature was moving.
Stepping between the humans & the metal creature Blitz growled a warning. "Stay behind me." He instructed as he glared into the golden colored mask. "I don't know what you are so stay where you are & I won't have to hurt you." Blitz informed the creature, which stood with a shake of it's head.
With a barked laugh Drake shook his head. "What if I don't?" He asked thinking he was heard. "Sorry partner, but I'm not going to let you bad mouth an ally that doesn't know you're human as well." Raven informed him through the internal speakers of his helmet. "What do you mean?" Drake asked curiously. "I mean, the only reason you aren't still with the group is because he doesn't know you're human, look at the left side of his face. Do you see the communication device?" She asked highlighting the device on his HUD. "Yes, let me guess you monitored all incoming & outgoing transmisions." Drake stated with a grin. "Yep, your armor interferes with what ever scanning device this place has & they don't know you're human. If you remove your helmet he should back down, though he might poke your head to make sure it's not an illusion." Raven teased, not knowing the creature would try to do exactly that.
Blitz tensed as the creature reached up & gave a sharp twist to it's own head & pulled up, stunning Blitz at what was underneath. "You're human? How, that stuff you're wearing weighs a ton?" He asked as he relaxed & slowly approached the human. "Drake, you might want to pull me." Informed another voice that sounded like Cori.
With wide eyes, Blitz stopped. "Cori, I think there's another A.I. here, what do I do?" Blitz asked curiously, his answer came in the form of Cori appearing at his left side. "Everything alright Cori?" He asked looking between his A.I. friend & the human in the metal suit. "Everything's fine, I just came to talk to the A.I." Cori answered turning her attention on the lone human in front of her.
Walking toward the human Cori nodded in greeting. "Hello, my name is Cori. I have run this city in the absence of my creators & welcome you back humans, though I must know what your intentions are for this visit, it has been several hundred years since humans have set foot in Sanctuary & I would like to know if you have finally returned for good." Cori stated, watching as the human removed a chip from his helmet. "Hello Cori, my name is Raven & our intentions had nothing to do with a visit to your world. We came here through some sort of portal malfunction on our end that hit the building we were in & we woke up here. As for returning to take Sanctuary back, we have never been here before & if we had it would have been taken by the forerunners when they thought we were trying to take over their territory." Raven replied after introducing herself. "I see, though I've never heard of these 'forerunners,' would you be willing to share information when we reach a terminal?" Cori questioned looking down at the small hologram of the A.I. standing on the chip. "I will share what I can, but until I get clearance from a higher ranking officer any classified information is strictly off limits." Raven stated with a stern expression. "I understand, I also want to inform you before any more incidents occur, that there are several more dragons here. two are in recovery & the other waiting for our return." Cori stated looking back at her injured friend. "Go back to the hospital. The machines are all ready to patch you up." Cori instructed as she turned back to the group of humans. "Follow the emergency lights in the middle of the street & they will lead you to the hospital. I expect to see you all there." Cori stated sternly. "Understood, collect your equipment & make sure everything is in working order. Catherine, ma'am, what are your orders?" Drake questioned as he put Ravens chip back into his helmet & his helmet back on his head.
Before Catherine could answer, Raven spoke. "I have patched us into there comm network so be careful." She informed him while Cathrine took a moment to think about everything that had happened. "Considering everything that has happened so far I think we should meet them at the hospital, at the least we can get our people looked at & offer our help where we can with their wounded. Most likely they have equipment similar to ours, or their equipment is more advanced & we can try to trade, information for some of their equipment or any information they want to share." Catherine stated earning a nod from the heavy armored soldier. "Soldiers, from here on out, unless informed otherwise the four dragons & the A.I. in this city are not to be harmed. Anything else is to be considered a possible threat & dealt with accordingly, understood? That means check your targets & be damn sure about what you have in your sights." Drake instructed as the soldiers formed ranks.
