Legend of Spyro: Stormfront

Chapter 13

Spyro landed along with Cynder in the middle of the training ground. This one was a dirt floor; it had been one of the older ones that survived the war without any major damage. So, the builders left it as it was, and did not add a stone floor. Flame and Quake were talking in center of the arena, while Flare was laying down on the outside edge. It was a typical sunny day, and most of the students were in classes still, but they would be let out soon.

"Hey Flame, hey Quake." Spyro called.

"Hey Spyro." They both replied simultaneously.

"Just been working up a strategy so we can beat you." Flame said, confidently.

Spyro chuckled a bit, "Good luck with that.""Any rules?" Spyro questioned.

"No elements. Other than that, fair game. First one to have killing weapon to opponents' neck wins." Quake stated.

"Alright, shall we get started?" Spyro said.

"Cynder, Flare would you do the honors?" Flame asked as Spyro took up a battle stance opposite them by a few feet. Flame and Quake were parallel facing Spyro.

"Alright you guys. Don't hurt yourselves; I don't want to rush anyone to the infirmary." Cynder stated. "That's all Spyro's image needs right now, is another bloodied dragon especially." She thought to herself. Then she looked at Flare, who nodded.

"Three… two… one… Begin!" They shouted together.

Flame and Quake split apart slowly stalking to either flank of Spyro, each baring their teeth.

Spyro stood his ground, keeping his eyes focused on Flame, but listening for Quake to make a move. When Spyro was exactly in the middle of the two, they made their move. Quake lashed out with a powerful swing of his tail, Flame attempting to lock his jaws around Spyro's forepaw to trap him. Spyro did a backwards flip, effectively removing himself from the trap. Before Flame or Quake could recover from their lunges, Spyro bit onto Flame's tail, and spun around once, dragging Flame along the ground until he reached enough velocity. Quake attempted to jump in to save his comrade, however Spyro released Flame sending him flying into Quake. Quake fell over from the force of the collision, Flame coming to a crumpled heap on the other side of him.

"That didn't work out so well…." Flame said as he stood up.

"Could've been worse." Quake told him as he too stood up.

Suddenly a shout was heard. "Flame and Quake are taking on Spyro!"

Apparently the students were out of class. Everyone knew there would soon be a crowd watching their fight.

Flame and Quake immediately charged Spyro hoping to overpower him in close combat. Spyro however bested them in every way. He countered and blocked with perfect precision. His moves were sleek and agile, yet still forceful. Quake and Flame had managed to get in a hit or two, but Spyro seemed totally unaffected. Once again Flame and Quake were repulsed when Spyro landed a hard blow to Flame's flank, while simultaneously smacking a blow away from Quake with his tail. Spyro then jumped back extricating himself from the brawl. By now there was a sizeable crowd watching the fight. Students, adults, moles all were watching the brawl.

"Guys give up. You cannot beat me." Spyro stated.

"That is why they are getting some help Spyro." The female voice of Cynder sounded as she stepped up to Flame and Quake's side.

"I might as well join too." Flare stated before she also got up from her position near the sidelines and walked over to the group.

"Ohhh come on guys. Four-on-one really?" Spyro said in disbelief.

Another shout was heard. "Spyro is taking on all four of them!"

"Wait, no I'm not." Spyro said. "Especially not Cynder."

"Is the Legendary Purple dragon scared of a few of us regular dragons?" Cynder asked.

"You are far from regular Cynder. You know that." Spyro stated.

"Go to that dark form thing then… he took us on and the Guardians." Flame said quivering a little at the memory.

"No, I will not use that here." Spyro stated a look of resoluteness of his face.

"Fine then, you forfeit." Quake stated.

"What! No." Spyro said with a look of disbelief at what his friends were forcing him too.

"Then change. Plus it will give everyone a good show, and show them you can control yourself." Cynder said.

Spyro faltered. "Cynder is probably right." He thought to himself. "Hold on a second." Spyro said, he turned around and looked towards the crowd. "Could everyone back up some, I don't want anyone getting hurt from a stray attack."

The dragons in the front of the crowd nodded. Then turned around, yelling at everyone to back up. The crowd shuffled for a minute or two trying to get into safer positions yet still see.

After the crowd had finished shuffling themselves Spyro turned back around. "Okay, we can start now."

Spyro then felt for the power of darkness within him. He once again found the pit of evil within his own soul, and dove right into it.

The group and the crowd watched in awe as Spyro changed. His black stripe flickered then grew, and consumed his body, black flames consuming him, and then dying away. His scales were now an inky black, flowing with living shadows the helm of metal on his face.

