While things had seemed bleak, the good news is that the Devourer had been taken care of. But that still leaves the Serpentine leaderless and with Ouroboros partially destroyed, also without a home. Their ranks are in disarray and left in shambles, with no clear purpose to follow. And so the question may not be who will try and take the role of leader, but rather, who wouldn't?
"Are you almost-ready?" Fangtom asked Skales, who was busy cleaning his scales of sand in front of a mirror.
"In a moment!" The Hypnobrai replied, not enjoying being hurried along.
After the shaking had stopped and they heard cheering from above, the Serpentine were in agreement that the Devourer was defeated. Coming back above, they were proven right. After managing to find some Serpentine who had been hiding in Ninjago City, they were told of how the events had gone down. As far as it is known, the Devourer attacked the city before being harassed by the Ninja. They somehow got it stuck around a building, where Garmadon had plummeted down from the top and destroyed it, dying in the process.
Skales didn't know what was worse. The Ninja being brave enough to take on the Devourer while they hid, or that it was one of their mortal enemies that struck the killing blow. But while the resentment and shame were fresh, it was at least convenient that the matter regarding the Devourer had been taken care of by itself. As a bonus, Garmadon's death was a good start on the vengeance Skales had planned to enact. For he knew the Ninja had something to do with Pythor's death. He was sure of it, considering their ability to always get in the way. And once he was in power, it would only be a matter of time before he would finish what Pythor had started.
But first, he still needed to be recognized by the Serpentine as their leader. The Generals, surprisingly, stood by his side, leaving only the others to be persuaded. Already, they had lost a good number just by leaving the tombs and moving across Ninjago. Disheartened, Serpentine were leaving left and right, hoping to find their fortune elsewhere. The respect for the Generals was not what it used to be, ever since Pythor's crowning as King. It was only by a miracle that they had herded a force of warriors to the Sea of Sand. Even more so since they learned of Ouroboros' devastation following the Devourer's awakening.
In the end, they came upon the remains of the Ninja's flying ship, close to a cave below a large rock. There they stopped, and Skales decided there was no reason to delay his bid for kingship further. Using the remains of the ship as a quiet place to prepare, he had been busy cleaning his scales when Fangtom had come in.
"Why are you always so focused on-cleanliness? It's a desert, there's going to be sand!"
"That'sss no excuse for not being presentable!" Skales fired back before focusing on the cracked mirror, splitting his visage in two. He wouldn't tell his friend, but it was something he borrowed from Pythor. The memory of the second time they met, where they gathered the Serpentine under Ninjago City, had suddenly become fresh in his mind. Especially the part where Pythor was grooming himself before the show. It had seemed awfully vain at the time, but he couldn't help but mimic it. He was in a similar situation, after all.
"You better hurry. The others have started complaining, and I'm not sure-how long Acidicus and Skalidor can keep them in one place." The Fangpyre explained, glancing out to the rock, where angry mutterings could be heard.
"Ugh, incredible how little loyalty meansss nowadaysss." Skales snarked, shaking his head.
"I'm sure Slithraa would-agree." Fangtom was quick to comment.
"That wasss different!" The Hypnobrai said, before staring thoughtfully at the mirror. "To think, thisss whole messs started with that. It seemsss ssso far away now."
"That annoying child sure started a lot of trouble. I don't know who to-thank for our current circumstance, him or Pythor."
"We can THANK Pythor for bringing usss together, and we can THANK that insolent boy for being ssstupid enough to think he could command usss. There, I sssolved your conundrum." Skales hissed, and Fangtom could only make a weary sigh.
"I thought we talked about this, you CAN'T speak well-of Pythor! It was annoying, if tolerable, when he was in charge, but now it will be a death sentence. The Serpentine-haven't forgotten nor forgiven who awakened the Devourer. You're lucky that they haven't turned on you just for being his right-hand man, so please, keep-thoughts like that to yourself." He explained, with much less restraint than he had done in the past.
"Trust me, I have gotten the memo," Skales replied with a frustrated twitch. "I'll sssay whatever they want me to sssay, if it will put me in charge."
"Glad to hear your enthusiasm. I'm sure-Skalidor will appreciate a jab or two in Pythor's direction."
"I'm sssure he will. It isn't a sssecret that he'sss never been fond of our Anacondrai leader. Actually, none of you have been. I understand if you've been relishing the idea of replacing Pythor." He said, though he cut his line of thinking short. Whatever treason they were implicated in was of no worth, not as long as they stood by him now.
Meanwhile, Fangtom stared at Skales with a conflicted expression. He didn't want to twist the knife further, regarding Pythor's death. But he knew Skales had to move on, and quickly, if he wanted to become leader of the Serpentine. And if that meant toughening up his view of Pythor, then so be it.
