Ninjago: Where Heroes Come From

Chapter Thirteen: The Volcano of Ash

The ninja did not go off to find Lloyd. Wu struggled to explain to Garmadon, once he had finished swearing colourfully at everyone, mingling in apologies directed towards Lexi, that although saving Lloyd was certainly a priority, it was not their first priority. Garmadon was having none of this, and he wasted no time in telling them so.

"He's my son, Wu, and if you're fool enough to think I'll abandon him for some quest of yours—"

"I'm not suggesting we abandon him," Wu said, his voice shaking slightly, "but we cannot ignore the fact that the serpentine are being freed— Mystake told us that the Hypnobrai are already gone, and the gathering of the serpentine can mean only one thing."

"The Devouror is being unleashed," Garmadon growled, "I know. It was I who was bitten, Wu, not you, as it should have been—"

"That isn't— you can't say that— Garmadon," Wu looked flustered, blinking rapidly, as the ninja shared confused glances and opened their mouths to ask for elaboration, "please, we must stop them— if we can destroy one fang blade, just one, then we'll have all the time in the world to save Lloyd. If we chase the serpentine around the world, letting them get the blades first, then we'll be on the clock, and Lloyd's life will be put at greater risk with each passing moment."

"How is that any different from what you're suggesting?" Garmadon snapped. "You think that once they realize their plan is foiled, they won't take it out on him?"

As the two men fought, the ninja watched anxiously, none of them willing to speak up. Kai seemed to be struggling with himself mightily, obviously agreeing with Garmadon on the subject of making Lloyd the priority and bursting to say so, held back only by his aversion to siding with a monster. Lexi, too, wanted to save her brother, but she knew it was wiser to go with Wu's plan. Cole and Jay were having a whispered debate about whether Garmadon could be trusted or not, and Nya and Zane kept bouncing ideas of each other, only to shake their heads or moan or instantly come up with a better one.

Finally, Garmadon has been shouted down by Wu (which was to say that after threatening to blow up the entire ship with them on it, Garmadon had been reminded that he couldn't find and defeat the serpentine single-handedly) and it was decided that they would set a course for the Volcano of Ash. This, Wu explained, was where the Hypnobrai blade was located, and since they had just been freed, Pythor wouldn't be getting their blade any time soon.

"He'll need them to stick around long enough to be useful," Wu explained as they readied to ship to fly, "they won't leave until he finds them their blade."

"Why do they want the blades so badly?" Kai asked, and Wu sighed.

"The blades are commonly thought of as nothing more than symbols, like a relic or a medallion. But they have powers, reflective of their tribe's abilities. The Hypnobrai blade carries powerful venom that allows the wielder to take over the minds of anyone stabbed by it. The Fangpyre blade will turn you into a snake. The Venemaraii is soaked in venom that will kill you in minutes." He frowned gravely. "Even the serpentine themselves covet these blades, and the power they hold. There are seldom few ways to destroy them, and only one purpose to finding them." He stared out to sea, his eyes darkening. "To release the great devouror."

"How does that work?" Kai asked. Nya turned to tell him off for asking so many questions, but Wu shook his head. "It's fine," he assured her, "you all should know these things. The devouror, Kai, was a creation of the Oni, sent to bring chaos and destruction. It bit Garmadon when he was young, and after that, it had fulfilled its purpose. It grows as it consumes, you see, and so it was not content to bite only one boy and then die quietly. It was many years before it was caught and entombed, for none of us could destroy it fully. Only the union of the fang blades at the Lost City of Aura Bourus can free it— and that is what Pythor intends to do."