FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 17

Volteer had no troubles convincing the other Guardians that the mission is important, he must have been quite persuasive since making Terrador and Cyril change their minds is no small feat, that or they could no longer stand the constant wagging of his electric tongue and sent him off to have a short break. Whatever the case may be Volteer has reached his goal, he could go whenever he wants to and what's more important he can travel with whoever he wants to.

They've left the City Hall and immediately took to the air, the grass shifted from the powerful gusts of wind their flapping wings created as they rose to the sky. The Electric Guardian led them south, past the thick walls of the Dragon City, their home, whenever both young dragons looked down they could see some cheetahs, moles or even dragons waving, a simple but a really friendly gesture.

" Volteer will you finally tell us what this is all about?" Spyro blurt out impatiently " This curiosity is killing me"

The Electric Guardian smiled " As you wish"

" Nap time!" Sparx exclaimed while snapping his fingers before he made himself comfortable on Spyro's head, between his horns and a pair of fins

" My thesis was aroused by your...it's exacting for me to concede..." he sighed " by your unforeseen arrival in Warfang, we all thought you had perished"

"Yeah, we have seen the statue" Cynder said glumly

Volteer nodded sadly " That was an arduous stage" after this words his expression changed to that of excitement " " But you have returned! And in the most unprecedented circumstances, you arrived in Warfang after two strenuous weeks, even if you esteemed that only a single day has passed. Peculiar isn't it?"

" I don't know Volteer..." Spyro started with a dubious voice " There is a really powerful updraft there, or at least was, maybe it somehow shot us straight into the Valley of Avalar"

The Electric Guardian shook his head confidently " Impossible"

" You of all dragons should know that magic is unpredictable, maybe the draft acted in a way nobody thought was possible?"

" Your theory is correct Spyro, magic is fluctuating, however magic also adheres to specific assumptions which repudiate some possibilities"

" Then how about his " Cynder interjected thoughtfully while scratching her choker " Maybe we got out, normally, nothing special, just found a way in the ceiling or something and we just don't remember it"

Volteer once again shook his head " The whole lair began to topple, your odds for survival were slim"

" You can say with absolute certainty that there wasn't even a teeny-tiny chance that we were just lucky?" she narrowed her eyes on the Electric Guardian

" Such outcome is feasible, however-"

" Problem solved!" Cynder exclaimed cutting the amber dragon off

There was a moment of brief silence before Volteer's voice could be heard once again " One thing lamentably piqued my meddlesomeness, you frequently used the word maybe. How can you not recall what occurred?"

Spyro looked confused " We don't remember anything after the blast, we just popped in the Valley, just like that"

" And you have never queried your inexplicable appearance?"

" We did" Cynder retorted calmly " but Meadow already explained magic's nature to us, and we just seem to be afflicted by some side effects, that's all"

"Preposterous!" The Guardian blurt indignantly

She furrowed a brow "Huh?"

Volteer put on a guilty expression " Forgive my outburst but what just divulged is incontestably a nonsense"

"Magic has no side effects?"

" It has, however its practically unimaginable that a dragon is susceptible to magic's pernicious essence. I've never read in any tome, or heard about a dragon who was sensitive to magic's aftereffects. We are uncanny creatures, the source of our creation cannot maim us"

Cynder turned her head to hide her scared expression " It can't?" she muttered

" If we are immune then how come we can't remember how we got out from the lair?" What happened?" Spyro asked with a troubled voice

Volteer looked at the purple dragon with curious eyes " What's aggravating you?"

" Something really weird happened when I've went to a forest some days ago. Out of nowhere an army of apes attacked me, they appeared so fast that I couldn't believe my own eyes. I fought them and after I've killed their leader something powerful hurled me into a tree. When I've recovered they were all gone, every single ape, corpse and drop of blood! Everything!" he exclaimed the last words nervously

The Amber Dragon watched him with a thoughtful expression " Where did that occur?"

" Close to the mountain, the one with the huge tree the cheetah's call The Fortune"

" Most intriguing" Votleer muttered in awe " If my theory is appropriate then it means... Spyro when you ventured into the woods have you done something unprecedented?"

" I don't understand" Spyro answered confused

" I inquire if you did something exceptional? Something you haven't rehearsed for a long time"

Cynder stooped her flight , straightened up and hovered in the air " That's it!" she blurt out in a commanding voice " I'm not going anywhere until you tell us what's going on"

Volteer stopped in front of her " Utmost aversion fills me whenever I have to convey an information which doesn't hinge on any indication if I'm correct, but if you really want to know then listen." He focused on the purple dragon who was flying in circles around them with a shape of a snoring dragonfly on his head " How are you feeling Spyro?" he asked mysteriously

Spyro chuckled " Don't worry Volteer I'm fine, just flying in circles so Sparx won't fall"

" You misinterpreted my words, are you feeling... condensed?"

" Yeah I feel fine, everything is on its right place" he said slowly, confused " Volteer what are you trying to tell me?"

" You lack one thing, recrudesce back my boy, to the Night of Eternal Darkness and your valiant attempt to save everyone. What has transpired after you have been extricated from the crystal? What was altered?"

" Besides that he took away my freedom?" Cynder interjected with a cheerful sarcastic tone " Nothing special"

Spyro kept flying with a thoughtful frown on his snout " Well, Cynder was chained with me, the whole place was coming down on us, a strange golem attacked us, I've still knew how to fight after all those years, I still had all of my elemental..." his eyes went wide open " Time!" he exclaimed loudly, " I could no longer use my Dragon Time ability!"