Receiving the affirmative from his men the Spartan turned toward the scientists & archeologists who were still gathering their equipment & checking each piece to make sure it was still in working order. "I want guards on the alleys & streets in the immediate area. Keep your eyes open & do not engage unless necessary, we don't have the man power or ammunition for drawn out combat anymore." Drake instructed as he looked to the sky.
Cynder sat in the waiting room for several hours finding small things to do to keep herself busy while Blitz was out playing peace keeper, though just as she was preparing to go find the other black dragon the automatic doors opened & in walked Blitz, the very dragon she had been worried about, though his right wing & scales had seen better days. "Blitz, what happened? Are you okay?" Cynder asked as she cautiously approached Blitz. "I'll be fine, as for what happened, let's just say I was right about first reactions." He said wincing as wave of pain lanced through his side. "Follow the red lights to the surgery room & I'll get you taken care of Blitz, Cynder, we're about to have a lot of friendly guests, so be nice alright." Cori's voice said through the speakers in the hospital ceiling. "Of course, can I see Spyro & Star yet or have they not woken up?" Cynder asked as she watched Blitz slowly limp away leaving a trail of blood drops that any hunter could easily follow. "They haven't woken up yet, but I would say it will be a couple hours yet before either of them do. I'm going to take care of Blitz now so you're on your own for a bit." Cori informed the dragoness before leaving Cynder to her thoughts.
Less than an hour & a half later, Cynder bolted upright at the sound of the automatic doors opening, an action that instantly had the attention of the ape like creatures that entered the hospital. "Cori, friend or foe?" Cynder asked eyeing the creatures in front of her with a determined yet worried look to her face. "Friend, & personally I would hate to get on your bad side." Answered an unfamiliar female voice causing Cynder to glance around without taking her eyes off of her possible enemies. "Who said that?" Cynder asked, having not seen any of the ape like creatures mouths move. "The blue armored giant." A male voice answered. "That was Raven, my A.I." The giant said as he took a cautious step toward the black & magenta scaled female only for her to take a step away from him.
Catherine rolled her eyes at the men. "Step aside soldiers." She instructed as she moved to the front of the group. "We met Cori & Blitz earlier, Cori instructed us to come here for some reason & here we are. How is Blitz by the way?" Catherine asked calmly. "Blitz is in the treatment room." Cynder answered abandoning her defensive stance. "I see, may we look around?" Catherine asked immediately regretting it as Cynder growled at them. "I have three injured friends in here & one of them is because of one of you, none of you are going anywhere near them!" She spoke, her anger passing the messege clearly.
Drake turned to Professor with an audible sigh. "What happened while I was out?" He asked knowing that the answer wouldn't be in their favor. "The rookie on the ODST team blasted a round into the black dragon we met earlier after I had marked him as a cautionary target, his wing was torn up pretty bad & it looked like the pellets might have embeded themselves into his scales. On top of the blood loss from his injured wing he's going to have major bruising on his right side. That is unless this hospital has tech to prevent or fix that. That was the medic's unprofessional opinion as he knows nothing about dragons to give a specific diagnosis." Professor replied standing at attention.
Drake shook his head as he took in the information, not only was there a couple of rookies on the team but one apparently needed to go back to training. He would have to find some way to get access to the hospital so that he & his men could be examined to make sure they were healthy inside & out. Luckily it seemed that task would fall to someone else as Cori appeared in the lobby. "Cynder, let them pass. I promise you they can't get to the others. Also Spyro & Star have woken up if you wish to see them." Cori informed the Black & Magenta dragoness. "How is Blitz doing?" Cynder replied curious as to the condition of one of her newest friends. "Blitz should be fine, not sure how he'll react to his wing & scales being repaired like they are but, we'll see when he wakes up." Cori answered before turning to the humans in the lobby. "If you all will kindly leave your weapons here we can get started with your examinations." Cori stated turning her full attention to the humans as Cynder walked away.
Professor was the first to speak as the soldiers all looked to him or Drake for instructions. "I think it would be better if we had some guards in the room in case this is some kind of trap." Professor said after opening a private channel between himself & the Spartan. "Agreed," He replied before activating the speakers on his helmet. "Half of us will leave our weapons to be examined the others will be inside & outside the room ready for anything. After that we'll switch so that the others get their check up as well." Drake instructed earning a nod from his soldiers & the new A.I. "Understood, follow the lights & we will begin." Cori replied before her hologram disappeared.
