Snakes and Dragons

To the Skies

{POV Dragon}

"Who?" I ask my brother quietly.

     Snake hushes me and ignores my question. He walks a couple of steps forward and leans in to the man's voice. It's as if he's straining to hear, even though the man is speaking pretty loudly...

"You are all the most skilled warriors from around the planet, I very much hope to see an exciting battle begin to unfold shortly.  However, before the fun may begin I kindly ask each of you to take one of the jewels on the table." Duodecuple exclaims.

    My brother and I walk up to a rather large, oval table that's covered with different exotic foods. Around the rim of the lavish meal are twelve black jewels, very spiky in shape. I take mine as the other eleven warriors take theirs.

"I wonder how much these are worth..." Murmurs Snake with a smirk as we walk back to our previous spot.

"Now that all of you have your jewels, I request that you swallow them whole." bellows Duodecuple.

     That's weird... Why the hell do we have to swallow these things? Is it even possible? I wonder to myself as the others begin to swallow their own jewels.

"Well, here we go." I say, swallowing mine.

     I look over to my brother and see him inspecting the crystal.

"Hey bro, swallow it. Or else they'll think you're some weak kid who can't even take a pill..." I urge him.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry." He replies, finally shoving his jewel down his throat.

"Also, why were you looking at it so peculiarly?"

"Huh?"

"The jewel," I repeat "You were looking at it funny, inspecting it in a way."

"Oh!" He says rather loudly. "Well, I was just wondering why we're being forced to swallow it."

"And? What did you think about it?" I inquire.

"Based on color and shape, I'm guessing it's some kind of--"

"Thank you for your cooperation, everyone. Now, the gem each of you swallow was a lump of poison." Duodecuple starts. 

     Of course it's poison. Personally, I didn't see that coming, but it seems that my brother was catching on somehow. He's quite the smart guy when he isn't going crazy about what to set on fire next. Despite fire being part of his weapon of choice, it's a big downfall to him. Ever since he found out he wasn't susceptible to any sort of harm from fire, he's gotten cocky and quick-tempered. It's as if he thinks he's immune to death just because he's immune to fire... Although, I guess it isn't that bad, as his fiery ways are part of what makes us such a good team; my calm, logical way of thinking allows for a solid game plan, while Snake's quick and fierce mannerisms give us that extra spark whenever we're stuck in a bad situation. 

"...And with that, ladies and gentlemen, let the 12th Juuni Taisen begin. Everybody clap your hands!"

"What?" I ask, suddenly brought out of my mental haze.

"In short, the guy explained that the poison kills us in 12 hours, and in order to win we need to collect all 12 jewels. He also mentioned that slitting open your opponent's stomach is the most efficient way to take out the jewel from their body. Now, be on guard, the game started." Replies my brother, holding onto his flame-thrower while looking from warrior to warrior.

"Hey everyone! I have a proposal!" Shouted a woman's voice.

     Monkey.

"According to the rules of this Juuni Taisen, none of us have to die. If we all cooperate, we can all get out of this without losing our lives." She continues.

"So basically, you plan for us to let you win in order for you to wish us back to life?" States Rat, who's standing sleepily against a pillar.

"Not quite, as I'd expect some of you to question whether or not I'd keep up on my end. Rest assured, though, my plan is more convincing." 

     Then tell us the fucking plan... I think to myself. 

"Anyway, I'd be open to working with anyone who'd like to take part in my plan. Any takers?" Asks Monkey.

     My brother looks to me, as I'm usually the shot-caller of the pair. However, right now I honestly don't know what to decide. On one hand, Monkey is a world renowned pacifist who's brought and end to many wars, so it's not entirely impossible for her plan to fail. On the other hand, it's all a bunch of unknowns (which I severely dislike). Nevertheless, this opportunity... could Snake and I both make it out of here?

"I think it's best we stick to our plan, bro. There are too many unknowns, and even though she's a pacifist, I'd rather not take any chances." I whisper in reply.

     Now, all of a sudden, I look around to see four hands raised in favor of Monkey's plan. Rat, Chicken, Horse, and Ox. We'd be up against five warriors if we happen to cross paths with them... Shit. This is bad. I look over to Boar, scanning her expression for a sign of her opinion. She seems like she's about to burst out laughing... I swivel over to where she's looking and I realize why she can barely contain herself.

"Pfft haa!" Shoots out my brother, who seems to have caught on.

"Shut it." I say through my teeth, trying to hold in my amusement as well.

     Rabbit had put his hand up too, which in turn caused everyone else (minus Rat - I swear he looks even more familiar now) to put their hands down. As would be expected, no one wants to be near the freak who tried to kill my little brother, it'd be a sort of death wish.

"Hey, it's happening again." Says Snake suddenly, with the eyes of prey who have come face to face with a predator.

"What? What's happening again?" I ask, his restlessness starting to worry me.

"Tremors. It's was what I was gonna tell you about when Rabbit almost chopped my fucking head off. They were small then, but right now they're stronger. On top of that, I'd never sensed these types of vibrations before." He explains.

     That's weird... Could that nut job be causing them? Regardless, the last time they happened my brother was almost killed, so we have to be ready to dash at any given moment. I'm moving closer to Snake when Monkey speaks up again.

"Alright, I'm glad to have at least two people to cooperate with. If any of you change your mind over the course of the Taisen, feel free to look for us. Now, sleepy-head and bunny-ears, get over here!" 

     Suddenly, my brother grabs onto my arm. I can see in his expression that the tremors are getting out of control. 

"Fine, we'll get out of here right now, bro." I say, trying to calm him down. 

****CRACK****

     Next thing I know, the floor gives way and all of us begin to fall through the debris of the room that had been in tact a few moments prior. I grab onto Snake tightly and leap up into the air, putting 'Heaven's Holding' to use. It's dark and dusty, which makes it hard to see what I need to dodge, but I quickly manage to find a way out through the top of the rubble - though it would've been hard to do without an extra pair of eyes helping me scan the area.

"Whoever did that, we need to be extra careful around them..." Mumbles my brother, out of breath.

"Yeah..."

     The Juuni Taisen has begun. Now, my twin and I - the warriors of Dragon and Snake - have taken to the skies, surpassing  whatever atrocities may be taking place below us.