An earth dragon stood on its hind legs just outside the second cave, flapping its wings as it released another loud and angry roar that bounced off the stone walls, amplifying it until it reverberated through the very bones of every human and Skulkin near.

"Retreat!" Samukai yelled. The Skulkin followed their leader, running scared for the exit and all but forgetting their allies.

Skylor took inventory of her own team: everyone had stopped fighting at the sight of the beast, and three of Wu's students were already making a break for the cavern entrance, leaving Skylor and her comrades free to escape as well. Nya was on the other side of the cave, and Pixal was closest to the exit. But Seliel stood directly in the dragon's path.

Its glowing blue eyes were fixed on her – no, not on her, but on the black ninja next to her. 

The ninja scrambled to his feet as the dragon opened its jaws wide, inhaling. 

"Seliel, move!" Skylor shouted, hoping to snap her out of her stupor. A light flashed in Seliel's eyes and she started to move just as the black ninja reached for her, as if to pull her out of the way. Then the dragon exhaled with another mighty roar. 

Skylor had to shield her eyes as dust hurtled from the dragon's jaws and earth was churned by its breath. Her mask at least prevented her from inhaling in most of it. When she looked again, both Seliel and the ninja were gone. Skylor glanced around the room. The entrance was blocked now, all eight ninja trapped inside, her team still scattered. 

"Get off me!" Skylor realized that Seliel and the black ninja were beside her. Seliel shook the ninja off her arm, and he appeared to be taken by surprise at the sudden change of location. "I think this is starting to get out of hand," Seliel said, breathless and bloodied. 

The dragon was glaring in their direction again, its lip curled in a snarl. Skylor noted that the black ninja took a few hasty steps back, his eyes wide. Some ninja he was. She took a mental note of this for later. 

"Hey! Beastie!" the red-belted ninja shouted as he snatched the scythe from the white one's back. The dragon caught sight of this and turned its full attention to him.

"No Kai, bad idea!" the blue one warned. "Master Wu told us not to!"

Kai ignored him and swung the scythe, lodging its curved blade into the ground. The earth cracked around the blade, and the crack slinked towards the dragon. The cavern rumbled and shook as light split through the ceiling. It crumbled apart, and a huge boulder landed on the dragon's head, crippling it for a moment. In the brief moment of reprieve, Skylor sprinted to the widening gash in the ceiling. The room rumbled and wobbled beneath her feet as rocks rained down on her head. She craned her neck, trying to find a path she could climb.

However, there was no easy way up, so she opted for Spinjiztu and was soon engulfed in an orange glow. She broke out into the open air and heard the dragon roaring angrily from below. A second, brown cyclone shot up after her, which turned out to be Seliel and the black ninja.

Seliel pushed herself away from him and knelt beside the opening. "Nya and Pixal are still down there!" she gasped.

Just then, a trio of vibrant cyclones rocketed from out of the fissure and Seliel jolted backwards, out of the way. When they slowed, Skylor could make out the figures of her teammates with them. There was a moment in which the two teams shuffled, Nya and Pixal moving to stand with their friends while Cole went to his. Then both teams stood apart, facing one another, while the roars of the dragon began to die down inside the cave. It echoed from within the fissure, a dark hostile line scored through the earth, warning each ninja to stay on their own side.

Skylor was the first to speak. "This isn't over. We still want that scythe."

The red ninja, Kai, scoffed. "I'd like to see you try and take it from us."

"We'll let you go this time," said the black ninja. The lower half of his mask was stained and Skylor could see a bit of red smeared in the gap under his eyes. She felt a twinge of satisfaction. "But this is a warning," he continued. "If you cross us again, we won't go easy on you."

He made it sound like he was being merciful, but really it was in his best interest to get out of there. They already had the scythe, another fight might mean they would lose it. But Skylor didn't want to let him go so easily. 

Nya moved forward. "We're not just going to watch you walk away, if that's what you think!" she said, her voice still distorted by the helmet just as Seliel's was.

The black ninja reached into his pocket. "Stay out of this," he said sternly. "We don't want anyone else to get hurt . . . but we'll do whatever it takes to get the rest of those weapons." With that, he threw down the pellets and the ninja were enveloped in a cloud of smoke.

The smoke was thick and pungent. It left the girls coughing and even made their eyes water until it finally started to dissipate.

Skylor waved away the wisps and saw that the space where the boys had just been standing was now empty.

"What a bunch of jerks," Seliel muttered.

"Come on, lets get back to Garmadon," Skylor said. But before she could move, Seliel rounded on her.

