Chapter 7: In the Dark
~Lloyd~
Lloyd's first impression: dark.
He knew it was cliché and a rather obvious observation, but he didn't care. Because it was very dark in the Underworld.
The skull truck popped out of the vortex it came through and immediately began speeding down a long road through forests of dark trees. The forest was stuffed to the brim with skeletons, whose eye sockets flitted up to view the vehicle speeding by. Trees curled over their heads, their macabre branches hiding any hint of the sky. However, Lloyd's eyes could manage to see gray clouds lazily floating an ink black abyss of nothingness.
Kai was meanwhile glaring straight ahead at the road, ignoring Lloyd's rather tight grip around his waist to prevent himself from falling. It was a long way to the ground.
Lloyd gulped and squeezed Kai a little tighter, ignoring the fire ninja's grunt of surprise at Lloyd's strength.
The road gradually began to open up, as well as the trees overhead, to reveal a series of floating isles connected by rickety rope bridges. Before each bridge was a small lantern that swung back and forth in a rhythmic manner, casting light down the path. The thought of what would happen to lone travelers crossing that didn't have the lanterns made Lloyd shudder in fear.
In the center was a large fortress made entirely of bones that was heavily guarded. It towered over everything in the cavern, it's top spire nearly brushing the tips of the stalactites that hung from the ceiling.
The skull truck skidded to a stop at the edge of the isle. Kruncha and Nuckal jumped out quickly and motioned for Kai and Lloyd to do the same. Lloyd couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped his lips when his feet touched the ground again.
Kai glanced at the two skeletons, his eyes hard. "Now what?"
Kruncha grimaced. "We gotta be quick about this. If the boss finds out we brought the living down here..."
"Are you backing out or not?" Kai snapped, making Lloyd jump at his sharpness.
"'Course not!" Nuckal squeaked nervously, causing Kruncha to glare at him. "We're just...concerned about the boss seeing ya."
"Wait..." Lloyd started, crossing his arms. "Who is you're boss anyway?"
"Classified," Kruncha answered hastily, causing Lloyd to raise an eyebrow in questioning. He was about to press further, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. His green eyes rested on the gloved hand that was surprisingly gentle.
Kai glared at the two with an expression of loathing. "Just tell us the plan."
Kruncha turned to Nuckal and gestured to the truck. "They're in the trunk."
"What is?" Kai pressed.
"I'm getting to that," Kruncha muttered impatiently, as Nuckal came back from the truck carrying a small bundle and tossing it to Kruncha, who quickly unwrapped it and tossed some clothes to the two of them.
Lloyd carefully unfolded the clothes, still wary of the two skeletons' motives. In his hands was a simple black rope with a skull mask hidden inside.
Kai snorted. "You're kidding right? Are you guys really that stupid that your friends will fall for this?"
Lloyd couldn't help but snicker as Kruncha ignored him. "Just put those on. You guys will be hiding in plain sight while we get ourselves to Wyplash."
Kai grunted in annoyance, but relented and began slipping on the robes, Lloyd quickly following suit.
"Just follow us," Kruncha said over his shoulder as they began to walk. "And whatever you do, don't look down."
0o0o0
This mask is way too big, Lloyd thought as the two of them began crossing the bridge to the next isle. His eyes could barely poke out of the right holes as it kept on slipping down his face. Though some passerby gave him some odd looks, nobody asked questions.
Then again, Lloyd thought smiling, Kai would shoot them down if anyone ever did ask.
Despite Kruncha's warnings, Lloyd couldn't help but glance nervously down to the endless void below the bridge his feet rested securely on. On misstep, one push or shove, and he would fall indefinitely down the hole with no end in sight. The thought made him shiver and scoot towards the middle, unknowingly closer to Kai and accidentally bumping into him.
Lloyd backed away nervously and stammered a hasty "sorry," too rattled by their situation to sound less like a scared little kid and god it annoyed him so much.
Kai looked down at him (damn, why did he have to be so short?) and winked in reassurance, making Lloyd hesitantly grin back at him to ease Kai more than himself.
As nice as Kai was to him, (which was weird, considering how much trouble he caused the team and Kai alone) the fact that he was still putting up with him was perplexing to say the least. Lloyd was the one who got them into this mess, so why hadn't Kai showed any anger towards him? It was well deserved after all. And yet, all Kai had shown him was kindness.
The thought made him smile again, because hey, he hadn't been shown kindness in a long time. And the longer they were together, the more Lloyd appreciated his company.
