FSE

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Chapter 6

The forest was dark and dense , it was difficult to see anything but at least it stopped raining , the wind calmed down, everything was silent. Spyro landed on his belly when he jumped out from these bushes, it seemed he ran faster than he firstly thought since he couldn't keep his balance. While he was laying on the ground he looked around but there was no sign of the culprit who taunted him nor did he leave any footprints, it looked like he just vanished into thin air. As he laid there on the dry ground his instinct told him something was wrong, not only it was way too quiet but he felt also somewhat strange, just like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Unfortunately Spyro couldn't be more correct, a noise filled the woods but through this thick forest it was impossible to locate it. He concentrated just to make sure if his not imagining things, he wasn't, the sound he heard again was nothing else then a scream that was getting louder. Spyro instantly tried to get up and help the person who was yelling so loudly clearly terrified, he didn't care who it was, that person is in trouble and that's what matters.

The moment Spyro tried to rise something pulled him backwards and he landed on his belly once more. He looked behind him just to see some quite big twigs wrapped around his hind paws just as the bushes didn't want him to go, just as if they were telling him that there is nothing he can do. Spyro didn't listen he yanked his back paws forcefully trying to break free from their iron grip but to no avail, they didn't budge. Another scream filed the air but this time it sounded close, really close, just like it was coming from ahead.

Figuring he doesn't have much more time Spyro had to move faster, whoever it was he was clearly heading in this direction with his pursuers just behind him no doubt. Spyro's tail was stuck just like his paws, too bad it would really be helpful right now. With no other choice left Spyro slowly slid alongside the ground and started to roll over on his back. He couldn't roll over completely with his paws stuck in one position but it was enough for him to reach a slight portion of the twigs on the lower part of his body. Spyro thrust his claws into the twigs as deeply as the position he was in allowed it and began slowly cutting through them. He had to weaken their structure, that way they will break easily and he would be free again.

The dragon heard another scream. this time however it sounded like it came from just a few meters in front of him. Spyro looked in that direction just to see a cheetah popping out from the shadows . The fugitive had to trip over something since he fell on the ground, he didn't waste any time, just when the cheetah hit the ground he looked behind him and screamed in horror. Something was clearly chasing him and from the looks of it, the pursuer wasn't far. The cheetah crawled on the ground for a bit just to quickly make some additional steps on all fours before raising on his two legs. Whatever was chasing him he really wanted to lose it.

The cheetah made only a step or two before Spyro saw something behind him, it flashed briefly when it reflected the light from the moon which found an opening in the many dense tree tops.

Spyro tried to warn the feline but he only managed to open his mouth, it was already too late. The swirling axe that was thrown after the cheetah found it's mark. The feline uttered a stiffed scream and terror filled his eyes when the axe impaled on his back. He saw as the cat's body arched forward at the force of the impact, with one of his hands bend above the shoulder and the other one at his waist-height just like he tried to reach the foreign object that struck him. The cheetah took two or three ponderous steps before he fell on his knees and soon after on his face, completely lifeless. Moments later from the shadows stepped out the killer.

Malefor's Dark Army was created using unknown dark arts and promises of wealth and power. Firstly there were the Apes, mercenaries that were taught to artificially harness the power of Spirit Gems- the dragon's life source. The Apes served as perfect soldiers driven by greed, lust for power and even simple pleasure of butchering something without any consequences. The traits of every self- respecting mercenary. Out of this freelancers Malefor created a disciplined army with different ranks from common soldiers armed with simple weapons whose solely purpose was to follow orders to commanders wielding enchanted arms and what's more important-magic. These mercenaries bred beasts of their own like Dreadwings and Death Hounds that are capable of fighting dragon-sized enemies. Spoils of victory and discipline were one thing, what Malefor truly wanted was loyalty, loyalty that was hard to come by in an army consisting only of mercenaries. When The Dark Master was sure of his victory he severely punished the unfaithful portion of his army by turning it into Shadow Apes while he rewarded the most loyal ones with more power.

Years later Malefor wanting to replace his lost numbers used an unknown and powerful spell which spawned the Grublins. Grublins are artificially created servants through some evil means, they come in different varieties, from small common soldiers to big and large commanders. Their ranks matches the ranks of the Apes, a simple equipped Grublin soldier is a replacement for a common Ape soldier while the more talented ones match the status of an Ape leader or commander. Another example that belonged to this species are Orcs, they are more dangerous and more intelligent than normal Grublins, that's why usually Orcs commanders lead the army when it's marching. Just like Apes, Grublins brought with them dangerous creatures like Wyverns and Trolls that are perfect for fighting with dragons. After all those years Malefor not only added more deadlier forces to his army but also he achieved the goal he craved for- unswerving loyalty. Grublins are not interested in gold or power their sole purpose is to kill and follow theirs Master's every whim, and it goes without saying that they carried his orders with utmost pleasure.

It was an ape mercenary with red markings on his face and fiery eyes, he was wearing light leather armor with small spikes on its shoulders, two silver spiked bracelets on both his forearms, a helmet with two long spikes protruding from its edges, studded legs with silver spiked patches on its knees and studded boots. An iron belt was wrapped around the ape's waist with a small axe strapped on one side. He was undoubtedly a scout.

The ape stopped for a brief moment when he saw the cheetah's body laying still on the ground before he started circling it slowly as if admiring his work. Spyro instantly looked behind him and started working on the twisted twigs again, if the ape will notice him he will be defenseless and the mercenary won't waste an opportunity for an easy kill. Spyro moved his claws slowly carefully cutting through the woody twigs avoiding making any noise. He gritted his teeth when he tried to pull out his tail, he yanked it delicately but it wouldn't budge, Spyro shot a quick glance ahead.

