After we had retrieved the Sword of Sanctuary, we made way back to Wu's tea shop, Steep Wisdom, to discuss and decode the last of the clues - the location of the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master. The majority of the journey back I had been holed up in Lloyd's old room, hugging his hoody and unwillingly replaying the image of him falling off of the cliff face with unsavoury outcomes. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't not be worried for him. Well, of course I was worried for him, but even more so. On the point of losing my mind.

A half-hour before we touched down at Steep Wisdom, I left the room in search of Kai. I'd been whittling down in embarrassment as I thought back on my previous outburst, and I was itching to go and apologise to him. Letting Lloyd go mustn't of been easy for him, either. After all, Cole did claim them to be practically brothers.
I found the fire ninja standing in the bridge, frowning as he stared out the window. Zane was there, too, sitting at the table and tinkering with something within his arm. He smiled at me as I entered and even if he was a robot, the worried look in his blue eyes was unnervingly human. Soccer mom.

Kai turned his head as I approached, hearing my footsteps. I sent him an awkward smile as I stopped beside him and looked out at the view; the tops of trees for miles.
"Hi," I said quietly.
"Hey," Kai replied.
I didn't really know what to say. I'd been repeating my speech to him as I walked down the hall, but it just went right out the window. So I winged it, something that was never a good idea.
"I'm sorry," I blurted suddenly, startling Kai. He sent me a curious look, willing me to elaborate. "For snapping at you. I was stupid to think that-"
"It's fine," Kai reassured as he turned to me, catching me mid-sentence. "Everyone's just a little stressed out that Lloyd's still... gone."
"I think that everybody needs a breather," Zane suggested from the table. "We must not get on each other's throats if we want to save Lloyd. The only way is through teamwork."

Kai nodded in agreement. I dropped my gaze guiltily.
"Hey, don't worry about it," Kai shook it off, making me glance up. "We can't expect you to immediately understand how everything works when we go on missions like this. It takes time."
"Indeed," inputted Zane as he twirled a screwdriver, narrowing his eyes as he concentrated. "You should have seen Kai during our first mission to retrieve the Scythe of Quakes. It was most entertaining."

Despite the low I'd been feeling ever since Lloyd got possessed, I cracked a grin.
"Seriously?" I asked in amusement as Kai scowled. Zane nodded in beguilement, glancing up and grinning.
"He was terrible."
"Uh- we all were, tinhead."
Zane shrugged as he returned his attention to his wrist.
"Correct," he confessed with a tilt of his head. "But you were by far the worst."
Kai sent him an exasperated glare before returning his attention to me.
"Anyway," Kai stressed, making me grin. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon."

I knitted my eyebrows together, confusedly frowning at him.
"What makes you think that?"
Kai faltered. His gaze jumped down from mine to the green hoody I was wearing just for a second.
"Well, I can already tell that you and Lloyd are going to be inseparable when he comes back," he shrugged, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Heat exploded on my cheeks. "And since you're his girlfriend, it'd only be reasonable that you come on missions with us like this."
My blush worsened when he mentioned the word girlfriend.
"How many times do I need to-"

"Give up pretences, Y/n," Zane jumped in nonchalantly as he set the screwdriver down. "It may be unofficial, but the foundations are still there. You are only lying to yourself."
"To be fair," continued Kai. "So is Lloyd."
I hid my face in my hands, avoiding their gazes as my face burnt. I bit back a whine as they heartily chuckled at my expense.
"We're going to ghost-proof Steep Wisdom," Kai announced as I finally emerged from behind my palms. "Wanna join?"
"Sure," I squeaked. "Anything I can do to help."

"There," said Zane as he placed a board on the Steep Wisdom sign. "This should keep customers away. 'Closed for renovations.'"
He stepped down the ladder as Kai grinned from beside me.
"More like fortifications," he said as he set up a bucket of water over the front entrance. I decided to keep quiet about the thinking behind it - because it'd be super funny if somebody accidentally got drenched. "If Morro and his ghouls show up looking to steal the Sword of Sanctuary, they won't know what hit 'em. How's the water balloons coming, girls?"
I glanced up from where Nya and I were tying the elastic mouths of the water balloons closed. My fingers were beginning to ache. Nya probably had the easiest job - all she had to do was fill up the balloons I held open. For some odd reason that I couldn't be bothered to question, she was the only one left who still had their elemental ability.

