#Nevya Eda Walker

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Pilot 2: Ruler of Shadows

Prologue Pilot 1 (Pilot 2, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Episode 1

((Tw: violence, blood, injury, mild language, death))

After checking each other over and finding minimal injuries, besides Nya's face, the three returned to their camp. They packed up what little of their belongings the Skeleton Army had left intact and set off towards the Amber Temple.

When they reached it forty-five minutes later, they dropped their packs at the start of the bridge. Crossing over, they stopped at the doors.

"Skylor?" Seliel called. "Sensei?"

Pixal removed her hood, frowning as she stared at the temple. "The Sai of Absorption were here, as well our friend, but I only sense loss." She said, sitting down on the steps that led up to the door. "The elemental weapons have left this realm and are now in the Underworld."

Seliel groaned and flopped down. She removed her zukin, pulling at her pink hair in frustration. "The one place no mortal can cross over."

"We might not be able to cross over, but I know someone who can."

The three turned around, seeing that the doors had been cracked open, a person clad in orange leaning on them for support. Skylor smiled weakly. "Hey."

Nya jumped up, running over to wrap her arms around her teammate. She stopped about halfway, pointing to the figure hanging limply at her side. "Who's that?" She asked.

"Señoras, I'd like you to meet my brother, Jayson Guadjoso."

Seliel was on her feet and beside Skylor in seconds. She lifted up Jay's chin, inspecting his face before calling the Purple Ninja over. She removed Jay from Skylor's arms, handing him to Pixal. "He looks pretty bad. His pulse is weak. See what you can do and we'll drop him off at a hospital."

Pixal nodded, taking Jay to where they dropped their packs, hoping they had medical supplies that would help him. Seliel turned back to Skylor. "Not really the way I envisioned meeting your brother."

"Yeah, well, I didn't really envision becoming a ninja."

"Touché." Seliel patted Skylor on the back as she went to join Pixal in taking care of her brother.

Nya floated over to Seliel. "I was right."

Seliel turned to look at her. "About what?"

"Someone related to Skylor has to be attractive."

Seliel blanked before bursting into laughter. "Let's just hope he's nicer. And speaks Ninjargon." Seliel muttered under her breath. She knew how hard it was to learn a new language.

"I doubt that. Guadjoso siblings: pretty and feisty."

"You should get that engraved on something."

"I'm thinking 'bout it." She left Seliel's side to stand next to Skylor who was watching Pixal clean out the cut on Jay's face. "Ya said you knew someone who could get us into the Underworld?"

Skylor turned around and let out a sharp whistle. There was the sound of flapping wings as a dragon shot out of the volcano. It landed next to Skylor, staring curiously at the other three shinobis.

"Are you insane!?" Seliel shrieked.

"Once she realized we were trying to protect the sai, she actually became quite a softie." Skylor explained, patting the dragon on the nose. "I'll take her and run to Ignacia with Jay. I'll come back to get you guys and we can go get the weapons."

"There's not enough room for all of us on that... thing." Seliel stammered.

Skylor hummed. "Y'know what? You're right." Seliel let out a sigh of relief. "But I got a way to fix that."

Skylor pulled Nya and Pixal up onto the dragon's back. Jay was nestled in between Nya and Skylor. Seliel, however, refused to go near the dragon. Instead she went back to the Horse Carriage. She leaned against it as she watched the other three take off.

A few seconds later she fell backwards, her back hitting the floor of the wagon as she was lifted into the air. She peered over the edge, seeing the trees getting smaller and smaller. She took note of the large talons gripping the sides and the large wings flapping overhead.

"Skylor!" Seliel yelled. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Skylor's face appeared over the dragon's side. "Taking my brother to the hospital."

"Put me down!"

"Okay."

The dragon released its hold on the Horse Carriage, Seliel screaming as she plummeted towards the ground. Suddenly, she stopped. Looking up she spotted the dragon, Skylor smirking evilly and her teammates trying to stifle their laughs.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Now I know why you're the agitator. Let's just get to Ignacia so I can stand on the ground again." Seliel buried herself far in the corner of the wagon for the rest of the long flight, refusing to converse with her friends.

Instead of stopping at the weapons-smith shop, they flew past it into the closest village, Scarleton. The citizens in the parking lot scattered as the dragon lowered itself onto the asphalt. The ninja dismounted, and started heading for the door. They attracted a lot of attention, not only from the dragon but from the shinobis, as such warriors hadn't been seen in Ninjago since before the Serpentine Wars. (But it was mostly the dragon.)

A doctor rushed out, wanting to see what all the commotion was about. When his eyes landed on Skylor he rushed back inside. He soon re-emerged with a team of nurses and a stretcher. They took Jay and immediately took him inside, leaving Skylor at the front doors to fill out paperwork. When she was done, Pixal was waiting for her by the doors.

"Where's Seliel and Nya?"

"They wanted to get Nya's cheek checked out. She got hit pretty bad." Pixal eyed Skylor up and down. "We should get you home and clean you up." Skylor opened her mouth to protest. "We will know the second Jay wakes up. Come."

Climbing onto the back of the dragon, they took off, traveling the mile to the blacksmith shop. The dragon was left in the yard as the two ninja went inside.

Half an hour later, Skylor's ribs and wrists had been bandaged and they were sitting in the main shop when a knock sounded at the door and the phone rang.

Pixal stood to get the phone as Skylor opened the door. Seliel and Nya entered, immediately sitting down and sighing from exhaustion. Skylor took note of the Horse Carriage in the yard and thanked them for bringing it back.

They heard Pixal thank the person on the phone and hang up. All heads turned to her.

"Your brother's alive, lots of cuts and bruises, broken ribs, fractured ankles and wrists, dislocated arm." She paused, looking as if she didn't want to say something. "They had to jumpstart his heart. They said it was nothing like they've ever seen, like his life was sucked out of him."

Skylor's face went white as she slowly sat down. Shaking her head, she puffed out her chest. "I know mi hermano, he'll be okay, he's stronger than he looks. Misako's going to get the crap beat out of her though." Her teammates nodded in agreement. "Alright ladies, rest up, we have a big day ahead."

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At sunrise, the four stood outside, rested, bellies full, and with a new determination: to avenge their sensei, retrieve the weapons, and save the continent of Ninjago.

Climbing atop the dragon, they raced to the Western Coast, the Eastern Mountain Ridges, and the Forest of Second Glances.

Around ten o'clock in the evening, they were flying above the clouds, wind in their face and clouds above their heads.

"I hate this!" Seliel screamed as she clung to the dragon that had been guarding the staff. "I hate this!"

"Stop being such a baby." Skylor said. "This is awesome!"

"Yes, this is quite fun." Pixal agreed.

Nya squealed in surprise and enjoyment as her dragon did a barrel roll. "I think I'm going to call him Tsunami." She exclaimed.

"So how exactly do they cross over to the Underworld?" Seliel asked over the sound of rushing wind.

In response, the dragons pulled into a nosedive. They pulled their wings in and spun at rapid speed. Nothing seemed to be happening and the ground was getting closer with every second. The ninja closed their eyes and braced for impact that never came. Instead, there was a blinding flash of white light and a sudden stillness.

When the ninja opened their eyes, they gasped in amazement. They were racing through tunnels, little balls of purple and red light floating in the air and crystals of all colours reflecting the light.

"Is it over?" Seliel asked, hands still over her eyes.

"Nope!" Skylor replied. "Chica, you gotta see this."

Seliel carefully peeked through her fingers before letting her hands drop, staring in awe at the scenery around her.

Minutes later they reached an open cavern. The dragons skidded to a halt and collapsed on the ground, the journey seemingly having taken a lot out of them. The kunoichis dismounted, gazing around the cavern.

The little balls of light were still floating, and torches were mounted on the walls. The air seemed filled with static that only seemed to increase as they went deeper underground. They walked for a while longer, occasionally ducking behind something when a skeleton passed by. They walked through winding tunnels until they reached a cavern similar to the one they had landed in. The chamber was massive in comparison and dropped off into something resembling a main foyer.

On the opposite side of the cavern, there lay an entrance to a headquarters of some sort. Guards were positioned all along the walls, grips tight on their spears.

"They're expecting us." Skylor whispered. "This is now a pure stealth mission. Keep quiet from now on. We're going to hide ourselves down in the next cart and they're going to give us front row seats to kicking Misako's culo."

"Hey, I'm the leader. I give the orders." Seliel said.

"Okay then. What are your orders, all great and powerful Phantom Ninja?"

Seliel paused. "Do exactly what Skylor said. Stealth. Cart. Kicking Misako's butt."

They waited for a few minutes until the next cart arrived. Two guards were escorting it to be handed off to another two waiting on the platform of the elevator. As soon as the first two guards left to go get the next cart, the ninja sprung into action. Slipping into the cart before the other two could notice them, they took cover in crates and barrels. Skylor and Nya shared the biggest one, as they were the smallest. Pixal and Seliel had taken refuge in separate barrels.

The elevator ride was painstakingly slow. The cart jostled around as it was rolled off the platform and onto the hard rock.

Pixal peered out of a knothole in her barrel, seeing guards lined along every inch of the wall. When they neared the entrance she pulled back.

"Nothing gets through without inspection. Dark Lady's orders."

At that moment, the four shared the same thought, though it was Skylor who voiced it.

"Shit."

Pixal's crate was opened first, but she was waiting. "Nighty-night, bonehead." With a smirk on her face, she punched the skeleton with all her might, it flying backwards and out of the cart.

The other three stood up, a stupidly big grin on Skylor's face. "That was the most badass thing I've ever seen you do."

Pixal smiled, not quite sure if it was a compliment, but took the konran's expression as a good sign. "Thank you."