The ape stopped at the left side of the cat's body and placed one of his foot on its back while he grabbed the handle of the axe with his hand. With a fast move he pulled out the axe, crimson fresh blood spouted out after it, the ape hunkered down staring at the feline's body with contempt and evil grin while he wiped the bloody axe on the cheetah's cloak.

Spyro quickly renewed his work, that was a scout after all, what are the chances he will not head in this direction? He was sure of one thing tough, they are slim. Spyro cut and cut, faster with every passing second yanking his tail all the time. He looked briefly ahead just to see the ape looking around just like he was feeling that someone is watching him. Spyro didn't have much time, he began working even faster, he felt as his tail was slowly breaking free, with luck he will slip by unnoticed, who knows how many of them are there. It won't be long now, he weakened the twigs so a sharp quick move of his tail will be enough for a soundless tactical retreat. Deciding that he can't waste any more time Spyro yanked his tail quickly releasing it from its clutches, unfortunately luck played a trick on him again, the twigs broke with a loud snap. Spyro bit his lip and looked ahead.

The scout turned around towards him bending on his knees slightly, adopting a defensive posture, firstly his eyes were wide with surprise but then he narrowed his pupils and even from here Spyro could see them flash with murderous intent. The mercenary smiled wickedly and reached behind his back, he pulled out something Spyro didn't notice at first glance. It was an ivory horn, he didn't really wanted to know who was its former owner. The ape placed one side of the horn to his mouth, took a deep breath and blew it. The rumbling noise it created startled every single bird or other animal that was hiding in the trees, falling leafs and small twigs were a sign that they were escaping in panic. The animals can take care of themselves, what really worried Spyro was the distant shouts and roars echoing throughout the woods, his suspicions were confirmed, the mercenary wasn't alone.

The ape threw the horn aside without even caring where it landed, with the same smile plastered on his face the ape unstrapped the axe from his hip. With both weapons in his hands the scout yelled and charged. Spyro immediately focused on the twigs, the gold sharp tip on his tail cut through them with much ease. There were plenty of them wrapped around his hind paws and for simple twigs they were quite sturdy, resisting efficiently every jerk. Spyro wagged his tail faster and faster at the increasing sound of thumping boots, sharp jerks weren't working as good as he wanted. Spyro gritting his teeth started to pull with all his strength, grunting and with his tail wagging quickly he desperately tried to break free. The twigs were slowly weakening their iron grip, feeling this Spyro pushed harder without even stopping to catch a breath. Moments later with a fast move of his tail he neutralized the last sign of resistance and with a loud snap he released his paws from their prison.

The moment he was free he instantly rolled over the ground, just in time in fact, as he began rolling over he saw two axes hitting the spot he previously occupied. With an angry shout the ape raised his weapons again dragging some grass and dirt along with them and struck again. Spyro rolled over avoiding the axes, unhesitatingly the mercenary tried again to plunge his weapons into the dragons body. He rolled once more dodging another blow, just when the ape yelled angrily and prepared to throw his axes at him Spyro slapped the mercenary's head with his wing knocking down his helmet and staggered him for a short while. With one final turn Spyro jumped on his paws and turned around to face his opponent.

With the opponent stunned it is easy to finish him off, well usually. Spyro inhaled the air, the moment he did that a sharp pain ran through his ribs making him cough terribly. The sound seemed to wake up the ape as he shook his head and focused his fiery eyes on the dragon while smiling menacingly. The mercenary charged with his axes raised above his head, Spyro jumped backwards just as they flew down slashing through thin air as a result. He didn't have much time to regain his composure, the ape attacked again this time slashing his axes horizontally, Spyro jerked his head back quickly hearing a sharp whizz as the axes almost reached his neck. The ape slashed again, Spyro repeated the same move just to duck the sharp edges of the mercenary's deadly weapons moments later. His opponent was no mere scout, he was a skilled fighter and a really fast one at that, he kept pushing relentlessly preventing Spyro from making any counter-attack.

The ape kept his pressure slashing the axes in every possible direction. Spyro knew he had to catch a breath soon, he was clearly unfamiliar with Ignitus' rule. He ducked the axes once more and quickly jerked his head backwards to dodge another blow but this time the sharp edges came maybe a second later than usually. This was the moment the dragon was waiting for, without wasting more time Spyro quickly spun around giving his tail some speed before striking the ape. He reflected the blow with his axe but it gave Spyro enough space to cut the scout's arm with his sharp claw. He screamed angrily and slashed with the axe held in his uninjured hand, Spyro jumped backwards avoiding the blow, the weapon in his wounded hand followed soon after but he was already out of reach.

Instantly the ape raised both weapons above his head and hacked them down vertically. The moment they hit the ground Spyro quickly placed his front paws on them preventing them from raising and jumped extending his wings. The moment he took to the air he wrapped his tail around the ape's neck and hauled him behind him. His axes fell on the ground as he tried to pry off the dragon's tail from his neck. The trees didn't allow Spyro to raise high but it was enough for him to finish the job. He began flapping his wings quickly gaining speed instantly while he made small circles in the air with the ape dragged behind him. The moment he felt he was fast enough with a sharp move of his tail he hauled the mercenary headlong towards the ground, the moment he struck the earth Spyro heard every possible bone shattering.

Spyro landed on the ground and run quickly to the cheetahs body, he met only one tribe in his journeys and members always had something with them that served as a identification from which tribe they are, and it would a good thing to inform it that one of them is dead. He stopped just beside the body and rolled it over on his back, the dull horror filled eyes made his heart jump, he shut them just out of the respect for the fallen. Spyro looked over the body but there was no symbol he recognized or maybe he just didn't know what to look for. Through his shirt ran a leather strap that eventually ended with a small bag just next to his hip, something was standing out from it that looked like a rolled parchment, the cheetah was clearly no soldier but a messenger. The felines are fast and they know the Valley like nobody else but it's not always enough to survive.

