Preview of Spyro's Slimy Setback
This is an excerpt from a story that you can read the full version of on either my Subscribestar page by following this link! Or with my Patreon page over here! It will still make its way to FA before too long, though. But every bit of support you can offer would help me so much!
Personal project idea, using it being the Year of the Dragon as an excuse to imperil a favourite dragon in a logical (if slightly overly complicated) game over.
Summary: Gnorcs have been appearing in the dragon realms again. Spyro traces the source through a portal to the 'Slime Pit' but the challenges within may finally prove too much.
Word Count (Full Version): 4704
Spyro took another look around the room, it screamed of ‘boss arena’, from how the door behind him had slid shut to the grate at the far end of the room through which he could see a portal!
“Oh you wanna fight? Let's fight!” He yelled in challenge. The thick sticky floor was slowing him but not enough to be a real handicap.
The reflected light on the glistening monster’s body twisted as it prepared to shoot again, the dragon counted and waited, dodging the attempts easily. He let himself get close and let out a breath of fire from his mouth. As suspected it didn’t have any effect, yet he had needed to try.
The slime seemed unable to keep up with him, only able to start shooting from a difficult to discern ‘front’ end. Spyro ran most of the way around behind it before he broke off toward the wall where Sparx was, leaping, grabbing the stuck dragonfly in his front claws and pulling. The blob came free of the wall but maintained its form!
Spyro’s claws were too thickly coated into rounded balls from their repeated pats on the ground for him to even try anything like scraping it off. The monster had turned, firing again while he was distracted. He had to drop Sparx with an apology and despite wishing to avoid it he had no choice but to roll or be hit. All the same, a thick splat struck Spyro’s shoulder at the end of the dive, sticking to the floor.
“Nngggh, come on, come on!” He grunted, tugging hard. The monster shifted a little, ceasing its shots and starting to move closer, inching toward him and rearing up slightly. “Oh you want me stuck, is that it?”
He wrenched free at last, to which the monster quivered, returning to its approach of ranged attacks.
The longer he waited the harder it would be, the monster’s mass didn’t seem diminished, yet the coating he’d rolled in was thicker and heavier. If flames weren’t going to cut it, then he’d have to use horns!
He sprinted at the monster, lowering his head. His horns stabbed against its side, the goo keeping tense as it was indented around the points and then pushing back, bouncing him away. “Waaah!” He landed on his legs, looking sharply up. The point of impact was still visible as an imprint but that was rapidly shrinking too.
Still, the gnorc’s had been protected by slime but it had only cushioned the blow, he’d just need to keep hitting it!
He ran behind its tracking, weaving in to give it another bash with the horns every now and then. Was it stretching more each time or was he imagining it?
The thing was struggling to turn, unable to keep up, trying to rotate the other way to catch him off guard but Spyro felt satisfied, as long as he could keep out of its firing line, he could charge until he was certain it was or wasn’t working.
His wings stretched to flap experimentally but it was no good, already they were too weighed down or else he would consider a dropping head bash.
He managed to land a strike on the monster, directly at what he understood as its back, with his horns going so far in as to touch the slime against his head before he was sprung outward again. Still, that told him one thing, there were weaker parts.
The gears in his head spun, there was always a way to win. He thought back to the only time it had changed its attack, when he had been stuck. Maybe there was something he was missing then!
The dragon ran round in front of the beast. Strutting confidently at it. “Come on then, try and hit me!” It wordlessly obliged, launching a fresh volley. Spyro ducked and dodged, watching carefully. “Missed! One more, come on!”
It fired in a similar arc to which Spyro quickly leapt, landing right near where two blobs struck, stretching his legs behind them. “Oh no!” He gasped, acting as though caught. He didn’t know how the slime sensed things but if it was sight, it would certainly have looked convincing. True enough it approached once more, rearing up as it did. The underside! If it was vulnerable anywhere that would be the spot!
It rose up and up while drawing closer. Spyro’s eyes studied the beast and saw a patch of its body that didn’t look as tensed. He surged forward, charging it, horns jabbing at the vulnerability.
He surged with elation as the thing quivered in shock and tried to hop back, it hadn’t liked that! Joy quickly turned to panic as it flew backward but pulled him with it! His horns were stuck! The coating of gel on them had turned back into fluid, stretching and not wanting to come loose.