The story continues on from last time when Pythor decided their next target would be the Fire Temple. With all due haste, the Serpentine were once again assembled and sent to march toward the next Fangblade.
The volcanic mountain was clear to see many miles away. And once they got close enough, so was the smoke that came from its top. It was a black cloud that spelled trouble. But that wasn't something that Skales wanted to tell Pythor. It seemed childish.
They had wandered a long road to reach their destination, but their spirits were lifted once they managed to get to the Forest of Tranquility. As the name said, it was a quiet and subtle place that almost felt eerie. The trees which were taller than buildings, seemed to look down upon the Serpentine. Skales found himself nearly comparing the tree tops to the cavern ceiling that covered their tomb, forever keeping out the light from the outside. Which only made him crave the open and desolate planes of the Sea of Sand even more. Where the sky was free from distractions and visible from dawn to dusk. But once the forest was reached, the Fire Temple felt to be just a short walk away. It didn't take long before they could clearly see the volcano, whereafter a wave of cheer swept through their ranks.
The other Generals were staying behind, overseeing a secret project that Pythor had delegated to them. Skales wasn't quite sure what it was about, but he knew it involved digging and many Constrictai. He had mentioned it to Pythor, who had told him that it would be revealed soon enough. Skales thought that if anyone, he would have deserved to know of such things. But of course, he wouldn't object to the decision directly.
He and Pythor were at the top of the snake, they formed as they marched. Behind them were the warriors who dutifully followed them. And at the back end of the snake, were their prisoner, Lloyd Garmadon. It wasn't hard for Skales to believe he truly was the son of the infamous Garmadon. Though he lacked the skills and wits of his father, he had more than made up for it with his cruelty toward the Serpentine. Skales could guess that it was meant as an insult to the boy, that he was kept at the back, hanging from a cage.
Skales looked over at Pythor, who was busy studying the map as if the volcano wasn't already visible.
"Why did we take the boy with usss? Won't he just be a distraction, while we perform our task?"
"Questioning me again, number two? How awfully impolite of you." Pythor replied, his eyes still glued to the map. But in the end, it looked as if he concluded it was fair to offer an explanation, as he turned to the Hypnobrai.
"In the very likely case of the Ninja trying once again to disrupt our search for the Fangblades, it is always useful to have a hostage on hand. It does after all seem the Ninja have some misguided desire to free the fool. And, it is also useful to have someone to test for possible traps!" He cheerfully explained, letting out a sinister chuckle.
Skales looked behind them, though he couldn't see the boy. Their last talk back at the pyramid had been enlightening, to say the least. Even if it has had the opposite effect their prisoner had hoped. His determination to serve Pythor had only gotten stronger. He couldn't believe he had been about to fall for the boy's petty attempt to turn him against his king. But he would be lying if he said that he wasn't seeing Lloyd in a less hostile light. He also could not ignore the feeling that he had paid for his crime against Skales' tribe already. Lloyd had been their prisoner for some time and subjugated to all the indignities that came with it. It had reached a point where the thought of just letting the boy go and being done with him had crossed his mind a few times. But then it was Pythor's right to decide what they did with their prisoner. If he wanted him to be a hostage, then that was that.
As they neared the volcano and temple, an uncertainty, brought about by the black smoke, started to invade Skales' mind.
"Are you sure the volcano is safe to enter? It looksss rather...unstable."
YOU ARE READING
Skales x Pythor: My Loyal Number Two
RomanceWhile most did believe that Pythor and Skales were somewhat close, no one quite knew how close they actually were. And neither did anyone know how they ended up together, or how they fell apart. But most of all: what were they to each other?
