Wasted True Potential.
Kai finds it rather funny, when Wu offers the idea to get the others back into shape. It's even better as the Ninja run around to re-capture the… actually, he doesn't even know what the thing is called, only that it looks like a chicken. He watches from the sidelines, waiting as his friends are forced to dodge traps each day, each night, until Nya snaps. Lloyd offers that they go and talk to Wu, only for him to demand they prove themselves by combat. Of course, It's like when Kai first tried to complete the course. Absolute and utter failure. And of course the chicken too.
Questing for Quests.
Gale explains about a pyramid uncovered by Clutch Powers, who says a ninja would be needed to survive all the traps.
Rocky Start
New toys to drive. Chicken is in there somewhere.
"It is called the Desert of Doom" - Zane "My data-files are incomplete on this subject."
"Really? Why did they call it that?" - Lloyd
"According to ancient Legend, Local tribes once worshiped a giant one thousand year old beetle. Beo-something. One day, for some reason, the beetle became displeased with their prayers, and destroyed their village." - Zane.
"Really?" - Lloyd.
"I have so many questions about that." - Nya.
Later
"Travelers should be wary of encountering any mirages." - Zane
"Mirages?" Jay
"Optical Illusion" Zane. Bernie, as Jay calls him, appears, chasing the Ninja to their vehicles. Bernie grabs the land bounty, dragging it. Use cable, engine overheating, head to rocks to get off the sand. Mirages of rocks. Multiple. Eventually find a real rock outcropping, land on it. Surrounded.
Kai fires at beetle that tries to nab Jay, scares it off. Eventually decide to get the part back to get going, Zane will get eaten, then bring the part back. Success, though fight scene, maybe just have Kai fight if need be? Null help? Jet booster escape
Traps and how to survive them.
They try to coerce Clutch into helping them. Explorers guild calls, revokes his license until he explores Pyramid. Rickety bridge, success, barely. Cobweb tripwire, Jay sets it off, stairs become slide. Dead guy, skeleton, clutch's book. Tombs, of ancient serpentine. Cole lifts blockage, everyone rushes in.
"Beware ye who enter the Serpent's tomb, for her anger nearly did consume all Ninjago. Until a foolish boy, with a staff of power her evil did destroy." Zane realizes his visions, tries to get Jay to stop, but it's too late. The Puzzle complete, the door shatters, and reveals the serpent.
"Free at last." She cackles, her voice pure malice, hatred. "Where is he?" She asks Lloyd.
"Who?" He asks.
"The Treacherous Deceiver. The one who imprisoned me." She explains. "Tell me where he is, and I, Aspheera, will show you mercy."
"I believe she means the boy mentioned in the hieroglyphics." Zane notes.
"What do I tell her?" Lloyd asks.
"The truth! We don't know!" Nya answers.
"That, was uh, a while ago." Lloyd tries to explain, only for Aspheera to fire a blast of energy at him, sending him to the wall. The ninja don their headgear and begin to fire blasts of their elements at Aspheera, who simply cackles, before turning to Kai.
"You. You're a Fire Elemental?" She questions.
"Name's Kai." He introduces blandly, firing a mix of Null and Fire, only for the Serpent to shrug it off.
"Your fire warms me. For too long have I been in this cold, dark place. I, will take your fire." She states.
"You can try." Kai taunts, only for a burst of energy from her spear to knock everyone else back, while he is brought into the air, as it begins to draw the fire element across his body, sapping it out of him.
"What's happening?" Cole asks.
"She's stealing his Elemental Powers! We have to stop her!" Zane warns. The ninja stand back 8up, and the familiar vortex of Spinjitzu surrounds them, as they charge Aspheera. She enters a purple vortex of her own, bright, more vibrant that that of Garmadon. She defeats the ninja with ease, knocking them all back. Eventually, she drops Kai, having taken the Fire from him, which changes the colour of her scales, as she becomes a golden orange Serpent.
"I thank you, Elemental. In return for your gift, I shall spare your lives." Aspheera uses her spear and shackles the ninja onto the wall, before leaving them. "May you enjoy your time in this place, as much as I did. Farewell." Her cackle echoes through the room long after she leaves. Eventually, while Kai is still out, they manage to break free, though still in chains. Kai has a close call with a head crush. Kai gets dragged along, he will not be happy when he wakes up. Stairs aren't fun. Lava wakes up the tomb of evil lava based serpentine. Tied up, Kai hits head every jump. Use dead guys gear, climb once stairs, bridge breaks. Ninja bridge. Outside, Lava stops any more success. Pixal to the rescue in chopper. Frees them.
"Okay, who the fuck bashed me into the wall?" Kai asks, groaning as he awakens.
"Uh…" The ninja just stand by, idle, as they recount the amount of times Kai got bashed in their escape.
"All of you. Excellent. I'm getting the chicken once this is over, and all his friends. You're all gonna have some quality time." Kai warns, Null energy sparking between his fingers. "I was hoping she would drag out the Null too. Would have killed her easily." They make their way to Ninjago, the Museum is where Aspheera took Gale, to find a weapon. Hall H.
Nya opens the case, and Lloyd grasps the scroll, his body radiating his element, his head catching alight with a green fire, before Nya knocks the scroll from his grasp.
"Are you okay?" Cole asks, as Lloyd's rapid breathing begins to slow my a small margin.
"What happened?" Zane asks.
"I… I don't know. It was like I felt this… this wave of energy pass through me." Lloyd explains.
"Your head, WAS ON FIRE!" Jay exclaims. The doors open, revealing Aspheera and her crew.
"You? Impossible! I left you entombed!" She hisses.
"Yet we got out." Kai retorts, standing in front of the others, arcs of black energy coursing along his arms.
"You should be defenseless. Why do you have power?!" Aspheera questions.
"I'm not just an Elemental, Aspheera." Kai admits, a Null Symbol emerging across the floor of the Museum, as roots tear through space and consume her snakes with ease. "I'm cursed." He smirks, his eyes white, a faint glow of power coursing through his body, as the scroll levitates towards him, landing in his outstretched hand. His body doesn't react immediately, but he can feel the build up of energy.
"ATTACK!" She orders, the remaining snakes moving against the Ninja.
"Cover Kai!" Lloyd orders, going after Aspheera, the two engaging in a dance of blades. Kai begins to shake, whispers calling to him as he is forced to kneel, the scroll passing over his mind, etching it's teachings into him, the pain dragging a scream from his mouth, distracting Lloyd long enough for Aspheera to gain the upper hand. While Kai is down, the words beginning to cool in his mind, Aspheera takes the scroll from his grasp, attaching it to her spear.
"At last!" She cries in joy. "The power of the Forbidden Scroll is mine. MINE!"
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Lloyd bites back, the ninja, bar Kai, standing at his side. Their Spinjitzu Vortexes cover them as Kai calls to them.
"DON'T!" His warning falls empty, as Aspheera has a fiery Vortex encompass her, the fire hotter than Kai had ever made it for them, her power seemingly increased as she bats away the ninja with ease. She sends a fireball to the roof, sending some loose rubble to fall upon the Ninja. Kai moves to stop the debris, keeping it from crushing his friends as Aspheera orders her minions. Three fireball snakes move to finish them, but a kid, Jake, if Kai remembered his biggest fan correctly, dashed to the fire alarm, flipping the lever to unleash a torrent of water upon the snakes, with Zane freezing them to end their existence. "Nice work, Jake." Kai compliments the kid, ruffling his hair affectionately. Once free of any obstacles, the ninja move to follow Aspheera, stopping in their tracks to gape at the giant snake she rides. "Devourer was bigger." Kai scoffs.
"We gotta stop that thing!" Lloyd exclaims.
"Wait, Lloyd!" Zane stops him. "Aspheera has beaten us twice now. And with the scroll, she is now more powerful than ever."
"We can't just give up!" Lloyd bites back.
"I don't think he is suggesting that." Kai notes.
"Indeed. Master Wu taught us to think before rushing into battle. We need to know more about her and this 'deceiver.'" Zane affirms. "Perhaps then, we will find a way to defeat her."
"That's ancient Serpentine History. Who are you gonna ask about that?" Cole asks.
"Scales." Both Kai and Zane answer in sync. Lloyd just sighs in acceptance.
"Jay, Cole, Kai. You go find Scales, see if he knows anything." Lloyd orders.
"What are you gonna do?" Jay asks.
"The rest of us are gonna try to slow down Aspheera, maybe even get that scroll back." Lloyd answers. Their missions set, the ninja split up, Kai leading his group through the Sewers, only to have them ambushed by three Hypnobrai.
