Forgetting Who You Are
Chapter 17
Spyro's eyes cracked open, the night before a blur. He remembered an immense pleasure, like nothing he could describe. But after that, his memory continued into a haze. It was then he noticed the black arm wrapped around his waist, and the head on his chest, rising with his heartbeat. This rhythmic beating grew rapidly as more details of the previous night were roused from his subconscious.
Cynder woke to the pounding in her ear, a pleased look accenting her features. "Good morning, my purple dragon. Last night was wonderful. What did you think"?
He smiled. "Best night of my life". She rose from his chest, and moved to his lips. Their tongues wrestled for a moment.
As she pulled away, Spyro felt himself following her, so as to keep contact as long as possible "Well, aren't we an eager one"? She left the bed, and stretched her slender body. Spyro watched her do so intently. Cynder took notice of his watchful eyes, so she gave him a show with a spin and an upward flick of the tail. "Alright, you've had your fun. We have a day to get ready for. And a night to look forward to".
With that the purple dragon jumped from his laying position, walking to the door and opening it for her. "After you".
"Oh, how romantic". She skipped out the room and quickly down the hallway. Spyro closed the door behind him and prepared to run after her, but a hand around his tail caused his feet to scrape the ground in place.
"Fun night"? Asked the one voice he dreaded more than any other in that moment.
The thrask released Spyro's tail. "Oh, um.. yeah. You could say that. What are doing here"?
Ash smiled. "I came to get you... but it seems two someones already came last night".
Spyro rolled his eyes. "Here we go".
"Are the legends about the purple dragon true? Are you lightning fast, or rock hard? Did things heat up, or did you just leave her shivering"?
Cynder popped her head around the corner, interrupting Ash's mockery. "Come on Spyro! I'm hungry"!
Ash did his best to contain a laugh. "I thought she would have eaten enough last night". His lips curled inward as he snickered.
"Are you done"?
"Not as soon as you". He broke into a fit of laughter. "I had to. I'm sorry".
"What do you want? Aside from making jokes"?
He bobbed his head side to side. "Not much. That's mainly why I came here".
"Nice to know your priorities are straight".
"Nice to know you are too".
"I'm leaving now".
"Oh come on! I'm just joking"! He ran to catch up with Spyro, who pouted at Ash's attempts at humor. "If it makes you feel any better, it was mostly Flame's idea".
"You told him"?!
"Hey, I wasn't the first to know this time. He told me".
"How did he find out"?
"It is his room".
Spyro was mortified. "Oh gods, no".
"Yep. Word to the wise, always lock the door".
The two rounded the corner, and were greeted by a busy dinning hall, the first table seated their friends.
"Look who's awake! Late night"? Asked the fire drake.
"Don't you start making jokes too".
"Don't worry, I won't. Now come eat something. You must be hungry".
"Thanks". He sat between Flame and Cynder, who had nothing to say. "So, how was wall duty"?
"Uneventful. Like every other shift, nothing happened. When that was obvious, I got sent off early. That's when I walked in on... you know".
Spyro looked away, embarrassed. "So where did you sleep"?
"Well, since I had a choice between being cold, annoyed or awake, I went with cold".
"Awake"?
"Terrador snores like a train. Shakes the ground. Volteer talks in his sleep, and Cyril just has a really cold room. Well that and strict sleeping regulations. He was a bit less strict with me though".
"Sorry about that".
"Hey, don't worry about it. If I had someone like Cynder in my life, I don't think I'd be sleeping much".
"Awww, thank you Flame. That's very... sweet"? She said, realizing it wasn't as flattering as she first thought.
Ash dropped his plate of food onto the table, gathering the attention of everyone present. "As much as I love talking about the joys of debauchery, how about a subject change"?
"This is new. I never thought I's see the day where Ash is uncomfortable with the conversation topic. Any reason why"? Cynder pried.
"Not at all. I just don't enjoy such things".
"Well you like making jokes about it".
"Yeah, jokes are fun. Sharing techniques isn't something I'm very fond of".
"It's not like you to be embarrassed".
"And it's not like you to be a whore". He felt a slam against the back of his head, sending his face into the table.
Koma looked down, disappointed. "Wrong choice of words. Try again".
