Chapter 4: First Impressions Count
#4 of The Spyro Chronicles SE
Chapter 4: First Impressions Count
Dragon Realms, Uncharted System
March 2, 2204
2337 Hours
Unknown Forest
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           Wagner sprinted as fast as he could. He was thankful he had acquired an assault rifle from one of the fallen Marines, yet he felt a pang of sorrow for them… they were just more casualties of the war that seemed to get worse and worse …
           What he had to worry about now were the two dragons that were hot on his tail. Back at the clearing he watched as they were about to get killed right then and there. However, something possessed him to raise his pistol, leap from his cover, and engage the enemy. He didn’t know what made him do it… one moment he was watching them get ambushed… the next… he was in a sword fight with one of the Lakadors.
           Well, now he had a situation on his hands… these two dragons were now about to kill him! He heard one of them- a male- yell something at him, but he ignored it and kept up his escape.
           He dropped the clip from the assault rifle and slipped another in. Once he heard the click that signaled a successful reload, he pulled the bolt to the rifle and turned around to engage the dragons.
           He saw them coming… the purple in the lead and the black one behind…
           He prepared to fire, but something kept his finger from pulling the trigger. He stood there for a full two seconds before giving up and returning to his fleeing. They kept at him, and he could hear them speaking legible English… they were asking him to stop. His fears of what dragons could or would do kept him from complying.
           He heard gunfire pretty close which meant that there were more Marines in the area. He had to regroup with the Marines of Alpha… but they were probably spread out all over this forest.
He heard the dragons coming even faster and heard them take flight… he tried to run even faster but as he ran around the corner, he ran smack dab into another Lakador patrol. They spotted him and immediately opened fire.
Wagner leapt back but energy scorched his arm as he ran. He yelled and grabbed his left arm, a burn now starting to form. He went behind a tree nearby and tried to keep himself from taking a hit.
He blind fired his M74D assault weapon from his position and he heard Lakadors yell and keep up their assault. He heard the dragons and looked up to see them swoop in. He cursed and tried to conceal himself as much as he could, but he caught another bolt to his arm and he screamed and gripped the wound. He struggled to reach better cover and saw the dragons fly down. He knew things were about to get ugly…
He clenched his eyes shut and awaited for them to finish him off when he heard Lakadors scream out and opened his eyes to see that he was still alive. Astonished, he looked over the tree and saw the dragons attacking the Lakadors instead of him! The purple one kicked three Lakadors into the ground and hit them with a powerful bolt electricity before smashing another with his tail.
The black one grabbed a Lakador and tossed him into a group, right before blowing them with a blast of wind. The Lakadors were swept off their feet and smashed into each other, their weapons clattering to the ground.
Soon the last Lakador was dispatched by the black one as she blasted it with a haze of darkness and it screamed and slumped over. They then turned their attention to the lone Marine cooped up against the tree. Wagner clutched the wound on his arm, and closed his eyes as they approached.
However, it wasn’t pain he felt, but something good. He opened his eyes to see the black one licking the blood from his wound and the purple one was helping him onto his feet. He reluctantly obliged and retrieved his rifle from the ground.
â€Are you alright?†The purple one asked.
â€Uh… yeah… thanks…†Wagner said, a bit dumbfounded at what had just occurred.
â€Finally, someone who doesn’t run!†The black one commented. Wagner chuckled a bit and was still a bit confused as to what they were saying.
â€So… who are you? Are you a member of the Alliance? I don’t think I’ve ever seen your kind at Warfang before…†The purple one said as he looked Wagner over.
â€Uh… I’m a human… and I have no clue what you are talking about…†Wagner said in a confused manner.
â€You’re not an alliance member?†The black one asked as she sniffed him a bit.
â€No… I don’t know what the Alliance is… I’m a United Earth Republic Marine.â€
â€A what?†The black one asked again.
â€I’m a Marine.â€
â€What’s… that?†The purple one inquired
â€It’s what we call our soldiers.â€
â€Oh so you are a soldier.†The purple one said, looking him over once more.
â€Yeah, and I got to help more of them before those things kill ‘em.â€
â€Wait, there’s more of you? What’s your name, and who are these guys?â€
â€The names Wagner, and right now I gatta run!â€
â€Wait, we want to help!â€
â€Well hurry up, I gatta help my men!†With that said, the three dashed through the forest and Wagner shouldered his M74D, ready for the next firefight.
â€By the way, my name’s Spyro!†The purple one said as he ran along side Wagner.
â€Yeah, and mine is Cynder!â€
â€Well Spyro, Cynder, it’s er… nice to meet you.†Wagner said while keeping an eye on the path ahead.
