Author's notes:
Happy Easter, everyone!
Oh, and trigger warning. Grisly scene coming along.
Enjoy the chapter. I hope it exceeds your expectations.
Chapter 5: To Be Human
"There are times when you find yourself standing by the wayside, watching as someone struggles to dig a well with a spoon, and you wish with all your heart you had arms and a shovel."
- Richelle E. Goodrich
Joshua Renalia gawked at the gorilla—ape—man—thing staring the Fire Dragon down. The way this primate was so different and alien to the other five apes frightened the teenager. Why didn't any of the games show an enemy like this? Why did a human-like ape emerge only after Malefor's fall?
Joshua quaked at the sight of a f*cking gorilla baring his fangs at Explodon, with not so much fear as it was grim determination pooling in those brown eyes. This was not normal. This was not something he felt familiar with. Suddenly, Joshua Renalia felt small, felt once again how he did not belong here, in the Dragon Realms…
"All of us?" roared the crimson dragon. He swiped at the human-like gorilla, but his attack was blocked by the war hammer in its hand. "Don't you know mercy? They're kids. They're kids!"
The gorilla-man—and from then on, Joshua called him Oogabooga just to keep his wits—had but one thing to say. "Only the Purple Dragon of Legend deserves the privilege of mercy."
"HYPOCRITES!" Explodon raged. He gulped down one deep, one massive breath and exhaled a massive wave of fire. Orange flames blanketed the clearing, engulfing all he faced. At this moment, a twinge of fear came upon Joshua Renalia. These dragons were no less dangerous than the apes were, than the forest predators were! Regardless of how nice or harmless they looked, each and every one could kill him easily. They could barbecue him, electrocute him, crush him, or freeze him, depending on their innate element. The videogames never provided the player an opportunity to experience the perspective of an enemy. Consequently, Joshua Renalia never knew how fearsome—how intimidating a dragon's elemental attacks could be.
Until now.
Until he saw the rush of fire burn everything in Explodon's path, leaving behind only crisp shells of ash.
When Explodon could no longer unleash his fire breath, he turned his muzzle towards the two young dragons behind him. "Kilat, take Lani and go. Get to Warfang. Tell someone—anyone what the Apes are doing—
The pre-adolescent dragoness gaped at him. Joshua sensed a wall of hesitance pushing out of her sky blue eyes. "But, Explodon, I can't… we can't leave you. Not after—
Oogabooga's orders came loud and clear despite the black smoke rising from the ashes before Explodon. "Secure these reptiles for a delivery to Aldozira. Do whatever it takes to get it done."
"Just go!" urged the eldest dragon. "JUST GO!"
Lani's startled cry shatters the air. "Kilat, look out!"
"Wha—
A hulking shimmering in the air had moved next to the Electric dragoness and seized her. She rose, as though flying without her wings, but she struggled. Behind the invisibility cloaking every inch of the Ape Commander, Joshua watched her kick and punch and bite, yet the massive baboon endured the child's last ditch attempt to be free.
Explodon galloped to help the child. "You let her go now or I'll rip your—!" But after two steps, the Fire Dragon collided with an almost invisible barrier. He staggered back, just in time for a colorless silhouette to make a simple and easy movement and hurtle the dragon away from his two charges.
"Explodon!" cried Lani. His head turned immediately at Kilat's screams and, to his apparent alarm, her increasingly sluggish body. "Ancestors!" he groused. A green dragon a fifth smaller than Spyro in A New Beginning limped his way towards the Electric dragoness as fast as he could. "Kilat, hold on, I'll—
Two small baboons, with their oversized torsos and gray, unkempt fur, somersaulted and flipped ahead of the Earth dragon. Ape Soldiers, Joshua recognized. The most common Ape enemy in the Legend trilogy. He remembered how they seemed fast the first time he (as Spyro) fought them in the Swamp, always coming at the Purple Dragon with nothing more but their arms.
Here, before Joshua's eyes, the Ape Soldiers demonstrated a speed not that much slower than their counterparts in the videogame, but they did hold weapons. One of them rotated a staff in its arms. Lani forced himself to endure the arrow still sticking out of his leg and lunged. The green hue of the Earth element colored his claws, strengthening them to the point he could easily break the wooden weapon, no matter how well made it was. But the Ape Soldier caught Lani's forelegs at the right place and he swept the child away to the left, where its colleague waited so it could introduce the kid dragon to its dirty foot.
