Snake Attack! Read online

  TITLE PAGE

  FROM THE JOURNAL OF SENSEI WU

  ENTER THE SAMURAI

  THE SNAKE KING

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  COPYRIGHT

  What is the best way to defeat an enemy?

  I challenged my four ninja with this riddle, and none of them could determine the correct answer. They suggested training, teamwork, and planning, which are all necessary, but they are not the best answer to the question. To find that answer, my ninja needed to look deeper inside themselves.

  For quite some time, they were focused on trying to defeat one enemy: my nephew, Lloyd Garmadon. Lloyd is just a boy, but his fate was set the day he was born. His father is the evil Lord Garmadon, my brother.

  Young Lloyd does not have the evil heart that his father does, yet he has managed to cause a great deal of trouble. After Lord Garmadon was banished from Ninjago, Lloyd tried to follow in his footsteps. He unleashed two of the ancient Serpentine tribes.

  The part-serpent, part-human Serpentine are cold-blooded and ruthless. Lloyd thought he had enough power to control them, but once the snake warriors had used him for their own gain, they cast him aside. Lloyd’s efforts were not a failure, as he retrieved something very valuable — the Map of Dens. The Map of Dens is a rare scroll that holds the secret locations of all five Serpentine tribes.

  Seeking revenge on the two tribes that had wronged him — the Hypnobrai and the Fangpyres — Lloyd followed the map to the tomb of a third tribe, the Anacondrai. There, he found Pythor, the Anacondrai general. The large, purple serpent was surrounded by the skeletons of his fallen comrades. The last of the Anacondrai, he is as charming as he is treacherous. Pythor offered to befriend my lonely nephew, and Lloyd eagerly accepted.

  Sadly, Lloyd had not yet learned that snakes should not be trusted. They set a trap for the ninja at the Boarding School for Bad Boys. When the trap failed, Pythor stole the Map of Dens from Lloyd, and left him to be captured by the ninja.

  Cole, Zane, Kai, and Jay all suggested suitable punishments for Lloyd. However, I had another plan. I brought my nephew back to our ship, Destiny’s Bounty, tucked him into bed, and read him a story.

  For the first time, I saw a peaceful look of contentment on Lloyd’s face.

  “I’m sorry, Uncle,” he told me, but he did not need to apologize.

  My ninja did not understand, and they became angry.

  “Why isn’t the little brat getting punished?” Jay asked me.

  “It’s not fair,” Cole complained.

  You see, they had not yet learned the answer to the riddle: What is the best way to defeat an enemy? And the answer is, of course, to make that enemy your friend.

  Lloyd lives with us now, and while he has much to learn, I have faith that he will follow the goodness that has always been in his heart. In the meantime, my ninja have found another distraction to consume them: the identity of the Green Ninja.

  Their obsession began when they read one of my secret scrolls. The scroll predicts that a Green Ninja will rise who is powerful enough to defeat Lord Garmadon. Each ninja secretly hopes that he will become the Green Ninja. They spend many precious minutes arguing about which one of them it is.

  I fear that this distraction may be harmful in the long run. They must not lose focus. Now that Pythor has the Map of Dens, he will be able to awaken the remaining Serpentine tribes. And if the snake warriors join forces, it will become nearly impossible to stop them. Ninjago has never seen such a threat. I must trust that Cole, Zane, Kai, and Jay will rise to the challenge — and I will do my best to guide them through these dark times.

  High in the blue skies over Ninjago, Destiny’s Bounty was perched on top of a tall mountain peak. The ship was an impressive vessel. Painted the color of red flame, its prow was shaped like a fierce dragon’s head with yellow eyes and sharp yellow teeth. Its sails, white streaked with red, looked like a dragon’s wings.

  At the stern of the ship was a yellow house with a black roof. This is where the ninja lived and trained. The busiest room inside the ship was the mission control center, which was filled with control panels and computer screens. On this sunny day, a large map of Ninjago was projected on the control room’s wall. Nya, Kai’s sister, pointed to the map.

  “Last we heard of Pythor, he stole the Map of Dens from Lloyd and is now on his way to open the last two Serpentine tombs,” Nya said.

  “Don’t remind me,” Lloyd Garmadon said shamefully.

