"Welcome to the swamps!"
Acronix beckoned Harumi and her followers into the large opening within The Ninjago City Sewers. As she and her faithful kin entered, they were greeted with the distinct smell of mud and metal, as crickets chirped and frogs leaped in the distance. Smoke bellowed from a nearby cabin, and a large assortment of catacombs, caverns, and buildings lined the swampy interior of Acronix and Kruxs hideout.
"Interesting base of operations you have." Harumi said, her face still being covered by her painted Oni Mask. While she knew these two fools would eventually figure out her identity given time, she'd like to keep it a secret for as long as he was able to. Anything they were told, they could easily inform The Resistance of. And Harumi wasn't sure if she could fully trust either of them, despite what The Overlord had said to her. "How do you keep it hidden from The Resistance?"
Krux took great pride in his base. And while he did not fully trust the strange group that discovered them, he would never pass up the opportunity to brag. "These tunnels are so complex, not even The Serpentine were able to discover them!"
Harumi nodded, as they all entered the main complex, the three high ranking Vermillion, Guanya, Qing, and Masami, stood at attention, as Harumi's Beckoners walked in.
"Who are those guys? Look like those Resistance people… Have you seen any of those? I'd hate to see any of those." Qing said, holding onto a pitchfork.
"The way you repeat stuff is annoying! Would you shut up?!" Acronix yelled. While he had gotten acquainted with Guanya and Masami, who were just as, if not more intelligent and competent then the former Vermillion general Machia, Qing was a thorn in his and Kruxs side.
"Calm down brother. Anyways, sit down, and explain yourselves very clearly. You're surrounded on all sides, so don't get any ideas!"
As Harumi's gang all leaned against the wall or sat down with their bikes, Harumi took a stand. "We are The Beckoners. Morally opposed to The Preeminent, and Lloyds feeble Resistance. We will repopulate Ninjago with people worthy of inhabiting and protecting it!
"Ambitious. And have you had much luck with all that?" Krux asked, being sarcastic. While he didn't much care for their ideals, rather how much they would be willing to contribute to his master plan and his alone, the idea of an organization that tried to strike it on their own rather then allying with a well known enemy of his was interesting, and he tried to pin down the identity of "The Masked One."
"Sadly, The Resistance has made powerful allies and connections. Worse if they somehow manage to reach The Dark Island. We have a plan to destroy all who stand in our way.. And we would be glad to aid you. Assuming you want our help with.. "This."
"Of course we don't! Why would we need your help if you just plan on bringing everyone back anyways!? You have nothing to offer us whatsoever, so I suggest you leave. Well, after you pay tribute to the future kings of Ninjago." Krux said. Confident he could out-wit the gang of petty bikers. Harumi scowled under the mask, as she began to search for a way out of there. Just then, she felt the power of The Overlord shine from within her crystal, as she heard his voice in her head.
"Harumi.. Use The Mask to grab the foolish ones green gauntlet. Threaten to use it on them.. Use it to escape if you must. But.. id prefer this connection remain unsevered.."
Harumi nodded to herself, as she used the painted Oni Masks power to unsheath The Timeblade Acronix wielded, as he watched in shock as it floated into her grasp. While she had no idea what it was or how to use it, she knew she could bluff her way out of this altercation.
"Listen closely, you gross old men. I know exactly what this is, and what its purpose is. If you dare try and bargain for our freedom, I'll be forced to use it on you both!" Harumi said. Unknowingly, her threat got to Krux. While he could attack her now, the risk of being struck by the blade, and succumbing to increased aging was worrisome.
"Alright alright! Give us The Timeblade! I'm not about to die of old age anytime soon. Especially not at the hands of that weapon!" Krux said, hoping he could still salvage the situation.
"Oh.. So that's what it does? Hmph. You're disgusting and foolish. If anyones ruling Ninjago? It will be me, my gang, and Lord Garmadon!" Harumi Cheered, as the gang started getting rowdy with the excitement of a possible battle.
"What- No! How dare you, you little brat!-" Krux was flush with anger. Acronix pulled him aside so they could discuss next steps.
"Way to go brother! Now they know the blades' effects! And mother always said YOU were the smart one!" Acronix said, out of both anger, but odd satisfaction at Kruxs failure to prove his superiority over someone.
"You're the one who wanted to let them in! We can't attack them, if their leader gets one strike on either of us, we won't be able to find The Reversal blade in time to fix us! Now we have to bargain with them, or else we will never be able to complete The Iron Doom." Krux replied, angrily.
"Times ticking, ticking, ticking.. Choose how you wanna do this, or I'll choose for you." Harumi said, rubbing The Timeblade against the side of her katana, mockingly.
"Fine!" Krux yelled, breaking out of his huddle with Acronix. "We accept your terms. Just give us the blade."
"Oh, I think I'll be keeping this for a while. But thanks for the new base. We will be good guests." Harumi laughed, as The Beckoners exited the building, inspecting their new base.
"Who are you to dare threaten us in our own base?!"
Harumi laughed. It sent shivers down the spine of both Time Twins. Harumi knew what she was about to do was unwise, but she was caught up in the moment. She pulled off the painted mask, revealing the flowing hair and painted face of the former princess, Harumi.
"Hmph. I should've guessed." Krux grumbled. Truthfully, this was a giant shock.
