Chapter 3- Cold blooded eyes

When Lloyd woke up, the sky was still dark, and there was no sign of the sun's welcoming light. His body had easily grown accustomed to sleeping no more than five hours, as he had lots of chores to attend to before his master woke up. For someone like him, oversleeping could be deadly. Many of his friends been beaten to death thanks to one, annoyingly small mistake. One slip up is all it took.

He quietly stepped inside the house, making sure to shake away all the dirt from his hair and clothes before entering. The house was dead quiet, making each of Lloyd's movements painfully loud to his ears. He couldn't wake up the master.

With expert hands, Lloyd began his routine, cleaning every inch of the kitchen. It all had to be done in silence. For the young man, it was almost like training. He traveled on the balls of his feet, walking through the wooden planks light as a feather. He was a ninja, traveling along with the cloak of darkness on his back. Masterfully skipping over the planks he knew would creak and give away his presence.

Lloyd began to mop away the small bits of dust and dirt that had decided to rest on the wooden floor. In the young man's mind, the floor was like a battlefield. He pretended that every bit of dirt was one of his enemies, and it was his job to wipe them out silently. Lloyd swept the mop to the left. Then to the right. The mop flowed smoothly throughout the floor, guided by Lloyd's scarred hands.

Except it wasn't a mop anymore. It was a sword. The metal was sharp enough to slice through rock itself. It was made of gold, allowing Lloyd to blind his dark enemies with a flash of pure light. The sword gave Lloyd strength, making him the greatest warrior in all of Ninjago. He could hear people chanting his name, praising all of his heroic deeds. It was as if-

Thump!

The fake world Lloyd had created shattered into nothingness. He froze, standing in silence, praying that his master had not been awakened by the sudden sound. After a few minutes, Lloyd's heart beat returned to normal, and his rapid breathing became tranquil once more. He turned to see that his master's wooden calender had dropped onto the ground. Nothing was broken. Lloyd sighed in relief. He gently placed the calendar back to its place. Out of habit, his green eyes slid down to the current date.

The young man's stomach dropped. It was the third day of the serpent's month. The date of the Offering Ceremony. Or, as Lloyd liked to call it, feeding time.

A large chasm surrounded Pythor's palace. Standing on the edge and looking down, all anyone could see was neverending darkness. That was one of the reasons the most simple villagers would refer to it as the bottomless chasm (wonder how many brain cells that took, Lloyd thought) but the nobles that lived close enough to participate in the Offering Ceremony knew better. It was the lair of the beast.

They called it the Great Devourer. Every third day of the month, each noble house was to bring a basket of food to the chasm, in order to keep the beast well fed. Ten slaves would be randomly chosen and fed to the beast, along with any law breakers that were currently inside the imperial prison.

The whole ceremony was nerve racking.

After finishing up with his chores, Lloyd hurriedly made the offering basket. Usually he would have it ready the day before, but lately his mind had been drifting away, getting lost in his fantasies. Something inside Lloyd was changing, making him restless. Being restless caused him to be sloppy.

Being sloppy could cause him to wind up dead.

Which was why it was imperative that he escaped. But not today. Not on the day of the ceremony. If he escaped now, when the guards were doubled in numbers, and merchants swarmed the streets, it would be seconds before he was caught. Perhaps tomorrow would be a better date.

Tomorrow. I always tell myself tomorrow. Lloyd sighed, stepping out of the house, his body slightly hunched over due to the basket's weight. Will I ever say today?

Green and purple banners were spread throughout the street. Slaves from other houses filled the streets, carrying baskets that resembled Lloyd's own. The young man kept his eyes low, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. The sun was slowly rising in the horizon, its rays playing with the different shades of gold in Lloyd's hair, making him want to shrink into himself. No one in the whole village had golden hair. It brought far too much attention to him. And in a world ruled by the Serpentine's hands, attention was the last thing Lloyd wanted.

By the time Lloyd had placed his basket along with the others, the nobles had already surrounded the chasm, sitting upon wooden stands that had been made for the ceremony. Lloyd spotted his master, with extravagant clothing wrapped around his large body. Not wanting to be anywhere near him, Lloyd trotted to the other side of the stands.