  “Pythor is our most dangerous threat,” Sensei Wu reminded them. “If he finds those tombs before we do, with his intellect and all of the tribes unleashed, there’s no telling what he will do.”

  “But those tombs could be anywhere,” Jay pointed out. “Without the Map of Dens, we might as well just throw darts at the map.”

  Nya grinned. “Good idea. Why don’t we?”

  She expertly threw two darts at once, and each landed in a different spot on the map. “These are the two locations of the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre tombs,” she explained. Then she walked to the map and put in one more dart. “And this is Pythor’s tomb. After many hours studying the map, I discovered a secret pattern.”

  Nya shone a flashlight on the map, and a red pattern of the Ninjago symbol for serpent overlapped the map. By looking at the symbol, it was easy to see where in Ninjago the other tombs were located.

  “There is little time,” said Sensei Wu. “Kai and Jay, you head to the Venomari tomb. Cole and Zane, you take the Constrictai tomb.”

  Sensei Wu handed Cole a wooden flute with a red swirl pattern painted on it. The Sacred Flute had the power to stop the Serpentine. “Take this. You might need it if you run into Pythor. Good luck, ninja.”

  Nya sighed. “What am I going to do?” she wondered aloud.

  “Nya, I need you here to make sure Lloyd doesn’t get into any more trouble,” Sensei replied.

  “Yes, Sensei,” Nya said sadly.

  “We’ve got some snakes to club!” Cole cried.

  “Let’s get some!” said Jay, and with that the ninja sped off.

  Each ninja transformed his Weapon of Spinjitzu into a supercharged vehicle. Cole’s Scythe of Quakes became the Tread Assault, a rugged dune buggy with powerful wheels that could ride over the toughest terrain. Zane’s Shurikens of Ice became the Ice Mobile, a sleek speed machine. Jay’s Nunchucks of Lightning became the Storm Fighter, a fast fighter jet. And Kai’s Sword of Fire transformed into the supersized Blade Cycle.

  The ninja split up. Zane and Cole followed the map across the desert to a tall, narrow mountain. They climbed all the way to the top to reach the Constrictai tomb. When they arrived, they found a hole in the top of the mountain, and a rope leading down into the dark interior.

  “Looks like Pythor was already here,” Zane guessed. “Maybe we should check it out.”

  Zane quickly climbed down the rope and found himself in a dark cave. He lit up a flare and looked around. Strange drawings were carved into the cave walls.

  “Didn’t Momma Snake ever tell them not to draw on the wall?” Cole asked after he climbed down.

  “Well, it says here that there is a legend that the snake tribes will unite,” Zane said, reading the drawings. “Then they can find the four Silver Fang Blades that will unleash the Great Devourer … an evil that will consume all of the land, turning day into night.”

  “You got all that from those little pictures?” Cole remarked.

  “This gives me deep concern. If Pythor reunites all the tribes before Kai and Jay can find him —”

  “Relax, Zane, they’re a bunch of dumb snakes that believe
in fairy tales.” He paused. Suddenly, the ground underneath them began to shake. “Wait, did you feel that? Don’t move!”

  Boom! A Constrictai warrior erupted from the floor of the cave. He had shiny black and orange scales, glowing yellow eyes, sharp fangs, and black spikes sticking out of his head. The warrior quickly wrapped his tail around Zane.

  “I’ve been waiting for you,” he hissed. “Pythor sends his regards.”

  Cole sprang into action. “Ninjaaago!” he yelled, plunging his Scythe of Quakes into the ground, shaking the entire cavern. The Constrictai let go of Zane and disappeared underground.

  “Zane, go for the rope!” Cole yelled.

  Zane ran — and then heard Cole scream behind him. He looked back to see his friend being pulled under the floor. Then Cole shot back up and landed with a thud on his back.

  But the Constrictai wasn’t finished with him. He tunneled under the ground, heading right for Cole. Cole quickly pulled out the Sacred Flute and began to play. But before the song could take effect, the Constrictai wrapped his tail around Cole, squeezing him tightly. The flute fell from Cole’s hands.

