Expedition: Warfang
While Bianca headed back to the airship, so she could direct Fury to the area that the shrine was located in so they could continue with the rest of their journey towards the mysterious continent, Spyro, Spike, Ember, and the others stood near Cyril and regained the energy they had spent clearing out the Apes that had been attacking the ruins and lands that the Atlawa called home. Interestingly enough Kane and his people came over to the area they were standing in and praised the group for helping rescue the Stone Sentinel from the madness that had plagued him, though as they did that Spike walked over to the area that the fragments of the metal collar had landed in after they broke it and investigated the pieces, though he could easily tell what it was as he looked at it. While he studied the fragments, and understood why the Stone Sentinel had been going berserk since the arrival of the Apes in this area, which Cyril had called Tall Plains, a name that really didn't match what they had seen despite the fact that they weren't going to argue with the locals since they were likely the ones that had named it, Spike overhead Kane stating that his people now had a new set of gods to worship, meaning all seven of them, which was both odd and interesting at the same time. The Stone Sentinel didn't seem to be annoyed by what Kane was saying, it actually seemed like the creature knew the Atlawa were like this and that there was no reason to be angry with the llama creatures, so the group decided that they might as well not question it either, though Spyro was the one that did speak up once Kane had stopped talking to them.
"Kane, its nice that you and the rest of the Atlawa want to worship us, but its not necessary," Spyro said, because while he and the others had come to this place to help them out and drive off the Apes that had been attacking them, who would likely get back on their wooden airship and depart once they came to, they weren't here to force people to worship them as gods, even if it was to honor what they had done by freeing another of their gods from his rampage, "we're just doing what heroes are supposed to do, and that is helping those in need."
"Very well, I guess I can understand your reasoning." Kane replied, showing that while he still wasn't sure what the term 'hero' meant, as he likely thought that it meant 'great warrior' or something to that nature, he did know that they had a duty to fulfill and that they needed to leave at some point in the near future, hence why he wasn't pushing for them to stay here and accept being gods of the Atlawa, before he pulled out a stone seal and handed it to them, "Just know that, in light of your decision and your actions, all of you are now part of the Atlawa tribe... one of us... and we won't hesitate to help you, and you'll also have a place to call home as well."
Spyro, a little caught off guard by what Kane had decided to do for them, nodded his head and accepted the seal that looked like some of the stone pillars they had seen in the past, though once he had the item Kane and the others turned around and headed back over the bridge that was nearby, showing that they were heading back to their homes so they could restore order to everything the Apes had disrupted during their invasion, leaving the group alone with Cyril, at least until the airship arrived.
"Not only did you help me save the Stone Sentinel and impress Kane, but you were also welcomed into the tribe as a reward for your actions," Cyril commented, where he raised a hand to his chin for a moment, clearly thinking about what he had seen since the group had come to his aid and helped him subdue the Stone Sentinel, which had retreated into its shrine after the Atlawas departed from the area it called home, before he turned towards the area Spike was in and stared at the time the young dragon was looking at, "So, do you have any idea what that collar was?"
"Yes, its a mind control device, a rather large one at that," Spike stated, where he lifted some of the fragments with his magic and studied them in greater detail, since the last items they had seen of this type had been a necklace and there had been a number of them for him to look at, before he pulled a bag out and enchanted it like he did during their other adventures, creating a Bag of Holding so he could carry the fragments away from this area and then put the pieces inside it so he left nothing behind, "best guess is that the Apes were trying to take control of the Stone Sentinel, though for what purpose I have no idea... we would have to capture one and question it for the details of the mission they were given, but, given that they communicate by hooting and whatnot, that might be hard to do."
"I see. That is troublesome." Cyril said, referring to the fact that the Apes were behind the Stone Sentinel's rampage, no doubt due to the fact that they must have been the ones that placed the collar around the creature's neck, before he sighed for a moment as he considered what he had seen at the end of the fight, since there was one member of the group that had disappeared shortly after the battle had ended, "So, how long do you think we'll have to wait for your friend to return with this airship of yours?"
Instead of replying the group glanced off to the right of the final island, as in from where the bridge ended and faced the shrine the Stone Sentinel resided in, just in time to see the airship come into view and continue towards the area that they were standing in, where Cyril was shocked by the difference between this vessel and the one the Apes used, before a walkway extended out for them to walk on... though once they were aboard the airship Fury retracted the walkway and departed from Tall Plains, continuing their journey to the new continent Warfang was on.
"I must say, when you said airship I wasn't expecting all of this," Cyril commented, taking in the sight that was around him for a few moments, even though it was clear that he was thinking about what the other Guardians would think if they saw this vessel, especially since it was so different from the ones the Apes used to move between areas, though he did put his guandao behind his back, between his wings, and walked without it bothering him, though they came to a stop in the chamber that Nestor and the other Leaders were in, even if he had no idea who they were.
