Welcome to Part Four!
I've been excited about this since I first had the idea of working a Ninjago/Chima crossover into my series. In fact, the idea of getting the ninja into the wilds beneath Chima actually predates my creation of the main antagonist of this story, Tenebris, who debuted way back in RISE OF THE GUARDIANS Book One. That's how long I've wanted to do this.
So, I'm extremely excited to share this with you now (I honestly wasn't sure I'd ever make it to publishing this phase of these stories), and I hope you enjoy getting to see the Dinosaur Tribes.
Quickly before we get into it, shoutout to loyal reviewer KNinjagoNexoFan47391… be like her and leave reviews.
Thanks for reading—I appreciate you!
DARKNESS IN CHIMA
Part Four: The World Under
Chapter IX
As the Guardians pierced the cloud cover, diving upon their elemental dragons, they were overwhelmed by the expansive wilderness before them. How did all this stay hidden from the Chima tribes?
Mack failed to be surprised when he found himself seeing his dream as he dove. He shook it away, so as to avoid losing concentration and having his dragon dissipate. Shaking off the dream had simply become a part of Mack's daily routine.
"Where do we land?" Lloyd yelled, which the others barely heard over the wind.
Mack had a feeling he couldn't explain. He didn't know why, but he knew where to land; and he didn't have to explain, because he knew the Guardians trusted him.
"Follow me!" Mack called out, increasing the speed of his dive.
Eventually the dragons came to land on a circular bit of land connected by a land bridge to a greater landmass to the east.
Jay was deemed the keeper of the map Fluminox had provided; the Guardians consulted the map and are surprised to see that the spot where they landed is labeled Dragon's Landing. They look at other, knowing they were in the right place. Mack couldn't help but feel a sense of providence in the situation.
They also note that to the west—directly under the floating continent of Chima proper—is an island called Ascension Point, connected to a landmass to the far west by another land bridge.
Directly to their east was a forest. There were plains to the northeast and a large plateau to the southeast, and a savannah to the south and marshes to the southwest. To the northwest was a bizarre bunch of steep mountains in the middle of a desert, and there was a great expanse of mountainous wilderness called the Great Wilds to the far north.
Some of the regions were separated by rivers, and to the far south was a great ocean called the Serpent Sea. Every region contained specific areas of interest marked as the territories of the dinosaur tribes.
The territory nearest to the Guardians' position was the Horned Forest to the east, so that's where they would start, they unanimously decided. It was an evergreen forest—full of conifers, and it looked dark inside. According to their map, the Horned Forest was the territory of the Triceratops Tribe.
"Stay vigilant," Mack said once the Guardians had plotted their course. "The energies flowing down here—they're different from what we're used to. We don't know how our power and Chima's raw, natural power will interact.
"We could be stronger here, or we could be weaker. We just don't know. So, we tread carefully until we have an understanding of how things flow down here. Listen to your Golden Weapons; as conductors of elemental power, they can give you clues as to the energy environment."
"Got it, Mack," Cole replied.
"It does feel different," Lloyd pondered. "Almost like it's…"
"Untamed," Kai finished where Lloyd trailed off. "Wild."
"Yes," Mack was glad that the others felt the strangeness of Chima's powers. It made him feel slightly less crazy (recurring dreams that one constantly has to repress—even while awake—can have a maddening effect).
The Guardians had only been walking through the evergreen forest when they stopped short, hearing a rustling ahead. They were already on-edge because of the sudden coldness they felt when they entered the woods, so when they heard the rustling, they were all but ready to draw their weapons and fight.
Four bipedal creatures slowly emerged from the trees. They each had beaked mouths and three horns growing from their face, behind which was a uniquely decorated frill. Any child would recognize the creatures' resemblance to a triceratops, and the Guardians immediately deduced that these were members of the Triceratops Tribe.
One of the creatures held up his hand in a non-threatening gesture. His pale blue skin (which he shared with the other tribe members) was decorated with white tribal paint, and the long horns above his eyes sported golden jewelry. He walked with a cane and carried himself in a way that radiated authority.
"Peace, strangers," this dinosaur said in a gentle, deep voice. "Your arrival has inspired curiosity in us, not aggression. It has long been foretold that dragons would descend to Dragon' Landing, so when we saw dragons in this direction, we had to investigate."
The Guardians relaxed. They had no idea what to expect of the dinosaur tribes, and they had worried about the possibility that the tribes might be completely savage (they once worshipped their Serpentine rulers, after all, and that was long before the Serpentine sided with the side of good).