Ash cursed under his breath as the world turned back.
"It's not like you to be embarrassed".
The thrask smiled angrily, "What can I say? I guess I'm just not feeling like myself today".
"Get ready". Said Koma, pointing to the sky.
A loud bell echoed through the city, sending everyone into a state of anxiety. Terrador stood at the doorway, his voice overpowering all others. "The enemy is near"!
All present stood and flooded to the wall, which was already packed. Spyro, Cynder, Flame, Ember and Ash managed to push through to the front, not sure what to expect.
On the horizon stood the enemy, a vast army of twisted flesh. They did nothing but stand there, intimidating the city. "It's them". Said Ash. "No doubt about it".
"Truly terrible". Said Koma, gaining the attention of both Spyro and Ash. "What to do what to do? Maybe rush them? No. That's a death sentence. Any ideas"?
Ash twitched. "I could crush them. Right now".
"Stupid idea. The range is far too great. The most you would do is pull mosquitoes out of the air. We must wait".
"What do you mean wait? We can't just stand here and let them loom over us like this. We have to act"!
"I'm not in the mood to get myself killed. We let them make the first move. Defense is much easier than offence".
"And if they don't attack? If they wait us out"?
"Then we wait them out. It's a game of cat and mouse. And right now, we're the mouse".
"I agree with Koma". Said Spyro, interrupting the argument.
Ash stared at him, confused. "You can see him"?
"Of course he can. I allow it. It's two against one. Give up".
The thrask clenched his fists. "Fine".
"Was that so hard? Now then, have them fortify the gates. And get Ember her stone. It'll help her see what's to come. Hopefully".
After the gate had been reinforced, and Ember began her tellings, the city was put into crisis mode. Guards were posted along the wall covering the entire city, constantly updating with the use of communication crystals.
The strongest of fighters, which included Spyro, Cynder, the guardians and Ash, checked in on everyone regularly, patrolling the less defensible areas and keeping the stress levels low as best they could.
Ash stood on the wall, looking at the enemy, unmoving. "Come on, Ash. Why are you so worried? We all know they can't get into the city. And with the army at our disposal, the nomads don't stand a chance". Spyro did his best to reason with his thick headed friend.
He shook his head. "I don't like it. They're not this composed. Never this patient. The corrupted are brutal savages. So why are they acting so strange"?
Spyro shrugged. "They might just be waiting for the right time to attack. Keep us busy, worried".
Ash narrowed his eyes, a look of worry branded onto his burned face. "Keeping us busy, distracted. Separated". He turned to Spyro and grabbed him by the shoulders. "We have to check it out"!
"Are you crazy?! They'd kill us"!
"Not if that's just a distraction. And if it isn't I'll bring us back". He pulled a medallion from one of his pouches, ands placed it on the ground. "Anchor". The medallion fused itself with the stone. Ash took out two more and handed one to Spyro. "If you're right, snap it. With or without me".
"What? Couldn't we just do your dust thing"?
"It's hard outside of Lourndas. But I can manage one trip. Are you ready"?
"I'm not going through with this"!
Ash grabbed his horn. "Well I am". The turned to dust, and came together behind the line of corrupted in a thick brush. They watched for a while, until the stillness of the enemy frightened them. "Something's not right. Come with me". He got low to the ground and snuck his way behind the line. As much as he tried, they did not react to anything he did. Ash stepped to the other side of the line, a realization coming over him as he did. "It's an illusion! Break it now"! Ash ran to Spyro as he snapped the medallion, making contact just in time to be brought back to the wall. "Go tell the guardians! I'll head for Ember. Good luck".
He jumped from the wall, slowing his descent enough to land safely, and sprinted through the streets.
Spyro flew into the war room through an open window, all four guardians huddled around a map of Warfang, looking for potential weak points. "That's not them"! He screamed.
Terrador turned to face him. "Spyro? What are you talking about"?
"It's an illusion! Ash and I went to investigate. The army is fake. Ash is looking for Ember".
"But I'm right here". Said the pink dragoness from a corner, surrounded by her things. "You're sure it's fake"?
"That's what Ash said. He's the one that checked it out. We have to reorganize everyone. They could attack from anyw"... An explosion cut his words short, and everyone scrambled to the window.
