The campsite woke with a jolt as Wu went from person to person, shaking them furiously.
“Get up, all of you!” he cried in distress.
“Sensei, what’s wrong?” Ann asked, rubbing the last of the sleep out of her eyes.
“Kai is gone. And so are the Weapons.” Never before had Ann seen Wu so frazzled.
“That idiot!” Cole said suddenly and he reached for his pack but found only grass. “What does he think he’s doing?”
“Do not speak of him that way. He is young and naive, and may be have been persuaded into doing this. We must find him before it is too late,” said Wu as he packed his things. The others began to do the same.
“We’re do you think he is?” Keaton asked as she was loading her mat onto her horse.
“He’s almost definitely across the boarder. In my sleep... I sensed a dark presence... but I assumed it was only a dream. Evidentially Kai has had a run-in with one of Garmadon’s minions.” Wu gripped the reins of his horse tightly and looked out at the horizon, barely lit with early morning glow. “If we do not reach him in time, I fear that the war may be lost tonight.” He turned his horse to face everyone. “Keaton, lead Cole and Jay back down the road as we discussed.”
“Yes, Sensei,” Keaton replied quickly, and she clicked her tongue, urging her steed into a trot while Cole and Jay hesitantly followed. Before they were even out of sight, Wu said,
“Come, now,” and he started through the field at a gallop.
The three of them were across the boarder just before the sun was above the mountains, but they were still riding out in the open, very much exposed.
“Sensei,” Ann called as she pulled up alongside the old man. “What about our camouflage suits?”
“There is no time,” Wu called back. “And in any case, Garmadon was expecting us. I would, however, like you to create a shield, in case any arrows find us out here.”
Ann nodded her head and with one hand still clutching the reins, she created a shell of water around them. However the amount of concentration this took prevented her from focusing completely on her horse, but as long as it followed the other animals, she would be fine.
There turned out to be quite a few arrows along their path. The area they had chosen to go through was generally deserted, but of course there were to be lookouts here and there, but the further inland they got, the more abundant these attacks became, until finally they were assaulted head-on. A platoon of Skulkens charged at them from beyond a tree-line, where the field ended. Wu said they didn’t have time for this, and ordered Ann to make her shield thicker and then had Zane freeze it. With him now in control, they plowed right through the enemy lines, withstanding several shattering blows caused by swords, spears and mostly maces. They continued on like this for quite some time; taking blows, Ann and Zane re-freezing the holes the weapons left, but never stopping.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally began to turn in a new direction. They were in a forest now, which meant no more shields, so Ann and Zane needed to be extra vigilant. Ann’s water was most effective, as the trees could pass through it easily.
If Wu was ever going to stop and continue on foot, he showed no sign of it. They kept up their speed and pressed on no matter what came at them. Soon, they had exited the forest and came to a very hilly plain, and just beyond it, a massive volcano dotted with shrivelled trees. At the base of the mountain, carved into the stone, was a dark temple utterly surrounded by skeletons and many new weapons and vehicles which until now had never been seen. Now Wu stopped and observed the situation.
“We cannot fight them all,” Wu said after a long time in thought. “Come. There is a secret entrance around the side.”
He lead them back into the forest and around to nearly the complete north side of the volcano. As they approached, Ann could make out a massive incline covered in loose, volcanic rubble and shards of obsidian.
“Here,” said Wu, and he dismounted. Wu bent down and reached into the rubble, pulling out a round, metal handle that opened a hidden door. The path before them was dark and unkept, but they continued on, bringing the horses with them in case the Skulkens were near.
As they walked, Ann’s forehead became very sweaty, and she realised, as the waves of heat continued to hit her face, that this must be an active volcano.
“What’s the plan?” Zane asked after they tied up their horses near the entrance.
“Finding Kai is our first objective,” Sensei Wu replied. “Then, if it is at all possible, retrieve all, or any, of the Weapons.”
