Review Replies:

Anonymous7: *throws chapter at you* HERE YA GO

TheAmberShadow: Hmm, I won't be saying. But you'll find out in... I'm going to guess chapter 25. If I continue updating like this, that is. And the gaping abyss isn't a puzzle, it's just an obstacle-thing that would keep most people out. Besides the Ninja of course, since, ya know, they're Ninja. Also, good theory on Basilisk watching Zane to find out if he's Echo or not, or because of his sixth sense, but I'll have to discard the notion that it's because he's by himself (I'm being reminded of that Alone Together episode in Steven Universe), since both Echo and that Basilisk guard had felt it despite not being alone. And yay! Glad to you're excited too!

Spiritual-Sister: I respect your religion, but it's kinda annoying that you came on just to post that. It's very obvious that you don't read this story, especially since you 'reviewed' the first chapter and you disabled PM's (hence why I'm telling you this here, although I highly doubt you'll ever actually see it). My belief in God vanished before my belief in Santa, and the only reason I believed in God was because of that pledge thing we'd do every morning in elementary back when I lived in America. I have no problem with your views or your beliefs, but please refrain from posting such things in my reviews, especially since you're not even reading this story. Sorry if this disappoints you, but I think I'm going to stick with being Atheist, thanks.

Chapter Twenty-Two:

Mutilation

The snow had long since cleared, leaving bright green grass and blue skies in their wake. Fluffy clouds glided across the baby blue above them, gently and slowly, and for the first time in a long time, Kaze felt at peace.

He was tired, so tired he was almost certain he was going to pass out and fall of the yack. But he didn't, so he pressed on, a warm feeling blooming in his chest as Echo slept on his shoulder. The yack moved slowly, and often stopped to sniff, eat or drink. Kaze would have tried to stop it, had he not been so exhausted.

The sun began to descend the sky, turning it from baby blue to a canvas of orange, pinks and yellows. The normally white clouds were painted pale pink, leaving the sky a beautiful painting by nature's artist.

Echo mumbled something he didn't catch, shifting a little and burying his face into Kaze's shoulder. Despite himself, a smile tugged at Kaze's lips. He yawned, rubbed at his eyes, and pressed on.

Long after the stars had begun to speckled across the dark sky, Kaze pulled the yack to a stop in a small clearing. Careful not to wake his sleeping passenger, Kaze slid off of the yack's back, picking up Echo before he could fall off and setting him down in a soft patch of grass.

He turned back to the yack, grabbing the rope and tieing it around the animal's muzzle, although not tight enough that it couldn't open its mouth to eat. With the other end of the rope, he tied the yack to a tree, ripped up some grass with his hands and guided it's head to the ground, much like he'd seen Echo do earlier, before leaving it to munch on its dinner.

Too tired and still far too weak to even consider getting the materials to light a fire, Kaze settled down next to Echo, grateful for the warm night. His eyes slid shut.

He was asleep before he could think anything through.

The black pillar slid into the wall, fitting into place perfectly. Lloyd gave a small sigh, the bolts on the door rearranging behind him to form the number one.

He and Seamus had just spent the last hour and a half trying to figure out the puzzle, and they were making progress, even if it was slowly. Lloyd made his way over to where Seamus stood, studying the last pillar's position with a critical eye. It was a complicated one, which they had only one push to complete.

Finally, hesitantly, Seamus pushed the pillar down the left lane, in the opposite direction of the hole. Lloyd held his breath, watching with wide eyes as the pillar almost seemed to come to a stop.

He came very close to falling to the floor in a puddle of relief when the track rounded to form a circle, the pillar moving past them and sliding perfectly into the last hole in the wall. Seamus and Lloyd shared a victorious grin, as the last of the bolts slid away from the door.

"Glad that's over," muttered Seamus, as they eagerly made their way over to the door. Lloyd stopped in front of it and groaned.

On the door was another puzzle.

"Nevermind," Seamus sighed. Lloyd messaged his temples.

"Okay," he said, "We've got this. Right? We've got this?" It came out as more of a question than a statement. He'd never been very good with puzzles, after all. Whenever he'd tried doing one that wasn't easy back when he was little, he'd almost always end up throwing a tantrum and proclaiming that the son of the Dark Lord didn't need to do such idiotic games.

