Ninternia: The Ultimate Elemental
"What I don't get is how an ancient artifact is hiding in the most high-tech city in Ninternia. I mean, just look at the place!" Ren said, gesturing at the floating planters, flying cars, and drones.
"I'm hoping that's what this man will tell us," Atalie replied, studying a holo map. "Ju told me he'd know where it is, though we may have to pay for the information."
"This the place?" Churro asked, hooking a finger at a small pawn shop. Its sign read "Incognito" on it in a fancy golden script. The windows were full of shiny objects, each clamouring for attention. A sound like a cash register announced them opening the door.
"Welcome to Incognito, where the prices are so low, it's a steal. I'm Inieto the thief, I mean, chief of the store. How can I help you?" The lively voice belonged to a middle aged man with rust colored hair hiding under under a wide brimmed hay. He had a brown, darting eye, and a unique looking eye patch. His orange, brown, and grey-green clothes were a strange combination that somehow worked. He looked a bit like a futuristic pirate.
"Hi, we're looking for-" started Katara.
"Say no more! You're looking for a pair of die that roll themselves."
"No, and what is that anyways?"
"I've got it! A glow-in-the-dark lamp!"
"No! And isn't that what lamps do?" Katara said exasperatedly.
"Well, if you're not buying, are you selling?" Inieto gave her a once over. "Thirty bucks for the armbands. What are they called?"
Katara looked like she was about to punch him. Clay looked like he was worried she was going to punch him. Ren was trying not to laugh. Khan had given up and was full blown cracking up. Jaya, Churro, Atalie, and Cyrus just looked out of place.
Clay stepped forward before Katara could do anything. "Actually, we're looking for a place. Ancient, booby trapped, probably in the sewer system, sound familiar?"
"And as far as I know, she just calls them her armbands," Ren added, only to get stared at. "What?" He asked a question. "It'd be rude to leave him hanging."
"An important question too," Inieto said. "A flashy name is half the reason people buy stuff. I'm going to call them technobands."
"They're. Not. For Sale." Katara growled.
Atalie jumped in this time. "Inieto, a man named Ju sent us here, do you have what we need?"
"Oh Ju, Why didn't you say so?" He asked. "Pay up." Atalie sighed, but slid a stack of bills across the counter. Inieto picked them up, and set them in the cash register.
"I have a couple assistants who can take you," he said, slipping into the back. Ren looked around the cluttered shop while they waited. The windows had most of the interesting stuff. Small trinkets like keychains and magnets lined the first few isles, and decorated the counter. There was also some jewelry inside the glass case. Shelves towards the back were stacked with plain cardboard boxes, some open, other's taped closed. Ren was just about to take one down when Inieto returned with a pair of ragged looking kids.
The first was a boy of average height, and dark hair and eyes. He wore mismatched sneakers, torn jeans, and a beat up hoodie. He studied them with a sharp intelligence, and carried a book about religion, covered in doodles of a kid with an arrow on his head, and a man with a weird hat and potted plant.
The second was a shorter girl with messy brown hair with red and blond highlights. She had bright hazel eyes and those kind of cheeks you just wanted to squeeze. Despite the fact that she probably had as much money as her friend, her clothes were somewhat nicer. At the very least, her shoes matched, and her short dress wasn't torn, though her leggings were.
"You know where to go." Inieto the kids. "Good luck tourists. It's a strange place you're looking for."
"This is it," the girl said, stopping at a huge arched entrance branching the main sewer. The kids, had taken them to the back of the store, then down a manhole cover. Ren had lost all sense of direction as they'd wandered through the twisting pipes, but he did know he wished he was back up a the surface with Atalie and Churro. It stank down here.
"Careful, the walls are hard to see in there," her companion said vaugely.
"What was that supposed to mean?" Khan asked as they watched the couple walk away.
"Like the mind, the labyrinth has many obstacles obscuring the center, both physical and not. The truth can lead there," Cyrus stated.
"Sorry, huh?" Ren asked. Apparently the nindroid had been reading an inscription above the entrance.
"What is that supposed to mean? Why can't people just give us straight forward warnings!?" Khan complained.
"To keep out people who don't think, like you," Katara replied. The others laughed at that. Well, except for Cyrus. He didn't have much of a sense of humor.
