XIX

Spyro lay, unconscious, in the arena of the Skavengers tournament. Above him, the voices of Skavenger soldiers shouted at him, cursing at him and mocking him for his weakness. A few feet away, the confident Damu smiled at his unconscious form. He didn't even try that hard, and yet, Spyro doomed himself this time, too stupid to know that the Skavengers would prevent his escape. Pity, he wanted a good fight, but this was the biggest letdown in all his time of fighting in these tournaments.

The purple dragon was still very much alive, but he bled from multiple wounds all over his body. His leg was twitching from the shock he'd received, and his wing was damaged too severely for him to take flight again.

The wooden floor was hot now due to the heat of the Sun above, and when the young one awoke, he'd be in pain much to intense for him to even stand. He was lucky, still, that such a fall hadn't killed him, or that the impact into the floor didn't collapse it, and send him falling into the ocean below. He lay, breathing slowly, in a partially collapse wooden crater, wood pieces jutting up from his landing.

Skabb, Scratch, and Sniff sat in their throne, disappointed. They'd expected him to be braver, to have a little more fight in him, but this wasn't going well. The crowd was getting antsy, itching for a real fight now, not the bull that the purple dragon just attempted to pull by escaping. They needed to get him up and moving again, or risk having the crowd break out into fighting themselves.

Scratch called to one of the generals next to him. "You there. Fetch someone to revive the poor bastard, and get him fighting again."

The general nodded to his captains, stepping in front of them as he exited and headed to the sick bay.

'Just like that? That was it?' Cynder couldn't believe that the legendary purple dragon went out so pathetically. One of the other prisoners, a tiny mole that wielded dual curved swords, explained to her what he had heard from the guards earlier.

"You're telling me that the purple dragon tried to escape, to run away from this?"

She couldn't see the mole nod, who sat in the cell adjacent to hers. "Yeah, poor guy was zapped not even a few feet away from the ship."

Cynder's face contorted to a confused expression. Either his opponent was really intimidating, or the purple dragon isn't as special as everyone thought. "Did he even try to fight him?"

"Nope. He dodged a few would-be deadly attacks, but he never went on the offensive."

'That's disappointing. He's part of the most powerful species of dragon, and was said to have been trained well, yet, he's fleeing from his first fight. '

She'd expected more from such a highly praised and feared dragon. However, he'd better straighten out soon, or else he'd be dead by the end of the first round.

"What'd you say his name was, again?"

"Spyro, I believe. I think he's around your age as well."

'Spyro, huh?' Cynder thought.

The sound of explosions and the smell of burning wood had awoken everyone.

The dragons didn't bother trying to tidy up their rooms, or even get ready for the day, and instead, they opted to run towards the sounds of fighting and explosions. The temple's doors slid open, and the Guardians burst into the open, running down the stairs and onto the front lawn.

Or, simply put, what was left of it. A mini-war field lay before them, decorated with small craters of hot dirt, puddles of molten lava, and flames all around. Arrows were scattered everywhere, embedded into the ground, into tress, and some were even poking out of the temples structures. The air was so thick with the intense heat they dragons felt as though they were trapped within the depths of hell itself.

Eozack and the guardians jaws were dropped, and their eyes were wide with awe and surprise. Only moments ago, the silence and peace of morning was interrupted by this chaos.

"What in the name of the ancestors happened here?" Eozack bellowed, stepping onto the obliterated lawn.

The guardians followed close behind him.

Ignitus knew he'd heard something, but he didn't think this would be the result. Someone had gotten into a fight, and evidently, they weren't playing any games.

'But,' Ignitus thought, 'who did this?'

Eozack scanned the area for anybody who could've caused this mess. He knew that any of the Guardians were out, since they were in the well-secured rooms. He thought maybe someone in the city had gotten into it here, but, few dragons could do such damage in so little time, other than the Guardians themselves.

An explosion sounded off in the distance to the east, into the woods nearby. Eozack glanced at the dragons behind him, his eyes filled with worry. Already, he had an idea just who'd done this, and, it wasn't going to end well.

"Guardians," he started, "you will stay here, in the temple. Do not, for any reason, follow me. You are to remain into the temple until we can confirm it is safe for any of you to venture outside of it's grounds."

He was met with mixed reactions by the four young dragons. It was clear that none of them wanted to end up hurt, but it was also clear that they didn't want anyone to suffer for their sake.

