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Chapter 35: Last Stand Dragon Realms, Uncharted System May 6, 2204 Central Courtyard, Warfang 1925 Hours

The Marines in the courtyard fired their weapons as Apes and Orcs rushed them from every conceivable direction, the larger Apes Spyro remembered from the Eternal Night. They charged the Marines wielding their swords, smashing into a group of three Marines and a Lakador as their smaller caliber weapons didn't puncture his armor. The tanks turned their guns, the .50 caliber guns hitting the Ape as he stumbled back before his armor shattered, he falling down as the barrage killed him.

The others rushed in behind the Ape regardless of his defeat, pushing against the Coalition forces as they fell back to the fountain, the tanks holding position near the back of the courtyard as their AA guns and machine guns fired at the wyverns who threatened to attack them as well as the Dark Wings that swooped in from above trying to bomb the tank formation.

Spyro was one of the first to leap into action after the crash of the Typhus, leaping headlong into a crowd of rushing Apes, knocking them back as Cynder struck them with a bomb of poison, causing them to cough and grab at their throat as they fell over, dead.

Another duo of Apes raced forward, flanked by Grublins as they threatened Spyro and Cynder. An arc of darkness hit the lead Ape, knocking him back as Cynder took a Grublin in her teeth, biting down to inject poison. Spyro wasted no time in shooting an arc of electricity that traveled through the cluster of Apes through their proximity, downing them all as they flashed white and yellow from the high voltage.

Smoke rose from the bodies as Zephyr and Roxy advanced, Tom and Krypto plowing through Apes as the larger armored ones rushed in for another frontal assault. Two Marines near Spyro went down as arrows hit them in the neck and gut from a trio of Orc and Ape archers, a Lakador hitting one as a beam of energy hit the other- fired by Aaron,. The third one ducked before firing again, hitting the Lakador in the side as it yelled in pain, falling as it clutched the wound. A Marine ran in to provide cover as Powers and Linburg fired in short bursts, slowly retreating towards the fountain with the others as bombs exploded all around from the Dark Wings.

A Nighthawk flew nearby, firing its guns as it strafed the courtyard. It continued on as the wind had picked up, smoke and debris being kicked up into the air as and orange tint settled over the already darkened city streets, created by the fires raging at the temple above. Spyro growled. The temple was where the remaining guardians were, and he hoped that they made it out alright. If Dyke had initiated the assault already, then they might've escaped the crash. How did the Typhus crash anyway? Wasn't it under full human control? This didn't make any sense!

Spyro turned as he saw thunder crack in the distance as the Marines in the perimeter fought off the counter assault as the tanks fired at the streets, blowing huge craters in them and throwing dead enemy soldiers all over the place.

"Where did all these guys come from?!" Cynder asked as she ran over, seeing their numbers continuing to rush through the streets as the storm around them seemed to pick up as well.

"What the hell are those?!" A Marine suddenly asked as the group looked over to see new enemies rushing through the streets.

Creatures ran down the street similar to ones Spyro had seen earlier. They were pale with a dark tint in color as they looked humanoid while others looked like they were malting fur and resembled a mole while others looked like deformed cheetahs. They lacked many features other than a slim body, hunched back and they had sharp teeth and yellow eyes.

They were followed closely by the ever more frequent drones, the larger creatures coming in behind them as they raised their arms, dark energy projecting from their cannons as it arced at them.

The energy collided with the fountain, throwing the entrenched Marines back as the others returned fire, the tanks adding to the mix as well.

"Spyro! Look out!" Cynder yelled as one of the creatures rushed him. He kicked it back, it skidding as two more leapt over it, going for him. Spyro lashed at one, kicking its swinging arm away with his paw and he slashed at its chest. The creature went down, but not before its partner grabbed onto Spyro and tried to bite him.

The creature was unsuccessful as Cynder growled and used her tail blade to impale it from behind, causing the creature to let out a death wail before falling to the ground.

The other came back for revenge before Spyro growled, biting it in its neck and tossing it aside as more came.

The Marines fought hard against them, the tanks shattering the crystal-like drones as the smaller creatures advanced, running right into the Marine and Lakador lines. A Marine stood up behind the wall, firing down as his bullets shredded one of the creatures while another leapt up, grabbing him as two more vaulted over the small fountain wall. One of the Marines rolled to the side and put three into one of the creatures head while the one with the creature on his back tossed it off and fired his side arm into it, silencing the creature.

"Over there! More coming!" A Marine shouted as more rushed their lines, drones, Apes and Orcs rushing the courtyard as well as the new drone enemies. Spyro and Cynder tried to keep them away from the Marine lines but they pushed in, several of them crawling over the walls and overpowering the Human soldiers, the Lakador soldiers not fairing any better either.

Soon the surviving Marines started to fall back to a series of shops that lined the side of the courtyard still held by coalition forces. Cheetahs, Moles and Dragons rushed in to assist on the flanks but they were overwhelmed as well by the torrent of creatures that flooded the streets.

