《Brother of Wind {book 6: Skybound}》chapter 11
Advertisement
The NGTV helicopter flied up to Djinjago in the aky.
"Ninjago News Air Traffic control, Gayle Gossip with breaking news." Gayle announced to her camera-man.
"For weeks, everyone has been stumped as to why prime real estate of Ninjago has simply vanished into thin air. Well, consider the mystery solved. They are in thin air." She moved aside to show the floating islands of land.
"Directly above us are the missing remains. I'm staring at it right now, folks. Literally, chunks of Ninjago reassembled into what looks like...Hold on, I think I see someone flying towards us. Maybe they can provide more clarity." A sky pirate vessel started to make it's way to Gale and the helicopter.
This land had unwanted villagers and they started to attack by firing at them.
"More breaking news. Literally, my news chopper is breaking apart. The people of this floating island do not provide more clarity. They provide more cannon fire! Dangerous cannon fire!" Gayle shouted.
"This is Gayle Gossip signing off, hoping I can still land this thing." He said.
Jay was on the Misfortune's keep, cleaning it up while a Vengestone ball and chain were attached to his foot.
"Looks like you missed a spot." Nadakhan said, spilling Jay's bucket of water.
"I'm not gonna say it." Jay sighed.
"Say what? That you can wish it all away? Well, you can." Nadakhan said.
"You've already made your first two wishes, you have one left."
"My friends will come for me." Jay planted his foot down infrotn of him.
"I hope so. The more of you my Djinn Blade collects, the stronger I become." Nadakhan said. Jay's gaze narrowed.
"Creating a world from scratch takes a lot of hard work. Djinjago would get done a lot sooner if everyone pitches in, if you know what I mean." He threw the sword towards Jay and it stuck in the planks. It was like Jay could hear the screaming.
"Care to say hello to your friends? Wish it. Wish it all away and join them. Wish it and you'll never have to pick up another scrub brush again." Nadakhan said, picking up the sword again.
"If I don't have this Vengestone ball and chain, I'd zap you clean off this ship." Jay threatened.
"Hmm. I can see why she once liked you. You're stronger than you appear." Nadakham said, referring to Nya.
"But I know it's all an act. Deep down, you're scared. You know you're weak. You make jokes to mask that you're afraid." Nadakhan said.
"That's why you didn't do anything when she fell for your friend, why you can't do anything when she falls for me." Nadakhan turned his back. Jay made a face.
"Believe me, aboard my ship, you will break. I will make sure of it. And when that time comes, I will be there, so you can wish it away."
"Hey, I'm not the only one to make jokes to cope, have you even met Morro?" Jay asked.
"Oh, I guess not, but-- Still not gonna say it." Jay turned back to the deck.
Advertisement
"When he's done swabbing the deck, make sure he swabs the entire hull." Nadakhan fleated off.
"The bottom of the ship, Captain?" Flintlocke asked.
. . .
Jay, attached to the side of the ship, had to clean it.
"You're not afraid, are you, funny man?" Nadakhan asked, fleating beside him.
"Ha! I love it!" Jay shouted.
. . .
The Ninja have beeing trying to find a way back to Ninjago. Morro suggested Lloyd go and try, if at least one of them makes it, they can all make it. But, that wasn't the case. Lloyd was flying back to the island, almost crashing down on the sand. Cole ran to help him.
"You okay? Did you see any land?" Cole asked Lloyd who could barely support himself up.
"Just water. I tried to reach the mainland, but it's too far. We won't be able to get off this island on our own." Lloyd said.
"You used my energy, too right?" Morro asked, on the ground, supported by Nya.
"Mine and yours. It's too far." Lloyd said, basically collapsing right after.
Cole laughed.
"What's so funny about our predicament?" Nya asked, making sure Morro doesn't break down onto the sand.
"Oh, I was just thinking about what Jay might say to that." Cole said.
"You're telling me we went through all that trouble to get the venom to stop Nadakhan, and now we have no way to get off this island!?" He shouted in a high pitched voice.