"Well, guess that's one way to find who we're after." Kai chuckles, as he and the others are shoved along through the sewer, before coming to stop at a seemingly dead end.
"Hey, watch it!" Cole grunts, as a particularly hard shove sends him sprawling.
"Yeah! We're friends with Scales!" Jay adds, as the dead end reveals a hidden door, of which Scales slithers out of.
"Is that what we are? Friends?" Scales asks, menace and frustration in his voice.
"Hmm… I think friends is too broad a term." Kai admits with a sigh. "Especially for these two. How's the family?"
"Fine, for now. But every time you Ninja come down here, it's because someone is trying to destroy the surface world." Scales sighs.
"Yeah. But this time, it's more your culture we are here to ask about. We don't need you to risk yourselves for us." Kai assures. "Above us, Aspheera is currently wreaking havoc, and it would be good to know about her history, along with this 'Treacherous Deceiver.'" Scales eyes widen slightly, before returning to normal.
"Yes, Aspheera is indeed about our History. But this other name, this 'Treacherous Deceiver'… This, I have never actually heard. But, there is someone who may know. Follow me." He guides the Ninja through the door, revealing a Grand Library behind it, where a Venomari General is reading Clutch Powers' book on traps. "This, is Acidicus. He runs our Library, and has a love for books." He turns to the General. "They wish to know about Aspheera and the Treacherous Deceiver."
"Ah, Aspheera. She tried to overthrow King Mambo the Fifth. And, the Treacherous Deceiver her." Acidicus climbs the ladder over a section of history books, his tail coiling around the base as he climbs. "Yes, I know this tale." He affirms, grabbing a book from the top shelf. "In the time of the First Spinjitzu Master, there was a truce between Humans and Serpentine." He opens the book for the ninja to see. "Humans were forbidden to enter the Valley of the Serpentine, and the Serpentine were forbidden from Human lands. But one, willful child, disobeyed the law. He wandered across the Valley and was caught. He would have been punished, but he was rescued by a Serpentine girl. The girl and the boy became friends, but the boy was evil, and corrupted the Serpentine Girl. He turned her own king, and was betrayed by the boy."
"Hey, does that scroll look familiar to anyone?" Cole asks, pointing to the well drawn scroll.
"That's the scroll Aspheera stole from the Museum." Kai affirms. "If she wasn't intent on destroying everything in her path, I might've helped her get revenge, depending on who the boy is."
"It is the scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu." Acidicus explains.
"I think I know who it is." Jay admits. "Think about it, who is super old, and is evil?"
"Garmadon!" Cole and Jay exclaim in unison.
"I'm not so certain." Kai notes. "Think about it, remember when Wu was young and we were taking care of him?" The trio remember the amount of chaos he caused. "I think Wu did something, and I don't think the Story, is completely accurate." He turns to Acidicus. "Would you mind if I came back after this to give my understanding of what happens? I wish to ask both Aspheera and Wu. We can document it in a new novel."
"That, would please me greatly." Acidicus affirms.
"I'll be back." Kai assures, as he drags the other two out, racing over to the Monastery, opening the door to find Wu.
"There's an evil Serpentine sorceress called Aspheera attacking the City!" Jay exclaims quickly.
"Aspheera?" Wu asks, shock and fear, along with a hint of guilt adorn his aged features.
"Jay offered the idea it was Garmadon who betrayed her, but he wasn't the one to do it, was he?" Kai asks.
"No. The one she is looking for, is me." Wu affirms. "In the days of my father, the First Spinjitzu Master, there was Peace, between Humans and Serpentine." Kai quickly activates the hidden microphone and recorder on his Gi, as Wu begins to speak. "But, it was a fragile peace. Humans were forbidden to enter the land of the Serpentine, and the Serpentine, were forbidden from entering the lands of Men. I was young, curious, and I managed to convince my brother to join me as I went into the Serpentine Valleys. To me, it was amazing, seeing how they worked, how they looked. But as we were watching, a group of Serpentine surrounded us. We were brought before their King, who explained how we had been reckless, endangering the peace between our kinds. We were to spend the night in a cell, to think on what we had done. Aspheera, appeared by the door to our cell and began to talk, introducing herself, and then attempting to bargain for our freedom. My brother, afraid, immediately agreed. He bargained the secrets of Spinjitzu for our freedom. But Aspheera wanted my agreement as well. Foolishly, I did. I promised. She then opened the cell, using her dark arts to break the lock. So, Aspheera freed us, and we ran back home. We found our father, who was finishing the scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu. That night, I could not sleep. I was troubled by the promise I had made. A promise that Garmadon had no intention of keeping, but one which, I felt, I must. I returned the next day, to fulfill my promise. But I exacted a promise from her in return. To never use Spinjitzu for evil. She gave her word, and I trusted her, much to my regret. In the days that followed, I taught her the secret of Spinjitzu. My brother had caught me teaching it to her, and confronted me. We fought briefly, and then we never spoke to each other for weeks. One day, numerous villagers were making their way across the roads. I asked what was going on. They said that the Serpentine King had been overthrown by a Serpentine Sorceress who knew Spinjitzu. I told my brother about what had happened, and we put aside our anger. Together, we hoped to undo, what we had done. However, it meant disobeying my Father a second time. We took the Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu. It gave us powers we had never felt before. It made us feel, as though we reached our True Potential in an instant. It was a wonderful feeling, and a terrible one. We moved back to the Valley, and watched as Aspheera tried to show how their King was weak, how he did nothing when the truce had been broken. That night, we confronted her. Garmadon dealt with the Guards, while I fought Aspheera. She complained that I deceived her, that I didn't teach her the secrets of Spinjitzu. I retorted that I didn't deceive her. I simply didn't tell her everything. And so, Aspheera was defeated. Not even her Sorcery could hold against the scroll. King Mambo was restored as king, his rightful throne, and the peace was kept. As for Aspheera, she was in a cell, to be magically entombed."
"So, you nearly caused a war, broke your Fathers law, twice, and didn't expect it to come and bite you in the ass sometime in the future?" Kai questions.
"Maybe?" Wu weakly responds.
"Murphy's Law, Wu. Whatever you've done will come back to haunt you some way or another, even if you are long dead." Kai sighs, as the Monastery shakes.
"What was that?" Pixal asks.
"The Past, catching up to us, one thousand years later." Kai answers, calmly walking out the door, leading the others to the courtyard. "Yes, you were young, you were naive. You made a mistake." Portals begin to open, tears through realities as soldiers of all kinds, from all types, all universes, step out, Vex leads them all.
"I heard Murphy's Law and gathered what I could." He informs, to everyone's amazement and confusion.
"Separated or not, we're still connected. If something severe, or the words 'Murphy's Law' occur or are spoken, Vex gathers soldiers and brings them to whatever dimension it originated from. He's had a few bad experiences and likes to be prepared." Kai explains with a sigh, as fireballs rain from the sky, impacting across the Monastery. Kai opens his own Pocket dimension, grabbing a Plasma Cannon and bringing it out. "Wu, you said there were two scrolls?"
"Yes. After he learned of our actions, he hid them. I don't know where they are." Wu answers.
"Well, someone must have found them." Jay exclaims in a panic, while also awed at the tech used in the weapons the soldiers brought.
"I would put my money on Clutch Powers having found them." Vex interrupts. "He's famous in pretty much every universe I've been to." Kai nods, immediately calling the other three through the headgear's inbuilt comms.
"Lloyd, Zane, Nya, can you hear me?" Kai asks.
"We're here, but we have bad news." Zane begins. "We've lost Aspheera."
"Yeah, that's not an issue. She's currently trying to siege the Monastery." Kai assures. "We've got some help though."
"What do you mean she is besieging the Monastery?" Lloyd asks.
"It's fine. Just Wu's past coming to bit him in the ass. We'll explain more later. We need you to find Clutch Powers, see if he found the second scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu and if he knows where it is, get him to give it to you." Kai orders, before cutting the connection, the the doorway is blasted open by the continuous fireballs. As the smoke clears, the army of Pyro Vipers come face to face with an army of heavy weapons.
"You didn't say please!" The lone Clone Trooper with a mini-gun teases, opening fire and tearing into the first wave, fire scales and snake parts go flying as the high calibre weapon blows apart the closest. The faint glow that originates from Aspheera's form is all the warning they get before a blast of energy disintegrates several troops, the Clone having barely rolled out of the way, forced to leave his weapon behind.
