The Spyro Chronicles Chapter 4: An ancient secret
#4 of The Spyro Chronicles
Well here is the forth installment of the Spyro Chronicles series. I won't give anything away so just read on and find out for yourself. Enjoy.
Chapter 4: An ancient secret
All the dragons, Lt. Wagner, Colonel Dyke, Captain Harding, and other COs of the other companies sat at the balcony as each side told their tale. They dragons told their tale first. They began with spyro being a special purple dragon and who the Dark master was. They then told about Cynder and her involvement with Dark Master. They finally finished with the defeat of the Dark master. Colonel Dyke then stepped in and told them about the UER, the structure of it, and the mysterious temples that dotted the landscape of the colonies. Then he told about the first contact with the Lakadors, the defeat of the UERNF navy above Sirus, and the battle of Alpagee city.
When they started on about what happened at Alpagee, Allison sniffled and got up, and walked away. Cynder saw her and got up to follow her. With that Dyke ended by telling how they fled the Zeta Reticuli system and the sub-sequent battle in space above the planet. Spyro looked around and noticed Allison and Cynder were missing. He got up and saw Cynder disappear into the temple. Wagner had seen all of this and followed Spyro into the temple. The elders and Colonel Dyke continued to discuss things amongst themselves.
Spyro had caught up with Cynder and Allison. Allison sat on the side of the room. She looked like she was about to burst into tears any minute now. Cynder sat next to her asking her what was wrong. Wagner walked up at this time. He motioned Spyro over and Spyro looked back at Allison with worry in his eyes.
"What's wrong with her?" Spyro asked.
"Spyro, you remember when Dyke mentioned what happened at Alpagee?"
"Yea, he said that there was an explosion that destroyed the city."
"Well, one of our platoons, 2nd, was down there when it happened. One of her very close friends was down there when the city was destroyed."
"He wasn't just my friend, I... I... I loved him!" She yelled. She then went into an uncontrollable wave of tears.
"Wait... what was his name?" Spyro asked remembering his dream.
"Private Joshua Karson. Why?" Wagner gave him a look of confusion.
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Karson ran in the grass. He was having such a great time. He managed to catch Allison. She groaned, and then laughed as she had to chase him now. They were playing tag. It was a bright, sunny day and the warm rays hit their faces. They ran around for a while before they laid down to rest on the soft grass. It was such a gorgeous day on Earth. The warm tropical air slowly moving through as they lay there. Suddenly Karson screamed. He had fallen through a patch of ground that wasn't solid. He slowly picked himself up.
"Are you alright?" Allison said in her young seven year old voice.
"Yea I'm fine." Karson said back. He was in a cave. Small patches of earth had been worn away to revile a shiny aluminum wall beneath. There was a small pedestal at the end of the chamber. On it rest a shiny orange stone. Intrigued, Karson walked up to it. It was as if the stone called him. He saw strange writing chiseled into the pedestal. It wasn't English, but somehow he understood what it meant: Your destiny has brought you here; receive your greatness. He reached out for the stone and grabbed it. It began to glow along with the rest of his body. Light enveloped him and then faded. He looked around, nothing. The stone was gone though. He quickly crawled out of the chamber and it somehow sealed itself behind him. He walked off and joined Allison. The image faded and he felt time itself accelerate.
Karson soon found himself in the same chamber. However this time, he wore his UERMC gear and was an adult. He looked around and he saw that the stone was still gone. He walked over to the pedestal and wiped the spot where the stone had been. A small circle was underneath with a fire symbol. Soon blue light ran down the pedestal and it tore away the earth revealing that the whole chamber was built with a strange metal alloy. A woman's voice, though distorted, echoed throughout the chamber.
"Your destiny has been filled with great things young one."
"Who me, who are you?!" Karson almost yelled back.
"I am a messenger sent here to bestow upon you, your greatness."
"Who, me, great? What are you talking about?"
"All will be revealed in do time, oh great one. Now go and bring peace to all those who seek it."
"Wait! I still have questions? What is this place?! Who am I?!" And with that he slowly was pulled from the chamber and felt pain wrap his body. He felt himself lying down. He slowly came to.
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Pvt. Karson's eyes shot open. He felt pain all over his body. He sat up and looked around. His head started to hurt as memories flooded his mind: the war, the evacuation of Alpagee, the nuclear explosion, and Allison's sweet face. Oh he would give anything to see her again.