The crowd gasped as they gazed upon Spyro. This was the first time they had seen him up close, while in this form. He truly was a terrifying sight indeed.

"I hope you're ready for this." He said in his warped voice.

"What was I thinking?" Flame thought. "We can't beat that!"

"Are you going to attack me? Or do I have to make the first move?" Spyro asked voice harsher than usual.

"Surround him guys, that is our only chance." Cynder stated. "Get him!" Cynder yelled before charging directly at Spyro the rest soon followed coming in a crescent moon formation. The crowd then started to chant their favorite dragon's name. Shouts of , "Flame, Quake, Cynder or Flare," could be heard, but none for Spyro.

Spyro caught Cynder's left horn with his paw and swung himself sideways over Cynder's back. Kicking off Cynder with his back legs he launched forward. Using his momentum he crashed head first into Quake's forepaw. Quake retaliated by trying to gore Spyro with his horns but Spyro dodged left. Flare lunged at Spyro and engaged in a flurry of close combat maneuvers. Spyro dodged or blocked everyone, by now Cynder had recovered, and began to attack Spyro from behind. Spyro's tail however reacted to her movements and jabbed at her. Soon Spyro was surrounded on two sides, fending Flare off with his jaws and paws and Cynder with his tail. Meanwhile, the crowd continued its chant for whomever. Flame and Quake saw their opening. They each charged at Spyro from his flanks where he could not possibly defend. If Spyro did not get out it, he would surely be defeated.

"We have him!" Flame thought.

When they reached the spot where they would connect with Spyro, they found nothing.

"What? Where did he go?" Quake yelled.

The crowd could be heard. "Above you!" Quake and Flame had no time to even look up.

Spyro dropped down and a huge cloud of dust bellowed out from the arena. The crowd gasped in wonder as they eagerly waited for the dust to clear. The dust cloud dissipated. To reveal, Spyro standing on top of Flame and Quake whose bodies were flat on the ground, hooked claws at their necks for a double kill. Spyro's tail blade was resting on Flare's cheek, somehow not drawing blood, for a third kill. Finally, Spyro's jaws were carefully placed around Cynder's neck, signifying a fourth kill.

Spyro had won, with a quadruple kill to all four opponents at the same time. The crowd had witnessed the fight of their lives and none would ever forget it. Spyro then returned to normal his dark purple scales glistening in the midday sun. He released his jaws from Cynder's neck, and kissed her on the cheek. With that his scales returned to there now normal dark purple.

"Sorry to break up your gushy moment… but you're standing on top of us!" Quake yelled as he tapped his claws on the dirt in agitation.

"Oops sorry." Spyro said as he stepped off of them careful not to inflect any wounds with his claws.

"Cynder was all this your idea?" Spyro asked Cynder.

Cynder shifted nervously. "Yes, Spyro, it was."

Spyro stood there for a second. "Thanks Cynder, you helped a lot."

"You're welcome Spyro. I knew you could not resist a good match." Cynder stated her mind easing now that she knew Spyro liked his match.

"But…"

Cynder tensed again, thinking she may have failed somehow.

"There is one thing I must do before I can ever live with myself." Spyro stated. "I need to go to the infirmary."

Flame, Quake and Flare gave him a puzzled look.

Cynder could not hide the perplexed look on her face as she thought. "Why would he need to go there? There is nothing there but…" Then it hit her. "Battle wounded."

"Are you sure you need to go there Spyro?" Cynder questioned.

He lifted his head and looked into the blue sky, and gazed solemnly saying. "Yes, I am sure."

There was a gleam in Spyro's purple eyes one of pain and of sadness; Cynder could tell this would be very difficult for him.

"I need to get going; you can come along of course, Cynder… if you want that is." Spyro told her, secretly hoping that she would come with him.

"Of course I will come with you Spyro." Cynder responded.

Spyro nodded. Then looked towards the rest of his friends, "You guys don't need to see this please do what you will."

"See what?" Quake asked.

Flare was the first to realize what Spyro was going to do and elbowed Quake in his side.

"Owww, what did I do?" Quake asked, rubbing his belly.

"Why did you do that Flare?" Flame asked still oblivious.

"I would have expected Quake to have not figured it out, but you Flame? Think about it, while we go find something else to do." Flare said scolding, and walked off, Flame following close behind. Quake looked to Flare and Flame then to Spyro, then turned around and walked to the exit along with the other two. Flare passed through the giant statue of Spyro and Cynder, there was talk of taking it down recently, seeing what Spyro had done. She hoped it would remain there. The giant doors soon followed the statue as she walked out into the rest of Warfang. Flare kept on walking down the street, with no destination in mind. The sun was just beginning to set, and most of the businesses were still open and the street still crowded with all the walks of life that are normal for Warfang. Flame and Quake finally got the courage to speak.