After all, seeing Kai step on the robes and stumble made him laugh for the first time in quite a while.
0o0o0
The fortress seemed so much bigger in person.
Its walls seemed to reach as high as the eye could possibly see, and Lloyd would've been staring upwards until his neck gave out if Kai hadn't dragged him away by the wrist.
The massive doors gave a low groan as if they were awoken from a deep sleep when they finally opened for the four of them. The guards gave Lloyd and Kai one more skeptical glance before shrugging them off and letting them pass.
The entrance hall was long and narrow, with a deep violet carpet running down the hall and bone lanterns at systematic intervals hanging on the walls. A chandelier hung from the ceiling every few feet that was also made of bones, more for decorative purposes since it gave no light, making Lloyd wonder where they got the bones in the first place if every creature here was a skeleton of some kind.
I have got stop over thinking everything, Lloyd thought darkly.
Nuckal and Kruncha led them down the long corridor to arrive a large central section with doors and other hallways branching off. It reminded Lloyd of the spider webs that seemed to be on the wall whenever Lloyd looked.
After what seemed to be an eternity for him, (seriously though, Lloyd was beyond sick of walking) the four finally reached a large bedroom of sorts with beds, a massive desk and cupboard, and a dark blue shag carpet. A lone skeleton was rummaging through the desk drawers while muttering incoherently.
Nuckal grinned and waltzed right inside. "Hey Wyplash! Long time no see!"
Kruncha sighed and pressed the bridge of his nose as Wyplash jumped, jostling the desk drawer and dropping whatever was in his hands.
"My god, Wyplash, you have got to stop doing that," he grumbled, standing upright and crossing both sets of arms. "Keep this up and you'll kill me a second time."
Lloyd suppressed a laugh by clamping a hand over his mouth, causing Wyplash to turn and study him curiously.
"...you're Garmadon's kid aren't you?!" he suddenly realized in alarm. Lloyd in turn nodded nervously.
Wyplash's head whipped to glare at his fellow skeletons. "I'd expect this from Nuckal, but from you Kruncha? Really? What is the meaning of this?"
Before giving him a chance to answer, he moved on to Kai. "Huh, and one of the four ninja too. Not so strong without the three amigos to back you up, I'd say."
Kai growled lowly, and out of the corner of Lloyd's eye he saw Kai reaching for his sword.
Kruncha reached his arm in front of Kai to prevent him from attacking. "Wyplash, please. Blondie here needs your healing skills. We found these two in the middle of Kanto late last night."
"More like we found you," Lloyd whispered cheekily. Kai snorted a bit next to him, nudging Lloyd to shut up all the same.
Kruncha gave them a dirty look. "It'll just take a second. Please?" At this Kruncha's eye sockets flitted to Nuckal and back to Wyplash, giving a pleading expression.
Lloyd frowned slightly. Something was up, and he didn't like it one bit. He glanced up at Kai to see if he noticed too, and Kai glanced down at him quickly and nodded slightly. Lloyd turned to the three skeletons and back to Kai, but Kai shook his head.
Translation: Yeah, I saw that too. No, don't engage, wait.
Why? Lloyd thought. Kai could take them.
Before Lloyd could bring this up, Wyplash finally turned to him and gave a strained smile. "Well then, I'll get my tools. Go sit down on a bed and let's get to work!"
Lloyd gulped. Figures I forgot a dead person will be healing me.
He glanced up at Kai for support, but Kai was staring at Wyplash with fire burning in his eyes.
0o0o0
Imagine acid being poured up and down as well as across your leg at random intervals and intensities.
That was basically Lloyd's entire experience with Wyplash poking and prodding his kneecap without any warning whatsoever.
After Wyplash's first move at popping his kneecap back into its socket, (which hurt like hell, by the way) he went about to cleaning and dressing the large cut across his leg. The antiseptic burned as if someone was spreading lava across him, and the stitching was ten times worse than the time when he was tricked into crawling through rose bushes to find a non-existent soccer ball. (Dammit Gene.)
Kai was wincing and looking away to stare at an object across the room throughout the whole process. Lloyd knew from the start that Kai was never a touchy-feel-y kind of person, but it was a little awkward that he was just sitting there watching Wyplash fix his knee. Every time the wound was shown in his direction, Kai would look away as if the sight hurt him as much as the actual wound hurt Lloyd.
When everything was patched and stitched, Wyplash hovered one of his hands over the wound, muttering something in an unrecognizable language. Instantly, the pain went away, and just to test things out, Lloyd hopped off the bed to notice that he could stand with no pain at all.