"What can we say. Not everyone was as happy-to drop their staffs in worship of a random snake, whose only qualification was being Anacondrai."
"Perhapsss. Ssstill, you can't deny he had a certain flair around him. He had all of the Ssserpentine around hisss finger the moment he first ssspoke to them." Skales continued with an amused tone.
"Guess that's-true." Fangtom relented.
"Then again," The Hypnobrai said, studying his expression in the broken glass. "If he could talk them into ssserving him, then I can asss well."
"After all-" He exclaimed with unbridled optimism, having finished preparing himself. "-how hard could it be?"
A little harder than he had expected. He could already feel it as he slithered past the crowd and toward the front, with Fangtom in tow. Their angry stares drilled into him like arrows, and their seething comments hit like rocks. Most were about Pythor, but a few were personally meant for him. Each time, he wanted to turn around and confront them, but he knew it would be an early end to his reign. So, he tried to hold out just long enough to finish his speech.
The other two Generals, Skalidor and Acidicus, waited for him at the podium. The Venomari studied the crowd with little optimism. Skalidor, on the other hand, was sorely focused on Skales. The Hypnobrai could practically taste his grin as he came closer.
"Seems the main event has decided to show up." He laughed, and Skales wondered if it was worth suffering his mocking attitude just to keep his support.
"The crowd is ready for you," Acidicus said, gesturing to a rock he could use to stand on.
Just as Skales was about to slither up, Fangtom grabbed him and pulled him close.
"Remember, this is all Pythor's fault! They believe it, and you need-to convince them you do too." He whispered. "Otherwise, you can-kiss the title of King goodbye."
"Oh, I'll convince them," Skales stated, pulling his arm free.
"I'll convince thisss lousy lot." He whispered to himself.
He got up on the podium and looked around at the crowd. Their numbers were almost laughable. While the only ones left were hardened warriors, it seemed less to do with loyalty and more because they had nothing else to do. In fact, Skales could already feel their distrust as soon as he stepped up. They were just as done with him as he was with them. All the work he had done to get them on Pythor's side, and they already looked ready for mutiny. He felt nothing short of disgust looking at them. If it were Pythor before them, he knew they would have groveled like good soldiers. But as soon as he's gone, they suddenly act like they wouldn't follow any snake if they're words were sweet enough. And by the Devourer, would he make them so sweet they wouldn't dare to resist.
"My fellow warriorsss, we have sssuffered a terrible blow." He started out, and finally, their annoying mumbling came to an end.
"But do not worry, for thisss isss not the end. Far from it! We ssshall sssoon begin anew, ssstronger, and sssmarter than before! We may have been tricked by the…" His words thinned out as he took a breath and prepared himself.
"...cruel despot, Pythor. Thanksss to him, we were almost destroyed by the Devourer! But fate hasss decided that our end isss not now, for the Devourer wasss defeated!"
"Yeah, and we all know by whom!" A Serpentine called out, emboldening a few others.
"How come you hid away and left our fate in the hands of the Surface-dwellers?!"
"Where were you when the Devourer almost ate us all?!"'
Their barrage of shouts continued, and Skales could see the wary expressions on his fellow Generals.
"We did not hide!" He lied, trying to take control of the situation. "We…merely regrouped, hoping to plan our next ssstep in dealing with the threat! It wasss only by coincidence that the Ninjasss defeated it before usss!"
Either believing him or just dumbfounded over his explanation, silence descended upon the crowd. Something that only confirmed Skales' suspicion that they were mindless brutes. It was no wonder Pythor got in charge so fast, he couldn't help but think.
"But with the Devourer gone, we now have to contend with the Sssurface-dwellersss once more. We have been ssspread apart, and it'sss only a matter of time before they will use it asss a chance to imprison usss once more."
His words spread worry amongst the Serpentine, but it seemed to make little dent in their frustration.
"And yet, I, Ssskales, wish not to give them the opportunity! Under my rule, we will grow ssstrong again and build an empire rivaling what even the mad fool Pythor could imagine!"
With that, his declaration had been made. He was a little disappointed to see the sheer surprise on their faces, but at least they weren't shouting him down. He wondered if it was his mention of Pythor that was gaining their admiration. Even as it made him sick, downplaying Pythor's achievements. It made his blood boil seeing them do the same.
"Yesss, with Pythor gone, we have cut off a broken tail weighing usss down!" Skales continued, mostly to his own grim amusement.
To his horror, though, they started nodding.
"We were lucky the Devourer took care of him!" A zealous Venomari shouted, earning agreement with his fellow warriors.
He could scarcely believe it, how little respect they showed. It was with a tight expression that he continued, hoping to end this farce sooner rather than later.
