Chapter Two: On the Run
Clang.
The sticky, humid air from outside seeped its way into the room through the slightly propped windows, bringing the promise of yet another monotonous day. Nothing ever happened anymore. They would not allow it. As much as he completely loathed every moment that the world existed in its current state, he always tried to keep his thoughts quiet. What say did he have in anything anyways? He was only human after all.
Clang.
That was the issue though: he was human. A lowly, yet highly disposable, member of society, living in a constant state of dread and fear. Well, perhaps "living" was not quite the right way to put it. "Existing" was much more fitting. The term "living" insinuated that there was still a bit of joy and freedom in one's life. There was little of either to go around now.
Clang.
Had there been any joy when his mother lay incapacitated in bed, growing continuously sicker with each passing day? When he and his sister had gathered all of the spare money they could find, leaving to try and find an apothecary willing to part with some medicinal herbs? No. He gave a slight scoff, remembering the faces of the people that had turned them away in an hour of need. No one was willing to just give something to a couple of kids asking for help. It was not their fault that they could not afford what they needed, but no one was willing to turn a blind eye. Cowardice was a disease worse than the one his mother had passed from, affecting more people than he ever thought could be possible. It was all because of those serpents.
Clang.
Had there been any freedom when his father was forcefully taken from him, drafted into an infantry that was set to invade and conquer the northern kingdom of the Hypnobrai? No. He had not been more than ten at the time, remembering perfectly the look of anguish upon his remaining parent's face as he was forced out the door by a Venomari soldier. It was always easier to incorporate humans into war. They were inferior after all, a dime a dozen compared to the Serpentine. If he had been old enough back then, he was positive they would have taken him too. Who would have raised his sibling then? A slight shiver ran up his spine at the very thought.
"Kai, you've been hammering the edge of that blade for too long," sighed a soft voice, wafting in from the doorway. "Look how bent it is now."
Blinking hard, he managed to bring his focus back to his work, gripping the iron hammer in his right hand tightly. Unfortunately, the kind voice had been right: the blade he had been working on for days was now bent awkwardly downwards, dipping over the edge of the anvil it was resting on. Lucky for Kai, the blade had only been part of a personal project and not for a customer. "Thanks for telling me, Nya," he sighed, laying the hammer down on a workbench and roughly tossing the thick, leather gloves that had adorned his hands on top of it.
Poking her head around the slightly buckling door-frame, Nya shot her brother an understanding smile. "Is there something on your mind?" the girl asked softly, tucking a few strands of dark hair behind her ears. Kai glanced over at his sibling, noticing a small glint of concern in her chocolate brown eyes. Rubbing the back of a marginally calloused hand across his sweaty forehead, Kai shook his head in response, wiping the perspiration promptly onto a nearby rag. "Well, if you're absolutely sure then," Nya finished, her face a mask of indiscernible emotion.
"What brought you back inside?" Kai questioned, lifting a tanned apron up and over his head, the strip of leather that formed the neck strap gently grazing the tips of his spiked hair. "I thought you were just going to walk around and take a look at any new merchants or travelers that had set themselves up in the market." Nya was always wandering around the town. When they had both been younger, it had terrified Kai. His sister has always been a bit feisty and Kai thought she would do something to anger the Serpentine inhabitants. Thankfully, they had both learned quickly to keep their mouths shut tightly. It was the best way to avoid any type of punishment or even becoming a person of interest in Emperor Pythor's eyes. Kai had seen it happen to other villagers. Anyone who seemed to show even the slightest hint of a rebellious attitude was taken away, locked in a dungeon, no doubt.
A tinge of red dusted Nya's cheeks as she slowly entered the room, fidgeting slightly. "I-I was watching a man set up a small tent near the center of the market, but he was having some trouble with it. So, I offered to help him," the dark haired girl started, a small grin pulling at the edges of her thin lips. "He tried to politely decline my offer, but I ended up helping him anyways."
"Is there a point to this story or do you just want to talk about boys?" the brunet teased lightly, his eyes noticing Nya's face flush a deeper shade of red. Kai smirked and haphazardly tossed the heavy apron on to the already crowded workbench. "I know I'm not the best person to talk to when it comes to boys, and I know you probably wanted a sister instead of me, but I can handle it. So how dreamy was this guy, huh?" Kai chuckled as Nya roughly crossed her arms over chest. So she really did have her undivided attention on this new traveler in town. Well, this guy would just have to watch his back because maybe there would be a katana sticking out of it one day.
