The Legends Of Chima: Journey to the Lands Below

Chapter 3-Laval

Eris flew off without even offering to fly me down there like she usually does, I guess she'd gotten tired of carrying me for awhile after what happened on Cavora.

I had to make my way through the maze-like understory, like everyone else on Chima, only problem is that I haven't done that since I was 5. While I've never been down here I could always hear the soldiers in the barracks talking about the day while off duty or my brother, Lennox, helping with the vehicles, it never felt cold or lifeless like every other dungeon, it felt like an entire city in itself. Now without anyone down here except me I see why I never wanted to go down here.

I followed my gut and just went down and followed the sound of the voices in the market district, there was also a painted path leading directly to it but I didn't realize that despite being hyper-aware of everything else.

When I saw the light of day and the crowds I felt relieved and let out the biggest breath of my life, I started to run towards it but something behind me caught my attention, a door behind iron bars.

I don't know why these bars were here but because my gut feeling screaming at me to walk away was reason enough, Despite this I was still drawn to them. I went to turn the handle on the cage door but it was locked, I started to head the other way until the glint of a small key on the ground caught my eye. I did what I definitely shouldn't have and unlocked the door with said key. The creak of the iron door and the scrape of the rust was so loud it could've woke the dead.

When I reached a wooden door behind it looked it was held together by nothing but clumps of dust and cobwebs, I was proved right when the rot finally took over and the door fell off it's hinges and disappeared into a pile of ash, leaving the knob in my hand. After a closer look there was an insignia on it resembling the symbol on the lion flags, but different and strange, I thought nothing of it and tossed it aside, looked one last time at the light like I was waiting for someone to call my name so I could head back. When I heard nothing I walked past the doorway.

What stood before me was a stairway leading to an abyss, I thought this was it and was closed off because it was a dead end, until I noticed a faint light at the bottom. I readied my sword and a torch and descended. Along the walls were ornate carvings of lions in a faint white stone, all adorned with all sorts of riches, good thing the ravens don't know about this place.

Upon further inspection there wasn't a speck of dust on these carvings and they were smooth, I could see faint shades of color but I couldn't make out much. I was far to invested to just leave now, I had to continue on.

At the bottom of the stairs I saw a switch, I didn't expect it to work but I flipped it anyways. I heard a click and the room was flooded with light, after a few seconds my vision regained and I was looking at the floor. It was a smooth white marble with gold streaks along the center and a black trim, the carvings regained their color showing beautifully detailed illustrations of no doubt very important people, mostly lions and eagles, there were a few crocodile carvings on the floor and eagles on the ceiling, the lions were on the wall and there were banners depicting the same symbol I saw on the doorknob between the wall carvings. After I finished walking through the hallway I found myself in front of a large stone door, bearing that same symbol. I pushed open the door with my sword ready, not knowing what what I would find.

When it heaved open the first thing I saw was 2 large statues in the center of a large room styled much like the hallway. Stretching across the loft of the large room was a single long carving trying to tell a story or myth. From left to right it was mostly blank except for four figures, one surrounded by rocks, one with fire, another with water drops and lastly one surrounded with lightning bolts, then a 5th surrounded by trees, the first four then fighting over the 5th. The fire guy and the 5th guy start fighting the other 3, then the 3 make a circle or something, about at this point I start to lose focus and it started to look like indecipherable scribbles to me. The statues look like 2 lion kings with red names and crowns similar to mine, though much more ornate. They also had a sword like me, and a cape, and a chi harness, the one on the right looked exactly like me, but older. I tried to get a closer look but I heard someone shout at me, paralyzing me with fear.

"Laval, what are you doing down here!?"

I turned around to see my father standing in the large doorway behind my with his arms crossed, no doubt pissed.

"I-I got lost trying to get to the market and I ended up here." I said panicked.

"Did the cage door not tip you off to go the other way?" He said agitated.

"kinda, but I've never been down here before I was just curious." I answered .

"You shouldn't be down here, everyone's been worried sick looking for you." He said in a stern yet worried voice.

"Alright I'm sorry, but what is this place? I've never seen anything like this." I asked.

"A place you don't need to be and a place I should've had closed off more securely." He said dismissively.

"Why's that?" I questioned.

"Doesn't matter, we need to leave. The citizens no doubt want to see their heroes. We'll discuss this later." He said while guiding me towards the exit.

We left the marble room and I went back out to the market district and the sound of almost all of Chima in one place hit me like a hammer. I went in to search for Eris and everyone else.