"Ssserpentine, we've been exiled for the last time! Fear not, I will lead you." He proclaimed, and just as he was expecting no pushback, a familiar voice spoke up.
"Lead us? To where?!"
Skales looked out into the crowd, and sure enough, near the middle left side stood Mezmo. He could barely comprehend what was going on before the old Hypnobrai continued.
"The City of Ouroboros has been destroyed! We have no home."
He could scarcely believe the audacity he was seeing. There he was, General of the Hypnobrai, trying to become King. And yet the old fool decides to speak against him. He could have predicted Slithraa making such a stunt, but not Mezmo. If another Serpentine hadn't piped up, there might have been time for the betrayal to become visible on his face.
"You want to lead us so badly, why should we trust you?" A Fangpyre said, with Skales shaking with anger. They had blindly followed Pythor when it suited them, but suddenly they cared about trust. Even when all he had to do was speak a few bad words about Pythor, and then they would all follow suit like hopeless slaves. They wanted him to speak against Pythor? Then fine, he would do so and more.
His tail had started to twist in frustration, and in the corner of his eye, he could see Fangtom shuffling nervously. As if the Fangpyre could guess that Skales was about to say something he shouldn't.
"Because I wasss the one who told you in the first place not to awaken the Devourer!" He proclaimed boldly, even as his words were utter lies. His words did little to ease the tension, as the Serpentine merely stood confused, wondering if he really was stupid enough to say that. Meanwhile, Fangtom stood by his side and quietly slapped his head into his hand, too embarrassed to look back at the crowd. But Skales kept speaking, even as he was assaulted by a litany of resentful glares.
"But no, you listened to Pythor!"
He was just about to speak further when another voice cut through the crowd.
"You want a home?" The voice said, and in unison, the crowd turned around. Skales could barely believe his eyes when he saw the four-armed monster standing there.
"I'll give you a home!" He stated, with a wicked smile.
"Lord Garmadon?!" Skales called out, equal parts irked and astounded. A part of him should have seen it becoming, knowing that he managed to escape even the Underworld. But even if he expected him to survive defeating the Devourer, he was amazed that Garmadon dared show his face. But the surprise quickly gave way to worry, as he realized what he was holding in his four arms.
"Forgive me, I haven't been myself lately." Garmadon calmly explained, his voice soft and dark like a shadow.
"But now that I have the Golden Weapons-" He continued, lifting the four Golden Weapons as if they were mere tools and not instruments of creation itself. "-it's time that I got back to my roots."
With that, he stepped forward, causing the back of the crowd to quickly back away. But even if they were worried, it was clear that his words had sparked their interest.
"If I'm going to rule Ninjago, I know I can't do it all by myself." He stated, earning a few muttered agreements from the Serpentine. "The Skeletons served their purpose, but I've always been partial to snakes."
Skales only realized that their worry had completely dissipated when it was too late.
"If you want someone to follow, follow me!"
Garmadon turned around, expecting the Serpentine to follow. Something he was right to believe, as the Serpentine started to cheer, and were about to go at any moment.
"You are to follow me, not him!" Skales cried out, but Garmadon's rallying cry already had its effect. The Serpentine warriors looked at one another, and in full agreement, turned their backs on Skales and the Generals. With Mezmo, of course, being the first to go.
As they walked out of the cave, he could only stare blankly, dumbfounded at what had happened. Even Skalidor had started to look around nervously, clearly not expecting his own tribe to desert him so quickly. Only Acidicus didn't seem to be in disbelief, rather focused on studying the Golden Weapons from afar.
Once outside, Garmadon stopped and turned to face his new following of snakes.
"You want a home, I give you a home!" He declared, and immediately, the ruins of the Ninja's ship flew into the air in a whirlwind of sand. As if its destruction was being reversed, the pieces flew around, the ship being assembled anew. Once the sand disappeared, the rubble was gone as well, and only the rebuilt ship remained, now in a coat of black instead of red.
"The power of the weapons…" Skales could hear Mezmo mutter from the front, his voice filled with awe and the sheer power he was witnessing.
"I give you, the Black Bounty!" Garmadon continued, and as the ship landed, the Serpentine started to cheer.
At that point, Skales had enough. He had already degraded Pythor's name just to earn their favor, and now a few magic tricks could make them turn their backs on him? He wouldn't let it stand. So just as it seemed they were about to step aboard, the Hypnobrai called out to them.
"Imbecilesss!" He yelled and quickly slithered over to them, with the other Generals coming up behind him, secretly hoping Skales could get the situation under control.
"Do you not remember he wasss just helping the Ninja?!" Skales said in exasperation, his voice barely able to hide the frustration he was feeling. "Now you blindly follow him because of hisss wizardry?! He'sss not even a Ssserpentine. Rule with me, and we rule asss brothersss!"