"We have to push back! This assault is our last chance!" Spyro said as he kicked one of the creatures away, avoiding a bolt from a drone at the same time as it soared overhead.

"Spyro! I think it's too late! They've already pushed our guys back!" Aaron said as Roxy stabbed one of the creatures through the neck as she got in between them. The chaos of the battle was surging through them as they were getting cut off with their only back up falling back to the other end of the courtyard.

"He's right! With the Typhus gone we have no heavy fire support! We have to get in contact with Command!" Linburg said.

"We have to find Wagner and the others too!" Cynder said.

Spyro growled. This was it. This WAS their last shot at fighting off the Dark Master's forces. But they were right. This was a losing effort here. They needed to regroup and rethink their strategy.

"Let's find Wagner and the others first!" Spyro said as another Marine fell as he was bit in the neck, a creature leaping on Linburg. Linburg grunted as it was on his back, he moving so he threw it over him as he pulled himself up and shot the creature in the chest 3 times, silencing it.

More creatures rushed them, prompting Spyro to unleash a jet of fire that burned them, the entire crowd set ablaze as they started moving to the opposite side of the courtyard to exit to where Wagner and the others had been deployed earlier that day.

They exited the courtyard, moving towards a series of collapsed buildings as the battle raged all around them, a Sparrowhawk streaking above them as Linburg fired his rifle in short bursts at an Ape that was chasing them. They kept moving as the storm raged more, the sounds of another nearby battle sounding off as they passed a collapsed tower.

"Spyro I think we're getting near them!" Aaron yelled. Cynder looked around as she noticed how bad the storm was getting. The winds were roaring above them as lightning cracked as well. The fires raging on top of the Typhus burned with no end as it sat in the distance, almost shielded by the clouds and winds.

"Over there! Covering fire!" A voice was heard. The owner was unmistakable- Wagner. They ran to the edge of the road where it dropped off, overlooking another courtyard where Karson, Allison, Wagner and two Marines were next to a crashed Nighthawk, battling three drones and a Grenadier that sat in the buildings beyond, firing its high explosive bolts at them, kicking up several bricks and mortar.

"Wagner!" Spyro yelled as he leapt down, the others leaping down as well. Wagner dumped the magazine from his rifle, grabbing another from his chest pouch as he grunted.

"Spyro! That Grenedier shot down our Nighthawk and now we've been trying to get him but these guys counter-attacked out of nowhere!" Wagner said, leaning over cover to fire a burst of accurate shots that downed a rushing creature. Karson fired a burst from his rifle, Allison using her own rifle as well. A drone rushed them but Allison lowered her weapon, firing several ice shards into it, cracking its crystal body as Karson fired his rifle, shattering its body.

"The Typhus, it crashed into the temple!" Spyro said as he went next to him.

"We saw... Something must've happened on board it to crash like that..."

"There goes our ride home..." Karson said with a grunt.

"What do we do now?" Allison asked.

"Well this counter-attack is useless... with no local fire support, no contact from command or any other support we're going to get overwhelmed..." Wagner said as he leaned over to see the other drones approaching, the Marines holding them off.

"We have to protect the gateway in the catacombs." Cynder said, realizing it.

"Cynder's right, we have to protect it." Aaron said with a deep breath.

"I just hope they didn't beat us to it." Zephyr said. Roxy nodded.

"Right, we need to hurry and secure the catacombs before Malefor's forces get there..." Wagner said as he stood up.

"Let's get these guys first..." Spyro said.

"Right, Marines prepare to move out!" Wagner yelled as the Marines got up from their position and darted from cover to cover, firing at the drones as Zephyr flew above them and flapped his wings to catch them in his vortex while the Marines peppered one, shattering him.

Cynder and Aaron rushed the other, unleashing shadow fire and darkness on it as the crystal glowed purple before failing, shattering before them as the Grenedier fired another shot, knocking them all away. Krypto roared and streaked up to where he was hiding, unleashing fire into the building and Drone as it withstood the attack and fired at Krypto. Krypto avoided it as the round detonated in the clouds above, lighting up the sky.

"Krypto!" Spyro yelled as he leapt up with Cynder to assist as Krypto strafed the Drone as the building it was in was set ablaze. Spyro added his own fireballs as Cynder added her own shadow fire bombs to the mix. They bombarded the building until its foundation failed and the tower came collapsing into the courtyard over another building. The drone let out a faint noise as it crawled out of the rubble, Spyro hovering above as he used his electricity to arc through the drone, shattering it as the rubble collapse onto what was left of it.

"Eat that!" Cynder said as she panted, landing next to Spyro.

"Where is the entrance to the catacombs?" Aaron asked.

"It's under the temple..." Spyro said, looking up at the flaming temple.

"So we go to the temple then..." Wagner said as he shouldered his rifle.

