A Game of Chi Book III: A Sword of Dust

Chapter 41: Cragger V

CRAGGER

"By Cavora!" Cragger exclaimed, seeing the webs around his limbs disintegrating. His jaw hung open in awe as a column of fire shot into the air from Eris' body, blowing a hole in the ceiling of Spinlyn's main dome. Clambering to his feet, Cragger saw that Foltrax, Spinlyn and Sparacon were similarly amazed, and Cragger scoffed at the phoenix among them. Some phoenix you are, he thought. You may look the part, but she's got the powers. Then, Eris turned to face Cragger, a fiery look of judgement in her eyes. "A crocodile with an eye like ice," she declared, "being consumed by a torrential sea of fire." Cragger opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, a huge fireball blasted from Eris' palm and towards him. In that moment, Cragger closed his eyes and felt his life flash before him. The one image that remained on his mind was not Crooler, as he had expected, but Laval. Feeling the heat on his scales, Cragger inhaled deeply to prepare for the end...

But it never came. Instead, the heat dissipated into a warm feeling of contentment, and Cragger tentatively opened his eyes. What the hell? Instead of the familiar sight of Spinlyn's dome, Cragger was surrounded by spiraling flames, moving in concert like a school of fish. What is this? Suddenly, the flames surged towards him, causing him to shriek and shield his face with his hands. The fire entered his chest, giving him a burst of energy and warmth. Then, with a crackle, the fires surrounding him disappeared and Cragger was back inside Spinlyn's dome, on his hands and knees. "What have you done to Cragger?" he heard Spinlyn demand. He stood up to face her, only for him to be distracted by his own body. "What am I wearing?" he asked out loud. He looked down and saw that where he had been wearing his weathered clothes from Chima that he didn't have the chance to change out of, he had on red and gold armour instead. It matched what Eris was wearing, down to the golden phoenix designs on his chest. His arms and tail were still exposed, but his chest and legs were covered in the armour. "Impossible!" Foltrax exclaimed. "You said you couldn't give the Gift of Fire!"

"You are mistaken," Eris intoned, landing on the ground. "Cragger," she began, turning him, "you now have the Gift of Fire. Use it to destroy my enemies." Cragger reached to draw his Vengious sword, and indeed, it blazed with furious flames. In awe of his own power, Cragger was distracted when Sparacon shot a web at his arm. "You think a flaming worm isn't still just a worm?" the spider demanded, pulling Cragger closer. Instead, Cragger instinctively grabbed onto the silk thread and it turned to ash. "This is incredible," Cragger murmured.

"Enough!" Foltrax yelled, readying his spear. "I won't have my tribe's powers perverted by a traitor-spawn like you!" Foltrax charged into battle and jabbed his spear at Cragger, who easily dodged the blow. "You may be a prince," Cragger began, "but you're no warrior!" With one swish of his blade, Cragger slashed off the tip of Foltrax' spear, sending it clattering off to the side. "Wh—What are you waiting for?" Foltrax shrieked, backing up. "Kill him!" Sparacon grunted and ran towards him, aiming his appendages at Cragger's face, but when the webs spurted out, Cragger turned them to ash with the merest touch. With a roar, Cragger lunged forward and slashed through Sparacon's carapace with his flaming Vengious, nearly bisecting the spider and killing him instantly. Feeling a different heat behind him, Cragger spun around and parried Foltrax, who had attacked him with his broken spear shaft. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" Foltrax exclaimed as Cragger pushed him back. "Eris told us what was going to happen! You were supposed to die!" Cragger looked at Eris, who was watching the two of them with a detached air. "The future changed," she said nonchalantly. "No! I'm the rightful ruler of Chima!" Foltrax yelled. "It's my birthright!" He turned away from Cragger and ran towards Eris, who didn't move. Grimacing, Cragger leapt forward and rammed his flaming vengious into Foltrax' chest, feeling the impact of having stabbed him. "Not you," Foltrax uttered, his voice fading. "Not the traitor-spawn..." Cragger pulled his blade free and the phoenix crumpled to the ground, the flames on his wings fading into orange feathers.