"Rule with me…" Garmadon said once he finished, making the entire crowd turn their heads toward him.
"...or else." He finished with a vicious smile, pointing the Fire Sword threateningly at Mezmo. The Hypnobrai was quick to fall in line, nodding enthusiastically.
Having come to a decision, the Serpentine ran with a rush of energy to the ship. They jumped aboard and quickly manned the ship. All the while, the Generals stared helplessly, having lost control over their warriors. It hit like shards as Skales watched members of his tribe he knew personally, leaving him behind without a second thought. For some reason, it hurt him even more as he watched Slithraa walk up onto the ship. The old Hypnobrai had at least given him a glance of uncertain emotion before disappearing among the crowd. Mezmo didn't even think to acknowledge him. Desperation started to kick in as Skales understood he no longer had any comrades left. Mezmo had stood by him, seemingly loyal. Slithraa had at least kept quiet, leaving Skales to rule the Hypnobrai without objections. And Selma, while only having known her a little, had given him much more support than most in hindsight. Yet, all were now gone, along with the rest of his tribe.
And as if to rub in Skales' total lack of authority, once the ship started to take off, the Serpentine yelled 'All hail Lord Garmadon!'.
As it disappeared into the horizon, Skales could no longer contain himself. In a fit of almost childish fury, he jumped up and down, slamming his staff into the ground.
"Ugh, darn!"
The others merely stared up at the ship, seething with rage once it was gone. But after that, there wasn't much they could do but look at each other as they took in the situation.
"That could have gone…better," Acidicus commented.
"I won't lie, Pythor made this seem-much easier than it was."
"I DON'T-" Skales suddenly said, causing them to turn their attention to the defeated Hypnobrai. "-wanna hear, another word about Pythor!"
Skales was already reeling at the realization that he had failed at the very first accomplishment Pythor had achieved. He didn't need to be reminded of his shortcomings when he could already feel Pythor judging him from the beyond.
With that outburst, the four fell into an awkward silence. For a while, the only sound was the whistling of the wind, as it carried grains of sand across the dunes.
"So what now?" Skalidor finally asked, though his question only earned him a few unsure looks.
"Maybe our leader-has some idea?" Fangtom asked.
Skales froze as he tried to come up with something.
"We, uh…we need to…recuperate from thisss defeat!"
"How do we do that, exactly?" Aciducs commented.
"Well, first, we need to find sssomewhere to ssstay. As lovely asss the desert isss, we're easy pickings if the Ninja come looking for usss."
"So we need to find a place where they won't be looking for us!" The Constrictai mentioned.
"Yes, what about the tombs?" Acidicus said, before receiving a slap from Fangtom's staff. "HEY!"
"Idiot, that's the first place they would come looking for us!" He explained. "No, it has-to be somewhere new, a place they wouldn't think of to look."
"That'sss right, but it may not need to be a new hiding ssspot." The Hypnobrai said, an idea forming in pace with his word.
The three Generals looked to Skales, who stood with a thoughtful look, in a manner eerily similar to Pythor.
"Remember the first time we all met? Where Pythor brought usss to Ninjago City? We could hide out there."
"In Ninjago City? Are you crazy?! I have it on good authority that my scouts, well, before they abandoned me, discovered that the Ninjas have made the city their home. If we go there, they'll definitely find us, just like last time!"
"Last time Pythor brought all the Ssserpentine to the city! That'sss why they found usss. Now that it'sss only the four of usss, we'll be sssure not to be discovered. And besidesss, there'sss plenty of outskirts around where we would be far enough away to not be bothered or noticed, and close enough ssso that we'll be missed, if the Ninja go looking around Ninjago for usss."
The Generals looked to each other. If any of them had a better idea, then they didn't share it.
"I guess it doesn't sound too idiotic." Skalidor scoffed, crossing his arms and staring off to the horizon, where his warriors had flown off.
"It's better than following behind Garmadon like those traitors did." He continued with a growl.
"Yes, but where will we hide in Ninjago City? The place is massive, so there are boundless possibilities." The Venomari said.
"Well, when we came there with Pythor, we hid-in the subway systems," Fangtom commented, glancing over to Skales for confirmation. No matter how much the Hypnobrai hated the idea, he couldn't claim to know a better place. He sighed and looked up into the sky, the same way Skalidor had done. And while he was angry at them, he also felt a strong urge to bring them back. The experience had soured his expectation of leadership, but that didn't mean it wasn't still his responsibility. He'll have them back, no matter the cost. Just as Pythor would have wanted.
"Guesss we'll be going underground once again."
Thanks for tuning in to this latest chapter! Things haven't gone Skales' way, and some drastic measures must be taken to get back what is rightfully his. Whether he will have any more success with this is yet to be seen. Hope you have a nice day!