Spyro Prime, World 1, Part 9

The Rescue of Reena

ShadowSpyro

"Hmm. You two HAVE been through quite a bit." Djari nodded as she listened to his version of events. "Although I don't agree with some of your actions . . .."

"Just drop it. Please." Prime sat down. "Didn't Reena meet up with you sooner?"

"Not yet � she was supposed to visit me later today so I could go to the ceremony. Why isn't she with you two, anyway? That whole 'no seeing the mate-to-be before the wedding' is more of a Marian custom than anything."

"While the two of us were trying to beat the crap out of each other, she ran off ahead to get the other scrolls. I thought she reached you before we did."

"And you haven't met up with her yet?" Djari looked over at me, and I nodded. "Well, that's not good."

Prime looked over at me as well. "Shadow? What's a mate?"

"I am NOT in the mood to deal with this! Not now . . .." I looked over at him for a second, still dressed in his collar and skirt, and then walked to the Rose Garden portal, looking into the high umbra that I could see. "Reena's in there; I know it. I just know it."

"Go in there and get her if you like; I need to head back home for a moment." Djari spoke. "To tell Father that I'm with you and going to the temple. It's a simple matter, but it just needs to done."

"Sounds good. See you, Djari!" I waved to her as she jumped back into the Golden Rock portal again. Prime stood up as she left.

"Now what? We just go in there alone?" He looked over at me. I nodded. "Just as well . . . I don't think she liked me that much. Maybe it was the handcuffs . . .."

"Prime, Djari is simply skittish about � wait, You're actually concerned that she doesn't like you?" I looked over at him, smirking with a face that screamed 'I know something you don't know, ha ha'.

"Yeah. I mean, the way I felt around her . . . it was the same sort of thing around Reena, but . . .."

I grinned. "Don't worry about it � it's just another one of those things your dad'll explain later. Now come on, Prime; dive in!"

Spyro

I should've known that this wasn't going to be easy. Not after that crazy guard captain tried to keep me locked up in the dungeon . . ..

I landed just before Prime did, and quickly got my bearings in the area. Mostly a maze of roses, rhododendrons, and irises that all led to a tall green tower in the center with a wood-tone roof. There was one thing that had me off-kilter, however; I saw a quick burst of lightning explode from the tower. It wasn't like the constant barrage of bolts at Stormy Terrace, with the constant pound of thunder on the verge of leaving you deaf, but simply a noiseless flash of lightning.

Shadow tried to speak to me, and that's when I realized it � this lightning wasn't on the verge of leaving me deaf � I WAS deaf. I could still speak, but not hear . . . how did I know that Shadow could hear me, for that matter?

"Now what, genius?" I spoke, still stunned at the fact I didn't hear myself.

He tried yelling at me, but as soon as he knew it was pointless, he just held his forehead and walked onward. Sparx looked over at me and nodded. He stayed close to me, so that I could still feel the vibrations of his buzzing and translate them. I'll heal your eardrums once we leave, and warn you if there's anything you can't hear � I'm not deafened by the thunder, but it certainly is loud.

I nodded and continued on. I noticed that there were many, many dragonflies in the area, tending to the plants and lounging by the ponds, none of them bothering to even look at us. None, that is, except one dragonfly wearing a uniform similar to Shadow's. I noticed the dragonfly circle his horns a few times before perching on his head as well, helping him to hear same as I did. We could now speak again.

"As I said while you were deaf � Now what?"

Shadow spoke, while Sparx repeated. Not sure � the dragonflies usually have enough static electricity to neutralize this, but something in the tower has too strong a charge.  We need to keep going.

"Where? You don't think the scroll could be in the tower, do you?" I waited a few seconds for a response. "C'mon, Reena would know � didn't she tell you where it was before you two headed for Sushi Shores?"

Shadow was still silent. I crept over to him, so close that our horns knocked against each other, startling him. A few scant moments later, he was running. I chased after him, trying to keep up.

The chase continued through a small hedge maze until Shadow stopped, kneeling over a puddle of red. I ran over to him. "Are you hurt?"

Physically, no.  Sparx is telling me everything he saw before some nasty dragonflies scared him off. He sighed, holding up a thin, familiar object � Reena's LightCard. It was laying in the blood when I found it; she got here before us. There was a struggle around here between those dirty birds and Reena. She took some damage � most likely a laceration, since I don't see skin � and she also dropped this. They took her underground; either a dead-end cave or a tunnel. He's not sure, and to tell the truth, neither am I.

"That's good, right?" I asked, and ended up on the receiving end of Shadow's dagger-sharp glare. "Not that Reena was taken captive, of course, but she fact she bled is good. Just follow the blood trail, and we'll find her."