"Fine," I commented, not willing to whinge. I said I'd help and if tying five hundred water balloons meant that I'd help, then so be it. "But you know what would be a good idea? Water guns."
Nya shot me the finger guns, accidentally spraying my face in the process. I flinched in surprise.
"I like your thinking," she commented before sheepishly removing the droplets with a flick of her wrist. "Sorry."

"Water guns would be so cool," gushed Jay as he set out bamboo sticks on a little moat around the courtyard. I wasn't too sure on how it was supposed to work, but I didn't question them. "We should definitely add it to the list-"
Just as Jay said that, the front entrance of Steep Wisdom was opened by Cole. The bucket on top of the door toppled, the water spilling out and Cole barely dodged the liquid by throwing himself back into the shop.
I gave a strangled gasp and slapped my hand over my mouth. Nya and I shared wide-eyed gazes. Shit.

"Careful!" Cole exclaimed harshly as he poked his head around the door, avoiding the patch of water. "Y'know not all of us are immune to water!" he opened the door and precariously leapt over the puddle with a grimace. "And I for one, would like to stick around long enough for Misako, Garmadon and Sensei to figure out the last clue!"
Nya and I shared another awkward look. In an attempt to break the tension, Nya lifted her hands and pulled her fingers into guns.
"Pew, pew."
The water pathetically fell to the ground. I snorted.

"We got Cyclonedo, we got the sword," Jay said as he set out more bamboo sticks. "Now we just have to figure out where the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master is."
Mm yes, because that sounds completely simple.
"Well, I hope they figure it out soon," Kai said with a frown. "I don't know how long we'll be able to hold out."
I glanced around at our 'fortification work.' Despite the primary-school-prank defences, I thought we were pretty well protected. Well, from ghosts. Not so much literally anything else. Hopefully we just need to battle ghosts. I don't think I'd be able to handle anything more.
"Don't worry, Kai," I reassured him as I tied another balloon. "I'm sure it'll be- whoops!"
The balloon slipped from my hands and fell onto the ground, drenching Nya in the process. She sent me a look before willing the water away. I sheepishly chuckled. "Sorry."

"We are doomed," Zane said humourlessly. I huffed in amused guilt as I stood as flexed my fingers. Three hundred and twenty-seven water balloons would have to do. I feared for my tiny limbs, they felt like they were about to fall off!
There was a sudden clanging of a bell from the shop. Kai and Jay leapt to their feet, while Zane immediately took position at one of the catapults.
"Intruder!" Kai exclaimed.
"Let 'em have it!" Jay shouted. I whipped my head around, confused.
"Wait, guys-" Nya tried, but was cut off by Jay yelling "pull!"
Four water balloons were launched into the air, sailing through the sky. I watched before grimacing as the balloons burst against the 'closed for renovations' sign, drenching the man in purple beneath it. He sighed in exasperation.
"... it's just the mailman," Nya mumbled, defeated. I glanced warily at the pile of water balloons. Okay. Three-hundred and twenty-three. That's perfectly fine.

"No wonder you're going out of business," the mailman grumbled before thrusting an already opened envelope at Kai.
"No- you're the one- going out of business!" Jay shot back awkwardly before triumphantly grinning. Oh, Jay. "Hah- who sends letters anymore?"
"Guys, he's right," Kai said tiredly. "It says they're gonna shut us down unless we drum up some business."
I frowned. But Wu only just opened up shop! They couldn't do that, could they? I thought shops needed to have time before they got a reputation and a steady stream of customers or whatever. That seemed a little unfair.
"Well, don't tell Ronin," Cole ordered with a frown, holding out a hand to whisper as if the man himself was hiding in the bushes beside us. "If this place is worthless, he won't want to stick around and we need all the help we can get. C'mon, we're gonna need more water balloons."

