Chapter 7: More than Uno Problem
Warning! Minor blood/violence in this chapter! It's very minor and shouldn't be a problem, but I just wanted to warn those who may not have a stomach for that kind of thang since this is a K+ rating.
Welp, that's one way to start the author's note. I noticed my notes are mostly me rambling about random things in my life, so let's get to it! First off, do not join your school's track team unless you really know what you're doing. I made the mistake of thinking it could be fun. I mean, the practices take the word brutal to a whole new level! I don't think I have legs anymore. 0_o Second…well, actually, I don't have a second. Probably better that way; this is getting long. XD Anyways, enjoy! Or don't, however you feel about this story! :P
GLACIER3: Yep, it's a dangerous time to be a human…XD And I'm always hungry! Speaking of that, some sausages and waffles sound good right now. :)
"Uno!" Lloyd said triumphantly, waving his one card in the air before putting it down on the stack. He looked smugly at Mac, who pointedly ignored him by staring intently at his three cards.
"Y'all got to be a-kiding me!" Kai exclaimed, frustrated. "You're always winnin' this here game!" He threw his seven cards on the table.
"This game sucks," said Cole, throwing down his cards as well. "I knew we should've played Monopoly!"
"Or Candyland," Jay piped up.
The ninjas' main living room was a moderately sized room with scattered sofas arranged haphazardly around a large coffee table, which was now covered in numerous cards. Kai, Jay, Lloyd, Mac, and Cole played Uno, with Zane diligently keeping score. Carol and Tia sat a little distance away, skimming through the latest fashion magazine.
"They call this a dress?" Carol said, wrinkling her nose. She pointed to a frilly lilac purple dress filling the page.
"I know, right?" said Tia, looking disgusted. "And $500 too! They just don't have a sense of fashion these days!" She dramatically flipped her braid. "At least the world can depend on me to always have a spectacular taste of style!"
Carol raised an eyebrow. "Really? What about that time you bought that shirt with those crazy bows all over it…"
"I was coming back from an eye check-up! I didn't see anything that clearly!"
Just then, Skylor burst through the wide doorway.
"Everyone, to the Bounty, now!" she ordered, looking out of breath.
"Whoa, what's going on?" asked Cole, looking up from the Monopoly board he was setting up.
Skylor took a deep breath before continuing. "The monster sausage, it's escaped, and it's heading to New Ninjago City!"
Everyone immediately burst out into shouts of "What?!", "How?", "Heck no!", and "They're gonna die, y'all!"
Skylor waved her hands in the air, trying to get their attention back. "Ivy is already tracking it down, so we can call in on her later to locate its position. But right now, people's lives are on the line, and every second counts! We'll discuss plans on the way. But we need to go!"
Everyone showed their agreement by hastily slipping on gloves, grabbing weapons and tools, and taking their radio devices. They ran out to the Bounty, which was already up and running, thanks to Nya.
"Hop on!" she shouted over the whirl of engines.
Once they were all aboard, the Bounty took off, heading towards the city. While Nya and Zane stayed above in the bridge to steer the ship, the rest gathered below decks to discuss a plan of action.
"Let's contact Ivy first," suggested Mac. "Find out what's going on."
"She remembered her ear piece, right?" asked Carol.
"She wouldn't have left without it," Skylor answered confidently.
"Okay, let's give this a go," said Cole. He held a radio up and said, "Ivy, can you hear me? Where are you?"
No response. Everyone looked at each other worriedly. Cole tried again.
"Ivy, this is Cole. Come in." Still, no response.
"Maybe she lost it or it broke," Jay offered hopefully.
Tia shook her head, pale and shaky. She had just had a flash of Ivy bound up, struggling to escape. And it was obvious who to blame. "Guys, she's in trouble. Big trouble."
Ivy was thinking about all the possible ways to escape the ropes, but nothing worked! She was just now hoping that the ninja would find a way to stop Caudeth. Even though it seemed impossible, but she knew that everyone had to have a weakness. She just had to find Caudeth's and tell the rest of the team. Easier said than done.
"Sqej adu trwq ytr!" said a nearby sausage.
"Yes, it is time! Everything is in place faster than I could predict," replied Caudeth. He then made another fist full of dark energy and turned toward his army of sausages. "Sausages, yesterday you were about to be devoured by humans. Today, you will have your revenge!" The sausages cheered for their great sorcerer leader as he then shot a dark lightning bolt in the air. Immediately, dark rain clouds swirled around the sky, forming a powerful hurricane. A roll of thunder boomed. "We strike at dusk!"