"Well, come on. We'll figure out the warning as we go," Clay said.
"Left or right?" Jaya asked.
"Left, I'm a maze champion, so know what I'm doing" Ren bragged.
"Lead the way then," Jaya told him. He went straight in, choosing each turn without much thought. The others followed, no questions asked, trusting him to lead them to the center.
I knew I could impress her! Fake it till you make it right? Even though I have no clue where we're going... Maybe I should-
"Ow!" Ren shouted, jumping back and causing a bit of a pile up.
"What happened?" Clay asked, hauling Katara up.
"There's some sort of block up ahead." Ren rubbed his forehead. It'd felt weird, like someone had stabbed his mind, but the wasn't possible, right?
"What are you talking about?" said Khan, walking forward. "There's nothi- AH!" He suddenly clutched his head, and scrambled backwards.
"You were saying?" Katara smirked.
"This is most likely what the inscription was referring to when it said 'both physical and not.' Not all the walls we can see," Cyrus observed.
"So that's what the boy meant!" Clay exclaimed.
"I'll take the front," Jaya said, "No reason for you to get zapped twice."
"No! I, uh, I'm fine!" Ren responded in a rush. "Didn't even feel it!"
"Are you sure?" she asked, concerned.
"Of course!" he answered.
Even though I now have pounding headache, but the look she gave me was all worth it...
After another ten or so run ins with invisible walls, Ren was beginning to think otherwise. The maze had already spun him around so many times, he couldn't lead them out if he tried. As for the see through barriers... well, whoever had come up with them certainly had an imagination. Some of them attacked his mind like the first, but others were just impassable. A couple of them even managed to shock him.
"I'm the Guardian of Lightning," he moaned the second time this happened. "How come I can be electrocuted?"
"Most likely because you have yet to unlock your powers," Cyrus stated.
"I knew that," Ren grumbled, taking a left at random.
"You sure you're okay?" Clay asked worriedly.
"Of course!" Ren replied faking a smile. "I've fought against gangs, and a bunch of other stuff. No pain, no gain, right?"
"When did you do that?" Khan raised a brow.
"Oh I've been protecting the innocent my whole life," he bragged. "Even before Sensei finished my formal training, he been sending me out on missions and whatnot."
"Huh, he never did that with me," said Katara skeptically.
"Maybe you weren't good enough, no offense" he added in a rush. He got the distinct impression she could beat him.
"Maybe you could give me some pointers, Jaya suggested.
"I'd love too!" Ren exclaimed, grinning.
"How about after we get the hilt?" Clay interrupted." You're a maze champion too. Are we almost to the center?"
Oh yeah, I forget I said that. Uh... This way feels right-
"I believe we came from there," said Cyrus.
"I was, um, just, uh, testing. You. Yeah." Ren lied haltingly, only to receive some strange looks. He gave them an awkward smile, but winced as he turned away.
Maybe I should just come clean...
No, they believe me, and they like me.
They think I'm a hero, not some nerdy junkyard boy who's only good at video games.
It's what I always wanted, why ruin it?
"Dead end," Khan noted as they reached a wall of solid stone. They began retracing their steps, Ren now in the back, only to find an extremely confused Katara, who had been in the back now turned front.
"This wasn't here before, right?" she asked, gesturing to a wall blocking their path.
"Correct, I do not recall a wall at this location." Cyrus set his hands on the barrier. "I may be missing many of my functions, but my memory is perfectly intact."
"Hm... I wonder if..." Clay trailed off as he kneeled down, and set his bare hand against the floor. Since unlocking, he'd stopped wearing gloves. "I... wow..."
He got back to his feet, running a hand through his hair as he looked around. "I'm not sure how, but the maze is changing. I can't sense it clearly, but I can definitely feel movement."
"Excuse me, but I thought you said you could feel movement." Khan interrupted.
"I did," Clay replied." The walls are changing spots as we're standing here. Whatever path we took to get here is gone now."
"Okay, I need a break." Ren sat down putting his head between his knees. "HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF HERE!?!"
"You okay?" Jaya asked him.
Don't undo the progress you've made.
"I'm good, just doing, uh, vocal exercises!" he improvised. "Studies show they help the, um, thinking process!"
"Huh, I didn't know that," she said.
"Well, questionable science studies aside, does anyone remember what the inscription said?" Katara said.