* * *
Back across the boarder, Keaton, Cole, and Jay moved along solemnly, knowing that their comrades were facing certain doom.
“This stinks,” said Jay loudly. “We should be there, helping them!”
“It’s too dangerous,” Keaton replied, in a less-than-cheerful way. “And you guys can’t rely on your powers for everything, you know. Sensei teaches us that our elements must be an extension of ourselves. That training in the art of Spinjitsu will combine our bodies and our powers, making us nearly unstoppable.”
“Then why didn’t he teach us?” Cole asked.
Keaton turned to look at them both. “Because Spinjitsu takes years to learn. And even longer to master. I’m still not very good at it, and I’ve been training since... well, since I was in diapers.”
“Okay, but he will train us eventually, right?” said Cole, but Keaton turned away again. “Keaton?” She didn’t reply. “What! You mean he never intended to teach us basic fighting skills?”
“It was supposed to be a secret!” Keaton wailed. “You weren’t supposed to know until we were home again! But... yes. But, I swear, I don’t know why.”
Jay and Cole shared a look and hundreds of theories raced through their heads. If he wasn’t planning on training them, did that mean that this whole adventure was only meant to be an impermanent thing? To Jay, this was relief. He would be going home soon. To Cole, this was torture. This meant that he would go back to school after all of this was said and done.
“No,” Cole said firmly and he stopped his horse. “I’m not gonna stand back and let this happen. I’m here, and I can do something.” He turned around and started galloping toward the south like a madman.
“Cole! Stop!” Keaton cried. She sprang up into the air and landed in front of him, urging him to reconsider, but he simply went around her. Jay came up beside her, holding the reins of her horse in one of his hands.
“He’s gonna need help,” said Jay.
“B-but Sensei told me!” Keaton replied fearfully.
“He’ll get blown to bits for sure,” Jay went on.
“No, no, and almost definitely, no!” She was most put out and stomped her foot with each “no.”
“Keaton, come on,” and Jay gave her a pleading look. She couldn’t hold on for very long.
“Oh! Why do guys have to make things so complicated!” With her final word, Keaton propelled herself onto her horse’s back and the two gave chase to their friend, who was veering off to a thin woods instead of riding out in the open.
They didn’t have much of a plan, but they knew that they needed to get to the Fire Temple. Wherever that was. They kept on riding and riding and riding until Keaton stopped them.
“I hear something,” she said quietly, and she looked about. The trees around them had thickened and there was a very good chance that someone was watching them. All of a sudden, she flung a small dagger up into the trees and sliced through air... and something else. A limp, skeleton body fell to the ground, crossbow still in-hand. The three of them looked on and swallowed hard.
“Well... I’m pretty sure we’re across the boarder now,” said Keaton quietly, and she pressed on; the boys followed.
By now, the sun had risen, and there was still no sign of the temple, or Wu, or even more Skulkens, leaving an eerie stillness across the forest.
* * *
Now we must return to Kai. He and Nya were still inching down the dark hallway in the Fire Temple, the guardian at their heels. On and on and on they went, fearing that they may never find an exit, when at last they came upon another door big enough for the dragon to fit through.
“Let’s hope whatever’s on the other side doesn’t try to kill us,” said Kai, half sarcastically, half serious. He pulled on one of the handles and it opened just enough for him to peek out. Their eyes met daylight and something far worse. Outside stood a stone courtyard with many pillars and statues and other structures, and who should happen to be meditating there but Lord Garmadon himself. He was just about to charge when he heard a distinct, low, growling sound and then the dragon swung its massive body at the doors, breaking them off their hinges. It lunged angrily at the Lord of Darkness, and let out a stream of hungry fire from its mouth. Kai and Nya couldn’t see what happened from their end, but suddenly the enormous beast fell on its side, quite unwillingly.
Garmadon was, indeed, a great warrior. Just before the fire hit him, he got to his feet and used hit own powers to snuff out the flames before they touched him, then he shot a dagger at the dragon’s shrivelled leg, causing it to yowl in pain and fall to one side.