" I'm sorry" Spyro whispered pleadingly as he reached out for the strap, he delicately cut through it eventually pulling the bag out with some strips still hanging from it, the whole thing only left a moral mark on the young dragon. You never disturb the dead but these were difficult times.

He quickly unrolled the scroll to check if it contained anything of value. "SHE'S COMING" was written at the top while the whole parchment was covered with a hastily drawn map, probably of the valley, with mountain ranges as thick lines, rivers as straight lines and trees as dots. Every now and then there was a hut drawn inside a red circle and a number beside it starting from one to four, many red arrows pointed at each circle from different directions . What caught Spyro's attention was number one, the hut was drawn near two big thick lines and above many dots, a village was nearby. It was some sort of a plan, a warning for other villages that the messenger was supposed to deliver of the incoming attack. Clearly the cheetah won't be able to finish his mission.

Spyro started to fold back the map just to see an ape soldier trying to stab him with a sword. He sidestepped quickly avoiding it but unfortunately the tip pierced right through the parchment destroying it completely. He didn't have the time to worry about that now as the ape struck him with a shield, Spyro's head jerked to a side and blood gushed from his mouth at the impact. The soldier seeing that he managed to hit his opponent quickly swung his sword crosswise. Spyro sidestepped again but this time he was to slow, the sword cut his wing, nothing serious but it still hurt. A strike with a shield followed soon after that he reflected with his second wing making the ape lose his balance for a moment. It was enough for the dragon to jump on the soldier and plunge his claws into his arms, the ape fell on the ground under the drake's weight, with his arms locked in place he couldn't defend himself, Spyro had no troubles ripping the ape's throat with his powerful jaws.

Spitting some blood out Spyro turned around quickly to see another mercenary approaching him with raised axe just above his head. He couldn't use his deadly breaths but that didn't prevent him from channeling his elemental powers to take advantage of skills that didn't require deep air inhalation. Lowering his head till the gold horns pointed at his opponent Spyro used his Comet Dash ability. With a red flash he charged his enemy, he gained speed instantly, Spyro was so fast that the ape didn't even had the time to react. The axe fell on the ground when two gold horns pierced his armor and then his abdomen, the ape uttered a faint grunt and impulsively placed his hands on the dragon's head trying to push him away. Spyro felt the pressure from his opponent weakening with every inch as life was escaping him. He kept running with the impaled ape until he hit a tree, the soldier had to die on his horns since he didn't scream when he was set ablaze.

Two angry shouts came from behind him, Spyro spun around quickly to see two ape soldiers attacking him. He rolled to a side avoiding the spear that tried to stab him and jumped backwards but it wasn't enough to dodge the attack of the second soldier. The sword cut his foreleg, it bent slightly after receiving the wound. Spyro growled and jumped into the air, the moment he flapped his wings the spearman raised his weapon and tried to stab him once again. Spyro spun around quickly just to see the spear running inches from his belly, he grabbed it with all his paws and with a powerful jerk he tore it out from the ape's hands. Spyro hovered in the air as he turned around to face his enemy, the moment the dragon saw him he threw the spear with all his strength at him. The ape didn't even moved when the spear impaled him to the ground, with a gurgle blood shot out from his mouth as he arched forward for a moment with his arms extended trying to grab the spear and pull it out, seconds later his body arched backwards numbly as death took him in its cold embrace. Without wasting any time Spyro dived, the second soldier raised his weapon above his head but didn't have the time to swing it as the drake caught him and lifted him upwards. Spyro made a quick circle in the air and just when he was getting close to the spear he dropped the mercenary. He didn't even yelp as he impaled on the wooden end of the weapon with his chest.

Spyro jerked when an arrow flew past him with an audible whizz, he wasn't far from the ground since the many trees prevented him from going higher, deciding he was an easy target here Spyro landed quickly. The moment he set his paws on the ground he saw an ape soldier running towards him screaming madly. He unstrapped one of his axes and hurled it at him, moments later he did the same thing with the second axe just to unsheathe a sword in the end and raise it above his head as he kept running at him still screaming. Just as the first whirling axe was closing in Spyro bent on his paws dodging it, still in the same position he spun around swiftly and just when the handle of the second axe faced him he wrapped his tail around it. The moment the image of the charging soldier ran past his eyes he extended his tail and released the weapon, the axe penetrated the helmet and got stuck in the ape's forehead silencing him forever.

Four soldiers jumped out from the shadows, Spyro turned around lowered his head and charged. The mercenary didn't see this coming, he only faintly yelped in surprise when two horns pierced him. Just like previously he ran with the soldier until he hit a tree but this time the mercenary wasn't alone. Spyro didn't have the time to turn around and release the impaled body when one of his companions began attacking him, the ape swung his sword but Spyro managed to deflect it with his tail. The moment he did that the other two mercenaries raised their weapons preparing to strike him. Spyro channeled the power of his ice element, some little icy sparks began shooting out from the gold tip on his tail, he swiftly swiped it to the other side knocking down both soldiers. Thanks to his Ice Tail ability they froze the moment they hit the earth.

Spyro withdrew his horns, the body of the ape that was pinned to the tree slumped down its hunk leaving a trail of blood behind it. He turned to face the last mercenary just to see a group of archers with already stringed bows behind him, Spyro pounced forward blocking the sword that was heading his way before prying it off from the mercenary's hand with one fast blow of his claws. The ape gripped his wrist with terror on his face as one of the dragon's claws sliced through the veins, streams of blood flowing down his wrist just as quickly as rivers flow downhill. The arrows were set loose, not caring for the mercenary's problem he grabbed him by the arms and turned with him towards the incoming arrows. Most of the arrows got stuck in the ape's back just like he was some sort of a training dummy, some of them whistling past him, only one arrow managed to leave a mark. It didn't hit him directly, the sharp edge of the arrow-head ran alongside his whole side leaving a bloody cut on his body.