"Heh, gone one day and I already miss him spazzing out." Cole sighed.
"Me too. It seemed like a routine to hear him freak out. Hopefully, he's okay."
"We can get him back." Morro said.
"My body can't do much but my mind is still in it. We'll figure away out if this place." He told everyone.
"It's like what Wu once told me, if you want something bad enough, you find a way to make it happen." Lloyd said.
"He's right. If we can't fly off this island, we'll build our way. I've seen enough movies to know it's possible." Cole jumped up.
"And if we've built a rocket off an asteroid, what's one raft a little--" Lloyd got cut off.
"Across an endless sea filled with unknown creatures that wanna eat us?!" Nya shouted. The Ninja looked to her.
"Uh, that was my Jay impression. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get building." He said.
"Oh uh... You two rest up first, Cole and I will start getting stuff." Nya told the brothers.
. . .
Flintlocke placed down a blueprint of a ship on a table.
"The Raid Zeppelin ain't made for speed. It's made for power, you understand?" He explained to Doubloon.
"And before we each met Nadakhan, we were castaways. In one way or another, he brought us together and made us whole." Clamcee said to Jay as the Ninja worked, tirelessly.
"Take D-Dogshank for instance. It's not easy being the second prettiest girl at the b-ball. She wished to stand out. Heh. Inevitably she did, but it ain't for being pretty. Oh, then there's Doubloon. A two-faced thief caught trying to steal N-Nadakhan's gold. He tried wishing his way out of his sentence, but cap was so impressed with his agility, he went ahead and actually made him two-faced. Oh, then Monkey Wretch wasn't always a monkey, but always a headache. Wished to be the greatest mechanic of his kind. T-t-too bad for him that kind was the mechanized primate variety." Clancee went on and on.
Advertisement
"If only I could get a message out to my friends." Jay thought in his head.
"But I never made a wish. No, no, no. Not I, heh. Couldn't think of anything to w-wish for, even if I tried. Got everything I need right here." Clancee continued talking. Jay watched as Flintlocke and Doubloon left. "Never fit in with the rest of the Serpentine, so I'm happy enough to have a family." Clancce said. Jay had a plan.
"Ow! Oh, my back! Ugh! Oh, that's it. If only I could wish this pain away." Jay faked it. Very exra.
"Huh? What did you say?" Clancee asked.
"I've finally reached my breaking point." Jay said on his hands and knees, trying to get the messgae to Clancee.
"J-Just hold on. Captain! Captain! You need to come here! We broke him! We finally broke him!" Clancee ran off.
Jay quickly scooped up his chains and ran to the blueprint on the table and flipped it over, grabbing a quill.
"Friends, if you find this, I am doing fine. Please--" the ink ran out.
"Ugh, stupid quill. How did anyone ever write with these things?" Jay dipped it in again.
"Don't worry about—me. Worry about stop—stopping Nadakhan. Your friend--"
"I told you not to take your eye off him!" Nadakhan's shout was heard. Jay put the letter in a bottle and ran away.
"You let him escape? Find him!"
Dogshank and Monkey Wrench jumped imfront of Jay. The Ninka threw a few hammers at her, but was soon pushed into a corner.
"Haha! Bye-bye!" Jay shouted, jumping on a Raid Zeppelin's ballon.
"What are you staring at? Get him!" Nadakhan shouted, throwimg Clancee at Jay. The Serpentine fought of Jay, but he was surprisingly agile for being chained.
Doubloom punched the engine and thrusted the Raid Zeppelin forwards, Jay was thrown off. He grabbed onto ghe cord that connected the islands. Doubloon jumped onto the cord, making Jay and Calncee fall down to the small piece of land below.
The Pirates continued to chase him. Jay escaped by jumping onto a chord connecting the islands. He threw off the one he slid on, making Doubloon fall onto one deeper below. Jay slid dowm more, reaching a dead end. He saw something floating in the clouds and jumped onto it.
"Haha!" Jay laughed. The Sky Pirates laughed at Jay.
