darkSpyro

Ok guys, after all this time I think I've finally got my motivation back. I'm going to start writing again, but I don't like breaking my promises so I won't promise you a miracle.

A chapter a week or so, starting this week. After this fanfic is complete I think I'm going to start working on remaking this series from the beginning before going to the third part. Maybe along with some artwork, since I'm pretty good at drawing.

The third part will be the last part, but It'll be a long time until we get there, especially if my writing comes to a halt as badly as it did with this story.

I'm glad to see that you guys still want to see more.

I'll write a new chapter tomorrow.

Chapter 55.

Spyro inspected the dusty, old scroll laid before him. It was a map, heavily adorned with all manner of inscriptions and symbols that he didn't recognize. The rest of the gang gathered around the table to take a look.

"This map depicts the eastern desert of Kassa." The old mole rasped and laid his finger on the scroll "Here is the city of Kassa. It was built long ago by the.. Uhh.."

"The Panther people of the East." Mirra suddenly said.

The whole party turned to him, as the old mole scoffed as a response to the interruption.

Mirra looked at Spyro's confused face, and started to explain: "I've been there before, when I was still young and my adventurer career was just beginning. Balak was with me back then, and has visited the place several times more than I have." The cheetah nodded to the old ape.

"Indeed." Balak responded, "I like that place more than Warfang. People are much more laid back there."

"Tell me more." Spyro said.

"Kassa has been a large trading hub for many centuries. It's history mostly predates Warfang, and it's population is very diverse. Their trade routes used to reach to the furthest coasts of the Great Ocean. I haven't heard any news of it lately." Mirra explained.

"Yes, as fate would have it, the old sea charts are mostly no longer viable due to the cataclysmic events caused by Malefor." The old mole started to speak again, "We don't know what has been happening under the ocean's surface, and this has rendered seafaring very difficult."

"Then why are we going by sea!?" Ember squealed in panic.

The old mole turned his face very close to Ember's face, as if he hadn't even noticed the young dragoness at first.

"Kassa is located in a different continent from the dragon realms, and the distance is too great for flying. Unfortunately it is the only way." He said, "But! The captain of this ship is an experienced one, and know's what he is doing."

Balak laid a hand on Ember's shoulder to calm her down. "Don't worry, girl. I've been there many times, the route is mostly safe." He said with an honest smile.

Ember let out an audible gulp.

Spyro looked back at Mirra again "Is there anything more you can tell me about Kassa?"

Mirra was quiet for a moment, then spoke out.

"I have family there. A wife, and a son." He said in a low, almost sad tone. Upon hearing this, Spyro heard Balak cough loudly, but he remained quiet otherwise.

"I see." Spyro said, and after a moment of silence, turned his attention back to why they were here. "Enough about that, what can you tell me about our mission?"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" The old mole said, and turned back to the map. "Through what little contacs we have, we've received reports of an evil presence in Kassa. The honorable Earth Guardian sent a scout to investigate this threat, but we haven't heard anything of him. Your mission is to find information of this evil, and defeat it if possible. Also, should you happen to come across our missing scout, we would like to know what happened to him."

"We know this scout. He is our friend." Spyro said to the old mole.

"Oh? I had no idea. I gave him the same information when we took him across the sea." The mole replied.

"He was here?" Mirra asked immediately.

"Yes, obviously. He was very enthusiastic about this mission, and seemed capable of fulfilling it. I can only hope that he is still alive."

Mirra looked like he could barely contain his anger. He turned his back to the mole and marched out of the room. Balak turned after him, but decided that he should let him leave.

Spyro looked back at the mole with a concerned look on his face. "I understand. We'll find our friend, and take care of this evil presence. If there is any more information you can give us, I'll have it later. Now I think I need to have a word with my companions." He said, and turned to the others.
"Find me at the deck, whenever you have time. I'll go talk to Mirra."

"Yes, go." Balak responded and waved his hand towards him. "I imagine he is a bit distraught over this."

Spyro nodded to Balak and Ember, and turned to leave the room. From behind his back, he heard Ember speaking to the old mole.

"Uhh.. How long will it take for us to reach Kassa?" She asked.