"So what are they going to do?" Flame and Quake said at the same time.

"You two dunces really haven't figured it out yet have you?" Flare asked.

"What are you talking about?" Flame asked a slight edge in his voice.

"Let's see if you guys can put things together for you. Spyro said he was going to the infirmary right?"

"Uh-huh." They nodded together.

"Now what is at the infirmary?" Flare said clearly agitated.

"Injured dragons, moles and cheetahs." Flame responded in a matter of fact tone.

"Now don't let it hurt your brains on this one." Flare said even more agitated. "What did we recently have that put a lot of injured people in the infirmary?"

"A battle." Flame stated. Then realization washed over him. "You mean Spyro is going there to?"

"Finally." Flare interrupted him.

"Wait, I don't get it." Quake said still with a questioning look on his face.

Flare looked disbelievingly at Quake and Flame. "Ughh, I don't know how I put up with you two… Quake, Spyro is going there to see all the people he hurt!" Flare's voice yelled loud enough for many passersby to hear. A few dragons also walking in the street looked over at them then quickly went back to their own business.

"Spyro is obviously trying to atone for himself. He must feel immense emotional pain for what he did." Flare said as they continued to walk down the white cobbled street.

"How would going to the infirmary help him then? Wouldn't it make it worse?" Flame asked skeptically.

"How would you feel if no one in the whole city trusted you? He needs resolution, to prove to himself that he isn't a monster. I think he went there to look for that." Flare told them.

Spyro landed in front of the infirmary, closely followed by Cynder.

"Are you sure about this Spyro?" Cynder asked him softly.

"Yes, I am sure. It is the only way." Spyro stated confidently, and then stepped forward into the infirmary.

The entrance was the same white stone as the rest of Warfang, and the mole that sat at the directory was there as usual writing on some sort of document. The windows let in the last of the day's dying light. The mole looked up to see who had entered. There was no look of shock or emotion on his face. He simply nodded, and gestured towards the hallway that lead to the patients.

Spyro immediately began his trip down the hallway, Cynder at his side. Then the attendant called from his desk, "I know why you have come. I will warn you, not all wounds can be healed by red crystals." Then he returned to his work.

As they got further down the hall, moaning could be heard echoing down its length. A red young adult fire dragon with deep brown horns was laying in the hall, one of the dragon guards, watching over his friends and comrades that resided here. As Spyro approached a snarl formed on his face.

"What are YOU doing here murderer?" The guard growled as he stood up.

"I have come to see what I did, and to see if I can help. Trying to show no anger or resentment at the provocation. Inside Spyro's minde however he couldn't help but feel ashamed once more. " Spyro responded as calm as possible.

"How could you help? You are the one who put them in this place." The guard responded with a menacing tone and taking a battle stance.

"How many of them are suffering from poisoned wounds?" Spyro responded not moving in any way to defend himself.

"What?" The guard responded as he relaxed a little.

"How many of them are suffering from a poison that can't be identified?" Spyro asked again.

"Why would you like to know, to count your enemies casualties?" The guard growled at Spyro, and resumed his battle stance.

"Do you want me to help your comrades or not?" Spyro questioned.

"How can you help?" The guard asked his look softening a little.

"The poison my troops tipped their arrows with, I know how to stop it."

Cynder thought in her mind, "Why would he wait so long to tell us this?"

"The poison is slow acting, but excruciatingly painful. Would you like for me to put an end to your comrades suffering or not?" Spyro asked again.

"How would you cure them?" The guard asked once again skeptically.

"Well I have part of the cure standing next to me." Spyro motioned with his wing towards Cynder.

"What? How can I help?" Cynder asked Spyro as she looked at him in disbelief.

"Well by mixing what you call your element of poison Cynder and an herb called Athalus it becomes a cure for the poison that tipped the orcs arrows." Spyro stated to both Cynder and the guard.

"How do I know this won't make them worse?" The guard asked looking at Spyro as if to see if he was lying.

"I will show you." Spyro responded. "Cynder will you please get the attendant, and ask him to bring me one of the arrows that they removed from a patient as well as herb I require? He should know what it is, as well as a bowl.

Cynder turned around and started running back towards the entrance. "What are you up to Spyro?" Cynder yelled over her shoulder

"You will see." He called back, and then Cynder turned the corner.

Spyro sat on his haunches and looked towards the guard. He also was seated. "What is your name?" Spyro asked.