"Like the mind, the labyrinth has many obstacles obscuring the center, both physical and not. The truth can lead you there," Cyrus recited.
"I thought we already figured that out." Khan complained " It was talking about the invisible walls."
"There could be a deeper meaning," Jaya commented.
Katara, who had scratched the riddle out on the floor with a blade hidden in her arm-er technoband, said, "I want to know what the first part means. Why compare a labyrinth to a mind?"
"Maybe because they're both... Uh, confusing?" Ren guessed.
"Very helpful" Khan said, voice dripping in sarcasm.
"Well, I don't see you coming up with anything" Ren countered.
"Guys..." Jaya warned, and with that, they both shut up.
"Perhaps he's on to something," Cyrus mused. "It can take awhile for people to trust others and admit the truth." Ren coughed, averting his face.
"So what you're saying is, to get through the maze, we have to be our true selves, " Khan said incredoulusly. "What does that even mean?"
"Maybe we just have to admit something we usually wouldn't." his sister said, standing up. "My name is Jaya Lenori, and... I'm tired of living in my brother's shadow." She gave Khan an apologetic look. His lips twisted in a strange way, and he avoided her gaze. Before any of them could say anything a turquoise light flashed, leaving a force field hovering an inch or so off Jaya's skin
"Huh," she said, tapping the sheilding. "I guess it worked."
Clay straightened, "I'm Clay Brooks, and... I'm sort of addicted to cake. To the point where I refused to eat anything else for six months when I was a kid." Orange light the same color as his powers flashed. The others stared at him as he rubbed his neck sheepishly.
"Okay then," Khan blinked. "The name's Khan Lenori, and I'll admit I should.... er, think more?" His shielding was red.
"You think?" Katara teased, only for him to swat her with a laugh.
Cyrus looked thoughtful for a moment before he said, "I am called Cyrus Julian, and... Rali makes me feel... strange." A white light enveloped the nindroid.
"We're going to talk about that later" Khan grinned. "Your turn Kat."
Katara bit her lip. "My name is Katara Anakari, and... fire is my greatest weakness?" She looked relieved when a silver light poured over her.
"Too bad you're hanging around the Master of Fire then," Khan smirked.
"You mean Guardian," Jaya corrected.
"But master sounds cooler!" he complained. As the sibilings argued Clay turned to Ren, who had been staying quiet for a change, and was huddled on the floor in the slim hope he wouldn't have to do this.
"Your turn," the older boy told him.
Just great The ONE time I want to be ignored, I'm not. How ironic.
"I, uh, can't think of anything," he muttered, hugging his legs to his chest.
"Just say your greatest fear or something," Katara advised.
"I'm afraid of... dying?" he tried, but it sounded like a question.
"I do not believe that counts," Cyrus observed.
"Come on, there has to be something," Khan said. "Embarressing school story? A really weird dream?"
"We won't judge you if that's what you're worried about," Jaya added.
"I- I don't know..." Ren averted his eyes.
Katara raised a brow, then shot a look at Clay. He nodded and grabbed Cyrus while she got Khan, and they dragged them several turns away.
"Hey! What are you-" Khan started.
"Oh, shut up," Katara told him.
Great, we're alone. Thanks Katara.
About five minutes ago, this would've thrilled him, but now? He couldn't think of anything he wanted less.
"Um... I just, uh, wanted to apologize if Khan, er intimidates you or anything." Jaya mumbled. "But you've fought gangs and whatnot, so I guess that wouldn't bother you..."
"What I'm trying to say is that I think you're pretty cool, and having a weakness or something won't make me think any less of you," she finished.
I did all this so she'd like me.
Because you didn't do it right.
She likes the guy you pretended to be not who you are.
Now I'm holding the whole team back.
Jaya caught the look on his face "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if-" "
"Stop, just... stop," Ren interrupted, "I'm the one who needs to apologize."
He took a deep breath. "When I saw you in the courtyard that night, I was convinced you were the prettiest girl I'd ever seen. The more I've gotten to know you though, I've realized you're a lot more than pretty. You're smart, strong, thoughtful, and so many other amazing things that... that I'm not. I didn't think you'd ever like me so... I made up a bunch of stuff to impress you." He dropped his eyes, unable to look at her out of shame. "The truth is... I'm just a boy from a poor family, that grew up on a junkyard. Sensei never gave me missions or anything. The only thing I'm really good at is playing video games." He shut his eyes, waiting for how she'd take his confession.
