|
|
Feb 26, 2022 19:47:34 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Feb 26, 2022 19:47:34 GMT
Snow replaced fire. It whirled around him in an angry blizzard, freezing his fingers and toes. The ground disappeared and he fell once more, yelling. The face of a white wolf with red stripes around its eyes stared at him a moment before vanishing into the blizzard.
“Stop it!” he cried through the howling wind. Snow was already gathering on his eyelashes and hair. Though he still fell and his voice shook, he yelled, “I don’t care what the future holds! The ninja will always be there to stop whoever and whatever threatens Ninjago!”
Pixels like that from video games began replacing the snow. They collected on his hands, his feet, his face, like warm tiny scales.
As they continued collecting, Blood Star spoke again. You are the Son of the First. The blood of your father and forefather will enable you to live for seasons upon seasons. You will indeed live long. A cruel smile played into her voice. But it also means you must watch your mortal friends pass away. You will be alone.
Lloyd’s heart lurched. He could see them through the pixels—pixels? No, now a lake of lava. It seemed to appear while Blood Star talked, burning through the darkness in a hateful, blinding haze. He found himself standing on a rock in the middle of this lake of lava, heat wafting around him to the point he felt his clothes would burst into flames at any second.
He saw his friends, trapped on the other side of the massive flaming pool. Through the smoke and hissing steam they seemed to change, becoming gray—Kai, Zane, Jay, Cole, Nya, growing old and passing away…
“So what!” He made himself sound confidant. He wouldn’t let the werecat break him down, despite the mingled fear and dread pounding against his head. “I’ll train the next generation of ninja! There will always be ninja to stop villains like you!”
“You’re right,” she purred into his ear.
He whirled around, but she remained invisible. The sky was growing dark, snowdrifts and pixels alike fading into faint shadows against the walls. “A new generation of ninja made to suffer for sticking their noses in places they shouldn’t. How delightful.”
The world went dark. Then new figures appeared out of nowhere before him. They appeared to be teenagers in colorful ninja gi, though Lloyd did not recognize them. Yet as he peered closer at their faces, the feeling of dread grew.
The teenagers were sinking in black mud, gasping, crying out and trying to help one another. A boy’s head already sank beyond view while the other three struggled to stay afloat. He realized that a tall girl with pale hair in a braid was staring at him pleadingly. Something about the shape of her face and her electric electric blue eyes made him think of Zane and Pixal combined.
“Sensei Lloyd!” the girl cried. “Help us!”
A second girl joined in, spitting mud out of her mouth as she thrashed. “Master Lloyd, please!” She sank further until nothing but her blue-streaked hair could be seen.
|
|
|
|
Post by LordTigress on Feb 27, 2022 2:19:33 GMT
Fire burst from the third teenager. Lloyd felt his jaw go slack—the boy floundering between the girls looked like a near-exact copy of Kai, but the eyes and hair were Skylor’s. As the boy stared helplessly at Lloyd, he could see a long scar running down the side of his face. “Please help us, Sensei!”
Panic flooded Lloyd’s mind. What if these kids were real? He couldn’t just let them drown!
“Hang on!” He started toward them, but his legs stiffened. That same black mud sucking in the teenagers was pulling him down now. He dragged his feet through the goop and tried to reach out for the teenagers. The red-headed boy with Kai’s face leaned forward and stretched out one hand.
Their fingers brushed together—Lloyd strained, trying to grab him. Then, with a faint gurgle, the young fire ninja sank beyond sight. His hand lingered above the surface for a moment, twitching, before disappearing as well. The girls sank along with him. The mud seemed to swallow them up greedily.
A groan like mingled frustration, shock and grief blurted out of Lloyd. The mud continued dragging him down, until he too was submerged—submerged in darkness, choking, ice-cold darkness…
“Lloyd! No!”
A girl’s shrill voice shattered the nightmare. The mud oozed away from him almost immediately. He gulped on air gratefully and fell on stone-hard ground.
Opening his eyes, Lloyd found himself back in the Moonstone cave. A feminine figure was on Blood Star’s back, brandishing a stone knife and heaving with tears. “Leave him alone! Leave Lloyd alone!”
“Little Leaf…” His voice came out weak and raspy. Had his throat really been filled with mud? His limbs felt like jelly, but he moved to stand. His vision spun. “Little Leaf, run!”
“Traitor! Get off me!” Blood Star snarled. She jumped and spun around, chucking Little Leaf in the air. The girl flew into the wall and sank with a pained grunt. Tears were running down her face.
Lloyd tried to stand. His ankle turned and he fell on his face.
“Let’s see your two-legged sweetheart save you now!” Blood Star cackled, whisking her tails as she stalked toward her sister.
Staggering up, cat ears and paws replaced Leaf’s human ears and hands. Baring her teeth, she threw herself at Blood Star.
Almost effortlessly, Blood Star slammed a paw against her face, sending her tumbling. In the blink of an eye, she struck Little Leaf’s throat.
“Little Leaf!” Lloyd hadn’t expected his voice to come out in a sob. Frozen, he stared at her.
