"Ughhhhhhh...." I groaned as I lifted my head up from the hard ground, we made camp after walking for what seemed like forever and I was out like a light, not caring if the ground was hard and cold.
I guess I was paying the price for that as I stretched, letting out a sight of relief as I did.
"Well, well, well, looks who's up." I heard Kai say and looked over to see the ninja staring at a guy a little younger than our age who was still waking up.
"And look who has longer legs." Cole commented. "Even if I'm saying that out loud it sounds super weird right?"
"Well with his odd-ment of a growth cycle, it's normal for a young teenager." Zane pointed out.
"A teenager? Now we're really in for it." Jay groaned.
"Uhh Jay, we're still teenagers." I pointed out as I stood up and walked over to the group and looked at the boy.
"Yeah, but grown up teenagers." Jay defended.
Hold on, was that Wu? Damn.
"Holy shit, you grew up fast." I commented, taking a seat around the fire the others were sitting at.
Just last night he was a sassy kid, now he was more leaning into the young adult territory, his hair now long enough to be tied in a man bun.
Wu stood up and walked closer to the fire, taking a seat opposite me and looked up, locking eyes.
He seemed to freeze for a second and I felt my senses being bombarded with Oni presence, I don't think I registered it at first as I woke up, but he had both the Oni and Dragon presence wafting off him.
I don't know how I didn't notice when he was still a kid.
His brows furrowed as we looked at each other, I knew he could sense me for what I really was, and probably was questioning it.
We stared at each other for a little longer until I ripped my gaze away as Zane offered me a stick with some sort of meat skewered on it. I took it with a thanks and held it above the fire, still feeling Wu's eyes boring into me.
"What is wrong, young master Wu?" I heard Zane ask, making everyone look at him.
I silently pleaded not to ask about me as I looked over, but saw him cradling his head with his hand.
"I-I had a dream." He said hazily. "I was fishing with my father."
"The first Spinjitzu maser?" Jay asked excitedly, making me roll my eyes.
"And my brother was there...."
I was interested in this development, but checked the skewer to see it was mostly cooked before starting to eat the meat.
"His memories are coming back." Cole said in a slightly relieved voice.
"Do you remember anything else?" Kai asked gently. "Anything your father said?"
"Yeah, he said-" Wu started, but was cut off as a rusted knife barely missed us.
I looked at it and gulped, there was only one group of people who used rusted equipment.
Everyone stood up, holding makeshift weapons while I feebly held the stick in my hands, not wanting to expose myself.
Show yourself!" Cole demanded.
"There's no escape! You're my prisoners now!" A very familiar voice called from the distance before walking closer, revealing to be Heavy Metal.
How did he find us?
Cole pushed Wu behind us as we stepped in front of him.
"What do you want?" Cole asked, holding out his weapon as a threat.
"Is it true?" The hunter asked.
"Is what true?"
"What you said, that he is the son of the First Spinjitzu Master? Is this true?" He asked, pointing at Wu.
"Don't tell him anything, you remember what happened when they found out about our powers." Kai said in a low voice.
"I can hear you!" Heavy Metal said, firing another rusted knife near Cole's foot.
"Yes, it's true." Wu said, pushing himself to the front. "I am the son of the First Spinjitzu Master. I am Wu."
Heavy Metal blinked before dropping his weapon, catching us off guard, before taking his face covering off, then reached for his hat.
Or, her hat.
Pulling the wide brown rice hat, Heavy Metal revealed herself as a pale woman with rich brown hair and a red eye.
I blinked, the famous hunter at Dead's End was a woman? Hell yeah.
"Then the legend is true." She said in a thick accent, looking at us. "You have come back to take the dragon armour."
"Woah, not what I was expecting." Jay said in disbelief.
"You're Heavy Metal?" Kai asked, seeming unsure if she was joking or not.
"That is my given hunter name. My real name is Faith." She explained before looking around the group, her eyes landing on me for a moment. "You seem new, where are you from."
"We've never met personally, but you may recognise me as this." I replied, shifting to the disguise I wore while at Dead's End, but froze as she stepped back in horror.
"So you are all Oni then!" She exclaimed, eyes narrowing as she backed away, picking up her weapon.
"Woah, woah!" I exclaimed, shaking my hands as I went back to my normal disguise, there is no way she can know what I was, or anyone for that matter. "I just know how to shapeshift!"
