Rise of the Overlord

Chapter Thirty-One

Hey, Y'all! Can you believe how fast the summer has come and gone? It went by way too fast and too slow in my opinion. Anyway, I wanted to let y'all know that RotO is now cross-posted on AO3, it'll be updated and edited with slight changes (such as fixed grammar, new details, and better flow). It'll still follow the same plotline, just edited better. This story will still be updated here, don't worry. If you'd like to check it out, I'll leave a link at the end of the chapter. 

Also, I was stuck on this chapter all summer long! It was extremely frustrating to write, but eventually, I was inspired to finish it (after finishing Ninjago in the Nutcracker...). Anyway, enough talking, here's the latest chapter of Rise of the Overlord!

Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, and Lloyd stood in the courtyard, holding onto rusted swords; all but Kai had theirs in their right hand, Kai kept switching in an antsy behavior. They were waiting on Misako, she told them that she would be teaching them offensive tactics and motions. Lloyd was excited to learn from his mom, Cole and the others were curious as to what she would teach them. They knew everything, or what they assumed was everything, from Sensei Wu. A new perspective would be wonderful for their training.

The door to the Temple of Darkness opened with a loud creak, catching the Ninjas' attention. Misako and Garmadon stepped out; she carried a sword, he carried a staff, leaning slightly against it. Misako had tied her hair back in a bun, and to be honest, it was the first time the Ninja had seen her without her braid. She stood in front of the Ninja and said, "Alright, we will start with stretches. First, the Swooping Crane."

The Ninja stood on one leg, some chose their rights others their lefts, and stretched their arms out to the side. Occasionally one wobbled or flailed their arms to regain their balance, except for Zane. He found his center of gravity and was able to main perfect balance with a silent aura of smugness. Jay playfully shoved Zane, causing him to tumble into Cole with a soft cry. Kai and Lloyd snickered as Jay was tackled and held in the air by the two, ducking and dodging his flailing arms and legs. The blue ninja playfully screamed, begging to be put down.

Misako cleared her throat and gave them a stern look with a hint of a smirk hidden underneath. "Return to the Swooping Crane position, and put Jay down."

Reluctantly, Jay was set back down on the ground and they resumed their stretches. The second was the Pinching Crab; Kai decided to make Lloyd laugh by clicking his tongue and shuffled side-to-side.

The young Green Ninja snorted and struggled to tame his rambunctious laughter, only for it to explode out of his lips. He doubled over, gripping his sides as his face turned a bright pink, his laughter echoed over the courtyard and became contagious to the others. Even his father, who was resting on the edge of the fountain behind them, chuckled quietly. Tears started streaming down Lloyd's cheeks as he struggled to breathe; his body continued to tremble as his stomach ached painfully from the joy radiating from him.

Misako waited until Lloyd had finally settled down, still gripping his stomach as Kai beamed with pride. She cleared her throat and said, "Are we done playing, or do you still need to get some energy out?" Jay bounced on the pads of his feet, Cole crossed his arms, Kai was still beaming from making Lloyd laugh, and Lloyd had finally settled down. She said, "We shall pair up and practice mock duels; Kai and Cole, and Zane and Jay."

"But what about me?" Lloyd asked.

Misako grinned, "You shall be paired with me." She grabbed six bamboo staffs and handed each ninja one, saving one for herself. Each pair spread around the area, dropped their rusted swords on the ground beside them, then faced their partner. They got into their stances, legs slightly bent with tight grips on the bamboo.