Onyx and the Possession

Curse World

Onyx and the others stood in the courtyard of the tea shop, Lloyd leaning against the gate. It had been almost a week since Morro had left his body, and he'd spent much of that time sleeping and trying to regain the weight he'd lost. Lloyd had already been slim, and now he was practically emaciated. Though over the past few days, his cheeks had regained their colour and begun to fill out slightly, and soft hints of blond were starting to come back in at the roots of his hair.

"Shouldn't we be going to Stiix? The longer we wait, the worse it'll get," Kai said, referring to the fact that just this morning, the news had come in that the Festival di Capodanno had been interrupted by ghosts. Onyx tapped her foot impatiently, anxious to get to the city on water. Wu shook his head. "We need to stock up first," he said. Jay gasped excitedly. "On what? Magic tea that will make us invincible? Give us special powers? Is it gonna give us four arms?" He asked. Wu sighed, crossing the courtyard. "Sadly, no magical tea today. I had to sell the rest of the merchandise along with everything else," he said, nodding to the notice of closure on the doors.

Onyx's brow furrowed. Wu had dreamed of opening a tea shop for as long as she could remember. "What? You sold your business? But that was for your retirement," Zane said, tilting his head. Onyx jumped as the doors suddenly flung open and Borg wheeled out. "Ah! Hello again, ninja!" He exclaimed, glancing around at all of them. Wu sighed. "While we were away, I had Borg use the money from the tea farm to create us some new toys to balance the scales. They are expensive, you know," he said, almost chasteningly.

Borg clapped his hands together. "It's been so long, I hardly recognize any of you. Onyx looks older, Lloyd looks... Ah... ahem. I see a Water Ninja. A titanium Nindroid. Cole is a...a ghost? Huh? Jay looks shorter. And, then there's Kai," he said, faltering slightly as he took in Lloyd's appearance. Lloyd flinched slightly, so Onyx reached over and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Hey, what do you mean I look shorter?" Jay said, crossing his arms. Kai shook his head. "I'm sorry, Dr. Borg, but cut to the chase. We don't have much time," he said.

Borg chuckled. "Yes, always the impatient one. Come, let me show you." He wheeled past the ninja and pressed a large red button on a remote. The ground suddenly shook and opened up, a platform holding three vehicles rising. He pointed to a blue one first. "If you want a little muscle with that hustle, I've made Jay a lightning-fast Ghost Taker GT. Front spectral intake, rear incorporeal storage," he started. Jay laughed and leapt into it. "Oh, why did the Ghost cross the street? Oh, I don't know, maybe 'cause he saw me coming in that!" He exclaimed.

Borg moved to a white mech. This one, Onyx recognized. "Zane's Ice Mech. Sure, it appears to be the same, but I've equipped the underarms with Deepstone particle shooters, allowing you to freeze the competition," he said. Zane smiled, crossing over to examine it. "Super cool. And I mean quite literally," he said. Borg wheeled over to a large, treaded vehicle. "Cole, I've made you a Ghost Cycle. Twin carbine blasters, auto-evasive handling. Made entirely of Deepstone, perfectly molded to fit the, uh...bodiless. And I've set all the radio presets to your favorite: soft rock," he said.

Onyx didn't listen to Cole's exclamation, as Borg had just moved over to her and Kai, reaching into his lapel. "To be quite honest, I lost track of time, so I had to be a little crafty on yours and Kai's," he admitted, pulling out two sheaths and a headband. He handed Onyx hers. "A set of your katanas Wu sent me. I inlaid them with deepstone. They'll be effective against ghosts now. It's not much, but it might come in handy!" He said.

Onyx smiled and affixed them to her back, testing them. They were ever so slightly heavier than they'd been before, but nothing that would change her fighting style. She nodded to him in approval. She'd missed using her own weapons. "And for you, Kai," Borg said, tossing the fire ninja the headband. "...a headband," Kai said. Borg chuckled. "A personal embroidered headband. Thirty-two thread count, easy tie capabilities. I apologize. Again, I lost track of the time building the other vehicles. Eh, same goes for you, Lloyd. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure you'd be making it back," he said.