Hi ppl! Here is another chapter for ya ;). I would've updated yesterday but I lost the document and I was almost done so I had to start over DX I finally got to the AU part I'm so happy :D. AND WOW 372 VIEWS?! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I have to upload this now otherwise I won't be able to do it for another 8 hours or something like that. ENJOY THY CHAPTER
Zane's fingers dug into the bark of a fallen tree as he struggled to find a foothold. Heaving with all his might, he hurtled himself over the top. He fell as he landed and scrambled back up, sprinting through the trees, the ghosts not far behind.
The road he had been following had run out a while back. His way had been blocked by steep hills he wouldn't have gotten over, so in desperation, he turned and ran west.
Zane jumped and dodged rocks, trees, and fallen logs while clutching his injured side.
Bansha swung her blade, sending it whizzing through the air and into a tree right behind Zane with a loud THUNK! He heard their cackles as it made him run faster.
As if running on a road wasn't bad enough, this was worse. His energy levels were again becoming dangerously low. He seriously didn't know how much more of this his nindroid body could take.
Zane jumped over a boulder, but his knees buckled as he landed, sending him crashing to the ground and tumbling across the forest floor.
Zane lay on the ground dazed, his vision swimming. He tried to get up, but his elbows would not support him.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here!" Bansha said as they came up behind Zane. "The white one, at last."
Ghoultar grabbed Zane's arm and Bansha hauled him up by the back of his neck. He fought against their hold, but it was no use.
"Morro will be very pleased." Bansha said as they dragged him along. "What do you think he wants him for anyway? He's nothing but a bucket of bolts."
"Ghoultar have no idea." The scythe master said.
No. No, no, no. It couldn't end like this. Anything but this. If they succeeded in taking Zane to Morro, he would surely die. And it wasn't dying himself that scared him, it was the pain and suffering of his friends and family that would follow. His team would be broken, and it would be his fault because he let himself be captured by Bansha and Ghoultar.
Zane grit his teeth. He would not let them take him. He couldn't if he wanted any chance of being home again.
It caused him so much pain, but he jumped up, kicked both of the ghosts, and shot ice at their faces. They shrieked in surprise and let go. As they recovered from the attack, Zane shot up and bolted into the forest.
"That dirty piece of scrap metal!" Bansha screamed. She grabbed Ghoultar and pulled him along as they gave chase. "Let's go!"
Zane continued to run into the early morning light. The sun still didn't reach the forest floor, so the ghosts were still able to pursue the ice ninja.
Zane gasped for breath as he ran. Warning signals were flashing in his vision, alerting him of his extremely low strength and energy levels. He wouldn't be able to go much longer, no matter how bad he wanted to.
He looked down at his wound. It had begun to gush blood again.
Zane kept on running. He started up a hill. as he came to the top, he saw a blue sky between the trees below.
It was the edge of the forest!
Zane burst out of the treeline and into a rocky plain. As he became free of the forest, he stopped.
At the edge of the plain sat foothills. And beyond the foothills sat mountains.
The mountains were very jagged, like broken teeth. They were made of dark grey stone. The range looked as tall as the Wailing Alps, possibly taller. The peaks were snow-capped, and the tallest ones shrouded by misty clouds. The entire range itself was exceptionally tall, but one rose high above the rest. It was very tall, so tall that it's pointed peak rose above the clouds and seemed to scrape the sky. The snow reached almost to its base. The plain rested in range's shadow. The shoulders of the mountains were rocky and steep. They seemed to glower at him.
Zane was in awe. Why hadn't he ever seen something like this before?
The sound of angry ghost soldiers made Zane turn around. He saw Bansha and Ghoultar emerge from the forest.
"There he is!" Bansha cried. "Get him!"
Zane turned around and ran for the foothills. Maybe there was a place for him to hide.
But other than a few trees, there was no place in the foothills that Zane could take cover, so he kept running. His legs screamed in protest as he dashed up and down the slopes.
Zane saw he was nearing the base of the mountains. He knew he was in no shape to, but if he could make it, he might stand a chance at being able to lose them.
Zane looked back behind his shoulder and saw the ghosts weren't far behind. Turning back, he looked up to the mountaintops.
He wasn't sure if he would make it. But he had to try.
Putting on an extra burst of speed, Zane pushed himself to run over the last hill. As he reached the top, He saw the bottom of the mountains finally come into view.
