"What?" Garmaodn asked quickly, snatching the scroll to read for himself.
"He says they found his cell empty and his guards were knocked out!" Lloyd pointed to the spot in the scroll, "His brother is just, gone! They don't know where he is!"
"Krux is gone…" Garmadon lifted his head, "But how? He was being held within the dragon's cave itself!"
"I don't know!" Lloyd shook his head, "He's asking us if Chen's behind it?"
"...If they have freed Krux, then they might… free…" Garmadon looked up, "Son we must check on Chen at once!"
"Chen?" Lloyd blinked, "But, why? He's locked up!"
"Because if an enemy frees one, they may free all," Garmadon growled, "This must be one of his ploys. He has fooled us! We must see to this at once!"
Garmadon turned and quickly made his way out of the massive gates, waving for his son to follow. Lloyd, caught up in the confusion, quickly followed after him. The winds of the Monastery's mountain buffeted the two as they made their way down the massive stairs. The two reached the cave, looking to see the tail of the massive red dragon resting her head on her forelegs half in the shadows to soak up the sunlight. Firstbourne looked to the two of them in confusion and huffed at them. She turned her head away, shifting to move further into the cave. Garmadon thrust his staff onto the ground, the sound booming out around him.
"Firstbourne!" Garmadon called out, "Take us to Chen, we must ensure he has not escaped!"
The Firstbourne growled, an angry and deep sound that made Lloyd shudder when he heard it. Father and son quickly leapt up onto the beasts back without saddle. The dragon rose up from her rest and stalked forward until she was outside of her cave, opening her wings up wide once she was in the sunlight. Rather than take off, she instead leapt off and let her body slowly glide its way out from the Monastery. She veered around the mountain the Monastery sat on, soaring towards those peaks behind Lloyd's home.
After several more times to circle, Firstbourne reached a massive set of four large jagged peaks that seemed to converge on one another in a point. She shot her wings out and flapped, sending them straight into the sky. The proud beast crested the peaks, showing that the top of the four mountains came together into a hole coated in a dense magma-like material. It was thick enough that just looking at it revealed not even the Fire and Earth tribes could break through it.
The Firstbourne opened her jaws, losing a torrent of strangely slag=like fire that melted the strange material until a hole was formed large enough for them to soar down. The dragon shot once more into the sky and then cracked her body like a whip in the air, soaring straight down. The dragon shot straight through the hole, still carried downwards by gravity. For several seconds, the sound of them soaring down into the depths of the mountains was all Lloyd and Garmadon could hear.
A massive crash signaled the Firstbourne's body hitting a lake, her speed sending them hard straight down into it. They dove deep for several meters, Lloyd thankful he recalled to hold his breath. The darkness of the water made seeing things difficult, but the dragon knew where she was going. She swam her way under the waves towards a source of a strange orange glow out in the distance. When the dragon reached them, she began to swim underneath the glow, revealing them to be crystals embedded into a rock shelf. After nearly ten seconds of swimming, the dragon stopped and swam upwards, revealing a hole in the bottom of the shelf. After another few seconds of swimming, the dragon raised her head from a pool inside of a cavern inside the shelf.
"Thanks, Firsty!" Lloyd patted the dragon's neck, earning him a groan of affection, "Now, let's see if-"
"Oh! Visitors!" A mad voice cackled out from inside the cave.
The cavern was roughly circular, not much wider in diameter than the Firstbourne's length herself. The pool took up nearly a fourth of the room, and the Firstbourne could not fully fit her body through it. Lloyd dismounted, landing on a patch of, all things, grass. In the middle of the room was a set of orange crystals Lloyd had seen outside, casting the only source of light in the room. The crystals formed a set of jagged bars that separated the room in half, and several were so thick they blocked out the sight on the other side.
The sight on the other side was a man dressed in robes similar to that of Garmadon and Lloyd himself. He wore a headdress made to look like the skull of a dragon, and his features showed he was a middle aged man. He sat atop a rather nice looking bed, and pieces of furniture were on the closed off portion of the cavern. He was sitting upright in bed with his hands in his lap, kicking his feet as he glanced towards the newcomers with a curiously gleeful gaze.
"Chen is still here," Lloyd sighed in relief, "Okay good, he is!"
"Of course I am!" Chen scoffed, "What, do you think I broke through these impenetrable crystals, swam up this underground lake, climbed up the side of those peaks and then broke my way through that little rock seal you replace every time you wish to visit me? You made very clear why I cannot escape this place. I have done some amazing things, but I don't think I could do all three of those! Two, maybe!"
"Don't jest with us, Chen!" Garmadon growled, "You know why we have come."
