Disclaimer: Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu and Legends of Chima are both owned by LEGO Company.
A battle between two forces of nature is underway in the frozen wasteland that used to be the Crocodile Swamp. The once-frozen land quakes as bright red cracks spread across the ice, the power of the flame fighting against the frost.
The once proud and mighty ice hunters flee, some heard screaming while they run away from the heat. The Mammoth Stompers tumble down hills, nearly knocking into the Saber-tooth Walkers below.
Even the mighty Fangar is forced into a swift retreat, his frozen heart seething with cold hatred, as his legions follow behind them. From the back of the pack, Vornon is nearly shot. "Awesome!" VoomVoom exclaims, uncaring of his friend's peril. "Painful..." Vornon corrects him, running with a concerned look, fearing for his life.
Laval roars as he chases the hunters off with their new fire chi powers and upgraded tank, alongside Cragger and Eris. Cragger lets out a war cry as he joins in on the onslaught, while Eris chuckles mischievously while shooting from the sky.
"Yes! Not only did we chase them off, but we're melting my swamp, too!" Cragger exclaims excitedly before Laval hears some ice cracking underneath their tanks. "The whole swamp?!" he cried out, as realization struck him. Gradually, the ice fell away, leaving the swamp water free instead of frozen.
"Get to solid ground! NOW!" Eris cries out from above, as Laval tries to escape the swamp before the ice completely melts away and eventually gets somewhere safe. After a few close calls and a bothersome mud, he managed to reach a safe spot by the shore.
"Cragger!" he calls out once he reaches solid ground, both annoyed and concerned, searching for where his friend ended up. He eventually spotted him in the middle of the swamp, completely unfaced with what had transferred, looking intently through the water.
"I just have one question. WHERE IS EVERYBODY?!" he eventually spoke aloud, "My mother, my father, my tribe! They're not under the ice! Where'd they go?" the Croc prince rants away, as he drives back inside his stronghold.
Back at the Fangs, the hunters returned to their temple disappointed, groaning, and moaning in pain as they dragged their way towards it. Fangar's own personal Walker slumped over as they arrived, its occupant unceremoniously jumping out of it.
"Fire Chi? Now where would these feeble entry-level tribes get a virtue all so power like that? Hmm?" Fangar ponders aloud, only to see the phoenix on Mount Cavora, his suspicions all but confirmed.
"The teachers have awoken." Stealthor, a General and the tribe's former master of disguise said to him. "Yes, but, this time, we shall them a lesson or two!" Fangor replied maliciously, the spear in his hand glowing as his plans were near completion.
"Ooh! Like an art class?" Strainor asked while striking a pose. "I like drawing pictures," Vardy said, agreeing with an almost excited tone. "No! Not an art class!" Fangar chastised, making Sykor roar before he took off, dragging Strainor behind him.
"I hope it's not a math class, I'm terrible at counting. Just ask my three friends here." VoomVoom told him, gesturing to his right. "One friend!" Vornon corrects him, after looking to his side to confirm he was alone. "Exactly! One, three, whatever! Who's counting? Not me! Cause I don't like math!" he reiterated, in a tangent that tested his leader's nerve.
"NO, you blabbering bone bags! We're going to destroy the phoenix!" Fangar finally yelled out, reaching his last straw. "Oh..." Varnon and VoomVoom said in unison, looking up at the temple.
"And we're going to start by seizing, the hill that won't freeze! This volley of fire began after they found that hill. There is something very familiar and powerful about this place." he said as he growled, remembering his last encounter with the place.
"We'll have to move with great speed if we hope to seize that hill," he said, now walking down the steps of his temple, where the mammoths were working on something.
"Oh, Mungus did such an amazing job recovering our own speedorz." Maula said lovingly, as she supervised Mottrot working on the vehicles instead. "Actually mama, I'm the one who dug them out of the ice and fixed them, Mungus just carried them." he pointed out, slightly peeved by the lack of acknowledgment, as Mungus returned to his family with two speedorz on his shoulder.
"Yes, but what an incredible job he did! He only dropped them once." Maula said, completely dismissing her eldest work. "Once? I didn't say he'll drop-" Mottrot screams while running away as Mungus almost drops the speedorz on him, and growls in annoyance.
Fangar grunts at his hunter's incompetence, wishing for better followers, when he feels the whispers in the scroll. Turning towards it, the secrets of the ice slowly reveal themselves to him. The corrupted ice around him glows as the ice on his arms spreads.
Turning away from the bickering fools around him, he approached the trophy room. A devious idea on his mind, as he looked towards his spear with a smile, a blizzard was forming inside it, and it was time to set it free!
But Fangar wasn't the only one with plans, as deep in the forest another villain waited for her moment to strike. After many fruitless false starts, the time had come for Aspheera and her Snake Warriors to reveal themselves.
All around the ancient enchantress, the full force of her armies was gathering for one purpose only, the conquest of all Chima. Some would call her ambitions insane, but despite her eccentric mind, Aspheera was far from crazy. The deceptive serpent knew exactly what she was doing, and it all began with that hill!
"The troops had been gathered, ma'am!" Commander Machia relayed to her, saluting as she faced her queen. "Very good commander! You may be of use to me yet!" she replied without turning to her, letting it clear that she was still on thin ice.
"You have a lot of nerve Aspheera!" a voice yelled behind the two, as the General slithered his way towards them. "You are dismissed, Commander." The azure snake said to her underling, who hastily retreated to her spot.
"Now, what all this racket about Pythor?" she asked dismissively, the bleached snake not taking the tone kindly. "What the racket about?! Are you serious!" he asked annoyed, "We had a plan, we were gonna let our enemies shred each other apart, and yet here you are mobilizing MY men! Without my knowing?!" he demanded to know, the fury clear in his red eyes.
"I simply didn't see the point of bothering you with MY subjects, in MY army, for MY plans!" she spat back at him, matching his attitude as they stared at each other. Finding it prudent to de-escalate the situation, Aspheera decided to give diplomacy a try.
"Things have changed, a new player has revealed itself and waiting is no longer an option!" she explained, turning away from him as she did so. "If we want any chance of conquering this land, we must secure a better position! One that'll give us the resources needed for this war!" she continued, piquing his interest.
"Fine enough, so where exactly is this place, OUR forces are marching towards!" he said, returning to his usual charade. "Let's just say there's a certain hill we just have to get our hands on!" she replayed, a devious smile on her features, as she laughed slightly.
