darkSpyro

Part I: The Rage of Fort Zero


Chapter I
The Beginning Part One

IN THE HEART OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN IS A LAND LIKE NO OTHER. Martaan was an unmapped island, untouched by civilization, miles off the coast of the Carribean Islands. It was a medium-sized island, called Martaan, or "Dragon's Paradise". However, the most remarkable feature that Martaan had was its wild variety of its three unique climates. The island was divided into three sections, the wild and untamed Tropics, the flat and beautiful Fields, and the majestic yet mysterious Deserts. The island was safe from the threats of ice and snow, and the heat rarely grew intense enough to be unable to withstand.
In the heart of the island, a mysterious lake, its origins unknown, met the salty waters of the ocean in a beautiful, breathtaking estuary in the northwest crorner of Martaan. Surrounding the very heart of the island was an old oak fence, made from stacked downed oaks. Bordering this fenced section undergound was an impenetrable wall of stone. Another unusual feature of Martaan was its dense population of dragons. The smallest of the three tribes were the field dragons. They were between seven and nine feet long and tall, with beautiful golden scales and golden eyes. Their wings were a soft cream color, as was their talons, bellies, horns, and spines. Field dragon males had two tan, slightly curved horns of about a foot and a half long on their heads. Females only had tan stubs of horns. Like their forest cousins, they were herbivorous.
Forest dragons were the medium-sized of the three tribes, usually nine to ten feet long and nine to ten feet tall. They had deep, army-green scales and emerald eyes. Their chests, wings, talons, and spines were a light shade of olive. Like their field dragon cousins, forest dragon males had two, tan, slightly curved horns upon their heads, while forest dragon females had tan stubs of horns. Like their field dragon cousins, they were herbivorous.
Desert dwellers were the largest of the tribes, their heights and lengths averaged between thirteen and fifteen feet. Their scales were as black as pitch with a unique red ^ shape on their bellies. Their eyes were a deep maroon color and their wings were a grayish color. Both male and female desert dwellers had to, massive, crooked horns and sharp, gray-black spines and talons. These dragons were carnivorous and often aggresive, unlike their pacifist cousins.

Chapter I
The Beginning Part Two

Amongst this wild variety of dragons, lived a young forest dragon by the name of Piermont. Piermont was twenty-seven, about the equivalent to a human of mid-adolescence. As one would expect, he was like any other teenager, mischievous, tending to get himself in more trouble than needed. He enjoyed playing jokes on the younger and elder dragons. His friends had coined him the name 'Prakmont' or 'Prankmont' in our language. However, a severe, life-changing even that would forever change and scar him would soon sober him, but that will happen soon.

For now, Piermont was at one of Martaan's elderberry patches, pretending to eat but waiting for the perfect moment to unleash his greatest prank. As if sensing his mischievous and perhaps malicious attentions, his father-Arradox-said, "Don't even think about running off again Piermont."
Scowling that his seemingly foolproof plan had been foiled again, Piermont replied, his voice laced with malice, "Yes Dad, whatever you say."

Once his mother-Juniper-and father were finished eating they began heading to the small stream-a tributary to the immense Phoenix River-that flowed by the family's burrow. "C'mon Piermont, let's go!" the young forest dragon's father said, voice thick with annoyance.
Piermont turned to head into the cool darkness of the forest when his eyes caught a flash of gold. He turned to the source, and his heart nearly stopped. Cherub, a young field dragon-about three years Piermont's junior-and the most beautiful dragon in the world in Piermont's eyes, was feasting. Cherub was a beautiful dragon, Piermont loved her, but refuse to tell her for obvious reasons-one being rejection. They had been friends for many years, and the forest dragon understandably feared that telling her his feelings would cause their long friendship to end abruptly. Unbeknownst to him, however, Cherub felt the very same, and feared the truth as well for the same reason.
"You really love her, don't you son," a soft, understanding voice said from behind the forest dragon.
Startled, Piermont said, "Yeah Dad, I do."
"You know what I did when I first met your mother?"
"No."
"I talked to her."
"Yeah but...what if she doesn't like me back?"
"Slow down son, I didn't say to tell her how you feel. Just say hi you know. Jjust say hi. Ill see you at home, son."
His father disappeared in the forest, leaving Piermont alone, but the older dragon's words echoed in Piermont's mind. just say hi you know. Just say hi...
Piermont felt weak, he was nervous, and when Cherub's eyes caught his and began to shine like they always did when their glances met, and she smiled joyfully, it was all the lovestruck dragon could do to remain standing. "Hi Piermont!" Cherub said, running over to him. They hugged casually.
"Hi Cherub. How are you?" he replied nervously, as always.
"Cherub! C'mon, we're leaving!" Piaceese-Cherub's father-roared. Cherub's eyes darkened with worry and she said, "Sorry Piermont, but I gotta go. My dad will kill me if he sees us together."
"Wait Cherub! I-"
"I'll see you later Piermont!"
Saddened, Piermont said, "Don't go..."
Once Cherub was gone, Piermont dashed into the forest.

Chapter I
The Beginning Part Three

It was well known that Piaceese was a coward. It was also well known that he was a religious maniac. He disapproved of intertribal families, even though that ancient value had long since laxed into oblivion. So when he first realized daughter saw in Piermont a potential mate, and vice versa, he was quick to ensure his daughter never went near her best-and only-friend.
As Cherub and her parents walked back to their den, Cherub said, "Why do you hate him so?"
Piaceese replied by swiping his claws across his daughter's face and saying, "I told you, if you mate with that...that heathen....I will disown you! And you know I'm serious!"
"Mating hasn't crossed our minds!"
"So It says," Piaceese was fond of calling Piermont 'it' behind his back.
"How can you be so cruel!"
"Because, I know young male dragons. All they have on their minds is mating, and I will disown you and curse your offspring, and your offspring's offspring if I find you mated with it."
Cherub's mother, attempting to restore order, said, "Piaceese, they are still kids...I doubt when you were twenty-seven you had your mind set on mating."
"You shut up woman! I did NOT ask you. You know Inferno disapproves of intertibal relationships."
"You're taking it out of con-"
"I said SILENCE woman!"
Cherub, starting to cry, ignored her father's ranting and mentally retreated into her imaginary world, where all that mattered was herself, Piermont, and maybe her mother. Cherub felt guilty, she had...once or twice...considered mating with Piermont, but had never carried through.