I looked down at my aching fingers before holding back a groan and trudging after Nya. As if like magic, Ronin decided to appear, holding a tin bucket for Nya to fill up using her ability. She frowned.
"I'm not a tap."
Ronin shrugged.
"It's easier than trudging into the stream."
As Nya begrudgingly began to fill up Ronin's bucket, I caught some of the stream and tried to tie the mouths closed with my aching fingers. The others joined me for once, with the exception of Cole, who stood far away and watched on with a bored look on his face.
My fingers felt like lead as I tried to twist the elastic to my will. I groaned as it slipped free and split water all over the sandstone courtyard.
"I wish I could do more than just tie freaking water balloons," I grumbled as I stretched the mouth open with a painful hiss and slipped the balloon under the water for a couple of seconds. "I feel so useless."

"What do you mean?" Jay asked as he expertly tied the ballon shut with a swift flick of his wrist. Whoa."You're helpful."
I sighed, fumbling with the tie before groaning and giving up.
"I meant like... fighting and stuff. I don't want to sit back and watch. I want to help."
"Can you do a spinning-kick?" Kai asked as he tied a balloon and tossed it onto the pile. I frowned.
"No?"
"When you can do that and successfully protect yourself in combat, you can join us," he bargained. My head whipped up.
"Really?"
"Kai..." Zane said disapprovingly.

"I don't know why you'd want to join them," Ronin huffed as the bucket topped up. Nya moved her stream to Jay's unfilled balloon. "Sitting back and staying out of danger is great."
I frowned.
"But I feel so useless," I argued. "And Lloyd-"
"Look," Ronin said as he crossed his arms, "if you go into battle within the next couple of months even with constant training, you'll fail."
I went to burst, but Ronin caught me off before I could call him something rather colourful.
"I'm not saying don't go for it," he defended as he held his palms up. "I'm just saying, if you do go into battle, go in not caring."

Kai sent him a ludicrous look.
"Of course she'll care," he recriminated. "It's Lloyd. She'd do anything for him."
I frowned, but ultimately couldn't deny the truth in that statement. Huh. He knows me well.
"I know she cares. Why else would she be here? And it's just a suggestion," Ronin shrugged as he lifted up the bucket with a grunt. "You can't fail if you don't care."
"Then how could you ever succeed if you don't care?" Nya asked suspiciously.
"Through dumb luck and skill," Ronin replied without hesitation. He sent me a pointed look before turning on his heel and walking off.
"Don't care so much," he said over his shoulder. "Usually when someone wants something too badly, they'll trip over their own feet."

"What a dick," Jay commented once Ronin left earshot. "Don't listen to him, Y/n."
"He doesn't know what he's talking about," Kai snorted.
I frowned at Ronin's back before glancing up at Nya. She had her stormy blue eyes narrowed in contemplation as she watched him leave. Her thoughts seemed to be clouding her mind.
"Are you okay?" I asked. Nya shook her head, turning her gaze to me.
"Oh- uh, yeah," she said, blinking rapidly, as if just returning to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Thanks for gathering on short notice," Misako said as we entered the shop. I was replying to a text my mother had sent me when Kai spoke up, catching my attention.
"Looking for something?"
Ronin leapt up from behind the counter. If I wasn't mistaken, I swore I saw a hint of guilt in his eyes. I frowned at him. What was he up to?
"Ah!" said Ronin, trying hard to not look flustered. He made a big show of scanning the tea leave containers. "Just making sure that the tea blends are in alphabetical order - ah, yep, there we go. A to Z. Heh."
My gaze flickered to Kai's. He frowned at me, as confused as I was.
"So you figured out where the tomb is?" Jay asked, catching Kai's and I's attention. We rejoined the group as Garmadon replied.
"Not yet," he shook his head. "But we think we know how to locate it."
"Zane?" Misako requested. He nodded, making a mechanical bird on his arm project the skull image of the last clue on the wall from its eyes. I blinked in surprise. Since when did Zane have a mechanical falcon? Huh.
The more you know.

"To bring you up to date," Misako began as she approached the projected skull. "The skull symbol refers to the tomb's entrance."
"We also know my father's resting site," inputted Wu. "Where the Realm Crystal resides."
"It is protected by three deadly tests," continued Garmadon. "And is designed to keep anyone unworthy away, and only the Sword of Sanctuary can see past its riddles."
The skull symbol changed to a 3D version of the Sword and the scroll of Airjitzu. Designed to keep anyone unworthy away? Sounds swell.