"So... Almost everything you've told me was a lie?" she asked.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this to you. It wasn't fair or right," he answered, glancing up at her.
She shook her head. "Ren... I don't even know what to think right now, let alone say. I never... I can't believe... Even if..." She looked at him helplessly.
".... it's... it's okay," he replied and as he said it, he realized he meant it. "This, none of this, is your fault. It's mine, and I'll have to live with it, try to make up for it. And, for what it's worth, I still really like you, and... I hope that, maybe someday you might feel the same way about me." As the last word left his lips, Ren threw his head back, a wave of perfect clarity crashing over him. He could sense the electrical impulses in his body, in Jaya's, even the others who weren't anywhere nearby. He could feel the electrical walls, and all the power running the city above them.
"Whoa, wh-what's going on?" Jaya stammered." Your eyes are... Glowing. Are you okay?"
Khan chose that exact moment to storm in, followed closely by the others. "Okay, that's long enough, What's-" He noticed Ren's glowing eyes. "Oh, come on! I can't believe you of all people, unlocked before I did."
Clay cracked a grin. "Welcome to the club buddy."
Ren smiled, but still felt overwhelmed by all he could see energy surging around him. He his friends, still covered by various colored shields (his was yellow), but he also saw lines of white light zipping day their bodies. It was like...
Oh duh, it's electricity. I'm such an idiot
He quickly glanced around. Then he saw it. A symbol floating several feet off the floor set in a glowing wall that hadn't been there before. He reached out to touch it.
"What are you doing?" Cyrus asked unable to see the wall.
"You can't see the symbol? It looks like a circle of lightning bolts," Ren said. As soon as his fingers brushed it, he felt as if he had to do something. He visualized a surge of power, and felt the energy gather at his finger tips, then it burst into the wall.
"What symbol are you- "Khan started, but then was cut off as the formerly invisible wall flared with blue light. "Oh. That one."
"Look, there are lines leading this way," Katara noticed, heading down the passage way. Ren shook his head as the light faded from his eyes, and the world returned to normal. He couldn't sense or see the electricity anymore, but he did feel it pulsing within him, especially in his hands. He touched his thumb and index finger together, and flinched at the resulting jolt of power.
I'm going to have to be careful with this, he grinned. He noticed Jaya giving him a strange look.
"What?" he asked, feeling uncertain.
"I still don't know what to think about you, but..." she tilted her head. "Want to race?"
"You're on!" He grinned, breaking into a run the same time she did.
"Hey, wait for me!" Clay laughed, chasing after them. Soon enough they were all racing through the maze, teasing and taunting each other even Cyrus and Khan.
"I win," Katara gasped, skidding to a stop in the center of labyrinth.
"Not... Fair," Khan panted.
"How?" his sister asked, running in.
"I'll... figure it... out... later" he muttered between gulps of air. Ren laughed as he looked around. They were standing in a room similar to the one the scabbard had been in, except it was circular. The walls were once again carved and decorated with various symbols, and the hilt was on a dias in the center of the room. It was silver with alternating strips of black and blue leather padding the handle. The pommel looked like a leaf or claw grasping the bottom of the sword, and the crossguard was slanted, encircling two, small, sapphires on either end. Where a blade would usually be, there was a slot, waiting for the next piece.
"So... do we just grab it and run again, hoping it doesn't collapse, or does someone have a plan?" Clay asked,
Cyrus walked over to it."I am not sure if- oh, that works." Ren had pried a gemstone the same size out of the wall, and switched it with the hilt in one quick move.
"I figured if there was a trap, it'd be triggered by a pressure plate, so I just did the same thing we did to get pass the last vault." He muttered. "It's no biggie."
"It was smart," Katara complimented. "Now let's head back to the Temple. We got two of the pieces this time, we'll get the rest soon."
It was well past midnight when the exhausted Guardians, and their guides, stumbled into the Temple. Only five days had passed since they'd left for Diamond Canyon, but it felt like so much longer.
