Sneakers And Skates
"No."
Thud.
"No."
Thud.
"No!"
Thud.
"No!"
Thud.
"NO! ARGH!"
Instead of throwing the book he was holding onto the floor to join the many others that littered the carpet, Kaos pegged the tome across the room as hard as he could, narrowly avoiding hitting Glumshanks, who was searching the bookshelf on the far side of the room. The lanky troll gasped, startled, as the book of magic slammed into the assortment of books to his immediate right. "That was a close one," the long-suffering butler muttered, shaking his head from his position on the ladder leaning against the bookcase.
"GLUMSHANKS!" Kaos shouted, the sudden yell causing Glumshanks to finally lose his balance and fall from the ladder's rungs, landing hard on his rear between The Complete Notes of Professor P. Grungally and Skystones: A Cultural Phenomenon. The troll got to his feet, rubbing his now aching bottom and biting back the irritated murmur that he knew he'd never actually find the guts to say.
"Yes, Lord Kaos?" he asked with the well-practiced forced calm he was used to using when addressing his Master.
"Did you find anything?"
"Not yet, sir."
"Well, keep looking!" Kaos snapped before turning back to his own stack of books that rested on the small wooden table in front of him. "Somewhere in this stupid library, there has to be a spell book that will offer a source of magic worthy of my incomprehensible genius!"
"Sir, we've looked through more than three thousand books in the last few days," Glumshanks reminded him, pulling a book from the shelf he was in front of, seeing the title and immediately placing it back on the shelf. He doubted that Kaos would appreciate a book titled Kaos: Skylands' Favourite Laughingstock at the moment, if ever. "We haven't eaten or slept in the last twenty-four hours! Well, I haven't, anyway," the troll finished in a quiet mutter, remembering spending the best part of three hours trapped under a pile of books he had accidentally pulled down on top of himself while Kaos had slept at the nearby desk, drooling onto the polished wood, oblivious to the suffering of his servant. Typically enough, Kaos had jerked awake mere moments after Glumshanks had managed to finally pull himself out from underneath the pile, the self-absorbed villain not even noticing the troll's swollen eye from where the corner of a falling book had struck it.
"I don't care, fool!" Kaos snapped, but he was actually lying to himself in this regard. Glumshanks knew that if he hadn't been bringing his Master tea and snacks at regular intervals, the bald little man would really get cranky, and Kaos was more than cranky enough at the best of times. "I don't care if it takes another hundred thousand days, we're not leaving this library until I find a new power source! I don't want to show my face to those miserable Skylanders unless I can immediately wipe the smirks off their faces with an energy blast or a lightning bolt or a fireball or… or something like that!" he concluded, his angry expression fading to be replaced by a depressed one as he spoke. He slumped forward onto the table and let out a heavy sigh, resting his chin on his palms.
"Um, sir?" Glumshanks said, the sudden shift in his Master's mood not escaping the butler's notice.
Kaos sighed again. "Look at me, Glumshanks," he said gloomily. "Once the greatest dark Portal Master of my generation, and here I am, hiding out in some out-of-the-way book emporium, sipping lukewarm, flavourless tea and rummaging through dusty old paperbacks, looking for the means to be supremely awesome again."
"Again?" Glumshanks asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you not still?"
"Of course, fool! I have always been awesome, but…" Kaos bit his lip. "Now I'm just that. Awesome. Not supremely awesome."
Glumshanks was quiet. He honestly didn't know what to say in response to that. He glanced at the empty teacup on the edge of the desk. "I'll, uh, go get you a fresh cup of tea, shall I, sir?"
"Fine, fine, whatever," Kaos said bitterly, waving the butler away without looking up from the book that had just caught his attention. "Bring back some cookies while you're at it. Chocolate chip, not that oatmeal raisin trash."
"Well, he can't be that miserable if he's still got the enthusiasm to boss me around," Glumshanks muttered to himself once he was out of earshot.
Kaos slowly turned the rune-filled pages of the big book that rested before him on the table, scanning each one carefully with his beady, power-hungry eyes. A particular rune, one that took up an entire page, caught his attention. "Hmm…" he mused quietly, stroking his chin. He reached out and traced the rune with his finger…
…And then the book suddenly snapped shut on Kaos' hand, a high-pitched cackling ringing out as, with a low whooshing sound, a small phantom rose out of the book, the prankster ghost laughing mockingly at Kaos. Kaos roared out his frustrations, snatching up the book and hurling it at the ghost, only for the tome to pass right through the spectral troublemaker, bouncing off the nearby wall and coming back to hit Kaos square in the forehead, leaving a bruise in its wake.