"Ah, hello there, its nice to make your acquaintance," Nestor said, though while he had been expecting the group to tackle whatever had been causing the disturbance in the area they had been flying by, and Bianca had told them that the group had done just that, he really wasn't expecting them to find one of the dragons that might call Warfang home, but it was good for them since they could show someone that they weren't there to declare war or anything, before he gestured to himself and the other Leaders, "I am Nester, Leader of the Artisans dragons, and these are Titan, Cosmos, Bruno, and Lateef, Leaders of the Peace Keepers, Magic Crafters, Beast Makers, and Dream Weavers clans, and I see that you have met Spyro, Spike, and Ember, along with their friends Sol, Elora, Hunter, Bianca, Sheila, Sgt. Byrd, Bentley, Agent 9, and the Professor, not to mention Nora, Alvar, Fury, and the crew that's operating the airship."
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you, though I am Cyril, Guardian of Ice," Cyril replied, where he took a few moments to make sure that he knew which name went to which individual, as the five older dragons were easy to tell apart due to the fact that all of them were different from each other and reflected their clan, something he would have to learn about while he was here, "also, thank you for the timely assistance, as I wasn't sure if I would be able to subdue the Stone Sentinel and stone its rampage on my own, especially after all the time I spent fighting it."
"Again, its no problem, as its what we do for a living," Spike stated, to which the rest of the group nodded their heads to show that they agreed with what he had said, even though this was the first time Sol had taken to the field and had done a wonderful job during all of their fights, something that none of them were really expecting and were glad to see, especially given how he fought his enemies, "it would have been wrong of us to leave you and the Atlawa in the situation that you were in... though I could tell that there was more to the Stone Sentinel than what someone could normally see by just studying the creature."
"That's correct, and that's because it is, or rather was, the Commander of the Stonefather's forces, as in the second-in-command, back when we used to live in Avilion," Cyril said, where he noticed that most of the assembled group was either shocked by the news or, in the case of Spike and Bianca, interested in what he had to say, especially since the former was already pulling out some paper to write down what he learned during this conversation, causing him to chuckle for a few seconds before he continued speaking, "According to the stories we were told, and by that I mean the Guardians, when Malefor defeated the four Elemental Lords their Commanders allied themselves with him and peace returned to our home, where they assisted us in defending our home and even convinced some of the lesser Elemental Lords to ally with our Leader, even if there were those that chose to attack Malefor, like the Midnight Serpent and whatnot. Anyway, when we were banished from our homes the Stone Sentinel and the other three Commanders followed us to the continent of Doxantha, where it is said that each of them took up residence in one of the four smaller islands that rested near our new home, with the Stone Sentinel taking what would be called Tall Plains, even if I think it should have been called the Floating Isles or something. The Ice King took up residence in Dante's Freezer, an island named after the first Guardian of Ice, the Molten Golem claimed the Isle of Bozibig as its home, where the volcano known as Boyzitbig rests, and Concurrent Skies became the home of the Thunder Prince, though once they found a place to call home they and their followers pledged to help Malefor and the Guardians of Warfang whenever any of them needed help... this was the first time that one of them went on a rampage, and it was due to the Apes using a mind control collar on it, based on what you found."
"Still, the Stone Sentinel put up quite the fight, so does that mean you're as strong as it?" Hunter asked, as that was something that had been bothering him since they discovered Cyril during his fight and he knew that someone else would ask it if he didn't, so he wanted to get this out of the way before they learned anything else, even though Spike was in the middle of writing down everything that they were learning.
"Oh no, each of the Guardians has about two-thirds of the power that our allies have, so the Stone Sentinel is actually stronger than I am," Cyril admitted, where he didn't seem all that happy to admit such a thing, like his pride had taken a blow by just saying those words to the group, before he regained himself and didn't let the fact bother him all that much, since there was more for them to talk about, "though I would have to imagine that the Apes found it while it was sleeping and picked that moment to slip the collar around its neck, as it would be incredibly hard, if not impossible, for them to take the Stone Sentinel down to a level where they could weaken it."
"And, just by seeing them do this to one of the Elemental Commanders, you fear that the Apes might try to do this to the other three?" Spyro inquired, as he had learned a lot from listening to Spike and was able to pick up on things that his brother would normally ask about or pieces of information that were rather important, so hearing that the Apes had done this to one of Warfang's allies meant that they might try it again, but with one of the other three they had just learned about, and he could tell Spike was thinking the same thing.
"Its possible, hence why we need to reach Warfang as quickly as we can," Cyril stated, though right now he wasn't at all surprised by the fact that some members of the group were already guessing at what he was worried about, as they appeared to be rather smart and knew what they were doing, but even as he said that he noticed something interesting that he had overlooked before, and that was the nature of Spyro and Spike's scales, "Wait a moment... you have TWO purple dragons in your group?!"
"Indeed we do, and they, along with their sister Ember, are some of the greatest heroes the dragons of the Dragon Realms have ever had," Titan proudly said, because all three of them, regardless of whether they had purple scales or blue scales, were the greatest heroes their lands had seen in at least five hundred years, maybe even longer since he wasn't one to spend time in a library and he was sure either Cosmos or Spike would correct his thoughts if he voiced them, and that was when he turned towards the rest of the group, "and their friends are slowly coming into their own as heroes as well, especially since three of them helped bring down the Rhynocs the Sorceress used to try and take over Avilion, back when it was known as the Forgotten Realms."