Volteer nodded " Precisely"

" But what has that to do with anything?" Cynder asked dumbfounded " He hasn't been using that skill for months, why bring it out now? We managed to get by without it"

" Spyro's competency for hindering the flow of time didn't fade but was dormant. The Time crystal had to immeasurably debilitate his elemental essence. However when you aggregated all of your elemental potency to unchain the world, you also used Time. It obliged you to mend the earth together, such action created repercussions, a void was created in our world's barrier and that led to the inception of Veils"

Spyro jerked back in surprise " Veils? Like some kind of portals?"

Volteer nodded again " Through one of them Brill intruded into our time"

" Yes!" he exclaimed " That would explain everything. The sudden appearance of the apes, the storm we never saw coming. You may be right Volteer! That means I'm not crazy, I just had to stumble upon one of this portals!"

" Good thing that you are alright" Cynder said with a bit of happiness and fear in her voice

" Yes!" the Guardian exclaimed excitedly " My assumptions are presumably equitable. However we have to be sure"

" How do you propose we do that?" Spyro asked impatiently

The Amber Dragon frowned " I've concocted a appropriate strategy, however it might not be enough, in the light of new information the plan needs to be altered. I was considerably presumptuous to think that there will be a single or two Veils, but now we know that isn't the case. Now if we only knew how to determine their substantial positions..." his voice trailed off thoughtfully

There was a moment of silence as every dragon and dragoness was thinking to find a solution to their problem. After a while of quietness Spyro's eyes shot wide open " I've got it!" he exclaimed excitedly, gaining the attention of his friends instantly " Whenever something strange happened I've felt this familiar tingle, an itch I couldn't put my claw on. Now I know that it was Time, so maybe this sensations are a means to locate those portals?"

Cynder scratched her choker " You know, when I think of it I've also felt something when the storm caught us. It was that awkward tingle just like a ghost would go straight through me. I can bet my scales that somehow we went accidently through one of these portals"

Volteer expression spoke volumes, he was in utter bliss " Astounding disclosure!" It resolves the two week gap phenomenon" he looked at the purple drake " Spyro, do you sense any veils nearby?"

Spyro concentrated a bit and sighed soon after " Nope, but I don't know how I even managed to feel the previous ones, it just happened"

" I infer that it was only a flicker of your Time endowment, That's valuable information, it means that your potential isn't absent, it is only dormant, and we have to rouse it"

" The only way I can think of to bring my powers back is to speak with The Chronicler, but he seems to be gone" Spyro huffed with a sad and defeated voice " Even if he was still out there I don't know how to contact him. Our only hope is to wait for him to summon me but he didn't call me for months"

The Chronicler is an ancient, grayish-light blue dragon. He is thousands of years old and contains immeasurable wisdom and knowledge, he is also the dragon chosen to watch over the Books of Time, which have recorded almost every part of history and every dragon has a book dedicated to their lives. The Chronicler began contacting Spyro after Cynder left the Dragon Temple, where he brought her after he defeated her corrupted mature form.

The Ancient Dragon summons always made Spyro enter his Dreamworld forcefully which meant that he lost consciousness in the real word which wasn't the most pleasant way to fall asleep to say the least. Spyro was much younger than now when he defeated the corrupted Cynder and he managed to succeed by using all of his elemental energy for that single battle, which left him completely drained afterwards. It was then when The Chronicler started his summons.

The Ancient Dragon led Spyro through his eerie Dreamworld which prepared him for the upcoming days than served as an escape from real life problems. During those tests Spyro's elemental attacks were slowly restored, but The Chronicler not only summoned him for training he also presented him glimpses of the future- namely The Night of Eternal Darkness in other words Malefor's return to the Dragon Realms.

Spyro was convinced that this whole practicing and talks were preparing him for the upcoming battle, he couldn't shake off the shock when he learnt that The Chronicler planned to hide him in the safety of his home. There was a moment when he considered that option, after all that wasn't an ordinary foe he was about to face but The Dark Master himself and Spyro felt that he couldn't do it. However it all changed when he learnt that Cynder won't be able to resist Malefor and will succumb to his corruption once more, Spyro had no second thoughts after that vision, he would save her no matter what.

" Don't fret my boy" Volteer calmed the purple dragon with his typical excited fast speech " From your tale about The Chronicler we could deduce that to retrieve your talents you had to consociate with the aspect of your existence. You are a dragon the essence of your creation cannot be consigned to oblivion nor disinherited, all that is required is to uncover the correct trail. This is an impeccable opportunity to ameliorate my strategy. As dragons we draw our clout from Spirit Gems"

" As far as I know there aren't any gems which restore Time energy" Cynder interjected bluntly

" Your deduction is correct Cynder, however I've determined how we can recreate The Chronicler's concept to restore Spyro's potential. To do that we require gems, not the traditional ones but the unadulterated crystals"

" Where can we find them?" Spyro blurt out, not even trying to hide his curiosity

Volteer smiled " There is only one place where they thrive. Follow me"

That's what they did, both young dragons accompanied The Electric Guardian unhesitatingly, wondering what is the inquisitive drake up to as they followed his swaying amber tail. After flying directly south from Warfang, past some rivers, trees and hills the ground below them started to become scorched, dark and mostly dead, ash filled their mouths and noses. It was a familiar territory for the group, it was a lovely and calm place once, but now the high scary looking volcano and the crumbled structure on top of it reminded them of a completely different time.

Years ago The Dragon Temple was a structure within the Swamp where the dragon elders trained and took care of young dragons, it was located close to Spyro's home. Inside there was a room, called the Grotto, where there was a pool of water known as the Pool of Visions, in which certain dragons, could see visions: the dreams, thoughts, and memories of others and to see what is happening in places far away.