"RRRRAAAARGH! GLUMSHANKS!"
Jet-Vac glanced around the Academy's courtyard, seeing several of the younger Skylanders going about their training, Senseis such as King Pen and Tri Tip supervising. The Sky Baron bit back a sigh. Things had been tough for the Academy since some of the Senseis had turned their back on the Skylander way, returning to their old ways as wanted villains. The Golden Queen, the Doom Raiders and that strange little scientist fellow with the big yellow head… They had all taken a leaf out of Kaos' book and fled the Academy as soon as they had found an opening to do so.
Of course, it was not the renegade Senseis that Jet-Vac was keeping an eye out for right now. Instead, he was searching the courtyard for a certain Skylander of his own rank, one whom he did not always see eye to eye with, but was nonetheless a worthy ally and equal.
"Ah, here we go," the Air Skylander said brightly when he noticed the very individual he sought trudging up the path to meet him, bulky wrench in hand, blue goggles pulled down over her eyes, shoulder-length deep red hair billowing slightly in the morning wind.
"Jet-Vac," Sprocket greeted politely, the Goldling's gold complexion dotted with drops of motor oil, her high-tech blue and gold body armour, which she wore over her purple top and brown mechanic jeans, polished to a gleam.
"Sprocket," Jet-Vac responded in kind. "I hear that you've been making adjustments to the Rift Engines again. I trust that they're all still starting without a wrench- Er, hitch?" he corrected himself.
"Well, I might have to run extensive diagnostics on Roller Brawl's Tomb Buggy again, but then… Well, the sky is blue and water is wet, if you catch my drift," the Tech Skylander said, raising an eyebrow knowingly at her fellow Skylander.
"Quite," Jet-Vac exclaimed, chuckling. "I've been meaning to talk to that vampire about her reckless ways, now that you mention it. Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about is the young lad we picked up almost a week ago. How's he coping?"
"Yeah, he's doing fine. I mean, he's obviously still adjusting. It's not every day a time-space anomaly drags you out of your world and into a new one, but I think he's starting to pull himself together, at least based on what Mags told me earlier. She said she'd get him to help her with some errands today and pay him a small wage for his troubles."
"Ah, a capital idea, yes. In times of trouble, sometimes the best thing one can do is to keep busy," Jet-Vac said with a nod of understanding, adjusting the weight of his signature aerial backpack as he stood there, taking hold of his vacuum gun in his right taloned appendage. "Speaking of which, I should probably get some training in while I'm out here in the fresh air. Care to join me in a friendly sparring match?"
"Sorry, but I've still got a few things to check off my 'Maintenance and Repairs' list, with that metaphorical list being inside my head," Sprocket stated. "Although, I am working on a new proximity mine between projects. Maybe you could help me test it some time? In an environment with all the proper safety protocols in effect, of course. I'm not gonna try and blow you to bits, if that's how I made it sound," she said, offering an awkward chuckle.
A knowing smirk appeared on the Sky Baron's beak. "I'm sure I can find a leisure moment in the not-too-distant future," he said cheerfully. "Here's hoping the project goes off-"
"Without a wrench?" Sprocket finished for him, once again raising her eyebrows slyly.
"You're never going to let me forget about that now, are you?" Jet-Vac asked. They both laughed.
"Alright, I reckon you've done a right darn good bit o' work today, Joshua," Mags told the young human as she led him up to the Academy's main hall. "Why don't you take the rest o' the day off? Oh, that reminds me," the undead inventor went on, pulling out a small sack of coins. "When Mags makes a promise to repay someone for their help, she don't go back on that promise. No, siree bob!"
"Thanks, Miss Mags, and call me Josh. I'm cool with the shorter version," the boy, Josh, said, accepting the little coin sack into his palm. "I'll, uh, be around if you need anymore help. I mean, it's not like I have anywhere else to go…" he finished in a gloomy mutter.
"Now, now, let's have none o' that there negativity," Mags said to him, placing a hand under the boy's chin and gently lifting his head up. "I know this is all new to you, but with new experiences come new opportunities. Remember that, Josh, and you'll feel right at home in Skylands before you know it. Now, I gotta skedaddle, so if you need a reminder o' where anything is, ask one o' the Professors. I know some o' them can seem a little imposing, but they don't bite. Mostly."