He shook his head. There's no trail. They healed it up� not surprising, since that's exactly what dragonflies are good at � but it also means she'll be impossible to find. Prime, this isn't a place I'm familiar with; for all I know, there's a tunnel to the Cleansing Chambers located here, and that's where Reena was taken. I simply don't know.

"Fine." I pouted, looking around at the plants for any sign of that blue-haired, green-horned temple sweeper. "We need to keep quiet, then, listening in for anything important. She has to be here somewhere." I glanced back at him. "And why did those dragonflies need 'dirty birds' to fight Reena, anyway?"

Just shut up and save it for later!

Reena

I screamed, although with my snout taped shut, the sound was too muffled for anyone to understand. It didn't even sound like me . . .. I never had heard myself scream. Temple life was a bit sheltered, so screaming curses and howling for help was never very common. 

"Can't we shut her up?" One of the males looked over at the ringleader of the group, a female (females have a fifth stage of healing power, known as the red phase) who had a band of blue line weave on. The same one that escaped from us while the two Spyros were fighting. I can't believe I thought she was a he before � but it's more difficult to tell between the genders when they're at low health.

"I'm not that disturbed by it; besides, she's needed by us. This place is confusing enough for a native dragonfly � if our little scroll hunters are expected to make it through that maze, they need a little 'cheese' to help them." She hovered a few inches below the ceiling, coming down from the roof after making a barrage of bolts. It was a signal� whenever she did it, it would alert her cronies situated around the arena. It deafened me each time, and each time they would heal my ears back up, just so that I would feel them split and bleed again.

Using my wings for stability since my hands were tied up, I was able to stand instead of lying on the floor, and I walked over to a window facing southwest. It revealed the ocean on both sides of the Isthmus of the Rose, and a slight glimpse of the Egg Peninsula, tethered to the mainland by said isthmus. No sign, however, of anyone noticeable. Not even Sparx could be seen; I hoped he was safe . . .

"Get away from the window!" Someone screamed, and two males wrestled me down. "Trying to fly away like some bird, eh?"

"Mmph mmh!" I struggled again, jerking and using my legs to kick about. I tried flaming, but only produced the slightest whiff of smoke.

"Aww, has the poor little temple dragon run out of firewood?" The ringleader cooed. "We've got a little fireweed if you promise to be good and let us give it to you."

"MMPH!!" I stood up and tried to buck the two males off.

Dragons are not born with the ability to flame right out of the egg. There's a small storage chamber near the lungs called the crop, and special acids there (I forget what they're all called; Spyro would know) turn the plant stuff into fuel for flaming. The most common plants eaten for firewood are the hardwood trees � I prefer cherry, since it has a sweet smell. There are three plants to avoid: tobacco, called smokewood since all that ever comes out is smoke; pine, which performs rather well, but the sap gums up the crop; and marijuana, also known as fireweed, which not only produces a short green flame but also has some nasty long-term effects.

There was NO WAY I was about to use fireweed!

"Don't think she wants any." One of my captors replied.

The female grinned. "You say that as if we can't just shove it down her throat." She shrugged. "No need to, though . . . just a time-waster, if nothing else. Have her feet locked. We don't want her trying to fly out again."

This time they put my feet into a lockbox, ensuring that I wouldn't be able to stand up and walk. They were watching me closer than a falcon now. I tried to use my wings so I could hide their glare, but they wouldn't allow it.

"How much longer should it take them, Blitz?" Someone asked the female, who was glancing at the entrance to the room.

"Hm? Oh, oh, not long at all. Just to make sure, prop her up in front of the window � let them know exactly where they should end up."

Spyro

We walked for a few minutes through the pathways when Shadow stopped. I looked behind him to see him staring up at the tower. "What?"

Look in the window. Quick! He hissed. I glanced up, and saw a glint of silver and pink. It's Reena. She's up there.

"Think she's signaling to us?"

Can't tell... not having full use of your ears becomes a problem when dealing with things like that. Sparx says he's hearing things, but nothing worth repeating.

Just as soon as he was finished, Sparx spoke up for himself. Hurry! Turn left!

I ducked into a side alley with Shadow just in time to avoid a set of charges from two other dragonflies. We charged down the alley as fast as we could, following it until we hit a dead end. I could see the dragonflies catching up with us, their electricity lighting up the dusky pathway.

"Run faster! They'll catch you for sure!"

I'm hurrying . . . for the love of Tahla, calm down! Shadow screamed back, stumbling along and using his walking stick for further help. You act like a dragonfly can really outrun a dragon . . . AGH! He stumbled one time too many, and took a hard hit from a dragonfly charge.

"Well, they can certainly aim good enough! Now come on; I can't just leap over this TALL WALL OF BRAMBLES by myself!" I had already beaten him to the end of the pathway, but it now meant I was cornered. 