"Besides, after beating Gnasty Gnorc and going on our second adventure, we realized that the three of us had a grand destiny that was waiting to be revealed," Spike added, showing Cosmos that he must have found the tomes and scrolls that spoke of the purple dragons and why they were so special, even though the main reason they kept them from them was due to the fact that they didn't want to inflate their egos, which would have allowed any of their foes to claim victory over them, but now he wasn't worried about a thing, after what he had seen and learned, "and, after discovering where the Arcanaeum was located, we uncovered the existence of the continent we're heading towards, Doxantha as you called it a few moments ago... though now it seems that it was leading us towards a brand new adventure, one that will be unlike anything we have experienced in the past."
"Hold up... you found the ARCANAEUM?!" Cyril nearly exclaimed, showing the assembled group that it must have been one of the most legendary places in the history of Warfang, one no doubt talked about in the history books and whatnot, and that hearing that something like the legendary and mythical vault existed had been a surprise that he wasn't expecting to hear while they were talking, before he straightened himself a few seconds later, "Sorry about my outburst, its just that the Arcanaeum has been lost since we were banished from Avilion and all of us assumed it would stay that way... Ignitus, Volteer, and Terrador aren't going to believe this."
"Am I right in assuming those are the other Guardians? The ones for Fire, Earth, and Lightning?" Bianca inquired, as the three names didn't ring any bells for her or the rest of the group, so they had to assume that they belonged to the rest of the Guardians that they hadn't met yet, even though she had no idea what to expect when they reached Warfang, but it was worth getting as much information as they could before they arrived.
"Yes, they are three of the other four Guardians, and there's one other that acts as our leader, a High Guardian if you will, but he's been busy lately and its been the four of us," Cyril stated, which was information that Spike gladly wrote down for the future, that way he could fill it all in when they encountered the rest of the Guardians, as he had the feeling they would meet the other three at some point during their visit to Warfang, and, if they were lucky, they might even find and speak with the High Guardian, who just might be the Guardian of the Aether and what the Aether icon had been telling them about when they looked at the globe.
"You said that one of the Elemental Commanders resides on an island called 'Bozibig', correct?" the Professor asked, as there was something he wanted to clear up before they talked about anything else, even though he was sure all of this was fascinating to Spike, as it was that way to him and the others, he just wanted to get it off his chest before they focused on another subject, "Who came up with the name?"
"That would be the Manweersmalls, moles that live underground on the island in question," Cyril replied, though even as he said that he had to chuckle for a moment, as there was something funny about the entire comment the Professor had made and it was a good way to get him away from the shock of discovering that the Arcanaeum really existed and that it wasn't just a legend, "Apparently the name of their tribe is a play on the phrase 'man, we're small', and the same is true for both the name of the volcano and the island they call home, as the names of those two are a play on 'boy is it big', only they slightly modified the lettering that went into the name of their island so it wouldn't be confused with the volcano, for the few individuals that come to visit them... and I have it on good authority that the Apes call the island by another name, 'Munitions Forge', which is no doubt where a lot of their metal comes from, or at least that is what I've heard from those that head to the island."
It was in the following moments, before anyone could say anything else as the Professor considered the information he had been given, that Fury tapped on the side of the doorway and stepped into the part of the structure that the group was standing in, which meant he had discovered something they would want to see, though whether it was something like the floating islands or the continent itself remained to be seen.
"You might want to see this," Fury stated, to which he turned around and started to leave the area they were in, as if that was all he had to say, but since none of them really knew him all that well it was hard to tell what he was thinking or what some of his actions meant, before he paused for a few seconds and glanced back at them, "I think we've found what we're looking for."
As soon as he said that Spyro, Spike, and Ember were hot on his tail, followed by their friends and everyone else, and that included Cyril, where they headed outside and raced towards the very front of the airship, so they could have a great view of what their pilot had discovered, before all of them froze as they stared out at the sight that was in front of them, all while Cyril smiled as he stared out into the area that was in front of them. What rested in front of them was the massive continent that they had seen on the globe, the continent the Aether icon had been resting on, though seeing the actual landscape itself was more than what they were expecting, as there were several mountain ranges all over the island, with a few wide forests here and there, large rivers that seemed to cut through a good portion of the areas in question, and they could make out three other islands that were off in the distance. From what they could tell the island that was to the south of Doxantha had to be Bozibig, thanks to the volcano that was on it, or at least that was what they assumed since it was much further away from the main continent than the other two islands were, while the one to the right of their location seemed to be a frozen place that had to be Dante's Freezer, meaning that the one to their left had to be Concurrent Skies, which made sense due to the seemingly peaceful skies of the area in question, though they would have to get close before they could really make anything out of the final island. Spike could also tell that there were a number of structures all over the continent, some looking to be like ruins and the others appearing to be temples or shrines, and there was even a swamp area that seemed to have a view of the ocean, though by his estimates Tall Plains and Concurrent Skies resided in the northern hemisphere of their world, while both Bozibig and Dante's Freezer resided in the southern hemisphere, all of which he was sure he'd be writing down once he opened his journal again.
