Chapter 2: More Than They Bargained For

I knew that if I didn't get out of that place I was finished, and I didn't like the idea of dying alone to a group of human snakes. Unfortunately those human snakes were faster than you'd think. Then again, so was I.

I sprinted so fast I nearly tripped over my own feet, but I didn't, it wasn't the first time I lost my balance while running, but I only did so when I was running at speeds only few others in town could match. My heart was beating too fast and violently for me to believe this was healthy, and my legs agreed, but I had to move on. I knew that I had always performed better when it was in protection or service of others, but I was alone. Yet I had to find my resolve and keep performing the best way I could.

If I would fall, I wouldn't do so for nothing I thought. I had to lead my pursuers away from the encampments in the village. So I ran into an alley in between a workshop and a civilian's home. The workshop owner had build a small roof to shelter some crates filled with products against the rain, next to the wall separating his terrain from that of a neighbour. It didn't seem very stable and reliable. The path was going slightly downwards making what I was planning difficult, but it was the only thing I could do. I jumped, I grabbed the red tiles on the roof and climbed up on them.

I had no time to see if my pursuers could do the same, I walked over the roof, careful not to break it, then stepped onto the wall. I knew that although it wasn't very high it was too high to just climb without using the roof I had used. Now that I was on top of said wall, I held myself onto the wall of the workshop as I stomped on the roof with one foot, causing the roof to collapse. I knew the serpentine would be here any second now so I went to my knees, then hanged onto the wall as I put my legs over it at the side where I wanted to be. I let go and landed on my feet without injuring myself. I turned around to see... An old, bearded man, wearing a straw hat. He was sitting and holding a cup of tea. Next to him laid a bo staff.

"Impressive." The old man said.
"What is impressive sir? I just climbed this wall, nothing more." I said, somehow knowing that this man wasn't a helpless innocent waiting for the serpentine to come.
"You will find that I know more than you think. Defeating a serpentine without using any weaponry is something few untrained men can do, yet you did so twice in a row. I am impressed." The old man continued.
"What is there to be impressed with? I failed and ran." I said, humbled by the man's words.
"But did you do so before seeing that there was no one left to suffer the consequences of your retreat?" The old man pointed out. "You even led the attackers away from the people weaker than you are."
"That may be, but all I did was slow them down. Nearly all samurai protectors have fallen, and the villagers have lost their will to fight." I said, although I wasn't sure anymore why I was denying what the old man said to me.
"You are an untrained and unprepared civilian, yet you defeated two armed attackers. Even if you have not saved the village, you have done your part." The man reassured me.

"But what happens now? The serpentine are still advancing, and soon they will reach the encampments." I ask worriedly.
"They are not advancing anymore. Everyone that isn't hypnotized have been brought to safety, only the hypnotized villagers and samurai remain." He said.
"Why would they let the villagers escape?" I asked him, although I believed what he said.
The old man stood up, picking up his bo staff.
"Young man, have you heard of the elemental ninjas?" The man asks me.
"Of course, everyone knows they defeated Lord Garmadon. Why? Are they the ones to which we owe this victory?"
"You owe them nothing. They are here to help. But if you accept, they can use your help."
"How do you know? Are you -?"
"Yes, I am Sensei Wu, the mentor of the ninjas. Look up." The sensei tells me.
I do as he say's, and I see a flying ship hovering in the air above.
"The ninjas are up there, waiting for my return. Will you come with me?" The sensei asks.

I could never refuse such an offer, and I accepted the man's invitation. Climbing up the rope ladder that had been dropped down I follow the sensei, who doesn't have the slightest difficulty climbing all the way up.

"Sensei, who's the new guy?" A ninja dressed in a red GI asks.
"He is a villager who has performed exceptionally well during the battle with the Hypnobrai, and he will help us retake the village as soon as Jay and Cole return with the tribal staff and the anti-venom to cure the hypnosis." The sensei explains
"The name's Connor if any of you want to know. Pleased to meet the ninjas who saved Ninjago." I say, quite relieved that the ninjas are going to drive the serpentine out.
"I'm pleased to meet you. If Sensei Wu thinks you are worthy of coming here, you probably are." A ninja in white say's.
"Jay and Cole will soon return with the anti-venom. Connor, I want you to go below deck and rest for now. Lloyd, you show him to the quest room." The master say's.
"Ok uncle." The ninja in green confirms.

As I turned around I was greeted by the face of Slithraa, the tribe's second in command, surrounded by just about every snake that had been left to defend the staff. And that was quite a lot of snakes.

"What do we have here? Intrudersss?" The Hypnobrai in charge mocks. "So nice to pay uss a little visit. We want to say thanksss."
The snakes moved in closer to us, all those who weren't wielding their weapon yet were doing so now. I try to make it clear to Jay that we will be running for our lives soon, as we can't win this.

"Soldiersss, let's show them just how thankful we are."
The Hypnobrai soldiers and scouts are getting closer, and I tell Jay to follow me as I turn around and run away from the plateau we are on.

"Get them!" I hear the tribe's warrior shout as Jay and I run as fast as we can towards the exit, but it isn't easy to escape a garrison of serpentine while carrying both a scythe on your back and a staff in your hands.

I can't keep up with the lightly armed ninja of lightning like this, so I yell for him to catch the staff, which he does, keeping us going at the same speed. As we head for the exit a group of serpentine had formed a living wall blocking our escape, but a ninja running at them at full speed with a giant scythe drawn changed their mind and we climb out of the tomb.

"Keep running, they will follow our footprints in the snow." I told Jay.
"Split up?" Jay suggested.
"No, if they get either of us we got an even bigger problem, just follow, Allsworth Village isn't far from here.

We soon lose the Hypnobrai. Then we leave the snowy area near Jamanacai Village and continue to Allsworth, where the rest of the team is.

We climb up the rope ladder to the Destiny's Bounty to bring our report to Sensei Wu.

"Sensei, we got the staff with the anti-venom." I report.
"How did the mission go? Did the snakes find out you were there?" Sensei asks.
"It went pretty well until we got the staff and then this whole army popped up out of nowhere!" Jay speaks hysterically.
"No matter, now that we have the anti-venom we can retake Allsworth Village and cure the villagers." Sensei explained. "But first, meet Connor, who will help you."
"That would be me" Someone said from the entrance of the bridge. He was wearing normal clothes and was obviously not a ninja, he was thin but not too much so and had black hair, a bit like mine. Also he was unarmed. "Pleased to meet you." He continued.
"Sensei, how will he help us? He doesn't seem to be a ninja and he isn't armed either." Jay asks.
"He isn't a ninja but he knows the village, he knows where the serpentine are, and where they will want to go." Sensei answered. "Jay, get the others. We are attacking."
"Yes sensei." Jay replied.

"Is everyone ready?" Sensei Wu asked, and everyone replied with a "Yes".