A/N: Good news everyone! Chapter 3, has been successfully edited! Chapter 4… we don't talk about chapter 4.
But, jokes aside, (chapter 3 is seriously edited though) this was one of my favorite chapters to write.
11 A.M.K.
Karanba could hear them talking. Their tongue alien to him, their voices were… higher than he would've expected too.
But, he needed coin. So whenever one of them passed he would call out to them in tarkatan, but never would he hear a response.
The worst of his tormentors were his kinsman. He couldn't recall his mother and father, whenever he tried all he could hear was their disapproving voices.
He turned his gaze upward once more, and couldn't understand anything.
"Drivel, Karanba… it's all drivel." He placed his face into his arms and basked into the warm Outworld sun of Z'Unkarah.
Until it rose to an uncomfortable heat, slowly crawled to an infernal temperature, and then finally became absolutely unbearable.
And then it became a burning red cloak.
He turned his attention to the indistinct and shrouded body, before long he could see the eyes.
"Fiery." He thought.
"Here, this should get you through a few days." The man's tarkatan was fluent, and it had only the slightest hint of an accent. Next, he dropped a pouch of gold and just as abruptly, walked away.
"Wait!" Karanba scrambled to his feet and chased the man.
The man, in turn, stopped. He had an imposing body, nearly a foot and a half taller than Karanba himself.
"Yes?" The man spoke.
"I…" Karanba stopped, having no idea what he could say.
"May I live with you? I can be helpful, I promise!" Finished with his thoughts, he started retreating. Feeling utterly defeated in his attempts before truly starting.
"Hold." Karanba did as the voice said. It continued. "Have you nowhere to sleep?"
"No, sir." He responded.
"How long have you been here?" The man probed.
"I… since my birth. I will have seen my twelfth summer in some weeks." Karanba answered sincerely.
"Where are your parents?" The question made him tense. The man surely wouldn't have anything to do with him if he knew of his rejection as a child.
"Never mind that." He flicked his hand and sauntered towards Karanba.
"But-"
"I can tell where they are, you can see much of someone by their mannerisms." He paused. "And you grew as tense as a foot soldier in battle."
"Where did yo-"
"I, am called Viper." He interrupted.
"Viper..." Karanba continued his sentence in his thoughts: "Where have I heard that name before?"
"Sometimes, the blue-painted fool of an emperor will hire me and call me his friend." He spoke, a toothy smile emerging from the indistinct face.
Karanba laughed at the remark, and after a moment, continued in the alien feeling of joy.
"What is your name?" Viper asked.
"Karanba."
"Well, Karanba. How would you like to stay with me and learn my arts?"
"But… I am…" His mind drifted towards what was often considered the peak condition of a male tarkatan, tall and muscular with sharp gnashing teeth and long bone blades. "I would only be a liability."
"My mother said the same of me." Their eyes met. "I've seen juvenile tarkatans aplenty, you don't have to be like them, you know."
22 A.M.K.
Viper could feel the wound on his torso slowly start to heal. The feeling of his scales shifting back into position was strangely similar to the sensation of shedding.
As he waded through the shallow waters of the swamp below the academy he grabbed Kollector by the neck and dragged him back up the cliff path.
When Viper made it back up to the bridge he felt arms suddenly thrown around him.
"Karanba." He greeted, placing his hand at the shoulder blade of his ward.
"I was so worried!" They parted, the tarkatan with a giddy glint in his glowing yellow eye.
"You would've expected any less from me?" Viper pointed toward the, somehow still unconscious, naknadan in his grasp.
"No, it's only… I don't know what would've happened to me if I hadn't met you." He had heard something akin to that once before, but never from Karanba. Viper wasn't sure what to say, at that moment he almost laughed, although he stopped himself. Instead, quite awkwardly to be completely honest, the saurian walked away frequently looking back and letting the tiniest bit of chuckles be heard.