1955 Hours New Dragon Temple

They made it up to the top in little time. The city was in pure chaos. The Dark Master's counter-attack pushed against their own and those drone things and creatures pushed back their assault, breaking their assault and breaching their lines. Enemy soldiers flooded the city streets and Safe Zone, pushing through homes and civilian areas. The Marines were gaining strength though and with the help of the Lakadors were counter-attacking from the west. They pushed deep into Malefor's lines, creating a hook that allowed them to bring what armor they had up to the front lines and repel the enemies.

Terrador had spoken of the entrance being underneath the temple, and the entrance was somewhere inside. They had to find it... But just where was it? The dojo, gardens and a vast majority of the temple were gone, replaced by the Typhus and its wreckage that jutted from the temple structure. If there was going to be any entrance, they might have to peer inside the ship, find any entrances in the structure...

Though one thing was a priority on Spyro's mind- they had to protect the talisman at all costs. If they could at least secure it and escape with it, Malefor would be powerless to unlock the gate and they could deny him that victory. The only problem was... it was somewhere in the ruins of the temple. Finding it in all this mess would be impossible. For now, they could only secure the key itself.

Spyro ran alongside Wagner as they moved over pieces of rubble, finally entering a large room that used to be central command and found the Typhus's hull taking up half of the room with an emergency escape hatch hanging wide open and fully accessible. Wagner turned to the group.

"Looks like any entrance we're going to find is beneath the wreckage." He said. The building rumbled from the battle going on outside. Wagner turned to the door. It was only large enough for human sized creatures to fit through.

"We're not all going to fit..." Aaron said as he stated what was on everyone's mind.

"I'll stay, I would never be able to fit." Krypto said.

"I'll stay too! You could probably use the help." Roxy said. Tom nodded as he was going to stay too.

"We have to hurry before they reach the key..." Spyro said. Wagner nodded.

"Lead the way Spyro." Wagner said as Spyro leapt up and entered the ship. Cynder followed behind him along with the others who trickled into the wreck.

The ship was tiled at least 30 to 45 degrees so the floor was not stable. Lights flickered in the ship as the metal was bent and the panels were dislodged in several places. Wagner slid down to where he could get a stable footing and turned on his flashlight. There was a sealed bulkhead directly before them, though half of one of the doors was ajar. Maybe with a little pressure...

"Spyro come give me a hand with this." Wagner said as he walked over to the door. Spyro followed him closely as the other Marines turned on their lights.

"Help me open this door, we'll need to..." Before Wagner could finish, Spyro opened his muzzle and unleashed a shotgun-like blast of earth energy that blasted the door open allowing for them to squeeze through.

"Or that..." He said while Allison giggled. Wagner was the first to move through, landing on the metal floor below. He peered around. The lights were on in this room as it looked to be a small room with tables inside as the doors beyond were open and allowing access to other parts of the ship. It looked like they were near the base of the ship, below the hanger bays.

"Where exactly are we going?" Cynder asked as she walked through the doorway, stabilizing herself along the wall.

"We want to get under the ship, find any holes in the temple structure the ship might have breached." Wagner explained as Spyro went in after her, walking along the bent grates that lined the floor.

"We'd have to get into one of those maintenance accessways below the hull won't we?" Karson asked as he squeezed through, followed by Allison and Aaron.

"You got it." Wagner said as he slid down to another doorway and peering inside with his rifle, judging it clear. Spyro moved along with him as he prepared an ice shard- just in case. They moved further down the hall as they found a staircase leading down 3 more levels. This put them near the passageways Wagner was seeking. They saw a smashed in wall where the main entrance was. Once judging it was clear, Wagner ushered the others through.

They entered the maintenance access tunnels as it was heavily damaged from the collision. Bent metal and framework was everywhere, fuel lines fractured and spilling onto the grated floor as the area they were in was a service room for ruptured fuel tanks or other items brought into the ship from the service paths below. One of those access points had to be nearby.

"This way." Wagner said as he ushered them in his direction. He climbed up the partially smashed catwalk as he inched his way to a half open door. He smashed it open with his rifle as he peered inside. Inside there was an airlock with an access point. The access point was an elevator that brought items onto the ship from below, but by the looks of things the elevator was damaged beyond all repair at the moment.

Wagner walked into the airlock room. The pressure sealed door still seemed to be functional, and had been opened already. This was odd... Who would have used this recently? Why was the access code already punched in and ready to go? For now, it didn't matter they HAD to get below. Wasting no time, Wagner activated the airlock door, it opening as the others followed to the elevator. The cylindrical shaft went down, pitch blackness below as the ship had indeed breached a pathway down to the base of the tower.

"I'm going to scale down, follow right after me." Wagner tied a rope from his pack onto a bent piece of grate, lowering himself into the shaft. He reached the edge, the bottom part of the hull missing or bent in disproportionate ways. As a result, a piece of hull was bent into the shaft, allowing for standing room at the base. He lowered himself carefully from this as he looked into the shaft below. The hull had given out in another spot, a piece large enough to hold them sitting before him. He just needed to swing over to it from that point.

Grunting, he swung from his hanging position and landed on the hull. It didn't budge. It was safe.