Spyro dumped the pierced mercenary and started to ran towards the archers as they began pulling out arrows from their quivers. As he gained a little speed Spyro jumped slightly and channeled his earth element powers to turn into a spiked boulder. Some archers jumped out of the way when he rolled over them but the spikes prevented them from getting far, dismembering them in the process. Legs, arms or even bodies cut in half were thrown into the air. Spyro returned to his normal form just to see some apes crawling on the ground with only the upper part of their bodies intact leaving a bloody trail and guts behind them. Gross.

A bigger ape than the previous ones showed up next to him accompanied by two archers, the mercenary swung his sword crosswise just to follow the same move with his other hand that also had a sword in it. Spyro jumped backwards quickly, one of the weapons leaving a scratch on his neck, he didn't have the time to recover as the ape attacked again, Spyro deflected the first strike with his wing while the other cut his side. He roared in pain and stumbled backwards, the mercenary pushed again he deflected the first strike with his tail then ducked under the second blow and hit the ape in the extended arm with his claw. The mercenary swayed a little and Spyro raised his second paw to strike, but just when he was about to slash with it an arrow hit him in the chest just next to his extended paw, he flinched and with a grimace of pain on his snout pulled it out quickly, drops of crimson blood gushed from the wound, he didn't have the time to recover as another one thrust into his waist just beside his hind paw.

Spyro sidestepped avoiding a vertical strike from one of the ape's swords and leapt into the air, he flapped his wing forcefully to gain speed but it wasn't enough to avoid the second sword as the ape swung it upwards, the triangular edge left a gash on his thigh. Spyro growled and swung his tail so that the sharp tip headed directly for the ape's chest, but this mercenary was a skilled fighter, he read the dragon's intentions, just when the purple tail was getting close he dropped to the ground the tail threw off only his helmet. After this miss Spyro spun in the air dodging an arrow heading his way fired by one of the archers while he dived to reach the other one. This one was less experienced than his companions since his arms were shaking violently unable to keep his bow straight when he saw the dragon turning towards him. Just as he prepared to string his bow the arrow fell on the ground, he picked it up and the moment he raised his head a gold tip thrust into his chest with such a force that it almost went clean through, he only gurgled as streams of blood shot out from his mouth.

Spyro withdrew his tail and the body dropped onto the ground covering the grass in a pool of blood instantly. He maneuvered in the air as arrows kept whistling past him, he can't stay in the air there is way too many archers in the forest, they will shoot him down eventually. Spyro looked behind him and saw a place on the ground that wasn't crawling with enemies, yet. Deciding that this was his best option he turned his head to see what's in front of him as he slowly began preparations for the landing. The moment his head returned to its normal position Spyro's eyes went wide, a quite big rock was heading in his direction that would most likely stun him leaving him at the mercy of the mercenaries, and they would have no troubles shortening all his years.

There was no chance he can avoid it now, Spyro instantly took cover behind his wings, they jerked back at the impact and Spyro groaned as the rock exploded into many small chunks. With nothing to sustain him in the air Spyro began falling vertically down, he began spinning around as he extended his wings trying to catch a gust that would carry him anew. It won't happen, the trees prevented him from gaining a proper altitude and the ground was getting closer. With last unintended spin he turned to see the green earth below him as he screamed and braced himself for a rough landing.

Fortunately not only the dragon was surprised by the unexpected turn of events, an ape soldier looked up just to see a purple drake heading directly at him. The mercenary only emitted a faint gasp when the dragon landed on him, his weight crushing every possible organ inside the ape's body and almost creating a hole in the ground. Spyro shook his head and opened his eyes to see the mercenary's face frozen in shock with his eyes wide open and mouth agape. There was no time to admire the view as he saw a group of soldiers charging from ahead, that was not his only problem, many sounds of clanking armor were coming from behind him accompanied by the noise of released arrows from the bows.

Spyro thrust his claws into the ape below him and rolled ahead, the ape's back was skewered the moment it faced the direction from which the arrows were coming. With that of the was Spyro gave the body a solid kick with his hind legs sending it flying directly at the group of soldiers charging from ahead. As the group ahead slowly began getting up from the ground Spyro quickly raised up, the soldiers that attacked him from behind were close, shouting they prepared to strike. He moved his tail to one end as far as possible, charged it with ice and swiped it to the other side, knocking down some ape's while others jumped backwards avoiding the freezing blow. He quickly spun around and took cover behind a slab of ice that was previously a living and breathing mercenary, the arrows deflected, some shattered and even others got stuck in the block of ice, the archers didn't care that they companions were nearby skewering some of them as a result.

Spyro left his hiding place and with a flash of light charged the archers with his head low, just as his horns thrust into one of them setting him ablaze he stopped and attacked the rest of the group. The archers were defenseless in close combat against the bouncing dragon between them, they didn't even manage to unsheathe their small swords or daggers when a sharp claw run across their throats releasing all the blood that had been held behind the skin.

Just as he finished with them Spyro ducked under a sword, sparks were thrown into the air as it ran across his horn. He deflected a strike with a shield with one of his wings while he threw off a raised axe with his second one. Rolled on the ground as a huge sword hit the ground right next to him and quickly pounced at the mercenary just in front of him, the ape only screamed loudly when his arm got trapped between powerful teeth, Spyro yanked the soldier forcefully slightly lifting him from the ground, with the soldier in the air he spun around quickly, the legs of the helpless ape knocked down every soldier that was to close. After one spin he threw the body into an another group of charging apes before concentrating on the mercenary's that were near him.