Blood Star stepped away slowly, tails still flicking back and forth. Little Leaf was on her hands and knees, looking shocked. She tried to speak. From the shadows came the sound of something wet dribbling onto the ground.
“Little Leaf…” Lloyd stumbled to her, ignoring Blood Star. He fell on his knees and pulled her close, cradling her to his chest. Speechless, he could only stare into her eyes.
|
|
|
|
Post by LordTigress on Feb 27, 2022 2:47:05 GMT
She stared back, tears still flowing. Lips quivering, she offered a vague smile and moved her hand as if to touch his face.
Her hand stiffened mid-air and her eyes glazed over. Shoulders slumping, she then stared off into the distance and stilled.
His vision swam with tears. His chest heaved. A sob fought to free itself from his clenching throat, but anger waved over grief.
“What is wrong with you?!” Lloyd turned on her sister. “How can you be so—?”
He felt himself thrown on his back. Blood Star was on top of him. His heart pounded in his ears.
He started to shoot an energy ball—and felt some things sink into his throat.
He gasped and choked. He saw Blood Star leaning on his chest, emerald eyes blazing into his soul.
“That’s the last time either one of you will get in my way,” she murmured mockingly. “Give the First Spinjitzu Master my greetings.”
She yanked her claws out of him. Sensations of pain finally began to throb, but shock numbed it. His vision swam.
Blearily he looked down at himself to see... —on his hands, on his gi, down from his throat...
The world was going dark... He felt light-headed...
This can’t be the end, can it…? He could feel himself falling… he made sure to fall by Little Leaf…
I need to protect her… She’s all alone, I need to protect her…
He felt himself fade from the living world.
* * *
“Hurry!” Nya urged, brandishing a torch Skylor had lit for them.
“I’m hurrying!” Jay protested, tekko-cagi claws flashing from his wrists. “I just wish Little Leaf hadn’t run ahead so fast!”
They finally reached the tunnel—Nya knew it was the one because Leaf had gasped something about Black Blood “down in the unlit tunnel”. Stupid of Lloyd to go alone. She would give him a talking-to as soon as they saw him.
“Lloyd? Little Leaf?” she called into the darkness. “Are you there?”
The only reply was the sound of her own voice echoing off the cold walls. She could not see where the circular corridor went.
“Come on. We need to find them.” She paused when she saw Jay was staring off at the adjoining tunnel, past the lamp. “Jay?”
His gaze flickered back to her, but he stared at the second tunnel again. “I thought I saw something—someone leaving. Hey, anyone there?” he demanded in a louder voice. “Here, kitty-kitty-kitty!”
Nothing stirred from the shadows.
She realized her mouth was dry and swallowed. “We’ll find out who that was later. Right now our priority is Lloyd and Little Leaf.”
They entered the tunnel, Jay leading the way with the torch. Nya tried to see through the darkness, though there was nothing to see—not until they entered the cavern.
They gaped at the Moonstone, still glowing brightly in its unearthly way. The silence in this room felt strangely hushed compared to the tunnels, like how snow makes a winter day sound muffled.
|
|
|
|
Post by LordTigress on Feb 27, 2022 3:20:58 GMT
“So that must be the Moonstone they’ve been going on about…” Jay muttered. “Let’s hope Black Blood doesn’t have the seventh—”
Nya’s eyes fell upon two figures lying sprawled out by the Moonstone. Her blood froze. “Jay. Look.”
He looked. His face went dead-white. “Lloyd!”
“Little Leaf!” They ran to the figures. As they approached, Nya could see them better by the light of the Moonstone—she almost wished she couldn’t.
Nya stood rooted to the spot, heart pounding in her ears. “Are they…? They can’t be…?”
Shakily Jay kneeled over each of them and checked their pulses. He didn’t look at her as he said bleakly, “They’re gone. Both of them.”
She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think.
Gone? No, no, ridiculous. They were only tired, they will wake up in a moment… Poor Little Leaf, lying on the cold hard ground…
Slowly, feeling as if she were in a dark dream, Nya knelt down and gently pulled Little Leaf into her lap. She still felt warm. That means she would wake up soon, yes…
As Jay knelt over Lloyd and bent his head, Nya cradled Little Leaf to her chest and cried through gritted teeth.
* * *
Cole felt torn between staying with Matilda, weak as she was, and continuing his search for Liana. Thankfully Matilda had made the decision a little easier for him, saying gruffly that she had a score to settle with Broken Fang and Raven Frost and that alone would give her enough strength to fight. Secretly he doubted she could stand very long, but at least she would be nearby the other ninja and they would cover her. Thus Matilda followed Earth Flame’s direction to the gathering cavern and Cole went the other way with his werecat guide.
The prison cells were all silent and empty. As Cole’s fear of the worst increased, Earth Flame attempted to assure him, “Maybe they’re keeping her in a different cave—like, one of the sorcerers’ private chambers. If they’d gotten rid of her, they would be gloating about it in front of everyone.”
The idea of that made Cole feel sick to his stomach. As they continued up and down the winding tunnels, he began straining his brain to mind-bend. Liana, can you hear me? Liana? He had no idea if it was actually working, yet he continued.