"Lower yourselves down and onto this platform over here! It's safe!" He called out. Spyro and Cynder went down, using their wings to break themselves and hover in the stone shaft. Karson and Allison used the rope to land on the break and they too swung over to join Wagner.

Powers and Linburg came in next, along with the two Marines with them. Aaron and Zephyr were the last ones down, hovering near Spyro and Cynder as the shaft below went down to a chamber that was barely visible. The entire top part of the shaft had been obliterated by the Typhus's impact.

Karson and Allison removed ropes from their rucksacks, tying them to the fractured hull and lowering them down to the chamber below. Thankfully they were close enough to the wall to repel down, giving them a safer way to descend.

Kicking off of the wall Allison and Karson were the first down, rappelling down the side as the dragons flew down to the chamber below. The chamber looked like it was made to receive an elevator, which would explain the shaft nature of the construct. Beyond it was a large hallway flanked by pillars on all sides as a large stone door sat open beyond. The last two Marines slid their way down to the bottom, meeting up with the others as they walked down the torch-lit hallway that could easily fit 5 Jaguar tanks side to side rolling forward.

"Guess these are the catacombs..." Aaron said as they went towards the door, the area beyond dimly lit as stone structures lined the curving pathway, cob webs and deposits of dust and dirt lining the walls and floor. The pathway was very tall as well, almost 30 feet high. As they made their way through, they could see another chamber just beyond.

"Wonder how large these passageways are..." Zephyr said lowly.

"Or old." A Marine added as they went on. It was odd. Wagner was expecting a contingent of enemy soldiers down here already. It was way too calm. Had they truly beat the Dark Master to the prize?

They continued until they reached the new chamber, it lined with columns like the last one but dimly lit as compared to the previous one. A path lead downstairs into a new series of catacombs as they were starting to resemble a temple structure.

"Down here." Wagner called as he opened the stone door that lead inside. The space in these new catacombs was even more restricted. The path was a series of interconnected rooms that looked like they did serve some sort of burial purposes as coffins were stacked up inside, cob webs and dust heavily populating these rooms. One room would go up while another would take them two levels down. The layout was highly confusing.

Spyro sniffed the air. Something was off. He was just as concerned as Wagner was. There were no hostiles down here. Just... darkness... It made Spyro shiver as did Cynder who felt her heart throbbing in her chest. Something about the darkness was... unsettling... Almost too much. She didn't say anything though as they continued down another flight of stairs as Wagner and another Marine made sure they were clear. It was then they heard a sound to their rear.

"The hell was that...?" One of the Marines asked, pointing his rifle behind him, nothing there.

"Keep alert..." Wagner said as he moved his flashlight around the room, hearing more movement around them.

Suddenly a screech filled their ears as a creature leapt onto one of the Marines, biting his neck.

"Damn!" Zephyr yelled as another leaped at him, he kicking it away as Aaron took a swipe at another that rushed them. Wagner saw movement ahead of them as he fired three shots at it, hitting a creature in the leg as it hit the ground hard, snarling before Karson lit it on fire, the group forcing their way forward as they had to leave their fallen Marine behind as he had stopped moving earlier from the bite.

"Just what are these anyway?!" Aaron asked as he breathed darkness onto one, burning it up.

"I don't know! I've seen these more and more since this whole thing started!" Spyro said as he raced forward.

"Sure isn't anything I've seen before." Wagner said as he fired a burst into one blocking their path.

"Think they're related to those drone things we've also been fighting?" Allison asked.

"Probably, they both look like they show some relation to darkness." Wagner said as they continued before they saw the entrance to another large chamber. This chamber was very much like the one before except it was lit up and its back wall was made up of a bright silver material which resembled metal. It had several elaborate designs and all along the walls were etchings of large dragons. This had to be it. The key was inside.

"Let's go, stay close!" Wagner said as Spyro hugged his six. They pushed into the chamber quickly. The chamber was a large cylinder made up exclusively of the metallic material and a large gateway like device on the opposite end which held a small console. The gateway seemed to reveal some sort of power source that glowed a bright purple energy. It looked dormant- ready to be released with the turn of a key.

"Yes... we made it before the Dark Master did..." Zephyr said as he panted softly.

"Secure the area, make sure nothing gets in." Wagner said as they started to set up inside of the room, not wanting anything to get in as the ceiling rumbled a bit.

"Wonder how things are going up there..." Allison said aloud as she had her rifle pointed towards the door.

"Let's hope they managed to get things turned around. With those creatures on us the way they were, there's no way to know how close their main force is..." Wagner said as he watched the door too.

"Indeed, they may be closer than you think..." A new voice said softly. Spyro recognized it immediately.

"Malefor..." He said.

Everyone looked around, trying to find him but only got a laugh in return as there was movement outside.

"You're all trapped in here and might as well give up. Your pathetic army is defeated and the guardians have been taken care of. You're all that's standing in my way now..." Malefor said.

"We stopped you once, we'll do it again!" Spyro said.

"Are you so sure?"