The sausages were hyped for dusk, but Ivy defiantly wasn't. I hope the others have a plan. I need to figure out the chink in this sorcerer's armor before it's too late... She thought, biting her lip as the army raised their weapons to the stormy sky.
Back on the Bounty, panic erupted among the ninja.
"We have to find her!" Carol exclaimed, eyes wide in fear. "She could be killed!"
"But we don't know where she is," said Jay. "Ivy could be in that creep's hideout, for all we know!"
"He might use her against us!" panicked Lloyd. "Like, kill her if we don't surrender!"
"But whata 'bout the city, y'all!" Kai interrupted. "The darned sausage might be there already!"
"This is Ivy's life we're talking about," Skylor objected. "We can't just leave her!"
"I really hate to say this," said Cole quietly, "but we don't even know if she still is alive. It might be too late to save her."
There was a silence, then Mac burst in, shaking his head. "I've only known Ivy for a short time," he said, "but I can tell that she's tough. She wouldn't let herself die like that!"
"I agree!" Tia said. "My gut tells me she's still alive and able to be rescued. I say we find her! Where she is, Caudeth is, and maybe we can figure a way to stop this attack."
"But we can't leave the city undefended!" argued Cole.
Soon a heated argument broke out between them. Skylor, Tia, and Mac wanted to go after Ivy, while Cole, Kai, and Lloyd said their top priority was protecting the city. Carol and Jay stood back against the far wall, not sure which side to choose. Just when things were about to get physical, the door opened, and Nya and Zane stepped in. They all froze: Lloyd, who was about to punch Mac; Skylor, who was about to shove Cole, and Kai, who was about to throw a fireball at Tia.
"Am I missing something?" Nya asked coldly, taking in the scene. "I thought we were fighting Caudeth, not each other."
The two groups quickly backed away from each other, embarrassed.
"Uh, who's a-driving the ship, sis?" asked Kai, looking from Nya to Zane.
Nya rolled her eyes. "Autopilot, duh!" Then she took on a more serious tone. "Would anyone like to tell me what is going on?"
Jay spoke up. "Ivy's been captured by Caudeth!"
Nya's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly hid it. "Well, isn't the solution obvious?"
"What?" everyone asked at the same time.
Nya cleared her throat. "You three," she pointed at Tia, Skylor, and Mac, "will go after Ivy. I'll use her radio to track down her location, and you can use your dragons to get there. Don't arrange an attack; it needs to be a rescue mission only for you'd be completely outnumbered. The rest of us," she gestured at the room, "will continue on to New Ninjago City as planned to set up a defense against the sausage and any others that dare to try and enter. Any questions?"
Everyone stayed silent. "Good," finished Nya. "Let's get to work." She started to leave, then paused, and turned back around. "I almost forgot. I just got a video call from Joe."
The group had gathered in the bridge to listen to Joe's message.
"Ninja," Joe was saying on a pre-recorded message, "there's a storm coming; it doesn't look natural. The other police officers and I think Caudeth is behind this. You need to avoid travel by air at all costs. We didn't catch sight of your sausage yet, coast is clear but we have reason to believe it won't be for long. Also, if you find anything else, let me know. Joe out!"
"I sense Joe is right; this is Caudeth," said Zane, eyes a-glow. "My scanners are picking up sources of dark magic in this storm."
"Guys, I think you should head out now before this gets any worse," Nya told Tia, Skylor, and Mac. "We'll risk it and continue on to the city by air; there really isn't another option at this point." Nya turned to the main computer and began to search for Ivy's location. After a few agonized minutes in which everyone was fiddling impatiently, she let out a triumphant, "A-ha! Found her!"
The trio gathered around the computer.
"Uh, can you evaluate, sis?" Mac said skeptically. "All I can make out is a blinking dot on the screen."
"She's in the northern outskirts of Zegda Forest Park, not far from south New Ninjago City." Nya said, eyes glued to the screen. "The coordinates are-"
" 'kay, we're on it! Don't need confusing numbers and such!" Tia burst in, giving a fake salute. "Come, peeps, we have a rescue mission to initiate!" She grabbed Mac's and Skylor's arms and began to drag them to the top deck.
"But we probably need those coordinates…" Skylor started to argue.