  “Ninjaaago!” Zane yelled. He turned into a spinning tornado and retrieved the flute before the Constrictai could get it. He began to play, but the Constrictai reached out and grabbed him by the throat. Now the snake warrior had both ninja in his clutches!

  But Zane didn’t give up. He brought the flute to his lips and, breathing as hard as he could, began to play. The sound made the snake warrior roar in pain. He let go of his grip on Zane and Cole.

  “Wrap your head around this!” Cole cried. He picked up his Scythe and whacked the Constrictai hard, knocking him out.

  “Good one,” Zane said.

  “Thanks,” Cole replied. “But if he was expecting us, I think Kai and Jay are also walking into a trap. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  Meanwhile, Kai and Jay had followed the map to a dense, dark jungle that led to a green, slimy swamp. They exited their vehicles and walked until they reached the water. Jay sniffed the air and made a face at Kai. It smelled disgusting!

  “It’s not me,” Kai protested. “We’re in the Toxic Bogs. This stuff will eat through you worse than Cole’s chili.” He then took a nearby twig and dipped it in the water. When he pulled it out, the part that was in the water had been burned off.

  Since swimming wasn’t an option, the ninja swung on vines until they reached solid ground — and the entrance to a cave blocked by a stone with strange markings. Jay pushed near the stone, and the door slid open to reveal a deep, dark cave.

  “Pe-ew!” Jay complained, as an even worse stench filled the air. His voice echoed back to him. Pe-ew! Jay laughed.

  While Jay looked around in the cave and had fun with the echo, Kai patrolled the outside of the cave.

  “This place looks empty; we must’ve just missed Pythor,” Jay said.

  Then, Kai heard a rustling noise. He followed the sound until he found a purple swamp toad sitting on a log in the water.

  “You shouldn’t sneak up on me like that,” Kai told the toad. “If I wasn’t such a well-trained nin —”

  An evil laugh interrupted him as the log slowly began to rise from the water. It wasn’t a log at all — it was the flat green-and-black head of a Venomari!

  The snake warrior spat nasty green venom in Kai’s face. He cried out as the poison stung his eyes. When he opened them, everything around him looked strange and blurry.

  Dozens of Serpentine soldiers emerged from the swamp. Their heads looked like snakes, but they had human arms and legs. There were green-and-black Venomari and orange-and-black Constrictai. Kai knew this could only mean one thing — they were too late! Pythor had already reached both tombs and unleashed the Serpentines.

  Then the Venomari poison started to make Kai see even stranger things. To him, the snake warriors looked like creepy gingerbread men and elves. He wildly swung his Sword.

  “Oh, this is not good! Jay! Jay!” he cried.

  Jay ran out of the cave to his friend’s side. But the two ninja were quickly outnumbered by the Serpentine.

  “There are so many elves and gingerbread people … everywhere!” Kai said.

  “Okay, I don’t know what you’re seeing, but this is no time to lose yourself. I need you, partner!” Jay replied.

  “I’ve never fought elves before. We’re toast!” Kai screamed.

  Then a roar came from the jungle, and the Tread Assault and the Ice Mobile plowed through the trees. Cole and Zane soared over the poisonous swamp. Their vehicles morphed back into weapons in midair, and Cole and Zane landed next to their friends.

  “Anyone order a little kick butt?” Cole cried.

  Butt! Butt! Butt! his voice echoed, and Jay laughed and looked back into the dark tomb.

  “BOO!”

  A terrifying Serpentine with gleaming purple scales, sharp white fangs, and glowing magenta eyes shot out of the cave. It was Pythor! With his long neck and even longer tail, he towered over the other Serpentine — and the ninja.

  Thinking quickly, Zane picked up the Sacred Flute and began to play. In a flash, Pythor’s powerful tail lashed out, wrapped around the flute, and took it right out of Zane’s hands.

  “Let’s not let music ruin things,” Pythor hissed in a chilling voice.

  The Serpentine marched toward the four ninja, forcing them to back up into the swamp. With nowhere else to go, they jumped and landed on a big green log floating in the swamp. But the log was slowly disappearing as the poisonous water burned through it.

  “I’ve got a sinking feeling this may be the last I see of you four,” Pythor said with an evil laugh.

