A portal slowly opened in a large field of grass. The sky above the portal was a deep gray, as though the clouds were looking to unleash their torrent of rain down on them, but were just barely holding back. The long grass was rippled down as winds blew across them, pulling them back and forth in a long dance. The low gray light of the field made seeing things a rather difficult task for those there. Yet no life seemed to be there. Nothing was there to see what was transpiring.
The portal opened wider, wider, and wider still. From it, the sound of metal creaking filled the air. Then, with a loud crunch, a massive mech came collapsing out of the portal. Invictus crashed down onto the ground, crushing the grass where it landed. While the field slowly adapted to it, little changed to the landscape. The vanishing portal soon returned the world back to its more peaceful and quiet state.
From the door to the mech's cockpit, Oni emerged. He slowly stood on top of the mech, looking around and slowly nodding his head. He focused, causing his claws to slowly fade back into his arms to turn them into more normal hands. The dragon scales along his body, however, remained. He took a moment to blink, his eyes shifting until he began to observe his surroundings.
Oni was about to turn around, but instead he felt danger and remained still. Ophiod stood behind him, holding his staff with the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu unfurled and burning with power. Oni didn't tense his body, instead just remaining planted where he was. The tip of the staff was pointed right at his back.
"Why are you threatening me?" Oni's voice was calm and neutral.
"People do not save each other without reason," Ophiod declared firmly, "I must know that reason. Now that we are alone… I wish to know that reason."
"I stated it as clearly as I could," Oni remained calm, "I have felt the balance of not only your worlds, but all worlds. The destruction of one will preclude others falling in its footsteps. If you wish to protect the worlds, you must allow me to aid you."
Ophiod pressed the tip of the staff into Oni's shoulder blades, "No. Whenever someone says something like that, they have a selfish motivation. I have seen your power, and I need reason to let you follow us and to trust you."
Oni took a moment to sigh, then turned around to face Ophiod. Ophiod instinctually tensed his body to brace for an attack. The two met their gazes, the wind blowing past them as they did. The only light that illuminated Oni was the glow of orange from the Scroll highlighting his chest.
"And are you saying that your motivations are as pure as you wish them to seem, half-breed?" Oni asked calmly.
Ophiod's eyes widened, then narrowed into small slits, "What did you call me?"
"Your eyes," Oni replied, "Your body is that of a snake, yet your eyes hold the spirit of a man. I guessed that you were not fully Viper. It appears that my guess was right."
"..." Ophiod gripped his staff tighter, "...You have no right to call me that. I am Prince of the Serpentine. You cannot degrade me like that. You cannot speak to me like I am some sort of lesser being like that!"
"I did not say you were lesser," Oni shook his head, "That was your own mind filling in the gaps. I hold no ill will towards your lineage. You are a being, the one and only that you can be in this moment in time. Is that not enough for you?"
"...Are you even human?" Ophiod asked, his tone tense.
"Are you?" Oni asked. The two beings remained there, looking at one another, finding their minds and wills at clash.
Finally, Ophiod relented, putting the staff away and instead moving to look down in the cockpit. The grass around them rippled once more, pushing back and forth between the two of them. Oni slowly nodded his head and then leapt down from Invictus, landing on the grass and sighing as he reached down to let the grass sway up and down against his arm. The moment that Oni left the platform, Skales climbed up from inside Invictus, putting his blade back on his back.
"Was he waiting there in the event that you decided to fight me?" Oni asked, not even turning around.
"And what if I was?" Skales narrowed his gaze.
"I am not looking to pick fights," Oni turned back to look at them, "I'm here to do what I must for the sake of all worlds. I will take you as allies or enemies, but I would prefer you as my allies. Now," Oni stood up, "I wasn't able to exactly determine the Twins, but I believe that I can find them given time. You have to report to them, don't you? It's past the last date they gave."
"...How long have you been following us?" Ophiod growled.
"Long enough," Oni stood up in full and began to walk away from the mech, "When that loud one wakes up, we will set off. We will need to return that mech to his home for repairs." Soon enough, Oni's body had disappeared into the grass.
Once Oni was gone, Ophiod looked down and gripped his fists. He looked to the staff he held, then tssked and planted it on Invictus. He took a long moment to hang his head and gather himself, his anger flowing through him. He took long breaths, forcing himself to recenter. Skales moved over to him and waited for him, a look of knowing in his eyes.
"We… we were saved by another," Ophiod declared, "He… we were not factors in that fight. If he hadn't showed up, then… then…"
"Then we would find another way to free your father," Skales reached out and took his hand, "He's not the only way to do that."
"What good is this scroll if I can't use it to its fullest?!" Ophiod slammed the staff down on the mech, making the metal clang with it, "This… this thing must do something for me. I must have some power with it I'm not seeing! I have to do more with it. I have to do more than just touch its power, Skales!"
"...Then start by calming down," Skales rolled his eyes, "Getting angry won't make you feel any better. You'll learn more of the scroll in time."
Ophiod slowly looked down. The scroll had furled back up around the staff, back to its default deep tan form. The words weren't visible there, but he knew what they said. He knew what the scroll could do. He knew that he needed to fight with it. He knew he had to do something with it. He had to master this thing… and overcome the ones that stood between him and his goal.
"Then let's see to it that we do what we must," Ophiod turned to see Prime's body stirring inside the mech, "And… that we make good with our new friend."
"RRAAAGGHHH!" Over shouted in rage, bringing his massive dragon claw of a hand down through the massive chunk of catwalk. The metal was sliced cleanly in half and fell to the ground below him. Over fell with them, smashing into the ground a moment after they did. As the massive and almost deafening clang rang out through the space, Over reached down to yank the sheet of metal up and rip it apart with his claws.
"I! AM! THROUGH! WITH! THESE! INTERLOPERS!" Over roared, his voice shifting into something almost purely draconic as he did. He turned his eyes towards a large stack of unused machines and ripped into them, throwing chunks of rusted and dilapidated metal in all directions. Each one banged through the large warehouse as they did. Yet even those sounds were drowned out by the sound of Over's rage.