Five hours later the humans had all been given a thourough examination & most were perfectly healthy though a few had minor injuries from landing on their weapons or from the uneven terrain around the portal generator, mostly minor bruises & cuts which were cleaned & covered to prevent infection. Collecting their gear, the humans quickly took up defensive positions as claws on tile could be heard coming down the hallway.
As the door slid open it revealed three dragons, one of which most of them recognised as Cynder. "Weapons down marines." Drake ordered as the dragons entered the room. "So your humans." The white dragon of the group stated more than asked, it's voice clearly marking it as female. "They look a lot like hairless apes." Stated the purple & gold dragon with a clearly male voice & a distrusting look. "I assure you they are not with the apes you have come to know as an enemy." Cori's voice stated through the hospital speakers.
Spyro immediately lost his distrusting look as he looked over the humans in a new light. "Well, since we are the first of our species that you've seen I hope we made a good first impression." Spyro stated unaware of what happened to Blitz. "You didn't attack us the first time we met & issue death warrents to everyone that looks like us so I'd say that puts you in our 'good so far' book." Answered one of the soldiers before being silenced by several glares. "For now we are...cautious about who we call friends." Answered the blue armored human. "Understood, allow us to introduce ourselves, my name is Spyro." Stated the purple & gold scaled dragon. "My name is Star." The white scaled dragoness continued. "You already know my name but I'll say it again for any who might not have heard, my name is Cynder." The black & magenta scaled dragoness finished as all three stood to their full hieght.
Drake was impressed, almost anything else would have fled in sheer terror of the blue armored giant. Yet these three dragons stood in front of him as if he were a normal person & not at all the strangest thing they had ever seen. It made him curious as to what they had to fight on this planet that made him look normal & after they introduced themselves Drake started things off for his side of the introductions. "Spartan D-289, but most just call me Drake." He stated raising his hand to get their attention. "If anyone else wants to introduce themselves do so now, debrief in twenty minutes." Drake said as he walked past the dragons & out the door.
After almost all of the soldiers & every single scientist as well as a few archeologists introduced themselves the dragons left to check on their friend who had begun to wake up, which confused Cori to no end. By her calculations he should have been out for an hour or more still.
As the trio entered the recovery room Blitz was just pushing himself upright on his front paws. Shaking his head he looked around the room, glancing over his friends who had entered for a moment before his memory kicked in. "Star, Spyro, when did you two get up? Better question, should you be up & around? You two were injured worse than Cynder & I." Blitz questioned before remembering his own injuries.
Slowly spreading his wing expecting it to look like a patchwork project Blitz's face turned to a confused expression. "It looks like it was never injured, how did Cori do this? The only thing I know that heals us like this is red crystals & those are a rare find anymore." He stated with a bewildered tone. "I know what you mean, that stab wound almost felt like a dream except I clearly remember the pain & shock of it happening." Star stated rubbing a paw over the once injured area. "Mine was from protecting Cynder & even had it left a scar, I would happily take that over watching her get hurt." Spyro stated rubbing his head against Cynders neck causing a purple blush to rise on her scales.
Meanwhile back in the entry waiting room of the hospital Drake & company were discussing everything that had happened & what their options were for the future. "We're cut off from the UNSC, we are on an unknown planet with only one way home that we can't be certain will work again with creatures we once thought to be mythological. So far these creatures are friendly but they appear to be young, so we don't know how their elders will react to us." Drake stated with a heavy sigh. "If I may, we could send a small detachment from our group to go with those four back to their home & meet with their leaders." Catherine stated calmly. "Who would you suggest for this group?" Drake questioned. "Myself & any four soldiers you think capable." Catherine answered.