"I do?" Chen looked around, "Oh, yes, I forgot. The walls speak to me about what goes on outside of this place. Why, I heard the other day that the water warmed a few degrees! Hehe, I hope your swim down here wasn't too pleasant!" He rolled his eyes, "Garmadon, please, you know that I have absolutely no contact down here! I have only myself for company! A lesser man would have gone mad by now."
"Now is not the time for this, Chen," Garmadon thrust his staff down, "You know why we are here!"
"Oh my, someone is angry!" Chen gasped, "What's wrong, did you forget something back at that little gaudy home of yours?" He giggled and then leaned forward a bit more, "Oh, by the way, how is Skylar?" Garmadon's eye twitched.
"How about you answer our questions and we answer yours?" Lloyd asked.
"Ohhhhh, that works!" Chen clapped, "Oh come on now, throw me some questions! I'll finally get some things to think about in this boring place!"
"If this is what it takes to get a straight answer from the likes of you, then so be it," Garmadon inhaled, "Where is Krux, Chen?"
"Krux? That stuffy twin?" Chen chuckled, "Hrm… I don't know! I figured that since you two managed to stop the war, he'd be executed for his crimes! Then again, his brother was always too soft for that. I bet he's rotting in jail somewhere! You think we could become cellmates?"
"Do not jest with us, Chen!" Garmadon stated forcefully, "This is a matter of grave importance!"
"And I will remind you that I do not lie, Garmadon!" Chen placed his hand on his chest, "Why not have the little mind reader go ahead and prove that?"
Garmadon stared at Chen for a few long moments, then he turned to Lloyd and nodded his head. Lloyd slowly closed his eyes as they opened purple, and he peered into Chen's mind. There was no guard or attempt to hide anything from him, and instead all that Chen wanted was laid bare for him to read. Lloyd gave Garmadon a little nod. Chen just grinned even harder and allowed Lloyd to pull away from his head.
"Krux must have gotten out of his little cell then… that's a shame," Chen sighed, "Wish they'd broken me out! Nobody thinks about little ol' Chen. I wish he had come to visit me at least once… oh, now it's my turn!" Chen grinned, "Tell me, how is my little daughter?"
"Skylar?" Lloyd turned to Garmadon for approval, who simply nodded to him, "She's doing fine. She's working on rebuilding her tribe. She actually said she's going to remake the entire land they used to live on to make it something new."
"Ohhhh, well, I might offer her some advice then!" Chen raised his hands up, "You see, when an Amber user and another user have children, the Amber will always be the dominant element for the children! Found that out by doing some research on her long gone people. It should help her prevent the nasty little side effects of inbreeding and all that."
"Huh?" Lloyd paused, this his eyes sparkled, "Oohh! Like how you do it with livestock then!" Lloyd smiled, "I think I get it."
"Hm… thought I would get a better reaction there! Oh well!" Chen leaned back.
"Distasteful as ever," Garmadon gently pushed Lloyd a step behind him, "Tell us, what do you know of these Raider attacks?"
"The who whats? I would like to refer again to the fact that I'm so far underground that I consider the ground you live on the sky!" Chen shook his head, "If you want me to lie about what I know, then sure, I can do that all day. I hired them!"
"How many are there?" Garmadon asked.
"Ah-ha-ha, my question time! You really aren't very respectful, are you, Garmadon?" Chen smirked, "How is Misako?"
Garmadon's body completely tensed. Chen immediately began to snicker, a fact which Lloyd actually dropped his smile to. Garmadon turned around, facing away from Chen.
"Ahhh, I take it that she is still gone!" Chen sighed, "A shame, really. If you hadn't broken your promise to remain here to have a bit of fun, Lloyd wouldn't be here! Then again, does that mean your promise was always meant to be broken?" Chen paused, "No, let's not ask that question, that would fall under the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. Well, either way, you two have been living alone here for a long time, haven't you?"
"My brother will one day return," Garmadon turned back around, "And do not speak the name of my wife. It was through deception you learned her name. She chose to leave and venture the World… it was not my place to stop her. I have my son to care for."
"Ohhh you're so easy to read! Just looking at your face is like one big open book, Garmadon," Chen frowned, "Not a good thing for you. You have so many tells! Lloyd here seems to be the only one who doesn't, but then again a boy raised in isolation would have that, wouldn't he?"
"Huh?" Lloyd put a hand to his chest, "I… what are you referring to?"
"People have little ticks, Lloyd," Chen turned around, stalking around his cell, letting himself go from visible to behind bars over and over again, "People are the strangest creatures. They aren't like animals. No, no, they'll do things that make no sense, hide their emotions, let their thoughts remain hidden. If a dragon is angry, they will roar. If a person is angry, they'll look around the room to see if it's appropriate to be angry. People will hide their true selves, even if it means that they'll compress who they are until nothing is left."
