Onyx looked around the streets of Ninjago as the ninja warily walked down one. "What happened?" Kai asked, looking around at the dented and destroyed cars and robots piled up in the streets. "No power, that's what happened," Cole said, shoving a fallen traffic light aside. "Are we too late?" Zane asked softly, brow furrowing. "We can't be. I would've felt-?" Onyx trailed off as her foot came down on a thin metal tripwire, so narrow that she hadn't been able to see it.
As her weight came down on it, a glass bottle was yanked out of a huge pile of debris in front of the ninja, sending several cars toppling down its sides. They all leapt back in alarm as people swarmed over the top, wearing torn clothing and holding scavenged metal bars. "Outsiders must answer to the Postman!" A bearded man shouted. Said Postman stepped to the top of the pile. "Return... to... sender!" He shouted.
Before anyone could make a move, Borg suddenly wheeled himself to the top of the pile. "Ah, you finally made it. Don't mind the savages. Since the power went out, everyone here has grown a bit bored. Their imagination knows no bounds," he said. Then his eyes fell on Pixal. "P.I.X.A.L., amazing! You're powered!" He exclaimed. The Postman groaned. "You need to stay in character, Borg. This is no fun if we're not all committed," he said. Borg rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'll have you committed if you don't all leave us at once. Now shoo!" he said. The citizens obliged, but not without mutinous mumbling. Onyx almost laughed at their tenacity.
"We have real problems to address. P.I.X.A.L., what's powering you?" Borg asked, making his way to the street in front of the ninja. "Zane gave me half of his heart," she answered, giving a slight smile. Borg nodded to Zane. "Thank you, Zane. I am greatly indebted. Unfortunately, the hard drive was stolen with the digital imprint of the Overlord. You'll be unable to erase him with your Techno Blades until we find it," he said. Onyx sighed. She'd known it wasn't going to be easy. It never was.
Jay waved a hand. "Aw, don't worry, we already had a little run-in with the red-handed suspect. Or should I say white-handed? He left behind a white scale. Get this, he's Serpentine," he said. Cole grinned, stepping over to a manhole cover. "Lucky for us, the last Serpentine were sealed within a tomb right under the city, so it's about time we pay them a little visit," he said, reaching over and easily lifting it.
"Approach with caution. I've also lost a few valuable prototypes. He may be armed and extremely dangerous," Borg warned as the ninja prepared to lower themselves belowground. Jay nodded. "We know, and uh, ahem, just for the record, when those prototypes are made available to the public, could you let me know? They're just the coolest gadgets," he said, eyes sparkling. Borg smiled, but the expression quickly turned to one of confusion when he noticed Pixal stepping into the hole.
"P.I.X.A.L., where are you going? Now that my assistant has an unlimited power supply, there's an infinite amount of good to be done," Borg said. Pixal glanced at Zane, who only hesitated for a moment before nodding. "As you wish, Mr. Borg," she said. Zane gave a small wave as they began to leave. Pixal returned it, the awkward smile returning.
Now that they were gone, Onyx took the chance to begin climbing down the ladder, Nya going in next. "Watch your step, Nya. We don't know the last time this ladder was used," Cole said. "That's thoughtful of you, Cole," Nya said, a bit awkwardly. "Hey! How about you watch where you're watching, Cole? Huh?" Jay snapped.
"Ow!" Onyx gave a cry of pain as someone's foot suddenly struck her in the head. "What's-oh!" She abandoned her indignant response when she realized that a few rungs of the ladder had snapped beneath Nya's feet. "Uh, guys, a little help?" She asked. Jay and Cole were too busy arguing to notice her predicament. "Hang on, I've got you," Onyx said, wrapping her legs around the ladder and allowing Nya to use her hands as a step to reach the next solid rung. "Thanks, Onyx. You're a better knight in shining armor than these two," she said, rolling her eyes at Jay and Cole as the two reached the ground. Onyx grinned at the frustrated expressions on the faces of the arguing boys.
"It was his fault!" Jay and Cole both shouted simultaneously, pointing at each other. Nya responded by pulling out a glowstick and activating it, lighting up the tunnel enough to see. "Let's keep our eyes peeled. Our mystery suspect could be anywhere down here," Zane said, carefully stepping between Jay and Cole. Kai sighed as they all started down the tunnel. "Serpentine. Never thought I'd see them again," he said. "I don't think any of us did," Onyx agreed.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, they came upon a huge door engraved with figures of stone warriors. "Tomb of the Stone Army. It's been sealed since the Serpentine were trapped here," Kai said. Zane ran a hand along a crack in the door that had light shining through it. "It appears the seal has been opened," he remarked.
Before anyone could say anything else, the sound of nonchalant whistling reached their ears. The ninja turned to see Skales approaching. When he caught sight of them, his whistling stopped and he dropped the bag he was holding. "Aah! Not you again!" He exclaimed. "Skales. Something told me you'd be behind this. Search his bag!" Cole ordered, he and Jay grabbing the Serpentine's arms while Kai snatched up the bag and began riffling through it.