"Yes, there's a point to this story," Nya huffed, leaning her back against a small, wooden shelving unit that held an assortment of hammers, tongs, and raw materials that her brother would eventually craft into an array of weapons or other implements that customers asked of him. The wrought iron and ore almost glared at her in the filtering sunlight. They actually had not had a real costumer in a while. If anything, it was usually a serpent requesting some type of sword or dagger. Blacksmithing had always been the family business, but in the current state of things, Nya sometime wondered if Kai was actually hurting more than helping. No doubt his crafts were used in ways that would make a sane person cringe. "The man is a shadow puppeteer, isn't that neat? I mean, who doesn't enjoy hearing a good story every now and then? Maybe he'll move here permanently and then there will actually be some entertainment around here." Nya noticed her brother's lack of enthusiasm and gave a long drawn out sigh. "He told me that the tale he tells most often is that one. You know, the one mom used to tell us when we were younger?"
He felt his face pale drastically. "He can't be here then," Kai stated plainly, immediately heading towards the door. "He'll cause a bunch of trouble for everyone and the last thing we need right now are the Serpentine breathing down our necks." The blinding light of the sun disoriented Kai slightly as he made his way through the front door of their quaint shop. Villagers were walking quietly down the streets, some stopping at the occasional hut or tent to peruse objects for sale. No one ever bought too much. Money could be very scarce. Hearing Nya's labored breath approaching from behind, Kai slowed his quickened gait and allowed her to catch up. "Okay, maybe I sounded too rash back at the shop," he whispered, light brown eyes scanning the streets ahead for any sign of snakes. Everything appeared to be calm at the moment, which was both a blessing and highly unusual. "I just...is this guy really dumb enough to go around performing the story mom used to tell us? It was stuff like that which led to the book burnings when we were younger, remember?"
Nya nodded quickly, slipping her left hand into her brother's right one and taking the lead. "He was over this way," she remarked, taking the two of them down a more narrow street that was devoid of anyone else. "I never thought about it like that before. I mean, I was just so happy that there was going to be something fun in town for at least a little while. H-He could end up getting thrown in jail or something!" Kai resisted the urge to roll his eyes at how worried his sister sounded about this guy she had only talked to for a few short moments. "Maybe even worse than jail now that I think about it. The story was banned after all, wasn't it?"
As they neared the end of the street, the two siblings burst into a wide open area. Patched up tents were set up around the area with traveling peddlers looking to sell some of their wares. This section of the village was much more crowded. Unfortunately, some of those occupants were Serpentine. The most commonly found snakes in this area were the Venomari since the village set nestled along the border of the southern kingdom. Granted, there were worse serpents to tangle with, but Kai was not in the mood to get on their bad side right now. "Just take us to where he is," the brunet breathed, nonchalantly digging the toe of his boot down into the packed dirt beneath them. Nya guided them towards the center of the area where a badly faded blue tent sat. A small breeze blew through the area, rippling the fabric of the sorry looking tent and delivering the sour smell of the Toxic Bogs along with it. "Well, let's not waste anymore time."
Separating the two flaps of fabric that seemed to act as a door, Nya and Kai slipped inside the tent. Despite there not being too much room inside of the small space, there were several children sitting upon the dirt, chattering excitedly. A thin, cloth screen sat towards the back of the tent, wavering and twisting light visible through it from the backside. Kai chuckled, wondering how many candles the puppeteer was using the help him cast the shadows. As suddenly as this thought crossed his mind, a hush befell the children and a chipper voice from nowhere started reciting a sentence that was all too familiar to the blacksmith. Memories of his mother tucking him and his sister in to bed relentlessly flooded his mind, pulling him back into the past.
Long ago, the land of Ninjago was at peace. Humans lived with one another in harmony, working together to build a better future for one another and their children. However, nothing can stay perfect forever. As towns and villages formed, the darkness that lay dormant within the hearts of everyone started to come to light. Friends turned on each other, violence stemming from greed propelling normally kind people to act upon their every negative thought.
Then, they came.