That was when all of them laid eyes on a massive city that rested between the center of the island, where a mountain or an inactive volcano rested, and the right side of the continent, even though it appeared that part of the continent that was near the city had been reshaped into a dock, for ships that came and went from this place, and further beyond the city rested a massive dam that seemed to regulate the flow of water to a certain part of the continent. The city itself was a sight to behold, as there were towers made of fine and smooth stone, buildings that were square shaped, circle shaped, and every other shape possible, no doubt residential buildings for those that called the city home, possibly stands for those that were selling goods, and they were pretty sure there were glass windows like the realms they had visited in the past, not to mention the stone dragon statues, structures that looked like libraries and temples, and a central structure that had to be the temple the Guardians gathered in. Even the docking area was full of structures and buildings, ones that were smaller than the ones in the main part of the city, but it was clear that they served a purpose as well and that none of them had been built for the sake of building something to fill the space, showing them that whoever had constructed the city had put a lot of time and effort into planning everything that needed to be put in the city, once more displaying how much effort Malefor put into caring for his people, even after they lost their original homes. This had to be the place they were looking for, the city known as Warfang, the area that Malefor went to when the dragons were banished from Avilion, yet none of them were quite ready for the sheer beauty and impressive nature of the city and the continent that it had been built on, as it exceeded all of their expectations and made them wonder what they had been expecting when they first heard the name of the city.
Cyril was, of course, the only one that wasn't stunned by what they were seeing at the moment, which made sense to the group when they considered that he and the other Guardians lived in Warfang for their entire lives, but he was happy to see that all of them were amazed by what they were seeing, especially the Leaders, as Nestor looked like he wanted to get down there and check out the architecture of the city, though he shifted his focus back to the city not a few seconds later, mostly due to what he had learned during his visit to Tall Plains.
"Warfang, the capital of Doxantha... it always gets this sort of reaction out of those that visit it for the first time," Cyril said, informing the group that what they were doing was normal and that none of them had to be ashamed of what was going on, even if he knew none of the group were ashamed at being amazed by the sight that was in front of them, before he spotted a yellow dot moving from the city and heading towards their position, "and it seems that a guest is coming to see us, instead of waiting for us to land somewhere."
The guest, as it turned out, was another dragon that was like Cyril and the adult dragons the group were used to, but unlike Cyril this dragon had a yellow scaled body with a blue scaled chest, and he even had what appeared to be lightning or electricity marks on his arms, legs, chest, neck, and tail, symbolizing that he had to be the Guardian of Lightning that they had heard about, Volteer. What the group discovered was that Volteer, while possessing a body that they were more familiar with, was also wearing the same golden armor that Cyril was wearing, complete with a yellow cloth that was cut to the same size as the blue one Cyril had, and his sash had the symbol for the Lightning Element on it, though he also had an identical pair of bracelets and the same collar, the only difference was that his bared the mark of his element, just like how Cyril's showed the Ice Element symbol, now that Spike considered it. The other interesting thing that the group found was that Volteer also carried a weapon, though unlike Cyril's guandao the Guardian of Lightning carried what appeared to be a metal whip, though that was when Ember realized that it was actually a sword that could transform into a whip, one that seemed sharp enough to do some damage and was likely able to channel Volteer's power whenever he was in a fight, just like how Cyril was able to utilize his powers while using his weapon. Just seeing him as he landed near them gave the group an idea of how the other two, Ignitus and Terrador, would look when they saw them, at least in terms of armor or attire, as they were sure both of the remaining Guardians they hadn't met would be wearing the same golden items and would have their own weapons, but for now there wasn't much they could do.
As Volteer landed on the deck of the airship he glanced at the area they were in an took in everything that there was to take in, likely due to the fact that this was the first time he had ever seen something like this, but the group waited for him to say something before any of them spoke, all while Cyril remained silent, no doubt eager to see what Volteer had to say about everything that was going on.
"Fascinating! This is simply exhilarating, seeing a fully functional airship that is a fusion of technology and magic and is nothing like what the Apes have!" Volteer stated, showing that he was overjoyed to see their vessel and the fact that it was something entirely new to him, since the one the Apes had was nothing in comparison to the AS Harmony, though not a few seconds later he rushed over to the edge of the area they were in and looked at the propeller that was the closest to where they were located, no doubt studying what was in front of him, "Remarkable, never would I have considered doing such a thing to make flight without wings a reality... this is an extraordinary ship, one unlike any other, and I simply must study it and everything that it holds!"
"Volteer, while I share your, um, enthusiasm for wanting to study this airship, there are other matters that we need to address at the moment," Cyril said, stepping forward so that Volteer could see him, not that he was easily someone that could be missed in a crowd with his golden attire and his weapon, and it wasn't long before the other Guardian noticed him standing there and let out a sigh, showing them that he understood what had been said, even if he wanted to spend some time getting to know the airship and how it was made.
"You're right, Cyril, I just got caught up in the excitement of seeing something entirely brand new." Volteer replied, to which he turned towards the group for a moment, while his words revealed that while he did have an energetic side, which was understandable given what they knew of certain scholars and other dragons, Spike even included himself in that since he knew that he was just as bad as the others when it came to finding new knowledge, "As you no doubt already know, due to Cyril being with you, I am Volteer, the Guardian of Lightning, and I have come to welcome you to Warfang... though we should bring it down outside the city."
