The Reign of the Oni

Chapter Four - In Which Lloyd Uncovers an Infestation

Lloyd's POV:

I slowly slid the window open, making sure not to make too much noise. If we were on the Bounty, I'm not sure I could have slipt out. Zane's senses were even more sensitive when he was asleep. I guess it was to make up for the fact that he made himself vulnerable by drifting into unconsciousness. I lifted myself onto the roof and pulled my hood over my head. I was wearing the gray sweatshirt again, as it was one of the only pieces of normal clothing I owned.

It was still raining. I made sure not to slip as I closed the window and made my way across the roof of the Monastery. Once in Ninjago City, I made my way to the rundown part of town. Because of the rain, most people were inside. But there were still a few kids running around. They would find bits of food and fist fight each other for them. I shook my head, wishing I had thought to bring food. Harumi might have been faking, but at least those people were given a decent meal for once.

Harumi. She had died and no one even cared enough to give her a proper funeral. We all just went on living, showing no concern for the former Jade Princess. Part of me thought it was fitting. Someone who caused that much destruction didn't deserve to be sent to the Cursed Realm in peace. But deep down, I knew it wasn't right. If no one cared enough to search for her body, imagine how lonely she must be. Lonely and hurt. That's enough to cause someone to do a lot of things they might not normally do.

I shook my head. I needed to stop justifying her actions. The only reason no one gave her a funeral was because she killed the only people who might have.

As I turned the corner onto the next street, I heard voices. One voice in particular sounded vaguely familiar. It didn't sound like a normal person's voice. It was too high pitched; too unhinged. I poked my head around an alley and squinted to see figures in the darkness. There were two people. The one with the familiar voice was a woman. Once my eyes adjusted to the dark, I had to stop myself from gasping.

The woman standing in the alley was Ultra Violet.

She looked the exact same as when she was terrorizing the city. Her gray skin was still painted white and her hair was pulled into her usual high ponytail. Instead of a prison jumpsuit, she was back in her old get up, which meant she couldn't have just escaped. How did no one know she was loose?

"Is everyone ready?" she asked.

The man she was with nodded. "They're already in the base, waiting for you."

Ultra Violet smiled. "Good. Tonight is going to be fun."

She turned and started walking deeper into the ally, the man trailing behind. Once they were far enough away, I slipt into the alley and started to follow them. Each footfall considered thought. I would step exactly when they would step. That way if I made any noise, it would be muffled by their own. Ultra Violet climbed over a fence at the end of the alley. That would make a lot of noise. When I came to it, I looked around, trying to think of a way around. I opened my palms and summoned enough air to lift myself over the fence. I landed with a thud and ducked behind a trash can. Ultra Violet turned around, but she soon shrugged it off.

I followed her and the man for a while. Finally, they stopped at an abandoned warehouse. I watched as the man knocked in a pattern on the doors. Suddenly, a peep hole opened, and a pair of eyes looked down at the two delinquents. The man's eyes grew wide when he saw who was standing in front of him.

"It's the boss!" he said, closing the peep hole. Soon after, the door opened, and the two of them strolled into the building.

I looked up at the roof. It was possible for there to be a way in from up there. But if not, climbing up would be a waste. Pulling on the strings of my hoodie, I walked over to the door and copied the knock I saw the man do as best I could. I kept my head down as the peep hole opened.

"Who are you?" the pair of eyes asked.

"Uh . . ." I racked my brain for an idea. "Cliff Rodfield. I was, uh, a friend of Mr. E."

"Cliff Rodfield?" the man questioned.

I nodded, wishing I had chosen a name that sounded less like a rich duke. But knowing Mr. E seemed to give me some brownie points. The man opened the door and I walked inside before he could change his mind. I was expecting a few people who had run away before they could get caught. My plan was to sneak up to the rafters, since it would be hard to blend in in such a small crowd. But my plan was immediately scratched. The whole wearhouse was full to bursting. My jaw hung open as I looked all around at the hundreds of people crowded into the room. You could hardly turn around without bumping into someone. How had their ranks grown in so little time? And what would it mean for Ninjago?

After a few minutes later, I could hear feedback. Everyone faced the front of the room.

"Thank you all for coming," I could hear Ultra Violet's voice saying. "I am honored to host the first meeting of the Sons of Garmadon since our benevolent leader, Lord Garmadon, was wrongfully imprisoned."

I scoffed. As Ultra Violet continued to drone, I searched for a way to get higher. There was a stairwell leading to a pavilion where even more people stood. I made my way through the crowd and pushed past the people on the stairs. Once on the pavilion, I walked over to the edge, finally able to see Ultra Violet.

"Where's the Quiet One!" someone called out. The entire room mumbled in agreement.

There was a pause. Ultra Violet looked down, her expression solom. "The Quiet One is presumed dead." She looked pained as she said this. I realized that she and Harumi were probably friends. It was odd, seeing that the Sons of Garmadon actually cared for others.

The whole room went silent. Everyone looked down, giving a moment of silence for their former leader. I joined them so as not to look suspicious.

"What do we do now?" someone finally asked.

Ultra Violet's face grew determined. "We free Lord Garmadon, and we kill the Ninja."

The room erupted in cheers. I made my way back down the stairwell, deciding I had already uncovered enough information. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of bumping rather hardly into one of the people on the stairs.

"Watch where you're-" He paused. "Wait, aren't you that Ninja who killed the boss?"

I froze. Everyone within earshot turned to me. The man ripped my hood off, revealing my identity to all who were paying attention.

"You are that Ninja."

The man pressed me against the banister. Then, without any warning, he pushed me off. I groaned as I landed on the concrete floor.

"That guy is one of the Ninja!" the man yelled. "Get him!"