Rising from the ground came creatures unlike the people of Ninjago had ever seen. Reptilian beings that could walk and talk just like any other person could, but they were ruthless; over-taking the towns and villages with their drastic numbers, these "Serpentine" quickly rose to power, striking fear into the hearts of the humans who had fallen far from their good intentions. Some people believe that these snakes were sent as punishment for the sudden change of the peoples' intentions, but instead of fixing the situation, the Serpentine themselves became greedy. They enjoyed this newly found power they had over the humans far more than they should have.
It is said though, that humanity could be saved from the spiraling events that caused their oppression. The Creator would eventually choose four people to be his messengers, children born of nature's pure elements, to find and protect the one individual, the Golden Master, who could free humanity permanently and send the Serpentine fleeing back underground.
A burst of applause and giggles erupted from the children in the audience, bringing Kai out of his memories. He could still see the shadows of the intricately laced and decorated puppets up upon the cloth screen. A large, burly puppet with a slightly golden hue to it stood in the middle with four puppets kneeling around him. The slightest bit of a tear trailed down the blacksmith's face as he remembered his mother and he glanced over, seeing a wide grin spread across his sister's face. At least she had enjoyed herself for a few moments. In fact, he himself had almost forgotten about everything in the world around him while the puppeteer had been telling the tale.
"I wanna be the Golden Master!" a little boy laughed triumphantly, running from the tent with his friends following closely behind him. "I'm the Golden Master! I'm the Golden Master!"
Suddenly, anxiety gripped Kai's heart. "Nya, can you go kind of talk with those kids? I don't want to see them being punished for anything." Nya nodded and quickly left to follow the kids. A giddy chuckle sounded from behind the cloth as the shadows of the puppets disappeared. A man with disheveled auburn hair poked his head out from behind the cloth and gave a grin. The blacksmith felt his lips set to into a hard frown at the man's obliviousness. "Hey, do you have any idea what you're doing, telling this story?"
The puppeteer's face fell and his hazel eyes grew wider. "I-I, uh, am just spinning yarns for the kids is all," he answered softly, ringing his hands nervously. The long sleeves of his blue shirt were fraying along the length and Kai could tell he'd probably been traveling continuously for a while now. "L-Look I don't want any trouble or anything, I promise. I just like seeing how happy stories can make people sometimes. You know, especially if it's a tale of hope during a time...like this." He let out a shaky breath, his eyes resting squarely on Kai's hip.
Confused, the brunet glanced down and noticed the short sword he always carried with him holstered at his waist. "I'm not here to hurt you," Kai sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm a blacksmith, making blades is kind of what I do." The expression of the puppeteer softened and Kai watched as his posture relaxed. "I'm not a guard or a 'bad guy' or whatever," he continued, crossing his arms over his chest. "You do realize how much trouble you can get in for telling this story right? It's banned, doofus."
"Ah ah ah," the man tutted, grinning. "My name is Jay, not 'doofus'". A small fit of laughter erupted from his throat as he seemed to be laughing at his own poorly constructed joke. "Like I said before, I'm not trying to cause problems or anything, just give people a little hope."
A little hope? Mentally taking a step back from the situation at hand, Kai gave the puppeteer's words some extra thought. Could he really blame the guy for trying to spread a little extra spirit to other people? Of course not. When he was younger he could remember pretending to be the Golden Master himself, playing with the small swords his father had crafted for him and vanquishing sandbag Serpentine. That was back when he thought he could actually make a difference when he grew up. Now, here he was, grown up and slightly lacking the rebellious energy that had kept him going throughout most of his life. Perhaps burying it deep down had not been the best course of action to take. Nothing would ever change without breaking a few rules, without taking a few chances. Maybe, just maybe...
