"You just let her go!" I yelled as I glared down at Spyro. He had followed Cynder as she left through the gardens.
"Hey man, back off!" Sparx said as he flew into my face, his arms crossed as he returned my glare with just as much intensity as I had given Spyro.
"Everyone calm down." Terrador yelled his voice carrying across the room silencing us all.
"Thank you for that Terrador." Cyril said his tone clearly dissatisfied. If he heard ringing in his head like I was, I understood his frustration.
"I'm going after Cynder." I said as I turned and headed for the garden.
"So you know where she's headed?" Ignitus asked. His tone told me he didn't believe I did.
I stopped mid step as I growled softly to myself. I didn't know where Cynder was headed but I couldn't just stand here and do nothing. I needed to find Cynder. I had made a promise to myself that I would always be there to protect her, but she had run off and she had left me behind, that fact stung me deeply.
"No, but I'll track her down." I said as I started to walk again.
"The probability that Cynder left this island by flight is astronomically high, statistically probable in fact." Volteer added.
"Volteer is correct, and once she's in the air, she won't leave tracks for you to follow." Ignitus finished off causing me to turn around to face them all.
"Young dragon you must learn patience, we are trying to find Cynder, but it is going to take time." Terrador said as he walked up to me. "We will find her."
I sighed and shook my head as I turned to Spyro. Despite me yelling at him he didn't look like he hated me, he didn't even look upset.
"I'm sorry, Spyro, but she's the only family I have left in this world." I said, hanging my head in shame.
"I understand, Sparx is my brother, and I'd probably be just as upset as you if he was missing." He replied, giving me a small nod. He was a good kid.
Returning to the room I sat and watched as Ignitus stared into a pool of green liquid. I had learned that it was a pool of visions, and how he had used it to help Spyro find the other guardians. From his position he claimed he saw Spyro standing before a tree.
For the next hour Spyro and the guardians spoke of their next move, while I sat and listened to them. Spyro had been seeing visions in his sleep. He spoke of a mountain cloaked in darkness and gloom. The guardians knew it as the mountain of Malefor.
Spyro also spoke of a voice who called himself the chronicler. He had shown Spyro the tree and helped him to reclaim his ability to breath fire, however the guardians seemed more disturbed by the news.
They claimed that the chronicler was an ancient wise dragon, no one knew had seen or met him, but they claimed that whenever his name emerged doom was not far.
It was at that point that we moved outside to the balcony, where the guardians looked up at the sky. It was still dark out. The moons shone brightly in the night sky, and the more I looked with them the more I absorbed what they were saying.
The night of eternal darkness was approaching. The guardians claimed that when the two moons eclipsed, a gateway would open allowing the foulest and malevolent spirits to enter the world. Apparently only a powerful spirit would be able to remain in the world when the eclipse ended.
It was at this point the guardians told us we had to leave. The temple was no longer safe. The apes would return and attack again. They would not stop until they saw Spyro dead. It made sense, but it also meant that if Cynder returned, she would be on her own.
Ignitus sent volteer and Cyril to the mainland to gather information. He sent Terrador to a community called Shattered Vale to warn them of the coming danger, and he sent Spyro down the silver river to a place called the ancient Grotto, to find the tree from his visions.
That left Ignitus and me alone on the balcony. He stared down at me and I stared back. He claimed he wanted to stay back and search for Cynder, but I suspected he wanted to speak with me.
"Are you going to use the pool of visions?" I asked as I turned and started to walk back to the room with the pool.
"Young dragon, we need to speak." He spoke softly, but I heard him clearly.
"I don't have time to talk to Ignitus, I have to find my sister. If the apes find her, I have no doubt they'll drag her in front of Gaul." I said as I kept walking.
"Deimos please!" He said, raising his voice. I stopped mid step and growled in frustration.
"You said you wanted to search for Cynder." I said as I turned around to face him
"And I do, but we must speak about your scream ability." Ignitus said his tone was serious and stern.
"What about it?"