Kai sighed in relief and gave a grateful look to Wyplash, who smiled wryly back.
"Stay there, I'm going to get a couple things. You too Kruncha. Nuckal, come with me. I don't want you touching anything."
Wyplash gave a small nod to Kruncha and walked out, Nuckal following blindly, oblivious to the insult.
Kruncha spun around and surveyed the two of them as if he was a general studying new recruits. Finally grimacing like he ate something sour, he pointed behind the largest bed in the room. "Hide behind there. Do not let anyone see you."
Lloyd scowled. Something was seriously wrong here. "Why not?"
Kruncha ignored him and pushed them towards the bed, Kai trying to pull his arms away from the skeleton in the process.
When the two of them were safely hidden, Kruncha turned the lights off and stood guard at the door, seeming as if he was daydreaming without a care in the world.
It was cramped and uncomfortable and Lloyd didn't like it. His face felt like it was being mushed against the wall and his arms and legs were bent like a pretzel. To top it all off, he couldn't see anything besides Kai's darkened silhouette.
Kai grunted. "Don't worry, I don't like this anymore than you kiddo. And I'm just as squished as you too."
A few minutes passed before Lloyd suddenly heard a low, deep voice by the door talking to Kruncha. He knew that voice anywhere.
It was his Dad.
"Kruncha, I need to ask a favor of you."
Lloyd squeaked in happiness and began to untangle his limbs to stand up because his Dad was here and alive and dammit he missed his Dad and needed his Dad now more than ever. There was nothing he wanted more in that moment than to run over and hug his Dad until his ribs cracked and cry over everything he went through because he had been scared.
He suddenly felt two hands on his shoulders pushing Lloyd to back down in hiding. "Lloyd, if any skeletons see us we'll be dead!" Kai whispered frantically.
Lloyd's breath hitched and his throat started to constrict. That was his Dad out there, dammit! "But that's my Dad!" An air of desperateness crept into his voice and his eyes felt wet.
"I know Lloyd, and I'm really really sorry but if anyone else sees us besides Kruncha we'll get caught. I know you're gonna hate me for this Lloyd and I deserve that, but we can't get caught." Kai sounded sadder than Lloyd had ever heard, and probably looked it too, but he didn't care.
"DAD!" Lloyd cried out, his voice trembling and tears free-falling down his face. Kai slapped a hand over his mouth and pulled Lloyd back down again, muttering "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," over and over.
The conversation faltered slightly and Lloyd imagined his Dad peering behind Kruncha into the room he wasin. The memory of realizing that his Dad thought Lloyd was dead made him get another surge of energy as he squirmed out of Kai's grasp.
Kai pinned him down, half hugging half restraining, and he hiccuped in sadness at what he was doing.
"I'm sorry Lloyd, I'm so sorry." he managed to gasp out, and Lloyd suddenly realized that both of them were crying.
He heard his Dad mutter a "Thank you," and footsteps get fainter and fainter as Lloyd's tears fell faster and faster. This isn't fair, he kept on thinking. This isn't fair.
It took about a solid ten minutes for Lloyd to stop tears from falling, but he still didn't let Kai let go of him. Kai was as close to home he could get at this point.
They sat quietly, enjoying each others company, when another conversation was heard by the doorway.
"Right over there boss, just as you asked."
Kai tensed instantly and reached for the hilt of his sword, while Lloyd held his breath in the hope to quiet his rapidly beating heart.
He came to the realization that it wasn't footsteps that were coming across the floor. It sounded more like slithering.
Lloyd's worst fear came true when a long purple neck peered over the bed. "Well, if it isn't my old chum?"
Lloyd swallowed, unable to prevent his voice from shaking. "Pythor."
A.N: Bet you didn't expect an update this early, did ya?
Well, I'm just full of suprises aren't I?...I'm going to hell for this huh? XD
As for Lloyd's occasional swear, he grew up in a school for "bad boys." I imagine they had colorful vocabularies. XD
If I under or overwhelmed what it felt like for anything in Lloyd's healing session, I apologize, but I thought it was a bit obvious I'm not a doctor. XD
In all seriousness though, I'm pretty proud of this chapter, I think it's my favorite thus far.
Despite the feels, did you guys enjoy it? I certainly enjoyed writing it. ;)
If I can't get an update in before winter break, have a happy holidays and a great new year!
Review please! Thanks for reading.