"You won't have to worry though, Mr. Blacksmith," Jay stated plainly, working swiftly to fold up the fabric he performed behind for each show. "I'm a bit of a drifter because I know how risky what I do is. I'll be out of your hair soon enough if you're so against it, heading out to the next little village to try and cheer someone, anyone, up a little bit." There was a strong hand gripping his shoulder and Jay glanced behind him fearfully, not noticing that the blacksmith had moved so suddenly. Had he been lying? Was he actually going to hurt him? Despite his better judgement, the puppeteer stared fearfully at the sword which was, surprisingly, still sheathed. "I-I don't know how many times I can say that-"
"I know, 'you don't want any trouble'," Kai sighed, feeling exasperated. Releasing the stronger than anticipated grip on the auburn headed man, Kai took a few steps back, giving him some space. "I actually think what you're trying to do is pretty great." The sincere shock in Jay's eyes caused the blacksmith to smile instinctively. Nothing could ever begin to change unless some sparked a fire. It was time to be the spark. "You've obviously got the enthusiasm to go around and knowingly break the law just to give people something to wish for. Now," Kai smirked, quickly pulling his blade from its leather holster, the aging wrought iron appearing dull in the low light, "I have a sword. You don't know me, and I certainly don't know you, but I think you know what I'm trying to say." Kai let his words hang in the otherwise empty air, expecting the puppeteer to mull over them for a brief moment.
He felt all the blood drain away from his face. "You're trying to say you're going to k-kill me?" Jay asked hesitantly, his voice unwillingly rising an octave.
Resisting the urge to just immediately walk out of the tent at that very moment, Kai inhaled deeply, trying to subdue his temper. "No," he answered slowly, between clenched teeth. "Maybe we could work together to start a rebellion. No one else is really doing anything about what's going on, but maybe we can try." Jay's seemingly alabaster skin flooded with color once more and he just gave a small nod in response. "So, is that a 'yes' then?" Kai inquired, raising an eyebrow in confusion. He extended a hand in friendship, trying to really put the puppeteer's nerves to rest.
Could he really trust this blacksmith guy? He seemed genuine enough, but Jay had been traveling by himself for a while now, so he was finding it hard to faithfully place his life in someone else's hands: a partnership. It was like he had said, neither of them knew anything about the other. In fact, Jay did not even know the guy's name. The hand stayed extended and, relying more on his naturally carefree attitude than his learned suspicious one, Jay gratefully shook the blacksmith's hand before finally finishing packing up his supplies. "Alright then," he smiled, feeling that he had made a good choice and, possibly, even a good friend. There was something about this guy that just felt, right. He was a genuinely sincere person and he wanted to try and fight for freedom. "I'm not much of a fighter, but I guess we can try and do this."
"Leave the possible fighting to me," Kai chuckled, thrusting the blade forward and causing Jay to scuttle off to the left fearfully. As the puppeteer regained his composure, and managed to slip the pack he kept his supplies in onto his back, he gestured for them to start leaving. "I guess I can help you take your tent down if you want me to. I mean, my sister is the one who helped you put it up earlier." At these words, he noticed Jay blush deeply, clearing his throat before exiting the tent and holding the fabric door open for Kai to follow. Ducking underneath of the fading cloth, the blacksmith roughly bumped into Jay's back. "Um, can we move it, please?" he huffed, moving around Jay and suddenly stopping.
Two green serpents stood before them. One had a slightly smaller, rounder head. His bright green scales covered every inch of his body as he gave a soft hiss. The other was a bit taller, the darker scales on his head contrasted greatly against the lighter hued ones on his abdomen, four piercing yellow eyes were narrowed dangerously. "Hello," the taller one grinned, small fangs protruding downwards from his upper jaw. "We've just come to check up on some reports of illegal activity happening at this tent. Several villagers have recounted the same story, so we're inclined to follow up on it." Kai held his breath for a moment, watching the smaller Venomari move a hand towards one of the maroon colored pouches slung across his abdomen; pouches full of extra venom.
Not even processing what was happening, Jay felt himself being forcefully dragged away from the snakes in front of him. Blinking hard, the puppeteer focused on the hand that was gripping the sleeve of his shirt unrelentingly. The blacksmith continued on ahead, his heavy boots thudding hard against the ground. "If you could kind of run too, that would be pretty helpful!" he called back sarcastically. Jay just nodded, glancing over his shoulder to see the two serpents pursuing them. "Run, Jay!"
Just giving into instinct, the puppeteer shot forward, feeling his legs take him across the ground. Kai still gripped onto the man's shirt and struggled to keep his footing as the two effortlessly glided across the dirt. This guy...he was unbelievably quick! "Turn down whatever street you feel like when you can," the brunet shouted, focusing more on not tripping over himself than exactly where they were heading. As long as it was away from any snakes, Kai was absolutely fine with that. Without warning, Jay took a sharp left, grinning wildly as he looked back to see his new friend's almost sickened face. Well, maybe he could slow down in a little bit, but not until he was completely sure they were safe from harm at the moment.
