Happy Friday! This chapter is a little odd. Completely switching points of view. Let's check up on some people we haven't seen in a long time.
Chapter Fifteen: Wrong Destination
A single, leather-bound book sat upon a wooden desk. The pages were yellowed with age, but the contents seemed to be well preserved, the ink barely faded. Garmadon sat down in front of it, pouring over every hand-written word that stared back at him. The deep, golden light from outside poured through the cabin windows, bathing every object it touched in warmth. Frowning, Lord Garmadon closed the book and placed it into a hidden compartment on the left of the desk. With a click, the book vanished from sight, a panel façade encasing the journal within. "The Dark Island," the black-skinned man scoffed, rising from his chair and gripping the edge of the desk tightly. "Captain Soto may have never found it, but I will."
Across the room, a map was tacked to the wooden wall. It depicted the entirety of Ninjago and some of the ocean surrounding it. Several minuscule land masses that sat off the coast of Ninjago had been circled with bright red ink. Of those marked, many of them had been crossed out just the same. Lord Garmadon approached the map, eyeing a particular object interest: a small island was next on his list. If the serpents currently navigating the Black Bounty were more competent, he believed they would have arrived at the planned destination already. The Dark Island had to be this last one; it was the only island that he had not checked. "Soon I will harness the power to remake Ninjago in my own image."
There was knocking on the heavy, oak door, barely audible over the rough waves of the ocean hurtling themselves against the hull. "Come in," Lord Garmadon announced, not moving from his current spot. The door opened inwards, smacking against a wall as the ship pitched slightly to the right. Pythor slithered in, his violet scales reflecting the light of the setting sun which cast his long shadow along the floor of the cabin. Garmadon recognized the odd gait of the individual currently standing behind him and turned around, crossing both sets of arms in the process. "What do you want?" the man inquired, narrowing his piercing red eyes.
A sly smile crossed the Anacondrai's face as he spoke. "Sir, the water ahead appears to be rough. Perhaps we should abandon the search for this fabled island and think more on how to get your children back to you." His words made Garmadon grimace deeper. The snake moved to stand next to the man, placing a single hand on his shoulder. "It's just that the crew is growing restless from our aimless wandering. I feel that if we plan another attempt at reclaiming your children…"
"Enough!" Lord Garmadon growled, roughly shaking the serpent's hand off of his shoulder. The vessel pitched slightly once more, sending an extremely shocked and disoriented Pythor stumbling back into one of the walls. Garmadon grabbed the Mega Weapon from where it had fallen to the floor before advancing upon the purple serpent. He held the end of the weapon to Pythor's throat, knowing that he could not do much harm. "Your plans have all failed," the man spat, his anger beginning to overwhelm him. "We're not going to get my children right now. We're going to search for the Dark Island." His hopes were that whatever was hidden away on the Dark Island would make him strong enough to properly destroy the ninja and his brother; then, and only then, would he be able to get his children back without a problem. All Garmadon had to do was find the place first.
Pythor's forked tongue flicked out of his mouth as he pushed the Mega Weapon out of his face. Now was not the time to completely get on Garmadon's bad side. The serpent already knew he was slithering on eggshells around the man after the incident with Belinda. Garmadon had lost most, if not all, of his trust in Pythor. Pythor wanted nothing more than to throw the man overboard and be done with him, but that was not going to work in his favor. No, the Anacondrai knew better than that. His crimson eyes rested upon the golden weapon that Garmadon wielded. The best hope of defeating the ninja was within Pythor's grasp, yet only Garmadon had the power to use it. This was turning out to be quite the predicament. "Very well then," the serpent hissed, narrowing his gaze. "We'll continue to look for this island."
Suddenly, both individuals fell forward, the Mega Weapon dislodging from Garmadon's grasp and skidding across the floor. All movement of the Bounty stopped abruptly and a Venomari poked his head into the open door frame that led to the cabin. "Lord Garmadon," he started, sounding nervous. "It looks like we hit land and the front of the ship is beached now." He blinked his one good eye as a wave of anxiety over took him.
"Slithering idiots," Garmadon yelled, getting to his feet and grabbing the Mega Weapon. There was no way that they could have reached the intended destination this quickly. According to the set course, they would not have reached the island at least for another day or two. Garmadon took a quick glance at the map across the room. From what he could see there was no land mass in between the location they had previously left and their next destination. "Well don't just stand there," he continued, turning back towards the nervous snake in the doorway. "Get out there and try to get us back into the water!"
With that, the Venomari left the area to carry out Garmadon's orders. Pythor stood up, brushing himself off and locked eyes with the angry man. "Shall we go see what exactly the fuss is all about?" the serpent offered, gesturing towards the bridge.