Seconds later the kunoichis found themselves surrounded by armed guards. "I count twenty boneheads to every one of us," Seliel said. A smile donned her countenance. "And I like those odds."

"Any ideas?" Skylor asked minutes later. She snap kicked a skeleton. "I'm all ears."

"What about the Tornado of Creation?" Nya yelled back.

"But it could destroy us!" Pixal reminded them.

"I'm getting those weapons or I'm going to die trying." Skylor said. "Who's with me."

Seliel hesitated before nodding. "Let's do this."

Quickly spinning into their spinjitzu, the four took down as many skeletons as they could. They began to be pulled together and knowing that it might be the end, they closed their eyes.

"Ugh, does anyone else feel like they jumped off a ten story building and landed on concrete?" Skylor moaned. There were three other consecutive groans as the kunoichis got to their feet. When Skylor finally decided to get up, she was met with three faces grinning obnoxiously. "What?"

"You love us." Nya drawled happily. "You loooove us."

"What?" Skylor spluttered. "No—I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mystake said we needed a bond strong enough so we wouldn't be destroyed. Ti nas voliš." ('You love us.') Seliel cooed, matching Nya's tone.

Skylor looked down. "Yeah, maybe, so what?" She mumbled. She grunted as she was embraced by the three. "Okay, we've established I like you guys. Can you let go, though? Bruised ribs and all." Her teammates let go, apologizing.

"Hey, did anyone see where the boneheads went?" Nya asked. At the sound of muffled shouts and angry grunts, the four turned, seeing that the army had been locked up in some sort of cage made from the elevator and the entrance to the base. The ninjas smiled and gave each other high-fives.

Pixal smirked and pulled up her hood. "Let's go get those weapons."

A lone figure stalked through the Skeleton Army base. They were not a skeleton, for they had muscles and skin. They wore white robes, which were soiled and torn.

They carefully made their way through the hallways, ducking out of sight when anyone approached. Not having a destination in mind, they soon found themselves at the heart of the underground base.

The room was darkly lit, a simple chair made from bones in the center and the far walls black with shadows.

"Sister." A quiet voice greeted. "It is so nice to see you again. When was the last time? Eleven years ago, correct?"

"Sister." Mystake growled. "I thought controlling the Skeleton Army would be beneath you."

"Oh, it is. But they do make loyal minions." Misako paused. "Tell me, how are your little kunoichis? The one seems to have behavioural issues. She was very mouthy the last time we met. I would... love to fix that."

"You will not lay a hand on my students."

Misako let out a little laugh. "Students? Is that what you're calling them now? Such a high ranking name for lowly puppets, don't you think?"

Mystake narrowed her eyes. "You will not talk about my pupils that way." Mystake's eyes finally adjusted to the dim lighting and she could make out a figure lounging in a throne, robes draped loosely off her body and a warrior's helmet resting on the arm of her throne.

Misako waved her hand. "Yes, yes. The boy was useful though. I must thank you for handing him over to me."

Mystake flinched, Skylor's face flashing in her mind. 'Because of you my brother is gone.' 'You let him get captured.' 'Your fault!' " What do you want, Misako?" Mystake hissed.

"You already know what I want. But your head would be a nice bonus." Misako snapped her fingers, Samukai appearing from within the shadows. "Seize the sai, and if you can, get rid of my sister. Her voice is starting to annoy me."

Samukai bowed. "With pleasure, Mistress." Three weapons were handed to her from skeleton slaves in the shadows. Samukai stepped out, seemingly admiring the three Golden Weapons in her hands. "One more to complete the collection."

Samukai began to circle Mystake, searching for a weak spot. Stopping at the right side of the woman, she lunged forward with the trident.

Side-stepping the attack, Mystake grabbed Samukai's arm and twisted it behind her back. Samukai kicked backwards, hitting Mystake in the knee. The Sensei gasped, letting go and stumbling back.

"Why don't you use the sai, Mystake? They would no doubt help you in your dire situation." Samukai teased.

"And let you see their perfection? Never."

Samukai growled before lunging forward, this time with the bo-staff. Mystake was hit square in the chest, and fell to the ground. Samukai came at her once again, the white-clad woman somersaulting out of the way. As she got to her feet, she was hit by something sharp in her back. She fell forward onto the ground, a pair of feet appearing next to her.

Samukai kicked her over onto her back, coiling the whip in her hand. She bent down and reached inside Mystake's pack. Pulling out the sai, she stood up, turning to her master.

"What have you done?" Mystake croaked, the pain in her back growing.

"What needed to be done." Misako answered. She held out her hand. "Bring the weapons to me."

Samukai looked down at the four weapons in her hands. "No." She began slowly. "You will obey me now. I hold the power."

Misako threw back her head and cackled. Four different coloured figures stumbled into the room and she laughed harder. The four ran to Mystake who was laying on the floor, her robes becoming even more soiled with red.

The one in orange looked up Misako, her eyes narrowing and catching the light. "You. You're going to pay for what you did to my brother you—!"

Mystake reached up, grabbing the pant-leg of her student. She shook her head and Skylor stepped back, not taking her eyes off Misako.

"Remind me to deal with you at a later date." Misako said. She turned to Samukai who was staring down at the weapons in her hands, a bright golden light creeping up her bones. "No one can handle all their power at once." Misako reminded her. "Selfish fool. Did you think I wouldn't plan on your betrayal."

"What's happening to me?" Samukai exclaimed as the glow began to encase her neck.

"I've had you under my heel this entire time. You and your army were simply pawns. Not even I can handle all their power! But now that they are combined, it will create a vortex through space and time, allowing me to finally escape this ghastly place."

Samukai screamed out as the golden light encased her face, beams of light shooting out of her eyes and open mouth. There was a blinding flash of light and she was gone, the weapons laying on the ground along with her armor.

A bright portal appeared, spinning with silver, white, and golden light, the edges crackling with electricity. Misako stood from her throne, placing the helmet on her head. She walked down the few steps to the main level and stopped in front of the portal.

"Mother would not want you to do this, sister." Mystake reasoned.

"Mother is no longer here, sister. Good and evil, there has always been a balance. Where I go, the balance can be destroyed. Soon I will be strong enough to posses the four weapons, so I may recreate the world in my image." She paused, looking Mystake in the eye. "You, you were always her favourite."

With that, she was gone. The portal disappeared and the weapons lay on the ground, long forgotten. The static, which had seemed so strong before, was now gone, leaving the Underworld feeling even darker than before.

"She is gone, but she will return." Mystake winced as Pixal pressed a cloth against her back to try and stop the bleeding from the wound caused by the whip.

"Then we'll be ready for her." Skylor claimed, picking up her sai and tossing the weapons to their rightful holders.

"Then I have done my part. The balance has been restored." Mystake sighed and closed her eyes, a smile on her face.

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The five raced through the skies, happy to be out of the gloomy place that was the Underworld. Mystake was seated behind Pixal as they flew towards Ignacia. Instead of stopping at Scarleton, they continued towards the weapons-smith shop.

Skylor landed first, and was already dismounting by the time her friends had even reached the yard. Skylor looked around, now that there was light outside she could see that the neighbours had tried to fix up the yard as best they could. At the sound of a door creaking open, she turned, her face so bright it could rival the sun.

Their neighbour, Mr. Mathews stood there, pushing a wheelchair. And in that wheelchair was Jay. "Skylor!"

"Jay." She breathed.

Skylor ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. His left arm was in a sling and all of his wrists, ribs and ankles had been bandaged. His right temple had been covered and all cuts taken care off.

"¿Qué te tomó tanto tiempo?" ('What took you so long?')

Skylor let out a small laugh and wiped her tears away. "Primero tenía que convertirme en ninja." ('Had to become a ninja first.')

"La naranja se ve bien en ti". ('Orange looks good on you.')

"Te extrañé." ('I missed you.')

Jay paused at the sudden topic change before wrapping his right arm around her, bringing her in closer. "Yo también te extrañé. Nunca más te vayas por tanto tiempo." ('I missed you too. Never leave for that long again.')

Skylor pulled away. "No puedo prometer eso. Ella regresará, y quiero poder protegerte." ('I can't promise that. She will return, and I want to be able to protect you.')

"Ya me has protegido." ('You've already protected me.')

"¡Casi te matan porque no pude ocuparme de unos estúpidos esqueletos!" ('You were almost killed because I couldn't take care of some stupid skeletons!')

"Casi. Estoy aquí para ti y no en el Inframundo." ('Almost. Because of you I'm here and not in the Underworld.') He wiped her cheek and smiled up at her. She smiled weakly back and he brought their foreheads together.

Skylor took a deep breath, overwhelmed. She pulled away from Jay, giving his hand a squeeze.

Jay smiled. "¿Te importaría decirme quiénes son porque me saludan como si me conocieran y no quiero ser grosero?" ('Now, do you mind telling me who they are because they are waving at me like they know me and I don't want to be rude.)

Skylor laughed, thanking their neighbour who was already headed down the path and taking control of Jay's wheelchair.

"Jay, saluda a mis hermanas".

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Pilot 2: Ruler of Shadows

Prologue Pilot 1 (Pilot 2, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 ), Episode 1

After retrieving the Staff of Illusions from the Forest of Second Glances, they set off for the next weapon; the Whip of Technology. The whip hadn't been created at the same time as the rest of the Golden Weapons, making it a special case. The First Spinjitzu Master realized that with all the new innovative ways the people of Ninjago were doing things, she needed a new weapon to control the element so things never got out of hand in the future. An untraditional weapon for an untraditional element.

The whip was located in the Eastern Mountain ridges. The ninja found it strange for a weapon with such technological power to be hidden in such a remote spot, but knew better than to question Mystake.

Nya hummed from her spot pulling the Horse Carriage, her teammates huffing beside her. "I spy something green." She said.

