Chapter 15-The Fang and the Stone
The beach looked like heaven to Cole's eyes.
Zane had guided the ship past the Serpentine's port, knowing that everyone would now be searching for them. He allowed the anchor to drop and somehow maneuvered the ship to an awkward stop against the sand. The merchant hopped down, falling back against the warm sand with a smile on his face.
"Let's never get near water again," he mumbled, running his sunburned fingers through the sand. The others slowly climbed out of the ship, each of them with an uncomfortable feeling in their stomach. They were in Ninjago again. The true perils of their mission began now.
"I actually felt safer out there," Jay said, a nervous grin on his face. "Now that we're here, ready to actually attack the Serpentine, it's all too real. I think I'm gonna be sick actually. Good thing I haven't eaten that much. Cause it's all seriously getting ready to come up. And not very nicely either. It's going to just-"
Kai slammed the palm of his hand against Jay's mouth, blocking the sound of his voice. "Ok, Jay. I think that's enough out of you."
Jay, who had continued to mumble even under the pressure of Kai's hand, shut off his voice and gave a small nod. Kai removed his hand and the puppeteer ran his thin fingers through his hair. "Well what's the plan then?"
"I will now guide Kai and Cole to the Fangpyre's castle. You will stay behind and care for Lloyd, Jay." After hearing Zane's words, Jay opened his mouth in disbelief. He blinked a couple of times, unable to respond at the unfairness of the robot's statements.
"I agree with Zane," Cole said, slowly sitting up. "You're not exactly the best at sneaking around Jay, plus someone has to take care of Lloyd."
"Honestly, I would feel much better if you stayed," the blacksmith agreed.
"You guys are such jerks." Jay crossed his arms, turning away.
"We might be jerks, but at least we'll be safe jerks," Kai answered abruptly, watching as the puppeteer slightly distanced himself from the group. A small sigh escaped his lips as he felt a small twinge of guilt growing in his stomach. It was not that Jay was useless or a danger in any way, it was just that this mission would go much smoother without his presence. Cole made an excellent point too; there had to be someone to watch Lloyd. If he was caught, or worse, while they were away...
A hand on Kai's shoulder brought him back to reality. Cole gave the blacksmith a hard pat on his back. "Jay, you honestly have the most important job," the merchant smiled, giving Kai some backup. "If the Serpentine come snooping around and find you, you'll have to protect Lloyd. The future of Ninjago is now in your hands."
Jay grinned lightly, his back still turned to his companions. He was going to save the day! Zane was trusting him to watch the savior of Ninjago. It only made sense too. He was the first one to do anything with his powers, back in the forest. Naturally, he was very gifted in his element and capable of protecting Lloyd. "Alright then, guys," the puppeteer replied, lightheartedly stepping towards the boy clad in green. "I'll keep my eye on the kid here while you're all gone. Just remember not to come crying to me when he realize you needed me in the castle." Jay's blue eyes shone with confidence as he gave his friends a small wave.
Zane only nodded in understanding before gesturing for Cole and Kai to follow him. "There will be no crying," the android said. "We are perfectly capable of handling the situation on our own."
The city seemed far bigger now than Cole had remembered. Or maybe it was just the fact that Zane's route to the castle took was made up of more twists and turns than a labyrinth. The merchant was not about to complain, however, as they had always been a safe distance from any of the guards. Without Zane, the mission of saving Ninjago would have been a lot more difficult than it was now.
Although the trip to the castle lasted long enough for Kai to begin feeling small and irritating cramps on his legs, it still felt as if they had arrived far too soon. None of them felt ready to face what lay within the castle's walls. If they went through with this, there would be no turning back. If they went through with this, it was all or nothing.
There was a small, decorative wall made of polished sandstone and the three fugitives stayed low against it, Zane still leading the way. Suddenly, the android held a hand out, forcing Cole and Kai to stop in their tracks. "Please, wait," Zane whispered, his voice barely audible. He knew they were on the outskirts of the looming castle now. The incessant buzzing in the back of Zane's mind was a constant reminder of the hostile creatures that lurked around every corner. Any moment now, they would have a clear opening to quickly make their way towards the western side of the castle, where the servant's entrance was. Slowly counting down the seconds in his mind, the android waved back towards his companions. "We must hurry while the guards continue their rounds," Zane urged, hurrying his gait.