After the war between the Dark Master's forces and the dragons, the Dragon Temple was overtaken by Cynder's Ape forces, but was reclaimed when Spyro eventually drove them out, accompanied by Ignitus and Sparx. It served as a shelter and home to the Guardians, and eventually Spyro and Sparx. The temple took its share of battle, after Cynder left its walls the Dragon Temple was soon attacked and during that surprised attack it was damaged.

However the most tragic moment happened when Spyro, Cynder and Sparx were trapped in the Time Crystal, it was then when Malefor roamed free, it was then when the Guardians lost their hold on the Dragon Temple while fending against The Dark Master, Malefor then raised the temple above the volcano as a symbol of his dominance. It was later destroyed when the Destroyer broke the world apart in a torrent of fire during the final battle between Spyro, Cynder and Malefor, devastating part of the Swamps in the process.

Sparx shifted on Spyro's head " Can you hear it? he mumbled.

There was a moment of silence as the three dragons began to listen intently

"I don't hear anything" Spyro whispered after a while

"Exactly!" the dragonfly patted his brother's head " I can't stand this silence, why did you stop talking?" a broad smile appeared on his face " I had such a great dream" he huffed

" The one where people actually start noticing you?" Cynder smirked

He looked her over " The one where you weren't tagging along with us" he retorted fiercely before he looked at the sky " Such a great dream" he sighed yearningly.

She smiled and opened her mouth to counter the dragonfly with another sarcastic and snide remark but was interrupted by Spyro's tired voice

" Will you two finally stop and start liking each other?"

" Hey, hey, hey!" Sparx replied quickly and rolled from Spyro's head just to hover in front of his eyes " I like her" he looked at the flying black dragoness " Especially when she isn't around"

" I like him too!" Cynder exclaimed happily and looked at the dragonfly soon after " Especially when he is sleeping or isn't talking"

Spyro chuckled and rolled his eyes

" Quiet now" Volteer's cautious voice calmed the rest of the group immediately "We are not alone" he pointed his claw at the ground. A pair of orcs guarded the entrance to the now ruined Dragon Temple.

"Orcs?" Cynder said with a clearly surprised voice " What is The Dark Army doing here?"

" Perhaps they scrutinize the temple for some indication left by The Dark Master showing them what to pursue now, they may feel disoriented after their Master's demise"

" Let's not go there, let's not go there" Sparx started to mutter pleadingly under his breath

" It is essential that we get inside"

" Yes!" he exclaimed quietly " Another life threatening adventure! You have no idea how I've missed those!" Sparx kept shouting with fake excitement

" Such elation is commendable" Volteer replied sarcastically

" We don't know how many orcs are there, barging through the front doors isn't a very good idea" Spyro thought loudly

" I agree, covertness is indispensable"

" This place is a mess" Cynder joined the planning dragons with a serious tone " There has to be a better entry somewhere"

" Stealth isn't really our thing" Spyro retorted thoughtfully

" I know, but we could lure the guards away and lessen their numbers without them knowing, to do that we need someone really unobtrusive"

An awkward silence befallen on the group, it once again bothered Sparx so he was forced to stop observing the temple below and raise his head. The moment he did that he saw six pairs of colorful eyes staring at him " What?" he blurt out cluelessly

The once solid rock structure now laid in ruins, stones were scattered everywhere, the ceiling collapsed a long time ago, the doors, walls were cracked or destroyed completely, now nothing remained of the glorious Dragon Temple, however according to Volteer there was still a piece of Malefor's Lair still standing within the volcano where the powerful updraft held some of its remains together.

The temple looked dead, however that didn't prevent The Dark Army from guarding its many entryways, there was at least a pair of guards observing the surroundings at each opening. Nevertheless the small group of friends had to find an entrance to the tunnels which led down towards the Lair and the only way to do that is to get past the guards, preferably unnoticed.

A small ball of leafs hovered above the dark ashy terrain, in front of it there was a small hill where once large doors were inserted which welcomed visitors to the famous training grounds for young drakes. Now there was a pair of apes standing under the rocky ceiling watching the world in front of them.

" Why did I agree to do this?" Sparx whined under his breath as he took a peek from his leafy cover. With a sigh he rose a bit higher above the ground and rustled the leafs that covered him. As he did that a light shone through his weak armor that came from the glow dragonflies emanate. It flickered for a brief moment just to vanish moments later as Sparx covered himself once again and lowered himself towards the ashy ground.

That quick flash was enough for the guards, they became suspicious instantly, they both tightly gripped their weapons and cautiously began moving towards the exit, carefulness and perhaps curiosity drove them to investigate that strange shimmer. The apes were leaving the safety of the rocky ceiling and could feel the open sky slowly stretching above them. The guards didn't have the time to admire the scenery nor to investigate the peculiar occurrence since the moment they stepped from their cover a purple and black tail wrapped themselves around their necks and pulled them up.

Sparx rose again creating a window for himself in his leafy cover, the first thing he saw was a pair of apes hovering above the ground, they both were thrashing relentlessly while they kept grunting and trying to pull off the deadly lock from around their necks. Sparx slowly approached the entrance and as he did so he saw as both young dragons eventually strangled the struggling soldiers and pulled their still bodies upwards as their disappeared from his sight.

" I'll never get used to this" he shuddered

As the dragonfly was about to enter the now free opening a purple snout emerged from above " Psst!" Spyro hissed gaining the attention of the floating leafy ball instantly " You are doing great, keep it up" he whispered encouragingly

" Bro you sure this is a good idea?" Sparx asked dubiously " We should be happily fooling around now far away from the bad guys, don't you think?"

