CarlyShi208: Hmm...well, the original plan was 115 chapters, but this mainland arc with Zane and co. is taking longer than I thought it would. So now I estimate the epilogue will be at or just before chapter 120?

Guest (1): I'm very sorry that I upset you. :( He's one of my favorites too.

Breeze Winder: *hugs* Right? I know, this is really sad. Overlord is being really frustrating...

Syrena: I'll see what I can do! :)

KaitheHotHead1: It's kind of a bad habit... I'm sorry. And thank you! ^_^;

Guest (2): I continued! Lol. I hope you find this chapter satisfactory.

Sincerest thanks to all the guests for reviewing! (::) Cookies for ya'll.

Don't Die

One Year Prior

"So," Wu began. He poured out two cups of tea and handed one to Ronin. "Why don't you tell me your story? How did you come to be out here?"

Ronin deliberately turned his face from the old man, looking outside. To his annoyance, he found his head flitting to the right more often than before his eye loss. And his left eye ached as it tried to compensate for having to do the work of both eyes. His head had not stopped hurting all day, and his ears were still ringing.

"Ronin?"

It was long after dusk. They sat in Wu's hut on the eastern coast. He could hear the ocean not too far away. Some strange insects were humming around them; a constant drone that grated on Ronin's nerves.

"All right," the old man said. "Let's start with the basics. Where do you live?"

"The Middle," Ronin answered quietly.

"Hmm. Do you have any family?"

"Yeah." Ronin looked down. His cup was dark, filled with a strange, bitter-leaved and spicy tea. He didn't care at all for the flavor, but Wu said it would help with his headache.

"Wife? Kids?" Wu prompted.

Ronin nodded. "Tina. And three kids. Two girls, one boy."

"I see." Wu nodded. "Tina was taken, wasn't she?"

"We both were." Ronin's hands tightened around the cup.

"Mmm. And your children?"

"They're with Borg."

"Borg?" Wu's eyebrow raised. "You know him?"

Ronin nodded. "He raised me after my father died."

"What about your mother?"

"She died in that big fever epidemic when I was a kid."

"Ah. My condolences."

Ronin smiled wanly, looking at Wu with his one eye. "It's not like I ever knew her. My father was a decent guy, though. He worked in Lord Julien's personal guard. That's how I got to know Cyrus."

"Cyrus is a good man," Wu said. "He is well? And his family?"

"Andani..." Ronin hesitated. "She died. And their daughter Liana is here, too."

Wu's brows pinched sympathetically. "What about Cyrus?"

Ronin paused. "He...may have to retreat to his secret keep. There have been some problems lately. Political tensions because of the Dark Knight. The Lords, the King, and all of their advisors are disagreeing on how to deal with the situation. Cyrus is at the losing end of things."

"I can imagine why." Wu leaned back in his chair. "It had been thirteen years with hardly any word from this island. People had begun to think that maybe Overlord would leave them alone, content to stay here on Keitorin with his little band of slaves to...lord over." He chuckled morosely. "And then, along comes the Dark Knight with his invincible army, doing monthly raids to kidnap, murder, and pillage. It must have everyone on edge."

"Right," Ronin agreed. "And everyone's turning to the King and Lords to solve the problem for them."

"Garmadon probably wants to draft men to come here and fight," Wu said.

"Right." Ronin eyed Wu. "You seem to know a lot about Ninjago. How long have you been out here for?"

"Oh…" Wu shrugged. "Nineteen years? Something like that."

Ronin choked on his tea. "I…think it's your turn to tell your story. That's insane."

Wu's expression darkened. "There isn't much to tell," he said. "I lived in Ninjago. I came here."

"Wow," Ronin said, deadpan. "What a coincidence. I have the exact same story."

Wu shot him a look. But he was smiling. "Okay," he sighed. "You know Cyrus very well, it seems. So you must also know his secret."

Ronin tensed. "Which one?" he asked.

"The one about…the Way."

Ronin set down his cup slowly, shaking his head to himself. "Yeah," he admitted quietly. "What about it?"

"Are you a part of it?" Wu asked.

Ronin shook his head again rigorously. "Hosts, no. It's dangerous enough knowing about the Way. I'm not gonna risk my life- my family- by becoming a part of it."

"I see." Wu poured himself another cup from his teapot. "Well then, I fear you'll never understand my reason for coming here."

The conversation stopped there. Wu finished his tea slowly, then set down his empty cup. "What's your plan?" he asked.

"Plan for...what?" It was a stupid question, but Ronin was in a sullen mood.

"Rescuing Tina, of course! What do you plan to do?"

"I don't know," Ronin sighed. This was specifically the topic he'd been hoping to avoid- and somehow also the one he'd been itching to get to. "Her legs need to heal before she's of any use to Overlord. That could take months, so I have time before she..." He looked down, clenching his jaw. Of course, if Overlord had more Gems, he could already have her in the brothel.

Moons. What am I doing over here drinking tea while she's still in captivity?

"I might be able to offer you some advice," Wu said, "if I knew your story. How did you come to be on the Dark Island? How did you escape?"

Ronin stiffened. The longer he sat with this man, the more irked he became. "I still don't know if I can trust you," he said.

"Do I look like one of Overlord's minions to you?" Wu asked patiently.

"You have eyes like the Dark Knight's," Ronin said without missing a beat. "Seeing one green-eyed commoner on the Dark Island is strange enough. But now there's an old man with the same trait. That sounds a little odd to me."

Wu's teacup stopped halfway to his lips. He seemed to consider something, lost in deep thought for longer than Ronin thought necessary. The one-eyed man glared impatiently.

"That is an odd coincidence," Wu said softly, as if to himself, and tipped back his cup. When he'd had his fill, he continued. "I have been here since before anyone even realized that Overlord was still alive. I've been fishing and fending off wild dogs since before Leryn Keith ever even started building his ship, Lord's Compass, to sail to Keitorin. I have never spoken to that boy you call the Dark Knight."