At that, several drones made their presence known as they fired into the room, their dark energy scorching the metal panels as they rushed the group from outside, the creatures from before joining the fray.

The group opened fire, Aaron, Spyro, Cynder and Zephyr all contributing with elemental attacks as the first few groups of creatures were slaughtered and the drones shattered. They stopped, but not before another wave quickly took their place, rushing in numbers that were impossible to halt. Nearly a hundred drones and creatures plowed their way into the room, closing the distance between them and the group in seconds, pinning Wagner, Karson and Allison almost immediately as the large drones stomped on their stomachs to keep them from retaliating.

"Karson!" Cynder yelled as she flapped her wings but was hit dead on by a bolt of dark energy from a drone. She hit the ground and let out a cough as she struggled to get up, Several creatures grabbed her immediately and pinned her. Aaron was quick to suffer the same fate as was Zephyr. Powers and Linburg were thrown by a dark energy explosion and were soon in the same position. All that was left was Spyro but he was surrounded.

"You've lost. Give it up." Malefor said as he finally entered the room, moving through the crowds of enemies.

Spyro grunted defiantly as he backed up a bit at the sight of the larger dragon.

"What's the matter Spyro? These enemies too tough for you? I'm not surprised. They're pure darkness..." He looked at the Drones.

"These creatures were forged from pure darkness. And these?" He ushered to the creatures.

"These are what you turn into when you're exposed to full darkness. Soon you'll mature to a stage of pure darkness much like the drones... such beauty they are. Almost like a Plague." He said with a chuckle as the creatures breathed heavily, focused on Spyro.

"Once I saw you launch your pathetic counter-assault I launched one of my own, using some of these stowed aboard the floating craft to sabotage it and collide it into the temple, opening the gateway for me and my forces." Spyro only growled in response. Malefor laughed at this.

"Admit it Spyro, you've lost."

"Never!" He said defiantly.

"Doesn't matter, I have the talisman now." Malefor said as he had a creature run over and hand it to him, blood covering it as he slowly whipped it off.

"With this, now I can unlock this gate and I'll be closer to unlocking the final prize of all..." Malefor said as he walked closer to the gate, Spyro standing in his way.

"Remove him." Malefor said softly. Four drones walked over to Spyro to secure him. Spyro immediately kicked one in the gut before leaping on another and riding it as he used it for cover, shooting another with spikes to shatter it while the forth aimed its cannon at him and the drone. Spyro leapt off as he fired, killing the other drone as Spyro fired electricity at the other two, the energy arcing off of them and shattering them to pieces.

Spyro landed, panting while he looked at Malefor with no less resolve then before.

"Fine, then I have other ways of making you move." He said.

"Cynder, remove him for me." Malefor said with a soft chuckle. Cynder blinked in her captive state.

"What? I'll never listen to you! I'm not your pawn to use anymore!" She said defiantly.

"Oh really? I said remove him. Now." He stated this in a commanding voice that resonated through the chamber. Cynder moaned softly as she clutched her eyes shut, the creatures releasing her as she writhed on the ground before standing, looking at Spyro with those same black eyes from before. Those tainted black eyes...

"Cynder..." He said softly.

"Remove him." Malefor once again commanded. Cynder wasted no time as she rushed Spyro who dodged to the side. He didn't want to hurt her... Not like last time... not again... He brought his wings up to deflect her attack, cringing as she used her razor sharp tail blade to cut into his wing skins and sending him back into the ground.

"Cynder... I know you can hear me! Stop this!" He said. She couldn't hear him... the darkness was too powerful. She jumped on him and started to claw at his armored chest. Spyro batted her paws away before she cut his shoulder with her tail. He yelled before she smacked into him headlong and had him pinned with her tail blade to his throat, threatening to cut into his skin. He looked up at her with heavy eyes.

Malefor laughed at this.

"Not yet Cynder, I want him to see my victory." He said as he walked over to the console with the talisman.

Spyro watched helplessly as Malefor inserted the talisman into the port, the entire display and gate lighting up as energy shot out of it, and through the sky, blasting through a section of the temple in the process. The entire room shifted and turned as the walls spun around, revealing machinery inside as well as two more entrances to either side of the chamber as steam rose from the floor.

The entire time this had been happening, Wagner had been trying to reach for a grenade. He had hoped to get it sooner but the damn Drone keeping him pinned didn't help as his grenade was strapped near his chest. Finally he managed to get it into a position that allowed for him to remove the pin.

Wagner managed to free his arm enough to roll the fragmentation grenade past him and his allies to a cluster of drones that stood nearby. The grenade detonated with extreme efficiency, shredding several drones and causing a deafening THUD inside the chamber. The confusion was just enough that Wagner slid out from under the drone who turned to see what the source was, giving Wagner the chance to grab at his rifle and fire into the drone. Karson and Allison took the hint, using their elemental attacks to destroy their captors while the others did the same.

Spyro grunted as Cynder turned to see the grenade, he kicking her off as she slid on the ground, snarling at him.