" Stop whining" Cynder admonished him the moment her black snout showed up just next to Spyro's

" Why do you always have to look for trouble? Let's just go" Sparx complained

" Sparx stick to the plan, we have to get in there" Spyro urged his brother calmly

The dragonfly sighed loudly and shook his head before venturing into the temple

The upper level of the temple was completely destroyed, but the lower one wasn't that far behind, practically nothing remained of the once solid walls which protected the building from the jagged rocks of the volcano's surface. Now stones filled the crumbling hallways, the natural light emanating from the volcano itself was illuminating the corridors. Every now and then a tattered banner could be seen hanging on the wall, it was hard to say what they represented, it was impossible to decipher the leftovers.

There were many corridors here once, now most of them was crumbled or blocked by huge boulders, even the ceiling was barely intact, it wouldn't surprise anyone if a cave-in would happen, removing a single rock would most likely do the trick. Pieces of huge doors laid everywhere, even remnants of some sandstone statues were visible here and there. Cobwebs filled the entire structure, spiders scuttled through the many holes, checking every trap they set up for the unfortunate insects. Only a handful of passages was still intact and all of the led deeper into the volcano towards the lair of the deceased Dark Master, with every step down the air got warmer and the occasional howling of wind intensified.

" Of course we need to get there" Sparx muttered under his breath as he flew down the corridor " We always have to look for trouble and we always end up surrounded by bad guys." He whined to himself " And why? Because it's much more funnier to get killed than sit in a safe city without any worries"

" And you, you idiot" he slammed his forehead " You always have to follow, you always have to keep an eye on him and look what's happening? You could be now sleeping in a warm bed, eating everything you want, but no, you had to..." Sparx shut his mouth in a blink of an eye the moment he heard some incoherent grunts coming from ahead of him.

A pair of shadows appeared on the illuminated jagged wall, more importantly they were growing with each passing second, also the sound of the incoherent grunts was getting louder. Sparx looked around in panic, after all a floating ball of leafs in a volcano's tunnel is not much of a cover. He pressed himself against the wall and began flying alongside its surface looking for a place to hide.

Destruction has its advantages, it offers small creatures like him plenty of places to lay low. After a short while Sparx found one of these places, it was a dark hole in the wall, he fit into it perfectly just like it would be designed for dragonflies only. He waited, time seemed to slow down as he observed the growing shadows, his heart beat to the rhythm of the armored boots crunching the scattered tiny rocks .

Sparx held his breath when the shadows completely covered the wall on the opposite side of the passageway, soon a pair of armored orcs walked past by his hiding place while they kept talking with each other. Sparx didn't care what it was about, he just wanted them to go away. His wish came true, the orcs soon disappeared farther into the hallway, he just hoped they won't go too far, after all two of their colleagues are no longer present. However something tells him that he has to hurry.

Sparx had no problems with leaving his hiding place, before he continued onwards Sparx looked behind his shoulder, the shadows practically vanished, he sighed in relief, they won't bother him, at least for a while. He flew closer to the walls this time, just in case another patrol would pop up unexpectedly, there was a complete silence when he made his way through the corridor until he arrived at what seemed to be an intersection.

It was hotter and louder here, this is where all the paths from the other entryways meet which means that he is close to his destination. Sparx had to stop when he approached the intersection, the sound of chatter was extremely high, it only meant one thing- there are far more guards there.

Once again Sparx hid and waited for the orcs to go away, it took some time but eventually they scattered creating him a bit of free space. Sparx quickly left his hiding place and dashed towards the single path which led to the lair. He arrived at a wide opening, it looked like there were doors here once but The Destroyer made a short work of them. An eerie glow was coming from that passageway, not to mention the pretty strong gusts of wind that occasionally hit him.

Sparx continued forward, but stopped soon after just when he was about to enter the next room, he began observing his surroundings, one thing was sure though- this are the remains of Malefor's Lair. The room itself was quite wide and high, it was able to house a fully grown dragon. The walls of the lair were mostly crumbled, stones laid everywhere, the ceiling was in no better shape, long cracks ran across its surface, not to mention the many holes in its structure which undoubtedly weakened the construction. Instead of a normal solid floor, first thing he saw was a marble bridge, it was small but still a bridge, it was connected with a huge circular plate which served as a floor.

The plate didn't fill the entire room however, there was an empty space left near the wall which allowed the natural updraft coming from the volcano to pass freely. In the middle of the plate there were plenty of gem clusters, all of them glowed with a bright blue light. All of that was unimportant for Sparx, something entirely different got his attention. Orcs filled the room, The Dark Army was here and in quite big numbers and that wasn't everything, who knows how many of them lurks in the passageways. There was a single creature who stood out from all the rest, Sparx swallowed hard at the sight of it.

It was a troll, one of the strongest enemies in Malefor's former army. Trolls are extremely high and strong, they look like they've been formed from the earth itself. It's body is rough, covered with a green hue, a root- like layers connects the limbs to its body. The irregular form of its flesh really resembled the structure of a torn from the ground bush, with all its roots and the like hanging wildly in the air. Troll walk just like a gorilla, it legs are powerful but small, they end with a hunk-like feet. The troll's arms however are a completely different matter, it has wide and extremely powerfully built shoulders which hold an even bigger arm, it is no ordinary arm however, it looks like an extremely sturdy and huge hunk of a tree, really thick and solid. Even if a troll has a bulky build it isn't slow, it charges it's enemies with ease and if its opponents are far away the troll can leap great distance to catch its prey. The red eyes which are located on the troll's snout add to the malevolence of the creature.