As he entered into his home and passed through the entrance where some of the students were congratulating each other, he placed the unconscious naknadan down, where multiple students pounced on him and restrained him. Afterward, Viper stopped near the library where he found Takeda and Kung Jin.
"I am pleased to see you two survived the battle." Viper walked over, the ends of his cloak brushing slightly in front of him.
"The feeling's mutual," Takeda said.
"You would've expected less from me?" Kung Jin said, in a tone not unlike Viper's earlier.
"Tell Ms. Cage that I will join you." Takeda smiled approvingly while Kung Jin snarked: "Took you long enough." Viper, in response, turned to him and snarked back: "And yes, I would've expected less from you." Takeda started laughing, and despite the friendly punch that Jin gave him, he didn't cease.
Viper left them to their devices and started towards the staircase. Once he reached the level with his chambers, his thoughts shifted to Jade. Nothing unusual, for twenty years it seemed not an hour could pass where he didn't find himself thinking of her.
Her face, her hair, her eyes. The thoughts made him smile. Until they didn't.
As he entered, he opened the chest again. Looking into it, not much would be useful for the journey he was to make. And in his mind, he listed off the trinkets and tools that were exceptions.
"Pouches of gold, silver, bronze, some more of the teleportation devices, maybe another jar of tarkatan essence, books for the road and…" his hand pressed into something sharp, the feeling of steel against scales being familiar.
"What's this?" He cleared the material around it and lifted a golden blade, it was small and had to be held by what appeared to be a green pommel.
"It can't be…" He pressed a claw into the end of the dagger and the two other blades popped out.
Silence pervaded the room.
Hurriedly, he plunged his hand back into the chest and, after a bit of digging, pulled a small pole out. When it took its true form it became a long staff that radiated a purple color.
Once again, silence enveloped the room.
Viper scurried over to his drawer, besides his cloak he didn't keep much else to wear. But the weapons had reminded him of something. He barely cared to close the cupboards as he searched. And finally, when he opened the last one he saw a necklace, the beads were a dark red and the gem at the end was a carved amethyst. The pattern was that of a reptile's eye. He placed it on the stand and quickly began searching for another accessory. When he couldn't find it he became panicked. His eyes darted around the entirety of the room until… he realized he had never taken it off. Slowly, Viper fluctuated the enchantment of his cloak. On his right hand, his dominant one, he found a ring. The band of it was gold, and adorning its top was a green gem. Surrounded by mementos of her, he crumpled. It had been years since he had cried, be it of happiness, sadness or anger, but he did now.
"Jade…" He said.
20 A.M.K.
"I think Li Mei is sweet on you," Karanba said.
"I disagree." Viper responded, with an air of finality.
"Did you see the way she looked at you?" Karanba urged, despite his master's tone.
"What proof do you have of this 'look' she gave me." When they stared into the distance together, they could see her walking back to Sun Do. In Karanba's opinion she was pretty, with her black hair and long face, her high cheekbones and the gaunt they left, as well as her eyes that were a nice chocolate brown. In truth though, he had never seen Jade and as such, he had no idea what kind of person Viper was attracted to.
"Do you think she's pretty?" Karanba continued
"Not especially, why?" Viper said nonchalantly, his eyes reverted back to the pages of his book.
"Not especially?!" Karanba paused.
"Honestly? I don't find many people exceptionally beautiful… that kind of," He paused. "It just never interested me much."
"Until…"
"Yes, Karanba. Until her."
"What did Jade look like? If you don't mind my asking."
"Quite like Li Mei, actually."
"Then, why don't you find her," He put extra emphasis on that last word, pointing towards the Outworlder, "beautiful," He finished
"Because Karanba… she's not Jade. None of them are."
22 A.M.K.
Viper put his hood back in place, the necklace was on now. He sauntered towards the weapons and picked them up off the ground. Wiping the last tears from his eyes, he placed them in his travel bag.
"Master." The voice started.
"Karanba… what's the matter?"
"Kollector has awoken, he's been restrained… but he's cursing uncontrollably."
"Come now, you know what I meant." Viper turned back to the mirror.
