(Y/N POV)
As the Bounty hovered over the Jungle of Panoryum, you leaned over the edge, clutching the rail.
The jungle was quite thick and you couldn't really see anything more than just the color green.
You turned around and jerked a thumb back at the jungle.
"We have to jump down?" you asked in disbelief.
The ninjas were already suited up with parachutes on their backs, arming themselves with weapons.
"'We'? You're not coming with us," Kai said. "It's too dangerous."
Your jaw dropped.
"What?!" you exclaimed. "I thought I was going with you guys! I don't wanna stay here and do nothing."
"Kai's right. We don't know what we'll be facing down there, so it'll be safer for you to stay here," Cole placed a hand on your shoulder.
You frowned. "I'm not completely helpless. I want to be useful."
"What if we encounter Keos again?" Zane asked, trying to get you to stand down.
"Then I'll kick his ass!" you said firmly. "Please let me come with you. I can help. I want to help."
The ninjas exchanged glances.
"Oh alright," Kai finally relented. "Don't get yourself into any trouble, okay?"
You nodded eagerly and ran to retrieve your hook swords along with a parachute. When you returned, Wu, Misako, and Pixal were holding weapons with a circular base and three curved points sticking out of it.
"Here are the aeroblades in case Keos makes an appearance," Wu said as he handed out the aeroblades to the ninjas, except for Nya since she has her water ability.
Pixal handed the last aeroblade to Jay before spotting you watching. "I am sorry, (y/n). We have only five aeroblades."
You knew you were a lot less qualified than the ninjas, but it still somewhat disappointed you. "It's okay, I understand."
"We're approaching a clearing. Prepare to jump," Misako announced after observing from the railing.
"Ready team? Let's make this as quick as possible," Lloyd said.
Then he jumped off the Bounty.
The rest of the ninjas quickly followed, leaving you glued on the spot with your jaw dropped at how they didn't hesitate to jump off.
"Go, (y/n)! You mustn't waste any time," Wu urged.
"R-right!" you stammered, heaving your body up on the ledge.
The ninjas were getting smaller and smaller in size and you needed to jump off to land in the clearing in time. Clenching your jaw, you emptied your brain of all thoughts and jumped off before you had any second thoughts.
Your limbs flailed around awkwardly as your hair whipped around you rapidly from the strength of the wind.
Jumping off a flying ship definitely wasn't something you thought you'd ever do in your life.
The ninjas pulled the string to release their parachutes, so you did the same, causing your body to jerk into an upright position. You kicked your feet in the air as you descended, growing more frantic because of how fast you were suddenly rushing towards the ground.
"Woah—oh my god, wait!" you exclaimed, your eyes widening in panic as the dirt ground was getting real close.
Crash!
Your body tumbled on the dirt, the parachute slowly gliding downwards to cover your awkwardly positioned limbs. You grimaced at your harsh landing, your body aching at the impact with the dirt.
"(y/n)!" someone shouted.
The lightweight parachute was thrown off of you and a pair of hands gripped your arms to help you get up to your feet. Your messy hair covered half of your vision, but you could see bright blue in front of you.
"Are you okay?" Jay asked.
"I'm never doing that again."
Brushing your hair away from your face, you wiped off the dirt smeared over your forehead and dusted off your clothes. You gently poked your cheek, feeling the tender skin throb under your fingertips.
"Thanks though. I don't think I could ever get used to this kind of life."
"Ohh, you just get used to it as a ninja!" Jay waved his hand. "There's always a new villain to beat up, quests to go on, et cetera et cetera, so this kind of thing becomes normal for us!"
You paused on attempting to untangle the bush that is your hair. "I can imagine."
"Let's start moving out. Zane, do you have the coordinates?" Lloyd said.
"Yes," Zane said, facing another direction. "I believe the aconite flower is this way."
"Stay sharp and stay alert. We don't know what's out here," Lloyd unsheathed his sword.
You and the rest of the ninja followed behind Lloyd as Zane took the lead guiding the way.
"Stay close to me, (y/n)! I'll protect you," Jay declared, squinting at the surroundings as if a creature was going to pop out of nowhere.
You smiled in thanks.
The jungle seemed like a regular jungle—nothing really stood out as abnormal.
It was exactly as you expected.
Well, at least it was what you expected of a jungle since you've never been in one before.
