Chapter Nine: Rumors and more rumors…with a few pranks thrown in.

I picked up the game controller, planning on playing my favorite game, Fist 2 Fist, when Lloyd walked in. "Hey Drake… I was wondering if you would help me with something?"

I tilted my head to the side, looking at him. 'Sure. What is it?'

Lloyd grinned, even as he pulled Sensei's lesson book out from behind his back. "Well…you see here…"

…..

I carefully stopped the washer and opened it ever so slowly. If Zane caught me then I would be dead meat. Picking up the jug of pink dye that I bought just for this instance a few days ago, I poured the contents into the washer…right along with Zane's perfectly white clothes…

…

My shoulders were shaking with silent laughter as everyone, including Sensei, argued on whether or not so and so actually messed something of theirs up.

"That soup has a very sensitive recipe! You don't mess with a guy's soup Jay!" Cole stomped his foot by way of expressing his frustration.

"No one messes with another guy's robot! I mean, who does that?!" Jay screeched at Zane, before snapping at Cole how he didn't touch his soup.

Zane waved his now pink gi in my face. "Pink! Drake! Pink! I cannot be stealthy in pink!"

I rolled my eyes at that, pretty sure that later the pink gi would be very handy, reason why I suggested it in the first place to the kid. Sensei cut in, glaring at Cole. "Where's my lesson book!? I know you took it Cole!"

I glanced over at the closet that Lloyd was hiding in, before knocking on it twice. The door opened as Lloyd spilled out, howling with laughter. "You're faces! You actually think what I told you is true!" Cackling, he wiped tears of laughter of his face. "Ok…the pink gi was kinda true. Drake wanted to dye your clothes pink so he poured pink dye into the wash."

"LLOYD!" Everyone else lunged at him. Zane merely glared at me, possibly wondering why I would team up with Lloyd on this.

I quickly got in the way, rolling my eyes at them. 'Sensei…wouldn't you say now would be a good time for a lesson on rumors?'

Sensei sucked in a breath, trying to calm himself down. "Yes, yes. Good point Drake. We mustn't believe rumors without checking the source first."

Grumbles rippled through the group, though honestly, I wasn't expecting them not to grumble. Just then, a deep familiar voice that honestly drove us up the wall called out to us. "IF you don't mind my saying this…but I figured out where the last two serpentine tombs are."

We all jumped in the air, before turning to glare at Samurai X. I mean, seriously? She, he acts like he lives with us or something the way he just waltzes in without knocking! I crossed my arms in annoyance as I glared at him not her. Why do I want to refer to Samurai X as a girl when she is obviously a he?

"Really!? Show us!" Jay was just about bouncing in excitement.

…

I didn't appear to get the same sense of urgency as the others. Pausing, I watched as Jay continued through the poisonous bog to the tomb we were supposed to check out. I wasn't too sure about this though. I mean, Samurai X did warn us that both tombs were most likely empty and the bog was the perfect place to plan an ambush. I get the feeling that Samurai X was speaking from experience. Shaking my head, I hurried after Jay, not really wanting something to happen to him.

When we finally arrived at the tomb, the door was wide open, and it was empty. I quickly went tense, eyeing the bog as I wondered what kind of ambush the serpentine can do out here. I watched as a frog rose up out of the water, before hopping away…and a serpentine, venomari, rose up and spat venom into my eyes.

Somehow I get the feeling that I should have seen that coming. I stumbled back against the trunk of the tree that acted as the tomb, trying to rub the venom out of my eyes. "Jay! Samurai X was right! There's an ambush here. I won't be any help though because I got Venomari venom in my eyes and that stuff makes you hallucinate. At the moment the serpentine look like gingerbread men and elves to me!"

Jay darted over to me surprise flashing in his eyes. "Um? Drake? You just yelled. Like with your own voice, yelled."

I blinked, confused a second before realizing that he was right. My throat for sure felt like it, it was dry and achy, as if I had used it for the first time in a long time. I opened my mouth once more to see if I couldn't do it again, only nothing happened. Frustrated, I clenched my fists as I curled on myself, wondering when I could speak and stay speaking. And why did my voice decide to work now of all times!?

