September 26, 2020
ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ ▬ 4651

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Three-against-one were not odds Harper liked.

On the bright side (was there even one? It was rather dark out anyway), she had after all just fought an entire army two-against-too-many and endured ruthless Ninja training, so she felt more confident in her fighting skills. Hurling the electric toothbrush at her nearest attacker- the one with shurikens- she leapt up into the rafters in an attempt to get away from the others. As fast as lightning, Nunchucks leaped up and nearly knocked Harper off the beam she stood on. She yanked her red chopsticks from her bun and threw them like spears, though the Ninja dodged them.

Picking up on the quiet rustle of fabric behind her, she knew that Shurikens and Scythe had caught up as well. Her knuckles were a second away from striking Scythe's face when she was knocked off her feet and thrown into the air with almost inhuman strength.

The thatched roofing broke from the force of it all, making a Harper-sized hole in it as she was flung into the empty training compound. Scythe, who had just knocked her down, hopped out of said hole with Nunchucks and Shurikens quick to follow.

She landed hard against the dragon sculpture with the hidden button. A plan quickly formed as she noticed that the three Ninja had landed on the deactivated training devices. Without hesitation she lifted the model, smashed the button, and activated the course, waiting for the chaos to take care of her foes for her.

And take care of them they did. Spinning swords made Shurikens fall to the ground to avoid impalement, training dummies knocked Scythe down from behind, and Nunchucks was rolled off the undulating planks. Watching them battle the training equipment gave Harper a second to breathe and think, but the only thing that came to mind was who the heck are these people and how did Sensei not notice them, isn't he an ancient Ninja master?

Shurikens began to get up, so she dove and pinned them to the ground. Subsequently, Scythe and Nunchucks piled on, but they did so to hold Harper down. Someone's knees dug into her back as they tackled her, and she hissed in pain as one of her bruises flared with pain.

"Stop!"

Light flooded from the doorway of the monastery to reveal Sensei Wu frowning upon the dogpile of Ninja. Her black-robed attackers shot to their feet in a split second, bowing at him, and said together, "Yes, Sensei."

Sensei?

"Wait a minute... they're your students as well?" she suddenly asked, the puzzle pieces clicking in her mind. Wu gave her the slightest of nods. "This was my final test, wasn't it?" She stopped for a moment, processing this. "Damn, that was a pretty bad final test, not going to lie."

Nunchucks, on her right, suddenly stepped forward and flipped off her hood. She had raven black hair and a notch in her right eyebrow, which was currently furrowed in confusion. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," she interrupted. "You never said anything about a fourth, Sensei! It's always three. The Dream Team has three people, so does the Bench Trio. There's the Three Musketeers and the dystopian trifecta and the Three--"

On Harper's left, Scythe, gave Nunchucks a look though she chuckled in amusement. "What she's trying to say, Sensei Wu, is that three of us have trained together. We're solid." At the last word, she removed her hood to show her dark, curly hair and crossed her arms.

Harper muttered under her breath. "Didn't look so solid to me."

Shurikens, at the end of the line, took off her hood as well and pushed her cherry red hair out of her eyes, not after glancing at Harper with an unreadable expression. "So, um... Sensei, what's the meaning of this? Is this why you had us live underground, without any sunlight, for... what was it, Realm? An entire freaking month?" She didn't wait for an answer, which further interested Harper: she had no idea which of the girls was Realm, and neither gave any indication that the name was theirs as they remained silent, their eyes on their master.

Sensei Wu stepped down and paced in front of the Ninja. "I make decisions for a reason. Each of you have been chosen," he said, tapping Shurikens on the head, "each in tune with elemental properties. But first-- Ninja-go!"

In a blinding flash Wu spun into his golden tornado, the four girls left stumbling in the forceful whirlwind. When spots cleared their eyes, they were each wearing different colored gis.

