The next day everyone gathered around the fire and tried to come up with a plan that had even a chance of saving them from being ripped apart by Mala Mala Jong. No one was really having any luck. Whenever someone thought they had a good idea the others pointed out its flaws. There was just too much that could go wrong in every scenario. And no one was willing to risk anyone else to get the job of defeating Mala Mala Jong done.

Harry frowned in thought and leaned back against one of the walls of the cave and looked up at the ceiling. "What we need is some way to separate the Heart of Jong from Mala Mala Jong." He mused, voicing his thoughts aloud. "But how, it's not like we can just reach into his chest and take it out. . ." That was the main problem Harry supposed. He turned to the other warriors, silently asking if they had any more ideas.

Omi frowned in thought. It was true they could not simply rip the Heart of Jong from the terrifying demon. But then he then had an idea. It was one that he considered to be truly genius. Thus he wasted no time in excitedly telling the others. "Perhaps, instead of getting the heart from the outside, we could take it from the inside?" Omi suggested proudly.

Everyone just stared at the youngest dragon in training for a few minutes. Harry wanted to ask if his litter brother had gone crazy in his absence. Omi blinked, wondering if his suggestion really was that odd. He thought it was a rather good one. Did they not think so as well?

"Care to explain?" Raimundo asked just a bit annoyed. He was sure that if they worked together, Mala Mala Jong would be toast. He felt that the others were downplaying their abilities too much. They hadn't spent all this time training to play hide and seek, even if their opponent was a demon warrior.

Omi cocked his head curiously, as if not quite sure why he needed to explain in the first place. "Well, I was thinking that it would be possible. We need only retrieve the Golden Tiger Claws." Omi said simply. He made it sound as if they should have thought of it before he did. Or that he shouldn't have needed to explain it at least.

Harry face palmed. "Omi, I love you, but there are times when you make less sense then Master Fung." He sighed shaking his head. Harry shifted his position so that he was facing Omi. "You sent the Golden Tiger Claws to the earth's core remember? They have probably been destroyed by the molten lava at the earth's core." Harry said slowly, carefully picking each word before he said them. He didn't want Omi to think he thought he was stupid. But he was wondering what Omi was thinking, was he just taking a shot in the dark? Or did he have an actual plan? Knowing Omi he had a plan. Whether or not it would work was the million Wu question.

Omi just grinned at them with that smile that Harry had learned to fear when directed at him. Omi went and rummaged through the trunk where they were storing their Shen Gong Wu and pulled out the Serpents Tail. "I can use this to get to the Earth's core." Omi declared triumphantly. "And, Shen Gong Wu are Fire proof are they not?" Omi asked Dojo.

Dojo shrugged. "Well, they are pretty indestructible. So I'd have to say, yeah they are. So it's possible that the Golden Tiger claws are still intact. But I don't think it's that good of an idea for any of you kids to go down to the earth's core, even for a minute." Dojo added with a frown. Dojo was supposed to be watching them after all. Master Fung would kill him and use his skin as a belt if one of these kids died. But Omi especially couldn't die. Then it wouldn't be Master Fung to kill him for letting Omi go to the earth's core. It would be Harry!

Harry rolled his eyes. "Dojo, what are the odds that we are actually going to listen to you on this? It is the best plan anyone has come up with since we began thinking. And we don't have much time to think on this." Harry pointed out. As much as he hated the idea, it was the best they had. And they couldn't afford to waste anymore time coming up with something better. "I'm not keen on Omi going to the earth's core either. But to hold of Mala Mala Jong for the time he'd need, it will take all of us." Harry sighed. He knew that they could only spare one Dragon for the task of retrieving the Golden Tiger Claws. And Omi would insist on it being him.

Clay nodded in agreement. "Harry's right. We're goanna have to risk it." Though, Clay seemed to dislike the idea as much as Harry did. It was the best plan any of them had come up with all day. And they had a very small window of time, too small to come up with something more full proof.

Kimiko sighed. "It's the best plan we've got so far. We're going to have to try it. Besides, if Omi's using the serpent's tail he shouldn't get burned right?" Kimiko was trying to find something to calm everyone's nerves. Everyone needed some sort of reassurance that this would work. Or more importantly, they needed reassurance that Omi would come back.

Raimundo had wandered closer to the mouth of the cave in hope of having somewhere quiet to think, although he could still hear the conversation going on behind him. Then he spotted something. It was something that forced them to make their decision on whether or not to go through with the plan right then and there. "We don't have any more time to debate this!" Raimundo groaned watching something no one could see from where they were. Everyone else gathered near it too see what was up. They could just make out the flaming head of Mala Mala Jong coming towards their hiding spot.

Omi nodded. "I shall get going then! I wish you luck my friends." Omi bowed to the other Dragons. "Serpents Tail!" And like that, Omi was gone, plunging into the earth and headed straight for its core.

Harry mentally decided that Raimundo would be the first to die if Omi didn't come back. He continued to watch Mala Mala Jong and Wuya get closer, he was barely aware of the others taking their preferred Wu from the trunk. The Eye of Dashi had remained around his neck; he hadn't wanted to take any chances by removing it. In case Wuya and Mala Mala Jong had found them in the middle of the night.

Dojo was suddenly on his shoulder; Harry had been too lost in his thoughts to really notice. "They'll be here in fifteen minutes, maybe less." Dojo frowned. "You kids sure you really want to do this? We could just bail you know. Find somewhere else to hid- . . . right. . . Never mind. . ." Dojo had stopped mid-sentence due to the terrifying death glare Harry had been giving him. Dojo had momentarily forgotten that Omi would be coming back, and if they moved they'd be leaving him. There was no way Harry was leaving their cave until Omi turned up.

Note!

Yeah okay. I have no excuses for why I didn't update.

There should be another chapter up in a while. Later today actually.