2. Dark Sides: The Golden Weapons

Chapter 18 - Weapons of Destiny

The boys landed in a heap just inside Wu's throne room, dazed. The girls followed close behind.

"Sorry, Pixal," Skylor said as she pulled her glove back over her hand. "But I decided it was more important to finish the fight." Pixal wasn't about to object. Skylor was right, of course, and her plan had worked, so there would be no point in arguing about it.

Now they could see that Sensei Garamadon was going head-to-head with Samukai. The skeleton general held three of the golden weapons while their sensei was only armed with one. The boys were already scrambling to their feet. Pixal prepared to fight again when Wu called from the other side, "Leave them!"

Without hesitation, the four boys retreated to their master, creeping around the edges of the room to avoid the fight taking place. Next to Skylor, Seliel moved forward to intervene, but Skylor held an arm out to hold her back.

"What are you doing?" Seliel hissed. "We have to help!"

"If we join in, so will they." Skylor nodded to the boys on the other side of the room. "We know we can't overpower them, and they already have most of the weapons. Sensei will at least stand a chance on his own. It's up to him, now."

Seliel looked like she was about to argue, but held her tongue. Pixal calculated accuracy in Skylor's statement, so she watched intently as their sensei fought on.

Garmadon blasted Samukai with a shot of ice, but the skeleton dodged fluidly and retaliated with fire. As Garmadon rolled away, Samukai brought down the golden scythe. The ground split open between them. The bridges connecting the floating isle to the surrounding land fell into the abyss and what little ground remained for them to stand on began to crumble and sink.

Garmadon threw the shuriken, but Samukai knocked it away with the sword of fire. It arched in the air and Garmadon deftly caught it again. But Samukai struck him with the nunchucks of lightning. The girls winced as their sensei was knocked to the ground. The last golden weapon fell from his hand and slid across the floor to Samukai's feet.

Pixal was tempted to try and snatch up the shuriken before he did, but they were still outnumbered. She didn't like the idea of standing by anymore, after they had already worked so hard, but it seemed that they had no options.

The skeleton general reached out, intending to pick it up, but paused when Wu said, "Bring me the four weapons."

Samukai hesitated. One could practically see the gears turning in his head as he looked between his master and the fourth and final Weapon of Spinjiztu. Finally, he bent down to take it in his bony hand.

"No . . ." he said, turning to Wu. "You will obey me, now!"

Next to Wu, his students readied themselves to attack the Skulkin general and take the weapons by force. But instead of ordering them to do so, Wu simply chuckled at Samukai's attempt to assert himself.

A strong breeze began to blow from an unknown source. Pixal detected a rise in energy emanating from the Weapons of Spinjitzu. The weapons shook in Samukai's hands and he looked to them in surprise.

Sensei Garmadon took the opportunity to retreat to his own students who watched now with fascination. "No one can handle all of their power at once," he reminded the over-ambitious skeleton.

"You're predictable as ever, Samukai," Wu sneered.

The weapons began shaking more violently, and it became obvious that they were out of Samukai's control. "What's happening to me?"

"Exactly what I planned." From across the room, Pixal could see the boys exchanging glances. It appeared that not even they had known of their Master's scheme. "The weapons have too much power for even me to handle at once. But combined together, they will create a vortex that will finally permit me to leave the Underworld."

Now the weapons were glowing. Pixal's readings were going haywire, most of them off the charts. The weapons were emitting dangerous levels of energy. "Stay back," Pixal warned her friends, though they were too captivated by what was happening to try and stop it.

The weapons shuddered and trembled as Samukai was lifted into the air. Now the energy readings were reaching levels too high for Pixal to interpret anymore. Then, with agonized shout, Samukai burst into nothingness. The four weapons fell clattered to the ground.

"Gather your weapons!" Wu ordered, and the boys rushed to retrieve them before anyone else could. At the same time, a flashing, blue vortex opened up behind them. Wu stepped down from his throne and approached the portal. Everyone, even his students, looked on in awe at the power created by the weapons combined.

Garmadon moved closer and called out to his brother, "Don't do this, Wu! What would Father think?"

Wu whirled around in a fury. "Father is no longer here!" He looked to his students and nodded toward the portal. They hesitated, but Cole stepped forward and went through first. The others followed closely after him. Pixal observed that only Kai paused to look back to his sister one last time. Nya refused to return his gaze, so he left.

"The balance between good and evil has always held fast," Wu said. "But I go to a place where the balance can be rewritten. I will become stronger, and soon I will be able to possess the four weapons, so that I can recreate the world in my image!" With that, he turned walked through and the portal snapped shut behind him.

Darkness seemed to take over as the light from the portal vanished, and the others blinked as it took some time for their eyes to adjust. Silence hung in the air.

Garmadon hopped back across the gap and stood at the place where his brother had been a moment ago. "He'll be back," the sensei said, though Pixal couldn't tell if his tone was one of sorrow or dread.

Nya came up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be ready when he does."

"If he thinks this is over, he's got another thing coming," Seliel added.

Garmadon surveyed his four students as they gathered around him. "Then I have done my part," he said as a small smile broke across his face. "The balance has been restored. At least, for a little while."