"Woah, holy shit," Harper whispered. Her pajamas had transformed into a real Ninja gi- still the color red- and a golden lion emblem shone on her chest. Looking to her right, she saw that the others were different colors as well. Scythe, like her teammates, was staring at all of their outfits in shock. "Wh- how'd he do that?" she asked in wonderment. They all wore lightweight gis that would be better in battle, compared to the thicker, heavier training gis they had used for practice. But this was the real deal, and it amazed all of them.

Nunchucks let out a cheer, admiring her blue gi and peering down at the squid pendant on her chest. "Woah, look what color I am!" she squeaked out, barely containing her excitement.

"Wait a minute, I'm still black." At Scythe's statement, all three girls looked over and saw that her new gi was as inky as before, though this time she had a golden bear pendant on it.

"This is insane," Shurikens exclaimed, stretching her gloved fingers. She now wore a powder blue gi with a bird emblem, and she was about to thank Wu when Harper spoke up. The blonde stood slightly apart from the others, for they had, after all, attacked her mercilessly minutes before.

"You said we each represent an element. You mean, 'oxygen, gold, titanium, and helium' kind of elements? If not, what did you mean?"

Wu smacked her on the head with his stick, and judging by her passive expression the other Ninja could tell he had done so many times. Instead of reprimanding her, he declared, "Harper, Master of Fire. It burns bright in you," he added pointedly.

"Mm. I feel so loved," she muttered.

Next in line was Nunchucks, and he touched her shoulder with his staff as if he was knighting her. "Zap is blue, Master of Lightning. Quick and fast."

Zap. Harper instantly saw that name fit her quite well and as her eyes lit up at the word lightning, Harper could see that her natural personality definitely embodied the quick, bright element.

Wu moved on and tapped Scythe on the shoulder in the same way he did with Zap. "Black Ninja is Realm, leader of the team, and Master of Earth."

So this is Realm. As if reading her mind, Realm turned to the now-Red-Ninja and said, "Nice to meet you. I got your back, 'kay? And for the record, there isn't anything in this world that I'm afraid of."

Shurikens popped her head over. "What about dragons?"

Realm sighed through her nose. "Dragons aren't from this world, Sky. I said in this world."

"I'm not afraid of dragons," 'Sky' said under her breath, a hint of pride in her words.

Before the red-haired girl could respond, Wu said, "And the white Ninja is Skylar, Master of Ice."

"Cool- wait, I'm not wearing white. This is blue," Skylar noticed. "Or is it just me? Is the lighting weird or something?"

Realm glanced at her teammate's gi for a moment. "I'm... pretty sure that's blue."

"But I'm the blue Ninja," Zap wondered. "Maybe you're the white Ninja because it's easier to say it that way..."

Harper offered, "Maybe Wu's just colorblind." This they all agreed on.

"Pay attention!" The Ninja's heads snapped up to see their mentor above them once again. "You four are the chosen ones who will protect the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu... from Lord Garmadon."

Harper noticed something missing and glared at Wu. "Wait- what about my brother? What about Morro?"

"Wait, is your brother missing?" Zap asked in worry.

Realm tilted her head. "...You have a brother?"

Skylar piped in, "You didn't grow up alone and isolated without the consolation that you were in the company of another living being that was related by blood?"

There was a beat of silence before dryly, Harper answered, "Yes."

Wu had to pound his staff into the floor again to get their attention. "When we find the weapons, we will find your brother. It is time! We must go to the first!"

The curly-haired leader frowned and stepped forward. "Hold on a minute," she interrupted. "You promised the three of us-" she gestured to herself, Skylar, and Zap- "you said you were going to teach us Spinjitzu."

He didn't bat an eye. "Spinjitzu is inside each and every one of you, but it will only be unlocked when the key is ready to be found." The girls exchanged furtive glances of frustration, which Wu thankfully did not catch. "Come! My feet are tired. We will take the horse carriage."

Realm followed their sensei, the others close behind. "Great."

