Ninjago: The Tribes AU

"This ends now"

Kai’s eyes slowly fluttered open; adjusting to the light. He was laying in a pool of water, but it wasn't cold anymore. The water was still and warm; like it was giving him a comforting hug. The world around him was all white and foggy, like he was surrounded by clouds. His body ached, but the water seemed to be soothing it the longer he laid there. He began to fall back asleep; not wanting to get up ever again. He'd never felt this much at peace. Just then, a voice called out for him. He slowly reopened his eyes to see a blonde boy in a white robe. He knelt down beside him with a worried expression.

"Kai, master of fire, true leader of the Fire Tribe." His voice was soft and caring, but carried a sense of urgency. "You can't fall asleep in here. You need to wake up. It's up to you to be the one to change your tribe's history."

"But I'm so comfortable..." Kai yawned; barely staying awake.

"Please wake up, he's very worried about you."

'Someone else? Worried about me?' He wondered. "Who?"

The apparition quietly held out his hand, gesturing for Kai to take it. Slowly, he reached out and the moment their hands touched, Kai woke up in a sharp gasp. Great. Everything hurt again. He glanced up to see two figures standing in front of him. Ronin and Chen. Ronin, he maybe understood why he was there, but Chen?

The snake excitedly pulled Kai up into a hug. "Yes!! My bloodline CONTINUES! The super many great grandson lives!"

Then, he noticed Ronin. He was soaked in muddy flood water. He'd clearly had been the one to fish his body out of the river. And if Ronin was here, that meant the people in the safety spot probably all left as well. But Ronin’s eyes red and damp.
Kai smirked through the pain. "Were you crying?"

The guard immediately denied it, turning away like he was ashamed of having emotions. Kai looked back at his ancestor and questioned why he wasn't with Clouse. The snake let out a slightly unhinged chuckled. "Wooof. Forget about screws loose- that guy's LOST several since I've seen him last. He's crazier than a coo-coo bird! Besides, being on his side is so boring. I want some action! The other side is grossly outnumbered and about to fail. Now THAT’S entertaining suspense!"

Kai sprang up; questioning what he was on about. After the Anacondrai explained everything, Kai booked it towards the battlefield.

Garmadon barraged Clouse with blows from his fists and wings, but Clouse defended himself with ease, using his dark magic to block all of Garmadon's attacks. He was too blinded by anger to land a single blow strategically. The master still kept flying in his attacks, but his broken wing couldn't support his weight. He kept crashing to the ground, only to shake it off and continue with his assault. The fight continued back and forth, Clouse finding Garmadon's agony amusing. As the battle dragged on, Garmadon began to scream at Clouse, demanding answers for committing such a heinous crime against his son. His furious words echoed among them, but Clouse only laughed and smugly smirked as he easily deflected almost every attempt to destroy him. Finally, Clouse had enough fun and used his powers to summon several tendrills that shot up and wrapped around Garmadon's arms and legs, stretching him out mid-air. His wings beat heavily and his bull tail thrashed angerly behind him as he roared. Clouse ignited his fists and walked around to the leaders back side. He shot out a massive stream of fire that burned right through his powerful thrashing wings; leaving nothing but the smoldering frame of them. The Oni screeched in agony as he tried to break free, still trying to flap. A tendrill wrapped around the broken wing and broke it further, leaving it to hang limply. The man bombarded him with several spells and fireballs; even sending several shadow daggers whirlpooling around him and leaving several cuts. The Jade Tribe leader stopped struggling and hung his head. Clouse had him in a position where he could do anything to him, and with his arms and legs locked stretched out like that, he wouldn't be able to do anything to stop him. He was exhausted, cold, and in pain; he lost. Garmadon was dropped into the mud and Clouse stepped on his collarbone, putting as much bodyweight as possible on that one foot. He conjured a shadowy sword and hoisted it over his heart. "Good night Garmadon. Say hello to your brother for me. I so enjoyed killing Wu before you woke up to find him."