day thirteen: put fate in your hands

ninjago au

PART TWO

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"Flowers don't worry about how they're going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful."

- Jim Carrey

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Lloyd groaned as his eyes slowly fluttered open. The young tiefling tried to shake off the heaviness in his limbs and forced his mind to regain focus on his surroundings. Rope scratched against his skin, the twine winding around his wrists and ankles firmly. Lloyd curled his lip in irritation. It wouldn't hold him for that long but he would've preferred it wasn't there at all. The little curly-haired gnome was talking anxiously with the burly human.

"Everything's fine Jay!" The human sounded exasperated. "Just stand guard and make sure he doesn't go anywhere!"

"What if he tries to eat me?" Jay argued. "I'm delicious! He wouldn't be able to help himself!"

There was a slap as the human's palm hit his forehead. "Nya and Zane will be back soon," The human said at last. "They can watch him until he wakes..." his voice trailed off when he suddenly saw the brilliant green eyes staring at him.

"Cole?" Jay asked in confusion and he turned to follow his companion's gaze. He shrieked when he spotted Lloyd looking at him.

They all just regarded each other with surprised expressions. Lloyd, unsure what to say, settled for something simple. "Hello."

"Silence prisoner! We are in charge here! We have everything under con-" Jay was cut off by the rest of the group rejoining them.

"We could not find it." The wizard grumbled. "We searched everywhere and used every spell we could but it did not work."

They were looking for something? Maybe Wu had sent them to look for him! But Wu would've specified if it was him they were searching for, wouldn't he? Lloyd's ignored the sad twinge in his heart and cast his gaze to the wizard.

"What are you looking for? Perhaps I could help." Lloyd spoke up.

The brunette raised one eyebrow. "Really? I believe you tried to kill me not long ago, what changed?"

"You know Wu, do you not? He's a sorcerer with a long white beard and a large hat? Drinks a lot of tea?"

The travellers glanced at each other warily before the female water druid spoke, intrigued. "How do you know Wu?"

"Oh, he's my kin. My father's brother." Lloyd explained.

They all looked very confused and Jay was the first to voice his thoughts. "But he isn't a..." he waved at Lloyd vaguely.

"A tiefling," Lloyd finished for him. "I'm a tiefling."

"Yes- that."

"My father chose to become a tiefling whereas Wu decided not to," Lloyd explained. He looked slightly sad but he peeked up as he looked at the group with interest. "If you tell me what you are looking for maybe I could help! I have been living here for quite some time."

"We searched everywhere." The wizard with the crazy hair told him gruffly.

"I assure you that you have only scraped the surface of this temple," Lloyd said slyly. In one easy swoop, he cut through the ropes and stood. The travellers stumbled back into defensive poses as the tiefling simply skipped past them. "Come! I'll show you!"

The girl scowled. "We don't even know you, tiefling!"

"I'm Lloyd!" Lloyd said simply.

The tall half-elf tilted his head. "That is an unusual name for a tiefling." Lloyd forced a smile, nerves biting at his stomach as he continued.

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"I don't trust him," Kai muttered to the others as they followed the green creature through the temple's halls. "One moment he's attacking me and then the next he's giving us a house tour!"

"Our involvement with his uncle has significantly reduced his hostility but I think we can assume it is because he has a good relationship with Wu," Zane replied smoothly.

"I don't care if he's chummy with his uncle!" Jay hissed. "He is literal demon spawn!"

Nya grabbed her brother by the shoulder. "Shush! He's coming back!"

Lloyd darted easily towards the group with a wide smile, his pointed teeth gleaming in the torchlight. "My grandfather built this temple a long time ago and my father repurposed it later. We had to flee when a great evil was unleashed but the building is still intact."

Lloyd took Nya's hand, much to her surprise and Kai's fury, and dragged her over to a large wall. In the stone figures were carved, depicting various scenes with demon gods and dragons. Lloyd pressed his hand to the demon in the centre, its giant eye became a button and he murmured an incantation. Green magic filled the eye and there was a groan as a small square-shaped trap door slid open.

"Ta-da!" Lloyd cheered, hooping up and scrambling in. His green tail flicked once or twice before it disappeared behind him.

The group gaped at the secret door in shock, simply standing there as the tiefling chattered ahead of them.

"I scanned for secret passages!" Kai exclaimed in frustration.

"Guess you didn't scan very well." Nya breathed stepping towards the door. She cast a small look around the tunnel before she entered after Lloyd, ignoring Kai's protests.

Zane went in next and then a reluctant Kai. Cole watched as Jay struggled to reach the little square opening, hopping up and down in hopes of being able to heave himself up. Finally, the barbarian grabbed his friend by the armpits and tossed him in. Cole inspected the entrance with a frown and looked at his broad shoulders.

"Guys?" Cole called in. "I'm not sure if I can fit."

Snickered emitted from the passage making the raven-haired young man scowl. Cole wiggles in, only just barely fitting through with a grunt. "Thank you for the help," Cole grumbled sarcastically.

They stepped out into a room, with tall ceilings but narrow floor space. Built-in shelves lined the walls and ancient artifacts hung on pedestals like jewels. Though it looked fairly run down, cobwebs were along with the floors and a few things were broken, it wasn't too bad. Obviously, the green tiefling had been keeping it clean.

