Hey everyone, happy Friday, time for another update. Now that we know that Garmadon escaped from the Underworld, it's time now to see what Lucas does while he's gone. Also I have a soundtrack that I know that'll go great. Type up the link, watch?v=7r3IBlggnS8, and at the mark, *, enjoy. I honestly love listening to soundtracks to go for my chapters, sets the mood really well for it. Enjoy.


Chapter 21: Sherra's Lair

It has been days now for that my uncle escaped through a vortex to an unknown place. And days after Samukai, the once King of the Underworld and murderer was vanquished from this world. Kuzca was right. He would betray himself for power. The power of the Golden Weapons, excluding mine, were too powerful for him. Now he's nothing but dust. My friend's death has been avenged. But now that Garmadon has disappeared, I am alone...

...

I tossed my pen down on my desk to sigh as I leaned against the chair while running my fingers through my hair. I didn't feel like writing today. I am bored. My uncle was gone and I have no master to train me. I spent the days sleeping as it was boring with my uncle gone. What can I do? There was nothing for me to do. No friends to talk to. Or training. I do my own workouts, but it's not the same. Something slowly came to me and I walked over to my window to stare at Sherra's lair.

Somewhere in that cave was the home for the spider queen. Also the protection of my Golden Weapons. The Sai's of Water. I know my uncle was using my worst fears as the guardian to prevent anyone stealing them. It used to been Storm, but now it's her. But since my uncle wasn't here, I can steal them back so no skeleton can use them and I can escape from this godforsaken place. And if I can leave with them, I can have a normal life as a normal teenager. Maybe even a place to live or something as I'm sick of these skeletons and don't need their hospitality anymore. But my fear though. Sherra would eat me for sure if I trespass like when I was ten. Kuzca may not be around to help me, but I think I can do it on my own.

I grabbed my normal sai's from the coffee table and headed back to my window. I threw my legs over the sill and jumped down. I enveloped myself in my misty grey tornado to prevent myself from harm and ran across the courtyard until I reached the entrance to Sherra's lair. I stopped cold to start shaking as I felt my phobia acting up. Inside the cave was the queen of the spiders of the Underworld; the very one that was larger than the rest and nearly ate me like I was a fly. She clearly claimed this as her territory as strands of webs lined the mouth of the cave and gave it a haunting feeling. It reminded me of the hollow when I was little. My plan to scare my parents when it backfired and I ended up being the one scared. But somewhere in the lair were my sai's that I intended to steal back and leave this place until my uncle returns. But I won't go to my father though. I'd always say: It's now or never.

I closed my eyes to draw in a deep breath and slowly took my first step in venture into the dark lair.

...

I've been spelunking for five minutes and this place has already given me the creeps. The walls were lined with sticky treads. Dead bats entangled in the threads hanging above. Skeletons of horses littered the floor. And the smell of rotting flesh filled my nostrils and I nearly vomited. But what though? I haven't eaten any of the food the skeletons sent me. Anyway, the entire cave or tunnel was something like I would read late at night. Something about cave dwellers that would give me nightmares and have me coward under the covers like a child. I came across a cliff edge and saw the bottomless abyss and gulped. I better not be in the next campfire story. 'Hey did you hear about the boy who was afraid of spiders and went to steal two sai's from a giant spider?' I shook my head to clear the fear and slowly crossed the wooden bridge to safety.

As I trekked through the cave lit by torches, I tend to wonder where the queen was. Where was she? I haven't heard anything or seen movement. I constantly kept looking over my shoulders as if I was being followed and saw nothing behind me. My heart was racing against my ribs each passing second and I was shaking like a leaf. I'm starting to regret my idea. Why did I come to this? Was I thinking straight even? And I lead myself to my death. And in the hands -or legs- of my worst fear.