As the dark being continued to rip through the space, Mage sat with the other four, surrounding them in a bubble of sound to protect them from going deaf. Monty was casually clanging the SoS against the ground, scrapping it along the ground as he did. Lloyd and Harumi were completely quiet, laying back against a lip behind them to rest. Lulloyd was twirling the tassel on the end of his sword in his hand. They all watched Over rip apart the space in front of them with either dulled or complete disinterest.
"Is he always like that?" Olive spoke up as she walked up from behind the group. Harumi turned to see Olive, her body no longer the plain Nindroid body she'd uploaded her mind into, but rather something now more closely approximating her old form. Aside from the lack of actual flesh and blood arms, her eyes, robes and stature had been returned to normal.
"I… I don't want to talk about that," Harumi muttered, clutching her knees to her chest, "Not now."
"I see," Olive nodded, "Mizuko has reported that the space is completely secured. There is no sign that your pursuers would wish to follow you here."
"Pursue us?" Lloyd asked with a despondent look, "They haven't even touched us since that Oni guy showed up."
"I thought we agreed," Monty raised his head with a snarl, "Not to speak about him."
"...The guy that helped Ophiod and Prime escape our trap," Lloyd corrected himself, "Which is why we're hiding here in the first place."
'Here' was an old, abandoned warehouse underneath Ninjago City, specifically the city that Harumi called home. After having lost the battle, Lloyd had suggested they flee as quickly as possible so the Twins did not find them. If they didn't want to be found, Olive insisted that this space was one that would serve them the best.
"The Ninjago City that Harumi resides in was built on top of the old city, with some buildings being expanded upwards," Olive had informed them, "There is a network of now old and decaying buildings that run all over the city. Normally, this is where many of the criminal organizations that we face will reside. However, at present, their activity is quiet."
None of them had truly had much of a revelation to that. They were in what used to be some sort of food processing plant with a warehouse attached. Above them was perhaps a half mile of rock and concrete that were poured to make a new foundation for the city. The only way they had arrived here was an access point that only Harumi's team claimed to know about. If Ophiod, Prime or the newcomer wanted to face them, they would have to find them deep under the city.
"Alright, who's hungry?" Carnelian leapt down from a large hole in the wall behind them, holding a large number of bags in her arms, "I got noodles!"
"...Are those Chen's noodles?" Monty asked.
"Well my mom does own the franchise," Carnelian laid down the bags, branded with the cartoonish face of Chen on the side, "Come on, what's wrong with noodles?"
"...You all eat," Monty groaned, "I've had more than enough of him for a lifetime."
"Suit yourself," Lloyd sighed, digging through the bag and dishing out a number of items. The others quickly moved to obtain them. Over continued his rampage through the massive warehouse, letting Carnelian just duck down in the space where she saw it was quiet enough. Once she did, she sat down by Harumi and wrapped an arm around her.
"That bad, huh?" Carn gestured to Over.
"He's… dealing with some things," Lulloyd held up a box of spicy noodles and rotated his head, "I don't think it's that out of the ordinary for him." Lulloyd flinched as Over ripped an entire chunk of the wall off, mangling it in his hands.
"Mhm… sure," Carn sighed, "So, you guys here to stay for awhile?"
"Right now, yeah," Lloyd nodded, "We don't have much of a choice. They defeated us and, we don't have the means to do anything right now."
"Well, if they try to come for you, we'll make sure they know we mean business," Carn punched her fists together, "Don't worry, I've spent years making sure I cover Harumi's butt. I'm not planning to stop now!" Carn wrapped an arm around Harumi's lower back.
"Ah!" Harumi gasped in shock, her face lighting up in a deep blush, "N-Not in front of the others, Carn!"
"Sorry, you've lost your right to complain after you vanished on me again," Carn dragged Harumi over against her side with a strong hug, "You're staying with me and the girls for right now. Even if you're here because you're hiding… you're still home."
"Some home," Monty remarked, looking up at the ceiling of the underground warehouse.
"You're not helping," Lulloyd pointed out, "...Sorry, I mean, you're just… we're not exactly wanting to be here, you don't have to remind us."
"I'm allowed to complain," Monty sighed, standing up, "But fine, fine. I'll go somewhere else. I'll go find somewhere else to hide like cowards."
None of them wanted to confront what Monty said. Monty left the room, slowly disappearing through a door and into a hallway that led deeper into the warehouse. The only glimmer of light that he gave off was from the SoS, shining on his back. The others remained where they were, looking around the room. Carnelian kept a tight grip on Harumi, while Lloyd and Lulloyd both laid back and tried to focus on something other than what had happened.
"How long are we going to be here?" Mage asked.
"I don't know," Lloyd sighed, "We're trying to think of a plan, since… since that last one was our big plan."
Silence filled the room, or at least the pocket of space that Mage had soundproofed. Over had switched from taking his anger out on the walls and instead switched to trying to rip up the floor. The sight was both terrifying and hardly engrossing.
"What are we going to do about that new guy?" Mage asked more.
"I… uh… don't think we can do anything," Lulloyd closed his eyes, "He's crazy strong and, we don't know what he's really after here." More silence.
"Are we going to-" Mage was cut off by Carnelian raising a hand flickering with flames at the tip.
"Mage, right?" Carnelian shook her head, "We're not in the question mood right now. Why don't you go and do something else?"
Mage, for a moment, looked somewhat annoyed with what Carnelian said. He looked down to his sword, however, and the annoyance faded somewhat. He took a moment to hop to his feet, then turned to Lloyd and pointed at him.
"Why don't you come 'do something else' with me?" Mage smiled at Carn as he spoke, "I think we might have something you can help me with."
"...Uhhh…." Lloyd momentarily parroted Lulloyd's tone for a moment, "Sure? I'll be right there?"
Mage happily leapt down from the small platform he'd been sitting on and gestured for Lloyd to leave the room with him. Carnelian gave Mage a long look of her own as the two left the room together to go down the small tunnel that they'd used to get here.
"Kids," Carnelian leaned back, dragging Harumi down with her, "I'll never be good with them. Never got them."
"You have the energy of a little kid," Harumi pointed out.