Spyro sidestepped as a sword whizzed just next to him, with that out of the way he slashed horizontally with his claw killing a soldier that was preparing to strike him on the spot. Just as he was preparing to block a blow with his wing an arrow struck him in the chest, Spyro roared and swayed as the pain rushed through him, he didn't have the time to recover as something cut his unprepared wing leaving a deep gash on it. Stumbling backwards he saw a tip of a sword heading for his throat covetous of his dragon blood, he jerked his head back but it still managed to reach him making another scratch on his neck. Growling he extended his front paws quickly above the sword and brought them back down moments later pinning the weapon to the ground, the soldier was brought to his knees and with his arm stuck under the dragon's paws he couldn't protect himself against the bite.

As the hunkered body of the ape was slowly beginning to fall on the ground he pounced onto its shoulders and sprang from them allowing him to jump over the many slashing weapons, while he was still in the air with a fast move he pulled out the arrow from his chest. Just when he was about to land Spyro threw the arrow with all his strength at the archer who was stringing his bow, he didn't finish as the projectile hit him straight in the eye, a faint gasp of surprise could be heard before the ape's body tumbled onto the ground. This reckless move came with a cost since he jumped directly into the middle of a group of enemies, the ape's froze with wide eyes fixed on the dragon as neither of them expected something like this. Spyro didn't hesitate, he knocked down some startled mercenaries with his wings simultaneously swiping his tail killing a handful of enemies behind him while freezing some others.

Not everyone was caught unaware, a spear emerged from behind their ranks and stabbed the dragon in the side, luckily for him it didn't go deep. Spyro groaned and with a powerful flap of his wings took to the sky, He raised straight upwards for a moment before turning to face the earth below him, just when he flapped his wing and began heading headlong for the ground Spyro used his elemental powers and turned into a boulder. The moment he hit the ground a powerful shock wave was created knocking down every ape off their feet in close proximity. Spyro didn't waste time as he began finishing off the mercenaries near him, seconds later the ape's began to raise and another groups of soldiers were headed his way.

He flapped his wings again and raised to the air to repeat the same move, but as he was beginning to turn around he saw an ice bolt heading straight at him. He made a swift circle in the air but the bolt managed to touch his tail leaving a painful trail of frost on it. Spyro winced and recovered his stability just to see a huge slowly approaching fireball, it was quite a distance away but even from here he could feel the heat it emanated, he didn't have the time to focus on it as arrows were flying from every direction preventing him from focusing on his elemental powers. It was too crowded on the ground so he decided to make a dive, he spun around, flapped his wings forcefully and furled them soon after, the momentum he gained surprised the soldiers below as they were not expecting the dragon to descend so fast upon them. Just as he was close to the ground he unfurled his wings regaining balance while slashing with his claws through enemy ranks, his attack ended when he grabbed and archer and raised with him in the air before hurling him down at the group which aimed their bows at him.

The heat was getting stronger, the fireball was close and he needs to find a place to land and quickly, Spyro looked around and spotted an appropriate place, the soldiers were there also but not in such great numbers. With no other choice he prepared to make a go for it, but just then he felt another source of heat, he turned his head to look at the approaching fireball just to see a smaller one emerging from the woods. This one however was flying with incredible speed and what was more surprising it wasn't directed at him, the fireball was raising in the air with no clear purpose, someone down there really needs to work on his aiming. Spyro concentrated on the more dangerous threat, the huge fireball is getting closer with each passing second, but just then with a corner of his eye he saw the burning edges of the smaller ball of flame. Spyro's eyes went wide when he realized what's going on but it was already too late, the moment the small fireball hit the bigger one they both exploded with a deafening roar. Spyro covered himself behind his wings as the powerful and scorching gust of wind approached, the gale was so strong that it blew him from the sky the moment it reached him, burning his wings at the same time.

Spyro spun and twisted uncontrollably in the air while he headed for the ground, before he could reach it a tree blocked his way, it almost bent when the dragon hit it. With a terrible howl of pain he began to slide down along its hunk snapping every branch that protruded from it. Eventually he arrived at the bottom with his back propped against the tree, groaning Spyro began to open his blurry eyes, his concentration returned quickly when he saw a huge axe ready to relieve his neck from the burden it had to carry from the moment he hatched. Spyro forced himself to slump and he made it just in time, the axe hit the tree just above his horns making bits of wood and bark land on his head. He didn't waste time, while the ape was grunting and struggling to pull out the axe from the hunk he used his claws on his hind paw to strike the slightly uncovered knee cap of the soldier. The ape's leg bent under the pain, the moment the mercenary's face was at the height of his front paws, he slashed it with his claws sending blood everywhere.

As Spyro slowly began to raise he cursed his curiosity, he could be in that cave now, resting and recovering with Cynder, but no, he had to check what was the source of that awkward feeling, oh how he wished he was back. Spyro couldn't really dwell on it as he saw the familiar ape wielding two swords charging him with a group of soldiers behind him, he didn't want to fight with him, this guy was good and he was tired and wounded ,he needs his strength since his enemies keep pouring in, he has to figure some other way to get rid of him. Spyro looked at the bloody body behind him and an idea crossed his mind, he slipped his tail under the double spiked helmet on the dead ape's head and lifted it. He threw it into the air and just when it was falling down Spyro made a quick spin and slapped the helmet with the flat end of his tail. It was sent flying towards the charging ape with one of the spikes directed at him, the speed it was flying with prevented the soldier from reacting appropriately, in fact the mercenary didn't even budge as the spike perforated his forehead.