The first thing Spyro and the others did was introduce themselves to Volteer, just like they had done with Cyril earlier, and while they did that Fury maneuvered the airship so that it was above the area just outside the docks, that way none of the other ships would be disrupted by them returning to the water, something that gave Volteer a chance to see how the airship operated as they descended towards the water and the propellers eventually disappeared after they reached their destination, allowing the Captain to dock them in the area the Guardians specified. The area in question looked like a place where tourists or visitors that weren't here on business would dock, of which it appeared that it wasn't being used by any of those types and allowed them to dock without having to worry about anything, though this time around Fury insisted that he and his crew would be able to hold down the fort, not that he was expecting any trouble since this city seemed far safer than what he was used to, allowing Sheila and the others to join their friends as they disembarked from the airship and followed the two Guardians into the city. When they got off the airship, and actually entered the city, the group were in for a surprise as they noticed that there were more than just dragons walking around, as there were a number of adult dragons, some dressed as guards, warriors, and scholars while others were actually dressed in clothing that reminded them of what Nestor and the others wore, meaning they were civilians, though what really caught the eyes of Spyro, Spike, and Ember were the number of young dragons walking around, some of them being their age and others being a year old at least, just like the hatchlings back home. On top of that there were a number of Moles, like the Professor, only much younger, that were either dressed in casual clothing or were wearing what appeared to be samurai armor, which wasn't the same as what the adult dragons were wearing, as they wore metallic armor over their arms, body, legs, head, and even parts of their wings, where the group was sure it was either plate armor or chain mail, it was hard to tell without getting up close and personal to investigate what it was.
Hunter was even surprised to see that there were a few Cheetahs walking around, both male and female from what he was seeing, and all of them were dressed as rangers and carried their own bows with them, meaning they were either here to help the dragons out or they were part of the guard as well, or both given that there had to be people outside the walls of Warfang, but this did tell them that the city was well guarded.
As they walked through the city, however, the group could feel that they were the center of attention, though Cyril told them that it was due to Spyro and Spike, as purple dragons were legendary and the whole continent knew about them, or at least what a dragon of their type could do according to the stories they had learned, and all of them were interested in hearing about the tales that the group had to bring. The city was old and there had only ever been one purple dragon to all of dragon kind, something Nestor and the other Leaders agreed with since none of them had seen a dragon like Spyro or Spike until they and Ember hatched, so Malefor was the only purple dragon anyone had ever known, informing them that it must have been a long time since the first purple dragon had passed and that this was the first time anyone had seen a dragon like them, though they did smile a wave a little, just to show the residents of Warfang that they were friendly. While they made their way through the city, giving the group time to look at some of the shops and take in what they sold, Cyril explained that everyone in Warfang had been waiting for the arrival of a second purple dragon, even though all of them were now surprised by the fact that there was a second and a third at the same time, so they could right the wrongs that the Apes were committing, as he admitted that there were smaller events over the years and what they had seen back in Tall Plains was the worse offense of them all, and restore order to Doxantha, something that would take some doing since there was much they needed to do. That was why they were heading towards the Temple of the Guardians, where only they, their apprentices, and certain guests were allowed to enter, as they needed to tell the others about what they had just found out and figure out where their foes were going next, because now that they had allies with an airship it would make certain things much easier for them and the rest of their forces.
It did take them some time to reach their destination, as they had to go through a few gates that were raised, even if it did give the group a chance to realize that if someone attacked the city from the outside they would be secure and able to fight back, and Sgt. Byrd even mentioned that there was likely a set gate or something that could be raised to protect the side of the city that was facing the water, which Cyril and Volteer agreed with, showing them that his military experience was coming in handy, even if it was for guessing at what else the city had to defend itself with. Other than that they had a number of catapults and cannons, so that in the event of a siege they could attack whoever was trying to take the city, as in they believed in being prepared for the worse while hoping they were just being paranoid, something that they shared with the first Guardians of the city, and the reason they told the group was because they trusted them, or at least Cyril trusted them and Volteer trusted his fellow Guardian's judgement on the matter. There were archers, warriors, mages, and every other type of warrior they could possibly ask for living inside the walls of Warfang, which basically meant that if it came to the city being under attack they would be able to defend themselves to the best of their abilities and make sure whoever tried to take them down would regret their actions, and right now it appeared that the Apes were preparing for something, that much Cyril acknowledged in public without saying too much else, mostly because he didn't want anyone to panic as they headed for the Temple of the Guardians. Spyro, Spike, Ember, and the others understood what he meant, as panic would weaken their defenses and possibly compromise everything that would keep the city safe, but based on what little they had seen so far they had to assume that Cyril and Volteer might be overthinking things, as the residents they had seen so far seemed to be the type to stay and fight, and hearing what the Apes were doing might make them want to prepare for a confrontation, but they respected what the Guardians were doing and said nothing about the Apes as they headed towards their destination.