You were surrounded by a bunch of trees with long leaves and branches that occasionally scraped your clothes. The ground was just solid firm dirt and small plants were scattered around.
The voices of creatures would echo through the jungle at times and you didn't even want to think about what those creatures were.
Your eyes were peeled for any suspicious movement and while the weight of the hook swords by your sides comforted you, being surrounded by the ninjas comforted you a lot more.
Zane was at the front with Lloyd whacking at the wildlife obstructing the path, Kai and Nya were in front of you, Jay was beside you, and Cole was behind.
"You guys think Keos will show up?" Cole asked casually after a few minutes of silence.
"Don't speak it into existence, man!" Kai groaned, slapping his forehead with his palm.
"What, am I not allowed to make conversation?"
"Let's just talk about something else," Nya appeased the two.
"Like what?" Cole asked.
Silence followed.
"That's what I thought," the black ninja huffed in an annoyed tone.
Your eyes wandered to the aeroblades strapped to Kai's and Nya's backs before admiring the three spokes surrounding the center that glowed different colors.
"So...." you broke the silence. "The aeroblades are pretty cool."
"Right? It feels great to have them again," Kai reached a hand back to pat the large shuriken. "We haven't used them in a while."
"Last time we used them was....when again?" Jay stroked his chin as he thought about it.
"The whole ghost thing with Morro, remember?" Cole answered.
"Morro?" your brows furrowed at the mention of an unfamiliar name.
"Yep. Long story short, Morro was a ghost who came through the Cursed Realm, possessed Lloyd because he was obsessed with being the green ninja, and brought the Preeminent into our realm," Jay explained quickly in a casual tone as if it was a very normal thing to say.
Your brain needed a moment to process all of that.
"Ohhh—kay then...." you trailed off, not knowing what to say. "That sounds, uh, sounds like a rough time."
"Don't forget that I unlocked my true potential to defeat the Preeminent!" Nya chided.
"Who could forget? That was awesome!" Kai hyped up his sister enthusiastically.
Peaceful quietness soon followed as you continued to trudge through the jungle.
"Are we there yet?"
"Affirmative," Zane said, much to everyone's surprise. "We will be reaching a clearing in 200 feet. That is where the aconite is."
"Finally," Jay sighed in relief. "Is it just me or does this place smell like Kai's socks?"
"Hey!" Kai turned around to whack Jay's head.
The thick greenery surrounding you suddenly decreased in density as you approached the clearing Zane spoke of. The narrow pathway you had been walking on opened up to reveal a small field void of tall trees, thick vines, and boulders.
The sight that met you was oddly calming.
It was just a field of grass—the clearing shaped into a small circle.
Near the center of the field was a tall sprout of purple flowers that reminded you of lavender flowers. It was pretty, but that was probably the poisonous plant you were looking for.
"There it is!" Lloyd announced as he pointed at the purple flowers. "Let's grab it and get out of here quick."
Before he could take another step, the roar of an engine suddenly boomed so loudly your body jumped in surprise, nearly getting a heart attack from the explosive sound.
"WHAT THE F—" you clutched your chest as you shouted.
Wind whipped past you and two large objects flew over you before screeching to a stop.
"Well if it isn't the ninjas!" a voice called. "Fancy seeing you here."
Blood boiled beneath your skin as you realized who was before you.
Before you were two large jeeps glowing green with a bunch of ghosts and—of course because nothing was ever easy—Keos in one of the jeeps.
His toga-wearing ass was standing cockily with a smug smirk in the back of the vehicle.
"Well who would've thought we'd see your bitch ass here!" you blurted before you could stop yourself.
The ninjas slowly turned their heads to stare at you.
You shot them an expression that said 'What? Someone needed to say it.'
"Move out!" the green ninja yelled, unsheathing his aeroblade.
You charged forward with the rest of the ninjas and grabbed your hook swords in a tight grip.
"HIt 'em with water, Nya!" Kai shouted before throwing his aeroblade at a ghost.
The weapon whipped around like a boomerang, pulverizing the ghost into a puff of smoke.
"Haha!" the fire ninja cheered once he caught the weapon.
"One glass of water coming right up!" Nya opened her canteen of water to manipulate the liquid into a blast aiming straight for Keos, who continued to stand there with a smirk.
You frowned.
Why wasn't he trying to move away?