"It's Umbara all over again." Vex sighs, stepping forth as another blast of energy fires. He raises his prosthetic, willing an energy shield before him as the blast dissipates across it, the scales covering his prosthetic cracking. "I can't hold this forever!" He warns. Pixal moves over to the wall, activating a secret lever that activates the Monastery's Defense System. Elemental Based Turrets emerge from the wall, and numerous rocks, aiming towards the army of serpentine. The Water Turrets take precedence, their effectiveness against the Pyro Vipers giving them a greater advantage as Vex's army continues to fire their own weapons. With Aspheera focused on the defenses, Vex begins to order his troops, forcing them to disperse across the Temple, grabbing a few weapons and handing them to the Ninja. "In case things go poorly. These might buy you some extra time that my men and I might not be able to." He explains, before moving off to find his own position.
"We need to get out of sight. Let the soldiers buy us the time we need." Kai orders.
"But what about the soldiers?" Jay asks.
"They died a long time ago. Now, they serve the Null, and Vex, his most trusted friends." Kai explains darkly. "They can't exactly be killed. Now come on." He leads them into the Temple, signaling Pixal, who opens the hidden Vehicle chamber. Jay is the last to pass the doors, having to leap in as they slide shut. Pixal dashes over to the main computer, bringing up the security feeds onto the massive screen.
"They have us completely surrounded. There's no way out." Pixal notes. Across the feed, multiple incursion arise, as groups of soldiers fight against sections of the Pyro Vipers, keeping them at bay for as long as they can.
"Do you at least have a plan?" Cole asks.
"Well, it's not finished, but yes." Pixal affirms, activating a switch that brings an incomplete mech into view.
"Well then. Lets get to work." Kai grins, immediately grabbing the welding torch as Pixal begins ordering the build. Cole keeps back, staying beside Wu, who was curious as to why Kai took the welding torch.
"Aspheera stole his Elemental Fire. Ever since, he's been more, subdued. He's darker in thought, in mind. Like his light has been extinguished." Cole explains solemnly.
"His remaining power is dark in nature. If you noticed, Vex was, almost blank. Little bits of emotion shone through, but he was almost like the night sky. Kai's fire, along with Nya, and Skylor, are the only lights in his life. People and things he can genuinely carry with him. They keep him somewhat sane, and together. But without his fire, and Nya, and Skylor elsewhere, he has to fight that darkness." Wu sighs. "If it wasn't for my past mistakes, he wouldn't be in this situation. None of you would be. You've paid the price for my mistakes." It takes a good hour before the lift is found, the mech almost complete thanks to Kai's Null powers, allowing him to do multiple things at once.
"Well, the troops bought as much time as they could." Kai notes, a sigh escaping his lips, a moment of thanks, before he refocuses. "But for now, all we can do is fight, whether we are ready or not."
"No." Wu declares. "I will pay for my own mistakes. Alone." He turns and begins walking away.
"You can't do that! Aspheera will destroy you!" Cole argues.
"Perhaps, that is for the best." Wu states.
"How can you say that?" Jay asks in shock.
"Because Kai has already lost his powers. Stolen by Aspheera. I cannot be your Master, I cannot teach you to take responsibility, if I run away from my own. You all have paid for my mistakes, and for that, I truly am sorry. Allow me, now, to make amends." Wu explains sadly.
"Whether it's your mistakes or not that have caused this, does not mean you should carry the burden alone." Kai states gently, having dashed to Wu's side to stop him. "Giving yourself over to Aspheera will be a mistake. She won't do anything different. She will forcefully conquer Ninjago once you are gone. We know what we need to stop her, we just need to buy the others more time. Giving yourself up will make her move faster. The longer she has to search or hunt you down, the better the chance we have at actually stopping her."
"He's right." Cole admits. "You are what she is after. The moment she has you, we lose."
"Besides. We're a family." Kai adds. "We fight together, and die together. No matter what." The shudders and thuds of the metal door being pounded against garners everyone's attention. They dash back to the monitor, bearing witness as snake after flaming snake charges against it. Hell, even the 2IC is tossed against the door in an attempt.
"Uh, she looks kinda mad." Jay shudders.
"You think? She just tossed one of her non exploding subjects into the door like nothing!" Cole exclaims.
"She's more powerful than I remember." Wu notes. "Those doors won't hold for much longer." Jay immediately jumps over to the mech, and tries to start it up, but after a few moments, the systems fail and the mech powers down. Kai and Pixal go and get back to work, moving even faster to finish getting the electronic systems running and functional. Minutes continue to pass, before both Kai and Wu hear Aspheera's voice.
"Wu?" Kai questions solemnly.
"She is consumed by so much hatred, so much anger." Wu notes sadly. The comms chirp, and everyone dashes back to the monitor.
"Pixal, come in!" Nya's voice calls through. Pixal brings up the imagery, showing Nya's face.
"Nya, where are you?" She asks.
"I'm with Zane and Lloyd. We have the second scroll." She assures.
"Nice job, sis." Kai compliments.
"Nya, make sure you are all careful with that scroll. The less you handle it, the better, Lloyd especially." Wu warns.
"Understood." She affirms. The whole base shudders, as the doors creak, the metal beginning to give way. "What was that?"
"The structural integrity of the doors is failing. You need to hurry." Pixal exclaims. Nya nods, before the connection is cut. The doors continue to buckle under the constant barrage of exploding snakes.
"There!" Cole exclaims, noticing the vent. He drags Wu below, as Pixal begins working on the computers.
"Pixal, we don't have the time." Kai warns.
"Just a few more seconds." Pixal assures. The doors break away, smoke clouding the view long enough for Pixal to finish, and jump into the mech, Kai closing the vent behind himself as he jumps down. Aspheera begins to complain, finding no sign of anyone, until she manages to send dust down, causing Jay to sneeze, revealing their location.
"At last." She croons in delight. "I've dreamed, dreamed of this moment, Wu." The light thump of metal feet and the shadow above warns Aspheera of the danger, but too late, as she is tossed away from the vent by the now working mech.
"Keep dreaming." Pixal retorts. "You have no place here, witch."
"Who are you?!" Aspheera questions.
"Pixal." The female nindroid responds. "Now step away bitch." Kai is the first to depart the vent, bringing the Plasma Cannon back from the pocket dimension it was stored in. Aspheera charges the spear, but The explosive shot from Kai's Cannon knocks her down, the spear tumbling out of her grasp. She orders her army against them, as she begins to bring the massive stalactites down onto the mech, forcing her down after the third hit, as the ninja continue to fight, Kai using the plasma cannon to tear through the forces. Aspheera then concentrates a beam and fires it at Pixal, who brings the mech arm up to defend. As the beam hits, the arms disintegrates. The ninja are soon overwhelmed by the snakes, as more and more continue to pour out. The plasma cannon soon runs out of ammo, and Kai is quickly subdued first, before he could draw his katana. Jay is piled upon, and Cole is backed into a wall.
"No matter, it seems you still fail to beat me." Aspheera mutters to herself. She begins to move towards Wu, when Zane arrives, firing a barrage of ice missiles from his helicopter. The Land Bounty arrives as well, and mows down a number of vipers as Lloyd, wielding the second scroll, leaps down.
"ASPHEERA!" He calls.
"The second scroll?" She wonders aloud.
"FACE ME!" He taunts, jumping down, bearing the spear against her. She doesn't back down from the challenge. Both immediately begin to fight, the Spinjitzu Vortex's covering them as they clash. While the vipers watch on in awe, alongside the ninja, Kai begins to take them out, freeing himself and cutting them apart one by one. Eventually, Lloyd is overpowered, and the spear is knocked from his grasp. Jay takes it up, entering the fray as Kai continues his work. Jay is quickly taken down, and Cole soon after, the spear knocked over to Zane, who hesitates. Aspheera takes that moment, and fires a burst from her spear. Everyone jumps away, as the mech is disintegrated completely. Zane finally picks the spear up, and rather than just fight, he uses his powers, opening himself to everything as he freezes Aspheera, and the remaining vipers behind her, that Kai had not gotten to.
"How did you do that?" Jay asks.
"It's the power of the scroll. Zane, give it to me." Wu orders gently, moving to the Ninja of Ice. He begins to hand it over, only for Aspheera, still alive, to fire at Wu. Noticing this, Zane pushes Wu away, taking the hit, disintegrating, the spear gone along with him. Aspheera finally succumbs to freezing, her body slumping as it fights away the biting cold, as the last remaining scroll clatters to the ground. As the Ninja move to where Zane had once stood, Kai moves over to Wu, helping him up. Wu, gives no struggle, his sadness palpable.
