~~ CHAPTER THIRTEEN ~~
My guardians took turns watching me and leaving to collect supplies and stuff from other rooms to bring to this room. We had eaten and drank and were now just lazing around.
This 'room' was actually a whole bunch of connected rooms. There was a bathing room, an eating room, a sleeping room, and a large sitting room, all of which I'd prowled around and explored to my heart's content. I didn't like the sleeping room - it was strange and dark and lonely, so I yanked all the blankets off the weird nest and dragged them into the sitting room, where I could make a much better nest. The sitting room had a fireplace and chairs for my 65 and my 88 too, though with a little begging I not only got them to sit in my nest with me, but even to bring me more blankets for it!
Everything was better when Flock was together. I snuggled between my guardians, half across one's lap and half across the other. They had the funniest looks on their faces but didn't try to move me as I got comfortable, letting my wings stretch and yawning wide. One wing accidentally smacked my 88 in the face, and I giggled at his confused expression, even as I hugged his closer arm in apology. He stroked my horns and I purred. My 65 was petting my wings and I was ready to nap again.
I was tired. I never seemed to be able to get enough sleep, it seemed.
"This is... this is wrong," whispered my 88. Probably thinking I was already asleep. Not that I cared when they had adult talk - it wasn't really worth paying attention to, and I trusted them to take care of me. "He's just so... so young. So trusting. And, and we both know what Omega has planned."
"Hush!" hissed my 65. "While I admit I didn't expect this much of a regression in his maturity, it is all for the betterment of the Oni."
"Is it really?" asked my 88 softly.
My 65 didn't answer. It looked like they were done with their weird talking for now.
I dozed off, waking later to the sound of knocking on the door. I felt my 65 leave to answer it.
"Omega is waiting," came a soft voice, barely audible.
"Thank you, 7," answered my 65, and she came over to lift me into her arms.
"Come little one," she said, making sure I was comfortable before starting to head out. "The generals are waiting to meet you."
My 88 fell into step with her and we headed out of the Intelligence House and back towards Master's.
They walked quickly, but after napping I was more alert than last time. I looked around eagerly at the strange architecture, all the while wondering why I found it so strange. The huge columns at every door and gate and opening, the strange clawlike spires, the odd angles and long blank stone walls. Every door, and there really weren't that many, had a character carved in it.
No windows. I wondered how I knew what windows were. In our Intelligence House, there's these slits high up in the walls to let in light, plus fireplaces and sconces. These other Houses must be the same.
We came to Master's House, with the biggest columns ever leading up to it. The doors were absolutely massive and had the character Omega carved into them.
Omega. Master.
We passed through the doors, my guardians greeting someone called 4 that had been standing there. He nodded and ran off. My 65 and 88 followed him quickly through the fire lit halls.
We came to a door with the character for War on it.
I don't like that character. It made me shiver and hug my 65 tighter.
"Greetings, Omega. Generals," said my 88 formally. "We have brought The Second, as you can see."
My 65 put me down, once again in a circle with four armed Oni. There were three I didn't know and Master, so four. My guardians stepped back towards the walls.
I looked up hopefully at Master, waiting for him to acknowledge me. He absently patted my head. Good. That was good. Master was happy with me.
"He's ADORABLE!" burst out one of the generals, a youngish female, and she suddenly grabbed me around my waist and spun me around dizzyingly. I cried out in surprise and fearfully dug in my claws to hang on. I accidentally pierced her skin, but she didn't even seem fazed, smiling all the wider as she stopped spinning me around and handed me to the next general.
"He's strong, too! Right through my armor!" cheered the first one, excitedly examining her pierced upper arms, now bleeding dark purple. She casually tore strips off her cloak and wrapped them, then held out one of her unharmed lower arms to my mouth. "Now bite me!" she... asked? me.
I whimpered and shrunk back into the arms of the older female general now holding me. She came to my defense, thankfully, shoving aside the younger female's extended arm.
"Don't be ridiculous, Phi. You heard from Omega that The Second can crush bone to a powder."
"But I need to SEE it, Psi!" protested the younger one, Phi.
Master signaled and a two-armed Oni came out from the shadows of the room, where I hadn't even seen them!
"Get us a few soup bones from the kitchen, 2. Large ones that will require a lot of chewing, even for The Second."
The Oni nodded and left through the door. To get bones! I licked my lips at the thought. For me? I guess I'm this 'The Second', which seems like a really weird name. I think I prefer when they call me little one, though that doesn't seem quite right either.
But I could still smell blood, and that wasn't good at all. I frowned and reached back for the first, younger female, Phi. The second, Psi?, passed me back over to her greedy arms.
I reached down to grab her upper arms and pull them up, hugging them tight and letting my Green slip out to heal the wounds. She didn't even seem to notice, just cuddling me close and cooing over how the little one liked her best.
Hah, I like my 88 and my 65 best. And Master, of course. But she didn't need to know that. Maybe I'll like her too, long as she doesn't spin me again.
Master did seem to notice I was using Green, and he didn't seem too happy, but he ignored what I was up to.
"He is so very small," commented the last four-armed general. Male, not really young or old, lots of heavy armor. "I would not be comfortable with having him fight for many years, Omega. Perhaps in a few centuries?"