"Hurry your ramblings, Chen," Garmadon stated coldly.
"I'm answering his question!" Chen countered, "Where was I… right! Nothing is left. But when you can see what people hide, oh you can get to them so personally. This world was just like that. It only took so many words to get them to see what they truly needed to see," Chen stopped and looked to Lloyd, "I did you a favor by making the line so clear for you to see, Lloyd."
"You… I uh…." Lloyd blinked, attempting to parse what Chen was saying. Garmadon didn't give Lloyd the time to and instead moved to stand in front of Lloyd.
"I have one more question for you," Garmadon narrowed his gaze, "What do you know of the fact the Raiders disappear when defeated?"
"Ohhh, are you dealing with ninjas?" Chen giggled, "I know nothing about that. But… I am interested in hearing this…" Chen moved up to the bars, "A small group of children couldn't catch your eye if they begged… since you keep harping on that, this must be massive!" Chen grinned, "Maybe if you tell me more it will… jog my memory?"
"Then you know nothing?" Garmadon growled.
Chen sighed, "You're no fun! I sit down here every day with nobody but myself to think about! I've already figured out how air gets into this place and how food is delivered, but I know nothing of the outside. Look, if you think I had plans so deep that I had something scheduled to go off this far, you're overestimating me, Garmadon!"
"This… actually seems like something you'd do," Lloyd spoke up, "I mean, you did a lot to manipulate basically everyone. Wouldn't like, making people scared be like, right up that alley?"
"Hrm… alright, you have a point," Chen conceded, "Look, you don't need that fancy mind trick to see, but I don't have anything to do with it! I can't even talk to anyone down here! I'm just a simple man sitting down here without the ability to even see my daughter I got thrown in here for setting up her future. If you think that I'm doing this, then you truly didn't take anything from all that I did!"
"And what was that?" Garmadon asked decidedly.
"The world is built on fear, Garmadon," Chen pressed his face to the bars, "Fear of losing what you want, fear of losing yourself, and of losing your children. I didn't create fear. Oh no, I simply saw it for what it was! We hide it under fancy words like 'desires' and 'politics' but it's all just fear. I showed everybody what it was. I didn't tell anyone to fight. I simply showed them they held the spear. They ran into the other tribes themselves. If you can't see that, then you're just as blind as all of them!"
"...We have no more business here then," Garmadon turned, "Come now, son. We have other matters to attend to."
"What?" Lloyd turned to Chen, "Is, that all we needed?"
"It's all we're going to get from him right now," Garmadon concluded, "Let us leave this mad man and head to do things to actually help the people that need us."
"Bye bye!" Chen waved his hand, "Next time you get paranoid, feel free to come visit! I'd make you drinks but sadly I'm only given enough for myself! Oh! If you get the chance, can you install some buttons down here? It might help to pass the time!"
"Uh… sure, dad!" Lloyd awkwardly responded, quickly making his way towards where the Firstbourne was swimming in place. As the two climbed up, Garmadon refused to look at Chen.
"Next time you see Skylar, I need you to tell her something for me!" Chen called out, gripping the bars, "Tell her that her father loves her, and his only wish in life right now is to see her again!"
"Sure…?" Lloyd nodded his head slowly. Chen smiled at him, then moved to sit down on his bed and ignored them. Lloyd wasn't sure what to think.
"Go, Firstbourne!" Garmadon shouted. Both of the riders took deep breaths as the dragon let her head slowly sink beneath the waves, vanishing away from Chen's sight. Silence once more filled the room as Chen remained sitting with his back to the entrance long after the three had departed him.
Lloyd had wanted to go straight to Acronix and attempt to go and help the hunt for Krux directly, but Garmadon had adamantly refused to let his son out of his sight. Lloyd had been just as adamant about being allowed to help but there was a point of contention between the two that was far more important than that.
"You were attacked," Garmadon had stated firmly, "That is a serious matter. You need more training. I will send word out to Acronix asking for his aide."
"I fought them off!" Lloyd had in turn protested, "I literally beat them back, I'm strong enough!"
"Son, you don't understand your own importance," Garmadon sighed, "You are a symbol for this World. We call you the Dragon Lord because that is what you are. All of the dragons that protect and nurture their tribes look up to you. If you were hurt, all of your dreams will vanish. You must wait for your time to strike."
"But… I don't wanna wait around!" Lloyd shook his head, "I need to help my friend!"
"And your friend will call upon your help when he needs it," Garmadon patted Lloyd's head, "Trust in him. He sent you this news days ago. He may have very well caught him already. We will wait for his word. He will keep in contact with you and we will solve this issue with him together."
