==Hey, guys! I'm finally back from vacation and soccer camp! I've spent my week off sitting at my computer and frustrating myself, because I completely butchered this chapter. The pacing is not what I want it to be, and Episode 3 is one of those episodes that is fun to watch but boring and hard to describe when writing about it. I was kind of forced to change some stuff that was in the episode in order to make it fit in this chapter, like talking with another person from all the way across the junkyard when there's a ton of noise also going on. It's mostly just little things, but I've hit my head against my desk multiple times in the process. I've read over it and cringed at stuff that I feel like I can't do anything to fix or else I'll just make things worse. So here's the longest chapter of the story so far! Over 4,500 words in total. I hope you enjoy what I was able to produce so horribly, and I'm so sorry about the quality of this chapter. I wrote the next chapter while I was on vacation, so I'll try to get that modified and posted by Sunday.==
Alvaro & Dirtcaps - "Dagga"
Haunted: Collapse into Caliginosity
Chapter 36:
Heat Of the Moment
Seeing the dragons fly off in the direction of the sun replayed in my head for most of our journey. I attempted to memorize the way Shard appeared, from the color of his scales to the size of his wingspan. A creature as beautiful as him should never be forgotten.
In the back of our walking group, I could sense Cole continuously looking up at the sun. Our anguish was similar, creating empathy, but the relationship he had with Rocky was irreplaceable. It was once fear that later became love. As for Shard and me, the basis of our relationship was simply respect. It was easy because our personalities were nearly a match. Having a companion like him is one I will cherish for the rest of my life through memories.
Memories…Shard was now a memory. Macca was once a dream, and now she's a reality. I won't allow her to become another memory. Even as we travel through the burning heat of the Sea of Sand, with sweat dripping down our faces, Macca remained under my protection. She was walking two feet away from me, and from my position, three-hundred-fifteen degrees behind me. That was where I wanted her to be, because my long shadow casted in that direction. She rarely stepped out from under it, even as she carried on a conversation with Kai about our first night together.
"The bear was huge!" she emphasized. "I ended up climbing a tree to get away from it, and then Zane came and scared it off with…something that glowed blue." She tugged my hand. "Hey, what was the blue thing when you scared the bear off? I completely forgot about it."
"I believe you're referring to my Spinjitzu," I said.
"Uh, what?"
"Spinjitzu," Kai repeated. "It's the martial art we use. We'll show you when we get there. Hey, Jay! Is that it?"
We all lifted our gazes to see tall walls with a colorful sign over the open entrance.
"Yes it is," Jay confirmed.
"Finally!" Cole tiredly gasped.
When silence came, Sensei Wu pressed an ancient wooden flute to his lips once again and carefully played a soothing tune that we have been listening to this whole journey. The design of the instrument made me curious. Next to the mouthpiece was where the shaft grew a large, round bulb. It was shaped in a way I've never seen before. Even the sound that came from it was unique compared to common flutes.
I quickened my pace to catch up with him. "That flute. You've never told us why it's so special," I said.
Sensei Wu took it away from his lips. "Long ago there were many flutes, created to combat the powers of the Serpentine and drive them underground, but over time, Ninjago has forgotten of its ancestors' wisdom. And now this is the only one," he expounded. He stopped for a moment and played the tune in Jay's ear as he was about to walk by.
Jay stopped in surprise, but then continued onward. "I get the lesson," he began, approaching the entrance of the junkyard. "Respect your elders or I'll suffer the consequences. Boy, you guys are laying it on thick!"
Sensei Wu chuckled. "Perhaps you are only hearing what you need to hear."
Jay halted, looking up at the sign with spontaneous and different sized letters. It read Ed & Edna's Scrap N Junk, but when he just stood there, I began to wonder what he was thinking.
Nya came up behind him. "What is it?" she inquired.
"It's quiet," he suspiciously replied. "My family's never quiet." He suddenly pulled his mask over his face and ran into the junkyard. Kai, Cole, and I did the same and chased after him.
Everyone stopped in the center of the junkyard. Massive heaps of car parts and scrap metal surrounded us. We carefully listened for any noises. Serpentine was on all our minds, but more importantly, Jay's parents. I attempted to use my senses to detect them, but Jay's ears were faster. He went over to an old aging refrigerator and quickly kicked off the door handle. When the door swung open, it revealed his parents tied up and with duct tape over their mouths.
"What happened?" Jay asked them. "Who did this?" He peeled the tape from Edna's mouth.
"Oh, sssweetheart, you came!" she hissed with a smile.
He also peeled the tape from Ed's mouth.
