"It's so dark, how are we supposed to see anything?!" Jay threw up his arms. "Why is it always dark?!"
"Be quiet." Kai rolled his eyes. Why did Jay have to be so loud? Especially when he was sitting right next him?
Jay frowned. "But we can't see what's happening."
"Good. Then we can miss any more deaths and gore…" Cole shook his head.
He looked at him. "I didn't know you minded that stuff. You went to the executions all the time, and then told me about it!" He shuddered.
Lloyd bit his lip.
Cole cringed. "Yeah…but that was then."
Jay blinked. "You know what, I agree with you. I'm glad it's dark."
Nya and Kai rolled their eyes.
They all stood on a treehouse balcony sort of thing that was made of wood, situated high in the trees. The woods around them were dark, the trees tall and casting grim shadows. Down below, Shade, the Master of Shadow, and Carver, the Master of Wood, fought.
Kai sighed. There was not much to see other than their faint shadows.
Carver threw slabs of wood at Shade, and Shade disappeared into the darkness, hopping shadow to shadow until appearing behind Carver.
Kai looked around. Then he froze, gaze locking onto Skylor. He hadn't seen her at the other battles. He tried to walk over to her, then almost rammed into Jay.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Jay hissed.
"Sorry. I'll be right back." He ignored Jay's grumbling and his friend's questions, instead moving through the crowded balcony.
The other elemental masters seemed to share the unease of being squished up here.
He approached Skylor. "Hey." He smirked a little, then ran his hand through his hair, trying to make sure it wasn't a mess.
Skylor didn't look at him, gaze focused on the fight. Her amber hood was up, and she leaned against the railing, hands folded. "Back again, huh? Didn't I tell you to back off?"
Kai smirked. "Yeah. But I'm not giving up so easily."
She looked at him, eyes slightly narrowed as she studied him. "What do you want?"
"Just to talk." He shrugged, leaning against the railing beside her.
"About what?"
"I dunno. What do you think of the tournament so far?"
Skylor look back down at the fight. "It's a little darker than I thought it would be. I didn't expect people to die."
Kai nodded, frowning. "Yeah. Pretty dark. So, why'd you come?"
"That's none of your business."
"Private, huh? Okay. Have you ever been in a tournament before?"
"No. Have you?"
"Nope." He smirked. "First time. What's your element?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" She rolled her eyes.
"I'm the Master of Fi-yaaa!" He appeared fire in his hands, grinning cockily at her. "Cool, huh?"
She glanced at the flames, something in her gaze shifting. "Hmm. You know, you fought well."
Kai blinked. "Uh…oh." He smirked. "I mean, thanks."
"Of course, I beat you easily." She smiled smugly.
His cheeks heated up slightly. "I let you keep the blade."
"Sure." Skylor smirked, looking back at the fight.
Kai frowned, but then he smiled. This was progress. She was talking to him now. He looked down. "Who do you think is going to win?"
Down below, Carver was bleeding on his arm. He raised his hands, and the trees converged onto Shade.
Skylor shrugged. "I don't know. Doesn't really matter."
Kai frowned. "Why not?"
"Because either way, it's one less elemental for me to fight."
He nodded. "True…"
Shade slipped into the shadows of the trees, right as the giant trunks cracked into each other and squeezed. The wood splintered, some of the trees splitting in half from the force and falling over. Branches bounced as the trunks crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom!
Kai winced.
Shade laughed hollowly from the shadows. "Is that all you can do? You shouldn't even be considered an elemental master."
Carver growled. "Hey! That's just mean!"
"Your hair is made of wood. You're dressed as if you're in the mountains or the arctic. You look like a joke."
"Okay, that's enough!" Carver threw a tree at Shade, the shadow that flitted by.
"Missed me." The shadow elemental materialized behind him. "Boo." He stabbed dagger into his back.
He gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.
A couple elementals watching gasped.
Kai winced. "How many people are a murderer here?"
