"We should have brought foooood…" Cole groans.
"We did bring food." Zane replies.
"Granola bars do not count as food." The ghost huffs, tossing aside a wrapper.
"Hey, show some respect for my girl." Ronin snaps. "I don't go into your stupid ship and throw trash everywhere."
"Sorry." The master of earth doesn't sound sorry at all, but he does pick the wrapper back up.
Echo shifts in his seat, glancing out the window to the ocean that seemed to spread for miles now. He was getting more worried the farther out from shore they got. At first he'd been eagerly searching for any sign of a ship that could have had his brother's final soul stone shard, but no ships had appeared and they were getting past the point that any ship would go out. If the shard fell to the bottom of the ocean… if it had sunk to depths that no one had managed to reach…
No. He shakes his head. I will not give up hope.
They had come too far for him to give up. Even if his brother's soul stone shard was in the water, it could be in an area shallow enough for them to safely retrieve it.
"-cho…" A burst of static, along with a very familiar voice, breaks him from his thoughts. He quickly pulls the borrowed phone from his pocket and looks at it hopefully.
"Pixal?" He asks.
"Echo… can you hear me?"
"Yes! I can!" He smiles brightly when her face appears on the phone's screen. "It is good to see you again."
"It is good to see you, too, Echo." She smiles warmly as she returns his greeting, but it fades shortly after. "I am not sure why you are so close to the Dark Island, but I believe your assistance is needed."
"What do you mean?" Cole speaks up, leaning over so he can look at the screen as well. "What's going on over there?"
"We encountered a storm when we arrived. Kai, Skylor, and Nya where thrown from the ship into the forest. Sensei Garmadon left in search of them… and I believe Sensei Wu is not in his right mind. He left sometime yesterday, and I have not seen him since."
"So much for an easy mission." Cole huffs. "And so much for trying to avoid all this water…"
"We will be there soon, Pixal." Zane assures her from his position. "Just send us your coordinates."
"Sending now." A message appears on the screen with the information.
"Does my opinion about this little detour matter?" Ronin scoffs.
"We cannot ignore a request for help." Echo meets the criminal's even stare with determination.
"Yeah, yeah, your prime directive or whatever." He rolls his eyes, but gestures to the GPS. "Just plug it in."
Echo hesitates, because just where and how was he supposed to do that? Which Ronin apparently didn't have the patience for, because he takes the phone from Echo and plugs it in himself with a small huff. The bronze nindroid's annoyance at the criminal is short lived because soon Pixal's image appears on REX's window up in the corner, and she seems pensive.
"Is everything alright?"
"...When we were originally split up, I tried to use the ninja's phones as a way of tracking them. It did not work, unfortunately. The signals were too weak and intermittent for my systems to pinpoint." She pauses, brows furrowing. "Despite my shortcomings, I kept tracking their phones in the hopes that I might be able to establish a pattern of movement based on how long it took for the signal to reach my systems."
"So… does that mean you have an idea where they are?" Cole asked uncertainly.
"No. All I know is that they are getting closer, and a general direction they are coming from. Nothing exact." Pixal shakes her head. "What worries me, though, is the number of signals I am picking up."
"Let me guess, too few because one of them broke their phone?" Ronin scoffs.
"Too many, actually." Several still images, pictures of the ninja that Echo recognizes from his brother's contact list, appear next to Pixal. "One of you would not happen to have Jay's phone, would you?"
"…He has Jay's phone?" The ghost groans. "Of course he does. How else did he expect us to contact him if we changed our minds? Telepathy? Ugh, if we'd realized this sooner we could have tracked him or…"
Echo wasn't sure the other's noticed, but Ronin appeared to be quietly laughing at them.
"More importantly," Zane cuts off the master of earth, giving him a sympathetic look. "it seems that Viperae is also on the Dark Island at the moment."
Well, that killed whatever amusement that the criminal found about this situation.
"That is a likely scenario." Pixal agrees grimly. "The signals from his phone are coming from the same general direction as the others. I do not know if they have crossed paths yet, or whether Viperae is planning to ambush them at some point or not, or if the two groups are simply unaware of one another, and I have no way of warning them. The signals that come in are too brief and unpredictable for any communication."
"You know," Ronin says a tad thoughtfully. "if the signal is so bad down there, how is it your able to send us a clear signal?"