They had started a game of I-Spy a while ago as a way to pass the time. The others had grown tired of it and instead chose solitary silence.

Seeing that no one was going to answer her, Nya sighed, shoulders slumping as she too, retreated to silence. Before, when it had just been the three of them, they had no problem making conversation. Now that Skylor was with them, things were tense.

"So, Skylor, I know ya don't like talkin' 'bout it, but how did Mystake find you? Ya don't seem like one who would become a ninja willingly." Nya was shot a deadly glare from the red-haired girl. "I-I mean, we all had something we wanted to fix in our lives, but by the way you are so focused on saving your brother, ya seem like ya had a good life before it happened."

Skylor sighed, rolling her shoulders. "I did. There was nothing wrong with the way we were living. Shipments would come in once a month and we would make good money everyday. We had good neighbours and grew a lot of our own food so we didn't have to walk into town all the time.

"Then the skeletons came looking for that estúpida map and their leader, Lady Misako, or whatever, said to take my brother. That's the only reason I'm here. As soon as he's safe I'm leaving."

"He's a year younger than you, right? He should be able ta' take care of himself until ya get there." Nya said, trying to cheer her up.

"I don't know, Nya. The Skeleton Army is very ruthless. If they believe he holds useful information, I fear what they might do to him." Pixal said.

"Uh, yeah, how about a change of topic." Seliel offered, noticing how Skylor tensed up. "It's almost noon, we can take a break once we get over this ledge."

Minutes later, they stopped, leaning the Horse Carriage up against a tree as they settled down to a light lunch. After not having breakfast for fear of the meal resurfacing, they were more than eager to eat something.

Seliel finished first and decided to re-pack the Horse Carriage, making sure everything was packed down tightly. Digging through her bag to make sure she had everything, she pulled out the map and a compass. Spreading the map out of the ground, she laid the compass in the upper left corner. Seliel frowned, tapping the compass and humming.

"What's wrong?"

Seliel looked over her shoulder, seeing the konran. "I don't know." She answered. "We're supposed to be heading North-East, but the compass is acting up." She gestured to the compass on the ground, its needle spinning around rapidly.

"That would be the whip's doing." Pixal answered as she came up beside them. "It scrambles any devices that might help locate it, much like the Staff casting illusions to confuse those who pursue it."

"If Mystake knows where it is, why isn't she leading us?" Skylor asked. "I'm not looking forward to getting lost."

"Mystake's reasoning is sometimes questionable." Pixal muttered. "She means well, but sometimes her teachings can be hard to follow, especially if they come out of the blue."

"The most powerful move in spinjitzu can only be accomplished when multiple elemental masters combine their spinjitzu." The ninja looked with confusion to where Mystake was standing. She smiled and motioned for them to start loading the carriage again.

"What happens when they're combined?" Nya asked, picking up a bag and tossing it in the back.

"The Tornado of Creation." Mystake replied. "The power to create something, out of nothing. But, be warned, if done incorrectly, it can have disastrous consequences. All beings must have a connection to one another, a bond strong enough that their physical forms will not be destroyed."

Not knowing how to follow that, the four stayed quiet as they loaded up the Horse Carriage and began their ascent of the mountain once more. When the sun began to get low in the horizon, Mystake told them to stop.

"Is something wrong, Master?" Pixal asked.

"No, we are here."

After helping Mystake dismount, the ninja followed her as she led them over the summit of the mountain into a valley of some sort. At the bottom, there lay a tall, windowless tower made of ivory. It was quite beautiful, with ivy crawling up the walls and a flower field surrounding the bottom.

When they reached the flowers, Mystake stopped walking, motioning for her students to go on without her. "You will find the whip at the top of the tower. I will be waiting at the Horse Carriage."

Without any further information, she sent them on their way. Finding large oak doors, Seliel and Nya pushed them open, the groan of unused hinges echoing through the tower. Once inside, Nya pulled out her flashlight, shining it along the walls. An ivory staircase circled the tower, disappearing into the shadows overhead. The walls were covered in gold markings, carvings of the history of the creation of the whip, starting from how it was created to how it was sealed within the tower.

"Well," Seliel began. "Let's get climbing."

The four began to climb the staircase, Nya's flashlight shining off the carvings, educating them all on the life of the Golden Weapons, a tale never before told in such detail. When they reached the landing at the top, they paused. They had to bend over in order to stand on the landing, for the ceiling was close. Pixal fingered her way along the ceiling until she found a crevice.

Pushing on the stone, it began to move slowly, but upwards nonetheless. Dust filled Pixal's nose as she gave one final shove, the stone slab coming loose, falling to the other side of the ceiling. It left a hole in the roof, maybe three feet by three feet. Crawling through, the ninja gasped in amazement at what they saw.

The whip was floating coiled in the air, a marble dragon statue lay curled around it--protecting it.

Pixal cautiously stepped forward. Pulling out a thick cloth, similar to the one they used to wrap the staff, she draped it around the whip, the golden light disappearing.

She turned back to her teammates and smiled, though it wasn't visible beneath her mask. Their expressions were very different from hers, a look of fear in their eyes as they pointed behind her with shaky hands.

Turning around slowly, the kanchō realized the marble dragon statue was gone, instead, a silver dragon stood in front of her. It's neck long and wings stretched out, showing off a leathery, metallic purple membrane.

The dragon huffed, blowing hot air into Pixal's face. She began walking backwards until she reached her teammates. Not wasting anymore time, they all jumped through the hole in the ground and began running down the staircase, the furious roars of the dragon getting fainter with every step.

Bursting through the doors, they raced through the flower field, not caring if the tower doors were left open. Climbing the hill to the summit of the mountain was slower going, but no one slowed their pace, wanting to get as far away from the dragon as possible.

The only time they stopped to catch their breath was when they reached the Horse Carriage. As she said, Mystake was waiting for them, unsurprised by their breathless state. She took the weapon from Pixal, laying it next to the staff. Not waiting for the ninja to relax or receive an explanation, she placed herself in the Horse Carriage, motioning for the girls to pick up and continue the search for the next weapon: the Trident of Water.

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After securing the Whip of Technology, the five set out across the continent for the western shore. It was where most of the population lived, as there were not as many mountains and the capital was close. Unfortunately, the ninja did not get to see the capital as they had more important things to do.

Mystake decided that it was best if they find a more remote beach—one that was not crowded with people—to retrieve the weapon. After many miles of pulling the Horse Carriage through sand, they reached a part of the beach that was mostly hidden from prying eyes.

Pulling the carriage to the top of a bluff, the four donned the scuba gear they had rented and were debriefed by Mystake. Climbing down the bluff, they walked across the sand and waded into the water. Pulling on their masks, they dove under the waves.

Nya led, looking back occasionally to see her teammates either playing with fish or swimming away from them.

Pixal noticed her staring and apologized. 'Sorry, they are just so pretty. I didn't see fish like this up North.' She signed.

Seeing that Seliel wasn't going to be any help with her fear of fish, Nya swam over to her. 'Why don't you and Pixal stay here on lookout? I'll go get the trident with Skylor.'

Seliel nodded and moved over to Pixal to fill her in on the new plan, and to get some protection from the fish. Nya waved Skylor over and the two took off, each pulling out a waterproof flashlight. After a few minutes, they started to find chunks of stone that soon morphed to entire pillars and walkways. After five more minutes, they stumbled upon a structure that was almost fully intact. It was like a gazebo, but it had no roof. It was beautiful, with pillars and arches, seaweed climbing up the structure.

Swimming through an arch, the two turned off their flashlights, gazing around as the trident cast distorted light on the stone pillars. Nya went forward, grabbing the trident and holding it above her head triumphantly.

Before either of them could make a move, the seaweed started rustling. Unwinding from the pillars, it began weaving together. Skylor and Nya watched in amazement and terror as the final strands of the plant wove into place. The seaweed faded into deep teal scales, ocean blue eyes staring at them as a long tail swished back and forth.

As soon as the dragon let out its first roar, Nya had located the button on the contraption attached to her back.

When Mystake had recruited her, she had asked Nya to perfect her underwater jet pack and make three more. She had supplied Nya with every material and tool she needed. Now she knew why.

Pressing the button, she shot upwards, Skylor following soon after. Shifting their weight, they steered over towards Pixal and Seliel. They zoomed past them and the two looked after them with confusion before the roars from the dragon reached their ears. Turning on their jet packs, they followed Nya and Skylor to shore. Once their feet were on the sand, they shut off the machines, running across the beach and to the bluff.

Climbing the cliff was slow going, especially in flippers and soaking wet. Eventually they made it to the top where Mystake was sitting, waiting for them. She smiled, took the weapon from Nya and they were off again.

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Pilot 1: Way of the Ninja

Prologue (Pilot 1, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Pilot 2, Episode 1

The next day, Mystake woke them up before dawn, and by the time the sun was beginning to peek over the mountains, they were gone. They each had a small pack in the back of a carriage-like wagon, Mystake sitting in front as the four pulled. Luckily, the first weapon was in the Southern region of Ninjago, close to where the monastery was located.

It was a day's journey, including a night camping in the woods. They told many stories, including the ones of how Mystake recruited them. Skylor refused to tell hers, but the others had no problem in sharing.

Nya was found first. She had been testing one of her inventions, something that would propel you through the water at over twice the speed a regular human could swim at; something like an underwater jet pack. It had malfunctioned underwater, and Nya, already being a good swimmer, had swam the rest of the way to shore where she found Mystake waiting.

Seliel had been rock climbing--she said it was a hobby of hers--and her hand slipped. Mystake had grabbed her hand and pulled her up onto a ledge. There they talked and eventually Mystake convinced her to train under her teachings.