The store was a trash-heap. Concrete and wood lay everywhere. With a groan he got up and staggered out of the store. He looked out and saw the ominous mushroom cloud above the city. He began to wonder why he wasn't dead yet. He had studied nuclear explosions and he thought that by now, he should have died from radiation sickness. The streets were littered with destruction and death. He looked down and to his astonishment he saw a perfectly intact M74D lying on the ground. He picked it up and saw a human hand jutting out from under the concrete. He felt a pain of sorrow for his fallen comrades. He limped down the street as he tried to move around. He didn't know where he was going. He walked around for a while.
He heard a sound over the howling winds coming from the nuclear blast. His heart sank as he saw a Lakador drop ship home in on his position. It stopped a few feet in front of him. Lakadors emerged from its troop bay. He unloaded on them. Some fell but then he heard a sound he never wanted to hear. CLACK sounds were coming from his bolt. The rifle was jammed. He discarded the rifle and the Lakadors approached him. Strangely none of them opened fire.
He lifted his arms up to a fighting stance. The lead Lakador simply raised his rifle and hit him the back end of it. Pvt. Karson fell to the ground unconscious.
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Spyro had just finished explaining his dream to Allison, Wagner and Cynder, who nodded, (She had the same dream too) when Colonel Dyke walked into the room.
"Lieutenant, we have some news. It appears there is even a temple on this world as well."
"Then we have to secure it before anything else happens." Wagner replied.
"Yes, I have been speaking with the dragons and they will help us in this assault. It is to be called Operation Sheath. Get you men ready. You, D, E and F companies are to secure that temple ASAP. Whatever is in there, the Lakadors don't want us to find." With that the colonel walked off and met up with Major Jackson.
Wagner walked over to the room where Alpha Company was and inspected his troops. Thankfully, with Allison around, when they woke up they didn't freak out like he did. He then proceeded to briefing them. The attack was set for the next day and he wanted to know what enemies lay inside or around the temple. He would have to send a recon team before any heavy assault could be done.
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Karson lay there shifting in and out of conciseness. At some point after being initially knocked out, the Lakadors had dragged him onboard the drop ship and were accelerating to one of their cruisers in orbit around Sirus. He could hear the Lakadors talking, though he couldn't make out what they were saying.
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"So, this is him?" Lakador field commander Yahade' said as he inspected the beaten and ravaged human laying in front of him.
"Yes, we believe that he is in fact the one." Yahade's sub-ordinate said.
"The fact that he lived through that when he should have been killed, just like that fool Azda, should be proof enough of his abilities." Yahade' gave him a spectacle look.
"I guess I'll have to take your word for it. What does the Supreme Commander want to do with him?"
"Well, two of our ships followed one of the human vessels trying to escape. Apparently there is a huge temple located where they are at. We think that it may be one of the locations." Just the mention of "the location" was enough to make Yahade' shrivel in awe. It had been long said that one of those temples would be used during the "final solution."
"The commander wants us to take him there."
"Wells lets hope it's worth it. With the final solution we could purge the galaxy of this scourge once and for all." The Lakador drop ship then docked with the Lakador ship Honorable Intensions. It then jumped into hyperspace. Its destination, the dragon realms.
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Karson felt himself being lifted up. He was too weak to even lift his head to see what was going on. He was taken to a cell and tossed in. The reflective walls allowed him to see the extent of his injuries. Many cuts, bruises, and gashes dotted his body. The Lakadors had managed to cover the serous stuff and Karson just lay there. He didn't know what to do. He wished that he could see Allison. Her beautiful eyes reflecting the brilliant sunlight, her brown hair moving in the wind. He had considered asking her out, but since they were both in the military, that would have to wait. He cried as he thought of her. He hoped with every fiber of his being that she was alright.
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Several hours later, some Lakadors walked over and pulled him from his cell. They moved him to another drop ship and it lifted off and descended into the atmosphere.
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UERNF Raven "Bravo 2" pilot Capt. Smith flew the human star fighter along the morning patrol. They were patrolling the airspace above the temple prior to Operation Sheath. He spotted a Lakador drop ship and opened up. The 40mm cannons turned that drop ship into confetti. He spotted another and opened up again. He only managed to clip the engines off though. The Lakador belched smoke and flew into the mushroom forest.
