The Silver Ninja (A Lego Ninjago fanfic)

The Sacrifice

(Brielle)

I walked through the labyrinth of tunnels inside the vast Temple of Spiders, not caring if I was caught. That was my goal, after all. However, I would prefer to find Arachne myself, to reason with her. I wondered where she could be. Her chambers, possibly... but I had no idea where they were.

I walked, my shoes crunching on the gravelly floor. The slow drip-drip of water was to be heard in the torch lit caverns. I had to admit, I was pretty nervous about this... what if they killed me.... or what if Arachne simply killed both me and Nariah, not caring about the ransom note she had given? That was the worst case scenario.... but I couldn't help but wonder as I made my way through the halls.

Strangely enough, the temple was quiet, empty almost. I had not come across one Arachneion yet. What if they weren't even here? What if they were all gone, moved to some other place, destroying millions... what if Nariah was already... dead?

Brielle. Stop. Worst case scenarios again. Please, you worry too much.

But how could one not worry, when they were about to face their mortal enemy, about to die themselves?

I took a deep breath. Walking on, I craned my neck, listening for the smallest hint of voices, or any sort of sound other than those of the natural noises of the caves.

I sighed, thinking that the worst case scenario that I had been dreaming up was coming true after all. Maybe she was already gone, and there wasn't anything I could do now, now I would just have to wait for Arachne to find me. Tears welled up in my eyes. I pressed my back against the limestone wall, about to slide down to the ground in defeat...

When I heard a sound.

No, not the casual drip drip of the water from the ceiling, the crackling of fire from the torches, the crunch of pebbles under my feet. No, this was a human sound. A human sound that I did not enjoy hearing.

This was the crack of a whip, followed by an ear piercing, blood curdling, glass breaking scream, joined by the evil cackling of a rattly feminine voice. The scream was Nariah's. The laughter was Arachne's.

There was still hope, Nariah was still alive, though, probably, just barely. I jumped up, taking off in a run.

It sounded again, Crack, scream, cackle. I jumped up, taking off at a run, following the sound. Twice more I heard the sequence, it was gradually getting louder and louder. Now, I could see a faint strip of golden light in the orangey darkness. Slowly, silently, I crept along in the shadows, towards the faint brightness. I came upon a door. It was a thick wooden door, with a large brass knob. The door was ajar.

Nothing was to be heard.

Suddenly, the door opened wider, letting more light creep into the cave. I sprinted behind a large rock and crouched there, hidden from view. I peeked over so I could see what was going on. I was blanketed by darkness, so I was practically invisible. I couldn't even see my own hand. 

Arachne strutted out, a smug look on her fanged face. She was followed by a Tarantulai, whom I recognized as the clan leader, Shooter. He smiled too, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. In three of his hands, he carried a large whip. Fresh blood stained its tip. I grimaced.

"The Silver Ninja should be here soon... the three day deadline is almost up.." Arachne explained to her companion.

"Yes, and then we can kill her!" Shooter cried out loudly.

"Shut up!" Arachne hissed, smacking him. "We won't kill her... immediately anyway. You know what we first must do. Suck out her power, and inject it into me, so I am all powerful and unstoppable!" Arachne cackled, "Then, we kill her."