Garmadon tightened his grip on his weapon and stepped past the Anacondrai. The sky above was a salmon color, painted with streaks of pale blue and violet as the sun threatened to dip lower on the horizon. Blinking against the harsh light, Garmadon directed his attention towards the land that his ship was currently caught on. It seemed to be both peaceful and remote. White sand stretched out as far as the eye could see, meeting the dark blue ocean and extending far up in to the jungle. Sparse palm trees jutted out on to the beach, teasing at the much larger cluster of vegetation that made up a majority of the island. "Why was this not on the map?" the man frowned, turning to see several Serpentine lowering themselves on to the land via the anchor.
"Perhaps this is the mysterious island you have been looking for," Pythor stated, making his way towards the railing of the vessel. He gazed down curiously as a group of Fangpyre and Hypnobrai feebly attempted to push the Black Bounty backwards, into the water. There was not a chance of them actually accomplishing the task set before them in this manner. They would figure it out eventually. "Would you care to go exploring?" the Anacondrai questioned, his tail flicking back and forth along the deck of the ship. "It may take some time for us to be on our way, unless you wanted to use that 'magic wand' of yours to help us get back into the water faster."
A deeply set frown etched itself onto Garmadon's face. "No, if I use the Mega Weapon it will drain all of my strength." Maybe that was just what Pythor wanted. Well he was not going to receive the satisfaction of having the upper hand. Exploring did seem like a decent enough idea though. "We can explore the island though," he continued, making his way towards the anchor. Slowly and carefully, he lowered himself to the ground and watched as Pythor followed him. The tree line along the beach seemed both inviting and foreboding, an odd sense of despair suddenly permeating the air on a slight breeze. "Well, after you," Garmadon smirked, gesturing for Pythor to lead the way. Then he turned his attention on the other Serpentine. "As for you, I expect this ship up and moving within the hour."
Leaving the scrambling serpents behind, Garmadon trekked forward, following closely behind Pythor. The two broke through the outer line of the towering palm trees, being encased in darkness quickly. Above them, the thick foliage and leaves created a canopy that seemed impenetrable to light. This was very disconcerting and looked much different than it had from the outside. It had almost appeared as if night had suddenly fallen, which could have been possible if Garmadon had not just previously seen the sun still hanging on in the sky. "I wonder why this island wasn't on the map," he wondered out loud, pushing aside a large patch of wild grass that was growing tall. It certainly was strange that this island existed, but could Pythor be right? Could this truly be the Dark Island?
A loud snap seemed to reverberate off the extremely palpable air. Despite his better judgment, Garmadon froze, watching as Pythor continued to slither on ahead as if he never heard the noise. There was the unmistakable and distinct chatter of someone in the immediate vicinity. Garmadon scanned the area, looking for any sign of another person around him. From what he could gather, he was absolutely alone with Pythor. He turned his gaze back to the path ahead where he saw the displaced dirt and sand from where the Anacondrai had dragged his long, winding tail. Frowning, he contemplated whether or not to follow the traitorous serpent deeper in to the forest.
The ear splitting cry of Pythor finally helped Lord Garmadon make his decision.
He turned on his heel, heading back towards the edge of the forest. Hurried footsteps were quickly approaching from behind, and the man picked up his pace. His breathing labored and uneven, Garmadon stopped for a brief moment in an attempt to get his bearings. Had he even come from this direction? He thought he had. Taking in a deep breath, Garmadon sprinted forwards once more, now more determined than ever to make it out of the forest. Something was definitely off about this place. Was it the Dark Island he had been searching for? At this point in time, he did not care. He just wanted to live to see another day.
The heavy footsteps behind him sounded even closer. Garmadon gripped the Mega Weapon tightly, consciously wondering if he should use it to try and halt whatever was currently chasing him. As much as that plant sounded fool proof, there was one downfall: he might now have the energy to escape once he stopped his assailant. While deep in thought, the man's foot caught on a lowly rock that stuck up out of the compacted dirt.
With a grunt of pain, Garmadon collapsed to the ground, the Mega Weapon wriggling out of his grip and falling into some nearby shrubbery. There was the unmistakable sound of blood pounding against his inner ear, blocking out all the other noises around him. From what he could tell, whatever had been behind him was no longer in pursuit. His focus heightened like a caged animal, the man got to his feet and quickly procured the Mega Weapon from within the confines of the teasing vegetation. The cold metal seemed to tingle slightly as he gripped it tightly once more, the slight light emanating from it dimmed.
