Incoming Doom

ch.6 (rewritten)

I awoke in a dimly lit room, realizing that I was tightly bound to a chair. Chuckling to myself, I recognized their error – tying me up with ropes. I could easily burn my way free, but a lingering doubt crept in. What if this was a trap? After contemplating for a few moments, I decided to take the risk and started silently burning away the ropes, feeling the tension ease. Suddenly, a frigid shock halted my progress, and I couldn't help but growl in pain. "Well, at least we know that it works, brother," remarked a voice emerging from the shadows.

Two figures stepped into the light, one appearing older than the other. "Hello, master of fire. I'm Krux, and this is my brother, Acronix. But I'm sure you knew that already," said Krux. I growled in response. "You're never going to get away with this!" I declared defiantly. Krux smiled, revealing a sinister grin. "Did you like our newest invention? We were going to shoot a wave of water through your body with that collar on your neck, but decided to add a little electricity for a nice shock." I couldn't help but growl at their sadistic ingenuity.

"What do you want!?" I demanded. Krux's grin widened. "I want you to melt and mold metal together on the Iron Doom. And before you say no, I think you should know that you don't have a choice." He raised a remote, activating another cold shock through my body. I gritted my teeth, suppressing a scream. The water shock collar clung tightly around my neck, sending agonizing shivers down my spine. Each jolt felt like an icy surge coursing through my veins, and the spikes embedded in the collar intensified the torment, punctuating each shock with a sharp stab.

"You see, Master of Fire, this collar is a marvelous creation," Krux taunted, reveling in my suffering. "It's a reminder of your vulnerability, a leash that keeps you in check. We want your cooperation willingly, but if we have to, we'll use this to ensure compliance."

Acronix, the younger of the two, chuckled darkly. "It's almost poetic, don't you think? The mighty master of fire brought to heel by a collar and a bit of water."

My growl of frustration only seemed to fuel Krux's anger. "Enough growling from you! You will follow our orders or face punishments! Understand!?" Krux barked. Inadvertently, I whimpered in response. Damn it, Kai, stop showing fear; that's what he wants! Krux smiled triumphantly. "That's what I thought. I'll be back for you shortly. For now, I have other elemental masters to attend to. Don't try anything, or else!" With a final glare, he left with his brother trailing closely behind, leaving me bound and vulnerable in their malevolent grasp.

As Krux and Acronix prepared to leave the dimly lit room, a surge of defiance welled up within me. Despite the pain coursing through my body, I summoned the last shreds of my willpower. "You won't break me," I spat out, meeting Krux's gaze with fiery determination.

Acronix chuckled condescendingly. "Such bravery from the master of fire. It won't save you."

But I pressed on, ignoring the searing pain from the collar. "You underestimate the strength of those who resist tyranny. Wu and the other elemental masters will find you, and your reign of darkness will crumble."

Krux's patience wore thin, and with a swift motion, he and Acronix descended upon me. Their combined force forced me down, and I felt the cold, unyielding floor against my cheek. Krux sneered, "Defiance won't serve you well, Master of Fire. We'll ensure you learn that."

As they towered over me, Krux pressed the remote, activating the water shock collar one final time. The icy surge intensified, coursing through my veins with a relentless ferocity. This time, the shocks lingered, each jolt drawn out slightly longer than before. My body convulsed involuntarily, and a pained gasp escaped my clenched teeth. Krux's face remained impassive, his eyes fixed on mine as if challenging me to defy him further. The lesson was clear – resistance would only invite prolonged suffering. As they left the room, the echoes of my futile resistance lingered in the air, drowned out by the fading hum of the water shock collar.

Restless pacing filled the room as we struggled to piece together the mysterious disappearance of Kai. Nya's voice sliced through the tension, demanding answers. "Who would've taken my brother!?" I snapped out of my trance, uncertainty hanging in the air. The room echoed with our collective worry as we awaited the return of the other three from their mission. I nervously rubbed my hands together, attempting to calm the unease gripping the room. "I don't know, Nya," I replied, joining her and Jay. "But what I do know is that your brother will be fine." Jay chimed in optimistically, "Yeah! Kai is the strongest person I know! Other than Cole." Nya managed a smile, finding solace in our words. "Thanks, guys. I needed that."

As the others finally returned, hope clashed with disappointment. "Did you guys find him?" Cole asked, anticipation written on his face. "No." Uncle Wu's expression revealed a hint of disappointment, but I chose not to dwell on it. Pixel stepped forward, breaking the silence. "Our mission was a bust, but we did acquire some important information that may be useful." Zane affirmed, "Affirmative." All eyes turned to Wu, awaiting Pixel's revelation. "What did you find, Pixel?" Wu inquired. "It appears that multiple elemental masters have gone missing, in addition to Kai," Zane nodded in agreement. "Which ones?" Wu continued. "The elemental masters of speed, metal, smoke, mind, gravity, and, if we include Kai, fire." Cole's eyes widened. "WAIT! Karloff's missing!?" Zane nodded, confirming the grim news. I clenched my fists, a mixture of frustration and worry surging through me. "I see you all know the other masters quite well," Wu remarked. "Yeah. After the thing with Chen, we all got to know each other quite well," Zane acknowledged. "But that's not all," Pixel added. "Every house we checked showed signs of a struggle."

Jay interjected, raising a valid concern. "So, it's clear that the elemental masters are being taken by someone. Does this mean that they might target other elemental masters as well?" Nya nodded, voicing her agreement. "Jay has a point. We don't know who's doing this or what their motives are. They could be after other elemental masters." I sighed, my mind racing with the possibilities. The room fell into a contemplative silence until Wu spoke up again, his tone serious. "Whoever is taking the elemental masters isn't doing it randomly. They're following a plan." Confusion swept through the room. "What do you mean, Wu?" Cole asked. "Whoever took the elemental masters knows the recipe for what's called elemental metal. But some other elemental masters they took must be for other uses since they don't have anything to do with making it. But to put it together..." Zane interjected, "Elemental metal? I don't have anything on that in my database." Wu nodded knowingly. "You wouldn't. The recipe is top secret. The only people who would know how to make it are Elemental masters themselves. So I suspect that Krux and Acronix have made their first move." Cole sought clarification, "I'm sorry, Sensei, but I'm not following here." Uncle Wu sighed, revealing the gravity of the situation. "I believe Krux and Acronix have done something that forces us to make a decision that could alter the entire fight. They're using Kai and the elemental masters to make something with elemental metal. Though I doubt they would do it willingly, so they must have already planned out what they would do if they refuse. On the other hand, they knew that would leave us with a decision to make."

A heavy silence engulfed us until Pixel broke it with a pointed question. "And that decision may be?" Wu sighed again. "Ninjas, you must decide whether to save your friend or go after the Timeblades that Krux and Acronix are after." The weight of the choice hung in the air, casting a shadow over our uncertain future. I exchanged a worried glance with Nya, the gravity of the situation etched on our faces. The room buzzed with tension as we grappled with the impending decision, each face mirroring the turmoil within.

(And that's the end of the chapter! Yay I finally uploaded! I feel better now that I actually uploaded something! Hope you enjoyed! Bye for now!)