"I know that… I know you'll be leaving soon."
"And?"
"I want to come with you."
"No." Karanba paused at that.
"But, I'm ready for more than assassinations!"
"You handled yourself well in that battle, Karanba. But, I can't let you come with me."
"Why?"
"Who do you think is going to be master of this place while I'm gone? I trust you, and only you with that responsibility, Karanba."
"It's only… I don't know what would've happened to me if I hadn't met you." Echoed in Viper's mind.
"I don't want yo-" Viper interrupted him with a touch to the shoulder.
"I'm proud of you, you know."
That night…
"That's crazy, Jin."
"What? I know you like her."
"I'm not going to sneak around her room!"
"Get the hell out of here, I know you've thought about it."
"Oh really? Are you psychic too now?"
There was silence.
"Oh thank the elder gods he stopped talking." Takeda thought.
"Y'know…" Kung Jin started again, just as Takeda got used to the quiet.
"Jin… I love you, but sometimes…" He let his mind wander, not listening to his friend anymore. Takeda liked Jacqui, he really did, but a mission like this wasn't what he considered all too romantic.
"Ya get what I mean?" Takeda tuned in for the last bit of Jin's speech.
"Yea, yea… sure."
"Bullshit! You weren't even listening!"
"Well, what did you expect? You suggested sneaking into her room to... y'know!"
"If you're not gonna tell her, I will."
"Is this payback for my 'plan' a few years ago, y'know with Kai?"
"Your 'plan,' Takeda… was absolutely horrible, but no."
"Well I-… do you hear that?" It sounded akin to footsteps.
"What?"
"I… I'll be back."
"Are you trying to escape m-"
Takeda closed the door to their room. He could see a long red cloak disappearing at the end of the corridor. Takeda knew that they would be leaving soon but, when he and Jin had told Cassie she asked for an answer that was more precise.
Seemingly, she hadn't gotten one yet.
He followed, attempting to ask Viper for the specific time they would be leaving. But when he rounded the corner he found that the saurian had apparently disappeared. Takeda picked up his pace to catch the master of the academy but instead, he found the entrance wide open. There was strange energy around the door.
It called to him with the soft sounds of rain, the loud imposing thunder, and the constant low bellow of the swamps. He walked, not all certain he was doing it of his own will, and entered the showers. The land was shrouded in tense darkness, the only thing that could be clearly seen was the tree line against a slightly lighter sky.
After a few minutes of time out there, the bellows grew louder. Takeda turned his gaze to the swamps and saw eyes that rivaled the brightness casted by the lightning. They appeared like violet fire and, shortly after multiple reptilian creatures joined them. Some were giant, some were tiny, and one, the owner of the purple oculi, was humanoid.
"Unless you have crystals behind your retinas," He said sarcastically, "it's dangerous to come too close to some of these species… most of the 'seasonal breeders' favor spring."
"Spring?"
"Why do you think I'm out here, Mr. Takahashi? I'm not reliant on seasons, but saurians always loved this time of year."
The species that joined Viper didn't differ only in size. Some were familiar, a couple of crocodiles, some snakes, a few tortoises, komodo dragons and plenty of their smaller cousins. But there were also fantastical creatures such as drakes and basilisks. Their eyes were never purple, but they carried other beautiful colors, a fiery vermillion, a lush green, a sunny yellow, an icy blue, a pure silver, and what was better was that they all glowed.
"Zaterra, although it may not seem so, is alive, Mr. Takahashi."
To say that there was silence would've been partially incorrect, as the rain only sounded soft when indoors.
"I wanted to ask about when we were planning on leaving."
"Oh come now, all of us," he gestured to the other reptiles, "know why you've appeared here."
"I… don't follow."
"Jacqueline Briggs."
"What of her?"
"I can practically smell the affection you have for her on you."
"That's-"
"A small bit strange, alien, and maybe under some circumstances even invasive? Yes."
Rain, and then thunder.
"I, I do like her."