"I never said he was a boy," Ronin said dryly.

"Ah, now, I never said I haven't seen the lad." Wu's eyes didn't stray from the depths of his cup. "I've only seen him after dark, and never close enough to make out details. So I didn't know his eyes were green…"

His pensive mien was suddenly gone, and he looked up. "Now then, son. What did you do to catch the attention of the Overlord?"

Ronin relented with a soft sigh. "We were spies for Cyrus. Tina and I. We'd been working in Lord Julien's mansion, gathering rumors. Cyrus was specifically looking for information on the Way- to see if Julien or any of his servants were affiliated with that religion, so we could take them into his...eh, membership and protection."

"A dangerous job, to be sure," Wu said. "But I don't see how that would attract Overlord's attention..."

"Well, that's the truth, old man. Take it or leave it. Anyways, Tina and I met with another one of Cyrus' spies biweekly and let him know of our findings. Which were admittedly all but nonexistent. The job hardly felt worth our time, but..." He shrugged. "Cyrus and I are close. It was important to him, so I agreed to help out for a while. Six months, we agreed to." He realized he was absently picking at the threads of a hole in his shirt, and he moved his hands to still his fidgeting. "I don't know what happened to the spy we were supposed to rendezvous with last week, but in his place was the Dark Knight and a dozen of his stone lackeys. They ambushed Tina and I, and..." He shrugged. "Here I am."

"How did you escape this morning?" Wu asked thoughtfully.

"Yesterday."

"Pardon?"

"I escaped yesterday on a fluke. Two stone warriors took Tina from our cell so she could get medical attention for her legs. I managed to swipe their key. They aren't very bright creatures, and they bickered about who lost it for a minute before leaving with Tina, deciding to come back later with a spare and lock my door."

Wu chuckled lowly, shaking his head. "So you escaped, then. I'm assuming that you tried to rescue Tina, but were unsuccessful?"

"I wanted to make sure that Tina's legs were on the mend before I rescued her, so I waited until the next day- today- to go back for her." He pressed his lips together tightly. "I'll spare you the details. But basically, I failed. I managed to see Tina just long enough for her to give me this Gem- don't ask me how she managed to get it, 'cause I don't have the slightest clue- and then I was chased off by a pair of stone warriors, one of which..." He tapped his face. "...took my eye. But only after I broke off his finger." He exhaled a breathy laugh. "Heh... It's almost funny how that worked out."

"Hmm." Wu nodded slowly. "So after that failed attempt to save Tina, do you think you should try again?"

"Should I? Absolutely," Ronin said. "But...logically?" He sighed again. "It doesn't matter the odds. I have to go back. I don't have a choice."

"Yes you do, actually," Wu said. "As painful as the concept is, you could go home."

"What?" Ronin's skin grew hot. "No! I can't leave without Tina!"

"Yes you can," Wu said. "Tina is alive. You can go home to your kids. Do your part from a distance; there is no hope in confronting Overlord face to face."

"I wasn't planning on confrontation!" Ronin exclaimed. "I was just going to sneak in and get Tina out!"

"It's impossible," Wu said. "Ronin, you tried once. Overlord knows that you will try again, so don't you think that he's got Tina guarded better this time? He'll catch you. And then he'll kill you."

"I'd rather die than go home without her," Ronin said through clenched teeth. "Can't you understand that?"

"Of course I understand, Ronin. But listen to me. If you go back, there's a chance you won't be the only one that dies. Overlord would kill Tina, too. And what about your children?"

Oh, now he's going to play that card? Ronin scowled. "My kids have Cyrus," he said. "If I die, they'll have him. Just like I did."

"Stop." Wu set a hand on Ronin's shoulder. "Listen to me, son. All is not as lost as you think."

"Could have fooled me," Ronin growled.

"No, Ronin. Return to Cyrus and help him. Be with your children. And when the time comes, perhaps you will be able to return for Tina."

Ronin shook his head. His voice came weak. "I can't," he said. "I'd rather die than go home without her."

"Hmm." Wu removed his hand from Ronin's shoulder and stroked his beard. "Do you want to know my diagnostic?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Heh. No. You don't." Wu smiled consolingly. "Ronin, it seems like you've been so busy being willing to die to save Tina that you've morphed your thinking into something else. Something unhealthy."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"A need to die, if you fail to rescue her." Wu paused to let that sink in. "Sometimes, Ronin, it's possible to stop our pain by righting our wrongs immediately. Other times, though…you have to learn to live with it." He patted Ronin's arm. "Learn to smile, despite the pain. Find a reason to live to fight another day."

A hundred arguments formed on Ronin's tongue, but they all dissipated before he could open his mouth to get them out. How dare he? How dare Wu tell him to leave Tina to the Overlord's brothel until it was convenient to return and rescue her? How dare he say that the best thing Ronin could do was go home and play with his kids while their mother was in torment because her miserable excuse for a husband wasn't strong enough to get her out? How dare he, how dare he...

…But Ronin didn't really have a choice, did he? Attempting to rescue Tina would likely kill them both and leave their children orphans.

And even if Overlord didn't kill Tina, he would kill Ronin. And then who would be left to rescue her?

"I'm so sorry," Wu whispered. "This is a decision no man should ever have to make."

Ronin groaned quietly, wiping away a few unbidden tears. He said nothing.

"Regardless of which one you choose..." Wu stood and hobbled with his staff over to a corner of the hut, where he opened an old, weather-beaten crate. He pulled out a book and returned, setting it on the floor by Ronin's mat. "I suggest you take up Cyrus' offer. Read about the Way. It will change your life."

Ronin picked up the book and flipped it open to the beginning. He read the all-too-familiar first passage and pursed his lips.