Various holes had begun dotting the city, leading from the newly built sewer system, and malformed creatures poured from the darkness, the numbers beyond which they could count.
The guardians stared in awe, but quickly shook the shock from their faces. Cyril looked back to Ember and Spyro as he and the other guardians took flight out the window. "Spyro, stay here and protect Ember. She's too important to lose".
"But I want to fight"!
"I know that. But now is not the time for that. Stay here and protect her, then you can fight". He left before Spyro could retort any further.
The door to the war room slammed open, and the two dragons spun, ready to fight. The doorway was not occupied by the corrupted, but instead Ash. "There you are". He said as he approached Ember. "Give me your scrying stone".
"What?! No. Get your own". She placed it in her bag as Ash grabbed for it.
"Just give it to me! It's important"!
She fought against him for the bag. "So's knowing what's gonna happen! Leave it alone"! She felt Ash's grip loosen as he was sent back by an unseen force.
To Ash, Koma had shoved him from the bag, shaking his head. "Tisk tisk, Ash. What are you doing? Don't just try to take things. What the hell's wrong with you"?
"I need that stone"! He yelled. "I need it to do something. I need it to win"!
Koma crossed his arms over his chest. "Win what? The war? You don't need it to wave your hand and crush the enemy. You're strong enough without it".
"NO I'M NOT"! He bellowed, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth.
"Ash, calm down". Ordered Spyro, receiving an unsettling look from the thrask. "Ember needs it to see what will happen".
"It isn't going to work! Don't you see that? They're corrupted, fallen thrask. Her sight is useless on them".
Ember's jaw hung open. "Fallen thrask?! Don't you think that information might have been a LITTLE BIT USEFUL TO US"!?
"Oh sooorrryyy. Maybe I'm not very comfortable saying that my species turns into that. And that they're out for blood. Would you"?
"I can't believe how... no, I can believe how selfish you're being. I would tell everyone all I know so we could prepare for the fight. Not much we can do if we're ALL DEAD"! Ember was steaming with annoyance, glaring at the thrask.
"Okay you two, we don't have time for this right now. We have to make sure everyone's safe. Now go".
Ash and Ember turned around in a huff, not looking in eachothers direction, and led the way out of the war room. Koma hung back with Spyro, keeping an eye on Ash.
As the thrask and dragoness cleared the doorway, Spyro and Koma a ways behind them, an explosion shook the building, and set everyone off balance.
A thundering crack was heard, and the group cranked their head skyward, a great crack in the ceiling above.
The roof collapsed. As it did so, Koma grabbed Spyro by the horn and dragged him out of the way. The debris separated the four with no way to get to eachother quickly.
"Are you two okay"? Shouted Spyro, looking through the holes left by the debris.
"Yeah. We're okay. How are you"? Answered Ember.
"I think I'm okay. What do you want to do"?
"How about we meet up in the dinning hall. We should all be able to get there relatively quickly".
"Sounds good. Be careful".
"You too".
As the two dragons spoke, Ash found himself feeling strangely alone. In his loneliness, he stared at Embers bag. Inside which was the scrying stone he so desperately caved. This time however, he craved it for a different reason.
As the corrupted poured from the sewer system, Cynder found herself leading the counter attack. She directed the moles and dragons to the armory stations that had been set up around the city.
A smith had forged her a unique set of armor. Shaped into a gryphons head was the helmet, and form fitted was the rest. It provided great protection, without hindering mobility. Colored black with red outlining.
She stood in front of a squad of dragons, all various element users. "Okay! Ice dragons"! They stepped forward. "Get to work keeping the fires under control"! They nodded and took off. "Earth dragons! Try to barricade the enemy in. Keep them from spreading too much. I'm not looking for perfection, but do your best". They took off. "Fire and electric! You are our front lines! Use your speed and power as best you can, and don't get cocky! We don't want any causalities today! Now let's go"! She led the charge into the market district, still damaged from Ash's fight with the first Koma.
As Cynder led the charge, Spyro and Koma were going to meet up with the other two. As they ran across the war room however, Koma collapsed, breathing heavily. "What's wrong"?! Worried the purple dragon.
"I-I can't feel Ash". He wheezed.
"What does that mean"?