"Yeah, but where is it?" Cole asked the million dollar question.
"We started to wonder if the Scroll and Sword combined held a secret," Misako said. "That's when Kai reminded us there was a map on the back of the Scroll and-"
"If you use the Sword on the map, the blades reflection will reveal the tombs location!" Kai finished.
"Exactly," Garmadon nodded.
"Which means," Cole said as he stepped forward and gestured to the holographic Scroll of Airjitzu. "We'll have to get our hands on that map."
I piped up.
"Doesn't Morro still have the original Scroll?" I asked with a tilt of my head. "We don't know where they are. They could be anywhere."
Zane's falcon's projector eyes dimmed and it folded into his arm what the f-
"Yeah," Jay spoke. "What are the odds that we'll find them in time?"
"We still have the Sword," Kai reminded. "And if our theory is right, then we're both at a stalemate."
I glanced around. Something felt off. Where was Nya? Usually she'd come up with a plan or something.
"So we need to attack first," Cole said. "Grab the Scroll before they have a chance to try and come after the Sword."

"Hey, guys?" I asked as my eyes leapt around the room. "Where's Nya?"
"And where is Ronin?" Zane queried. I locked gazes with the nindroid.
"Nya looked suspicious of Ronin after that 'uplifting' speech of his..." I trailed off. "I thought she was just glaring at him, but now that I think about it..."
"You don't think Ronin would betray us..?" Jay asked in a grimace.
There was silence.
"Go, quick," Kai ordered as he stomped over and threw open the entrance doors. "He was just here a second ago. He can't of gotten far!"
The ninja raced out. I went to follow them, but Garmadon caught my arm.
"Not you," he declined, shaking his head. "Things could turn messy."
I went to argue, but Misako caught my hand and tugged me into the back of the shop.
"Stay here, Y/n," she said as she urged me into a room. "I'll come get you when it's over."
She disappeared back down the hallway just as I harrumphed, crossing my arms and frowning. Seriously?!

I fell back against the couch and glared at the ceiling. God, I'm useless. And the others know that, too. They won't even let me help when it comes to stuff like that.
I turned my gaze from the ceiling to my aching fingers. I guess making water balloons is all I'm good for.
God, I missed Lloyd. He'd know just what to say. He'd brighten my mood just with a flash of his handsome smile. It was so frustrating, being forced to sit back while the others actually progressed. I wanted to contribute, I wanted to feel useful! But I wasn't good enough.

I hugged my sides, glaring at my toes as I rested my heels on the edge of the couch while the music of fighting went on outside. There was an unexpected roar of a dragon, then the sound of the Bounty taking off accompanied it. Man, I have to miss out on all the cool stuff.
My scowl deepened.
This is so stupid.

It was at least an hour before Misako returned with a frustrated look on her face.
"Ronin got away with the Sword of Sanctuary," she informed. My shoulders dropped and heart sank as we made our way back into the main shop.
"Oh, no," I whispered, because what else was I meant to say? What else could I say?
"Well, obviously he's taken the Sword to Morro!" Jay exclaimed harshly.
"But where is Morro?" Zane asked, the most panicked I'd ever seen him. "Like Y/n said prior, he could be anywhere!"
Cole turned his livid gaze to the water ninja.
"Look, Nya, I know you're still new to the ninja force, but-"
"I'm sorry!" Nya cried. "I should've told you when I first suspected Ronin would steal it!"
Tension was uncommonly high between the ninja. It was almost as if the longer we went without Lloyd, the more frazzled the team became. We needed to get Lloyd back ASAP, before the team crumbled without the Green Ninja.

"Enough!" snapped Wu, scaring the bajeezus out of me. "We all knew the path to save Lloyd was never going to be a straight line. We were all fooled by Ronin, but that doesn't make us fools. At a time like this, we mustn't butt heads, but put our heads together!"
Despite the dark situation, Jay snorted.
"I'm sorry," he snickered, able to find humour even when everybody was on the verge of a mental breakdown. "You said 'butt-heads.'"
I bit my lip to keep me from grinning. Jay, you iconic fool.
Just as Jay finished laughing, the metal falcon of Zane's flapped his wings and squawked from the beams of the roof. Its eyes projected the hologram of Ronin in the middle of the shop. I repressed the urge to cuss him out.

