The Serpentine War~
Clouse narrowed his eyes, watching the two brothers.
Wu was trying to order the elemental alliance, trying to ready them for battle against the serpentine. Most of them had never fought before. Garmadon, his brother, was watching. He was butting in where he could, but mostly let Wu take the lead.
There was something…odd about them. Something he couldn't pinpoint. He would have to let his Master know. This war may depend on looking out for things like these, things that could cost them their plan, cost the war.
They were currently on a mountain, near the city and the village lands. The Outcast was to the east, the dragon land to the north, the oni to the northeast, the city to the south. It was almost in the middle of Ninjago. The Serpentine were gathering their forces deeper into the mountains, readying to meet them in battle.
Clouse turned, heading for Master Chen's tent. He wouldn't call their positioning very logical. Clearly, Wu and Garmadon were new at this and didn't know what they were doing. But that didn't concern him. What interested him was the odd feeling he was getting. A feeling that they were different, that they were keeping some secret.
And Clouse's master loved secrets.
Current time~
Lloyd watched Cole stack his plate with food. He blinked, then got some for himself. He didn't take as much, though. He didn't need it.
He followed his father and uncle over to a table in the corner, and sat down. Everyone else squeezed in, and Lloyd found himself by his father and Kai. He warily watched the other contestants with their food, either in line, heading for a table, or already eating.
After they ate, they were going to search the island for Lloyd's mom. And Kai and Nya's parents, and Zane's father. He was anxious to get moving, scarfing his food down.
"Slow down, son." Garmadon patted his shoulder. "You're going to choke."
He slowed down slightly.
Cole, somehow, was already almost done with his food.
"So, after this, we're searching the island?" Kai asked.
Wu nodded. "Yes. While we have the break."
"Who's coming with?"
"I believe everyone is," Zane said. "We—"
"U-um, wait." Jay looked up, fiddling with his sleeve. "I, uh…can't."
Nya frowned. "Why not?"
He shrugged, staring at his food again.
Kai scoffed, crossing his arms. "He's just scared of getting caught."
"We won't get caught, Jay." Nya smiled reassuringly. "It'll be fine."
"No…I can't go." Jay shrunk down in his seat.
She frowned. Cole also frowned, looking concerned.
"Then it is all of us but Jay, then?" Zane asked.
Lloyd nodded. "Yup."
"I don't care if you don't eat meat! Either get food or get outta line!"
They all looked over. A girl with brown hair in a ponytail, wearing a yellow gi, stood in line to get food. A grey wolf stood beside her, sniffing the floor for scraps. One of the food servers, wearing purple and white face paint like the other guards, was the one who had yelled, waving a spoon at her.
The girl flinched. "I-I, sorry…but I'm vegetarian, you don't have anything without meat in it?" Her voice was quiet and soft, but since nearly everyone had stopped speaking to watch, she could be clearly heard.
"Not today! Guess you're going hungry."
"You don't have salad?"
"Nope."
She crossed her arms, holding her empty tray awkwardly. "Well…you don't have fruit, either?"
"Nada. Now get! You're holding up the line!"
There were a few grumbles from behind her, others looking annoyed at the holdup.
She stood there for a moment, undecided.
"Ugh, you're the Master of Animals, aren't you?" The server grumbled something, rolling his eyes. "Elementals these days…"
"Yes. And I don't eat meat."
Someone walked over, a rounder guy with circle glasses and curly, brown, bushy hair. "Don't worry, Tsula! I got ya!" He waved his hands, parts of different food coming from the bins on the counter and floating in the air. Then they started changing, transforming, until they turned into lettuce, tomatoes, and dressing.
Tsula didn't look amused, frowning. "But that still came from meat."
"Nuh uh, I used the parts that weren't meat."
"But it still touched the meat."
"I'm the Master of Food, I cleansed it. It's fine. Hold out your tray."
She reluctantly did, and he plopped the salad on.
"Pays to be the Master of Food." He grinned proudly.
She sighed, walking past him. "Thanks, Bob…" Her wolf trotted after her.
"Anytime!" Bob followed her.
The ninja looked away, going back to their former discussion.
"Right, so…after this we go?" Kai asked.
Lloyd nodded. "Yup. So hurry, we don't know when the next challenge will be."