With that way of thinking, he had, of course, began to believe the same to go for school work and almost ever other activity he wasn't immediately good at. That changed when Wu and the Ninja took him in, his uncle having been quite persistent on him learning everything he could, so he'd soon begun getting homeschooled as well as trained. Zane made it a regular thing to help him with his 'intellectual work,' which Lloyd was grateful for to this day.

Seamus shrugged, "No idea."

Across the door were little gem-like stones. They were either square, diamond or oval shaped, and the colours ranged from purple and green to orange and dark blue. Lloyd counted five slots across and six upwards. He had to reach on his tippy toes to touch the top slots, the bottom ones at the same level as his knees.

"What do you think we're supposed-" Lloyd cut himself off, jumping backwards in surprise as the slots turned to show a matching back, hiding the stone from sight. He shared a wide-eyed look with Seamus.

"Please tell me this isn't what I think it is," the ex-slave said. Lloyd sighed.

"You mean a memory game?"

Seamus shook his head, shoulders slumping as he looked back to the hidden slots, "Well... did you spot any matches?"

"I was a bit busy trying to figure out what they were," Lloyd admitted.

They stood in an awkward silence for a long moment, regarding the slots with narrowed eyes. Finally, Lloyd reached forward with weary fingers, his nails hardly brushing against them as he danced between different slots. Nervously licking his lips, Lloyd took a steadying breath and pushed a random slot, causing it to turn and reveal an orange diamond-shaped stone larger than his hand. He wondered if it was real.

"Okay," said Seamus, voice purposefully slow, as though choosing his words with immense care, "Have you, uh... seen another one of 'em?"

Lloyd closed his eyes, pressing the tips of his fingers to his throbbing head, releasing a long, drawn out breath. His shoulders slumped and, for the first time in a very long time, he felt truly and purely irritated.

"No."

Across the abyss were island-like platforms, their bottoms vanishing into the darkness. Jay swallowed, hastily stepping away from the edge.

Far on the other side of the cavern, across the gaping abyss dotted with platforms, was another ledge with another corridor leading out of sight. The platforms would be relatively easy to jump to (being highly trained Ninja and all), but it was the sturdiness of said platforms that Jay was worried about.

He looked to Cole and Nya, who seemed to be having the same thoughts as him. Cole shrugged, while Nya gave a grimace that looked as thought it was supposed to have been a smile. Jay shifted from foot to foot.

"Who's going first?"

The silence that descended upon them was awkward, none of them wanting to be the first to try. Cole coughed into his fist, not meeting their eyes. Finally, Nya huffed, glaring at them.

"I can't believe you two," she said, storming passed them and standing on the edge of the cliff. She looked over her shoulder at them, raising an eyebrow. Jay cracked a sheepish smile.

"Uh... good luck, honey?"

How impressed she was with that statement showed clearly on her face; which was to say, none at all. Rolling her eyes, Nya turned to face the platforms, took a few steps back and took off running.

For a near heart-stopping moment, she was suspended in midair, arms aloft as though she were about to start gliding. Then her feet slammed into the first platform, stumbling forwards only slightly on the uneven terrain.

Arms still spread, Nya balanced herself, looking back at the boys. Jay swallowed, blood leaving his face as he spotted the bits of dust and small rocks falling from the sides of the platform. It held steady.

Now grinning with a new air of confidence, Nya began leaping from platform to platform, and within moments she was on the other side of the cavern, standing with her hands on her hips in front of the open corridor.

Jay and Cole shared a look.

Then began to jump after her.

"Tool of thief, toy of queen. Always used to be unseen. Sign of joy, sign of sorrow. Giving all likeness borrowed," Zane hummed, rocking back and forth on his heels. He had finally come to a corridor light by torches, and that had thankfully dulled the paranoid sensation of being watched, "What do you think, PIXAL?"

"Well," she said, "If it's something one would use to remain hidden, it could be something like a shadow, a lurker; a hiding place, perhaps?"

Zane was silent for a long moment, brow furrowed in thought, "It's something a thief would use as a tool," he said, "But a queen would use as a toy?"

"On the contrary," said PIXAL, "It's something a thief must use; whereas it's something a queen enjoys using."

"A weapon?"

"A possibility. In some sense, perhaps."

A beat of silence. Zane broke it.

"A mask."

The wall slid open slowly. A grin tugging at his metallic lips, Zane waited for it to vanish completely. He was slightly relieved to discover the torch at the crossroad just ahead.