"Ok" Sparx gulped " Let's do it, it's not like something wrong will happ-" He was cut off by a terrible roar coming from behind him, the noise echoed throughout the whole corridor. Soon some others roars followed, an alarm has been raised.

The Grublins which were busy with the gems forgot about them as every single one of them looked alarmed at the entrance from which the sound has come. They didn't see him, but unfortunately Sparx flew cautiously a bit forward when he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the corridor. His timing couldn't be worse, the moment he left the corridor another updraft blew from the bottom of the lair, the gust of wind was so strong that it lifted him upwards, he spun around in the air as he fought to regain his balance. When he finally achieved his goal he sighed in relief, however when he looked at the orcs below he knew something was wrong, they were all staring at him with murderous eyes.

He impulsively started to touch his body, something was wrong, something was amiss " Uh-oh" he muttered with a wavering voice. Sparx looked around, his fears were confirmed when he noticed some leafs falling down to the ground in their swaying movements.

He chuckled nervously " Funny thing" he scratched the back of his head edgily " I wanted to surprise you, you know, nothing wrong with that right? Let's all act like civilized creatures and forget about all of this ok? I didn't see you, you didn't see me, I tell you that's a really funny game" Sparx chuckled once more, however not everyone shared his mood, as he looked once again at the staring group of grublins he swallowed hard once again " Peace" he extended his arm and rose two of his fingers in the most known gesture that accompanied this word.

He winced when a deafening roar filled the cavern, obviously they don't know what peace means. Sparx dashed towards the ceiling and quickly began touching the stone to find a good place for the blue gem he was carrying with himself all this time behind his leafy cover.

" It better work" Sparx said hopefully as he inserted the gem in one of the bigger holes in the ceiling, soon after he removed a loose stone just next to the gem. " Guys! A little help here!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as he pressed his face to the empty space he just created.

Sparx looked down and gasped, he was thankful that as a dragonfly he is quite agile, he dodged the incoming magic projectile just in time. There was a flash of blue light, he impulsively looked up and noticed that the gem was gone. His eyes went wide open as realization struck him, with all the strength he had in himself Sparx started to fly as far away from the ceiling as possible, avoiding as best as he could the incoming magic missiles.

Soon after there was a deafening thud, the place where the gem was just exploded, dust filled the cavern and rocks started to fly in every direction, also the whole ceiling began to shake violently, the unstable structure was about to give up. Moments later the reason for this destruction appeared, from the dust emerged a spiked boulder which was spinning wildly while it headed directly at the grublins below. Two dragons entered the cavern from the hole the earth ball created, momentarily the cavern was filled with electric and poison breaths as the pair of dragons descended at their enemies.

" Watch out for the troll!" Sparx screamed the moment his friends entered the scene

The grublins were caught off guard, they didn't even budge when the boulder landed directly at them squashing some of the orcs at the impact, even those who were lucky enough to avoid the incoming ball weren't that much happy, the shockwave the boulder created when it hit the ground tossed some of the soldiers down the chasm. The troll only swayed on its legs, the moment it recovered its balance the creature roared angrily and furiously slammed the boulder with one of its tremendously huge arms when the spiked ball bounced from the ground.

The boulder was sent flying with a tremendous speed towards one of the walls, the moment it hit it, the surface of the ball began to shake and dissolve, momentarily the earth ball transformed into the shape of a purple dragon. The impact left Spyro dizzy, when his body finally detached itself from the wall, he fell numbly down the chasm. Moments later Volteer descended onto the ground, the moment he landed a powerful electrical arc was sent along the whole floor, some of the more experienced orcs managed to deflect the spell a bit, the elemental attack only stunned them, however among them were also those who weren't that capable fighters, those orcs were fried instantly.

The troll flung its huge arms upwards and roared painfully when the arc reached it, the agony only infuriated the beast. The troll powerfully slammed its arms on the ground, sending a mighty shockwave through the whole floor, it sent the adjacent orcs flying in every direction, it even forced the amber dragon to totter, however it was enough to distract the drake. The moment the current stopped flowing through the troll's body it roared once again and leapt in the direction of the swaying Electrical Guardian. It swung one of its powerful arms at the mighty dragon which Volteer somehow managed to deflect with his wing, however the blow was so strong that he spun around at the impact.

The moment his eyes focused on the troll he saw another huge arm approaching him, but this time he had no chance to block it. The beast hit the dragon directly in the cheek the force that was put into the blow dropped the Guardian to the ground while a stream of blood gushed from the drake's mouth. Volteer shook his head, regaining his focus instantly, adrenaline pumped through the old dragon's veins when he noticed as the troll was making another swing. He quickly rose on his hind legs just to extend his forelegs towards the incoming arm, he was glad that dragons put on some weight when they mature, he was strong enough to stop the arm in midway. The troll didn't expect such a move, it roared angrily and lowered its head, it's hard to tell if the troll actually planned this or it reacted just by sheer instinct, whatever the case may be it worked.

The creature hit the dragon directly into the stomach with its head, the strike kicked the breath out of Volteer, however he didn't lose his grip. The troll didn't waste time and took advantage of the opportunity, he slid one of its powerful arms between Volteer's hind paws, just to raise it moments later. The quick and strong swing lifted the dragon to the air, the troll moved its arm upwards, meaning that it tossed the amber dragon behind it. Volteer groaned when he landed on his back, just right behind the creature.