He caught up with me soon enough. And you're expecting me to give you a lift? No chance of that! He showed me his wings, along with what was left of the wing leather on either side. Sweet Tahla . . . these wings are cursed; this is the second time today! Not sure what to do, but-

"Butt what? You think we can just butt-bounce over this-. Hey, we can bounce!" I quickly called up that rubber ball Reena gave me earlier. "Hold on tight. I think I can just barely make it over."

Crazy enough. He grabbed onto my wings. I took a deep breath, jumped, flipped, aimed for the ground, and away we went, tumbling in the air with all the grace and talent of two wet chickens. 

We barely made it, with Shadow holding my wings out to help me glide over another passageway and into a wide courtyard with the tower in the center. We could not see Reena in the window now, but we did see an ivy-covered doorway into the tower. After a slight moment of hesitation, we walked in. The tower was dark, with only a circular staircase going up the wall. The light from the doorway was the only thing that lit the way.

After the ivy quickly covered it over, that light was gone. I flamed about to try and light something � anything � to show the way. It was useless; all the tools strapped to the staircase I could see were metal, and there was no fertilizer, just stones. We were trapped in darkness that was just two candles short of absolute black. Those two candles being our Sparxes, of course.

I ran up the first flight of stairs, trying to see if there was something we couldn't see at ground level. Shadow was right next to me. I turned to face him. "I think if we let our Sparxes get ahead of us, we can light up the way. Problem is that if they're in front, we're back to being completely deaf."

He nodded. If I didn't know better, I'd say we could get our ears healed now. That bolt from when we came in wasn't followed by anything else, so that- The theory was interrupted by a large bolt of lightning striking the stairs, hitting a metal plate in the dead center of the step. It flashed, and we could both feel the heat even from ten steps away.  He jerked slightly, and then spoke again. So that it would be a very good idea to start running and hope we don't get electrocuted!!!

"VERY good idea!" I exclaimed, and then charged up the stairs myself. The stairs were just a long spiral attached to the wall, and a sheer drop on the inside that became deadlier with each step. We began putting some distance between ourselves and the bolts when I noticed a light up ahead � a small candle, burning its wick just a flight of stairs away. It took a little longer to see the rest of the barricade. We both charged through it to knock it down, knocking the candle over the edge and down to the floor at the very bottom of the tower.

The flame, however, was not as easy to get rid of.

I'm on fire! Shadow started running on two legs again, trying to get rid of the flame that caught on his belt.

"You'll be dead if you don't keep up the pace! That barricade cost us some time!" I goaded him along. "We'll put it out AFTER we get away from the bolts!"

But running just feeds the flame more oxygen. It'll cause more damage unless I put it out now. He stopped and leaned against the stone wall as he choked the fire out with his hands. I stared at him, wide-eyed and in disbelief. The bolts were closing in.

"Damn the flame! We need to RUN!" I grabbed his hand and ran on, now just a few steps away from the bolts. We ran up the stairs, regaining our lead by about twenty steps, when we reached the end of the staircase. The platform lead to a few doors; two were small closets filled with pots, plant stakes, and hoses, and the third door was locked. "We're trapped; this floor is metal tiling. As soon as the bolts get here, there'll be such a jolt in the floor that we'll be crippled, if not worse!"

The bolts are slowing down now for some reason. Check if anyone behind that door is willing to open it up. He spoke, and then stared at me. Now, maybe Sparx is becoming a little hard of hearing himself, but did you just say 'Damn the flame'?

"I did, didn't I?" I blushed. "Been around you too long." I turned back to the door, banging on the heavy wood. "OPEN UP IN THERE!"

Let us in! Let us in!

We kept banging on it, charging on it, screaming at it, and cursing at it (Shadow was the only one doing the cursing this time), but it only opened when the bolt was just about to strike the metal� we had to jump and glide in to avoid it. We looked around the room� it was curiously empty, except for behind the door. That was where we found Reena, feet in a lockbox, hands behind her back, using her wings to hide the gag on her muzzle. Her eyes lit up when see saw us, but she winced again. Shadow helped her stand up, and then tried to carefully take the tape away from her muzzle. She gasped as soon as she could open her mouth.

What's going on here? He asked, feeling around her head and coming back with blood near her ear slits. You're bleeding. Can you hear me? As soon as Shadow begin checking Reena for injuries, Sparx began to worry, thinking I would need to be at full health. He healed my ears up then and there, and I was now beginning to notice the subtle clapping of dragonfly wings again. Shadow's Sparx decided to do the same thing.

"I can hear you perfectly." She replied, looking at the both of us. "It's a trap. There are dragonflies here; they shifted down so you wouldn't see them immediately. The female one has the scroll." 