Terrador spoke first. "You haven't even confirmed who's doing this, sir. Our safety is important, but we can't sit and hide from her, and wait for her to attack us when we least expect it!"

"That is true, Terrador, but we cannot have you exposed either! At least within the temple, you are guarded and kept safe from any attacks. For all we know, Figura could be secretly working with or for the Dark Guardians, and if she gets to all of you, everything is lost! Do as I say, now, and return to the temple."

Terrador wanted to say more, but he gave up, starting back up the stairs first, followed by Cyril, Volteer, and Ignitus, reluctantly.

Eozack wasted no more time. He launched into the air, sailing in the direction of the explosions. A large, grey cloud had grown now, meaning fires had begun now. ]

The green dragon's eyes narrowed angrily. All this damage and trouble that had been caused wouldn't be worth it, he knew somehow.

Hunter struggled to survive.

His quiver was nearly out of arrows, his body ached with fatigue, and he had to constantly avoid being engulfed in a pool of flame or lava or both. There was no doubt about it in his mind, though, this was the insane Figura he'd heard about.

He danced around her attacks with ease earlier, but leading her into the forest, and away from the city was a bad idea at best. Their clash had already caused a forest fire that had continued to grow, and he feared it may hit the city. His decision to move her here was made in haste, but, it was better than leaving her free to destroy within the city.

The cheetah landed on a large rock that stuck out from within the ground. If he didn't find a way to end this now, he'd either be burned to death or mauled by Figura. He could've made short work of her if she hadn't had Ignitus's blood within her.

In her current state, her power was too much for him to fight against alone. All he had left was his knife on his belt, and she'd simply melt him if he got close. Fleeing also wasn't an option, because Figura would simply fly in search of him, simply following his scent until he tired out. Either way, he would be screwed if he didn't beat her now.

A tree crashed down nearby. He heard footsteps to his rear. The cheetah reached into his quiver, pulling out another arrow, the of his last four. He saw no other options, but his best chance was to keep moving and hope that help arrives.

He took cover behind a large oak tree, one untouched by the flames nearby. He placed the arrow into the bow, and drew it. He exhaled slowly, trying to remain calm and cool. Every shot would be precious to him now, as these bows were infused with magic. The bow he had now could cause temporary paralysis if it hit it's target. If he could stick Figura with it, he just may have enough time to get help.

'On three,' he thought, drawing his bow to it's limit. 'One, two..."

He spun from behind the tree. Before him, a wall of pure flames erupted towards him at insane speeds. The cheetah dropped to the ground, pulling his cloak over him to help stop the flames. They rushed right over his head, and it reminded him of the battles he'd watched at the areas, only, he up close with the fireworks that happened there.

The onslaught finally stopped, and with singed fur, the cheetah slowly arose from the ground. His eyes widened as he saw the destruction around him. The blast turned the area into a toasted wasteland. The trees were little more than black, hot stumps now, and the grass was in a similar condition.

"Hello, kitty-cat."

Hunter froze. That wasn't Karaia's voice he'd heard, but it was Ignitus's. He turned around to see the young Guardian before him, staring back at him with an amused expression.

He almost fell for it.

"Please," he said, backing away. "I know it's you."

The dragon followed him, holding an amused smile. "Where are you going? What's wrong, Hunter?"

With a start, the cheetah realized he'd dropped the arrow somewhere. He sighed. That was his last paralysis arrow. All he had left were three bows left, and they were all infused with fire, not useful against a clone of the Guardian of Fire.

He had no way out. He was completely outmatched by Figura like this.

Hunter put on a smile himself. Faintly, he heard the sounds of flapping nearby. All he had to do now was stall.

"Might I ask a question?"

The dragon frowned. "I'd rather just kill you, if that's fine with you."

"What happened to the real Karaia?"

Figura sighed. 'May as well humor the cheetah now, since he'll be dead by the time Eozack gets here."

"She's out in the ocean, a few miles or so under the surface, in an underwater cave. She's been there for weeks, and she's probably maggot food by now, nothing more than a rotting corpse in chains." She smiled when again when she finished.

Hunter swallowed as the image appeared in his head. 'Ignitus and the others will be crushed,' he thought.

"Any more questions now? That's Eozack I smell, correct? Make it fast, or I'll have to clip you mid-sentence."

