Ninjago: Amplified 【 Midnight Masquerade 】

【8】 - The Right Time has yet to Appear

"Yeah, Aura." Yuri agreed. She winced as Gold applied some ointment to an injury on her shoulder. "Sometimes it scares me how far you go for this job."

"Trust me, I didn't think I'd go that far, either." Aurora huffed as she straightened in her seat. "Honestly, I think I would've preferred if he shot me."

"Don't say that!" Akiri whacked her shoulder at the comment, though she couldn't help but laugh. "We came close enough to that!"

"I'm glad you guys decided to stall for a while," Gold confessed. "I don't think we would've made it there in time if you hadn't."

"You should've seen Gold," Eris grinned. "Watching them hurry to get their gear on was the funniest thing I've ever witnessed."

"Oh, really?" Gold quirked a brow. They made a show of looking into the pot that was placed over the campfire, peering closely at its contents. "Oh, darn, look at that. We won't have extra for you."

"HEY HEY NOW, HOLLUP–" Eris immediately zipped over to their side at the empty threat. "Gold, you're my FAVORITE ANDROID I've EVER MET!! Have I ever told you that????"

"Eris, I'm the only android you've ever met." Gold crossed their arms, sending her a look.

"Well that makes you just as special!" Eris beamed innocently, causing them to sigh.

"Alright, fine. You can still have your share." They turned back to the food with a decisive nod. "You don't really need food to survive, but I'm in the same boat. It wouldn't be fair to keep you from it."

"Plus, she'd be seriously missing out." Onyx interjected. "I'm starving after all the bullshit we just went through."

"At least it wasn't for nothing." Aurora considered. "We got the shot, and Gold's already tipped off the authorities with it."

"This masquerade might've been an elaborate scheme to catch us, but it ricocheted on them." Gold agreed. "The rest of the criminals will surely see our victory as a warning– they'll stop attacking the villages if they have intellect."

"So, what you're saying is: VIGILANTES– ONE." Eris announced, stretching her arms to the sky for dramatic effect. "DEN OF SNAKES– ZERO!"

Aurora laughed along with her friends at the ghost's celebration. Meanwhile, Akiri took the time to examine her injuries once her own were treated.

The oni pulled back the bottom hem on the leg of her pants, revealing the result of Aurora's first run-in with one of the constrictai. Aurora pulled a face as she spotted the purpling bruise on her ankle. It stung in agitation as Akiri began to disinfect it; to distract herself from it, Aurora turned to her other friends, thinking back to Eris' previous words.

"We might've won," she went on. "But we're going to have to lay low for a while."

"What's the problem with that?" Eris halted midair. "The accurate reaction to that should be 'YAY! RELAXATION! NO WORK!'"

"I wouldn't say that, Eris," Yuri corrected. "We still need to make money somehow."

"Yeah, but I don't know how we'll manage getting day jobs in the villages." Akiri added. Having finished with Aurora's bruise, she moved on to treat the scratches that littered her arms. "Knowing the Den of Snakes, they probably won't forget about their hunt, even after their leader is taken to Kryptarium."

"I'm not sure, either," Aurora agreed, wincing a little as her injuries stung in protest. "I don't know how we should go about it without facing a risk. Those serpentine will be searching for revenge for sure."

"It's a good thing we don't have to, then."

The group's collective attention immediately shifted to Onyx, confused.