Hey, so I asked you guys. a while back in my other story if you wanted a background story for Cryptor, so here it is, after literally months of brain storming, I present to you, Origins Of Evil: Cryptor.
P.S. there is a ton of Japanese dialogue, as the story will be heavily based on Japanese customs, traditions, lore, etc., so I will be placing the necessary translations here, at the end of every page, and at the end of the chapter, if needed.
These are the translations and origins of all foreign text, courtesy of google translate. The translations are in chronological order, so it shouldn't make thing too difficult.
"Róngyù dàimǎ": Honor code. Origin: Traditional Chinese
"Anatahadare?": Who are you? Origin: Japanese
"Watashi wa soko no kichi kara heishidesu": I am a soldier from the base there. Origin: Japanese
"Anata wa machi ga doko ni aru ka shitte imasu ka?": Do you know where the town is? Origin: Japanese
"Chōdo pasu ni shitagatte kudasai. Watashi ni anata o misetaidesu ka?": Just follow the path. Do you want me to show you? Origin: Japanese
"Īe, kekkōdesu. Mō ikimasu. Yoiichinichiwo sugoshite kudasai.": No, thanks. I will go now. Have a good day. Origin: Japanese
"Ritoru heishi.": Little soldier(name). Origin: Japanese
"Kuraidesu. Watashi wa kon'ya koko ni inakereba naranai to omou.": It's dark. I think I have to stay here tonight. Origin: Japanese
"Kon'nichiwa watashi wa anata o tasukeru koto ga dekimasu?": Hello. How can I help you? Origin: Japanese
"Kon'ya koko ni tomaritai. Ikura?": I want to stay here tonight. How much? Origin: Japanese
"Naitorī 3500-en.": Nightly 3500 yen. Origin: Japanese. Yen to USD: 3500~$31.60
"Watashinoheya wa doko?": Where is my room?" Origin: Japanese
Chapter 1: Prologue
September 25, 1987. It was a specifically harsh day in the northern reaches of Ninjago, specifically in the city of Kōtta machi, which literally translated to "Frozen town". The locals and soldiers stationed at the garrison nearby knew that the town's namesake was all too true. However, one soldier, whose name was Justin Cryptor, did not mind the cold; after all, he grew up in the outskirts of the Birchwood Forest, where temperatures would often drop below freezing.
As Cryptor patrolled the perimeter of the garrison, he noticed an unnatural form, hidden beneath layers of snow. As he dug up the unmoving mass, he slowly realized that the mass was a person. Whether or not the person was alive or not, he was still obliged Róngyù dàimǎ to bring the body home, and to determine how to treat them, and who they were, assuming they were still alive.
As he began to lower his rifle to pick the person up, the mystery man jolted awake. Startled, the soldier sprang up and aimed at him. The man sat up, slowly observing his surroundings, until his eyes finally landed on Justin.
"Anatahadare?" The man asked. The soldier lowered his gun as a sign of peace.
"Eh, Watashi wa soko no kichi kara heishidesu," Cryptor responded in Japanese, as it was customary to respond in the same language as the man had spoken to him in.
"Ah, Anata wa machi ga doko ni aru ka shitte imasu ka?"
"Chōdo pasu ni shitagatte kudasai. Watashi ni anata o misetaidesu ka?"
"Īe, kekkōdesu. Mō ikimasu. Yoiichinichiwo sugoshite kudasai," the man responded as he rose and began to walk away.