….

Zane kept a firm hand on me as I nearly walked off of the log we were standing on, pointing to the Samurai X. 'Look… we're saved! Samurai X won't let anything bad happen to us!'

Samurai X flew down to join us, looking over at me as if he were concerned or something. "Is he alright? If I didn't know better than I would think he got Venomari venom in his eyes."

"That's because he did. A little help please?" Cole clasped his hands together as he looked to her…him! Looked to him.

I shook my head, trying to clear it up. A giant mechanical hand picked me up, exasperation somehow flooding his voice. "Of course you got Venomari venom in your eyes."

…

Surprisingly enough, Samurai X sprayed something in my eyes, which immediately cured me from the venom. He then left leaving only a suggestion that we try and befriend most of the serpentine. We were now crouched low, on a balcony that overlooked the abandoned subway track that the serpentine were using as a gathering. Well, most of them. Surprisingly enough, only Pythor didn't accept our offer to make a truce.

Slipping out of our hiding spots, we headed down to meet up with the others, Zane quickly disappearing to make sure that Pythor doesn't try to come and ruin everything. "Um…have you guys decided on a spokesperson?" Jay nervously eyed the four serpentine leaders.

The general for the Hypnobrai slithered forward, bowing respectively towards us. "My name isss Sssscalesss. I will be representing the sssserpentine tribessss."

I nodded in understanding, taking my position near Cole. By near him, I mean behind him. Cole and Jay were to lead this meeting. Cole spoke up, his voice filled with confidence that I knew he did not have at all. "What do you want in turn for peacefully living in Ninjago with us?"

Scales eyed, us for a while, before speaking up. "I am sure you have all heard of the Great Devourer…" Jay started to tell him that he hadn't, only for me to clap a hand over his mouth and nod at the serpentine, surprising myself. Scales continued on, worry creasing his brow. "There is a prophesy that states that if the five tribes ever reunite we can find the four fangblades that are needed to awaken it."

I interrupted then, my fingers flashing. 'It is talking about the staffs. Not the tribes themselves. The antivenom in your staffs, if mixed, will reveal the locations of the fangblades.'

"What did he just sssssay?" Scales looked to the others for translation.

"He said that the prophesy was talking about your staffs, not the tribes themselves. Apparently the antivenom in them when mixed will reveal the map that will lead you to the fangblades." Cole tensely translated for me.

Scales nodded, relief flooding his features. "Sssso, we won't lossssse our individual tribessss, that isss a relief. It issss imposssssssssible to combine our tribesss without fighting and I wasss worried that Pythor might try to ssssteal our tribesss to find the fangblades."

"Yuck! All this talk about peace! Makesss me ssick!" Pythor suddenly appeared in the room, holding his tribal staff. "Now handover the sssstaffssss and I will jusssst go on my merry way. What do you sssay?"

"Abssssolutely not! We are ssssick and tired of all the fighting! Ssstand down Pythor…you have lossst." The constrictai general hissed angrily at the anacondrai.

"Hmm, I gave you the chance to ssssurrender to me first." Pythor then suddenly attacked the generals.

This really wasn't good.

…

Zane pressed a block of ice against his forehead, grimacing at the pain from being knocked unconscious by Pythor while he was on guard duty. The serpentine certainly turned out to be great allies. After we lost the battle, the plan was to stop him from taking the staffs…which he walked away with. Surprisingly enough, after that happened the three generals that were backing Scales up announced that they wanted to make him king. We were invited to his coronation, but we had to get Zane back to tend to his injuries.

"I still cannot believe that Pythor bested me!" Zane grumbled as he readjusted the ice block.

I walked over to the window in the room, staring out of it. I didn't like this one bit… besides that how did I knew that the prophesy that the serpentine had was talking about the staffs and not the actual tribes?

A/N: Done! Um, yeah. That just happened. But hey! It's the ninjas against one slippery serpentine instead of all five tribes! Maybe they have a chance here… and seriously sorry about Kai/Drake using his voice suddenly. I temporarily forgot he was supposed to be mute. Oops.

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SkyTalon