Good Wednesday to you, fellow people. Last new story line, I promise.

Chapter Three: Uncertainty

The aging woman shot her another look full of distaste and apprehension. "It's not safe to travel alone, especially by foot, young lady. Won't you please reconsider our offer? We have extra seats in the back of the car. It's no trouble, really." Shaking her head once more, the exasperated teenager attempted to speak, but was cut off by the woman. "Honey, it's dangerous out there! You can travel with us to Jamanakai Village. The elevation provides better protection against-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Laurie spoke before the woman could continue, clutching her khaki knapsack tightly against her chest. "I can't come with you because I've already been to Jamanakai Village. I'm looking for someone and they weren't there." A harsh gust blew sand around the teenager and she covered her face with her bag, coughing. "If I go back now, all of the progress I've made getting to where I currently am will be undone. I can't afford that."

Narrowing her eyes, the older woman turned on her heel before heading towards the passenger side of the car that currently sat idle. Laurie heard the door slam shut and watched the woman talk to what she assumed was her husband. A young boy sat on his knees in the back of the vehicle, staring at the girl walking alone in the desert. She could see his eyes grow wide with curiosity. Maybe this was the couple's grandson. They did not have to stop traveling on her account. If they were so determined to make it to Jamanakai Village as quickly as possible then they were wasting time. The man in the driver's seat rolled down the window of his car. "Suit yourself, girl," he stated plainly. "It's your funeral then."

A surge of anger flooded Laurie's veins and she felt the corner of her mouth curl upwards in a snarl. "I'll remember that, sir. Thanks," she spat. With narrowed eyes, the girl watched as the car sped off, kicking up a large dust cloud in its wake. They acted like she was stupid, just like her mother did sometimes. You shouldn't go looking for him, sweetie. There's no point and you're not going to like what you find anyways. Save yourself the heartache. Save yourself the disappointment. Laurie pushed her mother's words away forcefully, gazing up at the blazing, blue sky. "I can do this on my own!" she shouted to no one, hearing her own voice grow more distraught with every word. "I'm going to find him and I'm going to stop him!"

People like her mother and the elderly couple were always telling her that what she was doing was wrong. She was seventeen years old, experienced enough to decide for herself what she could and could not do. If anything were to blow up in her face than it was her own fault. Learning from failure was not necessarily a bad thing, but it seemed many people thought it was. No matter, she was going to continue on her journey just like she had been. Laurie had a father to find and a brother to reunite with after all.

An earsplitting screech ripped across the desert and the girl involuntarily fell to her knees, hands scrabbling to cover her ears. What in Ninjago was happening? It felt as if the ground underneath her was shaking and shifting. Could she possibly end up sinking down into the sand? Deciding against sticking around to find out, Laurie got to her feet, hands still clamped down over her ears. The sound was beginning to dissipate, but her ears were still ringing. Nothing but sand continued to fly past as her as she caught herself running. There was an instinct deep within her subconscious telling her to get away.

Something bad was coming.

Muscles groaning and protesting in her legs, Laurie slowed her pace, fearfully glancing over her shoulder to see if anything was in pursuit of her. Thankfully, there was absolutely nothing. What had that cry belonged to? It sounded extremely large and angry. It was then that it dawned on Laurie: she had no idea what everyone was running from. The elderly couple had been adamant about leaving as quickly as possible, trying to head for a higher elevation for better protection. They needed protection from what though? Probably the screechy thing, Laurie thought to herself. A cold shiver ran down her spine despite the heat of the environment around her. Hopefully she would never get to see what exactly it was that everyone was so terrified of.

Hours passed quickly as the teenage girl sauntered through the Sea of Sand, draining the last drops of water from her canteen. "I don't want to die out here," she mumbled to herself, shoving the empty vessel down into the recesses of her knapsack. From where Laurie stood, it seemed like the desert sprawled forever, truly endless. Without water, she could slowly die from dehydration, but there was something much more urgent. The warm, orange sun was dipping low behind the horizon. Several stars winked down at the girl, twinkling against a salmon sky. Night would be upon her soon and then she would have to worry about freezing to death.

