Way of the Departed 亡者之道 第十二章

乐高幻影忍者官方小说

作者: Tommy Andreasen

原文与图片来自ninjago wiki

译者：醉酒异客

若有翻译不准处请在评论区纠正

一束朝阳掠过悬崖峭壁的顶部，射穿了重重迷雾。我的头在隐隐作痛，我又望向面前的水坑，坑里的水就像我的脑子一样，一片浑浊，啥也看不清。自从参加了陈大师的元素擂台赛之后，我的脑子一直不太清楚，有时我甚至想不起来我是谁。一阵风刮过，水面泛起了一层涟漪，使模糊的倒影变得支离破碎。我的嗓音听上去又粗又低，像原始人的声音一样在我的在头骨里回荡；我的周围全是骷髅武士，得有二十多个吧，真是奇怪，我的周围怎么会有这种生物呢……它们叫我“看守”，还认为我是这片营地的头儿；这片营地只有很多牢笼，里面还关着很多人，我没印象他们是为什么被关进去的。既然它们叫我看守，我可能就是这些囚犯们的看守吧。 坑里的水就像我的脑子一样，一片浑浊，啥也看不清。自从参加了陈大师的元素擂台赛之后，我的脑子一直就不太清楚，有时我甚至想不起来我是谁。正在升起的朝阳将重重迷雾照成了金色，我的头在隐隐作痛，我怎么什么也想不起来了…… 我倒吸了一口冷气，贾拉汉立马问我出了什么事，但我现在没法回答他。不知从什么时候开始，我们两个之间就产生了某种心灵感应，即使不在对方身边，我们也能够互相交流，不过在交流的时候，我们头上的伤疤会疼起来。我刚刚听见了几声奇怪的动静，好像骨骼关节活动时发出的嘎吱声，这声音在周围的悬崖峭壁之间回响，使我无法确定声源的方位。这一个小时里，我一直在监视这片营地，营地里边全是粗糙的竹制牢笼，所有失踪的人都被关在这里边－－估计从我的家乡失踪的那些人也在。贾拉汉一直在我的脑袋里面喊我，但我没理他，我得赶快想出一个营救方案，不能分神。营地的入口由两个骷髅武士把守着，它们全都武装到了牙齿。我听说过关于骷髅武士的传说，虽然有目击者证实过它们的存在，但我一直不太相信那些神话，今天算是眼见为实了。我躲在一块石头后边监听着，它们说起话来那叽里呱啦的腔调让我毛骨悚然。“我刚刚听到了点动静，睁大你的眼睛！”“呃……可我没有眼睛！再说了，如果我们是在找动静的话，为什么要用到眼睛？动静难道能被看见吗？动静长什么样？”“我不是这个意思，你这个空脑壳！那个动静肯定是某个家伙弄出来的，好像是说话的声音。”“某个家伙在说话？可是这个家伙为什么要对自己说话？没准儿我们要找的是两个家伙！”“……闭嘴！盯着点儿！”它们两个向我的藏身之处走了过来，如果继续呆在这里的话，早晚得被发现，我另无选择，只能潜入营地。我本来还想等到晚上再行动呢，现在进去风险很大，没办法，只能这样了。不知怎么，我总有一种不祥的预感，听天由命吧。在营地内部，还有其它把守着的骷髅武士，不算很多，但我绝对招架不过来。杨大师－－我真不愿意再提起他－－曾经教过我要耐心地等待，也许我可以一个一个地干掉它们。营地的周围都是悬崖峭壁，用飞天旋转术逃不出去，一旦被发现，我就完蛋了。我得首先保证我自己的安全，那些被关着的人改天再救吧。我小心的绕过地上的水坑，尽量不出声音。不远处，有两个骷髅武士正因一局骰子游戏吵得昏天暗地，这些生物确实不怎么聪明，这可真是不幸中的万幸，也许我可以耍个花招来分散它们的注意力，这样就能逃出去了！我悄悄地溜向那些牢笼，以防囚犯们看到我。这里关押着的囚犯可真不少，起码得有三百多个，他们身上脏兮兮的，神情也很忧郁，身上竟然没有一点受过虐待的迹象，显然骷髅武士把他们照顾得不错，真是让人难以置信！他们在这儿至少被关了四个月了，却一直过着吃饱喝足的生活，为什么？骷髅军团这么做绝对还有别的目的。一个与众不同的牢笼吸引了我的注意力，它比别的都小，而且构造也不太一样，里面关的是……四个师兄师弟！我们五个加在一起，肯定能打过这些骷髅，我要把他们救出来！ 我还没反应过来怎么回事，就被狠狠地摔到了后方的石头上，我登时感觉头晕目眩，整个世界变成了一片紫色。我使劲揉了揉眼睛，想搞清楚发生了什么。我的面前不知什么时候出现了一辆怪异的骷髅战车，它出现时所伴随的紫色玄光还没有消散，模糊之中，我看到开车的车手也是一个骷髅武士，营地里的其它骷髅武士聚向它，它们简短地交谈了几句后，有一个骷髅跑开了，回来时，它领着一个手上戴着金属手套的大块头，他好像是这片营地的头儿。我的眼睛好不容易才看得更清楚了一点，他笨拙地接过骷髅递给他的字条，正要去读上面的内容，却突然发现了我，并大叫了起来，我爬起来刚准备逃跑，就被它们团团围住了。我干净利索地打倒了几个家伙，这为我争取到了几秒钟的反应时间；又有更多的骷髅扑上来了，我一闪身，躲过了它们的攻击；它们人太多了，我一个人绝对撑不了多久，但如果我把朋友们救出来的话，或许还有希望。我又闪过了一击，向关押他们的牢笼跑去，却被大块头挡住了去路；我的朋友们看见我了，他们在喊我！我用飞天旋转术飞跃他的头顶，正在我屁股后面穷追不舍的骷髅们与他撞了个满怀……情况开始有转机了！可是，当我来到牢笼跟前时，我的心立刻沉了下去：我不可能砍动那么粗的竹栅栏，更别提牢门上那把坚固的大锁了；但这并不代表没有别的方法救出他们！我让他们后退，这时，大块头冲了过来，向我抡起拳头，我趁机向旁边一滚，他的拳头擦过我的耳朵砸在了栅栏上。我听见一声惨叫，大块头摘掉了他的金属手套，去揉被震痛的手，而牢笼却完好无损。我被彻底包围了……我抬头看了看周围又高又陡的悬崖，飞天旋转术估计没戏。大块头的拳头又向我挥过来了……它触及到我的皮肤时，并不像我想象的那么疼，我甚至感到了一丝温暖……我辜负了你，贾拉汉……我又受到了狠狠的一击……我两眼一黑，什么也不知道了。 另附原文： Earlier that morning... I took at the morning sun rising above the steep cliffs. Its rays break through the thick mist. My head hurts inside. I look down at my reflection in the puddle again. The water is muddy and it is hard to make out. It is like my brain. Ever since I fought in Chen's tournament, my thoughts have been hazy. I don't recognize myself. The wind ripples the water and I can only make out small parts of my reflection at a time. It looks like I am drifting the puddle. They look heavy but they don't feel heavy. When I speak, the words that come from my mouth sound crude and primitive. My voice is deep and echoes in my skull. I don't