As Wu had gone to talk to the imprisoned Aspheera, Kai stayed in the hideout, bringing up the security footage of the battle. He watches intently, as Aspheera fires her disintegrating shot at the mech, the first time. What he had believed to be something that erased matter, did something else entirely. He watched in the slowest speed at the arm was displaced, sent elsewhere. He brings up the shot of the rest of the mech, watched as it does the same thing. He then brings up Zane's sacrifice, watching as, rather then kill, it sent him away.
"Pixal." Kai calls to the nindroid, who had seemed to deflate since Zane's supposed death. "Look at this." He replays the mech's destruction, watching as she analyzed the footage. "The mech wasn't destroyed at all."
"It was displaced. Sent somewhere else." She notices the same thing he had.
"I don't think Zane is dead." Kai admits, turning to face the brightened nindroid. "He was sent to another realm."
"But where?" She wonders aloud. Wu bursts in, out of breath, but animated.
"Zane's not dead!" He exclaims. "Aspheera never wanted me dead. She wanted me to suffer. She sent him to the never-realm!"
It was easy to bring everyone else up to speed, but it was the explanation of the Never-Realm that set everyone on edge. A place, where even Wu's Father, The First Spinjitzu Master, had trouble finding his way out of.
"I can use Aspheera's staff to find Zane." He assures, opening the locker it was held within. "It banished him there, it will work for me too. Once I find him, I will use the travelers tea to bring us both home."
"You mean, all seven of us." Lloyd corrects. "Because we are going with you."
"Yeah!" Cole agrees.
"Absolutely not!" Wu denies. "I cannot allow it. What happened to him is my fault. And mine alone."
"Wu, I may not yet have control of my fire again, but I can still trap you here with my Null powers if I must." Kai warns. "You are not going alone."
"ENOUGH!" Wu shouts. "I will not risk anymore lives."
"Fine." Lloyd huffs. "But at least sleep on it. Don't rush yourself." He storms out, a smirk hidden from view. The other ninja begin to follow him, leaving Kai and Wu alone.
"I suppose I can humour that request." Wu sighs. Kai nods gently, before summoning Null energy into the air.
"I'm sorry, Wu." Kai apologises.
"What for?" He asks, only to fall asleep, the Null energies sending his consciousness away.
"For what we're about to do." Kai finishes, taking the staff/spear/scroll combo and travelers tea, making his way to the others, as their Master lies asleep. He finds them in the hidden chamber, already packed and prepared. Kai had already ensured to have Vex reload the plasma cannon, and even got a few extra ammo canisters. He was beginning to fall in love with the weapon, though it would never beat his katanas.
"You got it?" Jay asks, giddy and excited, yet concerned and unsure as well.
"Yeah. Wu won't be waking up for a few days. Pixal, could you give him an IV to ensure I don't end up killing him from thirst by doing this?" Kai asks.
"I'll keep him in good health." She assures. "Just make sure to bring back Zane, or his core." Lloyd hands her the staff, as they board the Land Bounty. Pixal then banishes them, sending them away, through the wormhole. The vehicle shudders, and thuds, the walls of the portal a physical structure that begins to leave minor dents within the hull, before all turns to black, a void that seems to consume all.
'My land was once peaceful and pristine. But that changed decades ago, when the fire nation - I mean, Ice Emperor imposed his will and corruption upon us, and destroyed my people. Now, there is no one left to defy him. But, I believe, that one day, someone will stand up against him. I believe that heroes still exist.'
The void brightens, as the tip of a snowy mountain appears in sight of the ninja, the Land Bounty impacting heavily, parts torn away from the force, a rock sending the vehicle into a roll, as it makes it's way down the mount, landing with a final crash that sends everyone into pain, their visions darkening before returning, a dizziness overcoming them all, though the voice seems to echo in Kai's mind.
"Everyone somewhat okay?" Kai asks, his battered body protesting as he frees himself from the seat-belt, landing with a stumble, as he moves to help the others down.
"Just peachy." Nya answers, her voice heavy with pain, easily speaking for them all. Once everyone is on their feet, somewhat shakily, Nya moves to the console, the map returning to show nothing. "We're definitely off the map. Coordinates unknown."
"Certainly sounds like the Never-Realm. Nya, can you get us a portable scanner that can connect to a holographic map? It would probably be best so that, just in case we are forced to return here, we know vaguely where things are." Kai orders. Nya nods, and a small data-stick and Tablet eject from the console, both of which she grabs a hold of immediately. "Lloyd, did Pixal give you a way to find Zane?"
"Well, not Zane exactly, but definitely a way to find the mech." Lloyd answers, bringing the locator to view. "500 Meter Radius, so we would still need to be rather close, and we have no idea how big this realm is." The vehicle begins to shudder and move, as everyone begins to move towards the front.
"That's not good." Cole notes.
"We need to get off this thing, NOW!" Kai orders, using his Null powers to give the others a boost as he takes the back. The vehicle continues to topple, and Kai is forced to jump to avoid being brought down with the fall, as he grabs a hold of a rocky outcropping. Cole helps him up, and the group looks down to where the vehicle faintly thuds against the ground.
"Worst parking spot ever." Jay complains. Cole begins to feel for the tea, only to notice it's absence.
"What's worse, is the fact the Travelers Tea is gone." He reveals. The ninja begin to panic, before Kai shuts them all up.
"Enough!" He yells, careful of his voice to avoid an avalanche. "What's done is done. Besides, how do we know the Travelers Tea was going to work?"
"What do you mean?" Lloyd asks in worry.
"I didn't want to bring it up, but how do we know that Wu was telling the truth about returning with Travelers Tea? Remember, he explained that his father had difficulties even finding his way home. If he had Travelers Tea, which he probably did, why was it so hard for him to return?" Kai questions with a sigh.
"So Wu lied to us again?" Lloyd wonders aloud.
"Remember, he wanted to go alone." Kai notes. "He didn't expect us to do what he was going to do. He had no reason to believe we would follow in his footsteps. Though he should probably have learned by now that we would have tried."
"So what are we supposed to do now?" Jay asks.
"We need to get off this mountain before we freeze to death." Lloyd answers, before leading the group on. Eventually, they make it off, the entire group shivering, bar Kai, who, while his body was cold, could not feel it due to his Null powers.
"I'm s-s-s-so… c-cold…" Cole shivers, his voice shaking as his body tries to generate some form of heat. Kai tries to call upon the fire that had been returned to him, but it ignored his call.
"I c-c-can't h-help." His body was still trying to generate heat, even if he could feel no difference.
"'s n-n-not your f-f-fault." Lloyd tries to assure, only for a growl to catch their attention, as a pack of wolves begin to surround them, blue eyes seemingly glowing. Kai feels the echo of a giant wolf in his mind as he looks at the pack. Something seemed off to him. "RUN!" Lloyd orders, forcing him to ignore whatever he felt, as the group ran from the pursuing pack. Lloyd, busy looking behind him, runs into a tree, and the others stop to help him back up. As they look upon the pack that had caught up to them, the wolves begin to back away, retreating for no apparent reason.
"That's odd." A now warmer Jay notes.
"Come on. We should go before whatever is holding them back stops working." Lloyd warns, leading them on once more, until they come across a mass of frozen people.
"What happened to them?" Jay wonders aloud. Nya moves over to one of the frozen people, and puts her hand on the ice.
"I can feel a heartbeat. They're just… in stasis." Nya explains. Cole tries to bash the Ice open, but fails to leave a dent.
"I wonder what they were frozen by?" Cole questions.
"Zane." Kai answers simply. "He still has the scroll. It wouldn't be a surprise if something happened to him, and this is the result." The locator pings loudly, and Nya brings it out.
"Well, we've got a signal from the mech, faint as it is." She huffs, before pointing towards the ping. "Due East."
"But what about these people? They're still alive!" Jay exclaims.
"There's nothing we can do for them right now." Lloyd states solemnly. "We don't even know what really happened."
"We have to keep moving." Nya agrees sadly. "It'll be dark soon. We can come back and figure out what happened." They move towards the ping, when wolves begin to surround them once more.
"Okay, I've had it." Kai huffs, bringing out his plasma cannon, firing a warning shot towards the wolves, causing a few minor burns to their fur. "Mess with us, and death is all you will find." He warns, his eyes shining white. He doesn't need to act, however, as numerous arrows, are shot toward the wolves, who, seemingly recognizing them, fall back. The ninja all look to where the arrows were shot from, finding three fur covered people, the leading one gesturing for them to follow. They are lead to what used to be an old fishing village, the large lake now frozen over. As they are lead through the houses, they notice that they are damaged, and severely worn. They are then lead to a home, where inside, a fire is lit, and an elderly woman sits, eyeing them with a faint smile.