"You expect me to just...go home and live with the knowledge that I've failed her," Ronin said, forcing the words through a windpipe blocked by emotion. "You want me to be a dad to my kids, and you want me to go to this Way to help me deal with my guilt."

"You aren't failing Tina," Wu said. "You're saving her. Yes, she will be hurt. Terribly hurt. But at least she will be alive. At least you have a chance of saving her."

"Have you seen those slaves?" Ronin asked weakly. "The ones we help back on Ninjago...they never truly recover. It's not something anyone can just walk away from. They can't pretend that it never happened. I don't want Tina to be like that."

Wu stared at Ronin wordlessly, his message clear in his eyes: Would you rather that she died?

Maybe, Ronin thought. Maybe death would be kinder. To both of us.

But would it, really?

Ronin rubbed his forehead with his hand, closing his eye. His head hurt worse than ever as he thought through the dilemma.

"How would I get home?" Ronin asked at last.

"The same way you came," Wu said as if the solution was as plain as day.

"On the Black Bounty?" Ronin asked incredulously. But as he said it, a plan began to form in his mind. "I could stow away."

"Yes," Wu said with a nod. "And when the Dark Knight makes it back to Ninjago, you can sneak off and go free."

Free. The word left Ronin sick with guilt. Freedom at the cost of his best friend was no freedom at all.

"You don't have to decide right now," Wu assured him. "You said it yourself: you could have months before Tina is in true danger. Come to a decision tomorrow, or next week, or even at the end of the month, when the Dark Knight's ship leaves."

"And in the meantime?" Ronin's voice came a low murmur.

Wu smiled consolingly. "Stay here with me. I could use the company. And- I'm not going to lie- you could too, son."

Ronin dipped his head heavily; reluctantly. He knew which path he would have to choose: he had to save Tina's life, no matter the cost. But if that cost was her very sanity...

Hosts. He knew Wu was right, but it would be a while before he could gather the courage to actually do as Wu said.

Overlord did not stay at the cliffs to watch the Nindroid's body fall. There was not enough time for that. Instead, he conjured another portal, transporting himself to the orchard where he'd deposited the old man, Wu, a few minutes earlier.

Wu stumbled backward with a short yelp as Overlord appeared before him. Overlord lifted Sunseeker in both hands, preparing to cut the man in two.

But the old man was faster than he looked. He rolled out of the way, then used a nearby tree- bent low by the force of the wind- to pull himself to his feet. He stared at Overlord, eyes wide.

"…Lou?"

Overlord hesitated. He knew this old man was Lou's father, of course- one did not spend so many years on Overlord's island without Overlord learning a thing or two about him. Still, the one-worded plea caught him off guard.

Instead of moving away from Overlord, Wu ventured closer, tears in his eyes. "Lou…my boy… Coleman told me you were dead!"

"Fool," Overlord bit off. "Have you really been so disconnected from the world outside your hovel that you don't recognize the ruler of this island?"

Wu froze, hand halfway to Overlord's face. He retracted it quickly, stepping back as the truth of the situation dawned on him.

"What are you?" he asked in a partially disgusted, partially saddened voice, looking up and down the body of what once was his son.

"I am me," Overlord snarled, tightly gripping Wu's throat, lifting the old man into the air. Their closeness caused Overlord'd bones to tremble; he could feel it in this man, and he did his best to hide his fear by deepening his snarl. It had been many years since his last confrontation with a man so filled with power.

If anyone were to discover what I really am, Overlord realized, it would be this man. He had to kill him quickly, before that could happen.

Wu continued to evaluate Overlord in those moments of eye contact. The old man's apprehensive frown deepened as his face turned a shade purple from asphyxiation.

Overlord smelled blood on Wu's breath, and he forced a smile. "You have the plague," he said. "Did Ronin carry that here with him?" He loosened his fingers, and Wu fell to his knees. "For how many days have you known that you are a dead man?"

"Too…many." Wu's gasps turned to ragged coughs. Blood dribbled down his chin as he pointed an accusatory finger up at Overlord. "You… I have never felt a being as evil as you. Could you be-"

Overlord cut Wu's head from his shoulders. Head and body fell in the sand as Overlord breathed heavily, trying to still his pounding heart.

If he had known just how dangerous Wu was, he would have disposed of him years ago.

Zane examined Cyrus' messenger, Iam, from across his desk quietly for a moment.

Iam was a tall, sturdy man his mid-thirties, with eyes so blue and intense that Zane found himself lost in them for a few heartbeats. He wore a leather vest, much like Jay's, with several pockets large and small. He had, of course, been thoroughly examined before he was allowed into Zane's presence. There were a number of odds and ends on his person, but the only weapon he'd carried was a long knife, which he'd handed to one of the Southern guards without any qualms. He likely was not here to hurt them. There was a chance that he was a spy for Garmadon. But if that was so, Zane would know soon enough: he considered himself to be good at spotting liars.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me," Iam said, sliding into a chair across from Zane with a white-toothed grin. "I apologize; I know you're a busy man. But this won't take too much of your time."

"How did you get over the border?" Zane asked. "I have patrols that should have stopped people like you."

Iam did not seem prepared for Zane's curtness. He blinked once before replying. "I didn't hurt any of your soldiers, if that's what you're asking. I'm just a good sneaker. That's why Cyrus sent me."

Fair enough. "What's your message?" Zane asked. He masked- or perhaps accentuated- his impatience with a thin-lipped smile.

Iam leaned forward, folding his hands on the desk. "You received Cyrus'…gift this afternoon, right?"

"You'll have to be a bit more specific."

Iam glanced at the two soldiers guarding the door behind him questioningly. Could they be trusted? Zane nodded, and Iam spoke again. "Misako. She made it over the border, too?"

Zane dipped his head.

"Where is she?" Iam asked. "We must speak with her."

"Resting," Zane said, making it clear in his firm tone that she was not to be disturbed.