"Again with the female thing." I groaned. "How am I supposed to tell which one it is?"

Reena tried to help me. "She's the red one who's been giving you the free lightning show. She's also the one right behind you." I turned around, freezing when I saw her � It looked like the same one we had caught speeding about near the library. Blue Line Weave armband and everything.

"You again!" She snarled at the three of us. "That was payment for the display of depravity you gave me back at Sushi Shores. I'd give you a bit more of a fight for good measure if this tower room wasn't so cramped." She handed me the scroll, slapping it in my right hand. "Your friend told me what you were after; take it and go. The less time you spend here, the happier I'll be about it. There's an exit whirlwind out that window you can glide to."

"Er... Thank you." I replied to her. "By the way . . .  you wouldn't happen to know anyone named Angel or Cancer, would you?"

She blinked, pursing her lips tight and adjusting her armband slightly. Without another word, she dove out of the southwest window, along with her dragonfly comrades. By the time we went over there to look for them, they were gone.

Shadow watched me carefully. "You think she's one of those-"

"That has to be Blitz; it's the exact same voice from the temple. I didn't realize she would be so offended . . .."

Reena tried to jump about, rattling her lockbox. "Both of you, come back here; I'm still tied up!"

We went about rather quickly getting Reena loose. I undid her hands, and Shadow got her feet out of the box. Reena quickly took her LightCard back and dusted herself off. "I hope you two had better luck than I did� it's almost sunset at the temple."

"This was the last scroll we needed." I held it up, along with my handcuffs. "However, I'm tempted to throw it out the window unless a certain SOMEONE takes my handcuffs off."

"Deal." She pulled out a small key and unlocked the cuffs. I stretched out a bit  and rubbed my wrists before giving the scroll to her. Shadow also gave both of his scrolls to her as well. "Now, since all the dragonflies that were giving us trouble have left, I think we need to head for the temple. Hopefully this time, we can figure out what's with that door."

Reena

We flew out of the portal and over to Djari, who was already waiting by the fountain. Despite the fact it was still sunny over at Rose Garden, nighttime was fast approaching here. She held her lamp up as soon as she came into view. "So there you are � I was wondering what had happened."

"Don't ask!" I replied to her. "Had a little trouble with some excuses for birds in Rose Garden. How long have you been waiting for us?"

She stood up. "Not long at all. So is the ceremony tonight or not?"

"It's tonight, as soon as we can get the door open . . ." I walked over to it and gave it a hard flipkick for good measure before I started pulling out the scrolls.  "Dojo, R;  Terrace, D; Shores, T; Village, O; Rock, O; Garden, N." I Watch each scroll fly to the door and unfurl itself. Once all six scrolls were up there, they began to line themselves up along the door.

"R.D. Toon? What's R.D. Toon?" Djari looked at it oddly. "Something about this isn't right."

"Maybe it's backwards?" Spyro offered.

Spyro Prime shook my head. "No. That's the order I remember finding the scrolls in. Since we have no idea what order we were supposed to get them in, whatever word up there is scrambled a bit."

"So we need to unscramble it to open the door up?" I looked at it, and then shrugged. "Okay, that makes sense. But unscramble it into what? To Dorn?"

Spyro shrugged, flipping the 'N' scroll up with his staff. "Nod Rot?"

"I think I was closer the first time. It seems like a name to me, or at least one word." Djari looked at it again. "If Mai'ko did seal the door, maybe she'd code it in old faerie. something you wouldn't guess right off the mark."

 "There is NO WAY that Mai'ko would be that hard about it." I looked at it again. "She knows I have a limited vocabulary in old faerie . . . the only words of it I know are dragon names."

She looked at me. "You have a better idea?"

"Dragon names?" Spyro Prime looked at the door again, holding onto my shoulder to push me out of the way. "Sorry if I'm being a little rude, but I could be of some assistance. There's something that seems familiar about the letters."

"Be my guest, Spyro Prime." I backed away from the door, while he went to work picking the scrolls off of it. "You know something we don't?"

"It's just a name, right?" He shrugged. "Back when I was still getting used to traveling, I met a lot of dragons that would give me advice and encouragement on the way. There was this one on particular who helped me defeat this large orange medicine-man by telling me that the idiot had forgotten to armor his backside." He looked at the door. "Now what was that name again? I just had it a second ago . . .."

"If I Worked for Insomniac...", "Spyro Prime", "Dragon's Jubilee" and all other related works are � Rachel 'Jekkal' Keslensky, 2000. "Spyro the Dragon", "Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage", and "Spyro: Year of the Dragon" are � Vivendi-Universal, Inc. This site is affiliated with Insomniac Games, Inc.