Time was running out. but Hunter kept calm. He reached for his knife again, grabbing it's warm wooden handle. Figura saw this, and she almost laughed. The cheetah was really that stupid? He realizes she'd snuff him out one way or another right?

Figura smiled again, this time because she was sure she'd won. With the cheetah gone, she'd have one less suspicious eye on her. 'At least, I could work my way up for a while, or...'

A devious thought entered her mind. 'What if I consumed all of that blood inside of that tube that idiot left right there for me to take? It's a trap, no doubt, but the power boost would be worth it. Whatever they infected that blood with or whatever, I'm sure my new power would be able to nullify any poison that attempted to take me.'

'But, then again, it's still a trap,' her smile widened, both confusing and creeping out the cheetah. 'But, it's also a gamble! If I take it, the and I can't handle it, I die, but, if I can take it, a huge leap towards the world under my foot... or paws, whatever.'

"Hello?"

'But, I'll handle the business at hand first.' She thought sadistically, licking her lips as she approached the cheetah.

The oven around the two was extinguished suddenly. The air around went from intense heat to pure blizzard temperatures, catching them both off guard. Hunter used the momentary confusion to escape the insane dragon, sprinting away from her without another thought.

Of course, Figura had caught him immediately, but before she could pursue, dragons had her surrounded within seconds, all headed by Eozack himself. 'Seems he must've had some backup as well...'

All the dragons were clad in armor, except Eozack, but they all wore the same, threatening stare. Figura decided to try something.

"Oh," she put on Ignitus's voice, trying to sound innocent. "Is there something wrong guys?"

"Cut it out, Figura, we know it's you."

"Ugh, at least you waste no time..." She glared at Eozack, who returned her look.

"I see you're making use of Ignitus's form and powers? Look at all the destruction you've unleashed." Eozack struggled to remain calm, but managed to keep his composure. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Smugly, she smiled to him. "Karaia's blood was a little salty, but it tasted better after her corpse sat for a few days, as I learned when I visited her the other night. It was delicious, both her blood, and her body in such hopelessness as she hung, her blood dripping from her like water from a wet rag."

The dragons shuddered as the psychotic creature licked her lips. "That is all."

Frankly, Eozack had had enough.

"Seize her."

Figura was hoping they'd say that. 'Oh, I've always wanted to try this!'

Her, or technically, Ignitus's body lit up in flames as the dragons charged at her. She laughed gleefully as they ran towards their doom, as her body was lifted by an invisible force. She closed her eyes as the flames turned into a massive column of pure fire around her body. The dragons realized much too late, and Eozack ran for cover, but the others were past the point of no return.

The air heated up yet again, and above everyone, a hailstorm of firebombs fell. Dozens of them detonated all around the dragons, and their roars of agony were drowned out by the explosion. Crater's were born from where the bombs detonated, leaving behind pools of molten rock, which some dragons took an unfortunate swim in. Finally, after only mere seconds, the rain of hell stopped.

But, the master explosion came next. Imagine a nuclear bomb, only with a much smaller radius, dozens of times the heat and power, and much more deadly. All but Eozack were vaporized, leaving behind nothing but small piles of ashes, the remains of once-proud dragon soldiers. The environment around them was completely vaporized as well, and had Eozack not taken cover and used magic for extra protection, he would've been nothing more than dust by them.

He couldn't open his eyes, and he could barely breath, the air was so hot and thick that there was too much agony to even function correctly. Yet, he'd survived, with massive burns all over his body, already leaking streams of blood.

Figura landed softly on the hot, dead grass. She said nothing as she walked right up to the shaking Eozack, stepping through pools of lava and ashes of former dragons and all.

She arrived in front of him, and sat, dwarfed by the large dragon who'd covered himself behind his newly damaged wings. It would still be a moment or two before he could possibly even manage stealing a glance, but she waited patiently.

Eozack chanced to open his eyes. He was met with intense stinging, but, it was bearable to say the least. Before him, the small form of Ignitus, who was literally on fire, sat, an emotionless expression on his face.

The two stared in silence, the forest in fiery ruins around them. Eozack couldn't name many things that scared him, but he'd found another one that day.

"So," Figura stretched Ignitus's body, each bone popping loudly into place, "I assume you want it slow and painful? Your death, I mean."

