Chapter Fourteen: Another Source
It had been through the disappearance of Lloyd that the ninjas found another, powerful motivation for their training.
They now willingly trained as long as their master wanted, and twice as hard. They did so well that even Sensei Wu would go as far as to call them exemplary. But they didn't care, they cared only for when there would be news of Lloyd's whereabouts. When they got those, they'd put an end to this madman, as they had come to think of him. From time to time they thought about how they had already saved Lloyd from the Serpentine once, and that this was but one person keeping him, albeit a powerful one.
As of now the bridge's scanners were slowly overlooking the entire continent, with the falcon scouting the most logical locations. Meanwhile the Bounty was sailing towards a destination under orders of Sensei Wu, as he believed they could get something there that would aid them when they would come for his nephew.
"Surely we should have picked up something by now?" Jay said without direction to anyone. "It's not like he could pass through places with any degree of civilization!"
"Zane, where's the falcon now?" Cole asked.
"He is now in the Sea of Sand, in case our target has found refuge there." he said objectively.
He was dodging and parrying Connor's attacks as he spoke. The former would be somewhat embarrassed by his calm and unexcited reply if he had not known that this was no more than normal for Zane.
The silver ninja found the manoeuvers of his slightly lighter clothed brother to be a summary of his personality, collected and controlled. Especially controlled. Every movement he used seemed calculated to perfection.
"It is your turn to defend now, brother." He said to change the scenario as he flipped backwards to gain distance, then simultaneously threw two wooden discs to simulate shurikens.
His opponent bended over backwards to have the discs fly overhead, then changed back to standing tall as he did while attacking. As he faced Zane again however the latter had already drawn his blade.
Connor had put his glaives over his arms using the leather straps he had added, to provide more stability. He raised his right arm to block the blade of Zane's downward strike. Their blades clashed, returned, clashed once more.
"Now attack at will." Zane announced. As he did so, Connor saw that the white ninja was now fighting in a different way, and he found himself embroiled in something that looked like a fencing match on Zane's side. The warglaives were great for both defence and offense but against a foe on the defensive it wasn't easy to do either. Zane's adeptness at swordplay made it very difficult to pierce his guard, and Connor was hard-pressed to defend himself.
For a few moments the melee continued. Every blow was blocked, each stroke was countered.
After another half minute of stalemate, it was Zane's blade to break through, flashing just over Connor's right glaive and into the lower part of the arm that was holding it and drawing some of the blood spraying from it.
Zane apologized for this, but it was waved off as a minor wound. The battle however, had ended.
"Truly it's nothing Zane." Said ninja's opponent told him. "Your fighting style is very effective."
"Thank you. Maybe I can teach you some manoeuvers for these situations. Other foes would have taken advantage of this hit, and we must avoid injury."
"I'd be honoured, Zane."
By midday the ship had gotten close to it's destination, Birchwood Forest. Meanwhile someone entered Sensei Wu's cabin where he was writing in a book of sorts.
Unflinching and without looking up he spoke. "How is the scan faring, Nya?"
"After the ground scan failed I put the scanner to search below that, like we did when looking for the fang blades." She answered.
Without a response from Wu she continued. "We have found Lloyd but... He's in the Den of all Snakes again, in Ouroboros."
It was only now that Sensei Wu looked up, albeit still slowly. "That city is currently hold by the Hypnobrai, yes?"
"Yes Sensei."
"I see." He said as he stood up. He then turned to a window in the cabin. "Nya, how long until we're there?"
"Not long, but it's hard to navigate this forest while keeping an eye out for Julien's lab. It would go faster even on foot."
"Tell whoever is steering the ship now to put a message over the speakers, if you will. We are continuing on foot."
Nya ran off to do this and a few moments later Cole's voice echoed through the halls of the ship.
"Alright folks, we're now in the lovely Birchwood Forest, and...-" He was cut off by Jay. "-And if you look to your left, you will see..."
Cole then resumed his sentence. "And we'll do the rest of the way on foot. End of the message."
A minute or two later the five ninjas and their sensei were standing on the ground beneath the ship, and began making their way towards Julien's laboratory.
"Zane, you will be our guide here." Cole announced.
They left behind the ship, hovering above the trees. It would be safe in this forest, even unguarded.
"So sensei, what are we gonna do here?" Jay asked.
"We need to get something from our inventive friend."
"I'm right here sensei." Jay replied.
Some of the group laughed.
"We will need something you're not that accustomed to." He said as they continued on. "Julien probably isn't used to these orders either, but more than we are."
"So what is it Sensei?" Kai asked.
"We have found out that Lloyd is being held in Ouroboros. Perhaps the doctor can help us fashion a weapon for use there."
"So how did Lloyd get there anyway? Is that guy in cahoots with the Serpentine now?"