Pixal didn't remember her childhood, her earliest memory was in a small village in Birchwood Forest. She had been testing herself, diving into the water in the cold winter and seeing how long she could hold her breath under the ice. After a few minutes, she had emerged and Mystake was standing there with a towel and thermos of hot chocolate in hand.

Once morning came, they traveled again for another hour. They came upon a dense forest and abandoned the Horse Carriage, as Mystake called it. Before they went after the weapon, Mystake debriefed them.

"This is the Forest of Second Glances. It is said to trick even the people with the most sound of mind. Samukai and her army may already be searching for the staff, so take caution. Travel by trees until you reach the coordinates I gave you. The staff is located deep inside the largest tree in the forest. There is a hollow near the top where you will enter. Good luck, my pupils. And remember, do not use the weapon, for its power–"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is too much for us mortals. Alright guys, let's chop-socky this lemonade stand!" Nya exclaimed. "Sel, ya have a plan?"

Seliel nodded, pulling up her hood. "First we lower ourselves down through the trees, and then–where's Skylor?" They spread out and looked around the area for any sign of her orange yoroi. When they didn't find anything, they circled back to the Horse Carriage. "I knew this was going too well." Seliel groaned. "Come on, we'll find her along the way."

After bidding farewell to their master, they climbed the closest tree and took off. After a few minutes of jumping branch to branch, they stumbled upon a small camp. Tents and a straw-roofed hut had been set up, surrounding a large bonfire. Skeletons were everywhere, cutting down trees, removing debris and throwing into the fire, only adding to its size.

The three gazed around, trying to see if they could spot Skylor. Eventually, Pixal tapped Nya and Seliel on the shoulder, pointing to the tent farthest from the fire. They saw a glimpse of orange and Seliel sighed, signalling for Pixal and Nya to follow her.

They followed the konran to where she was laying on top of the straw-roofed hut. They came up beside her and Nya smacked her on the back of the head.

'What's the matter with you?" She signed. Mystake had taught them all sign language as a way of communicating when they cannot talk.

Skylor put a finger to her lips and pulled away a bit of loose straw so they could look down into the hut. There was a small table in the center, with a map on top. Samukai was standing by the door, watching the progress of her army.

"It's upside down!" Nya signed. "They're looking in the wrong spot."

Pixal pulled out a shuriken. Tying a rope to it, she threw it at the table, it landed dead center on the map. She pulled it back up, grabbing the map and handing it to Seliel. Seliel pocketed the map and before any of them could slide to the ground, Skylor was gone.

The others sighed, flipping off the hut and returning to the trees. After ten more minutes they reached a tree that was wider than the monastery walls and almost twice the height of any other tree in the forest.

They found Skylor climbing the bark, almost to the hollow near the top of the trunk. Seliel caught up to her first, having the experience from rock climbing.

"Before you race off again, we're a team. We need to stick together." Seliel reminded her.

"Sí, lo que sea." ('Yeah, whatever.') Skylor said quietly.

The two stopped at the hollow, waiting for Pixal and Nya. When they caught up, Pixal tied a rope to the closest branch and threw the rest down the hollow into the trunk. One by one, they slid down the rope. Nya pulled out a flashlight, shining it on the walls as they slid down. When they reached the bottom, she put the flashlight away, as the light provided from the shining golden weapon in the middle of the tree was enough.

Busts were carved into the trunk, no doubt the past masters of the staff. Seliel pointed to one of the busts. "That's my grandad! And that's my Papa!" She said.

"Whoa! That is so cool!" Nya yelled.

"Shhhh," Seliel snapped. "Not so loud." She took a thick cloth from the bag strapped around her torso and gently removed the staff from where it was floating in the air.

Nya waved her hand nonchalantly. "Ah, come on, don' be paranoid. We're on the other side of the forest. There's no way they could'a heard us." She said, albeit quieter.

"Just stay quiet from now on. We're shinobis, we're supposed to be stealthy." Seliel took some leather straps from her pack and tied it around the cloth. Adjusting the straps, she slid the makeshift backpack over her shoulders, mindful of her own bo-staff.

"Says the kishu." Skylor muttered, earning a snicker out of Nya.

With the light from the staff hidden, Nya pulled out her flashlight. Walking over to the rope, the four started to climb. When they reached the hollow, Pixal coiled up the rope and they began their descent.

When their feet touched the floor, they congratulated one another, clapping each other on the back. Skylor stayed quiet, not participating in the victory.

Mystake had said that once she completed the course, they would go rescue Jay, not spend more time looking for weapons that supposedly held magical powers. For all she knew, Jay could be dead. She closed her eyes, not wanting to think about it. She was snapped out of her trance when something disturbed the leaves overhead.

"Did you guys hear that?" Skylor asked.

Her teammates stopped walking looking back at her. "It was probably just the wind." Nya said. "You okay, Skylor? Ya look a little pale." Suddenly, Skylor disappeared in a puff of smoke. The three gasped and shared looks.

"Are you guys okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

They turned back around, seeing Skylor looking at them, a concerned expression on her face.

"But you were just–" Before Nya could finish, a large moan rang out through the woods. The four girls froze and started moving closer until they were back against back. Nya saw something flash through the trees and pointed. "There's something over there!"

"No, over there."

"Over there!"

Seliel stood frozen as she watched something slowly stalk towards them. "Umm... djevojke?" ('Umm... girls?') When they didn't reply, she reached over and tapped Pixal on the arm. Pixal's emerald eyes widened and she got the attention of the other two. "Is that a...?"

"I think so." Nya whispered as she watched the creature circle around them.

It had a long slim body covered in black scales, two large wings folded up against its body. It stared at them with deep blue eyes, the same blue as the membrane between the wings. It stopped when it laid its eyes on Seliel, or rather, something behind Seliel.

It let out a roar as it started charging towards the group. The four jumped in different directions, watching as the dragon ran headfirst into a tree. The wood splintered, creaking before crashing to the ground.

Recovering from the impact, the dragon took off towards Seliel again. Not wanting to damage the weapon, she threw it to Nya. The dragon changed course, heading towards the Water Ninja.

Seliel's eyes widened in realization. "Guys, this must be the guardian Mystake was talking about! It just wants to protect the weapon!"

"Maybe we can reason with it!" Pixal shouted as Nya tossed her the staff. "Skylor, try talking to it!" She threw the weapon to Skylor who caught it with ease.

Skylor looked down at the wrapped up weapon in her hands. She peeled away part of the cloth, golden light shining on her face.

"No, no, no. Bad idea, Skylor. Mystake said not to." Nya warned.

"Well she ain't here. I'll keep my mouth shut if you do." Without any further argument, Skylor tore the rest of the cloth off and stabbed the staff into the ground.

A thick navy mist started pouring out from the new hole in the forest floor. Skylor pointed the staff at the dragon and the mist followed her order, surrounding the dragon, leaving it vulnerable and confused.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Skylor yelled, taking off in the direction they entered the forest from. Not wanting to be around for when the mist cleared, the other three followed her.

They didn't even care when they burst through the Skeleton Army camp. The skeletons were too surprised by the sudden appearance to do anything, instead they were more concerned when a dragon burst through the trees, furious roars coming from it as it rammed into trees, still blinded by the fog.

The ninjas were delayed by the bonfire in the center, having to go around it. This gave the skeletons an opportunity to recover from the initial shock and advance on the four.

With both sides pulling out their weapons, they stared each other down. Seeing that the ninja weren't going to make the first move, the skeletons charged forward. Skylor tossed the golden staff to Seliel, twirling the sai she had been armed with and meeting a skeleton head on.

Seliel tossed the staff to Nya before she was taken down by two skeletons. Nya threw it to Pixal, swinging her trident and watching as three skeletons crumpled to the ground. Four more came running her way, waving their swords over their heads, reminding her of the swinging planks back at the monastery.

She ran to a tree and flipped off, soaring over the skeletons. Another was ready for her with a spear. When she landed, she tucked into a roll, dodging the spear. Rolling to her feet, she spun, taking down one more. She kept spinning, and spinning, and spinning until her physical form was gone, instead replaced with a cyclone of water.

Skylor stopped what she was doing, settling for punching a skeleton in the ribs and watching Nya. "Spinjutzu." She muttered. "Nya, how'd you do it?!"

"I'm just going with the flow." Nya answered. "It's like the obstacle course."

Skylor stood in thought, watching three skeletons running towards her. "Over the planks," she flipped over them, and ducked under another. "Dodge the swords, here comes the dummy." Striking down the final skeleton, she kept spinning until she was in a similar tornado to Nya's, but her's was a warm orange.

Pixal and Seliel soon caught on; Seliel's a navy fog and Pixal's was a deep purple and silver that occasionally sparked. Finishing off the last of the skeletons, the four changed the direction of their spinjitzu and continued their course to the edge of the forest.

Minutes later, the trees started to get thinner and they stopped spinning, instead running until they broke through the trees. They all fell to the ground, breathless and laughing.

"Oh, man, that was so awesome!" Seliel sighed with delight.

"We are the best!" Pixal exclaimed.

"¡Ustedes chicas son increíbles!"

"Did you see that? I was like 'pow' and you were like 'bam'!"

"Enough!" The four immediately went quiet and stood, bowing to Mystake. Mystake turned to Skylor. "I told you not to use the staff."

"Using it was my only option." Skylor defended, crossing her arms.

"And what made you think you were more important than the team?"

"They took my brother, remember? It was your fault he got captured."

Mystake sighed. She took the weapon from Pixal, wrapping it in a thick fabric. "There are still three weapons left, maybe next time you can do it right."

--------------------------------

Deep within the Underworld, Samukai anxiously sat in a chair made from bones. In front of her, deep within the shadows, her master lounged in a throne. Her fingernails made an eerie sound as they tapped against the bone armrest, contemplating Samukai's punishment for the failure of the mission.