Meanwhile, Laval and his father drive their tanks back home in a different part of the Forest. All the while discussing recent events and potential strategies for the battles to come.
"It is wise to regroup at our city before continuing the chase," Lagravis said to his son, glad to see him make such wise decisions, it proved he had matured much over the last few months. "Totally. And I want to get some more fire chi from our bird buds above." Laval replied casually, content with how things were turning out.
"Uh... Yes. The phoenix. On Mount Cavora. You explained son, but... It's still very confusing for me." Lagravis said, looking up towards the now glowing mountain, still baffled by the new turn of events.
"I know. You believe one thing with all your heart your entire life, and then, surprise! There's a story before the great story." Laval replied nonchalantly, just taking things as they came. "I don't know what to believe anymore. I mean... Phoenix?" the king mentioned with skepticism, still dumbfounded by the idea of the ancient firebirds.
"Oh, you'd like them! Their leader reminds me of you, but, even more super serious. Like, he never laughs." Laval told him, with a hopeful tone, unintentionally making fun of his father.
"What? I laugh, don't I?" Lagravis asked with indignation, which quickly turned into a genuine question. "Um... Well, I can't remember the last time you did, to be honest." Laval answered truthfully, not remembering the last time his father had expressed genuine, carefree, joy; in his defense, it wasn't like they had a lot of opportunities for it.
"Am I really that super serious?" Lagravis asked with concern, not realizing this about himself. "Yeah... Now come on! Eris should be back with that fire soon." Laval answered sincerely, failing to notice the concerned tone of his father's words, as he rushed forwards.
"Hm..." Lagravis groaned pensively, left to think to himself, as both royal lions returned home.
While back up in the Phoenix temple, Eris had just arrived to pick up a fresh supply of Fire Chi from the Phoenix. She also took the chance to discuss charring the needed orbs with the rest of the tribes of Chima.
"We can only provide enough fire chi for you, the lion, the crocodile, and the young snake. If they want to share it with others, that is fine." Fluminox explained to the young eagle, disinterested in the struggles of the ground-born, while his son played off to his side.
"But King Fluminox, we need enough for EVERY warrior in EVERY tribe!" Eris told him filled with concern, thinking of what would happen to her home if they didn't help. She'd already lost it once; she wasn't willing to lose it again!
"We are cautious, as you know. Our last crusade on behalf of the ground born ended in tragedy." Fluminox reminds her, while he could sympathize with their plight, he refused to involve his people and home once again.
"THAT was like, thousands of years ago! You need to move on! And we need fire chi NOW!" Eris practically snapped at him, exasperated with his lack of action. Her people didn't need to suffer for mistakes of long ago.
"I believe the eagle is trying to say, these are different times and different ground born. Won't you let them prove their trust to you?" Tormak speaks in behave of Eris, knowing she had a point, and wanting to do more to help this new generation of warriors.
"Hm... I may have a worthy task for them." Fluminox finally relented, after a few minutes of contemplation, looking towards Eris with a thought on his mind. A task to prove if the ground born were truly worthy of the gift that is Fire Chi!
And hopefully, a means to confirm a certain hunch he was feeling.
A short while, outside the Lion temple, Eris and Laval discussed this new development as they climbed up the stairs. "He wants us to do what?!" Laval exclaims in bafflement, unable to comprehend what they wanted.
"Protect the crescent," Eris repeats calmly, knowing just how strange it sounds. "That weird curvy hill from the other day?" Laval asks again, just to make sure he is hearing her right. "It's another of his "tests". All the main tribes have to help if they want fire chi too," she explains thoroughly, not entirely onboard or truly understanding the request.
"Okay! I'll give them a call." Laval relented, climbing to the top of the stairs to unleash a roar all through Chima. All from Gorzan in the Gorilla Forest, Rogon in the quarry, and Razar and Woriz in the Wolf camp hear the roar.
Even Skinnit hears the roar, "Ooh! Laval needs his greatest heroes. I'll let him know I'm coming too with my stink signal." he says before he farts out some stink and blows it into the air with a leaf, accidentally catching a raven with it as well.
While back at the Lion temple, Eris and Laval leave to the crescent aboard their Speedorz, the two friends smiling as they rush towards their destination. While inside the temple, in Laval's room, Lagravis and LongTooth watch and wait.
"We shall await their return before continuing our battle," Lagravis suggests, thinking it the best way to proceed now. "A wise idea, as usual, sir." LongTooth gladly agrees with his king, turning around to leave the room, before Lagravis halts him.
"Yes, wisdom, but no wit. At least that's what my son thinks." He tells him gloomily, saddened by his son's opinion of him. "What's that, sir?" LongTooth had to ask in a doubletake, needing to make sure he heard him correctly.
"Do I have a sense of humor?" Lagravis asks him directly, much to his surprise."You?" LongTooth blurts out, as he struggles for words, much to Lagravis's chagrin. "Be honest with me, LongTooth." he demands from his soldier, needing to know the truth.
"Uh... Honestly... I think your unwavering sincerity is a great strength." LongTooth tries, wary to hurt the king's feelings. "So, it's true. I never laugh." Lagravis says with a sigh, needing to face the facts
"Well, I don't know about that." LongTooth tries again, searching for the right words to put it. "LongTooth!" Lagravis cries with exasperation, wanting him to be honest with him. "Not a chuckle..." LongTooth was forced to admit, sheepishly looking down as he did so.
"Ugh! What do I do about this?" Lagravis asked distraught, feeling the need to solve this problem. "Well, uh... Laughing is not for everyone. Some folks just don't have a funny bone." LongTooth tells him supportively, trying to raise his spirits up.
"That's it! I need to find this so-called "funny bone" of mine, and you're going to help me." Lagravis realizes in an instant, appointing the task to his loyal servant before turning away to leave. "Huh?" LongTooth ponders, wondering how he got stuck in this situation.
While at the Crescent, Woriz had just arrived, being the last one to do so. "Woriz! It's good to have a wolf joining us again." Laval said, glad to count with his support.
"Who said anything about joining? I just wanna see the new Fire Chi." Woriz countered, the wolf always on the lookout for an advantage. "Yes! We Ravens are also intrigued about this new profit opportunity- I mean... Fire chi." Razar agreed, the Raven always happy for a new prospect for business.