"My name is Ash."

"You are very protective of your comrades." Spyro said.

"I lost my family in the war with Malefor. It is a long story, and a sad one at that. I joined the Dragon Guard after you killed the Dark Master. So far, they have been the only family I have left." They sat in silence until Cynder returned.

The mole was carrying a bowl and a few sprigs of what looked like a weed with white flowers along with an arrow. "I don't understand how this will help. This plant is only good for making sweet aromas and tea. It has never had any healing properties that I have heard of.

"Rare poisons require rare melodies." Spyro told him. "Now please grind the Athalus until it has started to give off its usual aroma. The mole set the bowl down and placed several sprigs in the bowl, then proceeded to use his fist as a pestle. The plant quickly broke down underneath the relentless mole, and then a sweet pleasing aroma filled the air, that of a mix of rosemary and cinnamon.

"Now Cynder could you put a small amount of your poison element into the bowl, just enough for the Athalus to be covered.

"Alright Spyro." Cynder leaned over and put her mouth over the bowl. Then little dribbles of the green liquid dripped into the bowl. It immediately began to spit and spatter out of the bowl but the reaction simmered down and turned a darker green. However, the aroma of the Athalus remained still soothing.

"I'm not giving that to my comrades it looks like it will kill them!" Ash shouted.

"I will prove it too you. Please hand me the arrow." Spyro responded. The mole gave the arrow to Spyro. Spyro gripped the arrow in his right paw. Then looking at everyone, he turned his left paw over and plunged the arrow into his paw.

"Spyro! What are you doing?" Cynder shouted at him as the blood seeped out of his paw.

"It is a small amount of pain to bear for what I have done." Then Spyro pulled the arrow shaft hard ripping it from his paw his blood dripping from the end.

"Ohh dear!" The mole cried.

Ash looked as shocked as Cynder. "Why would you do that?" He yelled.

"To prove to you I'm not a murderer… Now take me to a bed I need to lie down and wait for the symptoms to show, before the cure can be administered.

"What? Why wait? Take the cure now!" Cynder screamed looking at Spyro in desperation.

"I don't even know if that arrow had any poison remaining on it. If it does we will know in an hour or two."

"I will go get some bandages. An empty room is a down around the corner the last door on the right." The mole said before trotting off.

Spyro began to limp towards the room; Cynder quickly rushed over to him and tried to give him support. When she was next to Spyro about to grab his shoulder to lift it off the ground an orange wing shot into her path.

"No Cynder."

"But Spyro you're hurt." Cynder said as she looked at him imploringly.

"A small price to pay, for one who has sins as great as mine."

"I don't get! Why do you beat yourself up so much?" Cynder asked now on the brink of tears.

"Please Cynder; this is neither the time nor the place. I'm sorry if it hurts you to see me like this but it must be done." He continued to walk down the hall leaving paw prints of blood, Cynder pleading the whole way to let her help him. Moans could be heard from each of the doors, and sometimes an occasional roar of pain or agony would erupt too.

Spyro was lying on the bed asleep in the infirmary. Cynder had been with him for over an hour. If the arrow was poisoned they would know soon. The mole had bandaged Spyro's paw and left him to sleep. The mole had offered to get him some of the few remaining red crystals in the city, most having been used on the injured from the siege, but Spyro refused saying, "Other people may need them more than me." Cynder of course protested, but Spyro again refused.

Cynder was looking out the window at the last of the remaining sun. When she heard Spyro roll over in the bed. She looked towards him, his head was facing hers. His eyes closed in slumber.

"Maybe the arrow wasn't poisoned after all."

Spyro let out a small groan as if in response. Then his eyes suddenly shot open, a look of extreme pain on his face. He began to cough loudly, for several minutes until finally he spat up blood. He sat up weakly.

"You can get Ash now. Before I cough up more than just blood preferably."

Cynder took off towards the door, rushing down the hallway to where Ash had been laying earlier.

"Ash come here quick!" Cynder yelled at him as she turned the corner.

"Is Spyro sick?" He responded a look of urgency on his face.

"Yes! He just spit up blood!" Cynder continued before she ran back to Spyro's room.

Ash entered the room to see a small puddle of blood on the floor. Spyro was laying back in the bed obviously ill as small amounts of blood streamed down his snout. He would have been shocked to see this normally, but many of his comrades were in the same condition that Spyro was in if not worse.

"Do it, give him the cure." Ash ordered.

Cynder immediately grabbed the bowl and tilted it above Spyro's mouth. The liquid seeped down his throat with a gurgle.

"Now we wait I assume?" Ash responded.