Chapter 11: Cave

Cole wheeled at the sound of approaching footsteps, drawing his scythe. Nya nearly shrieked, Kai blocking the blow with his sword. "What the heck, Cole?" Jay snapped, clenching his fists angrily. Surprised, Cole holstered his weapon and pulled the woman into a hug. "Sorry." he whispered into her ear, rubbing her back comfortingly. She nodding, her hands still clenched around an object clothed in red. "I wanted to bring it to you. You know, since its….his." she said, offering the object to him. Cole gently took it, unwrapping it carefully in his gloved hands. "It's so freaking cold." Kai said, rubbing his arms and shuddering. "They call it the frozen north for a reason, Kai." Jay remarked, smirking at the Fire warrior. Kai growled back at him, head turning to watch Cole interact with Zane's soul. The Earth warrior held it gingerly in his hands, running his thumbs over the now smooth surface, thanks to Nya's healing magic. "Thank you." he said to the Water warrior, making her smile. "It was nothing, Cole. Anything for a friend. Speaking of which, we should probably get whatever Zane wanted done now." she said, appearing very insistent, Cole looking up at her in confusion. "Garmadon's sounded the war horns. He's going all out this time around." Kai explained, Jay nodding in agreement. Cole's eyes widened in fear, his hand curling around Zane's soul protectively. "Let's go, then." he said, turning to face the snow. He walked along the tracks, pausing when Zane's soul began to glow. The small object pulsed a cyan blue, growing greater depending on how Cole turned. He walked along the base of the library, watching it grow faint. Turning around, the light brightened, drawing towards an old mountain path. "Come on!" he shouted, running through the snow. The others quickly followed, their footsteps echoing loudly in the crunchy terrain as they ran. Cole turned several times, halting suddenly at the side of a mountain. A large boulder blocked their path, crusted with ice and snow. The soul was pulsing color and light, as bright as it could have been. "That doesn't seem right." Nya spoke up, looking at the boulder with large eyes. Cole handed the soul to her, inspecting the large rock in the side of the mountain. Pushing against it, he felt it give a little. "Hold on." he said, shoving himself into the rock. The boulder slid aside easily, shifting on some sort of icy track. "Holy shit." Kai whispered, apparently loud enough for Nya to hear because she turned and smacked him on the top of his head. The soul glowed bright enough to act as a light while they entered the dark cave, walking down dozens of stairs in the progress. Torches lined the walls, of which Kai paused and lit during their descent to brighten their ascendence at a later date. The steps appeared to go downwards at a steady pace for hundreds of feet, before stopping suddenly at a large room hollowed into the inside of the mountain. Kai walked about the room, lighting the torches while the others advanced deeper into the massive stone structure. Ice coated the walls in a thin layer, crystals extending from the surface in wonderful arrays of patterns and carvings. Cole turned in circles, looking around the massive room, eyes wide with awe at the beauty of the icy masterpiece. "It's so beautiful." Nya said, approaching one of the walls with the carvings strewn across it. Jay stood beside her, examining the carvings carefully. "These are so old, I can't tell what they mean! This must be a very secret place for the Northern Ice tribe, if it hasn't been touched in so long." Jay exclaimed, turning to face Cole. The Earth warrior approached the massive pool of water in the center of the room, gazing down into the murky deepness of the ocean blue liquid. Kai approached him, standing off to his left while he frantically rubbed his arms and blew into his hands. "It's so freaking cold." he said, Cole grinning at him. As the Earth warrior walked upon the pool, blue torches ignited the border of the water, outlining it in a freakishly erie glow. He held the soul close to him as he knelt next to the pool, pulling the book out of his pocket. "What do we do now?" Nya asked, looking at him. Jay turned to the carvings, his eyes lighting up. "I think it says here to put the soul into the water." he said, Cole turning to him with a "what the **** are you talking about?" expression on his face. "What? That could break it." he protested, Jay turning back to the carvings. He walked along the wall, inspecting them a little closer. "Put the soul into the water, and wait for it to sink. Then, place the book on the pedestal open to the page of which to cast." he said, Kai making a face. "You're not making that up. You never talk like that." he said, snagging the book from Cole and walking to the pedestal next to him. He set the book down, opening it to a random page. "We need to make sure its on a page that'll do some good." Cole said, standing up and flipping through the book. He paused at a page with the Frostbloom symbol in the corner, pressing it firmly flat against the wood. "Alright, let's do this!" Nya whooped, Cole gently bending down and pushing the soul out into the water. The small light pulsed a few times before it sank below the murky surface, disappearing into the depths below. The crew waited several minutes for something….anything to happen, their hearts threatening to pound out of their chests any second. They were startled by the sight of the soul rising from the depths, the water bending around it in swirls of glowing cyan, illuminated by the soul's own light. They watched as the water bent to form some kind of humanoid figure, freezing to create a shiny crystalized body. They didn't recognise it until a layer of skin formed on its surface layer in patches, stark white and smooth. Piece by piece, the parts were forming: two thin arms, two formidable legs, a pair of bare feet with perfect sizes to match, a skinny waist and chest, and an oval head. They thought the body had completed itself, when to Cole's amazement, extra appendages began to form: two large white wings, a pair of white ears, and a long white tail that ended in an icy blade. With a splash, the body fell into the water, Cole racing forward to scoop up his lover with shaking arms. Zane curled into the Earth warrior's touch, his eyes slowly fluttering open at the rebirth of his senses. "Cole." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I missed you." Cole replied, tears pricking in the corners of his eyes. "I did as well." Zane added, Cole carefully walking back to the border of the pool. When the duo looked up, each member of the crew had their eyes covered. "What are you guys doing?" Cole asked, confused. "He's naked." Kai replied. "He is very naked." Jay added. "I have never seen someone that naked before, besides Kai." Nya added, Jay giggling beside her when Kai growled in annoyance. Cole turned to Zane, his cheeks flushing red. 'Oh, shit! He is naked! I should find him something to wear!' he thought, Zane looking over himself. "Perhaps I should find something to wear?" he asked, Cole nodding. 'I'm an idiot! I can't look away!' the Earth warrior mentally cursed himself while he watched Zane walk back to the pool. He lifted a hand, hovering it over the water for a few moments. A few larger water droplets lifted up, freezing before reforming into simple clothing. Zane slipped the items on with ease, turning to see Cole still staring at him. "Is there no place of which privacy is uncommon?" he asked, cheeks flushing blue. "Privacy is universal for anyone as naked as we just saw you." Nya replied snarkily. "You guys can uncover your eyes now." Cole said, the three dropping their hands. Zane now wore a pair of white fitted pants, a traditional Ice warrior armor top to cover his upper half, bordered by golden shoulder plates and golden snowflakes. A belt crossed his chest, holding a small bag to his side as well as a weapon holster on his back. He turned and scooped up the book on the pedestal, tucking it into his bag. Cole paused, reaching into his pockets. He held out Zane's knives to the man, watching his expression change. "You left these….when you were kidnapped. I found them outside. I thought you'd want them back." the Earth warrior said, Zane taking each knife and tucking it into its holster. "Well, what should we do next?" Kai asked, clearly uncomfortable.