The Map in the Sign

The run down shop they finally stopped at was in need of an extreme makeover. Zane bit his bottom lip as he glanced over at his young companions, worried about how they might react to the place being so worn down. He needn't to worry. Gasps escaped the five of them as they walked up to the fallen down rotting sign.

"This is soo cool! You guys used to live here?" Cole whipped around to gap at Kai and Nya.

The sibling dup nodded their heads as they looked around the place. Kai spoke up as Marcher ran past them to chase something. "It wasn't this rundown when we left though. At least…not from what I can remember. Man the sign is terrible. Dad always was very careful about taking care of it."

The group of three thirteen, one eleven, and one finally eight year old stepped up to crowd around it. Zane hummed as he looked to the name of the shop. "Can anyone tell me about the Mystery of the Golden Weapons?"

Groans escaped the others, before they turned to face him. Lloyd cheerfully volunteered to go first. "Ninjago was founded by the First Spinjitzu Master. He used four golden, powerful, weapons to create it. However, after he died his eldest son turned evil…"

Kai cut in, his voice almost dull with annoyance from the unexpected history pop quiz. "So his younger son hid the weapons and drew a map that would lead to them."

"He then gave the map to someone he trusted to hide. That was almost forty years ago." Nya continued as she glanced over at Cole and Jay.

Cole crossed his arms as he rolled his eyes skyward. "He sent a letter to the younger son telling him where he had hidden the letter supposedly. But it made no sense."

"The letter read where the Four Weapons cross, there the map lies." Jay helpfully supplied. "No one knows what it means though, thus why no one has ever found the weapons."

Zane nodded in agreement, pleased with their answer. "Correct. Now then, ten years ago, a prophesy about the four golden weapons came up. Anyone know what it says?" Mumbles of no escaped the younger friends. Zane sighed with disappointment, before speaking up again. "It says that the Spirit of the First Spinjitzu Master will choose someone worthy to wield his weapons. They alone will be able to find where the weapons are stashed."

Soft oh's escaped the group, before Jay got distracted by something. "Hey Kai! Look, the wood looks different where the four weapons cross than elsewhere."

All eyes snapped to the sign. Zane couldn't help the whisper that escaped him. "Where the Four Weapons cross, there the map lies… it wasn't talking about actual weapons! It was talking about a sign for a store called the Four Weapons! The sign has four weapons on it! This is…is amazing! The historical discovery of the century! What do you think you are doing?" Zane looked back down at his charges to find them attempting to pry open the spot.

"We're getting the map out. Obviously. We can go on the greatest treasure hunt in the century with it!" Kai exclaimed as he concentrated at clawing at the wood.

Zane sighed, before pushing himself between his companions and the wooden sign. "Absolutely not! We will leave this to the professionals…"

Cole sighed as he took a step back. "Of course…I mean it's not like the map will most likely lead us to a place rich with history or anything like that…" Cole nodded to the others, who quickly caught on to what he was doing.

"Yeah…and definitely most likely won't take us through various climates each with their own unique habitats…" Jay piped up as he slowly backed away from the sign.

Lloyd blinked, glancing around as he wondered what they were up to. Kai sighed, as he tapped his finger against his chin. "Certainly won't help us solve the biggest mystery in all of Ninjago all the while learning all kinds of new things..."

Lloyd shook his head, before turning to face the never aging sixteen year old. "Would it help if I tell you that I'm a descendant of the First Spinjitzu Master?"

Zane stared at them for five seconds, before pointing an accusing finger at Cole, Kai, and Jay. "You three are trying to get me to cave in by using the knowledge the map is bond to bring us against me. I will have you know that …is absolutely working and let me get the map out for you." Zane turned around and ran his fingers carefully along the sign, looking for some sort of latch to open it.

A minute later, he winced as his fingernail snagged on something. Pulling, he blinked as the piece of wood popped out revealing what looked like an old flashlight and a yellow piece of parchment lying inside of the sign. Grabbing it, he unrolled the parchment to find it completely blank…

"That's it!? All that mystery for a piece of blank paper!?" Jay whined as he stared at the map.

Zane however was distracted by the flashlight in his hand. "Interesting… excuse me, but do you all see that symbol there on the bottom of the flashlight?"

"Yes." They chorused together as they surrounded Zane.

"It is the ancient symbol used for earth. I wonder why it is…" Zane flicked the flashlight on, shining the brownish-blue light onto the map. Gasps escaped everyone when lines spread out across the parchment, forming a map with the same symbol in a certain spot. "On here. Hmm…we found the map now, and I guess that means we have to go there to find the Golden Weapons."

"Umm, guys? Unless my geography is off, I'm pretty sure that is the Caves of Despair. No one enters there and comes back alive." Nya pointed out nervously.

Zane frowned as he realized that Nya was right. They need some sort of boost to get through that maze of caves alive…

"Uncle Wu." Lloyd stared at the map, the two words falling out of his mouth without a thought. All eyes turned to him in confusion. Lloyd looked up and realized everyone was staring at him. "What? It makes sense! Uncle Wu was the one who hid the weapons in the first place! Which means that he knows how to navigate the Caves of Despair."

Zane sighed with relief, realizing that maybe having the younger boy along might be helpful. "Do you know where we can find him?"

Lloyd turned bright red as he looked to the ground again. "Umm, I think he lives in Grandpa's monastery at the top of the Mountain of a Thousand Steps."

Instant groaning. "That'll take too long! We want to find it now!"

Zane sighed as he glanced to the sky, already doing calculations in his head. "We're not too far from it. We'll spend the night here and leave first thing in the morning. I'm sure he'll help us."

A/N: Done! Things are about to get interesting. Now then, how many of you think Sensei Wu is going to help them…and how many of you think that he'll turn them away thinking that they are working for his brother?

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SkyTalon