"You got to get out of here! You ssshouldn't have come, it'sss the sssnakes!" Ed hissed. In the last split second of his mouth moving, a forked tongue seeped out from between his lips. The sharp ends of two fangs poked out of his mouth, and I could sense the color shifting in his eyes.
"The bite of the Fangpyre!" Sensei Wu diagnosed. "Once they sink their teeth, their venom can turn anything into a serpent. It's only a matter of time before the full transformation is complete."
Cole and I gripped the ropes around their torsos and pulled. I pulled out one of golden shurikens and cut them both free. When they came out into the hot air, Ed rubbed his lower back in pain, only to turn around to reveal an abnormal lump on the spot his palm touched. As Edna's hands covered her mouth in horror, I could sense the beginning stages of a tail forming from his tailbone.
Loud hissing from Serpentine sounded. A group of white-and-red Fangpyre appeared from behind a pile of used tires. Their heads were shaped like rattlesnakes'. Necklaces with serrated fangs from previous confrontations with other Serpentine tribes hung from around some of their necks.
A loud rumbling followed them, and then what was once a large piece of machinery came into view. It had a small, accessible cockpit and a long arm that could almost pierce a cloud in the sky. The thick wire hanging from the end of the arm held a giant wrecking ball, and the powerful venom had carved an evil face into the dense material it was composed of.
The sight had us pull out our elemental weapons.
"Uh, is that wrecking ball staring at me?" Cole asked, his Scythe of Quakes in his tight grasp.
Suddenly, the machine swung its arm at us and released the wrecking ball. It was heading straight to us at high speeds. "Duck!" Jay shouted.
I instantaneously found Macca and threw myself at her. My arms encased around her securely as we hit the ground. The wrecking ball smashed the place where I was just standing, filling the air with disturbed sand for a moment. In the midst of the chaos, the sound of the wrecking ball being drug across the sand crunched as the dust settled.
Macca's eyes were wide with fright and her hat was missing when I picked her back up. Danger was now around her, and I had to fight without her near me. This was exactly why I wanted to stay behind.
"Lloyd!" Sensei Wu shouted. Everyone looked up to see Lloyd, a young boy wearing a black garment – known as a sweatshirt – perched on top of a mountain of old tires. From the distance between us, I could still spot the front design of a hand-painted ribcage. Although it was poorly executed, the sight reminded me of his villainous father Lord Garmadon.
A two-headed Fangpyre slithered beside him with a twisted golden staff in its hand. It was the General of the tribe.
"Hello, Uncle," Lloyd began, trying to sound menacing. "Looks like we're not the only family reunion. I'm glad you brought the Ninja, I could use help taking out the trash." He then let out a petty evil laugh.
"If we want to turn your parents back, we need the anti-venom from the staff,"
Nya told Jay, pointing at the Fangpyre next to Lloyd.
The machine swung its arm again.
"Second dose to the dirt!" Cole warned.
Macca was back in my arms straightaway. The wrecking ball collided with the ground again, making the grains of hot sand tremble underneath our bodies. Another dust cloud was thrown into the air. When it cleared, the group of Fangpyre was closer than before. More clusters began coming out of their hiding places.
"Easier said than done, Sis. We're a bit outnumbered," Kai said to Nya.
"Nobody messes with my family!" Jay yelled, running towards the snakes with his golden nunchuks in hand. I heard the loose end of the nunchuks strike a body every time Jay skillfully slung it.
My attention went back to Macca as she desperately clung to me. "Macca, whatever you do, do not try to intervene. Stay with Sensei Wu and Nya and listen to everything they tell you. Do you understand me?"
She vigorously nodded, too afraid to say anything.
I pried her away from me and got up to join the fighting. The first image I perceived was the wrecking ball swinging right for Jay, but he leaned back on the heels of his feet to let it pass over him by mere centimeters. I watched the ball remain in motion and get trapped between a powerline post and one of the heaps of junk. It was now the perfect time to attack.
Cole, Kai, and I sprinted toward the remaining snakes. We moved quick enough to erupt into Spinjitzu with a slight turn of our bodies.
Sharp slivers of ice surrounded me in a blue whirl. The outside world moved in slow motion, allowing strategies to form in the midst of an attack.
A fangpyre came in my direction. Once it was sucked into my Spinjitzu, I bowled it away with a swift strike to the jaw and watched it fly out. The tune of Sensei Wu's flute filled my ears, but then a loud and foreign type of music replaced it.
The ice vanished from around me once the group was defeated. Sensei Wu shouted over the music at Lloyd, who was playing it through a snake-bitten boom box. Lloyd turned up the volume and shouted something back.
