Ninjago: The Cursed Child

Chapter 86: Boobytraps and How to Survive Them

"Come on Aria, where's your sense of adventure?" Lloyd questions

"Back 100 miles" Aria replies crossing her arms

"Well It was actually pretty sturdy" Cole comments

"Yeah, we got lucky. But luck runs out" Clutch says

They all walk down a hallway and come across stairs. In front of the stairs is a cobweb. Jay starts walking toward the stairs.

Clutch stops him "Don't!" He pulls up his eye patch, and reveals an unhurt eye. He starts inspecting the cobweb and Jay sees Clutch's eye "I don't like the look of these"

"Uh. They're cobwebs" Kay says

"Yeah, well, that's what they want us to think! Jump over, like this!" Clutch jumps over the cobweb ""Guh!

Kai, Lloyd, Cole, Nya, and Zane all do the same. Aria and Jay shrug, Jay steps on the cobweb, snapping it. They all hear a sound, the stairs fold, causing Clutch and the Ninja to slide down the passageway.

"Grab onto something!" Lloyd shouts and Aria grabs onto him "Not me sweetie!" 

"You're the only thing to grab!" Aria shouts

"Guys, guys, GUYS!" Cole shouts

A spike pit appears in front of them

"I got this!" Kai blasts the spike pit with Fire, destroying some of the spikes. They all fall into the pit. The Ninja all groan.

Cole looks at Jay "He said to step over them!"

"I did!" Jay looks at a piece of cobweb attached to his foot and smiles sheepishly.

"If you did, we wouldn't be lying here in a pit with..." Cole sees the others looking at something" What? What are you guys staring at?" He looks behind himself and falls backward "Ah!"

It shows a skeleton with a hat stuck on a spike.

"I wonder who that was" Zane says

Kai looks at it "Someone who didn't stop in time"

Clutch walks over to the skeleton and pulls up his eye patch. Jay follows Clutch and looks at his eye, shocked. He turns to Kai and Zane and points at Clutch's eye. Clutch turns around with his eye patch pulled down. Jay becomes disappointed and walks in another direction.

"Hmm...Hageman. A competitor. He was good. Very good. But, he didn't read my book. And it cost him his life" Clutch says

Zane picks up a book from the floor "Actually, he did read it"

"Now, let me see that!" Clutch snatches the book from Zane and opens to a bookmarked page "Aha! He stopped on chapter eight. Cobweb traps are in chapter nine" He tosses the book and it hits Hageman's head, causing it to fall off, along with the rest of his skeleton. 

Clutch shines a flashlight down a hall and they start walking towards it. Jay shakes his foot and the remaining piece of cobweb falls off. The latter picks up the Boobytraps and How to Survive Them book and follows the others. They enter a crypt with sarcophagi in it.

"Nobody touch nothing" Clutch orders

They stumble upon a broken pillar blocking the path.

"I got this" Cole activates his lava arm and lifts up the pillar. Clutch shines the flashlight down the hall "Any day now!"

They all run under the barrier. Cole throws it up and runs down the hall. It comes crashing down, blocking the exit. They enter a room with tiles on the wall.

"What...is this?" Lloyd questions

Zane scans the tiles "It appears to be an ancient locking mechanism. If the image is properly assembled, the chamber will open"

"It's one of those stupid puzzle games" Aria sighs "Jay, your stupidity is needed"

"I'm good at these!" Jay picks up a large bone to move the tiles "Hmm..."

Aria walks over to a wall with hieroglyphics on it 

Lloyd walks over to her "What does it say?"

"Beware, ye who enter the serpent's tomb. For her anger nearly did consume all Ninjago, until a foolish boy with a staff of power, her evil did destroy" Aria reads

"What does that mean?" Lloyd asks

Clutch turns to them "Gobbledygook, who knows? I haven't met and inscription yet that made a lick of sense. I just ignore them"

Aria gasps "Zane your nightmare!" She turns to the other ninja finishing the puzzle "Guys don't!"

Jay moves the last tile. The tiles made up a drawing of the snake. The room starts shaking and the tiles explode. The Ninja and Clutch all fall down. A Snake laughs and slithers out of her tomb.

"Free at least" She says

Aria groans and covers her face "here we go again"

"Where is he?" the snake questions

"Who?" Lloyd asks

"The treacherous deceiver. The one who imprisoned me. Tell me where he is! And I, Aspheera, will show you mercy" the snake replies

"She's looking for the stupid boy mentioned in the hieroglyphics" Aria explains annoyed

"What do I tell her?" Lloyd asks

"Tell her the truth. We don't know!" Nya shouts

"Umm..." Lloyd looks at her as magic starts coming out of Aspheera's staff "That was a while ago"

She shoots Magic at Lloyd, hitting him against a wall

"Lloyd!" Aria shouts worriedly

The Ninja get up and put on their masks.

Jay charges up with Lightning "Let her have it!" He throws Lightning at Aspheera, but she blocks it with her staff.

"Uh. I'll get help" Clutch runs off.

The Ninja all try attacking Aspheera with their Elemental Powers.

Aspheera laughs and points it at Kai "You! You're a fire Elemental?"

"Yeah! And the name's Kai!" Kai throws fire at her. She blocks it with her staff.

Aspheera smiles "Your fire warms me. For too long I have been trapped in this cold, dark place. I will take your fire!"

"Kai run!" Aria shouts throwing a dark energy ball at Aspheera who hisses when it hits her

Kai looks at Aria "I'm not afraid"

"I'm not asking" Aria says annoyed "I'm telling you to-"

Aspheera creates a shock wave with her staff, and the other Ninja fall back. She lifts Kai in the air using her staff. Aspheera starts absorbing Kai's Fire.

"She's stealing his Elemental Powers! Stop her!" Aria shouts

"Ninja-go!" They all do Spinjitzu and move towards Aspheera. Aspheera spins and knocks back the Ninja.

"She knows Spinjitzu!" Lloyd shouts

"How?!" Jay shouts

Aspheera finishes absorbing Kai's Fire and drops him on the floor, unconscious.

"Kai!" The Ninja all run towards Kai

"This idiot!" Aria shouts "you all never listen to me!"

Aspheera grows a fire hood and has golden scales "I thank you, Elemental. In return for your gift, I shall spare your lives" She points her staff at the Ninja and lifts them up. She chains them to a wall "May you enjoy your time in this place as much as I did. Farewell!" She slithers away

"You won't get away with this!" Lloyd shouts

"...she just did" Aria looks down

Lloyd looks at her "Aria... your eyes.. they're blue"