"Now we have to find a key?" Zap sighed.

Skylar looked to Harper. "Man, he sucks at keeping promises."

"Painfully so." She pulled on her hood. "But I'll bear with it for the time being if he pulls through with his end of our agreements."

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" 'Sign me up,' she said. 'It'll be fun,' she said."

"I never claimed that this would be fun, Zap."

"Please don't argue with each other, guys. We're- we're not even going to make it to the Caves of Despair at this rate, let alone retrieve the Scythe of Realms."

"This is by far the strangest form of team-building--"

"Just keep pulling. We have a long way to go. Save your breath."

The four girls had been pulling Sensei Wu in his horse cart for four hours straight. No amount of Ninja training had prepared them to run uphill while dragging a very heavy cart for so long.

Harper took off her hood, soaked with sweat, and filled her lungs gratefully. "So, where did Sensei find you three?" she asked, attempting at some light conversation.

The team leader flipped off her hood as well. "Let's just say if it wasn't for Sensei Wu, I don't think we'd ever been seen together. I was testing my limits-- traveling around Zenjago and exploring the world," Realm said. "I climbed a mountain without equipment for the first time... and Sensei was sitting there, waiting for me."

Zap's hood had been removed long ago, and her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes. "And I was testing my invention. I crafted wings to fly and was testing it out. I mean, it worked, but this billboard advertising coffee ice cream was in my way. I may or may not have crashed into it. Just like with Realm, Sensei Wu was sitting right there! Drinking his tea! What else does this guy do beside drink tea and hit Harper on the head with his stick?" she whispered to them.

All three shrugged in response. Skylar glanced over her shoulder and saw that Wu hadn't heard a word they said (or was choosing to ignore them), drinking his tea.

"And I was testing myself," she finished. "It was insanely cold in my town- at least that's what they said- and I hadn't noticed how cold it was. In an attempt to see how long I could last, I stayed outside until dark, drawing in the snow. When I lit a lantern to see, I found that Sensei was sitting beside me... and drinking his tea."

Harper looked at each of the girls with a new curiosity. "You're right, if it weren't for Sensei, none of us would have--"

"Shh! Stop!"

Zap, Realm, Skylar, and Harper halted in their tracks, relieved to finally rest their sore legs, and took a peek at the Skulkin site before them. It was infested with skeleton warriors who were hovering over incredibly long conveyor belts and milling about. There were several tall watchtowers stationed on the dry land, and behind it all was a small mountain ridge. They weren't mountains, however. They were-

"The Caves of Despair," Wu told them as they prepared to leave, flipping their hoods back on. "Samukai must be close to unearthing the Scythe of Realms. Remember, do not use the weapon for its power--"

Zap cut him off quickly as the team ducked behind a boulder. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! 'It's too much for us mortals.' Alright, guys. Let's chop-socky this lemonade stand! Realm, you got the plan?"

The Earth Ninja nodded. "Sure do. First, we lower ourselves down the ledge. And then..." She faltered as she realized a red Ninja was missing. "Hang on, where's Harper?"

They frantically scanned the area in search of the red-robed young woman among the bony white. Zap saw a flash of red and pointed. "There she is!"

Harper was darting from tower to tower, ducking out of sight when a Skulkin passed by. "Let's go," Realm sighed, and the three followed Harper. One skeleton noticed Harper, but before he could alert the others the Ninja in blues and black took him down.

She had a head start, however, and had already scaled the main watchtower. Peering down the open skylight at the top, she spotted her prize.

"The map!" she whispered. Samukai was holding it in his bony hands, and Harper's excitement fizzled out. There was no way she could take it unnoticed.

She'd find a way.

Realm nodded to Skylar and Zap and at once, they grabbed onto the bottom of the conveyor belt. The team leader tensed as they slowly passed a pair of skeletons that were too close for her comfort.

"Ooh, I found something!" one cheered.

