Good morning and happy Tuesday! Hope no one was seriously injured in the unfortunate holiday that was April Fool's Day yesterday. Not too fond of that day, no I'm not. Enough about me though, let's see how the other group is doing, shall we?
Chapter Eleven: What Lies Within
"Come on, let's keep moving" Cole sighed, noticing that area around them was full of normal pedestrians and not bloodthirsty stone people. He gestured for the rest of the group to follow and they did. Kai stuck closely behind Rhea, refusing to let her out of his sight. The others may have thought that it was a good idea to take her with them, keeping an "eye on her" and everything, but he did not. Given the right opportunity, she could run off and disappear forever. He could not let that happen, not until he had discovered exactly why she was targeting Laurie.
Rhea glanced around at the people who traveled with her. She was anxious, expecting someone to jump out and surprise them at any moment. Slightly, she glanced over her shoulder, eyes drifting to meet Kai's. The two stared at each other until Rhea decided to look somewhere else. Lloyd was walking to her left, his gait steady and purposeful. He looked as if he were prepared to lunge at anything that made its presence noticeable, even if it was a stray kitten that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Lost in thought, the young girl opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. Now was not the time to become complacent with her curse. Perhaps sharing her story with Laurie had not been the best approach to gain her trust. Now Rhea felt too free and unburdened, like a large boulder had been hoisted off of her shoulders. "Stay alert" she suddenly heard Cole say. The leader gestured for the group to follow him down yet another street. "We don't want these things to catch us off guard."
No, it would not be wise to allow the stone warriors to catch them off guard. It was going to be difficult enough to fight them even if they were all caught on guard. The young girl felt another wave of anxiety crash over her as the sudden silence of the city made itself apparent. Had everyone just vanished or had they taken shelter from something? Rhea stopped, causing Kai to run into the back of her. The two stumbled slightly, Kai grabbing the back of Rhea's jacket to prevent her from hitting the street. "Why the sudden stop?" the Ninja of Fire inquired, narrowing his eyes. "Trying to run away?"
"Hey, did you notice that everyone else just kind of left the street?" Lloyd added, scanning the asphalt with his emerald green eyes. He could not recall ever seeing the city so empty before. Well, perhaps when the Great Devourer had decided to ransack the city. Not a single soul was wandering the usually busy streets. Something sauntered by, catching Lloyd's attention. It was definitely not human, the black skin an unmistakable detail. "Maybe that's what we're supposed to be looking for" the green ninja whispered.
Kai released his hold on the young girl, solely focused on the mysterious creature now. It had bright blue markings that spread out across its face like cracks in broken glass. A sword was clutched tightly in the creature's right hand as it made its way down the street, bright red shoulder armor gleaming in the sun. "Well, what are we waiting for?" the red ninja asked, feeling a surge of adrenaline rush through his body. "Let's go get him!" Without waiting for a reply, Kai charged at the stone man, watching as he turned his pale green eyes upon him.
"What are you thinking?" Cole called out, pulling his scythe from off of his back. "Kai come back!" He watched helplessly as his brother charged forward, pulling the sword from the holster behind him. Metal sounded against metal as the two blades collided. Kai grunted and attempted to push the stone swordsman backwards. With satisfaction, he watched his enemy stumble slightly before advancing once more, swiping his sword down vertically. Kai jumped to the side, the enemy's blade only missing by the width of a hair. That had been close. The two continued to fight, swords clanging against one another. "Ugh, come on, Lloyd, let's go help him. Stay close though and don't try to attack it unless I say it's okay, alright?" the leader stated, sprinting into the skirmish.
Lloyd nodded his head. "Okay, let's do this!" he yelled, his voice slightly muffled by the material of his mask. He ran to follow the black ninja and suddenly stopped; spinning around to make sure Rhea was following him. With wide eyes, the green ninja scanned the area behind him, looking for any sign of the silent girl. She had been here when Kai first decided it was a decent idea to attack the stone creature head on. Well he hoped that the others were not going to blame him for what was currently happening.
Rhea was gone.
