Hey, guys! Sorry for the extended wait. I'm especially sorry because I didn't let you know, but I really couldn't because this time, I don't have a good excuse. Basically, my reason for not updating is I just wasn't motivated at all. For the past two weeks, I've been remodeling my room and getting ready to go back to school soon, so I really didn't have that much free time on my hands.
But since all of you guys have been so patient, I've decided to make this chapter extra long. I hope I don't make you wait this long again, and if I have to, I'll try and let you know.
Anyways, let's get into chapter 11.
At first, he didn't know what to do. He couldn't find any sort of map of the city, and no one was willing to stop long enough to give him proper directions, which annoyed and frustrated him to a great extent.
But finally, after searching for a while, he found a landmark that he knew was near the bounty. Borg Tower.
He went inside, only to be fascinated by all of the robot guards and advanced technology.
At the back of the first floor, a man was behind a desk, clicking around on the computer.
Chase approached the man, hoping for some directions. "Excuse me?"
The man swerved around on the swivel chair, a friendly smile etched onto his bony face. From there, Chase could read his nametag: Dr. Stickleback.
Weird name, he thought.
"Um, sir? Do you know how to get to the edge of the forest from here? I'm lost."
Dr. Stickleback chuckled. "Well, kiddo, I'm not sure why you need to go there, but here's a map." He handed Chase a neatly folded piece of paper.
Chase opened it, only to find a very complex version of Ninjago City.
"Thanks," he thanked the man gratefully, but inside, he didn't know if this map would help at all.
He exited the building and began to study the map very carefully. A cursor with the label "you are here" pinpointed where exactly he was.
He saw trees surrounding the city and decided to go east of Borg Tower.
He'd find his way back, he just knew it. But he didn't know how long it would be until he did.
OoooooooooO
The sun began to set, and Jay grew more worried. He knew that Chase was supposed to be home by now, yet he wasn't.
He took up the matter with Nya, who was equally concerned.
Jay knew something. Chase normally came back with him, which meant he was trying to find his way back on his own. And that could only mean one thing. Chase was lost in Ninjago City.
Jay and Nya went to find the other ninja, who were training on the main deck.
"Hey, guys," Jay said. Everyone stopped training and listened to Jay.
"So, Chase hasn't come home yet. I think he might be lost."
"Why didn't you go pick him up?" Cole asked.
"I forgot. We were so into this whole computer thing. I think I'll head out and try to find him."
"Do you want us to come?" Kai asked, swinging his sword.
"No, I think this is a one man job." Everyone nodded in agreement.
Jay left on his electric bike and zoomed along the pathway to the school.
He drove around Ninjago City in full before stopping at Borg Tower. He drew a map in his head and tried to think of where Chase would've gone.
He continued driving and finally ran into Chase, who looked as sad as ever.
"Hey, buddy!" Jay called out to the boy. Chase whipped his head around, a smile in place of the lost face he'd had before.
"Why didn't you pick me up?" Chase asked, running towards Jay and hopping into his vehicle.
"Sorry, I was going to, but we've just had a big break in our search for clues on the water crystal. We're heading on a mission," Jay explained, turning the engine on and beginning to drive.
Within a matter of minutes, they were back at the bounty. The other ninja seemed pleased and relieved to see Chase, especially Nya.
As the ninja were changing into ninja-fit clothes and getting in a few more minutes of training, Chase decided to ask Jay something.
He approached the blue ninja, who was currently fitting his pants.
"Um, Jay?" Jay turned around, never stopping to button his pants.
"Yep?"
"You're going on a mission, right?" Jay nodded.
"Well, can I come with you? I won't get in the way, I promise." Chase put his hands up, nodding his head.
Jay looked on the fence. "Well, I honestly don't think it's safe for you to come. We're going to Garmadon's hideout way outside Ninjago City's boundaries. It could get dangerous."
"Well, what am I supposed to do while you're gone?" Chase protested.
"Play video games, read scrolls, I don't know. You'll figure it out." With that, Jay turned right back to his ninja suit.
Chase hung his head and walked out of the room, feeling sad and angry and aimless all at the same time.
He watched them leave in their rocking vehicles from the main deck, waving to them even after they were long gone.
As he walked back inside the main cabin, he smelt something hot being made and noticed that Sensei Wu was brewing tea.