"It mean I'm not in control. He's free to do what he wants however he wants. And considering he would have killed his best friend just for talking badly about him, I don't think he's gonna do the best for Warfang". Koma flickered, somehow changing, without actually changing. "Great".
"What"?
"I'm no longer connected to Ash. Which means I can't hide behind his aura. I'm physically here now. I'm a real boy". Koma stood, wearing a pained expression. "We have to go".
"What does it mean"?
"Everyone can see me". He jumped from the open window, and Spyro glided to the streets below. "We have to find Ash. I need to take control".
"Where could he be"?
"There's no telling what the other Koma put in his mind. He wants revenge. But on who? Cynder? Ciezan? You? Hell, it might even be me. We have to find Cynder". He coughed up a vile black liquid. "I'm not supposed to be here".
"What can I do to help"?
Koma pulled a medallion with a needle jutting out from thin air. "If you find Ash first... stab him with this. I'll be there in no time". He coughed up more of the black ooze. "Now go! Before it's too late"!
Spyro took the pin, and then took to the sky, surveying the city for Cynder. As he did this, a force was exerted on him. A downward force that reminded him of Ash's gravity magic. Only this felt odd, unrefined, almost angry. The pressure was too much to handle, and he found himself falling to earth.
The purple dragon managed to avoid any serious damage, by lading in a communal bath in the destroyed bathhouse.
He rose from the water, searching for the caster as the city around him waged war with an enemy he knew all too well.
The caster revealed themself with a roar. The purple dragon looked on, not surprised. "Oh. It's you. Longtime no see".
The scorched nomad that Spyro had bested stood on a broken wall, glaring hatefully at the purple dragon. It jumped from its perch, and landed in the water. It reached to its burn mark with a malformed claw, and grabbed at it. Spyro looked at it confused as to what it was doing.
The purple dragon was shocked to see that, from the scar on its face, it managed to pull fire. As if the magic Spyro had used had been transferred to its skin. The nomad held the fire in its claw, then threw it to the sky.
Spyro's eyes followed the fire as it touched the clouds, turning them an evil red. The nomad slammed the same hand into the water, and the clouds bellowed, as if about to rain.
Rain they did. But not water, no. They instead rained fire, setting alight anything that contacted the embers.
Spyro flinched as they seared his scales. He rolled through the water to lessen the damage the rain would cause. As he did so, the nomad lunged forward, claws at the ready,
He managed to dive into the pool and avoid its razors, but his was caught underneath the creatures foot. With the waters height, he was barely able to touch the surface for air. As he gasped, the corrupted shoved his head back under, trying to drown him. He let loose an earth missile, taking it's feet out from under it and knocking it into the water next to him.
Spyro jumped from the pool, but his tail was grabbed as he did. The nomad stood quickly, and swung the purple dragon into a barely upright pillar, collapsing it.
The impact disoriented the hero, and left his vision blurry. He looked around, a tall figure standing over him, claws ready to puncture him.
As Spyo readied himself, a voice snapped him out of his hopeless state of mind. The corrupted that stood over him looked upward, a red shape slamming into it and sending the creature through a wall and out of the bathhouse.
"Are you okay"? Asked Flame, helping Spyro to his feet. He wore a set of gold colored armor engraved with fire patterns. A breastplate, helmet, neck guard, shin guards and segmented metal around the tail made up the set.
The purple dragon nodded. "I think so. Thanks".
"Don't mention it". He turned his head quickly. "Watch out"! Flame shoved Spyro out of the way of a boulder that cratered the ground as it landed.
The purple drake saw his friend fly from behind the rock, and into the opposing wall. He saw the fire drake lay there for a moment, before standing and starring down his adversary.
"You sure are ugly". Mocked the fire guardian as the creature howled. "Did I hurt your feelings? Don't worry, I'll hurt a lot more than that". He rushed in, a ball of fire shooting forth from his maw, colliding with the nomad. He swatted a number of fire droplets toward it, yet they had no effect. "Pretty fire resistant I see. I guess it's time to heat things up". He took a second, eyes shut, concentrating. He shot them open and fire erupted outward from his eye sockets in a steady stream of red flames. With a roar the fire then spread over his body, boiling and evaporating the water next to him in an instant. The ground under his feet glowed as it heated to it's melting point. He charged forward, claws raised and engulfed in brilliance.