"Sure! But first, we gotta protect this hill! In the middle of nowhere for some reason." Laval told them, sounding less and less sure of himself by the word. "I have a sneaky suspicion it has something to do with that," Eris says with alarm, as she points at the hunters in the distance, slowly approaching the hill.
"Ugh. Not them again." Woriz exclaims with annoyance, not wanting to deal with them again. "Yes!" Razar cried out in contras, as he quickly set up a small store. "Fight the cold with attractively priced snow gear! Get warm now!" he shamelessly advertised, as he laid out a pile of junk he called snow gear.
Bladvic walks up to him and grabs a blanket, before paying him, "Before we triple our prices again." Razar continued saying as he eagerly received the money. "Woah! Snugly!" Bladvic commented as he spun around with the blanket, before moving away.
"One mitten please," Rogon asks, walking up next, before he pays up and is given a mitten that he puts over his horn. While the others continue looking out towards the approaching hunters with worry.
"We don't have enough fire chi to beat all those hunters," Eris said fearfully, unsure just how they were going to handle such force. "Looks like we won't have to!" Cragger cried out, catching their attention, as off in the distance one of the Mammoth Stompers was knocked aside.
Caught off-guard by the sudden attack, the hunters look around for signs of the enemy, unaware they are being watched from the nearby forest. Aspheera's army had just arrived, and they weren't keen on charring their price.
"Bring forward the Invaders, these frozen has-beens can't be allowed to reach that hill!" she commanded from her forested cover, itching for battle. While usually one for subterfuge and trickery, Aspheera was still Serpentine, and the lust for battle still called to her.
Her forces were the same, even the initially apprehensive Machia was allowing herself to be taken over by the battle, as she fired another volley of shots from her ride's catapults.
Not one to be outdone, Shen followed suit, as he and his warriors took off atop their Vermillion Racers. They race headfirst into the onslaught, crashing against the hunters and their Speedors. Followed soon by the rest of the Snake Warriors, who rushed onwards to meet them from afar.
Thanks to the Vermillion's previous scouting, they knew their only hope of victory was to keep their distance. A tedious tactic, but one they only had to do till their opposition tired and decided to retreat. And while they may have them beat in numbers, they were more than outmatched by their tenacity.
True to their name, each Vermillion fought with the strength and ferocity of a million men combined, much to their onlooker's surprise.
"Who are they?" Laval asked in shock, unsure how to feel about what he was seeing. "I think it's the Serpentine?! They must've launched an attack while the rest of us defend the Crescent!" Eris replied hopefully, albeit a bit unsure at the prospect.
"But...Which tribe? I can't tell from here?" Cragger asked, not able to recognize the strange vehicles that now assaulted their enemies. "I'm not sure, I don't recognize those vehicles. Maybe the Fangpyre?" Laval guessed, aware of the tribe's innovative mind.
"Maybe, but they're not green!? And I think I see orange and gunmetal scales amongst them. Maybe the Constrictai are involved?" Eris added, having become familiar with the tribe as they rebuild her home.
"Well however they are, they're certainly putting up a fight, unlike us!" Woriz complained as they witnessed the strange new snakes fighting in the distance, itching to jump in and join them.
Back in the tree cover, Aspheera watched as her forces attacked with pride, and contempt at their efforts against the current subject of her ire. "It would seem I was right once again. They were more than ready for this fight!" she bragged towards her right-hand snake, Pythor looking not too pleased.
"Only because of my superb training, besides, we can't get too comfortable yet. We're still forced to fight them at a distance, what exactly is your solution for that, your Majesty!" he asked sardonically, mocking the would-be monarch.
"That hill is our solution, you FOOL! Once we have it, their ice won't be a problem ever again!" she declared dramatically, cackling madly with glee. "Now if only I could get in there and really show that oversized tabby cat whose boss!" she said absentmindedly, just twitching to get in the action already!
But such were the hardships of royalty, she was just too important to risk anything happening to her, and her magic could only do so much without her staff.
With a roll of his eyes, Pythor revealed a solution, as always. "Luckily for you, your royal drama queen, I have something that might be of use!" he said, bringing two fingers forward and whistling, as two Vermillions rushed through the forest with a brand-new ride!
"Here you go boss, in tip-top shape!" Raggmunk said as he got off, "Yeah, and not a single scratch!" Blunk reassured, hastily polishing a section of armor plating in the vehicle.
Revealed in all its glory, the ride was revealed to be a modified Anacondrai buggy, small and compact, with built-in suspension and big rubber tires, topped off with thick armor platting akin to the rest of the Vermillion vehicles.
"Behold! My Vermillion Jungle Raider!" Pythor announced proudly, as he showed off his newest creation. It had been well worth the long hours stuck in the camp building it, and the trek to the abandoned city to retrieve its pieces. Now he too had an instrument of destruction for himself!
Looking on in amazement, Aspheera could understand what she was seeing, "Wha...How...When?" she asked her General baffled, not knowing how long he had kept this secret. "What, you didn't think our little airship was the only ace in my hole? I've been preparing this just in case your impatience got the better of you, and it's a good thing I did!" he said smugly, brimming with pride for his ingenuity.
"Just shut up and drive!" she commanded with annoyance, sparing only a grin at the fact she could finally engage in combat with her hatted foe. The duo rushed forward, tumbling out of the wood in a mad dash towards their enemies, unleashing a barrage of inbuilt weapons as they passed by. One of these blasts came dangerously close to Sir Fangar himself!
"Who dares!" cried out the Saber-tooth with indignation, before his eyes widened as he saw his opposition. "I dare, my treacherous compatriot! It's been a long time, hasn't it Fangface!" she mocked, revealing herself in all her glory, snake staff grasped around her hand, eyes narrowed at the scroll upon his spear.
"As-Aspeera! How is this possible, you were entombed forever!" he cried out, caught off guard by the sight before him. "I could ask you the same thing, you treacherous deceiver! You look different, more decayed, it's an improvement really!" she mocked again, grinning at the undead Smilodon before her.
"Laugh all you want! But truthfully, I should be thanking you!" Fangar said, now his turn to catch her off guard. "I wouldn't be where I am today if not for your help! Your paperwork was most useful in my conquest!" he said, knowing exactly what to say to rail her up, as he waved the scroll atop his spear.
"You are worse than a traitor, you are a thief! And I will show you what happens to thieves in my kingdom!" she cried out, but her threats fell on deaf ears. "Please! I know you have no real power! Not without your precious staff!" he reminded her, much to her ire.
