"YOU JUST MADE US YOUR NEMESISES! Neme- nemesies? Nemesisses?"
"NEMESEES!"
"Shut up, Brad."
The four ninja laughed at the two's antics. The boys in question glared down from where they hung upon a house corner, right across from the candy seller who sold the four some candy. "Next time, try paying for your candy."
"WE'LL NEVER FORGET THIS!" Brad called as the brightly colored spinjitzu 'masters' walked toward their individual dragons, laughing and chatting as they ignored the boys.
It took the boys a few minutes to get themselves down, especially since they were hung from the backs of their cloaks. "Now what?"
"Now," Lloyd smirked as he reached into the fabrics of his cloak, pulling out a weathered map. "We go through with our threat."
"There is no way that's a map of the serpentine toumbs… is it?"
"Read it and weep, Brad. I stole it from our geography teacher, whatever-his-name-is, and I'm pretty sure it's authentic."
"So cool!"
"C'mon, let's go! The sooner we get there the faster we can steal all the candy!"
The evil pair set off in search of the tomb.
"Are we there yet?"
"For the last time, NO. And why did you even swipe this map if you can't read it?!" He waved the map in the kid's face.
"I would have figured it out!" a stubborn whine, accentuated by the petty folded-arm pose Lloyd took.
"Yeah, right. You would have figured out how to read a map - with no help whatsoever - when you can't even read. Totally."
"I can read!"
Brad scoffed. "One word per minute."
"Take that ba-" Lloyd tripped, landing face-first in the snow. "Wha-"
"We found it!" Brad pulled the lever, and the stone began to slowly slide to reveal the entrance to the tomb below. "Told you I was better than you." He stuck his tongue out as his friend dragged himself to his feet.
"No you aren't!" He leaped onto the older boy, who flung him off in the direction of the tomb. Lloyd screamed as he scrambled in an attempt to pull himself up, ending with him falling into the tomb.
"Lloyd!"
"I- I'm okay!"
A new voice cut in. "You mussst be out of your mind to venture ssso far from home, little one." Slithraa emerged from behind an ice stalagmite, the rattle on the end of his tail swishing as he prepared to hypnotize the boy before him. "Look into my eyesss."
"Lloyd? What's going on?! I'm coming down there!" Brad was barely audible from the opening of the tomb.
"I control you." Slithraa continued as Lloyd backed into one of the shards of ice and cried out, curling up reflexively.
Slithraa groaned slightly as his own power bounced back, hypnotizing him instead of his target. His mind grew foggy and he felt the strangest desire to do whatever this little child wanted of him.
Confused as to why the snake had halted, Lloyd glanced up and saw him swaying to his own reflection. He almost laughed at the irony. "No, I will control you from now on."
"What sshhshall you have usss do, masster?"
Brad landed on the ground behind them.
"Us?" Lloyd glanced around, were there other snakes or something?
Sure enough, many more hypnobrai emerged from their caves and revealed themselves to the two boys.
"An army of snakes."
"Our army of snakes!" Lloyd corrected. "Those Ninja are gonna pay next time we see them!"