"This way! Come on!" Wagner said as he ran towards one of the access ways. The drones were stirring from their stupor and Malefor turned to the Marine who grunted, taking out a flash bang grenade and chunking it into the ground. The others dashed for the passageway immediately, Spyro taking one last look at Cynder who dashed after him as he went to follow the others. Not one second later did the flash bang go off, releasing an unimaginable amount of light and noise that disoriented the drones and creatures in the room as well as causing Malefor to grunt and cover his eyes.

After the effects wore off, Malefor growled before moving into the passageway to give chase himself.

The group moved fast down the hall, Cynder firing beams of dark energy at them, the narrow passageway not allowing for much maneuvering as they saw an elevator platform beyond the next chamber. Karson grabbed one of his own flash bangs and tossed it at Cynder. He had no choice. She could hit them at any moment and they needed to escape fast.

Spyro saw this and his heart sank but bit his tongue as he knew it was necessary. At least it wouldn't hurt her.

The grenade went off behind Cynder, affecting her the most as it also hit some of the group. They grunted as they pushed on, Cynder skidding on the ground as the loud BANG and flash filled her senses. They rushed onto the large elevator platform, it activating as they reached the center and started ascending towards the surface as they could see a black and orange sky from the fires raging in the city.

Aaron panted as he looked up, his chest sore from the drone stepping on it as Zephyr sat down for a second trying to catch his breath.

"What... the hell? I thought she was on our side!" Linburg said, remembering how kind and friendly Cynder was just earlier.

"She really is good! It's the Dark Master... He's still trying to assert his hold over her!" Spyro said in her defense.

"What now Lieutenant...?" Powers asked as he looked over to Wagner. The Marine officer grunted as he looked at the floor, not sure.

"There's only one key left! It's to the north in Valliyor pass! We have to reach it before Malefor returns to it!" Spyro said quickly.

"Sir?" Linburg asked, turning to the officer as well.

"Right... right... it's our only shot. All we can do now is regroup and make our way there, try to sabotage it. Maybe... maybe there we can find a way to reverse this..." Wagner said, the human obviously out of breath as sweat dripped from his face.

"We'll need to find a Nighthawk nearby..." Karson said.

"If one still exists..." The other Marine with them said. Karson stood up as he had crouched over to take in a deep breath as he looked up at the sky with the others.

"This is Lieutenant Wagner to any UERMC forces in the area. I am requesting Nighthawk evac to a priority one target. Hello, is anyone on this channel?" Wagner spoke into his mic, trying to hail anyone on that net.

"Anything yet?" Karson asked. There was nothing over the mic, only static. "No, I don't think-" Wagner was cut off as a Sparrowhawk flew over the top of the shaft as they were ascending still, its tail and left engine on fire as it spun out above before crashing somewhere to the side, fire and debris raining into the shaft and above them.

"I guess that answers that!" Linburg said as he saw this, watching as they got closer to the surface. They finally reached the surface, fires raging around as they were back at the temple, but at an area away from the main structure as it had collapsed from the Frigate's impact. Some of the nearby gardens were ablaze as where they were was a branch off from the gardens. From here they could see all of Warfang. It was hell. Fires raged all throughout the city, smoke rising as far as the eye could see as the storm raged more and more as high winds pelted the structure as they could see Wyverns and Dark Wings bombard what was left of the city. The purple beam from the unlocked key fired straight into the sky from a nearby hole in the gardens, illuminating the area as another storm was forming around it as well.

"We need to find a flyable vehicle and fast, we need to get out of this city before we're taken down too!" The group nodded as they made their way from the crashed Sparrowhawk that sat nearby in one of the garden structures, a few bodies visible nearby the crash.

They heard gunfire nearby as they went through the series of enclosed gardens. They saw up ahead three Marines firing at targets they couldn't see as they seemed to be falling back somewhere. Wagner dashed over to them and slapped his back against a wall and called out to them.

"Who's your commanding officer?" He asked.

"You are sir! We don't have any officers left!" A Sergeant said as he fired a burst before reloading his weapon.

"Where are you going?" Wagner asked as he turned and fired a shot at their targets- three creatures and two Apes who advanced on them.

"We found a flyable Nighthawk on a platform near here! We've got it fueled up and we're escorting a pilot there now! We got a dragon, lion and kid helping us too!" He said back.

"A dragon?" Wagner called back.

"Yeah! A yellow and white one! Krypto was his name I think!" The Sergeant said back as he fired another burst.

"Right, we'll help you guys out!" Wagner ushered the others over as one of the Marines tossed a grenade at the enemies, blowing them apart.

The Marine Sergeant ushered his men to cover a pilot who was behind them who had been firing a hand gun at the drones and moved out with them as they could see a Nighthawk down the ways a bit sitting on a makeshift landing platform.

"Let's go before they catch up with us!" Wagner said as the group made their way over. Spyro turned to the elevator and his heart stopped as he saw Cynder rising from a hole she shot out from the elevator, she landing and spotting them. She snarled and fired a beam of dark energy at them immediately. It hit the wall nearby, blasting shrapnel everywhere as pieces impacted one of the soldier's hands, he yelling as he gripped it but kept moving.