"Good, you wouldn't believe how much she enjoys your company."
Remembering the line about aromas Takeda asked: "does she… does she smell like 'that' too?"
"Yes, Takeda."
"I think I'd like to wait until this mission is over to tell her, though."
"Don't wait, take it from me."
The noise they created was replaced by the continuous bellows, hisses, and even chirps made by the reptiles. The rain accompanied them, and the sporadic thunder and lightning, although loud and imposing, seemed to be less brilliant than the glow of the native creatures.
"Why are you out here?"
"… Sometimes, when I'm out here in these swamps and jungles… I'll find a shade of green that somehow manages to be a fraction as brilliant as Jade's eyes."
He smiled.
" Sometimes, a man likes to remember."
He let some of the snakes slither onto his arm, another few seemed to almost purr as he scratched the underside of their snouts. Then, he continued,
"And sometimes a man needs to feel close to home."
He stopped, looked to the sky, and continued.
"It's the first night of spring, after all."
A few hours before sunrise…
The rain hadn't quite stopped yet, but it had become steadier with its abandoning of the lightning. The moss felt damp and nice against the scales, and the sleeping slithers of the snakes, the soft but deep bellows of the crocodiles, the slight limb movements of the lizards, the drips of water off the feathers of the drakes and basilisks made the vegetation seem all the nicer.
Viper relaxed with the assortment of reptiles sleeping around him, throughout the bulk of the night they had paraded through the swamps, but now they were resting. It was a fact that Spring was the only season in which every reptilian species in Zaterra could be mutually comfortable. Summer was nice enough, but it never reached the temperature it used to. Autumn was alright, but it didn't cool enough to be considered as pleasant as it once was. Winter, quite simply, was non-existent after the merging. Spring though, spring remained unchanged. He laughed to himself, after the merging, the seasons in Zaterra may have felt the same to anyone esle. But the reptiles, creatures he often felt were discarded among the other creations of nature, knew what it meant.
Spring also brought more beauty than the freshly blooming flowers, every male of every species in the den, which was all of the reptiles in the nest including Viper, would start to radiate more bioluminescence. Some had already started, the komodo dragons and their smaller cousins had dim patterns of all shades in between their scales, and the end of feathers on the drakes and basilisks glowed a great many colors. The crocodiles hadn't started yet, the tortoises wouldn't start for a while still, and Viper may not experience it at all, he was to leave Zaterra soon. Eventually, though, all of them, including the ones who had already begun, would radiate even brighter to attract females. No-one was completely sure why saurians joined the other species… but Viper thought it was nature's way of saying 'you are all connected.'
It would still be a few more hours until the rising of the sun. Viper didn't mind though, he had favored the night for most of his years, although, he admitted the day was a welcome change every now and again. But that wasn't what was truly occupying the saurian's mind.
He stared at the ring. Then he stared at the necklace. Sticking his tongue out, he tasted the air, where it was apparent that her scent still ruled above the others. He could've actively filtered it out but… he didn't want to. He closed his eyes, feeling the moisture run through the grooves between his scales. It was a nice sensation for all the reptiles in the den, even in their sleep, but it was nothing compared to her hands.
He closed his eyes and waited. In what felt like an hour their shaking tails, squirming torsos, and tongues tasting the air signaled the waking hours. He stood with the rest of them, and they left their den. He walked the dirt roads, surrounded by dense swampland. When he looked down to the other vegetation, he could see the nightshade, panda lilies, and fire lilies blooming. Viper continued on his stroll, his tail wagging in happiness. When he emerged from the foliage, the sky was growing closer and closer to the inevitable dawn. Soon, the other life of Zaterra would be active. The golden snub-nosed monkeys resting in their hot-springs, the gorillas foraging in their mountains, the orangutans preferring the jungles, and the chimpanzees being somewhere in between. The birds of paradise flying high above the canopy. The amphibians sauntering across the lowlands of the ecosystem. The fish that swam slowly and calmly through the murky waters and their colorful and swift cousins that lived nearer to the mountains. The beautiful tigers sneaking to chase their prey in both swamps and jungle, the spotted jaguars and leopards doing the same in the trees, the pitch dark panthers competing in the mountains. And the giant pandas climbing their trees to rest.