"Witch begs the question, how did you achieve all of this?" he asked, gesturing to the army around her, who fatuously had yet to become frozen. "That would be with the help of my new friend here! I believe you haven't met yet," she said, gesturing to the other figure by her side.
Back on the Crescent, Laval and the others are still watching, thanks to some binoculars "graciously" provided by Razar. "What's going on down there!" Laval questions, trying to get a better look at the mysterious Serpentine talking to the hunter leader.
Looking intently, he noted the figure gesturing to another person beside her, someone covered in a white robe. The figure removed their robe's hood, revealing a very familiar figure to Laval.
"Oh no! It can't be!" he said in disbelief, not wanting to believe what his eyes told him. "Was that?" followed Eris, also unsure of what she was seeing.
"PYTHOR!" Laval finished, his words laden with spite at the subject of so much destruction in their lives.
"But that can't be, he's white!" Cragger commented, pointing out the clear color discrepancy in the subject. He was right, instead of the familiar violet hue, this snake's scales were a bleached white.
But Laval knew that face anywhere, that condescending smug grin that still haunted him in his nightmares. The person who had kicked him out of his home and started the very war that nearly brought all of Chima to ruin.
Back on the battlefield, Pythor was taking his sweet time with his introduction, ever the one for drama he wanted to milk this moment for what it's worth. "Greetings, you must be the hated treacherous deceiver I keep hearing so much about. My name is Pythor P. Chumsworth, the pleasure is all yours," he said, introducing himself with his usual charm.
"You really did a number on her, you know. She goes on and on about the horrifically, terrible ways she plans to enact her vengeance against you!" he continued with a malicious grin.
"And who exactly are you?" Fangar asked unamused, his patience running thin. "I'm the guy who'll do what you couldn't, and conquer this retched place once and for all!" he cried out arrogantly, confident in his superiority as he unleashed a barrage of firepower at the cat.
Not one to be easily outdone, Sir Fangar dodged the blasts one by one, with the prowess only a seasoned hunter could have. Once that was dealt with, he pointed his spear towards the pair and unleashed a blast of ice towards them.
Aspheera was quick to act, however, and unleashed her blast of chi from the snake staff, halting the ice in place. But the staff was running low, and she was quickly losing the battle; noting this, Pythor maneuvered away from the incoming attack.
Repositioning, he unleashed another barrage, making sure to keep his distance from the enraged ice-wielding maniac. "We need to regroup with the others!" he told his partner, who was still winded from deflecting the attack.
"No! We must get to that hill!" she called out, her eyes refocusing on their original task. For the first time in her life, vengeance could wait! Acquiring the power she needed was far more important right now!
Back at said hill, Laval and the other were still wondering what to do. Defending against the hunters was one thing, but now there was a new faction to consider.
"So, what do we do Laval?" Cragger asked, deferring to him for a decision. Laval wasn't sure what to do, he hadn't expected to come face-to-face with the General ever again. Centering himself, he took a deep breath and came to a decision.
"We do what we came here to do, we defend this hill!" he declared, as all those with fire chi got theirs out. Laval plugged the fire chi in his chest, and the power of the flame rushed around him, much to his friend's amazement. "Dude!" Gorzan exclaimed with awe, "Bro!" Rogon added baffled, "Wow!" Woriz exclaimed with excitement, "Ka-ching!" Razar added greedily.
"Let's show them what happens when you mix Fire Chi and speedorz!" Laval declared with excitement, as some of the power transferred from him to his ride, upgrading his speedor with the power of the fire chi. Bursting with power, the speedor shoots a burst of flames from its mouth as fiery side claws sprout from its side.
Another round of exited exclamations follows, "DUDE! WOW! Ka-ching-a-ding-ding-ding!" are all heard from the others. Unfortunately, their friends weren't the only ones to notice the spectacle, as off in the distance Fangar grunts while leading his army to the hill.
Jumping into action, Laval races towards the hunters while Fangar roars before hopping on his speedor and charging towards Laval.
"This ends now, bucky buck tooth!" Laval calls out mockingly, as he rushes towards him. "They're fangs! As in, Fangar! Sir Fangar!" responds the ancient conqueror with indignation, as he roars. Laval replies in kind with a roar of his own, as they clash into each other, but the collision pushes them away.
"Commonly forceful foray. Perhaps I was too gentle. Hm?" Sir Fangar ponders before diverting his attention to a nearby Stealthor. The sabertooth in question notices. Looking behind him, he seems to have something in mind and winks at Fangar.
Fangar laughs as his second-in-command starts picking up icicle spikes on the ground. Turning around, he and Laval get ready to charge at each other again, growling and grunting as they speed forward. Once again they go for it, but Stealthor cheats on Fangar's behalf by throwing the spikes onto the path.
"Huh?" Laval gasped in surprise, passing over the icicles and sending the shards flying back onto him. He nearly gets through the first round of spikes and gasps until he spots an icicle ramp up ahead with more spikes.
"Uh oh!" he exclaims worried, as he jumps off the ramp, but fortunately manages to push Fangar back and even off his speedor. Fangar grunts in pain as he lands roughly on the ground.
"Oops! Sorry about that, Bucky! I mean... Sir Bucky!" Laval calls out sarcasticly, as Fangar angrily gets back on his speedor and roars at Laval before charging at him. His anger gets the best of him though as Laval gets out of his way and causes Fangar to slide into the spikes, dizzily pushing himself down.
"Didn't hurt... Not one bit." he struggled to say, holding onto the pain as he steadied himself with his spear.
Laval merely laughs at him, further angering the tyrant, who channels his rage into the scroll.
"Enough fussing!" he cries out, as the top of his head bursts with icy fire, his eyes glowing as he summons great ramps of dark ice. Driving over the newly created ramps, Mottrot and Vardy arrive on their speedorz.
"Let's frost him!" Fangar declares, getting back on his speedor, which similarly bursts with power as he drives towards his prey. "Uh oh," Laval says with worry, roaring at the hunters circling him.
Watching from afar, Cragger growls and plugs the fire chi, going to go help Lava with his speedor upgraded. Seizing the moment, Woriz drives towards Eris with a smile. "Haha!" he says grabbing one of Eris' fire chi orbs. "Oh, you're not having all the fun!" he says, plugging the fire chi and going to help with the fight.