Skylor shrugged. "You have to do what you have to."
He glanced at her. "What?"
She didn't reply.
Kai frowned, then looked back at Carver and Shade.
Shade now held a Jadeblade that had been sticking out of a tree trunk. He smiled a little, looking at the other elemental masters in the treehouse balcony.
Chen cheered, a deck above the elemental masters. "Winner!"
Carver collapsed to the ground, eyes lifeless.
Kai frowned. He glanced at Skylor, who watched the scene below with an unreadable expression. He walked back over to his friends.
"Where were you off to?" Nya rose an eyebrow at him.
He shrugged. "Nowhere. We should head to the next place."
"When's supper?" Cole groaned, hand on his stomach. "I'm hungry."
"Guys, someone else just died! How are you so chill about this?!" Jay threw his arms in the air.
Lloyd bit his lip, looking away.
Kai frowned, his thoughts going back to Skylor. Would he…have to fight her at some point?
"Come on." Garmadon headed for the rope ladder, which they'd used to get up to the treehouse balcony.
Wu followed, and slowly, everyone else did as well.
Kai glanced at Lloyd. Maybe he was right—maybe they should worry.
The room looked like a kitchen—it had a stove, pots and pans, cutlery, spatulas, stirring spoons, a sink, plates and bowls—but it was a part of the tournament, a room meant for battle.
Tox, the Master of Poison, and Bob, the Master of Food, currently stood behind a counter that separated them. A large sink and two stoves were a part of the counter. One wall had a counter with two cutting boards and cooking tools, and a bunch of plates and bowls were stacked neatly in a cabinet to the side. The Jadeblade hung from a rack above the counter.
The other elemental masters sat on benches, in the room but behind a metal bar separator.
"What kind of an element is food…?" Kai sighed. "Lame."
Cole looked offended. "What? Nuh uh! That's awesome! Imagine all the cake I could make!" He licked his lips hungrily.
Jay grinned. "Oh, yeah. Cole would have a blast with that."
Bob readied his hands, creating two hamburgers. The elemental had circle glasses, brown, curly, bushy hair that stuck up, and was rounder, sort of like Dareth. He tossed both hamburgers at Tox.
Tox ducked, then blew a poisonous green cloud at him.
He leaped out of the way, tripping and falling on his face. Apparently, Bob was klutzy.
She grinned, realizing this too. She climbed onto the counter, then jumped down beside him.
Bob scrambled to his feet, turning and appearing ice-cold smoothies. He tossed the liquid at Tox.
She gasped when it hit her. "Ugh! That's just rude!" She blasted more poison at him.
He ducked, scrambling back, now by the Jadeblade. He grinned, then swiped the blade that hung from the rack, which was full of spatulas, spoons, and whisks.
Tox lunged at him, hissing poison out of her mouth like a serpent.
Bob's eyes widened. He tripped when he tried to run, and gasped when some of the poison hit him. He stumbled to his feet and bolted.
She ran after him, and they went in a circle a couple times around the counter. Tox seemed to grow sick of it, and abruptly stopped.
Bob skidded to a stop, now on the other side of the room from her.
Tox spewed poison from her mouth, filling the room.
He coughed, stumbling. He held his breath, then appeared two apples, chucking them at Tox.
She was hit with one and cried out, falling over, and the other apple passed over her.
Bob ran over to her, the poison in the air starting to dissipate. He tried to kick her in the jaw—
Tox grabbed his leg, jerking on it.
He stumbled, falling onto his back.
She grabbed for the Jadeblade he was holding, trying to yank it away. Bob didn't let go, so she flipped him over. They struggled, Bob trying to stand while shooting various foods and a blast of flour at her face, and Tox wrestling to take the blade and knock him out.
Bob finally got to his hands and knees, huffing and sweating from the fight, the blade at a haphazard angle in his hand while Tox still tried to take it.