*After I walked past to a clearing, I found out it was a dead end. End of the line. But I felt power coursing my veins and closed my eyes to concentrate as I could feel their presence. They felt strong and close. I looked up to gasp as I spotted the briefcase dangling by a thread of silk above a giant web with planks and a platform in the center. This must be how my uncle got them all the time. And still no sign of the spider. Good. I can get my weapons in peace. I grabbed a flat stone and put it in my pockets and began to climb up the rocky wall. I squeezed through the web without getting myself caught and flipped my body to have my back touching the wall. I fished the stone out of my pocket and placed two or three fingers on it and eyed my target. I found my target and threw the stone like I was skipping stones in the river and severed the thread and watched the case fall and cluttered on the wooden platform while the web bounced to the new weight and eased down. I carefully placed my foot on a plank and carefully walked to the center while keeping my balance until I reached them.

I knelt to my knees next to the case and flipped the locks upward to hear a click and opened the case. A golden glow shined on my face as I drew out my sai's from the foam shaped areas to house my weapons and felt their power course through my veins. I did it! I retrieved my sai's without encountering Sherra. I gazed at my reflection on the golden blades and peered closely as I saw something move behind me. I felt stiff and slowly turned around to gasp and froze to what was behind me. Sherra was hanging on the wall behind me from where I was before to throw my stone. I couldn't help but scream the loudest as she climbed down on the web.

"What's wrong, child-ild-ild?" it asked. Did it just talk to me? "Feel lost and alone without that guardian-dian-dian of yours-yours-yours?" Yep. That thing did speak to me. Crap. I am so screwed now. Not only will I die in the legs of my fear, but to one that can talk too. Perfect. I began shaking violently as I kept staring at her red eyes. More menacing than my uncle's. But how was it speaking though? She must be using...telepathy, yeah that's it. "Now...You'll be mine!" Hissing to have venom dripping from her pincher-jaws, she launched herself at me.

I was petrified to move as the spider lunged at me. I looked down at my sai's and came to an idea and quickly cut the web around the small platform and crossed my arms as I fell through with the platform before she could capture me. As I fell, I began to regret my idea as I was falling to my death. Why am I being stupid today? I quickly looked at my sai's and tapped them together to be enveloped in a bright light to be in my Spinjitzu vehicle. I saw a light flashing near a switch and cautiously flipped it. I heard something hiss, not Sherra, and saw the canopy flipping over me and splitting in half and extended on the sides and heard the engine hum to life. I felt a torque of speed and felt myself flying. Not only my vehicle can drive on the ground, but it can fly as well? This was some weird vehicle for sure. I suddenly felt it shaking as I was near the ground and disappeared in light and was screaming, not from fear, as I was falling for losing focus and impacted the ground and rolled.

I groaned loudly while clutching my left shoulder as it was in pain. Possibly dislocated. I heard Sherra hiss in anger and broke through her web to be above me as she landed. I saw something slide out of her abdomen and spinnerets and saw it was a barbed stinger. I gasped and rolled to the side to avoid the stinger as I didn't know what it does as she thrust down to impale me. I rolled to the other side as she attempted again and was stuck. I quickly drew out one of my regular sai's and struck it through her thorax. I heard her cry out in pain and quickly drew back as I pulled my sai free. I looked at the blade to be coated in greenish-blue blood. Odd. I thought spider's blood was transparent. Maybe to small and regular types, but to Underworld spiders I guess. The sound of an angry hiss brought me back and I quickly washed the blood off my sai and glove, sheathed it, picked up my golden ones, while ignoring the pain in my left shoulder and pointed the blades at the thrashing arachnid. "Water!" I shouted and the pressurized jets of liquid pulsed out of the blades and struck the spider in pain. Without hesitation, I quickly sheathed my golden sai's next to my others and took off running.