"Hang on, guys! We don't know if he's actually stolen it," Onyx said. "Yeah, what she said! This is harassment. I've done nothing wrong!" Skales snapped, wresting an arm free. "We know you did it! Where's the harddrive? What are you hiding?" Jay exclaimed. Nya rolled her eyes. Kai held up a package of raw chicken. "He's hiding...groceries? And the latest issue of Ninjago Times," he said, confused. Skales snatched his items back. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for the crossword. Sorry, you've got the wrong snake," he said.
"Daddy? Are you okay?" A squeaky voice asked. Onyx glanced behind her to see a tiny Serpentine peeking out of the door, which had opened a bit more. "Stay inside, Skales Jr.!" Skales said, quickly slithering over to the door and blocking the ninja's path. "Skales Jr.? Uh, you have a son?" Kai asked. Skales crossed his arms. "We've been busy since you left us. And we prefer to keep it that way," he said firmly.
Onyx put her hands up. "I'm not going to hurt a kid," she said. "Is this about the Golden Master? Is he going to hurt us?" Skales Jr. asked, his tiny voice quivering. "That is only a story, son. They were just leaving," Skales said firmly, glaring at the ninja. "Golden Master? Is this about Lloyd?" Zane asked, jumping on the familiar title. Skales worked his jaw. "Like you, we have our own legends. But I guess in ours, you are the bad guys," he said finally. "What legend?" Nya asked. Onyx had to admit that she was curious herself.
"They have a right to know. If we're going to shed a new skin, we must open our home to others," a female voice said. A pink serpentine stepped out of the door and up to Skales, leaning her head on his shoulder. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. Skales sighed and jerked his head at the door. "Oh, all right. Let's go, surface dwellers. If you'd like to hear of the Curse of the Golden Master, follow me," he said, leading the way into the old tomb. Onyx hesitated for a brief moment before following.
"After a rather humbling scrap with those indestructible Stone Warriors, we've made amends with our warring past and found ways to help better ourselves," Skales narrated as he led the ninja through the tomb, which was surprisingly less grim than Onyx had expected it to be. Bioluminescent plants provided enough light to allow a soft layer of moss to blanket the floor, and starry glowing rocks dotted the cavernous ceiling. As they walked, Onyx noticed serpentine children playing with a ball, and one paused in their game to give her an awkward wave, which she returned.
"So you got a few snakes to go straight. Doesn't mean there's not one bad apple. Fangpyre have white scales, don't they?" Kai asked, not quite ready to let go of his aggression. "A few. Is this about the missing harddrive?" Skales asked with a frown. "This is about the Overlord," Cole corrected. Skales faltered a bit. "Ah, the Overlord. Glad we weren't around for that mess. No, we have no desire to meddle in the affairs above. As you can see, we stick to our own. We only want what's best for the next generation. Have a seat. You could learn a thing or two about your beloved Golden Master," he said, waving his hand at a fire surrounded by particularly squishy patches of moss.
Onyx and the others took a seat as Acidius approached. "Hello, hatchlings and camouflaged land dwellers. Do you seek to learn about the Curse of the Golden Master?" He asked. Jay thrust his hand into the air. "Tell me! Tell me!" He cried. Onyx nodded. "Yeah, what he said," she agreed, wriggling a little on her moss and preparing for a story that would no doubt be factually incorrect.
Acidius nodded and spat a spray of venom into the fire, causing it to warp and twist into the story as he told it. "Then everyone come closer. When the First Spinjitzu Master created Ninjago, deep in the ground, he created the Serpentine. Since the first dawn, our elders knew of the Curse of the Golden Master, when he who had the powers equal to the First Spinjitzu Master would rise and usher in the last of the setting suns. With no equal adversary, his power will go unmatched. His destructive rule will change the face of the world, and he will not stop until every man, woman, and Serpentine are enslaved under his control," he began.
Onyx frowned. Already, the story was rubbing her the wrong way. Lloyd wasn't destructive or violent at all, but she didn't say anything, continuing to listen.
"The Serpentine tried to warn the land dwellers, but they wouldn't listen. They thought we were the enemy, though we were only trying to prevent the prophecy of the Golden Master's terrible reign. After the Great Devourer failed to scare the unbelievers below ground, it is we who retreated beneath the soil, promising to never return, even now that the end is inevitable," Acidius finished.
Onyx couldn't help but wonder if that had really been what had happened. If so, then the serpentine had been imprisoned for nothing. Then again, releasing the Great Devourer probably qualified as a war crime.
Acidius slithered away, and the ninja gathered beneath a lamppost. "I can't believe they think Lloyd could become the Golden Master," Kai murmured. "Well, he is the son of Lord Garmadon," Jay said. Onyx wrinkled her nose at him. "Really? Even after everything he's done for a Ninjago, you're actually considering this?" She challenged, voice coming out a bit more aggressively than she'd intended. "What I want to know is, if none of them took the hard drive, who else could it be?" Nya interrupted before Jay could retort. The ninja fell silent, pondering the question. And yet, for as hard as they thought about it, they didn't have an answer.