"I can't talk loud," he whispered, looking around feverishly at surroundings we couldn't see. "But I wanted you to know, Nya, you were right. Morro didn't hold up his end of the bargain. And Misako is right, too. The Scroll and Sword did reveal the tomb. I know where it's located! I know you don't have the Sword, but you can beat them to the tomb!"
Bargain? I knitted my eyebrows together. What bargain?
Ronin's head whipped right over my shoulder.
"They're coming!"
Jay stepped forward eagerly.
"Where is it?" he asked earnestly. "Where's the tomb?"
"The Caves of Despair!" Ronin answered, his eyes growing frantic as the connection began to crackle. "The Tomb- is in- the - aves - of - spair!"
Ronin disappeared.

"The Caves of Despair?" Wu furrowed his eyebrows. "We've been there! I don't remember seeing any tomb."
Misako stepped forward.
"But there is still miles of unexplored mines," she reasoned. "It could be there!"
Nya frowned.
"But why should we believe him?" she asked. "It could be a trap!"
"We don't have the Scroll and we don't have the Sword," Kai argued. "With Lloyd's life at stake, what other choice do we have?"
The fire ninja glanced to his teammates. The boys nodded.
"We're in," Cole grinned determinedly.
"Fool me once, shame on you," Nya reasoned frantically. "Fool me twice, shame on me! What good will it do us if it's all just a set up?"

I was on the fence. On one hand, I desperately wanted Lloyd back, and I'd do anything to get him home safely, but on the other, I could see where Nya was coming from. Ronin's a crook. Why should we trust him?
"The boys are right," Wu said as Nya's shoulders sunk in despair. "Even a misstep could be a step in the right direction. We can not afford to do nothing. The ninja will go."

I sighed. Again, left to do nothing but wait.
I frowned as I followed the ninja out of the shop. They all summoned their elemental dragons and began to fly off.
Wu, Garmadon and Misako disappeared back into the shop, probably to discuss tea or new styles of training or something. I scuffed my shoe. I really didn't want to have to sit and wait, it'd be torture!

As if hearing my thoughts, Kai called out my name. I glanced up in surprise as his elemental dragon landed on the courtyard. He held out his hand.
"But... what about the Senseis?" I asked hesitantly. "A-and what Ronin said..?"
Kai sent me a look.
"Do you want to feel useful or not?"
I frowned. But I'm not useful-
"Do you want to help save Lloyd?"
Without even hesitating, I immediately slapped my hand into Kai's. He lifted me up onto the back of his dragon and I held onto his shoulders as it took off. Kai shook his head in amusement.
"Lloyd really got you hook, line and sinker, huh?" he said with a snicker. "You'd do anything for him."
"There's no worth denying it, is there?" I shouted over the wind.
"You'd only be lying to yourself," he replied. I grinned, watching the treetops go by as we passed overhead.

We soon caught up with the others. Cole glanced back and his expression dropped.
"You brought Y/n?" he asked in disbelief. "Sensei's going to kill you!"
Kai shrugged.
"She might prove to be useful," he reasoned. "You know Lloyd's totally in love with her. She could be what he needs to get rid of Morro."
I furiously blushed as my stomach did a loop-de-loop. He loves me? Ouch, my heart.
I couldn't bite back that grin. I hid my face from view, staring at the blurred ground as we flew.
We better get a chance to say that to each other's faces, otherwise I'll hunt down Morro's ass and whoop it.

"The Caves of Despair," Kai announced as we walked in a large semi-circle of hard clay-coloured rock, the dragons disappearing. The semicircle was the size of a football stadium, the sides ten stories high and holding uncountable cave entrances on a multitude of levels.
"This is where we first came for the Golden Weapons," Cole announced in awe. I blinked in surprise, suddenly holding a lot more respect for the place. "It's like everything's come full circle!"
"Don't say that," Jay ordered, frazzled. "Full circle means it's coming to an end, and I don't want to hear that before I go into the Caves of Despair! One of my least favourite words. How do we even know if the Tomb is in there?"
Nya shrugged.
"We don't," she said dryly. "It's why I wasn't to willing to trust Ronin right off the bat."