"Tough luck. This is our operation now.. And if you want to live, you better listen to us. " Harumi said. She relished the misery that engulfed Acronix and Krux spirits, as she ceased their assets, and prepared the reclamation of Ninjago, and the summoning of The Oni.
(On The Dark Island . . . )
"Sis? You ok? You've been staring at the floor for the past hour!"
Nya looked up, barely processing what Kai, her brother, had said. She had been filled with guilt after she had broken up with Jay, and the stress of the upcoming Chronosteel delivery was tearing away at her. While she knew Jay would get over it, seeing him sad all day broke her spirits, and made it hard for her to focus her elemental energy, which she would need to awaken the powers within The Chronosteel. "Huh? I'm fine. I'm just still.. I don't know."
"It's Jay isnt it? He's been crying to Cole and Zane all day. He even called me a traitor when I tried to calm him down, so… What'd you do exactly?" Kai asked, out of concern for her sister.
"I'm sorry, I just- couldn't stay with him! Or Cole for that matter! Ever since I became The Water Ninja I feel like they got back to competing for my affection. I needed someone who respected me more than that-" Nya stuttered, struggling to come up for an excuse for what she had done.
"If Tonyas what you need, then nobody should judge you." Kai replied.
"Wait-" Nya interjected in confusion. "Jay told you who I fell for?"
"Yup. Cole had to tie his armor plating to the chair for a bit when he got the bright idea of storming into her office to zap her. Wu was pretty confused too, but I think he got the picture."
"You.. Aren't you mad that I fell for a girl?"
"Of course not!" Kai jumped up. "I may be your big brother, but that doesnt mean I get to go around judging you for who you like. If you like any gender, I support you!"
"Thanks Kai.. I guess I feel a bit better hearing that from you." Nya replied, getting up and giving Kai a hug. Just as they ended their hug, Tonya rushed into the platform where The Chronosteel was about to be lowered into.
"I- I just heard what happened with Jay and Cole- Is everything ok Nya?" Tonya asked, out of breath after having ran over there from her office.
Nya nodded. "I guess so! Is The Chronosteel getting here soon?"
Almost on cue, the three heard yelling from the mining crew, as a giant chunk of rock was lowered onto the platform by a forklift. Sensei Wu entered the platform, putting his hand against the rough metal.
"Chronosteel was a long sought out metal by friend and foe. Most traces of it were lost or destroyed.. But The Dark Island still has enough to construct a vessel of elemental energy. Enough to contain The Realm Crystals energies. Are you two up for the task?" Wu said, stroking his beard.
Nya once again nodded along with her brother, as Wu smiled, leaving the instructions within a scroll, placing them on a nearby Anvil, and exiting. Tonya walked up to Nya, gently grabbing her hands.
"Be safe.. Ok?" Tonya said, with a look of worry.
Nya smiled at her, brightening Tonya's mood. "I'll come find you when we finish The Chronosteel."
Tonya turned to leave, before turning back and giving Nya a quick peck on the cheek. "Promise?"
"Promise!"
Tonya nodded, exiting the platform. As she left, Kai walked over to the scroll. Unrolling it, and staring in awe at the directions. "These.. Are in fathers handwriting. I never knew he worked with Chronosteel. Where did Wu get these?"
"He was an elemental master, remember? He probably worked with it a lot when he was in their alliance."
"Still.. Says here the process will take days."
"That isn't too bad!" Nya reasoned.
"Continuous days." Kai said, with a look of preconceived exhaustion entering his face.
Nya nodded. "Gotcha.." getting up, she walked over to view the instructions, as they walked over to The Chronosteel, preparing to mold the metal with their elemental energy and blacksmith prowess, in order to save all of Ninjago.
As Nya summoned her water to hand, she was brought back to her first few adventures on her own with Samurai X. While it had been a while since she had donned the mantle, she wondered what would become of it, and if anyone else would still be inspired by stories of The Samurai, or if she would even be remembered for it. No matter what, her mind turned to Jay whenever she thought of the Samurai. While she still felt bad over the way she broke up with Jay, she knew it was for the best.
Kai on the other hand was unusually worried too. He had not done proper blacksmithing work in ages, and hadnt exactly been in the best mindset lately. Skyler had been extremely busy, and a lot of his former fans were more concerned with getting by every day then purchasing the latest Kai merch.
Regardless, they both circled around The Chronosteel, thinning out the metal into a pristine shape over a period of several days. While The Ninja, Tonya, Ronin, Dareth, and several others had come to check up on them and inspire hope within their exhausted hope, their need to continuously fine-tune the energies within the steel proved to be a challenge, even for the two of them.
Once the metal was ready, they separated several chunks of it, melding them to fit together. While Wu's descriptions of what the Chronosteel needed to look like were vague, he knew the task would have to be carried out by several Chronosteel weapons, using the one chunk. They made six rust-colored blades, one for each Ninja, plus Ronin or Wu, depending on who would need it when they made their approach to Ninjago. While they wanted to believe Lloyd was alive, they weren't counting on him being the wielder of the sixth blade.
As their work concluded, they looked upon the six Chronosteel Blades. The future of Ninjago rested upon them, but they could only hope their sacrifice of energy wouldnt only delay an inevitable defeat.
(I decided to postpone the story for a bit, so I can post my other story. Not sure how long itill be until I upload for this one, but it hopefully won't take too long. Thank you for reading!)
