Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago or the lines from the episode The Upply Strike Back.

Chapter XV: The Upply Strike Back

Once again, the Munce and Geckles were back where they had started. Enslaved by the Skull Sorcerer, forced to obey his every command and tire themselves through the mining of vengestone. Except this time, the outsiders who had come to save them were enslaved in a cage high above. Even if there was a way to escape, they would surely fall to their doom.

Nya tried desperately to get out of the cage. Use her powers on it, break it down, anything, but nothing worked.

"Save your strength, Sis. It's vengestone," Kai told her. Nya already knew this, and she knew that her efforts would be fruitless, but she couldn't help but at least try. Sitting and waiting for whatever was coming for them just didn't feel right to her.

"The Munce had faith in me, and now look at them. Right back where they were. In chains," Nya said. She couldn't take her eyes off of Murt. He was so happy when the ninja freed him from the clutches of the Skull Sorcerer, and he looked so tired now. She sat down in defeat. She couldn't cry in front of the others, and if she watched the Munce any longer, that would surely be the result. "I can't believe we were gullible enough to trust the Skull Sorcerer!"

"Yep. I'm probably going down as the worst chancellor in Geckle history," Kai added.

"I do not see that we had any choice," Zane replied.

"Zane's right. If we hadn't surrendered, he would've destroyed all of them," Jay added.

"At least they're still alive. There's still hope," Lloyd said.

Echo, who had been effortlessly scanning for any weaknesses in the cage in silence, stiffened suddenly as the Skull Sorcerer appeared with a wicked laugh bubbling from his throat.

"That's the spirit," he said, "but, unfortunately, there is no hope. I have decided a demonstration is needed to show my true power over this mountain."

"What kind of demonstration?" Kai asked.

"An execution," Echo replied.

Everyone looked to the younger nindroid in surprise as the Skull Sorcerer started laughing again.

"Your friend is correct. For too long, the Geckles and Munce have resisted my rule, but when they witness your destruction-"

"Destruction!" the skull repeated.

"-when all hope is lost-"

"Lost!"

"-they will submit."

"What kind of execution?" Kai asked. He tried to make it sound like he was curious in an intimidating way to hide his true fear.

"You will perish at the talons of Grief-Bringer."

"Grief-Bringer!" the skull repeated.

"Okay, that's getting annoying," Nya sighed.

"Yeah, I don't know who to look at, you or the skull," Kai added.

"I'm looking at the skull. It's not as ugly," Jay smiled.

Everyone started laughing, but the Skull Sorcerer was having none of it.

"Silence!" he screamed. "Enjoy your final moments of levity."

"They will be your last," the skull finished as the two began flying away.

"Aren't you forgetting one thing?" Lloyd asked, stopping them both in their tracks. "Cole. He's still out there, and if I know Cole, by now he's found King Vangelis and told him everything! They're probably on their way to stop you right now." Lloyd had an urge in him. An urge to make this guy pay for what he was doing to the Geckles and Munce, acting like he could control everything in his path. He wanted the Skull Sorcerer to be scared. To knock his arrogance away from him and make him crumble in self-pity, but it didn't look like Lloyd was getting his way.

"Oh, that's right," the Skull Sorcerer stopped a moment. "You don't know."

The Skull Sorcerer turned around and released the skull's magic from his hold, laughing maniacally as he revealed himself to the ninja as King Vangelis.

"You!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Vaneglis?" Nya asked.

"Your friend did come to me," Vangelis responded, "and I cast him into the bowels of the mountain. He and that fool, Wu!"

Jay gasped, tears threatening to come as he was, once again, unsure of the fate of his friend. And if Cole and Wu were gone, where was C.J.? Was Vania keeping him safe? Lloyd didn't seem to worry, though.

"You're not the first to think so," the green ninja had said, "but he has a way of popping up when you least expect it."

Cole popped up from behind a nearby rock so he could see where his friends were. From there, it was clear as day that his friends were being kept in a vengestone cave, being taunted by the Skull Sorcerer.

"Tis unfortunate we cannot hear what he says," Fungus said.

"You're not missin' much," Cole responded. "Once you've heard one of those villain speeches, you've heard 'em all. He's just saying, 'Blah, blah, my evil plan, blah, blah, no one's gonna save you'."

"No one is coming to save you," the Skull Sorcerer continued. "Have the courage to accept your fate."

"Just tell me one thing," Lloyd shouted after him as he started to fly away once again. "The Blades of Deliverance. It was you who stole them, wasn't it?"