As quickly as the whole ordeal started, Garmadon burst through the sparse tree line that sat upon the open beach. The group of Serpentine that he had threatened sometime prior was still pushing on the hull of the ship in hopes of dislodging it from the sand. There were others as well, in the command center from what he could see, seemingly getting the thrusters on the back of the ship up and running. They thundered to life, flames and hot air spewing outwards. A Constrictai turned the wheel, causing the thrusters to turn towards the front of the ship. Without much effort, the force was beginning to move the ship backwards, towards the ocean. Cheers erupted from the reptilian crew as Garmadon finally made it across the sprawling beach.
"Get aboard quickly," he instructed, grabbing on to the anchor as a lowly Hypnobrai began to raise it. "If you're not fast enough I will leave you behind." He barely recognized his own voice, seemingly terrified and breathless. The towering canopy of the forest was visible as he, and several other crew members, were slowly raised into the air. A flock of what appeared to be crows broke free of the tree tops, disappearing into the sky. Garmadon jumped from the prong of the anchor he stood on to the bridge. "All hands on deck," the man ordered, beginning to calm down now that he was safe on the Black Bounty. "We are leaving and continuing on to our intended destination."
The hustle and bustle of the Serpentine was both calming and reassuring. Every sail was successfully unfurled from the masts and the Constrictai at the wheel readjusted the thrusters. Slowly, the large vessel rose into the air and began moving forward. Any doubt that Garmadon had previously had about his survival was snuffed out as the island behind him began to grow smaller along the horizon. "Sir," interrupted a Fangpyre who was walking across the deck. "Where is Pythor?"
Rage was beginning to form and bubble in Garmadon's veins. "He is obviously not here, right?" he yelled, swinging the Mega Weapon at the serpent. Barely, the Fangpyre managed to avoid the intended attack and took a few steps backwards. "All hands on deck," Garmadon repeated more forcefully, his gaze narrowed. "We are heading towards our intended destination. Don't mess it up again!" With that, the red snake nodded and headed towards the outer stairs that led up to the control room. Garmadon spotted several different serpents through the glass of the control, their heads bowed low and eyes focused solely on their captain. Despite everything that had just occurred, one good thing had come from it: Pythor was now gone. A wicked grin spread across the entirety of Lord Garmadon's face. Never again would he have to deal with that treacherous Anacondrai.
Now the only obstacles standing in his way were his brother and those pesky ninja.
The silhouette of the ship was barely discernible from the ever encroaching darkness of night. A long shadow cast itself upon the ground despite lacking a light source to actually form it. "Yes," the form chuckled, feeling a sudden surge of energy well up inside of it. "That was just what I needed." Turning back towards the center of the forest, the figure traveled forward. The golden staff that had fallen in front of him while he was shrouded in the vegetation had held such energy. There was no doubt that it held the same type of power as the Golden Weapons. The last time he had seen those had been when that foolish old man thought splitting the land in half would protect the light; out of sight, out of mind.
Unfortunately for Ninjago, he would not be out of sight for much longer.
He took in a deep breath, not feeling entirely satisfied as the air rushed through him. The encounter with the golden staff had been brief and he had only managed to take so much energy from it. He was stronger, that much was certain, but his form was still extremely weak, not even tangible. That was okay though, he did not need much energy to accomplish what should have been completed a little over a month ago. Besides, his vessel would be waiting for him back in Ninjago. That body was certainly tangible.
Another figure detached itself from the dark foliage. His stark white skin was striking against the dark backdrop of night. "Sir," General Kozu stated, taking a knee in front of the shadow. He crossed his twin butterfly swords across his chest, and bowed his head slightly. "The serpent has been taken care of, but there was one other who managed to get away. I managed to lose him in the forest as he tried to escape." The lack of light made it difficult to see, but the shadowy figure clearly noticed the dark crimson smears of blood across both of the blades in Kozu's possession. "My apologies."
"No need to apologize," the shadow laughed, the sound raspy and hoarse. "He had something that I managed to take advantage of." Still slightly overwhelmed by the sheer luck of this traveler finding his island, the shadow gestured for General Kozu to rise. "I feel stronger than I have in quite some time. Perhaps it's time to pay Ninjago a little visit for old time's sake."
A wide grin spread across the stone general's face, hidden by the intricate helmet that adorned his head. "As you wish, sir," he answered getting to his feet and sheathing both of his swords, ignoring the blood that was now dried on to the blades. The unexpected visit from that vessel had been quite the shock, though it had turned out for the better. Ninjago City awaited them, a shining beacon in the land of light. However, General Kozu was not all that interested in the task that his master was so intent on. This supposed girl who would selflessly give her life up to ensure their defeat seemed trivial.
No, he was more interested in the blue-haired pipsqueak who was in for quite the shock when he showed up in town to destroy her once and for all.
Yeah. See you next Friday. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and sticking with me. :3