Two lowly guards marched away from the small group, gleaming spears gripped tightly in their scaly hands. Zane effortlessly moved past them, not as much sparing a passing glance. Cole attempted to do the same, but found his gaze drifting towards the serpents. A tightness settled around his heart as he slowed down slightly. A quick shove from behind kept the merchant going. At least Kai was keeping him grounded, so to speak. Tearing his eyes away from the Fangpyre, Cole followed Zane towards some dying shrubbery that flanked the side of the castle . "You said this side is always unguarded, right?" the merchant asked fearfully, hearing his voice shake with the slightest of nerves.
"Yes," Zane said, stopping to take a knee next to the yellowing foliage that dotted the bush. "The Serpentine tend to be very pompous when it comes to security. This where they make their mistakes."
"Well that's good for us then," Kai breathed, glancing behind him to see the space completely empty. Well, at least they had made it to the castle. Now getting inside and actually executing their plan was going to be something else entirely.
As expected, entering through the servant's quarters was the easiest part of the plan. No one attempted to stop them. The few servants that were in the area didn't even bother to look up. They were all too focused on their own tasks, knowing that they would be punished if they didn't execute every one of their actions perfectly. Kai studied them, feeling a couple of chills travel up his spine. Their eyes were so void of life...they looked more like machines than Zane ever had.
The three rebels stepped out into the hall. Cole and Kai struggled to keep up with Zane now, as their surroundings were fairly distracting. Upon the walls, there were multiple murals, all of them showing the Serpentine as god-like creatures standing atop humanity. It wasn't exactly pleasant to look at, but the pictures were so large and so impressive, Zane had to pull both the merchant and the blacksmith forward with a harsh tug.
"Now is not the time for sight seeing," Zane whispered. "We will be found and killed if we do not quicken our pace."
"Yeah, sorry," Kai apologized, nearly losing his footing as the android continued to pull him along. It felt odd, seeing murals like those. They reminded the blacksmith that what he was fighting for was not in vain. The Serpentine thought much more highly of themselves than Kai could have ever fathomed. It absolutely sickened him to the core. Kai grunted as he bumped into the back of Zane. It felt like ramming straight into a wall. "Wait, why did we stop, what's happening?"
Zane covered Kai's mouth, muffling his words. The robot motioned forward, urging Kai to look. The blacksmith did, and spotted two well armored guards standing before a large, overly decorated door. Zane then pointed to himself and to one of the guards, then repeated the same process except this time he pointed at Kai.
Kai nodded. He'd take the one on the right while Zane would silence the one on the left.
"That's the door to the throne room," Zane whispered, his voice so soft Cole had a hard time debating on whether he'd actually heard the words or not. "The Fangpyre leader awaits you Cole. Stay strong."
With a small nod from Zane, but him and the blacksmith ran towards the Serpentine. Moving too fast for the startled Serpentine, Kai slammed the hilt of his sword against the Serpentine's head. Its body went limp in an instant. On the other hand, Zane aimed his fingers directly at the Serpentine's throat, blocking all air from its lungs and causing it to pass out as well.
Cole inhaled sharply, watching with wide eyes as his companions took down the Serpentine with more ease than he had anticipated. Gathering ahold of his nerves, the merchant shot forward, sprinting in between the now unconscious guards. Despite his better judgment, Cole took a glance back towards his friends. Kai gave him a smug grin while the android just replied with a curt, confident nod.
It was all up to him now. Everyone was counting on him.
The tall, ornate door was a deep crimson with polished golden embellishments protruding outwards, like fangs. Ignoring the tugging sensation in the back of his mind that was telling him to stop, Cole kicked the door open impulsively. A loud bang echoed through the room and the raven-haired man took a quick glance around the room, surveying what lay before him.
It was more of a hall than a room. The floor was made of cold, white marble, and there was a thin red carpet that trailed all the way to the back of the room.
And there, sitting on a throne made of pure silver, sat his enemy.
The Fangpyre looked different from all the others. Instead of one head, the Serpentine had two, both with large dangerous smirks and shinning deadly eyes. "We were warned sssomeone might ssshow up at our doorssstep."
The second head nodded, eyeing Cole with a hungry look. "It will be our pleasssure to dessstroy you."
Nerves turned into adrenaline, and adrenaline turned into power. Cole closed his eyes for a second, filling his lungs with precious oxygen. When he reopened his eyes, he was calm, focused.
He was ready.
"Really? Because I think it might go the other way around..." Cole smiled, flipping his thick mane away from his eyes." This isn't going to end with you dirty Serpentine on top. Not anymore."