"I believe the trees may be interfering." She replies without hesitation. "The Bounty is on the river's edge, so there are few trees that could get in the way of the signal, whereas the ninja are somewhere in the middle of the forest."
"Thank you for warning us, Pixal." Zane says seriously. "We will make sure to remain vigilant while we search for the others."
"Yeah, about that. REX isn't exactly a passenger ship, as I'm sure you can tell." Ronin turns in his seat to eye the two ninja in the back. "We're going to have to drop off some people before we pick up anyone else, because I am not dealing with a ship crammed full of you ninja."
"I get what you mean." Cole says, shifting where he was sitting against the back wall of the ship. REX only had two seats, and Ronin had claimed the driver's seat for himself while Cole and Echo had taken turns sitting in the passenger's seat while they used the spell to track down soul stones. "Unfortunately, with Viperae out there, I'd rather not risk going in with anything less than our all."
"Of course not." Ronin scoffs.
"If you really do not want to face Viperae again," Zane says evenly. "then we can drop you off at the Bounty before we go to pick up the others."
"And trust you lot to take care of my baby? I don't think so."
"Then it's settled." Cole shrugs. "We're all going."
That seems like the end of the conversation, as far as Echo can tell at least, but he finds he doesn't want Pixal to go just yet. He hadn't been able to talk to her at all while they were away, and they'd likely not get another chance to talk until after they'd gotten their friend's back to the ship. Echo was not sure how long that would take... so he quickly searched for something to talk about that would be acceptable.
"Oh! Pixal?" He can't help the small exclamation when he realizes the perfect topic. "I am sure you will be happy to hear that Cyrus Borg has woken up."
"He has?" That catches her attention instantly, and he nods almost eagerly. "You are right, I am happy to hear that. Do you mind me asking what happened?"
"Not at all!" Echo happily gets to explaining what had happened while Pixal and the others were gone. Of course, this led to more questions, because the others had no idea about the group that had been holding Alphonse captive for so long, nor their shift to staying within Hiroshi's borders. Echo was well aware that explaining it now meant having to reiterate it later when they found the others…
He still told Pixal every detail he could in the time they had anyway.
Skylor didn't need her powers to feel the tension in the group, she was certain of that. Anyone with eyes could see it. Even so, she found herself hanging back. She wanted to observe the others, to try and puzzle out their thoughts, but she didn't want to use her power without meaning to. It was a rather selfish desire of hers, to test herself and see if she had any ability to read others without her powers.
"Skylor?" Kai says softly, dropping back to walk next to her. She doesn't answer, but she does meet his eyes so that he knows he has her attention. "Are you feeling alright? You've been kind of distant for a while now."
"I'm fine." She feels touched at his concern, even as guilt wells up. "You should be worrying about your sensei right now."
"Someone smart once told me 'you don't have to face things alone.' I think you should take her advice." His lips quirk up into a smile as he says that, his eyes so soft, and Skylor thinks her face might be a bit warm right now. "I don't care if you think it isn't important, if it's bothering you, then it's important to me."
"Kai…" Her face is definitely warm now, even as a grateful smile takes hold. "Thank you."
His own smile brightens and he's about to say something more when the sound of a ship overhead catches all of their attention.
"…Did Pixal manage to fix the Bounty?" Sensei Wu questions.
"Pixal can do a lot," Nya says distractedly. "but she wouldn't be able to fix the Bounty on her own."
As if the thought strikes them both at once, the two siblings climb up into the trees to get a better look at the ship they can hear.
"It's Ronin!" The master of water calls down. "I recognize his ship!"
"Can you get his attention?" Sensei Wu calls back.
"I have a mirror that might-!" Nya cuts herself off as a fwoosh sounds out and the temperature jumps up.
Kai. Skylor can't help but chuckle. I suppose a huge jet of fire would get anyone's attention.
The sound gets louder and the trees begin to get rustled by REX's jets. Knowing they had their attention, the two siblings descend from the trees. A rope drops down and, to all of their surprise, Echo, Zane, and Cole drop down.
"Hello!" Echo says cheerfully as soon as they've all landed, followed shortly by Cole saying.
"Viperae… So Pixal was right."
"You do not appear to be fighting." Zane says, eying the group critically. "Did you form a truce?"
Skylor had expected a response from the villain, who was usually so chatty, but one glance at him showed he appeared to be studying the master of ice with furrowed brows.