"That is where you are wrong, Nya," Zane corrected as he pointed to a particular cave entrance, a little way off. "There is a symbol beside that entrance."
Kai snickered, nudging Nya with his elbow.
"You were wrong," he sang.
"Shutup," Nya grumbled.
We scrambled up rickety old ladders and scooched our way across the narrow path to the entrance. When we got there, it was indeed the skull symbol representing the Tomb.
"The third symbol," Kai noted.
"Good enough for me," Jay commented. "Let's go."

We entered the cave, walking along the cart trail as it grew gradually darker.
"There's another symbol," Jay pointed out as we passed an upturned cart. Cole groaned.
"It looks like it only gets darker the deeper in we go," he noted. No shit, Sherlock. It's a cave.
Just as I was about to ask Kai for some light (before remembering that he wasn't able to use his powers anymore), we came across five pre-lit lanterns. I frowned. Ominous.
"Well, it's a good thing we've got a little light," Kai said as he reached out for one.
"Wait!" Cole suddenly cried, making Kai flinch. "What if this is one of the tests?"
Jay slapped his hands over his cheeks frantically and gasped.
"Yeah!" he agreed. "Garmadon said the Tomb was gonna be protected by three deadly tests! Maybe if we pick the wrong lantern..."

Kai frowned, reaching out with a hand precariously. We stepped back cautiously.
Kai snagged the handle of the lantern, shrugging and walking down the cave.
"Nope," he said with a relieved laugh. "Just a lantern."
Zane, Cole and I grabbed the other three lanterns. Jay grabbed onto Nya's sleeve before gnawing his lip and grimacing, snatching the last lantern. His eyes opened in relief.
"Like I thought," he said, his shoulders sagging and losing tension. Nya rolled her eyes in amusement. "Just a lantern. Wait!"

We caught up to Kai, who was still trailing ahead curiously. The lanterns casted off an eerie white glow, bouncing against the cave walls and rocks as we walked. Kai bent down and examined some rocks from a gaping hole in the side of the wall.
"Looks like there was a cave in," he noted.
Jay sniffed and belched.
"Ugh, what's that smell?"
Zane, as per usual, answered Jay's question.
"My senses pick up traces of kethanol, a highly flammable gas released from deep-well mining."
My foot hit a rock. Ouch.
"Sure," Cole snickered. "I bet that's what all nindroids say."
Zane turned and sent him an unamused glare.
"If you are implying that smell came from me-"

"Look!" Kai said, catching our attention. He bent over the rocks, holding his lantern out to cast some light. "Some of these rocks appear to have been recently moved. Maybe Morro's already been through here."
There was a sudden twist of my gut as we clambered through the hole and walked down through the makeshift walk way beyond it. Something about the place gave off this eerie, dark vibe that had me on edge. Maybe it was the fact that it was underground. Maybe it was the fact that it was the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master. Either way, the sooner we were out of there with Lloyd, the better.

The walk way opened up into a large cave with a boiling geyser in the middle. Kai frowned before bending down and scooping up a handful of the powdery black ground.
"Ash," he mumbled, thumbing the stuff. "Everything here has been burned. Perhaps one of the traps?"
Zane nodded towards the geyser.
"The kethanol geyser," he announced. "We cannot stay long. It may ignite again at any moment."
I shivered, eyeing the mouth of the boiling geyser warily. If that decided to burst, we'd all be toast. Burnt toast. Or at least thoroughly cooked.
"Look!" Cole said as he walked over towards something. We followed, and I had to bite back a gag.
"Ew!" commented Jay in disgust as we stared at the skeleton resting against the rock. "You think it's him?"
I frowned. I would've expected the Tomb to be more extravagant. Maybe there was more for us to see?