The nomad stayed defensive, knowing that a single blow from the fire guardian would surely end it. Flame went for a right hook, then followed through with a spin and tail whip. The nomad ducked then outstretched its arm into a punch, impacting Flame's breastplate and knocking him back a few feet.
He smirked. "Not bad. But I think you can do better". Spyro watched on, his head still throbbing from its encounter with the wall. He watched Flame's fire heat up and grow as he fought more.
As the heat increased, the nomad stayed farther and farther back, and Flame's armor began to glow as it melted from his body. He was now bare, and steadily increasing the temperature every second.
The nomad threw various stones at the fire guardian, though they melted before getting within a few feet of him. The creature screeched, and spoke in its painful voice. "No... more... games".
Flame smiled. "I was wondering when you'd take this seriously. You were talked up quite a lot, and I'd hate to see you fall short of my expectations". He blinked, and lost the nomad.
"Flame! Look out"! Screamed Spyro as his friend spun around, the tail talon of the nomad piercing his chest. His eyes went wide, his jaw hung low and his light faded. The nomad removed it's sword like tail blade from the dragons breast, and swatted him aside.
Spyro looked to the fire guardian, who lay motionless, with no rise to his chest. The corrupted licked the blood from it's talon, a twisted smile taking over its already contorted features. With a roar its body was engulfed in fire, much like Flame had been just moments ago.
Spyro stared on as his friend did not move. "F-Flame"? He choked out weakly. The heat of the immolated creature came closer, and Spyro felt a heat rising in his being. It wasn't a normal heat though, it was... sad somehow, lonely. Cold.
He turned his head to the nomad before him, a rage unlike any other building. Tears streamed from his eyes as he thought back to his times with Flame. He stared down the nomad, which stepped closer and closer. "You killed him"! He screamed. "Now I'll kill you"! He let his frustration be known with a guttural roar, screaming so loud, his ears bled. The sky above him shifted, and the ground below him froze, so cold the embers that rained from above turned to ice on contact. He narrowed his eyes and screamed again, a cold wind exploding outward from his body, turning all fire to ice, and shooting them all at his enemy. They impaled it to the ground in an upright position, but it still took breathe.
Spyro screamed again, ice spreading over his and the nomads body. The flames that surrounded the corrupted died as it shrieked in pain, begging for mercy. He stepped forward, looking the creature in the eyes, letting his hatred of it be known. He grabbed the creature's tail blade and snapped it off, earning another cry of pain from his frozen enemy. The purple dragon plunged the blade into it's chest. The air in it's lungs rushed from the hole, and blood ran like a river, drenching his purple scales a deep green. The nomad wheezed and gasped for air as Spyro ignored its cries for mercy, its cries for death.
Instead he ran to his friend's side, who had not moved. "Flame"? He cried. "Flame wake up. Come on"! Spyro shook his friend, which earned no response. He rolled the drake onto his back, the puncture wound in is chest deep and soaked in his blood. The purple dragon laid his head on his friend's, tears falling onto his face. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I'm so sorry".
As his eyes dried, unable to form new tears, he rose to his feet, a deep hatred rising in the pit of his being. The water and blood that clung to his scales turned to steam as his body heated up. The steam turned to a dark aura, and the purple dragon turned, corrupted by his hatred.
Koma had managed to get to the dinning hall, to his surprise no one was there to greet him. This disturbed him, and he set off down the hallway to the war room.
As he approached the blocked section, he saw no one. There was however a large blood stain and Ember's bag. "Empty. Of course". He looked back down the hallway. "He took the stone. This isn't good. Where could he be"? As he said this, his mind clicked. "I hope I'm wrong about this". With all his will, he turned to dust, rushing to where he hoped Ash was not.
The small band of fighters Cynder led was more than a match for the now frozen enemy. The power of the purple dragon was truly legendary. As they shattered the popsicles, a roar broke them from their smashing.
An enormous beast equal in height to the gates of Warfang, bashed through the reinforced walls. It had tusks the size of buildings, and a large club in it's right hand. It swung it's massive bat, demolishing an entire district of Warfang.
