So I should add, Bree, Harumi and Alanna were never in real danger from the formlings. Akita has heard pretty much the worst of Harumi from Lloyd and she is more than happy to make sure her people (the formlings) don't have to deal with her.
Ninjago
Cole and the small group of ninja plus Faith and Karlof made it back to the airjitzu temple without further incident. Until they realized they could barely find a place to dock the air jet.
The bounty, several helicopters, random odd vehicles and what looked like Ronin's Rex were parked and anchored up everywhere. A few people milling about outside. Kai and Jay hoped off the jet and headed inside. Cole and Lloyd waited to help Faith and Karlof off the air jet. Faith was thankfully not injured as badly like Tox. Karlof, well his metal skin provided much more protection. He still looked more exhausted than Cole had ever seen him. Despite that Karlof turned to Faith and offered a hand to help Faith down, then grabbing her by the waist and swinging her close. Cole thought it sweet. Lloyd made a fake gagging motion when they were out of sight. Cole rolled his eyes at that. For all Lloyd's attempts to act like a real adult sometimes his maturity wore thin.
Heading into the main dojo room the rest of the ninja were gathered. Sensei Wu and Misako stood behind Zane and Pixal at the computers. Both looked busy researching. Nya and Jay were at the table pouring over scrolls. Some of which looked like they would turn to dust at a touch.
Sensei Wu turned to the group and spoke. "With the exception of the master of nature all of our friends and the family's of the elemental masters are here. Tox and Chamille were the first attacked. They lost a grandmother, mother, father and an uncle along with the master of form. It is a horrific loss. However it did give most of the other masters warning. And it saved many lives". The look on Wu's face was one of grief and frustrated anger.
"Tox and little Odell are the most seriously injured. Along with fourteen other injured elemental masters or their family members" Skyler said open entering the room "Odell was knocked out before she saw what happened, Tox had to tell her that their family is gone. It went about as bad as one would expect" she finished sadly.
"Do we still have any idea why all these attacks all the sudden are happening?" Lloyd questioned.
"The why I do not know, but it does appear that those with current, former or potential future elemental power are being targeted. According to video surveillance that Zane was able to pick up these creatures pull the elemental power out and look like they eat it before they try and eat the rest of the person" Wu answered.
"Gross and scary, just what we need more of" Jay replied sarcastically.
Cole thought for a moment and then said "that means none of us or our family's are safe, furthermore whats to stop these things from hunting down other sources of elemental power. I am sure we can't have every single decedent of every elemental master that has ever existed in the temple. Its just not possible. There were hundreds of generations of elemental masters. How many children could they have had. Now living anywhere in Ninjago"
"Cole, that's like, the most profound and thoughtful thing you have ever said" Kai said. Only slightly meaning to make fun of his big dumb friend.
Cole was getting sick and tired of the big dumb jokes. And went to respond to Kai but was cut off by Sensi Wu.
"Cole is correct. These creatures pose an enormous risk to the general public because we have no current way to track down every person in Ninjago with powers and even if we could, that does nothing to stop these creatures" Wu responded.
"Our powers did nothing to stop them" Lloyd added. "Even falling from a decent height did nothing to them"
"But at least one of them yes it did" Cole added quickly. "The two that fell and landed on their body, the armor plated parts, just bounced right back up. One hit its head on a lamp post on the way down. Smashed it like a teapot. That one didn't get back up".
Wu looked thought full, "Perhaps that is a weakness we can exploit in our favor" He said. "I will be sending Ronin and Dareth to look for the master of nature in his last known location". Putting a hand up to stop several of the ninja from interjecting. "No elemental power means they can search for Bo without drawing attention to themselves"
"Sensi Wu is correct" Zane added. "But it does not feel honorable having our friends put themselves in danger while we stay and hide".
"Oh I have no intention of us hiding" Sensi Wu said. "In fact I want to find out exactly how close these monsters need us to be before they can sense elemental power".
"What do you have in mind?" Zane queried.
"A little fishing trip" Wu answered. The ninja were not entirely sure what he meant by that.
Misako looked annoyed. She had turned to face Wu instead of the rest of the group and stood watching him with her hands on her hips.