"At least with the Hypnobrai. Being allied with all of the Serpentine at once will be difficult though. Now that they are divided-"
"Did you hear that?" Connor suddenly asked.
"What is it?" Sensei asked in return.
Zane flicked open the panel on his arm and pushed a button there, then looked for a moment before answering. "I have activated my heat vision, and I fear these are..."
Kai cursed silently as the shapes in the distance became faintly visible through the mist.
"...these are Treehorns!"
"Make ready!" Cole yelled, and everyone unsheathed their weapons. "Do we attack?" He asked to his master.
"Go. We will not wait for them to make the first move."
Upon the command being given the ninjas dashed forward with reckless abandon, forming a sight to behold as colours flashed through the snowy field. Unknowing of how many of the beasts they were charging, they suffered no illusion of an easy fight. The last time these creatures managed to escape, and they were intent on finishing the job this time.
The full entourage charged at once, staying together as the monstrosities came in sight through the mist. It became evident that there were three of them, against six ninjas and a samurai.
As he ran at one of the Treehorns Zane threw a shuriken with deadly accuracy as always, and it dug into the head of it's target producing an angry hissing sound. He summoned the weapon back before running underneath the beast and past it's thin legs to continue the assault from behind.
The red and silver ninjas were simultaneously hacking away at the legs of another one of the beasts. As they fought, the Treehorn kicked Connor sending him flying backwards and before the third creature. It moved to kick as well but Cole intercepted with a mighty strike from his scythe, severing its thin leg.
"Yeah we got that a few times as well" He said as he helped the other up. As he did so the monstrosity lowered its repulsive-looking head which was now behind Cole, who was facing Connor.
The Treehorn however opened its mouth to bite, its freezing breath only alarming Cole when it was too late to react.
In a moment of clarity, the silver ninja dashed forward towards the gaping mouth of the creature. As its jaws closed to tear off his arm, Connor placed his right warglaive vertically in the front of its mouth, piercing it as it attacked.
Maddened with pain and anger, the beast quickly pulled its head up to its normal height again, sending its attacker helplessly flying upward. It raised its head that way to bite him as the uncontrolled flight went down towards the beast again.
With no other options, Connor held his glaives vertically in front of himself and lowered them, then placed his legs behind him as he assumed a horizontal pose as if freefalling. As he came down his warglaives met the Treehorn's snapping mouth, slicing through its head and forming a bloody cross in the creature's head in conjunction with its bleeding mouth.
Cole caught his brother as he plummeted to the ground, just in time to see their battered and broken foe collapse unto the snowy ground.
"And that's how you get 'a head'!" Cole exclaimed as the two looked at Connor's handiwork, that turned out better than expected.
As they looked around they saw that Kai and Zane were still actively fighting their target, while Jay, Nya and Sensei Wu watched as they waited for them to finish, having already defeated their foe.
The Treehorn attempted to kick Kai away, but he dodged. Zane then sought a quick end to the conflict by throwing his freezing-cold shuriken upwards again as it went through the creature's head. After it came out the topside Zane drew the projectile back, going through its head again as this one too collapsed.
The rest of the group joined them as they looked at the three demolished giants.
"Nice one Zane!" Jay congratulated him.
"What can I say? I always aim... to please."
"Yeah! You go buddy!" Connor added.
"Come now, we still have your father to visit." Sensei Wu said. "Let us hope we do not run into larger groups."
The group continued on through the snow-covered forest and the mass of leafless trees. Eventually Zane's heat vision revealed the Juggernaut robot that once guarded Julien's laboratory. It was now active again and standing watch before the entrance. It's head turned to identify the group, and when it had decreed that they were all humans its head turned back again.
The bunch of ninjas went inside and descended to the bottom of the hollow tree towards where Julien lived, and removed their hoods again as they did so. When several of them came into sight the doctor stood up. As always he looked like a man with his wits about him. His lab coat was abnormally clean, and his residence was neat looking and had a polished air to it. Indeed, it was the home of one of the greatest brains in the land.
"It's good to see all of you again." He welcomed them. "Visitors are very welcome these days, as I have preciously few of them in this part of Ninjago."
"It is good to see you again father."
"And you, my son."
"I'm pleased to meet you, sir."
"And this is a new friend of yours? Another ninja?" The doctor asked, even though "you" didn't seem to refer to anyone.
"Yes doctor, he is a new recruit." Sensei answered. "But we have come here for another reason I'm afraid. We need something to be build for us, something rather violent actually."
"You know that's not my speciality, but I will do my best on this. What would you like?"
Sensei picked up a nearby blueprint he had made earlier. "This" he said as he pointed at it. "We can use it when we free Lloyd."
"You don't need to say anything else, I know what you mean now." Julien answered. "Just give me some time with these materials."
He continued. "And with my son, if you please. I don't get to see him that often."
And then the father and son duo went to work.