"The First Spinjitzu Master," Kai said in awe before glancing around. "But where's the Realm Crystal?"
Zane leant forward and unflipped a piece of weathered cloth.
"That is not the First Spinjitzu Master," he declined. "It's the Master of Wind. These are the remains of Morro's mortal body."
Ewww. Also can I kick it?
Jay grimaced.
"Sensei Wu said that he never came back from looking for the Tomb," he recounted, his face steadily growing paler. "So... if he's here, that means-"

"It is trap!" Ghoultar exclaimed as he appeared out of literal thin air at the entrance - and only exit. I grabbed onto Zane's arm. "Now you suffer same fate!"
Ghoultar brought his ghostly scythe down onto the ground heavily, making the cavern rumble. Boulders began to crumble and tumble from the ceiling and walls.
"Come on!" Zane ordered as he began to drag me along, narrowly avoiding falling rocks. We all discarded our lanterns, throwing them off to the side as our adrenaline levels began to peak.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod," I wheezed through the dust as we leapt our way through the chaos. My heart was beating double time at the appearance of a literal life-threatening situation.
With a resounding crash, the entrance was blocked off with boulders far too large for us to move.
We coughed at the burst of dust, looking frantically around for a second exit. The gas was making me feel sick to my stomach. I began to sway on my feet.
"There's no way out!" Kai exclaimed in a panic. "If this was a test, I think we certainly failed it!"
"Of course it's not a test!" Nya bit back. "This wasn't the Tomb! Not only did Ronin steal from us, but he also sent us to our deaths! But nobody listened to me!"
Jay coughed, waving a hand in front of his face.
"And all this gas is making me feel... light.. headed."

Nya caught him before he could stumble back. He mumbled a 'thank you.'
"This cavern's a literal oven," Cole commented seriously. "If that geyser decides to ignite, we'll be cooked!"
Oh, great.
"I have located an opening," Zane said before pointing to the roof. I gazed forlornly up at it. Damn. "The cave in must have created a gap!"
Jay huffed.
"Big gap to where?" he threw his hands in the air. "For all we know it could be a dead end - and for the record, that's another one of my least favourite words; dead end!"
Jay had a point - and besides, how on earth was I meant to get up there? The others had their Airjitzu, they'd make it.
Maybe Ronin was right. The Senseis and Misako, too. I should've stayed at the tea shop.

"Too late!" Cole called from the mouth of the geyser as he glared through the steam. He grabbed a large boulder and hoisted it over the geyser.
"Wait!" I cried.
"No!" Nya shouted.
"Cole!" Zane exclaimed. "No!"
Cole dropped the rock onto the geyser's opening and wiped his hands.
"Hah," he said smugly. I stared at the rock with a wide, disbelieving glare. We're all gonna die. "Solves that problem!"
"Correction," Zane inputted in fear. "You made it worse. Now the pressure will compact the explosion, multiplying the damage tenfold!"

Jay wailed.
"What are you trying to say?" he said cried. The rock began to shake and hiss.
"When that rock goes, every cave in a ten-mile radius will be filled with a wall of fire so hot, it will incinerate everything in its path," Zane elaborated. I felt a cool trickle of fear run down my spine. I wish he hadn't elaborated.
Kai's eyes widened before grabbing my arm, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
"Guess we better get hot on our heels!" he commented before jumping up and bringing me with him. I gave a strangled gasp as a rush of air surrounded us as we rose through the cavern to the hole in the ceiling.
Kai and I stumbled as we landed in the upper cave, which thankfully, to what we could see, wasn't a dead end. The others landed in the cave a split second after. Without even hesitating, we took off down the cave system, leaping and stumbling over rocks. We pushed ourselves even beyond our limits, scrambling and stumbling down the rock hallway as an explosion shook the ground.

I stumbled, flailing my arms as I tried to regain my centre of balance. Zane caught me arm and dragged me along.
"Hurry!" he ordered frantically, and I was suddenly very aware of heat rapidly rising in temperature on my back.
We came to an abrupt stop at the edge of a hole.
"Go, go, go!" shouted Kai. Pushing fear aside, we leapt into the hole, landing on top of one another inside of a minecart.
"Ouch," I groaned as Nya accidentally dug her elbow into my stomach.
"Great, now what?" Jay said as the minecart began rolling down the tracks from the weigh of our fall. "How do we stop this thing?"
I felt my stomach drop as the cart rolled down a hill. I clutched a random arm tightly in fear of my life. We began yelling in horror as the cart began to pick up speed, teetering on the tracks unsteadily as the cave walls brushed past us, a little too close for comfort.
A sudden piece of track curved upwards, making the cart flip upwards and send us sailing through the air.
The arm turned out to be Jay's, and I soon learnt that by him being the only reason as to why I stayed on.