The ninja, Wu, and Garmadon walked single file through the thick foliage. Jay had stayed at the palace, adamant.
Lloyd agreed that it was strange that he wouldn't want to help. Was Jay really just afraid? Or was there something else going on?
"So, any idea on where we should look first?" Kai moved a branch out of the way, accidentally releasing it in Cole's face.
Cole shot him an annoyed look.
"Not in the palace or the surrounding buildings." Garmadon stepped over a large root. "Chen wouldn't have hid them in plain sight, and certainly not around his precious tournament. Too many people."
"How do you know what he would and wouldn't do?" Kai's eyes narrowed.
"If they're not in the palace or anything, then they're in this jungle?" Nya asked.
Garmadon ignored Kai. "Yes. Most likely. But I don't know."
Wu nodded, in the lead with Garmadon and Lloyd. "I agree, but we shouldn't completely cross the palace off yet. We should still look around if we can't find anything out here."
"Good idea."
They walked for a while longer, Lloyd getting cuts and scrapes from thorns, branches, and thistles.
"Who're we all looking for again?" Kai asked.
"Your parents, my father, and Lloyd's mother," Zane said.
"That's a lot of people kidnapped. This guy's gonna go to jail."
"Indeed."
"I thought we were getting off this island as soon as possible?" Cole rose an eyebrow. "Not trying to arrest people."
"We can inform the police of this tournament when we return to Ninjago City."
"And will they actually listen to us?"
"I do not see why they wouldn't."
"Well, Lloyd's a half breed, Garmadon is a half breed, and we're all associated with them."
Lloyd winced.
Zane nodded. "That is true. We will have to figure that out when we return. We should not worry about it now. We do not have the skill, numbers, or resources to take down Chen and his guards ourselves."
"We took down the old Emperor." Kai crossed his arms. "What's so different about this guy?"
"May I remind you, that the half breeds killed the Emperor, not you. You had help. After that, Garmadon and Master Wu came and rescued us."
"Yeah, but now we have you, and them to help us. Plus, maybe we can get the other contestants to see logic."
"Brother, you have no logic." Nya laughed.
Kai scowled. "Do too."
"No. No, you do not. That's a fact."
"Nuh-uh."
Lloyd moved a branch out of his face, holding it for Nya. "We should focus, guys. We need to find our parents."
"We don't even know if they're in here!" Kai threw his arms in the air. "What if we're wasting time?"
"We're not. And besides, at least we'll know whether—" Lloyd's foot suddenly slipped. He yelped, the air rushing out of his lungs and branches snagging at his face and arms. Then there was nothing but air beneath him.
"Lloyd—!"
He hit cold water, the voice cutting off as the waves submerged over his head. A tug of a current dragged him under.
They all gaped, staring at the trapdoor that had released. Lloyd had fallen through it.
Garmadon ran to the edge, staring down at a gorge. A river ran through, violent and twisting. "Lloyd!" He started running along the edge.
Everyone followed.
One second, Lloyd was there. The next… Kai swallowed. He should have seen that coming, shouldn't he?
"Can anyone see him?" Nya asked.
"I can't see anything!" Cole said.
"We need to get closer!" Kai outran Cole and Nya, now right behind Wu and Garmadon.
Wu and Garmadon were surprisingly fast, agile in avoiding the branches and obstacles in their path.
Kai had a hard time keeping up. He kept his gaze on the water as much as he could, but…he couldn't see Lloyd. He couldn't see Lloyd!
How could he have disappeared so quickly?
They ran for a few minutes, stumbling and gasping.
Wu suddenly slowed slightly.
Kai almost rammed into him, then watched as Garmadon, not slowing down at all, stumbled down a sharp, steep slope in the gorge, where it reached level ground with the water. The water tumbled off the slope into a waterfall, growing stiller at the bottom.
Wu followed Garmadon, but slower so he didn't fall. Kai slipped, skidding down behind him.
Garmadon leaped to the bottom, running to water's edge. "Lloyd? Lloyd!"
Wu ran to his side, staring at the water. He looked downriver.
There was no sign of Lloyd.
Kai and the others gathered beside them, panting and gasping.
"Where is he? Anyone see him?" Cole asked.
No one replied.