"Hey! Me too!" Rogon says quickly, as he grabs another orb from Eris. He plugs the fire chi, but it ends up being so hot it burns his horn mitten. "Aww. My mitten," he complains disappointed, only for Razar to walk up to him.
"You're in luck, my friend! I have another one just like it. I'll trade you for that fire chi, yes?" the raven tells him, trying to scam the dim-witted rhino out of his newfound powers. "No way, bro! Woohoo! I'm on fire!" Rogon denies him, surprisingly, jumping on his speedor and enhancing it with the chi before going to battle.
Fed up with people stealing her orbs, Eris eagerly plugs her fire chi, bursting with power before leaving to join the others.
Razar is left behind, grunting with frustration, as he turns to the only other person still on the hill. "Dude," Gorzan tells him with understanding, also slightly disappointed at not being able to join the others.
But their troubles were only beginning, as while the rest of the defenders focused on the hunters, Aspheera and her troops were making their way towards the crescent. "Quickly, we must seize the hill before they have a chance to stop us!" she called out, still determined despite her exhaustion.
Opting to circle around the hill, in order to be unseen by their pursuers, they witness the heroes charging towards the battlefield along with the distinctive glow of their fire chi. "The power of the phoenix, they truly wield it!" she exclaimed fearfully, now realizing the urgency of reclaiming her power. Fortunately for her, the defenders completely missed her, too focused on the hunters and rescuing their friend to notice her forces.
Not one to waste good fortune, she hastened her efforts, ordering her troop to speed up towards their prize. "Once we claim that hill, the power of the phoenix will once again be at my grasp, and with it I shall be reborn!" she mumbled to herself beneath, as thoughts of grandeur flooded her mind, and her sanity slipped even further.
While back on the battlefield, backup comes and helps Laval to fend off the hunters. "Huh?" Mottrot exclaimed, being the first to feel their presence, as Woriz let out a howl while pushing him away.
Mottrot screamed while falling off his speedor, landing right in front of his mother. "If sweet Mungus rode a speedor, he'd never crash like that, y'know." she chastised him, as he moaned in defeat. Mungus walks next to them with a smile on his face, "Mungus make the hurting now?" he asks his mom eagerly, itching to join in the fight.
"Yes, dear. Make Mama Maula proud." His mother told him, as he eagerly ran off towards the heroes. With no sweat, Mungus flips over Cragger and Woriz, the hunters cheering before they start shooting.
While back at the crescent, Aspheera and her snake warriors had arrived. Passing through the force field with no problem, they open fire at the defending Gorzan and Razar.
"Dude!" Gorzan cried out at Razar, as the raven started firing from behind his mech. "Gentleman, gentleman! I'm sure we can work something out!" Razar said, laughing nervously as they were ridiculously outnumbered.
"Sure! How about you stop hiding and give us the hill!" Aspheera said, cackling as she doubled her firepower on the defenders, hitting Razar's stand. "Ahh!" Razar cried distraught as he ducked, "Strong offer, but how about we don't!" he countered, now angry, as he shot out, managing to hit some of the nearest soldiers.
"We have to fight back!" Gorzan said, tossing the raven an orb of normal chi. In an instant, both plugged the orbs into their chest, powering on and fighting back. Gorzan rode his mech toward the siege machines, knocking them down, while Razar got on his speedor and rammed toward the masses.
"This just in, beatings are two for one!" he cried out, crashing against droves of Vermillion Racers. Turning circles around them, the raven swooped around the warriors, while his partner continued to bash the Invaders in.
"Ahh! Enough of this!" Aspheera cried out madly, jumping out of the Raider and slamming the snake staff into the ground. Focusing with all her might, she managed to siphon some of the defender's chi, along with the fire power of the crescent into the staff.
This caused both Gorzan and Razar to pause in their tracks, looking back toward the Serpentine sorceress. Redirecting the energy into her body, she powered up before spinning, creating a powerful cyclone that she directed toward the mech. Knocking it off his feet, she struck a pose, before following up by knocking Razar off his ride.
Standing atop the bird with superiority, she smirked at the prowess she still possessed with the technique. It had been long since she had performed spinjitzu, but she was happy to say she still had it!
Narrowing her eyes, she prepared to strike Razar down, before a disturbance towards the force field got her attention. Looking back to see the hunters launching a barrage of missiles toward the hill, she was distracted enough to lose her focus, allowing the raven to knock her away.
While back on the battlefield, Laval looked on in fear, as the hunter's forces got ever closer. "Back to the crescent! They can't freeze us there!" he quickly ordered, as all the heroes retreated to the hill, where the force field and fire blasts protected them from inside. The hunters scream while trying to avoid the enemy's firepower, desperate to break the perimeter.
A bit further to the side, two vultures try to sneak inside, "Let's sneak up behind them, Vornon!" VoomVoom suggested, feeling clever at the idea. Only for Vornon to grunt in serious pain when the force field punishes him for going in.
"Wow! Good to know about those hidden perimeter blades. Someone could've gotten really hurt." VoomVoom said relieved, as Vornon moaned in the ground, the power of the crescent combating the presence of their frozen forms.
However, what should have meant safety for our heroes was not to be, as instead of security they found another enemy assaulting their forces. Finally noticing where the snakes had gone off to, the heroes began to open fire on their reptilian opponents.
"Just like old times, huh?!" Woriz commented as he blasted fire-enhanced shots at the snake warriors. "Yeah, and I really didn't want to do it again!" Laval responded as he drove towards the top of the hill. Spotting Pythor and his mysterious new partner, he launches himself towards them.
"PYTHOR!" he screamed as he caught the exile Anacondrai off guard. "So, the little pest is back!" the general said dismissively, aiming his weapons towards the young hero. "I don't know how you got back, but you're not taking the crescent!" Laval declared unfaced, as his speedor shot a blast of fire at the disgraced general's way.
Meanwhile, LongTooth and Lagravis are walking along the city back in the Lion Temple. "So, do you find... THIS funny?" LongTooth asks while he makes a silly face. "Not really," Lagravis said unfaced, not finding the gestures humorous.
"Okay. Here's a joke. How'd the crocodile know he was overweight?" LongTooth stars, seeming excited about the joke. "I don't know. How?" Lagravis asked genuinely, intrigued. "He kept breaking all his SCALES!" LongTooth exclaimed because crocodiles have scales, and the other scale is used to measure someone's height.
