2. Dark Sides: The Golden Weapons

Chapter 6 - First Impressions

"Here we are," Garmadon announced as they walked up the last few steps and the large wooden doors came into view. Skylor had to tear her gaze away from the clouds carpeting the world around them to look at her new home. Garmadon had already gone ahead of her and was holding open the door.

Skylor was doing her best not to look as if this was the first time she'd been away from home, but it was, and everything was so new and interesting. She turned as she walked slowly through the courtyard, drinking in the visual aesthetic that gave the monastery its sense of peace. It wasn't nearly as ornate or extravagant as her father's palace, but somehow that made it all the more lovely.

Garmadon cleared his throat and Skylor returned her attention to him. She could admire the scenery later – right now she needed to remain focused. Although she had decided to accept Garmadon's offer, she was still wary about this strange new world she had entered. And there was no telling what her new teammates would think of her.

Just then, another voice rang out in the air. "Alright short stuff – show me what you got!"

Across the courtyard, Skylor could see a couple people sparring, a dark haired girl and a younger boy. Off to the side, two more girls were watching the fight. There was a tall girl with bright pink hair and a confident stance, and another smaller girl who appeared to have silver skin. Skylor paid close attention, and was surprised to see that the boy appeared to be evenly matched against his taller and older opponent. She wondered if maybe the girl was just holding back.

"Very good, Lloyd," Garmadon called as he approached. "But your defense could use a little work."

"Dad!" Lloyd ran towards them and Garmadon bent down to embrace his son, while the others looked fondly on the reunion. Skylor studied them, and briefly, she wondered who among them was the leader, and how long it might take for her to assume command. She was broken from her thoughts when her name was mentioned.

"Skylor, these are your new teammates. Nya, Seliel, and Pixal." Three girls waved in turn. "Girls, this is your fourth and final member, Skylor."

Skylor offered her hand to the first girl, Nya. She looked slightly younger than the rest, and she had a kinder look in the roundness of her face and her dark eyes. But instead of taking Skylor's hand, she only said, "It's nice to meet you."

Skylor smirked, figuring that they must have already been told about her powers. "It's alright, I'm wearing gloves." When Nya still hesitated, Skylor lowered her hand. "I guess it's too much to expect you to trust me upfront. Garmadon must have told you about me."

Garmadon cleared his throat. "Only about your element, as I told you theirs. That's the only thing that matters, after all."

The girls exchanged glances, but Skylor couldn't guess what they might be thinking. She would have to watch them closely. From what she heard, they had been training together for a while now, so they might not like having her come in and changing things up.

"I'm Lloyd. You want to spar sometime?" Skylor glanced down at the boy. "I hear you're way better than them."

"Hey!" Seliel protested.

Skylor gave the boy a skeptical look. He was young, but that was no reason to underestimate him. "You think you can keep up with me? I've been training my whole life."

"I know, I have, too! Please, I really want to practice with someone closer to my level! Mom and Dad always go easy on me and, well, they're still pretty new at this," he said, throwing a glance at the other girls.

Nya and Seliel glared at him, though Pixal didn't appear to be the least bit offended.

Skylor chuckled. "Okay, sure. It'll be an interesting challenge."