â€So where are we going?†Spyro asked as he ran alongside his new ally.
â€More Marines are spread out along this forest! I need to find them and get them to safety!†Wagner said as he dashed through some vines, clearing a path for the rest.
â€Just how many of you are there?!†Cynder asked.
â€A lot.†Wagner simply said.
They dashed through the forest before coming upon yet another group of Lakadors. They spotted the trio and opened fire.
â€What’s these guy’s problems?!†Cynder said as she dashed behind a tree.
â€All I know is they don’t like us!†Wagner said as he fired his rifle from behind a large rock.
â€Well let’s get rid of them!†Spyro said. Wagner nodded and Spyro leapt from behind the boulder he had been previously been hiding behind and engulfed himself in a ball of fire. He dashed at the Lakadors and they were engulfed in the wave of heat and flames.
           Cynder joined in the mix with her shadow abilities, hurling enemies into the air and smashing them into the ground as she caught them in mid-air. Wagner shouldered his assault rifle and opened fire on a cluster moving in to the neutralize the dragons.
Spyro and Cynder then leapt together and Spyro grabbed a Lakador by the leg and started to twirl him in the air while Cynder raised her hind legs and delivered kicks to him as he came around. Spyro discarded the Lakador and Cynder snickered to herself as she spat a cloud of green gas at another group and they fell to the ground coughing and gagging.
Wagner picked off the last Lakadors as they tried to flee with his assault rifle and dropped the empty clip with a satisfied smirk to his face.
â€Wow… you guys… are awesome fighters…†Wagner said as he slipped in a new clip to replace the spent one.
â€Heh… it’s only regular fighting, doesn’t your species know any moves?â€
â€Uh… no… we can’t do much of anything…â€
â€Then what are your species special abilities?â€
â€We… don’t really have many.â€
â€So what can you guys do?â€
â€Well um…†As Wagner pondered this, he spotted another group of Lakadors moving in and he raised his rifle. Spyro and Cynder turned around and saw the new hostiles as well. However, before any of them moved to engage them, the Lakadors were cut down in a hail of gunfire.
The Lakadors collapsed onto the ground as the bullets hit them and as the clouds cleared up from the impacts, Wagner saw three individuals come out of the trees.
â€Lieutenant Wagner?†One of the new figures, a Marine, said.
â€Allison!†Wagner exclaimed with joy.
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Meanwhile…
Dragon Realms, Uncharted System
March 3, 2204
0023 Hours
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Karson was running. He didn’t know why he was running, he was just… running. He felt the cool green grass slip from under his feet as he ran and it was then that he noticed that he wasn’t wearing shoes. As he pondered just where his shoes had gone he finally realized just where he was… and that he was a kid.
Karson, no more then 7 in age, stood atop a small cliff overlooking his old home. He remembered the house. It was in a small town just north of Miami, Florida. The house was along a small rocky hill and Karson was about to go down there and play when he noticed he was now his regular age- 18.
As he stood he also noted that he was wearing his Marine combat armor and had no weapon. There were also people standing in the back yard of his old home. It was him, with Allison. They were no more then 7 years old at the time. He remembered this moment, it was a long time ago… long, long ago. He and Allison used to always go to each other’s homes and play back then… only now they were older… and fighting a war… boy how things have changed…
Suddenly the scene had changed and Karson saw the area beyond the cliff he was standing on turn into a sea of molten lava. There was a tall mountain before him, spewing lava and smoke. He tried to figure out what was going on when the mountain split and out of it came a tall white metallic structure. It was enormous. Four spires connected together in a pyramid shape and at the tower’s top a beam of purple shot out and raging storms crowded around the tower. There were several creatures that were gathering at the mountain’s base, each looking up in awe and horror at the volcano.
As Karson strained his eyes even further, he saw something in the purple beam… a dragon. Wait, a dragon? Lakadors were one thing but a dragon? This dragon- like the Lakadors- had purple scales and had golden horns and underbelly. The dragon was small, about 3 feet tall and 5 feet from tail to front. He guessed the dragon to be around the age of 15. The dragon looked at Karson and Karson felt something inside of him quiver. The dragon placed a menacing smile upon his face and the beam grew stronger and stronger.
The mountain exploded outwards and every creature sitting at its base was engulfed and destroyed. Karson shielded his face but he to, was engulfed in the sea of destruction. The last thing he remembered he was yelling and flying through the air…
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â€What’s going on out there?†One of the privates asked.
â€If I knew, I would have already told you now wouldn’t I?â€
â€You know what Parsons, why don’t you-â€
â€Shut the hell up, both of you!†The Sergeant hissed. They both grumbled and sat back down.