"You mean the scales on his skin?" Lagravis asked, not really getting it. "Uh... Let's try another. Know why skunks will never lead an army?" LongTooth tried again. "Hm..." Lagravis wondered, shrugging inquisitively, as he pondered why. "Cause They give the worst ODORS ever!" LongTooth said, replacing orders with odors.
"Yes, that sounds about right," Lagravis replied genuinely, considering the situation. "Ugh... One more! Why did the gorilla take his lunch to the doctor?" LongTooth joked once more, determined to get a laugh out of him.
"I am intrigued, why did he do it?" Lagravis asked, legitimately curious about it. "Because his banana wasn't PEELING well!" he tried to pun, but his efforts were in vain. Lagravis tries to think of how that's funny but doesn't so he just sighs.
LongTooth sighs at his failure to make Lagravis laugh. Then he moves on to silly noises and random actions, ending with him falling on his butt. "Are okay, LongTooth? And why are you moving so strangely?" Lagravis asked him with concern, failing to see he was trying to be funny with his actions.
All the while, back at the Crescent, Laval continues his assault on Pythor; while the hunters continue to shoot at the force field. Now outside his vehicle, Pythor resorts to fighting hand to hand, using all his skills from the Serpentine War to duck and weave around the fire blasts.
"Not bad little cub, but I've faced worse foes than you!" he said, switching in and out of his invisible state while hitting him from a different side. "Maybe, but I doubt they were so hot-headed!" Laval joked, as he powered up and landed a punch, managing to singe his robe.
"Why you insolent little... Ahhh!" he began to cry before another punch hit him square in the face. "It's over Pythor!" Laval said, pointing his sword toward the downed general. "Oh, I don't think so!" Pythor says before Laval is pinned down by a dark red blur.
"Excellent work, Commander Machia!" Pythor said as he got up, moving towards a red female serpent that was pointing her sword at Laval's neck. "Now, what was it that you said... Oh yeah! It's over!" Pythor said menacingly, but before he could make good on his words, a torrent of flame forced the two to run away.
"Woah, that was a close one!" Laval said, turning around to see Eris atop her speedor, smoke still rising front its front, "Thanks for the assist, Eris!" he cried out with a wave, as he got back into the fight.
Making it back to his ride, Pythor made his way back to Aspheera, Commander Machia riding at his side. "Ma'am, we can't keep this up for much longer, our forces are still hurt from the fight with the hunters!" Machia informed her queen, uncertain as to what the best course should be.
"Bah! We will keep fighting until we have won!" she declared harshly, even though she too felt the exhaustion on her body. "Be reasonable, this battle is lost! I warned you that we weren't ready, and I was right! Now if you want to win the war, we have to retreat now!" Pythor told her, practically yelling at her, as he offered his opinion on the matter.
"AHHH!" with a blood-curdling scream, the entire top was engulfed in a massive cyclone of sheer power. Once it had dispersed, the entirety of the hill had been vacated, leaving no sign of the Snake Warriors.
"What was that!" Cragger asked, confused at what he had just witnessed. "I don't know. But something tells me this isn't the last time we hear of them!" Laval said seriously, his tone not doing a good job of hiding the worry he felt.
But he wouldn't have a chance to calm down, as almost instantly, the hunters appeared to double down on their efforts to break through the field. Running closer to the edge, our heroes began shooting at the hunters, reassured that only their shots could do any damage.
"There's no way they're getting in here! We beat them again!" Laval said, regaining some of his confidence. Suddenly, a voice came from behind, "Battle Skinnit reporting for duty!" it said, revealing himself as Skinnit wearing some makeshift armor and a wooden sword.
"Uh... Skinnit? What are you doing?" Laval asked, confused by the skunk's sudden arrival. "Responding to your roar, commander! Didn't you see my smoke signals?" Skinnit replied excitedly, much to the other's utter confusion.
"Uh... Thanks, Skinnit. But I think we've got things under control, as long as we stay inside this crescent area." Cragger finally said, breaking the award silence, explaining their situation to him. "But I saved my special battle stink for you! Guess I don't have to hold it in anymore." Skinnit said disappointed, before preparing to let one rip.
"WAIT! NOT HERE!" Eris yells out in distress, but's too late, Skinnit farts while everyone coughs in disgust as a giant stink cloud rises. "Sorry..." Skinnit tries apologizing, ashamed of his actions, but's is too little too late.
Outside the force field, all the hunters seem to fear the green cloud, when suddenly Cragger, Eris, and Laval come out screaming in disgust. Seizing the opportunity, the hunters war cried as they all headed for the enemy, Sir Fangar roaring as he commanded his troops to attack.
Cragger, Eris, and Laval begin to shoot again, more seriously this time since they're outside. "We'll never beat them out here!" Cragger said with worry, still firing at the incoming troops. "Do you wanna go back in there?!" Laval asked sarcastically, pointing to the giant fart cloud behind them.
Emphasizing his point, Woriz comes running out of it, "NEVER!" he yells as he gasps for fresh air. All the while, the hunters begin to move their siege engines closer to the crescent.
"Bro?" Rogon asked as he looked up at Gorzan, "Dude." he replied simply, an unspoken plan passed between them, as he moved his mech towards the battlefield. Rogon goes to shoot rapidly at the hunters with immense firepower, causing their tanks to flip over.
"YEAH! Huh?" Gorzan cheers on, before noticing a sabertooth eject a small plane out of his tank and rushes into Gorzan's mech, putting him on a knee. "Bummer..." he grunts, as the sabertooth laughs in front of him until he notices Rogon running toward him. "Yes!" he cries out, as he shoots the sabertooth down. "Bro!" he says to Gorzan, who gets out of his mech and runs up to him to hi 5's each other.
But the hunters continue letting out their war cries, as they endlessly keep shooting at our heroes. "Too many! Too strong! We need something to push them back!" Laval says in a panic, as he and his friends form a circle.
Skinnit?!" Cragger asks in desperation, as said skunk runs out from the bushes. "Still recharging, but I thought you had it all under control!" he says, before screaming in fear when Stealthor almost hits him and gets his weapon stuck in the ice.
"Haha!" Cragger laughs out triumphantly, as he tries to shoot Stealthor but his blaster seems to be out of power as nothing, but icicle dust comes out of it. Stealthor happily growls to see them all having no more firepower.
"Our fire chi, it's running out!" she exclaims with worry, as the tables appear to be turning. "No way! It's better than ever!" Rogon says confidently, before squeezing the trigger and nothing but dust comes out.
