Hey guys. There is another time skip in this chapter, fair warning. It won't be the last.
I OWN NOTHING.
Chapter 4: A Change of Scenery
Almost an additional five months have passed since the team's addendum was made. Meaning almost half a year had passed since their friend's deaths. None of them have forgotten, but to Lloyd's appreciation, they worked hard to move forward rather than mourn.
Brad, Gene, and the rest of the students had trained constantly on a daily basis, both in the simulation room and with any one of the Ninja. As they began to complete their duties to the City, the Ninja had more time to teach their new students more advanced skills. All except for Kai, who had a separate mission.
As Lloyd said, they needed to keep order, for Ninjago's sake. They wouldn't be able to do so without knowing precisely how many other elemental masters were out there, and where they'd align themselves if the Dark Army were to ever show their faces again. It wasn't easy of course, in the time since they'd recruited their new students, Kai had traveled throughout the Continent of Ninjago, and he had only managed to find five masters; and that was only thanks to the texts Lloyd had.
He first found Bolobo, Master of Nature, in the endless jungle. Fortunately for Kai, the man wasn't one for violence. Bolobo had restrained himself to a peaceful lifestyle in his biome, but agreed to take the call to arms if any dark forces threatened the land and he was summoned.
Fortunately, he found three masters simultaneously next. Unfortunately for Gravis, Ash, and Chamille, it turns out using your gifts to control gravity, turn your physical form into smoke, and shapeshift as a parlor trick in a traveling circus is not exactly keeping a low profile. The master of Fire had to stay on their tale for several weeks before managing to speak to them, but after he explained the situation and clarified details on the Overlord's defeat, as they'd already heard rumors of Jay's death, they agreed to the same terms as Bolobo.
The fifth and final master Kai had found was by far the hardest, and actually purely accidental. As he was traveling through a small fisher's outpost along the northern coast, he stumbled upon the master of Shadow, Shade. By far the hardest to convince, they grey-skinned man did not take kindly to a spiky haired stranger telling him what his moral duty was with his powers, and had beckoned Kai to leave him in peace. Now, they found themselves discussing the matter in the local tavern.
"Please. I know you've heard the news of the Jay Walker, the Master of Lightning."
Shade scoffed, as if the mention of Jay was meant to be leverage over him. "Yeah, I heard. The idiot thought he could take on the damned Overlord on his own. What did he thi-" To his surprise, Kai's demeanor of a humble traveler rapidly shifted on the defense, his eyes now flaring red. "TAKE. THAT. BACK." The tavern's atmosphere hushed over as everyone stared at the pair, ready for a brawl if necessary.
The master of Shade lifted his hands in a polite form of surrender to the point. "OK, OK, sorry." The fiery temper cooled down, allowing the outside conversations and music to resume, and giving Kai the chance to speak once more. "Jay didn't die because he thought he'd succeed. He died because he believed his sacrifice would do some good, and it did. But in the power vacuum both he and the Overlord left behind, we need to evolve to fill it. Dark forces will return, whether it be today, tomorrow, or years to come. And I promise you: They'll learn from their mistakes. They will search under every rock to find anyone that poses a threat, and that sure as hell includes you."
Deep down, Shade knew he was right. But that didn't change the fact that he enjoyed his quiet, reclusive life here. Not to mention he didn't get along well with others. "*sigh* You're crazy y'know that? I mean, you and your team are willing to expose yourselves with the power you have, and risk taking on danger practically every day!"
"It's the mantle of responsibility that comes with these powers. All of our ancestors fought together in the Serpentine Wars to defeat the evil of their era. It is right that we'd do the same."
Shade hung his head in defeat as he finished his drink. "...OK. I accept. But ONLY in the event where you absolutely need me, not for some small-time stuff that a mall cop or even a real cop could handle." Kai nodded in agreement, then reached into his satchel, taking out a wrist-communicator of Nya's design. "Keep this on you at all times. It allows us to know our location, in the event you are somehow captured or off the grid and we can't reach you. We'll contact you through it, and you can contact us."
He took the communicator and placed it on his left wrist. "I don't like the idea of you knowing my whereabouts, but I accept. Remember my terms, Master of Fire."
"I will, Master of Shadows. Thank you." With a final sip, Kai put down a handful of coins, paying for both of their tabs, and walked outside. Sunset. Better fill Lloyd in. He pressed on his own communicator, opening Lloyd's channel. After several seconds of waiting, the young Sensei answered and appeared above the wrist as a small hologram.