"You're from the Triceratops Tribe, aren't you?" Mack asked.
"Yes, my name is Trell, and I am a shaman of the Triceratops Tribe. These are my disciples: Tren, Tuk and Tahlin. To what tribe do you belong?"
"We're not really from a tribe," Mack replied. He then introduced himself and all of the Guardians by name.
"Did you come from up there?" Trell asked after introductions were all exchanged.
"Kind of," Mack replied before explaining: "We call ourselves the Guardians. We came from another world, Earth—many of us are from yet another world, Ninjago—and we came to help the people up there. Now, we've come down here to help you undo whatever it is that Tenebris did to your power source and reclaim your power."
Trell's disciples hissed and spat at the mention of Tenebris's name, and Trell stepped aside as if not wanting his anger to show.
"I hope, for your sake," Tuk growled, "that Tenebris is your enemy and not your friend."
"He is most certainly our enemy," Mack assured. "What did he do to your tribe?"
Tren explained, "He appeared in our territory months ago—claiming to be a traveler—and befriended us. When he had charmed our tribe with his parlor tricks—which we now know to be some sinister form of dark magic, he used our power to revive his bodyguard."
Tahlin finished the story: "He then somehow claimed our power for himself and shut us off from it."
Mack took a moment as he and the Guardians processed all this.
"We can help," Mack said, "but we have to see the power source."
Trell had apparently calmed down and reentered the conversation. "The source of our power is the Ice Crystal—the other tribes have similar power crystals—but the elders have let none near it since Tenebris corrupted it. I am forbidden to say any more about the crystal."
"Then we need to speak with your elders," Mack resolved.
"They do not speak as with words," Trell replied. "But you seem an honorable band; you are welcome to try and win their favor."
Jay elbowed Cole and snickered, "Hopefully it goes better than it did with the Spider Tribe," to which Cole laughed. The two went silent when they were met with a deadly stare from the Green Ninja.
Once he had glared daggers at the Earth and Lightning Masters, Mack returned his attention to Trell. "May ask, Shaman Trell, how do your elders lead the tribe if they don't speak?"
"They lead us in spirit," Trell explained cryptically, "not by decrees and edicts like tyrants. Thus has it been for the generations since the Serpent gods abandoned us."
"Serpent gods—the Serpentine?" Lloyd observed aside to Kai.
Kai shook his head. "I know dude, this is crazy."
Trell and his disciples led the Guardians deep into the Horned Forest until they came to a grove. Though the grove was in a clearing, the trees all around were extremely tall, and very little light came through at the time. The Guardians supposed that the grove probably only saw sunlight at high noon because of the height of the trees.
It was also cold, colder than the blockage of the sun caused by the trees could explain.
When they had stepped into the grove, Trell stopped the group. The shaman and his disciples dropped to one knee, and Trell gestured for the humans to follow suit, which they did promptly.
Then, twelve triceratopses came out of the trees. The members of the Triceratops Tribe the Guardians had met so far were like the members of the Chima Tribes—anthropomorphic animals, they might be called. But these were not human-like dinosaurs; they were just dinosaurs.
The elders, it would seem. They were to the Triceratops Tribe what the Legend Beasts were to the Chima Tribes, except there were twelve of them instead of only one.
These elders each had the same pale blue skin as the other tribe members, and each was covered in white markings that resembled the tribal tattoos of the shaman, but more ornate. They wore more extravagant jewelry as well, and it appeared to be made of a radiant blue crystal rather than gold.
The humans were amazed to see that the elemental symbol for ice appeared on each of the elders' frills.
Where the elders stopped, equally spread out in a semicircle around Trell, his disciples, and the Guardians, the ground froze beneath their feet, so that they appeared to be standing on pedestals of ice.
One of the elders let out a rumbling, undulating noise that echoed throughout the grove and the forest at large. The rest of the elders joined in the chorus, and Trell and his disciples apparently took a cue to stand. Again, the Guardians followed suit.
"It is time, Guardians," Trell said softly, reverently. "Green Ninja, make your attempt to appeal to our elders."
Mack nodded and made his appeal. "Elders of the Triceratops Tribe, we come in peace. I have learned from Shaman Trell that you do not speak, but is there some way you can show me that you understand me?"
There was no response of any kind from the elders. Mack had a sinking feeling at his inability to communicate with these creatures.
"Guys, I don't think I can communicate with them," Mack admitted.
"Now what do we do?" Pete asked.
When the Ice Guardian spoke, the elders reacted—seemingly in surprise.
Mack thought he understand what was happening. "Pete, I think you're the only one who can talk to them. Their power—Ice, it's your element."