"You mean these?" the Skull Sorcerer asked as he showed two of his skeleton guards, each holding them proudly in the air.

Cole gasped in anger. It was like that horrible day coming back to him all over again. He wanted to hurt this guy. Bad "Those belonged to my mother!" He started climbing over the rocks to confront him and get her blades back. How dare this guy steal from someone so beloved to Cole!

Suddenly, Plundar grabbed his shoulder and pushed him right back down where he was supposed to be and said, "Are you crazy? Get down!"

Cole sighed. Plundar was right. Besides, those blades didn't even belong to her anymore. She gave them as a gift to the Geckles and Munce. They were what was important right now.

"So you did steal them!" Lloyd exclaimed, as if it was a surprise.

"It was no great task. The Geckles and Munce are simple creatures. Easy to deceive, and I knew they would blame each other," the Skull Sorcerer replied.

"Making them easier to divide and conquer," Zane pieced together.

"Now you know. May the knowledge bring you some peace in your final moments."

Once the Skull Sorcerer left, Cole turned to the Upply and said, "This our chance."

"What's the plan?" Plundar asked.

"Fungus, you and Korgran get down there and see if you can free the Geckles and Munce. Get 'em loose and wait for my signal. Plundar, Adam, you're with me," Cole explained.

"Where are we goin'?" the thief asked.

"After those blades. If we can get those, we just might have a chance."

Murtessa couldn't help but stop a moment, her arm sore as she had been working for hours on end. A nearby skeleton, the one who happened to hold the keys, was not a fan of this idea, though, and tried to whip her. This made the former queen angry, and she was about to fight back, but the skeleton was suddenly shoved behind a rock and destroyed. In its place came two men. One with red hair and an axe and the other looked much like a wizard.

"Who you?" Murt asked them.

"We are here to rescue you," Fungus replied.

Korgran tossed them the key the skeleton once held as Fungus continued saying, "Pass the word! Wait for the signal!"

The skeletons carefully carried the Blades of Deliverance throughout the caves. They didn't speak a word nor make a sound as their goal did not require that. As they opened the door into the next cave entrance, they suddenly heard a noise behind them. When they turned around, they saw nothing, though. Only the dark rock walls that appeared endless.

They continued on into this new cave and pulled on one of the torches inside. Turns out, it was a lever in disguise to open a secret passageway going deeper into the mountain. As they were about to continue their journey on down, they suddenly heard a voice behind saying, "Excuse me."

The owner of the voice and one other punched these two skeletons, breaking them apart while Cole jumped up and grabbed the two blades. "I'll take those. Thanks!" he continued as he jumped back down.

Adam helped by closing the secret passageway so that if the skeletons reanimated, they couldn't come back.

"What now?" Plundar asked.

"Get to the cages and see if you can get my friends out," Cole replied before he ran towards a nearby crate of items.

"What about you?" Plundar asked as Cole took a shield from said crate and placed it on his back. He then turned around, blades in hands and ninja mask on and said, "I'm gonna have a word with the guy who chucked me down a mountain!"

The Skull Sorcerer had taken a staff from a nearby skeleton guard and announced to all the slaving creatures below, "It is time! Sound the gong."

He turned around to the skeleton who had that particular job, but he was sleeping.

"Sound the gong!" the Skull Sorcerer screamed as the skull shot a blast of energy at the skeleton, waking him up, so he could sound the gong.

All the Geckles and Munce looked up to their master as Korgran turned to Fungus as they were hidden behind a wagon full of vengestone and whispered, "Is that signal?"

"No. Not yet. Just be ready," Fungus replied.

"Hear me, Geckles and Munce! Hear me and bear witness to the power that is mine! Look upon those who defied me," he said as he pointed to the ninja with his spear. "Look upon those in whom you placed your trust and watch as they come to their end! Release Grief-Bringer!"

Trumpets blared as Grief-Bringer stomped to the edge of his own cage. Another skeleton opening the door.

"Is that signal?" Korgran asked.

"No. Not yet," Fungus replied.

Suddenly, the skeleton who was opening the door was taken out by a large rock, and the door shut with a loud bang. Grief-Bringer was deeply displeased.

The Skull Sorcerer flew to investigate what was going on, but Cole hopped onto a cage located in the air, ready to brawl.

"Who dares?!" the Skull Sorcerer demanded.

"I'll give you three guesses," was Cole's response.

He jumped over to the Skull Sorcerer and tried to strike him down with his blades, but the Skull Sorcerer blocked with his spear, and the two fought for control over the other.

"Yes!"

"Cole!"

"I knew it!"