"Nah, more trouble than they're worth. Besides, I can't waste anymore of my precious time doing nothing! Let's go!"
The others gave shouts of "Good luck!", "Keep your eyes open!", "Don't do anything really stupid," and " 'May the force be with you' " as the trio left the room.
"Yes, Mac's gone!" Lloyd burst out. "Now let's get to the city!"
Tia, Skylor, and Mac rode their elemental dragons above the dense forest, scanning the ground. Rain had already began to come down, and the wind was picking up.
"Hey! I found a clearing!" Mac yelled to the others through the wind's howling.
The three of them dove down towards the small forest clearing and hopped off their dragons as they neared the ground. The dragons evaporated in puffs of orange, purple, and crimson. They then started searching between the trees for any sign of Ivy.
"Ugh!" Tia made an annoyed face as the thick mud squashed under her feet. "I just got these boots!"
"I think the bigger problem is how we're going to avoid leaving trails and making the whole forest hear us coming," Mac said with an eyeroll.
Tia scowled. "But these were seventy-two yhen! It took me months to save up enough!"
"Hey, I found footprints!" Skylor said in a loud whisper a few feet ahead of them, pointing to a set in the thick mud.
"These definitely aren't Ivy's," said Tia, joining her and crouching down to get a better look. "They're too small."
"They must be from a sausage. And I never thought I'd say that," Mac said, looking up with a thoughtfully confused look on his face.
"Let's follow it!" Skylor suggested. "They have to lead to somewhere near Ivy."
"Okay, let's go!" Tia said. Then a mischievous grin spread across her face. "And, I think I know how we can escape Caudeth before he even knows we're there..."
Caudeth looked on at the preparing sausage soldiers. They were sparing, shooting targets with arrows, daggers, and spears, and even wrestling. They're strong, he thought, and getting stronger by the second. Soon I'll bring all of Ninjago to their knees, I'll get the realm crystal, and save my brother.
He summoned a soldier with his magic, and soon it appeared, giving him a salute. "Yres?"
"Are all the precautions in place?" Caudeth asked.
The sausage nodded eagerly. "Fvre uhg jok saugh poli!"
"Very good. You are dismissed."
The sausage ran off towards the sparring ring. Three hours till dusk. Four hours till victory.
Caudeth turned his attention to the prisoner. She was slumped in her bounds, dark hair hiding her face, having given up escape a while ago. He tried interrogating her earlier, to no use. She wouldn't budge. Maybe she needed some...persuasion. He pulled out a long knife.
Just when he was about to head over towards her, a sausage general came running up to him, saluting him. "Ter?" it garbled, English still in development.
"What?" Caudeth asked, exasperated.
"Tree ninga hav en sotted ust south of e campy."
Caudeth digested this information for a second, then a wicked smile spread across his face. "Three ninja want to pay us a visit, eh? How quaint. Tell the others to be aware. We'll be waiting for them." The sausage nodded and ran off.
Caudeth walked slowly towards Ivy, twirling the knife in his hand. When he got closer she looked up, eyes defiant. Ninja, always so hopeful... Fools!
"So it seems like your friends are nearby. Isn't that sweet?" Caudeth said mockingly.
A flash of fear lit the girl's face, but was quickly hidden. "You won't be able to trick them!" she said strongly.
"Oh, but I already have. Let's help them get here faster, shall we?" Without warning, Caudeth plunged the dagger into Ivy's side. Ivy opened her mouth to scream, but held it in. He wants me to scream, she realized, to make the others fall right into his trap.
Caudeth pulled the knife out, furious at her refusal to cry out. He striked her across the face, giving her a bloody nose, but she remained silent, glaring at him with cold hatred. He lost it. He pressed the knife to her throat and hissed, "Call to your friends right now or your life is over!"
Ivy swallowed. Then she shouted, "Don't come for me! It's a tr-" Caudeth pushed her to the ground, hard. Ivy gritted her teeth. She tried to get up, but couldn't find the strength.
"Why you little-" Caudeth started to speak, but then stopped, tilting his head. He smiled. "They're coming. Maybe you're not completely useless after all."
Ba-bam, it just got real! And is there some kind of currency in Ninjago mentioned in the show? I made up yhen just now because I don't remember if there was or not. Well, that's not too big of a detail here, right? After all, it's just Tia complaining about her now muddy boots. XD As always, have a great week and be sure to leave a review! Later, peeps!