"Okay," Pete replied apprehensively, "but what do I say?"
"Just tell them what's going on," Mack instructed, "and tell them we're here to help them reclaim their power."
Pete took a deep breath. "Elders, we are Guardians from another realm. We know that a dark creature stole your power, and we're here to help you take it back. What can you tell us about what Tenebris did when he came here?"
Only Pete heard the elders' response, but all present felt a chill that let them know the elders were speaking. Trell and his disciples were stunned that this stranger had the ability to communicate with their tribe elders; they bowed down in reverence of the fact that their elders were speaking.
After a moment, Pete spoke up. "They'll take me to the Ice Crystal, but only me. They say a wicked shadow is choking the Crystal and stealing its power."
"Channeling it to Tenebris," Lloyd surmised.
"Yeah," Pete nodded. "They say I have to kill the shadow, but that's all they know."
"Well, that's better than nothing," Mack cracked, sensing Pete's stress and trying to keep the mood light.
Pete had visible fear on his face. "I'm not sure I'm ready for this."
The Green Ninja placed a firm hand on the newest Guardian's shoulder. "Trust your training, Pete. And trust the Shuriken. You have worked to master your power, and the Shuriken have strengthened you—and will continue to do so."
Pete closed his eyes and again took a deep breath.
"Okay." Pete opened his eyes. "Thanks, Mack."
Pete then turned to the Triceratops Elders. "Elders," the Ice Guardian said with a new confidence, "I'm ready."
Without delay, the elders turned and headed deeper into the forest, Pete following them.
Although he was glad to have instilled confidence in Pete, Mack was deeply anxious at the prospect of sending another Ice Guardian into what could be quite a deadly situation.
"Come, friends," Trell said, "we will make a fire and wait for the White Guardian's return."
The elders silently led Pete deep into the Horned Forest. Pete noted that the cold grew more bitter with every step he took. He wondered whether it was the elemental power in this place or simply the setting sun that was causing the drop in temperature.
Eventually, Pete noticed that there were bits of ice on the ground—not caused by the steps of the elders, which froze the ground wherever they fell.
When they reached a point at which the ground was entirely covered in frost, the elders stopped. They were at the mouth of a cave.
The elders grunted and growled.
Frost Cavern, the elders' voices sounded in Pete's mind. Delve into the Frost Cavern, vanquish the shadow, and reclaim our power.
"Don't worry, elders. I'll get your power back." Pete promised.
Without delay, Pete carefully entered the cave.
Now alone, Pete ventured deep into Frost Cavern, and eventually the cave opened into a large opening. In this cavity, there was a crystal suspended in thin air several feet up in thin air. It glowed with such a light blue hue that it almost appeared white; however, it was marred by the black cloud that surrounded it and restricted its radiance.
In the same way Pete heard the voices of the Triceratops Tribe elders, he thought he feel in his heart the Ice Crystal calling for his help. As Pete approached, the crystal glowed brighter, seeming to react to the Ice Guardian's presence.
But the cloud also reacted, constricting the crystal more tightly and stifling the light.
Pete drew the Shuriken of Ice, and the reaction was even more visceral. The Ice Crystal shone so brightly that it appeared the shadowy cloud had to retreat. Instead of choking the crystal, the cloud precipitated down onto the cave's floor.
Pete felt a dread deep in his being. He braced himself for a fight as the cloud began to take a more solid shape. After a few seconds, Pete could make out the clear form of a triceratops. But it did not resemble the Triceratops Tribe's elders.
No, this creature was a grotesque distortion of those majestic animals.
Where its horns should have been, it had long appendages—stalks that ended in razor-sharp claws. Wicked spikes protruded from a long down its back. The creature's skin was pitch-black, and drool that matched its purple-glowing eyes fell from its sharp beak.
The creature let out a hideous roar and the Shuriken shook in Pete's hands. They were just as disgusted and determined to end this abomination as their Guardian was.
The creature charged, and Pete barely rolled out of the way of the clawed stalks that extended the creature's reach. Pete threw one of his Shuriken and it severed one of the spikes along the creature's back, not doing any considerable damage.
As Pete caught the Shuriken, the creature reared up on its hind legs and tried to stomp Pete, who could barely keep out of the way of the raging creature. This repeated several times. Pete remembered his training—he could hear Mack's voice in his head: Don't spend too much time on defense. The odds are not in your favor if you have to block or dodge several attacks in a row.
Then, Pete remembered the last thing Mack said back in the grove: Trust the Shuriken.