Garmadon started searching water, circling it. Wu joined in, and soon everyone was looking.
But there was no sign of him. The water was still, other than the waterfall cascading down into it.
Garmadon started running along the river again, but Wu quickly grabbed his arm.
"Br—Garmadon, he's gone." Wu looked at him.
Garmadon stared the river, jaw clenched. "No. We have to keep looking. He might be alive."
"We haven't seen him since he got pulled under the water. That was more than ten minutes ago."
"That doesn't mean anything!" He jerked out of his grasp.
"It does. And we still haven't seen him, even though the water is much calmer here."
Garmadon didn't reply.
"Lloyd's…gone…?" Nya whispered.
Kai put his arm around her shoulders, chewing his lip. He didn't know what to say.
Wu gazed over the water one more time, then gently pulled Garmadon's arm, leading him away. "We have to get back. It's starting to get dark already."
Garmadon didn't try to resist him again.
"What if we missed a challenge?" Nya frowned. "We have no idea what's happened since we've been gone."
"We shouldn't worry about it. Come on, students." Wu started leading the way back.
They all followed robotically, unable to believe how quickly Lloyd was suddenly gone.
Jay paced his room, fiddling with his hands. The others had left hours ago, and they still weren't back. Which made him increasingly nervous.
What if they'd been caught? What if Chen had kicked them out of the tournament? Then he'd be alone, by himself—
The door slid open.
Jay jumped, whipping around to stare at the balcony door.
His friends, mentor, and Garmadon walked in quietly. None met his gaze, and Zane slid the door shut behind them.
"You guys are finally back! I thought…I thought something might have happened…"
They exchanged glances.
He frowned. "Did…something happen?"
Nya started quietly crying.
Jay shifted nervously. "Guys? What happened? Wait, where's…where's Lloyd?"
Garmadon glared off to the side. Kai's fists tightened, and Cole's jaw clenched.
"Lloyd…fell." Zane was the first to meet his gaze. "He is gone."
Jay blinked, eyes widening. "W-what?"
"He fell into a river. We could not find him."
He gaped.
The silence and stillness of the night permeated the room. A few crickets chirped outside.
"Lloyd's really…gone?"
Zane walked over to him, patting his shoulder. "He is. I am sorry, friend."
Jay bit his lip, the sudden sting of tears in his eyes. I should have been there. Why had he stayed? This was all his fault. He should have come, should have helped! He could have saved Lloyd…somehow…if he'd been there. He knew it.
He really didn't deserve any praise from Wu now, either.
"This is my fault. I should have—"
"This is not your fault, Jay." Nya shook her head. "We—"
"No. It's mine." Garmadon headed for the door to the hallway.
"Hold on, Garmadon. We need to discuss this." Wu quickly grabbed his arm.
He glared at him. "What is there to discuss? Lloyd is gone."
"I know. But we still need to think about how Chen will take this. We still need to rescue Misako."
Garmadon stared at the floor.
"Yeah, will Chen just say Lloyd's lost? That he's out of the tournament?" Cole asked. "Not mention, Chen's gonna want to know what happened. He'll find out we snuck out."
"And then how will I find my parents?" Kai crossed his arms, chewing his lip.
"And then, Chen may very well kick us all out. Then we will never find your parents, my father, or Lloyd's mother," Zane said.
They all stared at the floor at the mention of Lloyd.
"Jay would be the only one able to continue." Zane looked at Jay. "Since you did not come with us."
Another stab of guilt hit him. Jay blinked back tears, squeezing his hands.
"We'll have to lie." Cole looked at everyone. "If Chen finds out…we'll have no chance of finding the people we came here to find. Even though Lloyd's gone…we can't just give up."
They all exchanged glances.
"Cole is right." Wu nodded, straightening. "We must continue the tournament. People are depending on us."
"So what do we tell Chen?" Kai asked.
"We won't say anything," Wu said. "If he does ask, we will simply say we don't know where he is."
Everyone nodded, heads hanging again. A strong, heavyhearted stillness filled the room.
This is my fault. No matter what everyone else said, Jay knew this was his fault. He should have been there for Lloyd. After everything that had happened…Lloyd saving his life so many times…and Jay was still as selfish as he had been. He'd failed Lloyd again.