The group of charging mercenaries stopped beside their leader's body and looked at it, not really sure what has just happened. Moments later all of the raised their heads and looked incredulously at the purple shape ahead, realizing where they are the soldiers raised their weapons, yelled and renewed their advance. With a roar Spyro began his own charge, this time however with his eyes fixed at the approaching group. Just when he was getting close he began charging his electricity power, a yellow sparkling sphere formed around him, when he directly ran into the group all the soldiers were instantly stunned by the electric impulses, with the sphere still around him Spyro killed every soldier affected by it.

Another mercenaries attacked, he jumped backwards as the weapons were swung at him vertically, deflected a strike with his tail just to be stabbed with a spear and cut with a sword. His paws bent under his weight when a sharp triangular shape ran across them. Spyro unfurled his wings knocking down the apes at both his sides while he jumped at the one in front of him, snapping his mouth on his arm he raised the ape above his head just to smash him on the ground behind him, he repeated the process several times slowly turning the soldier into a pulp. The bouncing ape prevented other soldiers from getting close, but an arrow managed to find a way and get stuck in his wing. Spyro growled with his teeth clamped on the ape's arm and started to spin around, just as he saw a group of archers behind some soldiers he threw the body at them, it knocked down or even killed several mercenaries instantly.

Taking advantage of this little break Spyro gained speed and jumped while he turned into a boulder, its solid and deadly spikes rampaged throughout the ape's ranks, he returned to his normal form as he felt his elemental energy depleting rapidly thanks to his wounds. Just as he landed on all his paws he felt two not very strong sources of heat heading his way, he turned around to see two small fireballs colliding with each other creating a gust of wind that burned the dragon and sent him sliding along the ground. Spyro stopped at the feline's body, regret and guiltiness boiled inside him when he looked at the corpse, he let another person die while he did nothing to prevent it. Shaking his head he pushed away the bad feelings, determination and thirst for revenge taking their place, both feelings so strong that he forgot about the pain for a moment.

Spyro pulled himself up just to see a sword heading his way, he ducked and slashed immediately with such a force that his claws penetrated the armor and cut the soldier's abdomen, they went so deep almost touching the spine, he swiped his wing knocking the surrounding enemies while he thrust his sharp tip on his tail inside some other, Spyro got cut but he didn't care, with a snarl he pounced at a soldier and sank his teeth into his neck. Arrows were sent flying towards him, he grabbed an ape's arm yanked it forcefully and turned him so the arrows got stuck in the soldier's back while he remained mostly unharmed. The skewered body fell on the ground and with a red flash he charged the archers and pierced one with his horns, with a powerful jerk of his head he hurled the burning body at a another group of advancing enemies while he froze the remaining archers with his tail.

As the last archer turned to ice Spyro had a moment to catch his breath, unfortunately for him the break ended as quickly as it began, he heard a cracking sound behind him, he turned his head just to see a slab of ice that previously was a living soldier, small cracks were forming on its surface slowly getting bigger and bigger. Then suddenly the block exploded sending small chunks of ice in every direction ,one of them managed to leave a little scratch just below his eye, he covered himself behind his already tortured wing, with all these burns it was more sensitive to pain than usually, Spyro gritted his teeth and hissed as the ice bounced off his membranes sending surges of searing pain along it, nevertheless it was still better than getting hit by the shards directly in the snout. He lowered his wing the moment the ice stopped flying just to see two apes with glowing scepters in their hands standing in the spot where the slab of ice was moments ago.

Spyro didn't have the time to concentrate on their features as they began their assault immediately, one of them directed the head of the scepter at him and with a green glow an earth missile was launched at the dragon, Spyro rolled aside evading the deadly strike, but it wasn't enough to completely avoid the second attack, the flame released from the second scepter ran maybe centimeters above his gold fins but it still managed to burn his back along the whole length of his body. Spyro didn't even managed to get up as he saw both mercenaries pouncing at him raising their swords ready to deal the decisive strike, he channeled his earth powers forming a insubstantial shape of a boulder around him. He winced when the weapons hit his protective barrier, it was weak so the moment it received the blows a searing pain rushed through his whole body and the barrier faded, luckily for him it served its purpose.

The swords bounced off from the surface after the hit sending tiny sparks in the air while their owners tottered. Spyro raised quickly and leapt at the closest caster. His claws thrust into the mercenary's shoulder pads as they began to roll forward. Spyro craned his neck and opened his mouth showing many pointy teeth ready to steal the life from his victim. just as he prepared to make the bite something touched his belly, he felt some magical energy charging just to be released moments later. With a thud and a flash of a bright light a powerful force struck his belly throwing him off the ape and sent him flying into a group of soldiers.

They were surprised just as he was since they didn't even blink when the dragon crashed with them killing some soldiers on the spot. Spyro pulled himself up swiftly and had to sidestep instantly to avoid a spear trying to stab him, still on the move he ducked under a slashing sword just to kill its owner by cutting his abdomen. He felt magical energy being released, with a strong swipe of his tail he hit and threw the spearman in the direction of the approaching magical bolt. The earth missile pierced his armor with ease, the bloody spiked end sticking out from his back while the thicker got stuck somewhere between the soldier's bones. The missile carried the ape with it impaling any mercenary on its way until there was no more room on its sharp end.

Spyro didn't have the time to admire the view as he had to dodge an ice bolt heading his way, he rolled on the ground but to his surprise the missile exploded into small shards just when it got close enough. Spyro covered himself with his wings and howled in pain when the chunks stroked his leathery cover and his front paws before he could hide them. Taking advantage of this opportunity a soldier with a shout jumped into the air and prepared to sink his sword into the dragons back till it reached his spine. Hearing it Spyro channeled his electric powers as fast as he could before he looked at the descending ape and released it, his electric arc was very weak since the soldier wasn't affected by it but luckily it was enough for the ape's weapon. The sword stopped in midair while the ape fell on the drake's back, with a wide smile and a shout of victory the mercenary moved his hand down forcefully to sink his blade into his flesh, shock and terror filled the ape's eyes as he realized that he only punched the dragon, the image of a toothy maw heading his way was the last thing he saw.