Iam did not seem to notice or care. "Can you call for her?" he asked. "She needs to be here for this."

"What right do you have to ask for the presence of the Queen?" Zane said. "Aren't I enough?"

The man hesitated. "I meant you no disrespect, my lord," he assured Zane. "It's just that the information I have is as relevant to her as it is to you. I'd rather I told you both at once."

Zane leveled a stare at Iam. The blue-eyed man stared back. Not disrespectfully. Just a cool, casual stare as he sat back in his chair, slinging one arm over its back.

"I could just throw you out," Zane said.

"But you won't," Iam said.

"Why is that?"

Iam reached into his pocket. The guards immediately stepped up to restrain him.

"Hey now. Simmer down." Iam raised his hands above his head. Between two fingers of his right hand he held a vial of a yellowish liquid.

"What is that?" Zane asked, standing, prepared to snatch the vial from the black-haired man's hand.

"It's a vial of the antidote to the plague," Iam said. Slowly, he set it on the desk. The two guards sheathed their swords, murmuring among themselves curiously. Eagerly. "Call it a peace offering," Iam continued, ignoring them. "From Cyrus. He wants you and Misako to hear us out. Also, I've been told to inform you that your father has received the antidote."

Those words lifted a great burden from Zane's shoulders. He had to work hard to keep from smiling. His father would get better now. Garmadon's plan to control the North had been thwarted, at least for now.

"Cyrus is a criminal," Zane said at last, lowering himself into his seat again, eyes on the vial.

"What is Cyrus guilty of?" Iam scoffed. "Do you even know?"

"He betrayed my father," Zane answered. "He stole many blueprints and equipment, worth more money than you will earn in a lifetime."

Iam shook his head. "I'd hoped you would have seen through Garmadon's net. I guess I overestimated you." He gestured to the vial. "Bring Misako in here. Please. We need to speak."

You could heal the servant Tavi with that antidote, Duskweaver interrupted. Tavi, and perhaps a few more people, depending on its concentration…

Zane picked up the vial. It seemed to catch and refract the light of the lanterns set around the room. Nearly as bright and vivid as Josi's eyes.

Zane put the vial in his pocket and nodded to one of the guards. "Summon Misako," he ordered.

Pixal awakened to a sharp pain in her chest. Moaning, she pressed her eyes shut, feeling the hard edges of the rocks under her. Somewhere in the distance, over the wind, she heard the rumbling crashes of the waves against the cliff face.

I can't wake up.

She was supposed to be dead. She wanted to be dead. How could she bear to open her eyes and look on Jay's dead body?

How could she bear carrying him out of here and burying him?

I don't want to wake up.

Hosts. How bad did he look? The cliff was high. And if he'd been beaten against the cliff face like she had on the way down…

Not to mention the stab wound in his side. Pixal shivered. The more she fought to push the images from her mind, the more viscously they rooted themselves.

Just let me die…

Her wounds reminded her of that time all those months ago when Cole had thrown that dagger at her on the Black Bounty, she reflected. She grimaced at a new pain, a little lower inside her torso.

Is something touching me? she wondered, too tired to feel much alarm. Maybe she was at the bottom of the ocean, and there was a little crab crawling in the hole Overlord had cut in her chest.

But no, she felt a bit of cold wind on her face, and also a bit of heat on one side of her body. She breathed smoky air through her nostrils. Definitely not the bottom of the ocean, then.

"This is gonna hurt…" a voice muttered. There was a stinging snap in her chest, and Pixal whimpered.

Whimpered. What sort of mortifying mess of circuits and wires had she been reduced to?

"Sorry," the same voice said, and Pixal froze. She hardly dared to believe it was true, but she knew that voice. Hesitantly, she dared to crack an eyelid open.

"Where's Lloyd?" she asked, voice crackling electronically.

Jay frowned confusedly. Kneeling over her, he had both hands deep in the mechanics of her chest. "Lloyd?"

"I'm dead." She said it as a statement, though she knew it could not be so. Nindroids had no afterlife.

"Not yet." Jay extracted one hand to wipe her face gently with a dry rag. "Not yet."

"Then how are you alive?" Pixal asked.

Jay chuckled breathily. "A funny story," he said, leaning left to retrieve something. Pixal noticed then that they were back in Wu's cave. Alone. Jay had started a fire to her left: that was the source of the smoke she'd smelled earlier.

"See this?" Jay asked, holding up the thick old book he'd been carrying around since Cyrus had first given it to him weeks ago. The book about the Retired God.

"…It has a hole in it," Pixal observed.

"Overlord stabbed the book," Jay said. He flipped it over, showing her the back cover. "His Blade went straight through, and cut a bit into my own skin, but…well." He patted his side gingerly. "It's not too deep. I'll survive. Overlord should have made sure the guy who can fly was actually mortally wounded before he threw him over a cliff's edge."

"Well, thank the First King that he didn't," Pixal said, watching with a sort of reverence as Jay set the ruined book aside. "So…when I saw you laying on those rocks…"

"I had Stormstrider break my fall, naturally. Sorry to get your hopes up." Jay sighed, shaking his head as he went back to repairing Pixal's insides. "I'm not dead. You're stuck with me for a little while longer." His eyes darted up to hers for a moment, a small smile on his lips. "That's not to say I didn't get the wind knocked out of me when I hit the bottom- I was a bit overwhelmed, you understand- and didn't calculate the fall very well." He squinted at her wires. "Eh…I need some tape. Do you keep some on you?"

Pixal moved to roll up her sleeve with a jerky, pain-filled hand, but found her arm already bare. Alarmed, she found that her shirt had been removed so Jay could work.

Jay met her eyes again, this time blushing. "Sorry?" he tried. "I wasn't just going to leave you broken…"

Pixal exhaled heavily. She tried to move her arms, but it hurt too much. "Two pressure points in my wrist," she said. "There's a compartment."

Jay took her hand and poked at it. "Here?"