"You seem to have landed on a sky mine. One shot from Flintlocke and kaboom." Nadakhan said. Flintlocke aimed his gun.
Jay sighed.
"All right, I surrender." He dropped his message into the sea in secret before he raised his hands.
. . .
Jay's held hostage in the brig.
"You hungry?" Flintlocke asked.
"Does it matter?" Jay crossed his arms.
"Captain would like to see you for dinner." Flintlocke unlocked Jay's shackles.
"Ain't a request. It's an order."
Jay entered the room, raising his suspicions.
"Mm. Please, please, eat something. You must be famished. But I must warn you, don't try anything foolish. I aim to have manners around the dinner table." Nadakhan presented a table of banquets to Jay.
"Don't think you can butter me up like a bread roll and expect me to make my last wish." Jay narrowed his gaze.
"Mm. No, no, no, I would never dream. Please, eat. I simply want your company." Nadakhan reassures. Jay glanced down at the food. Then again. Then he started to eat as much as would satisfy.
"Though we are from different worlds, we share something in common. Hmm? An affinity for a special someone." Nadakhan leaned forwards on the table.
"Mm. Sorry, pal, I don't know who this lost love of yours is, but she ain't Nya. She's too good for the both of us. And she makes up her own mind." Jay said, his mouth full.
"Maybe. Hmm. But I have made up my own mind." Nadakhan said, getting up to pour himself a drink. Jay sparked up his hands a bit.
"All my life, I've been blessed with the ability to grant wishes for others, but cursed to have none of my own. Though born unto a king, everything that is mine I've had to work for. This food, this ship, this crew." Nadakhan said.
"That accent?" Jay asked.
Nadakhan grunted.
"Truth be told, I don't care about a new world nor winning Nya's heart." Nadakhan said. Jay sparked up his hand again.
"Then why are you doing all of this?" Jay asked.
"Oh, I don't need her heart. I only need her hand...in marriage. Because when a Djinn prince becomes king on Djinn land, he is bestowed the greatest gift of all." Nadakhan raised his hands.
"Love?"
"No. Infinite wishes."
"You never loved Delara. You only loved what she could give you." Jay shouted.
"And after I take your friends, and take your home, Nya will be mine, and no one will be able to stop me." Nadakhan turned his back.
"Girls aren't tools for you to use to get power!" Jay shouted.
"But, I will be more powerful than anyone can ever imagine." Nadakhan said. Jay's anger and aspiration to hit this dude rilled up. Jay thrusted his hamd forwards, trying to electrocute Nadakhan. The Djinn appeared behind Jay and grabbed his hand and pulled it back.
"Too slow, junkyard boy."
Jay's eyes narrowed as a map of Ninjago he electrocuted burned up.
. . .
Advertisement
Dungeon's Path
The only places I have posted the story and allow it to exist are on RoyalRoad, Scribblehub, and my Patreon. So the world ended. Whoopsie? We didn’t even see it coming. Quite literally as it came at us faster than the speed of light. Don’t worry though, it got better. Also, I am not joking about the world ending. Most people say that and mean humans are inconvenienced for some reason. Nope, all matter disintegrated at the atomic scale there for a few moments. Apparently the local universe wasn’t actually stable? Don’t ask me to go into too much detail. It would require both of us to have a few more college degrees than sense, and I at least lack them (both the degrees and the sense). Anyway, the energy/matter/wibbly wobbly strings were at a local minimum and not the universal minimum. Basically, what we took for sea level was actually a nice little mountain lake and when the dam busted so did, well, everything. Now here is where things go a bit off track with what normal meant before. You see magic is real, qi is real, gods are real. Not on old Earth mind you but souls pay little attention to time and space so we dreamed of it. In fact, the closer the shift in reality got to Earth, the closer our dreams got to the new reality. This is basically me tip toeing around the fact that it was a ‘System Apocalypse’. Reality became a video game, I became a dungeon, and this is my story. Doyle Huxley just wanted a normal life but as the above might clue you in on that just isn’t in the cards. He gets to experience a “Path Based System Apocalypse” and some early paths he takes, both literally and figuratively, lead to him becoming a dungeon. The aim is to release chapters once a week on Friday. Cursing will be avoided and no naughty adult action will take place in the story.