"Mostly?"
"Yeah, I knew you'd quote me on that," Mags said with a knowing smile, playfully ruffling the boy's hair. "Don't forget that the spare bed in the Skylanders' dormitory is available for as long as you need it. The boys' dormitory, I probably should stress. Can't risk havin' any hanky panky on Academy property. Catch ya later, percolator!" With that, the quirky but well-meaning woman was hurrying away, the arm that held the gear staff swinging in motion with her movements.
Josh exhaled deeply, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Wow, this coin bag is heavy," he murmured, patting his right pocket. "Wonder if I can exchange it for some sort of credit…" He then slapped a hand to his forehead. "Oh, what am I saying? It's a textbook fantasy world populated by dragons, elves and fairies! They probably don't even have phones here!"
The fourteen year-old ran a hand through his messy blonde hair as he walked, trying to gather his thoughts as he stepped out into the Academy's courtyard. Most of the Skylanders that had been on the premises had headed back to class or out on patrols, depending on their rank. Josh decided to savour the peace and quiet. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath in through the nose and letting it out through the mouth.
"Well, Joshua Palmer Light, you're in a world where magic is real, humans are apparently rare and you've only got a handful of pocket change to your name. Skylands is yours for the taking!" he joked cynically. "Ah, maybe Miss Mags was right. I can't just stand around moping." He zipped up his green jacket, pulled his hood up over his head, glanced down to make sure that his shoes were tied and then took a bold stride forward…
…Only to stumble over the Academy's front step and sprawl face-down on the grass. He lifted his head, spitting out a mouthful of the lawn's green strands.
"Glad no girls were around to see that," he said as he got to his feet, dusting himself off. He froze when he heard the unmistakable sound of a girl laughing behind him. He turned to see Roller Brawl standing at the Academy's entrance, balanced precariously on one of her signature sawblade skates, her pale hands, metal claws and all, on her hips as she smirked at him, her vampire fangs showing.
"Have a nice trip, Sneakers?" Roll asked teasingly, the unimaginative nickname referring, of course, to Josh's shoes. "Shall I see you next… fall, perhaps? Ha, ha, ha!"
"Hilarious," Josh said, tossing his hood back as he turned to look at her. "At least I'm not wearing my trip hazard on my feet all day."
"Trip hazard? Please. Watch and learn," Roll said before suddenly leaping through the air, twirling multiple times and landing smartly on her wheels before the young human. "Thank you. Hold your applause," she said smugly.
"Whoa. Not bad… for a girl," Josh said cheekily.
"Watch it, Sneakers. I don't wear these claws just for the fashion statement," Roll said warningly, flexing her claws threateningly. Josh swallowed, and she laughed at the look on his face. "Nah, I wouldn't use these bad boys on you. I might dirty them with your blood."
Josh gave a weak chuckle at that display of dark humour. "Roller Brawl, right?" he guessed.
"Call me Roll. Keep it short and sweet, I always say," Roll declared, looking at her fingers casually.
"I'll go along with that. Josh Light," the boy said, introducing himself. He held out his hand. Roll stared at it before looking him in the eye, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, right! Claws," Josh realised, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"Oh, I'll shake your hand if you want, but you'll have to supply your own band-aids," Roll told him, smirking again. "I'm going for a snack at the cafeteria. You coming?"
"Uh, sure," Josh said, a little surprised at the offer. "I mean… Yeah."
Roll chuckled. "So uncertain," she mused, shaking her head knowingly. "You ever hear of Batterson?"
"Um, no. Is he your boyfriend?"
Roll utterly guffawed at that, leaning against the nearby statue of Eon to support herself, doubled over with mirth.
"He's a pie maker, you dork! His pastries are legendary amongst the undead! And the living don't seem to mind them, either. They serve them in the Academy's cafeteria one day a week, and today is that day!"
"Oh, okay," Josh said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the coin sack. "Tell you what - I'll buy this time. I need to familiarise myself with this world's money, anyway."
Roll skated over and put a hand on Josh's shoulder. "You know what, Sneakers? I think you and I are gonna get along juuuuuust fine."
Josh tilted his head. "Should I be scared right now?" he asked half-jokingly.
Roll gave an open-mouthed smile that showcased her gleaming white, razor sharp fangs. "You tell me, Joshy-boy. You tell me."