They were in one of the larger tunnels now, lighted with more lamps. They passed by gaps in the wall both narrow and wide, short and tall—it seemed as if the Moon Tribe’s home was riddled with hundreds of caves. Earth Flame muttered as they strode on. “Warriors’ sleeping den, elders’ sleeping den… nursery’s down the right, the birthing den on the left right there… we already passed the training room, so… down that tunnel. To be honest, I’ve never been down here, it’s where the sorcerers hang out. We as kits always dared each other to go as far as we could down there without getting scared or caught, but one time one of my sisters, Hazel Duck—”
Cole? Is that you?
Stiffening, Cole hissed, “Wait!”
“Huh? What is it?”
|
|
|
|
Feb 27, 2022 14:20:57 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Feb 27, 2022 14:20:57 GMT
“Shh.” Heart leaping, he pressed his brain again. Liana? Tell me that’s you.
Her voice sounded muffled and faint, yet he could hear her. It— it’s me… What— how did you…?
He started down the dark tunnel, the one exclusive to the sorcerers. Where are you? We’re coming to get you!
He wished he could sense her emotions through the tingly connection, but all he could hear were chopped-up words, sounding like they came from a broken BorgPad. Don’t know… in a tiny cave— just follow my— my voice, just come…
“Hey, mud-tom,” Earth Flame pressed. “What’s up?”
“It’s Liana. She’s contacting me through mind-bending. I think she’s down there.”
“Mind-what—?”
“Just follow me.” Impatiently he took off at a run, gliding his hands against the walls to guide himself when there weren’t any lamps. Keep talking, please. I’m coming.
I’ll try… She sounded so distant, so weary. Just, don’t freak if I randomly pass out.
Don’t pass out. Stay awake.
They turned around a bend in the tunnel, then another one—how long was this tunnel? Cole abruptly began to feel fatigued, as if his muscles were covered with more scratches and bruises than they should be. Surprised, he staggered.
“Hey now! You all right?” Earth Flame stared at him, mingled confusion and concern evident in his humanoid face.
“Y— yeah… I think we’re getting close,” he gasped. “I can feel her exhaustion… They must have hurt her…” At the thought of that new strength returned to his body. He kept walking through the shadows, talking to her in his head. You still there?
How did you get in here? Is everyone else…?
We followed the Moon Tribe here. Everyone’s fighting in one of the big caves. It’s do or die time, basically. He allowed the note of wryness. It somehow made things feel better, laughing at the bad things happening.
Cole— Cole, I’ve got to tell you. Her voice was becoming clearer, and in it he finally detected a new tone of urgency and fear. Black Blood—she got the seventh moonstone.
What?! He stumbled, making Earth Flame come close to running into his back. How?
It was my necklace. I don’t know how, but it was my necklace, and she knew. She sounded despairing. I— I don’t know— maybe my father was the one who got it, he used to be a merchant, maybe he picked it up from a thief in one of his travels…!
Cole’s head was spinning, but he tried to comfort her. Hey—it wasn’t your fault.
They entered a new tunnel, this one wider. He stopped. Several iron doors, like the one in the prison, lined this cavern and was lit by a single lamp.
But now she has them all and she left to go to the big Moonstone to get her nine lives! I should— I should never had let myself get captured, it’s all my fault—
Earth Flame interrupted the soundless exchange. “I smell human, and Raven Frost and Black Blood. The scents are fresh.” He gestured to the iron door on the far right. “That’s where the human smell is coming from.”
|
|
|
|
Feb 27, 2022 15:38:03 GMT
-last edited on Feb 27, 2022 15:42:31 GMT by LordTigress
Post by LordTigress on Feb 27, 2022 15:38:03 GMT
Cole ran to the iron door and banged his fist against it. “Liana! Is that you?”
“Cole!” Her voice sounded muffled and trembling, yet he’d never heard a more beautiful sound. “Y— yes, I’m here—”
“Back away from the door! I’m comin’ in!” Curling his hands into fists, he attempted to summon the strange powers he’d discovered on Day of the Departed. However, his brain was swirling with too many overwhelming emotions and he had not gotten the hang of his super-strength yet. He grunted, then glared at his arms, frustrated.
“Guess I’m gonna have to do it the old-fashioned way!” Thrusting his hands out, he summoned a huge chunk of rock from the wall and carved it into a ball. Hovering in mid-air, he turned it to the door and prepared to smash it in.
“Uhh…” Clearing his throat, Earth Flame reached for his belt and jingled the ring of keys. “Or, we could just use these. But, I mean, smashing the door to bits is fine, too, so go for it, buddy—”
Dropping the rock chunk, Cole yanked the keys from Earth Flame’s hands and unlocked the door hastily. At the rewarding click he slammed it open. “Liana!”
In the narrow, dingy cell, she lay wearily on her side, propping herself up with her hands. Ponytail gone, her pale blond hair fell messily around her face, streaked with dirt. The purple gi was decorated with numerous tears, dirt stains and dark stains. Scratches stood out anywhere armor hadn’t covered her body, and one shoulder pad had been ripped away. The collar of her uniform fell loosely from her neck, as if someone had come and jerked it out of shape.