"I agree with Chi," commented the older female. Psi. "He is much too immature, regardless of his strength, Omega. I would not be able to trust his obedience or judgment, and he would undoubtedly be a distraction to our own armies. It would be horrifying for our morale should the little one be injured."
"Naturally he cannot fight on the frontlines just yet," commented Master. "He will need to go through extensive training. But by no means is he of no use right now! His Green Power has the ability to augment our own, resulting in an exponential increase in energy and force!"
Phi, the young female holding me, lifted me up and frowned thoughtfully as she studied my face. "This cutie? I'd have to test that myself. It would have to have some sort of limit, and certainly that type of usage would have to carefully strategized to be most effective."
"Try it out. Right now," offered Master. "Little one?"
My head whipped around to stare at Master Omega, excited that he was addressing me and eager to earn more praise.
"Remember how you boosted my power? Do the same for Phi."
I turned back to stare at the Oni holding me, and she held up a single hand with a small purple flame flickering over it. I frowned, not sure this was safe. What if it blew up all huge like Master's flame had? But Master had said to. I took her other upper hand in my own and concentrated.
Again, the green sparks swirled around our joined hands, and I directed them into her. Giving it to her, to strengthen her, to give her more, to make her... full? Green rushed out of me, but thankfully nowhere near as much as when I gave it to Master.
The flame doubled in size, and I had a feeling Phi could've made it much larger with what I'd given her, but she had an impressive control over her element, and very carefully locked it tight and only let out as much as she wanted. Her eyes glowed and she hummed to herself, letting her flame dance above her hand, and then even making more purple fireballs and letting them dance all around us before flickering out.
"Very nice," she concluded. "Thank you, little one. Psi? Chi?"
The older female held out her arms and Phi passed me over. She held out a hand for me to hold, and I looked over to Master for permission. He nodded and I smiled, taking her hand and doing the same.
Psi didn't take much at all, actually seeming to somehow block the connection after taking only a little. She used this to make a very, very, small, very, very, bright little purple ball, which she aimed at the ceiling and let loose. It shot right through the roof, leaving a clean, perfect hole in the ceiling.
Like a bullet, I thought, even though I realized as soon as the word appeared in my mind that I didn't know what that was.
She grinned and suddenly looked much fiercer. "I would like to train him myself, Omega. The boost is impressive, but he doesn't seem to understand how to limit what he gives. He would pass out in minutes."
"Hey! I want to train him!" protested Phi. "Surely his skills would best be used by Intelligence."
Phi gave her a withering look. "What use do our spies have with The Second? His skills will be much better utilized by Offense."
The last, Chi, held out his arms. "I won't fight you two for him, but surely Defense deserves a chance to see for myself? And I am sure Omega would like the little one to be able to defend himself, not just to attack."
Omega laughed, interrupting the debate. "You will all have opportunity to train our little one, do not worry."
Psi handed me to Chi, and once again I took the Oni's hand and directed my Green to strengthen. The male general created a shield around us, much as Master had that first day when my Green blew up above us.
Strengthening a shield is weird. Like, I could feel the connection still there, but it wasn't currently sucking up any more Green, more like it was just hanging on to what it had.
Chi gestured with his hand, and another shield appeared around the first, then another, and another. He grinned and fisted his hand, and all four merged into a shield as thick as his arm! After another minute he let the shield disappear, then handed me back to Phi, who seemed to be the most eager to hold me.
"Very impressive," commented Chi.
Before he could continue, the door opened again and that two-armed Oni that had been sent for bones returned. I turned eager eyes toward my Master and couldn't resist a trill of delight as he took the bag from the Oni and handed it to me.
Phi set me on the ground and I excitedly opened up the bag and dug in. The Oni continued talking around me, but I ignored them as I attacked my bones in bliss.
They were huge and yummy and just perfect! Nice and thick, with lots of sharp edges. If I cracked off a corner and then angled my head as I gnawed, it felt amazing against my new teeth. The very motion was incredibly relaxing. Gnaw, crack, chew, crush, swallow, repeat. Perfect. It was making me sleepy.
I returned what was left of my second large bone to the bag and moved to leave the circle of four-armed Oni, intending to return to my 65 and 88 so we could go back to our nest.
"Stay right there, little one," ordered Master casually. I froze and stared up at him pleadingly. I wanted a nap! But he had already returned to talking with the others.
Sulking slightly, I sat back down and curled up on the floor with my bag underneath me. At least my wings made a decent blanket. It wasn't as nice as my nest and it was kind of cold, but I could make do right here. I soon dozed off.
~~ ! Go Ninja Go ! ~~
Author's Notes: Yes, I know, lots of OCs to keep track of. In my defense, the only canon Oni name is Omega. It's not really important that any of you readers keep track of them all. I just needed to build a full workable court/government for Omega and the Oni. I have to keep a list of who's who myself for the Oni hierarchy.
Ooh, except 88 and 65. As Lloyd's caretakers, those two are actually fairly important, and Lloyd being Lloyd, even beyond his instincts, he's fast claiming them as family. In this chapter, we see them starting to get their first real stabs to their consciences. Because that's another thing Lloyd's good at, just by being himself.
If you're wondering about all the numbers, Sunny and I had a hilarious idea a while back that Garmadon's numbering of his generals is actually an Oni trait! It's a bit more complicated in the First Realm, but the principle is still there.
Special thanks to Sunny Lighter for beta-reading!