All four of us regrouped as the rest of the snakes began coming together. It was an ocean of red and white. The four of us ran straight for them, pulling out our golden weapons. We had to work together in this fight. Their fangs were the most dangerous weapon against us. If one of us gets bitten, there's a chance we'll have to retreat.
I tossed my shurikens and watched them spin a loop around us. The spikes brought down a whole line of Fangpyre, but the next line took their place and proceeded to fight. My punches and kicks became futile against the large number coming at me all at once.
Kai accidentally misread an attack and ended up on the ground. He used his golden sword to push the fangpyre away from him, and tried his hardest to curve the blade of the sword so he could cut open the fangpyre's throat.
Cole scored fatal wounds across the chests of Fangpyre with his scythe's blade. A surprise attack caused him to bend over and launch the fangpyre off his back. While he was vulnerable, three more Fangpyre jumped on him and attempted to sink their teeth into his shoulders.
Jay spun the loose end of his nunchuks over his head before slinging it towards scaly bodies. A bolt of lightning shot out, colliding into one and spreading out to a multitude.
Open mouths were getting too close to me. No matter how much I tried to fight, I knew I was beginning to lose. My only option was to use Spinjitzu again. When the ice consumed me, I was able to regain domination over my enemies.
Another Spinjitzu tornado formed next to me. It was made up of blistering fire, and it was so hot I could see it melt my ice into water droplets.
A blue one formed at my other side. Crackling noises told me it was made up of lightning that could give a shock powerful enough to stop one's heartbeat in an instant.
The last twister was brown with rock and soil. The ground shook beneath us from the immense power of its small tremors.
Together we took control of the opposition. Fangpyre entered and were tossed out one after the other. Eventually they learned they couldn't win this way and retreated.
We chased after them as they made their way behind a pile of used tires. With Jay in the lead, we came out from within our elements to finish off the rest, but as soon as we did, a massive foot stepped down from around the pile. It was once artificial but now green with scales. When we gazed higher, we met the narrow, red-eyed stare of what was once a lifeless statue. It was constructed in a bulky fashion, with large pieces of scrap metal wielded together to make a sturdy build. The most intimidating feature was the equally proportional nunchuks that were wielded permanently in the right hand.
Jay expressed utter disgust over the transformation. "What is that thing?"
"Looks like a gift," Kai nervously stated.
At that moment, the statue took a step towards us and prepared to use its nunchuks. The only thing we could do was run away and come up with a new plan.
"Thanks, but no thanks," Jay said from behind me. The loose end of the immense nunchuks smashed down against the ground right afterwards.
An earsplitting engine roared up ahead of us. I looked to see the wrecking ball no longer trapped, and the machine getting ready to swing it at us.
"Why did you have to be born in a junkyard?" Cole asked Jay in a groan.
"I know, tell me about it," Jay replied.
The wrecking ball grazed the sand as it flew in our direction, throwing sand in the air. I leaped and easily dodged it, landing on the other side with Kai and Cole, but Jay was nowhere to be seen. Fear trickled down my intestines, but to my amazement, a glance at the airborne wrecking ball revealed the blue Ninja of Lightning standing atop of it. He fought against the harsh wind resistance and did a backflip, landing on the machine's cockpit. He did a second backflip by gripping the roof, and kicked out the fangpyre that was operating it. His fingers scratched his head in confusion as he tried to figure out how to use the controls.
With one obstacle taken care of, we turned our attention back to the statue. It surprised us with another sling right at Cole, but he raised his golden scythe and stopped it from crushing him.
Kai and I almost helped, but Cole wouldn't let us. "Don't worry. I got it," he insisted, grunting from the strain.
WHAM!
The wrecking ball suddenly crashed into the statue, dismembering it and knocking it into a pile of junk. Jay joined us as we stood in shock of what just happened.
The remaining Fangpyre climbed over the walls of the junkyard in a full retreat. Everything was silent for once.
A scream filled our ears. It was a scream that made my hair stand on end and the blood drain from my face. It was horrifying to hear, and what made it worse was looking at Nya to see her bewildered expression at the empty air next to her, as if someone was once standing there.
Something was thrown down the mountain of old tires Lloyd and the General were perched on. It toppled and landed at the bottom with a distinct thud. I realized it was the person who screamed, and it wasn't just any person; it was Macca.
"No!" I yelped, rushing straight for her motionless body. A repetitive chopping sound crammed into my ears as I cradled her in my arms. Looking up at Lloyd and the General, I found a snake-bitten helicopter hovering above. A spiny tail curled beneath of the base and its red eye burned with evil.