'Something's wrong,' Ignitus shifted on his bed, unable to sit still. 'In a matter of minutes, many have left to find the culprits behind the fights, and the city's already been placed on high alert. It's Figura, there's no other explanation.'

Only, now what? If Figura is here, surely she'd seen the glass tube outside, right? Then, maybe the plan will be set into motion.

It was more than clear now why he needed them inside, just so that she wouldn't get sidetracked and attack them instead.

Ignitus hopped out of bed, and went to talk to the others, oblivious to the danger that calmly approached outside the temple.

Eozack calmly walked in the hot sun. To his left, Figura, in Karaia's form now, walked with him. A few moments ago, she'd offer him his death like it was pork at a restaurant, but now, she was taking him toward the blood storage now.

He almost smiled. He was still about sure he was screwed, but, it would all be worth it if Figura got only a few sips or so of the contents inside the glass.

"I'm no genius. But, even I knew someone was plotting when that was erected and filled up right in front of me." Figura scoffed, glaring at nothing in front of her. "I don't know who's the stupid one right now: Me, because I'm going to take that power supply, or you, for providing it to me."

They came upon the object in question, the crimson liquid sitting calmly within. Figura could smell it even from within the forest. As time went on, it got harder and harder to contain herself.

She turned to her hostage, and sent him a threatening glare. "What was your game? Your plan. All of it."

Eozack hesitated. Figura wasn't having it. "Now."

"We planned to overwhelm you." His eyes glared right back at her. "Even your body has a limit. We figured that if we managed to gather enough power for you, your body would tire and ultimately give out on you. You'd reach your limit, and you'd die."

"So that's the purpose of this delicious temptation?" Eozack felt Figura's eyes cut through his soul. "Overwhelm me, huh?"

He nodded to his captor.

"Please," she scoffed again. "If my body really does have a limit, don't you think that that would've been reached had I taken the blood of all of the Guardians. Simply put, their power is dozens of times more grant than anything you put in this tube..."

"But, before I become the most powerful being that has ever lived, let me ask you this. I've never heard from anyone about what element you specialize in. I'm curious. If I drink just a teensy bit of your blood, what power will you possess. They say every dragon specializes in something, right?"

Fear filled the male dragon's heart, and his eyes widened in horror. He wanted to run or fly, but neither his feet or wings would move. Even if he tried, he'd have nowhere to go.

Figura smiled like a psychopath to him. 'He knows what I'm doing. Oh, that makes it so much more fun!'

Figura lunged, sinking her massive, sharp white teeth into Eozack's exposed neck. In a swift motion, her powerful paws held his maw shut, snuffing out his agonized roar.

Her pupils dilated in her widened eyes, and her body began to shake in excitement. 'DELICIOUS. So good! It's been so long, and I finally get a fix!'

She sucked and lap as it flowed into her mouth. She sunk her teeth deeper, opening the wound further, sending more gushing in. Her body shook violently as she took more and more in.

'To hell with that needle! Finally, I have the strength I need to penetrate even fully-grown dragons," her nostrils flared, her breathing quicky and sharp. 'It's always the best from the source, they say!'

Eozack, on the other hand, writhed in pain, trying his best to escape.

He tried to attack, but Figura was barely fazed by anything he did. No kick to the legs, swipe with his tail, or flapping of his wings got him an inch away.

Figura held him in place. Her groaned into her paw, fighting in vain, but it was of little use.

He fell on his side, and she got on top of him, continuing her feeding. Grudgingly, he accepted that he was hers, her little lunch for the day. Before long, he began to grow tired and weak. He drifted out of consciousness finally, his eyes closed and body limp as she held him.

...

In horrified surprise, Figura suddenly withdrew from him, moments later. Blood dripped from her lips, but she let it go. She stared straight ahead, but she wasn't looking at the emptied streets before her. By now, plenty had seen what she was doing, and recognized who she was, but she didn't care. She was oblivious. What held her attention was the act she'd just committed.

She recognized this taste.

With no hesitation, she brought up her paw, almost robotically. She drew a claw, and slowly glided it across her scales, not even caring about the pain. A small drop of blood leaked from the fresh wound on her.

She licked it.

Her mouth flew open. 'He isn't a normal dragon! He never was!'

Slowly, she turned to the barely alive Eozack below her.

Her blood and his tasted the same. Eozack wasn't really a dragon, not completely anyway.

He was just like her, somehow, another shape-shifter, the first she'd seen in all her life.