Chapter 17 - Home
Jay's invention worked far better than expected. It rolled forward at a constant speed, much faster than what any horse would be capable of doing. Sure, it was a tight squeeze to allow everyone to fit on the inside, but they were moving and that's what mattered. They had decided to head east, towards the land of the Venomari. Mostly because Kai wanted to check up on his sister. He had been away for too long and she was sure to worry.
The puppeteer was, of course, really pleased with this turn of events.
He daydreamed about Nya as they traveled, talking about how beautiful she was and emphasizing the perfection of her short, black hair. "I've never seen anything like it. It's just so...well, perfect. I can't really think of any other way to describe it. And her eyes...oh man, oh man! The moment I saw them I just knew she was the one for me. Her laugh helped too. It's so beautiful! Lloyd you're gonna get to meet her for the first time...I'm sure you'll agree with me. You like girls, right? You'll love her then. You can't see Nya and not feel love at first sight."
"You kinda can..." Cole mumbled.
"I did not have any 'love at first sight' experience," Zane said, eyebrows coming together into a frown.
"Can you please stop talking about my sister?" Kai growled.
"I'll stop...in a second," Jay smirked. "And, well, Cole you're a butthead anyway, and Zane you're...you're you."
The blacksmith rolled his eyes as their transportation continued onward. His thoughts drifted back to when Nya had first mentioned seeing Jay come into town, the dusting of blush that had adorned her cheeks when she recollected helping the puppeteer set up his tent. Scoffing lightly, Kai settled his gaze on the golden staff that lay on the floor near his feet, trying to ignore Jay's bantering. There was no way he was going to tell the puppeteer that Nya seemed to like him in return. If he did that then Jay would never shut his mouth.
"Sounds good, Jay," Lloyd replied absentmindedly, not remembering the last time he had really taken the time to think about girls. There was never an opportunity for things like that, not when there was so much work to do around his master's home. Not when he was too focused on staying alive and out of trouble. Of course, Lloyd would let it all slide. Despite the slight annoyance that Jay was bringing down upon everyone, Lloyd could not deny that the puppeteer's pure happiness was a bit contagious.
"You must remember Jay, we are not here to visit your romantic interest, but to continue on our mission to protect the land of Ninjago," Zane said, hoping that those words would finally shut Jay's mouth. "Our lives are still at stake. We cannot allow ourselves to relax. Understood?"
"Yes, yes I know," Jay said, smile never fading. "We'll be careful, but there's nothing wrong with a bit of relaxing. All work and no play will only make us grumpy."
"I need to agree with Jay," Cole said, rubbing his eyelids. His body still felt a little weak after having to battle the Fangpyre's poison. "I could use some rest...I feel like roadkill."
"I guess a little rest couldn't hurt," Kai shrugged. "But you're staying away from my sister, Jay."
Jay smirked as he just gave Kai a brief nod in response. There was no guarantee that he would stay away from Nya, but his friends were making some sense: there was some need for rest. They had practically been going nonstop lately, despite the long traveling periods on the ship. Even then Jay had felt restless, bouncing with energy and wanting to stretch his legs on the mainland. It was all catching up to him now. When was the last time he had received a good night's sleep?
"Resting for a night would be beneficial for everyone, I suppose," Zane added, remembering that his friends could not keep going as he could. Initially, the android felt as if this was a hindrance, but he could not do any of this without the people surrounding him. They were all chosen specifically for this task. If a time for rest was needed, then he would honor that. "I assume you would not mind housing us for the night then, Kai?"
The blacksmith shooed away Zane's question. "Not at all," he said. "It's not like we could go anywhere else. The villagers would probably be scared of you and I'm not so sure we could really trust anyone else at this point besides my sister."
In a couple of hours, they had arrived at the village. Problem was, security had tightened from the last time the team of misfits had been there. They stopped the so called "Jaymobile" before reaching the city, hiding the machine within the forest's shadows. The entrance to the village was guarded by four Serpentine, two resting atop two towers while the other two stood below, spears in hand.
"How do we get past that without alerting anyone?" Cole whispered, his heart picking up speed as adrenaline flowed through him. "If we attack them, they'll know something is wrong."
"Maybe Zane can protect us again?" Jay suggested, looking at the android.
"They will most likely have me written off as a traitor by now," Zane answered shaking his head. "My presence is of no use."
Kai inhaled deeply, feeling frustrated by the situation at hand. "W-Wait...we have this staff," he whispered, taking a quick peek back at Lloyd who was currently holding the symbol of power. "They'll leave us alone if they see it, right?"