Word never came. Lloyd had been thrust right back into his training the next day with even more multielement endurance training. His father had him from the moment the sun rose to the minute that the moon crested the summit running from mountain to mountain, training each and every element he could. He'd spend days spitting as much poison -in acid form- as he could into rocks, then begin to rip apart chunks of slope with earth only to then freeze them midair with ice. He couldn't move mountains, but his father was clear that his power would come from his versatility.
It didn't mean that Lloyd wasn't constantly thinking Acronix, in fact it was the opposite. He wasn't allowed to touch time, out a promise that he made to Acronix. You cannot train in time unless I am there to help if it goes wrong. If you train with it outside of me, I will end our lessons. Lloyd took that very seriously, especially given that Acronix was now the only viable teacher left for time.
Train, sleep, train, sleep. Each day, Lloyd would ask his father to go and visit Acronix, and each day it would be a no. Each day he'd wait for some sort of correspondence, and get nothing. The days passed into weeks, and then those weeks into two months. Soon enough, it had been three months since the last Summit, despite the fact that he had wanted it to be a monthly event.
Finally, Lloyd woke up on that day, and saw that he had a letter. It was waiting for him when he awoke in his room, sitting perfectly placed on the table. It had already been opened, however, and his father was sitting at the table for him. Lloyd blearily yawned and sat down, stealing a glance at the letter. The handwriting was not from Acronix.
"The leaders have called an emergency Summit," Garmadon informed Lloyd, "It seems that these Raiders have driven the leaders into a place of desperation. They wish to meet and discuss a course of action for it."
"It's that bad?" Lloyd blinked, "Wait, does that mean Acronix will be there?!"
"I believe it does," Garmadon sighed, "But these attacks are worrying. This is not an isolated incident to you, it seems. If the tribes have agreed to a meeting like this, then it is a severe situation indeed."
"But, wasn't I attacked last time I was there?" Lloyd asked, "What about that, I thought you said it was too dangerous?"
"That is why I am saying that it is clearly a far wider threat than we initially envisioned," Garmadon stood up, "The Summit is being held for tomorrow. We will pack up and leave first thing tomorrow morning," He slid the letter to Lloyd, "Read this and familiarize yourself with it. Once you have, we will begin your training for this morning."
Lloyd read over the letter. Most of what his dad had said was inside it. These Raiders seemed to be attacking almost twice a day in most tribes, and the situation had all but scared off any potential traders from taking their goods from tribe to tribe. The only thing that hadn't been hit were the new speed cars, but the trade that could still be undertaken with those was pitiful. Apparently, the tribes saw this as an issue big enough that it was becoming a threat to the entire land itself.
Lloyd, however, was only thinking of the fact that this Summit meant he would see Acronix again. That thought dominated his mind as he trained that day and then woke up the next. His father had already instructed Firstbourne to be ready. They left early that morning so their flight would arrive there at noon, when the Summit was scheduled to begin. Lloyd and his father took off on their dragon, the flight there flying by.
By the time they reached the Summit building, there was a milling of people outside. Guards from all tribes had gathered around the building's entrances, creating a large throng that made attempts to sneak inside near impossible. Lloyd directed Firstbourne to land near the building, hopping off as he did.
Almost instantly, two guards, one forming poison over their arms and the other readying a band of water to attack, approached Lloyd. When they got close enough to verify it was indeed him, the two dropped their elements. Lloyd gave them both a worried look before his father leapt down beside him.
"Sirs!" The two bowed, "Our apologies," The Poison Tribe guard took the lead, "Sir Acronix's speed car found stowaways on it. We heard a noise and worried more may have come after us."
"They were attacked?" Garmadon raised his eyebrow, "Then this is serious indeed. How many guards are there today?"
"Almost all the masters have brought at least ten," The Water Tribe guard answered, "We have all been tasked to ensure that no intruders make it into the building! I believe they added a holding area in case anyone is caught."
"Good," Garmadon nodded, "In that case, will you escort us to the main hall?"
Both guards nodded in unison, moving to take their positions on both sides of the father and son duo. Lloyd gave them a small awkward but grateful smile as they walked them into the building. The other guards all nodded or acknowledged them as they passed. Lloyd kept giving them smiles, even as he felt the weight and irony of the fact that this place of peace was now being heavily guarded.
The two eventually made their way into the main meeting room. As soon as they entered, the room was already alight with discussion. All of the leaders were there, including Skylar and, more importantly to Lloyd, Acronix. Acronix looked calm and composed, one of the few that wasn't talking and instead just exchanging signals with a guard behind him. Lloyd smiled to him, and Acronix only gave him a nod like he would any other before continuing with his guard.
"Everybody! Shut up!" Karlof shouted, "Dragon Lord has arrived!"
