Cole landed on mostly smooth stone, and felt all of that loose dirt from before showering down around him. That feeling in his chest was gone, and his fear began to return to him as he breathed hard.
“Cole!” Jay shouted as he and Ann raced over in the dark. “Where are you?”
“Over here,” he said, haggardly.
He could hear their footsteps coming closer, and their hands were on him shortly after, trying to prop him upright.
“What happened?” Ann asked.
“Yeah! The dragon was just about to turn us into his lunch, but then he just turned around and left, like we weren’t good enough for him!” Jay blurted.
Cole tried to fight off the last remainder of shock and said, “I don’t know.... it all happened so fast... I used my powers, I guess. But I didn’t have to fight him or anything, he just.... disappeared.”
“Disappeared...”Ann murmured. “Does that mean he was never real in the first place? Was it just an illusion?”
“Then all of this dirt must be an illusion too,” said Cole. “I almost suffocated.”
“So was it real?” Jay asked. They were all silent.
“Probably one of The First Spinjitsu Master’s tricks,” Ann reasoned. “But let’s not dwell on that too long. We have more important things to worry about.”
All eyes turned to The Golden Weapon still perched on its little pedestal in the centre of the room. Cole got up shakily and stepped forward.
Up close, the weapon was quite exquisite. It did indeed look to be made of solid gold, with an intricate head engraved with a depiction of a roaring dragon. There were small jewels adorning the dragon’s eyes and handle, and many more engravings all over the weapon’s body. It stood as high as Cole’s chest while it rested on its pedestal, and the light emanating from it took one’s breath away.
He could feel the power oozing from it now. It drew him closer, as if casting a spell over him; he wanted to to grasp it desperately. He wasted no time reaching out, and the moment his fingers touched the cold, leather-bound handle, he felt its energy shoot through him. It was ten times as exhilarating as the power surge he had felt just a few minutes ago, and he had to use both hands just to keep his hold on the weapon.
His arms felt like they were on fire, and his mind was overloaded from the many sensations he was experiencing. He breathed in rapidly, and then used all of his strength to lift the hammer from its resting place.
For a few moments, Cole just stood there, looking at the beautiful weapon. Its detailing was so minute, so intricate, and the brightness of the amber-coloured stones set into the gold, not only distracted him, they captivated him to the point that he could not see, nor sense anything else.
“cole..... Cole.... Cole snap out of it! Cole!”
He was being shaken by someone. He turned to his right and saw Ann looking at him sternly. Suddenly, the overwhelming presence of the weapon left him, clearing his mind and letting him think again. He put his head in his hand as his forehead throbbed.
“Are you okay?” Ann pressed.
“Y-Yeah.... I think so,” Cole answered. He looked down at the weapon again and marvelled at it. Just holding it seemed to deepen his connection to his element, and he was certain that he could sense all of the surrounding caves, including the crowd of Skulken soldiers making their way down a tunnel that lead straight into that cavern.
“Over there!” Cole shouted. “Skulkens!”
“Where?” Jay asked, but Ann was already putting her mask back on. Cole and Jay did the same just as the skeletons entered, carrying torches and lanterns. They were on the opposite side of the cavern from where Cole, Jay, and Ann had entered.
“They have the weapon!” one of them called.
Cole was just about to leap forward and crush them with the Scythe, but Ann grabbed his arm.
“No,” she said firmly. “Sensei Wu told you not to use the weapon. I will handle this.”
She stepped forward and began to use her water to knock the soldiers into the cave walls, flinging them several yards, and shattering them with a few forceful attacks. However, the hundred soldiers that they saw on the surface must have only been a small group left to guard the entrance, because the cavern now became flooded by a stampede of Skulkens, swarming Ann. As more and more entered, she began to have trouble getting them all as her attacks could only be so big.
Now the Skulkens were getting dangerously close—so close that one was able to create a tear in Ann’s shozoku (sh-oh-z-oh-koo / ninja outfit), and Cole was becoming twitchy. He had to do something, and with the weapon, it would be so easy. So very easy.