His heart dropped. He barely felt himself run to her, drop onto his knees and jerkily cradle her to himself. “Liana—what did they do to you…!”
Familiar milky eyes rose up and stared past him, smiling weakly. “Took you long enough.”
He clung to her, shaking with anger. “What did Black Blood do—?”
“Not Black Blood. Raven Frost.” Her voice quivered and she dropped her head against his chest. “Used the Dark Sleep against me. Tortured me in the real world. Just because he wanted to. I tried to fight him, and her… I tried so hard…”
Hovering at the doorway, Earth Flame cleared his throat. “Remember Broken Fang? Might want to check.” When Cole turned to stare at him inquiringly, he elaborated. “Could be another sorcerer in disguise.”
Liana stiffened.
“How’re we supposed to check?” Feeling her tensing up, he moved so that she could place her head at the crook of his neck.
The werecat hesitated, pondering, before looking at the torch in his hand and holding it up. The firelight danced dimly against the stone walls. “Her shadow will show. If it looks like a cat, it’s a trick.”
Cole didn’t want to check. He wanted to believe Liana, to pick her up and not let go and to just get her away, far away from all the evil and horror running rampant in these dark tunnels.
“OK.” Still shaking, Liana pulled herself away from Cole and sat up. “Is this good?”
|
|
|
|
Feb 27, 2022 16:01:05 GMT
Post by LordTigress on Feb 27, 2022 16:01:05 GMT
“Yes, just hold still there.” Earth Flame stepped into the cell and frowned at the wall.
Cole sat up as well and stared at the rugged gray wall. He could see his and her shadows sitting together, his being much larger and bulkier than hers. Mouth dry, he searched the black smudge for any sign of feline features; cat ears, whiskers, a muzzle, tails, anything.
Nothing. Her shadow was perfectly humanoid.
“Looks fine to me,” Earth Flame muttered.
Feeling weak with relief, Cole hugged Liana tightly, digging one hand into her hair. She buried herself into him, warm and trembling body pressed against his.
He wished he could say something more heartfelt, something closer to what he really felt, but all he could murmur was, “Glad to have you back.”
He felt her cold little hands wind feebly around his torso. “Cole,” she said, mouth by his shoulder. “There’s something else I think you should know… Black Blood— when she came in here, I—”
“We can’t stay,” Earth Flame interjected. He was dancing impatiently on his feet. “Someone might catch our scent and corner us here. I’ll feel better once we’re back in the big caverns where we can breathe and see everyone else.”
“Right. Liana, can you stand?”
“Maybe. I just…” She pushed herself off of him and attempted to stand, but her knees buckled and she fell back with a quiet grunt. “Just— just tired… gimme a few minutes, and I’ll—”
“There’s no time. We’ve gotta go.” Scooping her up in her arms, he stepped back into the dim corridor and followed Earth Flame back the way they came. Now that they’d rescued Liana, he felt more leery than ever of running into a sorcerer in the tunnels. Fighting a sorcerer with just Earth Flame would have been one thing, but it would be another thing entirely to fight while trying to protect Liana.
Yet nothing crept out of the shadows. He held his breath every time they turned around a bend in the tunnel, but there was no hiss, no scrape of claws against stone, no feline growl. Nevertheless he couldn’t allow himself to relax. Ahead of him Earth Flame’s head swiveled left and right as he constantly sniffed the air, tense and alert.
The silence went on, broken only by their footsteps’ tip-tap and the faint huff of Cole’s breath, weighed down by Liana.
Evidently she began to feel guilty. “I can get down now.”
“Heh, you’re light as a feather. Don’t worry about it.”
“No really, I’m feeling better already.”
“Liar.”
She smiled ruefully and gave up, letting her head fall against his shoulder. That faint touch made his heart skip a beat, even through all the numbness from everything else happening. He stared ahead and told himself to concentrate.
Then, almost dreamily she murmured, “Before Raven Frost captured me, I heard screaming. Is everyone all right?”
Cole’s heart lurched. Earth Flame halted for a breath of a second.
He wondered if she could feel his pulse picking up. “Cole?”
|
|
|
|
Feb 27, 2022 20:23:21 GMT
-last edited on Feb 27, 2022 21:10:47 GMT by LordTigress
Post by LordTigress on Feb 27, 2022 20:23:21 GMT
Swallowing, he finally responded. “Loud Bird and Violet Swift passed on in the first battle… but we just found Matilda and freed her.”
“Matilda?” The name came out as a gasp. “She’s alive?”
“Alive and kicking tail already. She insisted we let her fight the sorcerers while we go looking for you.” He forced a half-laugh at that. “So nearly everyone else is OK.”
“Did anyone else...?”
His voice caught in his throat, his mouth suddenly dry. Yet through it he finally rasped, “Eagle Talon’s gone. Black Blood got him.”