The moment before the creature landing what would have been a killing blow under its feet, Pete threw both the Shuriken to his sides. This confused the creature for just long enough for Pete to jump into the air, avoiding the trample and landing on the creature's back as he caught the Shuriken.
Pete used the Shuriken to fight off the clawed stalks. When he severed one, the creature shrieked and began to buck.
Sensing he was in the only safe spot in the cave, Pete dug one of the Shuriken into the creature's back so as to keep holding on.
The creature raged in pain and began to charge. Pete backflipped from its back just before the creature rammed its head into the icy wall. Dazed from the impact, the creature was not able to react in time when Pete used his power to bring a long spike out of the now shattered ice wall and hurled it toward the creature.
The creature tried to move out of the way, but the Ice Guardian had already decided its fate. The spike entered the creature's shoulder and exited through its back. Pete then leaped into the air and threw one of the Shuriken at the creature's face. It severed both of the remaining clawed stalks.
Pete caught the Shuriken mid-air and brought them both down, burying them deep into the creature's eyes.
And that was it.
The creature immediately stopped its rampage and fell rigid. After Pete had taken the Shuriken out of its face and stepped back, the creature iced over and then exploded.
Again, Pete thought he felt the Ice Crystal speak to him. This time, it was gratitude.
It was getting late and rather cold, so the Guardians had joined the Triceratops Tribe members around a bonfire, a nightly ritual of the tribe. The tribe told the Guardians their history and folk legends (Mack hoped to bring Misako to chronicle the stories at a later time), and the Guardians in kind told the tribe about their struggles against the darkness on Earth and in Ninjago.
After an hour of storytelling, there was a rumbling as a roar from the elders echoed across the Forest.
"Something's going on," Mack observed. "Shaman Trell, is that a good or bad noise?"
The shaman smiled. "It sounds like your friend the Ice Guardian completed his task."
A moment later, Pete emerged out of the trees from the direction of the elders' grove.
"The power of the Ice Crystal," Pete announced, "belongs to the Triceratops Tribe once again."
The Horned Forest broke out in cheers as the Triceratops Tribe celebrated. They lifted Pete up and carried him to the elders' grove and a great feast was prepared in his honor.
After the tribe shamans made offerings of the finest fruits and vegetables to each of the elders, the feast was allowed to begin. The tribe and the Guardians ate the feast together at a huge table.
"Pete," Shaman Trell addressed the Ice Guardian sat at the head of the table, "our tribe owes you a most heavy debt. How will we ever repay you?"
"You don't need to repay us," Pete replied. "It's what we do. And besides, this feast is plenty to say 'thanks.'"
"How long will you stay with us?" Tuk asked.
"Well, all of the dinosaur tribes are in the same situation we just helped you with," Pete explained. "So, we'll probably need to get back on the move in the morning. Right, Mack?"
Mack nodded. "If it's alright with the tribe, we'll spend the night here in the forest where it's safe and head out when the sun rises."
"Absolutely," Trell affirmed. "Please let me or any of the tribe shamans know if there is anything we can do for you."
Mack thanked Trell and the two shook hands.
"Now," another shaman stood, "Pete, in keeping with tribe tradition, you must regale the assembled tribe by telling the story of how you vanquished the evil clinging to the Ice Crystal!"
And so, the shamans got the attention of the assembly, and Pete began to recount his battle with the shadow triceratops. He was not a very good storyteller, but one wouldn't know it from the reaction of the tribe. They cheered and gasped where appropriate as if being serenaded by the most seasoned bard.
Regardless of Pete's storytelling prowess—or lack thereof, the Triceratops Tribe celebrated late into the night. Perhaps more importantly, Pete's story let the other Guardians know what they would be up against when facing the prospect of defeating the shadows afflicting the other tribes.
The Guardians could not stay for the celebration. They got advice from Trell regarding their next destination, and they left the Horned Forest as the moon rose, heading back to Dragon's Landing, which they would use as their headquarters while navigating the eastern territories.
In the morning, they would make for the next destination. The Guardians would move north, navigating around the Forbidden Canyon, and then turn east to cross the Static Plains. Their destination was a location known as the Pikes—two unusual protrusions between which was the place the Lightning Crystal was to be found.
Mack was surprised that the Triceratops Tribe knew the location of the crystal, since their own seemed well hidden and the tribes did not seem to be on especially friendly terms with each other.
Trell explained that the local tribe did not hide the crystal, since history had proven that no creature (except, apparently, Tenebris) could get to it without being hunted down by its protectors: the Velociraptor Tribe.