She kicked his hand hard, trying to make him drop it—
Bob's hand slipped. He face-planting, gasping as the Jadeblade stabbed him through the chest. The point poked out slightly through his back.
Tox's eye widened.
Bob jerked once. Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp.
She stumbled back, gaping a little. It seemed she hadn't meant to kill him by the look on her face.
Jay covered his eyes with his hands. "Come on, more death?! Why?!" He shuddered.
Lloyd bit his lip hard.
Chen clapped. "Grab the blade, girl! Hahaha, this is great!"
Tox's face hardened, and she rolled Bob over. She grabbed the Jadeblade out of him, watching as blood pooled onto his shirt and the floor, making a bloody mess.
"Winner!" Chen stood, cheering.
"This is sick…" Kai looked a little pale now.
"I told you! This is crazy!" Jay said.
The other elemental masters looked at each other nervously, the weight of the situation suddenly starting to hit them.
Lloyd swallowed, standing. "Let's go to the last fight."
"Yeah…hopefully no one dies this time." Cole stood, turning, and headed out of the room.
They all followed.
Acronix circled Tsula slowly, blades raised. They were similar to the blades Krux had had, but the vibrating colors were different than Krux's. These colors were green and blue. Krux's were yellow and red. Acronix was similar to Krux, who had been revealed to be his twin brother. He had black, longer hair pulled into a partial ponytail with the rest of his hair hanging down on his shoulders. He wore a similar red time outfit to Krux.
Tsula had brown hair in a ponytail, wearing a yellow gi. A grey wolf stood beside her, growling at Acronix.
It was the second Master of Time versus the Master of Animals.
They were in the same room Jay and Mâché had fought in, and Krux and Musoke had fought in. Chen must have limited variation. Lloyd frowned. Which, was a good thing. It would make searching for his mom easier.
Acronix fired a blue blob at Tsula, similar to what Krux had done to Musoke.
Tsula dodged, leaping to the side. "Rebel, attack."
The wolf lunged at Acronix, teeth bared.
Acronix blasted one of his time blades, vanishing.
"Wow, guys, he just vanished!" Jay gaped.
"What sort of power does he have again…?" Kai asked.
Wu sipped a cup of tea. "Acronix can slow time and move forward in time."
Rebel, the wolf, paused. Tsula frowned, looking around cautiously.
Acronix suddenly appeared behind her, stabbing his blade at her back.
She leapt out of the way, stumbling. Rebel lunged at him again.
The Master of Time dodged, glancing around.
Tsula whispered something to the wolf, and Rebel started sniffing around. She looked at Acronix, then muttered quietly, moving her hands slightly.
Acronix frowned, then blasted a blue bubble at her.
She leapt to the side again.
Insects—ants, spiders, cockroaches, earwigs, silverfish, beetles, centipedes, and a few that couldn't be identified—crawled out of the walls.
Jay screeched, leaping up.
Kai yanked him down. "Calm down, they're not near us."
A few other elemental masters shifted, disturbed. One stood, stepping away.
Acronix blasted his blue power at some of the bugs, slowing them in a time bubble.
Rebel barked once.
Tsula ran over to him, to a jar he stood by. She kicked it hard. The jar's top shattered, and inside was the Jadeblade. She grinned.
Acronix growled, then used the yellow time blade, vanishing.
Tsula picked up the blade. "I win!"
"Yay, someone didn't die this time…" Jay sighed, then eyed the bugs warily again. "Is she going to remove those…?"
Cole shrugged. "Maybe—"
Acronix appeared behind Tsula, stabbing her in the back with the time blade.
She gasped, collapsing.
Jay gaped. Lloyd winced, looking away.
Rebel lunged at Acronix, teeth bared.
Acronix leapt to the side, snatching the Jadeblade, and then vanished into time again.
Chen stood, cheering. "Winner!"
Jay swallowed. "Why is it Chen seems to know when someone is going to die…? Like…he waits until they die to announce a winner. He somehow knows. That's creepy."