"This is Lloyd. Kai, what is your status?"
"The Master of Shadows has entered the fold." The blonde Ninja smiled brightly at the news. "That is excellent, Kai. No further advancements here besides the ongoing training of our students and my continuous research."
"Have you found anything that would help me?"
"Very little, I'm afraid. No other texts contain the last nown whereabouts of the previous remaining elemental masters. I have mostly found myself studying up on my next, personal mission: I'm going off to find the Realm Crystal, along with two other important artifacts." Inwardly, Kai was surprised. "You're going to find it alone?"
"Yes. As the direct descendant of the First Spinjitzu Master, I have the best chance of locating his tomb. While I am off doing that with Mystake, my Mom will be working with our newest contact, Clutch Powers, to find the Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu. With these artifacts safely stored in our protection, I have no doubt we will be doing Ninjago a great service."
"Well... if you say so, Lloyd. So, what information do you have for me?"
"Latest reports rumor, but do not confirm, a strange presence that locals from the arctic glaciers in the northernmost biome have described as "a magical power." No further details, unfortunately, but it's the best we've got."
"I understand. Consider it checked. I'll see you soon." quickly switching the communicator off, Kai walked forward and hopped onto the Destiny's Shadow, setting coordinates and amaking his way toward the artic glaciers.
Cheers echoed around the Dark Army camp. Since the addition of the Chen Cultists, production of the construction Garmadon had ordered increased dramatically. With Chen's connection's, they even managed to get weekly deliveries of noodles, getting rid of the food problem. And that was only after their faction joined.
Before too long, a withered old man had traveled up the mountain, claiming he needed to speak with whoever was in Charge. Garmadon recognized him immediately as Krux, one of the two Master's of Time. Although he and Chen were at odds, he agreed to join the new alliance, so long as his brother would be brought back as well. Once in the fold, he introduced his own personal army: Children of the Great Devourer. Krux harvested the Vermillion, and with the help of his own blacksmiths, the snake-soldiers had armor and vehicles that made them a true force to be reckoned with.
The Serpentine tribes were initially uneased with the new developments: Chen's cultists seemed to also view Pythor as a deity of sorts, much to Chen's chagrin, and the Vermillion seemed indifferent to their cousins.
But the reintroduction of Great Devourer DNA, along with the Anacondrai Serpent's essence, Harumi and Clouse managed to create an incantation that would make Pythor very happy, when the time came.
At the base of the half-built temple, Garmadon held up an arm to get the attention of his forces. "Enough chatter, everyone. The time has come to finally take action." Heads nodded in agreement. Restlessness had overcome the bulk of their forces, and they desired blood. Stepping forward, the Dark Lord pointed to his generals in the SoG.
"Tomorrow morning, Ultra Violet and Killow will personally lead an expedition for a small bulk of our forces. Their targets will soon be known to them and them alone. Mr. E, you have a different job." After he beckoned the rest of the army to go back to their own personal discussions, the quiet general stepped forward and bowed, awaiting instructions. "Thanks to our spies, we now know that Kai has successfully found a small number of new Elemental Masters in an attempt to recruit him. I want you to take your three best men, and..." After describing the plan to Mr. E, the black-clad figure pointed to his three best bikers: Mohawk, Chopper Maroon, and Luke Cunnigham, and they departed the camp on their bikes.
Borg Tower's underground hangar became home to a new plethora of vehicles and mechs. Since the second destruction of the Destiny's Bounty, Pixal, Zane, and Nya focused a portion of their time away from training to build more designs, not just for the immediate team, but for their new students as well. These additions included, but not limited to:
A new Ice Titan Mech and a new Bike (with the reconstructed Falcon attached) for Zane, an all-terrain "jungle" raider and a Ninja-Nightcrawler for Lloyd, a small red star-shaped airboard speeder and a mini-sub and a desert-raider for Kai, a black Rotojet and a desert-bike and a slick deepstone-style bike for Cole, and an entirely rebuilt and improved Ultra Sonic Raider. Smaller vehicles of similar designs were made for the students. But they all would pale in comparison to what Pixal was secretly working on, according to her. Still, Lloyd found himself almost lost in the maze of newly built vehicles.
"Do we require a guide, Sensei Lloyd?" Mystake chuckled to herself as she followed the Green Ninja. He was not so amused. "If you want, feel free to go back up. I know the way." Sure enough, he turned past another corner of vehicles and saw his desired vehicle: The Ultra Sonic Raider. Specifically, it's modified jet, which had both air and water travel capabilities.