Lloyd awkwardly waved to the room. He tried to look to Acronix again, but he wasn't looking at Lloyd in turn. The action alone gave Lloyd pause. While a few leaders gave Karlof long grumbles about his rather rude command, the room indeed did silence itself over time. Lloyd walked forward and took his seat, while Garmadon stood beside him. Lloyd inhaled, doing his best to steady himself, before he finally called out.
"Hey everyone!" Lloyd smiled, only for him to realize he'd forgotten his decorum, "Ahem, I mean, hello, everyone. We all know why we're here, right? Let's get down to business."
"Yeah, these Raiders!" Kai shouted, thrusting his hands down on the table, "We're all getting sick of them attacking us!"
"Must be so loud?" Shade grumbled, rubbing his temple, "All of us here are suffering because of these Raiders. You don't need to shout it out in the room."
"While my brother is rather rude," Nya gave Kai a glare, "He is right. There is not one tribe here that hasn't come into contact with them. We can't keep trading with each other while they control the main roads."
"This is dangerous for us all," Neuro agreed, "And the fact they disappear when defeated is strange."
"We captured some of those weird bikes they use, but we can't get them to work!" Turner waved his arm, "They're just weird metal, some strange pieces and an empty shell."
"Karlof has soldiers working to stop them," Karlof nodded, "But Karlof's men find only armor. We melt down armor we find, but they keep coming. Must be getting supply from source."
"We need to figure out where they're operating form," Chamille leaned forward, "When you're hunting a herd, you need to cut off their escape."
"Easier said than done," Ash, somehow permanently smiling, butted in, "We aren't exactly all just letting them hit us. Whenever you attack them, they just disappear. They're escaping everywhere!" He shivered, "Makes for a pretty great hunt, but a long one at that for nothing really to show for it."
"Well, what exactly are we all planning on doing about it?" Skylar leaned forward, "I don't have people to protect, but if I want to grow the Amber Tribe, I need to keep them safe. And sure, I can do that, but right now people are too afraid to leave their walls.'
"We need some sort of plan," Paleman nasally suggested, "Something to fall back on and start making headway."
"And who's going to be leading this plan?" Gravis pointedly asked.
"Whoever comes up with it, obviously," Paleman replied.
"Hmmph, then it just creates a race for the best plan," Cole pointed out, "We gotta work together on this then."
"That is why we called a Summit," Chamille scoffed, "We need to work together on coming up with this plan."
"We'll make sure we move that up on the priorities," Garmadon nodded, "It is important we figure out a way to fight this menace."
The room went silent in thought. Lloyd had been listening passively the entire time, lost in all of the people talking at once. He didn't like these meetings, and he was starting to regret suggesting forming them all together like this. He didn't get why they hadn't just opened up the meeting with a plan. Why did they all have to go in this big of an arc along a straight line?
"While we think of that, I want to take this time to ask a question," Bansha spoke up, "These Raiders may have other plans set into motion by now. We shoudl consider more of this."
"Whatcha referring to there, Bansha?" Skylar asked, leaning forward with her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"For one… Acronix… have you found your brother yet?" Bansha asked calmly, locking gazes with him.
Acronix shot his head towards Bansha, his eyes widened. The room immediately turned all eyes towards Bansha, then off towards Acronix. Acronix turned back to greet the room, suddenly feeling the pressure on top of him from that announcement. He took a small breath and then eyed Bansha from the corner of his eye.
"I was planning to bring this up in a more private setting with involved parties, but no, Bansha," Acronix shook his head, "He is still missing."
"Krux escaped?!" Jay shouted, "That's important information to know!"
"It's an internal Time Tribe dispute," Acronix countered, "I would not ask you to be any more involved than any other tribe. We have our leads and are pursuing him."
"How long has he been gone?" Kai asked curiously.
"Just over two months now," Acronix stated casually.
The room burst into massive debate. Acronix didn't let his expression waver, instead staring directly at Bansha, who stared right back at him. While the room squabbled, Lloyd felt frozen to his seat, staring at his friend as though he'd just been singled out for combat. Acronix refused to look at him, instead keep himself turned slightly away.
"Krux was a former leader and an important part of the tribes… he could be behind these Raiders," Tox mused.
"He isn't," Acronix shot his gaze towards her, "We had reports of Raiders before he was freed. The two events are not connected."
"How can you know that, if you didn't inform the Summit?" Zane asked, "Regardless of the party that disclosed it, it was information that could have led to a far more timeful reaction."
"Because we had canceled these meetings due to my near demise at the previous one," Acronix stated firmly, "If I had sent for the other Tribes, then my focus would have shifted," Acronix leaned back, "Forgive me for not wanting to return to the place I was almost murdered in my sleep."