Crash!
Bodies collided forcefully as Jay tried to slow his pace to no avail. The blacksmith and puppeteer groaned, very disoriented, as a mysterious voice growled something. "Why don't you look where you're going?" Kai propped himself up on his elbows and looked straight into the amber eyes of a very annoyed man. His raven hued hair hung in his face, clinging to his forehead with perspiration. Quickly getting to his feet and brushing off his faded, black shirt the man opened up a leather satchel that was draped around his shoulders, inspecting its contents furiously. "You could have broken some of my wares," the man complained, sweeping his bangs out of his face. "Money just doesn't fall out of the sky, you know. I have to sell this stuff."
They were wasting time! If they stayed here any longer they were going to be caught! Jay was glancing around nervously, his eyes pleading with Kai. The blacksmith finally got to his own feet and tried to move around the man they had run into, but he continued to block his path. "Oh no you don't," the stranger scoffed, crossing his arms roughly over his chest. Kai could see the toned muscles of his arms through the thin fabric of his shirt. If they ended up in a brawl, this guy could probably take him down with no problem. There was no time to stand here and argue or anything, and Kai was not feeling particularly apologetic at the moment. Without thinking, the brunet grabbed the man's satchel and took off with Jay by his side. "Give that back," the guy complained, hurrying to follow the two thieves.
"Why did you do that?" Jay asked, turning briefly to see the guy following them. "He looks like he could beat us to a pulp!"
Kai could feel his breathing growing more labored as he raced down the street. "Well, if we had stayed there with him, the Serpentine would have caught up with us," he tried to explain. "Plus people can be pretty nosy. He's already been seen with us, so he's probably better off just sticking with us anyways. It might actually be safer for him and us." Watching Jay just shrug understandingly, Kai listened as the man's protests sounded behind him, signaling that he was still following. Maybe he would be willing to help them when they got the time to explain what was actually going on. Either that or he would probably kill him. Only time would tell.
The twin, marble doors of the room opened inwards slowly, allowing two lowly Venomari to enter. Glancing around nervously, the taller one took a knee and bowed his head as his partner followed suit. A loud clap thundered through the room and both serpents stood tall once more. "Sir, there was a bit of an incident today in Ignacia Village," the taller Venomari stated, trying to keep his tone of voice calm. "A couple of men were telling stories, sir. Stories about the Golden Master and the Messengers of Legend. We attempted to take them in for questioning, but they fled, sir. By the time we could even see them, they were but specks on the horizon, escaping with another accomplice."
A condescending sigh floated down from the large throne that sat towards the back of the obscenely large room. "Dear, this is a problem now, isn't it?" Rising from the gleaming throne, a violet serpent with a large, winding neck slithered down the stairs that raised a portion of the room off of the main floor. A deep, red carpet embellished with flecks of gold acted as a pathway for the Anacondrai. "I just wish that there were more competent snakes out there to catch a threat when there actually is one," Emperor Pythor hissed, causing the two Venomari to flinch. This was what always seemed to happen: his lackeys and underlings always seemed to bumble around when it came to people who could be actual threats. It took a certain kind of person to openly tell forbidden stories.
"No need to worry about this issue anymore though," Pythor smirked, his red eyes gleaming hungrily in the bright lights of the throne room. "I think I may have someone that is actually capable of stopping this possible threat." Waving the two Venomari away, the Anacondrai turned around swiftly and headed towards a small hall that led to a room off of the throne room. The lights in the room automatically activated as Pythor's cold-blooded signature was recognized. "I've been wanting a reason to use you for a while now," the emperor chuckled lightheartedly, approaching the only object in the room. Opening a large panel, the inner mechanisms of a mechanical object sat idle until the serpent flipped a single switch, causing them to whir to life. "Now, I know that you will actually be able to put a stop to these law breakers," Pythor said, tightly closing the panel and watching as the eyes of his perfectly crafted war machine opened and flickered to life.
"Yes," the android answered in a monotone voice. "I will not fail you, master."
Howdy, it's me, Kiwi. Still hope you're enjoying our thing because TombRaiderNinja and I are really digging this story so yeah.
Reviews and thoughts are always welcome, and thanks for reading. :)