"No, that is incorrect," Zane stated, sweeping his eyes across the area, looking for a way past the Venomari's defenses. "There is a staff for each kingdom, so these serpents would not yield to the one from the Fangpyre kingdom." Just then, he spotted what he was looking for: a weak spot. Gesturing for the others to follow, the android traversed the barren ground softly until he halted in front of a crumbling section of limestone. "Though the Serpentine have become more cautious, they can still be a bit careless," Zane mused, standing stoic. The top of the wall was not too tall. With each other's support, they could easily scale it.
Taking a knee and interlocking his fingers together, Zane glanced around at his companions. "I can give you each a boost if you will help me up afterwards," he said. "So...who would like to go first?"
Everyone exchanged looks. There was no way to know what exactly was on the other side of the wall. It could be a darkened alley, or a well-lit street. Even worse, they could end up landing right on top of a Serpentine. In the end, it was Kai that stepped forward. It was his village after all.
He climbed onto Zane's hands, grunting slightly as he was boosted up. He jumped over the wall, landing on the dirt with a soft thud. He didn't dare to shout that it was safe, for fear of getting the Serpentine's attention. Instead he kept quiet, hoping that the others would soon follow.
Taking a few steps away from where he initially landed, Kai kept his back plastered against the wall, attempting to keep hidden. From what he could see, they were alone...for now. There was a small gasp as Jay landed hard on the ground, almost losing his balance. The blacksmith shot him a narrowed stare that was almost lost in the darkness. "Oops...sorry," Jay apologized quietly, hurrying over towards Kai.
"Knock it off and keep it down, will you?" the brunet answered, feeling sweat drip down his face. They needed to hurry up. What if there were guards doing rounds somewhere close by?
Another thudding sound caught the blacksmith's attention as he saw Lloyd join them on the more dangerous side of the wall. Just two more to go, Kai thought anxiously, hoping that the sooner they moved towards his home, the safer they would be.
"I-I gotcha...don't worry," came a strained voice. Kai looked up towards the top of the wall to see Cole extending a hand downwards, helping Zane up and over the barricade. The merchant's body visibly shook as he closed his eyes and pulled. I'm so stupid! Cole's injured! We shouldn't have let him be the one to help up a guy made of metal. Despite this, the remaining two members of the group were up and over the wall soon enough, Zane keeping a hard grip on Cole's shoulder now to steady him.
"C'mon let's move it," Kai hissed, running behind the houses, praying that the others, Jay most of all, would be smart enough to stay well hidden in the darkness. They finally reached Kai's home after what had seemed like hours of running, though in reality, it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. The blacksmith unlocked the back door, ushering everyone inside, and closing the door behind them.
Rapid footsteps echoed throughout the house. A door squeaked open and Nya stepped inside, a candle in one hand and her small dagger in the other. "You have two seconds to leave before I-...K-Kai?"
The young girl dropped the dagger, then hurried to set down the candle. She ran to her brother, pulling him into a tight embrace. A couple of tears rolled down her cheeks. "Oh Kai! It's been awful here! Emperor Pythor came here. He was asking for you...I was so terrified. I didn't tell them anything of course, but...oh I'm so glad you're finally here!"
He bowed his head down low and brought his sister in even closer. "I-I'm sorry," he apologized, feeling Nya bury her face farther into his chest. Though his sister had been scared, he felt so much pride in the fact that she stood her ground in the face of the enemy. "I didn't mean for you to get wrapped up in any of this. I know it couldn't have been easy, being interrogated by Pythor."
"It wasn't," Nya answered, her voice slightly muffled as she continued. "I was scared of what he'd do to me if he found out I was withholding information, but then I thought about what he'd do to you and I just knew I had to try and throw him off of your trail." Being the arms of her brother once more was overwhelming and the raven-haired girl almost wanted to take the time to pinch herself and make sure it was not just a dream. "I'm so glad you're back though. I didn't want to think the worst, but sometimes it's just hard not to..."
"It's okay. I'm safe," the blacksmith answered, rubbing his sister's back reassuringly before they finally broke their embrace. "We're all safe though and, thanks to you, we'll probably be safer for a little longer. We need to rest here for the night though, if it isn't too much trouble. We've been wandering around for a while."
"Of course you can stay," Nya said, after reluctantly stepping away from her brother. "We can set something up in the living room. It might not be too comfortable, but it'll have to do."
"I'm sure whatever it is, will be perfect." Jay smiled, his cheeks red but his eyes confident.
Nya looked at the puppeteer, trying to hold back a small giggle. There was something different about him. He seemed somehow...stronger, and that made him even more attractive in her eyes. "Why don't you help me set up?"
Jay's eyes widened, and his smile grew even larger. "Of course!"
Kai sighed. It was going to be impossible to keep those two apart.