"Sharp as ever, Zane." Sensei Wu praises the titanium nindroid with a wane smile.
"Are you alright, Sensei?" Cole questions. "You don't look so good."
"A… a lot has happened since we last saw each other. Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of taking the time to talk it over." Sensei Wu says gravely. "Ninjago is in danger, and we must all work together to stop this villain before he can do any lasting damage."
"Are you sure you can't stop him alone, Wu?" Sensei Garmadon's words have a bite to them that surprises the newly arrived ninja.
A remorseful expression crosses Sensei Wu's face.
"Uh, n-not to interrupt anything," Cole says uncertainly. "but if Viperae's not the threat, then who is?"
"Clouse." Sensei Garmadon says simply, yet he manages to fill that one name with poison that leaves his thoughts of the other clear.
"I thought he was gone?"
"As I said before, we do not have the luxury of discussing all that has happened." Sensei Wu cuts in, glancing at his brother with a sad look which goes ignored before he turns back to the ninja. "Even now he is piling up dark matter around the temple of light in an attempt to weaken its power. Once he's done that, then the two islands will merge into one land mass, allowing darkness to spread across both lands."
The three new arrivals all share a look, surprise clear even as determination takes hold.
"We cannot allow that to happen!" Echo says, to the agreement of the others.
"Good, then we can use your ship to get to the temple of light faster."
"Uh, about that…" Cole glances up, although the ship was barely visible through the treetops. "I'm not sure there'd be enough space for all of us."
Nya glances around at everyone gathered, and nods.
"Yeah, REX was designed with two people in mind."
"We'll have to make multiple trips." Zane glances over the group. "Who should go first?"
"I'm going." Sensei Garmadon's voice gave no room for argument.
"As am I." Sensei Wu's tone is heavy, filled with regret, anger, and sorrow.
"I can't just stand around here doing nothing." Kai says next.
"I believe the water nymph would be the best choice to round out the first group." Viperae finally speaks up.
"What?" Nya says, shocked at the sudden announcement. Skylor didn't blame her for the surprise, the villain had mostly ignored her since their clash before, so for him to be vouching for her to go was rather odd.
"Just what are you planning?" Kai asks suspiciously.
"Clouse is a ghost," Viperae gives the red ninja a look as if it's obvious. "it would be a foolish move not to send a master of water to fight him from the start."
"He's right." Sensei Garmadon says seriously, before turning to Nya. "Your assistance would be invaluable in this fight."
"Okay… I'll go."
"We could probably squeeze one more person onboard." Cole guesses. "I could maybe join the first group if I used my intangibility…"
"The more people we have fighting him the better." Sensei Wu assures the ghost.
"Right." The master of earth nods, not appearing entirely comfortable with the idea, but resigned to it. "So I'll go. Who else?"
"I'm surprised you're not insisting on going, Hykos." Sensei Garmadon says to Viperae.
"Sorry, Jun, but I'm not a fan of crowded quarters." Viperae smiles with fake innocence. "I'll wait until there are less people."
Since when were they on a first name basis? Skylor can't help her surprise. She wasn't the only one, either, as she notices Sensei Wu glancing between the two with a worried look of his own.
"I will go." Echo fills the short silence that had overtaken the group. "I was made to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I cannot stand by while all of Ninjago is in danger."
"Alright, let's go." Kai says eagerly, turning briefly to Skylor and giving her one of his 'charming' smiles (which actually was a little cute but she wasn't going to tell him that). "Make sure he doesn't try anything funny."
"Of course." She didn't need to ask who Kai was talking about, as it was rather obvious. "Make sure no one takes any stupid risks without us to watch your backs."
"I never take any stupid risks." He says cockily. "But I'll try to keep the others from doing anything risky."
"Sure you will." Nya sighs, shoving her brother towards the rope.
Skylor has to stifle a laugh at the master of fire quietly complaining to his sister that she had ruined his awesome exit, which only got eye rolls and more sighs from the master of water.
It was only once they'd left that Skylor realized that it was only her and Zane left alone with Viperae.
Lloyd tries to fight down his nervousness as he drove. Hiroshi had promised them he'd keep the people they brought him safe, and Lloyd believed that the forest spirit meant that. That didn't mean he'd be successful, however, as they didn't know the size of the cult or what kind of weapons they'd use.