I sprinted as fast as my legs could let me while I clutched my shoulder. I am sure it's dislocated. My heart was racing against my chest like a drum as I could hear the sound of multiple footfalls behind me. She was gaining on me! Where was the bridge!? I ran to an opening and saw the bridge ahead and saw a shadow leap over me. I looked up to see Sherra jumping in front of me and stopped as she was blocking my escape. To make matters worse, she used her back legs to destroy the bridge; ensuring I don't escape alive. I slowly stepped back while she climbed forward and we both made a circle to have me at the cliff edge. I have two possible death choices. Being eaten alive. Or fall. I couldn't help but scream in fear. I may be seventeen, but it's still a giant spider. "Ahhh!"

Rrrrraaaawwwwwhhhhh!

I stopped screaming as it didn't sound like mine kind of scream and saw a shadow fly above me to slam into Sherra and make her sprawl on her back. I gasped as I watched my savoir land in front of me and knew who it was. "Storm." I gasped. My dragon has returned and has grown stronger as before. His grey scales were gleaming like he was a mirror almost. His snout was once smooth like any lizards would be, but was slightly hooked-shaped as an eagle's. Like the orange dragon's I saw once. But the one thing that hasn't changed were his eyes. Grey eyes with vertical pupil slits. Same as before.

Storm lowered his snout to nuzzle my chest and I threw my arms around him to hug him happily. I'm glad he's back. Especially coming in the nick of time to save me. I pulled back to stare into his eyes. "You came at a good time to help me here." I said and received a slobbery wet kiss. And this time I didn't cringe. I heard an angry hiss and looked at Sherra standing up and looked at Storm scared. My dragon saw my fear and lowered himself down for me to climb onto his back and I quickly did so and grabbed the reins with one hand while I made sure the other did nothing. "Now let's go." I told him and whipped the reins. Storm roared the loudest and spread his wings out and took flight to the exit.

The wind blew through my hair as Storm glided through the large cavern with ease. I gotta say, but I miss the feel of flying. Especially with Storm. It's like our first flight together in the Misty Forest. But now it's now in the lair of the spider queen. But with us together now, we can leave in one piece and the Underworld together. I heard the sound of footfalls behind us and turned my head to gasp as Sherra was climbing on the walls and ceiling in fast pace. I whipped the reins to make Storm fly faster and saw Sherra gaining on us. For a giant arachnid, for who knows how old she was, was incredibly fast on her legs. She really wants to kill me. "You will never-er-er escape alive-ive-ive!" she shouted in her language.

I turned my head back to Storm and whipped the reins again. "Come on Storm, can you move faster!?" I asked quickly. Storm roared in deniance as I figured this was as fast as he could fly. What are we gonna do? Sherra was almost near us. I kept turning my head to see the queen near us and saw the exit was far. I looked up to see the cave stalagmites and then my golden sai's and had an idea. I drew out my sai's and ignored the pain in my shoulder and stood up on Storm's back and looked at him. "Well you better because I'm gonna do something stupid to save us both." I prompted and pointed my sai's at the ceiling. "Water!" I shouted to have the streams fired from the blades and struck the ceiling.

I heard the surrounding area starting to shake and watched not only stalagmites fall but the entire ceiling as well. Opps. My powers as the water ninja may have loosen the sediment and rocks to make it weak and collapse. I sheathed my sai's and whipped the reins yet again. Storm roared as he glided to avoid the falling debris. "I warned you." I exclaimed and looked over my shoulders to see the queen tailing us while the ceiling collapsed behind her. I looked away to see the exit was near and couldn't believe that we were gonna make it. Suddenly the ceiling was collapsing faster and we had a few close calls of being struck. I hope we make this out alive. I turned my head back at Sherra and saw her lunge towards me. I thought that time had slowed down as I saw her menacing eyes burning through me and closed mine as she was close.