"Your ability to instill fear in your foes is a dark power. There has never been a dragon who was born with that ability."
"Why does this matter? It's another ability to use against the apes and it's useful." I replied, growing more frustrated with the conversation.
"It matters, because only through dark magic can someone use such a power, and once someone has been corrupted, it is easy for them to fall under that influence again." Ignitus said as he moved past me to the pool of vision room.
"I've never been under the influence of dark magic though. For whatever reason after Gaul turned my scales black, he locked me in a cell. I'll be fine." I said as I followed him into the room.
"That isn't what I meant, young dragons. The fact that you can use the ability means that you could become corrupted." Ignitus replied, his own town growing frustrated.
"I'm more worried about Cynder. She was only recently freed from her corruption. If she gets corrupted again I don't think I'd be able to free her." I admitted bitterly and shook my head before looking at him. "I'll keep it in mind and steer clear of any dark gems out there."
"That's good, but it may not be enough. The dark armies have skilled practitioners of dark magic, they may have ways to protect themselves from your screams. I wouldn't rely on it too heavily." he warned as he peered into the pool of visions/
"Oh yeah great and meanwhile I'll just go train my wind ability while Cynder gets further and further." I snarked under my breath.
I was getting tired of talking and I wanted to get out of there and look for Cynder, but Ignitus was right, I didn't know where to look for her and I needed him to find her for me. After that…well I didn't know what we would do after, but I would worry about that when the time arrived.
"That may be a good idea." Ignitus said as he waved me over. Peering into the pool with him. I saw an image starting to take shape.
Focusing on the pool of visions I saw a vast library filled with scrolls and books, and at the center of the library I saw myself a stack of books and scrolls at my feet as I searched through them.
" What is this? I need you to find Cynder!" I said as I stood up and paced. We were getting nowhere and the longer we talked the more I started to worry I would never find Cynder..
"This looks like the Zephyr libraries." Ignitus said in amazement.
"The Zephyr libraries? Is that where Cynder has gone?" I asked as I took a second look.
"Perhaps, but I don't see her, but Zephyr is an ancient wind dragon city. Far to the north hidden in the Talon mountain ranges it was abandoned when most of the wind dragons disappeared, but their libraries had a vast collection of knowledge, you may find something to help in your search." Ignitus replied, looking up from the pool to stare at me.
"I'm not interested in old wind dragon knowledge, keep looking." I ordered as I turned away to step outside. I was reaching the end of my patience and needed fresh air.
"Deimos! While I can understand your desire to protect your sister, you are starting to sound obsessed."
"She is the only family I have left Ignitus! If something happens to her I'll be alone!" I shouted back at him. Why couldn't he just help me! Why couldn't he just find Cynder and help me get to her.
"You are letting your fear cloud your judgment, young dragon. If you are worried about losing Cynder, then you should go to Zephyr, you may be able to learn something that helps you. The wind dragons were known for their vast collection of knowledge."
"No!" It was a simple reply, but it was full of my frustration and the more I sat and argued with Ignitus, the more I felt my dislike for the elderly dragon rising.
"Now you are being stubborn. What if you do find Cynder and it turns out she has been corrupted again or worse, what If Gaul has her and you have to fight him, are you confident you could defeat him alone? And what if you have to fight both of them? Could you win?" he asked, his tone rising until he was nearly yelling.
I had to stop. In all my time at the temple, I had never seen Ignitus get mad. I had seen him moping around, saw him eager to teach and had even seen him laugh at times, but not once in that time had he raised his voice or even shouted. It was a surprise for me and while it was better than him looking sad every time he looked at me, what he said struck a nerve.
"What am I supposed to do then!" I shouted back at him, my wings flaring, and my eyes flashing with rage. I hated when he was right. It just reminded me of how weak I was, even with all my training.
"Go to Zephyr, learn about your people, and maybe you can find a way to train my wind breath." I growled in frustration as I thought over his words. Deep inside I knew he was right. I wasn't nearly as strong as I wanted, or needed, to be.