Even if Hiroshi could trap them in a loop while the others got away, what if they brought flame throwers? He was tempted to turn back at the thought. He hasn't reported anyone suspicious, though, so there's no reason to think they know where we took everyone.
Still, it was risky leaving only one person to protect everyone in Hiroshi's labyrinth, even if that person was the forest themselves. Although, as far as the others were concerned, that was already the case. The mark on Lloyd's hand would have meant he either couldn't effectively fight any cult members who showed up, or he'd likely die trying.
They wouldn't leave me behind if they thought that was truly a risk. Lloyd thinks, steeling his nerves.
Everything and everyone would be fine without him. He was sure of that. Mostly. But that was more than he could say for his mom, who was on a known to be dangerous island, with just her crew of archeologists to help her. And given that the other's hadn't yet returned, Lloyd could only figure they'd run into trouble.
They might not be happy with him, and he might be risking his life, but he was going to the Dark Island.
The air was heavy as the sounds of Ronin's ship faded into the distance. Zane was studying Viperae, the bruise-like marks on his skin, the way the other's hands appeared to be shaking despite his attempts to hide it… and the curious way the other appeared to be studying him, in turn.
"You… you're different." Viperae says finally. "You're not actually a Gollum, are you?"
"I am fully autonomous, if that is what you are asking." He replies neutrally.
"No, I meant this." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small, jagged, cyan stone that was softly glowing. "It can be hard to tell with so little of it, but now that you're here it's obvious this belongs to you."
"…Where did you get that?" Zane tenses, eyeing the stone in the other's hand. Had Viperae tracked it down in order to hold it over his head as a means of forcing him to join him? No, he'd implied that he had no idea it belonged to the master of ice.
"The little blue jay had it, actually." Viperae hums thoughtfully. "I suppose it got dragged along after you blew up the Overlord."
"You mean when your own soul sought out its other pieces?" Zane had to clarify. It was a little hard for the nindroid to wrap his head around the thought that a piece of his soul had ended up with Jay.
"Exactly." Viperae hums, looking the other up and down thoughtfully. "Although I must say it is a surprise to meet you again, even if you don't seem to remember."
"I definitely remember the Overlord." The white ninja assures the other. "As well as everything that led up to our final battle."
Or what should have been their final battle.
"Not that~!" Viperae laughs. "I meant much longer ago than that… But I suppose it doesn't matter. I know what caused you, at least, to vanish."
"Vanish…" Something about those words seemed to remind him of something. The memory just on the edge of his consciousness.
"Yes. You and that little thief just up and vanished one day!" Viperae shrugs. "Of course, you were my enemy, so it wasn't like I could casually ask where you'd gone…"
It was surreal to hear someone else mention the thief. After that first time bringing it up to Cole, he hadn't talked to the others about what he saw when he lost control of his powers. And they'd both vanished around the same time?
His chest throbs with pain, he can hear Skylor's concerned voice as the world around him seems to shift, and then…
"So we'll just vanish?" The thief asks uncertainly. "That's your plan?"
"Lord Garmadon and the Overlord are only interested in Ninjago." The hunter assures him. "And even if either one of them chose to expand their reign, Mythland is far enough away that I am sure it would not be their first choice."
The thief nods, looking down at the bag he was clutching.
"We've barely made any progress with you teaching me to read… how am I supposed to learn an entirely different language?"
That was due to the thief's insistence that none of the others know he was learning, leaving them very little time to study, but the hunter didn't say that. Instead he puts a hand on the other's shoulder and gives it a light squeeze.
"This is your chance to be more than just a thief." He gives the other an earnest smile. "I know you can do it."
The other shifts, lifting a hand to his hood, and the hunter expects him to draw it down to hide his embarrassment like usual. Instead he pushes it back, revealing his mousy brown hair, and looks up at the hunter seriously.
"I… I trust you." The weight of those words is not lost on the hunter. "Are you sure you can't come with me now?"
"I have to make sure my brother will be okay." He replies sadly. "But I'll be out there as soon as I can."
"Just be careful, alright?" The thief sighs. "And, here, for your protection."
The thief holds out his dagger, the one thing of his meager possessions that he actually seemed to bear any attachment to, out for the hunter to take.
"Thank you." He takes the blade in his hands carefully, feeling its steadying weight and the lingering warmth from the other in the metal.