"What" Wu asked. Misako was probably the only person around that could talk to or reproach him feeling like an equal. A few of the ninja also privately thought that had to do with their current relationship, rather than its former one.
"At one time there was the ability to find or track elemental power" Misako started off.
"There is nothing and no one in Ninjago capable of that anymore" Wu said more gruffly than before.
"And how sure are you of that" She snapped back at him. The ninja didn't know how to respond to the ensuing disagreement. Even Pixal stopped her work at the computer to fully watch the spat. "We all know your habit of not mentioning something until it becomes absolutely necessary" Misako said. The ninja really didn't know what was going on now. Wu looked frustrated and annoyed. He took a deep breath as if resigning himself to speak.
"Misako is correct. Long ago there were other elemental masters. More than the ones you know now. Some capable of enormous power and magic. Enough to find and track others if need be. However like the elemental masters of time and wind I thought them long dead and gone from this realm" Wu said. Closing his eyes as if recalling painful memories.
Lloyd walked up to his uncle and put a hand on his shoulder. Once Sensi Wu was very close to his former pupil Morro. Lloyd knew it was painful to bring him up, no matter how much a gigantic ass Lloyd thought Morro was. That kind gesture seemed to be the catalyst to what happened next. With a blast of light and power everyone in the room was thrown backwards into walls or furniture. A large popping sound had everyone's ears ringing and other elemental masters and family come running into the room to see what happened. When everything cleared they knew something was terribly wrong. Sensi Wu and Lloyd were no where to be found.
Bree had no idea why it hurt this much, she had never had an issue realm jumping before. She tried rolling to her side and the movement cause her to vomit uncontrollably. She was not aware that she was bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose either. Trying to control her self being sick she lifted her head to look for Alanna and Harumi. She panicked until she saw them half crouching half kneeling on the ground a few feet away. They both looked shocked but relatively unharmed. Alanna was not crying and that scared Bree the most. She tried to struggle to her feet, Harumi came to her side quickly.
"Are you alright?" Harumi asked? Lifting her head to look around her. It was hard to judge where they were. Their jump seemed to result in a blast that threw debris everywhere. It did look to be a courtyard of some sort. Bree didn't speak but tilted her hand back and forth to indicate eghh not really. She checked on Alanna in her pack, the baby seemed alright, but then Bree froze in horror. Whipping around Harumi turned to see what Bree was worried about.
In some of the debris a few feet from them a body was moving. Shoving bits of wood off a man half sat up to look around. Bewildered and astonished. The man looked at Bree and Harumi and asked "Who the hell are you? And how did you bring me here?".
"How about who the hell are you?!" Harumi spat back.
"Well fuck you very much women" The man shot back. He started pulling bits of junk off of his face and hair, then stretching his hands out in front of himself and breaking out in giddy laughter. Which turned into loud howls.
"How about fuck you too" Harmui snarled to him. Turning back to Bree and said "Have we jumped to the realm of the insane? Is that a thing?"
Bree didn't answer her. She was looking around and started to scramble to get up. Harumi knew the look on her face. She sensed something, or saw something. Like a premonition of foreboding. Maybe danger. Bree looked farther into the debris and into the courtyard of the...building? they were in. Bree caught sight of whatever she was looking for. Two more figures started pulling themselves out of the wreckage. Dusty and covered in bits of dirt, brick and grass Bree knew the face of neither. But Harumi sure did. Hauling back she snatched Bree by the arm.
"We absolutely have to go, we have to jump to another realm" Harumi hissed in panic.
"I really don't think I can do that right now" Bree whispered back very quietly. "Something went wrong with that jump". The words unspoken between them that Bree was not ok. Each young women struggling to stand and have each others backs. From Harumi's hissed words Bree sensed danger from these people. Further past the now standing figures, both men. Another body started groaning. But was not able to pull its self from the wrecked crumble of the wall on the far side.
A panicked and angry Harumi stood beside a blood and vomit covered Bree. Both wearing the parkas of fur from the never realm. Their packs and weapons still on them. Across from them stood Sensi Wu and Lloyd Garmadon staring in shock and bewilderment. Lloyds face shifting to anger as he glanced at Harumi and then the hysterically laughing man still sitting on the ground. Apparently Harumi and Morro both lived to fight another day. And Lloyd did not look pleased to see either of them.