With a grumble, the other skeleton sighed, "Nuckal, that's another rock, you bonehead."

"But Kruncha, it's shaped like a doughnut!" Nuckal whined. "I wonder what it tastes like..."

As the conveyor belt carried them past the two skeletons, Realm heard the first skeleton bite into the rock and shriek in surprise. She heard Skylar's breath shake, as did Zap's, and they tried not to laugh at their stupidity.

Finally, the three Ninja reached the main tower and pulled themselves up next to their red teammate. Zap nudged her, "What was that about?" she whispered, referencing her running off.

"Shh," Harper hissed.

Below them, Samukai cackled to himself and set down the map. Zap gasped quietly. "Look- it's upside down. They're digging at the wrong spot!"

Skylar squinted at it, coming to the same conclusion. "But they aren't far enough. The Golden Weapon is near." Attaching a rope to her shuriken, she hurled it through the hole to pick the paper. As quickly as it came, she yanked it up before Samukai could notice, and held it out for her team to look.

After a second, Harper had already memorized it and got up. "There's no time to waste," she said and punctuated her statement with a backflip off the tower.

The three glanced at each other, shrugged, and followed quickly. Realm watched Harper with great interest as they followed her. Somehow, in the second she looked at it, she had already memorized the map and knew her exact path. It was almost more than photographic memory. As team leader, Realm knew how to observe people and find their strengths and weaknesses; the red Ninja's strengths were ones that would be incredibly beneficial to the team once she remembers that she is part of one.

Hidden from the Skulkin's sight, Realm, Zap, and Skylar caught up to Harper, who was attempting to push a boulder away from a mountain slope-- likely the entrance of a hidden tunnel. She looked up with surprise as the others arrived, but instead of helping her right away, Realm stopped and said, "Hey, Harper. Before you race off again, you need to remember that we're a team. Okay?"

She hesitated, then grumbled, "Yeah, whatever, Mom."

Realm chuckled at the nickname. Harper didn't know that Zap and Skylar already called her that, and she had a feeling that the Fire Ninja was going to fit in just fine.

The three helped Harper push aside the boulder and revealed a covert tunnel entrance. After many twists and turns, the tunnel led them to a massive cave.

They didn't see any other potential entrances or exits to the cave but somehow it was flooded with light. They realized that the stone dragon statue in the center's jaws were partly open to levitate something-- a weapon that glowed with golden light. The Scythe of Realms was forged to look like a dragon was swallowing the blade whole, and every facet of its surface shone gold.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Skylar gasped in excitement and wonder, turning in a circle as she looked around the cave. "I've never been in a cave before, there aren't any up north--"

"Shh, not so loud." Realm whispered, jumping on the boulders surrounding the dragon sculpture and carefully pulling the Scythe out of the air.

Skylar lowered her voice. "Okay, fine, Mom. But don't be paranoid, we're totally on the opposite side of the caves now."

Realm noticed their teammate in red frowning in disagreement as if she knew exactly where they were, and it was not on the opposite side of the caves. "Zip it, okay?" The Earth Ninja tossed the Scythe to Harper, who bundled it in a cloth and tied it to her back. "Now that we got the Scythe, let's sneak out while those boneheads are still busy."

As the Ninja left for the tunnel, none of them noticed the dragon's jaws open all the way.

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"Alright, team. Everyone stick together and be careful," Realm prepped, looking over her shoulder at her team. "The way out is right around the corner-"

She turned to exit the tunnel and let out a terrified whimper. Mere centimeters from her face was the Skulkin leader Samukai, who brandished four serrated knives and grinning darkly at her fear. Behind him was an entire cohort of skeleton warriors, each carrying a rusted weapon of sorts that looked like they were built to attack Ninja.

Realm dropped into battle stance, as did her team, each raising their weapons and charging into the fray together.