Oh goody. I've always wanted to fight for my life in an oversized sand box.

Finding shelter was the first priority. Then Laurie could worry about figuring out what to do about food and water. She attempted to pick up her pace, feeling the exhausted muscles in her calves and thighs fighting against her. It really had been a long day. Actually, it had been a long couple of weeks. Laurie had never really stopped to rest her body properly since she had started looking for her father. No, she just wanted to find him as quickly as possible so she could put an end to all her inner frustration and strife that had plagued her for years. Years of pent up emotions had prompted her to make this journey and it seemed that it was these same emotions that continuously fueled her.

Gritty sand caught Laurie as she fell. Clenching her teeth against her burning lungs and shaking body, she attempted to get back on her feet. Another shrill cry broke the otherwise silent air, sending a much needed bout of adrenaline coursing through the teenager's body. Now standing upright, Laurie sprinted forward. Icy cold blood pumped inside of her, settling in her chest as the emptiness of the surrounding environment seemed to fade away.

Just run. Get away.

Her eyes shut tightly, breathing labored as the sparse wind that fluttered through the air wrapped itself around her. Laurie shivered, noticing that everything around her felt more chilled. She tripped over something, rolling across the ground briefly before coming to a stop. Groaning, the girl opened her eyes and watched as the final few rays of warm light faded out of the sky, leaving behind the dazzling blanket of night. Her skin prickled as the steadily cooling air gave her a gentle kiss. Laurie forced herself to sit up, feeling hopelessness gnaw at her stomach. The desert became like a polar ice cap in the darkness. She could always remember her mother forcing her into a tent at the earliest sign of nightfall. Thermal blankets and sleeping bags were always a necessity for traveling archaeologists. Laurie had not thought to pack any of that with her. She had only been traveling along paths and through villages up until this point. There had been no need for bulky items. They only would have slowed her down.

You shouldn't go looking for him, sweetie.

A tear started its way down Laurie's freckled face and she wiped it away quickly with the back of her hand. She was too old to be acting like this. "Just think," she whispered to herself, staring down at her legs. They were clothed in black cargo pants. The color and material held on to heat well. "At least my bottom half will be warm," she mumbled, feeling another tear trying to slip from her eye. Giving a frustrated cry, she threw her right forearm across her face before getting back on her feet. A sharp pain shot through her left ankle and she gave a strangled sound as she shifted most of her weight on to her right leg.

There's no point. You're not going to like what you find.

Was it broken? Was her ankle broken? Laurie's breathing was quickening as she gingerly applied pressure once more to her throbbing injury. Another quick bout of pain overwhelmed her and she almost collapsed to the ground again. It could not be broken. If it was broken, she would know it. Despite every nerve in her body telling her otherwise, Laurie hobbled a few steps forward, gripping the straps of her knapsack tightly. The initial pain was absolutely terrible, but not completely unbearable. With a huge effort, the girl continued to limp forward across the smooth stone underneath her. Wait, since when were there stone floors in the desert? Where was she?

Save yourself the heartache.

Despite the encroaching cold and darkness, Laurie was beginning to notice that the area around her was different from the rest of the desert. Sandstone slabs were scattered about the ground, sticking up unevenly out of the sand. It must have been one of these that she had tripped on. Gritting her teeth hard, she swiftly limped on her left ankle again, feeling the tingling sensation of agony claw at her once more. Pillars were rising up in the slight distance. Spidery cracks lead towards the center of a nearby area and Laurie decided to follow them. Maybe there was a city nearby and she could find someplace warm to sleep.

Save yourself the disappointment.

