Chapter 3: Victim Number 15
Spyro and Cynder have only been on this case for a day, and already they've learned of 14 disappearances! Due to all this, both Spyro and Cynder are a bit stressed out. So what do the two greatest heroes Antichthon have ever known do at this moment? What else, practice their elemental attacks! We enter the scene as Spyro is using a Comet Dash on one of the many training Dummies while Cynder is using Shadow Fire on another one.
"I don't get it." Cynder says after destroying the dummy with shadow fire.
"Yeah, I don't either." Spyro says in response.
"Who on earth is doing this, and why?" Cynder asks, as if talking to The Ancestors themselves.
"Something tells me that scale from the scene of Flare's abduction could give us the clue we need to solve this case." Spyro responds.
"You're right! I totally forgot about that! Let's get back to the lab and see if we can ID this mystery criminal." Cynder tells her boyfriend as they rush off to the Academy lab.
As they rush off to the lab, Faust, the kidnapper, enters the building, looking for his next victim. Of course, nobody notices that he's actually missing a scale, which is the one that Spyro and Cynder have in the lab.
Meanwhile in the lab, Spyro and Cynder have finished the DNA analysis of the scale.
"Hmm… apparently this scale belongs to a Shadow-Elemental dragon by the name of Faust." Spyro says reading the analysis report.
"Let me see what I can find about this Faust character." Cynder says as she starts to examine Faust's background. "He was the landlord for a warehouse belonging to a "Blast from the Past Toy Company" that went bust last year. Apparently he later purchased the warehouse and became and hasn't been seen since."
"Hmm… This Faust character sounds like he may be our kidnapper, but is there anything suspicious about him?" Spyro asks Cynder after hearing the history.
"Nothing I can find. Wait a second! Shortly after he purchased the warehouse, he started studying the arcane sciences. " Cynder responds with urgency in her voice.
"Hmm… a dragon who buys the warehouse he's been the landlord of for who knows how long and starts studying the arcane sciences, and then all of a sudden these kidnappings start happening? There's no way these instances aren't connected!" Spyro tells Cynder.
"We should talk to this Faust guy as soon as possible." Cynder tells Spyro as Faust appears on the security monitor.
"Isn't that him on the security monitor?" Spyro asks as Faust enters the laboratory.
"Yes, yes it is." Faust says as he enters the lab, mysterious powder horn in hand.
"Mr. Faust, we were just about to call you. We believe you are the suspect in 14 kidnappings spanning the course of several days. Do you have anything to say about this?" Cynder asks the suspect.
"Yes, I am the one who perpetrated them in the first place!" Faust responds
"Alright then, where are your victims!?" Spyro asks as he confronts the criminal
"Like I'd just give that away!" Faust says as he takes out a handful of strange seeds. "Ampaloy!"
Faust throws the seeds to the ground, and in seconds they sprout up into vines and entangle themselves around Spyro, but not Cynder strangely.
"Come my dear, we mustn't keep your master waiting!" he says as he grabs Cynder by the hand and takes her from the room, causing the vines to die as he leaves.
As the vines die, Spyro is dropped to the ground and Sparx enters the room wondering what on earth happened.
"Spyro, dude, what the heck happened here!?" Sparx asks as he floats into the room.
"The kidnapper came in and after tangling me up in a vine trap, kidnapped Cynder!" Spyro responds to his brother's inquiry.
"That can't be good. But, if he is the kidnapper, where on earth is he going?" Sparx says to his brother.
"There's only one place he could be going, the warehouse of the defunct Blast from the Past toy company, which he apparently now calls home." Spyro responds to his brother's inquiry
"As much as I normally would hate to have to rescue that she-devil, I'm in." Sparx tells his brother half-heartedly.
As the two of them leave the lab, we are transported to Faust's warehouse where he's got Cynder bound to a nearby post, where she notices his handiwork.
"I'm only going to ask you this once. What have you done to these poor dragonesses, you sicko!?" Cynder asks her captor angrily.
"I've simply struck a bargain with an old friend of yours." Faust explains to his captive.
"You fool! You struck a bargain with Malefor!?" Cynder responds half in shock, and half in fear.
"Who else?" Faust responds.
As Faust is talking to Cynder, Spyro and Sparx burst in, ready for the rescue.
"Oh dear, my guests have arrived and I haven't had time to drain Cynder's soul yet! I guess I have to drain it on my way to Lord Malefor!" Faust tells himself as he grabs Cynder and begins to walk through the mirror. "Ta ta!"
As the fiend escapes, Spyro and Sparx find out what he did with the victims, allowing him to get away.
"Whoa, these are the creepiest mannequins I have ever seen." Sparx tells himself, not knowing Spyro heard him.
"Sparx, these aren't mannequins, these are the victims!" Spyro replies as he finally figures out the fate of the missing dragonesses.
"Wait, what!? How did he pull that off?!" Sparx responds with fear and shock in his voice
"I'm not sure." Spyro replies as he starts to think about the whole thing. "When 1500 hours she strikes, I'll never sleep again. I get it!"
"Get what?" Sparx asks
"The riddle left at the last kidnapping! I heard Faust say he struck a deal with Malefor's spirit. The bargain must have been to become immortal, or "never sleep" in exchange for 15 souls!" Spyro answers his brother's query. "But it couldn't be, that doesn't make any sense." Spyro corrects himself.
"We've got to stop him, as much as I'm going to despise this adventure in the morning for saving that she-devil." Sparx says, mostly to himself
"Then let's go!" Spyro says as he runs through the mirror, with Sparx following behind but a bit too late.
"Seriously!?" Sparx says as he runs into the mirror after Spyro runs through it.
Okay, now Spyro's on a quest to save his girlfriend from Faust and Malefor's ghost apparently. Since the chapter is over, I may as well make an announcement. I recently got a review asking me how human-like I was making these characters. The answer to your question is their not anthropomorphic at all, just because their wearing top hats and answering telephones doesn't mean they are at all humanized. As for why I'm writing this here instead of in the Sonic fanfiction archive, it's because not a lot of fanfictions here show how clever and brilliant Spyro and Cynder can be, so I'm trying to show that myself. Anyways, to see how the whole thing turns out, tune in next chapter. Same Time, Same Channel!