The water hit him, but it didn't disintegrate him into dust. Rather, it reflected off of him as if there was a shield protecting him.
"Huh?" Nya said in confusion.
Keos chuckled, shaking his head, and knocked on his chest that resounded with clang.
That's when you noticed the armor covering his torso.
"You like my new armor?" Keos said snarkily. "It took me some time to find this gem. Water was my only weakness as a ghost, but now? I'm invincible."
"Oh yeah? Let's see how invincible you are!"
A bolt of lightning zapped its way towards Keos, but it didn't affect him.
"Oh come on! That's so unfair!"
You clenched your jaw and charged at Keos, your hook swords gripped in your hands. You knew that you couldn't do any real damage to him, but the sight of him pissed you off.
You let out a battle cry as you raised a sword, ready to swing at the ghost.
He caught sight of you before your swing landed on him.
"Oh?" Keos dodged another attack. "Quite brave of you to face me alone."
"Shut the fuck up," you spat. "Where the hell is Faye?!"
"That is the big question, isn't it?" Keos taunted, flying above you to get behind.
You spun around and slashed your sword at the same time, but it just went through him.
"I'll literally bring you back to life, kick your ass, kill you, and then kill you again as a ghost if you don't tell me where she is," you threatened, tone sharp as a knife.
"Must you be so violent?" Keos shook his head slowly. "If you really must know...she's safe in an indestructible cage. She's a fiery one, that girl. Keeps yelling threats and claiming a (y/n) will come rescue her."
Your heart dropped.
"What..." you said, your voice low and dangerous.
Faye was counting on you to save her, but you're there wasting time trying to fight a ghost you know you can't beat.
Keos raised an eyebrow before his face morphed into one of arrogance. "Ohh, I see now. You're the (y/n) she keeps babbling about, aren't you? Fine job you're doing with rescuing her."
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about," you said through gritted teeth.
In a burst of fury, you started slashing at him, but your anger only rose when you saw the blades going through his form as he smirked at you.
Your arms begin to slow down from exhaustion, but you really want to just tear this guy down for good.
"I got the aconite! We need to leave now!" Cole's voice broke through your rage-filled mind.
Your feet stop to turn and sprint towards the rest of the ninjas who were still fighting a couple of the ghosts.
"Come on!" Cole yelled again, waving a small pouch in the air.
A flash of green sped through the air and suddenly the pouch was missing from the earth ninja's hand.
"Wha—?"
A dark chuckle filled the air. "You ninjas really make my job so much easier."
Keos shook the pouch in his hand in a mocking manner.
"This guy makes me so mad!" Nya exclaimed angrily.
"We need to get it back!" Lloyd instructed, throwing his aeroblade at Keos who simply dodged it.
Zane attempted to shoot Keos down with blasts of ice, but the ghost was just too damn fast. The other ninjas joined in by using their elemental powers to strike down Keos and the other ghosts, but no hits landed.
There was nothing you could do without revealing your true power, so you felt completely useless. All you could do was shoo away Keos' goons with your hook swords that were ineffective.
"Lloyd, look out!" Zane warned the ninja, but a ghost was already slamming Lloyd straight into a tree.
His back hit the tree roughly, causing the ninja to grunt and lose his grip on his sword. The sword clattered to the ground and before Lloyd could regain his bearings, the ghost that attacked him proceeded to possess the fallen weapon, making it glow green.
The sword straightened up horizontally and reared back a couple of inches. Then it began to cut through the air to aim straight at Lloyd, who was still slumped against the tree.
Oh no.
Your legs moved on autopilot towards the possessed sword and your arm swung forward to hook the sword with your own weapon. Clearly you didn't think this through because the only thing you could do to divert the attack was to hook the blade to face you instead.
So now you were staring at the pointy end of the sword at point blank.
With the might of God himself, you bent backwards to dodge the sword that was aiming for your head as your other arm reached behind to prop yourself up from the ground.
The sword flew so fucking close to your face, but luckily it missed by just a few millimeters before you became a human kebob. You sprang back to stand up, your chest rising and falling rapidly from the adrenaline of nearly being stabbed in the face.
"(y/n)?" your ears caught Lloyd's voice faintly.
You spun on your heel to face the floating weapon and engaged in a parry with it as best as you could.