"Tell me, why did this mission fail?" A smooth voice asked.

"Mistress," Samukai began. She knew better than to address her superior by name unless she was given permission. "This mission was a failure, for my army was unprepared and cocky. I did not take the correct response and order my army to attack when we first saw the ninja. And because of my ignorance, they now know the secret of spinjitzu and have the Staff of Illusions."

"Then my sister was there." Said the voice. "I see she has new puppets to do the work for her."

Samukai nodded. "If I gather my army we can easily ambush them–"

"No, let them think they are winning."

"Mistress, I am afraid I do not understand."

The voice chuckled darkly. "You need not to. Get the boy. It is time he proves useful to me."

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Episode 1: Rise of the Snakes

Prologue Pilot 1 Pilot 2 (Episode 1, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Next Episode

((Tw: Violence))

The ninja sat inside Mystake's meditation room. Admittedly, they hadn't been practicing this technique so they were nowhere near as focused as they had been a few weeks ago. They all sat in a line, Mystake in front of them. She was facing a large collection of incense, the thick smoke billowing up and forming some sort of screen.

She jolted from her sitting position. She turned around, facing the ninja who hadn't flinched. "The Serpentine are back. Jamanikai Village is in danger."

The four didn't move. Instead, Seliel sighed, "we were there yesterday. It was just a little kid—"

"The Spirit Smoke does not lie." Mystake snapped. "An ancient evil has been released. Go!"

Suddenly, Skylor broke concentration. Reaching for her Dragon Suit, she bolted out if the room.

"What's wrong?" Nya called after her.

"My brother's there right now!"

Before the kunoichis even arrived at Jamanikai, they heard the screams. But for some reason, as they got closer the screams seemed fainter, less.

Not bothering to stop outside of the village like they have in the past, they landed their dragons in the main square. Their dragons took off to circle the mountains, leaving the genin to wander the streets.

"I'm never coming down from this sugar high!"

Now that caught their attention. Seliel motioned for them to take to the rooftops and close in around the source of the shouting. A minute later they jumped down, startling a young girl who was riding in a wheelbarrow filled with candy.

"Sorry to bust your buzz, little Garmadon." Seliel said, her tone far from apologetic.

"But it's already past your bedtime." Nya added.

Skylor dropped her stance. "Really, What is it with you and terrible one-liners relating to sleep?"

"I thought that was pretty good, actually." Pixal complimented.

"See, at least someone has taste." Nya huffed.

"Oh, yes, believe the girl who doesn't even know what a joke is."

"Joke, noun, something said or done to provoke laughter—"

"Get them!"

A figure beside Harumi spoke, raising a gold staff in their hand. "Seize them." More of her kind revealed themselves, stepping out from behind buildings.

"The Serpentine?" Skylor asked incredulously, picking up her stance again. "They're real?"

"It's not just them we have to worry about." Seliel kept her gaze on figures behind the Serpentine. The citizens of the village were walking towards them, eyes glowing the same red as the Serpentine in front of her. "The whole village has been hypnotized."

Nya began to pull out her trident, but the kanchō pulled her hand down. "No. Our weapons are too unstable. We can do more harm than good."

"I guess that leaves us with... run!" The teisatsu shouted. The ninja leapt to the rooftops once more. They continued on until they were certain they were away from prying eyes before ducking in a back alley behind a building.

At the sound of metal clattering to the ground, they turned, pulling out their weapons. A figure stumbled out from behind a cluster of garbage bins, stumbling in the snow.

Nya rushed forward, catching them as they fell forward. "Jay, you're alive! What happened?"

Jay groaned, tightening the arm he had wrapped around his torso. "Serpentine landed lucky punches. They have hypnotized the town."

"Mind control." Seliel muttered. "How is this possible?"

"They are Hypnobrai. When you hear a rattling sound, do not look in eye, that is how you fall under control." He paused at the looks he was getting from the shinobis. "¿Qué? I have to keep myself busy somehow. You learn lot when you can read only for months."

Nya turned back to her teammates. "What're we supposed ta' do now? We can't use our weapons and now we've gotta fight with our eyes closed? Perfect."

"One with staff is in charge. The staff holds anti-venom, if we can get that we can free everyone." Jay said.

Skylor turned to her teammates. "Let's forget about the whole Green Ninja thing. Saving Jamanikai is our top priority." She placed her fist in her open palm. "The four of us; we're a team."

"Now you're talking." The kishu bounced on the balls of her feet. "Let's go save a village, ladies. And Jay."

Jay nodded in thanks and the five took to the rooftops once more. Nya, being the the scout, went ahead, reporting back that Harumi was in the middle of the village, near the fountain.

About halfway to their destination, Jay pointed to a group of guards. Seliel, as the kishu, jumped down, taking the three Hypnobrai by surprise. Without waiting for them to recover from their shock, she closed her eyes and spun into her tornado of spinjitzu.

Without control of her direction, Seliel managed to take down the three Serpentine, but eventually ran into an abandoned stand that was selling homemade hats and scarves.

Skylor sighed. "Okay, we're really out of shape." She pulled Seliel back up onto the roof and they took off, following the path that Pixal, Nya, and Jay had left for them.

When they arrived, a battle was already in progress. Harumi was running through the square, pushing a wheelbarrow full of sweets. Skylor stepped forward, only to be held back by Seliel. The kishu pointed to Pixal who was sitting on top of one of the rooftops.

Pixal pulled out her whip and cracked it in the direction of the young girl. She had intended to just startle her, but instead the thong extended and hit the wheel. The wheelbarrow tipped over, sending the girl flying.

When Harumi looked up the kanchō was standing in front of her, securing her whip to her belt. "Master was right; we should have dealt with you the first time."

Harumi scrambled backwards, abandoning her cart of candy. "Retreat!" She shrieked, running towards the gates that surrounded the village.

The general raised her staff and her eyes glowed briefly. As she turned around, she received a double kick to the face, sending her tumbling to the ground. Her staff clattered to the feet of the Phantom Ninja, who bent down and picked it up. "Go ahead. Give me a reason."

Slitheraa looked at her staff, and then to the human holding it. She scrambled back in fear, slithering after Harumi. Seliel held up the staff triumphantly, only for someone to grab her shoulder harshly.

Seliel was met with red eyes that seemed to swirl and a calm voice laced with a low hissing. "Look into my eyes... I control you..."

Seliel's eyes began to take on their own shade of red as her body relaxed. "You... control—"

"Seliel!"

The spell was broken when someone delivered a solid punch to the serpentine. Seliel's vision cleared and she found Jay standing in front of her, gripping her shoulders. "You have anti-venom. Use own staff. I will cover you."

"Good idea." Seliel pulled out the gem from the Serpentine staff and dropped it onto the ground. She brought her own staff down over the gem, shattering it.

Concentrating deeply, she tried to squeeze her inner elemental power into the staff, watching as a turquoise mist began to creep out of the ground. It filtered out from between the rocks, filling the village.

When it cleared, the once angry villagers were looking around in confusion, clutching their heads in pain. Jay came up to her, taking the Serpentine staff.

"Are you okay? You look pale."

Seliel shook her head and smiled. "No, I'm fine, just a little tired. Maybe I should train with the staff more before I decide to use my life force to activate it."

Jay wrapped his arm around her to support her as they headed to where Nya was waving them over.

"When did Sensei get here?" Seliel asked.

"No idea." Nya whispered back. "She just showed up."

"We're sorry Sensei," Skylor apologized. "If we dealt with Harumi before she became a problem, none of this would have happened."

"Even lessons learned the hard way, are lessons learned." Mystake paused. "A great evil has been released, I fear troubling times will come. This is only the beginning."

"Then we will train, and be ready for the Serpentine." Pixal assured her.

"It may not be Lady Misako, but that doesn't mean we won't bring our A-game." Seliel added.

Skylor nodded, turning back to Mystake. "Train us. Teach us the secrets behind the weapons of spinjitzu."

Mystake hummed. "There is much to teach. Let us return to the Monastery. I believe Seliel would like to rest."

The kunoichis took off on their dragons, doing a final check of the village to make sure everyone was un-hypnotized and there were no more Serpentine who had been left behind.

"When am I going to get own dragon?" Jay asked, taking a seat on a bench to watch them.

Mystake smiled, dipping her head so the shadow of her hat covered her face. "Patience Jay, your time will come."

—————————————————-

Deep underground in the Hypnobrai tomb, Slitheraa and her second in command were arguing in hushed voices. The raid on Jamanikai Village had been a complete failure, Skales wondering why they even went in the first place and exploited their resources for a human child.

"The girl set us free." Slitheraa exclaimed, offended that her second in command would question her judgement.

"She is a child!" Skales argued. "She is not one of us."

"I may not have the staff but I am still your general." Slitheraa hissed. "Stand down."

Skales bowed deeply, backing away to join another group of Hypnobrai. "You coward. We all know she is under the girl's spell." One muttered. "You are Lieutentant, and still you do nothing?"

"Now is not the time." Skales hushed them. "I still hold the key to destroy the ninja. And when I do that, everyone will see it is I who should be in control."

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Episode 1: Rise of the Snakes

Prologue Pilot 1 Pilot 2 (Episode 1, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Next Episode

Skylor met up with her teammates a few minutes later, letting out a sharp whistle and watching Amber land beside her. Taking her portion of groceries, she opened the saddlebag, only for a scroll to tumble out, Transferring the items to the bag, she bent down and picked it up.

"This isn't mine." Skylor noted the golden drawings on the backside of the scroll, far fancier than the ones she used for lessons or most she had taken from home.

Pixal dismounted from Byte, taking a closer look at the saddlebag. "This is Master Mystake's bag. You must have accidentally taken it in the rush."