He could feel her stiffen. He didn’t dare look at her in the awful silence that followed, not until she whispered, “Oh, Cole…! I’m so sorry…”
A picture of Talon lying in the grass, black arrow sticking out of his chest, flashed in Cole’s head. He couldn’t say anything.
“Will— will Black Blood…” She hesitated. “Do you think she’ll come after you next?”
“I know she will.”
Liana was quiet. When he glanced at her, a spark of familiar fire had returned to her scarred eyes. “Not on my watch.”
* * *
Lightning Streak voiced a grief-stricken caterwaul. She threw herself over Spark Pelt’s motionless body and wrestled with a massive tom. Her paws were unsteady from the shock and her opponent overpowered her easily. She felt a heavy paw slam into her throat, choking her, as she was pinned down.
Then Zane came, delivering a sound kick that sent the tom reeling. He fell upon the nekomata swiftly, punching the sensitive parts around his face and kicking the jaw. The big cat snarled and swiped its claws at him. Zane hopped back a pace and snatched the paw just as it swung for his face—there he stood for a second, gripping the paw tightly while the nekomata gaped at him.
Zane yanked on the foreleg, pulling his opponent off-balance and tripping him with one outstretched foot. As the cat tumbled on its face, he leapt atop him and latched a chokehold around its furry neck. He squeezed tight.
The nekomata continued to struggle for a minute longer, growling in choked gurgles. Finally he fell limp, passing out. Zane released him and stood up panting. “Are you hurt?”
“Just— just angry…” Lightning Streak limped to his side, holding up one paw. She cast a weary look at Spark Pelt’s body.
He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder while glancing around at the scene. The Moon Tribe was still warring viciously against one another. Back by the entrance, on the west side, Wu and Misako used both Spinjitzu and their staffs freely, sending cats either flying across the cavern or fleeing with bruised heads and faces. Even Mr. Brookstone did his part, swinging his staff unsteadily yet managing to whack several prowling nekomata across their noses.
|
|
|
|
Post by LordTigress on Feb 28, 2022 1:38:53 GMT
In the thick of the battle, Zane could just barely see Ronin flinging throwing stars and nimble knives at his opponents. Wolf Paw stayed by his side. Nearby was Skylor, gritting her teeth as she summoned the elements of Speed and Shadow to daze and confuse her opponents, running around them in circles before popping up behind them in a shadow and knocking them out.
A frantically-squeaking white rabbit scrambled between Zane’s legs. He looked behind him to see Matilda at the south side of the cavern. Though covered with marks of abuse and hatless, she shot spells at the cats who attempted to get close to her, turning many of them into rabbits and frogs. Her hand was covered in burns and blisters.
A flash of movement caught Zane’s eye. Stumbling out of one of the tunnels was Earth Flame.
Alone…? For one terrifying second his stomach dropped—then Cole came out of the black mouth, Liana in his arms.
Relief flooded through Zane. “Cole!”
Cole met his gaze across the ocean of chaos and grinned wearily.
A couple of females saw them and came running, ears flat on their heads. Instinctively Earth Flame’s hands transformed into feline paws and he bared narrow teeth at them. Voicing a warning growl, he met the females in a flurry of claws and teeth. Seeing him outnumbered, Zane joined Earth Flame in the brawl, dragging one cat off of his back.
Meanwhile Cole found a large boulder and set Liana down behind it, shielding her from the worst of the battle. He kept glancing around furtively.
Liana’s eyes were wide, looking anxious. “It’s so loud…”
He clapped his hands on both sides of her face and looked at her, imagining she could feel his gaze. “Save your strength for now. Here’s a weapon just in case.” He handed her one of his katanas. “Don’t worry about all the noise. I’ll tell you when you need to fight. Just work on breathing and saving your energy.”
In another day, she might’ve acted as if he’d personally offended her and insisted she can take care of herself. Now she only grinned wearily, face white, and murmured, “I hate being the damsel in distress.”
“Think of it as me paying you back for healing my eyes.”
Her eyes darkened. “Cole—”
Thunder seemed to blast in his ears and his head. The entire cavern shuddered as a blinding flash of light lit up the scene. In that second Cole’s eyes burned, and with a shocked yelp he ducked his head down behind the boulder. Heart hammering, he pulled Liana to him and shielded her from whatever was going on. She hugged him tight.
The initial crash rumbled away, as did the blinding light. Stunned, he blinked through watering eyes. Thunder underground…?
“What the heck was that?!” Liana demanded, almost angry.
|
|
|
|
Post by LordTigress on Feb 28, 2022 2:38:31 GMT
He scanned the cavern. Everyone, even the enemy warrior cats, seemed shocked and confused by the strange thunder and light. The battle lingered on pause, allies and enemies alike sharing bewildered looks. Nearby Zane was helping Earth Flame to his feet, frowning in concern.
“Look around you!” an all-too familiar voice broke the uneasy pause. Stomach lurching, Cole whipped his gaze to the east side of the massive cavern.
Standing atop a lopsided pile of boulders, a black-pelted bakeneko cackled at the crowd. “Humans, traitors—does this look like a winning battle to you?”
