(So finally summer. Starting next week we gots double updates. Wednesdays and Saturdays. I still feel like my writing is iffy, but the show must go on!)

Chapter 10-Playing in a mine

"What. . ." Lloyd's words caught against his throat, gripping his vocal chords tightly, refusing to be let out. His eyes shifted nervously throughout the room, trying hard not to allow them to settle upon his uncle's bleeding body. " What happened?"

Do you really want to know?

Kai moved back, his suit reddened even more by the thick blood that hung to the fabric. He kept his eyes lowered, moving back when Misako approached the body, uselessly trying to help. Kai looked up at last, and opened his mouth, staying silent a minute before actually forming words. "I. . . I don't know, It all happened so fast."

"He's dead. . ." Misako whispered, her voice weak and unbelieving.

Garmadon's body tensed up, " We. . . Need to get his body out of here. . . Then you're telling us everything that happened, understood?"

Kai nodded weakly, stepping even further back as Zane and Garmadon carried out the Sensei's limp body.

"Are you okay?" Nya approached her brother, her skin paling when her small shoes stepped upon the puddle of blood.

"I'm not hurt but I don't think any of us are okay. . ." Kai pointed out. " I. . . I just need to get cleaned up."

"This. . . This isn't really happening is it?" Jay's voice shook, his blue eyes closed tightly. "This is just a terrible nightmare. . ."

Lloyd stared forward blankly, his mind fighting furiously not to fall apart.

"Now," Garmadon sat, one of his arms placed gently around Misako, whose eyes were still shining with tears. "Tell us what happened Kai."

"Well. . . When you guys everything was normal," Kai shrugged, his eyes connecting with Garmadon's. "Then Naomi started acting strange. Saying things like 'My brother's right about everything' and 'We need to help him Kai' Of course I wouldn't listen."

Lloyd stepped forward, shaking his head frantically. "Naomi would never say that. You're lying!"

Kai threw his hands up in the air defensively. "Hey, I don't like the idea of Naomi not being on our side either, But I'm just saying what happened."

"But-"

Garmadon raised his hand, motioning for Lloyd to stay silent. " Continue Kai."

"She got angry. She kept trying to make me be on his side. And that's when she attacked Sensei."

"Right and you couldn't stop her?" Lloyd scowled, still unbelieving. " You, the ninja of fire, couldn't stop a small thirteen year old girl?"

"Lloyd," Garmadon hissed as a warning.

"I was too shocked to do anything. I didn't think she was serious," Kai shook his head. " I know I messed up okay? Big time. But it's not my fault your girlfriend's crazy."

"She is not crazy!"

"Enough you two!" Garmadon shouted, making both Kai and Lloyd shrink a bit. " Now, Kai, what happened to Naomi?"

"She heard you coming and ran away," Kai finished with a sigh.

"Great now we've lost three people," Jay pointed out. " First Cole goes crazy, then Naomi and Sensei. . . dead. It's way too unreal isn't it? Maybe we should just hide underground or something."

"We cannot give up," Zane replied." It is technically our fault this is occurring."

"But what can we do? No matter how many of those stupid creatures we kill, there is always more. And none of us have even gotten close to Cole. It seems . . . Impossible." Nya's shoulders were low, as well as her eyes.

A thick silence lay upon everyone, like a heavy suffocating blanket. Lloyd was quiet, as his mind couldn't process the fact that Naomi wasn't standing by him,like she should. Kai had nothing more to say, his hardened eyes were unfocused, his mind elsewhere. Nya was still in shock, hidden deep inside herself. Jay's mouth remained closed, for once, because there was no joke or phrase he could use to make everything better. Not this time.

Garmadon was the only one in the room who was trying to formulate a plan. Something, Anything, would be better than sitting here and mourning.

Even a crazy, dangerous plan was better than this silence.

"We'll fight him," His words shattered the silence.

"We. . . What?" Jay raised his scarred eyebrow. "Now no offense Garmadon, but I don't like suicide much."

"Why not?" Garmadon stood, shrugging. " It's either that or sit here and watch him unleash chaos."

"We could at least have a better plan than just 'Fight him'," Kai rolled his eyes. "I understand you're angry, but that will just get us killed."

"Stay here if you wish," Garmadon reached for his brother's staff, his knuckles white due to his strong grip. " But I'm done with hiding. Cole went too far"

"I must be crazy," Jay shook his head, strapping his nunchucks to his suit. "But I'm in."

"There is a 99% possibility that we will not succeed." Zane packed his shurikans. " But that 1% is hope enough for a ninja."

"Well you'll need someone to protect you knuckle heads," Nya smiled weakly.

"We need to do it . . . For Wu," Misako's voice shook.

"You're crazy, I'm staying here." Kai stepped back, eventually falling against the bed.

"I I can't go either, I'm sorry." Lloyd shook his head. " This is just. . . I can't. . ."

Garmadon looked at his son, his eyes drowned with worry. " Well. . . We'll be back. . ."

". . .Maybe," Jay added silently.

"It's so simple," Cole chuckled, stroking the sharp tip of his scythe. " If I want to find the underworld. . . I have to dig. And what better place to dig than at the caves of despair?"

"I remember when we first came here. . . I was such a blind a diligent student, doing every little thing that Sensei said. . ." Cole shook his head. His hair swished back and forth, covering his eyes. " The first time I saw the Scythe of Quakes. I miss that weapon."

"I wish you could have seen it Nadya," He looked up, smiling with satisfaction as the mindless dark creatures dug deep into the Caves of despair, creating dangerous mine-like tunnels. "There was such power in just one weapon. It was beautiful too."

A swish of air played with the back of Cole's hair. He turned, looking up to meet the eyes of one of his creatures. Months ago, he would have recoiled at the sight. But now it was nothing special. There's nothing humans can't adapt to. " Any news?"

"Ninja, approaching. They will be here soon." It's voice was screechy and hesitant, as if it had just recently learned to speak. Which was most likely true.

"Ha! They are so predictable! How did we ever survive through so much?" Cole shook his head, a smirk glued on his lips. "I suppose my little friend's plan worked perfectly. Now for my part. . . With luck, we'll have one less ninja to worry about by tonight. Now. . . You know what to do."

The creature melted into a pool of darkness, which began to bubble higher and higher, until a perfect replica of Cole was formed. "Yes. . . I do."