The voice of her mother continued to plague her thoughts. It was worse than facing possible death out in the harsh elements. Well, not exactly, but it sure felt like it was worse. The cracks began to grow wider, revealing portions of the sandstone that had fallen through the earth, down into the darkness that lay below. Ninjago was known to have earthquakes, but the damage here seemed extensive and oddly concentrated in a particular area. Laurie could see it now, a gaping hole in the center of everything. The pillars rose up closer to her now, an ornate sculpture crumbling in the beautiful starlight. She knew exactly where she was now, but she could not decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Ouroboros," she barely whispered, the word rolling off her tongue and hanging in the still air. Her mother had told her about the Lost City of Ouroboros. It was a place of pure legend, something many archaeologists sought after. Yet, here it was and Laurie was standing in the middle of it. If it's just sitting out in the middle of the desert, why has no one else found it yet? The girl reached down and picked up a loose section of rock, gripping the cool object in her hand. Laurie's skin prickled with nerves and chill as she became aware of the temperature around her once more. She really needed to find some place to sleep, but it could wait for a little while longer. This was the discovery of the century!

The stone in her hand was solid as she gripped it carefully, limping towards the huge abyss that gazed upwards. Maybe the city had been ravaged by a sudden earthquake. It seemed like nothing else could have done so much damage. For an ancient city, the architecture seemed to hold up pretty well. Laurie gazed down into the darkened crater, straining her eyes in an attempt to see the bottom. She quickly gave up, realizing that the task would have been just as difficult in the middle of broad daylight. Curious though, she tossed the stone in her hand downwards, waiting to hear the soft echo of it reaching the end; though it never did.

"That's really deep," she concluded, shoving her hands into the pockets of her pants and turning around slowly. It would not be a good idea to accidentally fall down there. A swift gust of wind caused Laurie to wrap her arms around herself, regretting the fact that she did not have a jacket. It had been on her list of things to purchase, but only before going to the Birchwood Forest. Now it seemed like she would never get the opportunity to search there. A building that looked to be part of an arena caught her attention and Laurie approached it as quickly as she could, feeling the skin around her left ankle swelling. Vertical bars ran along the entrance to what appeared to be a holding area; probably a place where prisoners were kept before releasing them into a battle. Ancient societies always seemed to be entertained by others fighting to death. It was kind of disturbing.

There was no getting inside though. The structure stood firm and Laurie could not squeeze between the bars to get inside. It would have been perfect, the stone walls protecting her from the cold, slowly releasing the heat it had absorbed throughout the day. She could only think of one thing left to do and it involved a lot more hope than survival skills. Sand was everywhere of course, and she was going to have to try and use it to her advantage.

Minutes stretched on as Laurie painfully repeated the process of kneeling and collecting sand into a large pile. The gritty material covered her sweating arms and face, but there was nothing else to do. She had to at least try and make it through the night. Managing to get to her feet, the girl threw her backpack down on to the pile, watching as much of the sand displaced, leaving a large indent in the middle. Helping it along, Laurie carefully stepped into the center of the pile and pushed most of the sand outwards with her injured foot, wincing slightly in the process. She was like a wild dog, circling around an area of tall grass to flatten it. Feeling a harsh shiver rack her body, the teenager knelt down, feeling a painful throb in her ankle. All she could do now was try and get some sleep.

While praying that she would make it through the next morning.

As if to remind her of the predicament she was in, a loud growl sounded from her abdomen. Sighing, Laurie placed her knapsack down before laying her head on it. The makeshift pillow was not very comfortable, but it would have to do. This was not a five star hotel after all. Sparse warmth that the sand had collected throughout its day in the sun managed to soothe the teenager slightly and provided a slightly raised barrier that protected her from some of the wind. "Goodnight me," she mumbled to herself, before finally closing her eyes.

Okay, quick summary of what's happening:

1). The Overlord has taken over Ninjago. (Obviously.)
2). Everything is pretty copacetic. (Oh my gosh...do people even say that anymore? I'm dating myself. o.o)
3). The Great Devourer was never defeated. (Hence the distant screeching.)

The more you know. Thanks for reading, so you next time. :)