Zap crumpled a skeleton with a good whack of her nunchucks. "Two points!" she reported to her friends. Whenever the three of them trained together, they would always keep score (on a chalkboard Realm had decorated) of who had knocked down the most dummies or dodged the most swords. Thinking of this first real battle as training helped them focus and push away their fear.

Skylar saw the red Ninja surrounded by Skulkins, using her sword to try to keep them away from the Golden Weapon. "Harper! Throw it here!" she hollered, and the Scythe was gracefully chucked into the air (Harper is quite the athlete. First football, now this?). The Ice Ninja caught it, throwing a shuriken at a warrior just as she did.

"Going long!" Realm shouted from behind, and Skylar threw the Scythe just as she was tackled by three skeletons. The game of hot potato continued as they kept the Golden Weapon out of the Skulkins' reach, but they were growing tired.

"There's... there's just too many of them!" Harper cried. The sheer numbers were ten times that of the group that invaded Ignacia, and all four were no match for them.

"Let me handle that!" Zap came to her rescue, yelling as she kicked and struck skeletons away from the Fire Ninja.

As she raised her nunchucks, ready to attack a new wave of warriors, Zap noticed something new-- the battle reminded her of the training course at the monastery.

"Hey guys!" she yelled, grinning beneath her mask. "It's just like the training course!"

Zap jumped from skeleton to skeleton, using their faces as launchpads. "Over the planks-" she flipped over their swinging blades- "dodge the swords..."

Spinning towards another warrior, she yelled in elation, "Here comes the dummy!"

A glowing blue tornado crackling with lightning grew around the blue Ninja as she powered down all the Skulkins threatening her friends. She had done it.

"Spinjitzu," Harper said in amazement. "Zap! What's the key?"

Zap struck out at her enemies through her tornado. "I'm just going through the motions. This is what Sensei must have meant when he said we already know it!"

The red Ninja took a deep breath, trying it for herself on the skeletons advancing on her. "Over the planks- dodge the sword- here comes the dummy!" A fiery tornado spun around her, and Harper joined Zap's electric one as they began taking down the army at a much faster speed.

Kruncha laughed and elbowed Nuckal. "She just called you a dummy, heehee." His partner shoved him back, jeering, "No, she called you a dummy!"

The bickering generals yelped and ran away as a snowy white Spinjitzu tornado spun in their direction, leaving their leader unguarded. She stopped her spin, raising her shurikens, and threatened, "You don't stand a chance."

Samukai's red eyes flitted between the orange, blue, and red tornadoes striking down his army and shrieked, "Retreat!"

As the entire army ran as fast as their bony legs could take them, the four stopped their Spinjitzu to watch them flee.

Realm grinned at her teammates. "Good thing they didn't check out the merchandise in the back." She turned back to the cave entrance and saw something that made her freeze in place, her breath hitching.

Her team didn't notice this yet. "Alright!" Skylar cheered, high-fiving Zap. The Lightning and Ice Ninja completed an entire handshake, whooping at the end.

"Uh... g-guys..."

Harper didn't rejoice just yet. Though she was incredibly proud of their victory, something didn't feel right. "I believe that Sensei said there was a guardian protecting each of the Weapons, correct?"

A low snarl issued from behind them and the other Ninja turned around. A massive black-and-brown creature rose up onto its hind legs, its amber gaze fixing on the Golden Weapon in Harper's hand then each of the girls' faces.

Realm was too shocked to back up. "Is- is that... that's not what I think it is. Is it?" she asked timidly.

"You mean a dragon?" Zap gulped.

The creature extended its wings and lifted its sharp claws, watching them hungrily.

"That sure looks like a dragon," Skylar said anxiously.

Harper gripped the Scythe tighter. "I don't think that we can spin our way out of this one--"

They shouted and ducked for cover as Earth Dragon unhinged its jaw and spat sand at them, stinging their eyes and making it hard to breathe. "I- I thought dragons aren't from this world!" Realm coughed, and the team frantically searched for an exit.