Taking a moment to think it over Drake answered. "Professor, O'niell, Murphy, Maine, you four are on protective detail. You take your orders from Catherine, understood." Drake stated as the soldiers stepped forward. A collective yes sir answered him from the four soldiers as they moved to stand beside Catherine. "The rest of us will remain here until we receive the all clear to join up with the 'diplomatic squad' & learn what we can of where we are." Drake stated before turning to Catherine & her guards. "Are you certain this is a good idea?" He asked looking her in the eyes. "Not entirely but if I am correct, the dragons will also split up, one group to keep an eye on the ones that remain here & the other will accompany us back to where ever there leaders are." Catherine stated confidently. "That gives us a better shot at taking them down if they are anything like the stories from earth." Drake replied as Raven appeared in the top right corner of his HUD.
Turning away from the lead scientist Drake shut off the speakers on his helmet. "Is something wrong Raven?" He questioned apprehensively. "A few things actually, the tech here is just shy of what we have now so Cori & I exchanged what Data we could. Some of the things I learned don't add up, nothing these dragons do is physically possible & I can't believe I'm saying this, but it all seems like magic to me. No forerunner tech that we know of could create or recreate what these dragons do." Raven answered as she showed Drake the many video clips she had received from Cori, the most recent being the fight between Spyro, Cynder & a large group of apes with swords & shields. One of which carried a large mace & was capable of coherent speech. "Play that again." Drake stated as he watched a masive ball of electricity form around the purple dragon before exploding outwards in a massive wave of death that arced from ape to ape. "I told you it wasn't possible." Raven stated as she appeared on the video screen. "Have you shared this with anyone else?" He asked concerned of the repercussions it might have on his teams morale. "No, I didn't think it would help things if our scientists tried to cut them open to find out how they work." Raven responded seriously. "Good, keep this under wraps until further notice & tell Cori that I would appreciate her keeping these out of our peoples hands." Drake requested before turning to the sound of claws on tile yet again.
After attempting to walk for the fifth time after waking up Blitz finally got his bearings & was able to get around without wobbling. Making their way as a group out of the recovery room to meet the humans who, according to Cori, wanted to speak with them.
As they approached the humans they noticed that several of them kept their distance while the majority was more curious than cautious, the curious ones wore white coats & continuously circled the dragons taking notes but never touching them though it still concerned the dragons as Blitz made perfectly clear when he growled. "Would you stop circling you vultures, we aren't dead you know!" He stated agitatedly. "What were you doing anyway?" Star asked taking an unconscious step toward Blitz which caused the white coat clad people to scribble something else down on their papers.
Stepping forward Drake drew their attention. "Don't mind them, I asked you here to find out if two of you or all four would accompany a small team back to where ever your leaders are so that we can work out some sort of agreement about us staying there." Drake informed them as he looked between the four dragons, though before any could speak Cori appeared in between the humans & dragons. "Actually I have something for them before two of them return to Warfang to inform the guardians of what they have found here." Cori told him before turning to the four dragons. "If you will follow the emergency lights I will have everything ready when you arrive." Cori said cryptically before she disappeared.
As the four dragons made their way along the lit path they remained silent in order to keep the apes that might still be around unaware. As they reached the end of the lights they looked around for a sign to tell them what the large building in front of them was for. Finding nothing they approached the door which slid open silently to reveal a dark room that only lit up when the dragons entered & the door shut quickly behind them. "Welcome to the armory, here we used to fit dragons with armor that would both protect & defend the wearer. I will warn you before we begin that this can be a scary process due to some of the components of the armor." Cori started with a smirk. "Though I don't think it will be too much for the four of you, this is also part of the surprise I had planned for you." Cori finished as she turned her attention to the four dragons. "Which of you would like to go first?" Cori asked glancing over the group.
Stepping forward Blitz looked into Cori's eyes. "Where do I go to start this thing?" He asked after taking a deep breath. Cori raised her arm & pointed to a large square surrounded by yellow & black stripes. "Step into the square & the machines will do the rest." Cori answered as Blitz walked past her.