"Your focus hasn't led to anything," Jacob argued, "He's still missing! You even figure out leads on them?"
"I insist that I have a lead on his location," Acronix shook his head, "Let me make this clear: the Time Tribe is doing everything possible to find him. This is not something the Summit must concern themselves with."
The room slowly shifted into an uneasy silence out of questioning. Lloyd realized he'd been gripping his throne roughly. He pried his fingers off and turned to his father. Garmadon's expression was all but unreadable. He was looking to each leader, and Lloyd figured he must be trying not to stare at anyone. While Acronix appeared to relax, Lloyd could tell that he was going in and out of breathing heavily.
"Did anyone else, besides Bansha, know about this?" Nya asked with a sigh. Lloyd held his breath.
"No," Acronix stated firmly, lying without a hint of it being the case in his words, "The only one that knew was apparently the Wind Tribe, with whom we do not share any borders."
"Then let's agree that we will establish what does and does not need to be reported to the Summit," Nya put forward, "That way we can avoid this in the future."
The room gave its assent, and the scribe for the room recorded it down in turn. Lloyd still felt tense, even if he knew that it wasn't needed. He wanted Acronix to look at him… acknowledge him in some way. At the very least, to get this conversation over with.
"Hrm...That was tactless, Bansha," Shade turned towards the calmly sitting woman, "You would do well to learn not to put your nose into matters that aren't your own if you wish to take Morro's place."
"I was making sure that the Summit knows information that is important," Bansha shook her head, "It is nothing more than that. A leader should ensure her allies are well informed if she wishes to keep them."
Shade chuckled, "Oh, I'm sure it is important. But you should remember that when you build bridges across the rivers, all can see the wood you had to make them."
"And those that see how useful those bridges are will ask for more," Bansha hissed.
"Karlof think room need time to cool off," Karlof turned to Lloyd, "Does Dragon Lord agree?"
"Huh?" Lloyd perked up, broken from his own thoughts, "Yeah, I think we should take a break. Uh… I, call for a recess?"
"All those who wish for a recess, say 'aye,'" Garmadon called out. There was not one voice that didn't speak up., "Then we are adjourned for thirty mintues."
As soon as the room began to file out, Lloyd quickly shot to his feet and out the door behind him. His father saw him doing so and said nothing, just watching him go. Lloyd turned in the hallway and walked down the circular corridor to weave to where Acronix's seat was closest to. When he arrived, he saw that Acronix's seat was already empty. He bit his lip and quickly looked around for anyone. When he saw the armor design of the Time Tribe disappearing down a hallway, Lloyd quickly followed them.
"Mage, wait up!" Skylar's voice called out to him, making Lloyd stop in his tracks.
Skylar raced up behind him, a small smile on her face but her body filled with unease. As the two turned to look at one another, Lloyd felt a smile prick at his lips.
"Didn't think I'd get a chance to tell you this before we got back from recess," Skylar stretched her back out, "I wasn't able to find anything else on that creature, but I set fire to a big area where I saw it. Should have driven it out. I knew you'd ask about ti sooner or later."
"Huh? Oh! Yeah, right! I was going to!" Lloyd sighed, "Sorry… I got a bit on my mind."
"You knew about Krux?" Skylar asked, putting a hand on her hip.
When Lloyd darted his eyes from side to side, Skylar sighed with a smile and shook her head, "You were gripping your seat like you were trying to break it. I might not like my father, but he taught me how to read people. He contacted you awhile ago and told you, didn't he?"
"A… yeah, when it happened," Lloyd mumbled out, "I… heh. My dad and I went to talk to Chen to see if he had anything to do with it."
"You… talked to my dad?" Skylar stiffened, "...How is he?" Her voice dropped to a whisper, hunching over slightly as he did.
"He's fine, he's still, you know, Chen," Lloyd shook his head, "He wouldn't stop asking about you. He wanted me to tell you something about breeding-"
"I don't care what he has to say to me," Skylar cut him off, her eyes lighting with anger, "I don't want to even think about him. I just wanted to know he was still alive. That's all."
"Uhm… okay?" Lloyd frowned, "I didn't mean to upset you."
Skylar's eyes continued to burn for a few moments. Lloyd looked away from them for a moment. As soon as he did, Skylar blinked and straightened her back up. She reached over and gripped her arm, turning away in what looked like shame.
"That… wasn't, nice of me," Skylar grimaced, "I'm… sorry. I'm just, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about him. You, you know what I was like when he was twisting me around his finger, right?"
"Yeah… you threw me through more than one temple," Lloyd joked.
Skylar didn't take the joke like he did, "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry. I wasn't me. I was just, a big ball of anger. You… don't hold that against me, do you?"
