(A/N: Seeing the last 10 episodes of Dragons Rising Season 2 were now out, albeit briefly, I am uploading two chapters today. I had a chance to see them beforehand, and I am... somewhat disappointed as it screws up potential writing I wanted to do with all Ninja present and am in no mood to do something like that myself)

Vangelis was currently in the throne room, having a meeting with some guards and looking at a really long scroll. "And please ask the Accounting Department for a report on the latest shipment of Venge-"

The doors opening interrupts him as they all turn to see Cole, Maggie, Dragon, Hayden, Vania and Chompy coming in. "Father, we must speak with you." Vania said. "It's an emergency!"

The guards look at them while Vangelis rolls up the scroll. "Vania? Dragon? Hayden? Maggie?" He throws the scroll to a guard, who catches it before they all leave. "What emergency? What's this all about?"

Cole, Maggie, Dragon, Hayden, Vania and Chompy move closer while the guards pass by as they left. "The mines! They're not as empty as we all believed." The doors soon close.

Vangelis was soon angered. "You went underground?"

"I had to, father." She holds her hand out to Cole. "Cole and the other Ninja were trapped!"

"It's true." He said, taking it to lower it as Vania turned back to her father. "She saved my life."

Vangelis frowns and lowers his head before looking back up, angered. "I told you never to go down there." He replied.

"Please, don't be angry, father." Vania said.

"I'm not angry, just saddened. You have forced my hand."

"What do you mean?"

"I love you, child, but why don't you ever listen?" He bangs the right armrest in anger. "I was trying to protect you."

"I know, I'm sorry, but you need to understand. There's a dark evil down there called the Skull Sorcerer!"

Vangelis started to think as Hayden notices something dripping down from the throne. "Yeah, and he's got this evil magic skull that glows red and these two huge wings and can control it to shoot strange glowing flames at us." Cole said as Hayden went over to it and held his hand out to catch some of it before looking at it. It was blood.

"Uh, your majesty, are you okay?" He asked, backing away.

"Why, yes." Vangelis replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because there's blood coming down from your throne. Are you bleeding?"

Vangelis looks down at his right leg to see some blood soaking his kimono and coming down from it, surprising him. "Oh, I must've cut myself on a thorn while walking." He lied.

"That seems more serious than a thorn wound." Maggie said.

"Then, it is curious." He then turned to Cole. "Now, this Skull Sorcerer, are you certain the skull was red?"

"I saw him." He said.

Vangelis then opened a secret compartment from the armrest. "And you're certain it wasn't..." He holds his hand out to it, and the green skull hovers out of it. "...green?" Vangelis soon started to glow as his white and blood stained kimono changes into black before wings appear on his back, and a mask and straw hat appeared over him.

Everyone gasped upon the sight. "No!" Vania said.

"I don't believe it!" Maggie said.

"You're the Skull Sorcerer?" Cole asked.

"Why?" Dragon asked.

"What is your motive?" Hayden asked.

The Skull Sorcerer stands up and flies down to them. "Perfection, I'm afraid, has a cost." He replied. "And the cost is Vengestone. It comes from the mines."

"From the mountain, from the earth." The skull said.

"The people of Shintaro may not realise it, but their magnificent city, the lives of bliss and joy that they lead, is paid for by Vengestone. Fortunately, I found a customer willing to pay dearly for it."

"I don't believe it." Vania said. "You... you wouldn't. You couldn't!"

"Well, it ends now!" Cole said, pointing to him.

"In that respect, sadly, you are correct." The Skull Sorcerer replied before raising his arm and throws the skull at Dragon, knocking him down.

The skull moves back to the Skull Sorcerer. "Master Wu!" Cole comes up to Dragon before the skull knocks him down.

"Cole!" Hayden yelled before he and Maggie turn to the Skull Sorcerer.

"That one is also for your friend Blake cutting me with Vengestone." Hayden throws his jacket aside and turns to Maggie, who nods before they get out some shurikens and throw them in the air for Maggie to hold her arms out to them and swung her arms forward, sending them to the Skull Sorcerer. He quickly threw the skull to hit the shurikens, which soon land on the ground and the still travelling skull hits Maggie, knocking her down.

"No!" Vania yelled as the skull moves back.

"Hayden, the skull." Dragon said. "Get the skull!" Hayden turns to the Skull Sorcerer before raising his arms out wide, emitting balls of Uranium in them.

