"Lunch is ready," Ronin shouted.
Cole, Zane, and Uloe entered the kitchen, then grabbed prepared bowls of rice and noodles and walked into the storage room. Ronin followed, shutting the door behind them.
"Eat up," Ronin ordered. "The stakeout's tonight, remember?"
"Oh right," Cole sighed. "We need someone to act as my 'boss' for the meeting."
"Right," Ronin nodded. "I think Zane will fit in nicely."
"I doubt my presence will ease any doubts," Zane remarked. "Perhaps Uloe will be more suitable. She is, after all, unknown to everyone except us. They will not suspect her."
"True, Zane, but I have an errand to run first," Uloe answered.
"What errand," Ronin asked.
"On the map of Ninjago I showed you earlier," Uloe continued, "I found a name inscribed in the lower right corner, but it's written in an ancient Serpentine tongue that I cannot read. I'm taking it to a translator this afternoon."
"May we accompany you," Zane asked.
"You and Cole need to be ready for tonight," Ronin sighed. "Uloe, do as you wish, but be careful. There's plenty of shady characters out there on the streets."
"Like you," Cole smirked.
"Very funny, Cole," Ronin grumbled.
A few minutes later, Uloe departed from Chen's Noodle Shop, carrying in a bag the map and two liquid vials. She strolled for a few minutes along the road, then ducked into an alleyway behind a souvenir shop. There, she lifted open a pothole and descended into the sewer, shutting the lid behind her.
"Here's the sewers Ronin told me about," Uloe sighed, pulling out a flashlight. "Boy do they smell! The old city never smelled as bad as this, even before they built the original sewer pipes."
For the next hour, she wandered through the sewers, following the traced-out path that led to the Serpentine village. Twice, she encountered dead ends and wrong turns, and once she had to dodge a swam of bats. Eventually, she reached the cracked doors of the village, where a two-headed Serpentine was sleeping on duty.
"Excuse me," she asked him.
The two-headed Serpentine rubbed his eyes, then jumped at the sight of Uloe. He snatched up his spear, then pointed it at Uloe.
"Halt," he ordered. "Who are you? State your name and business."
"I am Uloe," Uloe answered.
"Never heard of you," the guard retorted.
"Sure you have, General Fangtom," Uloe winked. "Isn't guard duty a bit lowly for a former Serpentine general?"
"My scales," Fangtom gasped, dropping his spear. "Please don't hurt me, Master of Lightning."
"I won't harm a fly," Uloe laughed. "Lighten up, Fangtom."
"How can I," Fangtom sighed. "I have this second head because you kicked my fangs into my neck. And besides that, you electrocuted me seven times during the war."
"Sorry," Uloe shrugged. "Just part of a ninja's everyday job. Any chance Scales is in?"
"Sure," Fangtom gestured. "You'll find him inside the elder villas."
Uloe thanked Fangtom, then entered the village of the Serpentine. As she walked, Serpentine stopped in their tracks, staring with wide eyes at the human visitor. Children cowered behind their mothers, while those who remembered the Serpentine Wars scowled and hissed. They parted for Uloe, who ignored them on her stroll to the villas.
A large string of condos, built out of stone and wood hauled from above, sat on the innermost walls, marked by the coat of arms of every Serpentine tribe. Uloe recognized most of them, Fangpyre, Hypnobrai, Venomari, Constricti, Vermillion, and Anacondrai, but there were others she had never seen or heard of before. A large Great Devourer flag fluttered over the chief villa, signifying the residence of the Serpentine king.
Inside the chief villa, she found Scales, Acidius, Skalidor, and two elderly Anacondrai playing cards round a table, the four Fang-blades hanging overhead on a chandelier.
"Scales," Uloe called out.
Scales glanced up, then gasped.
"Who are you," he questioned. "Can't you see we're busy with this card game?"
"Scales, where are your manners," one of the Anacondrai scolded.
"Sorry, Pythor," Scales sighed. "You too, Arcturus. But I am at a loss as to who you are, dear."
"I am Uloe, master of lightning," Uloe answered. "And I seek the wisdom of the famed Anacondrai generals."
"Which one," Pythor asked.
"Arcturus," Uloe answered. "You sir are truly a marvel. To think Garmadon…"
"Don't say that name," Arcturus hissed. "It angers me to this day."
"Fine," Uloe sighed. "I need a bit of translation."
Uloe unraveled the map, then handed it over to Arcturus. He glanced up and down, then squinted his eyes to read. Then he gasped, dropping the map on the table. Everyone else except Scales gasped as well.
"Where did you get this," Arcturus questioned.
"It was buried in a pile of sand," Uloe sighed. "I found it during my wanderings."
"Do you know what this is," Pythor asked.
"No," Scales and Uloe answered at the same time.
"This is an ancient Serpentine map of Ninjago," Arcturus answered, "a map which points to the temples of the Order of Silence. For when we warred ages ago with those cultists, they attempted to absorb elemental powers via a crystal, but failed when their power of hypnosis was destroyed by the Master of Amber. It is this map which shows the location of the Temple of Silence, as well as a portal to the Realm of Silence."
"Why does it matter," Scales asked.
"Because the name inscribed is the name of the one who knows its location," Arcturus answered.
"And who is this one person," Uloe asked.
"Harumi," Arcturus answered.
"The one who resurrected Garmadon and plunged Ninjago into destruction," Scales questioned.
"Augh," Arcturus hissed. "That name again!"