"A little left."

"Ah. Found it." Jay pressed into her skin- she winced at this- and opened a compartment filled with repair tools.

"Well. Isn't that handy…" Jay said awkwardly, reaching in for the tape and a tiny pair of wire strippers.

"Sorry," Pixal said.

"About what?"

"About…this. I can see you're uncomfortable."

"Not uncomfortable," Jay assured her. "Just concerned."

"Concerned? Why?"

" 'Cause as soon as you get put back together, you're gonna kill me."

"Why? Because you saw me shirtless?"

"Eh…"

"It's not like I'm human or anything, Jay. Even if I was, you did what you had to do." She paused, looking at her open chest panel. "How did you find the pressure points for this one?"

Jay's skin pinked further. He seemed to shrink as he managed a nervous half-smile. "It…took some prodding."

"You're dead, Walker."

"Aaand there's the threat this conversation was missing." Jay bit off a strip of tape between his teeth and used it to mend a damaged wire. Some of the pain was alleviated by this, and she exhaled in relief.

"I'll let you finish repairing me before I kill you," she decided.

"How gracious, Milady."

"Not gracious. Just lazy." Pixal raised her arm heavily and examined it in the firelight. Much of the skin had been peeled off from her fall. The metal was scratched and dented. Aside from the stab wound in her chest, how many other areas had been internally damaged? She felt a bit of clicking as she rolled her shoulder. That could present a problem later.

"Stop moving, Pix," Jay said, and mended the last few wires with a bit of wire stripping and taping. "Try talking now."

Pixal's voice rang clear and sharp this time. "Is it okay to kill you yet?"

"Hum. If I do some more prodding and find more things to fix, will that extend my life?"

Now moving with more fluidity, Pixal swatted his arm. Jay scooted back on his knees, hands raised in surrender.

"Turn around," Pixal ordered.

Jay obeyed. Whether out of courtesy or genuine fear, Pixal could only speculate. And hope.

Regardless, once his back was turned, she sat up and closed the damaged panel in her torso. She scooped up her brassiere and shirt from the floor and put them on. There was an ugly hole in her shirt now from Overlord's Blade in a…particularly indecent place. Ah, well. She'd planned to throw the shirt away at the earliest opportunity anyways: it was travel-worn beyond saving.

"Can I turn around yet?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Jay stood stiffly, favoring his prosthetic leg a bit more than usual, and turned to face her.

Pixal paused, staring at his distraught expression. "I was kidding, you know," she assured him, standing. "I'm not going to kill you. Yet. Thank your Host."

Jay shook his head, hastily wiping away some moisture in his eyes. "You have no idea how much you scared me back there, Pix," he said. "When Overlord cut you, and then when you fell… If I hadn't caught you in time…"

Hosts. That was the last thing Pixal wanted to think about. But the damage was already done, and she grimaced inwardly as she recalled Jay's fall.

Emotions Pixal had not realized she was suppressing until this moment came crashing to the surface, and she stumbled into Jay's arms, weeping quietly on his shoulder.

"We sh-shouldn't be alive," she whispered. The idea scared her more than she'd thought it would. "We should be d-dead!"

"I know." Jay held her as tightly as she held him, emotion thick in his voice. "Thank God we're not."

Pixal knew Jay's God was not the First King, but she didn't feel like arguing right now. Still, she couldn't help a twinge of disappointment. Has he really given in to Cyrus and Wu's false teachings? She'd thought Jay was smarter than that.

Pixal pulled away, wiping her eyes. "How's your leg?" she asked.

"A little tender," Jay admitted, wincing as he put his weight on it to demonstrate.

"You've been wearing your boots all day," Pixal said. "The heat is probably making it fester. Let me see."

"We need to get going," Jay said, stepping away from her. "After Overlord threw you over the edge, he disappeared. He's probably trying to pick us all off in smaller groups." The unspoken question was clear in his voice: who had Overlord already taken? Who would be left to save when they returned?

"It'd be more convenient for him that way," Pixal agreed at last. "Come on. Sit down and let me take care of your leg."

"Pixal, don't you get it?" Jay's voice rose, startling her. "I doubt everyone else will be as lucky as we were. How many of the others are dead already? We need to go protect them!"

Pixal set a hand on Jay's shoulder. "Hey. Take a deep breath. We need to think with clear heads."

Jay inhaled sharply. He held it in for a moment before puffing it out through his nose. "So what do you suggest we do?" he asked brokenly.

He's thinking of Merv, Pixal thought. She fought back a surge of fear. Hosts. What would Overlord do to Merv when it came to her turn? And what of Besai and Sage? They had children with them!

None of them- not Kai, or Ronin, or even Cole- stood a chance against the Overlord: the women even less. Pixal and Jay both knew it. And not all of them will be as lucky as we were…

"I suggest…" Pixal's voice came softer than she liked. But maybe right now Jay needed soft. "…you sit down for a minute and let me take care of your leg. You'll be able to fight better if it's clean, and you know it. Then we'll come up with a plan."

"But Overlord-"

"If Overlord wants everyone dead, then it's probably already happened," Pixal said. "The best we can do is take care of ourselves and prepare for the inevitable round two."

Defeated, Jay sank to the floor and pulled off his boot. He winced again as it came free.

"Just let me do it," Pixal said, rolling up his pants to above the knee so she could unbuckle the prosthetic. It came free begrudgingly, stuck to his skin by dried yellowish, whitish, and reddish scabs. What a mess. "Hmm… Here, I'll go wet some rags so we can clean this up." She did so, soaking them in the rain right outside the cave, then returned and gave one to Jay. "Clean up the prosthetic. I'll do your leg."

"Thanks," Jay murmured, taking the length of wood and metal that had replaced his leg and scrubbing it forcefully. Frustratedly.