Cynder had her own share of problems, archers began emerging from the entrances, what worried her most was that they had already their bows prepared to release the arrows. The arrows were set loose with an audible whizz, the ones which were flying from the front she easily blown off using her wind element. It was a different matter with the ones she couldn't see, relying on her natural instincts and agility she began a dance of her own in the air. The graceful moves of her body allowed her to avoid most of the deadly splinters, however it was impossible to dodge all of them. Some of the arrows whizzed past by her carrying drops of her draconic blood with them. Cynder clenched her teeth and hissed when the arrows left bloody cuts on her body, some even managed to get stuck In her black scales. Soon the arrows stopped flying, announcing that it was her time to strike.

Cynder stopped and hovered in the air just to curl into a ball, as she did so she focused on her elemental attacks. Namely she charged her Phantom Fright power, the addictive dark energy pulsed once again in her veins. The moment she straightened Cynder unleashed her power, a couple of ghastly orbs appeared next to her, without wasting any more time she sent each orb towards a group of archers. When the orbs reached their destinations they've exploded with a concussive force, some of the archers were tossed down the chasm or the corridors while the rest was completely paralyzed. Cynder released her Shadow Fire ability at the couple archer groups while she dived towards the last one, with the paralyze still in effect the orcs suffocated in complete silence. With nothing else disturbing her, she finished the last group of archers easily.

Another updraft has blown from the chasm and as it did so Spyro was blown upwards, he had already his wings spread wide open, he was in full of control of the treacherous wind. The same thing couldn't be said for creatures who prefer walking than flying. The orcs who were throw down the chasm not so long ago managed to survive the fall, however they aren't dragons, the grublins only screamed as the wind was rising them upwards with tremendous speed. Their uncontrollable spinning and terrified screams soon ended, they were hurled into the remains of the ceiling with such a force that loud snaps echoed throughout the cavern when every possible bone shattered.

With no archers trying to shoot him down Spyro controlled the sky, he felt as the power of the single blue gem was still pulsing within his blood, he knew exactly how to discharge that energy. Focusing his electrical element he directed an electrical pulse at the troll which was towering above the laying amber dragon. The creature groaned when the shock hit him, it was electrocuted instantly, the elemental attack was strong enough to stun and injure the beast quite seriously. Spyro would continue his advance if not for a huge rock falling from the ceiling, it headed straight at him so he had to abandon his attack and avoid the deadly boulder. Spyro managed to do that easily, however that was not the end of his problems, the moment the rock hovered in front of his eyes it exploded, he couldn't see what destroyed the boulder but the trail of magical energy that hung in the air told him that it was no accident. Spyro was caught unaware, the chunk of rocks cut his snout, chest, paws and what's more importantly his wings, nothing drastic but the pain and the force after the explosion shot him down.

He rolled on the plate-like floor, after all it takes a while to dispose all that speed. His concentration didn't fade the moment he stopped rolling, lucky for him since the moment he opened his eyes he saw a magical attack heading his way. It has thrown everything in the air as it ran through the ground, ripping the floor as it approached just like something would swim below the ground and tear the floor with one of its fins. Spyro fueled his earth element and turned once again into the spiked boulder, he knew that it made him heavier and that it was his only protection against the incoming attack. His boulder-like body only shook when the spell hit him, the strike didn't work as it supposed to.

Spyro pulled himself on all fours and returned to his dragon form, just in time to jump backwards when two spears tried to stab him from the sides, sparks were thrown into the air when the two silvery tips met with each other. The impact has thrown the soldiers of balance, and every fighter takes advantages of opportunities during a battle, Spyro rolled on the ground sideways and as he did so he sank the gold tip on his tail into the orcs chest killing the grublin instantly. As he rolled to the other side to strike the other orc, the soldier already recovered his balance and had his weapon raised above his head just to try to pierce the dragons golden underbelly when he finally stopped just next to him. Spyro grabbed the incoming spear with his paws just a few inches from his belly, the orcs eyes widened when his attack has failed, Spyro seeing his surprise yanked the weapon forcefully tearing it off from the soldiers hands, he had struck the grublin with the wooden end of the weapon directly into his nose. The orc grabbed his nose and tottered backwards as dark blood started to gush from his nose, soon with a furious roar he pounced at the laying purple dragon. Spyro just waited for it, with the sharp end of the spear directed at the orc he run it through the soldier's opened mouth, piercing the back of his skull momentarily.

With the bloody body of the orc slowly sliding down the spear, he cast the weapon aside, after all that was not the end of his problems. Spyro jumped on his paws and the moment he did so he noticed four orcs magicians approaching him, they were prepared for the confrontation, two of them were channeling a magical shield that surrounded the group and protected them from elemental attacks while the two others were waving their weapons threateningly, provoking the purple dragon. Spyro was ready to comply and give them what they wanted but he never got the chance to prepare his attack. Out of nowhere a black shape knocked the orcs down just like a bowling ball, Spyro observed the whole scene with wide eyes.

Volteer recovered from his shock when he heard the troll's painful groan, but before he could strike the stunned creature he had to take care of the soldiers that were attacking him. He rolled onto his belly and as he did so he curled and covered himself with his big wings, the moment he did that he channeled his elemental power. Tiny electrical sparks began to jump on his membranes, however the charging orcs seemed to ignore or just didn't notice it. The grublins surrounded the curled amber dragon, when they were all in position, every single orc soldier roared and swung his weapon at the laying dragon. The moment the spears and swords made contact with Volteer's wings they were instantly thrown away, not to mention that the electrical spark jumped from the weapons onto their owners, there was only a quick flash when the orcs were hurled away just like some kind of rag dolls.