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Karson felt the ship shudder and heard panic amongst the Lakadors around him. He heard an explosion rock the ship and he heard the Lakadors go into extreme panic. This could only mean one thing: they were going down. With his limited strength he braced himself.
Karson opened his eyes and saw that he was alive. Fortunately, his Lakador captives weren't so lucky. With all the strength he could muster he picked himself off the ground and walked out of the open troop bay hatch. He walked for a minute or so before he collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion.
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Spyro slowly got up out of bed and let the sun light warm his body. He walked out of his room and paused. He looked into Cynder's room. Both she and Allison lay fast asleep. Cynder let Allison spend the night in her room. He walked over to the balcony and hoped he could catch Wagner before he sent off the morning patrol. He caught the Lieutenant walking around the dojo yawning and taking a sip of coffee.
"Morning Spyro." The Lieutenant said just before taking another sip.
"Uh Wagner, I was just wondering if you could send me on the patrol this morning." The officer chuckled.
"Hell I was just on my way to ask you that very question."
"So where is this temple. " Spyro asked when they came to the balcony. "It's just over there in the opposite side of that mountain range." Spyro could just make out the mountains where the temple was at.
"Wait, before you go," the lieutenant took out a small microphone and put it over Spyro's left ear.
"So we can keep in contact." Spyro nodded just before taking off into the morning. The officer returned to his coffee.
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Spyro had been flying for what seemed like an eternity before he came upon the mountain range. Upon closer examination he saw the entrance to the temple. No one was outside so Spyro ventured inside. The architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Its metal walls reflecting his image. He heard footsteps and he quickly flew into the shadows. Two apes walked down the hallway. They seemed to be in the middle of a conversation.
"So what are we supposed to be looking for?"
"I dunno, crystals. Fang says he needs a lot of them if the Dark master ever hopes to return." Just the mention of his name filled Spyro with anger. How could crystals help them? Spyro thought as he continued deeper into the temple. He came across a closed door with a rather large ape outside of it. A smaller ape walked up to him and addressed him.
"Fang, our scouts have been unable to find any crystals."
"That's because they are all in here" Fang said pointing at the sealed door.
"The question is: how do we open it." With that Fang and the smaller ape walked off into the halls. Spyro walked over to the door looked at it. It seemed familiar. Like he had seen it before but had forgotten. He felt something on the other side though. A very dark presence. One that made Spyro's spine tingle. He heard laughing coming from the end of the room.
"So, this is the mighty Spyro that defeated the dark master? Hah, you're just a pip squeak. Get him!" And with that many apes and ape commanders leapt at Spyro. He met them with his usual grin and then jumped into action. He put down the first ape with a blast of electricity and then kicked the second into the air. Spyro proceeded with pushing him into a large group of apes. They managed to get back up, but before they did, Spyro shot them with his fire. Many screamed as the intense heat burned them. He meleaed an ape lucky enough to escape the fire and then picked him up, and used him like a bat until there were no more enemies.
He then turned his attention to Fang who un-slung a staff with a dark crystal at the top. The staff spout a large dose of dark energy which paralyzed Spyro. Spyro, tried to get up but the dark energy pinned him to the floor. Fang pulled out a large sword preparing do deliver the final blow. He raised it into the air.
A loud roar filled the room as Cynder used a fire fury which pushed Fang into the wall. His sword clattered to the ground. He slowly got back up, and seeing two foes now decided to flight, not fight. He ordered a small group of apes to attack them while he made his escape.
These apes were a lot tougher then the ones Spyro just dispatched. They were faster and hit with more precision than them. Even with Cynder's help they wouldn't last long. A club hit Spyro in the head. It damaged the microphone. Spyro decided that enough was enough. Time energy enveloped him as he grabbed Cynder and ran out of the large melee unfolding in the room. Spyro and Cynder both looked at each other and had the same idea. They pelted the apes with a barrage of fire. All the apes screamed and fell to the floor. They quickly made a run for the exit. They finally made it out of there and went into the jungle. They tried flying but Cynder's wing was hurt so they stay on foot.
"So why are you here?" Spyro asked Cynder.
"Well I couldn't let you just have all the fun now could I." Spyro laughed and turned his head forward. She looked at him. His muscular frame allowed him to beat all those apes. She smiled as she thought of him. Spyro was thinking the same thing except this time a mind blowing pain assaulted his tail base.