"Of course not," Lloyd crossed his arms, "If we held people to them at their worst, I wouldn't have made this Summit. I could tell you weren't really evil, just really angry. And I think who you are today really shows that! You wouldn't have been able to smile a few months ago."
"...By the dragon you're way too forgiving, you know that?" Skylar chuckled gently, "One of these days you're gonna be super angry and not know what to do with yourself."
"Well when that day comes, you can show me what to do with myself!" Lloyd perked up slightly, "I don't mean to cut you off, but I gotta talk to Acronix before we get back in. Can I catch you after the meeting?"
"Was already planning on it," Skylar nodded, "I already am set up to stay here for a few days either way, so if you're gonna be here, well. That works out."
"Gotcha!" Lloyd turned down the hallway, "I'll talk later, Skys!"
"Right back at you, Mage," Skylar chuckled, letting Lloyd rush down the hall.
Soon, Lloyd found himself in front of the statue of him defeating Chen in the main entrance. When he entered the room, he heard a loud thump. He turned around to see Acronix with his head in the wall, his fist quaking from where he punched it.
"That… that woman…" His teeth were grit, and two guards nearby were giving him nervous looks, "That was too soon, it was too… too soon…"
"Acronix!" Lloyd called out, "Acronix, I need to talk to you."
Acronix lifted his head up, seeing Lloyd and giving him a tired smile. One of his guards reached forward and took his injured hand, her fingertips glowing green as she used weak forward time to begin the process of healing his injured hand. Acronix shook her off and stepped towards him.
"Lloyd… I'm, sorry, I meant to write you again… I was waiting for some good news," He grimaced, "...As, Bansha just forced me to point out, I still haven't found him."
"What happened?" Lloyd asked, "How did he escape?"
Acronix sighed and waved his guards off, who fanned out to give him some space to talk, "What I said was true, Lloyd. I found his cell empty the day before I sent you the letter. The guards were asleep but had no memory of anything before Krux was gone. My brother didn't leave us anything. I don't know why he's gone. He never talked about escape. I felt I was getting through to him!"
"What leads do you have?" Lloyd demanded, "I'll help."
"... None," Acronix admitted, "That was me saving face."
"So… he's just gone?" Lloyd asked. Acronix nodded his head.
"What's worse is that the Raider attacks stepped up less than three days after he escaped. The Raiders haven't associated themselves with Krux, but… do you remember the supporters I talked about?" Acronix frowned, "The people think they're now associated with the Raiders."
"They can't be!" Lloyd blinked, "Like… it just doesn't sound right!"
"It's a response to fear, since we've lost nearly all our trade now. We can't get supplies, and food doesn't grow naturally in our region. It takes many men to gather enough time power to actually grow food like we normally do. We have become dependant on the Earth Tribe underground trade routes that Cole has given us, but for his own people he makes us pay massive fees to do it. I respect him, but if this goes on we won't be able to sell enough to make up the difference."
"Are the Raiders really that bad?" Lloyd asked.
"Very," Acronix smiled, "I had intruders on my speed car getting here. I had them taken to the new holding cell. I don't think they're with the Raiders, but we'll see."
"Wait, really?" Lloyd blinked, "Huh, well I'll try meeting them later. Is there anything I need to know about them that I don't already?"
"Besides trade being stopped, visitation between tribes have become limited. The speed cars are the only safe travel, but those take time to set up and not all tribes have them. Of course, without supplies from the Metal Tribe, it's hard for us to truly make more. It's becoming a hopeless situation"
"But that's what this Summit is for, right?" Lloyd smiled, "We're gonna find a way to beat them back, right?"
"I don't think anything will come of this," Acronix smiled sadly, "They'll bicker and argue but I can't see us coming together. The tribes are still tribes. Until this situation becomes even more dire, I don't think they can put aside their arguments. I'll make due for now."
"Acronix," Lloyd stepped forward, "Do you need help?"
"Oh… I need a lot of help, Lloyd, but none that you can help me with," Acronix reached out and put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder, "I just need to toughen up and bear it. I'll figure it out soon enough. Until then… just, smile for me, and don't let anyone see you upset."
Lloyd tried to say more, but Acronix walked past him, nodding to his two guards. Lloyd was left standing there as Acronix left for some other location, one that Lloyd felt he shouldn't follow him to. He was left standing still, unsure what to do for the moment. This situation was deeper than he thought it was.. And far worse than he had imagined. He couldn't go and talk to Acronix, and he didn't feel like talking to dad.
Thus, Lloyd decided to simply wander. Wander the halls and wander the place, trying to see what he could find. It was a massive building, and he truly hadn't taken the time to explore it. It was even multistoried, and after using gravity to ascend stairs easier, he found himself walking by a massive set of glass windows that spanned from floor to ceiling. Outside, the world was dark and surrounded by stormclouds, with rain beating against the windows. He took a long moment to stop and stare at it, letting his thoughts get lost in it.