Spitting out blood Spyro pulled himself up just to deflect an incoming strike with his tail while he blocked an another one with his wing, he didn't have the chance to counter-attack as one of the casters swung his sword, Spyro ducked under it just to be hit again with the scepter as it emitted a flash of white light. The moment he felt himself being thrown away Spyro thrust his claws into the ground, with such grip the force only made him slide backwards while his claws leaving a scratch on the earth. A soldier didn't expect that he will resist the impact so he swung his weapon instantly at the dragon, Spyro deflected the blow with his wing just to finish the ape with his tail. He swiped it again at the caster but his gold tip only managed to scuff his armor.

The second caster joined the fight, with a fast cut with his sword he hit the dragon's extended tail, Spyro groaned and jumped aside avoiding a missile heading his way. He didn't have the time to recover as the first ape renewed his attack accompanied by a soldier with a shield, they struck at the same time, Spyro jumped backwards while both weapons hit the ground, he slashed with his claws but one soldier dodged the blow while the other blocked it with a shield. The moment his paw bounced off it he spun around ready to strike with his tail, as he turned Spyro took a glimpse of something reflecting the moonlight, it flashed next to a tree illuminating the middle of its hunk just to vanish moments later. Two ape's avoided his tail while the third one reflected it with his scepter and stabbed slightly the dragon's waist. Spyro roared in pain, exchanging blows like this would probably lead to his death, he needed to think of something else.

He avoided a blow from the second caster and moved closer to the two mercenaries in front of him, Spyro swiped his wing quickly not at the first caster's body but at his scepter, the soldier deflected his strike with ease, at the same time Spyro blocked an incoming attack from the common soldier with his other wing. The ape followed with his shield while the caster swung his sword crosswise at him, instead of jumping out of the way off the incoming weapon he ducked feeling the shield running just above his head. He heard a yelp of surprise and a ringing sound when the sword hit the metal shield with such a force that the impact staggered both soldier momentarily. Spyro jumped forward and just in time in fact since he felt a small gust of wind behind him as a sword hit the ground.

He raised and spun around to strike again with his tail, both soldiers jerked their heads back avoiding the deadly tip. Spyro repeated the same move but this time however he shot a quick glance above releasing the sword from its cage, just as he turned the blade reached an appropriate height, he wrapped his tail around its hilt. Spyro swiped again and the soldiers did the same dodge, they smiled wryly when the dragon missed once more and decided that it was their turn to attack. As they prepared to charge the dragon stopped spinning and showed them the sword wrapped around his tail with dripping blood from its tip. Something prevented both apes from advancing, they impulsively touched their necks and lowered their hands to see blood on them, even from here Spyro saw their terrified eyes as they desperately tried to prevent the blood from escaping. Moments later the blood created long red streaks on theirs armor until it dripped on the ground, both soldiers fell on their knees just to slump on the ground seconds later revealing a startled caster behind them.

Spyro hurled the sword at the baffled ape but as the blade got close the caster moved his scepter and a loud thud was created accompanied by a flash of white light throwing the scepter to one side, the sword to the other an the ape backwards. Spyro charged with his head low but the mercenary managed to roll away, he stopped turned around and began slashing with his claws quickly, the soldier parried some of his strikes, dodged the others while he kept moving backwards. Spyro continued his assault not really caring if he hits, he wanted to push the ape back and prevent any counter attack from his side. He slashed and slashed relentlessly pretty amazed at how the soldier avoided his blows, but everything has to end someday. The ape's back hit a tree, trapped he blocked one blow, then somehow managed to deflect the second one but the third strike pried the sword from his hands and sent it flying aside, the soldier looked at the dragon just to see an incoming pair of paws with sharp claws, Spyro tore the ape to shreds.

He spun around ready to repel any attack heading his way, his eyes went wide when he saw that there was no soldier charging him. Just as he looked around he took a glimpse of a mercenary retreating into the shadows, why did they stop he had no idea, they could overwhelm him easily. Spyro heard something ahead it sounded like some ponderous steps, moments later a huge ape emerged wearing a complete plate set that didn't allow even a tiny bit of flesh to stick out. The burly ape carried with him an even bigger two-handed sword with viciously looking teeth on its edge. He was a undoubtedly a leader, and that's why the ape's retreated probably so he can demonstrate how it's done.

Spyro didn't waste time, with a red flash he charged the ape wanting to surprise him with such fast attack, it seemed to work since he saw his sword thrusting into the ground beside him. He felt as something gripped his horns tightly and it was harder and harder to push with every passing second. The ape grabbed his horns in his plate gauntlets preventing them from penetrating his armor, he slid backwards on the ground while the dragon kept running, slowing down with each centimeter. Spyro pushed until the ape's back hit a tree but even then his horns couldn't reach his flesh. He tried to ignite the leader just to realize that his attempt was somehow stifled. Spyro's eyes went wide when he felt he was being lifted from the ground, the ape raised him upwards with fully extended arms just above his head, the moment Spyro's back touched the tree with a swift and powerful move the ape smashed him on the ground. He only emitted a faint gasp when he felt all his bones and organs screaming in pain, there was no chance to recover as he was lifted again just to be smashed onto the ground once more.

The grip on his horns was gone while he laid there on the ground in horrible pain, but the adrenaline in his blood allowed him to continue his fight, like it wanted him not to give up. Spyro opened his eyes and began raising his head just to receive a solid kick in the muzzle, blood gushed from his mouth while he flipped in the air just to land painfully on his back. Groaning Spyro rolled on his belly and started to crawl away from the ape to avoid any further blows, he wasn't so lucky since the moment he started to crawl aside he received another kick in his side. The plate boot sent him rolling over the ground for a couple of meters, when he stopped Spyro coughed, spitting blood on the ground, he felt a stinging pain in his chest every time he inhaled the air.