Both of them loaded into it, and I was able to spot a girl with a bright pink sweatshirt follow them in. Then it hit me: This was the first time I've seen Hannah since we've been here.
The helicopter flew off. I put my attention back down to Macca as everyone crowded around me. Her eyes were wide and unblinking with shock as her face twisted with agony. Two sets of puncture wounds bled from each of her arms. A gooey green liquid was oozing from them as well. To my horror, the flesh nearest to the bites from the General were already shaping into scales. It was only a matter of time before the venom consumed her existence.
"They got away with the staff," Nya breathed in panic.
Tears brimmed in my eyes as Macca twitched in my grasp. The hot venom was ravaging through her veins by the second. Her two bites were deep and a half pint of venom was easily distributed. Her body couldn't handle the extreme pain, and there was a chance of her organs shutting down by the time she turned.
"There is still a way," Sensei Wu admitted.
"How?" Jay asked.
"Part of reaching your own full potential is understanding your weapon's potential; once it is in tuned with a focused heart, its secrets and powers will be unlocked."
"This is not the time to be cryptic!"
Sensei Wu's wisdom certainly wasn't simple to interpret at times, but I connected pieces of the puzzle of our situation. In order to get the anti-venom, we had to catch up with the Fangpyre General, and they were long gone. "He's saying our weapons are vehicles themselves," I translated, not looking up.
Kai groaned, and looked down at his sword. "Don't tell me I have to ride this like a broomstick."
"Jay, concentrate on unlocking your golden weapon," Sensei Wu told him. "Let your heart guide you. Imagine you are taking flight."
Jay looked lost for a moment, but he took a few steps back and held up his nunchuks, closing his eyes to concentrate. He spun the loose end of his weapon over his head. Lightning bolts shot out. A transparent sphere surrounded him, making him rotate quickly inside it. A flash of light blinded us. Thunder cracked. When the light disappeared, a miniature blue jet hovered over the ground. Jay opened up the glass windshield that enclosed the cockpit.
Kai studied Jay's motions and concentrated on his sword with eagerness. He waved it around twice, and then glided his hand across the blade, revealing a line of flames. He tossed his sword into the air. A small mound of sand formed under feet. Rays of light and fireballs shot out from the mound. The fireballs burst and Kai was suddenly sitting on a big red-and-gold motorbike.
Cole spun his scythe around like a flag and tossed it in the air. He did a front flip with his arms held out. The scythe mysteriously hung above his head as two streams of rock and dirt from the sand flew and intersected each other twice. The streams came down to Cole's feet, making a large mountain of sand under his feet. He did a second front flip when golden light filled the sky. When the light was gone, a massive black vehicle was rumbling against the ground.
Seeing it all mesmerized me, but I kept holding Macca for I had no intention in joining them. The guilt rampaging my emotions was too much to bear.
Nya rested a hand on my shoulder. "We'll take care of her. Go."
I hesitated. The skin around the bites was now turning green. Leaving felt like giving her a death wish.
"I know how to treat her until the anti-venom is administered. Go get the staff, Zane." She took Macca out of my hold and shooed me away. Macca winced as she was moved, and it gave me a pang of dread. Time was running out for her and Jay's parents.
I backed away, my mind set on the mission. Thinking of my shurikens' potential, I stretched out my left hand and a white orb showed up on the spikes of my shuriken. I repeated the motion with the other. Chunks of ice grew in front of me like magic. I did a front flip and mounted the ice as it spread out and created a structure. My hand gripped a handle and revved an engine. The ice exploded and exposed a white motorbike that looked very similar to a snowmobile.
Jay's jet rose high into the air. Lightning bolts pulsed around him. Parts of the wings spread out, and the jet flew upwards, vanishing in the clouds. Cole drove out of the junkyard first to follow him. Kai and I went after.
The jet left us behind to catch up to the helicopter, but far ahead, the Fangpyre tribe marched under it in a big red mass with the green reptilian vehicles around them, their spiked tails hanging over top like a scorpions' barbs. We watched Jay pass it up and revert back. Seeing the two head straight for each other made me feel uneasy.
The jet suddenly lost control. It rolled through the air and the fast moving air twisted it in all directions.
"What's he doing?!" Kai shouted over the wind.
We watched in horror as he weaved past the helicopter just barely. In that moment, the jet flew straight and calmly for three seconds, only for it to disappear completely with a flash of light. His little blue figure plummeted to the ground.
"Dammit, Jay!" Kai cursed. "You have to concentrate!"
"I think we're going to have to catch him," Cole said through a little speaker under my handlebars.