8 404The Little Black Umbrella
Gillean had just lost his best friend and is feeling utterly miserable and lonely. Being smart doesn't fend off loneliness. If nothing having the combination of smarts AND the lack of forward planning got him into the state he currently was in - rejection and the feeling of being a failure. Cue in the sounds of angelic trumpets. RaRa, his best friend, returns to "save the day". Well. What she thinks of as saving the day that is. Corny ideals, lame ideas. The two get into one last patch of trouble together as they sneak back into RaRa's home. Just what kind of family secrets has RaRa been keeping from Gill. In blood and thunder, Gill finds out. Please read the content warnings (there may be spoilers within though) if you have triggers. Also there is a slight mention of LGBTQ+, so please don't read this short story if even a short mention bothers you. ======================= My first short story (It's short - 5 chapters, 10,000 word-ish kinda short! And also completed *self pats* that I will be releasing in mini chapters (of 500-800 words each) on Fridays and Saturdays.). Happy to hear actionable and constructive criticisms on how I can improve, but please don't be too harsh okay? :) I know it's not perfect. But hey, we all have to start somewhere.
8 144Occultus Draconem
In an ancient time of Kings and Queens, the Humans lived in harmony with the great beings that roamed the Earth. No kingdom was more peaceful than Cadmus, where the Cadmians existed beside the greatest creatures of all, the Dragons. The ruler of Cadmus, King Anguis, although very young, was much beloved. He never turned a deaf ear to the Humans or Dragons of Cadmus, and the kingdom flourished. Under the protection of the Dragons and their Empress, Queen Maeve, paired with Anguis' extraordinary ability to keep peace, the lands prospered and grew tenfold within a few short years. Cadmus and Draconia became the greatest kingdoms known to exist. But it was not meant to last. King Anguis, barely into adulthood, was murdered in the night. His death rocked Cadmus to its core, and the Cadmians mourned with the Draconians, grieving for their beloved King. As Prince Agni, Anguis' younger brother, assumed the throne, he declared war on the Dragons, announcing that the kingdom would be Cleansed. He enlisted a brutal army of elite hunter-assassins known as the Enforcers to carry out the Cleansing, and the kingdom was consumed by a shadow of tyranny. Cadmus became a war zone, and the land of Draconia was devastated. A group of survivors of the Cleansing, Dragons disguised in Human form, created a secret society known as the Occultus Draconem. As King Agni's power grew and the Enforcers became more brutal than ever, a rebellion stirred. The Occultus Draconem began stepping in to stop the Cleansings, fighting back for the freedom of the Dragons and swearing to bring peace back to Draconia and Cadmus. But how can they succeed without the heir to the Draconian throne?
8 349Nirvana
In the world's top resort super-metropolis you can fulfill your craziest desires. If you have the credits and know where to go, you can do anything. This resort was built by two global corporations for the sole purpose of realizing the dreams of the rich and famous.... or so it seems. But not all is as it seems from the outside. Follow the Retainer Emma Foley down the rabbit hole that is Nirvana. Is this a playground for the grown up, or is there something else going on under the shiny surface. Discover what is means to bite off more than you can chew and follow along as Emma tracks down something sinister that seems prepared to bring Nirvana to it's knees...or at least out of the skies.
8 99Legends of Etheria
It's the year 2020 and the world's first VRMMO game, Legends of Etheria, has taken the world by storm. A fantasy game of epic proportions, featuring common elements such as magic and monsters but on a continental scale. Each player can choose to do whatever they want to in this world. From founding their own nation or joining an existing faction to even living as a peasant, a world with the promise of free choice. We follow Ray, a typical gamer, as he forges his way through this world...with a little help.
8 90love.
𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 [ h. yachi , fem!reader , slow updates ] i think i love women the way i'm supposed to love men.
8 70