"And what about Cynder, while I'm off 'training' who's going to find her?" I demanded as I began to pace.
"I will continue my search for Cynder, but for now you and I must leave the temple, even now danger could be approaching, but on the southern coast of the mainland, there is a city called Warfang. You will pass it on your way to zephyr."
00000
Hovering in the air I watched as Ignitus flew towards the city below me. After leaving the temple we flew north. Once we reached the mainland Ignitus had us change direction to fly east along the coast until we came across the city of Warfang.
Before we parted, Ignitus gave me directions to Zephyr. From Warfang I would need to fly north east until I met a mountain range. I was to fly through the mountains headed north and I would supposedly find it, if I kept my eyes open..
I took a moment to stare down at the city. It seemed familiar and I wanted to explore it, but Ignitus was right I needed to find Zephyr. Turning north east I set off and sped towards the mountains. Riding the wind currents, I let them do all the work for me as I focused on my task ahead.
I wasn't sure how finding some lost dragon city was going to help me. Sure there was supposed to be this ancient library full of wind dragon knowledge, but something like that couldn't have survived for so long with no one maintaining it.
Then again I had seen it in the pool of visions. While I had no experience with the pool of visions, Spyro had attested to it. Considering how he kept finding the guardians, I was sure I could trust Spyro's word so maybe the pool of visions was right. Even so all it showed me was looking through books, there was no guarantee that the books held anything useful..
Shaking my head I looked up and saw the mountain range in the distance. I flew nearly an hour before I reached them. There was an upside though, between the valleys of the mountain tops, the wind currents were many and strong making travel easy.
Scanning the mountains, I searched for any buildings built into the side of the mountains, but as I flew I started to notice something, down in the valley below I saw a sentry tower. It was crudely constructed and looked like it could be knocked over. Flying lower I Flew by and saw supplies .
Turning around I landed on the tower and looked around. These were supplies for a few days. I could see a telescope, food, and warm clothing. One sniff and I knew instantly these supplies belonged to an ape. Growling I took to the air again before using my breath to knock the tower down with a gust of wind., watching in satisfaction as the tower smashed into the ground.
Turning north I started to fly again but this time I kept my eyes open for more than city ruins. Thankfully it was still dark out and my scales kept me perfectly hidden as I flew, but years of being in the dark had honed my night vision. I could see more watch towers, and ape patrolls. Flying through the valley I counted at least fifty apes. Flying to the farthest watch tower I landed and watched their patrols.
I had trained at the temple and while I was confident I was stronger than I used to be, I knew better than to rush in alone. Looking to the sky I saw the first twinge of light from the sun. Day was approaching and I needed to find the city of zephyr.
Then I spotted something that gave me pause. On one of the watchtowers I saw a mounted crossbow. Fixed to a turning platform and with a rotating wheel. I wasn't an engineer but I could piece together what it was I was seeing.
Taking to the air again I quietly flew up and down the valley, taking in every watchtower and patrol I could see. There were other mounted crossbows of a similar design. They were evenly spaced through the valley, and I suspected they were meant to shoot anyone who flew through the valley.
That brought up the question of why the apes wanted this valley closed off to air traffic. Maybe Ignitus was right and Zephyr was the place I needed to go, if nothing else, I could use the experience to hone my skills with real combat.
Heading for one of the watchtowers with a crossbow, I had to land on a guard so as not to let him sound an alarm. Snapping his neck with a quick stomp, I turned to the crossbow and fiddled with it as I learned how to use it.
It seemed that the crossbow was actually capable of firing five shots one after the other, thanks to five sets of arms each holding a string. There was a fancy mechanism that loaded bolts through the bottom of the crossbow.
Placing my front paws on the wheel at the base I could see that it was connected to the mechanism that fired the bolts as well as the one that loaded the arrows. If I wasn't mistaken rolling the wheel would also pull the strings back that fired the arrows.