"Come, come. Warm yourselves." She ushers them in, with all but Kai rushing into the fire's warmth.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Jay praises.
"Who are you? What is this place?" Kai asks softly.
"This is my home." The woman retorts with a soft chuckle, to which Kai rolls his eyes, before joining the others by the fire. "I am Sorla. We are the people of Great Lake. Who, are you? Where do you come from?"
"Somewhere far from here. Another realm." Kai answers, as the ones who had guided them here begin to murmur.
"We've come looking for a friend. His name is Zane." Lloyd adds.
"Oh, we haven't seen anyone for years. We are the last Tribe on the Ice. The others have all fled South and soon, we too, must go." Sorla explains. "The Cold grows too strong. The Ice too thick. But, perhaps Old Sorla can help. Look into the Hearth-fire." She instructs, tossing something into the fire to turn it green, some salts perhaps. "Tell me the name of your friend again?"
"Zane." Lloyd answers.
"And where he is from?" Sorla asks.
"Ninjago." Nya answers. Sorla closes her eyes, her smile fading away as she focuses.
"Show us, Spirits of the Earth. Spirits of the Lake. Show us, the fate of Zane from Ninjago." Sorla asks for the spirits to give guidance, and they answer, Kai hearing their whispers of pain, of loss, as the fire blooms to show a great castle, a great fortress.
"The Emperor!" One villager exclaims.
"The Castle of Ice." Another adds.
"I, am sorry, for your loss." Sorla states.
"What do you mean?" Lloyd asks.
"You cannot save your friend. He has been taken prisoner by the Ice Emperor." Sorla explains. "For decades, he has ruled this realm. Crushing all who stand in his way. His Ice Castle, is on the other side of the mountains. A bitter, foul place where the Ice is corrupt. A place we do not go." Kai's mind begins to work, drowning out what Lloyd begins to ask, as he focuses on the facts, until something catches his attention. "Be warned. His General Vex sees many things. The Dark Ice serves him. If he knows you are here, he will warn the Emperor." A rift opens up, and Vex walks through.
"Where is this impostor?! Let me at him!" Vex demands, the room shaking until Kai puts a hand on his shoulder, and tosses him back through the rift.
"Your time, has passed." Kai declares. "Ignore him and do go on."
"Vex?" Lloyd asks.
"He will send his Blizzard Samurai. They feel nothing. Fear, nothing. They will come for you." Sorla warns.
"Then they likely already know we are here." Kai notes. Sorla nods solemnly, and brings out a map.
"You're friend is in the Ice Castle, here. There are only two paths through the Mountain. This is the safest." Sorla explains, showing the pass.
"A Pass?" Lloyd asks.
"In the old tongue, it is Mala Wojira." Sorla furthers.
"What does it mean?" Jay asks.
"Wojira's Wrath." Kai answers. "What they call the Old Tongue, for me, is Dragon Tongue."
"But you must be careful. You cannot make a sound in this place. You cannot speak, or whisper. Even your footfalls must be like a gentle breeze." Sorla warns.
"Why?" Lloyd questions.
"If you make a sound. Wojira will strike you down." She makes a motion, though Lloyd makes no sense of it.
"She means an Avalanche will crush us." Kai translates.
"Right. So we'll just be silent." Lloyd assures, though uncertain himself. The two walk outside, where the other Ninja had left to after a while, watching them fool around, as Nya keeps trying to find the mech.
"ALARM! ALARM! THEY'RE COMING!" A fisherman calls in warning, as he and his buddy deposit the fish. "Blizzard Samurai! On the march!"
"They're coming for our village!" The other fisher adds. "We saw them coming down the pass!"
"BOMA! UTAG! Are you sure you saw this?" Sorla asks. Both nod their heads solemnly. "Gather the Elders. There's no time to lose." The village and it's elders gather, and begin to bicker.
"What do we do? The Pass is only a few hours away!"
"We have to hide! We must abandon the Village!"
"And leave the fire behind? Are you mad?"
"What choice do we have? I say we hide in the village of the formlings!"
"I won't go there! Not after what happened. That place is cursed!"
"We cannot abandon the Fire." Sorla declares. "This Fire, is life. We must protect it."
"I don't understand. Isn't there another way to create another fire?" Kai asks curiously, much to the disgust of everyone present.
"They are new, to our Realm. They do not know." Sorla defends them, turning to Kai. "The Winters have grown too cold. It is impossible to light a new fire now. We have kept this fire going by adding wood every morning and every night. It has burned for decades."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Kai apologises.
"This Fire, is life. If the Fire dies, so will we." Sorla adds solemnly.
"What if we tried to transport it? With torches?" Lloyd asks.
"The risk is too great. The Hearth Fire is the Heart of our people. It keeps the darkness at bay, gives us hope. If the Fire goes out, our Hope is lost. No, we must stay and protect it. We must fight." She declares.
"Then we will fight with you." Lloyd assures. As everyone goes to fight, kai stays, gazing longingly, saddened, at the fire.
"Do not fear for us, Kai. All will be well." Sorla assures.
"I'm not afraid about that." Kai admits. "It's… I used to be able to wield Fire unlike most. To summon it, to bring it to bear against an enemy who fought to destroy what we hold dear."
"You should not fret. Your powers come from within. Whatever happened, it simply drained all but the smallest amount from you. You still have your powers, you just need to find the right way to fuel it once again." She chuckles. "It can wane, it can wax, but it cannot be truly taken."
The ninja all help build up the village, adding stockades and walls of ice, readying weapons to fight against the incoming army. By the end of the day, several ice brick towers were built, numerous stockades blocking the path in, as the villagers stood atop the towers, bows at the ready. It was the whistle of arrows that gave them warning, forcing them to take cover as hundreds of arrows rained from above, piercing into the ice bricks and into the snow covered ground, but managing to miss everyone.
From the now based fog, the Blizzard Samurai approached, their eyes glowing an ice blue hue as they readied to charge. As they moved, the villagers opened fire. Nya used a spear to deflect any arrows aimed for her, while Jay fought back with arcs of lightning, shattering the army of Ice. Kai took the front lines, beating back the closest waves of enemies with his katanas, the Plasma Cannon being a no go in this situation. Among the warriors of Ice, some hid flesh and bone, as Kai found when he removed the head of one, backing up slightly as the Ice that once covered the person, faded to reveal a normal person beneath.
The one in charge, using Kai's moment of hesitation, kicks him away, bringing his battleaxe to cleave him in two. Kai rolls, dodging the strike as he brings his katana to bear, blocking the heavy blow with some difficulty, before Lloyd backs him up, kicking the leader away, Cole using his empowered fists to shatter his weapon.
"It's over! You've lost." Lloyd declares, pointing his weapon at the leader.
"You sheltered the newcomers. You should have known not to defy the Ice Emperor!" The Leader taunts Sorla, as he leaps away.
"He's going for the Fire!" Kai exclaims, dashing inside, but too late, as the Leader smashes through the roof, and disperses the Fire with his Axe, the flames dying almost instantly, with sparks impacting against Kai.
"You have won the Battle. But without your Fire, you have lost the War." The Leader declares, leaping out once more, and calling his troops to fall back. The village joins together where the Fire once stood, taking the time to mourn, As Kai glances around, sorrow and pained.
"I'm sorry." He apologises.
"It's not your fault, Kai." Sorla assures.
"I just, I wish there was something I could do." Kai sighs.
"You did all you could, did you not?" Sorla asks. Kai stands, and calls. He does not cry, he does not shout, he just, calls. Calls deep within, calls for the Fire he loved, the Fire he knew, to help him, one more time. The Wood, still somewhat warm, begins to smolder, smoke beginning to rise, before the fire grows, renewing the Hearth Fire once more, as he screams in anguish, his pain fueling the flames, to fight, for those who could not. The Villagers, chanting out 'Fire Maker' are drowned out by Kai, who practically collapses, his Sister trying to keep him standing as his body burns once more. The night settles, and the village falls into slumber, as Kai watches over them, his body energised, his body seemingly awake, a vigilant watcher for the night.
Come morning, the Ninja began to help the village rebuild, fixing the homes of many. Kai helped to warm those in bad shape, using his powers to help them and even cook their fish. The villagers were practically swarming him, not letting him out of sight.