The Fangpyre stood tall now, one head looking bemused while the other had its reptilian eyes narrowed in utter loathing. "There isss a reassson that you pathetic humansss live the lowly livesss that you do," the angry head hissed. The light of the room reflected off of the serpent's red scales as it slithered down the carpet, slowly making its way towards Cole. "You are all powerlesss. Time for you to learn your place."
Cole's smile turned into a smug grin as he cracked the knuckles on his hands. There was no way this Serpentine was going to intimidate him. He had been chosen to help the Golden Master take back Ninjago. Backing down now was foolish and Cole knew he could do this. All of his friends were counting on him. "I don't think so," the merchant shot back, feeling his heart pounding against his chest. "You think we're lowly? You think we're weak?" He paused for a moment, staring straight ahead and making eye contact with each head of his opponent before continuing. "That will be your downfall."
He pounded his right leg against the marble floor, causing it to quiver and quake underneath him. The shock wave traveled outwards, taking the Fangpyre off guard. Struggling to keep his balance, the serpent slithered forward, its long tail trailing behind. Cole met his adversary halfway, throwing a hard punch that landed square in the creature's chest.
The Serpentine coughed, almost falling back, but its body had been trained for this. The Serpentine soon regained its balance, and it hissed at Cole's cocky face. The Serpentine unsheathed a small blade from its belt. The blade was white, and there was a light green glow emanating from it. The Fangpyre swung the blade, and Cole jumped back, evading the attack.
"One little cut from thisss and the Ssserpentine'sss strongessst poissson will pulssse through your veinsss," the head with a slightly amused expression stated.
Cole eyed the blade warily, nerves slowly spreading through his body once more. He shook the feeling away, trying to recover the focus he had felt moments before.
Taking advantage of the brief moment that Cole took to collect himself, the Fangpyre approached the merchant and raised the dagger before bringing it down in a quick, precise arc.
With reflexes even he did not know he had, Cole lifted his right arm in front of his face, hoping to try and block the weapon from penetrating his chest. It is coated in poison his thoughts echoed. Your fate is sealed. "Maybe not," Cole breathed concentrating everything he could on his right arm. He just needed to keep his focus.
A premature chuckle escaped the second head as the blade continued its journey towards his enemy's flesh, almost as if in slow motion. Thud. The alabaster blade hit Cole's arm, but the Fangpyre let out a frustrated hiss as he realized what was happening. Instead of the skin he had been aiming for, his enemy's arm was coated in solid granite.
"Nice try," Cole smirked, the adrenaline in his body still giving him the strength to carry on, "but you can't cut through rock."
The Serpentine tried to attack again. And again. Both times Cole managed to protect his skin with his powerful element.
"You can't win. Not this time." Cole's smile refused to fade. Victory was his.
The merchant cloaked the rest of his hand with thick stone, trying to channel all his power and energy into this task. Once the stone was fully formed, Cole swung a punch at the Serpentine's fangs. The teeth from both of the Fangpyre's heads shattered. Cole began to smile, knowing that he'd done it. Without the fangs, the Fangpyre was nothing. He could take the staff. He could free Ninjago's people. He could-
-double over in pain.
Out of reflex, the Fangpyre had shot its arm forward, thrusting the poisoned blade into Cole's stomach. The weakened hero staggered back, fighting to recover his posture. He pulled the blade out of his body, tossing it aside and trying to cover up the wound as best as he could. Ignoring the dizzying pain, Cole pushed the Serpentine back, snatching the staff out of its hand. "S-see? You lose."
Speechless, the Fangpyre allowed the man before him to take his golden staff. He was more preoccupied with the pain that was spreading through both of his jaws. "You lossse too," he answered bitterly, his words sounding foreign and awkward as both pairs of eyes drifted towards the wound that Cole was trying to cover. "You may have won the fight, but it ssseems like you you have alssso lossst your life." It was slightly satisfying, in the serpent's eyes.
Ignoring this, Cole stumbled backwards, sucking in a large breath. He was going to be fine. He had the staff. He defeated the Fangpyre leader. Everything was good. Gritting his teeth, the merchant pushed his right shoulder against the ornate door and emerged back into the room where his two friends were waiting for him.
"You did it," Kai laughed slightly, unable to hide the joy on his face. Cole had actually done it! The Fangpyre staff was tight in his friend's grip. "I can't believe you did it!" Standing and running over towards the merchant, Kai went to give him a hug. Then he noticed the shaking. "Cole? A-Are you okay?"
The merchant did not answer. He simply collapsed to his knees in silence, the staff slipping from his hands.