Anger, it was coursing through her veins like an uncontrollable river. How dare her "father" send his minions out and about to try and do what she was sent to accomplish? Rhea slowed her pace, positive that she was away from the group at this moment in time. When she had made up her mind to slip away, no one had been looking. Thank goodness for that. She continued down the street a little further, her dark brown eyes sweeping the area. He had to be around here somewhere, Rhea just knew it. The soldiers were too incompetent to be let loose without a leader. So where was he? A shadow crossed itself over Rhea's and she turned on her heel to see the individual she had been searching for.
His alabaster skin was greatly contrasted with the blood red markings that crossed over the entirety of his face. An odd helmet adorned his head, black embellishments and carvings sticking up oddly from the top. The whole of his body was adorned in the brightest red armor with silver accents. He gripped two butterfly swords, one in his left hand and the other in his lower right hand. Rhea gave the staggering soldier a condescending salute, angered by his presence. At this moment in time Ninjago City was her turf.
Narrowing his bright green eyes, General Kozu lashed out at the young girl, grabbing the front of her windbreaker with a gloved hand. "Do not treat me with such contempt, girl" he threatened, lifting Rhea off of the ground. She kicked her feet wildly despite herself. There was no reason to give this stone freak any satisfaction in his threats, but her anxiety was taking over. It was not secret that she despised Kozu just as much as he despised her. He was the one who had killed her parents after all. A sudden jolt made the young girl gasp for air as her back hit the asphalt. The tip of a sword was at her throat now and Rhea attempted to control her sporadic breathing for the moment. "You would not want to beg for mercy now, would you? Go ahead, give me a reason not to kill you."
Rhea backed away from the blade, her bare hands scrapping against the rough surface of the ground. She stood, wiping the excess gravel and dirt on to her jeans. "Oh, that's right. You cannot beg for mercy or you would perish just as quickly" the General chuckled, his deep tone creeping its way over Rhea. She narrowed her eyes, drawing her weapons from her hair. This bully was not the only one who wielded two blades. "Stand down" Kozu demanded, holding his swords down at his sides. "I am not here to engage in combat with you. I am here to complete the task that you could not."
She felt her face turn red with both embarrassment and rage. Reluctantly, Rhea tied her karambits back up into her hair, securing a long ponytail. With disdain she began to curl her hands in to different shapes at varying speeds. From a young age, after arriving on the island where her life had been ruined, Rhea had developed an odd sense of communicating with the inhabitants. Her own form of sign language she had created. It had been her only tool for talking and it seemed as if they understood it. I can complete it she signed with a frown. I just need a little bit more time.
"Your time is up" Kozu spit, advancing towards her. Rhea tensed up, prepared to pull out her weapons at a moment's notice. "He grows impatient and is beginning to doubt how efficient you truly are in your tasks." A deep chuckle made its way from his throat to the open air as he pushed Rhea aside, continuing his way down the street.
Rhea ran after the stone man, maneuvering around him to block the path. No, you have to leave the job up to me Rhea continued, obviously angered by the assumptions her "father" was now making. I have infiltrated these ninja, become closer with the target and her relative. All I need is a little more time. The perfect opportunity will arise to take her down, that I can promise. She stood, arms crossed over her chest, waiting for Kozu to respond.
He drew one of his blades on the young girl once more, but she did not flinch. The metal wavered an inch from the hollow of her throat. "Can you promise it?" the General asked, his voice full of malice. "I could just find her now and kill her now, then come back for you." Rhea could almost hear Kozu's sharpened teeth grinding against each other with every word. "I should have taken care of you seven years ago anyways." Lowering his sword, Kozu fished into a leather pouch around his waist with one of his free hands, procuring a small black box from within. The lustrous material of the box caught the sunlight as the General thrust it towards Rhea.
She grabbed it with uncertainty, cautiously beginning to pry the thin lid off of the object. "Don't do that" Kozu chastised, his voice raised. Rhea shook slightly, abandoning her intent and shoving the box into the left pocket of her windbreaker. It was thin, barely visible through the lavender material. "You will know what to do with the artifact that lies within. At least, I hope you will know what to do with it." The stone man leaned in close to Rhea, his helmet only inches from her face. "This is your last chance, pipsqueak. I will inform him of what you have told me, but I will not expect him to change his mind. You have a week at the most, a couple days at the best."
A couple of days? How was she supposed to successfully do anything in only two days? Rhea was hoping that her "father" would be more understanding and provide her the week; of course, with Kozu explaining the situation that seemed like a lost hope and cause. The young girl nodded her head when the General grabbed her jacket yet again. "I will be the first one waiting for your failure" he hissed, staring into Rhea's dark brown eyes. "When you fail I will be back to clean up the mess properly."