As he entered the square the first thing he heard was Cori's voice. "Remove the comm device & stand still." She instructed as several different machines four of which clamped around his paws after he removed the comm device began measuring him. After the measurements were taken, a suit that felt padded by some sort of thick liquid was put on him though it left his wings uncovered. Next came dozens of peices of armor that covered him from head to tail with only a few places left open for his wings to move freely though they recieved lighter plating as well as shielding to protect them. His head was covered by a helmet that left his muzzle uncovered but not unprotected. As the machines finished placing the armor & activating the systems something appeared in the top left corner of his visor that he never would have expected. "Hello Blitz, my name is Celeste, I am an A.I. based off of your companion Star. I will be assisting you with the functions & workings of your new armor. I am also linked to Cori if you need any intel that she might have." The A.I. began. "Now, moving should be as easy as it was before, except that your limbs might be heavier than they used to be. Before you move though are you in any pain, no matter how slight." Celeste questioned. "My legs hurt a bit, but that might be from the weight of my new armor." Blitz replied as he slowly lifted his legs & spread his wings, testing the mobility of his new equipment. "This is unreal, Not only can I still move, but I swear this armor is getting lighter." Blitz stated excitedly as he unconsciously walked out of the square letting someone else get their armor.
As Cynder took his place Blitz attempted to speak to his A.I. "Celeste, if you can hear me, how do I talk to you & can you mark the hospital on my map please? If i've got one that is." He asked quietly hoping that he didn't look like a complete idiot for talking to himself. After her screen popped up Celeste laughed. "If you ever want to talk to me just say my name & so long as you aren't in combat I will appear on this screen on your heads up display, or HUD for short." She began. "As for marking the hospital if you take a look at the compass at the top of your HUD, it shows you the direction as well as the distance between you & your target & on the map in the bottom right of your HUD it shows you a blue triangle as your destination marker." Celeste explained before her screen disappeared.
As they looked each other over they noticed that the armor matched thier own colors. For example Spyro's armor was mainly purple with gold accents. To further add to each of their great surprise after recieving their armor & putting it & them through their paces, their respective A.I. became more active in conversing with them to learn everything they could about their partnered dragons aside from what little Cori had given them. "I hope you all liked this little surprise." Cori stated as she appeared in her own little screen. "It is going to take some getting used to. That test course helped but I don't think i'll ever get used to the A.I. appearing as suddenly as he does on the screen." Cynder replied as she jumped over a large pile of debris. "Or how this armor doesn't weigh me down when I jump, I mean this stuff is incredible. I feel like I could take on the entire dark army without a single scratched scale." Star responded happily as her shields took the brunt of a partially collapsing wall that decided to give way just as she passed underneath it. "I did my research & made what improvements I could with the known metals & other things, though I think it's still inferior to the armor that the tall human wears." Cori replied with a thoughtful look on her face. "Even if it is, this stuff still takes a lot of the damage that we would have taken in battle if we were in our normal armor." Cynder stated with a wide smile. "True, but our old armor came with enchantments that aided us in one way or another. I don't think this stuff will allow for that." Spyro stated as he looked around at his group. The armor was most definitely impressive but they had still not found the artifact that they were sent to retrieve & it was starting to bother him. What could be so important that Ignitus, the new Chronicler would send Cynder & himself to retrieve along with a dragon & a dragonness that they had never met before. Little did Spyro know that the exact same issue was currently raging through each of their minds as they returned to the hospital.
Cori chose her words carefully as the group approached the hospital. "I'm glad you all like the armor but I still have one more thing for you. For this I need you to bring the humans with you to the command center, understood?" She asked cautiously, receiving a yes from each of them.
Entering the hospital cautiously the dragons noticed the looks they were getting from the soldiers. "What's wrong, you all look like you've just seen a ghost." Cynder stated as she removed her helmet. "If it's the armor, Cori gave it to us." Spyro added as he too removed his helmet. "The armor is not the surprise, the fact that you look ready for war is." Catherine stated calmly. "We have to be." Blitz commented grimly. "An old enemy, not just to the people of this world but to this planet in its entirety is somehow being ressurected after Spyro & I sealed him in a crystal somewhere near the center of the planet." Cynder added venemously. "Bad experience with this enemy?" Professor questioned unaware that it was still a stinging wound in Cynder's past. Glancing in her direction Spyro received a nod.