The Temple of the Guardians was a circular structure that had a few openings, which could be closed by doors by the looks of things, and on either side of all of the doors were more of the dragon statues they had seen earlier, which stood like the statues they had found in the Arcanaeum, though when they entered the temple the group found that there were two rings they had to walk through before they reached the center chamber, which had to be their destination. As they walked into the central chamber the group discovered that there were no statues in the chamber in question, though at the same time Spike noticed what appeared to be a teleport pad, a circular pad that was enchanted to allow someone to teleport between two points, according to what Nora hold him about her theory, and that was off near the back of the chamber, while at the same time there was a larger circular disc in the middle of the chamber, though whatever it was he had no idea. That was when they spotted two other dragons, adults to be exact, that were standing between the teleport pad and the central disc, where the first one they spotted was a green scaled dragon, who had some light green spots on his arms, legs, and tail, and had a brown scaled chest, while his spine spikes were more jagged, almost earth-like, he had ram-like horns, and his tail ended in an earthen ball, which was rather interesting when they looked at it, though he wore the same golden attire that the others wore, his sash had the symbol for the Earth Element, and he had a green cloth attached to his sash. The other dragon had red scales, who had light red spots that were similar to the green dragon's, and his chest scales were light orange colored, though he had red-pink frills on his arms and cheeks that looked similar to the flame-like spikes on his spine, and he even had a small frill below his mouth that resembled a goatee, though like the rest of the Guardians he wore the same golden attire, only his had the symbol for the Fire Element and he had a red cloth in the place the others had their pieces of cloth.
From what the group could see it appeared that the green dragon, who had to be Terrador, the Guardian of Earth that they had learned about, had a pair of fist-like weapons that meant he would punch whoever his foes were, even though it seemed that the metal had been twisted to look like earthen fists, while the red dragon, who they knew had to be Ignitus, the Guardian of Fire, carried what appeared to be a rapier that looked like it belonged to a general or something, and it had a red tassel attached to the base of the handle.
"Cyril, Volteer, its good that you have returned." Ignitus said, his tone revealing that he was happy to see that the two other Guardians had returned to the temple that they had been meeting in, though as he and Terrador turned and looked at the doorway they noticed the group that was following the pair into the chamber they were in, and his focus was on the three young dragons that were with them, not to mention the older dragons, "Well, um, this is interesting, and certainly not what we were expecting when we noticed that something was coming our way..."
"One word: airship!" Volteer stated, revealing what he had seen earlier, where Ignitus and Terrador seemed surprised by the statement, since they also weren't expecting that as well, while at the same time Cyril made sure that everyone was inside the room before the doors to this chamber were closed behind them, not that he expected any of the residents of the city to come to the temple and bother them, before he recalled what he had seen earlier, "It is a fascinating ship, one unlike anything the Apes have ever created, and I have already expressed my desire to study the vessel when I met this group a few minutes ago... though I think Cyril has learned more from them than I have."
"Really? Now this I have to hear." Terrador replied, because while he was interested in the fact that they came to their city in an airship, something he would have to see for himself in the future, whatever Cyril must have discovered had to be far more important than what Volteer had found, though at the same time he had the feeling the group were friendly and that they could be trusted, which he would see for himself in the future.
That was when Cyril introduced the group to the other Guardians, where it was clear that they were surprised by the fact Spyro and Spike were purple dragons and that Ember was their sister, but neither of them said anything as he went about making sure they knew who was who, before describing what the Apes had been doing to the Stone Sentinel and what he had discovered during his time in Tall Plains.
"They're trying to subjugate the Elemental Scions... that is not good." Ignitus commented, where he turned towards the middle of the chamber for a moment and stared into the magical pool that was in front of him, though as he said that Cyril made sure to mention that what he had said was the name of the four elemental beings he had mentioned earlier, that the Stone Sentinel and the other powerful elementals were known as the Elemental Scions, "Friends, we should head to Dante's Freezer, Bozibig, and Concurrent Skies to make sure the rest of our allies are still okay, or free them from the Apes if our enemies have placed a collar around their necks... but first, before we decide on whose going to which island, there is something I would like to find out. Nestor, seeing how you are the leader of this group, maybe you can answer the question that hasn't been answered: why did you decide to journey to Doxantha?"
"We found Malefor's Arcanaeum and inside it was a globe that revealed the existence of this land to us," Nestor said, as while he knew that the siblings or their friends could answer the question, since they were the ones that had wanted to go on this adventure more than anyone else in the Dragon Realms, they were more than willing to leave answering it to him so they can figure out what they were here to figure out, "when we investigated the globe it had an icon on it that we were interested in and that icon rested over this continent, which we now know to be Doxantha, so we arranged for our allies to prepare an airship to carry us to where Warfang rested, all so we could figure out what was going on and what we could do to help the residents of the continent out."
"The Arcanaeum... where you found the Fangs of Felinia, Windshear, and who knows what else," Ignitus said, showing them that he recognized the weapons that Spyro and Ember carried, as it wasn't hard to recognize the runeblade that the former carried, thanks to all of the descriptions that were in the tomes and scrolls they had in Warfang, while at the same time he understood Cyril's rather quick and uncertain description of the weapons Ember had, and she even took a few seconds to show the Guardians that she had the weapons, before he sighed and shook his head, "well, we'll have to talk about the area that served as Malefor's private training area and vault later, as we have more pressing matters to focus on, those being the arrival of two purple dragons and whatever the Apes are planning."
"Just tell us what we can do to help and we'll do everything in our power to assist you guys," Spyro stated, because it was easy to tell that Ignitus and the other Guardians were in trouble, with what the Apes were doing to the islands that were around Doxantha and the elementals that called them home, and he, his siblings, and their friends were more than willing to help them take down whoever was behind what they had discovered, especially since none of them liked people that mind controlled others in some manner, and those Apes were now on the list, "My siblings and I took down Gnasty Gnorc, faced down Ripto, and fought the Sorceress so we could liberate Avilion from her grasp, while our friends have helped us stop wars in two of the lands we've been to in the past, so we're ready for whatever you can throw at us, or whatever the Apes can throw at us, to be more precise."