Still hidden in the brush (that fortunately had not been anywhere close to Explodon's fire breath), Joshua Renalia watched the Earth dragon fly a few meters from the blow and roll as he landed. He winced at Lani's injury—even recoiled when he heard the arrow snap. From this distance, he saw everything.
He felt Oogabooga's pulse standing in one place, casually observing the battle in the clearing.
He saw Kilat slowing down, and felt her pulse of life fading out. Like a deep blue becoming lighter and lighter hued every second.
He felt the adolescent dragon still engaged in a fierce battle with the other Ape Commander, becoming more bruised in every round. Clearly Explodon was unmatched. A Purple Dragon of Legend, he definitely wasn't.
He watched Lani rise again, his legs shaking terribly as he forced himself to face the two Ape Soldiers.
And through the smoke, he felt—no, he sensed the presence of Spirit Gems growing out of the ground, as though the spirits of the Ancestors themselves possessed the mercy these godforsaken Apes did not, and performed the only thing within their power.
Unfortunately for the dragons, Joshua was not the only one who noticed.
"Ikurone!" yelled Oogabooga. "The Spirit Gems are coming out. Destroy them!"
"Ye-ye-ye-yes sir!" responded one of the two Ape Soldiers. It left Lani to its staff-wielding comrade and made a beeline for the cluster of green crystals sprouting close to Explodon. Joshua Renalia noticed the HP gems germinating out of the grass in front of him. The gamer in him easily recognized these Spirit Gems for what they were...
An opportunity.
An opening.
The opening he needed to enter the fray and support the dragons. He could almost imagine Ignitus himself watching him from these crystals, beckoning him to come. To lend these disadvantaged group a hand.
Joshua Renalia primed his legs and readied his stick. He swallowed the glob of saliva pooling in his mouth. He steadied his grip and prepared to make his move, as the ape called Ikurone, like an acrobat on steroids, vaulted and rolled and flipped towards the cluster right in front of him.
Ikurone drew closer.
Closer.
Just a couple more steps—only a couple more moments, before a brown-skinned human burst out of the foliage and swing his walking stick at the sentient but stupid baboon with the full intent of cracking its skull. Surprise would no doubt descended upon both parties as a near-furless ape in gray trousers and a blue shirt joined the battle. However suspicious he would have been at the adolescent human, a sigh of great relief would come out of Explodon when he saw the unnamed primate immediately go for the invisible Ape Commander and give it one good smack at the neck to release Kilat.
Explodon's relief quickly transformed into great awe when, in an instant of divine intervention, the brown newcomer suddenly had the ability to strike down every single Ape he fought in a single blow regardless of skill differences, abusing a full and responsive control over a power—an element he had never heard of in his entire life. And when the battle was over, he would turn a blind eye to the fact this creature seemed related to the Apes, thank him for the help, and even let this newcomer accompany the group to Warfang.
It all seemed too good to be true. It would've been difficult, if not impossible to believe.
In fact, had Joshua Renalia's foray into the Dragon Realms had been God's most gracious attempt to supply the teenager with his greatest, his most satiating, his most fulfilling fantasy, then this was exactly how events would have played out.
But there was a gargantuan difference between reality and fantasy.
Reality never conformed to wishful thinking.
Reality never showed kindness for long and was always quick to disappoint.
Reality never made it effortless to accomplish the impossible.
And so in real life, Joshua Renalia did not spring out of the bushes. He did not kill the Ape Soldier when it descended upon the HP crystals in front of him. He did not help Kilat escape her predicament. He did not unleash the unparalleled might of his element to lay waste to these six apes.
In real life, Joshua Renalia found his feet frozen to the spot. His body quaked from fright. His mind, plagued by the countless ways even a mere Ape Soldier might just evade his attacks, despite the advantage of surprise. He couldn't pull himself away from the images of Explodon or even Lani coming at him, believing the human an additional threat. He thought of his fiery blasts cooking him alive, of Lani's Earth breath bludgeoning him into a bloody pulp.
