I slowly remove the Essence Reaper from my aura, quickly replacing the gaps with the pure aura from the Core of Light, which is producing more than enough to easily keep up with demand and then some. The Essence Reaper tried to cling to my aura, but the light is stronger and I manage to shove them away.

I hear gasps when I'm pretty much done and see the Essence Reaper has switched to its physical form, holding on my one last wisp of darkness. I simply blow at them and they fly away from me, letting out a horrifying screech as they try clawing at the air to stay put. The light from the Core is pulling them in like a fly to a bug zapper and they're not strong enough to resist it.

The moment they touch the light, they start disintegrating nice and slowly, allowing us all to see them break down into molecules of nothing. Their screeches and screams ring through the air, then finally fade away once they're completely gone.

I fall to the floor due to the exertion of pushing them out of me, but Stealth Elf is quick to teleport to me and catch me just before I hit the ground. "Are you okay?!"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," I nod, laying down. "That just took a lot out of me. Literally. Just give me a minute." Stealth Elf nods and lets me take a moment, though she keeps glancing over at me worriedly. I start absorbing some aura from the Core of Light, using it to regain my strength.

"Ahhh... that's better..." I say after a minute or two. "Ok, I'm good now."

I stand up and fly up to the Core of Light. To get all the aura I need, I have to come into contact with the pillar of light that's coming out of it. I hold the tip of my tail just in the pillar, absorbing the energy. It tickles my tail slightly, much to my amusement.

At long last I fly back down to the ground with the others. "Is everything okay now?" Spyro asks me. "Yup," I nod. "We saw the Essence Reaper disintegrate so it's not going to come back and I've filled out all the gaps it left. The only trouble we may have with an Essence Reaper from now on is finding more of them, but that's a problem for a later date if ever."

"Wait, there are more?!" Spyro shouts. "Yeah, of course there are," I nod. "Plenty." "Then we have to get rid of them before something like this happens to someone else," Stealth Elf declares, slamming her fist into her palm. "Nobody deserves to go through it."

"Not at all," I agree. "But seriously, you guys, thank you. You saved my life today." "Just doing our job, Vexelle," Jet Vac smirks. "It's what Skylanders do."

"You know, I think you guys are growing on me," I tease. "Then take up Master Eon's offer and be our training instructor," Spyro suggests. "Then we can hang out more."

"What? No, no way," I shake my head. "Besides, I already turned down your master's offer. It's off the table."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he smirks. "I know he'd let you. He'd never say no." "Well that doesn't change the fact that I can't do it," I shrug. "Why not, then?" Jet Vac asked. "Judging by what you say, I thought you'd love to have a job that means you get the chance to train all the time."

"I can't get involved," I shake my head. "That's the rules." "Rules? What rules?" Eruptor asks, confused. "Look, can we please just drop this?" I plead. "This is most likely the only time I'll get to see the Core of Light and I don't want to ruin it by talking about this."

"Fine, but on the way back we're talking about it," Spyro decided. I sigh. "Whatever."

We go back to admiring the Core of Light and making small talk, basically just enjoying the place. I continue to take aura as I please, knowing that the Core of Light is producing way more than enough to fulfil its needs and that my tampering is a mere drop in the bucket.

"Right, we should go now," Jet Vac says eventually, making everyone groan, but we comply anyway. We all know he has a point and we're not babyish enough to put up a fight over it, but that doesn't mean we have to like it.

Don't ask me how we got back, my mind was too preoccupied with other things to pay enough attention to remember. Mostly too preoccupied with Spyro's never ending questions. He meant it when he said he'd discuss why I couldn't join them on the way home.

"Why can't you take up the offer?"

"Because I already turned your master down. It would be rude to take that back."

"He won't care. Next excuse."

"I prefer my privacy."

"Then you'd never come near us. Next."

"I hate you all."

"I'm here. Nobody can hate the Spyro. Next."

"I don't negotiate with liars."

"Walked right into that one, didn't I? Next."

"I don't want to take it."

"Then you'd say that instead of saying you can't take it. Next."

"I don't want to have to deal with you all the time."

"You won't have to, I never train. Next."

"Ok, that's just bad."

"Point taken. Next."

"Spyro, leave her alone," Eruptor sighed eventually. "You're giving me a headache." "Besides, she's right," Stealth Elf said. "You really should train more. You're slacking off."

"No I'm not!" He argues. "I've got an idea, let's spend twenty minutes explaining to him what a target is," I say. "And Cynder tells me Jet Vac likes quizzes, so we can make sure there's a quiz on it too. He'll have to pay attention, then nobody can say he was slacking off."

"Don't give JV any ideas!" Spyro groans. But he's too late.

Payback time.