Seliel and Nya slid off their saddles, coming up behind Skylor to look at the scroll. "What's it say?" Seliel asked.

"I remember seeing a lot of scrolls like this back at the monastery." Nya said. "I never took the time to learn the language."

"It's the ancient language of our ancestors." Pixal said. "It hasn't been used in centuries, though I think I can read a little of it." Her eyes scanned over the paper and eventually she pointed to a symbol. "This means prophecy." She was quiet for a few more minutes. "One warrior will rise above the rest and become the Green Ninja. The warrior destined to defeat the Dark Lady."

"Dark Lady?" Seliel echoed. "You think it means Lady Misako?"

Skylor unrolled the parchment further, revealing a picture of four shinobis clad in different colours surrounding another in green. "Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking..."

Nya smiled. "Like how good I'm gonna look in green."

"Isn't it obvious that I'm gonna be the Green Ninja?! I have the most history with Misako." Skylor exclaimed.

"Technically, I am the best." Pixal butted in.

"Everyone stop it!" The kishu ordered as she grabbed the scroll from Skylor. "Remember why Sensei brought us together in the first place, we're a team. We weren't meant to see this and probably for good reason." Seliel rolled up the scroll and put it in her saddlebag. Climbing onto Misty's back, she turned to the other three. "Come on, we have training to do."

—————————————————-

Harumi pulled her hood further over her head. Escaping from the Darkley's employees was like second nature to her; as soon as they drove up in the car to take her back to school, she waited until they were a reasonable distance away before jumping out of the backseat.

Currently she was making her way up a snow covered mountain, wind blowing harshly in her face. She was cold and hungry, the lollipop from the orange kunoichi had only lasted so long.

"Stupid ninja. I'll show them who they're dealing with." She muttered.

Harumi let out a grunt of pain as she ran into something. Not seeing anything in front of her, she looked down into the blanket of fresh, white snow. She began digging and soon enough she unearthed the thing that interrupted her monologuing. A metal rod stuck out of the ground, resembling a lever.

Her childlike curiosity got the best of her and she pulled it. The ground began to shake, sending the girl tumbling forward. The ground began to slide open, a crevice getting bigger by the second. Harumi tried scrambling away and was close to reaching the edge when she lost her grip. She slid down the stone slab and braced herself for the impact.

Her back touched cold ice as she somersaulted down into the ground. When she finally skidded to a halt, she lay there for a few minutes, groaning. Deciding to move, she sat up, gazing around. Harumi seemed to be in an underground ice cave, though some walls were marked with carvings.

"You are not of right mind to venture so far from home, little one."

Harumi bristled at the voice and turned around. There stood a figure with deep blue scales, ruby red eyes looking curiously at her. A long tail was draped across the ice and robes featuring ancient scrawl and symbols covered their chest. They had the head of a snake, with a hood that fanned out like a cobra.

They moved closer, Harumi crawling backwards as she eyed the golden staff in the snake-person's hand. The serpent looked down at the staff, then back to the child and smiled. "Do not worry, I will not harm you. Just as long as you give your mind to me. Look into my eyes, young one. You will obey me."

A low rattling escaped the serpent's chest and Harumi covered her eyes, her back coming in contact with a wall of ice. When Harumi opened her eyes, she looked up at the snake-person. They stood perfectly still, a dazed look in their eyes.

Harumi stood up and circled them before deciding on a conclusion: they were under her control. She smirked and crossed her arms. "I think you are mistaken. I will control you from now on."

The Serpentine bowed respectively. "What shall you have us do, mistress?"

"Us?" Harumi echoed.

Almost as if on cue, more Serpentine emerged from behind ice pillars and walls, their scales the same deep blue as the first one's. A low hissing filled the room, no doubt murmurs about the young girl, as the last experience they had with humans was not pleasant.

Harumi's smirk grew bigger as she realized what this meant. "My own army of snakes."

—————————————————

"—then we agree; the prophecy states that one o' us will become the Green Ninja, and the issue will not rest until it's decided." Nya stated, leading the team back up the stairs into the Monastery.

"May I suggest a tournament? Last shinobi standing is the best." Pixal suggested.

"And will be declared the Green Ninja and be promoted to chūnin." Skylor finished. "Sounds good to me. But I'm getting changed first, I don't want to do this soaking wet."

Minutes later the four met outside of the indoor training room, changed into training gis and warmed up from the cold weather. Nya pushed open the doors, only to pause when she saw it was occupied.

The other three peered over her shoulders, seeing Jay practicing with a punching bag. Once he noticed them, he stopped, leaning on the bag and smiling. "Hola."

Skylor stepped forward. "Are you wearing the—"

"Wrist braces? Yeah, do not worry." He paused and began to take off the braces around his wrists, reaching for his bracers and a towel. "What happened in town? Fake alarm?"

"Yeah, nothing we couldn't take care of. But, uh, we're gonna need the space."

Seliel opened one of the cabinets and pulled out four helmets and armoured vests. "Two matches, the winners of each face off for the title, armour for our own protection. It's time to see what our weapons can do."

"Hey Jay, wanna stay and watch me mop the floor with them?" Skylor offered, a confident smirk on her face as she slid on the vest.

"No thank you, I will visit Chai's in Jamanikai Village. Have fun." He turned and headed out the door, closing it behind him.

Pixal sent Skylor a look, silently asking who the Chai's were. "Old family friends." Skylor answered.

Nya squealed. "His accent is so cute. Ya have to admit that."

"I have the same accent as him."

"My point still stands. But he speaks in such a cute way. Not... like ya."

"Firstly: We've talked about this. No one is to make moves on my brother. Secondly: What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Match One: Skylor versus Nya." Seliel announced, interrupting the premature argument.

The two got into position, facing each other. They bowed and got into a ready stance. Seliel blew a whistle she had gotten out of the cabinet and she barely had enough time to jump out of the way.

The two wasted no time in drawing their weapons and lunging towards each other. Skylor caught Nya's trident between her sai and twisted it over her shoulder. With a grunt of effort, she sent her fellow ninja flying across the room. Nya got to her feet, twirling her trident around. She pointed it at Skylor, intending for it to shoot her with a water beam like she heard in legends. Instead, she found herself drenched in water and Skylor stifling her giggles from across the room.

Nya growled, running forward with her trident at the ready. Skylor sidestepped the attack and kicked Nya into the wall. She threw her sai, pinning Nya to the wall by the sleeves of her gi. Nya sighed, dropping her trident.

Skylor helped her up and the two bowed before the konran punched the air in victory. The two took a seat, kneeling as they watched the other two bow and assume a fighting stance.

Unlike the two before them, Pixal and Seliel did not advance right away. Instead, they circled each other, evaluating the other's footwork and stance. Pixal pulled out her whip and cracked it in the direction of her opponent.

Seliel brought out her staff, the thong wrapping around the shaft. Seliel twisted her staff and pulled, bring Pixal closer. She stuck out her leg, tripping the Purple Kunoichi. Pixal pulled off an impressive rotating chest stand, landing a solid kick to Seliel's chest.

Getting to her feet, Pixal pulled her whip back. Flicking her whip in a simple X pattern, she shot forward, the technique serving as a shield against Seliel's attacks. Seliel managed to get a lucky jab through the shield, the whip wrapping around her staff one more. She yanked her staff away, the handle leaving Pixal's hand and leaving her defenseless.

Seliel lunged forward, tackling Pixal to the ground. She held her staff tightly over Pixal's torso, pinning her arms to her side. Pixal glared at Seliel and then to her weapon across the room. She sighed, her body relaxing. "I yield."

They got to their feet and bowed respectively. Pixal went to go join Nya in being a spectator. Skylor jumped to her feet, giving her teammate a high-five and bouncing on the balls of her feet, ready for a fight.

"For the prize and title of the best kunoichi, Green Ninja, and promotion to chūnin, you may begin."

Skylor rushed forward, surprising Seliel with the sudden attack. Trapping the staff with her sai, she threw it over her head. Hey, the move worked well on Nya.

The staff flew across the room, crashing into the wall between Nya and Pixal, none of whom flinched. Skylor turned back to Seliel, only to find her missing from where she had been a mere second ago. Turning around she barely had enough time before something collided with her cheek.

Sitting up, she glared at Seliel who was standing over her confidently. Growling, her grip tightened on her sai and she lunged forward, sai ahead of her. She stopped mere inches from Seliel's face, for the sai in her hands were glowing brighter than before.

Skylor dropped them in surprise and as soon as they made contact with the floor, a thick navy mist escaped them, not unlike the one the staff produced when they faced off against the dragon months ago.

The room soon became filled with the smoke, the four unable to see anything in front of them. The door to the indoor training room was opened, a figure stepping inside and gasping. They managed to find the Staff of Illusions and the mist soon disappeared.

Mystake stared down at the heap of kunoichis that was supposed to be her students; the saviours of Ninjago.

"Could someone please get their elbow out of my stomach?"

"Whoever's ass is in my face should remove it before I make sure they never walk again."

"If one of you doesn't stop kicking me I will lose it!"

"Ow, ow, ow, watch the hair!"

Ninjago was doomed.

Mystake cleared her throat, the complaints ending abruptly. The ninja slowly untangled themselves and got into a line. They knelt before her, heads hung. "What were you thinking?" Mystake snapped.

"We were trying to figure out who's the Green Ninja." Nya replied, earning a backhand to the head from Pixal. "U-Uh, did I say Green Ninja? No, I'm sorry," She cleared her throat. " What I- what I said was lean!"

"You were not supposed to see that scroll." Mystake sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"But Sensei, we wanna know. Which one of us is the elegido?" ('... chosen one?') Skylor asked.

"None of you if you don't unlock your full potential and earn the title of chūnin." The four lowered their heads again.