"Mhm, and I'm sure you get a lot of use out of that," Carnelian laughed, "But really, you've made some interesting friends. Not quite sure how all of them work but, well. You've at least finally taken our advice and gone out and tried!"
"I… I make friends!" Harumi blushed out, "I'm not some recluse!"
"Harumi, I love you, and that's why I can say this," Carnelian propped herself up on one elbow, "If Ren and I didn't drag you out of Dareth's apartment you'd never do anything other than be the Green Ninja. Not really something that requires you to make friends either."
"...I-I mean!" Harumi tried to protest. Carnelian silenced her with a kiss, which just made her completely devolve into what little pile of dignity she still had.
"Relax, I'm just playing with you," Carnelian looked around, "Huh, looks like your big guy is gone. And that weird one too."
"Huh?" Harumi looked around, seeing that, indeed, Lulloyd and Over were gone. She looked around in confusion, then just shrugged, "I… guess they are."
"Probably saw that we were having a nice chat," Carnelian smirked.
"Or, they went to think about how badly we messed up… and we didn't even get a chance to make it right this time," Harumi sighed.
"Hey, none of that," Carnelian leaned in and tapped Harumi's chin, "You're not gonna get all down on me. Not right now. I'm trying to cheer you up right now."
"Really?" Harumi looked around the large space they were in, "How am I supposed to be cheered up down here?"
"Well… for one thing, this is the first time I'm gonna get to hold you in weeks," Carnelian frowned, "Maybe consider that?"
Harumi felt a long twinge of guilt sear through her in a hot flush, "...I, didn't mean it like that, Carn. I'm, just, right now I'm trying to… I'm trying to keep it together. And, I, I just…"
"Then let me help you," Carnelian leaned in, planting a hand on Harumi's knee, "You're back with me, with all of us. We're getting everything back to how it was. We're gonna get Olive good too. It's going to be fine. But you need to be here in the moment with me if you want to feel better, alright? Let's just worry about that later. Right now… just enjoy the chance to get to enjoy things with me. Alright?"
Harumi couldn't argue with Carnelian's logic. She gave an unsung approval to Carnelian by nodding her head, who grinned and wrapped her arms around Harumi. The two lovers laid back on the hard floor of the underground warehouse, enjoying their moment to simply indulge in being with one another for the first time in a long time.
In contrast to the two lovers, Monty was not happy with his partner. To call the SoS a partner would likely be some kind of joke in it of itself, since the thing hadn't done anything he wanted it to for the longest time. Monty retreated his way into the strange facility. Why Ninjago City had just paved over the old city with rock and dirt to build up wasn't even sensical to him. But he didn't care. This wasn't his home. And thus, he didn't have to care about it.
Monty entered his way into what looked like it was once an old office space. He reached into his belt and pulled out a small disc he clicked to turn into a light for the room, illuminating the space. There were old, now curled up and dusting papers all over the place. The chair looked as though it'd decayed for decades. There weren't any signs of technology in the room. He entered the space and looked around, nodding his head as he surveyed it. He reached out and tested the strength of the desk with his hand. After giving a satisfactory nod with his head, he reached out and took hold of the hilt of the SoS.
"YOU STUPID PIECE OF!" Monty drew the sword and slashed it straight into the table. The old wood was cleaved completely in half, collapsing into a pile of splinters. Monty swung the sword around the room, slashing it into anything and everything his arms could get his hands on. Now that he was out of sight, he could do this without looking as stupid as Over did. Now he could let out all his anger at once.
"JUST LIKE THAT FENNWICK!" Monty couldn't even form full sentences. He slashed the sword into the wall, cleaving off an old board. He swung again, causing it to scrape against the wall. Then he swung again. And again. Each time, he was cleaving a gash into the wall. He gathered wind in his arms, using it to swing his blade even harder. The pieces he carved into the wall were even deeper and longer as his swings became violent and destructive. With a shout, he plunged the sword into the wall so deep he nearly hit the hilt.
Monty reached out to try to yank the sword out of the wall, but it refused to budge. He gave several more tugs, his eyes widening in annoyance. With a wind enhanced tug, the sword came flying out of the wall. The blade careened through the air and came to impale the ground, sticking up to show Monty's reflection in the harsh light of the device Monty had placed down. Monty looked at the sword for several moments, then drew Ebony and Ivory from his armor, loaded them, and fired.
His cries of rage didn't cease as he unloaded his clips into the SoS. The bullets bounced off harmlessly, moving to impale random spots in the wall. Monty didn't let up. He kept going. And going. And going until the guns were empty. He put Ebony away, instead reloading Ivory's more common rounds and letting them unload into the sword instead. The walls were churned up by the bullets, leaving the office completely ruined by the time Monty lowered the guns with a more neutral angry expression.
Such a waste, Master, The SoS' voice rang out in Monty's head, You shouldn't waste your weapons like that.
"Oh, good, they finally come out," Monty spat, "Figured I'd have to do something like that just to get your attention. You're a piece of work, you know that?"
One of the finest in Ninjago, The SoS replied, My Master.
"Oh, so we're doing that, then? Call me Master to insult me?" Monty took a stride forward and placed his hand on the hilt of the sword, "Not that stupid shapeshifter?"
That 'stupid shapeshifter' understand me far more than you seem to ever be willing to, The SoS responded, He understands balance and its nature. His admission that balance is not justice proves that. I have no allegiance to good nor evil. I am simply at the will of the one that chooses to wield me with a heart and soul linked with mine.
"He's not your Master!" Monty grabbed the sword and slashed it into the wall, "I am! Now quit acting like you want to jump ship here. I'm undead, which means you're not getting another Master. Unless you got some way to kill me, you're stuck with me!"
I would rather remain nothing more than an ornament for eternity, than give power to one that does not deserve it! The SoS replied curtly, You are unworthy. And you will never be worthy, so long as you refuse to acknowledge who you really are.
Monty saw the reflection in the SoS was changing. When he looked down into his, his nostrils flared with anger. The reflection wasn't him, but once more an image of who he once was. The person that had been there before him. Someone young, childish, innocent… and someone that Monty refused to even look directly at.