You grit your teeth and wished you spent more time training because it was actually difficult defending yourself from a sword that didn't even have a holder to wield it. It sounded ridiculous to say that a floating sword was giving you a hard time.
You ducked, slashed, jabbed, and dodged, but it wasn't enough to dodge all of the slices.
"Augh!" you exclaimed, immediately feeling a sting on your arm and cheek.
Your eyes darted to your injured arm to find a line of red over your bicep, a light stream of blood already making its way downwards. You charged at the possessed sword again, but it managed to twist one of your hooks out of our grasp, causing it to impale the dirt a few feet away.
You only had one weapon to work with now.
The sword began to attack you more aggressively at a pace you couldn't keep up with, so your legs were stumbling backwards to create distance between you and the sword. Your eyes frantically scanned the area to see if another ninja could help you out.
Green eyes met yours.
"Nya, over here!" Lloyd shouted at the water ninja.
Nya followed Lloyd's line of sight and gasped before a determined expression set on her face and she sent a blast of water at the possessed sword. The ghost flew out of the weapon and into the air, but it didn't take long for Nya to evaporate it with her water.
Your chest rose rapidly with each heaving breath you took to recover from the near death experience. What the fuck did you get yourself into?
"NOOOOOO!" two voices yelled in unison.
A dark laugh escaped Keos' mouth and your jaw dropped at the sight.
The purple flower—the aconite—was....disintegrated where it once sprouted.
Cole and Zane were on their knees, hands flying around the pile of dust as if they could build the plant back up.
"No..." you whispered in horror.
It was the only aconite flower in existence and Keos just destroyed it.
"I think we're all done here, boys," Keos' taunting voice filled the air. "Thanks for the aconite, ninjas! Couldn't have done it without you~"
Keos and the remaining ghosts jumped on the jeeps and revved the engine, sending puffs of black smoke out of the exhaust. The vehicles swerved sharply and began to make their way out of the clearing.
Not on my watch, you thought. That pollen is mine.
You sprinted across the field, dropping your hook sword to grab a fallen aeroblade from the ground.
"Uh, (y/n), what are you—" Kai began to say, but you ignored him.
Your eyes trained on the jeep that was getting farther, but you were determined. You forced your legs to push with all their might, taking long strides to catch up. Your heart was beating so hard it could have popped out of your chest, but you couldn't slack for even a second.
When you finally caught up enough, you grabbed onto the back of the jeep and hoisted yourself up, swinging your entire body over inside the vehicle.
"OH SHE DID NOT JUST—" Jay exclaimed in the distance.
Before the nearest ghost could register your presence, you slashed down on it with the aeroblade. Unfortunately, the toga-wearing fucker noticed you and swung his own weapon at you, but luckily the aeroblade was able to actually block it before you got sliced in half.
But you were still at a disadvantage.
You were tired and unskilled at fighting against a ghost, while Keos could fly around and strike you at any position.
You could only defend yourself with the aeroblade as Keos started to attack you more rapidly. Your feet stumbled backwards and your hand shot out to steady yourself from the rough drive.
"You think you can defeat me by yourself?" Keos said snarkily. "You think you can rescue your little friend by yourself?"
Your entire body was filled with rage.
"Where is she? What did you do to her?" you demanded sharply, attacking the ghost who simply dodged to the side.
"Hmm, she's a fighter, you know," Keos said in a casual tone. "Very stubborn but...I'll break her."
Your jaw clenched and you were gripping the aeroblade so tightly your fingernails were turning white.
"Give her back to me or I'll send you to hell myself!" you shouted with venom in his crusty face.
Keos cocked an eyebrow. "If you destroy me now...you'll never get her back."
You faltered.
Which was a big mistake.
Before you knew it, your chest was being slammed backwards, causing the air to get knocked out of you, and your body tumbled out of the jeep. You fell onto the firm dirt and rolled for a few feet before coming to a stop.
Your entire body ached and your brain told your body to get up, but it felt like heavy weights were tying you down. The last thing you registered was Keos' mocking laugh fading away into the distance.
That fucker.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes:
damn it's been almost a year since i last updated wtfff sorry y'all :'(
i never had any intentions of completely dropping this story but i got suuuper busy with school, work, life, etc etc
also just know that i do read your comments! they motivated me to get this chapter out as soon as i could
but i hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway! i still have the next chapters planned out but i just need to y'know actually write them