Mungus grunts loudly and bangs his giant club onto the ground, making an earthquake that violently shakes the ground. "Mungus makes the hurting! Happy, happy!" he chants, as he and the other hunters march towards them. Fangar laughs, as they begin circling in on the now-powerless heroes.
At the Lion temple, LongTooth and Lagravis are walking down the corridor of ancestors, a room lined with some of the Lion Tribe's greatest heroes.
"Now tell me if you see anything remotely FUNNY here! Anything?" LongTooth asks with a knowing look. "Yes! Who would deface one of our noble lion statues like this?" Lagravis answered unpleased, looking up at one of the statues.
LongTooth seems to have decorated a lion statue with stringy eyes. "It was me. It's a joke! get it? See! The goofy eyes bounce!" he says pleased, pointing up as the eyes wiggle. "You did this?! As a so-called joke?!" Lagravis asked, sounding not too pleased with his guard.
"Hm," LongTooth reassures with a nod, seemingly unregistering his voice's peeved tone.
"Well, I don't think it's funny to put rude glasses over the symbol of our lion tribe and tradition." Lagravis scolded, not finding such blatant disrespect and vandalism humorous.
"Oh! So, I guess rainbow wigs and bikinis are out too?" LongTooth asks with trepidation, recoiling as Lagravis gasps when he sees all the other statues are decorated.
Switching over to the outside of the Lion temple, LongTooth continues his quest to make the king laugh. "Okay. How about this, Lagravis? Would you laugh, if you were TICKLED?" he asks deviously, an idea forming on his head. "Please don't tickle me, LongTooth." Lagravis replied unamused, starting to regret asking for his help.
"Oh, I won't. Leonidas! A very special mission." LongTooth says, running over to the younger guard, and presenting him a feather. Huh?" Leonidas exclaimed with confusion, unsure of what his senior was asking of him.
When suddenly, the ground begins to shake, as Lagravis, Leonidas, and LongTooth all gasp in surprise. "Huh?" they all exclaimed in unison, as a loud noise was heard from Mount Cavora. Separating itself from the phoenix temple, a phoenix airship rises and takes off.
Back at the crescent, the Hunters grunt while they close up on the heroes, their numbers seemingly doubled. Every hunter on the battlefield gathered to witness their foe's demise, with Sir Fangar leading the pack.
"Haha, this was almost too easy." Sir Fangar laughs, as he closes in on the group, "I didn't even have to bring my trump card out! A shame, really. But don't worry, you'll still get to experience it." he said sinisterly, as the scroll in his spear begins to glow, slowly unfurling.
Suddenly, a noise up above caught his attention. "Hm?" he gasped, as fiery blasts from the sky rained down on the hunters. Bladvic snores asleep inside the hill filled with stink clouds and is carried away by Skinnit.
As it rises in the air, the Phoenix airship shows itself and shoots at the hunters, accidentally almost hitting their allies. While inside, Fluminox rides alongside another, far more excitable phoenix.
"I've been waiting thousands of years to fly this blazer again!" the pilot says with joy, enjoying every second behind the wheel. "Alas, I have not..." Fluminox responds, both bothered by the pilot's reckless driving and the need to fight once again.
"Frax and Firox, load it up!" the pilot calls out, alerting his two orange-feathered co-pilots to get ready for some fun. "Yes sir, captain Foltrax!" Firox replies with enthusiasm, "Captain Foltrax sir!" Frax concurs, bringing the airship into a dive, swooping over the field as fire rained from above.
As below, the hunters are screaming as they run away, scared off by the advancing airship. Even the mighty Mungus screams and retreats with the hunters. Only Sir Fangar refused to simply flee like scared prey, choosing to depart on his terms. Gathering all the power the scroll had to offer, he creates a massive blizzard to cover their retreat, a loud roar sounding from the storm.
Once the winds had settled on the snow-covered land, all signs of the hunters vanished. "Ugh, what is it with today and freaky getaways!" Cragger complained as the snow melted off him before his attention changed towards the airship still above.
Most of the heroes stand cautiously about the airship, unsure if it's a friend or foe. Only Eris recognizes it. "Don't worry. I recognize that bird. It sits atop the Phoenix Castle. These are our friends!" she reassures them, glad to see the Phoenixes again.
"Your friends have FLYING BUILDINGS?!" Woriz says in total awe, unable to believe what's in front of him. "Just clear a space for it to land," Eris told them, as she began to signal them down, while the others backed away.
The airship lands atop the hill, where it transforms into some type of phoenix landing station, that's protected from the ice. "This must be some home away from home for the phoenix. That's why they wanted us to protect it!" Laval exclaims, finally understanding the point of this mission.
The gates of the station open, with Laval going to greet them, "Welcome to Chima." He greets them eagerly, happy to finally have them on ground level. That's close enough, ground born!" Tormak responds, rather harshly, as he halts his path with an ornate silver naginata.
"What?! After all we've been through you still don't trust us?-" Laval begins to rant before a lioness flips over and pushes Laval to the ground accidentally. "Hey! Stop that, you- Lion?" Laval says awestruck, as he stands face to face with a lovely young lioness.
"You? You're a lion too? I thought I was the only one." she said, the young cave lioness's whole worldview flipped on its head. "I... Uh... I mean, yes! I'm Laval! I mean a lion! Uh, named Laval. Nice to meet you." Laval said, stuttering as he walked towards her until Tormak tripped him up.
"Dad! Did you have to do that?" she says embarrassed, ashamed by her father's brash actions. "That's your dad?" Laval said, both confused and apprehensive, as he was left lying on the floor.
"Tormak my good friend, please, we are here to protect," Fluminox told his old friend. "That's exactly what I'm doing Your Majesty! Protecting my daughter Li'Ella from this..." he pauses to growl slightly, "Young Mane." he finishes, glaring at Laval as only an overprotected father could. Li'Ella laughed, amused by her father's antics.
"Tribes of Chima, you have proven yourselves worthy today, defending this simple hill, not knowing the power and secrets it truly holds," Fluminox announces, walking towards the others with a smile on his face, for once glad to have been wrong about someone.
"My guards shall protect it now, and the sacred fire chi shall be here for you whenever it is needed." he finished content with their efforts, gesturing towards the large stack of orbs safely guarded atop the hill. The warriors of Chima rejoiced at this, "YES!" exclaimed by most! Rogon high-fived Gorzan with an enthusiastic "Bro!" while the gorilla responded with a cheerful, "Dude!" all celebrating a job well done.