This is you, The reflection responded to him, This form. This person. You like to act like you're someone else. But look at you. Are you really the horrible person you like to paint yourself as?
"He's dead," Monty growled, "He's gone. He won't be coming back. I'm me now. I'm not Lloyd. I'm. Monty. And I won't let you think that I'm someone good."
And yet you agreed to this adventure, The reflection smirked, You've done nothing but help others. You could have left and said these Twins do not concern you. You could've said the others should deal with their own lives. But you haven't. In fact, you've become more dedicated than ever. What sort of word could describe those actions other than… heroic?
"The others haven't seen what Ronin and I do," Monty responded curtly, "Don't you think that you know me. I'm someone else. I've done things just like Over has. And I don't feel guilty about it. I'm who I want to be. You want to drag me back to being someone else."
You wish to think that ,but do you believe it? The reflection went to pick its teeth with a toothpick, You'll find that what you think, and what your soul wants, aren't the same thing.
"Let's make something clear," Monty leaned in close to the reflection, "I can just as easily shove you in a box and chuck you in the ocean. You'll never be found, ever. And then you won't get to do anything. I'm not doing this for some selfish reason. They're trying to destroy worlds. And normally, I wouldn't care. But they threatened the one person in Ninjago that was by my side when I was still figuring out who I was. And if he wasn't important to me, then sure, I'd stop. But he's my partner. I've been his partner for almost two decades. So sorry. But I'm not gonna stop. So you should rethink your assessment of me," Monty scowled, "Everything I'm doing here is selfish. Get used to that."
Hmmph, The reflection faded back to Monty's face, Then prove it to me, Monty. Show me that you really are who you are. Show me that you, and Lloyd, are nothing like each other. Make me believe it. If you can… then maybe you may one day taste Sanctuary.
The reflection fully faded. Monty went to say more, but instead he saw something in the blade's glow instead. The device he'd been using for light was knocked into a corner, making the room barely visible at all. The only thing he could see in the reflection were glowing purple eyes. And those eyes were ones that he could tell belonged to one being, and one being alone.
"Monty," Over stepped into the space, "I thought I would find you here."
Monty turned to see Over standing in the room with him. The Emperor must have been able to see in the dark, since the device giving light to the room had fallen off into the corner. Monty himself would barely have been visible in the pitch black space that was the underground room. Monty took a long moment to look at Over, then gave a long growl and turned away from him.
"Out," Monty spat, "Not in the mood."
"Really?" Over stepped into the room, "Your… destruction says otherwise."
"Oh can it with your whole sophisticated character," Monty spun around on his heel, pointing at Over's face, "I'm sick of it. Don't act like you're some smart person, or even a refined one. I don't want to hear it. Tell me what you want with me, or get out."
Over took a moment to think about that. Then he stepped around Monty and over to the wall where the slash marks had been made. He ran his hand over them, feeling them. Monty just gave a barely restrained snarky noise and yanked the SoS back up, sliding it into his holster.
"I want to know what is happening with your sword," Over declared, "I want to know more of what is troubling you. You refuse to speak to anyone other than the one from the world of blocks. I think you-"
"I. Said. Drop the character," Monty pulled out Ebony and shoved Over's chest with it, "Stop it. Stop acting like you're some Emperor. You're not. Don't act like you even want to help me here. I know what you're here for."
Over's eye twitched in annoyance, "And, what would that be?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Monty waved Ebony about, "You came here to make yourself feel better. You heard me getting angry and thought you could come in here and make me feel better. Because you want to stop thinking about how angry you are."
"You're making some rather bold assumptions," Over crossed his four arms, "Why would you say that?"
"Because the others may be scared of you, but I'm not. In fact I'm actually the opposite. I know of everyone here, I'm your biggest threat. And you're always that way around me. So I get what's really going on here," Monty spat, "You need me to lay it out for you?"
"I'd be rather interested to hear it, since you seem to have it all… figured out," Over waved his own hand.
"You're sick of being beaten down, since you're the Emperor. The one with the power of the Overlord. And after all that time getting smacked around by that loudmouth mech boy and his snake friends, you're at your breaking point," Monty turned around, "So you're looking for places where the rest of us are weak. So you can remind yourself just how powerful you are. You want to give the illusion of being a good person, since that makes you seem like the strongest one here again. Like you're the one that's going to fix all of this. When you already know," Monty threw his arms out, "You're a failure."
Over didn't respond to him. Monty, for a moment, felt a sense of victory. He turned around, expecting to see the look of pride washed from Over's face. What he saw instead, however, was a look of deep thought. The sight wasn't what he wanted. Monty felt his mood sour all over again as Over thought for a rather long while, taking his time to piece together his words.
"You're right, ghost," Over nodded his head, much to Monty's surprise, "I am a failure. I cannot deny that. My kingdom is gone. It, as of now, basically has never existed. All that I worked for is now over. I have lost everything that I have ever worked for. I have nothing left. No home to return to. No reward for me at the end. I am living here for the fight. I live because you brought me here."
Over took a step forward, "I'm a failure, certainly. And yet I have stayed in this fight. I have lost time and time, again and again, and yet I persist. Why do you think that is, Monty? What reason could a being such as I have for wanting to even fight alongside you? Everything I have ever worked for is gone There is no hope for me. I am little more than a shadow clinging to the edges of an overwhelming light. What reason do you think I have for that?"
Over stood right in front of Monty, looking down at him as he did, "I will tell you, ghost. And you would do well to listen. I have tasted what it is like to be hopeless before. And I have tasted it far more than I have now. I have felt everything in my entire life ripped from me. I have seen something be torn out of me by no fault of my own. I have felt the void. I have touched it. Not with my hands, but with my heart. And now that heart beats with the mind of two souls that have found their own path together," Over summoned his staff, running his hands along it, "I have seen my world ripped away from me once before, Monty. What more pain does it bring to have it done a second time?"
"Are you sure about that?" Mony growled, "You sure you aren't just trying to hide all that pain with this fight? Cause I know what that's gonna lead to."
"When it does lead there, then, I expect you to be there to reprimand me for it," Over reached his staff out to phase it through Monty's body to poke at his chin, "Isn't that what you would want most to do with me, after all, spector?"