Karson opened his eyes and saw that he was alive. Suddenly everything started to smash into his head… the war… the battle… the tunnel… the bridge… the door… and this weird new world… Suddenly the memory of them being knocked out also surfaced and he then realized that they were in a jail cell. It was a crudely built one, only about 10 feet by 10 feet with iron metal bars and dark bricks for the walls. The small jail house was lit by candles and a foul smell hung in the air.
â€Well look who finally woke up… did you have a nice snooze ya pansy?†One of the Marines said to Karson as he stood up.
â€Knock it off Daniels…†Another private spoke up.
â€All of you, shut the hell up! There’s something going on outside!†As the Sergeant once again scolded the Marines, Karson indeed heard some event taking place outside of their building. There were shouts, sounds of swords clanging, and screams. It was obviously a battle. Had the Lakadors engaged the Cheetahs? Maybe… it obviously wasn’t a Marine raid, for there were no gunshots.
The room shook a bit and they heard more screams outside.
â€I think I got it!†One of the Marines said. Karson turned and saw a Corporal trying to pick the lock on their cell. The soldier smiled and banged the lock open. He then lifted his boot and kicked the entire iron bar door off of their cell and snickered to himself.
Instantly every Marine was on their feet and out of the cell. The Sergeant ran over and grabbed their weapons which were lying down on the other side of the jail building. He tossed Karson a rifle and as he tossed Karson’s shotgun at him he said, â€Karson, its time to show ‘em not to mess with Marines.â€
â€Sir, yes sir!†The Marine responded. He caught the shotgun, cocked it, and smiled to himself. He placed the rifle over his shoulder and placed the butt of the shotgun against his shoulder as well. Karson reached into his backpack, pulled out a red bandana and tied it around his head in replacement of his helmet. The red went well with his blonde hair and he smiled to himself as he finished tightening the bandana.
The Sergeant kicked open the door to their jail hut and they dashed into the night air. Outside there was a scene of absolute chaos.
Several Cheetahs were wielding swords, engaging enemies that Karson didn’t even recognize.
â€Those aren’t Lakadors!â€
â€What the hell are they?!â€
â€Why are you asking me?! Just shoot!†The Marines unloaded their assault rifles and Carbines. The Sergeant carried an M78C Carbine which he used to his advantage while Karson wielded the M22 Combat Shotgun. The 8 gauge shotgun filled the air with a loud roar as Karson pulled the trigger and he pumped it to eject the spent shell.
Karson watched to his delight as a Cheetah was knocked down from the shotgun’s buck. The new creatures caught sight of the Marines and Karson could tell, they weren’t happy to see them.
These new creatures were even odder then Lakadors. They sort of reminded Karson of those creatures that always appeared in old novels… Orcs were they? They were tall and red, with a cross bow on their arm and their body looked like a moving piece of lava with arms and legs.
There were others as well. There were several small creatures that were green and hopped around as they carried their swords. Along with them were these bug-like creatures that were almost about weight height to Karson. They too wielded swords and they happily engaged the cheetahs.
A few of the new hostiles dashed at the Marines and they unloaded their weapons onto the creatures. They toppled over backwards as the bullets hit them and more tried to make an attempt at the Marines.
â€C’mon, there’s too many of ‘em! We’re falling back!†The Sergeant bellowed as he reloaded his Carbine.
Karson fired off two more shotgun shells and prepared to fall back.
â€C’mon, let’s go!†They dashed towards the woods and Parsons covered them with a scoped M74D. They finally got into the forest and all 6 Marines were on their way.
Karson reloaded his shotgun as they dashed through the night, trying to escape the battle raging behind them. As they went they heard sounds all around. Karson quickly placed the final shell into the shotgun and loaded it.
As they stopped to find out what those sounds were, the same creatures that had attacked the Cheetahs as the village sprung from the tree lings, swords at the ready.
â€Contacts!†One of the Marines yelled and soon the whole area was lit up with gunfire.
Karson dodged to the left as a creature swung its sword at him. He cocked the shotgun and fired a shell at it, blowing the creature several feet back and into a tree.
Karson cocked the weapon again and put another shell into three more attackers. They were blown into the ground and through the air via the powerful 8 gauge buck.
The last creature fell as Daniels fired a burst from his M10 Sub Machine Gun into it and kicked it away.
â€What the hell are these things Sergeant?!â€
â€Hell if I know, just keep shooting!†They dashed through the forest once more and soon came to a waterfall. In the distance there were sounds of gunfire and small pockets of fire rising from the trees. There was another cliff in the distance, almost parallel to theirs.