"Leave her alone!" came a voice from behind. Rhea craned her neck to see Lloyd standing only feet away, his eyebrows knit in anger. Oh no, this was not good.
Rhea turned back towards the General who only continued to stare at the young ninja. Seeing as he was currently distracted, Rhea grabbed a single karambit from her hair and stabbed Kozu in his chest armor. He released her, utterly confused by the situation. A frustrated cry escaped his lips and he lunged towards her with both of swords. No, stop! I'm not really fighting Rhea tried to explain, ducking quickly underneath one of the blades. She looked up at the stone man, pleading in her irises. Just try and play along. They think I'm on their side.
"You are a traitor!" General Kozu shouted, bringing the sword in his lower right hand around from the side. Rhea's eyes widened as she attempted to step back from the attack. The blade caught her left arm, just above the elbow, causing a superficial wound. "I knew you weren't to be trusted. Give me back the item, now!" He charged at the disoriented girl who managed to roll to her right as the twin swords came down yet again. Angered, she pulled the other weapon from her hair, feeling her long hair fall down around her.
A weak crackle of electricity came from somewhere behind, making contact with one of Kozu's blades. He shook for a second and stumbled backwards before locking on to Rhea once more. Thankfully, she had gotten the opportunity to stand now and charged towards him. Quickly, she jumped over a low swing of one sword and managed to kick the weapon away from the General. It clattered across the asphalt, coming to rest against the wall of a building. There were footsteps approaching from behind and Rhea turned around to see Lloyd running towards her. "Rhea, I'm here to help you!" he called out, placing his palms together. A large flame flickered to life and he hurled it towards the stone man. Rhea ducked quickly, feeling the blast of heat travel above her head. Then, she was yanked upwards by her hair. Pain traveling through every nerve in her scalp, the young girl kicked out as she felt her feet leave the ground. There was a blade at her throat and Rhea held her breath, silently cursing herself for being distracted by Lloyd's attempts at bravery.
"Stand down" Kozu stated plainly, pressing the cold metal of the sword harder against Rhea's throat. She inhaled sharply and attempted to kick backwards, but her foot did not make contact with any portion of the General's body. He was not playing along at all. No, he genuinely thought that she was betraying him, betraying them all. Kozu yanked Rhea's hair roughly once more and she held back a soft yelp that rose in her throat. "Leave now and she will live. Allow me to take care of business that is my own." He made a shooing motion with his two free hands which greatly angered the green ninja. "Be gone".
Narrowing his emerald green eyes, Lloyd shook his head. "No" he challenged suddenly thrusting a fist into the ground. It shook violently, small cracks and crevices crossing along the fading asphalt. Rhea felt the hand grabbing her hair release her and she fell to the ground with a hard thud. The shaking continued for a little while longer, causing her teeth to chatter together. With slightly blurred vision, Rhea watched as General Kozu unsteadily made his way over to the unmanned blade that still lay along the nearby wall. "He will know of your treachery" she heard him announce, before he sprinted away from the two children, taking a street farther down.
The ground ceased its trembling and Rhea managed to pull her hair back with her twin weapons, sighing softly as some of the strands pulled uncomfortably in her grip. Lloyd approached slowly, taking a knee next to her. "Are you alright?" he asked, his tone serious. "Why did you run away from the group?"
Feeling slightly overwhelmed with the events that had just unfolded and the threat Kozu had made, Rhea pulled the small notepad and pen from her right pocket. I'm fine she wrote, the letters a little shaky and difficult to decipher. And I didn't run away. I saw that thing ran past me while you were all distracted and I decided to follow him. She handed the note to Lloyd to read, hoping that the lie she had created was believable enough. Absentmindedly, her left hand flew to her other pocket where she could feel the corners of the small box through the material of her windbreaker. Kozu had demanded that she return it to him, so it had to have been extremely important. Rhea's curiosity was overwhelming and she wanted to take a quick peek at the artifact that lay within, but she decided against it. Lloyd or the others could not know of its existence. That much was imperative.
