Rise of the Overlord

Chapter Two

Just a heads up: this story actually has no ending so far. It was one of my finals for my creative writing class my senior year, I also changed around a few things (especially this chapter and beyond) but it still follows RotSM (until a certain point). I will also post the other part of my final, which was how the Ninja dealt with Zane's death after The Titanium Ninja. I love hearing comments from you and thanks for reading!

Ultra Dragon glided over the choppy waters below, each member of the group held onto one of its many green, dagger-sharp spines. Slowly, they approached the obsidian clouds looming over the entirety of the country, dread filled each soul as they neared the capital city.

"I think I see Shihon!" Kai said, pointing to a cluster of clouds glowing an ominous purple.

"Are you sure?" Cole asked as Lloyd took the reins from him.

"It has to be," Lloyd mumbled, pulling Ultra Dragon into a steep dive.

Everyone tightened their grips and swallowed their screams as the wind whistled into their ears and blew their hair back at breakneck speeds. They sped through the clouds, water droplets coating their skin like sweat until they broke through the darkness, entering a new world of silence. The capital city lay partially in ruin, buildings usually bright with vivid colors lay dormant in grays and blacks from the Overlord's favorite weapon: dark matter. One touch of the dark matter can corrupt even the most innocent heart, draining the brightest light until it lay in a morbid darkness. Many of its citizens wandered the streets in a zombie-like state, silently shuffling around the bright red and white Stone Soldiers.

In the very center of the city lay a massive castle, obsidian walls, skyscraper-like towers, thick walls crawling with Stone Soldiers protecting their master.

"What is that thing?" Kai asked, unnerved at the massive fortress.

"The Overlord's Fortress," Wu replied with great despair.

"But where is the Overlord?" Julien asked, unable to see the Dark Lord himself.

"And where's Nya?" Jay asked, searching for his girlfriend.

"They must be inside the fortress," Misako said, "We'll have to lure them out here for a fair fight."

Ultra Dragon turned and flew off to an abandoned part of the city, avoiding being spotted by the Warriors below. They landed at least twenty blocks away from the fortress and dismounted the dragon, silence enveloped the group as the realization of the uphill battle they had to face hit them.

"How in God's name are we going to make it across the city with Stone Warriors every hundred feet?" Kai snapped, smoke curling from his hands as his frustration grew.

"With stealth, obviously!" Jay said with a nervous laugh. "I mean, we are ninja! How hard can this be?"

"Judging by the fact that we are twenty blocks away from the main base of the Overlord, and Stone Warriors are posted about every two hundred feet," Zane calculated, "Then that means there are about thirty-three different groups of warriors between us and the Dark Lord."

Everyone fell silent at Zane's math, Lloyd swallowed and glanced at the rest of the ninja; Kai was pacing and grumbling, Jay was babbling uselessly about the idea of "not giving up", Cole was planning an attack using drawings of the city in the dust on the ground but quickly lost hope with every failed idea, and Zane was trying to clear his mind but was becoming annoyed with Jay's incessant babbling.

Then a scream pierced the still air, everyone peeked out behind the corner of the wall and saw a woman being held by two warriors. A third walked up holding a bottle of a black and purple liquid, her eyes widened in fear as she struggled to escape their unbreakable grip.

"No! Please! Someone help me!" she screamed out, tears pouring down her face.

"We have to do something!" Kai hissed, ready to charge out to save the woman.

"We can't," Zane said. "We would give away our location and the Overlord would find us in a matter of minutes."

"But the lady-!"

It was too late, the Stone Warrior had emptied the liquid onto the woman's head, her red hair quickly dulled as her skin turned gray, her hazel eyes flashed and turned into a deep purple.

"Just like Nya," Jay breathed.

After several moments of silence, Lloyd stepped back and started hyperventilating, grabbing his head and shutting his eyes as he struggled to keep his lunch down. I can't do this, he thought. I can't! Everyone is counting on me and I'm going to let them down! There is no way I can defeat the Overlord! He felt his stomach lurch and felt bile rise to the back of his throat and onto the pavement, falling to his knees as he continued to heave. As he dry heaved, he felt someone rubbing his back in soft circles while another placed something cold and wet on the back of his neck. Lloyd looked up and through blurry eyes saw Zane holding a small chunk of ice while Kai knelt beside him.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd," Kai said in a hushed tone. "I can't imagine what you're feeling right now."

Misako knelt down beside her son and hugged him tightly, "I never wanted this to happen, oh how I wish I could've stopped this fight. I wish your father was here, I wish the Overlord never existed, I wish you didn't have to risk your life to save us. I wish none of this has to happen." Tears started streaming past her glasses as she tightened her grip on her only son. "My Lloyd, my sweet Lloyd!"

Lloyd looked around at his friends and family, choked up. Each one stayed by his side throughout his life, everyone willing to risk their lives for both him and the world.

"We'll always be by your side, Lloyd," Cole said. "Through thick and thin, we will fight alongside you to the end."

Lloyd gave a watery smile, wiping his eyes on his green sleeve, "Alright, what's the battle plan?"

"I say we sneak on the roofs for as long as we can," Cole said. "When we were flying over here, I didn't see any Stone Warriors on the rooftops."

"But wouldn't the ones positioned on the castle walls see us?" Zane asked, cocking his head slightly.

"I think we could use a diversion to get Lloyd past them," Cole replied. "But we would need Ultra Dragon's help."

The great beast nudged the Earth Master, huffing his approval of his help; Cole stroked it's snout and continued to explain the plan. "We sneak up as close as we can on the rooftops while Ultra Dragon flies through the clouds. We create a distraction while Kai and Lloyd use Ultra Dragon as a boost beyond the walls before it comes back to help us across. Otherwise we'll have to use Spinjitzu. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads no, Lloyd was helped onto the massive dragon as Kai looked at his brothers one last time. After a quick exchange of hugs and pats on the backs, he climbed onto Ultra Dragon's back and took to the skies, disappearing into the black storm clouds above.

"Is everyone ready?" Cole asked. "Because we are heading into the lion's den."