In the far corner was a pile of old cushions and books, creating a couch of sort with a cloak lying across it. Most of Lloyd's things were run down and roughed up but the cloak seemed fit for royalty with golden embroidery along the seams. Above, hanging from the ceiling was a trap that Lloyd had strung from the old light fixtures to create a hammock, patches of other clothing and fabric were sewn on.

"Welcome to my home!" Lloyd looked proud as he gestured at the mess. "You might be able to find whatever it is you're needing here!"

"How long have you been living here?" Nya murmured as the others began searching around.

Lloyd pressed his lips together as he thought. "I'm not sure. My mom dropped me off when I was very young and never came back." He shrugged like it was nothing. But he hesitated a moment after. "Did... did Wu ever say anything about me?"

Nya shook her head. "No... I'm sorry, Lloyd. He's been very busy though! Fighting in many wars! Right now he's hoping that the armour of the golden dragon will have the amulet he needs to help turn the tides."

"Oh." Lloyd suddenly wilted at the mention of the armour. "Is that what you're looking for?"

Kai paused from where he was yanking books off the shelf to narrow his eyes at the teifling. "Why? Where is it?"

"It used to be here." Lloyd sighed, turning away to pick up his cloak, he raised the hood to his nose and inhaled. "But a skeleton army invaded not long ago. I hid but somehow they managed to find this room. I thought it was odd but I had gotten injured when trying to get food from a village and was in no state to fight. They took the armour and left and I haven't seen them since."

Cole cursed. "Great! Now Garmadon must have it! We came here for nothing!"

The tiefling tensed. "Did you say Garmadon?"

"Yes, is he another teifling friend of yours?" Jay kicked a pile of crumbled rocks sulkily.

Lloyd glanced away. "I've heard of him."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Everyone's heard of him! He's been going nuts over this god of his! Destroying cities to try and get more followers so he can set the demon free or something! He's been yelling about some special day where the time is just right for him to release the thing from its prison or whatever."

"The spring solstice," Lloyd said grimly. "It's the one day where the magical border between Ninjago and the Island of Darkness is weakened. The elements surge and it messes with the barrier enough that there may be a sliver of a chance that the darkness can escape."

"What's the armour have anything to do with this?" Nya wondered aloud. "Garmadon and Wu wouldn't want it unless it was important."

"It's powerful enough to dispel the darkness, but also powerful enough to break through the border," Lloyd explained. "Wu's trying to stop Garmadon before he can let The Overlord free."

Jay jumped up and down so they turned their attention to him. "Wait? The overlord is actually real? Garmadon isn't just going a little koo-Koo over some fake god?"

Lloyd shook his head. Kai swore again, smacking his fist into his head as he thought. "What are we going to tell Wu? We can't just come back empty-handed!"

"Then we'll steal the amulet in the armour back." Cole cracked his neck. "We can take on a few skeletons."

"Garmadon wouldn't just leave it to the skeletons." Lloyd narrowed his eyes in thought. "He'd keep it close to him."

"Then we'll face Garmadon!"

Zane shook his head. "Garmadon is a high-level sorcerer. I do not think that it will be easy."

"It won't." Lloyd agreed. "It's a suicide mission."

Nya eyed him suspiciously. "How do you know so much about Garmadon anyway?"

"I know a lot about a lot of things." Lloyd glanced away. "I try and gather as much information as I can from travellers."

There was obviously much more to it but they all collectively ignored it to continue their plan. "Then we'll sneak in," Kai proposed. "Snatch it right from under his nose."

The group all glanced at each other before nodding. "I'm in." Cole agreed.

Nya smiled at her brother. "I go where you go."

"I shall follow as well," Zane added.

"Me too!" Jay cheered.

"I want to come as well," Lloyd spoke up. They all turned to stare at him.

Kai eyes him suspiciously. "And why would we trust you?"

"Can't see past the prejudice, can you?" Lloyd mused absently as he moved the cloak around his body and put it on. "I know Garmadon, I've seen him before. I can help navigate his fortress and my magic may be able to help us."

Lloyd kept his gaze steady. "I am no threat to you. My uncle promised he'd come find me but since he is unable to do that I must find him."

The group exchanged dubious looks but Zane was the first to agree with the tiefling.

"I do believe that he will be of some help to us," Zane spoke up.

Reluctantly, Kai sighed. "Alright, Greenie, you can come along but one wrong move and you'll regret it."

Lloyd grinned, it was a little unnerving with his sharp teeth peeking over his bottom lip.

"Perfect."

authors note*****
The spring bit in this story isn't much, unfortunately. If this was a full book maybe it would come up more. I might make another part just because I'm having fun writing in this world!

Here's a picture I drew of Lloyd as a tiefling! Usually, Tieflings don't have blonde hair and their skin tone is usually more yellow-green if they are green but I changed something things so we could get a more Lloyd-looking tiefling! I must say I am quite proud of it!

I tried to draw Zane as a half-elf but his hair is very hard to draw with my drawing style and it didn't look very elf-like at all.

So instead I did Jay and gnome!

He's so cute!

P. S that was purely platonic Lloya up there, no offence Lloya shippers but I just don't see them together!

Anywho, hope you enjoyed this story!

LuckyBugBooks 🐞

Gif from Critical Role animatic.

Song above is Critical Role's theme: Your Turn To Roll

Title is from Your Turn to Roll