Some heavy steps could be heard that were getting closer and louder every second accompanied by clanking of an armor, Spyro panting and coughing looked briefly at the source of this noise just to see the sword being pulled off from the ground tearing some dirt and grass from it. He quickly pulled himself up and jumped backwards avoiding the incoming sword that would shatter his bones with ease. The blade hit the ground in front of him but even this miss didn't allow him to recover as the ape with a fast move hit his nose with the sword's pommel. His head jerked back while blood started to flow from his nose and his eyes began to water, Spyro shook his head trying to regain his lost concentration just to be hit powerfully in his cheek by a clenched plate fist.

The blow made him spin slightly while he bounced trying not to collapse on the ground, when he recovered his stability he had to sidestep instantly avoiding a stabbing attempt. The ape was stronger than he firstly thought since he swiped crosswise holding the blade only in one hand. Spyro dodged the sword once more and it was then when he realized that the ape not only strong but also fast even in his bulky armor. Just when the ape felt that his weapon didn't find the target he made a long stride with one of his legs, hunkered down and began spinning around with the blade whirling above his head. Spyro felt a sharp whizz as the sword slashed just above his horns, moments later he rolled aside as the blade was swung vertically at him.

With his elemental energy almost drained, wounds and increasing weariness there was no chance he could channel his powers without being pierced by the weapon first or even extend his wings properly to leap into the air thanks to the lesions on them. The ape swung, slashed occasionally even punched, some of his strikes finding their way to his scales, but somehow Spyro was able to avoid most of them. As the commander spun around a barely visible gold chain revealed itself from his armor, it spun around with its owner, but what really caught Spyro's attention was a sight of two medium sized crystals dangling from it, one was red while the other was blue. His eyes flashed, maybe these crystals are the key to turn the table.

An idea crossed Spyro's mind it was risky but he has to do something since he won't be able to keep this for much longer, he ducked under a horizontal swing, jumped away from a crosswise attack just to dodge a vertical blow. As a fist was heading his way Spyro stopped and allowed the ape to hit him, he fell on the ground, it was a powerful blow since he felt all of his teeth ringing inside his mouth, ignoring it Spyro bent his hind paws slightly and thrust his claws into the ground. The sword was dropping down on him from above and just when it was about to hit him he sprang forward towards the ape's legs while he wrapped his tail around the commander's forearm.

When the mercenary raised his sword Spyro was lifted from the ground, hanging upside down he extended his front paws for the chain but he didn't reach it as he felt a fist hitting his belly with such a force that he almost threw up every organ. The ape struck him two or three more times and he felt that he was slowly fainting from all these blows, Spyro stopped fighting and dangled numbly above the ground. The commander grabbed his tail with his other hand and moved the dragon's snout close to the visor of his helmet to give him a victorious look while he moved his armed hand backwards preparing for the final thrust. The ape was so sure of his victory that he didn't notice a red and blue light emanating below his neck.

Just when he moved the sword to pierce the dragon a strong jolt of electricity ran through his body making him twitch as every muscle tensed. Spyro fell on the ground and quickly got away from the ape, the leader screamed furiously and swung his sword at the dragon standing ahead. Spyro didn't make any attempt to avoid it, he slowly unfurled his big purple wings with their brown membranes almost completely healed. Just when the sword was getting close with a powerful flap he took to the sky, the ape tried to hit him again but he was already out of reach. The moment Spyro was directly above the mercenary he used his renewed elemental powers to turn into a boulder. He came down with such speed that he easily penetrated the ape's helmet and cracked his skull instantly. Spyro returned to his normal form and landed next to the mercenary as his body hit the ground with a rumbling noise.

"Impressive" someone stated from behind him

Thanks to the still ringing sound in his skull he didn't hear it clearly, Spyro slowly turned around to see who it was, but before he could set his eyes upon the person who said it an extremely powerful gust of wind struck him, lifted him from the ground and blew him towards the familiar bushes.

It started to rain again and the wind howled through the trees but he didn't care about such things as he popped out from the bushes with extreme speed just to hit a tree. He groaned loudly and a terrible pain ran through his body when he fell on the wet ground, Spyro pulled himself up and adopted a defensive stance while he fixed his eyes on the bushes. Everything swirled but he was ready to repel any attack heading his way, surprisingly nothing came after him. He stood there for a while but he couldn't hear the sound of incoming footsteps, taking advantage of their delay he hid in the shadows. Spyro furrowed his brow when after another couple of minutes no soldier came rushing after him, curiosity taking the lead once more made him to check the place where he fought.

Spyro didn't go directly into the bushes, instead he circled them hiding in the shadows, his eyes went wide when he reached his destination just to realize that there is nothing here, no blood, no bodies, nothing. He started to listen intently but besides the howling wind and the rain there was nothing there, then he thought about that gust, it was really strong so it might have blown everything deeper into the forest. Spyro walked around the forest for a while but he didn't find anything, deciding that it's better not to borrow trouble he decided to get back to the cave.

Limping he began to return to his resting place, he took a longer route just in case, every now and then stopping to check if anybody is following him, no one did. While he headed back Spyro remembered the plan, to be more precise he thought about the part of the map that he forgot, there was no chance he will find the villages, he won't be able to help them, they will have to fend for themselves for the time being until he finds help.

Spyro sped up when he saw the cave worrying for her safety, he sighted in relief when he saw Cynder still sleeping beside the dim fire. Throwing some more wood into the campfire he dropped next to it exhausted beyond imagination, nevertheless he watched the entrance, Spyro decided to keep vigil even if his heavy eyes told him otherwise.