"Depending on the winds, it might take days. The last voyage lasted a week because the ocean floor had shifted and created new underwater obstructions. Our ship almost sank!" The old mole exclaimed cheerily.

"Oh no.." Spyro heard Ember say weakly.

---

Ahh, it feels good to write again. I should put some of these ideas down for the future.

Quote: Denragon

Nice as usual, bro...
But you should correct the old mole spelling on this moment...
Quote:

"Yes, as fate would have it, the old sea charts are mostly no longer viable due to the cataclysmic events caused by Malefor." The old more started to speak again, "We don't know what has been happening under the ocean's surface, and this has rendered seafaring very difficult."

Yeah, I've read my old chapters and I've seen a lot of little spelling errors that I've missed.

Thankfully I won't have to fix them all, as I will write a remake of the whole fanfic series that will sorta "override" the story of the earlier ones, once this one is finished.
It'll mostly stay the same, but I'll change some bits to avoid plotholes and all the "shortcuts" I used in the first story. That, and I'll try to make it significantly longer and more detailed, more like a real book and less like a tale filled with dialogue.

Thanks guys! I'll post a new chapter tomorrow.

Wow, it's great to see that you guys still want to read more.

I couldn't post the chapter since my parents and my sister need the computer, but I already have it pre-written on paper so that I can post it tomorrow. No big deal.

I've also been thinking about buying my own computer. It'd give me a lot more breathing room in keeping this fic updated.

Alright, here's the chapter I promised.

Chapter 56.

Spyro climbed out of the dimly-lit lower deck and scanned his surroundings for a sight of Mirra. He had trouble seeing with just one eye, especially when the deck was crawling with busy sailors.
He had a hunch that Mirra was somewhere where he could be out of the sights and minds of others, and so he decided to head to the bow of the ship to look for him.

His instincts proved correct. The young dragon found Mirra hunched over the ship's railings, lost in his thoughts.
Spyro took a step closer, and started to speak in a apologising tone.

"Would you mind if we talked about what happened down there?" He said.

Mirra seemed to snap out of his thoughts, and turned his face to Spyro.

"I suppose you have questions, as always." Mirra replied sharply.

"I do.." Spyro said, wondering if he had done something to offend, "You're worried about Hunter, aren't you?"

"Of course I am. The scribe told us that Merol could be dead." Mirra grunted and looked the other way.

Spyro remained silent for a while, and said: "I understand how you feel, but we can't help him right now."

Mirra looked out to the sea for a moment, then seemed to ease up a bit.

"Hmm.. Yes. I suppose you're right. Was there anything else?" He said.

"Yes, actually. You also said you had family in Kassa, I didn't know that." Spyro stated, and leaned on the railing next to Mirra.

"I do. My wife, Theba, and my son Jehryn." Mirra said with a sad tone, "Balak has been taking care of them on his travels, while I've been busy with matters over here. You may recall our conversation before we arrived to Warfang."

"I do." Spyro admitted, "It seemed like a touchy subject so I didn't want to ask."

"It's alright. There comes a time in every man's life when he must admit to his mistakes." Mirra said with a stoic look on his face. "My greatest one was when I let myself grow distant from the ones I love. By keeping them safe, Balak has done more for me than I could've ever expected from my own kin. He has a wild heart, but his soul is much more noble than my own."

"I- I've also been away from my family.." Spyro said, remembering his last, short visit with his parents.

"..It makes you think, doesn't it?" Mirra said and turned his face to Spyro, smiling softly.

"Yeah. I also think about Cynder.. A lot." Spyro continued. He couldn't let go of his feelings towards Cynder, even after all that had happened.

"Of course. Love resists the wear of time, and body." Mirra said.

"But- It feels so complicated." Spyro replied immediately, "With this mission I hope to prove her that I am not evil, and that we could be together again, but then there's still Ember. I don't know what Cynder would think of me."

"I get the feeling that you're not too fond of her." Mirra said, referring to Ember.

"I don't know. It was stupid of me to pay any attention to her in the first place. None of this would've happened had I just kept my mind." Spyro cursed.

"Would you rather have not saved her?.." Mirra asked. "Think carefully before you answer."