"Brilliant work, PIXAL," he said, beginning to make his way down the new corridor. On his screen, PIXAL slipped her hands behind her back, smiling widely.

"Like you'd expect otherwise."

Cole stood, an arm across his stomach, hand on his elbow and fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose in a useless attempt to relieve himself of the headache blossoming against his forehead.

Beside him, Jay thoughtfully tapped his foot, frowning at the riddle presented to them. Nya was biting her lip, arms crossed, brow furrowed and eyes hard with annoyance. Cole couldn't blame her. This whole thing was just getting annoying.

"We hurt without moving," read Jay, for the sixth time, "We poison without touching. We bare the truth and the lies. We are not judged by our size."

"It's official," Nya scowled, "I hate riddles."

"I find them quite fun, actually," grinned Jay, but it was quick to falter at the deadpanned look Nya sent him, "Well, uh... not now, though."

Cole sighed, rolling his eyes and slumping against the wall, mouth twisting as sharp little rocks dug into his back. He looked up, at the black abyss above them, wondering if the walls were sturdy enough for him to climb and find out just what was up there...

"This thing doesn't make any sense," sighed Nya, throwing her hands up in the air, "How do we know it's not rigged?"

"We don't," Cole admitted grudgingly, "If you've got a better idea, please, feel free to share."

Nya huffed, crossing her arms without giving an answer. Jay glance between them, hand twitching in a sudden burst of nerves. Hastily, he turned back to the riddle.

"We hurt without moving," said Jay, again, "What can hurt you without moving?"

"Umm..." Cole bit his thumbnail, "A... a thought?"

"I don't know," said Nya, "How can a thought be poisonous?"

"Maybe it's a metaphor," Jay suggested, "So there's no actual poison."

"Not judged by our size," Cole muttered, before shaking his head, "I keep thinking snake, but I've got a feeling that's not it."

"Snake's move," Nya stated. Cole sent her an annoyed look.

"Yeah, I know."

"Don't talk to me like that," she snapped, eyes hardening. Cole pushed himself off the wall.

"Well, don't point out the obvious!"

"Guys..." Jay tried weakly, but he was almost immediately pushed aside, as though he hadn't even spoken at all.

"I wasn't trying to!" Nya yelled, "Even suggesting 'snakes' was a dumb idea!"

"I wasn't suggesting it!" Cole had always been the tallest of the Ninja, Zane coming in as a close second, and while Nya wasn't all that short herself, he could still tower over her if he stood at his full height, "I said that I didn't think that was it!"

"Then why bother saying it?!"

"Guys!" Jay's voice shot off the walls and back at them, his voice repeating over and over in a series of loud echoes. Cole and Nya fell silent, startled by the sudden vastness that had accompanied the yell.

Jay stared at them for a moment, then sighed, rubbing at his eye, "Look, I know this is... wait," his head shot up, eyes widening. Without explanation, he spun on his heels to face the riddle on the wall, "Words! The answer's words!"

A beat of silence. Then the wall began to shift, breaking apart in a crumble of damp rocks, falling away like a badly made sand castle. The darkness beyond led way down a startlingly narrow corridor.

"Will you look at that," Cole said, his voice low. He gave Jay a grin. "You did it!"

But Jay wasn't looking at them. He gave a small shrug, glanced over his shoulder at the corridor they'd come from, and then strode into the new one without a word, stepping over the larger bits of rock that had once formed a wall. Cole glanced at his hands. Perhaps he would have been able to punch it apart with his super strength. He made a mental note to try it later.

Just behind him, Nya sighed, muttered a quick apology that he'd only just been able to catch, and quickly jogged after Jay. For a moment, Cole stood there, startled and unsure, then sighed himself and ran after them.

That riddle went a lot deeper than he liked to admit.

Lloyd's hand danced in front of the slots, trying desperately to remember if there'd been another orange diamond. His head throbbed and pounded in a steady beat, and he was getting incredibly sick of it. It was a constant pain, one he was starting to grow used to, but was still far from coping with.

"Come on," said Seamus, in what was probably meant to be an encouraging voice but only spiked Lloyd's nerves, "You've got this."

He almost gave a sarcastic- and quite rude- reply, but was able to hold his tongue. He clenched his eyes shut, turned his head away, and pushed a pillar on the middle section.