All of us increased our speed, but I knew this wasn't the right thing to do. A landing this hard would kill anybody, even a ninja. The only way for Jay's life to be spared would be for him to make his jet reappear, but I watched him writhe through the air in a panic. Death was calling his name.
My moment of thought caused me to slightly slow down, and realizing it made me swerve instead of speed back up. I suddenly bumped into the back wheel Kai's motorbike, causing him to swerve inward and slam into Cole's vehicle. All three of us became tangled up in each other, and all concentration was lost. With three flashes of light, we were propelled through the air with nothing to hold on to. Our golden weapons landed in the sand just as we did. I looked up just to see our brother vanish behind the sand dune in front of us.
A flash of light beamed over the dune for an instant like the sun behind a cloud. Jay's jet whizzed overhead with a piercing roar. Another flash of light indicated that his jet transformed back into his nunchuks. He hurried over to us, the Fangpyre staff in hand.
"Well talk about great timing, you dingus," Cole said to him.
"What? I got the staff," he replied with a little shake to the prize of the mission.
A loud engine sounded from behind him. Ed and Edna's old jalopy came to a jutting stop, with Nya in the driver's seat and the rest in the big red seat behind her.
Up ahead, the Fangpyre vehicles turned around and headed straight for us. We picked up our weapons so we could finish this fight once and for all. "Argh! Why isn't it working?" Kai groaned when nothing happened.
"Your weapon is merely an extension of your mind," Sensei Wu informed him. "If your mind is immobile, so is your weapon."
"We need to head back to the Bounty. I can only extract the anti-venom with certain tools and a method," Nya told us. "There isn't much time."
Macca was lying on the seat with her head in Edna's lap. Her breathing was fast and short, and her eyes were still wide and unblinking. The venom had nearly consumed both her arms. The once tan skin was now moist green scales. I gathered her in my arms to see if I could calm her somehow. All of the pain was about to give her a panic attack.
Nya drove as fast as the jalopy could go for the long ride back. Finding the road made the trip even faster, for both us and the Fangpyre. I spent the whole time trying to comfort Macca, but every minute was heartbreaking. I watched all of her visible skin turn into green scales, and then her mouth grow long fangs and a forked tongue. The only pure thing left was the hazel in her eyes. Within them, I could see her remaining soul diminishing as venom seeped to her brain.
The effect of the venom was also taking its toll on Ed and Edna. Their condition was just as severe as Macca's, and their energy levels were draining quickly. When the Bounty came into our view, both of them were slumped over in exhaustion.
Nya put the jalopy in park and hopped out. Ed and Edna were shaken awake and dragged out while I carried Macca on board. Both of them were taken below deck for the anti-venom to be created.
"Zane! We need you in the bridge!" Jay called as he ascended the stairs.
I hesitated but followed, seeing the two scaly tails disappear down to Sensei Wu's quarters.
"Man the stations! Everyone!" Jay commanded. An audible beeping sounded from the radar on the screen, indicating the approach of the Fangpyre.
Macca was laid on the table in the middle of the bridge. Her forked tongue slithered out from her split lip and her tail continued to grow longer. All of us went to our assigned places to prepare for our first attempt at the special defense system.
"Jay, we better hurry!" Kai warned, looking through the steering wheel's window.
Jay instantly pushed the red button on the stand under the screen, but nothing happened.
"They're gaining on us!"
The door swung open and Nya ran in with a cup in her hand. Edna had the staff, and her scales were visibly smoothing back into human flesh.
"Dad, I need help!" Jay pleaded to his father, who was showing smoother scales as well.
Ed passed me when I stepped to Macca. I rolled her onto her back and lifted her up so she could drink the antidote, but her eyes were halfway shut. The hazel was now as black as a vacant cavern.
Nya pried her jaw open and poured in the scarlet liquid. She choked at first but allowed it to go down her esophagus until the cup was empty.
An airy rush of power sounded from outside. The main sails spread out like an eagle's wings. Below us, rocket boosters unfolded and released an inferno, creating a loud rumbling. The projected force caused the entire vessel to lift high into the air. I cradled Macca to keep her secure from the harsh shuddering. Nya and Edna struggled to maintain balance, and as a result, the staff was dropped and it fell through the open doorway.
Kai gained control over the steering and made the flight away from the scene peaceful and leveled. I kept Macca safe in my arms, but I worried as she shut away her black caverns from the world.
Oh the horror. I'm so sorry about this embarrassment. I promise I'm a better writer than this :( Anyway, shoutout to Kai4Ever, KRR, The Mayor of Ninjago City, and earthraindragon1 for reviewing!
Kai4Ever - I'll keep trying!
earthraindragon1 - Thank you for reading! :D