He could feel Nya's own frustrations about her own Element being held down, but he didn't know how to help her. It was Lloyd he was most concerned about. He knew his mind, knew how he thought. He wouldn't stay for long. Discreetly, he takes a page out of Vex's book, forcing a part of himself away to attach to Lloyd, to keep an eye, to know if he needs a hand, he can be there without an issue of time. A flicker of flame, a spark, dances its way to Lloyd, merging into his body without his notice.
The whole village bids him good luck, as he leaves them for his search. Once he is out of sight, they get back to work. Kai, having been able to escape from the villagers that hounded him, began to work on building up some armour and better weapons for the villagers, using his transportable forge, bringing the equipment out of his pocket dimension and using his restored powers to start working his magic.
The sound of terrified, upset kids, brings Kai out of his work. He turns to where they originated, finding Cole attempting to soothe them from his story.
"It's just paper! I drew them!" He calls, but the kids don't return.
"What did you tell them?" Kai asks with a sigh.
"Nothing! I was just telling them about Zane. And Aspheera, and how she blasted him to the Never-Realm." Cole retorts in defense.
"You think that story is appropriate for little kids?" Nya asks.
"5 to 13? Definitely!" Cole affirms, much to the indignation of those present.
"Look! Over here!" One of the villagers calls, urging the ninja over. He opens his hand to reveal the piece of green fabric within his grasp.
"That's Lloyd's!" Nya exclaims in worry.
"Was it in the snow, near an avalanche?" Kai asks the villager, who nods in affirmation. "Yeah, he's fine. He was forced to bring an avalanche on top of the Blizzard Samurai who attacked him." The ninja, and villagers look to him in shock. "What?"
"One, how do you know this, two, how is everything fine?" Jay asks.
"Well, I copied Vex's technique. Put a part of yourself onto someone and you can see, hear, and feel what they do! A gave him a small spark." Kai begins. "As for why it's all fine? He's alive. He isn't in any severe danger, or I would be there helping him." Everyone just continues to stare at him, mostly in shock at the power, but the ninja were just confused as to why he never did this before to their knowledge. "Right. I'm gonna get back to work on that armour and weaponry." He walks away before anyone can further question him, going back to his work.
The moment he felt the pure terror, he moved. One minute, he was at his forge, the next, in a burst of fire, he was gone. He reappears by Lloyd, as he runs right past him. He turns to see why, finding a giant bird gunning straight for him. He barely rolls out of the way, as the bird flies past, continuing to go for Lloyd. Without anything trying to kill him, Kai unsheathes one of his katana. His gaze follows the bird, as it swoops, and misses, flying into the air before beginning it's dive once more. As the bird dives, he throws, the katana spinning its way as it slices the underside of the bird. Kai reforms by Lloyd once more,as the bird drops down, the blood spilling across the icy floor.
"We need to run. I don't think that hit will busy that thing for long." Kai warns, running alongside both Lloyd and the wolf, as they rush towards the cave, making it inside as the bird begins to pick itself back up. At this point, they notice an incessant beeping, originating from Lloyd. He grabs the locator that demands attention.
"The mech. It's here." He notes, his breathing rapid from the sprint. Kai glances at the locator, then deeper into the cave, noticing the giant shadow that loomed before them.
"Yeah. It is." Kai agrees, his hand igniting as he creates a flame, before sending it out, using it to light the depths of the cave. The mech shines, slightly rusted, heavily worn, but intact. Lloyd rushes towards the mech, leaving Kai and the wolf together, as they leisurely catch up to him.
"Zane?!" Lloyd calls, hope filling his voice.
"There's no one else here, Lloyd." Kai admits, making his way towards a monitor set up nearby. He connects the battery, and the monitor activates, fizzling alive.
"Greetings, friend. If you have found this recording, then I am no longer here. My name is Zane. I am a stranger in this land, trying to find my way home." Zane then sighs, seemingly tired. "It is difficult to keep track of the days in this place. It feels like I've been here a long time. But I refuse to give up hope." The screen turns to static for a while, before returning. "The mech's processing unit is damaged. I may be able to fix it, but it requires running a diagnostic. I will attempt to connect myself to the mech's processor." A moment of static. "As long as the cable is not disconnected, I should be okay." Static again, and Lloyd has trouble keeping away from the battery in an attempt to fix it. "But if anything goes wrong, if this should be found one day… please relay this message. This is the last recording of Zane, Master of Ice, Son of Doctor Julien, Student of Master Wu. I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I have tried to fulfill this purpose, I have no regrets. I have the best friends anyone can ask for. Pixal, I love you. Farewell." The screen becomes static for the last time. Lloyd moves away, as Kai takes a closer look at the mech, finding the wires that had once connected Zane to the mech's processing unit.
"I may not be as good a builder as Zane, but I'm twice as stubborn. I will get this thing working again, if it's the last thing I do." Lloyd declares. As Lloyd got to work on the mech, Kai and the Wolf watch, the latter in awe at his determination, while Kai is simply mulling over thoughts. As Lloyd begins to use his powers to recharge the mech's battery, Kai returns to the entrance of the cave, where the bird is healing it's wounds. A rift opens beside him, as Vex walks out, looking pensively at the bird.
"She's beautiful, isn't she." Vex notes.
"Deadly too." Kai adds with a sigh. "I don't want to harm her, I kept myself from cleaving her in two. But if we have any chance of moving on from here, she has to go."
"I see. I suppose I could take her in." Vex notes.
"How?" Kai questions.
"I have someone who would be able to make a friend of her." Vex chuckles, opening a rift around the giant bird, sending it away with ease. "Your friends are worried."
"They'll get over it." Kai assures. "Though it will take time."
"Time isn't your ally, remember?" Vex warns.
"I know. But some things are just worth it." Kai admits, as Vex takes his leave. The thud of a working mech echoes through the cave, and Kai walks out, taking cover to the side of the entrance as Lloyd bursts through, sending shards of ice everywhere.
"Where's the bird?" Lloyd asks.
"She's no longer our problem." Kai assures. He watches as he gently picks the wolf up, once he assured her it's safe. Kai simply leaps on top of the mech, finding his spot between the shoulders and head.
"I haven't seen you do that for a long time." Lloyd notes solemnly. "Do you ever plan on showing the others your true potential?"
"I'm afraid it will just drive a greater rift between us. I still remember Nya's face when I had to face our father." Kai replies sadly.
"So it'll stay just between us then." Lloyd sighs.
"Well, three of us, now." Kai corrects with a chuckle, before turning solemn once more. "But yeah. Unless it becomes a life or death situation, I'll keep my truth hidden." Lloyd simply hums in acknowledgement, as he continues to move onwards. He worked on recounting his life tale to the wolf, bringing her up to speed to the Sons of Garmadon point before the sound of thunder halted his words.
"Those don't look good." Lloyd notes.
"Yeah. That's a storm if I've ever seen one." Kai affirms. "We'll need to pick up the pace." Lloyd agrees, pushing the mech into a jog rather than the walk it was set in. It takes them a few minutes before coming across an ice as dark as the ocean, rippled with arcs of energy. Lloyd begins to depart the mech, before Kai stops him. "Don't." He warns. "That is the corrupted Ice Sorla spoke of. We'd best not touch it." Lloyd follows the advice, and they march on again, only to be stopped by the glow of lightning behind them.
"What is that?" Lloyd asks, turning the mech around. They barely miss a rocky fist to the main core of the mech, only to be pushed back by the resulting swipe.
"That… Is the biggest Golem I have ever seen." Kai admits. "Be wary of where you strike. Unless you destroy the core, it will regenerate lost parts."
"Core? I can't see a core anywhere!" Lloyd exclaims, pushed back yet again, the force knocking Kai off his perch, sending him into the snow. The Golem keeps pushing, before sending itself, and Lloyd over the mountain.
"Lloyd!" Kai calls, jumping down the mountain, landing on the snow and sliding his way down, the wolf close behind him. They reach the bottom, finding the Golem in pieces, but beginning to reform, and Lloyd, groggily trying to get back up, the mech damaged but functional. "Get up, Lloyd! NOW!" His words help to ground the somewhat concussed Ninja, as he barely manages to defend a blow from the Golem. The Wolf begins to run around the Golem, drawing attention away as Lloyd is pushed back further, his weapons ineffective against an invincible enemy. The Golem soon gains a further advantage, kicking the wolf away as it refocuses on Lloyd. Kai brings out his plasma cannon and fires several shots into the back of the Golem, damaging the rock frame. Lloyd uses the moment to throw the Golem onto the frozen lake. With the Golem somewhat stunned, Lloyd makes several cuts across the ice, before tossing rocks, forcing the ice to collapse under the Golem, drowning the core and eliminating the threat. Kai is the first to rush to the injured wolf, Lloyd following soon after.