"Shit Cynder's back!" Aaron said as he turned and saw this.

"Go! Go! We can't stay!" Wagner said.

"Cynder..." Spyro said softly as he moved with the others but he kept looking back. Two drones and an Orc spotted them and opened fire on them with arrows which impacted all around. Wagner stood near one of the barriers to the series of enclosed gardens, ushering the group forward as he fired at the Orcs behind them. Karson added his own fire attack, lighting the Ape on fire as Spyro moved beyond Wagner. Wagner started to move with the group as he turned to follow.

"Go, go, keep mo-" Wagner was cut off as Spyro turned to see Wagner in mid-fall as his face was contorted in pain. A blast of purple energy dispersed from an impact to his right hip where a beam fired by Cynder connected with him. The armor that was there melted away and flew off as blood and pieces of clothing flew from the impact. He groaned as he tried to get up as well as retrieve his weapon.

"WAGNER!" Karson yelled as he stopped, firing a few rounds to deter Cynder as they impacted near her. Spyro rushed over as well, holding off the drones as Karson, Allison and Linburg all ran over to help Wagner as they grabbed him by his arms and carried him as Linburg provided covering fire. Karson grabbed Wagner's rifle as they moved and Spyro fired his own beams of energy as Aaron and Zephyr ran over to cover them as well.

They continued to move until Cynder fired another beam of energy that connected with Linburg's chest, he falling on his back as he hit Allison on his way down. This caused the two to drop with Wagner as he yelled in pain.

"No! Linburg!" Spyro yelled as he moved in front of him as his armor was cracked and shattered from the impact.

"Shit!" Powers yelled as he ran over to help Linburg as a shot from Cynder hit him as well on his side, knocking his armor off as he collapsed onto his front, grabbing the hit as he tried to get back up.

"We're getting cut up! Get them to the drop ship!" Karson said as he hefted Wagner back up.

"Spyro! You have to keep her back! You have to stall her long enough for us to go!" Karson said. Spyro bit his lip. He couldn't fight her. He couldn't hurt her again... no... not again...

"I... I can't..." He said softly.

"You have to! She's going to tear us to shreds if you don't!" He said as he and Allison carried their injured commander towards the Nighthawk.

Spyro looked back to Cynder who rushed them, firing more beams of energy that hit a wall behind the group. He was right. He had to fight Cynder. He had to stop her... His friends were dropping left and right and he was supposed to be guarding them. He had to do this...

Spyro rushed forward, breathing fire which caused Cynder to raise her wings to deflect the attack and halt her own assaults. Spyro leapt through the fire and tackled her, causing them to roll end over end until he was on top of her, pinning her down. She fired a beam of darkness at him, which he dodged by snapping his neck to the left while trying to hit her before she knocked him off. She did that, kicking him in the gut before scratching at his chest. Spyro grunted as he leapt back, slashing his tail at her which she dodged before slashing her own bladed tail, cutting at his arm. Spyro yelled at this and gripped the wound before breathing fire which she dodged.

She was kicking his ass, there was no doubt about it. But he didn't want to hurt her! He just couldn't! He had to stop her though! Without thinking he leapt on her again, pinning her as best he could.

"Cynder! It's me! It's Spyro! You're hurting your friends! Snap OUT of it Cynder!" He yelled. She only snarled in return. He grunted as tears fell from his eyes, dripping on her face. He moved his paws to turn her head to see at the group. Powers struggled to carry Linburg away who was badly injured while Karson and Allison dragged Wagner as Aaron and Zephyr held two Apes back.

Cynder stopped struggling as she breathed hard, looking at the image.

"Cynder... please..." Spyro said softly. Her eyes faded back to their normal state as tears fell from her eyes before she looked up at Spyro.

"Spyro... I... I'm..." Spyro leaned down to hug her tightly as he cried softly. She... she hurt her friends... She hurt them badly. She might have even killed one of her new friends who just earlier they were sharing a conversation with. How... how could she? She was a monster! Malefor still did have influence over her! How could she kid herself otherwise?! She was a threat- a threat to all of them.

She looked up at her as Spyro pulled back, looking at him with a distraught look.

"Spyro... I... I'm sorry..."

"It's ok, it's ok..."

"No! It's no-" She was cut off as Malefor burst through the elevator and hovered above the scene as he spotted them.

Spyro and Cynder immediately got up as Malefor fired a wave of darkness at them, blowing them into the air before they skidded on the ground several feet before coming to a halt.

Malefor floated over them as he chuckled softly, landing before them as he fired another bolt at the retreating Marines, tossing Karson, Allison, Wagner, Powers and Linburg aside as Aaron and Zephyr moved to put themselves between them and Malefor for protection. Karson grabbed Wagner and ran for the Nighthawk as Allison fired her rifle at Malefor, the bullets pining off of his armor.

"Foolish humans... did you think you could get away? And you Spyro. Did You think you could escape me once more?" Malefor said as he walked closer.