â€Alright, take 5 people!†With that said, Karson sat down and breathed a sigh of relief to be out of that jail… but he wanted to know what happened to Allison… he missed her so much…
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Meanwhile…
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           â€So… they’re called Lakadors?â€
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â€Yeah, that’s what they’re called…â€
â€But… why are they attacking you guys, where did you guys come from, and-â€
â€Wow Cynder, one question at a time…â€
Spyro, Cynder, Wagner, Allison, and a few other Marines sat near a fire that they had set up atop a cliff. They had found several Marines from their Nighthawk and now were camping atop a cliff that they had seen from their valley. Across from them they saw another set up ridges, cliffs and other high rises that ran parallel to their own.
â€So what now Lieutenant?â€
â€Well… we keep moving. The 72nd is probably spread all around this valley and we need to round up as many as we can and flag for pickup… only problem is I can’t seem to get the radios to work…†Wagner said while he tapped his helmet mike.
â€Sir, I’m getting a weak signal! Sounds like Colonel Dyke!†One of the soldiers said as he ran up and handed the officer his microphone.
â€All units… this is colonel dyke… tried… airlifting bravo… Nighthawks low on fuel… units hold position… morning… repeat… units… position until morning…â€
â€Damn, the signal keeps breaking up!â€
â€Well, from the sounds of it the nighthawks are low on fuel and there won’t be any airlifts until morning…â€
â€So… what do we do now?â€
â€Well… I guess we hold position…â€
â€What’s going on Wagner?†Spyro asked the Lieutenant. Wagner sighed.
â€Once we ditched the Achilles like I said, we dropped all around this valley. They were supposed to come in and air lift us to the UERNF Typhus but apparently the Nighthawks are out of fuel and won’t make pick ups until tomorrow…â€
â€Fuel?†Cynder inquired.
â€It’s like food, but for our machinery.†Wagner explained.
â€Oh…†She said, now understanding.
â€Well we’re stuck here until they do…†At that moment, more sounds came from the microphone and they got up and listened intently.
â€This is Lieutenant Baker, Delta Company! We need support, they have us surrounded! They’re not Lakadors! Shit, they just cut off our flank!†The radio suddenly snapped off.
â€Damn, sounds like Delta needs our help! Where are they?†Wagner said while standing up.
â€The signal came from a position a few clicks north of here.â€
â€We’ll follow the river. Alpha, let’s move out!â€
â€Sir, wouldn’t it be better to wait until morning?†Allison asked as she stretched.
â€They need our help and we need to find the rest of Alpha as well!†The Marines groaned but got up.
â€So we’re off to find more of your ‘Marines’?†Spyro asked while standing up as well.
â€Yeah, there’s a group about a few clicks north of here and they need help.â€
â€Well let’s go then.†Cynder said while dashing off towards the river. The others quickly followed and they ran to the river side and started their path north. They heard several distant gunshots and as Spyro and Cynder dashed alongside the Marines he wondered why they were here.
Spyro remembered Wagner mention how they got here, a random portal opened to their world called a ‘hyperspace portal’ or something. What were the chances of it opening at that exact moment that they needed it? Why did they bring those ‘Lakadors’ with them? Why did they come, now, of all times, especially with that vision? What was going on?
Spyro’s head swarmed with thoughts and Cynder must’ve seen this, for she set her paw upon his shoulder.
â€Spyro… what’s the matter?â€
â€It’s… nothing…â€
â€No Spyro… what’s on your mind?†Spyro sighed.
â€Well… why did these guys come here, now of all times? Why not while Malefor was here? How’d that portal just randomly open up? What of that vision? Why’d they come right after I had that vision?â€
â€Spyro… I wish I knew… I really did…†She said with a low sigh. Spyro looked at the ground sadly but they kept up with the Marines as they walked up the path.
As they walked along the river, a pair of eyes watched them… satisfied. However, unlike the ones that belonged to the black dragon, these belonged to that… of another purple dragon. The dragon sat in the trees and sighed sadly. The female purple dragon watched the smaller Spyro with keen interest.
â€Spyro… be safe…†She said softly. She heard footsteps behind her and saw another purple dragon- a male- walk up to her.
â€Is he on his way?†He asked. The female nodded.
â€Has he met up with the United Earth Marines?â€
â€Yes… he has… they are off to recover more Marines…â€
â€Good… we can only hope this works…†He motioned for her to follow and they left the scene as silently as they had come.
Spyro felt something and turned to look at the trees behind them. He sighed and quickly went off with the Marine group once more and off into the night.
End of Chapter 4