He instantly regretted his decision. He was now standing right beside Emperor Pythor's personal stand. Lloyd tried to retreat, but he was surrounded by a large mass of people. Trapped in place, Lloyd bent down, retrieving some dirt from the ground and rubbing it against his hair, slightly darkening the golden color it emanated. Ignoring the strange looks from the people around him, he repeated the process. Better to be safe than sorry. With his hair now cloaked in dirt, Lloyd could blend a bit more with those standing around him.

Tentatively, Lloyd turned to where Emperor Pythor was sitting. The snake's purple-scaled face was studying the crowd, his elongated neck stretching far above anyone else. And for a brief second, the emperor's cold blooded eyes connected with Lloyd's.

With a deep blush spreading throughout his cheeks, the young slave looked down, while his heart attempted to violently jump out of his skinny chest.

"My people," The emperor's voice almost made Lloyd jump out of his skin. It was far too close. Lloyd was sure the purple Serpentine had found a way to slither behind him. Yet when Lloyd looked back up, the Serpentine was in the same place as before. " Today, is a very special day for us. It is the day that we keep our Great Devourer satisfied. We sacrifice the food from our mouths in order to stop the beast from attacking our land, and eating everything and everyone in it!"

"Every one of you should be thankful for this date." The emperor continued. "If it weren't for today. . . If it weren't for the chasm we, the Serpentine, created as we emerged from the earth, the beast would have been free to destroy all of your lives. So take a minute to remember how much you owe us, how much you depend on us."

A silence spread throughout the crowd.

We owe you nothing. Lloyd thought, once again imagining the golden sword. Imagining himself slaying the cruel emperor and freeing his people. He shook his head. Better to keep those dangerous thoughts out. He was a nobody, and nobodies didn't save the world.

"And now. . . Let the ceremony begin!"

At his command, all of the baskets were thrown into the chasm. The sound of them hitting the ground never came. All that echoed from within the rock was a strange series of blood curling shrieks.

Two Serpentine pushed a shaking man forward.

"This man, represents disobedience." Pythor growled. "We Serpentine are understanding creatures, but rule breaking must be dealt with accordingly. He was found breaking into Doctor Zhu's house. Stealing medicine for those who actually need it. Use for personal pleasure, no doubt."

The man was now shaking with sobs, as the Serpentine stopped him by the edge of the chasm. "No please! The medicine was merely for my daughter! She is very sick, emperor, and I couldn't make enough money to-"

The man was pushed forward. His screams didn't last.

"And now, ten brave slaves will be sacrificed to keep us safe." Emperor Pythor explained. "Because, as everyone knows, those below must always sacrifice themselves in order to keep those who matter out of harm's way!"

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. What do you think happens if you take the foundation out of someone's house? Lloyd shut his eyes tightly, trying to erase the rebellious thoughts.

The first slave number was called. 340. Lloyd's tense body relaxed. He was safely sitting in the five hundred's, and the Serpentine never called numbers out at random. They always picked a number then counted upwards from there.

341. An old man stepped close the chasm. Lloyd could see that this was more of a release than a punishment for the man. He didn't even need the Serpentine to push him in.

342. A younger man this time. He attempted to run away. But the guard's crossbows were ready. They always were. The man didn't make it far.

343. There was a loud scream. 343 Was a tall, brown haired woman. She was on her knees now, begging for mercy.

344. 345. 346. All male. All young. And all weeping helplessly as the guards forced them forward.

347. Lloyd's eyes widened. It was a small girl. Couldn't be older than five. The cold blooded guard's threw her in without hesitating.

348. Another woman. She cried louder than anyone else. A sickening feeling spread through Lloyd at the unmistakable bump on her stomach. She was pregnant.

349. A girl about Lloyd's age. She attempted to run. Just like before, multiple arrows were embedded into her chest before she made it past five steps.

350. It was a young woman. But there was something different about her. She stood tall, not crying not screaming not fighting. Upon reaching the edge of the chasm, she turned to face Emperor Pythor.

"You can keep feeding us to this monster of yours, Emperor Pythor." The woman shouted, spitting on the ground as she muttered the name. "But you can't stay on top forever. The Golden Master will rise. And then it'll be you who will beg for mercy!"

The guards pushed her into the chasm.