"As long as you're okay" Lloyd smiled, handing the paper back to Rhea. She brought herself back to reality, grabbing the paper from her friend and placing it back into her right pocket. Yes, she was fine, but none of that would have happened if Lloyd had not shown up. His presence had instigated her to act against Kozu. Lloyd truly believed that she was changing, that there was something more to her, so she could not shatter that cover. Rhea stood suddenly, brushing herself off before heading towards the direction where Lloyd had come from. "Hey, wait up!" the green ninja called out, walking quickly to catch up with the silent girl. "I just want you to know that you shouldn't run off by yourself. Things like that could happen. It was a good thing I managed to find you when I did. You could have been killed!"
Lloyd was explaining to her the dangers of running off by yourself? He had been the one to do it originally, getting caught by that short, black snake. She was capable of taking care of herself and Kozu was just going to let her go, right? That was how it seemed to have been going before Lloyd had come. A small part of Rhea thanked Lloyd for the help he had given her. She had been in a tight spot yet again and he had helped her through it. Yet there was the voice in her head that continued to inform her that Lloyd was the one who had put her in danger. Ignoring the sound advice from the green ninja, Rhea continued on ahead. That was when she realized she had no clue where she was going. Stopping short, Lloyd bumped in to Rhea and the two stumbled forward. "What's wrong?" Lloyd asked, managing to regain his balance rather quickly.
Rhea grabbed the paper and from her pocket once more. I don't know the city very well and I'm kind of lost. Where are we going anyways?
"Oh, just follow me and I'll take you back to where I left the guys" Lloyd replied, taking the lead as the two continued walking. Rhea frowned yet again. Here was another example of Lloyd ignoring his own advice and running off by himself. Why was it alright for him to do these things and not her? Then again, she had been by herself when she had rescued him from the snake only to day before. Rhea shook her head back and forth slightly, trying to clear her thoughts. She and Lloyd were so similar in a way: they were both reckless at times. A small smile crossed her lips as the young girl stared at the ground. Well usually friends had things in common.
"There you guys are!" Cole called out. Rhea looked up to see both the black and red ninja running towards them. They seemed to be a little battered and bruised, but nothing too serious. She was impressed with their fighting skills, able to withstand a fight against an enemy who was completely made of stone. "Lloyd, I told you to stay close to me. Why are you out here? I thought someone had taken you."
Kai's eyes drifted to meet Rhea's and she quickly focused back on the ground. "Rhea ran off after one of the stone people and I went to find her" Lloyd answered truthfully. "It's not smart to be wandering around alone when enemies are around." The young girl watched as Cole sighed and rubbed his temples. Well, it seemed as if he were slightly frustrated at Lloyd's contradictory statements too. "She was caught by a large one. He looked like he was their leader, but he got away."
"As long as you're safe, that's fine" the red ninja answered, sheathing his sword. The gleaming metal blade caught the sunlight, reflecting it into Rhea's eyes. She rubbed her eyes furiously, watching as green dots obstructed her vision with every blink. "The one we were fighting ran off too. They probably went to regroup somewhere. Unfortunately, I don't know where that could be." Rhea's eyesight was clearing up and she frowned. She knew exactly where they were going, but it was outside of Ninjago. "I guess we should just head back to the apartment now and meet up with everyone else."
Cole nodded in agreement and gestured for the group to follow him. Rhea stayed next to Lloyd as they traveled, her eyes focused on the asphalt, but her mind somewhere else. The box that now rested in her pocket held something within, something that would aid her in her mission. She dug her hands into her pockets and felt the sturdy corners of the small box against the skin of her knuckles. When the time came to use whatever it was that sat inside of the box, she hoped she would know what to do with it.
So there is a bit of predicament that's occurring: I've caught up with myself with the updating. Don't get me wrong, I've finished chapter twelve so there will definitely be an update on Friday, but I need to start trying to focus more on writing so I can update twice a week. Depending on how far I am in chapter thirteen by next Tuesday, I may start to only update once a week. Sorry about that.
Hey, you don't need to because I know you don't want to, but I posted a new story called "Intertwined" and I just want to know if it's good enough to continue. It's not Ninjago, it's Sands of Destruction, but I tried to explain everything simply so it's easy to follow without having played the game. All I want to know is if it sounds good enough to continue. Cool.
Well, have a great day and see you on Friday. Thanks for reading. :)