But right before them was a large, gaping ravine. The closer Zane got, the bigger it became.
Zane reached the edge of the ravine. He looked down. It was pitch black at the bottom. It was so deep, the sunlight wouldn't reach. A few hundred feet on the other side, was the base of the mountain.
Cackling made Zane turn around. His heart jumped when he saw Ghoultar and Bansha closing in.
Zane looked to his left and right. The ravine spanned as far along as he could see.
He was trapped.
Bansha twirled her sword and laughed when she saw Zane's face of terror.
"Your time is up, ninja." She said. "You can't run and certainly can't hide."
Even though it caused him immense pain, Zane shot ice at the ghosts, trying to hold them off and give him time to find a way to escape. But with each blast, he felt weaker, and if he didn't get away, he would be done for.
...
All it saw was darkness. The sun did not shine here, as it never had. Cold rock, dirt, and the dark was the only thing it had for company. It had been a very long time since it had seen sunlight. This part of the chasm was void of life except itself.
It paced along the bottom, claws scraping on stone as it walked. These past few days, it had been restless. It had been years since it felt this way. Was it starting to happen?
Suddenly it sensed a disturbance. It heard faintly the sounds of-a battle? It seemed like it was coming from the surface.
Narrowing its purple glowing eyes, it decided to investigate. If it was an outsider coming to do harm, it would make sure they would never come back. It spread its wings and soared up through the darkness and into the light.
...
Bansha jumped to dodge a ball of ice Zane threw at her. She deflected the next one with her sword.
"You can't keep us like this for long!" She taunted. "Your strength is running out and you know it!"
Zane did know it. Warnings flashed in his vision and his knees were about to give out.
As his ice got weaker, the more he felt like he wouldn't be able to hold out.
As a ball of ice flew at Ghoultar, he blocked it with his scythe, sending it flying back at Zane.
Zane didn't have time to duck. It hit his shoulder, knocking him on his back. He tried to get up, but couldn't. His knees refused to work.
Zane closed his eyes. This was it. It was over for him.
The two ghosts began to grab Zane when suddenly a black shadow streaked from the darkness of the ravine.
A ball of purple light came flying through the air and into the ground, knocking Bansha and Ghoultar backward. Zane scrambled back and looked around wildly to find where it came from. A roar made him look up, and he saw it was a massive black dragon!
Its scales were black, its wings and underbelly grey, its eyes glowing purple. It had a large orange horn like a rhino.
Purple light spewed from the dragon's mouth, and Zane watched as a bridge of purple rock formed between the two sides of the ravine.
The dragon flew down from the sky and landed between Zane and the ghosts, snarling at Ghoultar and Bansha as they came close.
The ghosts rushed at the dragon. Their weapons sliced into its face as it clawed and snapped its jaws at them.
Zane began to sit up and watched the dragon fight in amazement. He had never seen another like it. Where did it come from? Why was it here of all places? Why had he never heard of such a thing before?
The dragon blasted purple glowing rock at the ghosts, sending them flying backward. Then it turned around and faced Zane. He thought the dragon was coming for him next, but rather than obliterate him, it nudged him gently as he stood up.
"W-what are you doing?" He asked as the dragon continued pushing him. He saw that it was guiding him to the bridge that led to the other side of the ravine.
The dragon was helping him escape.
It gave him one final push onto the bridge. But before Zane could thank it, Bansha snuck up and stabbed the dragon's tail.
Snarling, the dragon whipped around and slashed at the ghosts. Ghoultar ducked and sliced its eye.
The dragon reeled back as it roared in pain. Seeing their opening, the ghosts bolted past the dragon and onto the bridge. Zane turned and ran.
Zane made it to the other side, but so did Bansha and Ghoultar.
Recovering from its injury, the dragon went to destroy the bridge but saw the ghosts had crossed after Zane. Jumping into the air, it was going to hold off the ghosts-
But as he reached the base of the mountain the dragon was suddenly thrown back in midair. It had forgotten that their wretched father had put up this barrier of black magic when he banished them to these mountains so they wouldn't interfere with his plans of conquering Ninjago.
The dragon roared in frustration as its efforts to help Zane failed. As the bridge crumbled and fell into the ravine, it watched the ice ninja disappear into the snowy mountains.