Monty reached out and took Over's staff, yanking it out of him and throwing Over's arms back. Over took a long moment to look at the ghost, then dissolved his staff back into his body. He gave Monty one last look, one last moment to truly feel the emotions of hatred and loathing the two had for one another, before turning away and stepping out of the room.
"I suppose you may have been right, Monty," Over let his purple eyes shine brilliantly in the darkness like a demonic picture, "I did come here seeking to prove that I was not the weakest here. And it seems that I've done just that. Thank you."
With that, Over's body seemingly melted into shadows, leaving the room. Monty was about to shout at him thinking he could have the last word, but decided against it. Instead, he just turned to the SoS and picked it back up, letting its glow reflect on him before looking back to the wall. His anger hadn't gone down at all. He spat, then brought the sword down against the wall over again.
"You… you want me to do what?" Lloyd asked Mage.
"I said I want you to teach me how to swordfight!" Mage held his fists in front of him with an eager gaze, "I want to learn how to fight with Aevum!"
The tunnel that the group had taken to get into the warehouse ran through several buildings on the way. The two of them stood in what was likely some sort of parking lot at some point. The space had been carved out to give them room to stand around, creating a large and spacious cavern. The light that they were using came from balls of light Mage had set up all around the space for them. Mage stood between the lines of an old parking spot, looking at Lloyd wit ha hopeful gze.
"You, but, I thought you already knew how!" Lloyd gestured at Aevum, "Why else would Acronix give you that thing?"
"Because, uh…" Mage looked down, "I mean, I took, some lessons with Acronxi. For like… a day or two. But, after that I… I didn't get much time to use it. I was focusing on helping Skylar and doing everything I could do to help her. And, I mean… I'm just, like. I don't know much and Monty can do all sorts of stuff with that sword of his, and Over has his staff, and I mean, you got swords, right?"
"Yeah, I mean, when I get a chance to use them," Lloyd drew his katanas, "I mean, I know how to use them, so…"
"So you can train me!" Mage nodded his head, "We're not doing anything here other than hiding, right? Aevum is like, the strongest sword I've ever seen! But, all I can do with it is wave it around a little bit. I don't want that! I want to learn how to really fight with it."
"...I don't think I can teach you all that in, just a few days," Lloyd blinked, "But, I mean, I've never really trained someone before like that. I've got people to fight for me but, never taught them how to fight for me."
"Then clearly I'm going to be the first one!" Mage drew Aevum from his left hip, locking his left arm and holding the sword up in the air, "Don't you see?"
"Okay, well, first of all that's a horrible way to draw your sword," Lloyd stepped forward, "You're left handed, so you can't be drawing the sword from your left side. You use your right hand to hold the sheath and then draw it with your left hand. The way you're doing it now you'll forget to lock your arm and it'll get stuck when you want it."
Lloyd gestured to the strap Mage had around his hip for the sword. Mage looked at it for a moment, then nodded, letting Lloyd mess with it. Lloyd undid the strap and moved the hilt to Mage's right hip, doing the straps underneath his golden robes to tie it off tightly. He let Mage shift the weight around to get it comfortable, at which point Lloyd stepped back and pointed at the sword.
"When you draw it, don't tilt your wrist," Lloyd placed his hand on his sword hilts, "You need to keep your hand parallel to the hilt for as long as you can. You'll get the sword stuck on the inside of the sheath if you do. Put it back in and do it again."
Mage complied, sheathing Aevum and drawing the blade as Lloyd instructed. It took him a few tries for his wrist to line up with the sheath, and indeed Aevum was slowed being pulled out a few tries. Once Mage to a clean draw, however, he repeated the motion enough times to start getting his muscles ready for it.
"Alright," Lloyd drew his katanas, "Show me your sword fighting stance." Mage gripped Aevum in both hands, spreading his legs and sending his strength into his core. He held Aevum out right down his line of sight, looking at Lloyd. Despite his small size, he clearly knew this part.
"Acronix taught me some of this stuff," Mage assured him, "He taught me how to hold it and swing it. I just, need the other stuff."
"Okay, swing it at me then," Lloyd raised his katanas, "Show me."
Mage shifted his left hand to the top of the hilt, then lunged forward and used the momentum to start swinging his blade down. Lloyd took the blow right on his katanas, his body braced for it. The slowed energy that surrounded Aevum, though, transferred into him, making him blink as the world around him, namely Mage, slowed down. Mage slid Aevum off the katanas and stepped back, grinning as he did.
"See? I know what I'm doing," Mage let go of Aevum with his right hand, "He said my body isn't fully developed, so I have to get my strength from-"
The moment that the slowed energy wore off, Lloyd leapt forward and slashed at Aevum, bringing his katanas together and apart. Mage was thrown onto his back, Aevum falling to the ground beside him. Lloyd pointed his katana down at Mage, who blinked in utter shock.
"Okay, first lesson," Lloyd offered Mage his hand, "Don't you ever let your guard down. When you think someone is going to fall, they don't. Trust me. Unless you're sure they're down, don't take your hands off your sword like that. If I was someone like Ophiod, I'd have already blasted you with magic and had Skales jump you."
"Ugh… I think I get it," Mage took hold of Aevum again and looked at Lloyd curiously, "So, what exactly do you do when you fight?"
"Well… that depends," Lloyd paused, "If someone is trying to use power, that's different. But if I'm just fighting someone with a weapon, then you can rely on something like basic fighting techniques. The entire point of swords is to find an opening to strike at. But you gotta master the basics if you wanna do something fancy. While using Aevum's weird, time power like that might work for guys who don't know what they're doing, you're facing someone like Ophiod. He knows how to fight. I felt it when we fought. If you don't know how to counter basic strikes, he'll blow you down immediately."
"But, when do I mix in my elements and all that?" Mage asked, "That's what I always do."
"Right now, you need to go through the basic drills that Wu took us through," Lloyd put one katana back on his back, placing that hand behind his back and holding the other katana out, "I'd normally use like, sticks but I don't have any. Can you turn off Aevum's power?"