“Black Blood,” Liana rasped, suddenly white.
Cole stared at his sister. Was it Black Blood? Her fur seemed to shine, glittering and unearthly. Tiny lights like stars gathered at her paws while a bright blue glow came from her eyes, blinding. A shape like a crescent moon on her forehead glowed with the same light. The cat looked like some kind of ghost, come back from the Departed Realm in a strange haze of starlight.
The next words to come out of her mouth made his blood run cold. “Moon Tribe, look upon your queen! The seven moonstones have been recovered and the Great Moonstone is healed! I went and met with our ancestors of old!” The glow in her eyes faded away, but the crazed look did not. “I have been given the gift of nine lives!
“Black Blood is gone! Blood Star is your savior!”
She threw back her head and cackled. The Moon Tribe gawked at her before a haunting roar of cheers rose slowly. Teeth flashing, the werecats grinned at the horror-stricken ninja and began to chant. “Blood Star, Blood Star, Blood Star…”
Still cackling, Blood Star picked up something with a claw and waved it at her audience. “Fear not, my tribe! The Son of the First is gone! This is the time to take vengeance once and for all! Who is with me?”
Cole’s stomach dropped. His vision swam.
Lloyd’s mask dangled from her paw. Red stood out against the green material.
The chanting increased. As one the ocean of cats turned upon the humans, many eyes glinting dangerously. They stalked toward their prey and the ominous chanting increased. “Blood Star, Blood Star, Blood Star…”
Cole could feel Liana’s fingers wrap around his tightly, trembling. He could only stand there, heart pounding in his ears. His vision swam with everything and nothing—the Moon Tribe stalking toward the humans, forcing them to back away. The stained ninja mask. Liana’s face, agape and horror-stricken.
And Blood Star, his half-sister, cackling in glee as her paws surged with newfound power.
They’d failed.
Blood Star had nine lives—she was virtually immortal. The ninja were not.
Lloyd’s torn-up mask testified to just how vulnerable the ninja were to death.
“Blood Star, Blood Star, Blood Star…!”
✯ ☾ ✯
[End of Episode 10 of Ninjago: Roots of Earth
... Part 1]
|
|
|
|
Post by LordTigress on Mar 3, 2022 15:08:08 GMT
Episode 75/a: Son of Earth, Daughter of Darkness - Part 2
“Yeah, everything goes away
But I'm going to be here 'til forever
So just call when you're around.”
Chapter 107: “Death, be not Proud”
Someone was at the door.
Her head jerked up, suddenly awake. Heart hammering, her eyes slid over the kitchen table to the rickety door. It had only one built-in lock to protect the family. It’d been months since the last time someone had attempted to break in, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen again…
The lock was being jiggled by whatever was on the other side. The sound felt loud and threatening in the quiet of the afternoon. Her mind raced, trying to decide what to do.
Then the lock clicked and the door swung open.
“Li!” She bolted up from the chair, relieved, and buried her husband in a hug. “Thank the First Spinjitzu Master—I thought it was a robber!”
The tall man practically picked her up to embrace her, brushing the straw hat out of the way to deliver a kiss. “Sorry to disappoint, Martha. It’s just me.” Letting a bulky bag slide down from his shoulder, he added, “And I’ve got presents.”
Martha wrung her hands as she inspected him. His skin looked dark, tanned from days in the desert. His clothes were weatherbeaten, the plain colors faded. A permanent sweat stain stood out against his straw hat. These were not unusual appearances, but Li’s wife noticed that the more trips he took, the older he looked upon his return home.
“Stop worrying,” he teased, noticing the haunted look. “See, I’m all right. And this is one of the last trips I’m taking. I’ll be getting a new job soon, one that won’t take me away from you.” Despite the faint wrinkles at his eyes, his smile matched by his still-dark hair gave him a young, boyish look.
Suddenly feeling old herself, Martha released her curly hair from the bandana and ran a hand through it hurriedly, as if that would turn back the hands of time. “What have you got, then?”
Still grinning, Li rummaged through the bulky bag and took out a small leather pouch. He handed it to her with a theatrical flourish. “For you, my love.”
Determined to remain unimpressed, she took it and unraveled the string. As it opened up a small weight fell into her hand. She gasped, “Ohh, Li—! Where did you get this?”
“We passed by some thie— eh, traders from the north. We exchanged some things. I met a man carrying a couple of stones like these.” His grin broadened at his wife’s shocked expression. “Beauty, right? Thankfully I was able to find someone who made necklaces out of things like these, and—well, it cost me a lunch and dinner, but I got it carved, too. Y’know, to look like the shells from the beach we used to play in.”
Martha stared at the pendant glimmering in the candlelight. It was attached to a dainty silver chain, and indeed it resembled one of the many seashells that lined the shores of her childhood home. Her voice caught in her throat. “Li…”
|
|
|
|
Post by LordTigress on Mar 3, 2022 16:06:56 GMT
“Daddy’s home!” With an excited squeal, a little brown-haired boy came racing downstairs and threw himself at Lee. “Daddy!”