"That's what an Oni can do." She muttered. "Iron Baron said they were creatures of darkness that can seamlessly blend in with others before striking."
"Hey, hey!" Cole said, stepping between me and her. "She's on our side, she's done nothing bad...except for being a spy and a bunch of other things."
"Yeah, and besides if I were an Oni, I think you guys would probably know it by now and I would have taken my chance by now." I agreed, nodding quickly, anything to keep her off my true identity.
I glanced to the side to see Wu looking at me before glancing away with a thoughtful face.
She was silent, looking between me and the others before lowering the weapon. "Fine, but I'm going to keep an eye on you."
I nodded. "Okay, whatever."
"Faith....all you need is...Faith." Wu muttered in realisation, making everyone look at him.
"Please, tell me. Do you know where the dragon armour is?" Faith asked in an urgent voice.
Wu closed his eyes before pointing in a direction. "That way."
Faith smiled. "Then we must go." She said, before stomping out the fire.
"Go? Go where?" Zane asked in confusion.
"To the armour." Wu replied as a matter-of-fact.
"Iron Baron has his hunters looking for you, and they never fail. The farther we get, the longer we live." Faith explained before running off back the way she came.
"Yeah Zane, we're going to the armour, away from the man with the funny hat. That's a good thing." Jay said in a 'duh' voice.
"Sure, 'cause when has our master ever lead us astray?" Kai added, pulling Wu closer. "Why are you leading us astray? You don't even know where the armour is."
"No, but I have Faith." Wu replied as if we were supposed to understand what he meant.
"Oooooooooh Faith, he has Faith." Kai cooed, nudging Jay and flashing Wu a knowing grin, who only tilted his head.
I smiled in pity at Wu's innocence before hearing the jangle of chains, seeing Faith pulling some sort of floating machine behind her.
"Uh, how are we all going to fit on that thing?" Cole asked.
"We aren't, but it will hold our supplies. If we can't carry, we bury." Faith said, picking up her weapon. "Iron Baron cannot know I am helping you." She added, pointing the weapon at us in threat.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh of course, your secret's safe with us." Jay nodded quickly. "Now lower your rifle thingy."
Faith grinned and chucked her weapon into the vehicle.
"So....we have Faith." Jay said awkwardly, looking around at us for some sort of clarification, but he didn't get any.
"I hope you know what you're doing." Kai mumbled to Wu.
———
We walked, pulling the vehicle behind us, Cole at the front, followed by Jay, Kai, me and Zane while Wu and Faith walked to the side, engrossed in conversation. It had been hours, the sun had long set since we met Faith. I could hear faint grumbles and whines as we walked, but I didn't feel that different from before.
"My feet, they feel like they're going to fall off." Cole groaned.
"Does this remind you guys of anything?" Jay asked.
"Like the time we were tortured in Dead's End?" Kai guessed.
"No, when this all began, just the four of us. Hauling Master Wu to who knows where." Jay said.
"Oh, yeah. When we got our golden weapons." Cole said.
I stayed quiet, knowing this wasn't my place to speak.
"Only now we're heading to the dragon armour, which is who knows where because this little liar has us going on a wild goose chase." Kai seethed.
"The dragon armour does exist, though no one's seen it for centuries." I put in.
"We must have Faith, Kai. To turn back now would be death." Zane added.
"Yeah, no need to remind us." Cole sighed.
"But when you find the armour, you can control Firstbourne. The we can all leave this forsaken place." I overheard Faith say to Wu.
"That's right." Jay said, letting go of the chain and walking over to Faith and Wu, causing all of us to stop. "I almost forgot, dragons are the only creatures who can ferry between realms."
The rest of us dropped the chain and walked over to Wu, Faith and Jay.
"If we find the dragon armour, we can get home." Input Zane.
"What is this place you call 'home'?" Faith asked.
"It's called Ninjago." Kai told Faith.
"Nin-ja-go?" Faith pronounced.
"A place where nobody forces you to wear a mask." Cole explained.
I blinked, that line wasn't all entirely true, well for me anyway.
I stood there, going into my thoughts. None of these people knew what I really was, would I even be able to go back to Ninjago? It wasn't that I hated living here, it's just been that I've lived in Ninjago for what feels like forever.
The Realm was just beautiful and people there were friendly, it was certainly different from the dark and barren land I was used to in the first realm. It was also less lonely.
But now Firstbourne knew I was here and seemed pissed off I was here, there's probably no way they'd let me ferry back to Ninjago.