Lloyd held his breath, not opening his eyes, completely expecting to be blasted into a million pieces. But then a hand tapped his shoulder, and he peeked open his eyes, a surprised laugh leaving his throat.

Staring at him were two identical orange diamonds.

The door's last bolt shot out of place, leaving the door free to open. In his pocket (something Kai had insisted on adding to their gi shortly after they'd dealt with the Preeminent), his phone buzzed.

Smile faltering slightly, Lloyd pulled it out, but didn't press the button to turn it on. The light was sure to worsen his headache, like it had done so before.

"Here," he almost jumped, as a worn hand appeared in front of him. He turned to look at Seamus, who simply gave him a smile. "I'll answer it."

Relieved, Lloyd handed him his phone without complaint, quickly turning back to the now unlocked doors. Planting his hands on them, he pushed with all his strength, forcing the heavy barrier open.

He heard the screaming first.

As light poured into the dark room through the open doors, which banged against the walls so loudly that it rattled Lloyd's skull. His eyes widened to the size as dinner platters, his blood running as cold as ice, goosebumps shooting up his arms.

Lloyd had spent a very long time among the Serpentine when he was younger. While they would speak English when they desired to be heard by humans, they would often speak in their own tongue, so it was no surprise that he would pick some up. He'd learnt quite a lot of it, especially when he was with Pythor.

He'd never really regretted it. It had made it easier to cuss in front of his parents and uncle.

But it was in that moment that he wished he hadn't learnt a word.

The screaming. The cries. The pleads for help. Calls for parents and loved ones. Begging. Children. Adults. Hugging the dead bodies of their friends and family. They bled in cages, strung from the ceiling by deepstone chains, gently swinging back and forth. Crimson blood dripped from the bars, sliding and falling down, down to the floor bellow.

He was hit by the smell next. A stomach churning reek of blood and rotting flesh. Bile rose at the back of his throat and he very nearly threw up right then and there. He hadn't even realised he was crying until he raised his hand to cover his nose.

A Hypnobrai wailed, clutching at its eyeless sockets. A Fangpyre, with its second head missing, leaving the remaining extra neck to flop about uselessly, shook at the bars of its cage, yelling and screaming without words. A Constrictai lay on the floor of its cage, limp hand dangling through the bars, mouth chopped away to nothing but a bloody stubble, leaking green and yellow pus. The mutilated legs of a Venomari lay twisted and deformed, hardly attached to their owner's waist. A youngling lay, cuddling the blood-soaked body of its dead mother.

Horrified, Lloyd took a step back. His breaths came out in shuddering gasps. He was shaking, violently, floor swaying ever closer. He didn't even notice the ringing in his ears.

"I know Carrot seems like an odd name," Lloyd spun around at the voice, the light of the puzzle room covering Seamus in shadows, "But it's what my daughter called me."

There was the snapping sound of his phone taking a picture, and a yell tore from Lloyd's throat at he was blinded by the flash. His vision burned white, head spiralling in an explosion of agony, legs failing to support him and sending him to the bloody floor.

He looked up through blurry eyes, hardly able to see from the drumming against his brain. A dark figure approached, something long and thin in their hand.

"Don't worry, Lloyd," they said, their voice sounding as though it was coming from the other end of a long tunnel, "This is completely personal."

Pain flared up the side of his head. His eyes rolled back into his skull.

He heard the screaming first.

And there you have it! The big reveal. The big betrayal. Quite a lot of you have already guessed it was Seamus by now, which isn't all that surprising, but there's still a few questions there, no? Like what he meant by this being personal.

Also, a little insight on Kaze and Echo. It's unlikely they'll make an appearance next chapter, by the way. They'll be sleeping throughout everything that's about to happen, which isn't all that surprising. Neither of them have been getting much sleep, and they've been exhausted from running for their lives, almost drowning and wandering a pitch black labyrinth.

This story is actually surprisingly close to the end. I'm not sure how many more chapters there'll be, at least five, but in my notes, the ending is almost immediately after this. Then again, those are notes, so who knows.

As for the mutilated Serpentine bit, sorry if some of you felt sick or something from reading it. I'm pretty sure that's going to be the most nausea-inducing scene in this. Probably. There's a possibility that the ending climax thing will be slightly worse, but I'm doubting it.

So, uh... review? Only if you want to, that is. I haven't been getting a lot of reviews lately.

Anyhow, hope you enjoyed the chapter!