Chapter 14:
Coles POV.
"I can't believe it… what if he's like, really old, like Master Wu old? Or older?" I ask, stepping out of the library and closing the door behind me.
"Then we'll find a way to revert it. I'm sure that this place will have something. I mean, look how advanced it is." Harumi says. My earpiece shrieks and Zane's voice starts screaming in my ears.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" He asks.
"Yes Zane, loud and clear." Nya replies.
"Master Wu, he's hurt. Badly. I've analysed the situation and he needs immediate medical assistance."
"Do you need us?" Jay asks.
"Yes, I need you to get something called a
Elixabloom."
"A what?" Jay asks.
"A Elixabloom. It's a yellow berry. You need to find at least three, but five would be beneficial."
"Right, and where do we find these things?" I mumble.
"They should be sold in the markets. As soon as you get them, radio in."
"Roger that Zane." Says Nya, looking around. "Uh, where do we go?"
"I've turned those trackers of yours into a GPS type thing. Just ask it where to go and it'll tell ya!" Says a unfamiliar voice through the microphone. "Also, the markets can be a lil rough, so be careful."
"I'm sorry, who the hell are you? Skylor?"
"Skylors taking a nap, the whole realm travel thing really knocked her out. This is Sora, she's our guide." Kai mumbles
"Great." I say optimistically. "What exactly happened to Wu?"
"There's so time. If he got hit by cursed soul, there's only a matter of time before he could become one with said thing."
"What?!" Nya screams.
"And then that thing will come and chase us down, which is not good."
"Let's just get the Elixabloom, and then we can ask questions." I say, turning away. "Let's go!"
Nya's POV
As we walk through the markets, I can't help but think about Lloyd. He was someone I cared for, he was my other brother. I was so blind, sure none of us could of survived the mountain but he was different. And Sora, Master of Technology? How was that even possible? I sigh and look around for the berry, looking hopelessly at the stalls.
"Don't worry Nya," Says Jay, putting a hand on my shoulder. "If Lloyd's out there, we'll find him, but right now we have to find the Elixabloom."
"Right." I mumble, looking around. "Shouldn't we talk to someone that sells fruits and stuff? Or maybe a healer?"
"Yeah, why are we looking at book stalls and stuff?" Asks Harumi.
"You're looking for a healer?" Asks a ginger-haired girl wearing a warm green cape coat. Her hair was nearly braided and her eyes shone a beautiful amber. She looked just over the age of 14. "I can take you to one."
"Really? Thank you!" Cole smiles. The girl smiles back and signals us to follow her. I look to Jay.
"Sora said we should be careful, what if this is just a trap?"
"It's worth a shot. We've traveled to so many places, I'm sure we'll be ready to fight if we need to." He assures me.
"You guys are lucky that no guards were nearby when you said that."
"The stuff about healers? Why?"
"Yes. You clearly aren't from around here, magic is outlawed. Like, completely."
"What? Why?"
"It's new. The new King declared it, he said magic was too unpredictable and dangerous. He also said that some King, like a thousand years ago went insane with magic, so you know."
"Well, thank you. We would of been toast otherwise." Cole sighs.
"No problem." The girl smiles before we turn into a narrow alleyway, and continue further until we reach a dead end.
"Um, are we in the right spot?" Harumi asks.
"Yes, we are." She taps on the wall, and a secret door opens. The smile of mint leaves fills the air and a sudden sense of calm is washed over me.
"Hurry, before someone sees you!" She says frantically waving to the door. Jay grabs my arm and we rush in, followed by Harumi and then Cole. The room is filled with herbs and spices, hanging from the walls and ceiling. The shelves are stocked with a mix of different items, and I suddenly realise how closely it resembles Mystake's tea shop.
"Callista, is that you..?" Says a voice from the back.
"Yes Grandma!" Says the girl, her pointed ears flicking in annoyance. "My names Callista by the way, what's yours?"
"I'm Nya, that's Jay, Cole and Harumi." Everyone waves. Callista smiles and walks to her Grandmother, who is sitting by a counter in the back.
"I've brought some customers!" Callista beams, her tail swishing with pride.
"Finally! Now, where are you from? What are you looking for?"
"We're from Ninjago. We're looking for a Elixabloom. Well, 3-5 actually. Our sensei is hurt and-"
"Say no more!" She hops down off a stack of books behind the counter and hobbles to the back, her long grey hair dragging on the floor.
"So, what brings you to DragonEcho?" Asks Callista, leaning on the counter.
"We're uh, looking for a friend." Mumbles Cole, scratching his head.
"It's fine Cole, I doubt anyone will remember…" Jay sighs.
"We're looking for a guy named Lloyd Garmadon. Or at least, what's left of him." I say sadly. Callista gasps in shock before her Grandma comes back in.
"Lloyd Garmadon? The famous warrior, Lloyd Garmadon? The green ninja?"
"Y-yes! Have you seen him?"
"I wish! But he disappeared about 3,000 years ago when Golldyron elected King." She says bitterly. "I hate him. Any magic users hate him."
"Why? He seems like such a nice guy." Jay mutters.
"That's what they want you to think. After Golldyron became King, he enslaved thousands and was one of the most feared people out there. He had a arena you see, a awful arena. He would make his best slaves into fighters, and force them to kill each other for his own entertainment. It's even rumoured that Lloyd Garmadon was enslaved, and champion of the arena. But I doubt it, from the reliable sources that I know, he was someone who didn't want to fight, and certainly didn't kill. I still think he's out there, that he's alive."
"We're all hoping that." I say miserably.
"Why do you all want to know? He hasn't been around for quite some time." Callista's Grandma asks.
We all stay silent.
"No way…" Whispers Callista. "You're- You're the saviours! You guys are the legend behind the legend! How are you even alive? Aren't you humans?"
"Time works differently from where we come from. It's only been 5 years…" I explain. "I'm so happy that he made it far, but I don't think he's alive. There just no way."
"Bullshit! Lloyd is from your realm yes? So that means that he's only aged 5 years."