I felt myself impacting the ground hard and rolled while something covered me. My mind was telling me that it was Sherra as she finally captured me and will soon eat my corpse. But I didn't feel anything slim and smooth touching my face. It was rather thin and scaly. I slowly opened my eyes to expect a giant spider over me, but instead a grey scaly blanket. I watched it move to open and saw I was in the Underworld and out of the cave with Storm lying next to me as his wing acted like a blanket for me. We both made it out alive. I noticed we were covered in a thin layer of dust with bits of cobwebs on us and couldn't see the spider queen anywhere and carefully looked at the cave to gasp. The entrance was blocked from the fallen stone while the dust finally settled down and noticed something black and slim on the ground. I blinked in surprised to what I done as the black thing wasn't moving and I heard nothing.

I killed Sherra.

I couldn't believe it. I killed the one fear that has been trying to kill me for seven years now and I turned the tables now. I couldn't help but laugh in joy and victory that I did it. I stopped as I heard footfalls of iron boots behind me and slowly stood up while clutching my shoulder as it was in pain still. It no longer felt dislocated as I heard something give out a wet pop sound, but it was in excruciating pain to move it. I watched as the skeleton warriors slowly surround us and they drew out their weapons. I heard them murmur things like 'She should've killed you.' or 'He killed the queen'. Paranoid, I drew out a sai while Storm roared at them to scare them. "Stand back!" I demanded. I am Lord Garmadon's apprentice. It means I have control over them too. "All of you!"

Kruncha drew out his sword and stood in front of the surrounding group. Since Samukai's death, Kruncha was his second-in-command and took control of the army while Nuckal became his second-in-command. "We don't take orders from you anymore." he exclaimed cold and deeply. "Now that your master escaped from here, we don't have to take orders from a human scum like you. Sherra should've killed you while you were in there. Now it looks like we'll have to finish her job that she started." and slowly took a step forward. Soon after, the others followed suit.

I gulped as the odds of me fighting them to escape weren't good. "I said stand back!" I demanded and they ignored me. I sheathed my sai, next to my others, and climbed onto Storm's back. My dragon roared while slashing his claws, swinging his tail, and even breathing his element at them. "Storm, quick, to my room!" I commanded as I needed to pack a few belongings to escape. Storm extended his wings and took flight to the fortress. An arrow whizzed past my head and ducked as another flew past. They really want me dead now. We finally reached the courtyard and instead of landing, Storm flew to my window and used his front claws to reach in and rip off a chunk of the fortress like it was meat to create a gaping hole and crawled in. I slid off his back and quickly locked my doors and pushed some furinture to block the door to prevent them from barging in. That should buy us some time now. "Buy us some time while I get some things packed." I explained to Storm. My dragon nodded and climbed out to distract them while I began packing.

I grabbed my backpack and ran to a wardrobe to pack my regular clothes and suits. My bag was ratherly large inside while it looked regular as any bag would be. Once I packed all clothing I had into my backpack, I grabbed my flute and carefully slipped it in without breaking it, along with my golden sai's and regular sai's too, and struggled to zip it close, but managed to and threw it on my back with my arms through the loops. I heard the wooden legs of the chairs being pushed harshly as the doors were being rammed to open. Time was almost up. I ran over to my desk to grab my journal and slipped it through my pockets and pulled a drawer open to pull out a small burlap sack, the size of my pouch, of gold coins that my uncle gave me as allowance and slipped it into my pockets too. I heard the doors being rammed again and quickly ran to my once window. "STORM!" I shouted for my dragon.

The sound of broken wood caught my attention and I turned my head to see the skeletons kneeling to one knee with crossbows ready. I heard Storm's roar as he was near and saw him flying along near the side of the fortress. I knew what he wanted me to do. As if time slowed down, the archers released their arrows while I timed my jump and jumped. I timed it perfectly and felt the air move above my head as they flew past. My timing worked as Storm was under me and I made contact to his back and saddle and gripped the reins tightly. Storm and I flew up to the ceiling and began spinning like he was a drill until we escaped through a vortex without harm.

We made it out alive. And I did it with Storm and have my golden sai's with me too.


Gotta love suspense moments and near death experiences in stories. Now it's Lucas' turn to escape the Underworld, but where will he go? Find out next week. Have a wonderful weekend and see you all next week. :)