He felt his eyelids grow heavy, and he let himself get carried away by the thoughts swirling through his brain. The next thing he knew, he had leapt into the air, Scythe raised above his head, and then he brought it smashing back down onto the cave floor. It cracked the stone, sending chunks flying through the air, and creating a massive crater beneath him. The following shockwave created a long fissure in the cave floor that quickly spread to where the Skulkens were standing, and in an instant, it widened so large that it swallowed them whole, down into the darkness below. Without missing a beat, Cole raised the Scythe again and created a large slab of stone under Ann’s feet and carried her to safety. When all the dust settled, there was silence, and darkness, once more.
“What were you thinking?!” Ann growled as she came closer to where Cole and Jay were standing.
“Don’t you realise that the weapon could have killed us all?”
Cole’s mind was beginning to clear again, and he answered, “But we’re all fine. I’d call this a win.”
Ann grumbled. “If it weren’t for the fact that I would die if I touched the weapon, I’d take it from you right now.” She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrunk back a bit. “Come on. Sensei Wu is waiting.” She turned sharply and began making her way toward the entrance they had used, which must have been the back of the cave, and Jay and Cole followed silently.
Cole began to wonder: if Ann was this upset, how livid would Wu be?
The weapon did indeed light up their way quite nicely, and they reached the other end of the cave with relative ease. Then, when they had located the blocked entrance, now to be their exit, Cole had to put the weapon down and get them out himself. He wanted to argue with Ann, who was forcing him to use his own powers, but he didn’t really feel like fighting right then.
When the weapon slipped from his fingers, landing solidly on the ground, he felt the overwhelming sensations leave him. His chest felt somewhat empty, his breathing normalised, and his head was completely clear again, but he still wished he didn’t have to let go.
The cave-in was fairly extensive and it took them a while before Cole had cleared everything out of the way. He was thoroughly exhausted when it was all over, and when he picked up the Scythe again, it’s overwhelming power nearly took control of him. He tried to fight it as best as he could, though, as he had to use its power to lead them out of the maze-like cave system.
When they emerged from the weapon chamber, Sensei Wu and the others were nowhere to be found. Ann suggested that they were either looking for another way into the weapon room, or had gone back outside. They reasoned that they should check the surface first, and if they weren’t there, they should wait for them to return.
Most of the walk was a blur to Cole, each step barely even registered to his brain, but as they found sunlight again and crept out of the tunnels, he felt uneasy. He began to realise that he liked being underground much more than he liked being above it.
“There you are,” said Master Wu. He, Kai, Keaton, and Zane had indeed been waiting here for them, and Wu looked furious. “What happened down there?”
“Sensei,” Ann said as she bowed. “We found the weapon. It was indeed protected by a guardian... a dragon. We managed to stop it, and Cole retrieved the Scythe, but then a legion of Skulkens arrived. I tried to fight them off, but...”
“But Mr. Becket used the weapon,” Wu finished, staring knowingly at the young man.
Cole said nothing. He stood still, staring at the grassy ground, holding on tightly to his Scythe.
“I was afraid that the weapon’s power may prove too much for you, and it would seem that I was correct,” said Wu coldly. “You are forbidden from ever using it again unless I say otherwise! Do you understand?”
Cole clenched his jaw and breathed sharply, but still did not raise his head to look his Sensei in the eye. He had known that this was coming, but he still reasoned that what he did down there saved Ann’s life.
He reluctantly nodded to Wu.
“Look me in the eye and speak, Cole,” said Wu, becoming even more stern.
Cole looked up sharply and tried not to look like he was about to throw a tantrum.
“Yes... Sensei,” he said quietly.
“Now, wrap the weapon in this,” Wu came forward and gave Cole a thick, scratchy blanket. “Keep it with you at all times, but if you attempt to use it once more without permission, there will be serious consequences.”
Cole took the blanket, but only barely. He was on the verge of completely rebelling against Wu, but the only thing that held him back was... well, he wasn’t entirely sure what it was.
He unhappily wrapped up the weapon, then used a leather strap to tie it to his back. Unfortunately for him, he could not feel the weapon’s power now. It was almost cruel, how it was so close, and yet so out of reach. Deep down, he knew that Wu was right, but he just couldn’t bring himself to admit it.
The group went back to where they had left their horses and saddled up immediately. Wu told them that it would not take long for word of this to spread and that they had to move on to the next weapon as quickly as possible.
“To the Frozen Wastelands.”
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