Spyro blinked his eyes vacantly, and started to dig through his own feelings and thoughts. He felt shame for admitting to himself that he would've wanted to get rid of Ember, "This isn't me." he thought. Spyro struggled with that thought for a moment, then suddenly felt as if a veil had lifted off his mind, and the warm presence of a feeling that had long eluded him. Compassion.

"No." He answered, and smiled. "Regardless of what happened, I'm glad I did."

"Indeed." Mirra said, smiled in approval, and turned his face back to the sea, "I wouldn't have expected any less of you."

Spyro and Mirra stood together silently for a while, only the quiet sounds of the ocean waves and the distant screeches of seagulls could be heard as the sun slowly set over the horizon. Spyro was glad that he had found a friend like Mirra, who had now helped him to take a step away from the darkness that had plagued his mind for so long.

You never know what will happen, but Cynder is obviously not so central to this story as she was to the first one. Hell, I think the Second Beginning was mostly depicted from Cynder's point of view.
As for wether Spyro and Cynder do get back together, well.. I guess we'll have to see. Spyro stil loves her very much at least.

I have a lot of ideas for the future of this story right now. I'm going to write them down on paper so that I can use them later.

The arts will come once this story is complete and I will begin to rewrite the entire series from the start, because the Second Beginning is so poorly written when compared to today's chapters. So I'll include the art with the remake once I get around to writing it.

I am, but my account is empty. I've cleared out my old artwork, and I never had much uploaded to begin with.

I could start using it more actively though.

Thank you. I guess I could try to upload something for a change.

Quote: deaver88

I do still remember your "drunken Spyro" drawing

That was actually the first drawing that I ever uploaded on the internet.

New chapter coming in tomorrow!

Alright guys, I have the chapter ready and all, but I can't get a good connection on the computer, and writing it on phone would take an eternity. I'll try again later, or tomorrow.

But as I said, the chapter is already complete, I just need to hammer it in when I get a chance.

Thank god I just ordered my own computer. Cost me a hefty sum, but at least I'll get to come online pretty much whenever I want. It'll probably take about a week to have it up and running though.

Ok, here I am. This chapter is going to be quick, turns out I had to split it in two to not make it too long. The next one will be a lot longer.

Chapter 57.

Spyro woke up to the sound of steps on wood above his head. He looked around himself, but failed to see anything in the dark. He had spent his night below deck with his friends, and from the slight swinging motion of the room he realized that the ship he was on had already set sail.
Spyro's eyes got accustomed to the dark, and he saw that he was alone. Everybody else had already woken up, probably shortly before he did. He wasn't sure when he had slept so well the last time.
Spyro yawned and stretched his back, and walked up the ladders above deck.

The space was cramped, as per usual on a ship on sea. The crew would rather spend their time in the sun than in the craped space below. Looking behind him, he spotted Captain Rossan on the helm of the ship. He walked over to the captain, who greeted him warmly.

"I trust that that our scribe told you about your mission?" Rossan said.

"He did." Spyro replied, "He also mentioned a scout that was sent to Kassa before us."

"Yes, that was almost a month ago. That was a very rough voyage, let's hope the weather is more on our side this time." Rossan explained.

"Ah, the thing is.. We know this scout, he is our friend", Spyro said. "Nothing has been heard of him?"

"No, nothing unfortunately. Beyond our last short visit we know nothing of the situation in Kassa." Rossan said, "Frankly though, I'm not sure why the guardians are so interested in what is going on beyong the Realms."

"Neither am I.." Spyro sighed, though he had an idea. He still remembered his conversation with Ember near Warfang, when she had told him about Cyril's fears of any evil forces influencing him.

"Ahh, but nevermind that.. I'm sure a dragon of your capabilities won't have any trouble. You should enjoy the voyage while you can, withe the wind on our side we will reach Kassa in just a few days."

"I will, thank you." Spyro said, and left the Captain alone on his task. Even though the thoughts of past events still weighed heavily on him, Spyro did feel optimistic about this new opportunity. For now he swore to focus on present, and worry about the future later.

---

As I said, the events of the next chapter (I'll probably add it tomorrow) were supposed to be included in this one, but it would've been too long to post. Nevertheless, I'm sure any little updates to this story that I manage to post are welcomed.