"And you! You were about to leave us in there!"

"I was not!" Skylor protested

"So you didn't just use Spinjitzu to get to safety without the rest of us?"

Skylor's frown deepened. "Well there would be no point in waiting. The gap was wide open, and you don't need my help to climb out."

"You keep forgetting that you're on a team. And if our enemies hadn't saved us, we might not have gotten out in time!" Seliel pointed out.

Skylor realized then that she was right. What if they hadn't been able to make it to the opening in time, or if they hadn't been able to find a way up? They could have been injured, trapped, or worse. Skylor found herself confronted with a concept she'd never had to think about before. She realized that, for the first time in her life, she was responsible for someone else's life in addition to her own. And not just someone that had to obey her out of fear, but someone who she actually considered an equal. Skylor didn't like to think what would have happened if the others hadn't been able to escape.

Pixal came and stepped in between them. "This is not the time for arguing. We're still shaken, and some of us are injured." She looked pointedly at Seliel, who already had a dark ring forming around her eye and dried blood running down her chin. "As Skylor said, we need to report back to Sensei Garmadon."

Nya removed her helmet and shook out her hair. "It's only our first mission," she pointed out. "We'll do better next time."

Seliel took a deep breath and led them back down the cliff face. Skylor hoped that Nya was right, because if they couldn't get their act together, at this point they stood no hope of retrieving any of the weapons.

. . . 

Once they had met up with Garmadon again, they were all finally able to collapse to the ground and rest. Their sensei helped them with their wounds while they recounted the events. From the way the others told it, Skylor found that it had been a more difficult fight for the others than it had been for her. But, they had made it out at least, and no one had taken quite as much damage as Seliel.

"I am so going to make that guy pay," she growled.

"You already gave him a bloody nose," Skylor reminded her. "You may have even broken it."

"You think that makes up for this?" Seliel gestured to her bruised eye. She went quiet for a few seconds, glaring at the dirt, before she added, "And did you see his face when he found out I'm a girl? He looked so offended!"

Of course Pixal knew basic first-aid, so she was busy helping Garmadon treat the rest of their wounds. At the moment, she was patiently trying to attend to the cut on Seliel's lip as she spoke. "I did not see because I was otherwise occupied. But I am sure he was simply sorry for having hurt you after realizing that you were not what he expected," she said.

Seliel rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because if he had known, he probably would have gone easy on me."

"Don't let it get to you," Skylor said.

Nya laughed a bit. "What about my brother, Skylor? Think he's cute?"

"Which one was he?"

"The one with a red belt. Kai."

Skylor pretended to think it over. "I think he gave me a pretty good bruise on my side." She rubbed the sore spot, wincing. "Nah, he seemed like a jerk, too." Skylor was just playing as Nya had been, but she noticed the water ninja's smile fade.

"He didn't used to be," she said quietly.

Skylor wanted to console her, but before she could say anything, Seliel asked, "Oh yeah, how did that go? Were you able to talk to your brother at all?"

Nya sighed and shook her head. "He doesn't know it's me. It's been so long since we've seen each other, I don't know if he'd recognize me, or even care. Or worse, what if he hates me?"

"Now, now, Nya," Garmadon soothed. "Let's not limit ourselves with 'what-if's'. I think you'd be surprised what a familiar face from a life long-past can do for a person."

Nya looked as if she was about to say more, but thought better of it.

"Maybe we should kidnap him," Skylor mused aloud. "Then he'll have to listen to what we say."

"Somehow, I don't think that will help our case," Pixal said.

Skylor shrugged. "Just a thought. So, what's next?"

"First, we camp out for the night," said Garmadon. "If you girls could start gathering some firewood, I can get it going before dark."

Skylor stood and stretched out her arms. "Then what?"

"Then in the morning, we will set out for the temple of ice."

. . .

Night had fallen. The forest where Cole and his team had set up camp alongside Samukai's army was full of shadows and strange sounds. The fire they had made provided the only warmth as the moon rose and the air grew colder.

Cole was still kicking himself for how the mission had gone. He had managed to clean all the blood off his face and while his nose was thankfully not broken, it was very, very sore. Samukai and his warriors were camped out a few feet away while Cole and his teammates discussed what had happened.

"So . . . what do we do if they show up again?" Jay wondered aloud.

"As Cole said, we will have to deal with them properly," Zane answered.

"But . . ." Jay winced but didn't finish his thought.