"Allow me, grandfather," Pythor offered. "Three years ago, I paid a visit to this said portal, having heard rumors of its existence from the locals. There, she too visited, noting various things I could not read."
"But we don't have to worry about her anymore," Scales rejoiced. "She was crushed in an apartment building."
"True, true," Arcturus nodded. "But if that is so, then who is standing in that doorway?"
All heads turned toward the doorway, then Uloe gasped. A lady in samurai armor waited in the doorway, spinning in her fingers a charged fire shuriken.
"Hello, boys," the samurai smirked. "Doing anything fun?"
"Just a bunch of old suckers playing cards," Scales shrugged carelessly.
"Oh really," the samurai winked. "I guess that Realm of Silence is casual talk then? Who do you take me for, Scales? I heard everything you said."
"Who are you," Uloe demanded.
"Dear, cool it," the samurai smirked. "I'm just paying a visit, that's all. The name's Laisha, and I order you to surrender that map."
"Not on my watch," Uloe remarked. She entered a fighting stance, then gave the map to Pythor. "You want the map? You come through me."
"Very well then," Laisha noted. "If it's a fight you want, I won't disappoint."
Laisha stopped spinning the shuriken, then suddenly launched at Uloe. Uloe jumped to the side, dodging the spinning blades as they crashed into the wall. Acidious and Skalidor raced for the exit, while Scales and Pythor helped Arcturus slither away. As they left, the shuriken boomeranged back to Laisha, who snatched it out of the air without a glance.
"You are quicker than you look," Laisha nodded, "but not as quick as me."
Laisha flew toward Uloe, her feet igniting like rocket engines. She zoomed into Uloe, smashing her into the wall. Uloe's head spun for a second, but regained its consciousness in time to side-punch Laisha on her second charge. Laisha spun into the table, smashing it to pieces on the floor.
Uloe's victory was short-lived. With a fire boost, Laisha kicked Uloe in the chest, sending her flying through the window onto the patio. Glass shattered everywhere, and all the nearby Serpentine fled for cover. Laisha then snapped her fingers, summoning a whip engulfed in flames. She struck the door, shattering it into splinters with one blow.
"Come back here," Laisha laughed. "I'm just warming up."
She flicked the whip at Uloe, grabbing ahold of her leg. Then she swung the whip backward, flinging Uloe over her head into a support pillar. Uloe winced and tried to stand up, but Laisha's whip was wrapped around her in an instant. She flew again into a pillar, knocking down an upper balcony that crumbled on top of her.
"Had enough," Laisha smirked.
"Nope," Uloe winked.
Laisha cursed, then flicked the whip again. This time, Uloe jumped out of the way, allowing the whip to wrap itself around a large piece of wood. As Laisha pulled the whip back, the log flew forward, striking her in the chest and knocking her flat on her back. Meanwhile, Uloe raced over to a pool of water, diving into the pond to cool her burns.
"Enough," Laisha shouted. "Dead or alive, you will give me that map!"
Laisha jumped up, then pulled out her shuriken. She opened one of the blades, then poured its contents down her throat. For a second, her eyes glowed bright red and her skin boiled, then the heat subsided as the bloodstream absorbed the element. Flames burst all around her, creating an impenetrable ring of fire round her body.
Uloe tried to fling shattered poles at her, but the fire disintegrated them before they touched Laisha. Then Laisha started shooting off multiple volleys of fire, firing at Uloe as she skipped from rock to rock. After a minute of dodging, Uloe tripped, landing in the shallow pool on her face.
"This is it," Uloe thought. "Unless you do something quick, you're worse off than Ronin's burnt puffy potstickers."
Suddenly, her leg twitched, as if a bolt of lightning had electrocuted her. Uloe's eyes widened. Streaks of blue light were surging through her veins, bulging and collapsing as they entered the bloodstream. Then her hands started to twitch, and small bolts of lightning escaped her finger tips.
"My power's back," Uloe asked herself. "I thought I lost this power years ago."
Then she caught a glimpse of Laisha, who was slowly marching toward her with the flaming whip in her hand. She looked down at her hands, then back up at Laisha. Then Uloe smiled.
"I don't know how I got this power," she thought, "but I'll teach Laisha a lesson about messing with elemental masters."
Uloe rose to her feet, then started circling her hands back and forth. A large ball of lightning formed in her hands, sparking and sizzling as the bolts mixed together. Laisha stopped, her eyes wide with awe.
"The Master of Lightning," Laisha gasped. "I…I thought you were dead."
"Think again," Uloe smirked.
Uloe released the ball of lightning. It shot forward from her hands, narrowing into a large beam of lightning that struck Laisha straight in the chest. Laisha's fire bubble burst instantly, as did the whip that Laisha held in her hand. Then Laisha collapsed, shaking and shivering as bolts of lightning electrocuted her. After a few minutes of shivering, she went limp, her eyes closing as Uloe loomed over her.
"That'll teach you to mess with me," Uloe smiled.
"Good work, Uloe," Arcturus complimented as he limped outside. "You proved who the better fighter is today. Here is the map."
"Thank you," Uloe bowed. "You have helped me greatly, Arcturus. But I fear that she will be more than a handful for you when she wakes."
"I will take care of her," Arcturus nodded. "For now, return to the ninja, and share with them my regards."
Uloe thanked Arcturus again, then started back for Ninjago City. She strolled through the entrance again, then disappeared into the darkness, the map still in her possession.