“Hey, Philip, how you doing, kiddo?” Laughingly the father snatched up the boy and hugged him. “Where’s your sister?”
As if on cue, another “Daddy!” shrieked through the house. A toddler with hair the same color as her mother’s came racing into the kitchen. Li stooped and scooped her up with one arm.
“How’s my little princess?”
Liana giggled and pressed her cheek against his, feeling his scratchy whiskers. Beside her Philip sat up and fairly screamed into Li’s ear, “I caught a frog today!”
“Shh, not so loud!” their mother reprimanded. “Your father’s been traveling all day. Inside voices, please.”
“I am using my inside voice!” Philip yelled.
“No you not!” Liana yelled. “I am!”
“I don’t know what you two think an inside voice sounds like, but this is definitely not it,” Li laughed, suppressing a grimace.
Suddenly serious, Liana stared at her father with big blue eyes. “Don’ go.”
Li’s expression softened. “I won’t. I’m here now.” He kissed her forehead. “So as a celebration, I think we should go on a picnic tomorrow!”
The children cheered shrilly. It was too sweet a scene for Martha to complain about the surprise. She could only smile and meet Li’s eyes.
“You like your present?”
“I love it.”
“Then I’ll help you put it on.” Gently dropping the kids, he took the necklace and had her turn around.
Now the children saw the necklace. “Is that a present for Mommy?”
“Do we, do we get presents?”
“Did you get us presents, Daddy?”
“Of course I did!” Once the necklace was on, Li kissed his wife teasingly on the cheek and neck before turning back to the bag. “Let’s see… I’ve got some throwing stars for Liana, a sword for Philip, got a little blood on it, but that’s OK, we can—”
“Li! Absolutely not!” Martha gasped.
“I’m kidding!” Laughing, he bent over the sack. Philip danced excitedly around him, babbling and trying to peer over his shoulder. At last a small wooden horse with a samurai figurine was revealed, and the walls of the house shook with shrieks of joy once again.
“Mama?”
Startled, Martha looked down to see her daughter staring up at her with big blue eyes. Gravely the toddler stammered, “I— you, can I have— can I have the, can I have neck’ace?”
Smiling, the mother stooped down to kiss one of her daughter’s tiny hands. “One day, sweetie. When you’re older.”
“Princess, you want your present or not? If not, I guess I’ll just give this nice doll to your brother…”
“No!” Giggling and attention diverted, Liana joined her brother in receiving their new presents. She immediately forgot about her mother’s pretty necklace.
* * *
|
|
|
|
Post by LordTigress on Mar 3, 2022 16:53:33 GMT
The Pingous way of imprisonment was unlike any Kai had seen. Instead of a dungeon containing a series of cells, the prison was a large, bare courtyard lying by the castle, surrounded by high, thick walls. Deep stone holes drilled in the ground littered this courtyard. The guards dragged him here, struggling and hollering, until they reached one of these holes. A guard pulled back the thick iron grate and Kai was forced down into the hole by way of a ladder. Two guards joined him only to chain both his hands to the icy walls before climbing back up to the surface. Laughing and jeering, they slammed the grate shut over his head and left the Fire Mage locked in his dark, choking underground prison.
There he remained, both hands encased in balls of metal and chained to the wall. He’d tugged on the chains for a while before giving up, exhausted. In the near pitch-black darkness it felt almost hard to breathe, what with his prison being so narrow and small. As time wore on his hands went numb and his legs fell asleep. The rough blows from the soldiers throbbed, along with older wounds.
Kai clung to the act of staring upwards for as long as he could before his neck got too stiff. He could see, through the grate in the ceiling, the night sky. Clouds drifted by; they paid him no heed but occasionally granted stars to peer cast their veil and wink at him. The stars looked bigger in Pawreles than they did in Ninjago…
He thought he would be up all night, wondering about what had happened to Garagan. Out of desperation he summoned as much heat as he could. The flames sputtered and choked in the containers around his hands—the most they did was warm the metal. Defeated, he slumped against the wall.
It was a muffled, low-sounding boom that woke him up. Startled, he jerked up and stared around the circular cell. There was light, a faint hazy blue. It was dawn. He could hear morning birds chirping outside. He couldn’t remember falling asleep.
Chains rattling, he stood and stared up, hoping to see something past the grate. Nothing. All he could see was the sky.
Another boom echoed faintly in the distance.
“Oh, no…” Realization made him catch his breath. “The rebels! They’re attacking the city! But we haven’t opened the gate yet!”
His mind raced. Tinny Bird and the army didn’t know he and Garagan had been captured. They would attack Jëmlen and push through until they got to the castle. They were expecting the drawbridge to be down. The drawbridge is not down. They will soon be trapped.
And Kai would not get home.
New determination swept through him. “I’ve gotta open that drawbridge!” Gritting his teeth, he summoned a fresh wave of heat from his hands.
He felt the fire, but they sputtered. Plumes of smoke rose while the metal warmed up, but nothing burned.