"Chen has a lot of…experience with this type of thing," Garmadon said. "When you watch enough of this stuff you can tell."
He looked at him, a little horrified. "Huh?"
He sighed. "Never mind."
Rebel nudged Tsula's body, then howled, sitting next to her mournfully.
Two guards came over to take the body.
Jay shuddered. "I'm starting to hate this place. There's too much death."
"There's death in the city, too." Lloyd frowned. "And the Outcast. It's pretty common."
"But still! This is first degree murder!"
"So are the murders in the city and the Outcast."
Jay bit his lip. "I guess…but I still hate this."
Kai's eyes narrowed. "Then let's find our parents and get out of here." He cast a glance at Skylor though, hesitating.
The elemental masters stood, including the ninja, Garmadon, and Wu.
Chen stood, the megaphone still in his hand that he used to talk during the fights. "These fights sure are intense! Four deaths already, in just two days! Wow! Hehehe. Don't you agree, old student?" He looked right at Garmadon. "I'm excited to see how you do. I hope you still remember what I've taught you. Even if you did betray me."
The ninja exchanged confused, shocked glances, then stared at Garmadon. The other elemental masters also looked at Garmadon, curious and suspicious.
Garmadon frowned, narrowing his eyes at Chen.
Lloyd stepped towards him. "Dad? What's he talking about?"
"You are all dismissed for the day!" Chen giggled, then headed for where the ninja stood, Clouse following. "And supper is in the cafeteria, of course! Eat up and enjoy yourselves, it's been a long day, hasn't it? Remember—never bite the hand that feeds you."
"Dad?" Lloyd frowned when he didn't answer.
Chen reached them, lowering the megaphone. "Hello, Garmadon." He smiled at him. "Nice to see you've returned to me, if not for reasons other than apologizing. Hmph."
"Whoa, whoa, wait! Student?" Kai scoffed, what Chen said finally sinking in. "This crazy guy was your teacher?"
"I'm not crazy." Chen tossed his megaphone to Clouse, which bounced off his head and to the ground.
Clouse gave Chen an annoyed look, then picked it up.
Garmadon shook his head. "He was briefly my mentor."
"Briefly?! How is that better?!" Kai threw his hands in the air. "I knew I didn't trust you!"
"Kai, calm down." Wu stepped forward. "It was forty years ago, and it's in the past."
Lloyd looked at Garmadon. "Why would you train under Chen?" Chen wasn't exactly a good role model, as was obvious by this tournament. And his Dad wasn't stupid. He wouldn't have trained under him without a good reason…he hoped.
"It was…complicated." Garmadon glared at Chen.
Chen grinned. "Anyway, I have things to do, people to see!" He waved, walking away.
Clouse followed with the megaphone.
"That's suspicious." Kai huffed.
"I do agree," Zane said.
Kai crossed his arms. "Are we just going to ignore the fact that Garmadon trained under that guy?"
"Yes. It isn't important right now," Wu said.
"Yes, it is! Chen is crazy!"
"Kai, that's enough, please."
He scowled. "I don't trust him."
"I don't trust Chen."
"Hmph. I don't trust Garmadon or Chen, or his creepy henchmen Clouse!"
Wu sighed.
"So…is the plan still on for tonight?" Cole asked.
Wu nodded. "Yes. It is imperative we find everyone quickly and leave, before this gets worse."
"Everyone, head back to your rooms after supper. We'll meet up tonight." Garmadon headed for the exit stiffly.
Lloyd bit his lip, following.
His friends exchanged glances, eyeing Garmadon suspiciously and still looking a little shocked, and then reluctantly followed. Nya, Jay, and Cole talked quietly with each other, with Zane chiming in occasionally. Kai kept a scowl on his face, tense.
Wu caught up to Garmadon, murmuring something to him.
He nodded once.
Lloyd frowned. How were his uncle and father hiding so much from him? Did his mom also have secrets? How much didn't he know?
And had there ever been the openness he'd thought they'd had?