Mage nodded, focusing his power through his Time Matrix with forward time to mask the power of Aevum. Once he had a grip on it, Mage nodded his head and brought his hands down on Aevum. Lloyd took a breath, then stepped forward and brought his katana against Aevum.
"Follow my lead," Lloyd looked down, "This one is simple. When I count, you take a few steps forward and backwards. Just feel the way that I'm pressing and move in that direction. Alright?" When Mage nodded, Lloyd stepped forward and brought their swords together.
For the next three hours, Lloyd brought Mage through each and every painstaking sword drill that Wu had put into his head so well, he could do them in his sleep. Mage seemed eager to pick them up, but was struggling to keep his focus. Several times he would break his form to go and try something more wild, only for Lloyd to shove him back down to show him that he couldn't do that. By the end of it, he was sure Mge would have a sore back come the next day.
Years of training meant that Lloyd's stamina in these sorts of things had him barely even winded by the time they were done. When Wu made you climb the entire Mountain of a Million Steps as punishment, you learned how to both get good at repetitive motions and not mess up. Mage, in turn, got sloppier as time went on. He'd made it through the first hour well enough, then the second was when he tried improvising… and by the third Lloyd almost felt bad putting him through it.
"We've been at this for hours…" Mage whined out, face covered in sweat as he blocked a simple blow from Lloyd, "I know what I need to do! I wanna stop now!"
"Your stamina is your biggest weakness, right?" Lloyd asked, "You gotta learn how to pace yourself. You're not managing yourself. You're just throwing what you have at me. It doesn't matter how hard you hit if you can only hit once and miss."
Mage, wanting out of this more and more, finally gave up. He let out a long groan that turned growl and made a wild jab at Lloyd's side. Lloyd sidestepped him and smacked Aevum out of Mage's hands with his katana. As Mage fell to the ground, too tired to get up, he put on a warm smile and sprawled out on the ground.
"W-Well that was fun, I think I'm done for now," Mage groaned out.
"Practice those drills whenever you get time. You don't need someone there for it, just the footwork," Lloyd informed him, "Practice how to move your feet and keep up with someone. If you want to face Ophiod, you have to be able to withstand him for a long time."
"Got it!" Mage tried to hop to his feet, but he only flopped on the ground. His arms, now feeling more like jelly, reached out and dragged Aevum into his sheath, the motion taking what felt like all of his strength to do. He got to his hands and knees by flopping over and got up to his feet, giving a shaky smile to Lloyd before slowly limping out of space and back towards the warehouse.
"Training him to swordfight?" Over's voice caused Lloyd's body to lock up in shock, "Now isn't that a rather useful skill for him."
"Over?" Lloyd turned around, some of his worries fading as he saw the four armed figure, "How… long have you been there?"
"Voyeurism is beyond me," Over stepped past Lloyd as he spoke, "I just arrived. I was in a rather, heated debate with Monty. Or should I more so say we almost came to blows?"
"Wait, you did?!" Lloyd looked around, "Is he coming after you? I don't need you two fighting! We're barely holding on as it is, let's not make it worse!" He quickly began to walk towards where Over came from, "I'll talk to him, we need to be getting along!"
"Mhm… hmhmm," Over suppressed a chuckle, "So it seems that you're really still the leader that I thought you would be. Still concerned over making us all… get along, was it?" Over sighed, "Sadly, I think Monty's heart is guarded in a way that you will never truly unlock. One that has given himself no reason to interact, well… what can you truly do for those people?"
"But Monty is important to us," Lloyd turned back towards Over, "We're a team at this point, Over. First he was making Harumi mad, now he's doing all this with you… I can't have him getting distant from us."
"Hrmm… I think you'll find that if we are a 'team' as it were, Monty is your biggest target," Over shook his head, "You, Lulloyd and Harumi are rather… amiable people. I doubt that Mage has it in his heart to hate people. And I am here because you have proven, valuable to my cause. Monty is a fringe element. You'll need to ensure he has something worth, remaining for."
"Are you saying that he's going to just, up and leave us?" Lloyd frowned, "Why would he do that?"
"Because he's dealing with a rather large problem," Over clasped his hands behind his back, "And I don't think he's going to give it up that easily."
"...The sword?" Lloyd asked. Over actually paused in surprise.
"You're more… observant, than I used to be," Over smirked, "Yes, actually. That's the issue. He's going through something with that blade. I think he needs to have some sort of, reality check with it."
"...I know you're trying to say I need to talk to him, but you're also sounding like you're trying to manipulate me," Lloyd frowned, "And trust me… I've spent a lot of time being manipulated. If you said that to Harumi, she'd trust you even less."
"Hrmm… fair enough," Over sighed, "Fine then. I'll be blunt. I despise that ghost and I think he's getting more dangerous with his temper. I can restrain myself until I have time to fight, but if the last battle shows anything, I think he's slipping. And I'm not going to be fond of him deciding to pump me full of bullets."
Lloyd couldn't help but feel Over wasn't lying to him. Which only made the situation worse, he realized. Slowly, Lloyd sighed and sat down on the ground, leaning back as he tried to gather his thoughts. Now he had to worry about Monty on top of everything else? At what point would this all just get, too much for him? Over, sensing that Lloyd seemed out of things, went to leave the room.
"Wait," Lloyd paused, feeling a strange sensation take him, "...I, want to ask you something."
"I think I know what you want to ask," Over stopped at the exit to the cavern, "But ask me."
"...How… how did it, feel?" Lloyd asked, leaning in, "When you… fused with the Overlord. When you were, with him. I… I can't imagine it but… I can imagine what you were thinking when you did and, that's not, something I like thinking about."
"Hrmmm… the answer that you want, I don't think is satisfying for you," Over reached up to touch his chest, "So, I'll give you the one you don't know you want. In truth, Lloyd, when I first did it, I regretted it. I felt that everything I had been until then, was gone. I didn't even have the same mind from when I started. Even though he and I were once separate, I knew I'd done something that could never be taken back. And that terrified me."