"Well, apparently not, because it's right here!" Skylar sneezed, consequently hissing in pain from an injury on her ribs.

Zap looked to her left and saw Harper pulling the cloth off the Scythe of Realms. "No no, Harper! Bad idea!" she yelped, blinking hard against the sand in the air. "Sensei told us not to!"

One of Harper's eyes was watering from the sand, but the other could see fine and she used that to her advantage. She calculated her window of opportunity and found it to be short, to her slight disappointment. "Then you better keep your mouth shut," she snapped and ran forward.

Realm suddenly saw what she was going to do and cried out, "Harper! DOOOON'T!"

Ignoring her team, Harper hurled the golden blade into the ground. With a thunderous rumble, massive fissures erupted from the Scythe and crumbled parts of the cave's ceiling, trapping the dragon. As the roof collapsed, she pointed to a beam of light trickling in up high. "We have our escape!"

"We'll use Spinjitzu!" the Earth Ninja realized, and all four spun into their glowing tornadoes. In vain the dragon tried to follow, but they slipped through the thin opening in time.

The sun wore down on them as they stopped their Spinjitzu, coughing out sand and gasping for air. An orange light flashed from inside the cave, but it went undetected by the Ninja-- they had survived and retrieved the Scythe of Realms, and that was all that mattered.

Skylar whooped, "That was so awesome!"

"I know, right?! THAT WAS SERIOUSLY BADAS-"

"HARPER, DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!"

"Did you see that?" Zap asked excitedly. "I was like 'pow'! And you were like, 'bam'!"

For the first time, Sensei Wu was not drinking his tea. Instead, he was glaring at all four girls. "Enough! I told you not to use the Scythe!"

Skylar pointed to the red Ninja. "She did it."

Zap nodded in confirmation.

"Whaat?" Harper defended, her voice raising an octave.

"I warned her, Sensei," Realm added.

She tried, "Using it was my only option."

Wu stepped closer. "And what makes you think you're more important than the team?" he snapped angrily.

Harper stepped forward as well and said in a low voice, "They took my brother. Remember him? Morro? Yeah. I need to get him back, no matter what the consequences. That's the only reason I'm still here."

Her mentor gave her one more angry glare before turning and walking away. "There are still three Weapons left. Maybe next time," he said, the other three following close behind, "you can do it right."

Harper watched them go for a moment, trying to see what she did wrong. She had just been trying to get Morro back as soon as possible. What was the trouble in that?

But as she looked at her teammates and sensei's backs leaving her, she realized what Wu needed her to see. In order to get Morro back, yes, she needed the four Golden Weapons-- but she also needed to learn how to be a part of the Ninja team.

With a shuddering exhale, she followed them, the weight of the Scythe on her back increasing with guilt. Morro was her family, her brother.

So were these girls, at least in Wu's eyes.

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"Master, I have failed you."

There was only one lord of the realm of shadow and darkness, and he had earned his way to it. Striking down those who defied him and forcing the rest under his hand, Lord Garmadon had brought both destruction and unity with his rule of the Underworld. Telling him that one had failed was the equivalent of an endless death sentence-- including those who have already died.

Lord Garmadon rested on his throne of obsidian and bones, his white ribs pressing through night-black skin. His eyes were red like fire, yet they held not an ounce of warmth as they swept over the army general before him.

Groveling at his master's feet, Samukai reported nervously, "They have learned Spinjitzu and they have the Scythe."

"Good." Garmadon's chilling voice brought Samukai to raise his head in surprise. "Then my brother was there."

Unsure of what he was saying, the Skulkin leader offered, "If I can gather my army, then we can easily ambush them and--"

"No." Patronizingly, he growled, "Let them think they're winning."

"But I... do not understand."

At this, Garmadon laughed, sending chills down every skeleton's spine. "Everything is going to plan," he grinned. His laugh grew louder and echoed, and after a moment Samukai's cackles joined his lord's.

to be continued...