Up on the surface, Hayden groaned as he started to open his eyes. He looks around as he tried to get his vision clear by blinking his eyes, but his right eye was barely lifting, due to a swollen bruise. He then looked up to see what appeared to be a gold ceiling before he turned his head to the left, groaning in pain a little, and became immediately surprised. He was in a cage, inside the throne room. His holster no longer on him. "What the hell?" He asked himself as he sat up before seeing his left pant leg had been torn opened and the shuriken wound bandaged up. He prepared to move his hand to the wound, only to feel a tug, and looked down to see his hands were cuffed at the front with Vengestone. "Vengestone." He soon heard light growling and turned right to see Chompy, lying down. "Chompy!" He slowly moved towards him as he looks up at him. "Are you okay?" Chompy growled a little and looked up at Hayden. "Oh, I'm glad." He soon got up and looked around the throne room from where he was. "What is going on?"
"What's going on is that my guards have locked you and the beast up in that cage." Vangelis was heard as Hayden looked around, angered. "After all, attacking my daughter comes with a cost."
"Where are you, Vangelis?!"
"Oh, I'm right here." Hayden looked up as best as he could to see Vangelis sitting on his throne with a guard standing in front of him. He hands the guard a letter before he moves back for Vangelis to get up and fly down to the ground as Chompy started to growl at him. "I hope the newly provided accommodations are much better than the ones you were given when you first came to my city." He turns to the cage while the guard flies over to the doors that were open, and Hailmar standing near them, glaring at Hayden and Chompy.
"The accommodations are 3 stars." He sarcastically spoke before raising his cuffs. "Comes with sex cuffs and a barred box."
Vangelis laughs as he came up to the cage. "You should've been a comedian instead of a cop, Salvos." He then stopped by it and smirked evilly as Hayden simply glares at him. "But, you know why you're in here? As much as you know how much trouble you and the beast are in? When I call forth a gathering regarding Princess Vania's disappearance, you're gonna be sorry."
"No, I'm not sorry. I haven't done anything wrong. We both know what really happened here... Skull Sorcerer."
Vangelis scoffs. "Even when you say it, there will be no one in Shintaro that will believe you."
"When the other Ninja find out who you really are, you'll be the one who is sorry."
"Let them try. They are stuck in the mines with no way out since they're among warring tribes, and Cole, the old man and the cripple are down the pit, alongside my daughter, where they will stay forever." He turns around and starts to head for the doors, but suddenly stops halfway through. "Oh, and by the way, as you may have seen now, I have just written a formal letter to the Ninjago City Police Department, making a complaint against you for attacking my daughter. It is currently being sent over even as we speak, and then, pending a reply letter and approval from your Commissioner, you shall be relieved from their services."
Hayden immediately became worried. "What?"
He turns back to face him. "You'll no longer be a cop, Salvos. Now, you're just a prisoner of Shintaro."
Vangelis turns back again to start walking towards the doors before Hayden started to bang at the bars in anger. "You bastard!" Vangelis walks past the doors before Hailmar proceeded to close them. "You think you're gonna be safe behind that skull?" The doors fully close as Hayden grabs hold of the bars and started to shake them as hard as he could in anger. "You'll be sorry!" He then kicked at them as hard as he could. "Let me out! Let me out!" He pushes himself at the bars. "I want out!" He slammed the bars before backing away, moving back and sat down, sobbing a little as Chompy comes up to him and growled a little, concerned. Hayden turned to him before rubbing his neck. "I'm fine, Chompy." He then lowered his head, sighing. "I just... really hate the feeling of being a prisoner again." He then looked over at the trapdoor. "Guys, please be safe."
In Rock Bottom, Cole was still unconscious as Maggie was checking his pulse while the dark clothed man and Adam were behind her. Dragon and Vania had already regained consciousness, were sitting by a corner, waiting for Cole to wake up. "Hey, buddy, wake up." The dark clothed man said.
"Hey, back off." Maggie replied, pointing out to him, frightening Adam, who moves back a little.
"Whoa, sorry, magnet girl. Your buddy's been like that for an hour."
"Because he fainted at the realisation that we may never be able to leave this place." Cole slowly started to move his eyelids, which she notices. "Cole?" He moves them a bit before he slowly opened them while moving to the right, only to see Adam staring down at him, causing him to scream, raise his head, but accidentally headbutts Maggie, crawl back and gets up to poise before Adam tries to hide behind the dark clothed man.
"Jeez, buddy, relax!"
"Cole, it's okay." Maggie comes up to him with a reassuring hand while having her other hand on her head. "The spider may be scary, but he's harmless." She then turned to glare at the man. "Is he?"