feel like myself. I am surrounded by Skulkin. I would not normally be around such creatures. There are around 20 of them. They call me The Warden and seem to believe I am the leader of this camp. There are a lot of people in cages here. I don't remember how or why there came here or why they are captive, but if I am. the warden, it must be my responsibility to keep them here. The reflection in the puddle stares back at me. The water is muddy and it is hard to make out. It is like my brain. Ever since I fought in Chen's tournament my thoughts have been hazy. I don't recognize myself. I look up at the morning sun rising above the steep cliffs. Its rays break through the thick mist. My head hurts inside. If only I could remember a little better..... I hush... immediately Jerahn asks what's up. We have some sort of connection now. My scar hurts when we communicate. It helps me speak my thoughts out loud when we 'talk', but right now I need to be quiet. I just heard a rattling sound from somewhere. It is hard to be sure what direction it came from with all the steep cliff sides ricocheting the sounds back and forth. I have been watching the camp crudely made of bamboo cages for an hour now, trying to figure out some game plan. There seems to be just the one way in. This is where all the people have gone. The people from my village are most likely here too. Jerahn keeps calling my name in my head but I block him out. I need to focus and dodge behind a rock. Two skeletons in armour and armed to the teeth walk in from behind. They look very alert. I have heard of Skullkin before and there has been some sightings these last few years, but I always thought they were just a myth. Yet here they are. They speak in guttural croaking voices which chill my bones. "I'm sure I heard something ... Keep your eyes peeled!" "Err... I don't have any eyes! And how does 'keeping my eyes peeled' help if we are looking for a sound? You can't see a sound! What would it look like?" "No you Craniac! ... I mean SOMETHING must have made that sound. Sounded like talking." "But how can a Something talk? And why would a Something talk to itself. Maybe we are looking for two Somethings then!" "... Shut up!!! Keep looking" The two Skullkin are getting too close for comfort. There is nowhere to retreat to except between the cliffs. Right into the camp. It's a risk, but one I need to take. I was going to watch for a little while longer, and then make my move at nightfall. But now I have to improvise. It feels like I am walking right into a trap. There are other Skullkin guards here. Not too many, but more than I can take on. As much as I hate what Yang did to us, at least the first two years at the temple of Airjitzu taught me patience. Maybe I can take them down one by one. The camp is completely boxed in by the tall cliff sides. If I get spotted, I doubt I will even be able to Airjitzu my way out of here. This 'mission' has changed from being a stake-out mission, to a survival-and maybe even