I mean I didn't care, it would be nice to be back home...right?
"Hey, (Y/n)? We're walking again." Jay called to be, bringing me back to the present.
"Right, sorry." I apologised, scrambling behind Zane and picking up the chain.
"The Oni and dragon have always been mortal enemies, and there are some devices that cannot be bridged." I heard Faith tell Wu.
I looked down, that was 100% true.
"Seeing as there was going to be no peace, your father was devastated. So he took off all of his armour and left the first realm forever. In hopes of finding the peace he was looking for." Faith continued.
"That is something we're all still looking for." Zane said.
"And the Firstbourne?"
"She remained behind, faithfully guarding his armour, waiting for the day of his return."
"But he never came." Cole added.
"Which is why you think Master Wu can find it." Kai said in realisation.
"Think? I know, or we will die."
'You guys might, me probably not.' I thought. 'Well, yeah maybe.'
"Yeah, do you have to keep saying that?" Jay asked before we heard the rumble of an engine in the distance.
We turned around as the rumble grew closer.
"Hunters!" Faith said in alarm.
"We have to hide." Cole said, looking around.
"Where do we hide? We're in the desert." Jay snapped.
"I would run if my feet weren't so tired." Cole groaned.
"Yeah, but I'm not going down without a fight." Kai said, jumping up to the vehicle to throw weapons down.
"Put the weapons down and do exactly as I say." Faith instructed, grabbing smaller chains and handing them to us as she put her hat and mask on. "Quick! Put these on!"
We fumbled around with the chains for a second before managing to make it look like Faith had captured the ninja and Wu.
"You." She said, pointing at me. "Get on the floor, on your back."
"Uhhh, okay?" I said, doing as she said before feeling her grab my hair tightly.
I understood what she meant and started to scrabble at her hands.
"Stay down!" She said gruffly, back in the hunter voice, pointing her weapon at me as the rumbles stopped and two people climbed out.
I looked and recognised them as Muzzle and No Legs back from Dead's End.
"Eh, you caught them Heavy Metal!" No Legs said in praise, to which Faith didn't reply to.
I scrabbled around, 'trying' to get her to let go of my hair, as Muzzle spoke, his words slurred together as he did wild hand actions.
"Yes I know he knows that Muzzle, I was just paying him a compliment." No Legs replied before looking at me. "Who's that?"
"Found her with the others, she probably was camping somewhere nearby when they escaped." Faith replied.
Muzzle spoke, more hand actions and slurred words.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"You can't possibly take them all back by yourself." No Legs started.
"So you can leave." Faith replied curtly.
Muzzle laughed.
"I can see we are not wanted, we'll just be on our way. I'll tell the Baron the good catch." No Legs said, starting to walk back to his vehicle along with Muzzle.
I saw Muzzle look back and stop before speaking again, this time pointing at Wu.
No Legs turned around and looked at Wu.
"Why yes, he does look taller." He said. "But last time he was in a disguise."
Muzzle spoke again and No Legs looked at Faith.
"Hold it right there, we can get this all figured out."
I gulped, trying to scope out something to do to stop them from doing anything, before spotting a chain on the floor conveniently twisting between the two hunter's feet. The other end was near Kai, and I slowly went to grab the other end before checking to see if the hunters were looking at me, which they weren't.
Kai was nearby and I just managed to tap his foot with mine before gesturing to the chain. He seemed to get the idea and slowly bent down to grab the other end. We then pulled the ends of the chain, causing the hunters to fall over and the ninja shed the chains and grabbed their weapons, pointing them at the hunters.
"Or not..." No Legs grunted, staying down.
"Tie them up." Faith instructed, the ninja grabbing the chains to tie them up.
"Traitor!" No Legs spat at Faith in anger. "Iron Baron will have your head for this!"
We ignored them, hopping into the vehicles they brought with them. Faith and Kai were in one, Cole and Wu in the other while Jay, Zane and I were in the last.
We started the engines and heard No Legs shout.
"Go on and run, you won't get far!" He cried as we zoomed off.
We started cheering, I think the ninja were because they didn't have to drag these behind us anymore, and Faith took off the disguise.
"Which way?" Faith asked in victory, looking over to Wu who paused.
"That way!" He called, pointing.
"Into the unknown!" Kai cried.
"Then Ninjago!" Faith declared and we all cheered, zooming through the night.
Word count: 2669 words