Kai, not wanting to lose the element of surprise, charged without hesitation. He had his eyes set on Garmadon, and he clambered over the dragon’s body and jumped from its massive shoulder. He had the Sword in the air and he swung it down as hard as he could. Garmadon had managed to produce his own katana from a hidden sheath and the two locked swords and eyes for a few terrifying seconds. Kai was sure that he had seen complete shock pass over the warlord’s face, but it vanished to be quickly replaced with a frown.
“Back so soon?” Garmadon asked with a sickening grin.
“It takes more than a literal inferno to get rid of me!” Kai yelled.
Garmadon laughed and the their swords swung apart wildly, but before anything else could happen, Kai jumped back and used the Sword to create a whirlwind of fire around Garmadon while the dragon got up on its three other legs and carefully judged the situation.
Garmadon let out a shout and suddenly the flames burst and disappeared. He lunged at Kai, his sword at the ready, but the dragon ran in between them. The sword bounced off the hard scales and the beast opened its mouth wide, preparing for a quick meal, but Garmadon’s four arms caught its snout and jaw. As the two were locked, more dark energy spilled from his hands, and the dragon shrieked so loud that Kai had to cover his ears. The fire dragon pulled back and attempted to fling Garmadon into the sky while it retreated. Garmadon, however, flew only a short distance before catching himself on one of the pillars.
Kai’s heart ached when he saw the dragon fearfully flying into the sky and began to loose his control of the Weapon. Its power began to pour into him as it never had before and untamed flames erupted all around him.
“About time,” Garmadon grumbled.
The two of them were set and ran at full speed, colliding with a loud CLANG! Kai mainly used the fire to his advantage, as he had limited sword practise and Garmadon had four arms, now brandishing three more swords. He tried to keep himself at a safe distance, knowing that one wrong move would result in a sliced throat, a lost limb, or worse. He made his attacks swift and never stopped moving. Garmadon was quick, though, and always countered his flames easily.
“That sword will be mine!” The Dark Lord cried angrily.
“Then take it from me!” Kai taunted.
Garmadon charged, and Kai launched a massive stream of fire at his face. He had to leap out the way of the flames, but he threw one of his katanas at Kai and it narrowly missed his head by about an inch. It did, however, distract Kai long enough for Garmadon to get close—
“AAAH!” Kai screamed as he felt something solid pierce his skin and lodge itself in his flesh just bellow his left pectoral, exiting out through the he skin of his back. He looked up shakily to see Garmadon’s twisted face leering down at him, one hand greedily trying to wrestle the Golden Weapon out of Kai’s right hand.
“KAAAI!” Nya shrieked. Kai could only grunt and gasp in response.
“I warned you, boy,” said Garmadon, gasping himself. “not to do anything stupid.”
Kai summoned as much strength as he could, but his legs were too weak and collapsed underneath him. On his knees, he looked up and said, through gritted teeth, “Th-the onl-ly stupid th-thing I did... was n-not killing you wh-when I had the ch-chance.” He gripped the sword with both hands, refusing to let go, and with one last desperate scream, he summoned another whirlwind that sent Garmadon and the Sword flying across the courtyard. Kai fell limply to the ground which was trembling as the volcano began to roar with life. Nya rushed to his side, her eyes as big as saucers when she saw all the blood.
Across the courtyard, the Sword did not fall on cold stone, but rather into a leathery, old hand.
“Garmadon!” Wu cried. What have you done?!” His brother was still picking himself up when he saw Wu and spat on the ground.
“It’s so nice to see you again, Wu,” he said sarcastically. “This was far overdue.” They wasted no time and their fight began.
Over in the other corner of the courtyard, Ann and Zane had rushed to Kai’s side. Zane held onto Nya, who was shaking terribly, while Ann set to work cleaning Kai’s wound and removing the katana.
“I-is he gonna be okay?” Nya asked. She was still starring at her brother, who was coughing up more blood.