"Absolutely. He wouldn't hurt a fly." Adam started to move away as the dark clothed man turned to Cole. "Sounds like you were having a nightmare. So I thought I should wake you up."
"Only if I weren't around to check his pulse."
He raises his hands. "Whoa, easy, magnet girl, just saying."
"Whatever."
She turns back to Cole, who realises what he had done. "Oh, I'm sorry about that." He said.
"It's okay. Normal for those who wake up frightened." She turned to Dragon and Vania. "Guys, he's awake!"
Cole turned around to see the moss covered man, the man with the large axe and loincloth, the man with the scrolls, rucksack and dirty hands, and the barefooted blonde haired man coming up to him. "Uh... Where am I?" Dragon and Vania start to rush over to him. "Who the hell are you people?"
"Cole!" Vania said as she and Dragon came over to him.
"Vania! Master Wu!"
"Thank the mountain." She brought her hands close out of relief while Cole nervously smiled.
"Good, sir ninja, allow me to make the introductions!" The moss covered man said, and they all turn their attention to him. "May I present, Korgran of Metalonia!" He turned to the man with the large axe and loincloth.
"Korgran is pleased to meet you." He said.
The moss covered man then turned to the man with the scrolls, rucksack and dirty hands. "Doug of the Explorer's Club!"
"Salutations." He said, raising his left hand.
The moss covered man then turned to the barefooted man with blonde hair. "Also of the Explorer's Club, Snithik!" Snithik then moved his hands about. "He says, 'Nice to meet you.'"
"He's mute as well?" Cole asked.
Snithik moves his hands again. "'And can only communicate with sign language, which is one of the few things I taught to pass the time.'" The moss covered man then turned to the dark clothed man. "Plundar the Thief!" The dark clothed man lowers his bandanna. "Return the girl's ring, Plundar."
Upon hearing him say it, Maggie looked at her left hand to find her wedding ring is gone from her ring finger before looking up to see Plundar holding it. "Hey!" She yelled. "My wedding ring!"
"Sorry, force of habit." He replied, holding it out to her and she swipes it before putting it back on her finger.
"And I am Fungus the Sorcerer." The moss covered man said before he moves a hand behind his back to grab some moss and throws it into his other hand, which soon emits purple flames. "Around these parts, we are known simply as the Lowly." The flames extinguishes, and Fungus, Korgran, Plundar, Doug, Snithik and Adam become ashamed.
"The Lowly?" Maggie asked. "So you're some kind of team?"
"Uh, we are a party of adventurers." Plundar replied before they come together and do some poses while Fungus took off his hat, puts his hand inside it and throws out some moss, which goes off in the air like a firework.
"Adventurers?"
"That's just what we need, actually." Cole said. "We're kinda on a quest and we could really use some help."
"Quest?" Korgran asked, throwing his axe out of fear before trying to catch it but fumbles, until it strikes near Fungus.
"Whoa!" He yelled in surprise and falls back before Plundar and Snithik catch him, making Cole flinch.
"You're joking!" Doug said.
"Uh, Korgran... very busy just now." He said, picking up his axe. "Must shine axe." He walks away.
"Uh, yeah, me too." Plundar said, pushing Fungus forward. "I've got..." He gets out some dice. "Uh, I've got stuff to steal, loot to find." He immediately takes off.
Snithik comes up to Doug, who puts on his broken reading glasses. "And I have scrolls to study." He said, grabbing one and moving away as Snithik turned to move his hands at the others before pointing at Doug.
"'I'm going with him.'" Dragon whispered to Cole, Maggie and Vania, translating Snithik's signing.
"Me as well, unfortunately." Fungus said, looking away, nervous. "My schedule is a nightmare." He turns away.
Cole puts a hand to his forehead, unamused. "I don't understand." He said. "Are you guys adventures or not?"
This got everyone's attention as Fungus stops and sighs. "Actually, the sad truth is, we wouldn't be much help." He turns around to face them. "We failed at the only quest we ever attempted..." He lowers his head, ashamed. "...which is why we're down here."
"What happened?"
Snithik started to move his hands. "'I'm not sure you would want to hear it." Doug said, translating for Snithik's signing. "'It is sad and tragic.'"
"You all don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Maggie replied.
"No, Korgran shall tell the tale." Korgran said before turning to Fungus. "Fungus!" He moves his hand behind his back to grab some moss and throws it at the ground before igniting into purple fire.
(A/N: In case nobody got it, the man, Snithik, was speaking in sign language, but there is a little surprise in store)