Piermont caught up to his parents, who were talking in hushed tones bewtween themselves. They looked back at him on occasion, and Piermont knew they were that he was the topic of their conversation. His father than casually asked, "So did you talk to her."
Hating the times when his father insisted on probing into his son's love life, Piermont replied as bleakly as possible, "Yes."
"What did you say?"
"I said hi?"
"Oh, anything else?"
"No! God all I said was hi!"
"Sorry son, I'm just making small talk."

At the family burrow, Arradox and Juniper dropped off Piermont and continued into the tropics, still talking. When their voices faded away and Piermont could no longer hear them, he exited the burrow, looked around anxiously, and dashed the opposite direction. Normally Piermont enjoyed having the burrow to himself. He enjoyed doing anything and everything he wanted...but not today. Today, he had a whole other idea.

Chapter I
The Beginning Part Four

Within an hour, Piermont found himself at the base of the foothills of the immense, single mountain known as Inferno's Peak. Located in the heart of the tropics sector of the island, Inferno's Peak stood alone and was regarded sacred. It was rumored that the mountain's peak ended in the heavens beyond earth, and that it acted as a sort of stairway for the gods between heaven and earth. Only the elders were allowed near the mountain, and NO one was allowed in the mountain. Of course, Piermont never listened.
The only entrance into the mountain was by several caves of flowing water that flowed and combined to become the immense waterfall that kissed the Red Blood River, the second largest river on the island, in the shade of a cloud of cool, white, opaque mist. Three of these caves were below the cloud cover, and were thus visible from the cliff Piermont perched on. The highest, visible cave was lined with large stalagmites and stalactites. Because of the way they were arranged, the cave was called, 'Muthos Devimos' or 'Devil's Mouth' by the elders.
For five minutes, he was caught breathless by the immensity of the mountain, and the mystery, as he always was when he saw the mountain. Once it wore off, the adrenaline started pumping through his veins, he began to feel nervous, and he decided it was time to push on. He anxiously glanced around the immediate vicinity, assuring himself that he was completely alone, and with a mighty leap, he spread his wings and flew to Devil's Mouth, landing just inside the cover behind the jagged stones, the 'teeth'. The sound of the flowing stream was immediately enhanced to an almost deafening babble. Breathing a deep breath, he entered the welcoming darkness, listening as the cave closed in to almost claustrophobic proportions (luckily, forest and field dragons were not prone to claustrophobia, unlike the massive desert dwellers) and the stream grew louder.
He trudge through the gathered sediment, staring in awe as white, flouresecent crystals made the blue, clear waters glow. The lighted stream cast strange and mystifying patterns on the arched tunnels. The cave, growing more enclosed until even the forest dragon began to feel the icy fingers of claustrophobia creep up his spine, went through periodic sections of sheer blackness, and mystically illuminated. Finally, the dragon came to a fork in the cave and, deciding quickly, took the left passage. The left passage was black for the longest time, and the dragon, enjoying the adrenaline rush that his 'illegal and immoral spelunking adventure' supplied him with, began to wonder if he was lost in the belly of the mountain.
However, light shone ahead, and he pressed on, emerging in another lighted section. Here, the stream tapered off until he was only trudging through thick mud. This tunnel was completely encrusted by the flourescent crystal. Black and dark purple crystal grew untamed on the ceiling and the border between floor and wall. Green and white crystal grew intermingled on the walls and floor. Piermont was astounded by the sheer beauty of this unexplored land, but, with time growing short, he pushed ever on.

Chapter I
The Beginning Part Five

Finally, Piermont reached the very heart of the mountain. He found himself in an immense room, at least two hundred meters tall and having a diameter of at least one hundred meters. From a narrow cave ninety meters up, an immense waterfall fell, glowing from the colonies of blue crystal growing behind it. The cavern walls were covered in patches of green crystal. The ceiling, like that of the tunnel to here, was encrusted in black and dark purple crystal. The large lake that the waterfall supplied was more of a hot spring, heated by the jets of gases spewing from the true heart of the mountain, an immense heart made entirely of magma that still existed in the now-dormant volcano. The cave tunnels ended here, but continued underwater. The spring itself was very deep, and seemed to go on forever. Piermont would not be surprised if he kept moving forward underwater and found himself in the lava heart of Inferno's Peak. The clear pool was lighted by green and blue crystal, with some minuscule patches of white. Although dragon's could hold their breaths for extended amounts of time, the lake was an ominous mixture of salt and fresh water, a dangerous combination that could disorient him and possibly kill him. However, he did relax in the pool, allowing the heat to calm him, and, unfortunately, he fell asleep.
When he awoke, he began to panic, and quickly left the inner sanctum by way of the crystalline cave he had used to get there. Within an hour of rapid sprinting, he emerged into the light of day, outside the cave. Directly before him, the sun was over three quarters below the horizon. Fearing that his parents would catch him here, he hopped off the ledge and splashed in the lake a few times to clean the salt and sweat from his scales. He flew with the speed of a bullet towards home, the sun sinking quickly. He was in a race against time, but his parents did not know it, and that worked to his advantage.

Very good.

Should I even continue? Or skip right to the good part?