Working with Mystake had been... trying... but they eventually uncovered the message that was on the very staff passed down to Lloyd. With their knowledge and the help of Misako, they had already realized their desired targets: The Scroll of Airjitzu and the Sword of Sanctuary, both of which were in another realm altogether: the Cloud Kingdom. They were also able to theorize the tomb was underwater, as no previous exploits on land found anything. Further answers would be found in the Cloud Kingdom.
"Are you sure you are ready for what we will find?" Lloyd was slightly taken aback by the sudden hint of sorrow in Mystake; perhaps she wasn't so eager to find the body of an old friend. But his confidence didn't waver as he hopped in the pilot seat and remotely opened the bay doors leading to the newly-built underground tunnels. "I'm positive. Now let's go, we have no time to lose."
As she hopped in the back, Lloyd looked up at the viewport that hung above the hangar bay, where Misako and Dareth stood with their new acquaintance, Clutch Powers. They were waving goodbye, before they too would leave to go on their own journey, leaving Dareth with the others. Lloyd returned the gesture, then pressed on his communicator to open up the building's PA system.
"Attention, everyone. This is Sensei Lloyd. I am now leaving to fulfill the Legacy of my Father, Uncle, and Grandfather. I don't know how long the journey will be, but I expect you all to behave as you would if I were watching over you directly. The Ninja are in charge while I am gone; that includes Dareth." He couldn't help but chuckle at the sudden glee that appeared on the Brown Ninja's face. "Good luck, everybody."
After cutting the transmission, he pressed the ignition, launching the small jet through the lit-up tunnel, and exited into the air, on their way to the eye of the storm.
The cool air of the icy tundra was an unwelcomed feeling to Kai, even after he put on his red coat. Every time he or anyone else on the team had been here, it was bad news. First, Lloyd released the first of the Serpentine tribes here. Zane's world was turned upside down with soul-crushing news that the father he never new was dead. The then-mysterious Samurai X one-upped the team several times across this biome. The only decent memory he had from this place was from the ninja-ball run, and even then, Lloyd and the Ultimate Dragon were shot out of the sky. Damn, I miss that Dragon. This place carried some bad vibes to Kai, but he continued sailing through the cool blizzard, scanning for the nearest settlement.
"Come on, come on!" He knew it was no use yelling at the computer, but he couldn't stand listening to nothing but the harsh wind. The scanner beeped constantly, but the radar showed nothing due to the storm's interference. Until a single red dot appeared to be less than a mile ahead, with the distance between them decreasing at an alarming rate. Making sure that he was seeing things right, Kai set the Destiny's Shadow down so that they weren't moving. But the scanner still indicated an incoming object at the same speed. Whatever it is, it's coming right for me!
Lighting up his fists in a defensive position, he armed the small ship's automatic cannon and jumped in front, hoping to face whatever was coming head on. "WARNING: APPROACHING OBJECT WILL IMPACT IN 10...9...8" The voice of the computer startled him, to be frank, but he continued to look straight forward, preparing for a fight.
"6...5...4..."
In a quick moment of instinct, he fired a ball of flames forward, right above head level to make sure that nothing would be hit, just in case. He was glad he did.
"3...2...1. Object has passed by." Sure enough, as Kai's fireball passed over, a small white fox ran passed him, and jumped around the ship, continuing its run forward. The red ninja couldn't help but laugh at his urge to fight so quickly. Until a feminine voice interrupted him.
"Red Ninja... Come. We are waiting for you." He turned around to see who it was, but nothing but the blizzard and his ship were in sight. "Who are you? Where are you?"
"Continue North. Hurry, they're coming." Before he could ask who the voice was referring to, he the distinct sound of rumbling engines coming from the direction he came. A sound he recognized all to well. "The Sons of Garmadon?!"
"Yes. The quiet General leads them. You are too tired to take them on. Hurry!" He didn't want to admit it, but the voice was right. He had been traveling all day, and the cold wasn't doing him any good either. As quickly as possible, he jumped onto the ship and headed back into the storm, hoping to evade the bikers. Within minutes, the scanner picked up several small structures in the distance ahead; a village. And not too soon, as Kai turned to see the black-clad biker Mr. E approach him on the left with a sword in hand. On the right were three other human bikers, also with weapons in hand. The sight of them triggered flashbacks Kai rather wished he could have forgotten, sending him in a rage.