Joshua willed his only power to activate, to cover his stick, his arms with the white glow of his element just as Explodon and Lani sheathed their claws in red and green. Again, the goddamn thing refused to respond to his will. Even now, when the three dragons needed him the most, Joshua couldn't bring out the great equalizer of instant death, no matter how much he—
The deep growl of the human-like gorilla Joshua called Oogabooga snapped him out of his thoughts. "Nunebis. There is someone watching us."
Joshua barely stopped himself from gasping. Oh f*ck me hard! He edged to the clearing, peering into the battle unfolding therein.
The Ape Commander holding the weakened Kilat had stopped trying to keep a tight grip on the Electric dragoness. She had slumped on the burly baboon's invisible arms. "Sir, I am busy."
"I don't care! Look around and inspect the edges of the clearing. For some odd reason, I can't pinpoint where the intruder's scent is coming from."
"But this dragon—
"Do whatever you have to do to immobilize her. I need you to find the intruder. Now!"
At Oogabooga's last word, the invisible hulk of a baboon stopped everything he was doing and dropped even Kilat as though she was a hot potato. Joshua Renalia's gamer instincts took this as a cue to get the hell away from this place, yet something stopped him. Joshua could not bring himself to turn away, even if he ultimately proved useless by sitting in one place. He had to bear witness. He had to see how things played out. There must be something he could do…
"Kilat," thundered Lani's voice. Green eyes veered back at the battle, where he saw the Earth Dragon child galloping to the Ape Commander. "I'm coming!" A green blast of light blew out of his maw. The Ape Soldier slid back from the attack. Lani exploited the new space, the child's wings tightening around his body as he darted around this one Ape Soldier so he could—
PAK!
The strong thump of the ape's staff disrupted Lani's attempt to bypass and assist the other young dragon. He tripped over himself and rolled into the grass, moaning in pain as he struggled to get to his feet again.
"Help!" yelled Kilat frantically. "Explodon, Lani! Help me! HELP ME!"
Kilat laid flat on her belly, her wings pressing in on her as if…
As if…
Oh shit, Joshua thought. The Ape Commander had her pinned beneath its foot.
He had an inkling of what the monstrous monkey was about to do. He could almost sense it. Between the way Kilat's pulse of life frantically flashed from weak to strong and strong to weak and back, and the way the Ape Commander's pulse tightened, coalescing into a cold, hard sphere…
Joshua raised his hand. He aimed it forward. Aimed it right at the large blur in the air above the young Electric dragon. The stranded teenager closed his eyes, fully invoking the image of a flowing hose. Of a great dam unloading its waters upon Malefor's Destroyer.
Of Spyro the Dragon overwhelming Gaul with the element of Convexity.
"Please," he muttered to himself. "Please do something." All he wanted was one response. Just one little attack. Anything to get the damn Ape off the dragoness right now.
He did not care if Explodon considered him a threat. He did not care if Lani attacked him when he came out of the bushes. He just wanted to do something right then and there. To help Kilat when she needed it the most.
Joshua Renalia wished, with all his heart, for the white clouds to stream out of his arm and sentence the Ape Commander to death. Goddammit, just f*cking listen to me for once! I need you now!
In response to his pleas, Joshua was rewarded with screams.
.
.
.
The screams of a young child.
"N-no," Lani uttered weakly. "Y-you, you cruel…"
Joshua Renalia opened his eyes to a most horrific sight. Bright, scarlet blood pooled around the Electric dragoness, streaming out of a fresh, hideous stump that used to be her left wing. The latter was gone, reduced to tattered flesh and bones scattered near the young girl, still shrieking like a wailing rabbit.
Joshua fell on his hands and knees. Tears flowed out of his eyes. Why? He wanted to shout. Why did his power not work? Why couldn't he bring it out this one time, this moment when someone needed him?
"KILAT!" Explodon's voice shook the air. "You accursed apes. I'll kill you all!" A scorching heat, far more roasting than his breath of fire, permeated the clearing. A Fire Fury was in the making, and had Joshua bore witness to it, he might have found it comparable to even Spyro's during A New Beginning.
But Joshua Renalia never saw any of this. He still wept on his knees, green eyes boring a hole into the ground as he asked Jesus Christ—as he asked Ignitus—why the hell was he here in the Dragon Realms? What did he do to be tormented like this? To be brought into what looked like the greatest fantasy he could've lived and then subjected to mental torture beyond his imagining.