"Róngyù dàimǎ": Honor code. Origin: Traditional Chinese
"Anatahadare?": Who are you? Origin: Japanese
"Watashi wa soko no kichi kara heishidesu": I am a soldier from the base there. Origin: Japanese
"Anata wa machi ga doko ni aru ka shitte imasu ka?": Do you know where the town is? Origin: Japanese
"Chōdo pasu ni shitagatte kudasai. Watashi ni anata o misetaidesu ka?": Just follow the path. Do you want me to show you? Origin: Japanese
"Īe, kekkōdesu. Mō ikimasu. Yoiichinichiwo sugoshite kudasai.": No, thanks. I will go now. Have a good day. Origin: Japanese
"Kuraidesu. Watashi wa kon'ya koko ni inakereba naranai to omou.": It's dark. I think I have to stay here tonight. Origin: Japanese
"Kon'nichiwa watashi wa anata o tasukeru koto ga dekimasu?": Hello. How can I help you? Origin: Japanese
"Kon'ya koko ni tomaritai. Ikura?": I want to stay here tonight. How much? Origin: Japanese
"Naitorī 3500-en.": Nightly 3500 yen. Origin: Japanese. Yen to USD: 3500~$31.60
"Watashinoheya wa doko?": Where is my room?" Origin: Japanese
As Cryptor began to walk back to base, he took one more glance to the man, only to discover there was nobody there. He shrugged it off, assuming that he had just gone in the direction of the town.
When Justin returned to base late into the afternoon, he was immediately bombarded with questions of their next order, what was for dinner in the mess hall tonight, and so on.
One such question, however, caught his attention. "Master Sergeant Cryptor! When will we begin shoring up defenses? The local, inhabitants, are planning an attack on the garrison."
He spun around to try to find the source of the question, only to find Ritoru heishi, or Little soldier, push his way through to the front of the crowd. Ironically, heishi was one of the tallest and most well-built men residing in the garrison, standing at six feet two.
"Wait, what did you say?" Cryptor asked
"The recon team you sent out three days ago, they discovered that the Serpentine were preparing for an attack on the garrison," Ritoru explained. "It is rumored that one of the Anacondrai are leading the assault too."
"What of the recon team? Where are they now?"
The soldier dipped his head. "Dead, I'm afraid. They were ambushed on the way back, and all were brutally mutilated. Many believe they were dismembered while still awake."
Justin sighed. "Were the bodies retrieved?"
"Yes sir. They are in the morgue, awaiting cremation."
"Good. Tomorrow, men, we honor our men by traditional means. Tomorrow, we fight to honor our fallen brothers, and to cast out evil from Ninjago, once, and FOR ALL!"
Cheering burst forth from all directions. Even the cooks had come out to applaud the Master Sergeant's bold speech. Cryptor knew that his men needed such a morale booster; after all, the Serpentine War had been raging for years now, and it was nowhere near en.ding, even with the elemental masters' help.
As the cheering died down, and many returned to what they were doing, Cryptor decided to travel to the town near the base. He asked one of the stable hands to bring his steed, who dutifully nodded and left to find Blue Steel.
As the man returned with Blue, Justin quickly threw a saddle over its back and mounted the horse. As they began their journey to the small settlement, he noticed something odd. In the path, he found three dead honey badgers. The first thing that made him question the carcasses were that honey badgers were not native to the area, nor do any live there. However, honey badgers were known to be a delicacy within the Hypnobrai tribe. Out of pure concern for the locals, the soldier threw the bodies as far away as possible from the trail leading to and from the village and garrison.
As Cryptor arrived, night began to fall. "Kuraidesu. Watashi wa kon'ya koko ni inakereba naranai to omou," he murmured. As his steed continued to walk, he found a small inn, where he could stay for the night. Upon entering, he was greeted by a bored looking man, who was aimlessly counting, and re-counting the money he had.
The man's eyes snapped forward as he heard the bell ring, signaling a new customer. "Kon'nichiwa watashi wa anata o tasukeru koto ga dekimasu?"
"Kon'ya koko ni tomaritai. Ikura?" The soldier responded as he took a look around the establishment.
"Eh, Naitorī 3500-en." The man seemed unsure, but Cryptor shrugged. Three thousand five hundred yen was quite cheap for one night.
Justin tiredly sighed. "Okay, Watashinoheya wa doko?"
"Uh, down the hall and to the left," the clerk replied.
"Thanks. Have a good night."
"You too."
So, this was the first time I had to spend 5 hours translating so much text and going back and forth between brainstorming and translating. My brain is a mess right now.
Please review, I'd love to get feedback on this.
~The Titan's Shadow