"Take this!" He yelled before throwing one of them at him. The Skull Sorcerer flies to the side to avoid it before throwing the skull at Hayden, just as he threw the other ball, which it goes through before striking him, sending him flying across the room before he lands and slides across the floor until he hits a wall.

"Mantis!" Maggie yelled as she limps over to him.

Vania holds her left arm out. "Chompy, go!" She yelled as Chompy runs along it before jumping and flies towards the Skull Sorcerer, screeching as he did so. Unfortunately, he turned and slammed his right wing into him, and forces him down on the floor. The Skull Sorcerer soon flies back onto his throne and, with his wing, presses a button on the right armrest. Suddenly, a trapdoor underneath Cole and Dragon opens up, and sends them falling down it, screaming just as Hayden was getting up and, alongside Maggie and Vania, see it. "Cole!"

"Master Wu!" They look down the trapdoor.

Vania turns back to her father just as Hayden gets up before he throws a ball of Uranium at him, but he raised the skull to block it as Maggie held her right hand out to some nearby shurikens, levitating them, and swung her arm sideways, sending them towards the Skull Sorcerer, who raised the skull to fire some blasts, some knocking the shurikens down while some hit the side of his throne before moving the skull to fire at the two, hitting them both and knocking them down. Vania looks to her left to see three sets of wings and heads over to them to grab a set. "Vania, no!" The Skull Sorcerer yelled. "You'll never reach them in time!"

"I have to try!" She puts them on and heads for the trapdoor.

"If you do this, you will be my daughter no longer!" She skids to a halt to look at him. "You will be nothing to me!"

"Nothing, nothing, nothing!" The skull said as Maggie and Hayden sit up before Vania turned to Chompy, who tries to get up, but falls down.

"Vania, go after them." Hayden said to her. "We'll hold your father off." Vania looks at him as he slowly stood up before she immediately dove into the hole.

"No!" The Skull Sorcerer yelled, flying to try and stop her, but was too late. "You've made your choice!" He looks down at the hole, motionlessly.

"Nothing comes without sacrifice." The skull said.

The Skull Sorcerer heads for his throne. "My subjects will want to know what happened to their princess." He puts the skull back into the compartment while he turned back to normal. "Luckily, I have three perfect scapegoats." He looks at Maggie and Hayden as they start to stand up with Hayden helping Maggie up, due to her limp, and then Chompy while secretly grabbing one of the shurikens to cut open the part of the kimono where his wound was. "Guards!" He flies down to the trapdoor as the doors open, and Hailmar and two guards enter.

"What has happened?" Hailmar asked. "Are you injured?"

"I have been attacked." He slips the shuriken into his sleeve. "And the princess has fallen into the pit." He then points out to Maggie, Hayden and Chompy. "These traitors are responsible! They turned on my daughter and attacked her. Even wounded me." He shows him the supposed wound on his leg.

"What?" Maggie and Hayden asked, shocked at the swift accusation.

"That's not true!" Hayden yelled.

"I want them locked up!" Vangelis said.

Hailmar looks at Chompy, who was still unconscious. "The princess' dragon?" He asked. "Chompy?"

"You heard me! Lock the beast and those two assailants up! Now!"

The guards immediately start to fly toward them with one quickly grabbing Maggie, but Hayden ran towards Vangelis, grabs hold in a chokehold and aims his revolver to his head. "Stand down!" He yelled, putting the gun to his head.

"Release the King, immediately!" Hailmar yelled.

Hayden aims at Hailmar. "I don't take orders from you." He moves it back to Vangelis. "Now, Vangelis, tell them the truth."

"What truth?" Vangelis asked, secretly getting out the shuriken he tore his kimono with.

"That we were not responsible for Vania being dropped down the pit."

"He's lying! Don't listen to him!"

"Tell him now!" Vangelis drives the shuriken into Hayden's left leg, causing him to scream in pain and drop down before Vangelis kicks the gun away.

"Seize him!"

Hailmar flies towards Hayden as he looked over at Maggie while pulling out the shuriken from his leg, which started to bleed. "Maggie, go!" He throws the shuriken at the guard restraining her, hitting him in his left shoulder and making him let go of her and inadvertently push her towards the pit where she soon fell in, screaming as she does so. Hayden chuckles at his accomplishment before Hailmar grabs hold of him and strikes him in the face, knocking him out.

(A/N: So, yes, Hayden is pinned for the whole thing by Vangelis. Could it mean a potential end to his NCPD career?)