"I expect it back, though." The thief says, face turning a little red. "So you'd better make sure to return it to me. And don't you dare mail it, either, I won't accept this dagger back from anyone but you!"
"Of course." He smiles tenderly. "I promise to return it with my own two hands."
"…Good." The thief says softly. "I suppose this is goodbye, then."
"For now." The hunter agrees. "If you don't go you'll miss the boat."
The thief glances back, then down at the bag that had what little he owned in it, along with the books that the hunter had given him in order to help him learn as much as possible before he'd arrived in Mythland and after. It'd likely be a few months before they saw each other again, maybe even a year…
The thief steps closer, grabs a handful of his collar, and pulls him down into a kiss. It's short, the other quickly backing away, face red, but it feels like it leaves a phantom image in its wake and the hunter feels his own face turn red.
"Stay safe." The thief says, finally pulling his hood back up to cover his face. "Who knows what they'll do if they catch you."
It was a sobering reminder of what brought them here in the first place. His vision of the future, of their teammates and leader's betrayal of the thief, and his subsequent death because of it. He didn't want to think the others could do such a thing… but he'd rarely had visions with such startling clarity, and they always came to fruition when he did. The thief had always been a point of contention in the group, none of the others ever trusted him, and he never seemed to trust any of the others. They knew his stance on the thief, that he was as much a member of the group as any other, so he knew he would never have had a hand in that future.
So here they were, attempting to change the future he saw.
"I won't die." He assures the thief one last time. "I have to return your dagger, remember?"
The thief huffs, but he can't hide his smile from the hunter, he knew him too well.
"Hey, we're about to leave port!" One of the shipmen calls out.
"Coming!" The thief calls back, spares the hunter one last look, his mismatched eyes glinting with worry, and then hurries down to the boat.
The hunter doesn't stay to watch the ship leave, he didn't want to waste a second of his time when it could be used to shorten how long he had to wait to see the other again.
He doesn't expect to run into Lord Bai Garmadon nearly an hour later on an open stretch of road.
"Zane." The Lord says with a grim smile. "There you are. I had started to worry that something had happened to you."
"No…" He shakes his head. "I just saw something interesting this morning and I ended up following it quite a distance."
"Is that so?" The other says disbelievingly. "You wouldn't happen to have seen where that thief has run off too, did you?"
"He was not there when I got up." He lies. "I suspect he went off to find someplace else to sleep for the night."
Bai Garmadon watches him for a moment, then smiles warmly.
"I see… With both of you missing, I had started to think of the worst, but it seems I was mistaken." He walks up and pats the hunter on the shoulder. He does his best to remain relaxed under the Lord's touch. "I thought maybe you had both decided to betray me."
"Neither of us would do such a thing." He tries to assure the other man. "We've done nothing but help fight those who threaten Ninjago."
"Yes, well, with you having reconciled with your half-brother, you've got ties fairly high up." Lord Garmadon's face darkens. "One might even say you were planning to instill your own ruler, one that you could control."
"I, t-that is ridiculous!" He hadn't expected this sudden line of questioning.
"Is it?"
"Of course! My brother may be of higher standing than I, but he is by no means in a high enough position to take over should you fall."
"You've put some thought into it, then."
"You… you're twisting my words." He was starting to feel sick, he squirmed to get out from under the other's hand.
"Why don't we stop playing games, then?" His grip only gets tighter, and before the hunter knows it, a hand is buried in his chest. It isn't like anything he's ever felt before, and it doesn't hurt as if he'd been stabbed, but something deep within his chest feels like it's being squeezed. "We both know where your true allegiance lies… and now that the pathetic little street rat has decided to run, you're a liability."
"Wh-wh… I… Don't…" The other pulls and the world begins to blur and pain invades his every sense.
"At least I can test this spell before I use it to destroy my nemesis, so you'll have had some worth." Another pull and then there's a sharp moment of clarity, there's something glowing a soft cyan in the Lord's hand. "I'll even make sure your dear brother gets your remains so he can give you a proper funeral."
Then there's the flash of a blade and-
End chapter forty seven
AN: Aw, geez, I guess I should start this off with an apology for missing the usual upload. n My head has been all over the place today (as it isn't midnight JUST yet, so it's still technically Monday) and I keep thinking tomorrow is Wednesday when it's not. Anyway, thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed my story so far! I'll do my best not to miss another update in the future!
-Kit