With the attackers gone the Guardian pulled himself up and instantly sank his tail tip which resembled a two-tined spear into the troll's powerful shoulder. He once again channeled his elemental energy but this time he was interrupted when out of nowhere a single magical projectile hit him in the side. It didn't harm him much but it was enough to disrupt his concentration, he decided not to risk it, after all it was only a matter of time before the troll will finally shake off the feeling. Grunting Volteer swung his tail forcefully, he may be old but he still had some draconic strength in him, the troll slammed onto the ground and slid across the plate like floor for a couple of meters.

With the troll out of the way for the time being the Guardian could concentrate on the orcs who prevented him from finishing the mighty beast. There was quite a group approaching him, with one bigger orc than the rest walking amongst it, it has to be their leader. The grublins attacked, elemental projectiles were sent flying while their leader formed a magical barrier around them With the shield formed around the group and the magical bolts heading his way Volteer had no other option than to take to the sky to avoid the projectiles. He leapt into the air and as he did so the bolts flew below him to eventually end on a nearby wall, he didn't remain in the air for long, he felt as an invisible hand grabbed him preventing him from making any move.

The orc leader moved his raised clenched fist downwards and as he did so the amber dragon was slammed onto the ground, the barrier around the group wavered a bit after that display of magical prowess. Volteer coughed out blood when he hit the ground but no matter how painful the crash was the flicker of the barrier didn't escape his sharp mind. Another wave of projectiles was sent flying towards him, but this time he was prepared for it. Volteer used the Electric Arc ability to freeze the projectiles in midair, however as a master of the Electricity he also knew the improved version of that skill, he focused and released a single pulse towards the arc. The artificial prison exploded in a show of hundred tiny yellow sparks, the magical projectiles were thrown back at their casters.

The shield could not withstand such force, its magical energy was almost depleted, the impact sent the orc leader onto his knees as he desperately held the elemental protection with last ounces of his strength. Volteer's attack surprised the orcs, when they were trying to shake off the shock he once again used the Electric Arc ability to freeze and hurl at them some of the scattered weaponry. Magical shield or not it was unable to protect them from the incoming blades, the weapons sliced and pierced every single orc, including their leader, momentarily all of the grublins dropped to the ground, dead. Volteer had no time to cherish his little victory as a big shadow covered him, he impulsively looked the way it was coming from, and the moment he did that he noticed a huge troll towering above him.

" Take that ugly!" Sparx appeared out of nowhere, and as he began hovering between the troll and the amber dragon he threw a small rock at the evil beast. The stone hit the troll directly into his red eye, with a painful growl the creature stumbled backwards and covered its snout with its huge arms. After a while the troll roared furiously and swung its powerful arms chaotically and the moment it did so a loud painful female groan could be heard.

Cynder removed her claws from the archer's throat and looked down from the slope she was standing on currently, they have never expected to find a troll here and from the looks of it the beast is giving the two dragons quite a beating, no wonder since it's a very powerful creature it would be better for everybody when they would get rid of it as soon as possible. She couldn't prepare the plan for an appropriate attack since she heard quick footsteps behind her, roaring the orc swung his sword trying to strike the black dragoness from behind. Cynder deflected the blow with the blade- like tip on her tail, when the sparks were sent flying into the air she swiftly spun around and slashed with her claws, cutting the orc abdomen. Dark blood fell on the ground along with a portion of the grublin's insides.

A sword's sharp tip heading her way was the first thing she saw when the body slumped onto the ground, Cynder sidestepped quickly, avoiding the deadly strike. She circled the soldier and rammed into him with her head low, the soldier was sent flying down from the slope in cacophony of terrified screams. Cynder spun around there was quite a group charging her from the tunnel it will be a challenge to maneuver since there isn't much free space here. She ducked and moved sideways, avoiding the strike of a nearby orc who was charging her furiously, that was a reckless move from the grublin since the moment he missed he had to dispose all that speed somehow, he managed to do it but had to fought with his body so he wouldn't fall down the ledge.

Cynder blocked another blow with her wing, making the attacking soldier crash with the nearby wall, just as soon she stunned the closest enemy a huge axe was falling on her vertically, she swiftly jumped backwards otherwise her head would be split in half. The moment the weapon clinked on the stony floor she kicked the orc behind her with her hind paw, sending the reckless soldier down the chasm. She prepared to repel another attack but to her surprise the incoming soldier dropped to the ground, soon she found out why, four arrows emerged from the tunnel ahead. Thanks to her natural agility Cynder managed to avoid two of them but the other two found their mark, they sank deeply into her flesh, only a small portion of the wood and feathers protruded outside.

She screamed painfully, she did that on purpose in fact, there was no chance she would repel such a fierce attack, she had to try a different approach. The orcs fell for her bluff, they roared maliciously as they began their offensive, one of the soldiers swung his sword which she deflected easily, another one attacked with his shield that hit her directly into the snout. Blood shot from her nose after the strike, the orcs smelling a victory sidestepped quickly just to make room for a sharp spear's tip, the weapon found its mark, as it pierced her chest Cynder grabbed the weapon with her paw, tottered backwards and the moment she fell from the ledge she tore the weapon off from the soldier's hands.

All of the orcs leaned over the ledge to check if they killed the female drake and the moment they did that Cynder rose from below and as she did so she thrust the spear into the chin of one of the curious orcs dragging the gurgling body with her as she rose above the ledge. She moved away from the slope a bit, the orcs weren't attacking yet as they were recovering from their shock, that was enough for her. Cynder channeled her elemental energy, momentarily a coat of deadly venom surrounded her, using her Scorpion Strike ability she spun directly into the surprised soldiers. She cut through their ranks while covered in lethal venom, the ones who found themselves on her path didn't even scream as they fleshed melted instantly, the orcs who managed to avoid the spinning dragoness were yelling agonizingly as the venom was hissing on their faces melting the skin and bones away.