“You’re Nya, right? His sister?” Ann asked, not bothering to wait for a response. “He’s going to be fine. No major arteries were hit. Just keep breathing.
Just then, a stray ribbon of fire nearly hit them from Wu and Garmadon’s skirmish.
“We need to move,” said Zane.
“No, he’s too unstable. Make us an ice barrier,” Ann instructed. Zane was quick at his work, and the beautiful shield provided Nya with a momentary distraction.
“S-so... you guys are the other ‘elementals?’” she asked.
“Yes,” Zane replied calmly.
As it turned out, the barrier was a good idea. Either the use of the Sword, or the dragon, or both, had set off the volcano, and ash was beginning to fall from the sky like snow. Red and orange light glowed brightly through the thick layer of ice around them, and Zane had to constantly re-freeze it.
“N...N-Nya....” Kai stuttered.
“Kai?” she whimpered. “Kai, I’m right here.” She moved closer to his face and held his head in her lap, stroking his forehead gently. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“I-I’m sorry... thi-this is... all my f-fault,” he said.
“Kai, don’t be ridiculous,” said Nya gently. “Everything’s gonna be fine. It’s not your fault.”
He was weak and tired, but Ann had stabilised his wound. There was now a thick layer of fabric wrapped around him, made from each of their shozoku, and his breathing was steady.
“Okay, now we need to move, before this whole place comes down,” Ann said confidently. She lifted Kai up and carried him while Zane lowered the shield. The air was thick and stung their noses with harsh chemicals and the smell of sulfur. The two brothers had nearly destroyed the whole courtyard during their fight, and what a sight their fighting was! They were both masters at their craft, swords flying so fast you could miss it if you blinked, flames shooting out every which way, and the speed at which they moved did not seem possible for such old men.
Ann resisted every urge in her body to go help and instead focused on Kai and Nya. She led them back into the temple toward the secret entrance and their horses just before the rest of the Skulken legion had arrived at the courtyard. Loud, draconic roars could be heard in the distance, and the temple continued to shake and crumble as more and more smoke filled the air.
* * *
Meanwhile, Keaton, Jay, and Cole were still making their way through the forest. They had gone for quite some time without seeing any other Skulkens that they had begun to worry. Something wasn’t right.
Suddenly, Keaton told them to stop and keep quiet. She lifted herself up on a breeze and silently slipped up into the trees farther up ahead. When she came back, about a minute later, she looked like she had seen a ghost.
“Skulkens. A whole platoon,” she said. “It looks like they’re preparing to go somewhere.”
All three of them tied up their horses and inched forward in the underbrush to get a better idea of what the skeletons were doing our here. When they arrived at a safe-enough distance, they found the Skulkens, at lest two hundred, maybe more, and a plethora of large vehicles, being loaded up with supplies and—the Golden Weapons! Cole’s breath caught when he saw their distinct glow, and he wanted so badly to run out and grab them.
“Too many,” Keaton mouthed.
“What do we do?” Jay replied.
Keaton looked like she was deep in thought when they all heard one the Skulkens, presumably a captain, say, “All right, men! To the Underworld!” To which all of the Skulkens cheered and proceeded to load up in their strange vehicles.
Keaton motioned for the boys to follow her and they crept around the fleet as the vehicles sputtered to life and began peeling out, down a long strip of dirt road. Then, right as the last one was about to take off, a very large truck filled with supplies, Keaton used her powers to launch all of them toward the bumper. They landed as gracefully as one might expect, but thankfully did make enough sound to alarm any of the soldiers. They held on for dear life as the truck began to speed up, faster and faster, surpassing the limit of any car the three teenagers knew, then suddenly, everything changed. There were bright lights all around them, forming what looked like some sort of tunnel. There were flames, and lightning, and the thunderous noise was deafening as they sped toward the home of the Skulkens: the Underworld.
(A note to the reader: Chapter 19 will be postponed until December 4, 2019)
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