"Cyril claims that the lot of you are good fighters, which I am eager to see in the field," Terrador stated, where he took a moment to look at the group for a few seconds as he thought about what they had been told when Cyril and Volteer had returned to the chamber they were in, revealing that while he might believe the Guardian of Ice he wanted to see what all of them were capable of for himself at some point, though that was when he glanced back to Ignitus, "and we could use the help, since the Apes have been acting strange lately, and that's counting the recent attack on Tall Plains, which you repelled by the sounds of it."
"The globe must have sensed the impending danger and tried to warn someone," Ignitus said, showing that he had been thinking about part of what they had told him and the others, and while it was possible that he didn't believe part of what he had been told he wasn't about to question it, because he could tell that the group was highly skilled in a fight and that they would be fools to turn them away, so he would save the questions for later, to which he turned his attention back to the disc in the middle of the chamber, "We can discuss all of that later, as right now we need to focus on heading to the other islands our allies call home and make sure none of them have been taken by the Apes, though its hard to know which one our enemies are heading to first, even with this viewing table."
"Maybe I can help?" Spike asked, because magic was his forte and if it was something that Ignitus and the others were having trouble with, as that seemed to be the case, he figured that he might be able to tap into the magic of the device and see if he could figure out what the Guardians were trying to see, to which Ignitus beckoned to the central disc and he used his magic to tap into its powers, where he could see several images pass through his mind's eye, a frozen land, a land that had an active volcano, and one that seemed to be where the skies met, "Hm, from what I can tell it appears that the Apes are going after all three of the remaining Elemental Scions, instead of tackling one at a time, so we would have to send forces to Dante's Freezer, Bozibig, and Concurrent Skies to ensure your allies are safe from the Apes, and maybe we can find out what they're really planning at the same time."
Ignitus thought about it for a moment, while he and the other Guardians weren't happy with the news that the Apes were going after the other Elemental Scions that lived on the remaining three islands, but before he could say anything one of the doors opened and the Guardians glanced at it, as they knew of only three individuals that would come and join them in the temple, even if some would consider barging into the building to be quite rude, due to the fact that the doors had been closed, but he was willing to overlook it when he realized who was joining them and their guests.
"Where is he?" a voice asked, one that caused Spyro to stall as soon as he heard it, while at the same time the rest of the group turned to look in the direction the voice had come from, as they were curious as to who had spoken and who had decided to come to where the Guardians discussed things, and since none of the Guardians were moving to remove the individual that meant they were welcome in this chamber, "I heard he was sighted... earlier..."
It was in that moment that Spyro, his siblings, and their friends found who the voice belonged to, as it belonged to a teenage dragon who had to be their age, as in thirteen years old, though it was easy to tell that the dragon was female due to the voice they had heard, where her body was a dark purple color and her chest was a ruby red color, and she had a few interesting markings on her forehead, shoulder, and possibly her back, white symbols that Spike felt he had seen in one of the books he had read in the past. What was also interesting was that her wings had sickle-like spikes, which could be mistaken for blades, and there was even a sickle spike at the end of her tail, that one looking more like a blade that she could use to hurt those she fought, not to mention there were six horns on her head, split evenly between the left and right sides, which was also when they noticed that her mouth was beaked, an uncommon thing in dragons, but it didn't color their opinions of her. She was also wearing a platinum collar around her neck, a pair of platinum bracers on her front legs, and one more bracer that was attached to her tail, resting near the tail blade she had, though it was rather odd to see someone wearing pieces of jewelry that were made out of platinum, a material that was uncommon in the Dragon Realms, but that meant it had to be more common in Doxantha. While the others had no idea who she was, since this was the first time they had met her and none of the Guardians had said anything, Spyro was frozen, his mind reeling as all of his dreams came rushing back to the surface as he realized that they had been telling him about her, and when he tried to recall one of the dreams the blurry image was replaced by her.
In addition to that a name surfaced, one that he couldn't possibly know since this was the first time they had crossed paths in their entire lives, yet everything he had learned since they started their journey to Doxantha pointed to the two of them possibly knowing each other, something that was confusing him when he thought about it, before he focused on the name he had learned, hoping to get some answers as to what was going on.
"...Cynder..." Spyro said, surprising his siblings, their friends, and the rest of the Leaders as he said that, though even as he said that he knew Spike was noting down everything they had learned and that this would be something that might appear in the journal that detailed their fourth adventure, but the majority of his focus was on the female dragon that was staring at him right now.
"Spyro! Its good to see that you're alright!" the female dragon, Cynder, stated, where she walked over to where Spyro was standing for a few seconds, almost like she was going to nuzzle him or drape a wing over him, before she paused as she realized that something was wrong, mostly by looking into his eyes for a few moments, "What wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."
"Um, can someone explain what is going on?" Bianca asked, because while it was easy to tell that Spyro might have seen Cynder in a dream or something, maybe even a vision when he tapped into his powers, no one seemed to be saying anything and she was hoping that one of the Guardians would be able to give them some answers, where she could see that Ignitus and the others glanced at each other for a few moments, before sighing as they turned to look at the rest of the group that was inside the chamber.