The drive back had been sort of uncomfortable since Ren has taken the opportunity to confess. Clay, Katara, and Cyrus had all forgiven him, but Khan wasn't happy, and Jaya... Well, she wasn't talking to him, which hurt, but he knew he deserved it. At the end of the day though it was good to be back. The Temple wasn't home exactly, yet it was a place they could relax, regroup, recharge, and plan their next journey.
"You made it!" R.A.L.I. welcomed them, having stayed at the Temple of Elements to watch over it while Ju was gone. "Did you retrieve the scabbard and hilt?"
"We did," Atalie said, pulling the scabbard off her back while Churro pulled the hilt out of his pack. As the three of them studied them, the teenagers stumbled in, the boys falling asleep on the first available surface they found, except for Cyrus, who joined the blade study group, while the girls brought the bags to their respective rooms.
I should help her but... would she want me to?
After a moment's indecision, Ren dragged himself off the couch and grabbed a backpack, and duffel bag out of Jaya's hands.
"Let me help you." He said, but when she frowned, he barreled on. "Look, I get that you're mad at me, and you have every right to be, but you have to be as tired as I am, and I can't let you carry our stuff inside by yourself."
A corner of her mouth twitched. "Both of those bags are mine. I just wanted to unpack before going to sleep, like Katara is. Your stuff is over there with the rest of the guys' things."
"Oh! l, uh..." Ren blushed, handing her the bags. "Sorry, I just..."
"It's fine," Jaya told him. "If you want to help, you could grab Khan's pack." He nodded, and grabbed her brother's stuff, following her to the room she and Khan shared.
"Why's this so heavy?" He groaned.
He shook his head in amazement as he set it all down on bedroom floor, looking around in curiosity. He noticed that most of the room seemed to be done in Khan's taste. There was a bunk bed, just like his and Clay's room, with red sheets on the bottom and blue on the top. One of the walls were painted a bright crimson, with mirrors, posters, and shelves filled with random knickknacks. There was a guitar with an amp sitting in corner, and video recording equipment in another. The only thing that was out of place was a worktable by the door in several books about mechanics, and some new looking parts and tools.
"Is this... yours?" Ren asked, picking up a screwdriver and messing with some of the stuff.
"Yeah, inventing's always interested me. We used to run a blacksmith stop, but I've been trying to learn the more technical stuff," she said. "I'm sort of stuck though."
Ren showed her a spinning propeller he'd hooked up to an engine. "I could teach you, if you want. I picked up some stuff from my dad."
"I'd... like that," she said, reaching for the little fan, but their fingers caught. Ren froze, not sure what to do. To his surprise she set his invention down, and shifted her fingers so that they twined with his. He looked at her a question he was too shy to ask shining in his baby blue eyes.
"I... I've thought about... everything, and I want you to know... I feel the same way," she said slowly, "but... with everything that's happening, I don't know if I'm ready for a serious relationship, y'know?"
Ren paused, taking in her words, hardly daring to believe what she was saying. "What if... what if we just try it? We can take it slow if you want."
Jaya smiled, the moonlight from the window making her hair shine with silvery light. "I was hoping you'd say that." She closed her ocean blue eyes, and leaned forward.
Shut up, he told himself, closing his eyes.
At the loud noise, they jumped apart a second before their lips touched. Exchanging a glance, they both slipped out of the bedroom, heading to the living room, where they were met with a bizarre sight. Atalie was in a fighting stance, holding the hilt like she'd forgotten it was missing a blade, while Cyrus had his hands raised, and Churro had fallen off his chair then rolled the table with R.A.L.I. Khan, who had been sleeping on a stood at the counter jolted awake only to trip on Clay's suitcase at his feet. Speaking of the Earth Guardian, he was holding the coffee table above his head, facing the recently, slammed open front door along with everyone else.
Standing on the threshold was a little girl dressed in a black gi, and cape embroidered with a twisting emerald dragon the the same verdant hue of her eyes, the only color she had. Her skin was ghostly pale, and her braided hair was as dark as night. She was ragged, her clothes torn and unkept, her face dirty, her hair a mess, and her expression was hard, cold, unreadable. Ren decided she looked like a cross between a vampire princess, and a zombie ninja, or, in other words, scary, unnatural, and dangerous.
"Soran's been captured," she said in a voice that sounded far too adult-like for a kid.
"Who?" Ren asked, completely confused.