They were all yanked from their thoughts by an alarmed shout. "We're under attack! Protect the young!" A male serpentine cried. Onyx's head whipped around, searching for the source of the chaos. "Nindroids!" Cole exclaimed at the same time Onyx noticed a legion of them pouring into the tomb. "Ugh! These toasters never know when to quit," Jay scoffed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but... protect the Serpentine!" Kai shouted, dashing at the nindroids, the others following a split second later.
Onyx engaged in battle, kicking nindroids around and doing her best to buy the serpentine enough time to escape. Suddenly, over the cacophony of sound that had filled the tomb, she heard Skales's wife scream their son's name. "Mommy! Aah!" Onyx turned in time to see Cryptor trip the little serpentine as he ran for his mother. "So you were going to be the future of the fearless Serpentine?" He laughed. Onyx gritted her teeth. 'Not on my watch.' She ran for the child. "Kai, I need an assist!" Onyx shouted as she scooped Skales Jr. up. "I've got you!" The fire ninja responded, swinging in out of nowhere and kicking Cryptor in the face.
She gasped in pain as Skales Jr.'s tiny arms tightened around her ribs and he whimpered in fear. "It's going to be alright," Onyx murmured to him, dashing for his mother. "Get him somewhere safe!" She ordered the pink serpentine, prying Skales Jr.'s hands off of her and handing him to his mother. She nodded. "Thank you!" She cried as she escaped.
Onyx spun back to the nindroids, able to rejoin the others now that that was taken care of. "Ugh. If we could figure out what powered them, this would all be a whole lot easier," Jay muttered. Onyx narrowed her eyes at the nindroids, searching for any new element in their design. Before she could come to any conclusions, however, dozens of nindroids dashing at the ninja, forcing them to scatter.
As Onyx was fighting two droids, Cole shouted over the din. "Hey! They're powered by some sort of eel thing inside their backs!" Onyx's eyes narrowed as she honed in on the packs Cole was talking about. They were small, but stuck out in a way that suggested they had been a hasty addition to the android's designs. Onyx had no trouble slipping behind them and tearing the cords out of the backs of her opponents' heads.
Armed with this new information, the ninja were able to dispatch all of their enemies without trouble. Finally, only one remained. As Zane took hold of its cord to shut it down, it spun its head around to look at him. "Foolish Nindroid! You are helping the wrong side," it spat, though not in the monotone drone that all the other nindroids possessed. This voice was that of the Overlord.
Zane's eyes narrowed. "You'll never succeed. Not if we have anything to say about it," he swore. The droid began to laugh in a grating way that sent chills down Onyx's spine, even though she'd heard it before. "I already have. You've unknowingly led me straight to the Golden Ninja. And this was merely a diversion to keep you busy," he said. The chill spread throughout Onyx's entire body. Zane kicked the droid in the face and yanked the cord out, effectively shutting it down.
Onyx looked at the others, eyes wide. "There's nothing we can do, is there?" She realized, taking in Cole's drawn expression. Zane shook his head. "No. We have no idea where Lloyd and his father went. We cannot help them," he said. Kai gritted his teeth. "They'll be fine. Those two are tough," he said stiffly. Onyx nodded, forcing herself to believe it.
Skales slithered up to them. "The boy holds too much power. I fear the Curse of the Golden Master is upon us," he said. "The dawn of the end of times is near," Acidius added, appearing from behind a rock. "We can at least try to contact Lloyd. Are you sure you won't help us?" Nya said, addressing the last sentence to Skales, who shook his head. "I'm sorry. We made an oath never to return to the surface. Good luck. But since you helped us, I'll tell you one more thing. There's only one Serpentine with a history of being so fond of using Electro-Cobrai," Skales said with a nod to Onyx.
"Who?" They all cried unanimously. Skales scowled, red eyes narrowing. "Pythor."
Pythor. Pythor. The name bounced around Onyx's mind. She hadn't expected to hear it again, especially in this context. "But that's impossible! He was eaten by the Devourer," Kai exclaimed. Onyx frowned, cupping her chin. "So was Wu, but he's not dead. It's completely plausible that he's still alive," she puzzled, alarm growing the more she realized that Skales was probably right. "Then we have to go now. If Nya's right, then we have to warn Lloyd immediately," Cole said, leading everyone out of the tomb. "Thanks," Kai called brusquely back to Skales, who gave him a nod in return.
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Oh boy, more tornado watches! Anyway, I finally got around to watching the eleventh episode of Dragons Rising, and it changes EVERYTHING about how I interpreted Ninjago's history. I need to think about how this would affect a prequel series. Also, I'm still loving the show. Lloyd is a burnt out, minorly depressed adult who needs a hug and Beatrix sends chills down my spine in a way I haven't felt in a long time.
Musical of the Day: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (the embodiment of goofy 60s comedy. It's quite enjoyable)