"...But," Over leaned his head back, "I do not regret a thing. Even now, in this position… everything that has happened is a consequence of my own actions. And I believe that my own actions were ones that were destined to happen. Destined, at least in some way, to be what I always thought they would be, I just didn't know them yet. And now… now I cannot imagine a life without him. Without us, together like this. I am not like you. And I never will be again. But I do not think the person I was before was worthless. He became part of who I am now… and that, alone, is enough to justify all of the pain and suffering I have endured."
"I've just…" Lloyd gripped the ground, "I thought before, about doing something like that. Not fusing with the Overlord! But… but just giving up on Ninjago. Leaving it behind. Saying that I was done with it. It's… it's not a thought I like having. And I feel guilty when I do. But then I look at you, and you're saying you don't regret it. And I wonder… wonder why I'm still fighting, when the Time Twins… make it look so easy to just do what you want."
Lloyd didn't like what he said, but he had to. He wanted to hide now that he had, act like he'd been joking, doing something without thinking. But he had thought this. All of this, all this time, pushing him to his limits… he didn't know why he was still in this fight. The first part of why he'd even been in this story, felt like such a long ways away now. But he was, and he wasn't sure he was happy with it.
To his shock, Over came over and sat down beside him. Lloyd turned, having to look up. Over, seeing this, let his body melt into shadow and turn into his two armed form, putting them on equal level. When Lloyd looked over towards him, Over just sighed again and leaned forward so as to make himself seem a bit more approachable. Given his massive pupiless eyes that were somewhat unnerving the longer Lloyd studied them.
"Lloyd, I am not someone that would wish to tell you to follow the path that I did," Over frowned, "I am not 'evil' in the way you think you know me to be. I am someone that has my own desires. Evil is hardly ever such in the eyes of the one you perceive as. I am just someone that has my own goals. My own needs. And I achieved them. But you have your own needs in your life. You're someone that has your own life to live. Do not look to me for guidance."
"...But you actually were in a place you liked, right?" Lloyd sighed, "How can you keep going on when… you've lost so much?"
"I can't answer that question, but you don't have to answer that question, do you?" Over shook his head, "You're saying that to make yourself seem like you're in the wrong. But you are not. Having feelings, desires even, is not a negative. My life is one massive desire, fulfilled. But you must ask yourself if fulfilling that desire is worth it."
"My… desire?" Lloyd asked, "What does that mean?"
"You think I can answer that for you?" Over scoffed, "I don't know. But I know that you have potential. You went further than I did, and from what tidbits I have gathered from your reactions, you have gone through more than I did in my past life. If you can continue where I was unable to, you have your own strength. Harness it and use it. Use the fact you've moved forward as your own proof you made the right choices. Do not rely on others to define you. Do you understand me, Lloyd?"
"I think so," Lloyd blinked, "I uh… thank you."
"Good," Over stood up, his body slowly shifting back to four arms, "Now, I must find Lulloyd. He disappeared somewhat quickly during my catharsis, and I do not trust us to be separated like this. Monty will come back soon enough. I suggest you watch over Mage. Harumi may know these tunnels… but we do not."
Over took a few steps into the darkness, and in a few moments his body seemed to completely evaporate into it. Lloyd blinked in confusion, but decided to take Over's advice. His heart felt a bit lighter as he made his way off where Mage had gone, deciding to try to join up and talk with Harumi. If Over's words were right, the fact they had fought this long was proof they had done what was right. As backwards as that logic was… if it kept someone like him going, then Lloyd could do the same. He resolved himself, then left to go and continue forward with this journey.
Lulloyd had no idea where he was going.
It wasn't that he was lost; he had a rather decent sense of direction, thanks to living in the massive bustling city that was Ninjago city. Having to call out specific streets when flying in a dragon going fast enough to ram through buildings meant you had to know places relatively well. And even without that, his father had been rather diligent with teaching him skills like that. When he put aside the somewhat deadly and needless tasks that required far too much dodging, Lulloyd had learned a good amount of life skills between them.
While the places underground were actual buildings, they'd been covered completely with rock long ago. The tunnels that connected the places were mixtures of being made by Harumi's friends or criminal organizations. Given that Harumi had alluded to the 'dark side' of the city more than once while taking them there, Lulloyd had taken his sword with him. His mechdragon, though, was back in the underground warehouse. A dragon that took up a block wouldn't be helpful in a tunnel he could touch the ceiling of by jumping.
Sitting around like that had left Lulloyd uneasy. Normally, Monty was around and always said something about scouting around to make sure they were safe. Now that he was gone, Lulloyd decided to take it on himself to do some recon. While Carnelian had said her friends were keeping them safe, he didn't know if he could relax if he didn't check it himself. Plus, he'd seen Carnelian was hoping for something private, and he didn't want to be there and make himself awkward.
The tunnel gradually sloped upwards, and the only light was a flashlight Lulloyd had brought with him, as well as spare 'batteries.' Why you wouldn't need a brand new bulb when the light went off he didn't know, but then again the logic of his world wasn't always compatible with this one. He just hoped he didn't have to figure out how to replace them. Normally it would just mean replacing a brick and not.. Whatever they'd given him.
It took a lot for Lulloyd not to feel disappointed at the outcome of their fight. He didn't understand who Oni was, or why he was helping them. His reasoning sounded like something he'd hear from a bad book, not an actual fight like this. But then again, his father didn't have the most sound of reasons either. So maybe it would work. But he couldn't think of a good explanation of what was going on with him, or what his dad would do in this situation.
"...I should make sure I write my dad and Uni…" Lulloyd muttered to himself. He wasn't sure why, but it was a good thing to hear. He needed to. And he had a device on his arm that could send him to any world whenever he wanted. When he got the chance, he'd go home and tell them he was okay. He needed them to know that.
After almost ten minutes of walking, Lulloyd found a small gap in the ceiling with a small bit of light filtering through it. Lulloyd looked around for some way to get up there, but found none. With a sight, he looked around again and tried to find something to build. He began to strike it and take apart what pieces he could get out without having to heave the entire thing out. Using what remained of a wheel, he built a simple catapult and jumped down on the side with the wheel. The force sent him flying up into the air for him to grab the lip, swing, and flip up through the hole to land inside an old drainage pipe, this time above the ground.