"But my sai, they were so bright and they did that thing with the smoke." Skylor said, risking a look at Mystake. "Is this what you meant by unlocking our elemental weapons?"

Mystake sighed, placing her hands behind her back. "You are only at the beginning. And the road is long and winding, but yes; this is what I meant." She paused. "If this is what it must take for you to train, then so be it. But none of you are near the level of what it takes to become the Green Ninja."

—————————————————-

After hitching a ride on a bus and one trolley ride later, Jay arrived at Jamanikai Village. He wandered the streets until he came upon a familiar store. Knocking twice, he barely had to wait before the door was opened, a young boy peeking out nervously from behind it.

"Devon," Jay greeted. "Ha sido un largo tiempo." ('It's been a long time.')

Once the boy realized who it was, he opened the door fully, jumping into Jay's arms. Jay laughed and picked up the boy, entering the warm General Store where he was greeted by more children.

He had decided to spend the night with the Chai's, calling Skylor to let her know. The Chai's were a nice family, Amelia was a single mother of four, with another on the way. Jay had been sad to hear that Mr. Chai had passed and that he and his sister couldn't attend the funeral as they were otherwise... occupied.

He was woken up at sunrise, the four kids eager to play with him. He spent the day keeping the youngest two busy while Amelia and the eldest two worked in the store.

Later in the day, Amelia asked if he could run into town and grab a few groceries that they needed and that their store did not have. When Jay agreed, Amelia gave him some cash and thanked him before having to run back to the cashier stand.

After dressing the youngest two—Devon and Claire—for the weather outside, the three set off. Minutes later, they were inside a grocery store, picking up food when they heard screams from outside.

"¿Ahora que?" ('What now?') Jay muttered. He lifted the two out of the cart and placed them on the ground. Turning to Devon he said, "Necesito que vayas a casa y lleves a tu hermana allí. ¿Puedes hacer eso?" ('I need you to go home and take your sister there. Can you do that?')

Devon nodded confidently, puffing out his chest. The two left, and Jay was thankful the direction of their house was the opposite of the screaming. Abandoning the cart, he set off, carefully making his way through the streets until he caught a glimpse of someone clad in black. Pressing himself against a wall, he peered around the corner.

A young girl was seated in a wheelbarrow, her blonde hair tied back in braids. "Take the candy! Take it all!" Jay realized this must have been the person causing the disturbance yesterday, Misako's daughter.

He covered his mouth to stop himself from shouting in surprise when he saw who was accompanying Harumi. They looked human, if it wasn't for the blue and white scales covering their body. The robes they wore were covered in markings, no doubt an ancient language, and ruby red eyes gazed over the village. Her head resembled that of a snake, a large hood starting at her neck and fanning over the crown of her head.

Serpentine. And from what he had been learning, a Hypnobrai.

"Slitheraa, tell your army to advance. I want all the candy in town." Harumi said, watching as a Hypnobrai soldier dumped an armful of candy into her wheelbarrow.

Slitheraa, the general of the army, raised the gold staff in her hand. A low hiss escaped her mouth as her tail rattled. The soldiers stopped wandering around, depositing armfuls of candy to the wagon. They started moving out in different directions in hopes of claiming more sweets for the girl.

"This makes no sense General; raiding an entire town, for sweets?" One questioned, coming up beside Slitheraa.

"You will do as I command." The general snapped. "Because I hold the staff!"

At the sound of hissing, Jay turned, spotting a Hypnobrai standing there, a bag of throwing stars attached to their waist.

Jay got into a fighting stance. "¿Quieres bailar?" ('Wanna dance?')

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Pilot 2: Ruler of Shadows

Prologue Pilot 1 (Pilot 2-Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Episode 1

Later in the week, the ninja had neared the final weapon: the Sai of Absorption. The temple they were sealed in was carved out of a dormant volcano deep inside a forest. Mystake had decided to stop about half an hour or so from the temple, wanting her team to be at their best when they retrieved the weapon.

That night, when they made camp, they relaxed. Seliel had brought a set of travel drums and was singing. Nya, Pixal, and Skylor were dancing around the fire, occasionally singing if they knew the words. Mystake had tucked herself away in the corner against a tree and was meditating.

Skylor bent down next to Seliel and whispered something to her. Seliel smiled and nodded. She began to play a different beat, one that was bouncy and folk-like. Skylor began to dance, twisting and turning. She pulled in Nya and Pixal and spun them around a few times. When she finished, the others applauded and began asking her questions.

"That was an Ignacian dance." Skylor explained. "Kids are taught that dance and we perform it at parties and the Harvest Festival. But that was nothing, you should see Jay and I dance together."

Everyone grew quiet, looking to one another. "Umm, who's Jay?" Nya asked.

"Jay, mi hermano. Have I never said his name before?" Her teammates shook their heads and she looked down, ashamed for overlooking such a simple detail.

"It's fine." Seliel shrugged. "As soon as we get the sai, we're going to save your brother. Obećanje." ('Promise.')

Skylor smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

They continued to dance the night away. Sooner or later they fell asleep, letting the fire die out as it was a warm night. They had taken hour shifts and it was Skylor's turn, perhaps around three o'clock in the morning. She sat up against a tree with a little bit of rope, tying it into knots and untying it.

She thought about what she would do when they rescued Jay. She would hug him tightly and probably not let go for the longest time. Skylor sighed, undoing the figure-eight knot she had just done.

"Skylor."

At the sound of her name she looked up. Spotting a shadow in the bushes she stood up. "Who's there?"

"Relájate, soy solo yo." ('Relax, it's only me.')

The konran's face drained of colour as Jay stepped out of the bushes. His clothes were clean, as well as his face and hair. His skin was pale and his eyes were grey, devoid of any colour. Skylor blamed it on the moonlight and stepped forward, too shocked to say anything.

"Tengo que ir." ('I have to go.') Jay whispered. He turned around and disappeared into the bushes. Without thinking, Skylor scrambled after him.

They chased each other through the forest, Jay's giggles echoing through the trees, but they were dull, unlike his usual ones that were filled with life and could get anyone laughing.

Skylor stopped, looking around, for she had lost track of Jay. She groaned, turning around and punching a tree in frustration. How could she have lost him! He was right there.

"¿Jay? ¿Jay, dónde estás?" ('Where are you?') She called, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Hearing a twig snap behind her, she turned seeing Jay with one arm extended. His face was relaxed, no worry visible in colourless eyes. A loose smile formed hollow words, echoey almost.

"¿Vienes, Skylor?" ('Are you coming Skylor?')

Skylor smiled, taking his hand. He led her through the trees, both laughing as they danced under the stars. She wasn't sure how long they were gone from the camp, but at this point, Skylor didn't care. Jay was back.

They stopped dancing, giggles dying down. "Sígueme." ('Follow me.') Jay said before taking off again. She followed him until they reached the dormant volcano where the sai were supposedly located. Skylor stopped, letting Jay enter the volcano as she stared at the temple.

It had been carved into the rock, golden pillars framing the entrance made of red doors. As she walked across the stone bridge, she peered over the side into the water. It was dark, black in the nighttime light.

One of the doors had been cracked open, most likely Jay's doing. Pushing open the door further, Skylor gasped in amazement.

The walls were stone and carved with golden drawings, only reflecting the light from the golden pair of sai that lay on a miniature version of the temple located in the centre.

"Jay?" Skylor's voice echoed through the empty temple. Turning back towards the sai, she found Jay standing in front of them. "Ahí tienes. Vamos vamos a casa." ('There you are. Come on, let's go home.')

Jay tilted his head. "¿Por qué? Me gusta aquí. La maestra ha sido tan agradable". ('Why? I like it here. Master has been so nice.')

"Maestra?" ('Master?') Skylor murmured. "¿Qué estás diciendo? ¿Qué has hecho con mi hermano?" ('What are you saying? What have you done with my brother?')

"No sé de qué estás hablando, hermana, estoy aquí..." ('I don't know what you're talking about, sister, I'm right here.') His voice morphed from hollow to that of a woman's, cold and calm, sending a shiver down Skylor's spine. His body faded, a shadow taking his place on the wall, red eyes shining off the stone.

"Misako." Skylor growled. She reached for her sai, only to realize that her scabbards were empty.

"Forgot something?" Misako asked, a smirk audible in her voice.

"You can't hurt me, you're banished, trapped in the Underworld." Skylor said, trying to hide her shaking hands.

"That is why you are going to remove the Sai of Absorption for me." Misako's shadow shrunk and moved to the side, gesturing to the sai.

Skylor scoffed, placing a hand on her hip. "Yeah, I don't think so. There's no way you can make me do anything."

"Are you sure?"

At the sounds of chains rattling, Skylor looked to the back of the temple. A figure dropped from the ceiling, hanging limply. Skylor's eyes widened in realization and horror before narrowing in anger.

Jay hung there, clothes torn, skin caked in dirt and mud, and hair matted. Cuts were visible on his arms and legs, clothes brown with dried blood in places and a deep gash on his face, running through his right eyebrow and down his cheek. When Skylor called out his name and he didn't respond, she knew he was unconscious, or worse.

"What the hell did you do to him?!" Skylor shrieked, turning on the shadow.

"If you don't remove the sai, how else shall you save your precious little brother?" Misako teased, ignoring the screaming girl in front of her.

They chains dropped, bringing Jay closer to the back of the temple, where it dropped off into the old dormant magma chamber.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock." Misako's voice echoed through the large room, only adding to Skylor's anxiety.

Skylor closed her eyes, forcing back tears. She wasn't going to lose Jay, not again. Taking a deep breath, she mentally went through her plans. She should've woken the others, not run into this without thinking.

