Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 27: All Paws on Deck

The white nekomata lunged for Cole with a furious caterwaul and smashed him to the floor of the deck. Cole responded by hitting it with the butt of his scythe, then proceeded to kick her in the belly. She gasped and reeled back, dazed, and he took that chance to scramble to his feet and knock her out. Once the cat rolled and fell limp, Cole scanned his surroundings.

It was a wild battle on the deck of the ship, enough so that the ship rocked under the action. Caught in close quarters, Zane resorted to using his trusty shurikens and Spinjitzu to fight his opponents. Liana fought beside him, swinging at a middle-aged man slashing his hands at her—though hands they were not, for the warrior had switched to feline paws, enabling him five thorn-like claws.

The werecat was teasing Liana. He jumped this way and that, hissing jeeringly into one ear and shouting tauntingly into another. He ducked out of the way of her nunchucks in time, and when he saw a chance, he would dart in close and rake his claws down her shoulder or thigh.

Despite her acute sense of hearing, Liana could not strike a blow, and she grew increasingly frustrated. The werecat was merely playing with her like he would a mouse, and she knew it. Her swings grew to a frenzy, but the werecat only laughed and continued his taunting game.

In a single spin, Zane flashed one arm out and froze the warrior's head into a ball of ice, three times the size of a basketball. The man's expression of surprise was hilarious, his face literally frozen in place. Unbalanced by the weight, he staggered and fell.

Sensing her attacker gone, Liana stood up and swiped a lock of hair out of her face. "Thanks, Zane."

"No problem," he replied cheerfully.

Meanwhile Eagle-Randy was putting up a very convincing act; he shared and parried blows with his tribe-mates. They remained completely oblivious to Talon's deception. The young werecat even went so far as to wound the other warriors he fought with, though none of the injuries he caused were ever severe. Apparently he knew these warriors well, for once in a while he could second-guess his opponent's move and be prepared for it, which made the said opponents increasingly frustrated and wary.

Wu was in a skirmish on the stairway leading up to the helm. When a man ran up behind him, Wu used his staff to propel himself off the floor, swing around in midair, and kick the onrushing warrior in the face. The warrior stumbled with a pained cry, and Wu promptly knocked him overboard.

Matilda's voice rang shrilly from the helm. "Wu, get down!"

Barely hesitating, Wu ducked when a screaming blue fireball flew and hit the deck beside him, scorching the floor.

Wu spun around to see the werecat steering the ship at the helm glaring down on him. The palms of his hands were out as if he had shot something, just like the ninja would with their elemental powers.

The small tabby cat that was Matilda leapt onto the shoulders of one of the warriors. She clawed viciously at his eyes, and he wrenched itself free from her grasp and raced away with a pained yowl.

Matilda reverted to her human form, already brandishing her wand, and glared at the man standing at the helm. "Another sorcerer," she muttered. "I'll deal with him."

She bounded up the stairway and faced the middle-aged man. She pointed the tip of her wand at him and shot a blast of something that looked like lightning at him.

The sorcerer ducked the shot, which flew and hit the water beyond. Smoothly he stood up and bared his teeth at her in a sneer. "A human sorceress? How interesting. I've never seen one before."

"Ask your buddies Raven Frost and Broken Fang about it. We've shared some wild times together," Matilda retorted.

The sorcerer summoned a bright, burning orb that shimmered like water in his hands. There was a menacing rumble from the power surge, and he shot the power at Matilda.