No! He huffed angrily. It’s gotta work! He kept summoning waves of heat, uncaring of the faint throb that came with it. He was a fire ninja. I can’t be hurt by fire.
|
|
|
|
Post by LordTigress on Mar 3, 2022 22:09:14 GMT
More smoke rose out of the hole. He could feel his hands trembling, hurting now. The metal balls were red, glowing. A warning hiss came from them as they slowly, yet surely, became a liquid.
Something dripped onto one of his hands. Kai yelped out loud before biting his lip. It hurt—much, much more than he thought he would. His hands had the ability to play with fire and not get burned, but they weren’t invincible, as much as he would have liked to believe it.
Yet he kept going, forcing more heat to melt the encasings. More molten metal dripped onto his hands. He breathed heavily, feeling light-headed.
More hissing, more smoke, more pain. Still he kept going. Sweat trickled down his face. His arms shook as his chest heaved for breath. He couldn’t remember ever having to use so much strength for this much fire…!
Something clattered by his foot and cool air kissed his hand. Groaning out loud until it became a yell, he pushed what energy he had left into the remaining hand. His vision seemed to flicker. His head throbbed.
The remaining encasing melted and hissed metallically on the floor.
Kai sank to his knees with a deep groan. He didn’t know he was falling until the side of his head hit the ground. It hurt. It hurt so much.
His vision swam, and his eyes were brimming with tears. His throat tightened and he choked. What? No. No, don’t cry. Don’t you dare cry.
He hadn’t realized how badly his arms were shaking until he swung them in front of himself. His stomach lurched.
Both hands were burned badly. Some drops of metal was still there, sizzling in his flesh, now dark spots against the soot-black and oozing red palms and fingers. Already the shock was wearing away, introducing a fresh wave of hateful pain, as if the fire had never left.
In horror he stared at his hands, the saviors of so many misadventures and battles. Would they heal? Could he still wield his powers? On impulse he tried it, summoning a small flame. To his relief not only did a spot of fire pop up, but it didn’t hurt him—at least, as far as he could tell. Maybe the little flame was burning more flesh and his nerves were too shot for him to tell.
A quivering sob broke from him before he could stop it. It just hurt, his hands hurt so much. Would they ever heal…? He tried to move them and gasped in pain.
With a jolt of disgust he realized that he was lying on his side in a dank hole, crying while his friends were fighting a war outside. What would the guys say if they could see you now? a voice in his head demanded harshly. Zane, Jay, Cole, Lloyd—are you this helpless without them to back you up? C’mon, man!
Trembling, he tried to get up. He started to push up from one of his hands before gasping and collapsing. “I can’t do it…”
Boom. Far away, yet a threatening sound. The sound reminded him of what he needed to do and who was relying on him to do it.
|
|
|
|
Post by LordTigress on Mar 3, 2022 22:34:35 GMT
“Come on, Kai,” he hissed, glaring at the ground. He propped himself on his elbows. “You’re the Fire Mage. They need you.”
In slow, painstaking movements he used his legs to push himself up against the wall. Holding his arms gingerly in a crisscross position across his chest, he cast his eyes up at the grate. He stood approximately ten feet below the gateway to freedom.
He talked to himself—it helped distract him from his hands. “Can’t grab the grate… but who says I have to use my hands?”
Taking a moment to brace himself, he forced his arms to remain steady and inhaled slowly. Suddenly spinning in a circle on one foot, a gust of wind picked him up in a miniature cyclone and thrust him up in the blink of an eye. He started to twist his body around.
He hit his head on the grate and plummeted back down immediately.
“Ouch!” Groaning, he picked himself back up and glared at the grate. Again he summoned an Airjitzu vortex and flew upwards.
This time he completed his somersault. He saw dark metal against sky out of the corner of his eye. He thrust his legs out straight.
His legs slipped through. He released the vortex power and curled his legs around the bars. Gravity came back fiercely and threatened to pull him back down in the hole. Yet in midair he remained; dangling upside-down from the bars by his legs, like a monkey from a tree.
“Ha-ha, I did it!” Arms dangling, he pulled himself up a bit and peered past the grate. Barely he could see the floor of the courtyard stretching around his prison. Walls and sky flashed by his vision before he fell back, gasping for breath. Already the bends of his legs were throbbing and all the blood was rushing to his head.
“I gotta hurry.” He pulled himself up again and scanned the area outside the bars. Twisting his head, he caught sight of something small and dark sticking up, right by his feet.
The latch.
Good thing. If this was a lock, I’d be in some real trouble. Trying to breathe and focus at the same time, he shifted his left foot to reach toward the lone latch. His body swayed, clinging to the ceiling by one leg, which was now burning under the pressure while his head throbbed.
“Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall…” He had to lean back now, gasping for breath. He couldn’t see the latch but felt a burst of triumph when his boot scraped against it.
On impulse he looked down. His stomach turned at the thought of falling again, and he forced himself to stare only at the wall. He reached further, feeling the end of his boot catch at the end of the latch.
Then he pulled. The latch resisted and his boot slipped. His body swayed again, heart pounding in his ears and head screaming in protest. Again he reached out and caught the latch. Breathing heavily, he pulled.
It gave, and something clattered above his head.
|
|