He smiled at the old master, who smiled right back. Wu then pulled out two tea bags and two mugs, turning to Chase, who now sat at the dining table.
"Would you like some tea?"
OooooooooooO
Ninjago City was much quieter this time of day. The only sound other than their noisy vehicles was the quiet hum of famous Ninjago music playing in open stores and restaurants.
None of them really knew where Garmadon's hideout was. Of course they didn't–it was a hideout.
But they had an idea. Probably somewhere remote, like on an island or something.
They decided to check out the island first, and to their pleasure, they were right.
A massive, black, evil-looking building stood in the heart of the island, and it had Garmadon's name written all over it just by the looks of the structure.
They landed in the forest surrounding the hideout, wanting to be as stealthy as possible, as to not get caught.
They prowled the perimeter, trying to look for back doors or windows, but there was none. Disappointed, they headed back around to the front entrance, surprisingly unguarded, and turned the knob, surprisingly unlocked.
To Lloyd, this seemed too easy to be real, like this was some sort of trap. To the others, they were just lucky.
Lloyd had a gut-wrenching feeling that something was up, but he kept his mouth shut, not really having any evidence.
The inside of the building was like a maze. There was at least a three-way fork at every turn and no map or guide to find your way around.
Another unsettling thing was that it was so quiet. Lloyd was sure that his father would definitely be up to something that made some form of noise.
They went every which way, but almost all of the tunnels led to a dead end, which unnerved every single one of them.
After about an hour of searching, they were all chilled to the bone, both because of the eeriness of this building and the lack of heat.
Finally, they went down a tunnel that seemed to not have a dead end, sparking hope.
The tunnel had loads of obstacles like two-way forks, long flights of stairs, and sharp turns.
It seemed like ages until they finally entered a room the size of the average bedroom. It had four doors, one on each of the walls and each with a special symbol engraved in it.
The door to their left represented the symbol for fire, the one straight in front of them was earth, the one to their right was water, and the one on the wall they entered in from was wind.
"Which do we go in?" Kai asked.
"Let's try all of them," Cole suggested.
"No, we shouldn't do that," Zane advised. He glanced around at the symbols, coming up with an answer. "Each of these symbols means something. I'm guessing fire means that room is filled with fire. The Earth room is filled with dangerous objects of the Earth, and so on."
"So, we don't go into any?" Jay asked.
"Wait, I think we have to go into the water room," Nya said. Everyone looked at her, perplexed.
"Well, we are looking for the water crystal, right?" Everyone nodded.
"One of the rooms has to be eligible to go into," Nya continued. "I say it's the water room. Who doesn't agree?" No one disagrees, seeing the logic behind that.
"It's a plan, then," Kai said. "But don't blame me if we all get killed," he added for good measure.
"No one's going to," Lloyd said, shaking his head with a smile on his face.
They entered the room, nervous and hopeful at the same time.
To their surprise, the water crystal was positioned in the center of the room, a glass box encasing it for protection.
Everyone was very excited about recovering the water crystal back into their own hands. Everyone but Lloyd, who still felt unsure, but this time, he felt almost positive that something was going on. Something bad. Very bad.
Everyone crossed the room to the crystal, preparing to open the case that was bound to be locked. Lloyd was slower, knowing his father's tricks very well.
"Something isn't right," Lloyd blurted a smidgen too late, just as the ninja opened the shockingly unlocked case.
They all turned to him, hearing his words, just as jail gates shot down from the ceiling all around them, trapping them inside.
Everyone jumped, both from the impact of the metal bars, and from the sound.
They were trapped. Lloyd had known from the start that something was up, that this was one of his father's traps, and now he wished he had warned the others, because now there was no escape.
Everyone looked scared, knowing that something else terrible would occur soon enough.
And they were right.
It was only moments later when the hideout began to be bombed by Garmadon's forces outside of the building.
The ninja covered their ears and squeezed their eyes shut, bracing for the explosions.
This was an ambush. And there was no escape.
So that was chapter 11. I really hope you enjoyed it. I tried to make it as long and as interesting as I could. Sorry for the wait, I'll try and make sure it doesn't happen again. Anyway, please review, favorite, and follow, I would appreciate it! Thanks for tuning in and have a wonderful day!
See ya in the next one.
zaraduck6 :)