The Imperial Battle II: The Emperor of Ninjago

Chapter 16. Hatred

I changed the appearance of the Oni Temple slightly to resemble an actual temple a bit more.

Enjoy reading :)

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Lloyd was filled with both excitement and anxiety as he and his team approached the Oni Temple they'd finally found. He acknowledged that there could still be obstacles in their way. After all, according to how the Oni had been described by Wu, it didn't seem like the they were peaceful creatures that would've left a completely safe and nice temple just lying around. There must've been traps or beasts waiting for their victims to enter.

"Alright, we should retrieve the mask as soon as possible," Hutchins stated, stopping to gaze at everyone. He had clearly assumed the role of a leader for now. "Not all of us can go, however. One of us needs to stay behind and make sure that nothing new occurs while the rest of us are inside the temple. They'll keep a lookout for Clouse's allies and other possible threats, and will call for back-up should anything happen."

"Is that really necessary?" Rimu questioned.

"Yes," Hutchins answered firmly. "We must take all the precautions we can."

Lloyd noticed that none of his travel companions seemed very eager to take on the task.

"Well, I can't stay. You won't get the mask without me," the prince stated, partly glad he was such a vital part of the mission.

"And I won't let you go without me," James said.

"How about Rimu?" Jay asked.

Rimu shrugged. "I could, but should I be the one staying? I mean, if something happens and I have to call for back-up, the other team might think it's just a trap. They don't know I'm with you, do they? It would sound pretty suspicious if I introduced myself as an escaped prisoner, who decided to help you."

James frowned at her. "Escaped prisoner?"

"Escaped from Clouse," Rimu clarified. "You were asleep when I told Lloyd about my past."

James didn't say anything more, but stared at Rimu in slight confusion for a while. 

"Well, you're right. Someone else needs to stay behind," said Lloyd. He turned to face Jay. "Jay? Can you? You're a ninja, so you'll notice everything and will be able to contact the others quickly if needed."

Jay didn't seem very glad to have been assigned the dullest job, but nodded all the same. He couldn't start to fight over duties now.

"Here," Hutchins said, handing the blue ninja his communicator. "If anything bad happens, contact the others immediately."

Jay nodded. "All right."

"And the rest of you, do not try to show off your survival skills once we've entered the temple," the Master-At-Arms continued. "We do not know what's waiting for us and therefore, there shall be no taking risks or fooling around for the fun of it. For all we know, this could be the most dangerous part of our mission."

The three younger warriors nodded in agreement. Despite having previously enjoyed an occasional distraction, Lloyd no longer had any intentions of taking the mission too lightly. His strange Oni fit followed by the waterfall incident had given him enough convincing to be careful from this point forward.

"Now, let us go," Hutchins said and led the way towards the entrance. 

James and Rimu followed right after him, but Lloyd stuck around for a tiny bit longer as Jay grabbed his wrist.

"Be careful," he said quietly, a concerned frown on his face.

"We will," Lloyd assured. "We'll be as careful as we can."