Pixal cleaned his leg more gently, holding the rag above the fire to warm it before letting it soak on his enflamed stub. Though Jay tried to hide it, he grimaced every time she touched it.

Jay is right, Pixal thought anxiously. We don't have time for this. But logically, there was nothing else they could do right now. She had no idea how much time had passed since she'd lost consciousness, but one thing was certain: Overlord was either holding Merv and the others captive, or they were all dead. If the former, Jay needed to be in top shape to rescue them, which meant cleaning his leg now. If the latter…

Well, Pixal didn't want to dwell on that.

"I finished that book last night," Jay said at last.

"Isn't it in another language?" Pixal asked, eager for a distraction from her train of thought. "It must be difficult to read something like that."

"Not particularly," Jay said with a shrug. "Cyrus had required reading lists for Liana, Ronin, and me. A lot of them were old books in a variety of languages."

"So you're…bilingual? No, that's not right." Pixal frowned. "I don't think we have a word for someone who speaks more than two languages."

"That's because we've only had two cultures to interact with in the last seven hundred years," Jay said. "Those green-eyes have kept us pretty isolated from the outside world."

Pixal looked up. "You think there are more cultures out there still?"

"Cyrus seems to think so," Jay said. "I'm of mixed minds. I mean…we know there were many nations spread across the world before the Collapse. Billions of people, if you can imagine such a thing. There may be a remnant of people like us living somewhere out there."

"But…" Pixal prompted.

"But, knowing the nature of the Collapse- how there were all those wars and diseases that nearly eradicated the human race- it's also plausible that we really are the only ones left, as the history books say." Jay leaned back, looking up at the low ceiling. "Doesn't it make you feel small? A group of a few hundred thousand people- less than a million, let alone a billion- living on a couple of islands in the middle of the ocean. What do you think is out there, across the ocean, seven hundred years later?"

Pixal had never thought of it that way. In Ninjago, people tended to stay in their comfort zone, rarely leaving their towns, let alone realms. Hosts forbid a man consider building a boat and sailing off to chart the world. Very little had changed since the beginning of the Fourth Age, and most people were content to let it stay that way.

But there had been a few dissenters, such as Lord Keith, Cyrus, and Lord Julien, who had dared to bring back old technology from the third age. Keith built boats to explore their estranged sister island, Keitorin. Lord Julien and Cyrus brought back electricity and…well, robots like Pixal and Zane. Garmadon had scorned such things- he'd especially been against Lord Julien and Cyrus, Pixal had heard- but he had begrudgingly allowed them to have their fun- as long as they kept it to themselves. None of the common people were allowed to take part in it.

And no one seemed to care.

Suddenly it seemed strange to Pixal that their world was so…sleepy. Even Lord Keith's wanderlust had been satisfied after traveling a mere three hundred or so miles to Keitorin! Did no one care about the monotony?

"Anyways," Jay said. "That book. It got me thinking about things."

"That's amazing," Pixal said dryly.

Jay swatted her arm with his rag. "Hush you." Despite his tone he was smiling. It was a heavy smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Things like the First King, and the Overlord, and…well, everything."

"What about it?"

Jay scratched the back of his head, looking away. "There's really no easy way to say this. And I know you'll probably be upset. But…I really like the teachings in this book Cyrus gave me. The book's made me ponder a lot more than anything else I've read- and you know how much I read." He let out a puff of air. "I'm rambling. Sorry, I'll get to the point." He lowered his arm. "I…decided to become a part of the Way."

Pixal stared at him coldly.

"You're right," she said. "I'm upset. I'd hoped you were smarter than this."

"That's why I didn't tell anyone sooner," Jay admitted. "But I won't apologize for it. Especially not after what happened when I prayed for Kai, and then today with this book… I know I've made the right choice, and I really wish that you'd at least give it a chance."

"Why would- You shouldn't-" Pixal rubbed her forehead. We're running out of time. I can't play along with his fantasies. We really need to get going.

"As we were being carried through that portal with Overlord," Jay said, "I suddenly thought of a story from that book. It was about a war between God's people and these pagans. The pagans decided to strike a deal with God's people: they would both choose one warrior from their ranks to fight in a duel. The nation that lost the duel would become the slaves of the other nation.

"The pagans' chosen warrior was an undefeated champion. He had God's people cowering because they knew that they did not stand a chance in a one-on-one battle."

Jay laughed breathily. "For days no one dared to step forward and challenge the champion. But then, one day, a farmer boy walked into the camp. He heard the soldiers talking about this champion, and…" He paused. "Um, I don't remember everything, and it was in another language. But basically, this boy laughed, both at God's soldiers and at the pagan champion. This champion isn't challenging you, he said. He's challenging our God! I don't think God will allow him to get away with that!"

"What does this have to do with us?" Pixal asked tiredly, lifting the rag from Jay's skin. Now that it had soaked a bit, the scabs were more pliable, and she washed them away. "I thought you wanted to get going."

"You're not done either," Jay said, making more pained faces as she worked. "Anyhow, this boy wanted to go out and face the champion. Why the king allowed him to go, I can only speculate. Maybe he thought they would lose the battle no matter who stepped up to fight, and decided he might as well let the only willing volunteer go out and get it over with. Or maybe he really thought this boy had the right idea about how to defeat him. Anyway, the farmer boy- who had never held a sword in his life, let alone been on a battlefield- stepped out against the experienced veteran."

"Let me guess," Pixal said. "The boy won."

"Yes!" Jay grabbed Pixal's arm and forced her to look at him. "Listen, I'm telling you this for a reason. Can you hear me out?"

Pixal nodded tiredly. By Beun's beard, she thought. Jay's like a shy little boy until he starts talking about something he cares about. If only he would care about something other than fantasies.