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Karson woke up and saw that the sun had shifted so quite some time had passed. With a groan he picked himself off the ground and limped down the path. His right leg was exploding in pain so he didn't know if it was broken or just very sore. He continued to walk down the path until he decided that he needed to come to a stop and rest. He lay his head on some mushrooms and fell into, for the first time, voluntary sleep.
He drempt that he and Allison were back on Earth. At their homes and away from the war. They were probably no much older then seven in his dream.
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Spyro lay down on the mushrooms. They had taken a doze to help replenish their energy during the fight. He saw Cynder lying next to him fast asleep. He got up and decided to get some food. It was becoming harder and harder to talk to her. Every time he tried to, his mind went blank or he just couldn't speak.
He returned with a mushroom cap filled with berries and had found the river so they could take a drink. Cynder woke up and looked at him. He smiled as he put down the food. Spyro heard the muffled tat, tat, tat, in the distance. By now, Operation Sheath had begun. Spyro considered going to help but then saw Cynder's injured wing and new he had to get her back. As they ate their fill and got up Cynder looked Spyro over. She giggled. He was so handsome and caring.
They walked for a bit and then came across a crashed Lakador drop ship. Looking it over there were no survivors which was good because they didn't intend on fighting. They saw foot prints in the dirt leading away from the crash site. The curios thing was, they weren't Lakador. They were human boot prints. They followed them until they faded away. They didn't see anyone around so they continued walking.
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Karson lay in a deep sleep. He was interrupted when he heard footsteps near by. He opened his eyes and saw two strange creatures walking on all four of their legs. They looked like dragons more then Lakadors. One was purple and the other was black. His camouflage kept him canceled. He heard them mention something about an "operation sheath" and talked about the foot prints in the dirt. What he heard that startled him was the mention of Lt. Wagner, his CO. (Karson is a member of Alpha Company which Wagner is the leader of). He tried to talk, ask them how they knew Wagner but he couldn't speak for some reason. He couldn't even move. They walked off and left him there, not even knowing what lay in the mushrooms. Karson mustered all of his strength and managed to stand up. He tried to walk but only staggered as his right leg was still in pain. He fell back down and fell back into a deep sleep.
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Spyro and Cynder kept walking. They came across the river and took a break and sipped some water. After they rested a bit they were off again. This time they ran into apes patrolling. They spotted each other and even more apes came out of the mushroom forest and attacked the two dragons. Spyro and Cynder managed to hold them but when the ape commanders came, they started to fail. Spyro was being mercilessly beaten by two commanders while Cynder struggled to keep four regular apes at bay.
Finally Cynder grew angry and unleashed a fire furry that would rival, if not exceed Spyro's. All the apes were thrown back. The survivors fled into the forest. Cynder walked over to Spyro. He wasn't moving. He had bruises all over his body and had a large cut on his back. She picked him up and tried to move to a better spot. She found a cave cut into the side of a cliff overlooking the silver river. She tried to tend to Spyro's wounds. She checked his breathing. It was somewhat labored but still there. She started to cry. What if I never get to tell him I love him? She thought as he lay there. She curled into a ball and cried herself to sleep.
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Wagner stood in a gully overlooking the entrance to the temple. He spotted several apes making a break for cover and put them down with a burst from his M74D. He motioned 1st Platoon to move into the structure. They complied and moved into the structure. D company stayed behind to ensure they had an exit. While moving into the structure they encountered heavy resistance. Eventually they managed to clear every room in the temple. Wagner stood outside of the door Spyro had just been at earlier. He had ordered the engineers to reinforce the door so that what ever was inside stayed inside this time.
Wagner was looking along the walls when he spotted a wall with etching in it. It had a picture, no not a picture, a map. It showed where all of the temples were in the area. There were dozens. No wonder this place was too easy, they probably already spotted these temples and went to them. The Lieutenant keyed Spyro's mike.
"Spyro, come in! Come in this is Lt. Wagner. Spyro can you hear me?" He only got static in response.
End Chapter 4
Wow that was a heart stopper. I wonder what is going to happen to Karson. Will he ever be recovered by UERMC forces, or will the Lakadors use him in their "Final Solution." You'll just to find out when I finish the fifth chapter!
Hope you enjoyed this. Please leave your comments.