"According to what the Chronicler, one of our friends, told us Cynder has several memories of a past life, though most of them involved her and a purple dragon," Ingitus replied, where some of the group tilted their heads as they listened to what he had to say, while Spike took note of everything and nodded his head, as he was one of the few dragons that could understand what was being said, before he glanced at the pair in question, "and it appears that Spyro is the purple dragon that she was seeing in her dreams. From what we know she started having these dreams when she was young, around the time when she was four years old to be exact, and it was between her fourth and fifth birthday that we tested her to see what sort of skills she would develop, such as the skills of a warrior, mage, alchemist, and so on, and during the art test she ended up making a plate that had a purple dragon's head, only it was goofy looking."
"Seriously? That's what Spyro did when we were four and a half and had our first art lessons," Ember remarked, as she couldn't believe that her brother and Cynder, who had never seen each other in the flesh until this point in time, had made near identical art pieces when they were the same age, something that made her wonder if Spyro had the same ancient memories that Cynder had, especially since he only started to really dream about her two weeks ago, when they started the journey to this continent.
"Fascinating, then that means you two must be destined for greatness!" Volteer stated, as while the other Guardians were a little surprised to hear that Spyro and Cynder had done the same thing at the same age, despite being in two parts of the world and not having actually met the other, he was excited about the possibilities that had just been revealed to all of them, before another thought came to mind as he focused on the pair again, "Cynder, we simply must tell your father about this and see what he has to say about it! I'm sure he'll be excited about this wonderful opportunity..."
"Volteer, as much as I agree with you, we have more pressing matters that need to be addressed... informing the High Guardian about Spyro and Cynder's connection will have to wait." Ignitus said, his tone revealing that, when it was just the four of them, he was the one that was in charge and that the others generally looked to him for guidance, before he took a moment to sigh as he glanced at the central disc once more and considered what Spike had told him, "Okay, here's what we're going to do: Terrador, I want you to head to the Isle of Bozibig and make sure everything is in order, Volteer, you should head to Dante's Freezer and see if the Ice King needs reinforcements to repel the Ape invaders, while I head to Concurrent Skies to assist the Thunder Prince, so that leaves you, Cyril, in charge of the temple and the city. Cynder, I want you to join Spyro's group and go with them to whatever island they decide to check out first, as I am leaving the decision in their capable hands, but I want all of us to make sure the Apes fail in their mission to subjugate the Elemental Scions and are driven back to their hideout, all so we can potentially put an end to whatever they're planning. Once that's done I will arrange for Spyro and Cynder to visit the Chronicler and see if he can't help them in some way... and then, as soon as all of that is over, we'll make sure to inform the High Guardian about their connection."
Terrador and Volteer nodded their heads before they headed through the doors so they could head to the islands he wanted them to check out, while Cyril nodded and understood that he was getting the easy mission, since he had just came back from his own assignment, before Ignitus followed the other two Guardians, though Cynder wasted no time in moving over to where the group was standing, so she could join them when they left Warfang, and she stood near Spyro, though Spike, Ember, and the others knew that this was either going to complicate things or strengthen their forces, something that they would find out as soon as they reached whatever island they chose to go to next.
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Wow. That was quick. I was expecting a slow build up to meeting all guardians and cynder, but all in one chapter. Wow.
And also Cynder knows Spyro. This makes thinks interesting. Also the news about a High Guardian? Who isn't the chronicler? Who could that be.
Also one question. Are the guardians on two or four legs. Because that one of the main difference between the 2 series. And I can't help but picture the 2 legged Dragons like Nestor and Titan, looking weird at the guardians who never got on 2 legs before.
Please don't kill me for that question.
Excellent job on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up in all the right places here. I especially liked the introductions of the Elemental Guardians AND Cynder (dragon). Plus the explanation of the power of the Stone Sentinels, the origins of the names the moles came up for the assorted areas and the uncovering of the Apes' plans to go after the other three Sentinels simultaneously makes for wonderful set-up. Plus, the added detail of Spyro and (dragon) Cynder already knowing each other in a past life also has quite a bit of potential.
VERY definitely looking forward to more of this.
Sweet introductions all around this chapter, especially Cynder. Things are starting to heat up again!
nice work
I have to admit that at first I thought this arc was going to be a reinterpretation of Legends, but I'm glad it's not.
Finally the character we were all waiting for appears, Cynder.
So Cynder also has some memories of his past life as Spyro, further supporting my theory that the events of Legends have already happened.
I wonder if Cynder also has her own dragonfly like Spyro, Spike and Ember.
10188348
Yes. The two have been reincarnated after they made he ultimate sacrifice to save he Dragon Realms.
Excellent chapter! Very good.
I knew that's how Volteer will react to the AS Harmony.
Cynder also had the same dreams and past results like the Art? Hehe yeah I can definitely see Spyro being goofy compared to Cynder's more serious look.
Is her father the High Guardian based on Ignitus' statement? Hopefully the Chronicler can shed more light especially about the Third Aether mark on the globe.
I know enough about Skylanders to know who that is. This will be interesting.
Both. It will almost certainly do both.