"And you will need it." Fluminox finished his speech crypticly, as he went back to the airship. Tormak growls at Laval before leaving with Fluminox, leaving the young lion to laugh nervously. The airship is watched taking off back to Mount Cavora presumably, Tormak giving Laval the stink eyes as he departed. Wasting no time, Woriz howls and runs over to the fire chi with Gorzan, while Laval gets acquainted with the guards.
"So... Looks like you'll be sticking around a while." He says smoothly, moving closer to Li'Ella. "I shall guard the sacred fire chi on behalf of our protectors," she responded dutifully, though a bit flustered by Laval's proximity.
"I know! And I'd like to personally thank you for making me feel so... Uh... Hopeful!" Laval replies hastily, tripping over his words slightly, not knowing what to say. "Yes, I feel very... Hopeful too!" Li'Ella responds with a chuckle, glad to have met such pleasant company. Laval also chuckles, as Cragger and Eris approach him, knowing what's going on between the two.
Later, as the trio travels back through the Forest, Laval sighs while daydreaming about Li'Ella. A lovestruck look on his face as he traversed the road without a care in the world, as his friends looked on, each with their own thoughts on the situation.
"Ew! What's gotten into him?" Cragger asked, apparently having forgotten his interaction at the crescent, or simply not expecting him to be so head over heels over her.
"He's in love!" Eris replies with a laugh, happy and giddy for his friend, practically smelling the romance in the air. "No way! My pal would never LOVE anything other than his speedor! Or would he?" Cragger says unsure, concerned that his friend might not be the same anymore. The group eventually returns to the lion temple, Laval's expression unchanged throughout the entirety of the way there.
While inside the lion temple throne room, Lagravis has given up in his attempts to find his "funny bone" and sits down on his throne. He notices a can sitting on the armrest and goes to pick it up, only to be frightened when strings pop out from a can.
"I shall never find my funny bone..." he laments, having to admit he truly never laughed. But just at that moment, Laval arrived, running down the hall excitedly. "Guess what dad! I met the most AWESOME girl today! She came out of this flying building and- I... Think I'm in love!" he tells his father with hope, ecstatic to see his response.
Just then Lagravis finally laughs. "Oh, son! now I think I understand humor! You say the most ridiculous thing possible, and it somehow creates laughter!" he says, absolutely hysterical, as he laughs in front of his son.
"Uh... Dad?" Laval said, dumbfounded by his father's actions, and slightly hurt. But Lagravis just continues laughing, "Flying buildings? Love? My boy and a GIRL?" he says mockingly, never having heard anything so ridiculous. "You are so funny! oh, it is so much fun to laugh!" he says, as he joyfully leaves while laughing.
"Well, last time I tell him about my feelings for... Li'Ella~" Laval says offended, before his thoughts drift towards the object of his affections, a dumb smile spreading on his face. While Lagravis's laughter could be heard throughout the temple, outside the phoenix airship returning to Mount Cavora, a rainbow shown above it.
But deep within the forest, another leader's voice could be heard throughout the room, and it was not laughing. Aspheera and her warriors had managed to retreat to their camp, and she was absolutely furious about it!
"We were so close! Victory in the palms of our hands, and we ran! Ran, like weak, little mice!" she yelled, accentuating her point by consuming a mouse right in front of them. The little rodents sacrificed serving to quell her rage, as she settled back into her makeshift throne.
"I understand your rage, Your Majesty, now more than ever!" Pythor exclaimed, slithering towards her, on the same page as her for the first time. "But our retreat was a necessity, we cannot afford to lose ANY men, less we leave ourselves vulnerable to our enemies." He told her, still rational despite finally witnessing the true might she possessed.
"Can it! We wouldn't even have enemies should my plans succeed." She snapped back at him, a flash of fiery orange in her eyes. "We're going back there! Rest up, first thing in the morning, we attack!" she declares, her eyes glaring at Cavora in the distance.
"That crescent will be ours, and so will the power of the flame!" she said, more to herself than her troops, determined to get her long-awaited revenge. "And when I do, no force in the world, not Sir Fangar, not the Phoenixes, not anyone! Shall keep me from retrieving what is mine!" she assured herself, as the fire in her soul ignited.
While in the Hunter's Fortress, said sabertooth was also dealing with his subjects. The hunters land harshly on the floor as a blast of ice sends them flying. And in the center of the room, atop his darkened throne, a very pissed-off smilodon sat.
"YOU UTHER DISAPPOINTMENTS!" he cried out, his harsh tone accentuated by the chill in the room. "You dare call yourselves hunters!" he said, gripping his spear, welcoming the freezing sensation that overtook his hand. "A hunter does not flee! A hunter does not surrender! A hunter fights, until the very end, if they have to!" he yelled at them, his cold fury barely contained.
His hunters could only tremble, not even daring to look him in the eyes. "Fortunately for you, you still have a chance at redemption!" he said, catching many of them by surprise. "Our masters have revealed themselves, and they ally with our enemies! The time for blind charges is at an end, from now on we will ambush our foes." He said, an eery calmness over his words.
"We will creep in the shadows, overwhelm them with our numbers, and once and for all, MAKE. THEM. FEEL. OUR. FREEZE!" he yelled out. Behind him, the icy mist parted, and two great glowing eyes appeared. A deafening roar was heard throughout the land, as the dark ice glowed all around them.
Author's Notes:
Phew! That was a trip! This might just be one of the longest chapters I have written, I hope you all enjoy it! A lot happens in this chapter, Aspheera and Fangar meet, Pythor and the gang reunite, and the Phoenixes have finally landed on to Chima, and our villains give us a taste of their true power!
And more is still to come, but first some announcements. I am so happy to know my story now has some fan art, and I hope to see more in the future. Now, as I'm sure you've noticed, I've made a couple of changes to the canon, primarily Li'Ella's species. I've chosen to make her a cave lion, both because of her backstory and to match the other prehistoric species of the era, and to differentiate her from the normal lion tribe, which would not have existed yet.
Another change is Aspheera, who is now far more adept in spinjitzu, this is because she has had more time to train in this timeline, and for other reasons that will be explained later. Tell me what you think of these changes, your opinion is always appreciated. I have one more chapter before taking a break, so I hope you all enjoy it. Till next time!