The other four miraculously landed in the cart again, while Jay and I stumbled along behind it, with him holding onto the back of it with one hand. Zane grabbed his arm before tugging him forward, while Nya snatched my free arm and helped me scramble aboard.
"Oh, my god, thank you," I breathed, heart thundering. I almost died again oh my god the others were right I should've stayed home.
"Don't mention it," Nya replied, breathless. The minecart still swayed and swung on the rails, making my stomach churn. I gritted my teeth together.

A green blob appeared on the track from around the corner. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to make it out. It was Ghoultar, that little shit. He gasped before holding his scythe out menacingly, but before he could do anything, Jay grabbed his Aeroblade and threw it at the ghost. It passed through his body and he disappeared in a puff of green smoke. His scythe clattered to the ground before disappearing, too.
The aeroblade came swinging back towards us. I yelped, ducking my head just as Jay caught it. It was just shy of hitting me square in the forehead. Jay laughed in accomplishment.
"I caught it, guys!" he sang. "I caught it!"
Ignoring Jay's cheers for more pressing matters, Cole cried in alarm as he pointed towards the rock wall coming up fast, covered in warning tapes.
"Looks like we're coming up to a dead end!"
Jay groaned.
"There's that word again!" he screamed. "Never say that word! What do we do, what do we do?!"

Zane leant over the side and pressed his aeroblade against the wheel.
"Use your aeroblades for breaks!"
Me, as I had no aeroblade, just gripped onto the side of the cart and hoped to god that death was going to be quick and painless.
The aeroblades did little to help.
"It almost feels like we're going faster!" Jay cried in alarm. This is it. This is how we're going to go out.
I love you mum and dad.
I'm sorry, Lloyd.

There was an opening of the cave, widening out dramatically into a large cavern. The track curled inwards. It stopped mid-air.
We screamed. And then we fell into what looked to be the after effects of the geyser, a large pool of what looked to be lava. Or was it a volcano? I don't know. What I did know is that we're going to die!

All of a sudden, a familiar ship appeared. It was Ronin's, and it deployed a rope ladder. As the heat grew even more intense, we fumbled for the ladder, latching on with relieved sighs and unbearably tight fists.
Fuck yeah, I ain't dying today!
Cole laughed as we steadied ourselves.
"I could kiss Ronin!" he exclaimed in relief as we began to clamber up the rope and into the ship. "After I clobber him for getting us into this mess."

Jay laughed cynically as we safely found ourselves inside the ship. It was void of a maroon rice-hat wearing merchant.
"Autopilot," Jay spat. "'Course he's too scared to show his face!"
Just as Jay said that, the main screen lit up, showing the weary face of Ronin on it. I felt my stomach boil. That little-

"Hey, Ninja," his voice greeted through the speaker. "If you're getting this message I'm sure you might have some choice words for me."
"Oh, you got that right!" Cole sneered.
"But I wanted to tell you," Ronin continued. "That wasn't me who sent you to this trap. I was under the control of Morro. I know you think I'm a crook by taking the sword-"
An understatement, I thought lividly.
"And I want to make things right by offering my airship R.E.X as a peace offering. I know it's not what you had in mind, but I've remotely entered the location of the Tomb."
A map of Ninjago's west coast appeared on the screen, showing a blinking red dot out on the reef.
"The real one this time."

"Look at that!" Kai pointed at the screen. "The reason Misako never found the Tomb in Ninjago was because it was never there in the first place! It's under the ocean!"
Ronin reappeared, the screen glitching.
"Morro has a headstart, but R.E.X should get you straight there in a jiff," Ronin informed. "If it's any consolation, this will be the last you see of me. Nya, if you want to know your reason... it's because I care. And Y/n, assuming you're there because you're insane...-"
I shrugged. Fair. The screen glitched completely out.
"-... I'm sorry. I hope you get Lloyd back. Okay. Good luck, and go make things right."

My frown softened. After a short, awkward silence, Kai cleared his throat and turned to me.
"Do you want us to drop you off-"
"No," I shook my head, surprising myself by how calm I sounded - especially considering how freaked out I felt. "I lived. Let's go get Lloyd."
Kai nodded. There was a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Looks like we're headed to the tomb," he announced as R.E.X began to ascend from the volcano. "Time to buckle up."