Knowing she would regret it, Skylor took off running. Grabbing the sai, she ran up the wall, getting momentum and using it to push off. Grabbing the chain, she stuck one of the sai through a link and broke it. Using one hand to hold onto Jay and the other to the rest of the chain, she started swinging. She knew she probably shouldn't be moving her brother, but having no other option, she let go of him, watching as he landed safely on the other side of the temple.

She swung off after him. Picking him up and tossing him over her shoulder, Skylor started for the doors. Misako's shadow appeared in front of her and she got into a fighting stance.

"You can't hurt me, you're only a maldita shadow." Skylor proclaimed.

Misako hummed and clicked her tongue. "Little girl, you must learn that everything has its uses. Though I must thank you, your brother was very helpful."

"What. Did. You. Do. To. Him."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. I would be more concerned for your own well-being."

Skylor's shadow began to peel off the wall, becoming three-dimensional. Laying Jay on the ground, Skylor pulled out the golden sai. Twirling them in her hands, she lunged forward, only to go right through the shadow. Turning around, she roundhouse kicked it, the move unsuccessful.

Her shadow reached out, grabbing her shoulder. Bringing Skylor close, the shadow brought up its knee into her chest repeatedly. The shadow dropped Skylor to the ground where she doubled over, coughing.

"Am I being too hard?" Misako questioned.

"Not at all." Skylor replied, getting to her feet. She swayed side to side, her vision being filled with spots, but she stayed standing.

Skylor continued to throw punches and kicks at the shadow, including swings with the sai. The shadow in return, threw its own, landing multiple hits. The shadow threw one final punch, sending Skylor spinning back to where Jay was laying.

A bright light appeared on the wall next to the shadow. The konran looked over, seeing a figure standing next to a flashlight. They moved their hands in front of the beam of light, fingers appearing on the wall.

Forming a finger person, the shadow puppet kicked the shadow, sending it skidding back a few feet. The shadow shook its head and ran forward, prepared to attack. The shadow puppet sent another kick, Skylor's shadow flying across the temple before shattering into dust against the wall.

The figure turned off the flashlight, shoving it into a satchel strung over her shoulder, and running over to where Skylor was. She helped the girl to her feet, making sure she could stand before picking up Jay over her shoulder.

"Mystake?" Skylor croaked.

"Yes." She answered. "Come, let's get you and your brother out of here."

"Sister." Misako greeted, voice as calm as ever. "I see you protect one, but what of the other three?"

"They are safe." Mystake replied. "Far from your grasp, Misako."

"I would not be so confident..."

Ignoring her older sister, Mystake turned to Skylor. "My sister must not unite the four weapons. We must keep them apart." She led them past the miniature temple and towards the doors.

"Awaken guardian of the deep!" Misako cried, putting on a facade. "They're stealing the sai! You must not let them escape!"

There was a low rumbling from the back of the temple, deep within the magma chamber. Skylor froze, looking over her shoulder. A dark figure shot out of the hole and soared over top of their heads, landing in front of them, shaking the ground.

Skylor reached over to Mystake, pulling the flashlight out of her satchel and turning it on. The beam fell upon a spiked tail, then a scaled body that moved with every breath of hot air. Wings were stretched out as Skylor moved the beam to the creature's face. Yellow eyes stared down at them, the flashlight reflecting off tips of fanged teeth.

The dragon let out a roar, so loud that Skylor surprised Jay didn't wake up.

"There's no way out. Misako's taken away all our options." Skylor said, voice shaking as the dragon's tail thumped against the ground, sending a shockwave through the temple.

"All but one."

Before Skylor could ask what Mystake meant, Jay was shoved into her arms and the sai in her hands were gone. Turning around, she spotted Mystake standing by the edge of the drop.

Skylor let out a nervous chuckle. "Mystake, what are you doing?"

"If Misako is to bring the weapons here, then I will take the Sai of Absorption to the Underworld. It is my sacrifice to make." Mystake said, pulling out a cloth from her bag and wrapping the sai.

"No, it's mine, I shouldn't have come on my own. There's got to be another way." Skylor pleaded.

Mystake replied by smiling and falling backwards, disappearing into the magma chamber.

"I will see you there, sister." Misako's shadow disappeared, glowing red eyes gone from the wall.

Skylor fell to her knees, flashlight dropping to the ground and turning off. She pulled Jay close, sobbing into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I messed up. I messed up bad. I shouldn't have come alone. You're hurt, Mystake's gone, I don't know where my team is. I failed." Skylor took a deep, shuddering breath, listening to Jay's faint heartbeat. "I'll be a better sister. Please, I just want you to be okay. I'm sorry."

She curled into a tighter ball, Jay still in her arms and the dragon's hot breath against her neck.

————————————————

Seliel rolled over, for something felt off, though she wasn't sure what. She opened her eyes, squinting in the light. Light? It couldn't have been dawn yet, Skylor should've woken her up a long time ago. Though Seliel knew that the redhead was eager to retrieve the sai and save her brother and would most likely have stayed awake the entire night, they all had enough honour to respect Mystake's orders. Sitting up, she realized her teammates were nowhere to be seen, as was her Sensei.

What she did see was skeletons. Maybe one and a half dozen surrounding their camp. Not taking her eyes off the one in front of her, Seliel reached for her staff, but only getting a fistful of dirt.

The one in front of her, one of the top generals if she remembered correctly, held up her staff, waving it teasingly. Seliel made a move to stand up, but before she could, two skeletons grabbed her arms and began dragging her backwards. Two more were waiting for her, Pixal and Nya in their arms.

A gag was shoved into Seliel's mouth and a cloth tied around her head, keeping it in place. The three ninja were thrown against a tree, rope being pulled tightly around their torsos, binding them to the trunk.

Her eyes drifted over to where Samukai was bent over the golden weapons, examining them. Seeing that they were the real things, she picked them up.

She turned towards the ninja, looking down at them. "I believe these belong to Lady Misako now." She turned back to her troops. "To the Amber Temple!" She ordered. The army cheered, beginning to climb aboard their vehicles. Samukai walked over to hers, but was stopped by a shadow appearing in the tire. Realizing the darker shade and red glowing eyes, Samukai bowed. "Mistress." She greeted.

"My sister has taken the sai to the Underworld. Return immediately and bring the weapons to my hand."

The shadow disappeared, leaving Samukai confused, but she followed her master's orders nonetheless. "To the Underworld!" Samukai shouted, changing plans. "The Dark Lady wants us to return home."

The army cheered once more, climbing into their vehicles: trucks and motorcycles alike. The party sped off, leaving the ninja sneezing in the dust.

Seliel exhaled, something resembling a sigh. Nya began to shift beside her and she peered around the trunk, seeing a glimpse of steel. Nya moved her leg to the side, revealing a sword hidden underneath. She used her leg to slide it up to her hand. Gripping the hilt, Nya used the sword to cut through the ropes. It was slow going, but eventually the ropes snapped.

The shinobis removed the gags from their mouths, breathing deeply.

Seliel ran over, squeezing Nya tightly. "Nya you lijepi genij! ('beautiful genius!')

Nya smiled and flipped her hair playfully. She knew that from Seliel's tone it was a compliment. "I try."

Pixal patted Nya on the back. "Well I must say that was an excellent performance, we might need to save the compliments for later. There are more pressing matters at hand."

Nya and Seliel nodded, following Pixal to where the skeletons had dumped their weapons and bags. Donning all the knives and shurikens they had taken off before going to sleep, they grabbed their main weapons from the pile. Taking to the trees, they set off after the skeletons.

"Hey," Nya said. "Did ya'll see Sensei or Skylor?" Her teammates shook their heads. "Should we go back an' look for them?"

"I think they'll be okay." Seliel assured. "The weapons are our main priority." They stayed quiet as they ran through the trees until Nya started chuckling. "What?"

"Nothing, just... they took the Golden Weapons but left our regular ones lying around. Sometimes I forget how stupid they can be."

Seliel joined in the giggling. "Well, they're skeletons. They don't really have brains."

After a few minutes they reached the main road that led through the forest. Hearing the revving of engines down the road, they followed the noise. Minutes later, the red glow of taillights filtered through the trees, and the three kunoichis picked up their pace.

When the vehicles came into full view, the ninja slowed to match the pace of the vehicles. They could hear Samukai shouting at the drivers to go faster. The motorbikes leading the party disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the bigger vehicles to race through the forest without an escort.

The kishu signaled her team to advance, and the three jumped down. They landed on the largest vehicle—something resembling a monster truck—the one that happened to be housing the Golden Weapons as well as Samukai.

Seliel and Pixal waved at Samukai teasingly, keeping the attention away from Nya. The scout scooted her way along the side of the monster truck, careful not to fall off. The Golden Weapons were stored in a locked cage at the back of the truck, two guards keeping watch.

Grabbing the sash of one of the guards, Nya threw them over the side. Side-kicking the other, she turned to the cage. Reeling her fist back, she punched the lock. "Okay, that's why they make keys." She hissed, waving her hand to ease the pain.

Knowing she would need a lock picking kit and that she left hers at camp, Nya crawled on top of the cage to get one of her teammates' attention. She was met with the end of a staff in the face.

At the sound of something hitting metal, Seliel turned around, taking note of her teammate lying on top of the cage. Taking down one more skeleton with her bo-staff, she knelt down, placing a hand on Nya's back. "Nya! Sorry I didn't see you." Nya sat up and removed the lower part of her mask, her cheek and angry red. Seliel winced. "We'll get that checked out soon."

The truck jolted forward, seemingly going at twice the speed it was before, impossible by human standards. Not used to the speed, the ninja soon lost their grip on the truck, tumbling onto the dirt road. The last of the army disappeared with a flash of light, leaving the three kunoichis coughing in the dust. Nya began to say something, but was hushed by Seliel.

"Save your breath, you don't need to say it. Znam. ('I know.') We've lost."