All I needed to do now was find a target to fire at. As if on cue I saw a patrol of apes. It was still dark enough that they couldn't see me. Taking aim I started to spin the wheel and watched as fire arrows shot forward hitting three out of the 7 guards present.
Immediately those three apes fell to the ground dead, while the other two apes looked surprised. Before they could spot me I quickly reloaded the crossbow and took aim again by the time they spotted me I killed them. One got two bolts in the head while the remaining three each got their own. I had hit them in the chest and I watched as they writhed on the ground gasping.
It looked like I hit them in the lung. Moving on I slowly but carefully killed the apes from the shadows. Each crossbow I used made it quick and easy for me to dispatch the apes. I had counted thirty five dead apes, the crossbows worked well, but it didn't last.
As I moved to another crossbow, the sun had risen enough that my black scales stuck out against the brightening sky. It only took one ape to point up and scream before they were all on alert.
I had no choice but to fight openly. Diving I aimed myself at one of them before I pulled up and grabbed one of them by the shoulders. Pulling up I let him go as he went flying towards his friends, before landing heavily. Swooping back around I let out a scream as I passed over them before I dropped to the ground and immediately started to fight.
I had to keep moving so the apes didn't surround me. Each time one of them got close I would scream or use my wind breath to knock him back, or paralyze them so that I could quickly end them. I dodge rolled, jumped and sometimes even flew briefly, all the while trying to keep the apes from hitting me.
When the last ape fell, I stood panting as I surveyed my work. The apes were laying in various piles, their blood seeping into the ground. I looked around in disgust before I jumped into the sky and headed for North. The fight had been a nice distraction and it had been a good battle experience, but now I had to focus.
Scanning the mountains I flew occasionally, finding a missed patrol. Dealing with them I soon saw the tallest mountain in the range and as I drew closer. I saw what could only be described as a city spiraling up the side of the mountain.
The closer I got the more I could see that the city had been carved into the side of the mountain and expanding into the valley. Landing at the lowest part of the city I saw a landing pad wide enough for dragons to land and take off without getting in the way of each other.. Walking up the the nearest building I placed a claw on the stone and gave it a gentle scratch, but surprisingly I left no mark on the stone.
Taking a small step back I looked at the stone building. The architecture was nothing like the castle of concurrent skies. There were intricate patterns and swirls carved in every door frame and window.
Stepping into the building I looked around and saw it looked like a home. There was a large sitting room, several decayed and time weathered pillows lay in the center of the room. I also saw stairs that lead to what looked like a bedroom.
Old furniture standed a thick layer of dust and mold coating them. I saw old books destroyed from the weather, along with old relics long since past their usefulness. There was nothing useful in the house so I moved on.
I peeked inside every building I came across, being careful to look for apes. There were signs of looting, some houses had their furniture tipped over or some were even smashed, at one point it looked like someone had used one of the buildings as a nest. There was a makeshift bed that didn't look as old as the rest of the furniture. The level of decay was not as severe.
There were no other signs of inhabitation, nothing that would suggest that anyone lived here, Still I moved cautiously through the city as I searched every building until I came to one that was much larger than the rest.
The buildings that served as defunct businesses and abandoned homes stopped as I came to the base of the mountain. Carved into the wall of the mountain was a large door with intricate carvings depicting wind dragons flying and using their wind breath.
The carvings also showed contraptions that were powered by the wind both natural and powered by wind dragons. The more I looked over the door, the more I started to appreciate the beauty of the city even in its ruinous state. There was a lot of ingenuity to wind dragons, if the carved door was accurate.
Walking up to the doors I tried to push them open, only to have the door remain tightly shut. Stepping back I looked at the door more closely. There were at least four dragons on the door each of them blowing wind into what looked like horns.
"If you can figure out how to open that door I might let you live!" I heard a voice call from behind me.
Whirling around I saw an ape. He stood almost as tall as Gaul. dressed in a dark purple and black robe. In his hand he held a staff with a dark gem cradled between thorns of iron. Looking at him my scales itched and I knew he was dangerous.