"Ah, shit. He took quite a hit." Lloyd notes, jumping out of the mech after positioning it above the wolf, med-kit and heat lamp in hand.
"She. And yeah, she'll need a bandage on the leg. I've done what I can for the internal bleeding, internally cauterizing the wound, but her body will have to do the rest." Kai explains, blood on his hands as he had been cauterizing the gash on the leg. Lloyd moves over and applies the bandage. Once the bandage is set, Lloyd dozes off, tired beyond belief, as Kai keeps watch.
It's early morning, when Kai feels the wolf shift, her form becoming human, as her body continued to heal. He grabs an extra blanket from the mech and drapes it over her for more warmth, the fur that had been doing the job before hand now being gone. Lloyd wakes first, the She-Wolf awaking less than a second after.
"Ah! Who are you? Where's Red?" Lloyd asks, adopting a fighting stance, when he noticed the bandage on her leg. "That's… the bandage I put on Red… you're Red?"
"This is the most interesting thing that's happened since you fell asleep 12 hours ago." Kai chuckles, taking the blanket from the She-Wolf's form, folding it back up.
"I-I can explain." Her voice stops Kai's actions in the moment.
"You're the one whose voice I heard." Kai notes.
"I'm Akita. A formling." She explains, then looks to Kai. "What do you mean, hearing my voice?"
"It's a side effect of having a spirit live within my body from years ago." Kai answers. "Sometimes, I hear voices, whispers, a warning of what to expect in the realm they live in when I enter."
"I just can't believe you let me say all those things, about my father, about Harumi…" Lloyd complains. Kai immediately smacks him on the back of his head.
"Hey, she never wanted to hear your life story. If you paid attention, you would have seen how bored, and annoyed she was as you blabbed everything." Kai retorts.
"At least I was being honest! Honest about what I was!" Lloyd argues.
"Are you calling me a liar?" Akita questions, anger in her voice.
"And this is where I step back. You've caused this, Lloyd. You can fix it." Kai sighs, stepping away, watching as the two stare each other down.
"I saved your life, you should be grateful!" Akita cries.
"And I saved yours, so now we are even!" Lloyd retorts, walking away. "Now, stay away from me. I only travel with people I can trust."
"Fine! Stay away from me!" Akita replies, shifting into her wolf form as Lloyd walks on. She heads the same direction, and Kai just follows at his own pace, catching back up to them as they argue once more.
"Hey! What are you doing? I told you not to follow me!" Lloyd questions.
"I am not yours to command! I go the way I wish to go! And that is this way!" Akita explains with venom.
"That's the way I'm going!" Lloyd retorts in exasperation. "Why are you going this way?"
"I'm going to face the Ice Emperor." Akita declares.
"And I'm going there to free my friend from the Ice Emperor!" Lloyd retorts. They continue to bicker, with both eventually attempting to beat the other, gain as much distance as possible, when Akita whimpers, her leg howling in protest of her movements. Lloyd stops at the cry, and turns around. "You shouldn't be moving too much. Your leg is still injured." He sighs, jumping down from the mech, managing to get her still so he can apply a new bandage, her movement having reopened the wound, causing it to bleed once more.
"I am sorry for deceiving you." Akita apologises.
"I'm sorry too." Lloyd does the same.
"You told me everything about yourself, and I told you nothing." Akita begins. Kai simply watches, letting the two have their moment. "I will share my tale with you, if you will still hear it." Lloyd nods, allowing her to speak. Kai grabs the heat lamp, bringing it to the duo as Akita begins to speak once more. "My story begins long ago. A time before the long winter. A time when our realm was still lush, and green. A time, before I lost everything. We lived and worked in the forests together, happily. We were formlings, and we lived in peace. And, at the end of each day, we returned to our village. It was a beautiful place built deep within the forests. It was my home. But, my brother and I, were younglings. We had not yet found our animal forms. And, despite what I told my brother, I was nervous.
The week passed, but my anxiety of the choosing had not. Vex, the one who had not found their own animal form, had returned. He threatened us, stating he found a power far greater than ours. An Elemental Power. After the confrontation, and refusal to bow to him, he returned to the forests, from which he came, and we resumed the choosing. But, I was uneasy. Kataru and I entered the wilderness, unsure of where our journey would take us, fearing, that Vex's return, was a bad omen.
The Choosing must pass in silence, so we did not speak. We waited, and waited, for what we did not know. A sign? A vision? Something to guide us to our animal forms, and every day we travelled further into unknown lands. The further we went, the more concerned I became that I would never find my form. That I would turn angry and bitter, like Vex the Formless. But then, finally, something called to me. The voice, it called to me from atop a great tree, so I climbed, and climbed. The clouds I found were, not as formless and unstable as I had been taught. I could step across them, and they led me along a designed path. A wolf, thrice tailed found me, and, feeling pulled toward it, I chased it, and caught up with it. That's when I found myself as the very wolf that found me. As I looked into the water, I saw myself as I truly am. I found my brother, who had taken the form of a bear. WE had done it. We had found our animal forms.
While my brother was eager to return, I wished to run more, and we parted ways. It was when a great beast flew overhead, that I returned, finding my village covered in ice, frozen. They were still alive, I could hear their heartbeats. When I looked to the moon, I saw Vex, with someone else. I drew my dagger, only for a dragon to roar, as it approached. Kataru, he tried to fight off the dragon, but then, he was gone. The dragon, took him from me. I walked out of the village and never looked back. I will not return until Vex, and his Master, The Ice Emperor, is brought to justice."
"Well. A quest for vengeance, and a quest for rescue." Kai notes. "Hurry up and lick your pride from wounds, we've got to get moving."
"What do you mean?" Akita questions.
"We're all going the same way. May as well stick together." Kai retorts. "Now come on." It takes half a minute for everyone to get back to their positions, with Lloyd leading them onward. By morning, they are in view of the Ice Castle.
"There it is." Lloyd points out the obvious.
"What are we waiting for?" Akita asks.
"It's gonna be dark soon. We'll have a better chance at crossing the Glacier in daylight." Lloyd explains, finding a small area to set up camp. As Lloyd had said, night fell swiftly, and the trio sit by the heat lamp, afraid that the smoke from a fire would alert the Ice Emperor.
"When you've rescued your friend Zane, what will you do?" Akita questions.
"Go back to Ninjago, if there's a way. What about you?" Lloyd asks.
"I do not know. The forest is my home." She admits.
"Maybe you could come with us?" Lloyd offers.
"Do you have formlings in Ninjago?" She asks.
"No." Lloyd admits.
"Then I'd be alone there too." Akita notes.
"He doesn't mean Ninjago as a whole. He means stay with us, the team. Maybe join us on a few adventures." Kai explains for Lloyd, who begins to blush. The roar of a dragon alerts them, urging them to take cover by the overhang they sheltered below. The Dragon passes them by, their presences unnoticed as it returns to the Castle. "That was Zane's Dragon Manifestation, Shard." Kai notes. While they breathe a sigh of relief, Shard turns around, heading directly for them.
Lloyd, having gotten into the mech, leaps forward, using the spinning blades as a shield against the ice attacks. Shard maneuvers around, encasing the mech in Ice from an area, holding Lloyd back for a few moments before he breaks through. Kai has the Plasma Cannon out, firing at Shard, but his weapon does nothing to deter her, simply aggravate. Once free, Lloyd tries to grapple Shard, only to have his mech's hand frozen onto her leg as she takes him into as many walls and mountains as possible, before flinging him from her leg, the ice breaking free as he hurtles into the wall, the mech crumbling apart from the damage returns to the air, turning around in preparation to dive, as Lloyd gets out of the now destroyed mech. Kai and Akita both try to distract Shard, only for Akita to be tossed into a wall, and Kai to set into a block of ice, his fire, still only recently returned, not back to full power, slowly beginning to thaw his prison. Kai is forced to watch as Shard grabs Lloyd and carries him away.
Still trapped within the formed Ice, Kai continues to heat his body, the Ice beginning to melt, bull also water beginning to rise. He couldn't feel Lloyd, whatever was done to him, they had blocked their connection. Akita is still out of commission, her body injured once more, unlikely to survive if he doesn't check her for internal bleeding. He pushes harder, wills his inner fire to burn brighter. The ice cracks further, but still continues to hold, the water rising to his torso. He has no room to try and use the plasma cannon, though he fears it will do nothing. Forced to use his Null powers, he sends a burst of energy in all directions, forcing the Ice to shatter, freeing him as the water pools away, already beginning to reform as ice. He hurries to Akita, and sends a pulse of energy through her body, finding and cauterizing the internal wounds, sending another pulse to help her heal faster.