In front of Lulloyd was a large slab of metal that covered the pipe. There was a small pool of water running down the center of the pipe, but otherwise it was dry and out of service. Now that he was above ground, he just had to go past that slab of metal to get out. Checking that he had his sword, Lulloyd moved to slowly pull on the slab. It was more or less sheet metal, making it easy to pull aside. But the moment he did, he was looking out at open space. Lulloyd took several seconds to ensure he wasn't being watched, then slipped outside.
The drainage pipe was actually apart of what looked to be an old stormwater collection canal. While it was nighttime, the intense lights and colors of Harumi's Ninjago City, with buildings that reached up to heights he was sure most people would suffocate if not for 'oxygen devices' Harumi claimed kept people safe at the high altitudes. The blaring colors of orange, yellow, blue, green, red… actually, all colors of the rainbow meant the only way he knew it was night was seeing some splatterings of indigo between the building tops. They were at ground level, according to what he'd internalized, and this ditch was somewhere nobody was willing to use now that Harumi had driven criminals away from it.
Lulloyd expected the area to be quiet. Given there wasn't cover, he felt exposed, but had a wide field of view. Which so happened to be how he looked up to see something shifting at the top of the ditch. When he took the chance to look, whatever it was shifted away and out of view. Almost immediately, Lulloyd felt all of his alarms go off.
Lulloyd drew his sword, quickly racing his way up the side of the ditch. When he reached the top, he used one hand to hold on to the lip, dangling from it to look over to where he'd seen the figures. They were gone now. Lulloyd, thinking, put his sword back on his back and placed said back up against the ditch, using both hands behind his head to hold on. He waited for a few moments, then took a deep breath.
The ninja rotated his arms down towards his chest, hefting his body up. When he did, he flipped in the air, both drawing his hood over his face and his sword as he landed on the ground. When he landed, he looked around, expecting to see someone coming at him. Instead, there was nothing around but a hovercar. For a few moments, he thought about where they could have gone. IF they'd showed up in that thing…
Lulloyd took a few steps past the hovercar. When he did, the car began to shift as a glow overtook it. Lulloyd's senses picked it up just in time for the car to turn into a person, a person which swung a bag at him and knocked into his side. Lulloyd flattened himself to the ground and did a corkscrew flip to get up onto his feet, looking around for the person. They were gone.
Once he looked, something wrapped around his neck. Lulloyd gasped out as it yanked on him, pulling him back. Lulloyd reached up, trying to use his sword to cut through it. The figure with the bag raced up in front of him, spinning their foot to knock his sword away. Lulloyd gave several yanks, trying to get free. It was only after this that he felt the figure in front of him gripping his shirt.
"Normally, I would forgive this, but that spot is one that we've declared off limits," A feminine voice started, then stopped, "...Wait, Lulloyd?"
"H-Huh?" Lulloyd gasped out. The figure gave a shift of their body, causing the darkness on them to evaporate and reveal the purple haired face of Ren.
"I got him, I got him!" Forte's voice rang out from behind Lulloyd, "Bet you never thought your words would literally freeze you in place, eh?!"
"Forte!" Ren shouted. Forte blinked, then let the sound go. As soon as she did, Lulloyd stumbled forward and gasped.
"What?" Forte walked forward, her keytar still around her neck, "You said grab him and I did! ...Oh, wait, Lulloyd?!"
"H-Hey…" Lulloyd slowly coughed and turned to face them, "...Uh… I know you're the sound girl and, you're the form one. I uh… don't remember your names. I-I'm sorry."
"It's been a rather long time, there is nothing to worry about," Ren shook her head, "I am Ren, this is Forte. We were coming to see if Harumi needed us and check the perimeter. We assumed you were an enemy."
"I thought you were an enemy too…" Lulloyd admitted, drawing his hood down to look at them directly, "I uh… was just, wanting to go and do something."
"Hmmph," Forte sighed, "And I even perfected that sound whip thing too!" Ren's look made Forte shrink back and roll her eyes, "Fine, fine. I get it."
"I expect that from Mizuko, not you!" Ren sighed at her, holding up the bag, "I brought a few changes of clothes and some other things. I would have come earlier, but I had a few jobs to take care of."
"Jobs?" Lulloyd blinked, "Like, you were chasing down goons? Saving people?" Forte chortled.
"Sadly, some of us have to afford the high rents of this city," Ren hefted the bag on her shoulders, "I was at a photo op."
"Photo op… as in you're a model?" Lulloyd looked her up and down. Now that he was taking time to look at her, Ren was wearing some sort of deep gray robe around her body. A sparkly outfit could be seen underneath it. Ren tightened the robe a moment later, making Lulloyd blush. Seeing that just made Ren smile playfully.
"I am," Ren crossed her arms, "Cliche as it may be for someone with the power of form, I found it to be my calling. I've gotten in with some rather large producers and I had to make time for them today. I didn't have time to change before I came."
"Oh, such a busy girl," Forte groaned, "I'm running at least three shows a week and you don't see me complaining about it! I've gone on stage without having eaten for days! ...Not that I recommend that, but still!"
"Which is why I don't let you drag me into your shows anymore," Ren rolled her eyes, "Your priority with scheduling is as haphazard as your outfit."
Forte looked down. Her outfit was all sorts of mixes of things, with designs that both screamed loud with stars and stripes, to subdued portions. Without the keytar on, it'd almost look patchwork. Combining that with her massive and styled hair and pink star tattoo across her right eye, Ren had a point. Lulloyd was caught staring at her, to which Forte stuck her tongue out at him.
"I made this thing myself! And I worked myself up to where I am all on my own!" Forte struck notes on her keytar to emphasize her words, "Besides, I at least have a career!"
"Of course you do," Ren nodded. Seeing Lulloyd looking down at the ground, she reached out and tapped his shoulder, "Sorry, we're leaving you out of this conversation, aren't we? Come, let's go and see Harumi now."
"G-Gotcha," Lulloyd smiled, turning to guide them down towards the ditch. As the three departed, the lights of the city shone above them. And, unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes scanned them, tracing their movements as the three disappeared down into the underground of Ninjago City.