"Everybody get out of here"! She yelled over the chaos, the fighters did not waste time in listening to her orders. The moles on the wall fired their rifles at the beast, who looked more annoyed than anything. It swiped at the wall with his massive hand, killing hundreds of soldiers.
Cynder took to the sky, and caught a flash of light from the other side of the monster. "The cannon"! She realized. Among the broken stone and splintered wood it lay, in good enough condition for one shot. She gathered a group of moles to help her aim the cannon, which had gotten an upgrade since the war with Malefor.
From behind them, they saw the illusion that Ash had claimed, rushing them from the front lines. The corrupted were running across the field, following the path of the giant that broke down the wall. "That's not good". She said as the moles aimed the cannon.
"Ready to fire, ma'am"!
"Do it"! She screamed.
The cannon left a ringing in her ears, and a tremble to her body. The payload hit the beast directly, causing it to stumble and roar. When it was done with that, it turned to the cannon.
"Get out of here"! She yelled as she and the moles vacated the area. The club came down, destroying the cannon. "Dammit". Cynder landed on the steps of the templeary where the guardians had gathered, looking into the destruction, seeing only death.
"Cynder", Said Cyril, "you haven't seen Spyro or Flame recently have you? We were supposed to meet up here, but they have yet to show".
She shook her head. "I haven't. Do you think they ran into trouble"?
"I'm not sure. I don't doubt their abilities, but with the strength of the enemy before us, I wouldn't be surprised if it had a master pulling the strings".
"Then we must locate them"! Stated Volteer, sounding sure of their abilities. "Let's go". The other two guardians agreed and split up.
Volteer had run across a small band of corrupted of which he dispatched with little effort. They had gathered at the entrance to a homes basement. His curiosity grew and he checked out the underdwelling.
It was musty and rotten. But there was n odd light around a corner. He made his way to the edge, and peered around carefully. He saw a nomad staring into a mirror. The mirror showed the view of the massive creature's eyes, and whatever the nomad did, the beast mimicked to a tee. He jumped from his corner and rushed the nomad. Sadly he was stopped short by an invisible force, and became disoriented after the collision.
The nomad stood over him now, smiling it's twisted smile. A strange thing happened, a shimmer and ripple in it's image. That was it, it was just an image. A two way picture projected onto the wall. The nomad raised its hand as though holding a club, an brought it down fast. The beast mimicked this and smashed the semi-destroyed home into nothing. It repeated this until only a crater remained. A broken and beaten Volteer lay in the center. His body shattered and mind snapped.
The other guardians were quick to come to his side, staying with him as he drew his final breath.
As they sobbed, a bright light illuminated the city, emanating from the bathhouse. Cynder knew what the light signified at first glance, and was less then surprised when Spyro erupted forth. He aimed himself at the giant beast, which merely swatted him away with its massive hand.
His aura grew and he bellowed out his anger with a beam of convexity. Spyro aimed the beam at the creature, engulfing entirely it in the purple beam. The colossus howled as its body turned to stone. Its voice died as the petrification spread through it entirely. With a final act of rage, the purple dragon launched himself forward, shattering the massive creature into fragments of rock.
The city stared in awe as the colossal fell in a single strike. With his rage vented, Spyro turned back to his normal hue. He was no longer angry, but instead sad.
Cynder landed next to him, wearing a mask of worry and concern for him. "Spyro? Are you okay"?
He shook his head as he held back tears. "Flame's dead. The nomad got him". Cynder gasped, and moved in to comfort the purple dragon with a hug. He accepted it graciously.
Koma had reformed outside of the entrance to an ancient shrine built into the side of a mountain. Before the doorway stood Ash, scrying stone in hand. Koma heaved as he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach in excruciating pain. "Ash! Please stop! It isn't worth it"!
The thrask laughed, his voice now ringing with an evil tone. "Not worth it? Revenge is always worthwhile. Especially now". He touched the ornate door that stood between him and his goal. "No more pain. No more suffering. Soon we will be free. Soon we will be happy". He pushed the door open, and was met by blackness. "Some might say this is where it all started. We might be inclined to believe them for a moment. It will surely be where everything ends". Koma reached a hand out as Ash disappeared into the abyss, cackling all the way.
How else do you start a war if not suddenly?