As he reached the academy once more, where it would be less than an hour before day would truly break, it hit Viper.
"Today… is a beautiful day."
Z'Unkahrah
Reptile felt the plainest suggestion of the spring breeze. In the bulk of Outworld, it went most unnoticed. His mind turned to Viper, his friend whom he rarely spoke to anymore.
"I wonder, what Zaterra looks like this season." His mind traveled to and his heart ached for a time long since passed. To most, Z'Unkahrah was a beautiful city full of magnificent wonders and oddities that attracted many a traveler. Like another being may take a walk through the woods though, a saurian needed to feel the moss between his toes, his claws digging into the swampy ground. It was all quite maddening.
"What're you thinkin' 'bout?" Erron Black said. Riding in the carriage were the aforementioned cowboy, Ermac, Reptile, and emperor Ko'atal himself.
"A man's thoughts are his own, he will share them if he wished," Kotal added. Ermac said nothing still, his gaze glued to the window.
"Zaterra." Reptile said. He paused, then continued. "It should be spring there."
"I've lived in this place for years, and I never noticed any sorta seasonal change," Erron spoke, his accent giving way as to his homerealm.
"Not many do." Reptile answered sardonically.
"The realms used to have more noticeable features when they were seperate," Kotal said.
"And yet they are now one," Ermac responded, his eyes never leaving the window.
"A united Outworld stands stronger against its enemies." Kotal insisted.
"True enough, I suppose." Erron crossed his arms and reclined in his seat.
"Safe from the black dragon?" Reptile asked, guilelessly.
Erron huffed from his seat, Ermac returned to silence, and Kotal was the only one who cared to answer.
"Most of them are long apprehended."
"If I may, they're pack animals, emperor." Reptile said.
"Their most powerful member, Tremor is captured. As well as two of their other warriors, Jarek and Tasia. I killed one too, Kobra, I think." Erron black added.
"We would think it is wise to assume they have more than five members. If Mileena hired one, their leader, Kano, then it is likely she hired more." Ermac pointed out.
The emperor was silent, seemingly being in a bad mood. He had many admirers, at least among his court, but he had many enemies. Reptile remembered his days training in espionage, he had always suspected that D'vorah, the emperor's paramour, had a scheme planned but, when he attempted to alert Kotal he was advised never to speak of the subject again.
"Haha, I think this is my stop." Erron Black smiled through the window, he was examining a brothel. "Wonder how strong their wine is… maybe I should try some." He scratched at the brown stubble.
"I haven't given you leave." Kotal asserted.
"Hmph, with all due respect, emperor, sometimes… ya gotta live in the moment. Feel the thrills of a few hours spent doin' whatever the hell ya want." Erron smiled, satisfied by the images he had probably conjured up in his head.
"In time, Black, you will be free to visit these 'establishments' but now we have more to discuss." Kotal asserted.
"Like what, Mileena's gone to lick her wounds?"
"The fact that we were attacked by a horde of tarkatans at all is inadequate, Erron," Kotal said.
"Then why're we out here in the middle of a city the size of a jungle talkin' about plans, don't we have a war room or somethin'?"
"Yes, Erron. But we had to make an 'appointment'."
Reptile stared out the window, looking at the lineup of people. There must have been hundreds. of tarkatans ready to be executed. Once the emperor exited the carriage, he unsheathed the macuahuitl on his back.
"I will make absolutely certain, no-one is working for Mileena."
A/N: Well… like I said earlier, chapter 4 still needs to be updated but I think I'm pretty happy with chapter 3. There's a little detail in this chapter that I noticed halfway through writing it, and while I could've changed it, I decided to leave it in… just in case someone noticed it. As always, thank you for reading.
Sincerely, The Swampian.