Spyro stood up with Cynder, backing away.

"You won't win Malefor... We'll stop you!" Spyro said.

"Oh but I've already won." He said as he lashed out, smacking Spyro across the face with his claws as he skid across the ground. He ignored Cynder who tried to attack him but his tail smacked her out of the way.

Spyro got back up quickly and roared as he charged Malefor, breathing fire but Malefor retaliated by quickly moving his wings to disperse the attack and grabbing Spyro and tossing him into a wall. Spyro groaned as he slowly got up this time. Malefor merely laughed.

Powers tried to get up after that blast, helped by Allison as they ran over to Linburg who was in a bad way. He coughed as he looked up at them as they tried to move him.

"No... no... guys... leave me..." He said.

"No Linburg, we're getting you out of here!" Aaron said as he ran by them, going to help Spyro with Malefor. Malefor saw them charging and dashed forward, smacking Aaron out of the way and smacking Powers and Allison away with his claws. Zephyr floated up, using a wind attack on Malefor but he grabbed him and shoved him into the ground. Linburg landed on his back and yelled loudly as his rucksack tore open, blocks of C4 sliding out.

Malefor tried to swipe at Powers who rolled to the side, trying to fire his handgun in desperation. Malefor managed to use his tail to hit him, smacking him so he landed yards away from the group, closer to the Nighthawk as a squad of Marines from the drop ship ran over to carry him, firing their weapons outward. By this time Krypto and Roxy rushed over to assist as well, only getting a beam of energy from Malefor to deter them.

Allison rolled to the side, firing her own rifle and hurling ice shards. The shards shattered on his scales and got his attention, he growling as he picked Allison up.

"Allison!" Karson yelled as he ran over.

"Hey ugly!" Linburg said as he grabbed a nearby discarded shotgun and fired it into his gut. Malefor grunted as the shell managed to damage one of his scales, he tossing Allison aside as he now picked up Linburg who clutched what was left of his rucksack against his chest.

"Linburg!" Aaron yelled, seeing this. By now Spyro and Cynder had both gotten up, seeing the Marine get hoisted into the air by the larger dragon. They both rushed over but Malefor spread his wings, the resulting gust, smacking them against the walls.

"You insolent little creature... I'll make sure every one of your kind suffers just like these pathetic dragons have..." Malefor said to Linburg who only gave him back a smug look.

"Linburg!" Spyro said again, running towards Malefor.

"Don't worry, I got him..." The soldier only said in response. Spyro stopped as Linburg freed one of his hands.

"Get out of here... go!" He said once more, Spyro watching them as Aaron and Zephyr backed up a bit.

"You think you can hold me off? Your friends are doomed, as you all will be soon..." Malefor said lowly.

"Oh I don't think so... My friends will beat you. They'll destroy your entire army... and they'll win. Oh, they'll win..." Linburg responded.

"Oh and what makes you so sure...?"

"Because... I know them... they're good people, and the good guys? They always win."

"Enough, any last words human?" Malefor said as he snarled, flexing his claws, Spyro and Cynder only able to watch in horror.

"Yeah I got some, go to hell." At that, Linburg clutched the detonator he had been holding in his hands, detonating the entire pack of C4 he had clutched to his chest. The explosion knocked Spyro and Cynder away and got a roar from Malefor.

"Get clear! Go!" Karson yelled.

"Noooooooooooooo!" Spyro said as he saw this, Karson running over to Spyro.

"We have to go! Now!" Both Spyro and Cynder ran at this, Allison helping Powers to the Nighthawk as the Marines got on board, the engines flaring. Aaron and Zephyr took flight to save room as did Krypto as Spyro and Cynder also took flight. Karson got on board as the smoke was clearing, Malefor having a sizable wound from that, growling in pain as he fired beams of energy at them.

The drop ship lurched off of the pad and flew off as the storm raged from the purple beam that was gaining strength. The dragons flew around it as the ship gained speed and flew off to the north as they flew to keep pace.

Cynder sniffed as he heart was in her throat. She did all this... Linburg died because of her... Wagner was injured because of her... She was a monster... This was all her fault. Spyro flew ahead of her and she sniffed as they flew over the Burned Lands now as the drop ship's engines flared ahead of them. She could just... slip away while they weren't looking. Yes... Just slip away and hide... they'd be much better off...

It was settled. As soon as they reached the Mandobar pass, she flapped her wings to break formation from the group, heading northeast rather then north. Spyro caught her at the corner of his eye, seeing her fly away from them.

"Cynder! Wait!" He said, turning to her.

"Spyro, no! We have to keep going! We need to beat Malefor to Valliyor!" Aaron said.

"But Cynder! We have to go back for her!"

"It's too late Spyro! We need to continue on!" Aaron said, holding him now as he tugged him forward.

Tears streaked down Spyro's face as he nodded, clutching his eyes shut as Aaron nodded, they both going through the pitch black clouds with fire and ash falling from it now as night claimed these lands.

End of Chapter 35