Legacy of the Departed

Chapter 6 - Going Up?

Cole dashed from door to door down one side of the decrepit hallway while Morro trailed more slowly down the other. Even though Cole wasn't sure where they could find Yang, he was ready to search every room in the temple until they did.

Where exactly would one perform a ceremony to return to the living realm? Cole asked himself. Now that he thought about it, it actually sounded more like a basement sort of thing. But that couldn't be right, because he had already seen Sensei Yang come upstairs . . .

Cole threw open another set of doors and was elated when he saw a handful of Yang's students before realizing that the sensei himself was nowhere to be seen.

At first, they appeared to be just as stunned as Cole, which was the most emotion he'd seen from them all night.

"Heyyy . . . So any chance you want to tell me where Yang is opening the rift?"

The ghosts drew their weapons.

"So that's a no?" Cole held up his restricted hands, trying to think of another way to stall when Morro appeared behind him.

"Great, let's just invite the whole temple, why don't we?" He yanked on the back of Cole's gi and slammed the door shut.

"Okay, so next time I'll be a little more – Whoa!" A ghost leapt at them through the door, hacking and slashing. Cole ducked, but stumbled backwards into Morro. They both hit the ground as more ghosts charged from the room.

"Watch where you're going!" Morro shoved him off and stood to face Yang's students as they emerged through the door.

"Forget them, let's just go!" Cole said. He cast a glance down the hall, hoping they could make a break for it. But then, he thought, Yang's students knew the temple better than they did, so how far would they get?

"You can run, but I'm going to fight!" Morro said.

"We're still handcuffed, we can't take them all on! There's no time!"

Morro ignored him. When the first ghost swung, Morro ducked beneath the sword and maneuvered around them. He ripped the staff from another ghost's hands and smacked them over the head with it before sweeping the first one off its feet.

Cole gave in and, whipping into a tornado of Spinjitzu, he caught the last two by surprise. He threw them into the wall and they fell to the ground, unconscious. At least when they were holding weapons, they were easier to fight, since they couldn't disappear on him as easily.

Morro bent down and traded the staff for the sword. "Hold your hands out."

"Why?" Cole did as he said but shrank back when Morro lifted the sword over his head. A sharp swing brought it slicing clean through the chain linking Cole's cuffs.

Cole marveled at his hands. The thin metal around his wrists would still cut off his powers, but at least now he had his mobility back. "Huh. I think I may have underestimated you, Morro."

Instead of taking the compliment like a normal person, Morro muttered, "Wouldn't be the first time." He handed the sword over.

Cole lifted it high. "Whatever. I just think that bringing you along was one of the better decisions I've made all night."

Once Morro's hands were freed – well, free-er – he swung his arms to loosen them up. The chain rattled on his cuffs. "Glad someone's happy."

Cole was about the set out again in search of Yang, but then he heard the ghosts voice from afar.

"Hurry up!" the old sensei was saying. "I haven't got three thousand years!"

"There he is!" Cole pointed to the opposite end of the hall, to a staircase that led to the upper levels of the temple. Yang's ghostly figure was just drifting around the corner.