Did he masturbate too often? Did he watch too much porn? Did he abuse God's name too much? Did he not show enough of his faith on Earth, preferring to dwell within his shelter of video games, animé, and other useless, frivolous things?
He nearly died of diarrhea. He nearly became dog food. He discovered a power that refused to bend to his will. He felt so hopeless, so worthless at his failure to help Kilat—to help the three dragons that Joshua Renalia wanted to take his stick and thrust it into his neck.
He wanted this nightmare to end.
He wanted to go home. Back to his mundane, but peaceful life as a normal, everyday teenager suffering from hormones, pimples, and girl problems.
Explodon's Fire Fury erupted in the clearing. A massive explosion engulfed the area, and the torrid flames shot above Lani's and Kilat's prone bodies to assault all six apes in the vicinity. The Fire Fury breached the boundaries of the clearing. Had Joshua Renalia paid more attention, he might have discovered—to his immense disappointment and grief—an almost invisible screen of white that encompassed his body, shielding him from the fire dragon's wrath.
"Lani! Take Kilat and get away! Go! Anywhere but here. She needs red Spirit Gems! I'll buy you two some—OOF!"
The human-looking gorilla had dashed close to him, fur mostly unsinged thanks to the magic in his war hammer. He then slammed the weapon into Explodon's chest, breaking a couple of ribs. "Hmph," he snorted. "I should've just done this myself. Nunebis, Sari, are you two all right? Ikurone and Bohavain are dead."
"Barely holding on, sir," replied one of the Ape Commanders. "That Fury was powerful. We're lucky we had enough mana in our weapons."
"Good. Call for aid and summon some more Ape Soldiers for our group. Find those two dragons and kill them. They are giving us too much trouble and we are better off presenting their heads to Lord Caesar."
Explodon rose to his feet, eyes blazing with anger and determination. "Not, if I roast you all, first!" Orange flames coated his body. The Fire Dragon was as a blazing comet, hurtling straight into the man-gorilla and the two Ape Commanders with the crushing force of a meteorite.
A fierce battle transpired anew. One of the Ape Commanders would break off from the clearing to summon some more Ape Soldiers and pursue the two children. In the end, the Apes emerged triumphant with Explodon's head in their hands, muzzle agape from his agonized death. They beamed, relishing how they made the Fire Dragon suffer terribly before he joined his Ancestors in the Earth.
Joshua saw none of this.
For the teenager had long decided to leave. He felt sick at the sight of Kilat crumpled on the grass. He felt unworthy to stay and watch. Because he failed the three of them. He failed Ignitus. He failed God. He failed them all.
Joshua was no hero. He was just like Explodon: an adolescent in over his head. Even with his unique element, it was clear as day that the human did not belong in the Dragon Realms. But he still needed to reach Warfang regardless of this truth, because the Guardians would know how to get him home.
Surely they would.
Thus he took advantage of the Apes' distraction and left. "God," he prayed, not even asking himself if the Almighty Father of the Christian faith had jurisdiction over this world. "Please help them. I cannot do this. I'm sorry."
Countless tears streamed still as the human teenager cried. He wept profusely while he walked away, disgusted with himself. Never before did his heart thrum with something so incredibly hollow inside it. I couldn't do anything! I'm really sorry.
Yet silent apologies and regrets never changed how strongly Joshua Renalia felt empty.
How he felt a lot less human.
More author's notes:
The Apes' names, I literally took from A New Beginning, specifically in the Swamp level when Spyro discovers his Fire element and also when he and Sparx encounter Ignitus. You're not going to remember any of this, of course, since you were too busy enjoying the game. lol.
Aldozira. The City of Apes. I got it from the Planet of the Apes franchise, and hell, I even named the leader "Lord Caesar". Aldozira probably won't play a big role in Aimless, since the Apes are simply trying to rebuild life after servitude under Malefor and two straight defeats by the "Purple Dragon of Legend". Of course, I'm not ruling out a possible visit to this in a much later chapter. World-building will be very important in this story since I am trying to portray Joshua Renalia as a teenager who discovers that living in a video game world is not what he would've expected.
Anyway... see you all next chapter.