"Pixal," Jay said quietly, but passionately. He truly wanted her to understand. "That boy went into battle so focused on what his God could do that he never stopped to consider what that warrior could do to him. He had confidence. Faith!" He picked up the book and thumped the cover. "I fought the Overlord with a fraction of that confidence. And while we didn't defeat him…" He set the thick tome in her hands. "…well, I'd say that battle wasn't a complete loss, either."

"The First King was with us," Pixal said, fingering the hole in the cover. A hole that should have been in Jay's side. She shivered.

"The God of the Way was with us!" Jay said. "Could we have asked for a clearer sign than this?"

Hosts, you are insufferable! Pixal frowned at Jay, readying another argument, but faltered. Jay's eyes were so full of light, like the ocean on a starry night. Childlike excitement. That's him, she realized. That's the John that Merv thought was gone for good.

She hadn't known much about the late Lord Keith. Only that he had been a passionate man consumed by insatiable curiosity. Curiosity that had gotten him, his family, and the entire Western settlement killed.

Except his son wasn't dead. He was here, full of beautiful life that Pixal, admittedly, envied.

"Well, whatever gives you confidence, I guess," Pixal said. She removed one of her boots and pulled off her stocking.

"What are you doing?" Jay asked.

"Giving you some extra protection," Pixal explained, pulling the stocking up over his stump. It fit snugly. "This should help with the chafing. Here, give me your prosthetic. You need to get out of here."

"What about you?"

"I'll follow behind," Pixal said, buckling his prosthetic around his knee. "You use your powers and get over to the others as fast as you can. Protect them." She smiled dimly. "I'm sure the they could use a bit of your courage."

"I'll carry you!" Jay said. "I'm not leaving you behind, Pix. Not..." He faltered. "What's wrong?"

Pixal realized that there were tears in her eyes again. She stood hastily and wiped her cheeks on her sleeve.

"Pixal." Jay stood, tentatively putting weight on his prosthetic leg. "Listen, I-"

"No." Pixal took a deep breath and looked him square in the eyes. "No, Jay, you listen. If they're still alive, they need you and your Blade. I'll only slow you down. But…" She shook her head, hating herself for tearing up yet again. Her voice tightened, as if to restrain her heart so she could not confess these sentiments that had been consuming her like a cancer for days now. But she couldn't let anything stop her now.

"I lost Lloyd. Now, that's bad enough by itself, but I didn't even get to tell him goodbye. I didn't get to tell him that I… Damnation, I loved him, and he died believing that love was unrequited. And now you're leaving too, and I hate to be the voice of doom, but you probably won't come back either. I just…" Staring into his deep, deep blue eyes she found herself momentarily at a loss for words. Her words came soft and choked. "Just…don't die out there. Please."

Not the most Straightforward way to confess her feelings, but it didn't feel right to be any more direct. She was't even real, for Mena's sake. Jay needed a real woman, not her, a counterfeit made of synthetic skin and scrap metal. Artificial, from her eyes to her emotions. Every bit of her was fake.

Jay opened his arms to her, and they embraced again, even more tightly than before. His breath was warm on her neck as he pressed his nose into her hair. She gripped the back of his shirt like a lifeline, knowing that when she let go, he would leave, and they would likely never see each other again.

"I'll come back," Jay said. "You can count on it."

It took all of Pixal's willpower not to kiss him. Chin on his shoulder, she closed her eyes, giving him one last squeeze before releasing him and taking a step back. Jay looked close to tears.

"Go save them," Pixal said. "Save Merv. I'll follow as fast as I can."

Jay nodded, opening his mouth as if to say more, but nothing came out. He eventually gave her a pained, forced smile that bespoke years of practice and touched her arm.

"Thanks," he said. "Stay safe."

And then he pulled out his Blade, which glowed almost as intensely as his eyes, and disappeared in a faint cloud of blue mist.

Misako walked into Zane's study. The red fabric of her dress- loaned from Driniah- did not suit her: it made her skin look even paler than usual, and it hung around her shoulders in a manner only slightly more fitting than the blanket she'd been wearing when she first wandered into his study that afternoon. Her hair had been washed and combed since her arrival; it rippled in soft silver waves down her back.

"Iam," she said warmly. Despite her visible exhaustion she was much more alert than she had been earlier that day. The sedative had finally worked its way out of her system. "The Way guide your steps, brother."

Iam stood and bowed, a smile on his face that bespoke years of friendship. "Yours as well, sister." He pulled out a chair for Misako, and she sat, smoothing her crimson skirt with an ease borne of a lifetime in a royal court.

There was a moment of quiet as Iam sat in his chair beside her and crossed one leg over the other. Zane felt himself relax slightly in that moment. Misako knew this man well, and seemed to think well of him. He was a bit more trustworthy than Zane had originally assumed.

"I'm sure that, by now, you know why we pulled you out of the Middle," Iam began, speaking to Misako.

The Queen nodded. "In some ways, I wish you hadn't," she said quietly. Her eyes had a way of flitting nervously around the room that they hadn't had before this whole catastrophe with Garmadon's poisoning. "But I understand Cyrus' concern. Give him my thanks."

"Of course."

"The message," Zane pressed. "You have a message for the both of us, you said?"

Iam's smile faded a bit. He nodded. "It's…more of a proposition," he said, and pulled an envelope from his pocket. "Cyrus apologizes that he couldn't be here in person to speak with you. But with his handicap, and all this plague business, and Garmadon's…well, change, shall we say… And then you threw in your monkey wrench by seceding from the empire." He shrugged. "Cyrus is a bit swamped. So he sent me to do it in his stead." He handed Zane the envelope.

"A contract?" Misako guessed, eying it with the same restrained curiosity as Zane.

"Cyrus wants to contribute men to your cause," Iam explained. "He will help you defend the South against the Middle and North. He will also send Nurses to heal anyone in the South with the plague."

Zane nearly leaped out of his seat again at the prospect. Most of the problem with battle-ready men this winter- anywhere in Ninjago, not just the South- was that the plague was taking so many of their numbers. Having the antidote distributed freely in the South would put him one step ahead of Garmadon, even without the offer of additional troops from Cyrus' personal guard.