Taking a steadying breath Spyro spoke. "When Cynder & I were still in our eggs a dragon known as both Malefor & the Dark Master attempted to steal us from our parents & before you ask, no we were not the only ones targeted but we are the only survivors from our clutch due to the dark master's orders to destroy all the other eggs. Malefor then used dark magic & other tactics to turn Cynder into his perfect soldier & puppet, that is until I beat her & she reverted back to her younger self. After rescuing her I found out that she remembered everything she had done, though it wasn't truly her. That same dragon is trying to make another appearance in an attempt to either get revenge or try to destroy the planet again." Spyro informed the humans with a sad look on his face. "Damn, at least the covenent stayed dead." One of the soldiers commented. "But what's bothering you Spyro?" A female soldier questioned. "You wouldn't understand but I'll explain it as simply as I can." Spyro started. "Malefor succeeded in almost destroying the planet once & I barely had the strength to put it back together then. I don't think I can do it again without killing myself." The purple scaled dragon solemly answered staring intently at the floor.
None of the soldiers could speak at the moment except the one that asked the question. "You put a planet back together? How are you still here?" She asked with a stunned look on her face. "Purple dragons only appear every three generations or when the balance of the world is threatened & have untold potential. For instance, while Blitz can only use darkness, I can use Fire, earth, ice, & electricity. Cynder is also a special case because of the dark masters tampering. She can use wind, poison, fear, & darkness." Spyro informed them as if it were simple, commonly known facts.
Drake stood silently by while the dragon spoke. Only speaking to Raven to make sure she captured every bit of information the dragons gave out, which she was of course, for personal study, she was also gathering images of before & after armor references as well as the IFF signal for each dragon to add to the IFF system in Drake's armor. She had to admit she was dying to see what the dragons could do with their new tech. The video was impressive but a live demonstration would give her a much better idea of how to utilize & should the need arise kill the dragons with minimal loss of troops.
Blitz took the silence as an oppertunity to address the humans. "Cori has asked that we lead you to the command center, for what purpose we don't know, but she says it's important." Blitz informed the group before looking each person over. "While we walk, what is the covenent?" He asked replacing his helmet before walking out the door. "The Covenent were a mixed group of aliens led by the prophets, that attacked humanity with the express purpose of wiping out every human throughout the galaxy because we were, as the prophets said, an afront to their gods." Professor answered as he followed the dragons out the door.
Twenty minutes later the group arrived at the command center where Cori stood waiting on her projection platform. "Welcome to my humble abode." Cori greeted them as they filed through the doors. "I asked you all here because there is something the dragons need that only a human dragon pair can retrieve. The lock requires a blood sample from the pair to open it. I was never told what it was, nor do I have access to the files that would tell me what it is. All I was told was that this day would come & that the ones that found my city would need it. Thus why you are here now." Cori stated as a large portion of the wall slid open revealing a large vault door. "What you seek is behind that door." Cori said before disappearing only for a data card to slide out of a console to Drakes left.
Pulling the card out Drake looked it over before turning to the dragons. "Who wants her?" He asked holding the card out to the dragons. "I'll take her." Star answered stepping forward. on the back of her helmet a slot opened to receive the card much like on his own helmet. After inserting the chip Drake turned to his soldiers. "Anyone feel like helping our reptilian friends open a door?" He questioned as Spyro asked a similar question to his friends. "I'll do it, no point in putting the saviour of our planet at risk." Blitz replied earning the attention of the rookie of the soldiers. "I'll do it sir, It's the least I could do after what happened earlier." The rookie stated as he walked forward. "Alright then Smith, get that door open, we're right behind you." Drake said as he & the other soldiers took a ready stance next to the dragons as the two approached the door. Placing a hand & paw on the pads each jerked away as a small needle jabbed into their skin before retracting. Watching the door carefully they waited, one minute slowly dragging into the next before finally opening.