It's the familiar roar of an engine that brings his hope back to flame. In the distance, he can feel his sister closing in on him, seemingly heading directly for him, whether unconsciously, or on purpose, he doesn't know. The battered form of the Land Bounty is a sight for sore eyes, as he hails them through the headgear comms.
"Glad to see someone familiar." He greets. "I'll meet you at the Castle. I've got something to take care of." He nudges Akita awake. "Can you get into the Castle on your own?" He asks.
"They won't see it coming." She retorts.
"Good. Head there. My friends should be there soon. I'll take care of the dragon." He explains, vanishing in flames. He feels for the largest heat signature, finding, and feeling the dragon with ease. He reforms by her side and places a hand on her, willing Null energy into her veins, forcing her to stay asleep, keeping her out of the picture as he embeds a spark into her scaled hide, keeping her asleep, as the Land Bounty zooms past. He feels the connection between himself and Lloyd flare up, and doesn't hesitate, reforming by him as he leaves his cell, surprising the Blizzard Samurai who had freed him. "Seems I missed a party." He notes.
"Good of you to join us, Kai." Lloyd greets him. "This is-"
"Kataru." Kai finishes for him. "I know who he is. I asked Akita that, in case he was alive, what would be some defining features." Kai grasps the Bear Formlings hand, shaking it. "So, do you understand the reality of the situation?"
"You mean Zane being the Ice Emperor? How long have you known?" Lloyd questions.
"Since the beginning. The moment I saw an abundance of Ice, I knew Zane was involved. After finding those people trapped in Ice, I figured the rest out. Akita and Zane's Recording helped finish the puzzle." Kai turns to the Blizzard Samurai. "To catch you up to speed: Zane, the Master of Ice, has been tricked. He was banished here by a snake sorceress, and he tried to repair the mech he arrived with. The Staff in his hand, is the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu. His powers are amplified. Now, when he was fixing the mech, he connected himself, being a nindroid, and Vex, likely disconnected him forcefully, resulting in his memories being locked away to prevent any file and data corruption, you following?"
"No." The Samurai admits. "But if you can still bring him back to the good man he once was, I can cope."
"That's good enough for me." Kai states. The Blizzard Samurai chuckles, before leading them through the Castle, travelling across the labyrinth-like corridors.
"Which way is the throne room?" Lloyd asks.
"To the left." The Samurai gestures to the left of the intersection they had just passed. "But we can't go there yet. There's something we have to take care of first." The clunk of ice alerts them, and Kai dashes ahead, knocking out the patrol with ease, before returning to the group. "Vex has a corrupted shard of Ice. It is all seeing. As long as he possesses that, there is no hope of victory. We must destroy it first."
"How do you know he isn't watching us right now?" Lloyd asks.
"If he were, we would already be caught." The Samurai states.
"We'd better hurry then." Kataru warns.
"Which way?" Lloyd asks. The Samurai gestures ahead, and leads them onward. They continue to trek along the corridors, until Kai speaks up.
"You're sure he's not watching us?" Kai questions knowingly.
"Like I said, if he were watching the crystal, we wouldn't have gotten this far." The Samurai reiterates. They turn with the corridor and come face to face with Vex and an army.
"You were saying?" Vex cackles.
"Unless he wished to crush us with absolute force." Kai sighs, grabbing Lloyd's arm. "You guys able to hold him off?" Kataru simply transforms into his bear form and the Samurai shouts a war-cry. "I'll take that as a yes. Come on, we gotta get to Zane." Kai begins to drag Lloyd back the way they came, until Lloyd was able to follow without issue. They backtrack to the corridor the Samurai had gestured to, and take the left path, following it to the gates of the throne room, where four Blizzard Samurai stand waiting. Kai immediately drags them towards Lloyd, who gathers energy around his arms, forcing the Ice built soldiers to shatter on impact. Another four approach from behind, only for Kai to push them against the wall with a burst of power. Lloyd does a running jump and kicks open the doors, revealing Zane, who was about to freeze Akita.
"It's time we finish this, Zane." Lloyd declares, much to Akita's shock and confusion. "Once and for all."
"My name, IS NOT ZANE!" He strikes the staff on the ground, a wave of Ice energy arcing out, but not attacking.
"Actually, it is." Kai affirms, walking out from behind Lloyd. "And you're gonna remember it, even if we have to hammer it into that thick Titanium skull of yours."
"You, both of you, know the Emperor?" Akita asks.
"Not as he is. Who he was. Before Vex made him into this." Kai answers. "He isn't yours to seek out. He isn't the one at fault. If you want to get revenge, go find your brother and the defecting Samurai. They should be dealing with Vex right now." She growls, before breaking free of the Ice, and attempts to attack Zane.
"My will is not yours to command!" She shouts, only for Lloyd to hold her back.
"Akita, no! This isn't the way! You're letting your anger control you!" Lloyd tries to talk her down.
"Stand aside, Lloyd. Or fall with him!" She howls, the howl of a wolf behind her voice. Zane, still not himself, tries to strike Lloyd, but a katana blocks his strike, as Kai stands before him.
"I can melt this whole mess if I must." Kai admits. "But it would kill me. And you, do not need that weighing you down when you wake the fuck up, Zane." He pushes his blow back, the ice covered staff sweeping to attack, but Kai blocks each parry. Eventually, Lloyd help him out, his energy powers adding a ranged attack as the two fight side by side, in sync. Strike, parry, shoot, parry, parry, counter. It's like a cycle, but without meaning or form, as Zane continues to strike out, angry, confused, decades of corruption gnawing away his thoughts. A burst of energy knocks bot Kai and Lloyd away, as Zane unleashes his power, freezing them both up to their necks, while Akita is completely encased.
"I told you, THERE IS NO ZANE!" The Emperor roars, as Vex and the remaining forces arrive.
"Do it, Master. FINISH HIM!" Vex urges, only for Zane to hesitate, shaking his head as if to knock away a thought. At the sight of this, Kai stops thawing the Ice around him, a spark of hope in his form.
"Fine. I'll do it." Vex sighs, taking the spear from a Samurai, walking to Lloyd, while sending a smirk in Kai's direction. "Some saviour you turned out to be. You couldn't defeat the Emperor, you couldn't protect your friends. You couldn't even protect yourself."
"Protect?" Zane mutters. "Protect those, who cannot protect themselves." Kai can feel as his memory is restored, the locks holding them safe cracked open by the key. He stops Vex from striking down Lloyd, knocking him away, breaking off his own mask. He glances at the ice covered staff, brittle from decades of use. He wills the Ice into every fibre of the staff, and brings it down, smashing, shattering the weapon against he castle floor. It's power gone, the land begins to change, the Ice disintegrating to nothing, the people frozen, now free once more. With Zane free, he moves to Lloyd, thanking him. Vex tries to attack, but Zane freezes him solid, holding him in place.
"Good to see you back, bud." Kai admits with a chuckle. Kataru dashes in and brings his sister into a massive hug. The others soon arrive, and they all laugh at the fact its over. A rift opens, and Vex walks out, making his way over to the frozen Vex.
"So this is the fuck who tarnished my name." He notes. A rift appears below the frozen man and takes him away. "He won't trouble anyone again. I can promise that." He opens another rift and disperses, leaving everyone to their victory. Akita and Kataru head back to their village, while the Ninja make their way back to the fishing village, where Sorla awaits them.
"I have consulted the spirits of the Hearth Fire, and I have learned of this, Ninjago. It is far from here. The leaves of the Travelers Tree do not have the strength to bear you home, no matter the number of leaves you may have." She admits sadly. "They are simply not potent enough."
"Sorla… What about this?" Cole asks, showing her a berry from the Tree. Her smile answers their question. They open the portal swiftly, and make their way through, finding Wu, with open arms to welcome them home. Cole, and Lloyd, take longer than the others, saying their goodbyes. But they too, return.
A/N - It's hard to actually give an ending for this one. Yes, I skipped over most of the start, because I can actually build that from scratch, add my own twists to it, only the parts I wished to keep as they were, or could envision already were done, like the last 15 ish episodes. Now, I will eventually do the seasons between this and where I left off, but for now, these are the ones I am able to work into the story. For now, yes, they will be clumped as whole seasons, but it wont be that way forever. Take care and stay safe.