"What's the condition?" Zane asked. "Does Cyrus want to become the king of the South if we win? Does he want land, or wealth?"

Iam chuckled, shaking his head. "No, nothing so grand," he said, and looked to Misako with an eager grin. "All he wants is freedom."

Understanding lit up the Queen's eyes, and all her weariness fell away.

Zane felt that he was missing something crucial, and he prodded carefully. "Does Cyrus want immunity?" he asked. "That…could be arranged."

"No!" Misako said, clasping her hands together like an excited child. "No, not immunity! Freedom!"

Zane blinked at her silently.

"The Way," Iam said. "It's-"

"I know about the Way," Zane said evenly. He sat back in his chair and stared at the man. "I know about your false religion, and how Garmadon is intent on making sure that everyone who follows it is silenced. But why would Cyrus trade so many of his valuable resources just so that he can worship this…way…in public?" He frowned at Misako. "And why are you, of all people, so eager about this? You are married to the King. You should not be mixing with people who believe such fantasies."

Misako's face darkened. "You know about my past?" she asked.

Everyone in Ninjago knew the story of how Misako had become Queen. She was the daughter of a merchant- not a wealthy one, by any means. But, over twenty years ago, Misako had managed to catch the eye of the young Prince Garmadon during a public harvest feast. The Prince took her hand in marriage a few years later. No one seemed to care much: Garmadon was the secondborn son. It would be his elder brother, Wu, on the throne, not him. His bloodline need not be as pure as his brother's, and he was allowed to, within reason, marry whomever he wished. And he'd chosen Misako.

"There is a story," Misako said. "About a God-fearing woman who married a heathen king. She kept her beliefs a secret from him, because of the persecution the people of her religion were enduring. That queen eventually saved all of her people from death because of her relations with the king. I…" She faltered, swallowing hard.

Iam clasped her aged hand in his. "Misako was supposed to be like that queen," he said. "Her father allowed her to marry Garmadon with one hope and prayer: that she would be able to change Garmadon's heart and, by extension, the heart of this country."

"He never changed," Misako said with a weary, shallow sigh. "I have tried to probe Garmadon with innocent questions, and have managed to bring it up without alerting him to the fact that I was a part of the religious order that Garmadon's family was so bent on destroying. But he would have nothing of it." She bowed her head.

"You want religious freedom, then," Zane said. "I will get troops and medicine if I allow your Way-worshippers to migrate to the South and worship without the risk of hanging in the gallows."

"That's the simplified version of it, yes," Iam confirmed.

Why? Zane wondered. Why would Cyrus waste men and resources to defend us? He didn't buy that religious freedom was Cyrus' only motive. There had to be more to it.

"I will consult with my general on the issue," Zane said at last, pocketing the contract without opening it. He would go through it later with Peran.

"In the meantime, Ian, I will have you escorted to a room where you can rest for the night. I'll have food sent to you shortly." He stood. "You will have my answer by morning."

Iam and Misako both stood and bowed. "Thank you," Iam said, his voice unexpectedly soft and passionate. "Thank you, Milord."

Zane nodded and waved to a guard, who escorted Iam from the room.

"You have no idea what this means to us." Misako seemed incapable of speaking above a whisper, her voice so tightened by emotion. She bowed again, an aged hand pressed to her breast. "For seven hundred years we have waited for a change. We have even fought, though that always ended in quiet death that accomplished nothing but more grief. The prospect that, after so long, there would be someone that would even consider our plea…"

"You are the Queen," Zane said sourly. "You are married to a child of God. By chasing after a false god, you have violated your husband, and blasphemed the First King."

"I won't apologize for it," Misako said firmly. Then she sighed, straightening, looking him straight in the eyes sadly. "I wish you would let go of your bitterness and listen to us for once. You are not the same man that you used to be, Zane."

"The times have changed," Zane said. "I have been forced to adapt to survive." He strode for the door and threw it open. "You should do the same."

"Um- Cyrus' proposition," Misako stammered as Zane stormed out. "Please, you will consider it? If not for us, then for yourself! You need Cyrus' help to…"

Zane tuned her out, walking briskly back to the dining room to resume his meal.

I feel like I should have just replied to all of 112's reviews down here at the bottom... Hehe. :) I hope I've put your minds at rest to some extent.

This was a...relatively plateaued chapter. I hope you enjoyed the breather, because things are gonna start picking up really quickly...

Ronin, that poor guy... In my first draft of his flashbacks I actually had him in the act of committing suicide when Wu intervened. I mellowed it out because of certain factors I'd been forced to tweak, but...man, Ronin, you need a hug. It's amazing, though, to see how much stronger he's become since then.

So, how many of you are on Facebook? I keep forgetting to mention this, but I'm an admin on a page called A Campaign of Laughs. You should go give them a like, because the team has some great laughs to brighten your newsfeed! Maybe we could even chat some? I'm also thinking of starting a Ninjago fanpage, and if I do I'll make the announcement through aCoL. In addition, I've gotten a Twitter account. Hopefully the link on my profile is working... If not I've got my username there as well so you can look me up.

I've finally closed the latest poll! Cole and Pixal are tied at the top with 5 votes apiece. To be frank, Pixal's rank shocked me. Kai, Ronin, and Jay are tied with 3. Poor Zane is, understandably, near the bottom with 2, and other misc characters have but one. XD Check out my new poll, where you can vote on which TG deceased character you'd like to make a return! Please tell me if I missed anyone in the choices...

All right, I'm out of here. Thanks for your reviews, past, present, and future! I am seriously humbled that we have accumulated so many. Seriously, scroll up and look at the numbers. You did that, and I feel blessed beyond reason. Thank you all so much. [_] Here's a cake to celebrate.

Have a wonderful week, and God bless!