rescue-mission in just a few minutes. I step around some puddles and keep out of sight. Two Skullkin are arguing loudly over a game of dice. Judging from these two and the two guards by the entrance, they aren't too smart. That's good! Maybe a clever distraction might do? I sneak closer to the cages. I do not let the prisoners see me. There are many. I don't know how many, but I guess at least three hundred. They look unhappy and dirty but well fed. This surprises me. Some of them have been missing for more than four months now. It does not seem natural for these Skullkin captors to care that much about these people or even food. I wonder what their purpose is? There seems to be more to it than keeping them. One special cage catches my eye. It is small and built differently from the others. I spot my fellow students from the Temple of Airjitzu ... four of them. If I can get them out, we may have a fighting chance against the Skullkin guards! This was now officially a rescue mission! I am blasted backwards and slam against a rock wall hard. Everything turns purple. My head spins from the blow and I struggle to focus my eyes, Right in front of me, a bizarre truck made from bone has appeared out of nowhere. Or rather it has arrived through a swirling purple blow of sparkles. Everything is a blur, but I make out a Skullkin which exits the vehicle as others gather around it. They speak briefly and one of the others run off only to return moments later with a large man clad in metal and with huge hands ... probably the leader of the camp. My eye sight is starting to become less blurry. He is handed a letter that he handles clumsily. It looks like he is just about to read it, but then look directly at me and yell. I get on my feet, but the Skullkin are already all over me. I manage to knock a few over and buy myself a few seconds. Others attack and I dodge. Fighting is not an option. There are too many. Another dodge. I run towards the cage with the Airjitzu students. If I manage to free them, fighting may still be an option. But the big guy has blocked my path to the cage. My friends have seen me now and call out to me. The big guy charge, but I Airjitzu over him and he shatters two or three of the Skullkin that were on my tail ... things are looking up! But as I reach the cage my heart drops. There is no way I will be able to break the thick bamboo walls or massive lock. I tell my friends to retreat into the cage. I can't break it, but I know who can! The big guy comes at me again. I roll out of the way and his huge metal fist misses my head by an inch. No sound of breaking bamboo. A high-pitched, pained cry. I get on my feet. The cage is intact. My attacker is rubbing his hand in pain. I am surrounded. I look up ... Steep rock walls. Airjitzu isn't flight. No way will I be able to escape. The fist comes at me again ... It feels warm as it connects with my chin ... not quite as hard as I expected ... I have failed you, Jehran ... Another blow connects ... Blackness