Cole could guess what he was thinking. It didn't seem right to fight a group of girls. He felt the same dread as when he found out the teleporter was a girl. If he had known, he wouldn't have been so . . . well he would have been nicer. But he couldn't have the Skulkin overhearing and thinking they were soft, and Master Wu wouldn't be happy if they let anyone, including these girls, get away with any of the weapons. Then again, they hadn't seemed to be very skilled fighters by comparison . . .

If this new group of ninja really was working for Garmadon, Cole couldn't exactly back down and let them take the weapons. Master Wu had given this team a mission, and Cole wasn't about to let him down. 

"Look, we can't let the weapons fall into Garmadon's hands. If those girls want to get in the way, then they'll have to go through us. But they clearly haven't had much training, so we shouldn't have to do much fighting, anyway. We'll tell Master Wu about the ninja, but that they won't be any trouble. Got it?" 

Kai, Jay, and Zane each nodded.

"Good. Now –" Cole broke off as the air grew suddenly colder. He recognized that feeling. Wu was near.

The others noticed it, too, and glanced around for the shadowy figure of their sensei.

"My students," their master declared, announcing the presence of his ghostly silhouette behind Cole. The black ninja turned and backed into a line with the others before kneeling. Wu's tone was calm, but Cole could see by the intense embers of his red eyes that it was an icy, brittle composure.

Cole quickly lowered his gaze. Hopefully he could chip away at the anger and soothe his master. "We found the scythe," Cole reported. "We were attacked by Garmadon's students – uh, they had found it first – and they tried to ambush us. But we were able to get the weapon and escape. They weren't a problem. And there was also a dragon," he hastily added. He didn't want to dwell on that part. He'd acted like such a fool in the face of his greatest fear.

There was a long silence. Cole glanced up again when Master Wu said nothing. His expression hadn't dimmed in the slightest. "Anything else?" he asked.

Cole could guess at what he was referring to, though how he knew about it, Cole wasn't sure. He tried to avoid the subject in the hope that he was mistaken. "We may not have performed to the best of our ability, but next—"

"Don't play dumb with me. You used the scythe after I ordered you not to!" Wu exploded, his patience run thin.

The boys winced where they knelt. The adrenaline of the battle had long since worn off and now they simply felt weary. Their first mission had turned out to be a disaster, and now they had to answer to their master. 

Cole felt Kai's gaze on him, but ignored him. This team was his responsibility, as were their actions. He would suffer Wu's wrath, not them.

But before Cole could say anything, Kai looked up and said, "Using it was my only option!" There was a subtle defiance in his gaze and Cole had to bite his tongue to keep from interrupting and making things even worse.

Kai had only admitted to his mistake because he knew Cole would be blamed otherwise. Cole was ready to accept this, because the whole thing really was his fault. He was the one who had insisted on staying to fight when they should have just gotten out as soon as the scythe was in their possession. Kai, on the other hand, had done what was necessary to save them all. But Master Wu wouldn't see it that way. He and Kai had a somewhat strained relationship, and Master Wu seemed to make it his mission to put Kai in his place whenever he felt that he had stepped out of line. 

"And why shouldn't we?" Kai continued. "They're our weapons, after all."

"Your weapons?" Master Wu echoed. "And I expect you think this is your army, and your power, too! Don't forget, you wouldn't even be here if I hadn't sought you out. I gave you everything you have, taught you everything you know. You'd be nothing without me."

Cole wished that Kai would shut up. He would certainly be punished when they returned home. Maybe he would even be forced to go back right now, leaving the rest of them to retrieve the weapons on their own.

"You are the students, and I am your master. After all I've done for you, after all the years I spent teaching you and guiding you, the least you could do is to follow one simple order!"

To Cole's relief, Kai finally lowered his gaze and said nothing more.

"There are still three more weapons for you to retrieve before you return," Master Wu reminded them, his tone low and cold once again. "Maybe next time you can get it right."

Cole inwardly cringed as he remembered one last detail, but summoned up all his courage and said, "Um, they also stole the map, Sensei."

"I have the map memorized," Zane piped up.

Well thanks for telling me that now, Cole thought.

"I trained you better than this," Wu said. "Do not fail me again."

With that, the shadow of their sensei vanished.

Cole shivered before getting to his feet. "Get some rest," he told the others. "We'll head to the next location in the morning." They dispersed, Cole knowing that he himself wouldn't be getting a whole lot of sleep that night. They'd been sloppy this time, but he wasn't going to let that happen again. They would be ready for those ninja if they came back, he would make sure of it.