"Look, you do realize that if I'm beside a window it'd be like you guys in the middle of a lake of lava, right?"
A strange voice caught Lloyd's attention. He turned around, trying to see where it was coming from. From further down the hallway, he could see a strange color green making its way down the hall, surrounded by several others. He squinted to try to make it out, and his eyes with gray to utilize sound to listen in closer.
"I was just, saying it to the group, you know? It's, thunderstorming out there." Another voice, somewhat timid sounding, spoke, "Didn't mean anything by it."
"Well how about we worry what's inside this place and not what's outside? Clearly something is up and we're in a gathering of literal world leaders. Might be better to worry about our own skin rather than that. You're not exactly sneaking around like ninja." The initial voice answered.
"Don't go telling us whether or not we're qualified to be 'ninja' when you're walking around carrying I don't even know how many guns on you!" A female voice responded in exasperation, "We're trying to find a way out of here, you know! If we can't get outside we might as well see where we are!"
"Don't go attracting attention with your loud voice then," The voice of interest said again, "Look, let's just get moving and get out of here before someone sees us."
Lloyd took a step forward towards the group. As he did, he noticed something about the one that he hadn't noticed before. The green color wasn't clothes, it was the color of the main one he had been listening to. He took a few more steps forward, and once he did, his eyes widened. That man, he looked like… like a…
"Ghost?!" Lloyd yelped, and suddenly his eyes went silver as speed filled his body. Within two seconds, he was suddenly right in front of the group.
Now that he was up in the ghost's face, the ghost's eyes widened and one of his hand started to move towards his chest. The white haired female he'd heard swatted at his hand, causing it to go through. The action at least stopped whatever he was doing, not that Lloyd cared.
"You're a ghost?!" Lloyd gasped, "Hi! I'm Lloyd, Lloyd Garmadon, Dragon Lord and all that! What's your name?"
Deep within the darkness, a man sat within a small room. The room was roughly hewn out of rock, and light spheres, likely stolen from the Light Tribe, were hung on the wall to illuminate the space. The room had a single bed, a large table that was rife with maps, and a small stand for armor on it. There was only one occupant at the moment, rubbing his chin as he let himself be lost in thought over what he had been told.
"Have you thought about our… offer, Krux?" A voice sounded from an entrance to the room, surrounded in shadow.
Krux lifted his head up, "I am still thinking. Your plans are far greater than I could have ever imagined. I agreed to give you information, but I am hesitant to truly partake in them."
"Why not?" Another voice spoke up, "You have nothing to lose from it, and only everything to gain."
"You plan to destroy everything," Krux protested, "I must think of my people."
"Yes… the people you abandoned, and left to suffer," The first voice said, "The ones that you can no longer return to. The ones that have branded you a murderer for doing what had to be done in the heat of battle."
"You have proven yourself a worthy leader for our army," The second voice continued, "You, the one who killed Morro! You managed to take down a leader of an entire tribe. That is far greater than you could ever imagine it to be, Krux. You know that our plans have already been laid, you simply are waiting to reach out and take your place in them."
"How many will need to die?" Krux asked, standing up, "We cannot risk hurting the populations. They have suffered losses from the war. Thinning them out will prove disastrous."
"The attacks we have been orchestrating only destroy the supplies the tribes need to interact with one another," The first voice argued, "Killing innocents will only darken their image of you. You know your place."
"As a figurehead," Krux argued, "While you take hold of the true power behind me. And to do that, you need to wipe out the Summit so the tribes will flock to me."
"We will press them into a state where they can be moulded," The first continued, "And once we have, you will arrive and take over the army. You will say that you defeated its leaders and now you have come to save them all. Is that so hard of a plan to grasp?"
"Brother," The second voice sighed, "He has already made up his mind."
Krux paused, then chuckled, "I suppose it was foolish of me to think I could keep that up forever," He stepped forward, "I have my reservations about this… but I have seen your armies. I have seen the power you hold. You truly have something that nobody in his land has. Only a fool would openly oppose you. And only the smart would understand that following them is the only way forward for the tribes."
"So you agree… Krux," The first voice snickered.
The second voice sighed, "Come then, Krux. See the might that you will now hold, and the powers that be."
Krux sighed, looking back to his bed for a few moments before he nodded. He walked over to the armor stand, donning the armor of the Time Tribe. Once he had, he readied himself and gave a long sigh.
"I'm sorry, brother," Krux leaned his head down, "You are a good leader. But it is time for me to finally save our Tribe." With that said, Krux stepped forward into the darkness, the two figures following him as his path now lay before him.