"Fuck off!" Maintaining his course, he fired the cannon at the biker with a mohawk, who managed to jump onto the ship's side right before the missile left his bike in the storm. He turned to fire a round at the silent General, but was unprepared for an incoming black shuriken. The small metal-star went into his left arm, causing him to let out a small scream of pain.
Kai looked from his wound to see that Mr. E was now standing from the seat of his bike, and in an amazingly precise series of moves, he jumped off with a flip and landed on the ship in front of him. His bike slowed down and eventually stopped behind them in the storm, still fully intact. "GET. OFF!" Kai quickly spun towards the general, but the rapid reflexes of his opponent allowed him to swiftly pass by, towards the controls. He stopped spinning to see both Mr. E and the biker who jumped on now approaching the ship's computer.
"Oh no, you don't!" He fired another ball of fire towards them, as if he hadn't learned anything.
Mr. E took out his second sword, and as if he also had mastered Fire, he used his blade to redirect the flame towards the computer, causing all three on board to briefly halt, until the ship began to shake and move downwards. "Well... shit." In a matter of seconds, the Destiny's Shadow crashed into the surface and skid across the ice, splitting apart in the process.
Shaking at this point, Kai picked himself up in the wreckage, seeing pieces scattered across the snow. Quickly scanning his surroundings, he now saw a small arrangement of igloos behind him, and Mr. E with the mohawked biker in front. The other two, still on their bikes, approached from behind them as well. They departed from their vehicles and lined up along their two companions, giving Mr. E the chance to raise his right sword, signaling them to attack. "This is for my bike, you scum!" Taking out his large knife, Mohawk ran forward yelling.
But Kai was no longer in the mood. With a quick spin, he knocked Mohawk off his feet and caught his knife in the air, giving him the opportunity to throw it at the others. The second and third biker dodged his throw, raising their own blades to attack as well. The red ninja managed to kick the second to the ground, but the third cut his already wounded arm. "AUGH! You... sunova…" He was getting dizzy. Falling onto his knees, his surroundings started to spin, and he could see the first two bikers pick themselves up and move to the side, as well as the third.
Mr. E walked forward and took out the red Oni Mast of Vengeance. "N...no..." Against Kai's weak protest, he put on the mask, allowing an additional two arms with swords to grow as stepped in front of his defeated foe. "Please... who are you?" No sense of emotion or surprise overtook the four-armed general, but after a few seconds, he rais both of his right arms with swords and looked down at Kai.
"Eb ot dneterp lla uoy gnihtyreve." The distorted noise confused Kai. "Wh-"
"LOOK OUT!" Mohawk raised his arm as a green smoke hit him in the face. "AGH!" The other three all reacted in defense positions, raising their weapons in the direction of the village. "Who is there?"
No response. Until another green ball of smoke aimed for Mr. E, who easily deflected it. "Over there!" One biker pointed at a dark figure behind one hut. "No, there!"
"Wait, there's another! There's several!" Kai couldn't turn to see, but he fortunately didn't have to. Within seconds, several figures jumped into his line of view to attack. One punched the nearest biker with a large metal glove, sending him flying back. Another ran towards Mohawk, who was getting himself up, and vanished. After Mohawk was able to see again, the figure reappeared right before him, socking him in the jaw. "Greetings!"
A white line of light to fast to see circled around Mr. E and the remaining biker. "What's going on?" The lights stopped moving, revealing a man with a white coat and red sunglasses with slicked back brown hair. "Well, hello. Made ya look!" Before they could realize they'd been distracted, a small man behind them played a loud note on his guitar, and a goateed man next to him put his fingers on his temples, causing the remaining assailants to both to cover their ears and heads in pain. As they did, the hooded figure walked up to them, and tapped them on the shoulders.
"Hey. Beat it!" She quickly punched off the Mask of Vengeance, but Mr. E still caught it in his hurt state. But that wasn't what surprised Kai. It was her voice that Kai heard earlier!
In a dazed confusion, the two ran back towards their bikes, quickly followed by Mohawk and the fourth. Kai's rescuers turned to him to see he was bleeding along his arm, and was just about to faint. "Quickly, guys, let's get him inside! Jacob, heat up some more stew! Kai, if you can hear me-" The girl removed her orange hood to reveal a stunningly beautiful face with cherry-red hair. "It appears you've done it: You have found the Elemental Masters."
Alright, alright, another done. I'll try to update as soon as I can.
If you didn't notice, every single vehicle I listed was from the show at some point.
PLEASE REVIEW.