  The ninja were trapped. As the log drifted away, they were too far from shore to jump and battle the Serpentine. The vines overhead were too high to reach. The log sizzled in the toxic goo under their feet.

  “That’s it. I used to hate dragons, but now I officially hate snakes,” Cole said, defeated.

  Kai’s eyes were still cloudy from the venom. “Wait. Do you see that? A magic floating rope!” he said as he reached toward an imaginary rope hanging in front of the log.

  Jay caught Kai right before he fell off the log. “Wow, that Venomari venom is some powerful stuff,” Jay said.

  “For whatever it is worth, it was an honor to fight beside you all,” Zane solemnly told his friends.

  Suddenly, a rope dropped from the sky right in front of them!

  “The magic rope …” Kai said in a daze.

  “Quick! Everyone grab it and climb over!” Jay yelled.

  As they reached for the rope, something even more amazing came down from the sky. A giant metal robot landed in front of the tomb, its jet engines roaring. The robot had a red metal body that looked like a samurai warrior’s costume, and a black samurai helmet on its head.

  The Samurai raised his right hand, and a powerful net shot out at the Serpentine troops. They scattered as the net landed on two Constrictai warriors, who quickly tunneled underground. The Venomari jumped into the swamp to escape. Only Pythor was left.

  “Oh, dear,” he said, slinking backward.

  A hydraulic squeal came from the robot as a cage on the Samurai’s chest opened up to reveal an actual samurai warrior inside. He was dressed in red, with a black chest shield, a black helmet, and a red face guard covering his lower face. His eyes looked red and menacing.

  “Pythor target confirmed,” he said in a deep voice. “Time to bag … and tag.”

  As Pythor turned and hurried away, the Samurai shot a dart with a homing device into his tail. Pythor vanished into the jungle, and the Samurai jumped down from the robot.

  “Wh-who are you?” Cole asked.

  “How about the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” Jay cheered.

  “Santa?” Kai asked, still affected by the Venomari poison.

  Zane stepped forward and held out his hand. “Thank you, mysterious warrior. I owe you my life for saving —”

  Pfffff! The Samurai he
ld out his right hand and a cloud of gas swirled around Zane. He fell backward and began to snore.

  “Hey! That wasn’t nice!” Jay said.

  But before the others could protest, the Samurai put them to sleep, too. Then he jumped back into his robot and rocketed away.

  Fortunately for the ninja, Sensei Wu found them and brought them safely aboard the ship. When they woke up, they were all confused. As they ate dinner, they told Sensei, Nya, and Lloyd what had happened.

  “So then, just as we were going to bite it, this huge mechanical robot —” Jay was saying.

  “Samurai. It was a samurai,” Zane corrected him.

  “A sama-what?” Lloyd asked.

  “Samurai,” repeated Sensei Wu. “The highest level of warrior class. They would protect nobility and serve with honor on the battlefield.”

  “He was a hundred feet high, with weapons coming out of every part of him.” Kai paused, leaning in to Cole. “Look at Sensei’s beard. It moves like snakes,” he whispered.

  “When is this Venomari spit supposed to wear off? It’s starting to get annoying,” Nya commented.

  “Okay, don’t let this mysterious samurai cloud what’s really important,” Cole reminded everyone. “Zane and I read about it when we were at the Constrictai tomb. All the Serpentine are out, and if Pythor can unite them, the legend states that some Great Devourer is going to consume the land….”

  “Great Devourer?” Nya asked.

  Lloyd moaned. “It’s all my fault! If I hadn’t opened the first hatch, none of this would have happened.”

  “We cannot change the past, but we can affect the future. At least we have the Sacred Flute in our possession,” Sensei Wu said.

  Jay shrugged sheepishly. “Yeah, about that …”

  “Pythor sort of … stole it,” Zane admitted.

  A cloud crossed Sensei Wu’s face. “The last Sacred Flute? Gone?”

  He looked at the four ninja, his dark eyes blazing. “You four are Ninjago’s last hope!”

  Destiny’s Bounty flew across the sky, searching for any sign of Pythor and the Serpentine. Inside, the ninja, Nya, and Lloyd were taking a tea break around the low wood table in the dining room. Lloyd bragged about what he would do if he found a snake warrior.