Cynder made inside the tunnel, and as she arrived there she had to stop or else she would collide with a wall, the dead and the dying orcs surrounded her but she couldn't care less what, mattered to her however was an another wave of attackers coming from the tunnel. There was way too many of them, she won't be able to repel the attack, once more she channeled her elemental energy, this time a soft breeze filled her entire being, with that she released a gust of wind directly into the ceiling. The weak structure couldn't take it, a loud rumbling noise filled the entire tunnel. Cynder seeing what is about to happen quickly dashed towards the exit, she was lucky since she was on the right side, the same thing couldn't be said about the grublins, they only emitted a horrifying screams as the stones started to rain down on them.

Cynder coughed as she emerged from the dust, that was one of the tunnels from which one group of archers arrived, there is a couple more of them like this one all around the cavern. She didn't know if the warrens are connected, as for now there weren't any more grublins on the slopes but Cynder decided not to risk it, better safe than sorry they say. She leapt into the air and using her wind element collapsed every possible tunnel from which enemies could arrive. Landing on the last slope she looked down, she could see as the injured troll was slowly approaching Volteer who was currently occupied with a bunch of orcs. Spyro however was fighting right now with a pair of grublins, she was confident that he can take care of them but that didn't mean that he couldn't use a helping paw with the another group of orcs approaching him.

As Cynder prepared the plan for an attack hissing she pulled out one of the arrows from her body, luckily she removed it intact if any splinter would get stuck inside her they would prevent her regeneration process from kicking in properly. First things first, the troll is a more dangerous enemy, she will distract the beast to allow Volteer to recover, after that she will help Spyro defeat the remnants of the Dark Army. With the plan set in her mind Cynder removed the second arrow and leapt from the slope just to instantly dive towards the troll.

She had to get close to the beast, wounding it is one thing but gaining its attention was a more crucial matter. Cynder furrowed a brow as she descended upon the troll, it suddenly stumbled backwards, the moment she saw a floating glowing shape she realized what happened but it was already too late. With all the strength she had Cynder flapped her wings backwards to dispose herself of the speed, it wasn't enough to avoid the huge arm heading her way.

The world swirled after the troll accidently slammed her, with a groan of pain she was shot towards the ground, before she made contact with the floor she collided with something in the way, the impact with whatever thing that was sent an aching pulse through her entire body but at least the collision slowed her down a bit. Cynder rolled on the ground for a while before finally stopping on her belly, the whole world swirled not to mention that the nauseating vertigo was almost unbearable.

Spyro gasped when he realized that only one dragoness he knows has black colored scales, with a frantic pace of his heart he dashed towards her. As he ran he noticed as the knocked down orcs were slowly standing up, those who weren't badly injured that is. The two magicians who managed to get up on their feet he finished with earth bolts, the one who crawled on the ground just to take hold of his scepter Spyro killed using his claws. With nothing blocking his path he directly ran towards his friend, the fear for her safety only intensified when he saw her lying flat on the ground.

" Cynder!" he yelled with worried voice before he stopped just in front of her " Please be okay" he muttered under his breath as he pulled her up to a sitting position. He gasped when he noticed her snout, blood was streaming down her nose " Cynder how badly are you injured?"

She kept looking around as if looking for the owner of this voice "What is... where... how..." she slurred

Spyro grabbed her head forcing her to look at him " Cynder I'm over here, focus!"

" Bro!" Sparx exclaimed loudly from behind Spyro, the purple dragon only looked at his brother with a corner of his eyes when the dragonfly stopped next to him " You gotta help the Big Guy!"

" I'm not leaving her!" Spyro protested

" Nothing is wrong with her. Look" Sparx positioned himself in front of her snout before placing his hands on both her cheeks " Cynder hey, hey" she kept swaying and turning her head " Hey Cynder hey look at me" Sparx urged her but she was still doing the same thing " Cynder look at me" he yanked her head and the moment her blurry eyes met his Sparx raised two fingers " How many fingers do you see?"

" Ten" she muttered after a while of staring at the dragonflies' hand

" See?" Sparx exclaimed confidently " She's fine, now go get that troll!"

" But-"

" I'll take care of her, go!" Sparx cut Spyro off with a commanding tone.

Reluctantly Spyro pulled himself up and ran off to help the Electric Guardian, the moment he was quite a distance away Sparx shook his head and looked at Cynder " One day he is going to do something stupid because of you"

" What?" she slurred once again

" You are stupid" Sparx retorted bluntly

" Thank you"

He sighed " You're welcome"

Spyro felt horrible to leave her in such a condition but Sparx was right, it was a right thing to do, his friend needs his help. As he ran he saw as Volteer was exchanging blows with the mighty creature, judging from the scars and bruises it was quite a fierce fight. Before Spyro joined the battle he decided to stop near the cluster of blue gems, additional power never hurts, he couldn't miss such an opportunity. Spyro absorbed the gem, it felt differently but he didn't have the time to focus on it now, his friend needs him. Spyro took to the air and as he did so he channeled his electricity element.

He released an electric stream directly at the troll, it roared painfully when it was once again electrocuted. Volteer seeing what is happening released a stream of his own, the combined effort of both dragons was too much for the troll, its heart could no longer withstand the electric pulses running through its body, the vital organ died. The painful roars ceased momentarily, when it happened both dragons stopped their attack to allow the body to fall on the ground with a loud thud. The remnants of The Dark Army were either killed or allowed to flee, the group of friends had won the day.