"Kick his butt Cole!" were the cheers that came from the ninja's cage.

Cole shoved his blades down as hard as he could to get the spear away from his enemy before he flipped over the Skull Sorcerer and kicked him in the butt. The Skull Sorcerer immediately came back, though, and got his spear stuck in the ground while he was trying to strike the earth master.

"Now?" Korgran asked. If this wasn't the signal, he didn't know what would be.

"Yes, Korgran. Now!" Fungus encouraged his friend.

Korgran jumped up and took out two skeletons before yelling to the creatures, "That's signal!"

The Munce and Geckles, who had used the key to unlock themselves from their chains, took them off and approached the skeletons. Murtessa tossing the key right back at them before announcing, "Munce and Geckle strong together!"

"Sung-ho!" Gulch screamed.

Murtessa rolled up into a ball and took out many different skeletons before stealing one of their spears and continuing while Gulch threw a pickaxe at one, which missed and ended up being caught by Murt, who used this to take out some more while fighting against them with his chain. Korgran found joy in doing what he loved once more with his axe as he fought against these horrible creatures and Fungus helped with his magic.

"It's impossible!" the Skull Sorcerer exclaimed. "I cast you into the bowels of the mountain!"

"You tried and failed! And this time, I'm ready for you!" was Cole's response.

Meanwhile, Lloyd and the others were trying desperately to get out of their cage so they could help.

"Cole, get us out of here!" Lloyd called to his friend.

Suddenly, they felt the cage shake as something was coming. Slowly, Jay turned around to face what had come after them, half-expecting to see Grief-Bringer, but what he saw scared him more than anything he could remember. A spider. And a big one at that. Jay jumped up into the air, nearly hitting himself in the head on the top of the cage and crashing to the floor. Quickly scrambling away and smashing Kai's foot. It was unknown whether the wine that came from the fire ninja was from this injury or his own fear of spiders but if you asked him later, he would deny that he even made that noise in the first place.

"I'm on it," Plundar said from the back of the spider. He held an interesting looking key in his hand.

"Who are you?" Nya asked.

"Plundar's the name. One of the lowly. Except I think we're the Upply now."

"Um, the who?" Jay asked, trying not to think of the spider in front of him. Was it smiling at them? Was it poisonous?

"We're in Cole's crew!" Plundar responded with a smile.

"Cole's got a crew?" Kai asked.

The Skull Sorcerer kicked Cole a few times, trying to push him off of the bridge they were currently fighting on as he said, "You have returned to your doom! You will join your pitiful friends-"

"And perish with them!" the skull finished.

"Aw, that's cute! He's like your little pet skull!" Cole yelled as he jumped at the evil king.

Finally, Plundar had freed the ninja, and they all jumped out of their cage.

"Ninja go!" everyone but Echo yelled as they started their spinjitzu. Echo just looked up to Plundar and said, "Thank you!"

Each of the ninja and Echo worked together to take out any and every skeleton they could, even without weapons. Jay, by force of habit, called out to the closest person to him and asked, "Need some help?"

Turns out, it was Murtessa and she immediately turned around saying, "Hi, My Sweet Jay." Nya was not amused.

Cole had since gotten up and started hitting at the Skull Sorcerer over and over again, searching for one mistake, one falter, anything, but nothing came. Suddenly, the skull shot a blast of energy from behind, knocking Cole off balance a moment and causing him to drop one of the blades. He took his shield off his back and used this to block from every attack that came at him as he walked forward before placing it back on his back and picked the blade back up all in one fluid motion.

Despite this, the Skull Sorcerer was still certain that the earth master was too weak to do anything. He flew up into the air, attacking all the while saying, "You cannot win! I'm stronger than you, more powerful!"

"Maybe! But I've got these!" Cole exclaimed as he showed the winged man his blades, but the Skull Sorcerer only laughed.

"Your faith is misplaced!" he told the young ninja. "The blades are nothing!"

"They are powerless!" the skull continued.

"I've studied them! There is no magic in them!"

Cole blocked more attacks from the skull and nearly fell off the bridge in the process. He gained his footing quickly before facing the Skull Sorcerer and saying, "Nice try! But these defeated Grief-Bringer! So I'm bettin' they can defeat you!"

"If that is what you think, you will be sorely disappointed!"

"And you talk too much," was Cole's response before he ran at the Skull Sorcerer, spinning around so that the shield caught the blast from the skull and jumped at him, striking down in the process.

I hope you all liked that. Last chapter should be out next week.

Have a great day/night!

#God'sNotDead